Cass, Rob & Kira - Universal & 10-night Southern Caribbean Cruise on Disney Fantasy 2017

The banana boats look fun! And those double rainbows are amazing.

I'm so impressed that you're almost done with this long report. You'll notice Alaska is still my work in progress . :scared:
 
Awwwww. That last pic is sooooo sweet!

I concur :love:

Hi Cass! I came looking to read about Alaskan cruises and have been reading yours instead! I can't believe how grown up Kira is!

I thought the Diet Coke tasted weird too on the Fantasy. I wondered if it was the water they used or something?

Anyway, nice to see you guys here.

Hi Susan, nice to see you too :hug:

I've been reading Alaska reports too, there's some really good ones going on right now!

:disrocks:

Glad you found me though :goodvibes

Love that last pic! That is so sweet.


Yep, Rob is gangsta if he can take it without ice cubes. I always ask dh why he doesn't just order iced coffee, he thinks that is gross.:lmao::sad2: I am thinking though that he and Rob would go toe to toe in an eating contest!:rotfl2:

LOL, too funny!!! :rotfl2:

Rob is slow but he can pack it away! I don't know where he puts it? :confused3 :laughing:

I love that last picture of Rob and Kira! Definitely frame worthy! I cannot believe your cruise is coming to an end soon! You NEED to go on another one so you can write another trip report. I actually remember reading trip reports from different places you experienced when you used your web page blog. Do you guys still travel elsewhere? Having children definitely changes that though. My 13 year old has loved Vegas since she was like 6 so we still experience Las Vegas. I believe that was one place you and Rob enjoyed traveling to as well.

HAHAHA, Yes, I NEED to go on another one but I just can't afford it :rotfl2:

I wish I could travel somewhere every month but our budget does not allow it. Once I win that lottery though, lookout :scratchin :laughing:

We miss Vegas, it's been awhile since we've been back together. I went with my brothers, just after my 40th, so just over 5 years ago. Miss it lots!! :sad:

I love Castaway Cay! One more year before I'm back there!

Jill in CO

Wooohooooo!!! :cool1: :beach:

Can anyone say anorexia??????

You guys must have been so close to us...yet so far. We had a good area set up in some shade, but we spent most of the day in the water just floating around. I had wondered if you guys got off the ship at one point since I never saw you or ran into you.

We weren't on the beach for long, maybe an hour? The banana boat took some time then Cookies and then an hour at Pelican Plunge. The only person I saw on CC was Brook and even then, just a quick walk-by.

A DOUBLE Rainbow too yet! Just gorgeous! :rainbow:

Wish you were there with us!!! ::yes::

The banana boats look fun! And those double rainbows are amazing.

I'm so impressed that you're almost done with this long report. You'll notice Alaska is still my work in progress . :scared:

HAHAAHA, well, I have slowed down a bit now with getting ready for back to school stuff. :rolleyes2

Beautiful rainbow pics!

Thanks :flower:
 
Day 14, Part 3

While I finished all of the packing, Rob and Kira headed to the pool deck.

I have to say, I am so glad we skipped out on our dining room dinners the last few nights because those last three nights were my favourite times of the entire cruise, I think. ::yes::
Kira was seriously one happy kid, we got some great family time in and it was just plain fun :cool1:

When I was done, I joined them up top and got some pics as they were doing the rounds on the Aquaduck. Rob hadn't gone with her on it as much as I had and he wanted to change that. Kira had already broken her record by now and was working toward a world record now :rotfl2:

Oh and by the way, that last night was the best time for pools! There was hardly anyone in there!

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They were playing Guardians of the Galaxy on the big screen, one of our favourite movies so it just added to the perfection of the night. :goodvibes

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At that point, they were just going around and around back on the AD and they were singing and dancing the entire time :love:

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There they go, on what ended up being their last turn on the AD, sadly as they closed it down after they got to the bottom because there was a storm in the distance with awesome lightning.


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I was enjoying the storm while they were Aquaducking :p


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They came down and told me that they were, officially, the last people to ride the AD on this cruise. For some reason, that made them proud and happy :rotfl2:


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We had time for one last ice cream...

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Back to the room so we could pack up the last of the stuff, including wet bathing suits.

Our last towel animal! :sad:

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We put our luggage out and headed down to the Atrium for the Final Farewell party.

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If you have ever thought about packing something fragile in your bags, I would make sure you wrap it REALLY well :scared:


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I had gone somewhere, not sure where exactly but I told Rob I would meet him and Kira down on deck 3 Atrium.

When I got there, I noticed Kira was hugging some guy. I was like, what the heck? Who is he? :scratchin :rotfl:

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Turns out he was the piano player and she was saying good-bye to them and thanked them for doing such a great job.

I told you she spent a lot of time in the Atrium waiting in lines for characters :laughing:

Here's Rob's pics...

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Here come the characters!


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We had met up with Patty here and she came around with us and we got to chat while Kira got her last photo ops.

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I just love how all of the characters are so loving, they all give hugs and seem to happy about it. Kira loves this too :goodvibes

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And then it was time to say good-bye! :sad1:

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Cruise staff were all there too for the final farewell. :wave2:


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And the moment all the kids were waiting for...Mickey confetti! :earboy2:
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We said good-bye to Patty and got this sweet pic of her and Kira :lovestruc

Kira was especially fond of Patty because she had spoiled her with Stitch stuff, including the watch she was currently wearing and hasn't really taken off since the day she got it :rolleyes: :rotfl2:

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We headed back for the room now as it was getting late and tomorrow would be a very long day for us.

We passed by this...there's our luggage :crazy2: :crowded:

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We enjoyed just a few last moments on our verandah watching the sea go by and then we went to bed.

Such a fun cruise and now it's over. :sad::sad1: :sad2:

Disembarkation day always sucks, I hate getting off the ship o_O
 


That last day always makes me get all weepy.... :(
 
What a great last night on your cruise! Those last three nights were so awesome for your family Family time is the best!
 


I hate the last night but looks like you had an amazing cruise! So glad Kira set her world record!

Jill in CO
 
Just getting caught up here. Awesome last day at CC and having the entire evening at the pool by yourselves. I always hate it when TRs come to an end. :guilty: Looking forward to hearing about your journey home though.
 
Day 15, Part 1

We woke up this morning sad to be getting off the ship but happy to be going home to our dog and our own beds.

Rob showered and got dressed while Kira and I checked out the verandah.

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Rob and Kira then went to Cabanas for breakfast while I showered and got dressed and packed up my carry-ons with all of our morning stuff. I never eat in the morning on disembarkation day because it just makes me feel ill.

When Rob was leaving the room, he noticed Customs & Border Protection agents in the hall. They were down near the rooms of those horribly disrespectful families, searching one of their rooms, I believe.




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Can you say Karma? :scratchin

:rolleyes1

Rob always has breakfast at the buffet on the last morning. On our Christmas cruise on the Wonder, I had sent him and Kira up to get breakfast and he came back saying that it was closed. That was a first :( The buffet was always open on disembarkation day!

So this cruise, I made sure to double check the app and Navigator and they both said it was open for breakfast. :thumbsup2

Well, he texted me saying that they closed the buffet and the CM's told him to go to the dining room for breakfast!!

GRRR!!! >:(

I texted Jen because she said they were at Cabanas already eating breakfast so I asked her if they had closed it and she said no!!

I texted Rob this and he went around another way and got in.

How rude!! :snooty:

As awesome as the service is on the ship, I always feel like it's crap the day you leave. They just want you off to get ready for the next set of passengers :rolleyes2

He found our group and sat with them and got some breakfast at the NOT closed buffet. :rolleyes:

Here's Rob's last meal of the cruise. No more 4 plates at the buffet for him! What will he do? :scared1: :laughing:

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Kira and her last meal of the cruise.



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I headed down to deck 4 to see how the line was to get off the ship.

It was CRAZY!! :scared1::scared1::scared1:

We heard through the grapevine that every once in awhile, Customs & Immigration picked a ship and performed random searches of rooms, passengers, bags, etc., and this was delaying the disembarkation for everyone.

Normally by this time, at least half the ship (usually main dining guests) would be off by now but there was still tons of people on board. This line is actually two lines converging, one that ended way down near Animator's and the other one ended past the ship stores, near the Walt Disney Theatre! :eek:



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I watched it for awhile but it kept going, like there was no end. I decided to join everyone at Cabanas so I could say good-bye.

I forgot to mention that I ran into Jen the night before and we got to visit for a bit. I feel like I hardly got to spend any time with her this entire cruise. We did eat dinner together but we missed out on 4 or 5 dinners and because it was a group thing, I didn't really get to visit, if you know what I mean.

I'm glad we got some time together, it made me realize how much I missed her. There's not a lot of people in this world that I instantly connect with and can truly be myself around and she is one of those people. ::yes:: :hug:

So, at least I was able to say good-bye to her last night and at Cabanas, I was able to say good-bye to almost everyone else. :grouphug:

There he goes again, closing his eyes :rolleyes: :laughing:

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After they were all done eating, we headed down to deck 4 to see if the lines had lightened up a little yet but they hadn't. o_O

I was feeling a little off anyway, so we just camped out for a little bit.

Kira was sad to be leaving the ship. Apart from wanting to be home to see my doggie, I could have easily stayed another 10 nights on the ship ::yes::


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She played her Harry Potter game on her phone and we people watched for a bit.


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Her shirt was sparkly and it was reflecting onto her face :laughing:


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I went outside on deck for some fresh air to feel better but it didn't help.

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Rob was feeling cold so I told him to come out to deck 4 and sit for awhile. I was not feeling great and there was no way I wanted to be herded in that line! If you know anything about me, it's that I detest being herded :crazy2: I would rather sit and be the last off the ship than be part of that mess!


He grabbed two of the chairs and put the cushions back on them and they sat out there in the warmth.

I went back in, I did not need the warmth :p


I people watched some more. People amaze me. And mostly, not in a good way. :rolleyes1

This little girl sat in the middle of the landing on these stairs for about 15 straight minutes blowing bubbles on her bubble machine. Not only was she soaking the carpet but she didn't move for anyone! :eek:

People were going up and down these stairs with big carry-ons and she didn't move or stop the bubbles. :scared:


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After the crowds had disappeared and I was feeling better, we headed off the ship.


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We were renting a car from Hertz and I really hate fighting the crowds for the shuttle so we always just grab a taxi so we don't have to wait.

This has always worked for us in the past and we are normally in a taxi in a minute or two.


Not this time :guilty:

We waited in the taxi line for a very long time. We kept an eye out for shuttles and we did see a Hertz one but it was completely full.



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We ran into another work friend in the taxi line, she and her family were waiting for one too.

During our wait, we heard the CM's talk about how the bridge in the garage was closed because they were having some bee problems and so we looked over to where she was pointing and sure enough, there were hundreds of bees flying about. Kira freaked out a little but they weren't coming over near us.

Hard to see but they are there :rolleyes: Little dots over the left smoke stack.



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We were second in line for taxis now but there were ZERO taxis around. Normally there is a huge line of them waiting but with the delays, everything was messed up.

Rob went down to the car rental shuttle area to see if he could find one. He talked to a CM who said he would send it over to us when it showed back up and sure enough, he came and got us about 10 minutes later.

We were his last pick up, he said, which was weird because there were still people on the ship and in the luggage/customs room. We drove down to the Carnival ship to see if anyone was waiting but there wasn't anybody left. Just us I guess :p



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Rob went and got our vehicle for the day and Kira and I waited outside.



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At Hertz, they bring the vehicle around to you at the front, which is nice. I just wished they had a nicer bathroom :crazy2:


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Got our SUV and off we went!



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I had put aside enough quarters for the tolls back to Orlando and it was a quick and easy drive.


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Our destination? Disney Springs! It would be the only time we would be on Disney property this trip, which made us sad but we knew it wasn't a good choice for us anyway, with the heat and stuff. :faint:

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I had been to Disney Springs since the big change, well, I was here in February 2016, so a good portion of it had been done but Rob and Kira haven't been here since 2013.

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It would be our first experience in the new garages since the last time it was just a regular parking lot. I didn't have a car last year and I stayed at Saratoga Springs so I always just took the ferry over.

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It was so nice! Lots of spaces and in the shade :thumbsup2

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This part was closed last year so it was nice to see all the new stuff.




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We didn't have a lot of time here, especially since getting off the ship took a lot longer than I had expected.

My first and most important goal was to eat since I was starving by now :yay:
 
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What a crazy disembarkation! Sad you got kicked off. :(

Jill in CO
 
I forgot to mention that I ran into Jen the night before and we got to visit for a bit. I feel like I hardly got to spend any time with her this entire cruise
\

That was the best time together. We didn't have much alone time at all and though I love our families, it is just not the same as hangin' with one of my besties alone!

I'm glad we got some time together, it made me realize how much I missed her. There's not a lot of people in this world that I instantly connect with and can truly be myself around and she is one of those people

I agree. We need a non-family trip. I know it will be harder now with me switching job locations....but we can do it!
 
From our experience, they always try to discourage Cabanas on the last morning. But, after searching it out on our own, we have always found it open.
 
Found your new TR a few days ago and just finished reading the whole thing!

Sounds like you had a great trip! Glad you enjoyed all of your family time and pool time, that's what a cruise is all about, relaxing and going at your own pace and doing what you like to do.

The Fantasy is a beautiful ship! Loved that you had clear pics of so many menus, I saw lots of things on there that I would order, sometimes that is surprising since I am pretty picky. Everything looked so good, Sorry the food was disappointing for you. I guess sometimes looks isn't everything.

The Zip-lining looked really fun! I have sort of wanted to try it but have usually chickened out, this may change next time after watching your video of it.

Castaway Cay is so pretty! Those slides look really fun.

I haven't been to Disney Springs since my trip in 2011 so it's completely different now. It does look really pretty now, love the water by that bridge.
 
Day 15, Part 2

I wanted to try some new foodie places so first up was Blaze Pizza.

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Normally we would get two pizzas at least but since we were going to D-Luxe Burger next, we decided to just split a pepperoni pizza, something we could all share.

It was awesome how they make it to order for you. I asked for extra pepperoni and some extra cheese.

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We followed it down to the end and then paid for our meal and we were given a pager to let us know when our pizza was ready.

We went to get a table but the entire inside eating area was full. There was tons of room out on the verandah outside but there was no way I was eating out there. It was stupid hot out and I would pass out before the pizza even came! :faint:

We waited for about 10 minutes before some seats opened up and we ran over the get it. I'm not very fast in my old age but I would have beat out the youngest, fittest twerp if they had tried to grab that booth from me :rotfl2:

About 2 minutes later, our pizza was ready!

Eyes. Closed. Again.

:rotfl:

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We devoured it...like in seconds :laughing:

It was so good and it would have been even better if I had my own and was able to customize to my liking.

We will definitely be back ::yes::

Next stop was mostly for me because I really wanted to try a D-Luxe burger. As we were waiting in line to order, we ran into Patty & her family. We had wondered if we would as we knew they were heading for Disney Springs as well.

I sent Rob and Kira to find seats and the only ones were available were at the odd bar seating in the very back. If the chairs weren't so freaking horrible, it would have been fine but they were too tall for the table/bar and they were odd bar stools that were clearly chosen for their looks and not their comfort.

Good Lord, these were horrid!

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Hard to see in these pics but you can kind of see how Kira is sitting, odd right? Well, this is how they were, you were tipped to one side the entire time. So uncomfortable!! :earseek:

I just got a burger and fries to share but really, I should have gotten an extra fry because Kira devoured half of ours and would have devoured them all had I not taken them away from her :lmao:

I asked for the burger to be well-done as they normally make them medium and it was perfect!

I also got all of the sauces to try since it was our first time but really, I think I only enjoyed one of them and Rob and Kira hardly touched them. :rolleyes2



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It was so freaking good! I would have gotten another round of the exact same thing to share had we not be driving to the airport in just over an hour and a half. :rolleyes2

We went over to say one final good-bye to Patty & family as they were sitting in a nice comfy booth eating their food. Jealous! :rolleyes1


We didn't have much time left now and there were several stores that we wanted to go to. We felt very rushed and I wish we would have had more time to shop.

We first went to Uniqlo and found some cool, cheap shirts. The price was cheap, not the quality. I bought two shirts from there and I could have bought more but I knew we had to carry on. They are my two favourite shirts that I bought on this trip. :thumbsup2

Next up was World of Disney. This place was a ZOO!!! :crowded:

But they had redone this store even since the last time I was here and it was much easier to shop now because they made more room for people to move around in.

Kira tried really hard to bring this sucker home :rotfl2: :stitch:

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I bought Kira a few Stitch clothing items and Kira found a couple of smaller Stitch stuffies and then we were off to the next store. I so wish we had more time here :sad1:

I wanted to check out the Marketplace Co-Op and by the time we got there, I was dying of heat. I had remembered that you can get Dole Whips at the Marketplace kiosk so I sent Rob to get us one to share while I checked out the store that has all of the luggage. We needed a new carry-on bag and we were waiting until we got here to buy one.

Rob came back with this and we all shared.

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It was huge and WONDERFUL!!

He was feeding me as we were walking around deciding on a carry-on. It was so good and it really hit the spot because I was so hot. He wasn't feeding me fast enough so I just leaned over and took large mouthfuls :rotfl2:

I might have looked like a little piggy but I didn't care!! It was exactly what I needed :worship: :love:

We then walked over to the Star Wars shop, walking around a bit so Rob and Kira could check out the new area.

Kira loved this...

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Sorry, pics out of order!

And even though we have several pics of her and Brickley, she doesn't remember him at all and thought he was just the coolest thing. :p

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The sky looked ominous but it never did rain :sad2:

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We had two more stops to go...the Star Wars Store and the Marvel Store.

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Oddly enough, Rob is the only one that didn't get anything in the Star Wars store :scratchin

He didn't find anything he liked, which is saying a LOT! :chewy:

Kira and I each got a shirt.

This was neat though :darth:

Maybe if Rob cooked, I would let him have it :earboy2:

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It was now time to get our butts to the airport!

Kira insisted on rolling our new carry-on :earboy2:

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We filled up at our usual stop, Speedway on 536 and then off to the airport we went.

The skies looked wicked :love:

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We returned to car to Hertz with no problems, shuffled our luggage around since some stuff that is not allowed in carry-ons was in mine since we had gotten off the ship with all of our toiletries that morning.

I weighed our suitcases with my scale that I always bring to make sure we weren't over. We made it with a pound (or two) to spare in each checked bag. Phew! :scared:

With our suitcases checked and boarding passes in our hands, we headed for the Universal store as Rob and Kira wanted to get a couple things.

Our carry-ons were now STUFFED! :rolleyes1

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Rob took the above photo and said that's as close to Pandora as we would get on this trip :P


We had TSA Pre-check, so we headed over there, which is now on the very far side, near the Disney Store. There were so many people in the airport, in lines and such, it wasn't easy to get over there.

It was a short line but Rob always seemed to get picked on ::yes:: :lmao:

Poor Rob. He got the full-on pat down! And they were VERY thorough. :scared:

I yelled out that he had better be buying him a drink now :rotfl2:

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When Rob was finally all done being groped, we headed for the tram to our gate.

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We found our gate and grabbed some seats and I went and got us all some snacks to tide us over for the five and a half-hour plane ride.

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I was worried about our plane taking off on time because of the weather but it didn't delay us at all.




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I took the above photo and then this MASSIVE bolt of sideways lightning lit up the entire sky :cloud9:

Here's a shot of the airport expansion they are building. We passed this on the way to the cruise and it looks very neat!

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We were lucky enough to fly right next to Universal. It's easy to spot it because of the two gigantic parking garages. You can see the Studios, IOA, Cabana Bay and Volcano Bay super easily :thumbsup2

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We got settled in our seats for the long journey home.

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And not too much later...

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She was complaining how she couldn't stretch out yet most of the flight she had her head on her Daddy and her feet on me. :rolleyes2

Hardships :rolleyes1


It was weird flying home while it was still light out. Normally when we come back from Disney at about 9:30pm on that direct flight, it's pitch black.

So, how awesome for us that we flew right over our subdivision! We could even see our house! :cool1:

At the bottom of the pic is the off-leash dog park that I take Boo to every morning. paw:

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The sun was setting as we got more north passing by downtown, it was quite the sight :thumbsup2

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We landed on time and started the very long trek to Canadian Customs.

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I just love getting this shot...
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No lines at the Nexus machines, SWEET! :cool1:

Scanned our eyeballs and we were done! pixiedust:


Found our bags...

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And we were welcomed home with a band playing! :rockband:

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Back home to our YYC :woohoo:

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We texted Park2Go and they sent a shuttle. We love Park2Go because when we get to their lot, they have your car running, right at the exit gates, so, so easy!!!

:dancer:

Thirty minutes home, we grabbed some A & W on the way home since we were all starving!

My brother Ken was waiting for us as we pulled in. He was kind enough to bring Boo back to us :love:

She was just a teeny tiny bit happy to see us :P :cloud9:

We ate, unloaded luggage and started laundry.

Okay, I unpacked and Rob did laundry. Like 6 loads of it o_O

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We got Kira into bed, my brother went home after a quick visit with tales of Boo's B.C. camping adventure and then I snuggled my Boo-boos in bed :lovestruc

Best. Part. Of. My. Day.

:love: :love::love:

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And that's it, peeps. DONE!

:wizard:


I might come back when I get a chance and give some final thoughts. ;)


A special thank you to all who read my report and VERY special :hug: for all of you who commented, it really makes it worth putting all of the work into it.

:thanks:

Bye :wave2:
 
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Awwwwwww! Is it really over?!

Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with us. You have a beautiful family!

I can't wait to hear what your next adventure will be.
 
So, how awesome for us that we flew right over our subdivision! We could even see our house! :cool1:

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Which one is your house? :rotfl2: Loved your report. When are you traveling again? Thanks much for sharing. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to write a trip report.

Kate
 
Oh my gosh it's really over :sad: we've been back from Alaska a week now and I'm finally catching up with most trip reports :worship:

I love that on a longer cruise you really felt you could get in some good family time, esp by skipping the MDR's the last few nights and swimming and eating up on the pool deck instead, what a fantastic idea!:flower1:

Disembarkation day looked like a real cluster F:sad2: glad you didn't have to rush off to catch a flight right away, how stressful when it's not an easy disembarkation. And yay for a few more hours of Disney magic at Disney Springs. pixiedust: So where is your next cruise going to be to - or did you mention that already and I forgot? Perhaps in a final thoughts entry.....:o
 
Longer trips make for longer TR's, which is a win-win for everyone!! :lovestruc Those last few hours at Disney Springs flew by but you did manage to pack a lot in. Glad that your journey home was uneventful and I have to agree that seeing the fur-kids when you get home just makes my day too. Thanks for taking the time to put it all together, I know how much work it is, but it's so fun to follow along with other people's vacations!
 

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