Saturday Morning:
How many giant cinnamon rolls does it take to get a child to pick up a gift card worth around $50?
Will we ever get to the port?
Luggage: Will I need to protect it, when I least expect it??? Who else will need protection?
Saturday morning 7:40 am the alarm seems to wake only me up
I try convincing Enginerd to take Lab Rat, but no despite my travails only 5 hours earlier, I had to do it or it wouldnt get done.
The lengths I go to if I can save $ or get something free.
I drag Lab Rat, whining & moaning, to get his b-day celebration gift card at the Guest Relations desk near where you enter the World Showcase. AP holders are eligible for a gift card worth the price of a 1 day ticket, but you can ONLY pick it up on the
actual b-day. He cant spend this card until next years visit, but at a around $50 free, it was worth the effort
.I think.
We were told they were open at 8am, but they didnt tell us you cant pick up your b-day celebration card until 9am. Ugh!! How am I going to keep this crabby b-day boy happy.
Good thing we stopped at the BC Marketplace 1st. He ate 2 gigantic cinnamon rolls the size of his face while he waited. We met a lovely lady w/ the same b-day who was also, a DVC member, stuck waiting, staying at BCV, and also about to board the Magic! Its always Magical! And we ran into her w/ her family everywhere on the cruise, that midway through the cruise I thought she was w/ our DIS meet.
When we get back to the room are they completely ready to go??? Enginerd is ironing??? Ironing???? He wants their Hawaiian shirts to look good for the port pictures.
I am strongly opposed to ironing.
#1 After something is ironed, you put it on, get in a vehicle, & by the time you get somewhere its wrinkled anyway.
#2 Laundry is hard enough w/o adding ironing. If it really needs to be ironed, such as a dress shirt, it goes to the dry cleaners.
#3 Im bad at it. I confess to be a failure in the ironing department--despite being the daughter of a woman who ironed her sheets. Never understood that one. You get in the bed & in the am they look worse than they did out of the dryer. I also stink at it compared to DH who worked at a dry cleaners in h.s. & college--so I don't even attempt to use an iron.
I hang things right out of the dryer or while still damp on drying hangars to prevent shrinkage. Most of the wrinkles fall out.
Thank you for letting me share a deep dark secret concerning irons. Someday I'll tell you about me, my fingers, & the only electric wringer washing machine.
Ok back on track....
Lab Rat & I take a quick shower. Its now 9:45 & Im starting to PANIC. I want to be at the port early. We finally got on the road around 10:30 am.
I wanted to get there early find some of my new DIS
friends, board early, etc. which didn't happen.
After this I dont what time anything happened, I was exhausted. I drove to the port & got caught in some traffic b/c we didnt have the Florida Hwy FastPass thingee. When we get to the port, I dropped them & all the luggage they could manage. I hurry to fill up the car & find Budget.
I get on the shuttle bus w/ a family headed for their 1st cruise "It's always Magical." They're asking me a ton of questions. I'm happy to be talking about the Magic.
There were some older people going to the Carnival ship, whom we're dropping off 1st. The gaggle of people who appear to all be together cant agree on which luggage is theirs. The
DCL families have to tell them NOT to take certain bags b/c they are OURS. Yikes! I'm trying to help the family w/ 2 small kids defend their luggage. One man wont get off the bus b/c hes convinced theyve left a bag behind. We assure him that the only bags left are OURS & we point them out one by one. He finally gets off the bus.
Sigh! Were or our way again
.when all of a sudden there are some bangs on the side of the bus & our driver SLAMMED on his brakes. I slam into the luggage railing on my left while putting out my hands the other direction to stop a 3 year old from flying forward. Kids are
! What the heck? The banging sound resumes on the side of the bus. Its the "
luggage guy".
He wanted to check one more time so he started banging on the bus as it was pulling away. Our driver lets "
luggage guy" get on
AGAIN & is finally convinced that there is no more luggage belonging to his group on board. The 1st DCL people w/ the crying toddlersone of whom needed an ice pack when we got to port for the lump that erupted on his leg, are not having a good start to their trip. The Budget bus driver proceeds to complain & never once apologizes for slamming on the brakes the way he did. He said the guy scared him. We told him he scared us more & we didnt appreciate starting our cruises w/ lumps & bruises. We arrive at the port & hes got nothing to say to us.
I get through security & my family immediately starts yelling at me. What took you so long? Were supposed to be on board. Where have you been???
Hello (I think but dont say), who does the running around here & all the planning? Dont you think
I want to be on the boat? Do you really think I was hanging out at the rental car place taking my own sweet time?
Arggghh! I try to explain, show them the bruise erupting on my arms & then I bite my tongue & quickly change into my dress for our photos. Whoosh! Were on the boat. No time to relax & enjoy the terminal. Little do they know
..the next cruise, Im making them spend a night in PC. Im not doing the drive from WDW unless were booking a limo that will pick us up at the crack of dawn.
They dont know about this TR. Evil voice: Wa Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Up next:
The door
.they didnt notice/appreciate it
.rassa frassa rrr darn kids!
DIS Meetdog buttons, famous flip-flop feet, lots of 
when people meet.
This feat is occasionally attained by my Tween b/c he has waxy ears. So what do we do to make sure we'll have a Swimmer's Ear free trip??? Per the doctor's suggestion, we use an ear wax remover b/c we see that he's got quite a bit of wax build up. 
I felt like I was in a 3rd World country ER. 
towards the wrong pharmacy. We had to 
, well primarily history, but I love maps. I need to see the bigger picture not just each intersection. This little screen thingee wasnt giving me perspective. 
& didnt tell me where to turn. 
NOW." But exhaustion prevailed & I 
into bed after setting the alarm to get Lab Rat up early. 
George Clooney's voice too or maybe . . . . 
I can't wait! 
Oh Mary. Your vacation has been a workout!
