Trip Report Two Turkeys at WDW & Merrytime Disney Cruise November 2016

Hello! My husband and I (two turkeys) just got back from WDW & a Merrytime Disney Cruise and I thought I would share our adventures. All of you are welcome to read but I'm going to tag a few of you that I know have followed along before. (Or at least those I can remember.) I look forward to reading your reactions!


I have shared a few of our other adventures and if you are interested here are some links:

Disneyland
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/disneyland-forever-july-2016.917141/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/back-to-disneyland-ringin-in-2016.909039/

Walt Disney World
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ts-wdw-november-2015-lots-of-pictures.907613/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/movin-in-two-weeks-in-the-world.915373/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/springin-into-wdw-solo-march-2016.911995/

Introduction:
Who: Me (Amy) and my husband (Brad) We are the two turkeys.
Magic Band personalization: Me: Gobble '16 and Brad Stuffing, in honor of Thanksgiving
When: November 22-November 28
Where did we stay: All Star Sports

Backstory We have wanted to do a Christmas themed cruise for awhile, and in May of 2014 I booked us on a 3 night cruise in hopes that it would match up with my school's calendar. Luckily it it did. I figured I might have to take a personal day (which I did), and we would add in some time at WDW.

The Report
Tuesday November 22:
I teach in a rural northern Wisconsin school so school for our students is off the whole week of Thanksgiving, but we have teacher inservice Monday and Tuesday. In our district we are not supposed to take off inservice days. So being the rule follower that I am yet still wanting to get maximize my WDW time I book (months ahead of time) a flight leaving at 7:10pm on Tuesday night. I figure I am golden, I don't have to break the work rules, and I'll still get to Disney on Tuesday night giving me 2 full WDW days before the cruise. Leaving on a 7pm will be perfect for traveling from work to the airport and giving me the time cushion I like to give myself at the airport. Well, Delta airlines had other plans.

About 1 1/2 month before our flight, I get an email from Delta saying they cancelled my 7pm flight and moved me to a 5pm!!!:jawdrop::mad: This was not good! If I left work for the airport without asking to leave early I would make it to the airport (if things went perfectly) when my plane would be boarding! So long story short I went and talked to my boss, fully prepared to take unpaid time and all that. And luckily he was very understanding and he said he knew that I would easily make up the time/work since I usually come in to work about 1-1 1/2 early every day anyway, and I would not have to take unpaid or personal time. (which was good because I had already designated my other personal day for a WDW in March of 2017). So now the only thing I had to worry about was weather & traffic getting to the airport.

Well, wouldn't you know it, but the weather decided that there would be a wintry mix with mostly freezing rain starting at noon the day we flew out! :jawdrop::mad: Ok, so now I'm already "breaking" the rule of leaving early, but now the roads would be treacherous. And I HATE driving in bad weather. It all made this type A girl very anxious. So my boss said I could leave even a little earlier. Luckily the weather people were somewhat wrong and it was mostly rain on the way, and stayed mostly rain. But were were at the airport now about 3 1/2 hours early. But we were there and our plane was on time. It really was time to relax now.

Minneapolis has two terminal buildings and we were flying out of the big terminal and flying back to the smaller one (with the cheaper parking). So we parked at the smaller terminal and took the light rail train to the bigger one. It is a bit of a hassle but the train came shortly after we got the to platform and away we went.

Brad at the train platform
IMG_3408.JPG


We are on time for take off. The plane did have to go through de-icing, as did other planes. So we were 20 minutes late in take off because of waiting for de-icing, but we only landed about 5-10 minutes late.
IMG_3409.JPG


The plane is here, what you can't see to well in the pictures is the sleety-rain. It made me a little nervous, but the trucks were constantly spraying de-icer on the runways.
IMG_3410.JPG


We landed, YAY! And since we planned to drive to the cruise port we rented a car. This was our sweet ride. As usually hubby, tried to pick up the most beat up and scratched one in the lot. His theory is that then the rental car company can't prove the scratches are from us.
IMG_3416.JPG


It was dark then as we drove under the sign so my picture didn't turn out clear. I got this blurr, but in a way it is kind of trippy and cool with the blur.
wdw sign.JPG


We were super hungry and we thought about going to Trader Sam's or Disney Springs for something but it was a little after 11:30 pm and figured we wouldn't have much time. So we parked at the All-Star Sports and went into the food court. We probably should have went to the McDonald's. We got chicken tenders and fries and they were definitely end of the night servings (a little cold and stale). But it was sustenance and then we could go right to our room.
IMG_3423.JPG



A couple pictures of the decorations at the Sports. They weren't anything spectacular like a gingerbread house, but I liked them.
IMG_3425.JPG


IMG_3426.JPG


Our room was really close to the main building in the Touchdown section. So we were both happy. In June we had requested to be near transport at the Music and got stuck in the Broadway section which was a bit of a hike. So we unpacked and I put up a few Christmas decorations to spirit up the room.
IMG_3433.JPG


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So after unpacking we went to bed. We were planning to maximize our WDW with early mornings and late nights. We figured we could relax on the cruise.

Tags:
@figmentfan423 , @MinnieM123 , @JenniferS , @Tuvalu , @PacNWTigger , @Gabe1 , @betty rose , @Songbird76 , @catmom46 , @BuddyThomas , @donaldtoo , @Cesar R M , @fractal , @Mr Ferret 88 , @MouseDreaming , @PUSH, @Wrangler-Rick, @sheriffwoody, @MOXOMUMD
 

Cesar R M

Well-Known Member
Hello! My husband and I (two turkeys) just got back from WDW & a Merrytime Disney Cruise and I thought I would share our adventures. All of you are welcome to read but I'm going to tag a few of you that I know have followed along before. (Or at least those I can remember.) I look forward to reading your reactions!


I have shared a few of our other adventures and if you are interested here are some links:

Disneyland
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/disneyland-forever-july-2016.917141/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/back-to-disneyland-ringin-in-2016.909039/

Walt Disney World
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ts-wdw-november-2015-lots-of-pictures.907613/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/movin-in-two-weeks-in-the-world.915373/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/springin-into-wdw-solo-march-2016.911995/

Introduction:
Who: Me (Amy) and my husband (Brad) We are the two turkeys.
Magic Band personalization: Me: Gobble '16 and Brad Stuffing, in honor of Thanksgiving
When: November 22-November 28
Where did we stay: All Star Sports

Backstory We have wanted to do a Christmas themed cruise for awhile, and in May of 2014 I booked us on a 3 night cruise in hopes that it would match up with my school's calendar. Luckily it it did. I figured I might have to take a personal day (which I did), and we would add in some time at WDW.

The Report
Tuesday November 22:
I teach in a rural northern Wisconsin school so school for our students is off the whole week of Thanksgiving, but we have teacher inservice Monday and Tuesday. In our district we are not supposed to take off inservice days. So being the rule follower that I am yet still wanting to get maximize my WDW time I book (months ahead of time) a flight leaving at 7:10pm on Tuesday night. I figure I am golden, I don't have to break the work rules, and I'll still get to Disney on Tuesday night giving me 2 full WDW days before the cruise. Leaving on a 7pm will be perfect for traveling from work to the airport and giving me the time cushion I like to give myself at the airport. Well, Delta airlines had other plans.

About 1 1/2 month before our flight, I get an email from Delta saying they cancelled my 7pm flight and moved me to a 5pm!!!:jawdrop::mad: This was not good! If I left work for the airport without asking to leave early I would make it to the airport (if things went perfectly) when my plane would be boarding! So long story short I went and talked to my boss, fully prepared to take unpaid time and all that. And luckily he was very understanding and he said he knew that I would easily make up the time/work since I usually come in to work about 1-1 1/2 early every day anyway, and I would not have to take unpaid or personal time. (which was good because I had already designated my other personal day for a WDW in March of 2017). So now the only thing I had to worry about was weather & traffic getting to the airport.

Well, wouldn't you know it, but the weather decided that there would be a wintry mix with mostly freezing rain starting at noon the day we flew out! :jawdrop::mad: Ok, so now I'm already "breaking" the rule of leaving early, but now the roads would be treacherous. And I HATE driving in bad weather. It all made this type A girl very anxious. So my boss said I could leave even a little earlier. Luckily the weather people were somewhat wrong and it was mostly rain on the way, and stayed mostly rain. But were were at the airport now about 3 1/2 hours early. But we were there and our plane was on time. It really was time to relax now.

Minneapolis has two terminal buildings and we were flying out of the big terminal and flying back to the smaller one (with the cheaper parking). So we parked at the smaller terminal and took the light rail train to the bigger one. It is a bit of a hassle but the train came shortly after we got the to platform and away we went.

Brad at the train platform
View attachment 177715

We are on time for take off. The plane did have to go through de-icing, as did other planes. So we were 20 minutes late in take off because of waiting for de-icing, but we only landed about 5-10 minutes late.
View attachment 177716

The plane is here, what you can't see to well in the pictures is the sleety-rain. It made me a little nervous, but the trucks were constantly spraying de-icer on the runways.
View attachment 177717

We landed, YAY! And since we planned to drive to the cruise port we rented a car. This was our sweet ride. As usually hubby, tried to pick up the most beat up and scratched one in the lot. His theory is that then the rental car company can't prove the scratches are from us.
View attachment 177718

It was dark then as we drove under the sign so my picture didn't turn out clear. I got this blurr, but in a way it is kind of trippy and cool with the blur.
View attachment 177720

We were super hungry and we thought about going to Trader Sam's or Disney Springs for something but it was a little after 11:30 pm and figured we wouldn't have much time. So we parked at the All-Star Sports and went into the food court. We probably should have went to the McDonald's. We got chicken tenders and fries and they were definitely end of the night servings (a little cold and stale). But it was sustenance and then we could go right to our room.
View attachment 177729


A couple pictures of the decorations at the Sports. They weren't anything spectacular like a gingerbread house, but I liked them.
View attachment 177724

View attachment 177725

Our room was really close to the main building in the Touchdown section. So we were both happy. In June we had requested to be near transport at the Music and got stuck in the Broadway section which was a bit of a hike. So we unpacked and I put up a few Christmas decorations to spirit up the room.
View attachment 177726

View attachment 177734
So after unpacking we went to bed. We were planning to maximize our WDW with early mornings and late nights. We figured we could relax on the cruise.

Tags:
@figmentfan423 , @MinnieM123 , @JenniferS , @Tuvalu , @PacNWTigger , @Gabe1 , @betty rose , @Songbird76 , @catmom46 , @BuddyThomas , @donaldtoo , @Cesar R M , @fractal , @Mr Ferret 88 , @MouseDreaming , @PUSH, @Wrangler-Rick, @sheriffwoody, @MOXOMUMD
stalking now!

Cant wait to read more!
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
We were up early for opening of MK, it opened at 9 am today. That was a good thing since we didn't get to sleep until after 12:30 am. I think we still got up around 5:30 am though. Hubby had never stayed at the Sports before so we walked around the resort for a bit, and played air hockey in the arcade before grabbing some breakfast.

Touchdown!
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It was fun to see all the steam that was rising off the pool, it isn't really that visible in the picture though.
IMG_3443.JPG


Surf's Up
IMG_3444.JPG
.

Me all smiles as the All Star.
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Inside the main hall.
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There was a fun photo op by the front desk. I let Brad have the larger trophy. But we were both winners we were at Disney!
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I guess I was more of a winner because my name end up in the display case (thanks magic bands!).
IMG_3477.JPG
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Thanks to everyone who is following along. @MinnieM123 I thought the decor was pretty neat for Christmas at the All Star. It was fest and fit the theme, and just enough for a value resort. I have stayed at the Pop at Christmas time before and I think for a value resort Pop has the best decorations with decade themes and big vintage Santa tree. But the Sports was cheaper and that is just fine with me.
 

donaldtoo

Well-Known Member
We were up early for opening of MK, it opened at 9 am today. That was a good thing since we didn't get to sleep until after 12:30 am. I think we still got up around 5:30 am though. Hubby had never stayed at the Sports before so we walked around the resort for a bit, and played air hockey in the arcade before grabbing some breakfast.

Touchdown!
View attachment 177752

It was fun to see all the steam that was rising off the pool, it isn't really that visible in the picture though.
View attachment 177753

Surf's Up
View attachment 177754 .

Me all smiles as the All Star.
View attachment 177755

Inside the main hall.
View attachment 177756

View attachment 177757

View attachment 177758

There was a fun photo op by the front desk. I let Brad have the larger trophy. But we were both winners we were at Disney!
View attachment 177759

View attachment 177760

I guess I was more of a winner because my name end up in the display case (thanks magic bands!).
View attachment 177796

Hahaaa...!
Love all the pics, especially the trophy pics and display case...! :)
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Hi! I'm following too, if that's ok!!

Of course! Welcome!

I'm a little late to the party, but I'm definitely following along! I'm looking forward to all of your cruise pics so I can sell my mom on it for next year. ;):cat:

A cruise is definitely a heavenly experience, I'll try to make a good case to convince your mom. If Brad can be convince to do it it I think anyone can. He was vehemently against cruising, I finally got him to relent after showing him one of the cruise specials from tv (travel channel) and once he said it might be okay, I booked our first one, now he loves it.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
After breakfast we headed to the bus to go to the Magic Kingdom. My coffee hadn't cooled off enough while we ate so I took it with and finished it on the bus.

IMG_3478.JPG


The Mickey floral was gorgeous and we got a spot to sit and watch the morning welcome show. We also ran into my sister and my niece during this time, but they were rushing to 7 Dwarfs and we were moseying to Peter Pan. That was fine we were meeting them for lunch later.
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The welcome show was great, and the Mayor came out to greet us.
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We stopped for a couple pictures in the hub and started to cross the bridge into Liberty Square to head to Peter Pan. We like to go that route as it is not very crowded.
IMG_3500.JPG


So here @Tuvalu and @figmentfan423 is the Dapper Dan story. For those of you who don't know my husband is a fan boy of the Dapper Dans. He has been able to sing with them twice and both times I think he swooned a little. We/he has been known to stalk them up and down Main Street in both WDW and Disneyland. He was deeply disappointed that there were no Dapper Dan singers in Disneyland Paris, only a barber shop. So anyway, he is a fan.

As we started to cross the bridge we were talking and I look up and lo and behold there are the Dapper Dan's in their Christmas finest crossing the bridge towards Main Street. So I say to Brad, "Look its the Dapper Dans! You should ask for a picture with them". He starts blubbering with glee and stammers out to them asking for a picture. He is as happy as a little boy on Christmas morning, and Brad chats with them for a little bit. Then when they start to continue on their way Brad calls out to them, "Bye, we will see you later today on Main Street." I busted out laughing and thought it was so sweet and funny, it was like he was old friends with them. And he was so giggly with delight. Around 10 we went to Main Street to hear them but they were just driving in a car, but they did give an extra hello as they passed us. But then Brad continued to follow the car up and down Main Street securing his stalker status. We did see them sing after lunch. Anyway, it was probably a better story being there but I thought it was funny.

So here is Brad with his boys!
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And off we went to Neverland...
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A ride via fast pass on 7 Dwarfs
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And a whirl on Dumbo
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