The Land Sea Land trip to end the drought...

[Specularius 102]

I forgot to add a picture of our little zoo of towel animals. I also forgot that Shardi, while trying to find Abi in the theater, thought that a set of steps was a ramp in the dark. She took the step that wasn’t there and popped her knee. It began to swell. Once back in the Stateroom, we talked to our Concierge host about it. Within a few minutes he returned with instant ice packs and an ace bandage. Over the next several days, Shardi was hobbled though.

We also received a very nice gift from the Concierge Team. A lovely Disney print.

Wednesday morning we awoke just as the ship was docking at Port Canaveral. We had breakfast and then off the ship, or so was the schedule. While eating breakfast at Enchanted Garden, there was an announcement that the gangway was broke and everyone would need to exit on the first level. And it was a disaster. People piled up waiting to get off the ship. When we finally made it off the ship, we were escorted through the luggage sorting/screening area of Customs. It was a small behind the scenes look. With agents every few feet warning “NO Photography Please”. We grabbed our luggage, worked our way through the line to clear Customs and were then on our way back to the Fort.
Upon arrival at the Fort, we checked in and got a funny look from the CM when she saw it was a campsite but we had no camper. I explained it was in the overflow lot. We drove on the assigned site, 1713, to check it out. There was a tree and a truck blocking my access so back to the front with a list of empty sites that looked easier. I was quickly assigned 1715. So over to the overflow lot to hitch back up and the rain starts. Solid rain. Not soaking hard but just a steady rain. 
I get hitched up, unload the golf cart, and go get parked in our site. I felt like a complete newbie getting into the site. It must have looked like I had never backed up a camper in my life. I was embarrassed by how long it took me to get it parked just right. I blame it on the side mirrors being totally useless in the rain. I could not see anything unless I got out and walked around…in the rain. But here we are. 

Our goal for returning to Disney World before heading home was simply to try and get in to ride the two new rides at Animal Kingdom. We had fastpasses for the Na’vi River ride on Thursday afternoon, but were still seeing wait times of 5+ hours for Flight of Passage. Hopes were not too high. 
Thursday morning we loafed around waiting to head to Animal Kingdom for our fastpass for Na’vi River. It was overcast and looked like rain was possible. I loaded up my backpack with bottled water and poncho’s for everyone and we made our way to the Animal Kingdom. With Shardi limping along with her bad knee. It was lunch time so we headed back to Africa to grab a bite. That is when the rain hit. Hard rain. Soak you through rain. And it did not let up. While eating lunch, we received an email that Na’vi River was down and our fastpasses had been extended to all day. Since there were extra magic hours from 11PM to 1AM, everyone voted to return to the camper and dry out. 
After drying out and getting a little more rest, we made our way over to the Poly for supper at the Kona Grill. We finished supper and took a bus from the Poly to Animal Kingdom to try our luck again. We entered the gate at 10PM. There was a steady stream of people leaving the park. We got through the crowd leaving an in to the Valley of Mo’ara to get our first view of everything lit up at night. It is a good effect, but relies too much on UV lights and special paint for the effect. I am not sure that it will age gracefully. It was at that point that we checked and found out that both rides were down. Bummer. We still wanted to wander around to see the lighting effects. Just as we got to the entrance for the river ride, the fastpass line opened up so, since we had fastpasses, we jumped on in the line. Within a few short minutes we were floating down the river. It was a lot like Pirates of the Caribbean and Small World. It is worth a 30 minute wait, but I wouldn’t waste anything more than that for it. 
As we came out of the exit for the river ride, a CM….no, let me correct myself…an Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) guide opened the gate for the Flight of Passage standby line. I overheard them tell the people in front of us it was about a 40 minute wait. So…into the standby line we go. They checked our bands to ensure we were staying on property. It is now 10:50 PM. We go a little way into the que and stop. After 10 minutes, about 11PM, the line starts moving. We start walking, slowly but steady. The Disney app was still showing the ride as down, but the line kept moving. About this time, Shardi’s knee is really aching. She is starting to get grouchy. We keep drudging along, slowly. 
That has to be one the longest que’s we have ever walked down. 
We finally made it the ride. What a ride that is. It is Soarin’ on steroids. It was well worth the wait. It was fantastic. It is a must do ride. The effects are spectacular. It will give you butterflies and an adrenaline rush. I loved it. A quick side note, I cannot ride Mission Space. I get green and almost puke riding it. Flight of Passage never induced any nausea. It was just great! We had done it. I checked my watch as we came out the exit, which seemed like forever, especially for Shardi hobbling along with a bum knee, and it was 12:05AM. We had made it through the standby line, and off the ride in an hour and 15 minutes. 
We took a bus back to the Fort, but our golf cart was at the settlement. There was a bus at the outpost bus stop that did not say what color route it was. The driver just asked everyone what loop. I stated “Settlement” and he looked at me funny, and said “Nothing is open down there” to which I replied “I know, but my golf cart is parked down there.” I was the last person off the bus after the driver looped his way around zig zagging to get everyone to their loop. I finally made it to bed shortly after 1 AM. 
Friday morning and it was time to break down camp and head for Louisiana. 835 miles to home. We had spent 5 nights at the Fort and 5 nights on the Dream. It was a fantastic vacation, but now everyone just wanted to be home. We were able to make it 617 miles to the Stennis Rest area at the Mississippi and Louisiana state line where we stopped for the night. 
Saturday morning we were home. 
It had been a wonderful although wet at times trip. We do feel that we did not get enough Fort time. Every time we would try to enjoy the Fort, it was raining. I predicted in April that the drought/Fire ban would be over when I got there, and looks like I was correct. 
I have several thoughts about our cruise and Concierge level staterooms. On the Dream, the Concierge lounge is fantastic. Our stateroom was just a few feet from the door to the lounge and we went there often. They had the most tasty hors d’oeurves , soft drinks, deserts and a Café Machine. There was also a bar tender there making drinks upon request. All covered under the room cost. I tried hard to cover some of that expense every time I went into the lounge. Another benefit is that if you would like room service, request it through Concierge. They call the Galley and place the order, with a push for speed. We were not aware of this and one night Ian wanted pizza and it was too late for Luigi’s on deck 11. We called room service direct and took 30 minutes. Later in the cruise, we got room service through Concierge and it was there in less than 10 minutes. Our Concierge team of Ashley, Danny, and Tracey were fantastic and really took the cruise to a whole new level. Once you cruise Concierge, you will never “WANT” to cruise any other way. 
 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm really glad that your got to ride FOP.  Good job heading out on that rainy night.

I know that I would love being a concierge guest on DCL, but it's so much more expensive, that I just can't ever pull the trigger.  I would totally rent a cabana on Castaway Cay, though.

I'm sorry about all the rain, but we in Florida appreciate your ending the drought for us.

TCD

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Thanks for sharing your TR. I wish more folks would take the time to write one. Bummer on the knee and rain but still sounds like a great trip. Has your wife recovered?

[Specularius 102]

43 minutes ago, Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie said:

Thanks for sharing your TR. I wish more folks would take the time to write one. Bummer on the knee and rain but still sounds like a great trip. Has your wife recovered?

She is slowly getting better. From what she said, by stepping down hard, it hyper extended her knee, and is a common injury. She believes she will be fine in a couple of more weeks. Thanks for asking about her.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Tell Shardi that I hope her knee feels better soon. In the meantime you should just pamper her like she was use to while on the cruise.

Thanks again for taking the time to write the report.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I hope her knee feels better soon too.  That was a great trip report.  Thanks for sharing with us!

[caveat lector 181]

Dude.......we probably passed on the highway around port canaveral!  I set sail on the Fantasy June 3Rd. While we didn't experience the concierge, the cruise was absolutely fantastic. My wife loved the towel animals every night. They were too cool.  

[magnoliafig 51]

 For anyone who is keeping up, yes I had a heck of a time on the other cruise too. This was a very minor sprain just multiplied by walking all day every day. I was cranky at midnight in AK though. Lol our last night, a week of hobbling, I was done. 

It's my MO though. Something always happens at Disney. Usually I pick up head colds. The kids were concerned but I'm naturally clumsy. It could have happened here or there. Thank you for the well wishes  :) I'm back to normal  now. 

 

The only thing I'd mention is that DCL really needs to add new music. I heard Margaritaville WAY too many times. 

[sherryberry 35]

What a great trip! Shardi, I'm glad you're doing better. How awesome that you enjoyed the entire day at Castaway Cay and the rain held off until you got back on the ship. Thanks for writing the trip report. I enjoyed it so much!

[TN22.....Brady 22]

Great trip report! Especially the cruise portion, that is something we want to do. Thanks for sharing.

 

BTW: I see you are a fellow Grand Design owner.

[Specularius 102]

4 hours ago, TN22.....Brady said:

Great trip report! Especially the cruise portion, that is something we want to do. Thanks for sharing.

 

BTW: I see you are a fellow Grand Design owner.

Thanks for reading. Yes, We have had our Grand Design Momentum 355TH since November of 2014. It has been great.