Think We Have Enough?

We have a plan for this candy! It's going on the cruise with us, and we're planning to snack on it while watching movies!

One of Marc's favorite things to do is watch movies, and he's in luck, because the Buena Vista Theater on the Disney Fantasy plays first run movies as well as Disney classics. What does that mean? We're going to be watching a few! And what do you need at every theater besides popcorn? Candy!!!

Marc has his list all made out, and of course, it includes The Avengers. (We haven't had time to see it since it opened, and now I'm glad we didn't!) We'll also still be on the ship for the PremEAR of Brave, Disney's newest movie. I'm sure we'll go to the 12:01am showing since all we're planning to do that day is lounge at Castaway Cay. I'm so excited!

Our Fish Extender

One of my friends makes and sells fish extenders. As soon as we booked the cruise, I contacted her to see if she would make a customized one for me. I found one that I liked on the internet, and she worked with me to change a few things that I didn't like. 

She was slammed with last-minute orders for June! However, she came through for me, and I met her in Athens to pick it up last Saturday. She did an awesome job! 

Our Fish Extender

Fish Extender Gifts - Part 3

I read about making Post-It notepads earlier this year so I decided to try making them for a fish extender gift. I went with a beach theme instead of Disney. I cut out some card stock and printed paper and started scoring and glueing. They were so each to make!

I attached a little note in the shape of a Mickey head to the back of the pad. Can't wait to pass them out!

Magnets, Magnets, and More Magnets!

The night we booked our cruise, I started making magnets for stateroom door. Millie, one of the nice ladies from DisBoards, has a 4shared account with all kinds of graphic designs. I saved some of the ones I liked, then I used PowerPoint to personalize them. It was so easy, and I think they turned out really cute!

I'm not planning to put them all up at once. (We are so not THOSE people!) I have different ones for Pirates Night and Castaway Cay, and I plan to rotate those in and out. Come to think of it, maybe I should have made some for Formal Night and Semi-Formal Night. Oh well, there's always next time!


These are my absolute favorites!

They're all packed away and ready to go! I think we'll have a very well-dressed door!

Fish Extender Gifts - Part 1

One of the things we missed out on during our first cruise was participating in a fish extender group. A fish extender is a pocket or set of pockets that hangs from the fish outside your stateroom door, like so:

Then, you exchange gifts with other passengers in your fish extender group. There are no rules about what should be given or when so you never know what you'll get. (Think stocking stuffers on Christmas morning!) Some people give stateroom gifts, some give to each person in the room, and some give only to the kids. Some people only give one gift during the cruise while others give a few gifts or even something every day. 

So, Marc and I have decided to do two small gifts and one large gift for each stateroom. (Keep in mind that we've only known about this cruise since May 8 so we needed to choose simple gifts that didn't require a lot of time!!!)

For the first gift, we decided to take it easy. I've been experimenting with making subway art since January and finally found a photo-editing program that I love called PicMonkey! I started off with a blank white picture and added text and stamps until I came up with this:

Then I saved it to my trusty Pink Piggy and ordered some prints from Sam's Club. (A mere 13 cents each! Well, the ones I actually paid for. I got 25 free prints with my order!) I stopped by Hobby Lobby on the way and bought some bright card stock mats and magnetic tape. All that was left was the assembly.

The finished product...Disney Fantasy Subway Art Magnets!!!

Check...Check...Check

Part of what I love about our upcoming trip is not having to wait a long time for it to get here. The part that I hate is trying to fit months of planning into a few short weeks. But I can do this! I CAN DO THIS!

So, the first thing we needed to do was decide if we were flying or driving. Airline prices are OUTRAGEOUS right now so we picked driving. That meant making parking reservations at the port. We chose Park 'n Cruise because they only charge $6.99 a day compared to $20 a day at the terminal. They have a secure, fenced parking lot, and you take your keys with you. They drop you off at the terminal and pick you up after the cruise. Can't beat that! We also loaded our SunPass with enough money to cover all those pesky tolls between here and Orlando and then Orlando to Port Canaveral and back. No more stopping at toll booths!

The next thing we did was make sure that one of our dog/house sitters could be here when we were out of town. I lucked out, and the first person was available. (We love her!) It is so much less stressful, on us and the dogs, to be out of town when you know there is someone staying at your house. No worries!

I also made reservations at Walt Disney World before and after the cruise. Although they are usually booked 11 months in advance, we were able to snag a Club Level 1-Bedroom at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We stayed there after our last cruise and fell in love with it. They have a keyed-access lounge that has lots of drinks and snacks available at all hours of the day, and the service there is wonderful. Can't wait!

After the cruise, we are staying at Animal Kingdom Villas. We plan to chill out, swim, and really enjoy the resort without having to rush to a park. This will be our first park-free trip on WDW property, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm totally looking forward to it. We're still a little "parked out" so I don't think we'll miss the hustle and bustle. 

Our door magnets are finished, our Fish Extender is ordered, and I'm almost finished working on our Fish Extender gifts. We've already finished clothes shopping so we're set there, too. Only a few more days, and I can start packing. 

I CAN DO THIS!

And Another Excursion Booked!

We're going snorkeling! 

Marc and I are going to do something that we've never done. We're sailing on a catamaran from St. Thomas to St. John, and then we're going to snorkel. 

Since we're in St. Thomas for such a short time, we decided to book our excursion at this port through Disney Cruise Line. It's a little bit of added insurance that if for some reason we're running late getting back to the ship, they won't leave without us. Wouldn't want that to happen!

We booked the St. John Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel. We'll get to take a short ride on an open-air safari vehicle to a marina. Then we'll sail for about an hour on a catamaran from St. Thomas to St. John where we'll get to snorkel and explore a coral reef. We can also choose to swim or take a dingy to the beach. Fun stuff! On the sail back, you get champagne, fruits, cheeses, breads, and crackers. 

I'm so excited about being able to not only sail and snorkel but to be able to see the islands. My camera is going to get a workout!

We Booked Our First Excursion!

When Marc and I went on our first cruise, we really had no idea what we were doing. We had no idea what Nassau was like and whether we wanted to book an excursion through the ship or if we wanted to venture out on our own. Big decisions! 

This time, though, I feel like we have a better idea about what is going on. In the past few days, I've joined our cruise group on a DisBoards, and Marc and I both joined the Facebook group for our cruise. We've met some really great people there, and they've been really helpful when it comes to gathering information about our ports of call. So, I asked them if they had any suggestions for excursions, and within minutes, we were invited to join a group going on a Bernard's Tour. 

This tour takes you to some of the best spots on the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin. We're going to both the Dutch and French areas, Oyster Pond, Orient Beach, Cayhill, Marigot, Great Bay, and Maho Beach. Maho Beach is in the picture above. The planes land right over the beach!

We're really excited about being able to see so much of the island, and that we're going to visit several beaches. Can't wait to swim in the Caribbean!

I Can't Believe We Just Did This!

We booked a cruise on the Disney Fantasy next month!!!

Marc and I had been looking at July cruises on the Disney Dream and had narrowed it down to a 5-night Castaway Cay double-dip. We weren't thrilled about going back to Nassau, but we really needed to get away. The past few months have been so hectic (and emotional!) that we needed the break!

So, tonight I got an email about a FANTASTIC(!!!) deal for the Disney Fantasy. We could book any stateroom room with a verandah, excluding concierge and suites, for a really great price. I was on the phone for almost an hour, but we were able to book a 7-night cruise for the same price as a 5-night cruise. The best part? We're going to St. Maarten and St. Thomas/St. John!!! 

Let the obsessive planning begin!!!

Life List for Traveling

Some people have a bucket list. I prefer to have a life list...things I want to do over the next few years. I've been adding things to a list for a little while and crossing things off when I've accomplished them. One of the themes that stands out the most is travel.

So, here's my life list for traveling:

1. Visit all 50 United States.

I'm a little less than halfway there!

2. Take an Alaskan cruise.

Marc has been to Alaska, and after 

seeing his pictures, I want to go to!

3. Take a cruise on all four Disney ships.

We've already sailed on the Wonder.

4. See the Grand Canyon.

The immensity alone would be worth it.

5. See the fall leaves in Maine.

I've been in New England during the fall, 

and the leaves are stunning!

6. Go to Disneyland/California Adventure.

To see where it all began.

7. Drive Route 1 from Florida to Maine.

We've driven parts of it here and there,

and there's no better way to see the East coast.

8. Visit the Neuschwanstein Castle.

It was the inspiration for Sleeping 

Beauty's castle in Disneyland.

9. Visit 10 different countries.

(Two down, eight to go!)

10. Visit six continents.

(Sorry Antarctica, but I'll have to take a pass on you!)

Disney Dreams

Disney Dreams is a stage show on the Wonder. It's about a little girl who falls asleep after her mom reads a bedtime story to her. In her dreams, Peter Pan takes her to visit "genies, princesses, and kings."

Ann Marie's mom reading a story to her...

Prince Charming and Cinderella

Ariel

Peter Pan, Sebastian, and Ann Marie

Ann Marie, Belle, and Peter Pan

Beauty and the Beast

Ann Marie, Timon, and Peter Pan

The Final Scene

The Blue Fairy and Pinocchio

Beauty and the Beast

Prince Charming and Cinderella

Mickey and Minnie

It was a WONDERful show! A great ending to a great cruise!

Pirates IN the Caribbean Party

What's better than a party in the Caribbean? A party with pirates in the Caribbean, of course! This little party had lots of characters, dancing, some yummy desserts, and fireworks.

Minnie

Chip, Dale, and Goofy

Mr. Smee

Captain Hook

Mickey saves the day!

Mickey Sneaking Up on the Bad Guys

Getting Ready for a Final Bow

Minnie and Mickey

Mickey Jumping Off the Stage

Too bad my pictures of the fireworks didn't come out! :(

Disney's Castaway Cay

Welcome to Castaway Cay! Due to high winds, we weren't sure we'd be able to dock, but our captain was able to pull it off! This was our first glimpse of the island from our verandah:

Looks like Santa was taking a 

little pre-Christmas break!

After eating a nice breakfast, Marc and I disembarked and headed out to check out the island. It had a lot of Disney touches but not in an obnoxious way.




Everything was so colorful and inviting! We headed over to the adult beach to see what it was like. Unfortunately, it was full of seaweed, due to a storm the night before. So we hopped on a tram and headed back to the main beach.




The water was a little chilly so I didn't get in. But Marc did! He said it wasn't that bad once you were in. I wasn't buy it, though!



Castaway Cay has a neat little area called Stingray Bay where you can see stingrays close-up and pet them. They are calm and docile and not afraid of humans. Marc didn't have to go to Stingray Bay to see them, though, because they were swimming right up to him. Apparently, the storm the night before had a lot of high waves that swept the stingrays out of Stingray Bay so they were swimming around out of their area.

Always have to take at least one 

"toes in the sand" picture!

After eating lunch with the DisUnplugged Podcast group, we walked around the island and then headed back to the ship. It was a great day!

The Disney Wonder