“What’s the good news? I don’t know but it’s cold!” A 40th Anniversary Land and Sea Trip Report (COMPLETED 3/2/24)!

[BroadwayHermione5]

I’m hope you continue! Your reports are always awesome. I think one of the best things we can do is support this community and the process for rebuilding. The staff are doing an amazing job carrying on in trauma and finding ways to tell their stories when they are ready to tell.

Thank you for your kind words. I am so happy you enjoy my reports!

I do agree we need to help and support those innocent in all of this and actively doing the work to rebuild but it is at times for me a bit of a moral conundrum.

As I said the strike is also a big reason why. Hopefully soon we can reach an agreement on that as well. Fingers crossed thats sooner rather than later.


Thank you again for your kind words-i really do appreciate it

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Hi all,


Just popping on to say that I am ok.


Happy to hear they are going to be rebranding the show and here. Hopefully the strikes get resolved son.


Other than that just counting down the days!

Stay safe


BH5

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Well all I’m popping on to say a few things

1) I am so proud of my sibling on the WGA negotiating committee. That deal was beautiful and hopefully my siblings in SAG can do similar beautiful work so we can get back to work.

2) things are moving along for this trip! And if it takes a while to complete this report due to strikes still ongoing and other reasons so be it! But I do hope you all come along for the ride when the time comes

3) congrats on the Dis Unlimited all! I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far.


We are getting close to single digits now!

Stay safe!

BH5

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Hi all!

Not a good day in the SAGAFTRA front but our travels were great and are currently relaxing before the real fun starts tomorrow!


Stay safe!

BH5

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Well as you can see we got a title but I’m still not posting anything yet due to the strike. Hopefully negotiations today go well!

Trip was amazing! Can’t wait to share it with you all!

Best,

BH5

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Sorry for the EXTREME delay.

After returning home in late October, I got sick (thankfully not covid or flu, I think y body couldn't handle the constantly changing temperatures). Then I was busy with other things including looking for new employment, the strikes ended and then my grandfather passed.


Basically chaos: it reigns.


I hope to return to this TR soon and in the meantime have a Happy Thanksgiving and start to the holiday season.


BH5

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

INTRO: THE TRIP REPORT (finally) BEGINS


Well all the time has come! Little did I know when this started as a PTR a second strike in my industry and that *gestures wildly at everything* would happen as well.



For those of you who don’t know me, I’m BroadwayHermione5. Yes I am in the entertainment industry (though due to a myriad of reasons including my health I am looking to pivot for the time being) and yes I am a giant nerd lol.

On this trip were the stars (aka my parents) who celebrated their 40th anniversary our final night aboard ship and my aunt who I’ll initial AL for this trip report. My other aunt and grandmother unfortunately could not join us for this trip but them and my cousin watched our lovable and funny as ever dog while we were away (seriously we got so many funny pictures and videos).



This is also the first trip for me since 1)I dyed my hair from its normal blonde to copper red (think Jessica Chastain or Bryce Dallas Howard like copper red) 2) my weight management program started (down over 20 pounds since I started earlier this year) and 3) my autoimmune disease diagnosis, and while I don’t want to dox myself too much, I will explain some things throughout this report that will hopefully help others.



And as you can tell, my family doesn’t like to be doxxed either, so if they are in pictures expect something over their faces.



I also try to keep everything as positive or neutral as possible but there are a few moments during this trip where things do not go well. And I do get negative unfortunately at some times. Understandably some of this was out of our control, but I always try and balance everything. For that I am sorry and as always mods if I need to edit something please let me know.



Thank you for coming along on this journey. We do appreciate it.



And please donate to the Entertainment Community Fund if you can and feel free to so inclined-a few people have asked me and that’s the best place to donate to help the industry rebuild as shows and movies get back up and running.



Until tomorrow….


BH5

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

DAY ONE (10/12): Travel Day





On this morning we got up early and headed out to our local airport and promptly boarded our flight to MCO. Our flight departed on time but was a little longer than normal as we had to divert a bit due to a storm over the Carolinas. I slept most of the time anyway so it didn’t bother me.

Be it we were on JetBlue, we got to experience Terminal C for the first time and holy canoli is it gorgeous! Seriously, they did such a great job.

At the top of the elevator, our driver met us (I believe it was Mears connect id have to double check with my mom) and she was very pleasant. She helped us with our bag at the carousel and packed them all into this giant sedan. And thus began the 30ish minute voyage to the Comfort Inn by Radisson.

And what a fantastic hotel. They are building something round it, but it really is a very nice place.


We slowly got settled and then at around 1 my parents friends who live in Cape Canaveral took them out for the day to celebrate their anniversary. My mom came back with a paper the hotel provided with a list of restaurants for my aunt and I to either walk to or get delivery from. After some research and contemplating, we decided to walk and try Kelsey’s (which also shares the preacher bar next door).



We started our according to Google 11 minute walk (we did it in about 7) and appx 2/3 of the way through it started down raining hard. Our entire right sides were soaked because of the way the wind blew. By the time we got to the restaurant it was POURING. As in we weren’t moving for a couple hours if this keeps up pouring.



We decided to settle in and look at the menu. Their entrees came with garlic toast, salad or soup and you could upgrade to a different salad if you wanted. My aunt decided on a pasta with Gorgonzola sauce and a caeser salad upgrade while I decided on the applewood smoked bacon macaroni and cheese, also opting to upgrade to a caeser.



Our main goal was to get dry and stay dry and keep warm. By the time we had decided and walked and ordered it was around 2:30. Our salads came and they were very fresh but slightly overdressed. A little while later our pastas and bread came and they were very good. A lot of people were just waiting for it to die down and we saw how great the drainage systems work for the rain at the port and cape!



After finishing our first full meal of the day, we headed back out to our hotel. Braving wind and some mild rain, we got back. By this time more information had been posted about the Falcon launch taking place the next day, and AL and I went to chill in the room.



My parents eventually came back and told us about their day. First the y went to lunch at Gator’s I think it’s called and their friends showed them the tiki bar they would be waving to us from the next day. They then got a tour of the town and their friends condo before they relaxed and then went to a pub for dinner and were dropped back off at the hotel.



By this time we were all very tired so everyone went to bed (well not me admittedly. It was still too early-everyone else would later agree-so I kind of just stared up at the wall for a good half hour before finally getting some sleep). We would have a long day the next day.



(EDIT: Seems my photo files are too big on mobile which has never happened before. Will do from my PC later)

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Hi all!

I failed at getting pictures up but for right now until I have time to figure it out, I’m not going to keep you waiting!

DAY 2 PART ONE: ROCKET LAUNCH AND EMBARKING THE WISH



We woke up this morning, put on our cruise shirts, and-since we were on the ground floor-walked down the hallway to breakfast. It was a nice little buffet with a decent variety. Everything was hot and ready to go. It was cool seeing kids dressed up as astronauts waiting for the launch.



While waiting I finally walked around the hotel and got to explore a bit more. I would not mind staying here again if we cruise given it was clean, had a few activities and was in walking distance of restaurants.



Then at about 10 am a bunch of us piled outside. Thanks to it being cloudy after we heard it we couldn’t fully see it, but what little we did was so cool.





The sonic boom shockwaves a few minutes after though were a little scary.



After that we went back to the room, double checked we had everything and headed towards the conference room in our hotel that was a waiting room for those getting on various ships.



It was us, two other families for the wish, and a family for a Carnival ship.



It was about a five minute drive to the port, and our driver dropped off the Carnival cruise family first. And then, we were off!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I am back and yes I know I got to upload the pictures but between work and auditions and a new part time job AND seeing my friend make her broadway debut this weekend my schedule has been hectic! Better to just post and upload photos later imho!

DAY TWO PART TWO: THE WISH DAY 1

We were approximately an hour early for our check in time but we were at the mercy of the hotel shuttle (we discussed possibly staying at a Disney hotel the next time as well to alleviate some of this waiting). The only downside to waiting and probably the only complaint we discussed in our DCL surveys was that my dad and aunt had to go into the parking lot to find something to drink.



At around 12:15 they called the 12:45 check in groups (us included) into the line. We got in place and waited about 20 minutes before being let into the terminal. The passport and security check in process was easy and we went right on through up the escalators and onto the main level. We got our pictures taken and headed through the Mickey ears up the ramp and into the ship.





And wow what a ship! Videos and pictures don’t do any of this ship (or any ship experience) justice. I had never been on a ship before and was just trying to soak it all in a forget we were going to be setting sail. We got our wand, had our name called and went to find something to eat.



We decided to head up to keg and compass, which we did not realize was drink only. But we didn’t mind. We knew we had ordered some stuff in the room for my parent’s anniversary. After that we explored a bit more and decided to head up to our room! We had a veranda port side (I think that’s what it was) and it was gorgeous. My mom had gotten the romance anniversary package for her and my dad, a speaker for me (which came later), a Halloween set (my aunt also ordered one but there wasn’t enough room to fit both) and a sail away set! My aunt also ordered my parents a charcuterie board for them as well. We decided to chill in the room and check it out and that’s where we met our housekeeper Valentin. Helen was excellent!



After noshing on cheese and crackers and chocolate, my aunt and I went down to figure out the wifi situation. When we got back we were able to relax for a a little while before heading by to our muster drill which happened to be in the world of Marvel restaurant! And a young girl found the first duck of the trip hidden all the way in the ceiling outside! Her dad almost couldn’t get to it that is how high up it was!



After muster drill we got back to the room and all of our luggage by that point had been delivered. So we bought it in and headed up to Deck 11 for the sail away party. We ordered the drinks of the day and waited to head out. We knew my parent’s friends would be at the tiki bar with a homemade sign waiting for us, so once we pulled out we anxiously waited to see them!



It was awesome to see a whole tiki bar waving at the ship and then watch everyone get excited once we realized we saw each other! Such a great moment!





After that we headed back to the room where I changed (I had been in my bathing suit as I did not know where I would be heading first) and off we went to dinner!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I am so sorry all! I’ve been dropping the ball!

Hope to get the trip report back up and running soon!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Ok I’m back and still haven’t figured out pictures but I don’t like keeping you all waiting!


DAY TWO PART 3: ARENEDELLE



Our dinner was at 5:45 each night, and our first night was at Arendelle! We were seated by the window and that’s how we discovered we were at the back of the ship!



We met our servers Joy from South Africa and Don from Saint Lucia. These two humans were so incredibly awesome right from the start that I knew I would be upset saying goodbye on Monday. We also met the head waiter Munir, and got acquainted with the menu.





My mom ordered the tart (which I had a taste of it was delicious), my dad ordered both the soup and a salad and my aunt ordered the asparagus. I had the carrot soup, which bought me back to Ireland in the best way possible the minute I tasted it.



By this time Oaken and the trio of musicians had come out and we knew we would be in for a treat!



The trio of musicians sing songs from the two movies and Broadway show (which made this musical theatre performer and nerd very happy) and then Anna, Kristoff and Elsa arrived. They had a moment where they explained this was Anna and Kristoff’s engagement party, and how happy they were to be there! Then they came around and we saw most of them! (We were so far back it was kind of hard to get to us).



By then our dinner arrived. My dad had the rib eye, my aunt had the fish and my mom and I actually went for the lighter fare-the only difference being she got steak and I got chicken. They were not joking when they said lighter fare. However, as someone on a weight management program, the portions in general on the shop restaurants and this lighter fare menu is an excellent option, and I do recommend it.



Then Oaken and Kristoff descended everyone into chaos by singing Let it Go which was hilariously awesome!



After that we realized Olaf hadn’t come around! Turns out according to our sailings FB group, he had technical difficulties and didn’t come out the whole cruise! It was sad, but it didn’t stop us from having fun.



At this point we ordered dessert and Don came around with a post it note with two riddles! We knew we had a great team, but now we knew they were fun as well!



For dessert, my aunt and dad had the apple cake and my mom and I had the coronation sundae, which was very refreshing!



We bid Joy and Don goodbye, and we headed out. My parents went to Marceline Market for a bourbon tasting (which they enjoyed-they said the CM was very knowledgeable and it was interesting learning about what they were drinking). My aunt and I headed back to the room. Her goal was to set up more decor for my parents anniversary. My goal? After decorating our door and setting up the fish extender, my goal was to run around and give out our fish extenders and hide the cruise ducks.



I collect three things: Venetian masks, Nutcrackers and rubber ducks.



The fact I did not find one single duck on this entire cruise is mind boggling to all who know me. (And as a consolation my mom got me a rubber duck advent calendar complete with accessories -duck duck razz’s for all!)



I did have fun hiding them though! And one father actually thanked me for hiding them in kid friendly places (I would hide them in the stair railings and on the ground) because his daughter and him hid a lot and she couldn’t find any because people were hiding them everywhere and anywhere. So I gave him one to give to her! I eventually met the daughter at Castaway Cay a couple days later when I saw the dad again! She was so appreciative!



After that I explored the ship a bit. I’m not really a bar person but I wanted to check out 4 bars: The Bayou, The Rose, Hyperspace Lounge and Nightengales. The Bayou was setting up for a Motown night, but I was tired and my legs were starting to give out (ding dang autoimmune disease), and my family wanted to see the Rose, so I figured let me go into Hyperspace.





I hope the Haunted Mansion Bar on the Treasure is bigger because this was TINY and I would’ve been the only one in there besides the bartenders and as I said I’m not a bar person so I definitely would’ve felt uncomfortable.



And Nightengales? Packed. Of course the one bar I would’ve felt comfortable at was packed-not even a single seat at the bar. So I cut my losses, and continued to look around the ship. I meandered through the store and figured out what I’d buy the next day. I then headed to shutters to confirm some picture information and then went back to the room.



My aunt had finished decorating by the time I got back AND the room had been turned down (I love the turn down service btw). About five minutes later my parents came in and within those five minutes we had a ton of fish extender gifts. We got everything in and eveyy try one showered and settled in before heading off to sleep. We ordered some water and couldn’t figure out why the room was hot, so when Valentin came in we discovered this because we did not have the veranda door properly locked!



We eventually all went to sleep (me being in the Murphy bed by the verandah) and were each awoken maybe once that night by the water.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

So my stupid self has a) still not figured out nor attempted to figure out the jpeg situation……one day I will! And b) I just realized I haven’t been putting that I updated it in the title


Anyhoo let’s continue on shall we?


DAY THREE PART 1: THE WISH AND NASSAU DAY 2



Today we awoke and we discovered we hadn’t even docked in Nassau yet! We could see everything off in the distance (though sadly no dolphins or sharks as they usually stick to the front of the boat). It was gorgeous weather though!



We decided to head up to Marceline Market and boy did we regret a)not getting there a little bit sooner and b) not going there for lunch the day before! My dad and I eventually found a table and off we went.



We had some great food, but nothing will compare to the GRILLED TOMATOES.







Seriously we are obsessed. They were so good. We also got to use some of our new fish extender gifted cups and pixie dust some extra humans with stuff we had bought with us incase we ended up having extra fish extenders!





We then had a reservation for the royal gathering where we met Rapunzul, Belle and Moana. While the meet and greet was great, it was also here we saw the start of some not so great behavior from guests. Aka sneaking into the line when they didn’t have a reservation. I don’t know if there are penalties, but it was sad to see. If we weren’t halfway through and being ushered about we would’ve said something to the CM checking reservations.



After that we meandered around the ship, we headed back to our room and took some pictures from the verandah. We decided after that we’d head up to the adults only section and enjoy the infinity pool and some rest and relaxation on this beautiful day.



We found our way up to deck 12 to the adults only section and found a space in the shade on the side facing Atlantis. In a fun twist, a couple we know that was also celebrating their 40th anniversary in Atlantis sent my mom a text saying “this you?” from their balcony. It was a great laugh!



I decided to go on the AquaMouse. The line was posted 10 minutes but was really about 20. It was here I discovered Moana has a post credits scene?!?!? I always knew about the one at the end of Frozen, but not Moana! It was the movie playing on the deck while I was on line and that was a fun discovery. My aunt eventually got in the line a bit later.



And holy smokes what a ride. I don’t know if I’ll go on it again (if I’m lucky to return to the wish) for two reasons: 1) the chlorine stripped some of the dye from my hair which I knew it potentially would but I hate destroying towels that aren’t mine and 2) when you come out of the funnel the top is open. I kept thinking I was gonna go over the side for those few seconds!



After that I decided it was time for the drink of the day and to sit and relax. I eventually joined my parents in the infinity pool for a few minutes before we decided to head out and find ice cream.



However we couldn’t find wherever the soft serve was at first, and where all these people were getting their kids food. The one downside is I wish we had more time on the Wish to explore, because we would’ve found out earlier that we would’ve just gone to the main pool deck for all those fun foods.



Instead we wound up at Joyful sweets for ice cream, which was delicious, but obviously we had to pay extra. Which we didn’t mind. We enjoyed the wide array of flavors.



We then headed up to the room to relax, shower and get ready for dinner!

 

[Mich123]

Enjoying your report! I was on the Wish the week before and debarked the day you boarded. It’s fun to relive the trip, I really liked the Wish, too!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Enjoying your report! I was on the Wish the week before and debarked the day you boarded. It’s fun to relive the trip, I really liked the Wish, too!

Thank you! I’m horrible at updating it though!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Hi all! Happy 2024! I’m so sorry for the delay! Between the holidays and going back to work and appointments and what not it’s been *crazy* but let’s continue on!


DAY THREE PART TWO: THE WISH DAY 2



Tonight was not only Pirate night, but our night at 1923, which was the restaurant we were eagerly awaiting for (and selfishly hoping we would have on my parents anniversary, which was the next night but that didn’t happen).



We decided to go to Bingo at Luna Lounge first, which was something we thought we knew how to do but this was totally different. Those electronic bingo tablets are no joke! After that fun game we headed to 1923!



However, here was the only time on the ship we had an issue with a Cast Member, and one I still regret not filing a formal complaint about. We come in and say our table number, and a young cast member goes to take us into the Walt section when a waiter suddenly comes up to us and says “that is my table and you were here last night” and starts arguing with my mom. After insisting we were not (and explaining we had Joy and Don), he was still insistent we were in the wrong to the point he was yelling at us. Thankfully Joy saw us and he realized he was in the wrong and went about his day. The other CM who was leading us profusely apologized to us, and we insisted it was not her fault at all. I insisted I should’ve filed a complaint, but my parents told me not to as they didn’t want to ruin what was so far a great trip. (And yes I’m mad I never did. I really should have.)



We were seated and greeted by Joy and Don (with a riddle on a post it haha) and we started to order. My aunt decided to only have the fennel salad, whereas my parents and I decided to go fancy. We each had the romaine salad and then my mom had the tortellini, while my dad had the tomato soup and both my dad and I also had the prosciutto and burrata appetizer.



The prosciutto and burrata were divine but the best was the cranberry and sunflower seed bark that came with it!



We enjoyed talking with the other tables around us during the meal and Munir came by again to see how everything was.



We then got dinner. My aunt got the roasted chicken, my dad the salmon and my mom and I the filet mignon. All was very tasty and perfectly portioned.



After dinner while ordering our coffee and tea, Joy let us know we could come to 1923 for breakfast the next day and could have today! We were so excited to hear that as we didn’t want to be rushed in the dining room before Castaway Cay.



We eventually ordered desert. My mom got the hot fudge sundae, my dad the churros, my aunt the Signature Blueberry Lemon cake and me? The most absolutely delicious apple crumb cheesecake.



Everything was so good, and we decided to come back the next morning for breakfast and decided to head out to walk around and use the bathroom and shop.



Speaking of the bathrooms-on both the ship and in the parks-I have never seen such disgusting messes left by guests. I hate being negative on the boards but I have to say something. As someone diagnosed OCD and germaphobe, I’ve learned how to navigate public bathrooms the best way possible. I use the covers, I make sure it’s flushed everything. What I witnessed in these bathrooms were disgusting. To my fellow female identifying humans please do your part to make sure everything is clean and if the flushing sensor doesn’t work, take some toilet paper and click the button. Then proceed to wash your hands as always. Not that complicated of a schematic.



Anyhoo, after dinner, shopping and seeing some excellent pirate night looks, we decided to head up to The Rose for some drinks. We were greeted by Miguel from Brazil, who became a quick friend and awesome bartender. He presented us with herb pretzel thins, spiced Chex mis and spiced fava beans. We then ordered. My parents went for more standard fare, while I decided on the Mon Capitaine and my aunt decided on the Mrs. Tea, which was presented in a glass teapot and poured to mix it better. Our drinks were so delicious that yes we asked for a second round. We then had a great time talking to Miguel and trying each others drinks that we decided it was time to call it a night-but not before seeing someone order the infamous signature drink The Rose. I asked on our way out if we could go back the next night, and everyone agreed.



We headed back to the room and my parents decided to hang out, while my aunt and I decided to go exploring on our own. I met Pirate Captain Minnie and she met Pirate Donald and we just had a great time walking around. I headed up to see what the pirate party was all about and decided to call it a night as I was tired. My aunt ended up staying for the fireworks and coming down a little while later.



After that we drifted off to sleep and awaited the next day at Castaway Cay.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I know I know I’m way behind so you’re gonna get TWO updates today!

DAY FOUR PART ONE: CASTAWAY CAY AND THE WISH DAY 3



Today is the day! The day we see the bright blue water! (And ya know he title of this trip-it was my parents anniversary today!) Which was a little choppy this morning but not from our veranda no no.



See, while watching and monitoring what I eat helped in my weight management program, I do a LOT of walking (which also helps my autoimmune disease at times). But as we discovered from Miguel last night, there was no track like there are on the other ships. So trying to figure out which deck to get to in order to have the best walk was chaos in it of itself. There was a yoga class in Senses going on, but yoga is not my strong suit (a Fosse dance class might’ve been a different story).



So instead I braved the main deck with all its stairs and ups and downs-and I was not the only one! But also imagine my surprise when I discovered all the food we were looking for yesterday because I wanted a picture of the sunrise. I finally discovered where the soft serve ice cream was and the pizza was and all those fun things.



Again would’ve loved more time to explore. Hopefully we cruise again so we can actually experience it.



After that I went back to the room to change and meet up with everyone to head to breakfast. We decided to eat on the Roy side today, and our servers were Gan and Xiomena, who were both very sweet. By this time we were in port, and we could see everything from the porthole window.



Breakfast was good. The slightly smaller portions were a little jarring for us (especially in my weight management program they want you to have a nice big balanced breakfast-less calories to consume throughout the day and you wake up more). But we had more of our grilled tomatoes!



After that we headed down to deck one to disembark.



After we got through what I guess you would call customs we bought a water cooler and water from Shirley Anne and Sarah and got towels….lots and lots of towels.



We took some pictures and headed off, nothing that some of the excursions were cancelled but not ours (we had overheard someone the night before state that Atlantis had cancelled excursions due to wind but gave them vouchers for elsewhere so we were unsure what was accurate or not for today).



We then hop the first of two trams to Serenity Bay aka the adults only area. However, thanks to a British family upon arrival, we were told that no umbrellas or chairs would be allowed as of right now due to high tide and gusty winds on that section of the island, so us and a couple other families stayed and waited to get back to Pelican (I forget but it’s the one in between the main excursion stop and serenity bay).



We found some seats, went to the bathroom, lathered up and headed to that crystal blue water. Which was slightly murky because the wind and currents had bought so much in. The water though was still a gorgeous temperature and it was fun to just swim and relax.





Now comes the first part of our title. We had the big aqua bikes with the big tires excursion booked. And they were not on the board for cancellations. So we hop on to get the shuttle to the main stop. We get there and after going through met and greets and photo opportunities we make our way to two lifeguards chilling on some of the other equipment.

One turns to us and says “we got good news and bad news which do you want first” and I go “well that’s up to you”. His response was “well in my experience it’s best to give the bad news first which is all excursions are cancelled or on hold today due to the wind. Yours would be on hold and possibly be available later but we can’t promise that.” To which we replied we totally understood and after a brief chat and discussion on where they were from I asked “and what was the good news”



The response?



“I don’t know you tell me!”



We were howling all the way back to the shuttle. Also on our way back we saw a little kid high five Pluto and scream “I just met a celebrity” to which Pluto did a fun celebratory motion to which we all laughed at. After getting back in the shuttle we wound up back in the water and eventually into our chairs for pina coladas and sunbathing. At around noon we decided to walk on over to cookies too for lunch which was delicious (and I’m not a huge BBQ fan and a lot of the time it’s due to limited sides-which cookies did have limited sides-I don’t like mayo and I was not in the mood for pasta salad. Again I like it but not when it’s limited).





Bellies full we decided to head back to our seats and gather up our stuff and head back to the boat as it was nearing 1:30 and we all had to take showers and we wanted some photos.



We headed back to the room and showered and it was there my dad told me to swipe the bottle of champagne from the romance package to bring to dinner because it turns out he had ordered a dessert and was going to give a speech with the help of my aunt!



And that’s where I will leave you for this part.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

DAY FOUR PART TWO: THE WISH DAY 3 AND A CELEBRATION





We decided to go down and take some pictures and people watch costumes (we love seeing people’s creativity.) after a while we realized we still had some time so we tried getting into nightingales which was closed for a rum tasting! We eventually decided to head to the Bayou where they were wrapping up an animation class of Daisy Duck and order some drinks.



Our server turned out to be Shirley Anne who sold us the water earlier! She is an awesome human and pixie dusted us some cookies DCL 25th anniversary coasters for my parents 40th anniversary. My mom and aunt and I all had the hurricane and my dad had the Bloody Mary. All were very delicious. And we got to see a bunch of people start a craft which would double as a reusable trick or treat bag. The Bayou really is a lovely space for a lot of things and I can see why it’s a popular wedding spot on the ship.



Then it was time for dinner. Now real talk: I love Marvel, my parents haven’t seen a movie since endgame, my aunt has rarely seen any, but it we are huge Paul Rudd fans and we did our research on this restaurant as the menu didn’t fully appeal to us (we later found out from the FB group we could’ve ordered anything off the other menus-had we known that I would’ve had the carrot soup again!). We get seated and we are not near who we usually sat with and it turns out the table next to us (which was a lovely family celebrating a 4th birthday) was also not with those they were usually with but Munir ended up telling us both we were moved around due to how this specific restaurant is built and how everything works (which we would discover later).



Joy and Don greeted us as always and we eventually ordered our appetizers and main course. The bread service was also the best in our honest option of the three even though it looked like we were eating Iron Man’s arm.



I forgot what others went with (though I know at least one person had the soup) but I got the pork belly bao bun. I really liked the flavor combo and the portion but I definitely would’ve liked to try something else or gotten something from one of the previous menus. By this time Ant Man and the Wasp had come up in the TVs to show us ho to use the cores on our table to help them fight crime and also turn a towel swan into a giant towel swan.



Dinner then showed up amidst the superhero’s. My mom got the chicken schnitzel (I had a piece it was really very good), my dad had the beef medallions and my aunt and I had the scallops with the lemon Alfredo pasta. I must say it was delicious. Still not the best menu but definitely very well done in terms of what we ate.



We all opted out of dessert and Joy brings out what looked like a chocolate mousse slice that says Happy Anniversary and everyone sang Haply Anniversary to my parents. And just as my dad was about to start his speech to our little area, Spiderman shows up (with an epic playlist).



Now those of you who saw the original reviews probably are saying “Spiderman? Wasn’t it Anthony Man and the Wasp?”



Why yes dear readers it was. But according to the FB group, that idea was scrapped when the comment cards returned determined kids didn’t know who they were even though they watched a whole show with them. So Spiderman it is. With an awesome playlist and light show (seriously the playlist is epic!)



After our neighborhood friendly spiderman peaced out, my dad made his short, yet heartwarming speech (it made joy cry!) and we toasted him and my mom! The table next to us a few minutes later had the birthday and we got to chatting.



After dinner and giving Don a riddle this time (haha), we headed up to do choose the photos for our photo book. While there we met one of the Officers of the ship and I got a Speculoos Latte from the coffee bar (it’s caramel-and I usually hate hot coffee-mine is usually iced with sugar and enough milk to dry out the cow) and it was very tasty.



We then ventured back to The Rose. Miguel was so happy to see us! This time we got chocolates instead of the other snacks. My parents got what they had the night prior, my aunt had the Mon Capitaine, and me….well I got the Rose. It was so worth the money! Sadly I didn’t realize I should’ve packed my rose as I had to get rid of it at customs but it was so worth the presentation. Miguel was an awesome bartender and much like Joy and Don we would miss him (we got pictures with all of them too because they are just that awesome!).



After that it was time to pack up the room and leave the luggage outside. We really loved the organization of everything, and could not believe our first Disney Cruise was almost over! We all fell asleep after packing and packing and packing and got ready for the second half of our trip!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

DAY FIVE PART ONE: SAYING GOODBYE TO THE WISH AND HELLO GRAN DESTINO





We set a wake up call for 6 am the night prior and I was up for a little bit prior to that so imagine my surprise to know we were already at Port Canaveral when I pulled the curtains back on the verandah from the Murphy bed!



We quickly got dressed and finished packing before doing a final check of our room and door. We gathered everything including the tips and survey forms and headed down with our carry ons to World of Marvel.



Don was there to greet us and we went to the same table we had last night.



We weren’t as hungry as the day before but we did make sure to fill our bellies and give a proper goodbye to Joy and Don.



After that we were cleared for customs and through the port with our bags and the porter rather quickly! And went outside to the next part of the title: 64 degree Fahrenheit weather. It was COLD! Too cold for Florida imho. But we braved it and headed to where we needed to go.





And then we boarded the bus and waited.





And waited.



And waited.



Eventually used the bathroom on the bus.





And waited some more.



Probably the one downside to doing a land and sea is waiting for others as we boarded the bus at maybe 8:07 and we didn’t take off until about 9:15.



Our bus was headed to Pop, AoA, Riviera and Coronado Springs. Imagine our surprise when we discovered we were the only ones headed to the final stop! We made our drivers day when we told him we were heading to the tower too!



We had a pleasant drive and then we checked in. We headed up to our room and we all went about and did our own things including laundry and figuring out how to operate the elevators in the tower (I never got a video but those things are fancy.)



Now we were there during a conference and I must say while I’d stay there again, some of the behavior from the attendees in the public areas of the resort was-how do I put this other than chaotic and rude-and we weren’t the only guests to say that. We had a few discussions with people on the busses. Never had an issue while near the rooms but the common areas it was just chaos. I hope no one had a wedding scheduled for there during it that’s all I’m going to say.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I am back-sorry for the delay but life got in the way!



DAY FIVE PART TWO: DISNEY SPRINGS





We tried not to let that conference chaos or the weather get us down and after walking around some more we decided to head on over to Disney Springs earlier than our Boathouse reservation and walk around and maybe shop. Thankfully we did because we were one of many family’s purchasing this one specific hoodie and various spirit jerseys as it was FREEZING. Granted we packed for warmer weather and came from the Caribbean but we could not get the chill out of us and neither could many others around us. The parks must’ve made bank off of the sweatshirts and spirit jerseys alone this day and the couple after!





We then decided to see if we could hang in the bar at the Boathouse while waiting for our reservation and they let us. I had a mission: to get a rubber duck.





And that I did by ordering the duck duck razz which was AMAZING! My parents and aunt also ordered drinks and my dad and aunt split a half a dozen oysters (that’s a big no thank you from my mom and I). Which wasn’t a good thing for me because I was hungry and had only had water and the Duck Duck Razz since breakfast lolololol. We eventually were called and closed the tab at the bar and headed to eat.





We all ordered unsweetened iced teas and then decided on what to have. For appetizers we got the chips with two dips, my dad and aunt had the wedge salad, my mom and I split a Caesar salad and I got the firecracker shrimp. And of course the house rolls. Cant forget those. And WOW was everything DELICIOUS! We found a new first night of vacation spot for sure. We then decided on dinner which for my dad was the Dockside Shrimp Boil, my mom was the “Yacht Club” Club Sandwich, my aunt was the Lobster roll and me was the Shrimp and Andoullie sausage Mac and cheese. And again WOW all delicious however we could barely finish it we were so full between the ship and the fact we hadn’t eaten since breakfast! We did take the chips and dip with us as we snacked on them the rest of the week at various points.





We then went in the shop (and got more ducks hahaha) and then decided to call it a night as we were tired and had an early reservation for breakfast the next morning. We headed up, tested the shower out (which is gorgeous btw) and headed to bed!