Becoming Universal AP Holders and our Carnival Dream September Trip Recap

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Our next stop on our way down the mountain was a spot called Drakes Seat. This was another spot that we didn't stop at on our 2009 visit. There is a litteral seat here now but it was not so back in the 1500's. This spot was mearly a lookout spot for Drake to spy on enemy ships when they passed by the island. The view of the nearby Virgin Islands and Megans Bay is great from here and you could undersand why he would use this as his lookout as the views were great but it was still close to the waters edge.







I walked up to Drakes Seat but Kiera and Daniel stayed behind on the tour truck since Daniel was sound asleep. In the parking lot there was a guy with a dressed up donkey trying to get people to take pictures of it for a small cost. The view from the parking lot area though was almost as good as from the Seat itself.





The next stop we would be making was the one we looked forward to the most. It was finally time to go to the Beach. When we visited in 2009 we were on a much tighter budget so we decided to go to Coki Beach. However we vowed that if we ever came back to St. Thomas that next time we would go to Magen's Bay which has an entry fee of $4 per person. With Godfrey Tours he once again gives you a choice of what beach you want to go to. Ether Magens or Coki. Needless to say we stuck with what we originally planned to do if we ever went back. We would be going to Magen's Bay. And everyone else going to the beach in our tour group had the same idea.



We pulled up to the gate of the beach where Godfrey took our money to pay for our beach entry. Daniel was free but I don't recall at what age you would have to pay for a child. We were then dropped off in the same spot we would be picked up at. Remember we were originally told we wouldn't end up having the full 2 hours at the beach? Well we were ahead of schedule so Godrey told us we would have the full 2 hours after all. He would be back to pick us up and head back to the ship at 2pm. Which was kind of nervous considering we had to be back at the ship by 2:30pm. But we put out trust in him. Besides he was picking up another tour group to take back as well. He then left to take part of our tour group back to the Ship while the rest of us would enjoy our time at Magens Bay.



We unloaded all of our stuff off the truck and then proceeded onto the beach. We put Daniel back into his stroller to push him but once we hit the sand of the beach that didn't exactly work out any more. I know its been said that Magens Bay can get pretty packed and crowded but it wasn't packed today at all. We were easily able to find a spot to put our spot for the couple of hours that we would be here. Although there were only 2 ships in dock at this time (with the 3rd docking) so I imagine its probably much more packed with people when theres more ships in dock.








Upon stepping foot on the sand the beauty of the beach was apparent. It is gorgous. Much prettier then Coki Beach where we went last time we were in St. Thomas and possibly the prettiest beach we've been to in the Caribbean. Daniel was so excited that he just wanted to run right into the water. After putting some more sunscreen on I went with him and got in the warm water. He loved actually getting completly in the water and float and splash around. He was having a blast.

 

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After playing in the water for a little bit Daniel climbed out and upon seeing other kids playing in the sand he proceeded to as well. We actually brought some sand toys for him to play with so Kiera brought them over and he had a blast digging in the sand and building a sand castle.










The beach was very nice and enjoyable. At one point is started to get pretty dark at the end of the bay and looked like we might get rained on. But the storm never moved in towards us.









As we were playing in the water and sand I noticed that many of the kids also on the beach did not have a bracelet on like Daniel had to have. I figured these kids must be here from the Disney ship and thought that was strange that they didn't have to have the muster braclets.






I confirmed this when I was talking to a dad who was also playing on the beach with his kids. They were on the Disney ship. We've always wanted to try a Disney cruise but its so hard to justify the extra cost. This was his first cruise and he said that so far though he was pretty dissapointed in it. He said he felt it was alot more money for much of the same as you get with other lines.

 

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After a couple of hours of fun and play it was nearly time to head back to the ship. About ten minutes to 2 we walked over to where we would meet Godfrey and found his truck waiting for us. Infact everyone in our group who stayed at the beach was back at the truck a few minutes before 2. We were on a time crunch to get back to the ship by 2:30. But we didn't leave at 2 like we should have. Remember I mentioned earlier that Godfrey was also taking another tours group back to the ship? Well they decided to take there time and finally showed up at 2:10. Could we make it to the other side of the island in 20 minutes? This would be the closest we would ever cut it. But Godfrey assured us that we had time.






The truck sped away from the beach and we started our climb back up the mountain to cross back to the other side of the island. After spending many days at Universal Orlando who would have thought that this drive would be our most intense ride of the trip. It was like a live version of the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland as we flew around corners, bounced up and down hills, and speed down streets. I though once we got back to the city that we would take that main road back to the ships. But Godfrey knew a shortcut so off speeding thru some neighborhoods we went. Driving thru actual neighborhoods is something I don't think you normally see on these tours but it was kinda neat to see how some of the islanders live.









We were close. We were almost right in front of the Disney ship when we tried getting back on the road to get to the port. This small distance seemed to take almost as long as the drive from the other side of the island did. There was so much traffic with many people trying to get back to the ships. We heard a horn from one of the ships blow and we thought that was it. It must be 2:30. Were we officially late now.






We eventually pushed thru and made it back to where the enterance to our ship was located. When we got out of the truck I pulled my phone out of the bag and found that we actually made it in time. It was 2:25. We made it with 5 minutes to spare. Not that it would really matter though as there was a huge line of people waiting to get thru the security check so even if we did arrive a little after 2:30 we would have had this long line to wait in. I don't know why the ships horn blew. But we ended up not being late after all.







We had a great time in St. Thomas today. It once again was not only our favorite stop on this cruise but still remains our favorite port of any of our cruises. Godfrey tours was great. He was very knowladgable, got us back to the ship on time, provided a great tour of the island, still got us 2 hours at the beach, and had free drinks to boot. And he had the cheapest rates out of any of the tours on the island. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a tour of the island and a beach day. For how great he was we tipped him an extra $10 after the tour for the great time he gave us on the island. We also loved Magen's Bay and it is one of our favorite beaches that we have been to. I wouldn't hisitate to go there again in the future. I look forward to the day where we will once again visit St. Thomas.

As you can imagine when we got back on the ship we were pretty hungry. So after dropping our stuff back off into our cabin we made our way up to the Lido buffet to eat and to watch the sail away from St. Thomas. Today we decided to try the Tandoor Indian food located at the very back of the ship. We made it right before they closed for the afternoon so we loaded up our plates and then found a place to eat inside. I thought some of the food was really good but some of it was just so so. While eating though I noticed that the ship was in motion and we were starting to sail away. So I went out real quick to watch us turn around.

 

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We had already pulled away from the dock when I got outside and were almost right next to the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas. This was the ship that had arrived later in the day and wasn't here earlier in the morning. This was the first time I had seen this ship in person but my parents sailed on it a couple years ago.








It always amazes me how well such a large cruise ship can menouvior. The ship pulled out from between the 2 other ships and completly turned around in the harbor. The views of St. Thomas were great as you could see the city on the shores of the harbor. The mountains of the island were beautiful towering over the city. The St. Thomas harbor might be the most recognizable and photographed places in the whole caribbean.







With the ship turned around and heading out to sea I decided to grab a turkey wrap from the deli as I really didn't eat all that much from Tandoor. I returned to Kiera and Daniel who had finished most of there lunch already. So as I sat down they then went outside to watch sail away as well.











When I finished with my lunch I went out back again and joined Daniel and Kiera. We were now pretty far out from the island and well on our way to our next destination. After watching the island drift away we returned to our cabin to get ready for the evening.

 

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Tonight would be the ships 2nd Elegant night so we spent the next few hours in the cabin getting ready for the evening and just relaxing from our busy day. Soon enough though it was finally time for dinner so once we were dressed nice again we made our way to the dining room. We got there a bit early so we had a short wait until the doors were opened and we were allowed in.





We got to our table and our not only was our dinning staff waiting for us but many other waiters as well. So many people fell in love with Daniel and each night we had nearly a dozen Waiters or Waitresses that would come by to say hello and give him bread.





Tonight for my starters I went with the Seafood Plater and my regular Ceasar Salad. Kiera stated out with the Cream of Broccoli Soup.




For dinner we both went with the Chateaubriand which again was very delicious. Daniel once again got Chicken Nuggets for his dinner tonight.



The dinning staff once again put on a show for us this night. I think it might have been the dance to apple bottom jeans but I can't remember for sure. Daniel really enjoyed it though and danced along with the upbeat music.





For Dessert I decided to get the Baked Alaska while Kiera got some Butter Pecan Ice Cream to share with Daniel.



After our delecious dinner we decided to do what we did the previous elegant night. We figured we would get some more photos done with so many photo locations set up. The first Elegant night we only did the Photo locations located along the Promenade. Tonight we headed to the Atrium first to try out the locations there.






We forgot that today was September 11th and to commedorate this day the Ship had a huge American Flag hanging in the Atrium. A great way to pay tribute to those who lost there lives that day 12 years ago. If only America could stand United again like we did after that tragidy.

 

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We got a lot of photos taken around the Atrium including on the balcony and then we headed back up to the pominade. We took a look around the shops again and then figured we would see if there were any other photos spots that we would want our photos at before heading back to the cabin.






Of course that would mean passing thru the Casino which we tried to avoid as much as possible as we don't like Daniel being around that much Cigarette smoke. So we went outside to bypass the Casino. It was a cool night and we were practically the only ones outside on the Promenade. Daniel saw the Large Chess set and ran strait to it. He loved moving around the peaces. Then his focus turned to only the Knight peices as he moved one after another. It must have been the horse's lol. We continued down the Prominade and then went back inside the ship at the Oceans Plaza.







Back inside we did stop at a couple photo spots that we went to earlier in the cruise that we liked to see if we could get some better photos there. Its was still sad to me every time we walked past the former Sushi Bar area and saw it sitting empty. I really wish that they still used it instead of just sitting there. I never was able to find Sushi anywhere on this cruise. I heard it was in the Lido buffet during Dinner time but the times we looked I was never able to find it.






After we were done with photos we made our way back down to our cabin but we needed to do one more traditional photo. Our Elegant night Dip Kiss. We set the camera on one of the stair banisters and then tried the photo. It was perfect. Well except for the people who rounded the corner right as the photo took.



Of course by this time our room had been turned down and we had another towel animal waiting for us. There wasn't any show tonight that interested us and nothing in the Comedy Club so it was a pretty easy going evening. We were done with our Elegant wear so we changed out of it back into our normal clothes before going up for Ice Cream one more time for the night. Not knowing though if we would end up buying any of the photos we took tonight and not taking any of our own photos the first elegant night I once again proped up the camera and took our own family elegant photos. With our amazing cabin in the background lol.





We put Daniel in his pajamas and then went back up to the Lido deck to get some ice cream. With the Ice Cream in hand we went out to the Seaside theater to see if any movies were playing and tonight they had the movie "Big Miracle" up on the big screen. The movie was about half way thru so we sat down and watched the rest of it. I can't remember if we got some popcorn again or not but I did go and get myself some Pizza as Midnight Pizza was a former tradition of mine. Plus I wanted to give the new Pizza a second chance since I wasn't a fan the first time I tried it. And nothing had changed. I still didn't like it.




When the movie was over we headed back down to our Cabin and retired for the night. We would be in our 4th and final port of Grand Turk tomorrow. Although we wouldn't be getting in until the afternoon so we looked forward to hopefully sleeping in tomorrow. I guess we will see if thats something Daniel would allow or not.

 

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Day 9: Grand Turk

The morning of a new day was upon us. And once again Daniel wouldn't let us sleep in any later then 9am. Which was fine as today was our final port day of the vacation. Today at 1pm we would be arriving in the Grand Turk. A new port that we've never visited before and were excited to see. Although we really didn't have any plans other then going to the beach again.



Since we were still a few hours away from our arrival though we got ready for the day and then went up to the Lido deck to grab a late breakfast right before it was put away. I think I made myself a breakfast sandwich again this day while Daniel just continued to enjoy his morning Fruit Loops.



After breakfast we still had a couple hours until we would be in Grand Turk. So we decided that we would take Daniel up to Camp Carnival to see if we could go in there and play with him and some toys that were different then the ones we had brought with us. At the time of this trip Daniel was less then 2 weeks away from turning 2 years old. Which as many of you know is the age limit for Camp Carnival. We were aware of this too however we had all sorts of information regarding the 2 and up Camp Carnival group left in our room so we assumed that perhaps they would allow him to go in since he was so close to turning 2.

We got up to Camp Carnival which is located directly above the Lido buffet on Deck 11. We went to the 2 and up group area and asked if we could Take Daniel in. Now we didn't plan on leaving him alone. We wanted to go in and play with him. Even if it was just us playing a corner with some toys. The Crew Member working the desk asked us how old he was and I told her that he would be turning 2 next week. She then replyed that he was not allowed to go in because he was not 2 and that he could come back only when the under 2 kids can play which is at like 8 in the morning and while we were in port.

Obviously we were pretty dissapointed that Daniel couldn't go in there. I'm sure theres certain liablities and what not with why they need to be two. But we were gonna stay in there with him. Other parents were in there with there kids but just because he wasn't physically 2 years old yet he was denied. And he wasn't happy about it ether seeing the toys and the fun play things and then not being allowed to touch them. We just thought it was stupid that we get all the info for the 2 year old group left in our cabin only to be turned away the one time we ever inquired about it.

We never did go back and try Camp Carnival during the times he would be allowed. Instead we went back down to our cabin where we would have our own Camp Carnival time with Daniel as we got out all his toys and books and played with him inside our cabin.





As he was playing Kiera ended up falling asleep for a nap in the window area while I watched a movie on tv. In nearly no time at all Daniel had our whole cabin pretty much ripped apart. Kiera said that this must be what happens when Dad is left to watch him lol.





It wasn't long now until land could be seen outside our window instead of just Ocean. We were finally pulling into our 4th and final port of Grand Turk. We never left the cabin though to watch our arrival to the Island. We just watched from our window in the Cabin. We passed what looked like a ship wreck of some sort and then eventually we saw the Cruise terminal, dock and beaches in the distance as the ship started to dock for the day. I mentioned that our plan today was to just go and play on the beach again. But as we were docking we noticed that there were some dark clouds in the area. So fearing that it might rain on us while in port we decided to get off the ship without our swim gear to see the port area and anything that it had to offer.







The call soon came over that we were cleared to leave the ship so we packed up the stroller and headed down the hall to get to deck 0 and exit the ship. Getting off the ship had been a breeze in all of our other ports as we didn't try getting off right when we docked. Today was different though as we were meet with major crowds as the entire ship seemed to try to get off at one time. And you would think that some people might be more kind or helpful to you if you have a toddler in a Stroller. But no they weren't. They were still pushing and shoving and cutting us off to try to get off the ship sooner. They would accidentally hit the stroller then look at us like it was our fault. It was rediculous. I can only imagine what Daniel was thinking.

We did eventually make it off the ship though and made our way down the dock towards the cruise terminal area. As we walked down the Dock though a few things stood out to us. First was how beautiful the water was. It was so gorgous and clear. Then we noticed the beaches and they too looked incredible. The water was so clear that you could even see some fish swimming. Of all the Caribbean Islands we have been to Grand Turk has to rank as one of the tops for prettiest Water.









Grand Turk seems to be set up similar to other places in the Caribbean like Costa Maya or Mahagony Bay as in there really isn't alot there so the Cruise Lines built these Cruise centers to keep guests entertained on the island. After walking thru a large shop we were in the center of the large cruise terminal which seems to be a bit a ways from any city or other places on the island.






It was clear now that the dark clouds we were worried about had moved away from the lsland and rain was not longer a fear so since we were in the shopping area already we decided to look around and explore. As with other cruise terminals you will find the same array of shops and bars that you see on every island. The exception though that the Grand Turk has though that none of the others do is there small NASA exhibit.

 

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I was excited to see the NASA exhibit but honestly I thought it was gonna be bigger or more to it then there was. The exhibit Commemorates the Mercury Space Program and really focuses on the Friendship 7 which splashed down just of the coast of the Grand Turk in 1962. There are some scale models of the Rocket and Capsule as well as one of the astrounauts from the program. But other then that its a bunch of boards set up that focus on the Friendship 7 and Mercury missions but also touch briefly on the NASA space programs history and future.





The exhibit is small and theres not a whole lot to it. It won't take long for you to see it all unless you want to take your time and read every detail on the boards. But its something that is kinda cool to see and learn about. Just don't expect a whole lot from it. Next to it there is also a small NASA themed store that sells NASA gear and shirts that commerate the Friendship 7 Splashdown. They also had some patches and I think Astronaut food pouches but most of the stuff in there was pretty expensive.






Many of the shops in the cruise center were the same that you will find in every port of the Caribbean. So don't expect to find any of the knockoff type items like purses and sunglasses. But what we did find was very good pricing on that stuff you typically see in every port. In one shop we were able to find Tee Shirts for only $5 a piece. And these were good looking shirts too. Not just your tacky ugly shirts. Kiera also found her mom some jewelry for a very reasonable price. Of the 4 ports we visited I would have to say the Grand Turk had the best prices for these things.







After finishing our shopping we continued to make our way around the Cruise center looking at the different places there. The big popular place though had to be Margarittaville. These dot the Caribbean and can also be found back in the states too. But I thought I read that the one here in the Grand Turk was the worlds largest location or something. I don't know if thats true or not though as the one at City Walk at Universal Orlando Resort seemed much larger. Maybe it was refering to the Pool which I agree is likely the largest Margarittaville pool i've ever seen.








Although the pool is attached to Margarittaville and I think even has a swim up bar it is actually free to use to anyone visiting the Cruise Center. The pool was plenty large and even had a shallow area for young kids and Toddlers to play too. If you wanted to spend some money though they had private cabanas that you could rent for the day that surrounded the pool area. I don't know how much it would be to rent one though. The pool did look pretty nice but we never did get in it. I mean theres a beach and ocean like a hundred yards away.





Also part of the pool area was a Flowrider system. At the Flowrider you can simulate Surfing or Boggieboarding. Royal Caribbean even puts the system on there larger ships. This is something i've always wanted to do so I was curious about the price. I asked the desk and they told me it was $55 for 30 minutes. That seemed way high for so needless to say I never ended up doing it. I later found out though that you can book it thru the ship for about $30 if your interested.



Just past Margarittaville before you get to the beach is a Craft Market. We thought that maybe this would have some local type items so we stopped to look around. First of all it was a mistake to do with the stroller as it sits on the actual sandy beach so we had to carry the stroller thru it. The 2nd thing though is there really isn't anything special here. The place was actually empty other then a few small booths that were set up selling the exact same things.

 

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Once we finished touring the entire Cruise Center we decided that we were getting hungry so we were gonna go back to the ship to get some lunch. After a quick stop in that first big shop you walk to to get to and from the ship to buy our Post Card we were back on the dock and heading back to the ship.




This could possibly our last chance to get a family photo with the ship so we asked a guy taking photos of the water and beach areas if he would take them and he was kind enough to do so. He then offered to take a photo of us with the Grand Turk sign too which was awesome. And the pictures turned out great. No cut off ship or anything which tends to happen so often when asking others to take our photo.




We strolled slowly along the dock once again admiring the beautiful and clear water along the way. Daniel really enjoyed watching the fish that he could see in the water.








Once we were back on the ship we went strait up to the Lido Buffet stroller and all as we were starving. I can't remember for sure what Kiera got for lunch today but I hit up the grill again getting a Hamburger and a Hotdog. The burger was decent but I was honestly dissapointed in the Hotdog. Still it was enough to fill us up and get us thru the rest of the afternoon and early evening.

After lunch we walked out onto the deck to take some photos of the island high up. This was the first we saw the island higher then our cabin window on Deck 1 and there was nothing special about it. The island is small and flat. We could see to the other side of it with ease. And its not pretty ether. It ranks near the top for water and beach beauty for us. But for overall island beauty it would rank near the bottom of our list.








There really didn't seem like there would be much to do outside the Cruise Center. We saw plenty of people playing and relaxing on the beaches and also margarittaville. There were also plenty of other water sport activities going on such as jet ski's and parasailing but other then an ATV type tour we could see just outside the cruise center I don't imagine there being much more to do and see on the island. I know that there are island tours offered but there didn't seem to be much of an island to see to us.







Once we were finished taking in the lack of views of the island we returned to our cabin so that we could get ready and leave the ship once again since we still had a few hours left in the Grand Turk. We changed into our Swimwear and got all sunscreened up and then once again made our way to the gangway to exit the ship for a 2nd time today.



Heading to the beach was our original plan for the Grand Turk but with a chance of rain we didn't do it earlier in the day. Now that the sky's cleared up we made our way over to the beach to play in the beautiful water. When entering the Cruise Center most people headed to the beach to the left which is directly across from the ship and Margarittaville. With how packed that beach was though we decided to go to the beach on the right where it was much less crowded.

 

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When we got to the beach we found some lounge chairs to sit our stuff on and park the stroller and then we made our way down to the water. The first step on the beach barefoot was suprising to us as the sand was so incredibly soft. This was easily the softest sand we have ever walked on before.







Danny basically ran right into the water once he saw it as he loved playing in the water. The water was just as pretty up close as it was from a far but as we started to swim in it I found something I didn't like. There was Seaweed. And lots of it. I really don't like the feel of seaweed so I never swam out further then where it was at. It was far enough out though that it wasn't a bother to Daniel.







Kiera spent a lot of time in the water looking for sea shells and Sea Glass. She spent almost the whole time we were on the beach looking and actually found quite a bit of both. The sea glass is pretty cool. She found mostly green ones but did come across a Couple Blue ones as well.







If he wasn't playing in the water he was playing in the sand. I'd have to say Daniels first times actually playing on beaches were a success as he loved every minute of it. He loved splashing in the water and even having the waves come by and knock him over. He also loved to run on the sand and sit and play and dig. He was really sad when it would be time for us to leave the beach as these beaches were his favorite part of this trip.






Although the rest of the Island was a bust we really did enjoy our time on the beach. We loved spending time in the warm water and seeing the excitement on Daniels face as he played on the beach. The Beach here is beautful and one of our favorite Caribbean Beaches. However I don't think the beach alone is enough to make us want to come back to the Grand Turk. I can easily say though that the Beach is my recommendation as the must do thing in the Grand Turk. I still can't get over how soft the sand was.

 

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When we packed up and left the beach we were within an hour of when we needed to be back on the ship. The beaches and Cruise Center were now pretty much a ghost town as many people had already head back to the ship. Especially those who had early dinning as it was already past 6pm.






Before heading back to the ship though I wanted to go to the beach on the other side of the dock thats directly in front of the ship. That beach was now pretty empty. Kiera and Daniel stayed back as it was just too hard to push the stroller on the sand and I was just taking photos anyways. Although we never got in the water or played on the beach over here I thought it was so cool that ship was so close to the beach. It would make for a great backdrop and its not often that you get to swim litterally that close to the ship. And had a 2nd ship been docked as well it would have been even closer.






For the 2nd time today we made the walk back down the pier to reboard the ship. This would be our last look at the Dream as a whole until we were back in Port Canaveral debarking the ship. We took our time walking along the dock as we tried to savor what little time we had left in our last port. It was the sad reminder that in less then 48 hours the cruise would be over.










When we got back on the ship we went strait to our room to change and get ready for the evening activities. After playing in the sand for a couple hours Daniel had sand in places you wouldn't think would get sand lol. Once again we were so thankful we upgraded to the Deluxe Oceanview Cabin not just because of the window but because of the extra Bathtub. It was much easier cleaning him in the bathtub after a beach day then it would have been in the shower.



It was almost dark outside when the Dream started to move and set sail. The Grand Turk was another sailaway that we would miss as we were still getting ready for the evening. I watched what I could from our cabin window but with it being dark outside you couldn't really see much. It was official now that we had set sail again. We were on our way back to Florida to end our cruise.



Once we were finished getting ready we left the cabin for another night of activities around the ship. Tonight the Punchliner Comedy Club would be returning so thats where we would be going first. The Family friendly show would be starting again at 7:30pm and would feature Merl Hobbs tonight as the Comedian.



We got to the Comedy Club tonight earlier then we did any of the other days so we were able to get pretty decent seats for the show. On past cruises we have had on board credit so we would typically order a Non-Alcoholic drink during the Comedy Shows. But up this point we still hadn't ordered anything. That changed tonight when I ordered a Virgin Strawberry Daquari to share between us. It was as delecious as I remembered it being and hit the spot.

 

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The Comedian Merl Hobbs who performed tonight was pretty good. We laughed pretty much the whole time and didn't fill guilty about it haha. Its been so long now that I don't recall exactly what his set was about but it was good.



When the Punchliner show was over it was almost time for dinner so we made our way to the dinning room. We had a short wait tonight before the doors were opened but we were soon let in and found many waiters and waitresses standing around our table waiting to great us and more so Daniel as they just fell in love with him.

For our Starters tonight I would end up going with my usual Caesar Salad as well as the Fried Shrimp and the Smoked Duck with Carmalized Oranges. Kiera got the Chilled Peach Cream Soup.





We got Daniel a Pizza tonight for Dinner which he really liked. And just him but I liked it too. It was the old pizza that they use to serve up on the Lido deck. Having tried it tonight it confirmed to me that I prefered the old pizza much more then the new thin crust style.





For our main dishes tonight Kiera went with the Beef Stroganoff and I kept it simple and just got the Flat Iron Steak.




Once again tonight at Dinner Daniel started to fall asleep. But it was pretty funny tonight as he literally was falling asleep while he was eating. He would take bites of pizza and then would doze off with it still hanging from his mouth. It was really funny to watch him as even though he was so tired and falling asleep he still kept eating. He woke up more though when our waiter brought over a robot looking thing that he made our of a childrens menu.





I'm not sure what the Wait staff who was tonight but it involved dancing and getting the guests involved. Our waiter asked if he could hold and dance with Daniel and we said sure. Daniel is usually pretty reserved and doesn't like to be held if he doesn't know the person well but he was happy to have Danilo hold him and Dance. It was pretty fun to watch and he even gave our waiter a hug. He really liked him and almost seemed like there was a long term bond between them.







For dessert tonight I got the Bitter and Blanc and Kiera got the Coconut Cake and we got Daniel some Butter pecan Ice Cream again.




With our stomachs full from dinner we said goodbye to our wait staff and then returned to our cabin shortly to prepair for the rest of the evening. Of course the room had been turned down for the night and we had a towel swan and our fun times for the next day waiting for us.



We wouldn't be in the room for long though as we headed back up to the Lido Deck for the party. Tonight would be the Blue Iguana Mexican Fiesta Deck Party. If you recall earlier in the week we caught the last part of the Red Frog Deck Party and saw so many people with fun trinkets that were handed out that we wanted to try and get some tonight. When we got up to the Lido deck though we were early as there really wasn't anyone out yet although the deck had been cleared for the party. So we got some Ice Cream to kill the time.

 

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As the time drew near for the fiesta to begin more and more people showed up on deck. Finally though the Cruise Director and his staff showed up with all of the stuff to hand out and get the party started. This was the only time on the cruise where I couldn't believe how rude and incosiderate other guests could be. We had been up there waiting longer then anyone else. Yet once they started handing out free stuff people were pushing and shoving us out of the way to get to the stuff. It didn't matter that we had a Toddler with us. Or if he got hurt in there mad rush. They just wanted there free stuff and they didn't care what they had to do to get it. It was rediculous. So needless to say other then some Glow sticks and a wistle we didn't get anything.





But there are some decent people still out there. After seeing us try to get something for Daniel and being shoved out of the way by other adults there was a lady who walked up to us and asked if we wanted her inflatable piniata that was handed to her before the party started. When Daniel saw the piniata his eyes lit up and he was so excited for it. I don't know who this lady was but thank you for making his night after serious frustration.




The music soon cranked up and the dancing started. Kiera and Daniel got in on the dancing but not me. I'm more of a stand to the side of the dance floor type person so I just took pictures while they did there thing. We then went up a deck higher to watch the party from above and get away from the crowd for a bit.








The Cruise staff soon started a Congo line and we decided to join in when it came past where we were on deck 11. We walked along all around the deck as part of the line and then Daniel thought it was funny to walk thru the tunnel of people at the end of the line.






After the Congo line was over though we called it quites with the party. We went inside to get some more Ice Cream and then we remembered that tonight would also be the Midnight Mexican Buffet. They were still setting up for the buffet so we looked around and the decor and what foods would be offered. This replaced the old Grand Gala Buffet a few years back. Theres nowhere near as much amazing work and decore done as there was for the gala buffet but there still some great work done with the Ice Sculpture and watermelons.






It wouldn't be long until the Buffet would open so we just sat around the area until it opened and we could get some late night snacks to take back to the cabin. A line was soon forming though for the buffet to open so we jumped in line to minimize our wait. The Buffet soon opened early though and before long we had our food and snacks and made our way back the cabin using the elevator one of the few times on this trip as I had a plates full of food that I didn't want to drop on the stairs.






In the cabin we munched on our snacks before retiring to bed for the night. We fell asleep quickly as after 3 days of ports in a row we were pretty exhausted. We only had one more day left on the Carnival Dream. And it would be our final full day at sea.

 

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Day 10: Second Full Day at Sea

When we awoke from our sleep this morning we were faced with what would be our final full day of our cruise. In 24 hours we would be back in Florida debarking the ship. And just like our previous cruise on the Dream there seemed to be so much packed in to this final day at sea.



With a busy day ahead of us we quickly got ready to swim and lay in the sun and then went up to the Lido deck and grabbed some breakfast. It wasn't any later in the morning now then it was on our first Sea day back on Monday but the deck seemed to be much more packed. We couldn't find any empty lounge chairs anywhere. Especially around the Toddler area where we liked to spend time with Daniel. Since we couldn't find any chairs we settled for the round wood thing that people lay out and relax on thats located next to the Toddler area.




You couldn't hold Daniel back from running to the play area. He did really good today as he did better at remembering and following the rules. Today though he learned that going down the slide head first is a lot of fun too and continued to do that most of the day. Although I mentioned that the decks seemed more packed now then earlier in the week the toddler play area wasn't any more packed then normal.









I couldn't resist going on the slides one last time before our cruise ended so while Kiera watched Daniel I went and did a slide marathon again just like on the last cruise. As it neared lunch time again the wait for the slides became next to nothing so it was pretty easy to do them over and over again. I also went up to the Serenity Deck and relaxed in one of the Hot Tubs for a little bit.






When I was done with the slides Kiera and Daniel were laying down on the wood thing. That didn't last long though as once Daniel saw that I was back he was up and ready to go play on the toddler slides again.






As Daniel was playing they announced that they were about to start the Ice Carving demonstration around the main pool. So I walked over to the bannester and watched from a couple decks above. They mentioned that the Ice Carver on the Dream recently won a contest between all the Carnival Ice Carvers giving him the title of the best carver in the fleet. It was pretty amazing to watch him at work as he turned that block of ice into a beautiful indian sculpture in under 15 minutes. He made the work look so easy.

 

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Once the Ice Carving was over we decided to call it quits with our time in the sun as we still had many more things we wanted to do today so we needed to go get ready for the day. First though we stopped into the lido Buffet for our final Lunch of the cruise where I once again tried the Burrito Bar. If you recall from our first experiance with the Burrito Bar we thought it was really good. However I am a pickey eater and only liked the meat and rice in my burritos and needless to say that makes them pretty small. Well today when I passed on all the veggies and beans the Crew Member making them gave me extra meat so I thought that was great of him to do. Today was also the Chocolate Buffet so we also loaded up on many different Chocolate goodies.




Back in the cabin we showered and got ready for the day. But after Daniels bath and while Kiera finished getting ready he fell asleep to take a nap. Normally we would just let him be but with such a packed day we took him out with us and just hoped he would stay asleep. Kiera finally finished getting ready and we ran out the cabin to go to the Encore Theater for our next activity. The Marriage Show.



This is a show that has taken place on each cruise we have been on. Most ships have called it the Marriage show but its also known as the Newlywed game. The show is very funny and something we strive not to miss on each cruise. Although the questions and even some answers have been repetitive on each cruise its something that hasn't gotten old to us. We arrived to the theater late and found some seating on the third level of the theater right as they were picking the contestants for the game. Dispite the theater being pretty loud Daniel actually stayed asleep for the majority of the show, waking up right before it was over. The show was alot of fun as usual and in our opinion is not to be missed.





Right after the Marriage show finished would be our next planned activity which would also be taking place in the Encore theater. That would be 5 game Bingo. We moved to the main level of the theater and while Kiera found us a place to sit I got in line to get us our Bingo Card. After waiting in the line that seemed to take forever I got our one Bingo Card. I also got us 2 of the lottery ticket things.





Bingo is something we have done on each of our cruises but we have never actually won. We hoped that Daniel would be our good luck charm though for it on this cruise. We also learned after our 2nd cruise that it wasn't worth it to play 1/2 price Bingo. We use to buy 2 cards for 1/2 price bingo but soon realized that they only play one game during 1/2 price. So we now watch for when they do 5 or more games and only buy 1 card as our chances of winning are higher that way. This was the only time on the cruise that I saw more then 5 games though.




We pulled apart the Lottery tickets before the Bingo games started but we unfortunatly didn't win anything with those. As Bingo started we got very close to winning on the first game but ended up being one number away. This would repeat for 3 of the 5 games where we got so close but never actually won. So yet again another cruise where we didn't win anything with Bingo. Oh well it was still fun to do.





After losing at Bingo we made our way to the Dreams Atrium and then up to the Fun Shops to do some shopping. Since our bags had to be packed up tonight this was our last chance to buy anything we wanted aboard the ship. We looked thru the shops but all we ended up with were our traditional postcard and Christmas ornament. We also looked thru the photos that we took the previous Elegant night again to see if there were any we liked. Dispite myself not having a tie on we actually found some we liked and intended to purchase them. That was until we saw the price though and decided we would rather put that money towards a full photo shoot when we get home.




Before heading back to our cabin after our purchases we decided to go outside and walk around the Promanade one last time before our cruise ended. We hadn't walked around the front of the ship yet so thats the way we went and found it to be very windy at the front of the ship. As we looked out into the ocean we still couldn't belive how flat and glassy the ocean looked as it was like it wasn't moving at all. It was surreal and we had never seen the ocean look that calm in all of our cruises.

 

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Back inside the ship we now made our way back down to Deck 1 and eventually down the never ending hallway to our cabin. It was time for what we least looked forward to. It was time to get packed up.




There turned out to be a Kids show on the TV today while we packed so that helped to keep Daniel occupied. We pulled out all of the bags and then started the long process of getting everything organized and packed up. The bags had to be outside our door by I believe 8:30pm and since we still had some things we wanted to do in the early evening we needed to have the bags out there sooner then that. Packing up is never fun as its a long process. But even worse is that it means the cruise really is coming to an end in the morning. While packing we came across the adult life vests and tried one on Daniel. He really didn't seem to like it though. Soon enough though the bags were packed and outside the door and we would continue on with our final day aboard the Carnival Dream.





Next up on the to do list was go back to the Atrium to watch the Fun Force Breakdancing crew. As mentioned earlier in this recap these guys are pretty amazing dancers. They stole the show in the Welcome Aboard Show and were what made Dancing in the Streets such an amazing show. So when I saw they were doing one last show It was something I didn't want to miss. We got to the Atrium right before the show was scheduled to start and the crew was there getting warmed up for the show. As the time came to start though it quickly left as the crew wasn't ready to start yet. Eventually the show started about 15 minutes later then it was suppose to. Which sucked for us as we would end up missing most the show as we had to get to the Comedy Club. Still what we did see was pretty cool and fun to see. These guys are very good at what they do and pretty entertaining.












We didn't want to leave the Fun Force show early. But we didn't have a choice since it started late and we really wanted to make it to the final PG Comedy show of the cruise. We decided that the Comedy was the higher priority so off we went. We made it to the Lounge right as the show was starting and found our seats for tonights show. Tonight the Comedian was Thomas Brown. And I think he is the only one who we have seen before on a previous cruise. His show was great tonight just as with the other comedians and we were happy to have seen him. Over the course of this cruise we have come to really enjoy these PG family friendly shows and honestly in the future wether travling with kids or not we may try to make it the PG shows instead of the R rated shows. I honestly though the PG were better.






After the show we still had some time to kill before dinner so we made our way to the oceans plaza so that we could try what was ever at the Taist Bar one last time. Tonight it was an enchilada soup and some other mexican type snack. Both were actually pretty good. We went out again on the Promenade to eat our the snacks and Kiera soaked her feet in one of the hot tubs. This would be her only time in the Hot Tub on this trip. We then made our way one final time to the Scarlett restaurant for our final dinner of the cruise.

 

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As we sat down for dinner our wait staff was there waiting as they had been each and every night of the cruise. You could feel the sadness in the air though as we begun our last dinner of the cruise. In the short time we had been sitting down many different waiters and waitresses had made there way over to see Daniel one last time and say there goodbyes to him. They adored that little boy.





For our final starters I went with my usual Caesar Salad and I believe a Chicken Alfrado pasta. Kiera went with the Grilled Portabella Mushroom and Lettuce as well as the Mango Cream soup. We didn't order off the Kids menu tonight for Daniel. Instead we got him the Bacon Mac and Cheese off the adults menu that was actually pretty good.





As far as Main dishes go I had to have my favorite meal on the Carnival Ships once more so I got the Prime Rib once again. Kiera changed it up though and got the Mahi Mahi.



The wait staff then performaned for us as they sang us there goodbyes. It was sad for us to think it was over after tonight. Our dinning staff were really great on this cruise. We connected with them unlike any other before and its like they knew Daniel on a personal level. We will never forget the experiance we had on this cruise with this staff. It really was sad to hear them sing there goodbyes.





We had our last desserts of the cruise which we kept simple and got the Chocolate Melting Cake once more. Then it was time to really say our goodbyes to our waitstaff. We got a final picture and then said our goodbyes to this amazing staff. It was sad as Danilo gave Daniel a big hug and many of the staff members had tears in there eyes. This was a testimat to me of how much these people enjoy what there doing and the special bonds they make with some of there guests. Never before this cruise did I think a 23 month your old little boy would touch the hearts of those serving us. This truely was the hardest goodbye we've ever had on a cruise.



After dinner we returned to our room where believe it or not we would end up spending what remained of the evening. The room now felt so empty with everything packed up and gone with only what we needed for the next day remaining. Daniel enjoyed playing in the now empty closets though and especially got a kick out of the toddler life vest that he came across. He liked it much more then the adult one we tried on him earlier anyways. One plus though was that we did have a Towel heart on our bed. On our past 2 cruises we did not recieve any towel animal of any sort on the final night of the cruise so that was a welcomed surprise.







Soon enough we were in bed and ready for sleep. We would have to be up early tomorrow morning to be out of the cabin early and await our time to get off the ship. Our cruise was quickly coming to and end.

 

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Day 11: Debarkation

We awoke early to one of the days we had been dreading most. Our cruise was over today. When we had woke up for the day we were already back in Port Canaveral and docked. We had to be out of the cabin today by 8:30am and then we would be waiting for our zone to be called to Debark the ship. Our zone was 32 which is one of the last so we tried to delay our time in the cabin as much as possible. Daniel enjoyed watching all the trucks and tractors work on the dock below while Kiera and I finished getting ready and the last of our stuff together. Its amazing how dirty our cabin window got over the course of the cruise.




8:30am soon arrived and thats exactly when we vacated our room to wait for our zone to be called. We thought this would go pretty quickly as when we left the room the Self Disembark passingers and the first few zones had already been called. We hoped to be off the ship pretty quickly so that we could grab some lunch and also visit Coco Beach. I mean we have sailed out of Port Canaveral now 3 times and have never stepped foot on Coco Beach.



There are few places around the ship that you can wait for your zone to be called. One of which is the Lido deck and buffet which is fine because they will still be serving breakfast while you wait. However when we got up there all of the stations were closing down but one as they prepaired the stations for the lunch buffet for the passingers boarding the ship this day. After getting our food it was kinda hard finding a place to sit though as many people will eat and then just stay sitting where they are at until there zone was called. We eventually found a spot outside though next to the sea side theater.

After eating and now waiting what would seem like an eternity for our zone to be called I decided to go up to Deck 12 and take some photos of the surrounding areas since I really didn't do much of that before we sailed away. Once again the Disney Fantasy was in port with us but so was the Carnival Ecstacy. This was the most ships I had ever seen in Port Canaveral at one time. Once again the Dream had docked in the same area that we embarked from.








The last couple times we sailed back into Port Canaveral it was pretty hazy and visibility of the surrounding areas pretty limited. That was not the case today though as it was very clear and you could see the NASA facilities off in the distance.









As I finished taking photos I returned to the Lido Deck to the pool area where Daniel and Kiera were at. I walked past the Blue Iguana bar and just like I did with the Red Frog bar earlier in the trip I had to check out the signs as there were even more ports listed that we have visited in the past. Speaking of the Red Frog bar it was completly closed off with some quick referbishing going on to have it up and ready for the next passingers.







I returned to Kiera where we waited and waited and waited. I imagine that our really late debark group was because we wouldn't be leaving home for another 2 days after the cruise. I guess thats why the cruise line asks for your flight information. We took the time to look over our Sail and Sign account statement and the few things we actually purchased on the card checked out. Our info didn't even fill a half a page yet it amazed me how many people around us had pages, both front and back for there sail and sign statement. I couldn't imagine what the bills were on those cards.

We eventually moved inside to the Lido Buffet to wait. Daniel loved once again seeing the Disney Fantasy as he could recognize the Mickey Head anywhere he goes as we too are a Disney family. Our time in the Lido Buffet didn't last long though as although our zone hadn't been called yet, Carnival Staff came along and asked everyone to leave the restaurant and entire Lido deck as they had to prepare it for the next sailing. We were instructed to move to the Encore Theater to finish waiting.



After waiting for over 2 hours as we were making our way to the Atrium and Encore theater they finally called our zone to Debark the the ship. We would be getting off the ship later then I thought we would but we should still have time to go to Coco Beach. The line was actually short thru the Atrium to get off the ship and into the Cruise Terminal. I figured we would be off in no time as our previous experiances at the other dock in Port Canaveral have been great.




As we made our way thru the halls towards the baggage pickup there were no other people in sight. But things would soon take a turn for the worse. It started when we walked up to the elevator and one of the Cruise Terminal agents snapped at us. Kieras phone was sitting in the cup holder of the stroller. She wasn't on it, She wasn't holding it, It was just sitting there. The Agent saw this and litterally yelled at us "You Cannot be using a phone in the terminal. It needs to be put away Immidiatly". Ok we understand that but we were not on the phone Whatsoever. It was just sitting there. Then that same agent proceeded to bark at us when we started to get on the elevator because there were people in Wheelchairs coming too. The elevator was large. There was plenty of room for all of us and If you can't see the stroller we kind of need to use it as well.

Things got worse when the Elevator opened up into the warehouse type area where we would pick up our luggage as it was a complete madhouse in here. It was loud, there were people everywhere, and there really wasn't much organazation to it at all. It was a significantly worse set up then the other terminal in Port Canaveral. In the other terminal you went thru customs and then picked up your luggage on a turn table afterwards. Here though you picked up all your luggage first that was just sitting out in zones and then you waited in line to go thru customs with all your stuff. We found our bags and then got in what seemed to be the never ending line to go thru customs. In total from the time we walked off the ship until we were thru Customs it took over an hour. This was the worst Debarking process we have ever experianced. Which says alot as we have raved about how great the process was the 2 other times we debarked at the other terminal in Port Canaveral.

 

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We were now running much later then we anticipated. I even think Carnival realized how slow debarkation was going as I think they called all the remaining zones at once so they could start boarding the guests for the next cruise. And it wasn't over yet for us. We had to now make our way to the Rental Car Shuttle pick up area which was probably the furthest you could get from the terminal. There were of course many people waiting for the different shuttles but we were once again waiting for the Alamo shuttle to take us back to get a rental car. As the shuttle we needed was pulling up one of the port workers directed us where to line up for the shuttle. We were the 3rd people in line waiting when the shuttle pulled up and stopped. But as the Shuttles door opened a huge group of people came around the backside of the bus and tried to push there way on in front of those of us waiting in the line. Once again people were careless as we struggled trying to get on with a Toddler with all of our luggage all while I was also trying to fold up the stroller. Once again People are so rude and disrespectful that I couldn't believe nobody would see us struggling and wait for us to take care of our child and stuff before pushing us out of the way. We were able to get on the shuttle though although I was pretty much the last one on.



Thankfully after the eternity it took to be debarked from the Dream, the Madhouse it was to get thru customs, and the inconsiderate people we had to deal with at the Rental Car Shuttle this would be our last issues of the entire trip. After the short trip back to the Rental Car agency we unloaded the shuttle and retrieved our bags. While Kiera and Daniel waited outside with our bags I went inside and got the Rental Car. Although the rental was booked thru Alamo, this Alamo location opperates thru Enterprise so they just assigned me a car instead of being able to pick my own like at the larger airport locations. The agent then took me to retrieve our Car Seat that we kept there to be stored during our cruise and then she took us to the car. The car was a 2012 Cheverolet Malibu. It wasn't as nice as our Ford Fusion before our crusie but it would do.




The car had just been returned itself so they didn't have time to refill it so we were told to return the car empty as well as we would have to put gas in it anyways. We got the car loaded up, stopped and put some gas in it, and then we were on our way back to Orlando. With how long it took to get off the ship and to the Rental Car spot it was after noon now which was much later then I anticipated. So we decided against going into Coco Beach and instead hoped on the road to go to Orlando. The drive was pretty mellow. We though Daniel would fall asleep as he was still tired from waking up early but he never did. Don't forget to keep your quarters out as we would once again have the many toll booths to path thru to get back to Orlando.






After the short 45 minute drive we were in Orlando. We couldn't check into our hotel until after 3pm though so we decided to head back to Universal Orlando Resort to kill the time until we could go check in. First though we decided to grab a quick lunch from Wendy's since we were now pretty hungry again. We then made our way to the resort by going down Turkey Lake Road which took us to the backside of Islands of Adventure and right past the construction of Universals new Value Hotel called the Cabana Bay which will be opening up this spring. The hotel is massive and I look forward to possibly be staying here when we return in 2014.




We soon pulled into the parking garages where we sat and ate our lunch before going into the parks. Once we were done we made the walk that we have made many times on this trip. We made a stop though in the rotanda though before continuing to Citywalk. Kiera needed to use the restroom so while we waited I decided to ask the stroller station of they had a lost and found as I figured I would once again enquire about our left behind Butterbeer Mugs. They directed us to guest relations in Citywalk as thats where they send there Lost and Found items from the Garage.




In Citywalk though we found the guest relations area of Citywalk was closed behind construction walls. We were able to find an employee though who directed us to the temporary Guest relations booth. We once again inquired about the lost and found and were now directed to check with the Lost and Found desk inside Universal Studios Florida. Guest Relations in Citywalk only holds on to the Lost items from the parking garage for 2 days before sending them to the main location in the park.




Its a good thing thats the park we were planning on heading to first today anyways. We decided since we wouldn't be in the park too long today that we could try doing some of the things we hadn't done yet prior to the cruise like seeing characters and also the parade. At the parks enterance all of the Rock the Universe decore was down and Halloween Horror Nights decor had gone up. HHN was less then a week away from starting at this point and all it did was make me sad that we wouldn't get to experiance it again dispite being so close to it starting.




Inside the park we first made our way to Guest Services to again check the lost and found. However the Lost and Found isn't in the Guest Services area. Its at the Ticket center located across the plaza area. Finally we found where we needed to be but our little hopes of finding the mugs were soon gone as we were not only told they don't have them but they would have never recieved them anyways. Since the mugs weren't cleaned out once they were retrieved they would have been thrown away immediatly as do to health reasons they can't keep uncleaned cups in the lost and found. So learn from our mistakes and don't leave your butterbeer mugs behind.



Since we were on the hunt for charcters we walked into the Hollywood section of the park where you can find many of the Characters. However at this time of day were were only able to find Scooby Doo and Shaggy. The Simpsons RV was out but there were no Simpsons around.






At the end of the street the Sponge Bob street party was going on. They do these street party meet and greets many times thruout the day with the different Parade floats. Basically the bring the float out and the characters and have a little show and meet and greet afterwards. We decided to skip it though at this time. Where there was once a stage for Rock the Universe there was now an errey looking Barn set up for Halloween Horror Nights. This barn has something to do with The Walking Dead but i'm not sure what since I don't watch the show.





Since there weren't any characters out in Hollywood we decided to walk back to Despicable Me to see if any different Minions then the one we saw earlier in the trip were out today. As we made our way there we walked past the Transformers Meet and Greet area where Optimus Prime was out. I wanted to stop but they had already closed the line off as he was getting ready to go back inside.

 

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We were soon at Despicable Me where we made our way thru the exit shop to the Dance Floor where you can meet the Minions. Since the ride was in motion there really wasn't anyone in the dance party area so there was no wait to see the Minion. Who unfortunatly though was the same one we saw earlier. Still we were here and Daniel seemed to be liking him more today so we got our photo with him anyways.





After our photo with this Minion though they stopped the line behind us and said that Minion was going to take a break now but a different Minion was coming out to take his place. Since we now had a chance to see a different Minion we figured we'd wait and get a photo with that one as well. We had to wait a few minutes longer this time though as although we were the first in the meet and greet line with the ride about to exit the Minion has to be free for the dance party before they continue on with Meeting with guests.




We exited Minion Mayhem and walked back towards the Kidzone to see if we could find more characters. We stumbled upon the Shrek and Donkey meet and greet while we were walking so we decided to stop here as well. Daniel has never seen a Shrek Movie before but he seemed to like them. Especially Donkey as he interacts live with guests. Its pretty cute and funny.





Bumblebee was out meeting again at the Transformers Meet and Greet but since we had already seen him we continued on to Kidzone. I thought I read in the map guide that there were meet and greets that take place in Kidzone. I even thought I remembered there being some back here on one of our past visits as well. But when we got to Kidzone there were no characters to be seen.





Well other then one. And thats Spongebob and you can meet him at his new store of Spongebob Storepants. We got there barely too late though as Spongebob went on a break. It would be ten minutes until he would return so we just waited it out. Soon though we were allowed in and Meet with Spongebob who ironically enough is another character who Daniel has never watched on TV before but he really seemed to like him. Afterwards we continued to check out the rest of the store which is themed really well.







There was one place left in Kidzone that we decided to check out that we had never been to before. Plus it would give Daniel a chance to get down to play and let loose after being crammed in the stroller most of the day. The attraction is called "A Day in the Park with Barney". And yep I am referring to everybodys favorite Purple Dinosaur.



There is two parts of the attraction. An actual show that features the Dinosaurs from the show and a indoor play area. Thankfully you can go in the play area without watching the show. We think that this play area turned out to be Daniels favorite of all the places on the property.





The play area is all indoors which I have to admit was very nice to be able to get out of the sun and into and air conditioned location for a bit to relax while Daniel played. Theres a bunch of different activites kids can do to slides and other play ground equipment to play on. Theres water and sand and even some other learning activities. And the place is pretty large as well. I was actually pretty surprised by how big it was.





Daniel was in heaven and he played and played and played for a while until it was time for us to go and continue on with the park. He was not happy to leave though. Dispite not being a fan of Barney you would never really guess this play was linked to him without the suttle touches here and there. As I said this was probably Daniels favorite play area in the parks and one we will diffenitly return to in future trips. Well that is for however long this dated franchise has left anyways.