wendinator

I went to AK for just the last two hours before it closed tonight - there were only two things I wanted to do there tonight, and going to the Nomad Lounge was one of them.
The Nomad Lounge is adjacent to Tiffins, and neither of them were busy tonight. It was a lovely night to sit outside so that's what I did. I perused the menu, and although my server offered me the option to have any of the appetizers off the Tiffins menu, I opted to get two things from the Nomad menu.
I started with the Snow Leopard Salvation.


i expected this to be a bit more mint-y like a mojito, but the predominant flavor was the ginger beer. I still liked it and it was pretty big, which I guess is a good thing considering it's $12.
For food I went with the vegetable cold rolls. If you've had Thai/Vietnamese cold rolls, that's what these are. They really hit the spot. The dipping sauce had some real kick to it.

I also had the fish tacos. Most of the ones I've had before are made with fish that's battered and deep fried, but this fish was not. These were very tasty too.

 
So although expensive (cuz Disney), this was a nice dinner. No AP discount here (you can get that at Tiffins) but they do take TIW if you have it.

I went to AK for just the last two hours before it closed tonight - there were only two things I wanted to do there tonight, and going to the Nomad Lounge was one of them.
The Nomad Lounge is adjacent to Tiffins, and neither of them were busy tonight. It was a lovely night to sit outside so that's what I did. I perused the menu, and although my server offered me the option to have any of the appetizers off the Tiffins menu, I opted to get two things from the Nomad menu.
I started with the Snow Leopard Salvation.


i expected this to be a bit more mint-y like a mojito, but the predominant flavor was the ginger beer. I still liked it and it was pretty big, which I guess is a good thing considering it's $12.
For food I went with the vegetable cold rolls. If you've had Thai/Vietnamese cold rolls, that's what these are. They really hit the spot. The dipping sauce had some real kick to it.

I also had the fish tacos. Most of the ones I've had before are made with fish that's battered and deep fried, but this fish was not. These were very tasty too.

 
So although expensive (cuz Disney), this was a nice dinner. No AP discount here (you can get that at Tiffins) but they do take TIW if you have it.

Today was my first time going to Skipper Canteen - I went for lunch.
Since you can now get alcohol here, I figured I'd have a beer. I liked the notion of the souvenir mug (you can buy it separately from the drinks that are featured with it)... until she brought me one and I saw it was a thin metal that wouldn't be suitable at all for hot drinks. I ended up not getting it.

They start you off with "Ethopian celebration bread" with honey. The honey was nice but the bread didn't seem very fresh. I didn't eat much of it unfortunately.

Instead of getting an entree I thought I'd get two appetizers. It seemed like a good idea in theory but it turned out to be too much food and I ended up carrying my leftover noodles for the rest of the day.
I ordered the S.E.A. Shu Mai and they were really tasty.

 

I also got the Shiriki noodle salad - "rice noodles, edamame beans, mushrooms, green mango, and cucumber tossed with a sweet chili sauce". There was a little bit of spice to this. I would have been happy to have more veggies in this - it felt like it was mostly noodles.

 
As someone here suggested (I think?) the books on the shelves are well worth checking out. These ones in particular had me laughing.


 
20% AP discount here on food, but it was still a $31 dollar lunch including tax and tip. (Beer, noodles, dumplings.)
My server was a lot of fun. If you like the corny jokes at the Jungle Cruise, you'll like the corny jokes here.

Maybe MB 3.0 will give you a shock if you try to spend over a set limit !  
Ooh look a $300 purse... ZAP!

I popped into Capt. Cook's for a quick dinner last night. This is the "Seared Chicken Breast served with Pineapple Sambal, Red Quinoa, and Edamame Salad".
The chicken was a little tough - I wondered if it might have been cooked quite some time ago and sat under a heat lamp for a while. The pineapple stuff on top was good. And the quinoa and edamame salad was a little bland but it was plentiful. You can't tell from the photo but it's served to you in a big box which was kind of a pain to eat out of when you're trying to cut the chicken with a knife and fork.
I got the 20% AP discount so including tax it was $7.66 which I thought wasn't a bad deal.
 

 

I wasn't going to say anything but before a million show up I think I should. 
I took the liberty of ordering 6 and having them shipped c/o the Millers. They should get delivered tomorrow if all goes well. 
It seemed wrong to me that they weren't there for the kids to learn and play with. 
My Christmas present to the Fiends and the Fort. 

I recently heard about "throwing the first pitch" at Casey's Corner, which was news to me. So in case it's news to anyone else, here's a bit more info on the morning ritual at Casey's in case you want to check it out.
https://www.wdwhints.com/2013/11/throw-the-first-pitch-at-caseys-corner/

How do you like me now?:
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/10/once-upon-a-time-projection-show-begins-november-4/
‘Once Upon A Time’ Projection Show Begins November 4
by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Editorial Content Manager, Walt Disney World Resort
Today we’re happy to announce that a new nighttime projection show, “Once Upon a Time,” will debut at Magic Kingdom Park on November 4.
In this new show, Mrs. Potts from “Beauty and the Beast” shares bedtime stories with Chip, taking them (and all of us) on a magical trip through the most adventurous scenes from favorite Disney films like “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.”
Scenes that are expected to be guest-favorites include a flight with Peter Pan from London to Never Land, the Mad Hatter’s whimsical tea party, and a daring duel between Gaston and Beast. Mrs. Potts and Chip end their bedtime story with a grand finale that includes appearances by characters from even more Disney films.
The show, which was inspired by one of a similar name at Tokyo Disneyland Park, uses projection mapping technology to cover every nook and cranny of Cinderella Castle in vibrant images that appear almost three-dimensional.
“Once Upon A Time” will replace the current “Celebrate the Magic” projection show, which will end its run on November 3. Check your My Disney Experience app for times and more information.
____________________________________________
As far as I can tell, the ONLY place this new show was predicted was right here on Fort Fiends.
TCD

I need to bookmark this photo to show my daughters the next time they make fun of me for wiping down my picnic table with a Clorox wipe:

PSA #2- Some people eat off of the picnic tables.  Even though you think your dog is adorable, please keep her butt off the table.  Thanks in advance.
TCD

Whelp, the thermometer dipped below 60 degrees at the Fort, and the firepits are out.
Looks like the Rangers are slacking:


Those photos and the video are from two different Instagram accounts, so I'm not sure if this is the same campsite or not.
PSA- If you're going to have a fire, please don't burn crap like that in it- no one wants to smell that smoke.  Also, please review the firepit rules.  Some of us would like it if the Fort doesn't get burnt down. Thanks in advance.
TCD

If the government tells them to go to a shelter, they should.
Too many people risk their own lives and the lives of first responders because they ignore procedures that are in place to protect them.
TCD

Your Google-fu is better than mine! Thank you for the info! 
I'll post a trip report after we get back - there will be obligatory afternoon tea pictures, plus this World Showcase tour to talk about.

I haven't tested it myself, but every time I've heard this question asked, those in the know have responded that Disney provides early bus transportation from the hotels to the parks for guests who have PPO (Pre Park Opening) reservations.  I've heard the buses start up at 6:30 am- ish for such purposes.
A bus from Pop is the way to go-especially since your mom has the ECV.  I'd say be at the bus stop at 7 am, and you're good to go.
ETA- I found a post from the Disney Mom's Panel that backs this up.  They're wrong a lot, but I don't think they are this time:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:3_jPMAwOsNoJ:https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com/question/booked-early-morning-pre-park-opening-reservations-266235/+&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
On Aug 29, 2014
Melissa from PA Asked“
Hello, I booked early morning (as in pre park opening) reservations and am staying on property. If buses only run 1 hr before park opening, how will I make my dining times if buses don't run that early? Ex. Akershaus 8:05 when park opens at 9.”
Hi Melissa,

Isn't it wonderful that we have the Disney complimentary resort transportation to take us to and from the theme parks? Guaranteed complimentary transportation is the best kind of transportation! 

When it comes to arriving at your early Advanced Dining Reservation on time, you don't have to worry about that either. When you check into your Resort hotel, visit guest services and mention to them that you have an early Advanced Dining Reservation during one of the days of your stay. Each resort offers bus transportation for guests that may have Advanced Dining Reservations that are very early in the morning within the theme parks. The Cast Member will be able to tell you what time to arrive at your bus stop to take advantage of the early transportation.

I hope this answer helps with your vacation planning, Melissa. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask us at any time. We're always here to help.  
TCD

We need answers, folks.
I've also been curious about how far the Fence Frenzy has gone.
I paid a visit to Twin #2 on Saturday, September 10, 2016.  We were going to meet up for a meal at Disney Springs and then go and cash in a couple of FP+'s at Epcot on what will probably be the last uncrazy Saturday of the year (Food and Wine starts this week, followed immediately by the Christmas craziness).
As luck would have it, I arrived early, and had about an hour to kill.
Plenty of time for a quick fence check.
So, here we go.
This is the situation behind the Meadow Trading Post- no fences around the Fishin' Hole, and Bob's Dock is still open for business:

Note that there is a No Fishing/Don't get eaten by an alligator or bitten by a snake sign right next to the dock:

Since there are no No Fishing signs on the dock itself, it is apparently OK to fish from the dock.
There's a canoe in the Fishin' Hole:

Now we are looking at the canal that feeds into the Fishin' Hole.  That's the 1300 loop on the right.  Note there are no fences on either bank of the canal:

Starbuc71 requested photos of the finished pool fence.  We can see a bit of it from here- but that fence around the splash area was already there:

Here's one last look at the Fishin' Hole- no fences around it on this side either; but there is a No Fishing sign there on the left in front of that rock:

There is a new gate at the Splash Zone:

Now we are in the covered area next to the Meadow Pool Snake Bar (that Snake reference is for the original Fiends who may still be around). The covered area is outside of the fence:

This shot is taken from near the restrooms, looking toward the covered area.  As you can see, a visit to the restroom from the pool will require you to exit from a gate and walk around the fence:

I'm guessing that the thought here is that the restrooms will still be accessible when the pool is closed.
There are no Magic Band readers on any of the gates.  I was able to walk right in and onto the pool deck.  There are several gates.  Here's one on the far side of the restroom building, near the hot tub:

If you look behind the slide in these shots, you can see the fence is right behind it:


The fence line is right at the edge of the pool deck, so the dining pavilion is now fenced off from the pool, but there is a gate provided here so the freeloaders can still come and go as they wish:

There was a fancy party going on in the pavilion, complete with a cupcake display:

A couple more looks at the fence:


The speculation that the chainlink fence around the playground would only be temporary appears to have been wishful thinking:

The pool is completely enclosed by the new fence.  There are picnic tables off to the left, under the trees, just outside of what you can see in this shot:

Now we are on the path to the footbridge that leads to the 1500 loop bus stop:

This is the canal that separates the Meadow area from the 1300 loop- there are no fences here, but there are No Fishing signs:

There is no fencing along the canal where the footbridge crosses it.  There is a No Fishing sign over there hidden in the weeds:

Here's the view from the bridge looking toward the 1300 loop:

I headed in to the 1500 loop, and walked toward the back.  There were several open sites just after noon on a Saturday, which means the Fort isn't even filling up on weekends this time of year.
Here's an interesting pop up camper- it's basically just a tent on a small trailer.  I looked at one of these at an RV show- they're pretty cool:

Here's a nice tent set-up.  I wonder what's in that EZ up?:

Site 1511 was vacant.  This is the area next to it.  That sign on the gate is new:

Now we are in the area behind site 1511- this is the same canal that runs behind the 300 loop and feeds into Bay Lake, where all of the new fences are that we saw in the photos posted earlier on this thread.  As you can see there are no fences along this stretch of the canal:

That last shot was taken looking toward the direction of the 300 loop.  Now, we are turned and looking in the direction of the 1600 loop, and the Four Seasons Resort beyond that.  No fences here either:

The signs posted along this canal are just the Alligator/Snake warning signs, not the No Fishing signs:

Here are two more photos showing the canal banks looking both ways:


Now we know.
I continued walking around the loop on the way out.  Here's a nice tent set-up.  Note the large dorm fridge set up in the porch area of that closer tent:

Site 1516 was empty, which gave me access to the canal that is behind this part of the loop.  This is the canal that connects to the larger canal we just looked at and runs back toward the Bike Barn:

I guessed that there wouldn't be any fences back here, and there aren't:


That's site 1513 over there.  It's amazing how private some of these partial sites are compared to the more expensive preferred and premium sites.  But let's keep that between us:

Now we are heading back to the Meadow Trading Post.  There's the tennis courts:

And this is the Meadow from which this area gets its name:

Now we are walking along the outside of the pool.  Here's another gate:

There's a new bike rack set up here behind the slide:

Here we are looking across the canal with the pool to our backs-that's the 1300 loop on the other side of the canal.  As you can see, all the sites along this part of the loop are vacant:

Another look at the fence on this side of the pool:

Here's the gate at the Splash Zone area:

I didn't count them, and there may have been one that I missed, but I think there are 6 gates that provide access to the pool deck.  None of them have Magic Band readers.
Look at that long picnic table.  I don't remember seeing that here before:

I finished up at the Trading Post, and decided to take a few photos of the Fort Wilderness merchandise section.  These don't have anything to do with the Fence Frenzy, but I'm sharing them anyway:




It seems like there are less t-shirts.  And there were no ceramic coffee cups- just the travel tumblers.
Now we all know the current status of the Fence Frenzy. 
I wonder if they're done with the Frenzy or if more fences are on the way?
TCD

Well,. I said this would be short and sweet.
It's definitely going to be short.
We will finish up with the photos in this post.
After our people-watching session, we headed to the Firehouse to get our SOTMK cards.
We had to stand in a bit of a line in the rain to get them, but we got them.  These are going for $20-ish on Ebay.  I think the price will drop as there are more parties:

We spent some time in the Emporium, and the girls got some MNSSHP gear.  They have a special passholder shirt for sale, which is kind of cool.
The drizzle continued on, and we had about an hour before the official start of the party.
We decided to head up through the Main Street bypass to see what was going on back there.  They were passing out treat bags there, and also doing some Photopass Magic Shots.  We were surprised to see that they have the Halloween statues that used to be in the Hub on display back here:

We headed back to Adventureland, and the rain was still lightly falling.  We ducked under cover and for a bit, and the rain stopped.  Which was a great thing.  At about 6:45, we headed back toward the Jungle Cruise, and were surprised to see that they already had the candy station there open.  We got our first candy there.  The CM's there were being generous, and we went through the line two or three times.
Then we headed to the Tiki Room.  They didn't open this candy station early, so we waited there for the rope drop.  And, in we went!  Twin #1 was looking forward to this one, as she used to work it, and liked being able to go inside the Tiki Room and look around.  They were generous with the candy there too, and we did that loop a couple of times.
Then we headed over to Pirates.  We passed the Captain Jack meet and greet line on the way there, and it was way longer than anything we'd want to wait in.  The Pirates candy line was not as good a set up as Jungle Cruise and Tiki Room, so we only went through it once.
By this time, we noticed that this party was a bit on the crowded side, and we decided that we had better head back to Main Street so we could be sure to get curb seats for the first parade.  I really was looking forward to seeing the Headless Horseman.
We found a great spot and claimed it.  While we waited, we headed off in twos to do things like Magic Shots.  Twin #1 and I went all the way up to the front of the park to see if we could get the Headless Horseman one, but we found out that they wouldn't start those until it was completely dark.
But, we did get this one.  The photographer told us to look at my arm.  I looked at my shoulder, and that's where Iago ended up:

I guess we got all of these photos without the watermarks because we're passholders.  I think if we only had MNSSHP tickets, then we would have to pay to get these to download.
Our first disappointment of the night came when we found out that they had to scrub the Headless Horseman because the road was still wet from the light rain.
They didn't scrub the Zootopia Creepa Crew though:

The parade was great.
I think this was the first time Jasmine has shown up in this new costume.  I don't think FWG would approve:

I appreciate that the Country Bears are still part of the parade:

Another disappointment came when the Haunted Mansion float came by.  The man and the dog were not part of this year's parade.  I always liked them.
About half-way through the parade, Wreck-It Ralph came by, and then we saw Vanellope riding on Goofy's candy machine, which is normally at the end of the parade.  For a moment, I thought the parade had been substantially shortened, but this is no longer the last float:

After the parade, we headed to the Hub, and found a spot to watch the new Hocus Pocus stage show.  It was really crowded, but we found a decent spot where we didn't have to stand behind anyone with their kids up on their shoulders.  The show is very well done, but we probably won't take valuable party time to watch it again.  After the show, we decided to stay put for Celebrate the Magic and Hallowishes, even though Twin #1 went on a recon mission and reported that there was lots of Hub Grass space available.
This was a good spot for Celebrate the Magic:

And then for Hallowishes:



It was 10:30 by the time all of that was done.
Which meant we only had a hour and a half of party time left.
It sure goes fast.
By the way, we had not been on a single ride during the party.
We decided to head from here back to Story Book Circus, and make our way from there back to Frontierland where we would try to see the Headless Horseman ride before the second parade.
The candy lines in Storybook Circus were awesome. They kicked the characters out of the tent, and had the candy barrels inside there.  We loaded up in there, and even started second bags.
Then we headed through Fantasyland, past Peter Pan, and the Haunted Mansion and found a spot to where we could sit on a ledge and watch the parade in Frontierland.  There were people seated on the ground in front of us, and they all stayed seated for the parade, which was nice.
The Headless Horseman did ride for the second parade:


Sadly, the Haunted Mansion guy with the dog was still missing in the second parade.
After the parade passed, we cut through to Adventureland, and hit the candy stations there again.
Then we headed to the Train Station for a final chance at the Headless Horseman magic shot.
We lined up at about 11:50.  There was no CM there to cut the line.  The photographer was slow, and the clock hit midnight as we waited.  But, the photographer kept on going, and we got our photo at about 12:05:

And then we were done.
That really went fast.
To recap- we saw the parade twice, saw the Hocus Pocus show once, watched Hallowishes from the Hub, and got about two bags full of candy each.  We got several photopass Magic Shots, but did not meet a single character or ride a ride. 
Strangely, I thought it was worth it, and would do it again.
That's all.
TCD

I don't even get people who feed seagulls. Who wants those nasty things swooping all around them. And then no one can eat on the beach without them appearing. Do people really think these animals would starve without their assistance? Is the entertainment value really that great?. 

Wawa is a town in northern Ontario and it's the Ojibway name for the Canada Goose.  

Woo Hoo!
The TCD Gang sailed away.
Before we get to the report- let's talk about the title.
My kid brother just retired from the Navy.  I know it's Anchors Aweigh!  Not Anchors Away!
But, there's a reason I did that.
Keep reading- I'll explain.
As you may know by now, the Disney Cruise Line is on the short list of the TCD gang's favorite things.
The only problem is that cruises are dang expensive.
Actually, that's not the only problem.  The other problem is that the TCD gang is currently spread throughout the State of Florida, and the TCD girls have school and job commitments all year long. So, finding time that we can all get together for a cruise is a problem too.
But, where there's a will there's a way.
So, when it looked like everyone's calendars would align, we pounced on a last minute cruise deal offered to Disney CM's (thanks to Twin #2), and on very short notice, we booked our 7th DCL cruise.
It was only a 3 nighter on the Dream, but we have to take what we can get.
We were all pumped.
I took this photo exactly one week ago- it's the TCD gang's DCL antenna topper in place on the TCD Big Blue Excursion.  If it looks a bit beat up to you, it is- it's 12 or so years old- a souvenir from our first DCL cruise.  I'm pretty sure Mrs. TCD has glued the ears back on it a couple of times now:

That photo was snapped right at 7:30 am, as we loaded up and prepared to head east.
For this leg of the journey, it was me, Mrs. TCD, our oldest DD, and Twin #1.  The girls had arrived at the TCD base camp the day before.  Twin #2 was over at her dorm at UCF, which was conveniently located right on our path to the port.  So, we picked her up on the way.
At 10:30 am, even after stopping at Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, and at UCF to retrieve Twin #2, we were speeding across the Indian River, about to catch our first glimpse of the Dream.
As we continued on, we noticed that there were a bunch of cars pulled over to the side of the road, and people were looking up in the sky.
What the heck was this all about?
I couldn't help but look too.
And this is what I saw:

It was a rocket launch!
We knew nothing about that.
But, that's exactly what it was:
Atlas rocket launches for 1st time since March grounding
June 24, 2016 by Marcia Dunn
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a U.S. Navy communications satellite lifts off from Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Friday, June 24, 2016, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The satellite is designed to …more America's Atlas rockets are flying again, successfully launching a communications satellite for the Navy.
      The unmanned Atlas V rocket blasted into a brilliantly clear sky Friday morning. It was the first Atlas flight by rocket maker United Launch Alliance since March, when a fuel-valve problem popped up on a space station delivery for NASA.
The first stage of that rocket shut down six seconds too soon, but the second stage took control and put the Cygnus cargo ship in the proper orbit. United Launch Alliance grounded its Atlas fleet until it could fix the problem. Everything worked right Friday, according to the company, and the satellite reached its targeted orbit.
The launch was the fifth in a series of advanced Navy communication satellites for use by the U.S. military worldwide.
Less than two weeks ago, the company's Delta IV rocket hoisted a secret spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Atlas rockets have been launching for almost 60 years. John Glenn rode an Atlas to become the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. The considerably bigger, more powerful Atlas V will be used to launch Boeing's Starliner capsules with space station crews in another couple of years
 
 
http://phys.org/news/2016-06-atlas-rocket-1st-grounding.html
How cool it that?
As mentioned, this was our 7th Disney Cruise, so we know the drill well when we got to port.  We dropped off our bags with a porter, parked, headed in, went through security, and checked in.
All of that happened with amazing efficiency, and was quite painless.
One new thing for us was DCL's new alcohol policy which was just implemented earlier this year.
The old policy was very liberal- in fact, I don't think they had any restrictions on the type or amount of alcohol that guests could bring on board with them.
The new policy is that each guest over age 21 is allowed to bring one six pack of 12 oz. beers or 2 750 ml bottles of wine.  No hard liquor is allowed in any quantity.
Fortunately for us, the TCD twins just turned 21, so we had the right to bring up to 5 six packs of beer or 10 bottles of wine.  The TCD daughters aren't big beer or wine drinkers, so we didn't even need to bring all of that.
In the good old pre-restriction days, I used a rolling duffel bag to carry the booze.  And I used the same bag this time.  I didn't know if each person had to carry his or her own alcohol allotment, or whether I could have it all in the duffle bag, and explain to the security folks that I was the designated alcohol pack mule for the TCD gang.  I decided that I would just pack the duffel bag, and deal with it at security if there was a problem with that.
There are several lines at security, and several scanners, and it ended up that we got separated and sent through different scanners.  All of the rest of the gang was through security and heading up the escalator when I heaved my duffel bag full of beer and champagne up on the belt to go through the scanner.  I had four guests' worth of alcohol in that bag, and the rest of my party was already gone.  I figured if the security guys stopped me, I would have to call everyone back and explain.  But, that didn't happen.  My bag with 18 beers and 2 champagne bottles when through the scanner, and no one said a word.  Off I went.  The guys at the scanners didn't know if I was the only person over 21 in my party or not.  I share all of this, as it might be useful information for someone who doesn't have 5 over 21 year old guests in his or her party.
I will also share this- there was a lady who went through security right before me who had a bottle of rum in her bag.  They security guys saw that, and confiscated it from her.  She was not a happy camper cruiser.  But, the rules are clear about no hard liquor being allowed.
In case you're not getting my point- I think you can bring more than a six pack or two bottles of wine.  They don't seem to be concerned about that.  But, the hard liquor ban is being enforced.
Anyway, all of that happened, and we were checked in and waiting to board at 11:18 am.
The Disney Cruise Line terminal was built when the only ships they planned to have use it were the Magic and Wonder.  Those ships hold a lot less passengers than the Dream and Fantasy, but the terminal wasn't expanded.  That means it gets kind of crowded leading up to boarding time:

We will eventually board the ship through the passageway under the big mouse ears you see in that last photo.  But, we had about a 20-30 minute wait until that was going to happen.  In the meantime, there are characters coming out for meet and greets- if you look carefully at that last photo, you might see Goofy there in the crowd.
I really don't mind the crowded terminal.  It's fun being in that space with so many excited people all ready to get on the ship.
Plus, we needed some time to get our traditional surprise mouse ear photos:

We weren't quite in the right spot to snap our mouse ear photos, but there was a group of people standing in our spot, so Twin #1 took that photo of me.  She did a good job lining things up.
I took this one, and didn't do as good a job:

As I told Twin #1, though, she had an easier job since I have a big fat head.
At this point, the boarding had already begun.
But we did not score as low a boarding number as we typically do.
That's on me.
Because I caved to the complaints of the TCD girls about how we always get to the cruise terminal too early.  They were right about that.  I always wanted to be at the parking garage for rope drop.  But, that also meant that we sometimes had to wait outside for the terminal to actually open, and we had longer waits inside the terminal after we checked in.  This time, we arrived a little later, and we had a shorter wait inside, but that also meant that the early birds all were boarding before we were.  Next cruise, I'm not caving.  I want a lower boarding number.
We had to stand and watch lots of guests board before our number was called:

The reality is that this really isn't a big deal- the process is quick, and we may, at most, have boarded 5 minutes later than our last cruise.
As they continued to call boarding numbers, I stepped outside on the observation platform for a look at the ship.  She's a beauty:


I think we have had boarding numbers as low as 2 before.  This time, we got 11's:

You can see our cabin numbers on there too- we had booked a "Guaranty" rate for verandah cabins.  That meant that we could be placed in any open verandah cabin, including some that have obstructed views, and we were not guaranteed to be near each other, or even on the same deck.  The trade-off for that is you get a lower rate.  We rolled the dice.  And we won.  Because we ended up with connecting cabins on Deck 10 Aft, which is a pretty desirable location.
Finally, they called for guests with boarding numbers of 11 or lower, and we stormed the ship.
We headed straight up to Cabanas on Deck 11, and I headed to the back where they keep the good stuff, which most newbies don't know about.  I found this fellow ready to cut me a big slab of beef- I took that photo at 11:54 am, which means that seemingly long wait in the terminal was really nothing at all:

We love the boarding day buffet in Cabanas.  The ladies all headed off to their favorite stations, and we found a table right by the window in "our" area of the dining room.  We had a great first meal together.  This was the first time we were all back together since Memorial Day weekend, and it was fun to catch up, and to talk about our plans for the rest of the day and the cruise.
We had turned over the editing and updating of the TCD Gang List of Fun to Twin #1, and after we finished eating and the plates were cleared, it was time for the big reveal.  Here it is:

A lot of things on the List of Fun are repeats from prior cruises, but there are some new ones on there.  Like, "Don't get Termed."  That's something that the twins say.  It refers to their status as Disney employees.  If you do something bad, you get termed, or fired.  That item on the List of Fun was a reminder that we were now cruising with a Disney Castmember and Twin 1 hopes to be a CM again, and we didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.
If you've seen Finding Dory, you will recognize that Gerald and Becky were honored with places on this year's List of Fun.  If you haven't seen Finding Dory, I strongly urge you to reconsider.
This was our view at lunch- you can't see them in this photo, but there was a small pod of dolphins playing in the water just off the bank of the roadway in the back of this photo:
 
One of the things on the List of Fun was to get a family photo- this is something that we have neglected on prior cruises, and we didn't want to overlook it again this time.  So, we stopped for one right after lunch:

Have you ever seen that much Lilly Pulitzer gear in one place?
Even my shorts are Lilly.  I received them as a gift from the girls prior to our last cruise.  I think this was only my second time wearing them.  At this rate, I reckon they will last me a while.  Lilly gives clever names to all of its fabric patterns.  The pattern on my shorts is called Anchors Away.  And, that's why I spelled it that way in the title of this trip report.  In case you want to read more about Lilly pattern names, or if you want confirmation that Lilly says Away instead of Aweigh, you can read more about it here: http://www.nauticalbynatureblog.com/2014/02/favorite-lilly-pulitzer-nautical-prints.html
After the group photo, I ducked into a restroom and changed into my swimming gear, and found Mrs. TCD and I a spot up on Deck 12 where we could overlook the pool and Funnel Vision- one change from our last cruise is that I see that they built a cover over the stairs that lead up to the Aqua Duck slide- that's a nice addition.  Speaking of the Aqua Duck, you can see a couple of guests are already riding through that tube at the top right of the photo:

There's one more cool thing you can see in that last photo.  I'll zoom in on it and use my purple crayon to make it easier:

That's the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center.  Where they used to build Space Shuttles.  I guess they built that Saturn V rocket we saw launch today in there too.
Here's a look at the other pool:

You can see that they're showing Castaway Cay up there on the Funnel Vision.  Also, note that there are lifeguards on duty at both pools.  That's something new.  I never understood why they didn't have lifeguards at the pools.  They do now, and that's a good thing- the pools are a lot less crazy now. And, they also will get everyone out of there if they spot a Baby Ruth bar floating in the pool- that's a very good thing.
As you can see, we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day.  But, boy was it hot.  After sitting up there on Deck 12 for a while, we went and found the new Satellite Falls water feature up on the front of the boat, and we enjoyed that very much.   The twins had their first official alcoholic beverage on the Disney Cruise, and we loved that. There's a lot of splashing water involved at Satellite Falls, and I also had a cocktail in my hand, so I didn't get any photos of that area on the first day, but I'll have some for you later.
While up top, and before heading down to check out our cabins for the first time, I snapped a photo of the DCL terminal, which is a beautiful building:

That's the DCL parking garage over there- there are many alternatives to parking here, and they are cheaper, but I always park in that garage.  To me, it's not worth the hassle of parking anywhere else and having to use a shuttle:

After hanging out on the upper decks and starting in to the beer stash, we had to go to our lifeboat drill.  This is a serious affair, and I didn't take any photos during it.
Then it was time for the sailaway party.
We headed up for that:

I had moved over here behind this guy with the USA shirt because he kept on showing up on the Funnel Vision, and the List of Fun required me to make an appearance on the big screen:

That trick worked, and I made it on the screen.  The girls all saw me.  But I don't have a photo because my back was to the screen at the time.
This sailaway party drags on a bit more than it needs to, but finally the characters came out- you can see Donald and Daisy up there on the Funnel Vision, but our view from where we were on deck was blocked by lots of Kids on Shoulders (KOS's are a TCD pet peeve):

After Donald and Daisy, they roll out the big guns, and the stage was crowded with Chip and Dale, Goofy, Minnie and even the Captain himself:

As you can see, we couldn't see much of anything from where we were.
But, still, we love the sailaway party.
My favorite part of it is where they do a countdown, and then shoot off streamers ,and we hear the ship's horn for the first time while the engines simultaneously rumble, and the ship shudders and begins to slowly move.
We got none of that.
Nope.  We were standing there looking at all the KOS's and Twin #2 said "Hey! We're moving!"  And we were.  No countdown.  No streamers.  No horn. 
WTF?
I don't know if someone goofed, or it that's how it's done now, but to me it's not the same without that first horn blast to signify that the cruise has really begun.
Since we were moving, we abandoned the sailaway party, and headed up to the front starboard side of the ship so we could watch land disappear.
That big tower thing was under construction the last time we were here- it looks like it is finally finished:


It's fun to watch the land pass by:

It was about here that the captain sounded the horn for the first time.  He went through the whole repertoire, and we got to hear the new Frozen inspired horn for the first time.
There's Jetty Park.  We've seen much bigger crowds here on previous cruises, but it was a really hot day, so maybe that kept the onlookers away:


If you're ever looking for a nice beach to visit on the Atlantic side of Florida, this one looks pretty sweet:


There's the jetty from which the park takes its name:

After the sailaway, we headed down to our cabins and got unpacked and settled in.
Here's our last view of Florida from our verandah:

The water is so blue- this photo doesn't really do it justice:

We all hurried and made it to the theater in time to catch the Golden Mickeys show.  We've all seen it many times already, but it has been a while, and it was good to see it again.
After the show, we had a pre-dinner cocktail in the Skyline Lounge:

Cheers!:

That's a rare Mrs. TCD photo for you, along with me and our oldest DD.  The twins were off doing something else when that photo was taken, but they did meet us here before long.
After that, it was off to dinner.
Our rotation on this cruise began with Animator's Palate.  That was a fun way to start the cruise.
After dinner, we roamed the ship, and checked things out.
It wasn't a late night for us.
We had to be up kind of early in the morning.
That pretty much covers day 1.
TCD

In addition to the Meadow Snack Bar and Trail's End, consider taking a bus ride over to Wilderness Lodge.  It's quick and easy- especially if you're on the Yellow bus route, as the Yellow bus will become the Wilderness Lodge bus when you reach the Settlement bus stop, and you will not need to change buses there.
There is a nice quick serve location at the Lodge, and two full service restaurants to choose from.
Or, take the resort boat from the Fort Wilderness marina over to the Contemporary Resort.  Also quick and easy.  The quick serve location at the Contemporary is right next to Chef Mickey's and provides the same cool monorail views.  If you are feeling extra adventurous, you can catch the resort monorail there and head to either the Polynesian or Grand Floridian.
One more idea for a dinner adventure- there is a MK bus from the Settlement bus stop from around 4 to 11 pm nightly.  Take that bus to the MK bus stop, and you can hop a bus there to any resort for dinner.
TCD

I flnally got a chance to catch up. As usual I enjoyed your report and thank you for taking the time to share it with us. I am glad the girls made you put away your camera for their birthday celebration. That meant you got to be be there with them enjoying the moments rather than seeing it through a lense.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I am the first to point the finger at the Disney corporation when it does something wrong, but I don't think it's fair to point the finger here.
Look at what Disney did when the thought there was a threat of bears at Fort Wilderness.  They spent a lot of $$$ to install bear-proof trash cans.
If a hurricane is heading toward the Fort, they will evacuate the entire campground and pay for guests to stay in hotels at no additional charge.
Someone drowned in one of the quiet pools at Pop Century Resort, and ever since, they have been installing fences around their pools, and have lifeguards on duty where they never have before.
Before that, they filled in the deep ends of all the pools property wide.
All the playground equipment at the Fort was replaced with modern, safer versions.
They installed doors on all of the parking lot trams to protect careless guests from themselves.
I can't think of many companies that put such an effort into safety.
There is no way that they would knowingly expose any guest to an alligator attack.
This was an unforeseeable and tragic accident.
TCD

There's a shocker (not).  As TCD said, it wouldn't be the first time.
Since the perpetrators are probably reading along...
Hi there!!  We're so glad you find this site such a great source of information. We certainly appreciate TCD and all the terrific Fiends that take their time and energy to track down and share all this awesome stuff with us.
And while we absolutely encourage you to share it with the great wide world, it's pretty shady and lame not to credit the source.

Sarah should have gotten her photo in front of this creature, they have the same taste in jewelry
 

Falafel.
Final Answer.
TCD

TCD, since you're getting into running, this won't be too far of a drive and a lot less $$$ than a Disney Run.  
Of course this era maybe a little before your time.  I'm guessing a Disco Era run might be more your style.
Put on your groovin' shoes and join us for Goodwill's Hippie Dash 5K! 
Saturday, May 21st, 2016
Downtown Gulfport
Registrations are non-refundable and cannot be transferred.
5K Hippie Dash 
1 mile Walk, Woof & Roll (strollers & dogs welcome)
Flower Child Fun Run
5K Hippie Dash $30/Walk, Woof & Roll $20/Flower Child Fun Run $10
Medals for all finishers!
T-shirt & goodie bag for registering!
Free beer!
Special awards for 1st Place finishers in every age group!
Awards for Best Dressed Dude, Best Dressed Dudette & Best Dressed Dog!
8:00 a.m. -  Hippie Dash 5K start  
8:15 a.m. - Walk, Woof & Roll start
9:00 a.m. - Flower Child Fun Run
The 5K is a chip-timed event. 
Virtual runners welcome.
All proceeds benefit Goodwill's programs for adults with disabilities
and for people with other barriers to self-sufficiency. 
 
Our Sponsors are Outta Sight! 
        
Winters & Yonker, PA
Canteen 
Clear Channel Outdoor   OUTFRONT Media
TECO Peoples Gas
Piedmont Companies, Inc.
Hawkins Construction, Inc. 
Humana
3 Daughters Brewing
Gordon Food Service