February 2015 – Bless Your Heart

Unboxing! February BoxyCharm

February 21, 2015February 20, 2015 Shannon

My February BoxyCharm box is here and full of goodies!!!

Here’s what I received:

-Modern Minerals Duo Fiber Mini Round Brush. Full Size. $15 So soft! And I can always use a new eyeshadow brush.

-Mullein & Sparrow Mini Facial Mask. Deluxe. $15 LOVE the packaging so much! And I really like that it’s a mix per use so I won’t have to worry about it drying out before I can use it all.

– NCLA Nail Lacquer in Heart Attack. Full Size $16 Super cute giant heart glitter. Will definitely use next Valentine’s Day!

-Jing Ai Velvet Shine Lip Jewel. Full Size $22 Gorgeous color and goes on super smooth.

-Mistura Beauty Solutions C-2-P Complexion Corrector. Full Size $36 Concealer. I haven’t used a cream concealer in years since I use Bare Minerals but I love that the ingredients include coconut oil and shea butter so I’ll be giving this a try!

If you would like to start receiving BoxyCharm then click here!!!

travel

Cruising Tips and Tricks Vol. 2

February 20, 2015February 16, 2015 Shannon

I’m fresh off my 4th Disney cruise and my 13th cruise overall. My Cruising Tips and Tricks blog post has gotten quite a few reads so I thought I’d update my tips list with a few more tricks I’ve learned.

– Drive or fly to the port the day before your cruise. You don’t want a wreck or construction on the interstate or delayed flights to make you miss your cruise. This gives you time to decompress and run to the store if you realized you forgot something. Plus, if your port city is interesting you can explore it a little.

-Board the ship as soon as you can. You’ve paid for this cruise, you might as well be on board every minute possible! Use this time to explore the ship before the crowds and activities set in.

– The night before, if you’re cruising out of Port Canaveral, consider staying at Disney instead of a port hotel. We stayed at Art of Animation, a Disney value resort, for the same price as a standard hotel in Port Canaveral. Staying on Disney property meant we were able to extend the magic a little bit and also eat dinner at ‘Ohana in Walt Disney World.

– If you’re a soda or alcohol drinker, consider buying a soda or adult beverage package. Some cruise lines charge for soda and they can really add up. And all cruise lines charge for alcohol. There are wine, beer, soda, and cocktail packages available at multiple price points. They can really save you money!

– Try the premium restaurants on your cruise ship at least once. They often have a surcharge, but it’s nice to get away for a fine dining experience. If you can’t get a reservation before your cruise, check as soon as you board as they may have cancellations and can get you in.

-Unpack on day 1. No, it’s no fun but if you unpack now and stow those big, bulky suitcases under your bed your stateroom will feel so much larger. Speaking of making your room feel larger, spend 5 minutes each day and just tidy it up a bit. You’ll be able to find everything more easily in addition to maximizing your space.

-Pack a small container of baby powder. Sprinkle it on your sandy skin and the sand will release like magic!

-If you’re a social person and are on Facebook, join your cruise’s Facebook group. Most sailings have a Facebook group. Just go to the search bar and type in your ship’s name and sail date and your group will come up. These groups are great places to learn insider tips and get to know fellow cruisers. My cruise group for this cruise had a cocktail party meet up, a Mixology class and we organized a Fish Extender exchange. Plus it’s just fun to share in the excitement and anticipation of your upcoming cruise with other people who are literally in the same boat.

-Book your excursions through your cruise ship company. You can trust the companies they work with and most importantly, your ship won’t leave without you. Sure, it may cost a few dollars more, but peace of mind is worth it.

– If you decide to go it on your own for your excursion- do your homework. Research everything you can online, compare prices, and you’ll come out ahead. When we rented an electric car for the day in Key West I had taken a screen shot of the company’s website deal on my phone. They used it as a coupon and gave us our 3rd hour free. The people next in line renting the same car at the same time paid the same price for only 2 hours. And always, always ask for a discount. They may say no, but you may save some money!

-If you don’t mind eating breakfast on the road or in town and not on the ship, then choose Express Walk Off/ Debarkation on the last morning of your cruise. The lines will be MUCH shorter and you’ll be at your car/shuttle/airport much more quickly. You have to carry your own luggage but these days with spinner suitcases that’s a much easier feat.

– Be sure to carry lots of small bills with you on your trip. You’ll need them for many things: tipping room service waitstaff, tipping porters/ luggage handlers, tipping drivers/tour conductors, etc. You might just make someone’s day with a nice tip, and they might just make your cruise even more magical!

Hope you find these tips helpful! Happy cruising!

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Disney Magic Western Caribbean Day 8- Heading home

February 19, 2015February 16, 2015 Shannon

We woke up at 6 to be in the main lobby at 7. We carried our own luggage off the ship and if you do that you can walk right off at 7am! No waiting in line at customs! We breezed right through and were in the packed car by 7:20!!! That means we skipped breakfast on the ship but we just grabbed a bagel a little ways down the road.

Before I wrap up this trip report I have to tell you about Disney’s new cruise line app. It’s awesome! I think CSP loved it even more than I did! I took some screen shots on the last day so you could see what it covers. It works via Disney’s wi-fi so it doesn’t cost you anything and you can have your phone in airplane mode while using it. We used it every single day, multiple times a day.

The welcome page:

Page 2: You can see all activities based on age group. Then touch the activity and it gives you a detailed description, plus the location and times. And when you find something you want to remember to attend, just press the heart and a reminder will pop up on your phone 15 minutes before the activity starts!

Page 3: Every day would be a different article.

Page 4: You can find out when your favorite character would be appearing.

Page 5: The menus. This was CSP’s favorite part. He liked being able to plan his meals ahead of time. You could see what they were eating in Palo and all the other restaurants.

Page 6:

Page 7:

Page 8:

Main Menu: LOVED the deck plans. Really cuts down on getting lost. This app really has everything you need in it!

We made good time going home and arrived just before 5 pm. CSP’s parents took us out to dinner and we gave them their cruise surprises. But first we loaded up on pug kisses! This was an amazing cruise and we had the best time!!! Can’t wait for the next one!

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Disney Magic Western Caribbean Day 7- Castaway Cay!

February 18, 2015February 16, 2015 Shannon

Today was Castaway Cay day! We were docked from 9:30am – 4:45pm. Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island. It’s amazing! We got up early and had breakfast at Cabanas then headed down to the gangway. Just outside the ship we bought Kyle, CSP’s new cooler. He named it. Kyle. That boy cracks me up! Kyle came with a 6 pack of water. After we picked up Kyle we hopped on the tram to Serenity Bay, the adults only beach. We found some chairs in the shade of an umbrella and had a wonderful morning! We read and swam and CSP was even able to snag a hammock! He promptly fell asleep in said hammock and I’d have to wake him up periodically when the snores got too loud! It was a perfect, beautiful day. Sunny but not too hot. The water was pretty cold and a little choppy but you got used to it. There were all these little birds running around between our chairs. So teeny! Our morning view: NOT TOO SHABBY for February!

At about 1:30 we had lunch on the island at the barbecue hut they have set up. They have all sorts of salads to choose from as well as mahi mahi, brats, burgers, etc. Even ice cream! After lunch we took the tram to Pelican Point at the family beach. Our friends the McC’s had a cabana and invited us to come visit. They dropped our wristbands off at dinner last night. I checked in at the Cabana station and told them we were looking for cabana #7. They called us a golf cart taxi and drove us to the cabana! Nice!

We spent the rest of the day with the McC’s hanging on the beach and in their cabana.

Man, that’s the way to live!

The cabana was SO nice

and came with so many amenities!

Drinks, fruit, sunscreen, towels, a safe, lounge furniture, a hammock (CSP jumped right in),

a changing room, outdoor shower, foot wash, use of floats and inner tubes, the works!

A & I took chairs down to the water, stuck our feet in the ocean and chatted while CSP waded out in the ocean with the McC kids. Those kids took to him like fish to water and he was so good with them. We stayed until the last possible moment then it was time to pack up and head back to the ship. We didn’t have dinner until 8:15 though so when we got on the ship CSP & I went to the hot tub again. That CSP loves a hot tub! Eventually it was time to get dressed for our last dinner of the cruise.

Tonight we dined in Animator’s Palate.

The menu was more limited tonight I suppose because it’s the last night and because of the animation show.

When we sat down at our seats were 2 big place matt looking things with green markers.

We followed the instructions on the paper which said to draw a character in the spaces provided.

Then our server took our papers away.

We both had the appetizer sampler (duck confit, mozzarella, and shrimp).

CSP had my duck.

There was just one soup- a macaroni and cheese soup, so we both had that. It was surprisingly good! For our entrees CSP chose the seafood pasta

and I went with the Beef Wellington.

I’d always seen it on Hell’s Kitchen so I thought I’d try it. Really tasty! Dessert was a trio of celebration cake, chocolate decadence & cappuccino mousse tartlet for me

and one last Mickey Bar for CSP. He also took my mousse tartlet.

During dinner they took our drawings and animated them on the screens by the table and set them to music.

It was too cute!

Our little guys were dancing across the screen!

After dinner we hugged our servers (mad I didn’t get a picture of them) and went back to our room. We packed up all our stuff and got ready for bed.

Debarkation comes early so we needed to get some sleep!

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Disney Magic Western Caribbean Day 6- At Sea

February 17, 2015February 16, 2015 Shannon

We woke up early today (at 7) because on sea days it’s much harder to snag a good chair by the pool. I’m super fair so I need one in the shade. We went up to breakfast at Cabana’s then scored 2 good chairs at Quiet Cove. We read and I may have dozed off for a little while. It was really cool and windy. The ship was rocking and so was the pool! It was cool enough out that they passed out blankets again to those of us silly enough to be up on deck.

At lunch time we dressed for lunch and went to Lumiere’s. Appetizers: I got the Tangerine Soup (like a smoothie) and shrimp cocktail. CSP got the salmon and a mixed green salad.

. For our entrees I ordered the Cobb Salad and CSP got the burger.

The server gave CSP a ketchup Mickey. For dessert CSP had the apple strudel and I had an almond tartlet. After lunch it was nap time back in our room!

We woke up and got back into swim suits and went back to Quiet Cove. We read some more, did the hot tub, and we were going to swim but the wind was really kicking so I backed out. CSP was up for it though! Poor guy was out there all alone! But it was freezing! I was fine in the hot tub but as soon as my dripping wet self hit that cold wind I was done with the water sports for the day!

But CSP was loving it! So I wrapped up in towels and blankets and read while he went back and forth from the pool to the hot tub. We stayed out there until almost 7pm! Then it was time for showers and getting dressed for dinner.

Dinner tonight was at Lumiere’s. For his appetizer CSP chose the oysters Rockefeller and I chose the shrimp. We both had the Wild Mushroom Soup. Tonight was Lobster night so CSP was all kinds of excited to get his lobster tail. I ordered the pork tenderloin with polenta and mushrooms. CSP got another Mickey bar for dessert and I went with the Trio of creme brulee, apple pie, and cheesecake.

Back to our room and we were locked out again! This time we were let in to our room within 10 minutes and by the time we woke up the next day our lock was fixed again. We got to bed early tonight because tomorrow is Castaway Cay! There’s lots to do so we have to be up early! But before we go…a tour of our room: Stateroom 7556. Note we have a red Cruising with Mickey bag as our temporary Fish Extender. That’s all thanks to the McC’s! We started with zero door magnets and ended up with a TON because of our fabulous FE friends! There’s tons of storage! We didn’t even use all the drawers and shelves! Pay no attention to all of our bags and CSP’s stuff. I told you he didn’t unpack! Drove me crazy! But note the full size sofa (which converts to a bed) and above it is a bunk bed. Across from the sofa and coffee table is the fabulous vanity and stool. The TV is on a swivel so you can view it from anywhere in the room. There’s a safe in every room. It’s big enough to hold my big camera and our wallets and CSP’s headphones. The bathroom is split. This one has a sink, a bunch of shelves, and the toilet. This one has a sink and the tub/shower. We had a stateroom with verandah. I love all the hidden Mickeys!

Ok, Good night! Castaway Cay awaits!

fun, travel

Disney Magic- Western Caribbean. Day 5 Cozumel

February 16, 2015February 15, 2015 Shannon

We woke up and went to Cabanas buffet to have breakfast. After breakfast we delivered our Fish Extender gifts. What is a Fish Extender?? Outside of every cabin is a fish that holds mail from the ship for your stateroom. A Fish Extender (FE) is a hanging that has pockets (usually a pocket per family member) that hangs from the fish. Here’s an example: *Note the door decorations- all magnets. The doors are metal and Disney allows decorations as long as you don’t use tape. Back to the FE. I’d show you our FE but we couldn’t find it when we were packing for the cruise! Boo!!! To participate you sign up for a FE exchange in your Facebook cruise group. Just search Facebook for your ship and sail date and you’ll find your group. Each group is different so I’ll tell you how ours worked on this cruise. We had 15 cabins per group. Each stateroom created or bought little gifts for all the people in the other staterooms in their FE group. Some people (like us) gave a room gift. Some people gave individual gifts – something for each person in the cabin. It all depends on you what you do. There are no rules. Some people give regional items, some give Disney themed. Our cruise group (Holla Group A!!!) was AMAZING! Our peeps are nothing short of creative geniuses! We got the CUTEST stuff. I can’t even begin to tell you everything we got, but it was fabulous. We gave barbecue sauce from Shealy’s (the best in the world), a Thirty One Hang It Up Key Fob, and a Thirty One Manicure Nail File (gotta represent!). Anyway, we delivered all our gifts (great way to see the ship!).

There were 4 ships in port today. We were docked next to the MSC Divina. It was funny, when the MSC ship pulled up next to our Disney ship, all the people came out onto their balconies to take pictures of our ship. The MSC ship was massive! We were on the 7th deck of our ship and their ship went up at least another 7 decks! We were in our room to change into swimsuits. I might add that each time we put on our swimsuits we lathered up in sunscreen and to our delight did NOT get sunburned in the least this trip! SPF 110 for the win!!!

So we went to Quiet Cove, the adult pool area. We hung out in the pool, read, pooled some more, read some more. Had lunch at Cabanas. Pool, read, pool. Lather, rinse, repeat. It was an awesome, relaxing day! Our view: If you look closely, you can see there is a Starbucks logo on that big white building. CSP is a Starbucks junkie so he was tempted to go check it out, but the lure of the adult pool and his book kept him on the ship.

Around 5:45 we went back to our room and dressed and showered for our dinner tonight at Palo. Tonight I only took pictures of the dishes you haven’t seen yet. For his appetizer CSP chose Cippino again. I got the Portobello Mushroom with Polenta Cake. For our entrees CSP got the Osso Buco. It’s his favorite dish ever and he looks forward to it all year waiting on this cruise! I chose the Saffron Risotto di Mare, but just with shrimp. I’m not into shells on my plate. It was amazing.

For dessert we both ordered the chocolate souffle. It comes with ice cream and 2 little pots of sauce, one vanilla and one chocolate. CSP and I always trade. I take both vanillas and he takes both chocolates. This souffle is incredible. Makes your eyes roll back in your head.

After our fantastic dinner we went back to our room to change clothes and get ready for the fireworks. We went to deck 10. No chairs. Deck 9- no chairs with a view. Then I thought of something. I remembered there are deck chairs and benches on deck 4! So we went down and there were only 2 other people there. Boom- no crowd and an incredible view of the fireworks! CSP was tired and had wanted to go to bed then bang! they started and he was so excited to be so close to them! We couldn’t hear the music but you couldn’t beat the view!

When the fireworks were over we went back to our room and turned in for the night! I always love the monkey!

Up next: Day at Sea!

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Disney Magic Western Caribbean- Day 4 Grand Cayman!

February 15, 2015February 15, 2015 Shannon

All ashore 7:30 am- 4:15 pm. We woke up at 6am and put on our swim suits then went up to Cabanas buffet for breakfast at 6:30. After breakfast we went to the Walt Disney Theatre to meet up with our excursion group. Then we took a tender boat over to Grand Cayman. We took a trolley bus to a marina where we boarded our excursion boat. Then we were off to swim with the stingrays!!!

We boated out to Stingray City in some pretty choppy water. The guide came around and yelled some things to us but I couldn’t hear a thing over the motor of the boat. I’m pretty sure we were sitting right on the engine. Luckily we’d done the stingray thing before so we knew how to behave around them. We got to Stingray City ( a sand bar in the middle of the ocean where stingrays convene). We disembarked the boat and our guide had us (try to) get in a circle. Do you know how hard it is to make a circle out of 50 people when the waves are covering your head sometimes??? That water was choppy! It was only up to our waist but the waves were big. The day was perfect- 80* and sunny and the water was nice and cool.

The guides would dive down and catch stingrays then hold them so we could pet them. And then we got to feed them! We had a ball!!!! CSP is a stingray hog! He’s so good at holding them and they just swim up against him. But then one ran him over!!! There were big fish in the water too.

Up close with a stingray. See her eye?

We had SO much fun once the whole circle thing was over and we could just bob around playing with the stingrays. They are such gentle creatures! The guides called us back to the boat and we headed back to Grand Cayman. It was a busy day for them- 5 ships in port!

Back on the ship we grabbed a quick bite to eat up by the pool as we were still wet and Cabanas wasn’t open yet. We went back to the room to change into dry clothes after showers and a nap!

At 4pm we met up with some of our Facebook cruise group friends for a mixology class! We were in the Keys Piano Bar. Tea the bartender taught us how to make 5 drinks.

We made Paradise Punch, Elder Bubble, French Martini, Moji-do, and Bubble Gum. This is the Bubble Gum. It’s a layered shot. It was SO good. I drank mine and CSP’s!

CSP discovered he’s a French Martini lover. James Bond in disguise. The bar was really cool with these neat wall coverings. They look like regular wallpaper until you get up close and see all the hidden Mickeys!

After the class was over we ended up staying there until 6 chatting with our new friends A & K McC from Ohio. They happen to be on our next cruise too!

We went up to the Cove Cafe for a chai tea for me and O’Gill’s pub for a beer for CSP. They had Irish soda bread! Not exactly like my Nanny used to make it but close! Back to the room to change for dinner and we couldn’t get in! Turns out our door lock had died. Had to wait for someone to come fix it for us. Took about a half hour but we were finally back in our room.

After a quick change of clothes we went to Carioca’s for dinner.

At dinner I always take a pic of CSP looking nice and get him to take a pic of me too. Tonight was a little difficult as CSP was in a playful mood. Probably from that mixology class!

But I finally got a good shot.

For his appetizer CSP chose the Salmon Royal (again with the ROYAL food!) and Blue Cheese Polenta Cakes.

I got the Roasted Roma Tomatoes with Goat Cheese.

I’m always amazed at the nice presentation. Look at the little dots of balsamic. They had to do that on like 400 dishes!

For our soups CSP got the Saffron Mussel soup, which he loved. I got the Potato and Sausage, which I did not love. But CSP liked it so that was good.

Entrees: CSP went with the Turbot (still on his seafood kick) and I had the roasted portobello mushroom pasta. Very yummy.

For dessert I had the Banana Bread Pudding and CSP had the Flourless Chocolate Cake.

Back to our room for bed! I loved this snake Edwin made us! How cute!!!

Up Next….Cozumel! Fireworks at sea!

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Disney Magic Western Caribbean Day 3- Day at Sea!

February 14, 2015February 13, 2015 Shannon

We slept in a little after our big day yesterday in Key West so we didn’t get up until about 9:15am. Slapped some clothes on really quickly and ran down to the Future Cruise Desk. We were first in line. Yay! We had already booked our 2016 cruise but we wanted to see if we could get a better deal including the on board credit. We did! So we saved a bit of $$ AND got $200 on board credit for Jan 2016. Yay!

We went back to our room and dressed for brunch at Palo! There’s a debate on every cruise which is better? Palo Brunch or Palo dinner? I’ll take em both! They are both amazing! But let’s talk about brunch first. Palo is the adult’s only restaurant on all the Disney ships. It’s Italian and incredible. You’re required to dress up, which I love. We don’t get out to fine dining establishments that often so I like putting on the ritz a bit! Although brunch is more casual than dinner, men are still required to wear nice pants (no shorts) and no flip flops.

Brunch is a buffet and then you can order things like pizza and chicken parmesan (the best chicken parm you’ll ever have) or eggs benedict from the kitchen. Here’s CSP’s plate from the cold buffet. It truly is a seafood lover’s dream! Mariana from Mexico was our server and we enjoyed her so much I went to the manager and asked to be seated with her at our dinner reservation later in the week. Then I asked if there happened to be any openings for any of the other nights. We lucked out and they had an opening for tonight! But back to brunch. You get a cocktail with your brunch. CSP chose prosecco and I chose Kir Royale. Mainly because I have a Buxom lipgloss with that name and I’ve always wondered about it. It was pretty good, but I’m not a huge champagne fan. Oh! and the sticky buns! You must try a sticky bun! So good.

One thing that impresses me with Palo is their attention to detail. It can get warm with the sun coming through those big windows in Palo so look how they ice the tea! With frozen tea! No watered down tea! Genius!

Now after brunch is the best part. The sweet wee little desserts!

This one is fruit and CHAMPAGNE JELLO BITS. Again- genius!!! They are all bite sized desserts so try them all! Brunch lasts a good two hours! When we were finished we headed back to the room. I ran into a member of our cruise group delivering Fish Extender goodies. It was fun meeting her and bonding over our Fish Extender experience.

CSP and I changed out of our nice clothes and went up on deck. We found some chairs in the adult section called Quiet Cove and read/napped the afternoon away!

I could see the AquaDunk tube sticking out over the ocean from my deck chair.

My view- not too shabby! Next thing we knew it was time to shower and dress for dinner!

Back at Palo!

Dinner service is very different from brunch. Much more formal. They wait on you hand and foot and treat you like royalty! Dinner starts with anti-pasta. Artichokes, roasted peppers, olives, parmesan cheese, proscuitto, and cured beef. Topped with flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The artichokes are just fantastic. They also bring you a fancy bread basket with warm garlic pizza bread and bread sticks.

For my appetizer I chose pesto grilled shrimp. CSP chose his favorite soup- cippino. It is chock full of seafood. Mussels, shrimp, scallops, the works!

Between appetizers and entrees they bring you an intermezzo- lemon sorbet to cleanse your palate.

For our entrees we both chose risotto. CSP got the Risotto di Mare (risotto of the sea) with all the same sea creatures as his cippino, just on creamy risotto instead of a broth. Topped with zucchini strips. I chose the Wild Mushroom risotto.

CSP said his was incredible and I had a taste of his risotto- he was right! Mine was super good too. Very VERY mushroomy. We split a half portion (3 pieces) of lobster & marscapone ravioli. They make their own pasta in house! SO creamy and tender.

Dessert time! CSP chose the tiramisu. How cute is his cookie spoon?? I chose the Panna Cotta with macerated berries. The best custard I’ve ever had. Unreal.

But wait….it’s not over! They bring out sgopino. It’s a digestive aid frosty shot. Really good actually.

We walked (slowly) back to the room and changed into casual clothes. Then we went shopping! It was Formal Night so everyone was busy with their dinners so the ship’s shops were empty. Perfect timing! We bought a t-shirt for CSP’s mom and one for his dad too to thank them for house and pug sitting. We bought a 2015 magnet (we buy one on each cruise). And then I spied a t-shirt with a sugar skull on it! Just then CSP handed me a black Tervis tumbler. I turned it around and it was perfect!!!

HOW COOL IS THIS?!?!? A Disney Cruise Line Tervis tumbler 24 oz with a SUGAR SKULL on it?!?! It says “Cruisin’ It’s In My Bones”. LOVE. Once our purchases were made we high tailed it back to our room to go to sleep. When we got back to our room we had a new towel animal (a seal??) and some Fish Extender goodies. Luckily our new friends the McC’s gave us a bag to use as our Fish Extender (more on this later I promise).

We have an early day tomorrow!

Up next….Grand Cayman! Stingrays! Mixology!

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Disney Magic Western Caribbean- Key West

February 13, 2015 Shannon

CSP & I had been looking forward to this day so much! He had never been to Key West and it had been a good 10 years for me so we were both excited! But before I get into today, I forgot to include something about yesterday. CSP’s mom and the pugs were able to watch us set sail via www.portcanaveralwebcam.com! She thought it was really cool!

We woke up early and had breakfast at Lumiere’s. We both had eggs benedict but CSP’s was eggs benedict ROYALE. Fancy boy! Back to the room to get ready for Key West. We were in port from 12:30 pm – 7:30 pm. We went outside and got in line for the tram to town.

Beautiful day! Once the tram dropped us off I called Tropical Rentals and they sent an electric car to pick us up and bring us to their shop. I had researched electric car rentals online and Tropical offered a third hour free if you brought in a screen shot of their coupon on their website. The driver was super nice and navigated the crazy little Key West streets really easily. We rented a 2 seater electric car and drove to Blue Heaven for lunch. I’d asked on Facebook if there was any place in Key West that we needed to make sure to stop by and everyone said Blue Heaven. Then my parents were in Key West the 1st week of January and they tried it and LOVED it. So off we went!

Such amazing atmosphere! It’s all open and you sit in a courtyard under the canopy of trees and sail cloths. Plenty of shade. And plenty of roosters!

They go right up to the tables! They say not to feed them, and we didn’t, but plenty of people do! There were a couple of cats hanging around too but it was harder to get their pictures. We missed brunch but lunch did not disappoint! I had a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato and bacon. SO yummy. CSP had mahi mahi on their black bean bowl. He said it was the best piece of fish he’s ever had!!!

On the way to the men’s room, CSP found this giant banyan tree where all the roosters would hang out when they weren’t begging for food.

And they aren’t quiet either. It’s so fun to sit there having lunch and hearing them make all their chicken noises! Of course we finished lunch with a piece of Key Lime Pie.

After lunch we toured all around the island in our little electric car. It was SO FUN! I’d have taken more pictures but I was holding on for dear life! I did manage some though. This is a bar with money ALL OVER IT.

The Waldorf Astoria. FANCY.

Mile marker 0. Quite literally the end of the road!

Walgreens in an old movie theatre. I love how Old Town in Key West makes businesses use existing structures. Keeps the charm of Old Town in tact.

Gorgeous church!We spotted a pug!!!

Chickens on the side of the road! They are EVERYWHERE! Running across the road and everything! Note our “car” has no side doors or windows, or seat belts for that matter! It was awesome!CSP gazing at the ocean.It was a gorgeous day! We even found a Starbucks! Which was great because we needed to use the facilities and you can trust a Starbucks to be clean. We passed by the Hemingway house and the Southernmost Point but there’s NO parking in Key West and lines were long so we just waved and kept driving! Our rental time was coming to a close so we had Tropical Rentals drop us off at Sloppy Joe’s Bar.

CSP wanted to enjoy a beer in an open air bar so off we went! CSP got some conch fritters to go with his beer. I thought I liked those but one bite reminded me I don’t! I swear I took this picture just as we were toasting with our first drink! CSP looks so drunk!!!

I had a coconut mojito. So yum.

Sloppy Joe’s is pretty cool. Very crowded, which surprised us being that it was a Monday and all. While we were there this awesome family band called the Doerfels played. LOVED them. Lots of bluegrass.

When we were finished we bought CSP a Sloppy Joe’s t-shirt in the gift shop then stepped outside to wave to CSP’s mom and the pugs! They were watching us on the Duval Street webcam! It was so cool!

We walked back to the tram and headed back to the ship. Isn’t she a beauty?? We are usually on the ship when it’s all lit up at night so it was a real treat to get to photograph it all aglow! We got on the ship around 7 and found out there were only 15 more people out on the island that we were waiting for! Glad we left when we did! We went to our room to shower and dress for dinner.

Dinner tonight was at Lumiere’s. On the way in we saw Stitch in the lobby. He’s my favorite! And there was no line! But alas he was heading upstairs for a break so this is the best pic I could get.

We sat down at our corner table and perused the menu.

CSP was so excited to find escargot on the menu tonight! He ordered that and the lobster & shrimp cocktail for his appetizer.

I ordered the Fried Brie.

We both had delicious French Onion soup. For his entree CSP chose the Baked Salmon Royal. He loves anything with the word “royal” in it!

I ordered the Lobster Macaroni. I’d always wanted to try that but haven’t seen it out anywhere. I was confused when ravioli showed up instead. But I thought maybe I read it wrong on the menu. So I cut into it and it was brown. Turns out it was a mushroom ravioli. So we switched it out for the correct dish. I was SO glad we did. This was really delicious and creamy!

Desserts were creme brûlée for me and a Mickey Bar for CSP! Our waitstaff got a kick out of that!

On the way out of Lumiere’s we saw Tiana! She is SO beautiful and her dress is amazing.

We went to Fathoms Lounge for Match Your Mate. I love this “game show”. It’s like a Disney version of the Newlywed Game but with a couple who’s just married, one who’s been married the longest in the room, and one in between. It was great fun! Fathoms is a cool themed lounge with these jellyfish looking light fixtures. Very neat.

Back to the room to pick up our big cups then up to the drink station for beverages. By now people had started decorating their doors and putting out their Fish Extenders (more on that later). I was so sad though because we couldn’t find our Fish Extender when we were packing for the cruise! We’ve used it on 3 prior cruises and it just wasn’t anywhere to be found. Plus it holds all our door magnets so we were feeling pretty bare! Back to the room for the last time to plan for tomorrow and get a good night’s sleep!

Next up…..our first Sea Day! Palo Brunch! Surprise Dinner!

travel

Disney Magic Western Caribbean- Day 1

February 12, 2015February 13, 2015 Shannon

We woke up at the Art of Animation resort in Walt Disney World. We showered and dressed and packed up. We had chosen express checkout so we were able to just get in the car and leave. Hopped on the highway bound for Port Canaveral. We parked and went through security then on to check in. We had the Port Arrival time of 12:30-1:00 PM. We arrived closer to 1pm but were able to walk right on up to an attendant. No waiting! We were on the ship within 15 minutes of parking! Love that Disney efficiency! When you check in you’re issued a Key to the World card. You use this card to get into your stateroom, get on and off the ship at ports of call, pay for adult drinks and souvenirs. It also has your muster station location on it as well as your dining rotation, table number and dinner time, sail dates and ship name.

We went to Carioca’s for their buffet lunch. Less people go to the sit down restaurant vs. the buffet up on deck. We enjoyed a nice lunch then went to Guest Services to borrow an extension cord for my CPAP machine. Turns out though we didn’t need it. There was a 2 port outlet right next to the bed. Of course we didn’t know that at the time so we borrowed the cord. Then it was time for our meet up! Our cruise group from Facebook met up at O’Gill’s Pub. It was great to finally put real faces to names that we’ve been chatting with for a year! One of our members ordered bracelets for us. After the meet up it was time for the dreaded Muster Drill. It IS mandatory though, so don’t try to skip it or they can throw you off the ship! At the muster drill I noticed CSP was still wearing his MagicBand (which are not used on the ships). I asked why and he said it “Made him look important.”

When the muster drill was finished we went to O’Gill’s so CSP could get his refillable beer mug. I got a coconut mojito on the recommendation of my friend Christina. OMG! SOOO good. My new favorite!!!

We were heading back to our room when we saw a bunch of characters – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip and Dale all squished into an elevator to take them up to the sail away party. So funny seeing them all squished in there like that. Unfortunately all I had on my camera wise was my phone and I couldn’t get a clear shot.

We went back to our room to watch us set sail. There were 4 other ships sailing away at the same time! Click on all pics to enlarge by the way.

I grabbed my big camera and my refillable cup and we went up on deck to get a good seat for the Super Bowl. They had just lined up the lounge chairs by the pool so I was able to snag us fantastic seats while CSP went to get me a drink from the drink station. Hence the refillable cup. The cups they provide at the drink station are basically large shot glasses so I brought my big refillable Starbucks cold cup with lid.

The sun went down and the wind really picked up. Like hair whipping all around windy. Luckily the pool crew came around with soft, fleece blankets for us! How nice! I wrapped up in one and was all set to watch the game!

I’m not the biggest sports fan but I do enjoy watching the Super Bowl and there’s something to be said about watching the game on a GIANT screen like this! We always root for the underdogs so we were rooting for Seattle. Well come close to halftime CSP was convinced that New England was going to win so he decided he wanted to go to dinner in the dining room instead of stay and watch the 2nd half. I was really ok with that as I was wind whipped and frozen! We popped by the room really quickly so I could run a brush through my hair and our room steward Edwin was in the hall. He introduced himself. He’s from Honduras. Super nice man.

Down to Carioca’s for dinner.

On Disney ships you eat in a different restaurant each night with a different menu. But your service team travels with you from restaurant to restaurant. Speaking of service teams…our server was Bianca from South America! She was our assistant server on the Magic in 2012! Our assistant server was Widi from Indonesia. He was fantastic! LOVE Widi!

Don’t worry if you’re a vegetarian or Gluten Free. There are tons of options for you!

For my appetizer I got the empeñada (which was awesome!).

CSP ordered the tuna and avocado tower and the shrimp ceviche.For my entree I chose the Lobster, Salmon, & Shrimp skewer.

It was on a bed of quinoa. Very yummy. CSP got the swordfish for his entree. Dessert was Coconut Tres Leches cake for me: While CSP chose the ice cream sundae:

After dinner we went back to our room and got me all unpacked. CSP didn’t want to unpack yet which drove me insane. I say unpack right away and get those suitcases under the bed so you’ll have more room! We came back to a fun towel animal each night. Here’s our first!