The UnDisney family floats again - NYC-San Juan - Merrytime (oh my) - Nov 10-15, 2019

End of NYC day 3/beginning of Cruise day 1

I left us all up on deck 10, watching the NYC skyline as we cruised away. Sounds lovely, yes? Well, it was, but within about 3 minutes or so, it got COLD. Now- when Canadians say it's cold, it is COLD.

Mostly it was the wind coming in across the water, but within a few minutes, we had certainly maxed out our layers. Conor had on a long-sleeved shirt, (probably an undershirt too), his skating jacket, and then his puffy coat over top. His cool hat rapidly got changed to his full-on Canadian winter hat (which covers his ears), and mittens came out. I was similarly decked out in multiple layers and I will freely admit to using my earmuffs and my hood.

The views were worth it though. Sadly, between the wind, the cold, the fact it was getting dark, no one got great photos it seemed, but here is what I have.

Shortly after leaving port:

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Just a few minutes later- as it got more dark.

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Bundled up binocular boy

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Apparently Uncle Walt arranged for the sky to be very pretty too.

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Slightly wild child, with a better view of his glorious hat (many were coveting it), and, in the upper right corner, you can see the Statue of Liberty. We tried, and failed, to get better photos, so we'll stick with this one.

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That last photo was taken at 5:30 p.m. We stuck it out until just before 5:40 (where we passed the Statue of Liberty) and then we all dashed downstairs to Rapunzel's Royal Table, stopping very briefly in staterooms to shed most, but not all, layers.

Edited to add- forgot this photo- someone was enjoying the glasses, and not in fact imitating a certain statue...

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For those considering this cruise let me help you understand how cold it was. This was November 10th, so nowhere near real winter. It was mostly due to the wicked wind, but it was really, really cold. (Remember- we deal with cold all the time where we live in Canada.) Along the lines of "my face is starting to hurt" cold. It was 100% worth it, but we saw people in hoodies and light pants. I didn't envy them.

Happily, it was WARM inside. We had a good table at Rapunzel's, and the lovely damsel came to visit us of course. Now that we were travelling with a 14 year old and an 11.5 year old, they were simultaneously intrigued and mortified.

After supper, Conor got brave and tried out Edge- fortunately, DCL's son offered to take him, though he quickly jumped ship (ha!) to Vibe. Interestingly, this was just about the only time Conor really liked Edge. They did a meet and greet, and he rocked the "2 truths and a lie" game. ("I have 2 dogs, I speak French, and I am a figure skater... and nope, we're not dog folks, but they all pick figure skater as the lie). He went back periodically whey they were supposed to be doing crafts and things but they were rarely doing what was advertised, which frustrated him. He was happy exploring his favourite areas on the ship and hanging with us, and periodically kicked it old school and went back to the Lab.

We had found him what was essentially a fanny pack, so that he could keep my old phone with him. Now, being Conor, he didn't want anything utilitarian. It is a fancy looking one (bought in the women's section at Winners) with a belt with a lovely gold buckle, and with bling. He wore it diagonally over his shoulder with the bag on his back. It was certainly an interesting fashion statement. Anyhow-it worked. It allowed him to have some stuff with him, including his room key, and he is very good about coming back to the room at appointed times. He was set up on the chat function if he needed to reach us. I know this wouldn't work for all 11 year olds, but it does for him, and he has now been on the Magic 3 times, so he knows his way around well.

DH and I checked out the shops a bit, and I did some thrilling unpacking/arranging in the room so that we were ready for bed. As always, we asked for both the bunk bed and the other bed to be set up (even though there are only 3 of us) as we like having options. Our festive magnets (DH's one thing that he has really embraced) were put up, but I seem to have failed entirely to get photos. Oops.

And, astute readers will note that at no point have we met a character, nor gone to a show. We did make it to one show later on in the cruise, but otherwise, at most, we looked, from afar, and the characters in their festive outfits, and that was fine for us.

We all had a reasonably early bedtime... accompanied by our little friend Ratatouille.

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That's it for day 1 of the cruise... and now we have 3 full days at sea... a record for us!
 
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The Glory (not) of the last few days before you leave in my world

As always, for whatever reason, of the 18 or so days before we left, I worked all but 2 days. This meant that I had to be "annoying mom" when I was at home in order to actually ensure we had what we needed on the trip.

Annoying mom is always making lists, and even gives lists to other family members to complete. One of these lists, nicely printed on a convenient post-it note, was actually crumpled up (after it was completed, to be fair) and, (accidentally I'm sure), tossed in my general direction by DH. :duck:

Annoying mom (can you imagine) forces the 11 year old to (perish the thought) try on clothes to make sure they still fit. And then, when they don't, annoying mom mandates (the horror) that clothing shopping happens (on my 2 days off), where, once again (oh the humanity), you have to try on *more* clothes.

Annoying mom also contacts the school to get homework. And actually gets the homework. And mandates that appropriate school-type stuff be packed.

Anyhow- annoying mom was in full force, and as a result, all bags were packed, and (I'm pleased to report in retrospect) we weren't missing anything important. (I am still recovering from the great lack-of-sock incident of 2017.)

General packing tips/thoughts for this cruise

From a packing planning point of view, this was an interesting challenge because you start out in a very cold place (for a few days from our point of view), and then it (you think) gradually gets warmer over the next 5 days. But the question is- how warm? As in- how many days of shorts do you plan for, vs. light pants, vs. all-layers-on-deck? Alaska was different- it was warm, then cooler (but not really Canadian winter cold), then warm again. Ditto for Europe.

Fear not. We are Canadian. We know layers.

In general, we went with:

  • 3 days of cold weather clothes - with a plan to do laundry on the day we board the ship in case we needed more.
  • 4 days of hot/summer weather clothes (plus swim stuff)
  • 2 days of stuff that can swing either way ... :) so- zip-off pants for the kiddo, but also pack the long underwear in case more layers are needed on cold days.
  • 1 outfit each only of dressy clothes- covered off fancy dinner in NYC, and any nights anyone felt like dressing up on the ship (and make use of DCL laundry services for it if things get spilled at supper)
Otherwise, it was our usual stuff: Our fish extender, DH's magnets (he has fun with them), a laundry bag (not hamper), at least 2 decent backpacks, coffee travel mugs (very important on cold cruises), and my mandatory first aid kit.

We are finally leaving!

November 7th involved me getting up early to finish packing and the last load of laundry. I'm a morning person anyway, so 5:00 a.m. doesn't scare me. We were being picked up at 10:30 and I work well with a firm deadline.
I was super-productive for an hour, and then Conor got up. Productivity screeches to a halt. Fortunately, I plan for this. After making omelettes (new skill for him) to put him in a less grouchy mood, I handed him his list. Tween drama ensued, but ultimately, he is my kid, and he loves crossing things off the list.

The espresso machine (same one that apparently died an untimely death in August 2018 - the day we left for our European cruise), was working (it just needed a vacation and a good cleaning), so productivity was rediscovered.

As per our usual packing mornings, we had our usual process:

I annoy everyone with lists
DH acts smug that he is packed, until I hand him a list.
Conor is grand, until he is not, and then we throw him outside (works every single time)
Cats do not help.
Things are crossed off lists.

For variety this time, to get in the Merrytime mood, I broke out Christmas tunes, which also served to annoy DH.

A few photos of the morning:

My helper in packing strategy/flattening of itemsView attachment 453369


Oh, and did I mention that Uncle Walt decided to make this all very Christmas-sy for us? We do get snow in November, but not usually on November 7th and not usually so that it stays.

It snowed. A lot. Voila kiddo who has been dumped outside, in his hastily-dug-out-of-storage winter coat and snow pants. The goggles are his idea. I questioned whether they were a bit much, and got in reply:

"Mom! 'A bit much' is my MOTTO."

Right.

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Kiddo made a mini-snowman by taking snow off my car. He then insisted on placing it behind the wheel of our airport limo (not a real limo- just a car this time), so as to crush it prior to our leaving. Our driver happily complied.

And finally, we asked for a stop at Starbucks on our way out of town, to recaffeinate, and because the holiday cups were out.

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Thus, fully caffeinated/snacked-up, with all luggage carefully arranged, and everyone reasonably content, we sat back for our ride to Syracuse.

Up next - airport adventures, filled with thrills and close calls, and way too much sitting around in between...
Loving your report! We live in SW Ontario and I remember the snow early November (which is rare here this early, it may sprinkle a bit here and there but doesn’t usually stay). We are lucky if we have snow at Christmas :) This was definitely a surprise , my kid built a little snowman but it melted later that day... and oddly enough the rest of winter was mild and very little snow. I think we are do for a winter this year ;)
 
Days 2 and 3 - at sea

The main problem with days at sea is that when there are 3 in a row, they tend to blend together. We were also well and truly ready to just plain relax, as, per usual, the days leading up to vacation had been super-busy, and then the days in NYC were pretty much the same. Thus, general laziness was desired by all.

However, fear not, we did move around a bit.

I won't try to put this in order, but instead I'll just talk about the things we did that did not include lounging somewhere reading (me, mostly), walking around the ship (everyone), trips to the Cove (parents), and eating at MDRs.

Much to Conor's annoyance, the adults went to Anyone Can Cook, where we learned how to make the lobster ravioli. Somehow, in all the cruising we've done, I had never gone to one, though I think DH had. The Chef was entertaining, and they have the cool overhead cameras, so if you're wondering if you can see anything- you can. (We are foodies and love to learn new things so this was important.)

Here's an example:

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Of course, it turns out at my house there are no magical sous-chefs to appear to do all that prep and put my stuff in cute little bowls. Oh well.

(I am writing this as Conor is making waffles for us this morning. This is awesome. The mess will be equally awesome. They are not Mickey waffles- but just as cool- his English teacher & her daughter - his friend- gave him an R2D2 waffle maker at the end of school as a belated birthday gift. I look forward to eating R2D2 shortly. With real maple syrup of course!)

During our European cruise, Conor wrote out his own comment card, which he made himself, and which we handed in, where he bemoaned the fact that all the cooking classes for "real food" were done only for adults. The ones in the club/lab were too easy for him. Fortunately, on this cruise, there was an all-ages one, which was a thrill. That comes later.

We met up again with Conor and returned to the cabin which was all nice and neat. Note that the Mickey head/PJ holder was out in full prominence.


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In this photo, you will also note: Sockie (that is a dog) who comes on all trips; the new Piglet in a Christmas sweater, Squirt (who lights up at night), a very colourful chameleon, and up over on the upper left, Conor's plaid/Mickey/Christmas hat. He loves that thing. (It was a purchase the night before.)

I include this next photo because I need to give credit to DH for this- he has purchased good quality magnetic hooks for travel and they are amazing. (Lee Valley if you're in Canada.) Voila the assortment of hats:
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We also delivered our FE stuff. We had signed up for both a regular FE, but also for an ornament exchange. Conor made the ornaments for us, actually. We have a birch tree in our yard and during a storm, a large branch came down over the summer. DH saved the wood, and he was able to cut thin disks. They painted them white, and then Conor drew some cute Christmas creatures and we added ribbon. I added some sort of small gift (can't remember what).

By happy coincidence, in the regular FE exchange, we received a mini Christmas tree, complete with garland, star, and tree skirt. Conor set it up in a corner and added any ornaments we received over time. (You'll see that treats become presents...)

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Homework was also done, albeit reluctantly. We are pros at this though. We get some sort of treat from somewhere, and usually we go to the Promenade lounge, or our veranda, or the lobby, and plug away at a bit, which is then rewarded by doing something the kid wants to do. In one case, we did a tour of the ever evolving decorations...

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This is the real gingerbread house that was constantly being added to over the full 5 days. It was kind of neat to see them keep adding things, actually. It also smells amazing. I have more photos on our last day with some details that I'll post later.

Then, we have a rather large tree- plus some of the lobby decorations.

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Finally, we have goof in front of tree, with sword (new purchase).


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Now, you will note above that Conor was in shorts. Remember I was trying to figure out when we would switch from cold weather clothes to warm weather clothes? Well- it was on the first day at sea, much to my surprise. We went from IT IS SO COLD, to GOOD GRIEF, WHERE ARE THE SHORTS??? in the space of one sleep. Fortunately, we had mostly enough with a plan to do laundry once more, which we did.

Regardless, we had lovely views.

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Otherwise, mostly, we chilled out. We had Palo Brunch (well, the grown-ups did). We meandered. We ate. We walked. Some movies were watched in 3 different places: funnel vision, room TV, and the movie theatre.

Oh, and I was, as always, brought along for a mixology class, so as to provide extra beverages to DH and DCL Queen. I drank a few of them a bit. :).

We had excellent towel art on this cruise- this one was particularly funny in that my husband is in a near permanent state of war with local squirrels, so this was totally amazing to come back to.

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Which leaves us at a good place to stop- 2 days at sea in one post, because we used them well... which, by our standards, includes a whole lot of relaxation, and not running around looking for things to do.

Day 3 will be a bit delayed, as my photo issue just happened again... hoping for a quick resolution but if not, you'll know why... but fear not- we'll get there, and it won't be as long a break as before .. in large part because we can't go anywhere this summer, so the time crunch factor is much reduced.
 
I’d take that Merry Christmastime blanket. For my birthday last month, I received a Mickey & Minnie gift bag containing M&M Christmas PJs for a cruise scheduled for November. Last Christmas, it was a Tervis tumbler with M&M Christmas. Hooray for Merry Christmastime.

enjoying vicariously living your vacation.

Thanks! We didn't get too much Merrytime gear but there was a lot!

Thanks again for reading. I'm enjoying revisiting the trip.


Loving your report! We live in SW Ontario and I remember the snow early November (which is rare here this early, it may sprinkle a bit here and there but doesn’t usually stay). We are lucky if we have snow at Christmas :) This was definitely a surprise , my kid built a little snowman but it melted later that day... and oddly enough the rest of winter was mild and very little snow. I think we are do for a winter this year ;)

Yes, exactly- we do get snow at times in November, but it was funny that it happened that exact morning. I would be delighted with a very snowy winter - but that's me!

Thanks for reading and I hope you're coping with this horrendous heat wave that is seemingly neverending.
 


Thanks! We didn't get too much Merrytime gear but there was a lot!

Thanks again for reading. I'm enjoying revisiting the trip.




Yes, exactly- we do get snow at times in November, but it was funny that it happened that exact morning. I would be delighted with a very snowy winter - but that's me!

Thanks for reading and I hope you're coping with this horrendous heat wave that is seemingly neverending.
I would love a snowy winter too, but it seems few and far in between last few years. My 11 yo got to ski once or twice winter, the ski hill couldn’t even make fake snow. Too mild.
I like all seasons but yes this 40 degree summer weather had been a bit much. We were in Disney last August, feels just like it ;)
I know we get this kind of heat and humidity in SW Ontario (much to the surprise of our southern neighbours lol) but usually not every day. It doesn’t seem like it will end any time soon either. Luckily we have a pool, helps a little. I am looking forward to cooler crip Fall days... which we probably won’t get til end of October. Ha!
Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the report. We love cruising from NYC.
 
Haha, when CDN's say it's cold you know it is! ;-) It's incredible what just a few weeks difference makes. We were on the Magic out of NY about 5 weeks before you (we sailed out on Oct 5th I believe) on the DVC members cruise down to Bermuda. We were in shorts and tshirts the entire sail away. But I have to say your photos of NYC at night were gorgeous, too!

So glad you are back writing these, it's just what we all need in these cruise-less times :( :hug:
 
Day 4- which was day 3 at sea... keeping up?

Day 4 was a day where we had a few actual plans.

The only real Merrytime thing we wanted to do is to decorate gingerbread. From my reading, I gather that in the past this was a ticketed event. It was not anymore. I also gather they had houses to decorate, but that was problematic as folks couldn't eat them before they had to disembark (a tragedy) and it's not possible to take food off, of course.

While it was not a problem for us, cookie decorating was scheduled at 8:30- hard on the teenager who wanted to come, and, full credit, he made it. This was well organized and was quite fun overall.

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I appear to have a somewhat random collection of photos of desserts - I assume they are from Conor. Anyhow- they are festive photos so I'll include them.

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It definitely felt as though we were approaching warm parts of the earth.


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Conor was VERY PLEASED that he got to finally go to an Anyone Can Cook session- and, jackpot, it was a Christmas Yule Log. To no one's surprise, Conor asked a question of the chef - mostly around what kind of chocolate he recommended for the log.

After this entirely very busy morning, we needed to dial back the activity level... which the adults did with a champagne tasting. Conor enjoyed the cabin to himself ("FINALLY"), and watched a movie.

Because of the itinerary for this cruise, packing was required today- or pre-packing as I call it. This involves sorting out things you know for sure you will not need again on the cruise and putting them in suitcases, while also figuring out what you'll need on your travel so that it's accessible. I honestly don't mind this. I kick everyone else out of the cabin, and I put on an audiobook, and drink something cold, and all is well. It was needed because the next day was a port day and then we were disembarking the day after, so organizing was required.

In order to rid myself of the child, I sent him off on the final bits of FE delivery and the usual Pixie-Dusting of things we receive, appreciate, but can't use.

Our FE gifts were our usual ones- real maple syrup for each cabin, Canadian candy, practical things for the cabin (mini-flashlights, first aid kids, hand sanitizer, etc.), and then age-appropriate stuff for the kiddos. Creative? Nope. Easy to pack and hopefully useful/appreciated? Yep.

This afternoon break was needed as we had Palo reservations for that night, and then the one and only show that we wanted to see.

Conor and the teenager were happy enough to head off to supper on their own and we knew our serving team would take care of them.

Palo was yummy, as usual.

Finally, we collected the kiddo and headed off to the Walt Disney Theatre to watch All That! (A percussion dance group.) They were lively and funny, and unfortunately, paled in comparison to Stomp, but we still enjoyed them. Conor was happy to be the recipient of a t-shirt launched into the audience, and then had a blast getting his photo done with the group, who were lovely and great.

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And, I will note that I had organized our gear for our day in Antigua as we had an early all ashore time. The plan (big foreshadowing here) was to go on a 3-4 hour tour and then be back at the ship by early afternoon. That's not exactly as things worked out, but it was all good - one of those things you just can't make up.

But- to say good night- we had this pirate-y Dude. And with that - good night!

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I would love a snowy winter too, but it seems few and far in between last few years. My 11 yo got to ski once or twice winter, the ski hill couldn’t even make fake snow. Too mild.
I like all seasons but yes this 40 degree summer weather had been a bit much. We were in Disney last August, feels just like it ;)
I know we get this kind of heat and humidity in SW Ontario (much to the surprise of our southern neighbours lol) but usually not every day. It doesn’t seem like it will end any time soon either. Luckily we have a pool, helps a little. I am looking forward to cooler crip Fall days... which we probably won’t get til end of October. Ha!
Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the report. We love cruising from NYC.

Thanks! And yes- it broke a bit today with some showers so we're hoping for a bit more improvement tomorrow.


Haha, when CDN's say it's cold you know it is! ;-) It's incredible what just a few weeks difference makes. We were on the Magic out of NY about 5 weeks before you (we sailed out on Oct 5th I believe) on the DVC members cruise down to Bermuda. We were in shorts and tshirts the entire sail away. But I have to say your photos of NYC at night were gorgeous, too!

So glad you are back writing these, it's just what we all need in these cruise-less times :( :hug:

Thanks! I think it maybe actually even warmed up a bit the week after we left? I remember looking at the forecast and thinking that they put out the cold just for us. :)

And thanks as always for following.
 
I will say that the hooks are great. We have a set of them, think 10-12 that we have used. We used them in a room that didn't have a room divider already to hold a curtain up, which is great with a toddler. And since the cabins are metal, they stick to almost anything!
 
Until I clicked “insert quotes”, I did not realize I had so much to comment on regarding your trip.

Our college went on quarantine (work from home) during our spring break in March. Left for spring break, have not been back except to pick up my computer and a bunch of files.

I thought I would have loads of extra time but the opposite has been the case for both my husband and I. My “time-sucker” has been mentoring faculty who have never taught online. I thought by now (seven months later) the folks I was/am mentoring would have figured out what to do but …. I am still mentoring… Oh well, at least, I am also still drawing a “full-time faculty” paycheck.

I finally took today off and am enjoying catching up with dis-boards, thus the multi-quotes/comments. (Yes, I do work seven days a week but I do so because I want to, not because I have to.)

fter the show, he got to meet a few of the performers.

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This photo is so sweet!

Edited to add- forgot this photo- someone was enjoying the glasses, and not in fact imitating a certain statue...

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Your lad is a darling.

We had a good table at Rapunzel's, and the lovely damsel came to visit us of course.
We are looking forward to Rapunzel's. We have never sailed the Magic but have a b2b2b2b scheduled for late Jan/early Feb. Providing it is safe to travel then. I suspect it may not be but we are making plans anyway. If we need to reschedule, so be it.

we have 3 full days at sea
I love sea days! Much more than port days.

Anyone Can Cook,
We have been on seven cruises and just on the last two, started attending "Anyone can cook". It has turned into one of our favorite activities.

Oh, and I was, as always, brought along for a mixology class, so as to provide extra beverages to DH and DCL Queen. I drank a few of them a bit. :).
That used to be the case with me, I was such a lightweight when it came to drinking and what I liked that I was brought along so others would receive extra drinks. Over the years though, I have learned to enjoy the taste of a variety of liquors/wines and now I no longer share very much.

Which leaves us at a good place to stop- 2 days at sea in one post, because we used them well... which, by our standards, includes a whole lot of relaxation, and not running around looking for things to do.
Our purpose for cruising is to relax, not do things. :thumbsup2 We do too much at home.

Conor asked a question of the chef - mostly around what kind of chocolate he recommended for the log.
Of course, a perfectly logical question. Good that you have a budding chef in your home. Can he "taste in his dreams"?

After this entirely very busy morning, we needed to dial back the activity level... which the adults did with a champagne tasting.
My favorite tasting, champagne. It took us several cruises before we tried the champagne since it costs more than the others but found it was well worth the extra cost.
Our FE gifts were our usual ones- real maple syrup for each cabin, Canadian candy, practical things for the cabin (mini-flashlights, first aid kids, hand sanitizer, etc.), and then age-appropriate stuff for the kiddos.
I want to be in your FE group!

Another keeper photo. Lucky lad!

Smiles, Kate
 
It's funny, because I read your Alaska TR before taking our Alaska cruise in 2019, and now we have this cruise booked for 2021, assuming it's safe to go, cruising can even resume by then, and we're not forced to do DCL-only excursions (like you, I'm not a fan of following the Mickey paddles of doom). Our itinerary subs out Bermuda for Antigua, I think. I'm surprised you found departure day so cold, but NYC weather swings wildly sometimes, and being right on the water made it feel colder, I'm sure. You might laugh, but I lived in SoHo for 17 years and never went to Babbo.
 
NYC day 2


It may be that a piglet in a winter sweater also accidentally ended up in my basket. Can't help it- I grew up with Winnie the Pooh before Big Mouse bought him (he has Canadian roots you see).

If you ever make it back to NYC, you should go check out the original Winnie the Pooh and all his friends in the New York Public Library's Children's Room. The library in itself is a cool place, and seeing Pooh is a nice bit of fun. Plus the gift shop in the Library (yes a library with a gift shop) is one of the best gift shops I've been to. It had so many unique and cool items for purchase.

Can't wait to read more of your report. They are always a blast to read.
 
Hello! I must say your trip reports have kept me entertained over the last year! I started with the Alaska one as we we’re supposed to cruise this summer but moved to next summer. I love that you left out of Syracuse that is our home airport being from upstate security is so easy usually the drive there takes longer! I agree with previous poster your avid reader would have loved the NYC public library plus Bryant park is amazing behind the library. I also thought for sure you would have hit up the lego store which is also wonderful! Hope you’re well and looking forward to hearing more!
 

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