Steppesister
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
- Messages
- 13,147
‘I’ is for: Icicles
AND
I’m BACK in the Bubble!
AND
I’m BACK in the Bubble!
As they say, all good things must come to an end. And so it was with our lovely Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream. We’d packed up our Christmas goodies that were part of our Ornament Exchange, the tree, the stockings, etc… and got our luggage ready to roll. Come 6:00AM we were both up and raring to go. I mean as much as raring could mean when one’s in vacation mode. Oh, wait! I was headed back to Disney and things seem to “rare” a bit more robustly when one’s on the way TO Disney.
We wanted to grab some breakfast before getting our disembarkation process started as the next meal time was a bit nebulous. The best option (perhaps only option?) was The Enchanted Garden. Only a few of our intrepid dining mates joined us for our hasty meal. I ordered some eggs and ham and had to pull out my microscope to find the ham. I shouldn’t complain, it did the trick of staving off starvation until quite a bit later that afternoon, but I did find it a bit on the skimpy side for portion size of meat to egg ratio.
We decided to self-disembark with our own luggage as we were in a huge hurry. In the end, we cut it pretty close for comfort with the entire process. The line was hella long to get off wrapping all the way around the Atrium shops, but by 8:00 we were off the ship and headed to the Ride Share area. Had I known it would take a solid 20 minutes for a ride to arrive, I’d have ordered it while still in line to get off the ship. We white-knuckled it all the way to the Brightline Station and true to the usual ways of fate, the driver got stopped at every. single. red. light. I kid you not, every one of them.
With only 10 minutes to spare, we finally arrived at the station and were lowkey freaking out not really knowing the process, distances, security, etc… Luckily, Bright Line makes it very, very easy to arrive and get on their trains quite easily. We used the elevators to get us and our bags upstairs to the waiting area, went through security, got our boarding passes and waited until they called our train’s group down to the platform area. The station is full of wonderful amenities. For more money you can upgrade to Premium and that includes the lounge where you can pay even more for drinks. I don’t get that, but apparently, it’s the vibe some folks want. There is also a pretty nice mini mart for snacks and drinks and other sundries you may need. There are also plenty of charging ports and comfy chairs if you arrived with more time than we had.
Looking back, if I ever book another Bright Line, the 9:25 train might not be the best option for coming off a cruise. However, the price difference was pretty sizeable (like $40 more?) and the next train was later at 11:30ish and that sucks a full 2 hours off Disney time. Pros and cons, Folks….
I’m a fan of train travel. Compared to the trains I took across Kazakhstan this was super posh. Even not comparing it to the skeevy accommodations on those, Bright Line is really quite nice! The seats were super comfy, there was wifi, charging ports, and tables. For a hefty price you could order snacks and drinks, and I chuckled at the party across from me who ordered not one, not two, but three rounds of travel fortitude. $$$$$$$
I busied myself during the 3-hour journey editing photos a bit with the phone app, catching up on trip notes, chatting with my neighbor a bit, and enjoying the passing scenery. Trust me, this trek is far less tedious by rail rather than by car and before we knew it we were on our way from the station at MCO to All Stars Sports in another Uber and in our room by 1:15.
You might be asking yourself about the room. Even if you weren’t, you know I’m going to tell you, right? When we went to the desk to check in, we needed to add Kari to the room, but they were so nice they didn’t charge her for as an extra adult, but rather simply added her as a day guest since she was leaving in the middle of the night for her flight back home. Huzzah! But, even better than that, when they asked if I was celebrating something, and given the fact that they’d assigned me to a king room at first (which wasn’t going to work for the 2 of us), they upgraded me to a preferred room RIGHT next to the Hall! It was literally a 30-second walk from the Food Court and buses to my corner room in the Calypso Section. It was also right by the pool and laundry as well. SCORE!!
(Our very own, private coach!)
Taking advantage of the timely arrival, we struck out for EPCOT to see what mischief we could get into. If mischief was calories, we found that in good measure. After waltzing into the park at 1:55, we snapped a couple of Entrance photos and made a beeline for the food booths.
True to my OCD self, I had made a list of the schnicky-schnacks I wanted to try. First stop was at the Favorites of Festivals Past where I loaded up on the Reuben Croquettes and Panettone Trifle. Kari headed next door where I’d meet her in a minute. Just as I put these hot little numbers into my cold little hands, the skies opened up and dumped buckets of rain. I took shelter under the breezeway and waited it out. With my sad and cold croquettes, I met Kari in Commuicore Hall where she’d gotten a Spaceship Earth gingerbread tile and drink. We didn’t wait long for a table to rest and eat at where I enjoyed an existential moment whilst devouring the deliciousness of the Panettone Trifle. Holy schnikies was that ever yummy!!
(The Croquettes were pretty good. I did eat them all and they were a really nice lunch for me.)
The 900-tile gingerbread Spaceship Earth dome was cycling its little lightshow, and we enjoyed taking a look at it while we found a few of the “hidden” Mickeys.
From there, we headed for World Showcase with a stop at Nochebuena for me while Kari continued her cookie collection a bit further on. I don’t remember where or which one she got- sorry! While she was away, it had started to sprinkle again, and I found refuge under the big shade structure in front of the kiosk. Actually, I joined another lady by asking if she’d mind if I shared her table and she said “absolutely, come on in!”
My tablemate, and her hubby who joined us with a beer he'd trotted off to get, chatted for quite a while, and I came to find out their daughter was working as “a character in China” but they couldn’t divulge which one. We swapped stories and shot the breeze until Kari arrived then we continued our touring.
Just as we got back to the path towards WS, I glanced behind me and was treated to this glorious view- I hoped this was a sign of good things to come that week…
I’ll leave off there and pick it up with our spin around the world next time. Until then, and in celebration of St. Patty's Day, I'll leave you with this:
May you have all the happiness
And luck that life can hold
And at the end of your rainbows
May you find a pot of gold.
~ Old Irish Blessing
Last edited:
That looks stunningly good!
We had Reubens for dinner!
Changing times would be a hard choice to make.
. Glad you got there in time. 
