Priceless Discoveries…at WDW and on The FANTASY!!

When: March 21-26, 2012
Where: Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Disney Fantasy
Who: Me(Missy) and my DH Levi (along with Kingdom Konsultant owner Pam, agent Tammy and their guests!)
Why: 2012 EarMarked Conference

When I found out I was going to be able to attend, saying I was excited would certainly be an understatement. This was going to be my first EarMarked conference, and if I know Disney(which I think I do!), I was going to have the time of my life!


My first decision was who to take. We have 2 young daughters, but we ultimately decided to make it a date trip! I knew I would have conference obligations and neither of the kids have cruised before, so it just seemed like the best decision to let them have a vacation at their grandparents’ houses instead.


I landed at MCO on Wednesday night, slightly before my scheduled time. Levi had work obligations, so he wasn’t going to arrive until Thursday night. Tammy’s gang wasn’t too far behind, so I waited for them near the DME counter. I knew I was too late to make it to any parks anyway.


I have never had such a long wait to the DME bus though! It seemed to take forever, but I think it’s safe to say that we must have waited for nearly an hour.


This was my first stay at Coronado Springs Resort. If someone asked me to describe it, I think the easiest explanation would be that it is set up like a typical Disney moderate resort. There is a main building housing registration and dining. And, much like POR and CBR, there is a body of water surrounded by many buildings of hotel rooms. At night, it was simply beautiful seeing all of the lights glistening off of the water.


From what I was told, all of the agents there for conference were assigned to the Ranchos section. It was the farthest distance away from the main building and conference center, but they had internal bus services set up just for us, making it as convenient as possible.

Here is my room

I have mixed feelings about the sliding doors separating the bathroom area from the rest of the room. They looked really nice, but mine was hard to move, and made quite a bit of noise also. I think the curtain divider we had in February at POR accomplished the same idea, and was easier to use.


These rooms do, in my opinion, have a more deluxe feel and look with the décor than the other moderate resorts though.


After I located my room, I walked a lap around the lake to get a better feel for the resort. It wasn’t a short walk by any means, but it wasn’t bad either. Being a mom who is used to pushing a stroller, I can see how the walk could become tiring after several days though.


The next morning, I met up with Pam and Tammy bright and early. We headed directly to the conference center to get our registration packets.


As soon as I walked through the door, I spied Tommy Keesling. He was our guide in January for the Agent Education Program the Kingdom Konsultants attended. He is so nice and so knowledgeable. I squealed his name like a school girl, and in return got a big hug. His official title is Training Manager, Travel Agency Sales. Eat your heart, DisneyHeather!

At the registration desk, I was given a bag of goodies.
Included in it were many helpful things, like an iPod touch to guide us through our schedule while at WDW and also on the ship. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the app with the deck plan will be made available for all!


Breakfast was being provided in the conference center, courtesy of Disney Visa. We sat to eat and listened to a Disney Visa rep give information on the newest Disney Visa options.

After breakfast, we moved into a conference room to begin our first general session. With surprise guests from the Adventurers Club and repeat appearances by Ivana Dream through the day, there was rarely a dull moment. During the sessions, we received new information on various Disney Parks attractions, updates to our Travel Agent website, and a special presentation from Adventures by Disney guides.

During our lunch break, we were honored to share a table with Ed Fouche (Sr Vice President, Travel Industry Sales America) and Craig Parsons (Vice President, National Account & Account Travel Agency Sales). For any of you who followed Disney Cruise Line Blog on Facebook like I did, while the Fantasy made its voyage from Germany, Ed is the guy who did the updates! They were both so kind, of course, and we saw Ed and his family several times onboard. And in case anyone is wondering, even Ed’s granddaughter had to wait in line to buy things at the stores, just like the rest of us. Haha.


Here are Craig, Pam, and Ed at lunch.

And we had great afternoon snacks, too!

 

[polymissy]

When our last session ended, we were free for the rest of the night. Levi’s flight still hadn’t taken off. What is a girl to do? Turns out, I couldn’t decide! So…my solution, get on the first bus that showed up! Hollywood Studios, here I come!

By the time I got there, it was about 6:30pm. While I’m at WDW, I have no concept of time. My internal clock said it was around noon. I had a little something to eat at the Backlot Express, and watched a few minutes of Mulch.

It was a gorgeous day(evening). I had been inside all day, and wanted to enjoy the air as much as possible, so I decided to take a walk to Epcot. I had stayed 4 nights at Beach Club the first week of March with Levi, my girls, and several family members. We were so busy that I never had a chance to walk over to the Boardwalk, so I decided it was a perfect plan.

Here is the Yacht Club from across the lake

I headed into the International Gateway, and made my natural right hand turn towards France. My first stop always has to be for a Grand Marnier Slush in France! But the line was LONG, so I decided to venture over to Mexico and check out La Cava instead.

On my way, I made a stop in Canada, and happened to bump into Dave Marx(of the Passporter Guide series). We chatted a bit, and not surprisingly, he was also there for the cruise, as it was a media event also. He was a very nice guy, which seems to be a trend amongst Disney fans 

I stopped in Mexico, and La Cava was nearly empty. As in, there were about 3 people in there. Only one table had someone at it! A little strange for (what I am estimating to be) 7:30-8pm. My beverage of choice for the evening was the Coffee Margarita. It pretty much tastes like a McDonalds Frappe, but BETTER!

By this time, my phone battery was in the red zone. This is an ongoing issue, so I had my charger with me. Oh, how is wish WDW would have charging stations like DL! I hung out near an outlet in a bathroom by Spaceship Earth until I had enough charge. Levi would be landing soon, and was ahead of schedule. That can only mean one thing, Magic Kingdom, here we come!

I hopped on the monorail, and got off at the TTC to ride the ferry. To my delight, I was able to see one of my favorite things in all of WDW, The Electrical Water Pageant. Here’s a shot of it from the ferry boat.

 

[polymissy]

When I walked through the gate, I heard the MSEP beginning. My battery was almost dead AGAIN, so I sat myself under the train station and plugged in again. I guess that’s what happens when constantly updating friends and facebook or my goings-on! I watched several people playing the Sorcerers game under there. Wow, is that popular!

By the time the parade had passed, I was able to stroll down Main Street USA. I grabbed an ice cream cookie sandwich from the Main Street Bakery, and bought a pair of Mickey earrings. Then I headed to see Storybook Circus!

Here is a sign directing me the right way

Dumbo is just so pretty at night with the water! Maybe my phone battery wouldn’t go dead as often if I didn’t use it as a camera! Gotta get a new one!

And even the trash cans are cute. That’s Disney for ya!

And the Barnstormer was running, too!

And I always check out bathrooms. From having so many trips during pregnancy, with babies, toddlers, and now newly potty trained kids, bathrooms are a very important part of our trips!

By this time, Levi called. He was entering the park, so I headed that way to meet him. We had only been apart for about 36 hours, but I could NOT wait for him to get there! We found each other in the middle of Main Street USA, and had just enough time to ride Pirates and Haunted Mansion before the park closed at 11pm.


Levi grabbed a hot dog from Casey’s on the way out, and we headed back to the resort. When we got back, we decided to take a walk around so he can check things out , too. When he first arrived, he was in such a rush, that he looked at nothing. He had grabbed his annual pass from the room, and ran to the nearest bus stop! We took a stroll followed by a dip in the hot tub. I’ve heard in the past that CSR has a big hot tub, and they do!


After we relaxed there for a bit, we knew we better get ourselves to bed. Morning would be here soon, and we had a BIG day ahead of us!

 

[polymissy]

There was a trade show in the Ranchos courtyard with a breakfast for us, too. We toured around a little bit, but decided to walk over to the Pepper Market instead. Neither of us had eaten there before, and we thought this would be a great chance to try it out and see what it’s all about. It was overall a great breakfast. We were tied up a little bit in the omelet line though. Someone in front of me ordered an omelet with 8 eggs, but failed to mention that he only wanted one yolk until the chef had all the eggs cracked and into the mixing bowl. The chef tried to separate, but he had quite a bit of difficulty with it and ended up having to start again, separating each egg as he cracked it. I was irritated, but I sure didn’t let it spoil my mood!


And when we finally made it to our table, and Levi spilled his coffee all over my leg, I still had a smile.

We were short on time by this point, and rushed back to get our carryon bags. We passed Tammy, Pam, and crews on the way. They were already in line for the bus!

Here is Levi about to board the bus.

The ride went pretty quickly. Our driver said it’d be an hour and a half, but it didn’t seem nearly that long. We ended up being on the bus right behind Pam and Tammy, so we met up with them once we were inside the terminal.
Here is the view that had everyone up on looking out the window!

We hopped right in line with our check-in info and soon found out our stateroom assignment had changed. I was disappointed because we were originally assigned nearby Pam and Tammy. I was never given an explanation as to why we were moved, but it was still a verandah room, and it was on deck 9 instead of 6, so we were good with it!

By the time we were done, it was almost time for our boarding group number to be called! Tammy was in the group ahead of us, but we ended up making onto the ship first! I was able to record her family walking onboard, so that was fun.

Here is my Key to the World. Much like at WDW, it does it all. Room key, charge card, and it even activates power to your stateroom. (which is fine unless you’re trying to charge electronics. Then, I recommend using another card, like your KthW from WDW, so they will continue to charge when you leave the room)

It is also full of other helpful information. Below, you can see where it says “Dinner: 8:15pm AER Table 24” That shows you your dining assignment. We ended up switching to the earlier dining seating in order to be with Pam and Tammy, but you get the point of what I’m trying to say. Also, AER= Animator’s Palate first night, Enchanted Garden second night, and Royal Court third night. For those who have cruise with DCL before, it’s easy to know, but if you haven’t done it before, it’ll leave you wondering what on Earth it all means! And notice the large “L” in the bottom left corner. That was our assigned station for the safety drill.

And now we’re onboard!
There’s Tammy taking pictures that will put mine to shame! Haha. I love traveling with her. I never need my camera, she takes all the good shots for me! I say she’s like my paparazzi. She gets pictures of everything I do!

We had lunch in Enchanted Garden

The food was great, of course, but the most exciting part to us was the pre-scooped ice cream balls. I have no idea why, since it was just ice cream that was scooped and piled, but we thought it was so cool. It tasted really good, too!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Yay! I'm so excited you're writing a trip report because I get to relive my trip too!!!

I will come on all your trips and take pictures for you. No problem.

You got pictures of the room! You're better than me!

 

[joanna71985]

following along!

 

[mamamouse]

ever cool ,now we get your perspective too ,I like that idea!!!

 

[polymissy]

Thanks, ladies!

I'm getting ready to post more!

 

[polymissy]

From this point on, the entire trip seems like a magical blur of fun and amazement. Levi and I cruised on the Disney Wonder for our honeymoon almost 10 years ago. We have laughed many times since then at the fact that we were on our honeymoon and the first thing we did was call our parents to tell them how amazing it was. We have been on other cruises since then, and thought it wouldn’t really be too much different. Boy, were we wrong! Once again, it was time to call home, but this time we needed to Facetime our kids, and update our friends on Facebook. Everyone should have this experience at least once in their life! (And don’t worry, my poor kids will soon enough!)

We spent the next few hours getting to know the ship before we sailed away.
We started in the Small World Nursery (for children up to 3 years old)

Then, it was off to the Oceaneer Club and Lab. I have never left my children with anyone but family (with the exception of preschool), but I honestly feel that I would be completely comfortable allowing them to spend time here. The cast members are amazing, and the entire space is incredible. I can totally see them not wanting to leave. We also learned that if you have a child who is nearly 3 (like 2 years, 10 months, like mine) and they are potty trained, they are also welcome to stay in this club!
First it’s time to wash up!

Then, it was time to play!

Looks very much like my 5 year old’s closet at home….

 

[polymissy]

Cute little bathrooms!

Art/Craft area

I finally had to drag Levi away from the games

At this point, we headed toward the front of the ship, and I stopped in a restroom on the way. I found these beautiful flowers on the counter. Disney details!

And if I was under 18 years old, I’d be in Vibe constantly! They have the most private pool deck on ship!

And a hot pink bathroom for the girls!

After our first round of touring was complete, we found Pluto!

 

[polymissy]

By this time, our room was ready. We had a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah. The space was amazing. It seemed to be roomier than our room the previous night at CSR. Again, Disney’s attention to detail is written all over the place in the décor, but the incredible use of space is what really stood out to me. We had the divided bathroom, so that was helpful. There were several shelves in each bathroom and even the shower had lots of space for shampoo, conditioner, etc. Even the coffee table(trunk) was able to open and store things!

The bunk bed is hidden up there!

Many of the rooms in this category have a 5th sleeping space by using a bed that folds down from the wall. It would be located in the space behind the chair if we had one.

Shower/Sink Bathroom

Shelves in toilet/sink bathroom

The circular tub/showers have two shower heads. A regular one and one above. It’s raining!

And look how much room there in inside the shower/tub to keep your stuff!

This one was taken while at sea, but you can see the size of the balcony pretty well.

And here’s what it looks like with our stuff all over.

The red suitcase in the photo above is big. I knew the beds were raised in order to store suitcases underneath, but I figured there was no way this one would fit. As you can see, I was wrong, plenty of space!

 

[polymissy]

The Navigator

Now it was time to get to business! We changed and headed upstairs for sail away time!
Before we do that, here is a photo of the bottom of a hot tub looking up from our balcony.

Here it is from the pool deck!

We spent a lot of time in the adult pool area since we were without kids. I can tell you for sure, the 18+ rule is enforced! I witnessed it several times. The lounge chairs were comfortable and padded, but be careful, if someone sat in the seat in a wet swim suit, it would take a while to dry!

Aqua Duck and Aqua lab

 

[Disney_Belle]

Love it Missy! Looks like a great time! Wish I could have been there with you guys I think we need to do a KK cruise

 

[polymissy]

Fun in the pools

Nemos Reef

This one is taken right at the front of the ship. Notice my hair is pulled up, but still blowing all over the place. You are able to stand either in front of or behind the windows, so you can feel the breeze if you’d like.

I think my favorite location onboard could very well be Satellite Falls. I CANNOT believe I don’t have a single picture of it! We were in there several times, but never for very long. If I could wish upon a star, I’d wish it would turn into a hot tub. The weather was never right to be able to last in water of that temperature with the breeze in the front of the ship.

You know how sometimes water is more bearable if you just get all wet? Well, the water in Satellite Falls is shallow, but it periodically falls from above too(hence, the falls), so at one point, in an attempt to get all wet and try to stay warmer, I stood under the falling water. It felt strangely awkward, like I was showering in public! Lol. So, that was the end of that!

We wandered to the back of the ship, and watched some work going on at the dock next door. Levi is a construction manager, so he loves this kind of thing.

We watched some people play mini golf and ping pong

A view of our surroundings

 

[polymissy]

Then it was time for the safety drill. THANK GOODNESS life vets are no longer required. It’s always hot, sunny, and loud at these things! Haha.


We decided to put our swim suits on. Sail away time was almost here!!
Here is the bar menu for the pool deck

And our complimentary champagne and souvenir glasses!

We didn’t have long before it was time for dinner. We had dined in Animator’s Palate on the Wonder on two separate sailings. I had heard about the new, interactive AP on the Fantasy, but honestly really hadn’t thought too much about it. Let me tell you, it was a blast! I am no artist, but when my Mickey head drawing made it on the wall, I was so proud!

Here is Levi with his.

We were table 15.

Included in our conference (wait…this is a conference?) was a wine package. Of course, I took advantage of the offerings nightly.

After dinner, we went to the Walt Disney Theatre to see Wishes. It was a cute show about some high school kids ready to graduate, and spending one last night at Disneyland. My kids would have loved it because one of the musical numbers was Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride. They love that song!
No photos during the performance of course!

I think we spent more time in one of the hot tubs and maybe toured around Europa before bed. More of Europa to come!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Yay more pictures! Love it!

:lol: at the image of you in Satellite Falls!

 

[polymissy]

We had breakfast Saturday morning at Cabanas. The food is always good, and there’s plenty of it!

We sat right next to the window. This is the life!

Here is a small part of the buffet, and some people I don’t know. Sorry…

Since Cabanas is located on the pool deck, we headed out there next.

Here is Levi with Funnel Vision in the background. He thinks this is one of the best (worst) kept secrets of the ship. I think most likely because it is almost impossible to express to people how super-cool an enormous TV in the middle of the ocean is. I know, doesn’t sound exciting, but it is! Think about it, Pirates of the Caribbean under the open sky full of stars at midnight. Awesome!

I had a late morning session with Stacia Martin in the Buena Vista Theater. She was so kind, and it’s no wonder she has been an animator with Disney for more than 30 years. She chatted with us while she sketched, and then gave her drawings away to those in the audience. We each got one to take home, too. And it was autographed of course!
After that, they had several rooms available for conference delegates to tour.
Deluxe Oceanview with Verandah.

Notice the stars on the ceiling above bunk bed.

Also, this room was smaller than our deluxe family room. We decided that for the difference in price, it was worth it to book the larger room if possible, being that we have 2 small kids, and they have lots of stuff.

Outside Stateroom (no verandah)

Inside Stateroom

 

[polymissy]

Then we toured the suites. They were quite crowded, so it was difficult to get pictures. The tour was only supposed to be for agents, but they let our guests join us. It was nice because Levi was able to tour too, but it made it pretty hectic squeezing everyone in and out. Plus, someone decided that it would be appropriate to allow their child to jump on a couch in the Roy Disney suite, resulting in everyone being escorted out. Some people…
Here is what I was able to get.

I like the blue pillow even more than the red!

That night was Pirate Night. We were each given Mickey bandanas to wear when we arrived at Enchanted Garden.

 

[polymissy]

After dinner, it was time for Europa. There seriously has to be something for everyone here!

Skyline and their light up menus. Levi was hoping they’d be touch screens to order from. Haha. Maybe someday!

Ooh La La

La Piazza

The bathrooms are so pretty

 

[polymissy]

While we were taking our tour around Europe, it was announced that we were now within view of the Disney Dream. This was the first time that the sister ships would meet, EVER! We went outside to check things out, and were able to see her in the distance. She was dazzling!

For any of you who are familiar with Disney Channel’s Austin and Ally, here are Laura Marano and Calum Worthy. She was ready for pirate night!

Now back to the Dream…
We were hearing conflicting stories of where she would be when it was time for fireworks, so we picked a spot where we would be able to see on either side, and camped out. We watched their fireworks show and they watched ours. It always amazes us on Disney ships how many other cruise ships appear and surround you in order to watch the fireworks. In case you aren’t aware, Disney is the only cruise line in the WORLD to display fireworks at sea. That’s pretty special.

Tammy took pictures while I recorded. Before she sailed away, the Dream got really close to the front end of the Fantasy and they blasted their horns. So, so cool.

A once in a lifetime opportunity, or so we thought!

After she was out of site, we made it into Cabanas just in time to grab a plate of late night snacks before the buffet closed for the night.

I told ya, Pirates while at sea under the stars! It was so cool!

Then, it was time for bed, as I had WORK in the morning!