Specularius

Home from the cruise. It was FANTASTIC! Loved the Wonder. There were a couple of things that are better on the Dream, such as Senses Spa, but the smaller ship was just so much fun. We were surprised that our Captain was the same Capatain we had on a previous cruise aboard the Dream, Captain Henry Anderson. The weather was great, the scenery even better, and the crew was Awsome. I learned a lot that may be valuable to other Fiends in the future and I will get that out in a trip report coming soon. Now to catch up on laundry and recoup from the trip. Left Vancouver at 58 degrees and arrived home to 103 degrees. Talk about wanting to go back right now!

On 5/8/2018 at 9:09 AM, Tri-Circle-D said:

 

 

Here's a look at the wall opposite the magazine rack- we already saw the fridge- and there's also a basket on top with some bags of snacks.  There's a little locker there to the right.  And one more detail to point out- those nautical flags on the wall to the left are for the numbers one and eight, which stumps me because the sign out back said that this was cabana #22:

 

I never figured out why, but this was reported before, on June 14th, 2017...

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Something that I noticed with the Cabanas. We were in #19, but there were flags inside, which I should have grabbed a picture, that showed it was #23. Some of the literature I saw stated 25 cabanas, but there were only two more cabanas past us. I am not sure what happened to the first 4 cabanas because I could see the flags in the last cabana and it was #25, but the sign in front of it was #21, the family cabana, which was twice the size of the other cabanas. 

Late to this report. Glad you had a great time. We are so looking forward to being on the Wonder in just 33 days! 

On the cabanas, along with the stocked fridge and sunscreen, you also get chips, a fruit bowl, golf cart transportation, bike rental, and snorkel rental. With a family of four, that all adds up. We splurged on a cabana on our last cruise. It was two stop at Castaway Cay and we got the cabana on the second stop. It was fantastic. 

We are not renewing our annual passes this year, but instead we are taking the Alaskan Cruise. We have almost everything booked except an arrival and departure day hotel. Has anyone taken this cruise and have a recommendation for a hotel to stay at in Vancouver that doesn't cost as much as the cruise itself? Any recommendations on the shore excursions? 

I get the feeling that this "Reporter", cough, cough, has ties to a competing cruise line.

7 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

I have never been on a DIS CRUISE that didn't have a CM hovering around the ice cream machines keeping them full and the area clean.

And the volume of ice cream those machines spit out is mind boggling. I did encounter a short period where they were out of cones, but it was a very short period and people were using cups to still get ice cream.

If he is so much superior, why did he not stay in the Concierge level? Having splurged on Concierge level once, That is the ultimate way to cruise Disney.  

Just looked through the May issue of Trailer Life and there is an article about camping at the Fort. Boy, with it as hard as it is to get reservations there now, the Fort does not need this kind of publicity! Oh, and the top of one page is titled "Fort Wilderness "Fiends"". 

I always fuel up at a Shell station at the corner of Winter Garden and South Apopka Vineland roads. It is always cheaper than anything on property, the turnpike, or close to the interstates. It is a bit of a hassle to get out of going back to the Fort, but is easy if going to the Winn Dixie for a grocery run. 

Yes, we are crazy....in some people's eyes. Shardi loves to carve styrofoam pumpkins for Halloween. We have around 100 pumpkins now. This past Halloween, the toy hauler was packed with pumpkins. There has been a discussion of using an enclosed cargo trailer to haul all the pumpkins. In the end, to see the faces of people that find the one pumpkin they love makes it all worth it. especially when it is a little one and they get so excited. 

I have seen the Storm Trooper squad several times, always with holiday appropriate additions, such as Santa hats at Christmas. The last time was at the entrance to the 700 loop.

We noticed this on our last trip. Shardi suspects it may be a small dog area.

And don't forget about the hidden fees and other issues associated with ownership such as property taxes, storage fees, and HOA/city rules/laws. 

For a first time buyer I would recommend a used one, but take your time to find a decent one. Try to find one from an individual, not a dealer. Climb up on the roof and look at the caulking. That will give a good indication if the previous owner took good care of the unit. 

If going for a new unit, 30-35% off MSRP is a good starting point on price. Look out for gimmick add-ons such as protective coating and excess service/prep charges that are just profit enhancement. 

Ultimately be prepared to change units within a year to two years as you figure out what you like and dislike, or to completely step away from RV ownership altogether.

Well, it was almost ten years ago but I am fairly sure we were in P1. If I ever go through that area again with the RV, I plan to stop there again.

We spent the night there back in June, 2008 on our way home from Washington DC. It was a raining when we pulled in. The fall is beautiful. We left early the next morning, so just an over niter for us. 

Going with too heavy spring bars can make for a rougher ride in the Tow vehicle. Looks great but my wife would never go for it. She refused to ever go anywhere again in my truck camper as it was too small. The truck camper had two slides and weighed over 5,000 pounds. It was huge for a truck camper. So I sold it and got a Momentum toy hauler.

Arriving at the Fort this Saturday. What is the Pine pollen looking like? Do I need to bring a medicine cabinet full of Claritin?

I still have not been able to figure out how to post pictures. Here is a link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fVKWRb80rstuH27Z2

If that works.

There was a street view of the magic Kingdom in the past that had a floating foot and nothing else. The rest of the person was cropped out of the picture. I have a screen capture of it somewhere, but since the Photobucket debacle, I may have lost it.

On 2/27/2018 at 3:38 PM, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

So... you're out shopping for a bigger camper?  

They don't get much bigger than what we got now, a toy hauler with a 12 foot garage. 

We have reservations. Shardi is already looking at patterns for carving more pumpkins for this year.

I heard a report that the golf cart parking at the marina has been changed. Anyone know the scoop?

I will never use PhotoBucket....ever.