Trip Report We're on "Vay-Cay-Tion!" A Sept./Oct. TR

Hello everyone, and welcome to my very first trip report! We went to Disney 9/26-10/1, hopped on the Disney Dream 10/1-10/4, and hit up DTD and MNSSHP 10/4. We flew back home Monday morning. We had a whirlwind of a trip planned!

*A little note here. We accidentally left our camera bag (with the DSLR, 2 lenses, memory cards, and my digital camera charger) on a bus at MK. We did not notice until we got off the second bus we took to the Poly. We literally were back at MK not even 30 minutes after we left it (maybe around 8:15am, we had breakfast reservations at Kona). They sent out a radio call to all buses, and of course no one had it. Pretty sure either the bus driver or another person stole it. I was SUPER bummed and many tears were shed from me. I know Cody felt super terrible, we didn’t even have that camera a year I believe. We lost a lot of pictures, including a video of Aubs’ first time seeing the castle. We called the lost and found at TTC more times than I can remember. Unfortunately, after a week they close out the ticket, so i’m pretty sure the camera is long gone. I hope whoever has it turns it in, or drops it so they can’t use it. Luckily, I have my phone pics and the ones off my digital camera before it died. My parents also have pictures on their phones they took. And of course, I took my laptop on vacation JUST to be able to load the pics off the camera everyday. Did that happen? Of course not. But what can you do? There are many worse things that could have happened on our trip, and I am extremely thankful for the pictures that I do have. I also need to purchase the Photopass photos still, so i’ll add those in later *

So, with that sadness out of the way, its time to get on with the report!

When-Sept. 26-Oct. 5
Where- Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney Dream, Pop Century
Who- Me (Morgan), Husband (Cody), Daughter (Aubreigh, we call her Aubs for short). My parents, and Cody’s mom.
What- Family Vacay! We also celebrated Cody’s college graduation! It was Aubs’ first trip to Disney, and my mother in laws first trip since the 70’s. Last time she went she stayed in the Contemporary and the only park was the MK. She was way overdue for a trip! And my parents hadn’t been since 2004.

Day 1: Travel/Check In/DTD/MK

My day started super super early. Like stupid early. Why? Well, the night before I take a vacation I can never sleep. I tossed and turned for maybe 2 hours before finally drifting off around, oh 11pm? At 12:45ish, Aubs comes into my room. I hear “mommy, mommy, hey mommy, there’s a fly in the bathroom.” Oh dear goodness child, it is a FLY. So, guess what? Now i’m wide awake. I try to get her to go back to bed, but she doesn’t want to go. Honestly, I don’t feel like fighting with her about it tonight, so I put her on the couch and she was out in about 1 minute. Hmm. I go in her bathroom and low and behold, there is a dead fly in the toilet lol. Sorry, no pic of that!

Anyway, I take a shower and get ready. The alarms are set to go off at 4am. I blow dry and straighten my hair, do my makeup, get dressed then hang around till about 4. Get Cody up and make sure he gets in the shower, get Aubs up and dressed. In laws get here at 5:00 to get us to the airport by 5:30am. Cool! (FIL took us to the airport)

I don’t know why, but MIL (she drove there) took some weird back way to get to the airport. This stressed me out big time! We made it a little after 5:30am.

Check out this blurry pic of Memphis International Airport. Woo.


We said our goodbyes to FIL (aka Papaw) and headed in to check our bags! That was quick and painless (Memphis Airport is rarely ever busy), and went to wait by our gate. We grabbed some breakfast and didn’t have to wait long until boarding began at 6:30

We’re ready!


My parents and MIL!


The flight was great, and we landed at MCO a little early!


Heading to DME! We had a little wait in line for DME, but it wasn’t bad


They say its a 45 minute ride to Disney property, but it totally isn’t. Maybe 25-30. At least to me it seemed that way! The time flew by!



Yay! We’re on our way! Except MIL isn’t looking at the camera!


We’re here! This was the best I could get! We were near the back of the bus.


Hello Caribbean Beach sign that you can barely see! On the way to CBR, we got a text that rooms weren’t ready yet, darn.


We arrived at the Custom House, and went to the check in line, which took forever because they had like 2 people working the online check in counter. The family in front of us was NOT happy about that either! Geez! Anyways, we got checked in and given what location our room was in. We were in Aruba, building 56. Only bummer was that the bridge was out that connects Aruba and Jamaica to Old Port Royale. They did have a van shuttle and pontoon boat that helped people across. It ended up being not a big deal.

We headed to Old Port Royale after for lunch. Sorry, no pics. We were all starving! I had a burger and it was good.


After, we headed to DTD for Aubs’ BBB appointment at 3pm! We headed out around 1:15pm
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DAY EIGHT - CASTAWAY CAY!


Good morning! This was our view. Not exactly the blue skies we were wanting..



We decided to go to Royal Palace for breakfast this morning. But first, picture in front of Donald!


Few more pics while we waited for my parents






Cutest bread basket ever!


Breakfast menu


Adorable coffee cups!


Aubs breakfast with the cutest little stack of pancakes!


She had a little help with her pancakes and waffle. SO CUTE!


I forgot what I had. I just remember the bacon was not good lol


Moms! She had the french toast!


After we finished breakfast, we stopped at a porthole window right outside of the restaurant to watch us dock at Castaway Cay!


Looking out at the island from our verandah, waiting for us to be cleared to get off the ship



Man, it was so WINDY! And the waves were really rough. They had cancelled pretty much all excursions, including our jet ski one (which Cody was super bummed about, since he picked it out).

Looks like the sun was doing its best to come out! It was turning out to be a pretty day!
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Excited for CC!


When you first step off the ship and turn around, it's amazing to see just how big of a ship the Dream is. It doesn't feel like it when you're on it. Then you step off, turn around, and have a "wow" moment.
At least I did!



I took pics as we walked to the beach







We wanted to be close to food/restrooms/etc. so we picked our spot here! Right behind our spot was Cookie's BBQ.


Doesn't look like it in pictures but the water was really rough.



I wish my finger didn't end up in these, but what can ya do? They're still cute! Aubs was loving it!




It really turned out to be a gorgeous (but windy!) day!



Our spot. We were not allowed to open the umbrellas because of the wind.
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Little miss taking a break from the sun and sand


Soon it was lunch time! So we headed to Cookies BBQ!

My lunch! Pretty standard BBQ food. It was pretty good!


Cody was happy!


Someone was not happy having to eat lunch.. "I don't wanna eat I wanna play in the waterrrr"


She eventually had some fruit and a few chips (such a picky petunia she is).

Want to know what ice cream does to a 3 year old? They magically go from this:


toooo this!:


:rolleyes:

Whateva. As long as she is happy!


After lunch, it was time to re-apply some sunscreen and play some more!

There were A LOT of these bad boys in the water! We caught a ton of them! Other people on the beach did too!


Checking out the water with Grandaddy!


Cute chairs


Around 2:30, my parents were ready to go back on the ship. I wanted to take pictures of the island and do a little shopping, so I went back with them and took Aubs so she could get a bath and hopefully a nap. Then I would go back out to the island.

Striking a pose


Waiting for my parents to come to my room, I snapped this pic


This is the definition of paradise, right here.



Back out I go!





 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
It's not only 3 year olds who have that response to ice cream! All three of mine (12, 10, and 7 at the moment) have had similar responses to ice cream in the not so distant past!! Now I really miss Castaway Cay!! If only I knew when I would get to see it again.:( Can't wait to read more!!
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
@TheMouseFan Hahaha! I guess sometimes I also have those moments about ice cream! :D

We are currently booked on the Dream this November and the Magic next March. This Nov. will just be another short 3 night for my 5th wedding anniversary. We are excited! I can't wait to get back.

But i'm so jealous you're going back to WDW so soon! We won't probably make it back until 2018 :(:cry:
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
On the tram! I was the only one on it, and didn't realize you kind of go "back stage" on the island. I was afraid the driver forgot I got on (or didn't see me get on) and was going to park it or something. I know sometimes i'm ridiculous :joyfull:


Time to shop!





After shopping I wandered around a bit!


This shot is currently my laptop background. This is one of my favorite pictures I took


Still wandering..




Our lunch spot





Getting back on the boat


From our verandah


Byeee Castaway Cay. I'll miss you :(

 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We showered and relaxed in our room a bit before dinner.

Tonight we were in Royal Palace! Which ended up being my least favorite restaurant. It was still good, just not my favorite.

Cute menu!


There's that adorable bread basket again


Everything was so pretty!




For starters, I had the fried brie. It just wasn't my thing. I thought it would be creamy but it was just soft/solid. Cody loved it though!


Seriously love these plates


My dad had this salad. It looked really good!


I had a cup of French Onion Soup! Which about burned my tongue off. It was ok, i'm not a huge fan of it.


For my entree I had the rack of lamb (my Dad had this also). It was pretty good, but the lamb was no where near as good as the lamb we had at Sanaa!


Mom had the tenderloin


Cody had the salmon, which he said was no where near as good as the sea bass he had at Enchanted Garden.


Dessert time! Adorable menus!



Tonight they brought the girls their Mickey Bars and a special Halloween treat!



I don't think I mentioned our tablemates. They were a cute little family from NC, they had a daughter the same age as Aubs. Of course our last night at dinner was the night they finally warmed up to each other lol!

Desserts!



 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Here's the disappointing Halloween Tree...


Due to technical difficulties, they had to cancel the show. BOOOOOOO. I know it happens but it still was a bummer. Guess we have to do another Halloween cruise to make up for it! :D

Dancing!


And shopping! Every time we went to the shops she picked up the Pluto plush, so we had to take him home! :D


Ran up to our room to put our final purchases away and found our final towel friend!


Pretty sure this is one of the islands in the Bahamas, but I didn't think to check the bridge channel to see


We decided to go see tonights show, Believe!

Waiting! This was our go to spot so we could make a quick escape with Aubs if needed.


They were actually pretty decent seats! We could see everything pretty much!








This woman played the violin before the show started. She was awesome!!!! Sorry for the awful picture


The show was good! Even though there were a few little fireworks Aubs did fine. She just covered her eyes and I covered her ears. My favorite favorite favorite number was the Princess and the Frog! Loved it!

Time for the See Ya Real Soon party.. :cry:

Ok, I had to be super sneaky taking this. ONLY for the guy wearing the wizard costume. That thing was awesome! And made me wonder what he packed it in? (I think of these weird types of things)








 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Alright! 20 minutes to meet everyone! Let's GO!

First up, Minnie!!


The line for Mickey! That moved extremely fast. They get you in and out super quick


Then Mickey!!


Snow White!


Plutoooo!


Donald Duck!


We also met Goofy, but I can't seem to find that picture :/ Oh well!

Time to say goodbye. Sadness.


Byeeeeeeee



After the show we went to finish packing and went to bed. We had one more fun day planned before it was time to head home!


DAY NINE - DEBARK DREAM/CHECK IN POP CENTURY/MNSSHP


Early morning in Port Canaveral. I didn't even feel the boat dock, I guess I was in deep deep sleep.



My parents went to the early breakfast and brought us back something light to hold us over until we got back to WDW.

Byee awesome pillow that I'll miss. Totally not weird at all to miss this pillow.


Waiting for our ride..


Bye Disney Dream! We'll see ya real soon!!



Our sad faces quickly turned to happy faces when we got back to WDW!


Passed by Art of Animation!


After checking in and getting our bags to bell services, we took a little breather before heading to get breakfast.

Pop's food court


Sleepy Aubs
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
More Pop








While we were on the cruise, DTD officially changed its name to Disney Springs. It was already changed on the highway signs too!




Our breakfast choice, Earl of Sandwich!




Her muffin and grapes




Breakfast! This was pretty tasty!




However, coffee at Earl is the absolute WORST. Bleh. We had to go to Starbucks after for a good cup of coffee.


Exploring! And shopping!









Delicious treats at Goofy's Candy Co.!


Yum yum! I have a co-worker who has annual passes and goes down all the time. He brings me back a crispy treat every time! Best co-worker EVERRR!


It was raining so we went into Rainforest Cafe's gift shop to look around


This poor little fellow didn't look to well






One final picture before leaving DTD/Disney Springs


After we headed back to Pop! My dad received a text their room was ready, however ours weren't. We did have connecting rooms though, so we just put our luggage in their room and hung out in there for a couple hours before our late lunch reservation.

I must say, I loved our location at Pop! But after being in a new refurbished room at CBR, and then the Disney Dream, Pop seemed kinda meh. That being said, it served its purpose and we did enjoy our one night stay there.

We were in the 60's building, right by the pool but we faced the courtyard area. Literally less than a 5 minute walk to the airline check in desk. Perfect!

Hopefully, tomorrow I will get this report finished! Thanks for reading!!
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After resting at the resort for a couple hours, it was almost time for our late lunch/early dinner at 2:20pm at Beaches and Cream!

I believe we caught a bus to Epcot, then hopped on a bus from there to Beach Club.

Little Minnie Mouse waiting for the bus!



Times like this I wish we had a car on property. It took sooooo long to get to Beach Club. I didn't realize the bus stopped at the Swan & Dolphin before (and I think maybe the Yacht Club too, I can't remember now!)

Anyway, we finally made it to our destination! Beach Club! And I finally got to smell the fresh clean smell of the lobby i've read about so much!



...until you turn a corner and you're hit with the smell of seafood :hungover:

I like seafood, but the smell is not pleasant. :cool:

Hooray for Beaches and Cream!






Lunch! I believe we all got burgers


And dessert! I can't believe we didn't get a sundae. I NEED to try the No Way Jose!!


During lunch, the lights suddenly went out. We thought the power had gone out! Silly us, it was just a family that had ordered the Kitchen Sink! Now we know :D

We finished lunch and headed to catch the bus to MK (which again took F.O.R.E.V.E.R.)

FINALLY! Time to get our Halloween party on! We got to MK around 5pm


It was cloudy, but luckily the rain was gone. I really wanted to see the Headless Horseman ride!


Family Photo! (minus Dad!)






First stop, I HAD to ride Splash. It was only a 10 minute wait. Mom did not want to ride, so Cody, my dad and I rode.


 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Here I am waving my arm off to Aubs. She loved loved loved watching Splash. She wanted to ride it so bad!




Next we had to ride Haunted Mansion


I was a little worried how Aubs would do on this. We just kept pointing out how "funny" things were and how much fun the ghosts were having at their "ghost party". Worked like a charm!


Stopped by the Tangled potty!


Aubs wanted to ride IASW, so we hopped on that, then went across the way to Peter Pan. Showed a 35 minute wait but we probably waited 20. The new queue was really cute! Aubs loved the "pixie dust" and the shadows!


There was a beautiful sky that night. Perfect for Fantasyland!



Ariel's Grotto was next! (If only Aubs was in her Ariel finery!)



and Photopass





Dumbo was next!


Didn't stop here, but had to take a picture!


A blurry backside of castle


Aubs does NOT like carousels! She will only ride one IF there is a bench you can sit on (our local zoo has one) Not sure if this carousel did or not, but she did not want to ride!
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Ok, time to finish this report!

We found a spot to watch the parade right outside Country Bears Jamboree. We didn't have to wait long until it started!

Please excuse my super blurry pictures!





Of course, Aubs LOVEDDD the parade!



ANDDDD promptly after that last photo, my iPhone died :oops:

The remainder of our night went like this:

Last ride for Aubs was Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride. Cody, my mom, and Aubs were tired so they headed back to Pop. My dad and I however hightailed it to Pirates! I HAD to ride it! After Pirates we headed to Main Street because I needed a sweatshirt since it was cold! My dad got a really neat shirt while we were in the Emporium too! We then headed to the new courtyard area and had a seat to wait for Hallowishes. My GOODNESS that show was soooo GOOD!!! I wish I had pictures! After the fireworks, we said our last goodbyes to the Magic Kingdom. We will see ya real soon! (Hopefully!) I also need to add it was a lot of fun spending some one on one time with my dad! :joyfull:


DAY TEN- HOME :(

We got up around 6:30 since DME was coming for us at 7:15am.

Not a lot of sleep = blurry pictures!


Good morning and goodbye, Classic Hall!


Had to stop by the desk to get our DME letters for the bus, so I snapped a quick pic of what's behind the check in desk


She really didn't want to go home, even though she looks happy in this pic!


BOOOOOOOOOOOO.


Goodbye, Pop :(



Buh bye, Orlando!



This little one passed out as soon as we were in the air!




There's Downtown! Almost home!


Fedex! We're definitely home now!



And thats a wrap! As of right now, we don't have plans to return to WDW. Cody and I have a cruise booked this fall for our wedding anniversary, and our whole family is booked next spring on the Magic! So look forward to a couple cruise TR's, coming soon! :D

Thank you all for reading!!!

Final Thoughts

CBR: The CBR refurb is very nice! However, if we go back we will probably not stay here again. The resort is just sooo huge and the bus stops can be kind of aggravating. We also weren't fans of how far away the food court was. But, we did get a great deal on our stay!

DCL: O.M.G! The cruise was amazing! We all loved it so much! And Castaway Cay is just a perfect tropical paradise. The crew, food, entertainment, rooms, everything, was awesome!! I can't wait to go again!

MNSSHP: I loved the party! Hallowishes was awesome! I liked MNSSHP much better than MVMCP. We will definitely do this party again if we get the chance!

FOOOOD: I don't think I had a complaint about any restaurant we went to. I think my least favorite thing was the breadsticks at Mama Melrose, and on the cruise Royal Palace wasn't my fav. But everything else we had was really good! Yay!

FP+: I didn't have any problems with FP+. The only thing I didn't like were the restrictions on what you could choose, either one big ride or the other. I understand why they do it, but it was still a bummer. Every FP+ line we were in moved quickly and we enjoyed skipping the big lines :D

Again, thanks for reading everyone! See y'all real soon!
 

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