Trip Report Double Double Dip Trip June 2017 (Completed!)

Hello all and welcome to my trip report. My husband, Brad, and I just got back from a WDW trip and a Disney cruise on the Dream. Why am I calling it a double double dip? Well, we checked in and out of WDW twice, our cruise was a double dip (2 stops at Castaway Cay), and we had 2 birthdays to celebrate. So sit back and relax and enjoy my trip report.

Dates of vacation: June 18 to July 1

Resort: Pop Century (both times)

Cruise: Disney Dream

Travelers: Me (Amy) and my husband (Brad)

I'm tagging a few people that have followed my past reports. If I missed you, sorry, but please follow anyway. If you are new, welcome. And if I tagged you and you don't want to read, no problem!

@figmentfan423 @MinnieM123 @Cesar R M @donaldtoo @MySmallWorldof4 @MOXOMUMD @JenniferS @PacNWTigger @Tuvalu @Gabe1 @betty rose @Songbird76 @sheriffwoody @bee @blgauger @BuddyThomas @fractal @93boomer @MouseDreaming @Wrangler-Rick @PUSH @Mr Ferret 88 @amjt660 @Minnesota disney fan


June 18: Our first day of vacation was not a Disney day. We live near Minneapolis (about 1 hour 15 min from the airport) and we decided to spend the night before at a hotel so we didn't have to get up so early. When my husband got home from work around noon we headed over to Minneapolis and went to one of our favorite spots, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. We go here a lot and I was hoping to catch the peonies in full bloom but we missed the full bloom by about 4 days. That was disappointing as it is my favorite flower, but there were still some peonies and the roses were blooming nicely. We had a nice time walking around, and a local symphony was giving a concert so we listened to that for a bit. Hubby was pleased when they played a Star Wars medley. So here are some pictures.

The peony walk, as you can see not in full bloom.

Some of the roses.

The Arboretum often has changing botanical displays and so for these might be my favorite. It is a kaleidoscope and the bowl with the flowers spins, it is fun to look through.

After the Arboretum we headed to the Mall of America and did the Flying over America attraction since I had a 50% coupon. It is a take on Disney's Soarin. We had done the America version here before and they were running a limited showing of Flying over Canada so we opted for that. It was fine but no Disney. Although the seats at the Mall of America version are more comfortable.

Dinner that night was a the Hard Rock Cafe, we hadn't eaten at a Hard Rock in years. Neither of us could make a decision about where to eat so we settled on this since it was a few steps away from the exit of Flying over America. Now when I say settled, that soon changed when we started eating our burgers, hubs got a special Memphis burger and I had a Guinness burger. We both had herbed fries. And the meal was fantastic. Sorry no food pics of this, perhaps on another visit.

 

[Figgy1]

I think if I had bought one more thing at Basin I might have had to start layering my clothes on my body on the plane ride back! My suitcase just barely fit the weight limit and that's where most of the Basin stuff was. I think I'm stocked up until March, that's when we will probably be going back.

USPS is your friend

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Really like the individual photos of you and Brad out on the ship's deck. Maybe it was the late day lighting, and/or the blue ocean and sky backdrop, but you both photographed well in that setting.

The presentation photos of the food are amazing!! (I just had a microwaved, Bob's Red Mill oatmeal with flax and chia cup for dinner here. So your REAL food photos are killing me!! )

Thanks Minnie! My meal tonight wasn't that much better than yours so my food pictures are killing me too!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

USPS is your friend

True, but if I run out that just means I HAVE to go back right!?

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We decided to try the Meridian lounge for a bit tonight instead of the Skyline. It was pretty dead up there and my creme brulee martini really just tasted of Bailey's and strong alcohol. We had a fun pair of swans on our bed though.

As I mentioned we were part of a group cruise. One of the activities was to have a pajama party at 687 lounge and then at midnight we got to take the kids club for an hour and play. Here's some pictures of the kids club takeover.
I thought the floor was a disco dance floor, and I suppose it could be but it was an interactive video screen thing too.

Practicing my moves.

To play the game there were foot pads around the edge. It was a lot of fun to play the games.

Brad was excited to "pilot" the Millennium Falcon.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Just a couple more pictures of the kids club take over. Brad climbed through the Slinky dog, but the pictures (funny as they are) are not very complimentary to him so I will be a good wife and not post.

It was so strange going back to our stateroom at 1am, the ship was so empty!

 

[kaitertot5249]

I've never been on a cruise of any sort but I think I would like to go on one sometime. I think that they would be the perfect mix of things to do and places to relax to appease both my desire to always be trying new things and doing things and my boyfriends desire to relax as much as possible. I just need to convince him that a Disney cruise is worth the price tag

It sounds like you had an amazing trip!

 

[bee]

I love all the Disney pajamas in your party photos!

 

[MouseDreaming]

Friday June 23
We went to bed late and got up early, that's just how we roll. At least Disney.
Up early for our Mickey waffle kids meal then off to the Magic Kingdom.
View attachment 214820

With the security backups I had been involved in we made sure we got there super early. We were about 30 minutes early for the security line opening but there were about 20 other people waiting there too. Sure I was waiting but I wasn't waiting frustrated and not knowing why the line wasn't moving. Plus we had some nice chats with the security guards.
View attachment 214821

View attachment 214823

View attachment 214826


This makes me smile every time.
View attachment 214827

Then we were stopped here for awhile. At least I had an interesting view.
View attachment 214828

Then we were let onto Main Street and as part of EMH we were routed over to the bridge that leads over to the Cheshire Cafe by the teacups.
View attachment 214829

Lots of people were doing the surge to 7D or Space Mt, we were off to Neverland. It was a pretty empty walk as we back tracked on the path by the wishing well.
View attachment 214830

View attachment 214831 Love this group of pictures. And that sign makes me smile every time, too.

I wish it was this empty all the time, but I guess if it was the place wouldn't have enough revenue to run.
View attachment 214833

 

[Cesar R M]

I've never been on a cruise of any sort but I think I would like to go on one sometime. I think that they would be the perfect mix of things to do and places to relax to appease both my desire to always be trying new things and doing things and my boyfriends desire to relax as much as possible. I just need to convince him that a Disney cruise is worth the price tag

It sounds like you had an amazing trip!

You can always search discount trips.
There are certain dates and certain ships where the price falls by almost 50%.
Usually when kids are in school and only seniors visit the cruise itineraries.

I got my Alaska one when it was around 3,000 USD (versus 4,000 of RCL and 5,000+ of a normal DCL trip)

Right now, Caribbean is very cheap if you purchase in November on this year, or December for next year.

 

[Tuvalu]

Love your anniversary dress.

And I can't remember if we discussed this before, but Woody and I share your anniversary. We've been married almost three times as long as you and Brad.

Pina colada + passion fruit???!!! Count me in!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Love your anniversary dress.

And I can't remember if we discussed this before, but Woody and I share your anniversary. We've been married almost three times as long as you and Brad.

Pina colada + passion fruit???!!! Count me in!

Now that you mention it, I think I do remember you saying that we all shared the anniversary date. So happy anniversary (belated) to you!

 

[fractal]

Happy Anniversary!

The meals look amazing.

I like the photos on the deck - did you use a flash when taking those?

Kids areas look like so much fun!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 28: A very important day of the year......MY Birthday!!
And time for the first Double Dip. Our second stop at Castaway Cay. Spending the day at Castaway Cay while entering in a new decade of my existence is not a shabby way to spend the day. Not a bad way at all.

I was hoping though that we hadn't gotten too spoiled with the cabana a couple days ago, and I hoped we would be okay just "slumming" it on the beach. Before we left I kept checking to see if a cabana opened up for my birthday, then I would have canceled the other day, but it didn't. So just a regular beach day it was.

The day started off early, as usual, with our 6:30am coffee, croissants, and doughnut pre-breakfast. I loved relaxing on the verandah as a way to start the day.

So we got ready and we were one of the first people off the ship. I paused to take a picture as we walked off and Brad yelled at me for holding up the line. Really?! Yelling at me on my birthday wasn't very nice, plus I only paused for like 5 seconds. I think someone was in need of a Konch Kooler.

We didn't head to Serenity Bay right away, as I mentioned earlier we were part of a podcast cruise and our group was assembling at 9am for a group picture. We of course were early, because that's how we roll. So we wandered around the family area and I was pleased to get some pictures of Mt. Rustmore.

We were worried that the group picture would last a long time but people showed up on time! And we assembled quickly. I think everyone was eager to get their beach spots for the day. This was the location of our group picture with the ship and boats in the background. The picture did turn out nice and it is cool to have a picture of all the people we met gathered together.

We made it to Serenity Bay and there were some people there already but plenty of spots. Now we had to decide where to go. We knew we wanted to be fairly close to the bar (so we could hear the music playing) and the bathrooms. But should we pick first row so we are closer to the water and no one is in front of us, but is also on an incline that makes it a little less comfortable to sit and relax. Or take the second row of chairs that is a little raised up but on flat land and have people in front of us.

We went second row and this was our view. We actually loved being up in the second row. It was flat so our body wasn't at a constant incline in the chair and we were raised up so the people in front of us weren't blocking our view.

Eventually it was time to relax in the water.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Happy Anniversary!

The meals look amazing.

I like the photos on the deck - did you use a flash when taking those?

Kids areas look like so much fun!

Thanks. The food is very good on the ship and plentiful. It negated at loss from walking we had at WDW beforehand. Have you taken a Disney cruise? It might help your wife like Disney a little more. It would be a photographers heaven for you!

The kids club was a lot of fun. It is open for all guests to tour during the first day (or at least the first couple hours) of the cruise, but the games aren't turned on. So it was fun to be able to play the games. I can see why kids never want to leave those areas. The area is so clean too, before we entered we had to use the scrub wash stations that the kids use and none of the stuff was grubby to touch so I think the cast members are constantly cleaning.

We did use flashes for the on deck pictures, it was the best way we knew how to get a decent shot where we weren't too dark. We played with some different settings on my camera. It worked ok I guess. I've tried to learn some of the technical stuff about settings and stuff but it just flies over my head, there are too many numbers it makes me think of math which is a subject I try not to use too often!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Needless to say we enjoyed the day immensely. There was a lot of relaxing and venturing into the water. "Slumming" it on the regular guest loungers was not so disappointing after the day at the cabana, so we had not been corrupted to the lap of luxury.

We did order a Konk Kooler, of course. That was actually our only alcoholic beverage while on the beach that day.

And just some pictures relaxing, I mean working hard, at the beach.

I was just messing around with some of the settings on my camera and I decided to try fisheye since I was on the beach. The fisheye settings on my camera are low, medium, and high (very technical) I think this was at medium.

I went to sit at the water's edge and enjoy my book. Brad decided to take a picture. I'm also wearing one of Brad's shirts because my back had gotten a little sunburned the last time we stopped at Castaway Cay and I was trying to be very cautious today so it didn't get worse. I had a massage planned for the next day and it wouldn't be very comfortable with a burnt back.

A look at the bar area.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

The water has some surprises for us today. We found a nice big conch and some starfish as well as a ray that kept visiting from time to time. Oh plus there were a lot of schools of fish about too. Luckily we didn't see a barracuda, that might have driven me out of the water.

Here's is me being a total dork. But I was allowed to be a dork, it was my birthday after all.

Hubs with the conch

If you look close you can kind of see the little guy (or girl, do they have a gender?) inside. Don't worry we did not harm any marine life for pictures. We kept returning them to the water after short bits above the water.

One of the starfish we found

And some shots of Mr. Ray

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

No hammock for me today, but it makes a lovely picture.

It was close to 4 pm and it was time to head back to the ship.

Since the regular tram doesn't drop off directly at the gangway, we had some walking to do, but that let us do a few photo opps.

The post office on the island. I know it is open from time to time but I've never seen it open. We noticed it does have "sea mail" and air mail delivery.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Back at the ship

And back in my room I found this. Brad said he didn't arrange for it so it was a surprise to him too. We had our travel agent note our anniversary and my birthday so I don't know if she arranged it or if the cabin steward just did it but it was a nice surprise!

Anyway we hung out in the room for awhile, watched the sail away from the island and got ready for the evening. Not only was it my birthday but it was also Pirate Night. So we decided to go get our picture taken with Chip and Dale. We were early for the meet and greet and no one was waiting so we were the first in line. Chip and Dale were even a little early, that was nice.

Some pictures of the area as we waited.

Since they were early and we were the first ones we had time to go visit another pirate. I guess I'm doing my pirate pose in the picture.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I like to walk by guest services on Pirate night because they always make a cute little display.

We had dinner that night back in Animator's Palate. I was happy to eat here again on Pirate night because they put a bunch of Disney pirate pictures on the screens and is more themed to Pirate Night than the other restaurants. I had peeked in on past cruises and wished we had been assigned this one for Pirate Night, and now we were.

There was a special pirate menu.

I didn't really care for the sound of any of the appetizers but I decided to try the baked brie with figs and caramelized onions. I'm not a fan of brie so I was not surprised in the end that I didn't care for this. The sausage bits on top were good. The serving team was very concerned that I didn't like it and offered a few times to bring something else but there were a few desserts that I wanted later, so I assured them I wasn't going to be going hungry.

Brad had the crab cake, he enjoyed it.

I went double entree tonight and got the roasted strip loin with potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.

That was good but I also got the Jerk chicken, now this was fantastic! It had the right amount of heat and spice. I should have just ordered two plates of this!

Brad also got the jerk chicken and this grouper dish. He liked both of them.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Time for the best part of the meal....dessert!

I got the macadamia nut cheesecake tart, super yum!

This was the banana in paradise dessert, banana bread layered with hazelnut filling. We were supposed to share this, and Brad had to be talked into getting it. Well guess who got two bites and who ate the rest. Me=2 bites Brad=the rest. Why because he got the rum cake and didn't like it at all so I was nice and let him have this. It was fabulously tasty too.

The chocolate rum cake. Our tablemate got this as one of her desserts and found it to be disgusting as well.

And the Happy Birthday dessert treat.

So despite the gross appetizer on my part and the disgusting rum cake on Brad's we left plenty full. We went back to the room quick before heading up to deck 11.

There was a little pirate party going on in front of funnel vision and we watched a little bit for awhile, it was cute and definitely aimed at kiddos.

No aquaduck for us tonight but it is fun to watch them go around.

We decided to get a little exercise with something we have been wanting to do during all of our cruises but never did....Mini golf.