My Disney Wonder Cruise

I'm back from my Disney Wonder Cruise.  The good news is I didn't get seasick on my cruise.  We had rough seas a lot.  Rough seas, according to the TV on the Disney Wonder were 8 - 13 ft. seas.  The ship was a rocking!!  The last night was particularly bad.  I didn't sleep a wink with the rocking and creaking noises.  I turned the TV on several times during the night, I think they stop the report at 8 - 13 ft. seas because it seemed worse than that to me!

The bad news is, I am now seasick.  Apparently you can get seasick when you get back from a cruise.  I still have my "sea legs" according to my husband and google (had to check to make sure he was right!).  I am really happy I didn't get seasick on the ship, took Bonine and ginger pills.  I am not so happy that I am feeling the effects now.  Reading and typing on the computer makes me nauseous.  I thought I would be better by today, but no such luck.  I will type a full report in a few days, when hopefully this feeling subsides.  I know my loyal readers are sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of my review, I am sorry to tell you, you will have to wait a bit longer.

I took Bonine the last couple of days and today have tried a sinus pill along with ginger.  If anyone has a suggestion on how to make this go away, PLEEEEEEEASE leave me a message!!

Bon Voyage!

Setting sail tomorrow on my Disney Wonder Cruise!

Can't wait!  I will be posting a full review when I get back!

Making A List And Checking It Twice

No, this is not a post about Santa.  One week from today I will be in Lake Buena Vista, FL for one night at Coronado Springs Resort then off on my 3 night Disney Wonder Cruise!  With only one week to go I am in final preparation mode.  That means I am making a list and checking it twice.  Yes, I did get that idea from Santa, it works for vacations too!

In the next week lots of things will be happening.  Making lists of things to do helps keep me organized and helps me make sure not to forget anything.  My lists are hand written in a notebook, but will summarize them for you.

Clothes Packing List:  I write down everything I intend to wear and as I put it in the spare room on the bed, next to the suitcase, I check it off.  Notice I said next to the suitcase.  I do not put things into the suitcase until the day before (sometimes the night before) I am going to travel.  I do this for two reasons - 1.  I can see everything I intend on wearing and can change my mind or re-evaluate if necessary.  2.  Things won't be as wrinkled if I wait until the last minute to put them in the suitcase. 

Toiletries Packing List:  I do not want to forget any of these items!  It can be costly to have to purchase something I forget.  The frugal of side of me can't stand to pay $6.00 for a $2.00 item!  I always pack some just in case medicine.

Things To Put In My Carry On List:  This list has everything from travel documents to ID, Camera, etc.  This is the bag I cannot live without!

Things To Do Before I Go List:  This list has things I want to get done in my house before I leave.  I want to come back to a clean house right?  Okay I admit, this is the one list I never get to before I leave.  I have good intentions, I put it on a list!  Oh well, it will be there when I get back!  Since I am going away on a girls trip I will be adding things to do for my husband and daughter so they can survive without me.

I love looking forward to a trip.  It's so much fun!

How To Spend A Day Getting Character Autographs In Disney World

I was recently asked how to spend the day getting autographs from the characters.  Hmm, what an intriguing idea.  Spend a whole day just meeting characters and getting autographs.  The idea to do that never occurred to me.  Going to a Disney World park and not go on any attractions is almost sacrilegious to a Disney fan like myself!  

After giving it some thought, I decided it could be a great way to stop and smell the roses.  I have to admit, I have been known to cringe when I see the lines for characters and family members want to get an autograph.  I have even gone as far as talking them out of it.  Shhhh, keep that a secret.

Here are some tips I came up with on how to spend a day getting character autographs:

• Pick A Park - Magic Kingdom and Epcot have the most opportunities to meet characters.  If you have a specific character you just have to meet, I found a great website to help you find him/her/it/animal (whatever it may be!).  The website is WDW Character Hunt.  Locations, times and characters can change often, nothing is set in stone!
• Make Reservations For A Character Meal - A character meal is the best way to get some one on one time with a character.  The characters make their way around the restaurant and will stop at your table.  Sometimes you get to see the characters more than once, depending on how long it's taking you to eat.  Each theme park has a character meal for at least one meal a day, some have breakfast, lunch and dinner.  There are also character meals at some of the resorts.  You can find a list of character dining at WDW Character Hunt .
• Get A Times Guide - When entering the park, make sure to pick up a times guide to find out the times and places of character greetings.  As I stated above - locations, times and characters can change!  You will have to take a few minutes and make a plan of where to go.  You will also find parade and show times.  You can't get an autograph, but you can see your favorite characters perform.
• Get To The Park Of Choice Early - Most people do not want to get up early on vacation.  If you get to the park of your choice at rope drop you will be rewarded with shorter lines at Character Greets (and attractions too!).
• Head To The Back Of The Park - If there are Character Greets at the back of the park, you may want to head there first.  Most people will stop at the first characters they see.

I hope these tips help you on your quest to get character autographs, even if you don't want to spend a whole day devoted to it.  I may incorporate a half day of just character meets on my next trip, I don't think I could skip attractions for a whole day!  I'll let you know how it goes.