Boo to the Halloween on the Highs Seas Crew

[jenseib]

I have no idea what Toothsome's is, but after those photos I think I need to figure it out.

It is really good!

 

[jenseib]

We browsed the menu and settled on a few things we wanted. I asked mom if she wanted to share a Caesar salad with me and she said sure…and then we were going to get some other appetizers.


tooth11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


As we waited I took some pictures and video.


tooth36 by Jenseib, on Flickr


tooth37 by Jenseib, on Flickr


tooth38 by Jenseib, on Flickr

The waiter had told us there was a backup on the milkshakes so we had ordered those before anything else. I thought they came out pretty fast for being backed up.


I had wanted the peanut butter shake, but Claire did too. I thought we should try different things so I went with the strawberry cheesecake one.


tooth1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


tooth3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Both were totally awesome, but I liked the peanut butter one better and vowed to get that one for myself next time….which I did this past Feb.


Claire got truffle fries. She had these when we sailed the NCL Jewel to Alaska and were an instant favorite for her. These were not quite as good but still yummy.


tooth40 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Mom got nachos to share….they weren’t your everyday kind of nachos but they were good.


We also got spinach artichoke dip which was very good. Claire doesn’t like this sort of thing, so it was up to Mom and I to eat it and she only took a couple bites.


tooth42 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And I got the salad which I guess I never took a picture of…but was huge. It was good but I felt it needed more dressing. I should have asked for more but I just never did. I told mom to hand me a plate so she could have some….remember she said she would share with me. Then she tells me she doesn’t like Caesar salad! UGH! We had way too much food and barely made a dent in all of it…except Claire ate all her fries.


We also ordered dessert to try.


tooth4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It is called “Must contain Nuts” and it’s pretty much heaven on a plate. The only bad thing was we had ordered it early because the ice-cream kitchen was supposedly backed up, but when it came out, it was already starting to melt.


tooth43 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We barely made a dent in that as well because we were now so full. Here is my tip….decide on a shake or ice-cream dish, but not both because it is impossible to finish both, especially if you order food with it. The shakes themselves could be a meal.


The shakes come in a cup that you get to keep. They look like mason jars but they are plastic. After we were way too full to eat any more, we paid our check and headed back out to city walk. We carried our shakes with us. We had one more thing yet in our plans tonight. We were going to see the Blue Man Group. I had seen this the previous Feb. and Mom and Dad saw it in March, but Claire had not seen it yet so I promised her I would take her.


It was still early so we went and picked up our tickets and just walked around for a bit.


city10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city30 by Jenseib, on Flickr


tooth44 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It was getting chilly and I decided to get Claire and I sweatshirts. There was a little shop right there and I got us each a Blue Man group sweatshirt. I have since lost mine. I know I wore it home on the plane and on the drive home. I swore I put it in my closet with all my other sweatshirts (I have an obsession with them), but when packing for this Feb. trip to Universal last month I could not find it. I looked in every spot imaginable and even asked my mom to look at her house in case I had left it in her car or something….nope! No one has seen it. The only thing I can think of is that I wore it somewhere and left it without realizing it.


We got in and seated and there were quite a few empty seats, which I was happy about and hoped no one would sit next to me. Right before the show was about to start a couple of guys came down our row and sat right next to me. He sighed really loud, like he was upset he had to sit next to someone as well. Listen buddy, I am no more excited about.


city12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I took some really bad video before the show started.

The show did eventually start and the guy next to me leaned on the armrest next to me the whole time and it was driving me nuts. Invasion of personal space for sure!


The show was good, but it was the exact same show that both I and my parents had seen earlier in the year…EXACT! No differences at all. Claire enjoyed it though.

So as we were watching and I was getting to know my neighbor more than I wanted to, the week started catching up with me. I tend to get anxiety and I know I have it and what typically triggers it. Sitting here, super tired and so close to Mr next door neighbor was kicking it in. I couldn’t move my legs much or I would be playing footsie with the guy….and I was getting restless leg syndrome. One of my triggers is knowing I have to sit for a long time and that I can’t get up to move. It happens more when I have lack of sleep or just a long tiring day.

I was really feeling restless…and my back was killing me too. At one point I just stood up and walked out of our row and went to the seats across the aisle where no one was sitting and sat by myself. I knew I would feel it less if I had more room and air to breath. It was better, but still it wouldn’t go away completely, which was a shame because it made the show less enjoyable for me and I had loved it so much the first time and wanted to share that with Claire.


So the show ends and I walk back to get my milkshake, which I left on the floor, and my purse…only to find that our friendly neighbor had knocked the milkshake over and it was ALL over my purse. UGH!

I picked them up and wiped off the purse as much as I could and we headed out to the bathroom where I tried to rinse my cup off and clean my purse better.

We totally laughed as we both were trying to clean our cups out. The whipped cream must be made us plastic! It would not rinse out and when it did it would not dissolve and go down the sink. I can only imagine what it is made of….but it is darn good!


Once we were semi-clean we headed out of City Walk.


city13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


city15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I love the way City Walk looks at night!


And as we walked out I took a video on not what to do on a moving walkway.

Moving walkways are for walking faster…..no standing and it drives me INSANE!!!! If you want to stand then everyone should stand to one side so others who are walking can actually walk. When I use them and get behind a stander I say excuse me and they have 1 chance to move before I start barging through. Sorry…but it is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.


We found the bus to Cabana Bay and were quickly whisked back to our hotel.


city16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cabana51 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cabana86 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We got ready for bed and set our alarms. Unfortunately we had to get up fairly early to head home tomorrow.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Oh my goodness, the food at the Chocolate Emporium all looked so delicious. I'd have a hard time choosing.

 

[dolphingirl47]

There was a line going out the door for the to go area and a line just to put you name in to eat here.

I really wanted to eat there, but I had heard it was very busy there and thought better of it. Graham does not do crowds at all and would have hated it. That in turn would have spoiled it for me.

The waiter had told us there was a backup on the milkshakes so we had ordered those before anything else. I thought they came out pretty fast for being backed up.

That is good that they came quicker than you had expected.

I had wanted the peanut butter shake,

Now you are talking. I would have been all over this.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

Oh my goodness, the food at the Chocolate Emporium all looked so delicious. I'd have a hard time choosing.

It is so hard to narrow down all the choices.

I really wanted to eat there, but I had heard it was very busy there and thought better of it. Graham does not do crowds at all and would have hated it. That in turn would have spoiled it for me.

It still gets busy but lunch is not pretty easy to get into.

That is good that they came quicker than you had expected.

Me too.

Now you are talking. I would have been all over this.

It was really good.

 

[jenseib]

Oct 20, 2016, Sunday, Day 12


Our time really has come to an end. We had to fly home today.


We had a 10 AM flight today, which meant we had to hit the road around 7-7:30 this morning. YUCK…but it could be worse…my next trip I have scheduled has a flight that leaves around 7:30 AM…that will be torture for sure. (but for the cost, I sucked it up).


A few last pictures this morning.


departure1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


departure2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


departure3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


departure4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


departure5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


departure11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


departure12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Good bye palm trees!


departure13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I packed up the van and we all took one last look around the room to be sure we didn’t forget anything and then headed off to the airport. We made excellent time and dropped off the van with no issues and then took our bags to get checked in.


departure14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We all had TSA pre-check, Me because I have global entry, Claire because she gets to come through with me until she is 13 and has to get her own, and Mom, who has TSA precheck. That is so nice! Getting through at MCO can be a pain at any time during the day and we went through so much faster.


We hopped the monorail over to our terminal and gate.


departure15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And a video of our ride.

I think we may have gotten a bite to eat at one point somewhere along the line and settled in to wait.


I took no more pictures today so I am going on pure memory, but I think everything was on time. I do remember I had a little anxiety on the flight, which is almost always normal on my return. It’s the lack of sleep thing again and also that I know I have to sit for a few hours and can’t get up and move around. Sleeping for me on a plane is almost impossible. I sometimes drift off only to wake up drooling and flopping over. It usually has felt like I slept for an hour and in reality it’s only been like 5 minutes.


We landed in Columbus and grabbed our bags and Mom and Claire waited with them while I went to catch the shuttle to the car lot. Of course I forgot exactly where I parked and it took me a while of beeping the key chain for it to register I was near and beep back at me. I had actually gotten off one shuttle stop too soon.


I got in the car and made my way back and picked up Mom and Claire and we strategically loaded the suitcases back in the car for the trip home….and then we headed off for the 2 ½ hour drive home.


I think we did stop and get some lunch, but I can’t remember if we went somewhere and sat down or had fast food. I actually think we did stop at Bob Evans, but again no pictures to help me remember.


We got home at a decent hour and unloaded our bags and said good bye to Mom.

We then worked on emptying the luggage and starting laundry and all that good stuff.


Mom called me later that evening to check in and report to me her conversation with my Dad. She had asked him if he had learned his lesson and will no longer say “NO” immediately when we plan a trip…and just to go with the flow and realize he will end up coming.

His answer…..yes, but you all really need to ask me first what will work for me.


My Mom flipped out on him. My Mom never cusses and she said she was using the F word when she replied to him. LOL!

If we checked with him…first off he would never have a good date, and then he would have to wait 2 weeks out before letting us know that good date……and of course, he has no children in school or anything else to work around like the majority of us all had to get us together on the same date. Oh Boy!


And as a side….Mom and Dad just got back from their yearly vacation in FL. I helped Mom book the flights. Dad wanted to go out of Detroit, but Mom wanted whatever was the cheapest. Columbus fit that bill, saving them about $600 on their flights…That’s a huge amount. He complained so much about having to drive 2 ½ hours to an airport instead of 1 ½. Yet, he wasn’t going to contribute any money to the cost of the flights. LOL. He did get over it though.


And that concludes this trip report. I’ll try to write up a summary of thoughts later.

 

[dolphingirl47]

my next trip I have scheduled has a flight that leaves around 7:30 AM…that will be torture for sure.

That is painful.

I am glad that you had a relatively smoothly trip back. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading along.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

That is painful.

I am glad that you had a relatively smoothly trip back. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading along.

Corinna

My flight coming down is at 5:30 AM!!! Not to excited about that but for the savings in price we'll suck it up...plus we'll get a full day in Orlando then.

 

[jenseib]

Thanks all for following my trip report. It was really a great trip. We had many ups and a few downs, but we made many memories.

I know sometimes you might wonder when I post some negative things….how could that trip be great? Well I usually try to get past any of the negatives and enjoy the positives. I like to tell it all and not sugar coat my trips. In reality, no one has a perfect trip…those with kids often have a meltdown involved…heck those with husbands and wives may have a meltdown involved at some point. LOL. Even though it is Disney, sometimes not all CM’s are magical or great. Mother Nature can’t always be wonderful every day of the year, so we have to take it all in stride.


Even though we had some not so magical moments…we still made wonderful memories and the good outweighed any bad that happened.


I did a lot of new things this trip.

It was my first stay at Coronado Springs. We did some new things at Disney Springs, including the bowling. We did the putt putt for the first time. It was my first time using the DCL buses to get to the port. It was my first time on the Fantasy! Tortola and St Thomas were both new ports for me and it was my first time heading off on an Eastern Itinerary. It was my first time seeing the drawing animated show at Animator’s Palate. It was my first time seeing the Aladdin show on the ship….and I am sure there were a lot more “firsts” that I am not remembering right at the moment.


Going in a big group is becoming a favorite of mine now. I have now done 4 cruises where I have known many people sailing and it is so much fun. You can do things with different members at different times and all gather to eat in the evening to talk about your day. It’s much easier to cruise with a group than to do the parks with one. You can be as relaxed or as active as you choose and there are no hard feelings. In the parks I have found that not everyone wants to ride the same rides, or see the same shows. And when it comes to eating…you have so many options and everyone has different tastes. On the cruise…you have the dining rooms, the Adult dining options or the buffets and fast food places. For dinner you make your choice of where you want to eat and you don’t feel bad if others choose something different. For lunch, it is just super easy to get what you want when you want and not worry about what everyone else is doing.


The kids all loved this trip and are all counting down till the time we can do it again. Almost everyone booked a placeholder before getting off, so hopefully we can do this again within the next 2 years. (Katie actually has booked her next cruise for next year, but she loves to cruise and will most likely book another placeholder again).


I loved this itinerary and hope to do it again.

And the count down for my next cruise has started! Stay tuned!!!!!!

 

[dolphingirl47]

My flight coming down is at 5:30 AM!!!

I think that calls for an all nighter. There is no point going to bed with a flight that early. We have a 22 hour flight to look forward to in two weeks.

I like to tell it all and not sugar coat my trips.

I am with you on this. It is the good as well as the not so good that makes up a trip. It is only fair to report on both to get a true and rounded picture.

Almost everyone booked a placeholder before getting off, so hopefully we can do this again within the next 2 years.

That is great. Now the big question is will your dad be on that cruise?

And the count down for my next cruise has started! Stay tuned!!!!!!

I am looking forward to hearing all about it.

Corinna

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I have to agree with you on cruising with a large group. We cruised with eighteen family members and we had a blast. As long as you don't go in with expectations that everyone has to do everything together at all times you will be fine.

I really enjoyed reading along. I look forward to your next trip report.

Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[ali_in_al]

I loved this! Thank you for all the work you put in to write it up, and for the helpful tips!

 

[Majordis]

Thanks for taking the time to do this, and for posting honest reviews. We definitely have ups and downs on vacation, but it is the ups we all remember! Reading this has made me even more excited for our Fantasy Eastern in May. Look forward to your next adventure

 

[TestingH2O]

I know sometimes you might wonder when I post some negative things….how could that trip be great? Well I usually try to get past any of the negatives and enjoy the positives. I like to tell it all and not sugar coat my trips. In reality, no one has a perfect trip…those with kids often have a meltdown involved…heck those with husbands and wives may have a meltdown involved at some point. LOL. Even though it is Disney, sometimes not all CM’s are magical or great. Mother Nature can’t always be wonderful every day of the year, so we have to take it all in stride.

I appreciate your honesty. I think its unrealistic to suggest you had a perfect vacation. No one does! Being able to acknowledge what doesn't go great with what does go great is really important. Plus I think it helps really appreciate the awesome moments.

Going in a big group is becoming a favorite of mine now.

I do like traveling with a group, but I also like smaller groups too. I think my preference is to mix it up and do both on a regular basis. Because who doesn't want more vacations?

 

[jenseib]

I think that calls for an all nighter. There is no point going to bed with a flight that early. We have a 22 hour flight to look forward to in two weeks.

I know. I keep thinking of if I should try to sleep a few hours and then go or if I should just stay up. I will probably try to sleep though. It's gonna be a really long day.

I am with you on this. It is the good as well as the not so good that makes up a trip. It is only fair to report on both to get a true and rounded picture.

I always doubt it when people report it being completely perfect. You know at least one bad thing had to have happened. LOL.

That is great. Now the big question is will your dad be on that cruise?

When we actually book it...yes...we will include him and take the penalty if he decides not to go. LOL.

I am looking forward to hearing all about it.

I am still working out details, but I think everything is falling into place finally.

I have to agree with you on cruising with a large group. We cruised with eighteen family members and we had a blast. As long as you don't go in with expectations that everyone has to do everything together at all times you will be fine.

Yes, it is really fun. My sister Amanda likes to have schedules but even she went with the flow and had a great time.

I really enjoyed reading along. I look forward to your next trip report.

Thanks! I plan to start my Jamaica report next week.

I loved this! Thank you for all the work you put in to write it up, and for the helpful tips!

Thanks!

Thanks for taking the time to do this, and for posting honest reviews. We definitely have ups and downs on vacation, but it is the ups we all remember! Reading this has made me even more excited for our Fantasy Eastern in May. Look forward to your next adventure

It's a great cruise. Are you going before or after the refurbishment? I can't wait to see how the ship looks after. I know there doesn't seem to be many changes announced but I am still hoping more is added or at least new carpets and things like that.

I appreciate your honesty. I think its unrealistic to suggest you had a perfect vacation. No one does! Being able to acknowledge what doesn't go great with what does go great is really important. Plus I think it helps really appreciate the awesome moments.

I have had some doozies in the past, but even those have been fun. You just have to get past that and enjoy the good.

I do like traveling with a group, but I also like smaller groups too. I think my preference is to mix it up and do both on a regular basis. Because who doesn't want more vacations?

Yes! I need a money tree that grows lots of 100 dollar bills!

 

[Majordis]

It's a great cruise. Are you going before or after the refurbishment? I can't wait to see how the ship looks after. I know there doesn't seem to be many changes announced but I am still hoping more is added or at least new carpets and things like that!

Yes we are on the first Eastern after refurbishment. Can't wait to see what's new

 

[somebunny]

Loved reading your trip report. Thanks for sharing it...the good, the not-so-good and all the details. Also, all the wonderful photos made me feel that I was right there with you.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Now that I'm back on the Dis, I've been catching up on trip reports including your's. Of course, by the time I catch up, it's over. And, there is simply waaaaaay too much to comment on.

 

[canyoncam]

I am still trying to catch up reading this. I want to give it the time deserved instead of just a glance here and there like I do everything else these days!!!! Just read St Thomas day and it looks like you took a real nice excursion. Some great pictures of the snorkeling and a nice beach. Awesome you saw the octopus and of course the turtle. As always great photos!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Thanks for sharing, Jen! As always lately I was way behind, but loved to read about Cabana Bay, Toothsome and Blue Men Group. Not so much enjoyed the part that said that this is the end of your TR.
Hoping for another one VERY soon, and btw - WHEN is that next cruise of yours?