You would think 3 moms would take the chance to sleep in and wait until the wake up call rang to get up. Nope. We were up a full half hour before the phone rang at 6am taking showers and grabbing breakfast inside the Wilderness Lodge’s Old Faithful Club!
Overnight, the Wilderness Lodge was also de-Christmased…
Right on time, two more friends from the group arrived to whisk us away to Port Canaveral. Jen and Dolores had rented a minivan and the 5 of us would stop at a liquor store before heading to the port to stock up on our “necessities” for the weekend. (Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise line that allows adults to carry on as much alcohol as you can- I certainly wouldn’t suggest wheeling on a keg of beer, but a few bottles of wine, etc is not a terrible idea and can save you some money in the long run). The fun started in the minivan (moms just can’t seem to get away can they from this mode of transportation) when Jen, who swore she knew where she was going because the direction we were going was littered with Disney’s purple direction signs, took a few scenic turns before finding a more direct way. After spending a quick few minutes in the store we were on our way to the port…
We arrived later than we had hoped (the rest of our group was already checked in and already on board), but all was OK because we had booked concierge level suites and check in would be a breeze. No waiting on line and you are escorted right on board well before noon, when all of the other cruise line guests are welcomed aboard. Jen dropped the 4 of us off and she would meet us back inside after she dropped off the car and took their shuttle back to the ship. We all checked in, received all of our welcome information and lanyards with our stateroom key cards and we were on our way. Jen hadn’t arrived yet, but Dolores (now dubbed Dolo) would wait for her in the lounge for concierge guests in the cruise terminal.
We were welcomed on board by the staff and quickly brought over to the back elevators and whisked away to he 12th deck’s Concierge Lounge where we would find most of our group who had already arrived. Before entering the lounge, the staff explained the lounge’s hours, offerings, etc. Then the doors opened and the hugs commenced!
After all of the introductions and good to see yous, we settled in with a cocktail and some snacks from buffet concierge had set for us.
The staff came over to each group of ladies, separated by stateroom, to go over our plans for the weekend, anything additional we might need, etc. At this point we settled in with our suite mate, Cathy, toasted to a great cruise, and became giddy school girls excited for our weekend ahead! After your introduction from the staff, you were free to go to your stateroom.
At this point, Jen and Dolo hadn’t arrived to the lounge yet and cell service was already slipping (it is terrible if you are inside the ship- a bit better outside). We started to text them both and as it turns out, Jen’s shuttle had a luggage mishap and was delayed. She instructed us to check out our suite and she and Dolo would be on board ASAP. The ship wouldn’t leave without her!
As instructed, we went to check out our home for the next 3 nights…
After checking out our room we checked in in to the lounge hoping to find Jen and Dolo- success! They made it! After a few hugs of relief we toasted with a shot of Johnny Walker Black (the bartender’s choice, not mine) before heading to the safety drill…
After the safety drill, we had some housekeeping to do (confirm our group space for Palo the following night, etc) and then most of our group arrived for sail away! Two members of our group were also staying in the suite next door, so we were able to open the divider between the staterooms on the balconies to double our space. This made for plenty of room for everyone to wave the Florida coast goodbye!
Stay tuned for dinner, drinks in the lounge, and then to the District!
