Mother/Son Trip Report COMPLETED

bigturkey12

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jun 27, 2009
Hi Everyone,
This is my first trip report ever. I love everything Disney!!! So for our Mother/Son trip of course a Disney Trip was a no brainer!!!
To Introduce us, I am Joanne(52) and my son is Josh(22). He is finishing up his graduate studies in Advanced HR Management in June and will be looking for a full time job.
It was very important to me for us to have a Mother/Son trip together before he started work and all these wonderful changes started happening.
So on Jan 3, 2018 we set out from Moncton, NB Canada. Coming from the Maritimes in Canada, travel days in the winter are nothing short of challenging. We finally landed at midnight in Orlando Airport and headed for the Magical Express after waiting an exorbitant amount of time for our luggage. After arriving at the Pop Century we finally got to lay our heads on our pillows by 3am!!! Needless to say there isn't a long line at check-in at that hour!!! Have to look at the positives!!! The biggest being we made it to Disney!!!

I was awake by 8 am because I was so excited to be back and couldn't wait to get this day started. So by 930 am we were having breakfast at Everything Pop. From there it was off to The Wilderness Lodge by taxi. One of my bucket list items was to stay one night at this Disney Resort.

Well from the moment we drove up, till we arrived at our room in the Copper Creek section every staff member was so welcoming. This resort is beyond beautiful. Pictures on line do not even do it justice. We dropped off our bags, took pictures of our beautifully made up room and then headed to Magic Kingdom. We had a BOG lunch to make on time. I had pre-ordered our meal so we were able to go into the short line going across the bridge to Beast's Castle. We quickly paid with our Magic Bands and headed to the music box room. It seemed quieter and less crowded, thus conducive to a relaxing lunch. We both had the Turkey sandwhich and had the Grey Stuff cupcake for dessert. Lunch was deliscious and quickly served. After our lunch we went around the restaurant taking pictures in each of the dining rooms. The Christmas decorations were still up and the restaurant was breathtaking to say the least. We also were able to get our picture with lumiere. They have a small lumiere on the table right inside the dining room and said we could get a picture. Better than the magic shot for me. We also took pictures outside the castle. We headed back up Main Street taking pictures with the Castle, Christmas Tree and train station.

Now it is off to Disney Springs. It was really cold when we were there. They actually issued a wind chill warning in Orlando. I had checked the weather before we left and we wore coats, sweaters, hats and mitts. We went to the Coca-Cola store and sat on the roof top terrace and had a cherry coke float. It was freezing cold but it is all about the experience!!! Those hats and mitts came in handy let me tell you. We did some shopping and then we went to the old Disney Marketplace area. We have a tradition of taking a picture at the Christmas statue of Mickey, Pluto, Goofy. This could not be missed. We also went to The Christmas Tree Trail. It was very well done right down to having it snow in Florida. Actually, it was cold enough I think it would have snowed if a system came through. Haha

Our 5 hours sleep were now kicking in and we were getting tired. So back to the Wilderness Lodge. We took a lot of pictures both in and outside. What a beautiful resort. I bought a key chain of the totem pole which by removing the circle could be made into a Christmas ornament. We had supper at Roaring Forks. We were hoping for Geyser Point but it was so cold they had to close it. Off we went to our room to organize our luggage because they were coming at 8am the next morning to pick it up for our Disney Dream cruise. We were in bed by 10pm and slept like a log. No pun intended.

Disney Dream cruise to be continued.........
 
Great start!
I haven't been to BOG in so long I didn't know you could pre order lunch-great tip :)
 
Looking forward to the rest of your report.

What is BOG? Fairly new to WDW, at least in this century.
 
Looking forward to the rest of your report.

What is BOG? Fairly new to WDW, at least in this century.
Be Our Guest restaurant in Magic Kingdom. It's quick service at breakfast and lunch (with reservations/preordering available) and table service at dinner. At dinner you can meet the Beast as you're leaving and have a pic taken with him.
 


Be Our Guest restaurant in Magic Kingdom. It's quick service at breakfast and lunch (with reservations/preordering available) and table service at dinner. At dinner you can meet the Beast as you're leaving and have a pic taken with him.


Thank you! So much has changed or been added. I have a great deal to learn.
 
Disney Dream Cruise Day!!! We woke up excited for the day to come. 8 am sharp a knock came to the door and off our luggage went. We only kept 2 carry ons with us. They send the luggage on a truck to the port and the Disney Dream. Worked like a charm and a lot less for us to deal with. We couldn't get back to sleep so we got ready and headed downstairs. Whispering Canyon was very obliging to a walk up breakfast. We only had to wait about 5 minutes till we were seated at a table. Our waiter was very animated and we enjoyed his service. We had the all you can eat skillet. It was ok. I am spoiled by the breakfast at O'hana's so I guess it is hard to measure up in my eyes. But in the end we were fed and ready to go and take pictures all around the Wilderness Lodge in the daylight. What a wonderful resort for pictures. We headed upstairs and got our bags and met the DCL rep by the fireplace in the lobby. She was lovely and explained the process and the paperwork we would need to show as we boarded the bus. The bus arrived by 11:15am and we were off to Port Canaveral. This was the best decision I made to be picked up at the Disney Resort. It was so relaxing!!! It is a longer drive from WDW but they play videos about the cruise which just makes your excitement mount. The time flew by!!!

Our bus driver was great and told us when we we would get our first glimpse of the ship. After parking at the port, our bus driver was unloading the luggage and another DCL Rep boarded the bus to explain the process once off the bus. I can tell you that you know what you have to do at all times. So off the bus we went and were directed into another door and a shorter line through security. Up the escalator to the terminal we went and again were directed to a short line for check in. By the time we arrived at 1240 pm the terminal just had a light crowd. Another bonus of coming from the resort. No standing shoulder to shoulder in a crowded terminal with hundreds of your closest friends. Lol. At the checkin desk they took our pictures, took our passports and I don't remember a lot else. It went so fast my son was amazed. I told him that is because I did online check in. I do everything possible including resort and cruise on line check in to make the waits as short as possible when we are there. It really works. Well, after check in I made a bee line to get our picture with Minnie in front of the model of the Disney Magic. The DCL employee I think saw that I was on a mission and asked if we wanted our picture with Minnie. I said yes please. He said come on in and then he closed the line. Wow, that was a little to close for comfort but I was very happy we made it. Minnie was lovely and noticed my DCL earrings I had received as a gift from a very dear friend.


We had to get the traditional picture with the mouse ears entrance to the ship. Our cards were scanned. There was a long line for the boarding picture. We decided we didn't need that so a DCL cast member directed us to a far right line and we basically walked right through and onto the ship. Now for the most magical part. It gives me chills writing about it. When you board the ship there is an honour guard of DCL crew in their white uniforms. They ask your last name and as you walk on they say the Disney Dream welcomes the ________ family. Insert your last name. The honour guard is clapping and cheering. Wow, it just doesn't get better than this. By the time we boarded the cabins were ready. We were able to go directly and drop off our luggage and head up to Cabanas for lunch. Another big bonus of arriving a little later. We walked into Cabanas and immediately saw a window table. Perfect. We had a lovely lunch. Food was great. Another note for all you Disney fans they have the POG juice in Cabanas. I was trilled!!!!

Off to get supper. More to come........
 


Thanks Gina!!! It was truly special. Now to plan one with all of us!!! Well I am sitting here cold and with an ear ache so I thought I would carry on my report to help take my mind off how I feel.

After lunch we explored the ship and went to muster drill. We were in the Walt Disney Theatre so we were able to sit for the drill. We did have a couple people not show up so we had to wait. Then off to the Sail Away Party. We stood on the pool deck because it was still very cold and we would have froze on deck 10 and up. At least Deck 9 has the windows to break some of the effects of the wind. Sail away party was better than I remembered. Great music. Lots of people dancing. That could have been by necessity to stay warm haha. But the atmosphere was lively and we sang along to the music. We shared our first drink of the day. Tip: Buy the drink of the day, wash out your cup in your cabin and then give it when you order the drink of the day the next time. I believe it was almost $9.00 the first time, but every time after it is only around $5.00. This is a great deal!!!
After sail away we headed to our cabins to find our luggage sitting outside our stateroom door. Awesome, we had it all. We got ready for supper. Tonight I dressed in dress pants, lace top and a sapphire over top. Josh was co-ordinated with me. I knew I wanted a picture with Captain Mickey and that most probably he would be in his royal blue uniform. I always try to think ahead of what will make the pictures look the nicest. Picture was great. For the first night we were in Enchanted Garden. We were at a table with a couple on their honeymoon and a mother and daughter. Our table mates were very nice. I found the dining room to be very noisy. There were a lot of crying babies on this particular evening. Note to self maybe pick second seating next time around. The meal was very good but very long. We went right from supper to the show. It was Disney Believe. You know the one with the catchy tune " What makes the garden grow..... Love makes the garden grow". I can hear them singing in my head as I type this. Very good show. We always attend and thoroughly enjoy the stage shows on the cruise. In my opinion they are as good as any Broadway show would be in New York!!!! Not that I have been to New York, I just can't imagine anything being better. They do a phenomenal job.

After the show we walked out on deck. It was cold and windy so that was a quick walk but took some pretty pictures that look golden under the life boats on deck 4. With the reflection of the lights off the life boats it makes for a beautiful picture at night. We were tired quickly so we decided to go back to our stateroom, relax and order room service. Tip: Disney has deliscious chocolate chip cookies and that with chocolate milk is was a lovely bedtime snack. Josh got the cheese plate with crackers. It was very good. These items were all free along with many others to choose from. We just gave the cast member a tip when he delivered it. We watched some TV and brought this wonderful day to a close.

Up next " We stayed on the ship in Nassau"
 
I'm enjoying your trip report! Ah, Wilderness Lodge, one of our all time favorite resorts. Haven't stayed in the villas (yet), but love the lodge.
Nice idea to bus over to the port from the resort, rather than the airport or airport hotel. Will make a note of that in case we ever arrive at least two nights early.
I travel Disney with my twenty something daughter sometimes, so can relate to your trip. :)

Nice idea about the drink of the day glass. I had one on our first day, but never thought to bring it back for another drink.
Can't wait to read more. Thanks for sharing! :)
 
It is very cold here so it is a nice day to stay cozy inside and re-live our fantastic trip. So I left off with staying on the ship in Nassau. We slept in and then went to Cabanas for breakfast. Cabanas food is always varied and deliscious. My two favourite things are Mickey Waffles and POG juice. It was a relaxed breakfast with a great view. Previous to breakfast while my son was getting ready I went to the Princess Gathering in the Atrium. It is very nice of the Princess' to greet all age princesses. They were each very lovely and had a sweet conversation with me. The cast member is happy to take pictures with your camera and keep your belongings while you are greeting the princess. After breakfast we put on our swimsuits and found this lovely family pool area above the quiet pool area. It is smaller but has a covered area for the lounge chairs. We relaxed here for a long time. It was lovely. When the sun went under we covered up with towels as it got cold but soon enough the sun came back out. My son went down to the pool deck area and got us lunch and ice cream and brought it back to our spots. I was being spoiled. So nice. In the afternoon we went to the DVC presentation on board. It was very interesting and we received Copper Creek pins. This was so nice for as you know this is where we stayed the night before our cruise. We then did a trivia session. We went back to our room and put on our pirate outfits. We had decided to eat at Cabanas tonight. What a fantastic decision. I believe it is in Cabanas that the new waiters are trained. They work so hard to please you!!!! We arrived right when it opened and received a window seat. Our order was taken and it was served in no time. The restaurant was very quiet and relaxing. Our waiters interacted with us and were absolutely wonderful. Better than our main dining room waiters!!! The food was excellent and we finished dinner in an hour and a quarter unlike two and a half hours the night before. Just a side note: I did call Guest Services and ask them to pass on the message that we would be eating at Cabanas to our main dining room wait staff so they would not wait the table orders for us.

The show this evening was Beauty and the Beast. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this show was. The best I have seen on a Disney Cruise. At the beginning of the show the Cruise Director always speaks and introduces the show. Well Clayton Lindsay is my favourite cruise director. I can still here him say "Disney Dream who's on vacation?" and the whole auditorium answers back"We're on vacation". He is wonderful at his job!!!!At the end of the show a great deal of the audience gave a standing ovation. It was so deserved. We went to the first showing so that we could attend the Pirate party on deck. This has also impoved and the audience thoroughly enjoyed this party. Then it was off to bed. I guess all this sea air is very relaxing and makes you tired earlier. I highly recommend staying on the ship for Nassau. The ship is so beautiful and offers so much that I want to relax and enjoy every minute of it!! Tip: The free ice cream machines on deck 9 have a strawberry banana swirl ice cream. It is amazing!!!!! I didn't try it but apparently they have dole whip with and without rum at Frozone. I have heard on the Disboards that it is not as good as the parks.

What a fantastic day, yet the Best is yet to come. Disney's Castaway Cay......A piece of Heaven on earth
 
Enjoying your TR! I have two sons and would love to cruise with them one-on-one. Looking forward to the rest of your cruise.
 
Hi Everyone
Better late than never. I want to complete my last instalment of my trip report. Castaway Cay day!!!!! This is the port I am always most excited for. I don't know what Heaven looks like but this is what I consider Heaven on Earth. It is everything we all dream of in a Caribbean Paradise and doesn't disappoint when you experience it for real.

We were up early and had breakfast in Enchanted Garden. Josh wanted to try breakfast in the dining room. Looking back in hindsight I will eat up outside of Cabanas on our next cruise. The view of Castaway Cay behind you is just unbeatable. I always take a small bag off the ship which includes insect repellent, sunscreen, any medications, our Disney towels, drink of the day cup( you can use this on the island also). As we were cruising in Jan we wore light sweaters off the ship. We were glad early in the am, but the day warmed up to 82 degrees and beautiful. We stopped to take pictures with the ship behind us as we were walking toward the tram. I can still hear the voice on the tram that is recorded Welcoming you to the island in my head. We got off at the first tram stop and got our picture with Minnie Mouse and some pictures standing in the water. Then we re-boarded the tram to the second stop. This is our favourite area. You are near Cookies, Washrooms, Showers, and it is easy to get chairs first thing in the am. This day is so relaxing!!!! Lunch at Cookies is awesome. It is a buffet with all the great Barb Q food you could want. After lunch we took the tram over to Serenity Bay just because we had never been there before. It is nice but we still prefer our spot.

We did something different this trip and headed back to the ship around 245pm. We wanted to get in the hot tub in the Adult Area pool. What a great decision. We went right up there and there was lots of room to sit in the hot tub. Then just relaxed on the lounge chairs. At 4 or 4:30pm in the atrium is a Mickey and Friends meet and greet. So we went and changed and headed there as I wanted a picture with Pluto. Took some lovely pictures in the atrium waiting for this as the atrium was quiet. Then we were off to the stateroom to get dressed up. This was optional dress up night. Just a note. We had early seating and we were in line for Captain Mickey at 5:15pm which I thought would be enough time. Well, I was very wrong. The line moved at a snails pace. I actually think slower. I really wanted this picture with us all dressed up, so we stuck it out but we arrived a few minutes late to dinner. We offered at the door not to go in but they insisted it was no problem. So if you want a specific picture on dress up night I would go and hour and a quarter early and find out specifically which spot in the atrium they will be in and get in line. Lesson learned.

We were in Animators Palate tonight. We had the Crush show. Crush talked to us because our table was right by a screen. We really enjoyed the show and our meal!!! We had seen Beauty and The Beast the night before but it was so good we decided to go again. I have always wanted to sit in one of the boxes. So that is what we did. It was lovely!!!! Would absolutely go early to get a seat in a box next cruise!!! Unfortunately, with the movement of the ship(the theatre is all the way forward, so you feel the most movement) a number of the cast were sick. So the show had to be cancelled. We were very happy that we had seen it the first night. So my recommendation if Beauty and the Beast goes the first night make sure to get there. It is a magnificent show. We know of others that thought they would wait and see the showing the second night and then didn't get to see it at all. I felt bad because that was a wonderful show to miss. We then went to Shutters to look at our pictures. We decided that the pictures on our phones were every bit as good so we didn't buy anything. Off to the farewell show. All the characters come out and do a brief meet and greet and do a farewell song. This is always sad because the cruise is almost over. Be sure to rebook or put a deposit on a placeholder that is good for 2 years. It makes it easier to get off knowing that you will be returning.

As we had a flight out of MCO at 11:35am we were doing express walk off. So we didn't have to put our bags out in the hallway. But of course we still had to go back and pack them. Because the show was cancelled they put a recorded version of Beauty and the Beast on the television. So we were able to watch it while we packed.

Monday morning we were up early, We were at Cabanas for breakfast at 6:30 am when they opened. This is not highly publicized but Cabanas was open for breakfast but with a bit smaller offering. Perfect for what we wanted and very peaceful and the crowd was small as not a lot of people know about this. Then we headed right back to our stateroom to check we hadn't forgotten anything and off we went to the atrium with all our luggage.
There was a line already formed all the way to the stores. But the doors opened very shortly after we arrived and the line went very fast. Another tip, after you have your card scanned and you go through the door there is an elevator and escalator right in front of you. For us an escalator was not an option. We had too much luggage to manage this and there was a line up for the elevator. if you veer to the left and go down the hall there is actually another elevator and there was no line.

Into the terminal we went and went right into line for customs. It went very quickly. Keep following the signs and you will be directed outside and the cast members will check cards and direct you to the proper bus. I believe we were on the first bus out to MCO. We arrived at 8:40am with lots of time to catch our 11:35am flight. We checked in at the Air Canada kiosks and dropped off our luggage once we placed the tags on them. We went right to security as MCO was having long waits back in January. It wasn't too bad. We didn't stop to eat until we were on the other side at our gate. Then it was time for a small snack. Now the sad part, our vacation was over. But as Mickey says " See You Real Soon". I am hoping to sail again next time on the Disney Magic.

Thanks to everyone who has read my trip report. Feel free to ask any questions.
Joanne
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts



Top