Yup I kinda disappeared and went a bit off the radar. By finishing my blog I would have to admit that it was coming to an end/finished and I wasn't ready to deal.
Post-Disney-Depression. It's an absolute son of a bitch. I've been home for four months and I still haven't adjusted to it. But I don't like leaving things unfinished so I will be back to complete this. In the meantime I've recently been uploading a bunch of my favourite photos from Disney to my Tumblr, every day or so... which you can find overrrrrrrr........HERE
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Saturday, 8 March 2014
New York!
I've always wanted to go to New York, I've never been and so when a last minute opportunity popped up to go, damn right I was taking it! My friend Charlotte had finished her program and was flying back to the UK from New York. She was originally going to go with another friend and spend a week in New York before going home, but that friend then had to drop out due to work commitments. I knew she would struggle without anyone else to help her, so I arranged an extra day off of work so that I would fly with her on the Sunday, have the whole of Monday in New York and fly back on the Tuesday. Jam packed couple of days!
On the Sunday we headed off to the airport. I took very little luggage so that I would be able to help Charlotte with her extremely heavy suitcases! Now a flight to New York isn't that long if you are flying direct, however the airline we were using, although cheaper, does quite the detour! From Orlando we first flew to Nashville, TN and then onto Newark in New Jersey. I had pre-booked a shuttle to take us from the airport directly to our hotel (SuperShuttle.com, I recommend it!) We knew that New York would be freezing cold so I was glad that I had recently bought some Ugg boots! I also went to the outlets and spent a good portion of money on a proper winter outdoor coat from an outwear store... I really can't deal with being cold!
When we got to Newark, I was right and it was soooooo cold! After 10 months in Florida and now dealing with minus 8 degrees weather.... ouch! For the rest of my time there, whenever I was outside I wore two pairs of socks, leggings and jeans, a tshirt, a hoody, my coat, scarf and hat! We arrived without problems and went to get our shuttle. The journey from Newark into Manhattan isn't that long and we were the second drop off along the way. The first drop off was in China Town... never have I seen anything like it! While driving there, I was paying attention to how the street signs work and by the time we got to our hotel I had it pretty much sussed. Our hotel was in a good central location on 39th East, just off Park Avenue. Our hotel was the Murray Hill East Suites and although it isn't the most modern and fancy hotel, we had an enormous room which even had a small kitchen. I had booked the hotel for the first two nights and then Charlotte had booked the same hotel for her remaining nights, she would just need to move rooms and wouldn't have hassle of moving her stuff on her own.
Once in the hotel, we dumped all our stuff, got all our warm gear on and then headed out! We were within walking distance of a lot of attractions which was really handy. First we went to go find the Empire State building. We didn't go up but had a good look around and took photos. Then we went to Macys and had a look in there.... so much Michael Kors... took all of my resolution not to buy a handbag! Then we went down to Times Square and finally decided on getting dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. As expected, there was a huge wait so we checked in, got a pager and went and sat at the bar for a few drinks first. After dinner, it really was freezing cold, although there was snow everywhere, the pavements were getting icy as well. It was pretty late by this point so we headed back to the hotel, feeling full and ready for bed.
The next day we got up, got ready and headed back out into the cold once more! There was a lot to try and squish into one day so I was like a crazy woman getting us round everywhere. I think I used the map app on my phone more in that one day than I have in my entire life but it helped me to figure out where I needed to be. I have a really good sense of direction, I don't know why when my family are not blessed that way lol, but you can stick me anywhere and I'll always get where I need to be. First we went to have a look at Grand Central Station as it was so close to our hotel. Then we went to the Rockefeller Center. Again we didn't go up (Charlotte doesn't do heights so this is on my list when I get to go back one day!) but had a wander and took lots of photos. Then we went to have a nosy at the Trump Tower, which is right next door to Tiffanys. Now... we went in just to look but I could not resist spending a small fortune on a bracelet that I've always wanted. I had got my tax return in a few days earlier so it was a good present to myself. By this point we were getting hungry so we went to Starbucks to get coffee and some food and then went over for a wander in Central Park. Snow everywhere!!!! We had a look around, saw where the zoo is, took loads of photos and then I plotted our next move. We went back in the direction that we had come from and went to see Radio City Music Hall and go to Magnolia Bakery (yum) and then went to get to the subway to take us downtown. Once we got off there it was late afternoon and we could either go on a boat trip to see the Statue of Liberty or go see the 9/11 memorial, once we did one the other would be closed for the day. I decided on the boat trip as that would take longer and we could quickly come back the next morning and see the memorial before I went back to the airport. We got tickets for one of the water taxis and then headed off. We actually went at a perfect time as we got to see the sun setting over Manhattan and get some nice photos. It was unbelievably cold on that boat though!! Instead of staying on allll the way back downtown, we got off at a stop where we could walk back to our hotel. We were frozen solid and desperate to get back to the warmth! We were going to warm up and then head back out for dinner somewhere but then decided just to pop round the corner and get some Chinese takeaway and bring it back to munch while watching tv and settle in for the night.
The next morning it snowed but thankfully it was really early and stopped by the time we headed out. I had to check out of the hotel and get Charlotte checked in and move all the bags to her new room. We went and got the subway back downtown and then had a look around Wall Street before going down to the 9/11 memorial at ground zero. You have to get a ticket and then go through airport style security before you can actually go to the memorial, it's all closed off. It is really beautiful but really sad at the same time. They have almost finished building a museum which sounds really interesting, just disappointed that we couldn't go in. I had to keep an eye on the time as I had a shuttle coming to pick me up at 1:30pm. My flight wasn't going to leave until 5:30, but that's the lastest that they would pick me up. I got checked in quick and easy and then headed off in the direction of my gate. I knew I wouldn't get home till after midnight so I needed to eat! There was a cool little bar/Mexican place in the departure lounge so I sat up at the bar and read my magazine and had a munch while wasting a couple of hours. I kept getting text alerts saying that the flights were being delayed, annoying!
The first flight was pretty horrific, this time I was going via Houston, TX. It was a very uncomfortable flight and I hated every minute of it. It was longer than it should of been and behind me sat a family... on the row directly behind me sat a mum and small baby and then the dad and an older small child sat behind them. And both babies screamed the entire way. Four hours of two kids, not just crying but squealing and screaming bloody murder. I had my headphones in the entire time and could still hear it. It was also really hot on the plane and the aircon made my throat and ears really hurt. To say that I was miserable when I got off the plane is an understatement! Thankfully the next plane journey was a lot better although all the delays meant that it got in a lot later than it was meant to and I didn't get home until almost 2am. Think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow... and then I had to wake up a few hours later and work an open- close shift. I think I was pretty much a walking zombie!
On the Sunday we headed off to the airport. I took very little luggage so that I would be able to help Charlotte with her extremely heavy suitcases! Now a flight to New York isn't that long if you are flying direct, however the airline we were using, although cheaper, does quite the detour! From Orlando we first flew to Nashville, TN and then onto Newark in New Jersey. I had pre-booked a shuttle to take us from the airport directly to our hotel (SuperShuttle.com, I recommend it!) We knew that New York would be freezing cold so I was glad that I had recently bought some Ugg boots! I also went to the outlets and spent a good portion of money on a proper winter outdoor coat from an outwear store... I really can't deal with being cold!
When we got to Newark, I was right and it was soooooo cold! After 10 months in Florida and now dealing with minus 8 degrees weather.... ouch! For the rest of my time there, whenever I was outside I wore two pairs of socks, leggings and jeans, a tshirt, a hoody, my coat, scarf and hat! We arrived without problems and went to get our shuttle. The journey from Newark into Manhattan isn't that long and we were the second drop off along the way. The first drop off was in China Town... never have I seen anything like it! While driving there, I was paying attention to how the street signs work and by the time we got to our hotel I had it pretty much sussed. Our hotel was in a good central location on 39th East, just off Park Avenue. Our hotel was the Murray Hill East Suites and although it isn't the most modern and fancy hotel, we had an enormous room which even had a small kitchen. I had booked the hotel for the first two nights and then Charlotte had booked the same hotel for her remaining nights, she would just need to move rooms and wouldn't have hassle of moving her stuff on her own.
Once in the hotel, we dumped all our stuff, got all our warm gear on and then headed out! We were within walking distance of a lot of attractions which was really handy. First we went to go find the Empire State building. We didn't go up but had a good look around and took photos. Then we went to Macys and had a look in there.... so much Michael Kors... took all of my resolution not to buy a handbag! Then we went down to Times Square and finally decided on getting dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. As expected, there was a huge wait so we checked in, got a pager and went and sat at the bar for a few drinks first. After dinner, it really was freezing cold, although there was snow everywhere, the pavements were getting icy as well. It was pretty late by this point so we headed back to the hotel, feeling full and ready for bed.
The next day we got up, got ready and headed back out into the cold once more! There was a lot to try and squish into one day so I was like a crazy woman getting us round everywhere. I think I used the map app on my phone more in that one day than I have in my entire life but it helped me to figure out where I needed to be. I have a really good sense of direction, I don't know why when my family are not blessed that way lol, but you can stick me anywhere and I'll always get where I need to be. First we went to have a look at Grand Central Station as it was so close to our hotel. Then we went to the Rockefeller Center. Again we didn't go up (Charlotte doesn't do heights so this is on my list when I get to go back one day!) but had a wander and took lots of photos. Then we went to have a nosy at the Trump Tower, which is right next door to Tiffanys. Now... we went in just to look but I could not resist spending a small fortune on a bracelet that I've always wanted. I had got my tax return in a few days earlier so it was a good present to myself. By this point we were getting hungry so we went to Starbucks to get coffee and some food and then went over for a wander in Central Park. Snow everywhere!!!! We had a look around, saw where the zoo is, took loads of photos and then I plotted our next move. We went back in the direction that we had come from and went to see Radio City Music Hall and go to Magnolia Bakery (yum) and then went to get to the subway to take us downtown. Once we got off there it was late afternoon and we could either go on a boat trip to see the Statue of Liberty or go see the 9/11 memorial, once we did one the other would be closed for the day. I decided on the boat trip as that would take longer and we could quickly come back the next morning and see the memorial before I went back to the airport. We got tickets for one of the water taxis and then headed off. We actually went at a perfect time as we got to see the sun setting over Manhattan and get some nice photos. It was unbelievably cold on that boat though!! Instead of staying on allll the way back downtown, we got off at a stop where we could walk back to our hotel. We were frozen solid and desperate to get back to the warmth! We were going to warm up and then head back out for dinner somewhere but then decided just to pop round the corner and get some Chinese takeaway and bring it back to munch while watching tv and settle in for the night.
The next morning it snowed but thankfully it was really early and stopped by the time we headed out. I had to check out of the hotel and get Charlotte checked in and move all the bags to her new room. We went and got the subway back downtown and then had a look around Wall Street before going down to the 9/11 memorial at ground zero. You have to get a ticket and then go through airport style security before you can actually go to the memorial, it's all closed off. It is really beautiful but really sad at the same time. They have almost finished building a museum which sounds really interesting, just disappointed that we couldn't go in. I had to keep an eye on the time as I had a shuttle coming to pick me up at 1:30pm. My flight wasn't going to leave until 5:30, but that's the lastest that they would pick me up. I got checked in quick and easy and then headed off in the direction of my gate. I knew I wouldn't get home till after midnight so I needed to eat! There was a cool little bar/Mexican place in the departure lounge so I sat up at the bar and read my magazine and had a munch while wasting a couple of hours. I kept getting text alerts saying that the flights were being delayed, annoying!
The first flight was pretty horrific, this time I was going via Houston, TX. It was a very uncomfortable flight and I hated every minute of it. It was longer than it should of been and behind me sat a family... on the row directly behind me sat a mum and small baby and then the dad and an older small child sat behind them. And both babies screamed the entire way. Four hours of two kids, not just crying but squealing and screaming bloody murder. I had my headphones in the entire time and could still hear it. It was also really hot on the plane and the aircon made my throat and ears really hurt. To say that I was miserable when I got off the plane is an understatement! Thankfully the next plane journey was a lot better although all the delays meant that it got in a lot later than it was meant to and I didn't get home until almost 2am. Think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow... and then I had to wake up a few hours later and work an open- close shift. I think I was pretty much a walking zombie!
Friday, 21 February 2014
The Bahamas! (part 2)
Carrying on from where I left off....
That night we had dinner at Animator's Palate, which is another amazing themed restaurant. There's detail in everything, from the bread knifes which look like paintbrushes, to the artist sketches everywhere. Again we were with the same group as the night before, but missing two of the guys as they had dinner booked at either Palo or Remy. This is the most fun restaurant to eat, at one of the other tables the server was encouraging them all to draw on the table cloths with crayons! I was completely stuffed after dinner again, so we tried to walk it off a bit before catching up with everyone else who were watching an illusionist show at one of the adult only bars. We only really caught the end of it and then we went for another walk around before calling it a night and heading back to our room to watch more Disney movies on tv while falling asleep.
The next morning we woke up at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We went for breakfast and then came back to the room to get ready. It looked pretty cloudy at first but it turned out to be a really hot and sunny day. We got our stuff ready and then got off the ship and walked over to get the shuttle to the far side of the island first, which is the adult only area. I was far too excited to get my feet in the water at the beach! We walked along until we found some sun loungers and then ordered a couple of cocktails from one of the attendants walking up and down the beach. We started off trying to sunbathe on loungers but there was a lot of sand mites so instead we grabbed some chairs and took them down to the water where we sat in the water while sunbathing. The water was amazing! It was a bit chilly but you quickly adjusted to it and you could see tiny fishes in places. After sitting there long enough to get a decent amount of tanning done, we went to get lunch at one of the BBQ buffet spots that were set up. Charlotte really wanted to rent bikes, so that was the next thing that we did. That was a lot of fun! There's bike trails set up and you can just leisurely cycle around, the island is flat so it's a nice journey. We stopped off at various points for photos and then headed to the front to drop the bikes back off and have a wander in the shops. It started to get really cloudy and was getting later in the afternoon so we headed back to the ship. Just as we were lined up to get back on the ship, the heavens opened and it properly rained hard! By the time we had got back to our room though, it had died off and then stopped completely.
This night was the pirate party and our room attendant had left pirate scarfs in our room when servicing our room that day. We got ready and went down to watch the show that night which was amazing, but I still preferred the show from the first night. Then we went back to the room to get ready for dinner. There was a lot of families that take the dressing up thing really seriously and there was lots of pirate families walking around! We had dinner again at the Animator's Palate, however instead of the same images from Finding Nemo being on the screens as the night before, there was more of a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. When we finished dinner we headed up to find spots to watch the Pirates show. There was a Pirates of the Caribbean show, featuring Jack Sparrow which was finished off with fireworks set off of the boat which was pretty cool to see. Afterwards they make the pool deck into a family friendly dance floor. We were exhausted and I was a bit burnt so we headed back to the room for a bit... we kept saying we would go to one of the bars but we were just too tired and full from dinner to move.
The next day was our full day at sea. Sadly it wasn't hot enough for sunbathing which I would have gladly done all day! We went for breakfast and then had a chilled out day. We walked around more of the ship taking photos and then went to the cinema to watch Saving Mr Banks which I hadn't seen yet. This was definitely a lazy day but I was really tired and would have to go straight back to work the next morning. Dinner that night was at the Enchanted Garden which is beautiful and some people said it was their favourite but I preferred the other two. At the end of the meal we took group photos and then went to the lobby area to watch the little show with different characters. It was basically a quick meet and greet set up in different spots and was pretty cute. Our large luggage was getting picked up and had to be packed and outside our room before we went to dinner so anything else had to go into hand luggage. Again, we were just exhausted from doing not a whole lot that day lol. We had to get up really early the next morning so we went and paid for everything we had used our keys for and then went to bed.
The next morning we packed up everything and went back to the Enchanted Garden for breakfast. I was getting really anxious as I had to be at work for 11:30am and still had to go back to my apartment first. Myself and Charlotte got off the ship but then had a bit of a wait for the others we were travelling back in the taxi with. Eventually we set off but I was still worried! It was a complete rush, I stopped by Chatham to get my form signed off so that I could go back to work (later found out that wasn't a big a deal as they make out!), then practically threw myself out the taxi at the Commons and ran to my apartment with my luggage. As I got in my apartment I phoned for another taxi to get me to work, threw my costume on and ran back out the door. I ended up only being a tiny bit late for the pre shift briefing but at least I made it!
That night we had dinner at Animator's Palate, which is another amazing themed restaurant. There's detail in everything, from the bread knifes which look like paintbrushes, to the artist sketches everywhere. Again we were with the same group as the night before, but missing two of the guys as they had dinner booked at either Palo or Remy. This is the most fun restaurant to eat, at one of the other tables the server was encouraging them all to draw on the table cloths with crayons! I was completely stuffed after dinner again, so we tried to walk it off a bit before catching up with everyone else who were watching an illusionist show at one of the adult only bars. We only really caught the end of it and then we went for another walk around before calling it a night and heading back to our room to watch more Disney movies on tv while falling asleep.
The next morning we woke up at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We went for breakfast and then came back to the room to get ready. It looked pretty cloudy at first but it turned out to be a really hot and sunny day. We got our stuff ready and then got off the ship and walked over to get the shuttle to the far side of the island first, which is the adult only area. I was far too excited to get my feet in the water at the beach! We walked along until we found some sun loungers and then ordered a couple of cocktails from one of the attendants walking up and down the beach. We started off trying to sunbathe on loungers but there was a lot of sand mites so instead we grabbed some chairs and took them down to the water where we sat in the water while sunbathing. The water was amazing! It was a bit chilly but you quickly adjusted to it and you could see tiny fishes in places. After sitting there long enough to get a decent amount of tanning done, we went to get lunch at one of the BBQ buffet spots that were set up. Charlotte really wanted to rent bikes, so that was the next thing that we did. That was a lot of fun! There's bike trails set up and you can just leisurely cycle around, the island is flat so it's a nice journey. We stopped off at various points for photos and then headed to the front to drop the bikes back off and have a wander in the shops. It started to get really cloudy and was getting later in the afternoon so we headed back to the ship. Just as we were lined up to get back on the ship, the heavens opened and it properly rained hard! By the time we had got back to our room though, it had died off and then stopped completely.
This night was the pirate party and our room attendant had left pirate scarfs in our room when servicing our room that day. We got ready and went down to watch the show that night which was amazing, but I still preferred the show from the first night. Then we went back to the room to get ready for dinner. There was a lot of families that take the dressing up thing really seriously and there was lots of pirate families walking around! We had dinner again at the Animator's Palate, however instead of the same images from Finding Nemo being on the screens as the night before, there was more of a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. When we finished dinner we headed up to find spots to watch the Pirates show. There was a Pirates of the Caribbean show, featuring Jack Sparrow which was finished off with fireworks set off of the boat which was pretty cool to see. Afterwards they make the pool deck into a family friendly dance floor. We were exhausted and I was a bit burnt so we headed back to the room for a bit... we kept saying we would go to one of the bars but we were just too tired and full from dinner to move.
The next day was our full day at sea. Sadly it wasn't hot enough for sunbathing which I would have gladly done all day! We went for breakfast and then had a chilled out day. We walked around more of the ship taking photos and then went to the cinema to watch Saving Mr Banks which I hadn't seen yet. This was definitely a lazy day but I was really tired and would have to go straight back to work the next morning. Dinner that night was at the Enchanted Garden which is beautiful and some people said it was their favourite but I preferred the other two. At the end of the meal we took group photos and then went to the lobby area to watch the little show with different characters. It was basically a quick meet and greet set up in different spots and was pretty cute. Our large luggage was getting picked up and had to be packed and outside our room before we went to dinner so anything else had to go into hand luggage. Again, we were just exhausted from doing not a whole lot that day lol. We had to get up really early the next morning so we went and paid for everything we had used our keys for and then went to bed.
The next morning we packed up everything and went back to the Enchanted Garden for breakfast. I was getting really anxious as I had to be at work for 11:30am and still had to go back to my apartment first. Myself and Charlotte got off the ship but then had a bit of a wait for the others we were travelling back in the taxi with. Eventually we set off but I was still worried! It was a complete rush, I stopped by Chatham to get my form signed off so that I could go back to work (later found out that wasn't a big a deal as they make out!), then practically threw myself out the taxi at the Commons and ran to my apartment with my luggage. As I got in my apartment I phoned for another taxi to get me to work, threw my costume on and ran back out the door. I ended up only being a tiny bit late for the pre shift briefing but at least I made it!
Friday, 7 February 2014
Disney cruise to the Bahamas! (part1)
Moving day was an interesting one....
Rather than pack and get ready to move, instead I went to House of Blues even though I was really tired as there was 21st birthday celebrations going on. And then afterwards there was a bit of an afterparty. I had until 4pm to move apartments and I woke up on my friends couch at the very far side of the Commons around 3:10pm. Woops. Not a single thing packed. So I had a nice walk of shame through the complex, got to the apartment to change clothes and then went to get my new key. My German roommate was freaking out about where I was so I messaged her and then she came to the old apartment to help with getting the first load over. I literally ran back and forth for the next hour, throwing things from everywhere into bags and cases, running across the street, up to the third floor of my new building, to dump everything and run back to start again. At least I did it! Then we went to Walmart to get some bits and pieces and then did a lot of unpacking/putting stuff away. I love my new apartment! It's soooo much bigger and brighter, everything works and I've been a lot happier since moving in. We now only have a two bed/4 roommate situation going on and it suits me. No more crazy screaming for no reason, no thumping from above, no crazy roommate skyping while I'm trying to sleep. And I sleep a lot better!
I had nearly a week in my new apartment and then it was time to go to the Bahamas! There was 10 of us going on the same cruise and more people leaving on another cruise the next day... basically over a two week period there was a lot of people on various trips and cruises and a lot of shift swaps which meant we all got a bit of trouble which was pretty stressful at the time. But finally it all got sorted :)
On Sunday morning myself and five others got a taxi to Cape Canaveral which is about an hour away. Too much excitement going on lol. When we got to the dock we showed our booking info at the entrance gate then went into the main building and went through what is very similar to airport security where they scan your hand luggage. Then we went upstairs to get checked in, there was a huge line of people but they have a lot of checking in people so it didn't take too long. We handed over our forms and passports and then we got our "Key to the World" card... which is very similar to the ones at WDW before they swapped to Magic Bands. This card gives access to your room, makes the electricity in the room work and is the only way of paying for anything on the ship or at Castaway Cay. You can link it to your debit or credit card but me and Charlotte decided to do the cash option. Which means that you have a $300 limit that you can't go over until you go to guest relations and pay your bill. And you can't get back off the ship without paying it, you need to scan your card on the way off and if you have an unpaid bill then you will be sent back to pay it.
So with all that out of the way we headed onboard! I was so excited!! We were on the Disney Dream and it was just beautiful inside and out. It's the newest of the Disney fleet and it made any other cruise ship beside it look drab lol! We split up to go find our rooms and then go get lunch. The rooms were better than I thought they would be. There's a separate toilet and bathroom and neither were tiny, then a big comfy bed and then a couch (which can all be pulled out and made into bunkbeds), and we had a balcony with a couple of chairs and table. Comfy for 2 but would start getting crowded with more than that lol.
We pretty much dumped our stuff and then headed up to where there was a buffet lunch and had a good munch, then went for a wander around. They had a Sailing Away party on the pool deck with lots of characters which was cute and then me and Charlotte went up to the adult only area and had a cocktail while watching the sun set. Then we headed down to see the first show which was called the Golden Mickeys. The shows are amazing! They are so well done and I loved that first one. When that was over we had a quick look around the shops and then went to get changed for dinner.
For dinner, you are rotated around the ships three different dinner restaurants and you have the same server each night. We ate at the same restaurant twice because we were there for four nights, but you can use that night to book at one of the adult only restaurants, Remy and Palo. You do need to book ahead for these though as they fill up and its $25 extra for Palo and $75 extra for Remy. The others booked them but we didn't and we still enjoyed everything. There's food everywhere... everywhere!!! You can pretty much eat whatever you want, all the time! I was painfully full after every night and I didn't even go crazy. Our server was really lovely as well, I told him that I was wheat/gluten free and he took care of me. In fact he spent the whole time calling me "my Jenny" lol. Me and Charlotte were at a table with 6 other people and by the end of that evening we were fast friends with two other women, one of whom works at Epcot. By the end of our stay we were friends with the two guys, but two girls were a bit standoffish with us all so we had just left them to it.
The next morning we woke up in Nassau! We had slept longer than we had intended to, so we skipped going to breakfast and just got quickly ready to go exploring instead. We wandered about through the shops, visited Starbucks and took lots of photos. The massive Atlantis resort is close by but they charge you for everything there, you need to pay a ridiculous amount of money to use their pool or see the Aquarium. The only thing you can go to is the Casino. There's water taxi's that will take you over to Paradise Island (where Atlantis is) for $8 return so we went over on one of those and had a wander around the Marina Village, checked out all the millionaires yachts and then went into the casino. Charlotte had never been in one before so we played a few slot machines with me helping her about. Had to eventually tell her to stop feeding money in, she was never going to become a millionaire from a dollar! We left there and got a frozen margarita and headed back to the water taxi. Then we went to Senor Frogs for some more drinks and the biggest portion of fries I've ever seen before going back onto the ship.
I am a bad blogger! I have tried to write this post about a million times and given up.... it's not all my fault, for a brief period of time my laptop didn't want to type "h" or "c". Not easy! So for now lets call this part one!
Rather than pack and get ready to move, instead I went to House of Blues even though I was really tired as there was 21st birthday celebrations going on. And then afterwards there was a bit of an afterparty. I had until 4pm to move apartments and I woke up on my friends couch at the very far side of the Commons around 3:10pm. Woops. Not a single thing packed. So I had a nice walk of shame through the complex, got to the apartment to change clothes and then went to get my new key. My German roommate was freaking out about where I was so I messaged her and then she came to the old apartment to help with getting the first load over. I literally ran back and forth for the next hour, throwing things from everywhere into bags and cases, running across the street, up to the third floor of my new building, to dump everything and run back to start again. At least I did it! Then we went to Walmart to get some bits and pieces and then did a lot of unpacking/putting stuff away. I love my new apartment! It's soooo much bigger and brighter, everything works and I've been a lot happier since moving in. We now only have a two bed/4 roommate situation going on and it suits me. No more crazy screaming for no reason, no thumping from above, no crazy roommate skyping while I'm trying to sleep. And I sleep a lot better!
I had nearly a week in my new apartment and then it was time to go to the Bahamas! There was 10 of us going on the same cruise and more people leaving on another cruise the next day... basically over a two week period there was a lot of people on various trips and cruises and a lot of shift swaps which meant we all got a bit of trouble which was pretty stressful at the time. But finally it all got sorted :)
On Sunday morning myself and five others got a taxi to Cape Canaveral which is about an hour away. Too much excitement going on lol. When we got to the dock we showed our booking info at the entrance gate then went into the main building and went through what is very similar to airport security where they scan your hand luggage. Then we went upstairs to get checked in, there was a huge line of people but they have a lot of checking in people so it didn't take too long. We handed over our forms and passports and then we got our "Key to the World" card... which is very similar to the ones at WDW before they swapped to Magic Bands. This card gives access to your room, makes the electricity in the room work and is the only way of paying for anything on the ship or at Castaway Cay. You can link it to your debit or credit card but me and Charlotte decided to do the cash option. Which means that you have a $300 limit that you can't go over until you go to guest relations and pay your bill. And you can't get back off the ship without paying it, you need to scan your card on the way off and if you have an unpaid bill then you will be sent back to pay it.
So with all that out of the way we headed onboard! I was so excited!! We were on the Disney Dream and it was just beautiful inside and out. It's the newest of the Disney fleet and it made any other cruise ship beside it look drab lol! We split up to go find our rooms and then go get lunch. The rooms were better than I thought they would be. There's a separate toilet and bathroom and neither were tiny, then a big comfy bed and then a couch (which can all be pulled out and made into bunkbeds), and we had a balcony with a couple of chairs and table. Comfy for 2 but would start getting crowded with more than that lol.
We pretty much dumped our stuff and then headed up to where there was a buffet lunch and had a good munch, then went for a wander around. They had a Sailing Away party on the pool deck with lots of characters which was cute and then me and Charlotte went up to the adult only area and had a cocktail while watching the sun set. Then we headed down to see the first show which was called the Golden Mickeys. The shows are amazing! They are so well done and I loved that first one. When that was over we had a quick look around the shops and then went to get changed for dinner.
For dinner, you are rotated around the ships three different dinner restaurants and you have the same server each night. We ate at the same restaurant twice because we were there for four nights, but you can use that night to book at one of the adult only restaurants, Remy and Palo. You do need to book ahead for these though as they fill up and its $25 extra for Palo and $75 extra for Remy. The others booked them but we didn't and we still enjoyed everything. There's food everywhere... everywhere!!! You can pretty much eat whatever you want, all the time! I was painfully full after every night and I didn't even go crazy. Our server was really lovely as well, I told him that I was wheat/gluten free and he took care of me. In fact he spent the whole time calling me "my Jenny" lol. Me and Charlotte were at a table with 6 other people and by the end of that evening we were fast friends with two other women, one of whom works at Epcot. By the end of our stay we were friends with the two guys, but two girls were a bit standoffish with us all so we had just left them to it.
The next morning we woke up in Nassau! We had slept longer than we had intended to, so we skipped going to breakfast and just got quickly ready to go exploring instead. We wandered about through the shops, visited Starbucks and took lots of photos. The massive Atlantis resort is close by but they charge you for everything there, you need to pay a ridiculous amount of money to use their pool or see the Aquarium. The only thing you can go to is the Casino. There's water taxi's that will take you over to Paradise Island (where Atlantis is) for $8 return so we went over on one of those and had a wander around the Marina Village, checked out all the millionaires yachts and then went into the casino. Charlotte had never been in one before so we played a few slot machines with me helping her about. Had to eventually tell her to stop feeding money in, she was never going to become a millionaire from a dollar! We left there and got a frozen margarita and headed back to the water taxi. Then we went to Senor Frogs for some more drinks and the biggest portion of fries I've ever seen before going back onto the ship.
The next morning we woke up in Nassau! We had slept longer than we had intended to, so we skipped going to breakfast and just got quickly ready to go exploring instead. We wandered about through the shops, visited Starbucks and took lots of photos. The massive Atlantis resort is close by but they charge you for everything there, you need to pay a ridiculous amount of money to use their pool or see the Aquarium. The only thing you can go to is the Casino. There's water taxi's that will take you over to Paradise Island (where Atlantis is) for $8 return so we went over on one of those and had a wander around the Marina Village, checked out all the millionaires yachts and then went into the casino. Charlotte had never been in one before so we played a few slot machines with me helping her about. Had to eventually tell her to stop feeding money in, she was never going to become a millionaire from a dollar! We left there and got a frozen margarita and headed back to the water taxi. Then we went to Senor Frogs for some more drinks and the biggest portion of fries I've ever seen before going back onto the ship.
I am a bad blogger! I have tried to write this post about a million times and given up.... it's not all my fault, for a brief period of time my laptop didn't want to type "h" or "c". Not easy! So for now lets call this part one!
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