Last May we where on the Disney Dream cruising in the Bahamas. We loved it a lot and as you might remember we booked a placeholder on board, this means you get a discount on a future cruise next 2-years. Before we got home from our last vacation we found a very nice cruise on for later this year.

After a couple of weeks we booked the 7-Night Halloween on the High Seas Western Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral and we will celebrate Halloween on board! And today it’s just 8 weeks until we are sailing away for an itinerary taking us to Cozumel in Mexico, Falmouth in Jamaica, Georgetown on Grand Cayman in Cayman Islands and not to forget Castaway Cay!

We’ll be cruising on the Disney Fantasy, the sister ship from the Disney Dream. Funny enough this is not the first time we will see this cruise ship as we were on a city trip in New York the day the Fantasy for its christening. The first picture we took from the top of the Empire State Building while it was sailing in to port. The second picture we took a couple of days later when it was actually docked.

But before we sail away we fly to Orlando from Pearson a day before to stay in a Walt Disney World Resort for the first time ever. After we land we will take the Magical Express to Port Orleans French Quarter. Here we will stay one night till the Disney Cruise Line bus will pick us up and drive is to the port to embark the Fantasy. After we disembark we’ll be taking a the Disney Cruise Line bus back to the Airport where we’ll be renting a car from SIXT for the last part of this vacation.

This time we did not rent a villa but a townhouse in Windsor Hills a gated community very close to Walt Disney Resort. The house has a private pool and the resort itself has a lot of interesting amenities including a huge zero entrance pool, that’s what Emily likes a pool she can just walk in…

We can’t wait to get back to the magic of Disney and see how much the experience with Emily is different this time.

Our favourite (Emily is not old enough to vote legally) park was on the agenda again today. We planned being there early as I wasn’t able to get fast passes for Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. At 8:20am we left the house at 8:40 we were waiting inside the park for rope drop. Rope drop is the official opening of the park. 

As soon as this was done we headed to Joy and Sadness from the movie Inside Out and we were second inline. In December we had a fantastic meet and great here. Today it was regular, also the setting change no more controls panel for example. But we were able to keep the autograph book out of Emily her side, 

Right after we went to the Character Spot, just 5 minutes waiting time for a picture with a Mickey, Goofy and Minnie. Emily loved Goofy for some reason she wasn’t afraid at all. Here Emily saw the book but there was no drama this time and everyone got a kiss, for Minnie she took her pacifier out.., 

Next we went back to the entrance for a picture with the one and only Daisy Duck. The cast member was really helpful, she got the autograph before it was our time to meet with her, Emily walked up on her own and gave Daisy a big hug. 

Now it was time for our first Fast Pass, Soarin for Danielle. She got me a baby switch pass for later that day. The remainder of the day we did not use any Fast Passes by the way. While Danielle was Soarin’ over the World Emily and I where visiting the After Market from Test Track. 

Until I found out that there were playgrounds added throughout the park for kids to play. Officially Emily needed to be 2 years old but because she is tall and I speak Dutch the attendant didn’t even dare to ask me about here age. Emily had a lot of fun going up and down stairs and sliding down the slide. Mama joined with some ice tea from the local Starbucks before we walked towards World Showcase, our favourite area in Epcot. 

On our way to World Showcase we walked through a indoor butterfly area, I expected a lot more from it, I think I saw only 10 butterflies. 

While walking through the park we also made some pictures from and with the Disney themed topiaries, below a selection from what there is to see in the park p. 

World showcase is only partially open until 11 o’clock. We went counter clock wise and here you can only walk up towards French were there is another rope drop. We made this on as well and we ended up being fourth in line for a picture with Belle in her village outfit. The photo was not (yet) available in our Memory Maker and will follow later. 🙁 And now with the photo from Belle!

After saying Au Revoir to Belle we moved to the almost complete opposite of World Showcase for a picture with Mulan in China. 

While walking there I reserved a table at the Biergarten. This is a buffet restaurant in the German pavilion with Bavarian style food, it’s not exactly the same! We sat on the table with people from Hamilton in Ontario, about 1,5 hours from where we live. Emily’s appetite was enormous nothing she didn’t eat… 

When lunch was done we decided to go to the car, but as we left World Showcase Emily was already sleeping in her stroller. This gave me the opportunity to ride Soarin’ before we left to the car. 

Just before we arrived our car Emily woke up. At home we played a little bit and Emily had another nap from about an hour. When she woke up we went to Twistee Trear for ice cream and got us some Chicken Nuggets from McDonalds on the way back home. 

After dinner we decided to jump in the pool with our new floating thing for Emily. In the beginning she didn’t really enjoy it but in the end she didn’t want to leave her island. The best part of the pool is splashing water. I splashed a lot to make her laugh. 

At 7:30 we got out of the pool took a shower and after a bedtime story she went to bed. Danielle is doing some laundry while I’m preparing today’s blog.