Magic, Mickey and Mayans - A Pre-trip Report

[tiggrbaby]

I am having a very happy Friday. My letter of approval for British Citizenship arrived today. Graham emailed me at work to let me know that an official looking brown envelope had arrived. I rang him as soon as I saw this and asked him if he opened it, which he had not. I asked him to open it. The letter is actually dated 12th October. I asked him what the date on the letter was, but I knew the answer before he told me. Last Friday I had one of my admin days at work. Amongst other things, they are there so that we can do our call monitoring, which to say the least is not my favourite part of the job. Still, I was fine and getting on with the job at hand. Suddenly around 15:00, I got really antsy, could not concentrate and just could not settle down to anything. This lasted for about 45 minutes and then I was fine again. I am sure that this is when the case worker looked at my file and made the decision.

Actually strictly speaking, I did not get a letter of approval. I got the invitation to a citizenship ceremony, which normally comes a bit later. So I don't know what happened to the actual approval letter. Still, this has everything on it that I need.I rang the local council straightaway to try to organize the citizenship ceremony, but they have not received the paperwork from the Home Office yet. I did manage to get out of the person I spoke to that they are currently scheduling citizenship ceremonies for 7th November, which is of course precisely the date I want (and incidentally the first official day of this vacation). I need to ring back on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they still have slots for this on Monday. Today we will celebrate with steak and chips and a bottle of Rosa Regale.

Corinna

Congrats to you! How exciting!

 

[Pinkocto]

Congratulations! All your patience is paying off.


Your manatee excursion sounds wonderful.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Joining in. so excited to read all this. I love the type on the ferry and dolphins. You will have to let me know how that goes. Would love to do it when we get of the magic as we dont fly home till sat morning. Would love to see the dolphins. We are going to do dolphins in cozumel just deciding which one to go to.

I would definitely recommend Dolphin Discoveries. This is a fantastically well run facility and you get free admission to Chakanaab as well. Dolphin Discoveries have a nice freshwater pool and you are free to use the beach, snorkelling lagoon, etc.

I will do a trip report when I get back.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

We are back to square one for Grand Cayman. I got an email yesterday to inform me that the excursion that we booked will not operate on the day we are there. So it is back to the planning board for us.

Corinna

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

I would definitely recommend Dolphin Discoveries. This is a fantastically well run facility and you get free admission to Chakanaab as well. Dolphin Discoveries have a nice freshwater pool and you are free to use the beach, snorkelling lagoon, etc.

I will do a trip report when I get back.

Corinna

The only thing that has me swaying to Dolphinarius is they say that the observation area is close and I can take pics from there. Dolphin Discoveries says its a distance and I want to use my own camera as I can get 50 pictures free instead of paying them to take them. You think I can still get great photos at Discovery? Also not sure if the kids would like the pool or fresh water better. Thoughts??

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Your dress is gorgeous...I want it for me...LOL

 

[dolphingirl47]

The only thing that has me swaying to Dolphinarius is they say that the observation area is close and I can take pics from there. Dolphin Discoveries says its a distance and I want to use my own camera as I can get 50 pictures free instead of paying them to take them. You think I can still get great photos at Discovery? Also not sure if the kids would like the pool or fresh water better. Thoughts??

This is strange. When we were there in 2009, a kind of boardwalk linked the various dolphin interaction areas and stairs went down from those to the interaction areas. Observers were allowed to take photos from the boardwalk area. I think this would be about the closest you can get and not go in the water. Maybe they changed this.

Corinna

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

This is strange. When we were there in 2009, a kind of boardwalk linked the various dolphin interaction areas and stairs went down from those to the interaction areas. Observers were allowed to take photos from the boardwalk area. I think this would be about the closest you can get and not go in the water. Maybe they changed this.

Corinna

isn't Discovery the one with Sea lion show to watch too? I think Discovery offers more .....maybe my zoom lens can get good photos.

 

[dolphingirl47]

isn't Discovery the one with Sea lion show to watch too? I think Discovery offers more .....maybe my zoom lens can get good photos.

Yes, they have a sea lion show, but I have not seen this. There is lots to do though.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Last week was my last full normal work week. Today I went into training for the best part of 2 weeks and after this, the count down for this trip has really started. Behind the scenes, a lot of things have been going on. I have now printed off most of the confirmations and put them in the order in which I will need them. I still had a couple of things to sort out and I also managed to get a lot done over the weekend (make a priority seating request for Big River Brewery and Grille, do an info sheet on the dining plan for Graham). So this is a major load of my mind. The biggest task left is sorting out arrival transfers in Galveston.

Things that I ordered also have started to arrive. I had bought a 9 inch Vinylmation on Ebay a while ago to have this signed by the characters. I have two or three pillow cases that I had signed over the years, but they have never been used. They sit wrapped in tissue paper in a storage chest. So I decided to go for something a bit different. The seller said in the description that he ships within 2 to 3 days of receiving payment. A week after that, I contacted him as I had not heard anything and a further week down the line, I finally got an answer. When I did not hear from him in about 48 hours, I jumped the gun and ordered another 9 inch Vinylmation through Amazon. The estimated delivery date for this is 6th November, which is cutting it mighty fine as my packages go to work and this is my last day at work. Fortunately in the meantime, the original Vinylmation arrived safe and sound. So now it no longer matters when the other one gets here. I will just take this to be signed on our Alaska cruise next year. I think I will ask for The Gang plus Daisy and Stitch this time and maybe do the Princesses next time. They should compliment each other nicely as one is light green and the other is pink.

My door spotter has also arrived and is gorgeous. I can't wait to hang this from my fish. the Fish Extender exchange has closed and I distributed the list to everybody involved. Although I am officially not taking part, I have made some gifts. I just need to sort them, bag them up and label them.

I am still waiting on some things. One of the dresses that I ordered to wear on the cruise casual nights is back ordered. The estimated date of delivery keeps going back. I now had an email advising me that they expect new stock in on 2nd November. I need to give them a call to see if I can change to next day delivery as even if it does arrive in their warehouse on the 2nd, there is no way it will get to me by the 6th with their normal delivery.

Something else I have been waiting for is fortunately going to arrive earlier than expected. Back in summer, I ordered the 2013 edition of my favourite guide for Walt Disney World and Orlando. The original release date was 26th October and the experience of past years indicated that this was a touch optimistic. Last week I got an email that the publication date has been brought forward and on Friday I got another email that this had been dispatched. This should arrive any day now.

The biggest job to do now are the magnets. I have some designs already that I just have to run through the Xyron and I am hoping that some designs I have requested will be ready in time. If not, I will make do with what I have.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Houston

I know this cruise will just fly especially as since our last Western Caribbean cruise in 2009, we have mainly done 14 and 15 night cruises. Still, as this is kind of a bonus cruise, I am absolutely fine with a 7 night cruise. Our flight that day does not leave until 19:45 and this has left us with a bit of a logistical challenge. Initially I was looking at getting Supershuttle back from Galveston, but they were not willing to pick us up at 9:30 for a 19:45 departure. So Disney Cruise Line transfers look the best option. Of course, this leaves us with the question what to do with the rest of the day. The Galleria Shopping Mall seems like the best plan. This is owned an operated by the same company that is behind the Florida Mall and has a lot of the same shops. So I can indulge in retail therapy without having to take time out to do so in Orlando. As a bonus, they also have a Cheese Cake Factory, which would be perfect for a late lunch/ early dinner. The only question is how to get there. Graham found that one can get from the airport to Galleria by bus. However, when I looked into this, it takes over two hours each way. So that is not really an option. I was wondering if we should just get a one-way car rental from Galveston to the airport. This probably will work around the same as the Disney transfers. From the port to Galleria, it takes about an hour to drive and then from Galleria to the airport around half an hour. So this would be much more realistic and the directions that I found look pretty straightforward. The snag with that is that the only rental company in Galveston is Enterprise and they only let you book one-way car rentals between two airports online. So I am going to have to call them. The last option, if this proves to complicated, is to just take the DCL transfers to the airport and then get a car for the day at the airport.

 

[franandaj]

I think the last option is your best bet. Perhaps you can check or store your luggage while at the airport so you are not driving around with all the luggage. That's very inviting to thieves.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Fishy Business ( aka Fish Extenders)

Since our first cruise, I have always participated in the Fish Extender exchange and this is always an incentive for me to get my work box out and make some jewellery . I also have a nice collection of Fish Extenders that I have acquired over the years. So it was a bit of a blow when Graham put his foot down after the last cruise and said that this would be my last Fish Extender exchange for me. The reason behind this was twofold: all the gifts that we received slowly but surely took over every inch of space in our cabin and we had to buy and pay to check an additional bag, mainly due to Fish Extender gifts. So as much as I regretted not being able to take part, I respected Graham's take on this.

The first consideration that I had is what am I going do about the fish next to our door. I simply could not imagine not having anything hanging from the fish. I had visions of me trying to sew shut the pockets on one of my existing Fish Extenders. Fortunately I came across a much better solution. The person who did all my Fish Extenders for me is now offering something called door spotters on Etsy. They are a single panel of fabric that are embroidered and personalized. Normally they have magnets at the back so that you can attach them to the door itself, but as my door is usually full of magnets and I really wanted something to hang from my fish, I asked her to do this with a dowel. She was more than happy to accommodate me. This has now arrived and is absolutely gorgeous:

Somehow I ended up being volunteered for organizing the Fish Extender exchange. This actually suits me rather well. To start of with, I like something to organize before a cruise as this makes it feel more real. It also means that I have the final list. Some people have commented that they are not comfortable for their names and cabin numbers to be posted on the forum. Again, I fully respect this. I tend to work with Google Docs for things like this anyway so I just PMed the link to people who are participating. The cut off point for this was 13th October.

The reason why I am so glad that I will have access to the list is that I really could not imagine not doing anything at all as far as Fish Extender gifts are concerned. If past years are anything to go by, the Christmas decorations will go up on this cruise and I took my inspiration from this. I accidentally came across Christmas themed pewter charms and I got red and green crackle glass beads and silver stardust beads to go with them. I made bag charms for the girls and women and key chains for the boys and men. Here are some examples:

I also got those little bags that have snowmen on them:

I will put all the charms for each family in them and just attach a label with the room number and my name. We have 14 families taking part so that is very manageable and almost everybody is on decks 2 and 6.

 

[Pinkocto]

I love your door spotter! So cute

 

[tiggrbaby]

You make the cutest gifts for people! I also like your idea of a door spotter.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I can't wait to be able to hang this door spotter from my fish. Days left at work, 8 days until I am officially on vacation and 12 days until we are on the Magic. I am getting so excited.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Walt Disney World Day 1

It will probably be around 1:00 AM in the morning by the time we get to the Boardwalk so I will take it easy the first day. Epcot is my favourite park and as it is also the closest, this is where I will be headed that day. I am hoping to get to the park for 11:00 when the World Showcase opens. This will be the first time for me that I enter Epcot through International Gateway. I am just hoping that I can collect my annual pass and my ticket for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party from there. The party ticket is not too much of a problem as I could always collect that at a different time, but I do of course need my annual pass. I will try to do as many of the Agent P World Showcase Adventure missions as I can that day and generally enjoy the World Showcase. Part of this will be picking a pearl at the Japanese pavilion, which has become a bit of a tradition.

This time will be a bit different from previous visits as I have the Disney Dining Plan and therefore will eat one meal a day at counter service restaurants. Normally I just graze when I am in the parks and have the odd sit down meal, which is usually a character meal. There are a number of different counter service options that day. I think my favourite option would be Katsura Grill at the Japanese pavilion, but depending where I am when hunger strikes, I may end up at Tangierine Cafe at the Moroccan pavilion or at La Cantina de San Angel at the Mexican pavilion.

I am planning to be back at the Boardwalk around mid afternoon. We have always enjoyed playing mini golf and have played all the courses on International Drive at least once and also played both courses at Winter Summerland. One course that we always wanted to play, but never have got around to is Fantasia Gardens. We intend to remedy this. With Fantasia Garden being so close to the Boardwalk, it would be a shame not to us this opportunity. Depending on how much we like it, we may play a second round, especially as this would be 50% off. Once we have finished at Fantasia Gardens, we will head over to the Swan and Dolphin. I have never been to those hotels, but Graham really loves them. I also recently seen some wonderful pictures of the bar at bluezoo. This looks perfect for pre-dinner drinks. The Zoo Berry cocktail comes highly recommended.

Once we enjoyed a drink or two, we will head back to our room to get freshened up and changed before heading over to the Yacht Club. Dinner that night will be at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. We both like a good steak and I have heard a lot of great things about this place. As we get in so late the previous day, we have an extra meal credit so it makes sense to burn it on a signature restaurant. Once we finished our meal, I want to have a look around the Yacht and Beach Club resorts before heading back to our room.

 

[jockey]

Your plans sound great..love the list of firsts!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Walt Disney World Day 2

This day is still a little undecided or at least the first part of the day is. It is very tempting to head back to Epcot to do Futureworld, but the following day is Morning Extra Magic Hour at Epcot so I will definitely head there then. So I think I will probably head to the Magic Kingdom for the morning and part of the afternoon. I am hoping to get a good look around the Fantasyland extension and ride my favourite rides in this park (Big Thunder Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, It’s A Small World, Haunted Mansion). I also want to have a look at The Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. I am sure that I will enjoy this. I am hoping to have lunch at Be My Guest as this is the first day this is officially open. If the lines are too crazy, I will try again later in the trip and probably head to Cosmic Ray’s.

Mid afternoon, I am planning to head over to Hollywood Studios. This is my least favourite park and the only thing that really appeals to me there is Toy Story Mania. I assume that by the time I get there, all the Fast Passes will have been given out and the standby time is probably horrendous. However, the only reason I am really going is to see The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. I have never seen this before and can’t wait to experience it.

Dinner that night will be at Big River Grille and Brewing Works. I have wanted to try this forever and was thrilled when I realized that this is actually on the dining plan. I will have to pay a little out of pocket as I really want to try their Cheese and Beer Soup and starters are not included in the normal Dining Plan. Still, I am sure that Graham will want to try one of their beers so I won’t feel too guilty about this. After dinner, we may have a wander around the Board Walk to walk off dinner and soak up the atmosphere.

 

[Pinkocto]

Everything sounds great. You are getting really close to leaving