No longer on hiatus. Vacation Wrap Up.

Hello comrades. I'm still wrapped up in a post-vacation fog cocoon. I have no idea what's going on in the local or world news except that a) the Eagles still suck and b) the spies hiking on the Iranian border were released for a ransom. My house is a mess, my dogs need a bath, I'm behind on all of my blog reading, some new shows did not record on my DVR, my car is due for inspection, and I need to get back on the eat well/exercise program.

Some takeaways from vacation:

1. People have no concept of personal space at the pool, in lines, or in the bathroom. Listen up: if there are lots of empty chairs at the pool, don't sit down right next to someone. In line, do not stand so close that you are touching, breathing on, or palming the ass of the person in front of you. If the bathroom is not crowded, don't enter a stall right next to someone and then drop gunfire shits into the toilet.
2. How do people with kids do Disney? We don't have kids and we are sofackingtired.
3. People who work on cruise ships make pennies a month for salary and live off of their tips. If you receive good service, TIP WELL!
4. No matter how many days off I have in a row, I will always want more.

Vacation was seriously glorious. We did a three night cruise on the Disney Dream, with ports of call in Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney's private island Castaway Cay. Then we did a total ball breaker Disney trip. It was MFD's first time, so we ran our asses off to ensure he saw it all.

We also got upgraded from the Caribbean Beach to the Contemporary resort. Jillian Fischetti, you ROCK for getting that done, and also for the attention to detail to make sure Disney recognized and celebrated our first wedding anniversary both at sea and on land, and that MFD got special treatment for being a first time Disney visitor. You should earn money as a Disney ambassador. Your planning made the trip exceptional.

How awesome was the cruise? So awesome that we booked a 7 nighter on the Fantasy (launching in January) for next year before we even got off the ship. The service was attentive and impeccable, the ship was immaculate, the food was outstanding, the rooms were spacious, you can BYOB onto the ship, and for it being a Disney cruise, we really didn't encounter kids. The adult areas were awesome. We met great people and MFD was of course the mayor.

We swam with dolphins at Atlantis in Nassau. That was unreal. Dolphins are sleek, smart, beautiful, funny creatures. That was the highlight of the Nassau trip. Nassau itself was dirty and gross, and the beggars and sellers on the beach were awful. To me, the best view of Nassau was the sun over it as we were leaving. GOOD DAY!

Sayonara, Nassau.

I would like to live on Disney's private island of Castaway Cay, specifically Serenity Beach. After an hour long massage in a beach cabana, I sat my ass in a chair in the water for hours reading, sipping on a pina colava, and just relaxing. No one under 18 allowed on the beach, tons of shells to take home, a merry band of Cubans singing their asses off in the water. Totally amazing.

Castaway Cay from the ship.

This is what I did all day.

The other thing I loved about the boat: watching the sun rise and set every day over the ocean. It was fabulous and centering.

Disney was a whirlwind. If you hate Disney, stop reading now. Otherwise, this is the schedule we kept:

Sunday - Arrive at Caribbean Beach hotel at 11. Finally get in room after 1. Fight with people about rooms. Eat lunch, leave for Hoop Dee Doo Review at 5:30, arrive at Magic Kingdom at 10, stay for Magic Hours through 1, get back to room at 2, pack suitcases for the morning move until 3:15.

Monday  - Up for breakfast, move to the Contemporary. Magic Kingdom from 12 - 5:30. Anniversary dinner at a table by the window in the California Grill on top of the Contemporary. We ate with a view of Cinderella's Castle and watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the observation deck. Fantastic. We changed and headed to Hollywood Studios from 11 - 1 for Magic Hours.

Tuesday - Finally a day to sleep in! We did the pool in the morning, then Hollywood Studios in the afternoon. We ate at Mama Melrose and finished the night with Fantasmic. That was an absolutely amazing show. I'd never seen it before and it knocked my socks off. Nightswimming to cap off the night.

Wednesday - EPCOT! My favorite. Lunch at the biergarten in Germany, dinner at La Hacienda in Mexico. EPCOT Illuminations fireworks show.

Thursday - Animal Kingdom, my least favorite park. It was hot and crowded. We were there from 8 a.m. - 4, then hopped over to EPCOT where MFD and I bought all new outfits since we were soaking wet, then proceeded to drink and eat around the world in ponchos. It was a blast.

Friday - Pool in the morning, then back to Magic Kingdom for the last few things MFD didn't see. We were having a ball strolling along when I realized my watch was broken and an hour behind. We hauled ass back to make our airport shuttle and arrived back to our casa at 1 a.m.

It was a truly wonderful time, and I was already online looking at excursions for the cruise we're taking next year. I'm still seriously pooped. We celebrated the shit out of our first anniversary while we were away, so yesterday, on the actual day, we were too tired to eat out OR cook. We ordered Lee's Hoagies and ate the top tier of our wedding cake, which was still delicious.

Back to life, back to reality.

SMD