DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 CP is looking a bit friendly with Mickey here....you should keep an eye on those two. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Well it's here, our last morning on the ship and as everyone that has cruised before knows you are pretty rushed on the last morning. Since we are early risers we decided to skip breakfast in the main dining room and instead hit Cabanas. That allowed us to leave our bags in our room while we ate and since we have W to wrangle at the table that was very helpful. Also we had taken care of the gratuities with the wait staff and said our goodbyes the night before. That brings up a good point how does everyone fill about the old fashion gratuity envelopes. On our previous two cruises the gratuities were all automatic with no envelopes and I liked it, I honestly didn't care for the old fashion way, it seemed awkward to me trying to hand them out on that last night. Now that I think about it I guess I didn't have to hand them out we just thought we should since it sounded like everyone else does and it made it easer to tip additional for some people. Do all the fiends hand out the envelopes? I know tipping is a sensitive subject but I was surprised to over hear lots of people that didn't like the auto gratuities and went and adjusted them down. Moving on. So here we are heading into breakfast. Breakfast was good, by this point we all knew exactly what we liked so we filled up pretty quickly. Then we walked back out on Deck 11 and looked around trying to avoid going back to the room as long as possible. Carnival ship next door: W was having a good time running around. I took these shots of the flags to figure out what the say: If I'm right this says: DCL DIS This one says NEY DCL After grabbing a to go lemonade we headed down to the atrium I took this picture around 7:30am You can see people are leaving the ship here: Back in our room we looked out on the balcony: CP was moping around not wanting to leave. Then we took our last two balcony selfies: Our standard sad face end of trip selfie: We did our last minute packing and while looking to make sure we had everything I found a sippy cup that we lost on the first day so that was nice. Then we headed out. To make our life a little easier we strapped W in his stroller, wow sorry for the blurry picture: Said goodbye to the Walt Disney Theatre: And to Preludes and their delicious popcorn One last pictures of the chandelier in the atrium: My little traveler: And then we were off the ship. We made our way to the baggage area where I quickly decided I needed help, I got lucky and grabbed a porter and found our bags fairly easily. We made our way through customs with no problem and next thing you know at 8:30 am I snapped this picture of the clock in CP's car as about to back out of our parking spot. Sadly our cruise was over and we still had to drive 875 miles home but that means this trip report isn't over. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 CP is looking a bit friendly with Mickey here....you should keep an eye on those two. haha yes she is, I didn't realize they were holding arms like that. I'll have to ask her about that. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Oh, this is bad. I hate the last morning of a cruise. The sad face selfie is priceless. Even W is making a sad face. BTW, I have that same Seaside t-shirt that W is wearing, and I saw you wearing yours in an earlier photo. I am looking forward to hearing where you are headed next. I think I know. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Glad you all enjoyed a wonderful cruise.Now since they mention it on some of the television ads and enough time has passed.Did you bring home an extra souvenir? Looking forward to the rest of your report. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Oh, this is bad. I hate the last morning of a cruise. The sad face selfie is priceless. Even W is making a sad face. BTW, I have that same Seaside t-shirt that W is wearing, and I saw you wearing yours in an earlier photo. I am looking forward to hearing where you are headed next. I think I know. TCD Yeah the last morning is rough, having to leave your ship, your room and knowing some other family will be in there instead of you in a few hours....its the worst. haha neither of noticed that W was also making a sad face until I posted that picture, that kids funny. Yeah I like that Seaside shirt and they always start conversations with people, plus W and I got ours on sale! You're probably right about where we're heading. Glad you all enjoyed a wonderful cruise.Now since they mention it on some of the television ads and enough time has passed.Did you bring home an extra souvenir?Looking forward to the rest of your report. Thank you! haha no we sadly didn't bring home an extra souvenir. Are they really saying that on commercials now? I'm going to post some more now. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Continuing on. We are now off the ship and in the car starting our drive back to Louisiana. Originally since we had to get off the ship so early we thought we'd drive over to Disneyworld and resort hop for a while until W was ready for a nap to make our driving a little easier. But we both agreed we'd rather drive for a while and get closer to home before stopping. But where to stop? I was voting for somewhere that would help me continue my vacation for as long as possible, somewhere like Seaside. But there isn't a cheap place to stay around there, and it’s a ways off the interstate, so we debated different options and used our phones and tried to find somewhere to stay. I kept going back to Seaside but we tried every option we could think of, state park cabins, hotels, cottages, VRBO, and couldn't find anything in that area that was in our price range. So we drove on without a plan. I should also mention that we hit three different traffic problems on this trip, the first was around Ocala and added a little over an hour to the trip. Anyway we kept on driving and debating on where to stop for the night. Eventually we got to the turn off for Seaside and I finally made the decision to go, latterly last second decision and even then we debated turning back for a good 20 minutes. I figured if nothing else we could get out of the car for a while and eat before driving on. I also thought I may be able to hit-up the Cottage Rental Agency to see if they’d cut a last minute deal on a room. So after arriving at our happy place here's our first pictures getting to the amphitheater. The sun was really bright and it was hot so W wasn't as interested in just running around as he was in February. We walked over the Cottage Rental Agency office hoping that we may be able to score a deal on their last remaining 1 bedroom cottage, but by the time we got there it was gone. They also looked at me like I was crazy when we walked up without a reservation. On our walk we noticed a man that used to be the care taker for the Vera Bradley B&B whom we met at our wedding. I wanted to go and find him for a visit after we left the office but he disappeared on me, but we did get to walk around the Motor Courts while looking. Selfie in front of the back of the old B&B. The cottage on the right is where CP got ready for our wedding. I took this picture for a reason but I can't remember why. Maybe the two outdoor showers?Then we crossed 30A Then we walked down to the water to check it out. The water was still beautiful, we haven't had any storms to stir it up and make it brown yet. The waves kind of scared W, which really made me appreciate the wave less water at CC. We rinsed the sand off and headed to Modica Market to drool over the food and grab a drink. Sorry no pictures inside but nothing has changed. Sadly we weren't hungry so we didn't buy any food. Instead we walked out back to make our way to the playground. Dang picture limit. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Just past the old B&B I noticed a treasure sitting right next to the fence and sidewalk, so I grabbed it. Here's W with his new prize. CP couldn't believe I grabbed it and insisted on taking a picture of where it came from:Yeah I got it off the top of that trash can. lol There were other broken beach things in there, I'm assuming some family on vacation threw them all away when they left. I wasn't going to leave a perfectly good shovel to be thrown away so now W has a new shovel. W loved his shovel by the way. Oh here's my drink of chose, root beer. We made it to the playground but W wouldn't let his shovel go, luckily there was tons of sand for him to dig. About this time we started discussing dinner. This whole Seaside plan always including eating at our new favorite place, Seagrove Market Café, but right about now I remembered something. I told CP that I think the Café Burger and Pimento grilled cheese are only on the lunch menu. She called to verify and sure enough at 5pm they switch to dinner and you can no longer order them. Since it was 4:30pm she quickly place a to-go order while I ran to get the car (I literally ran lol). I'll stop here and in the next post we eat and look around some more before we hit the road and this report ends. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Oh man, those Seaside photos really make me miss it! It doesn't look like we will be getting by there this summer. I was hoping to read that you scored some kind of last-minute deal. I'd love to take Mrs. TCD up to Seaside for a quick weekend trip, but the prices always stop me in my tracks. Awesome that W has a new shovel. We've acquired all kinds of beach equipment that very same way. Once, a couple on their last day of vacation gifted us two nice beach chairs and an umbrella. They had flown in, bought their gear, and had no way of bringing it home with them. We call that kind of thing "a gift from the sea" in the TCD gang. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 I've been garbage picking for years. It's amazing what people will throw away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 I've been garbage picking for years. It's amazing what people will throw away.It is! We got a play climber thingy that was in really good shape. They easily could have sold it for $50. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Great report! Thanks for writing it! Seaside looks beautiful. Do you know about baby powder for sand removal? It is amazing. I carry a giant container in my car at all times. Just rub it on sandy feet, legs etc and boom! The sand is gone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Okay... finally caught up :) First, great details on the cruise. Thanks! Looks like you guys had a really great time and, if ever I get up the nerve to step on a ship, it will definitely be a Disney cruise :) The sad face picture was hilarious. ... oh, and I loved that chandelier!Seaside...we're camping at Pensacola Beach right now; very pretty, but man is it hot!!Great TR! Thanks for taking us along :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 haha no we sadly didn't bring home an extra souvenir. Are they really saying that on commercials now?I'm going to post some more now.WBIThe commercial is actually from 2008, but I have still seen it occasionally.http://youtu.be/rHrSX0gHX_8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 We also have been known to go trash can/curbside shopping.We have gotten a television and a FW approved fire pit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 We also have been known to go trash can/curbside shopping.We have gotten a television and a FW approved fire pit. One of my best grabs was an awesome Electrolux canister vac that I'm still using 18 years after I pulled it from the trash. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Oh man, those Seaside photos really make me miss it! It doesn't look like we will be getting by there this summer. I was hoping to read that you scored some kind of last-minute deal. I'd love to take Mrs. TCD up to Seaside for a quick weekend trip, but the prices always stop me in my tracks. Awesome that W has a new shovel. We've acquired all kinds of beach equipment that very same way. Once, a couple on their last day of vacation gifted us two nice beach chairs and an umbrella. They had flown in, bought their gear, and had no way of bringing it home with them. We call that kind of thing "a gift from the sea" in the TCD gang. TCD Same here, I would love to be in Seaside right now! I hear you on the quick weekend prices, I can't tell you how many times we or our family have tried to stay a couple nights there but the prices shut us out. Man that's great about "gifts from the sea" I'll have to remember that and keep an eye out more often. I've been garbage picking for years. It's amazing what people will throw away. lol me too, my family used to make fun of me for stopping on the side of the road to get treasures. A family friend was a truck driver and he used to call me from the road to tell me about his latest treasures. It is! We got a play climber thingy that was in really good shape. They easily could have sold it for $50. Awesome, I've been on the lookout for playground equipment, I have no problem picking it up! Great report! Thanks for writing it! Seaside looks beautiful.Do you know about baby powder for sand removal? It is amazing. I carry a giant container in my car at all times. Just rub it on sandy feet, legs etc and boom! The sand is gone. Thank you! You know we have read about the powder but have never tried it. Every time we go to the beach now we forget it in the diaper bag back at the room or something. I'm going to bring it from now on though! Okay... finally caught up :) First, great details on the cruise. Thanks! Looks like you guys had a really great time and, if ever I get up the nerve to step on a ship, it will definitely be a Disney cruise :) The sad face picture was hilarious. ... oh, and I loved that chandelier!Seaside...we're camping at Pensacola Beach right now; very pretty, but man is it hot!!Great TR! Thanks for taking us along :) Thank you, glad your caught up. You should definitely go on a cruise! That's awesome you're camping right now. This is the partial husband work trip right? Oh I bet its really hot, do you have any shade? If you can take some pictures of the campground, I'm real curious about closer beach campgrounds! The commercial is actually from 2008, but I have still seen it occasionally.http://youtu.be/rHrSX0gHX_8 Oh yeah I remember that one! We also have been known to go trash can/curbside shopping.We have gotten a television and a FW approved fire pit. Man that's some great finds! One of my best grabs was an awesome Electrolux canister vac that I'm still using 18 years after I pulled it from the trash. What! That's great. Now that I think about it I still have lots of things I have picked up. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Well this is it the last update. After I ran and got the car in my flippy floppys, we cruised on over to the Seagrove Village MarketCafe. (why isn't there a space between Market & Café?) We went in and our food was ready, but with the heat outside I didn't feel like eating outside. Luckily they have two picnic tables right inside in the store area. I asked the guy about eating there and he said no problem so we got a cup of water and enjoyed our food right inside the store. Funny part was we weren't really that hungry, but once we felt the a/c and smelled the food we decided eating there was the best idea. After dinner, W needed to run some more. He's hiding here:While standing outside I noticed lots of golf carts on the highway in front of us headed to 30A. I think all of them were the bigger street legal kind like this one:I think the company name was actually Street Legal Cart Rentals.After letting W run around some we got back in the car and drove back into Seaside.We parked near Ruskin Place to walk around but first W had to do some driving: W was hamming it up for the camera here:[img=http://i704.photobucket.com/albums/ww47/wannabeimagineer/DCL%202015/June6/June6-2/DSCN0827%201280x960.jpg There was a wedding going on in the Chapel so we walked over with some other people and saw them come out. Then we headed back towards the car.We got back in the car and started driving, we made good time, and CP even drove some to give me a break. We hit traffic a couple more times but the worst was the Mississippi-Louisiana state line. They had traffic down to one lane for construction so it took us over an hour to go around 8 miles. This was all happening around midnight.I eventually made it through and had smooth sailing the rest of the way, luckily at that point I wasn’t too tired and I actually had a nice quiet drive while CP and W slept.And that was it, our vacation was over and this trip report is too.I’m going to try and compile some final thoughts on the cruise and post those later. Thank you for reading along everyone!WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Ok so we want to go somewhere for a short trip the end of July. Your photos of Seaside here and your previous reports as well as Kelly's are making me look into going there. So where would you recommend us staying location wise? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Ok so we want to go somewhere for a short trip the end of July. Your photos of Seaside here and your previous reports as well as Kelly's are making me look into going there.So where would you recommend us staying location wise? Are you camping? If you want to camp Grayton Beach State Park is the closets to Seaside, but it will probably have zero availability. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park isn't too far away, it has way more shade and amenities but also is usually full. I'd check either of those, but those are the only two I've tried so far so I can't recommend any other. If you are camping there's tons of options depending on how much you want to spend and do you want a house, cottage, hotel, condo, etc. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Look forward to your final thoughts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Are you camping?If you want to camp Grayton Beach State Park is the closets to Seaside, but it will probably have zero availability.Topsail Hill Preserve State Park isn't too far away, it has way more shade and amenities but also is usually full.I'd check either of those, but those are the only two I've tried so far so I can't recommend any other.If you are camping there's tons of options depending on how much you want to spend and do you want a house, cottage, hotel, condo, etc.WBIWould not be camping. Thinking we would want to be close enough to walk places, but don't need to be in the center of the town. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Thank you, glad your caught up.You should definitely go on a cruise!That's awesome you're camping right now. This is the partial husband work trip right? Oh I bet its really hot, do you have any shade? If you can take some pictures of the campground, I'm real curious about closer beach campgrounds!WBIYes, Tom has a convention while we're here, so our gas and campsite was paid for :) You bet on the pictures, I'll post some when we get home. Shade? Nope. It did rain today which, while a bummer on vacation, it helped cool things off :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmaul 65 Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Caught up. I gotta steal the sad face selfie idea at the end of a trip. Bittersweet that W participated. Seaside side trip FTW. Nothing wrong with shopping at Curbco..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Loved rereading this! So excited for our upcoming cruise! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.