Destination Deadpool

We got up early, ate breakfast in the buffet and were off the ship by 8:15 as per DCL travel. The night before, you put your suitcases out in the hall tagged with a specific character (ours was Minnie) and then you will find your bags in the section marked with that character when you disembark. It was kind of a cluster, but we found everything eventually and headed to the bus. Just a quick hour long bus ride later and we were HOME!!!

Port Orleans: French Quarter is adorable. It's the smallest resort on property which is really nice when you're coming in late from the parks. Or when your scooter dies (more on that later). We got here by 10 am so our room wasn't quite ready, but we passed the time doing a little shopping and eating Mickey shaped beignets. They were delicious.

Once our room was ready, we got settled in, did some laundry and grabbed some lunch. The only downside to this resort is there's no table service restaurant, just the quick service and the food isn't the greatest. Andrea and I both had a French dip sandwich for lunch that was pretty tasty but Ann was disappointed by the pizza. Once our laundry was done we headed up to Disney Springs for some shopping and dinner at Jaleo, a tapas place we'd heard good things about. It was DELICIOUS!!!

We got a selection of Spanish meats and cheeses. I really wanted to try the jamon iberico but it's really hard to justify $40 for an ounce of ham. Everything we did have was amazing though. We also ordered the pan tomate, which is a crispy bread covered in crushed tomatoes, and two orders of the chicken fritters which were AMAZING. Then we stopped at Salt and Straw for ice cream afterwards!

Our dinner tonight was at Arendelle. The theming was on point, and I'm still tickled about meeting Oaken. Talk about rare characters!

This was probably my favorite meal on the ship! I had a Jarlsberg and ham tart as an appetizer and a garlic herb crusted rib eye as my main. Ann had Swedish meatballs that were delicious as well. We got to meet Olaf and Anna and Kristoff and Elsa. I finally figured out *why* Disney Elsas always seem a bit off to me. They make them wear white wigs which just feels unnatural. Our friend Jenn has platinum blonde hair and looks way more like Elsa than most of the Disney performers. It's 100% the hair. The desserts were to die for tonight too. I had a chocolate mousse cake that was delicious, although SUPER rich, Ann had an apple cake and Andrea had a butter cake. All three were amazing.

Dinner tonight was also very sad. Because we had the late dinner seating, our disembarkation breakfast time wasn't until 830, but because we were taking Disney transportation to the resort, we had to be off the ship by 815. Therefore, we didn't get one last meal with our awesome serving team. Ricardo and Edwin were amazing. I actually MISS them. Luckily, they let us get some photos to remember them by!

Then it was back to our room for bed so we could get up early.

A few takeaways from this cruise:

We will definitely go again. Disney actually has an offer that if you put $250 down on your next cruise while you're still on board, you get 10% off, and you have up to two years to use it. The deposit is also 100% refundable if you're unable to use it in that time frame as well.

4 nights was NOT long enough. I feel like there was so much more to experience on the ship that we just weren't able to squeeze in. That being said, I also think 4 nights is a good first cruise length.

We would not get off the ship in Nassau again, unless there was an excursion through the cruise line that we just couldn't pass up. The port is SUPER overwhelming and there's people everywhere trying to pressure you into taking their company's excursion. The plus to booking through the cruise line is that if for any reason your excursion is delayed, the ship will wait for you. There's no guarantee if you book private.

The elevators on the Wish suck just as much as everyone says. If Ann hadn't been with us, we probably would have used the stairs a lot more. The buttons are SUPER sensitive and the amount of times someone would get just a little too close and light the panel up like Buddy the Elf in the elevator are immeasurable.

Andrea and I got up for coffee as usual and went on a pre-breakfast wander. The princess gathering was going on so we waved from afar.

While everyone was distracted by the princesses, we came across the big cheese himself!!!

After breakfast, we went to learn to draw BB8. It was fun! And it went about as well as you'd expect lol.

After drawing class, we had some time to head back to the room for a nap before our massage. But first we needed a sweet treat: the first Mickey bar of the trip! They have them on the Wish but you have to have them delivered by room service. I'm not ashamed.

Then it was getting close to our massage time, but we had *one* stop we needed to make on the way. I'm not sure how, but in all the times we've been to Disney in the last couple years we haven't run into Belle at all. This has been remedied :)

And then, it was massage time! The spa is gorgeous, and the massages were great. The only caveat I have is that it is not run by Disney, so they WILL try to upsell you but they were also pretty good about dropping it when I said no.

Once we were pampered into oblivion, we ran down to the room and picked up Ann so we could go see the show of the day before dinner. Tonight was Aladdin and I'd heard good things about it. We all really enjoyed it

Today was our Castaway Cay day. Nothing says paradise like a private island in the middle of the Caribbean. Especially one with tasty tropical drinks and an adults-only beach! When we first got off, Andrea had forgotten her room key so she had to run back up to our room to get it but the security lady ushered me through and wouldn't let me wait. Joke's on her! While I was waiting on the dock I got to meet Captain Hook and Smee. For pirates, they are quite the gentlemen (and they both liked my Yzma shirt!). I also saw Chip and Dale getting ready for their day at the beach. (More about them later).

Once Ann and Andrea caught up with me we took the tram out to the adults only beach, Serenity Bay. And serene it was! We relaxed in the sunshine, we took a quick dip, and we grabbed ourselves a libation served in a rather suspicious looking coconut lol.

Around 11:30, lunch was served. They have a bbq on the island that is included in the price of the cruise but I have to say, of all the food we ate this trip, including the quick service stuff on the pool deck at the boat, this was hands down the worst. I choked down a hot dog and like two bites of a burger that had been turned to charcoal, Ann and Andrea didn't eat much more, and then we headed back to the ship because we were getting hot (and because we could get Lunch 2: Electric Boogaloo that was actually edible). Then Ann and Andrea headed down to the room for an afternoon nap and I FINALLY got to get on the Aqua Mouse, the cool "attraction at sea" that is on the ship. Wait times can get kinda long but because everyone was still on the island I only waited like ten minutes both times I rode it. I also tried out the other slide, but they need to up the water pressure on that bad boy. I got stuck. It sucked. After that I needed a nap lol so I headed back to the room. Ann had a massage scheduled at 430, so Andrea and I went for a wander and grabbed a cocktail. We also ran into Chip and Dale, all dressed up for pirate night!

Castaway Cay day is Pirate Night on the four night itinerary. We ate at Worlds of Marvel again, but this time we were given a special pirate menu. Dinner wasn't terrible, however, it wasn't our favorite either. Our towel animal was... well, we don't know. Any thoughts?? I was thinking *maybe* it was supposed to be Davy Jones?

When we got back on the ship, we headed up to the Adults Only section for some relaxation and pool time. The infinity edge pool looks off the back of the ship, and it's gorgeous! No pictures for obvious phones and water related issues lol. Ann and Andrea went back in before I did, but u was cozy in a deck chair reading so I stayed. I even managed a bit of a nap. Then it was back to the room to shower and change for dinner.

Before dinner, we headed up to The Rose lounge for a cocktail. I mean, it's Beauty and the Beast themed. We HAD to!

Tonight's dinner was at World of Marvel. It had a really cute show with Ant-Man and the Wasp. Related: does anyone know who Paul Rudd sold his soul to? That man does NOT age.

The show even ended with an in-person visit from our friendly neighborhood Spiderman!

After dinner we headed back to the room. We'd all been up early and it had been a long day. We're still debating tonight's towel animal. A pig maybe?

When we woke up, we were still out to sea. You can get plain coffee at the restaurants for free, but Andrea wanted a latte, so we ventured out to the Adults only deck since their coffee bar opens the earliest. She got Belle on her coffee, just for me. The cruise line offers a coffee punch card and if you buy 5 the 6th is free which works perfectly for us.

Breakfast was the buffet at Marceline Market, including my first Mickey waffle of the trip.

Then it was time to meet for our excursion. We did a guided tour that included stops at a small tea store, the John Watling rum distillery that is the only factory on the island of New Providence, a small market where we learned how the local straw crafts are made and a traditional Bahamian lunch. If you choose an itinerary with a stop in Nassau, I STRONGLY recommend booking an excursion through the cruise line. It's SUPER overwhelming when you get off the boat and people are like swarming trying to get your business.

Dinner tonight was at 1923. The animation artifacts they have as decor were INCREDIBLE!

For Disney cruises, you rotate through the main dining rooms every night, and your wait staff follows you. Our server, Edwin, and his assistant, Ricardo, were FANTASTIC. By night 2, they knew what we were drinking and would bring it before we asked! The food was incredible, and we could order as much of whatever we wanted.

After we ate ourselves into a food coma, it was back to the room. There, we found our first towel animal of the cruise. We got door magnets made, which I would highly recommend. The hallways can get confusing and they really help in finding your room.

Fair warning, this is gonna be long! And probably more than one part. We set sail aboard the Wish today. We booked our hotel through GoPort, so they sent a shuttle to pick us up this morning. It's about a 45 minute drive from MCO to the port so we settled in for the ride. Actually SEEING the Wish for the first time was incredible.

When we got to the port they were calling boarding group 10 and we were 15 so we didn't have to wait very long at all. The cruise terminal is ADORABLE and you board the ship through Mickey ears!

Once we boarded we were starving so we hit the buffet at Marceline Market. The food was excellent! We thought we'd seen it all but on our way out realized we missed an entire section. Tomorrow, my friend. Tomorrow.

Also, don't sleep on the chicken tendies; they are some of the best I've ever had! After lunch, we REALLY didn't want to haul our carry-on luggage around anymore, so we set off to find our stateroom. It wasn't quite ready, but we only had to wait like 20 more minutes. Ann was tired and stayed in the room to take a nap but Andrea and I went exploring. This ship is HUGE y'all!

Our first stop was the adults only section for our first adult beverages of the cruise

We wandered up and down the decks and found all three main dining rooms: Arendelle, which is obviously Frozen themed, Worlds of Marvel, and 1923 which has a bunch of like concept art and stuff. Our dinner tonight is at 1923 so I'll put that in part 2 of this blog.

We also ran into Belle on our adventures!

Here we are again, in Florida! This time is a little different, though! We're going on a 4 night Disney cruise followed by 5 nights on property. And this time, my amazing Mother-in-Law Ann is along for the shenanigans. Nothing exciting happened today. Nathan came down and drove us to the airport. He's being so kind as to watch our animals while we're away. Of course, we had to take the obligatory pre-trip selfie.

We landed in Orlando late, grabbed some subs from the airport, and Ubered to the hotel we're staying at tonight until the cruise shuttle picks us up tomorrow morning.

We had to head home today, so we were up early to pack and load the car before heading to the park. This time, Nathan took pictures of where we left the car so we wouldn't have a repeat of the Epcot incident. While Kelly stopped to get her scooter for the day, the rest of us hauled butt to the back of the park to get in line for Slinky Dog Dash since we weren't able to snag a lightning lane for it. Our plan paid off (along with getting into the park 30 minutes early as resort guests) and we got in line before they'd even opened the ride. We waited maybe 20 minutes. By the time we got off, the wait time was up to 60 minutes so our plan was solid. Andrea and I mobile ordered breakfast Ronto wraps from Galaxy's Edge and ran over there to get them while Kelly and Nathan waited for Woody's Lunchbox to open so they could get lunchbox tarts. After a nutritious space breakfast (complete with space Diet Coke for me and blue milk for Andrea), it was time for our Individual Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance. I love that ride so much and the line gets so long, but we waited like 5 minutes. Well worth the extra cost in my opinion.

After we escaped the First Order and crash landed on the rebel base, it was back to Toy Story Land to ride Midway Mania. If you look at the scores, I won this time but my wonderful wife likes to point out that her accuracy was twice mine. What can I say? Sometimes spray and pray is the way to go lol . We got off the ride and were discussing what to do next. I *really* wanted to see the Beauty and the Beast stage show so we were heading over there when it happened. I felt something hit me from behind. Kelly had lost control of the scooter and accidentally run into me. She took a solid chunk out of the back of my heel. I wasn't even going to stop to look until I realized my foot was kinda sliding around in my sandal... sat down on a curb to check and realized I was bleeding pretty good. Andrea and Nathan went to find ice and paper towels and wash out my shoe and in the meantime a nice cast member came over to check on me. The medical team ended up coming over and patching me up, at one point there were like six or seven cast members circled around forming a wall. It made me feel kinda self conscious to be honest, but I appreciated the sentiment. They got Kelly a new scooter and a wheelchair for me. I wasn't gonna accept the chair but then I stood up and realized I could barely walk on my heel. The original cast member who stopped even got us VIP seating for the 1 pm Beauty and the Beast show.

All the drama had made us hungry, so we headed over to Baseline Taphouse for lunch. Andrea and I had some delicious strawberry lemonade while Nathan got an amazing strawberry hibiscus soda. We shared a huge pretzel with some of the best beer cheese I've ever eaten, a charcuterie board with really good cheese and salami and a coffee-rubbed steak puff that was phenomenal. After lunch it was time for dessert. I mean, is it truly a Disney trip without a Mickey Premium Bar?

After our ice cream, it was time for Beauty and the Beast!!! There is a SLIGHT chance I POSSIBLY cried a little bit. I will neither confirm nor deny.

I don't think Nathan was as excited as we were for the show, but hey, we got to sit in the shade under big fans for a half hour. Could have been worse!!!

The show was so good!!! I recommend anyone see it but doubly so if you're a big Beauty and the Beast fan.

After this it was time for our lightning lane for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. That ride is so cute and I love it so much! Then, Kelly and Nathan had to get to their Oga's Cantina reservation and Andrea and I headed over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. I hadn't seen it since the 90s and this was the first time it had been open since Andrea started coming to Disney World! It holds up surprisingly well.

We met up with Kelly and Nathan again afterwards for a little bit, did a little bit of shopping and then Andrea and I had to go, since our flight left at 7:30.

The trip home was an absolute comedy of errors. I parked the rental car in the wrong place, and had to limp back down and move it to the right spot. We got a wheelchair to get down the concourse and through security which helped immensely, but we couldn't get Andrea's boarding pass pulled up for a bit which was a HUGE pain. Then our flight was delayed. I was getting SUPER nervous because we didn't have that much of a layover in Dallas. We landed in Dallas and OF COURSE our connection was on the other side of the concourse so we had to book it (as much as I could). We literally made it to the gate as the plane started boarding. I was pretty convinced our luggage was NOT going to make it home.

Today was Epcot day. Fair word of warning, they still haven't brought back the parking lot trams. Also, if you're rushing to your virtual queue spot for Cosmic Rewind, make sure SOMEONE remembers where you parked. This will be important later.

We were hoping to have a bit of a lie-in after being up so late for the Halloween party on Friday, however someone had to be up at 7 to try to get in the queue for Guardians. We snagged position 39 which was estimated to be called around 11:30. So I tried to go back to sleep. It didn't happen. And then when I checked the app at 8 our call back time was estimated at 10:45. By the time we got to the park, (at 9:50) our group had been called and we had to book it to the ride. In the confusion, nobody noticed where we parked. The coaster was totally worth it. Word to the wise: it is INTENSE. Almost thought Andrea might hurl. But she didn't!

Once we had recovered and found Kelly in the gift shop, it was time to eat ALL the things! First stop was Mac and Eats for Kelly and Nathan, Coastal Eats for Andrea and a fry flight from the Fry Basket for all of us!

Then, we headed to World Showcase to start the rounds, however we decided to start by grabbing the PB&J wings from Brew-Wing. OMG guys those things are AMAZING! We need to find a knockoff recipe for home because I could eat a literal ton.

We couldn't stop eating long enough to get a good pic lol. We bucked tradition and started in Mexico today. It was a good choice because Donald was out in his 3 Caballeros outfit. Got my first character hug in over 20 years!

We got a crispy paneer from the India booth. For four people who love fried cheese none of us really liked it. The watermelon Dole Whip we found afterwards was a suitable palate cleanser. We wanted to go see the American Adventure show for some A/C but it was closed for refurbishment. Then, we were in Japan. You know what happened next. Kakigori.

Nobody EVER sits in the bamboo Grove. Shhh it's our secret! We had fried cheese from Greece with a much-needed Power-Ade. Nathan wanted maple popcorn from Canada so we headed that way, but ran into Mary Poppins on the way.

Then it was off to Soarin' in the Land pavillion, my wife's favorite ride. But I got a LITTLE distracted on my way there.

I didn't post anything from our travel day as it was quite anticlimactic. We flew. We got a rental car. We door dashed food to our offsite hotel and went to bed. Today is when the real fun started. We didn't get park tickets for today, just tickets for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party which got us in to Magic Kingdom at 4. We spent the morning at Disney Springs instead. We were at Gideons by 930 and there was already a huge line (they open at 10). Totally worth it though. We got half a dozen cookies and Andrea got her peanut butter cold brew. (She says I need to learn to like coffee more. I respectfully disagree).

Then it was off to World of Disney for some shopping. I totally didn't buy a new Loungefly that matches the ears Nathan just bought me. That is NOT a thing I would do. We hit the Lego store briefly then headed to Salt and Straw for some ice cream. That place is AMAZING! I had a seasonal pumpkin bread flavor and Andrea got guava and cheese and a caramel apple sherbert. All three flavors were delicious.

At this point even though it was only 11:30 we'd already gotten the text that our room was ready so we headed to the hotel to drop our bags before lunch. We're staying at All-Star Movies this trip and it's really cute!

I would recommend the online check-in to anyone staying at a Disney resort. We were able to put in our preferences, let them know when we'd be arriving and then went straight to our room, completely bypassing the lobby. It's great!

We had a 1:10 lunch reservation at Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary. It's a fairly new restaurant and we'd heard good things so we had to give it a try. Andrea had the French onion soup and the bacon egg and grits appetizer, while I had the signature burger. Everything was FANTASTIC.

And then, it was party time! We got to Magic Kingdom about 3:15 and got in line. They started scanning people in at like 3:45 and we were some of the first party guests in the park. Andrea wanted one last Tropical Serenade float from Aloha Isle (POG juice and coconut Dole Whip) and I just got a regular pineapple Dole Whip. You can get the regular kind at Menchies but it hits different eating it in the parks. We wanted to go see Mickey's Philharmagic so we started walking to Fantasyland stopping for spring rolls from the cart on the way.

The party was amazing. Wait times were super low, we got to ride almost everything we wanted to and see the fireworks and part of the parade. We were planning on watching the second parade but it stepped off late and we were tired. If you ever get a chance to go, I HIGHLY recommend it! A couple of the rides even get special holiday theming! There were live actors amongst the animatronics on Pirates, and Space Mountain is PITCH black dark with Halloween-y music. I rode that twice!

Today was our last day in the parks (and I'm TOTALLY not posting this after we got home, that would NOT be a thing that I would do). Today's agenda was Universal Studios. After all the rain yesterday, we were glad to be dry, but it was COLD. Jenn and I had hoodies and Kelly was wearing her Gryffindor robes, but Andrea and Nathan didn't bring anything warm. By the end of the day, even Andrea was cold and she's NEVER cold.

Universal was starting to get all Christmas-y too!

We had to see what Kelly could ride again LOL

We left Andrea and Kelly looking for a place to get Kelly's name on her stocking she bought at Islands of Adventure and took Jenn on The Mummy coaster, then we hit the Jimmy Fallon ride and took Andrea over to meet an old friend of hers.

She FINALLY got her shark drink at Chez Alcatraz too!

https://youtu.be/USDdqmTILlY

Then it was off to Diagon Alley! We found the Knight Bus

And then we headed into the Alley proper for a bit of shopping and so Nathan and Jenn could ride Escape From Gringotts.

I have a bit of a bone to pick with Universal in general here. Americans in general are on the larger side. MAKE YOUR RIDE VEHICLES MORE INCLUSIVE!!! I fit on everything at Disney JUST fine, not to mention everything at our local amusement park as well. Universal, not so much. It's extremely frustrating and upsetting when you pay a ton of money to go somewhere only to find out that you don't fit into whatever arbitrary size they've made their ride vehicles.

It rained today. Oh dear LORD did it rain today. I have never been so thankful for a 99 cent plastic poncho in my life. We did spend the day being highly amused by my shoes though. Andrea had cleaned them for me a couple months ago, and apparently didn't get all the cleaner out. As soon as my left shoe got wet, it started foaming out the side.

We ended up buying Genie+ again today which came in handy. We started out at Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway since everyone and their dog had headed to Rise of the Resistance first. When we got off of there we saw Rise had dropped to a 60 minute wait so that was our next stop. To our surprise, we waited just under 11 minutes to get to the first preshow room.

I even managed to get a good pic of the stormtroopers this time! After that, Andrea wanted a snack so she peeled off for a Ronto Wrap while the rest of us hit up Smuggler's Run. It's a small world. I was scrolling Facebook while in line and telling Jenn we should probably avoid Powers and Constitution for awhile since the new In-N-Out just opened. The girl in front of us in line overheard us talking, turns out her and her friend were from the Springs too! We ended up riding together which was a lot of fun.

By the time we got off the ride, our mobile order was ready over at Woody's Lunch Box so we huddled at a table under an umbrella in the rain and ate. The grilled cheese was good, but I've made just as good at home.

Next on the agenda was Slinky Dog. Pro tip: riding that coaster IMMEDIATELY after lunch is probably not the best idea. But our pic turned out really cute. Kelly sat that one out, we learned last year that she cannot handle it in the least.

We did Toy Story Mania right after, and Jenn kicked our BUTTS!!! I do love that ride though! We wanted to get in from the rain for awhile so we did the Frozen Sing Along (IT SNOWED INSIDE Y'ALL)! Then I managed to score a Lightning Lane for Rockin Roller Coaster for Nathan Jenn and I. That was another really cute pic. Jenn's face is kinda my favorite thing.

Then we headed out for a snack at Backlot Express and to just be DRY for awhile. The food was meh, just standard theme park fare, but we weren't out in the rain. We had just enough time after that to go on Smuggler's Run again with Andrea and then make our reservation at Oga's Cantina.

We started off today with breakfast at Boma, over at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I can see why it's rated one of the best breakfasts in Disney World. Everything was delicious!

Note the Simba shaped waffle!

Then we were off to Epcot to eat and drink our way around the world. I pretty much failed at taking photos today, but we ate, we drank, we rode Ratatouille and Soarin. Once we made it around the Showcase for the second time (We made an attempt for Frozen Ever After, but the wait was long and our Ratatouille group got called) we stopped in the Epcot experience for a cider flight and a rest. Test Track actually dropped to a reasonable wait at that point so we left Andrea to guard our stuff and went off to ride! I love this photo, because all you can see in the backseat is Kelly's hair LOL

Then there was shopping, and a stop at Club Cool so that Kelly and Jenn could try Beverley...

After a stop to ogle the ball and bother a nice stranger to take a photo of us it was home for adult beverages and Jackbox!

Today was our rest day. We REALLY needed it. We had a super lazy morning, ran a few errands, then hung out at the house watched TV and played video games for a while. Jenn and I ran over to Walmart and the outlet mall since my poor suitcase won't survive this trip. Then we came home and got ready for our dinner reservations.

First stop was Wine Bar George for drinks and tapas. We got a really yummy cheese board and the Saganaki on Fire, a melty Greek cheese dish that they literally flambe in front of you!

We did some shopping and then headed over to The Edison for a late dinner. The Edison has a really cool steampunk 20s vibe with live entertainment and really good food! There was live music while we were there and it was awesome! We also found Jenn's twin!

Today was Magic Kingdom! It was still Halloween when Andrea and I were there last week, but now, it's CHRISTMAS!!!

We sprung for Lightning Lane access today and let me tell you, for Magic Kingdom it's worth the $15 each. We actually got to go on everything we wanted to, and didn't have to spend all day in line. We finally managed to get Andrea on Jungle Cruise (like a ten minute wait with LL, versus 80 minute standby)! Even THAT was themed for Christmas!

We even got to meet Aurora!

After dinner at Casey's Corner (corn dog nuggets and plastic cheese FTW) we did a little shopping and then settled down at a table to wait for our last lightning lane before fireworks: Big Thunder Mountain. We made some adorable fowl friends (I'm pretty sure they just wanted popcorn), but they started getting a bit too bold so we got up and headed for Adventureland. Andrea's pretty sure one of them peed on her whilst begging for popcorn.

Then, it was time for fireworks! The dessert parties can be a bit spendy, but they're totally worth it to not have to stand elbow to elbow with people on Main Street.