Are You Ever Coming Home?...No! I am playing with Wizards, Farkles and Sparkling Friends

[dolphingirl47]

The Fantasy was a special sailing of 10 nights, leaving from Port Canaveral, visiting Aruba, Curacao (for the first time!), St, Kitts, Tortola and Castaway Cay.

That looks lime an amazing itinerary.

I quickly called and the special rate was still available. I was going to just do an inside room. This was an extra trip and I just knew I wanted to be on the ship. I really didn’t care where. So I asked the price of an inside and I was given it. I then said, just for fun, give me the ocean view price as well. It was only $200 more….What? Really? OK, I am a sucker, give me the ocean view!

I love it when things work out like this.

I had a room that was bigger than a standard room, which included a murphy pull down bed, a window seat, and I was only 5/6 doors down from Cass and Jeanne.

That is an amazing stateroom assignment.

My room was forward though, and I have never been forward on a ship, so this would be a new experience for me.

Forward is my favourite location.

We paid basically $20 for the flight (though I did add early bird check in later too)!

That is a bargain.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

Honestly, I don't think I will ever get a table bigger than 6 people. There's no point really, it's not like you can have conversations with the whole table anyway. I could only hear the people who were sitting right next to me. The times when Jeanne sat next to you, I couldn't hear a word she said

I don't mind big tables, but you are right. It is hard to hear anything from anyone more than the person next to you or across.

I am so glad you got a great room

I was pretty happy with it. Claire was leery not having a balcony, but she said in that window seat a lot!

It was our first time too. And it will be our last, if we have a choice

I didn't mind the location at all....but the neighbors....that's a whole other story.

I love it when things work out like this.

The stars really aligned that day.

That is an amazing stateroom assignment

I did totally luck out. I am sure it is because I linked with my friends who had balconies.

Forward is my favourite location.

I still prefer more aft, but we enjoyed this room a lot.

That is a bargain.

I love finding good air prices. It's amazing how sometimes I can and then other times one way is more than the total of this trip was round trip.

 

[jenseib]

Day 1, June 25, 2017, Sunday


So today is the day…..sort of.


Since we fly out of Columbus usually, and it’s a 2 ½ hour drive away, we typically head down the day before and stay with my sister who lives there.


We told Amanda we wouldn’t be coming till the evening though, as we needed to spend some extra family time with Skip.


At some point this day or the day before (memories are blurred that weekend. LOL), Skip asked us when we were coming home. Yes…that’s right, he never asked us how long we would be going till right before we were leaving. Hahahaha. And really if he had, he would have said I never told him anyways. I told him we would be flying home July 10th. He did the math in his head….You are going to be gone for Half a Month! Yes we are! For some reason this time he seemed like he was going to miss us more than usual. I mean I am sure he always misses us, but he is usually so busy that the time just flies. This time was different and he did fuss a bit about how he was going to be so lonely.


I finished up the packing of last minute things and started to load the car in the afternoon. This is when the comedy show started. Seriously, if anyone was filming this, I am sure it would provide many people with lots of laughs. I weighed the suitcases before putting them in the trunk and they were all way under…Hmmm. How did that happen? Well let’s pull them back out and condense them down to 3 then. I had to really stuff things here and there to make it fit, but fit it did. Weighed again….still under. OMG…I was weighing in KG’s instead of pounds. Ok, rearrange again now that some are overweight. I had them sprawled out in the garage and I was moving things all over the place. Finally I got them all underweight, with some on the border. I weighed with 2 scales and I figured I would have Amanda weigh with hers too and if needed, I would throw something in my carryon. I was trying to keep those semi-light so I could add water bottles in them later to take to the port.


I totally worked up a sweat doing that! But I was able to now have 3 checked bags instead of 4. One bag was mainly Fish Extender Gifts, so that would empty out and even though we would be getting some in return, I highly doubted that the gifts for one kid would take up the whole suitcase. (I was almost wrong there. LOL).


Ok, we are packed and ready to go. Since I had misplaced my license and debit card on my trip in Feb., I showed Claire that I had them and where they were so there would be no issues later. We also pulled out our passports and opened them up to show each other that we had the correct passport and then to show we put them back in our bags which then went in the car.


We said goodbye to Skip and then headed off to my sister’s house. I listened to an audio book and Claire had her headphones on the whole time….probably listening to Harry Styles.

We made our traditional bathroom stop at McDonalds about half way down and got something to drink and went on. Skip called right as we were pulling in to see if we made it yet. Um no…only half way so far!


We arrived at my sister’s condo then and brought our suitcases in the house for safekeeping. She had made tacos for dinner so soon we were sitting down to have a nice meal and chat about our upcoming trip. Amanda also was telling us about her weekend with her friends and it was just a nice evening.


My plan had been to drive to the airport and leave our car in the parking lot while gone. Our return flight came in at 4:10 and Amanda works till 5 and she said she really couldn’t take the time off to get us. Skip had told me to ask again, but I told him I was not going to keep bothering her about it.

We discussed what time we should leave and I mentioned that I worried about the outside check in desk not being open that early, and if it wasn’t then we were going to have to haul our bags on the shuttle from the parking lot because I was not allowing Claire to sit with them at the terminal and wait for me at 4 in the morning.

I had tried to dig around to see what time it opened but nothing returned anything that confirmed it one way or another.


Amanda asked what time our return flight was again and I told her and she said she may be able to come get me after all. I told her if she was late, that would even be fine. It would make things easier for drop off for sure that early in the morning….and of course save me some parking money as well.


After that, we headed outside and walked around her complex for a little bit and talked and worked off our taco dinner. Then we needed to get to bed. I knew I would have issues sleeping and we would be up super early, but I figured at least if I got a little rest, it would help immensely.


And I was right! We both tossed and turned quite a bit, though at one point Claire was snoring and very loudly! Of course she told me the next day she never slept a wink. I should have recorded her snores! Even though it was not the best night’s sleep, I did get some and it kept me going the next day!

 

[Timon]

He did the math in his head….You are going to be gone for Half a Month!

HAHAHA! Priceless

This is when the comedy show started. Seriously, if anyone was filming this, I am sure it would provide many people with lots of laughs. I weighed the suitcases before putting them in the trunk and they were all way under…

Man, I wish I was there for this

Actually, I was doing the luggage shuffle at MCO on the way home because we had our morning stuff with us from that morning on the cruise and it couldn't go in our carry-ons. I prefer to not fly home the day we get off the cruise but I also wanted the direct flight, which only leaves Saturdays in the summer.

Ok, we are packed and ready to go. Since I had misplaced my license and debit card on my trip in Feb., I showed Claire that I had them and where they were so there would be no issues later. We also pulled out our passports and opened them up to show each other that we had the correct passport and then to show we put them back in our bags which then went in the car.

HAHAHA! From someone who never loses anything, this makes me laugh But I am glad to see that you are learning

She had made tacos for dinner so soon we were sitting down to have a nice meal and chat about our upcoming trip. Amanda also was telling us about her weekend with her friends and it was just a nice evening.

Awww, a nice sister visit

Amanda asked what time our return flight was again and I told her and she said she may be able to come get me after all. I told her if she was late, that would even be fine. It would make things easier for drop off for sure that early in the morning….and of course save me some parking money as well.

Yay

And I was right! We both tossed and turned quite a bit, though at one point Claire was snoring and very loudly! Of course she told me the next day she never slept a wink. I should have recorded her snores! Even though it was not the best night’s sleep, I did get some and it kept me going the next day!

HAHAH! Kira does the same thing to me! Oh mom, I didn't sleep! Oh really? Cus you kept me up all night snoring/moving

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am glad that you noticed that you were weighing your luggage in kilograms rather than in pounds. That could have got uncomfortable at the airport.

Corinna

 

[jedijill]

I can totally picture the luggage rearrangement! Yay, you are on your way!!

Jill in CO

 

[rndmr2]

Glad to see you started the TR, sounds like a great trip, awesome itinerary!

 

[jenseib]

HAHAHA! Priceless

He always makes it sound longer than it actually is too. he thinks people get bored being gone so long....I wish I could go longer.

Man, I wish I was there for this

I kept wondering if my MIL was looking out her window next door watching me.

HAHAH! Kira does the same thing to me! Oh mom, I didn't sleep! Oh really? Cus you kept me up all night snoring/moving

And Claire will tell me how I kicked her all night and was on her side of the bed....when she was the one practically on top of me.

I am glad that you noticed that you were weighing your luggage in kilograms rather than in pounds. That could have got uncomfortable at the airport.

Corinna

Me too!!!

I can totally picture the luggage rearrangement! Yay, you are on your way!!

Jill in CO

I kept laughing at myself....I knew it had to look funny.

Glad to see you started the TR, sounds like a great trip, awesome itinerary!

Thanks for joining!!!!

 

[jenseib]

Day 2, June 26, 2017, Monday


Rise and shine….ooooh so not so bright, but very early. But we had no issues popping out of bed and getting ourselves ready. Cass, Jeanne and Brook had all arrived a few days earlier and I was anxious to get down there too. I had that “I’m missing out on things” feeling.


We loaded the car and double checked we had everything (we had reweighed the bags again the night before) and headed off. Amanda had totally miscalculated how long it would take us….because there was no traffic at 3:45 AM…so we arrived much faster than anticipated. And good news! The Curb Side check in was open that early and we were able to drop our bags off right there. Yay! Less toting is good!


We got our tickets and headed through TSA precheck, which was very fast and soon were at our gate. Columbus is a very small airport, so it was super easy. Unfortunately nothing was open at this time and we could not get any snacks or Starbucks, which is what Claire wanted. There was a line for Starbucks already but the time they opened and as long as the line was, I was worried we would be cutting it too close.


Soon boarding started for our flight and we got in line and then boarded and found some good seats. I was really hoping the flight would not be full. Who else is dumb enough to fly this early in the morning….well I guess a lot of people are. Every seat was filled according to the flight crew. UGH!


Soon we were taking off and on our way! We were served some small snacks and we also ate some we brought along, though it wasn’t hitting the spot and I was getting a little Hangry.

About 2 hours later we landed and we quickly got off the plane and used the restroom and then headed on to the fake monorail.


Finally we decided to take a picture. Yeah, I was slacking in that department this morning.


me4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We headed towards Magical Express then and got in line.


me5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Our bus wasn’t super full, so we got a seat up front. But we did have to wait a bit before we took off.


me6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Once we filled, we were told we had 3 stops, and I think we were stop number 2. I got an email saying our room was ready. You have got to be kidding me? This early! YES!!!!! I was happy that we could just go and drop off our carryon bags there and not worry about them later on.


I had debated about doing online check in prior to coming as I didn’t want it to mess up my requests. I looked at a map and our room was exactly where I requested and I was so happy.


We soon were passing through the gates!


me7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Well actually we went around them with all the construction….but we were on property now!


me1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I believe our first stop was Saratoga Springs.


me2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I have never stepped foot on this property, so it was nice to see it.


me3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Next stop….Port Orleans Riverside!


por11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This is another property I had yet to step foot on, so it was exciting to stay here!


We pulled in and we got our carryon bags and made our way in. I totally sucked at taking pictures…..sorry. But I was HUNGRY! We were going to head to get some food before going anywhere else. Claire knows I am not always nice when I am starving.


I didn’t want too much, just something to take the edge off, so I got a muffin and some milk. I think Claire took a bite, but she was fine. She doesn’t eat breakfast often.


por16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Once I devoured that, I then turned around and took a few quick shots of the seating area.


por12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We walked outside and started following the signs to the Magnolia section.


por15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We passed by the pool and it looked very nice, but we never did go in and look at it more closely.


por18 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por19 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We were in the Acadian building, (80) right along the river.


por20 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por21 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por22 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por23 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por24 by Jenseib, on Flickr


That’s our building blocked by trees in the next picture. I don’t think I ever took an actual picture of it. I really sucked at getting some pictures this time around.


por25 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We entered the room and it wasn’t as cool as I like it, so I quickly adjusted the thermostat to low and then I went and took several pictures.


por26 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por27 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Disney is going with these white comforters now on all the resorts beds. I am not a fan. I wish they kept that runner strip on the end to add a bit of color.


por28 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por29 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por30 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por31 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por32 by Jenseib, on Flickr


These are the new toiletries that all resorts, even Values, are supposed to now have. I did find out later that they are still phasing out the old stuff at the Values…aka the crappy shampoo/conditioner combo.


por33 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por34 by Jenseib, on Flickr


In Oct. our room at Coronado had bug spray, they are now switching to wipes. Though again, I am hearing some rooms have both. I prefer the cans.


por17 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[dolphingirl47]

I got an email saying our room was ready.

Wow, that was early.

I had debated about doing online check in prior to coming as I didn’t want it to mess up my requests. I looked at a map and our room was exactly where I requested and I was so happy.

I am glad that this worked out for you.

In Oct. our room at Coronado had bug spray, they are now switching to wipes.

I love the idea of the wipes. I wish we had had them in November rather than the spray.

Corinna

 

[rndmr2]

Yay! you arrived! Glad you had a smooth flight and that's great that your room was ready.

Next stop….Port Orleans Riverside!

Love POR! such a pretty resort! We stayed there for our 2010 trip and loved it there. We were in the first building as you cross that bridge by the pool, Magnolia Terrace.

Disney is going with these white comforters now on all the resorts beds. I am not a fan. I wish they kept that runner strip on the end to add a bit of color.

I like color, too, the plain white makes it look like the bed isn't fully made or just sheet and no blanket/comforter.

 

[bcwife76]

Awww poor Skip, he was missing your already!

Yay for your room being ready already, esp after such an EARLY start to your day! Love POR, we stayed there in January and I'm hoping to book there again for Oct 2018. I know I should try another resort but we loved it so.....

 

[petals]

Totally joining in and at the start this time

Not liking the new shampoo bottles in the hotel room I mean where are the little caps with the mouse ears?!

 

[shishta13]

Looking forward to reading along!

 

[jenseib]

Wow, that was early.

I know! I was pretty happy.

I am glad that this worked out for you.

Me too. I do online check in about half the time, but I am leaning more towards it now.

I love the idea of the wipes. I wish we had had them in November rather than the spray.

I prefer the spray so I can get it all over, even parts like hair, where it's hard to do the wipes.

Yay! you arrived! Glad you had a smooth flight and that's great that your room was ready.

I was pretty happy that it was.

Love POR! such a pretty resort! We stayed there for our 2010 trip and loved it there. We were in the first building as you cross that bridge by the pool, Magnolia Terrace.

It really is a nice resort. I wish I had more time to check it out more. I didn't do any exploring of other areas at all really. We were pretty close to the bridge and I was happy about that.

I like color, too, the plain white makes it look like the bed isn't fully made or just sheet and no blanket/comforter.

exactly!!!!

Awww poor Skip, he was missing your already!

I know.....but I knew he would be fine...I am not that great. hahaha.

Yay for your room being ready already, esp after such an EARLY start to your day! Love POR, we stayed there in January and I'm hoping to book there again for Oct 2018. I know I should try another resort but we loved it so.....

It is a nice resort. I do want to stay there again and see more of it. Our days there were long in parks for the most part and we were tired when we did come back to the room.

Totally joining in and at the start this time

Yay! Nice to see you back on the boards again.

Not liking the new shampoo bottles in the hotel room I mean where are the little caps with the mouse ears?!

I do see that, but this stuff is much better than those others. This is the stuff the cruise ships carry and I love that stuff.

Looking forward to reading along!

Thanks for joining....and welcome!!!

 

[canyoncam]

YES!!! Another Jenn report! I really don't get on here much more than once a week anymore, but look forward to reading this one (think I missed one, will have to go back and read) What a fun trip and just the right length in my opinion.

I used to think POR was my favorite resort but I stayed at POFQ in May and LOVED it. Of course I think I have only stayed at 1/3 of all the resorts but I have spent time visiting at all but Saratoga and the Campground.

Can't wait to get to the fun!!!

 

[Rabb it]

Very cool so far!

 

[jenseib]

YES!!! Another Jenn report! I really don't get on here much more than once a week anymore, but look forward to reading this one (think I missed one, will have to go back and read) What a fun trip and just the right length in my opinion.

I used to think POR was my favorite resort but I stayed at POFQ in May and LOVED it. Of course I think I have only stayed at 1/3 of all the resorts but I have spent time visiting at all but Saratoga and the Campground.

Can't wait to get to the fun!!!

It was such a great length. We had so much fun too.

Very cool so far!

Thanks!

 

[Timon]

Glad your room was ready so early for you, what a bonus

I've stayed at Saratoga a few times now and I didn't care for it when Kira was a baby but I love it now, especially since all of the changes to Disney Springs.

I want to stay at POR next but I will request an Alligator Bayou room as Magnolia Bend does not appeal to me at all.

 

[jenseib]

Glad your room was ready so early for you, what a bonus

I've stayed at Saratoga a few times now and I didn't care for it when Kira was a baby but I love it now, especially since all of the changes to Disney Springs.

I want to stay at POR next but I will request an Alligator Bayou room as Magnolia Bend does not appeal to me at all.

I never even got over to that area to check it out. Some day I will, but I just had limited time and our resort time was also rain time. hahahaha