Trip Report: October 11th-October 17th 2014 - Part 2

by Nick

Sunday October 12th

I didn't sleep as well as I would have like, but I've gotten by on less.

We headed down to Cape May Cafe with hopes of getting in without an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR), and were told we would be called when they opened at 7:30, and we were indeed.

We were lucky enough to get a a truly wonderful Cast Member, Adrienne, as our server. She was a delight.

We'd never had breakfast here before, but everything was very good, my favorites being the French Toast.

We got photos with Minnie, Donald, and Goofy.

Stop back for a full review of Cape May's breakfast buffet in the future.

Our Magical Express pick-up for transfer to Cape Canaveral was scheduled for 11:30-11:45, and by now it was 9, so we decided to take it easy and took a walk around the resort. I contacted my friend and fellow blogger, Lisa, who was visiting Walt Disney World at the same time, and we decided to just stop by Disney's Hollywood Studios to say hello. As it was very hot already, we hopped a Friendship Boat and took a ride over to the Studios where we met and spent some time talking to Lisa and her husband Raymond.

We hopped another boat back to the Yacht and Beach Club, and met other cruisers in the Solarium, where we were brought to our bus at almost exactly 11:45. Can you tell I was excited?

 

It seemed like a fast trip, and before we knew it, we were there.

Check in was very quick. We were greeted by a Cast Member who asked if we were Castaway Club Members, meaning we had sailed previously with Disney Cruise Line. We were, so we were directed to an even shorter line, and before we knew it, we were walking through the Mickey Head entryway and onto the Disney Dream!

As a bonus, it was exactly 1:30 when we boarded, and our stateroom was ready!

We had a Category 8D stateroom, number 5016. 

We dropped off our luggage and headed up to Cabanas, the buffet, for lunch and a tropical drink.

Like Cape May's Breakfast Buffet, I'll be doing a much more in depth review with many photos of Cabanas, and the Dream in general in future posts, we took A LOT of photos.

After eating we wandered around the ship, getting to know it, while we waited for the 4 o'clock mandatory life boat drill.

Doesn't everyone look excited to be at the drill?

After the drill we went up to deck 12 to watch the Sailing Away Party. The crew comes out and asks us to celebrate with Mickey and the gang, who then join them on stage.

We returned to our cabin, showered and got ready for dinner, and headed down to the Walt Disney Theater. We were unable to get the Main seating, so we went to the 6:15 show of Villains Tonight, one of the live Broadway type shows offered on the Disney Cruise Line ships.

 

It's an...interesting show. It stars Hades and his sidekicks Pain and Panic from Hercules as well as several other Disney Villains.
Hades sends out invitations to other villains to help him to bring up the evil quotient in the Underworld, or he will be evicted as ruler.
There are some unusual and not often used villains, such as Yzma from the Emporer's New Groove, a film, I confess, I am not a fan of.
The show had it's entertaining moments, but we wouldn't bother seeing it again.

After the show, we caught a portion of the show in front of the Pumpkin Tree in the Lobby Atrium, part of Halloween on the High Seas.

Guests are invited by the Haunted Mansion's caretaker to add "pumpkin seeds" to a bucket (the "seeds" made of paper, were handed out to each person after the Villains Tonight show) to help pumpkins grow on the tree.

Our rotational dining this evening, at 8:15 was in the Enchanted Garden.

One positive of second seating, which is much later than we are accustomed to eating,  was that second seating was not as crowded or noisy as main seating.

To start, we both had the Applewood Smoked Bacon and Wild Mushroom Tart, which was very good.

We also both got the Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower, which was excellent.

For our entrees, I got the Caramelized Sea Scallops with Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomato Cous-Cous. I really enjoyed the Scallops, but the Cous Cous, really, not good.
Barbie got Pearl Barley Cakes. They were awful, almost flavorless.

For dessert, I had the Date Pudding, which was pretty good.

Barbie, not wanting to risk being disappointed again, went with a can't fail Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar.

This had been a long day, but we decided to stay up, and at 10:30, went to see Nightmare Before Christmas in 4D in the Walt Disney Theater.

The movie was shown in 3D, the 4D was in the lighting, effects, such as fake snow, and at the end, Jack Skellington himself came up out of the stage. 

Afterwards, he took photos and signed autographs. 

It was a long tiring day, and we had no trouble at all falling asleep that evening.

Please stop back tomorrow for Part 3

Part 1 of my trip report can be found here: http://disneymusings.blogspot.com/2014/10/trip-report-october-11th-october-17th.html

A True Disney Baby

By Beth Skarp

Those of us who are true Disney aficionados love decorating our nursery in Disney themes in anticipation of our newest arrivals. Who can resist a baby dressed in his or her first set of Mickey ears or adorable Disney character outfit. I admit, my grown children were dressed as true Disney babies and my husband and I adored doing this, much to the chagrin of my children. 

A rumor used to be floating around that “if” a baby was born anywhere on Disney property, the infant would receive a lifetime pass to Disney. This is truly an Urban Legend. I mean, think about it. If this were the case, expectant Mother's would be lined up all around the Magic Kingdom in hopes of delivering their child or children—all in hopes of obtaining a Lifetime Pass for them. Talk about a logistical nightmare!

One infant actually has an official Disneyland Birth Certificate and was literally born on Main Street USA. On July 4th of 1979, in an overcrowded park on a stifling hot day, Rosa and Elias Salcedo of Los Angeles were trying their best to enjoy their visit despite the fact that Rosa was in the final term of her pregnancy. Why anyone would go so close to their due date is beyond me. Yes, I have gone to Disneyland while several months pregnant and actually had an enjoyable time. However, I have never gone anywhere close to my delivery date. 

While sitting down to rest on a bench behind the Plaza Inn, Rosa went into labor unexpectedly. The baby was in a rush to be born, coming much faster than either Rosa or Elias expected. Rushing off to the hospital was not practical for Rosa or her unborn child. Medics were called in to assist Rosa, and “Princess” Teresa Salcedo was born, just a few steps from Main Street USA. 

Like all true Princesses, Teresa was a small and petite girl in size but born perfectly healthy. Mother Rosa and newly born Princess Teresa were then transported to the local Medical Center to be checked out.

A few months later, in a special ceremony in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, Teresa Salcedo was presented with “Disneyland Birth Certificate Number One”. The family happily posed with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto—better known as the Fab Five.

Incidentally, this celebration coincided opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which occurred in September as well. This was the first time in Disneyland's 24 year history that a child had been born inside the park, but not the first time that a child had been born literally on Disneyland property.  

Disney Legend, Ron Dominguez, has more of a connection to Disneyland than others. I recently learned that the Dominguez family owned much of the property that Walt bought for Disneyland in the early 1950's. Ron, his mother and his brother were all born in the area that is now New Orleans Square, Club 33, the Blue Bayou, and the Pirates of the Caribbean. The Dominguez family “home” later became offices for Walt's staff. Ron Dominguez still bills himself as a "Native-Disneyland-American" a nationality few can claim. 

There will, of course, be other babies born in Disney Resorts and Parks. Only Teresa Salcedo has the Disneyland Birth Certificate to prove this. And yes, only one can be called the “"Native-Disneyland-American". All others will have just a story to tell (and will have to pay full price like everyone else to visit their special birthplace).

While Disney Birth Certificates are no longer issued (to the best of my knowledge), you can send Disney a birth announcement of your new baby and you will receive a Happy Birthday Response back from them. I have done this for all three of my children—and each one is unique and different. My grown children have their respective Disney Happy Birthday Responses, so I don't have them to post a picture for you.

You can send your child's birth announcement to either California(Disneyland) or Florida (Walt Disney World). Below are the addresses:

Mickey and Minnie Mouse 
Walt Disney World 
1675 N Buena Vista Dr 
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

– or --

Mickey and Minnie Mouse
The Walt Disney Company 
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, California 91521 
     

Face to Face With Disney Characters

Face to Face...

 

By: Heather Kaminski

 

After weeks and months of planning and saving, you have finally arrived. You are home!

 

You hit the parks hard, ready to let loose and act like a kid again. You're ready for a trip filled with magical moments with food, family, friends and some your favorite characters. And then you see them...

 

FACE CHARACTERS

 

We have all been there. You're so ready to dive in and act like a kid again, but as soon as a Princess (who is clearly, like, a sophomore at FSU) asks you if your husband slayed a dragon for you or asks about this far off land you call "Pittsburgh", you freeze.

 

For the record, "Uhhhh, yeaaaahhh" really was the best thing I could come up with.

 

If you are childless, like myself, these experiences can be awkward if you let them. Without an elated toddler to focus on, it's sometimes hard to get caught up in the magic as quickly as you would like.

 

Here are some tips for to make the most of these opportunities, so you can migle with the characters and have a little fun.

 

Know their backstory:

 

Ask Jasmine if she gets "Carpet Sick" or Ariel if she has a spare Dinglehopper you could borrow. Tell Alice that it's your Unbirthday too, and ask her where the party is! I wonder if Snow White will tell you her favorite Dwarf if you ask her nicely?

 

Ask them to teach you something:

 

Ask Peter Pan for a swordfighting lesson, or challenge Hook to a thumb war! I know from personal experience that Mulan is always up for a martial arts lesson.

 

Greet them in their native tongue:

 

Whether it be a hearty "Bonjour" for Belle, an "Ahoy Matey!" for Captain Jack, or a dainty "How do you do" with Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, it's always fun to get into character and pretend you're part of the story.

 

 

Speaking of getting into character....

 

Strike a Pose:

 

Even if you can't dress in full costume most days, you can always strike a pose to be like your favorite characters. Grab onto your "skirt" and curtsey with the Princesses. Make a "fishie face" with Ariel, salute with the Green Army Men, or show off your guns and make a muscle with Gaston. 

 

 

Whatever you decide to do, just let go of your inhibitions and have a blast! You're on vacation! Live it up. And if you're still uncomfortable, you can always stick with the far less intimidating "Fab 5" pictures. There's totally no one inside of those costumes, they are 100% the real deal.

 

 

Enjoy!