A more appropriate name for this trip report might be "The Shingleton's Most Shambly Cruise", as this may be the closest we've come to a National Lampoon-style vacation.

My dad and I booked this cruise in August.  That's some real advanced planning for us.  And that was also the only real advanced planning we would do.  After I moved to Los Angeles, I didn't feel much motivation to research ports and plan excursions.  St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Labadee are all ports we had been to before, and this wouldn't be the first time that we'd wing it once getting there.  So I didn't book a thing.  Had some ideas, sure, but no real plans.

A week prior to the cruise, I received the terrible news that my mother and sister had been in a terrible wreck.  We were incredibly lucky that they survived with only minor injuries.  But in the wreck, my sister hurt her left foot and was in a great amount of pain, so she was in a walking boot and on some wonderful pain medicine to begin our cruise.

And then I almost didn't even make it onto the ship for the cruise because I missed my red-eye flight from LAX.

Due to me barely making the ship, I'm lacking some of the typically Embarkation Day photos I typically have for my trip reports.  Thankfully, Rachel knew better than to mess up the bed before I could photograph the room.  I've trained her well.

Deluxe Balcony Stateroom (D3)

We had a D3 balcony stateroom on the sixth floor, room 6528.  It really is a spacious balcony stateroom in comparison to the deluxe premium balcony staterooms on Royal Princess, and the wave balcony staterooms on Norwegian Epic, though certainly not as contemporary and plush in furnishings.  I appreciated the large sofa which was so long that I'm certain it could convert into a twin-size bed.

I love Walt Disney World and will squeeze in a vacation whenever I can.  My boyfriend, Max, worked his last co-op rotation over the summer and hadn't been on a vacation since our Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean Cruise.  He finished work on Friday, August 15 and returned to school on Wednesday, August 20.  Four days?  Just enough time for a short trip to Disney!



Max, however, had other ideas.  He had been trying to convince me to take a trip to Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure for years.  "It's better.  The rides are better.  It's so much better than Disney."  Better than Disney?  I think not.  But I had visited Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure a few times when I was younger, most recently in 2007, and remembered having a good time.  So perhaps it was time we returned...

So we looked into making this a completely Universal vacation.... but the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Frozen Summer Fun were enough to convince Max that we should fit in some Disney time.  Initially, we planned two days at Universal and two days at Disney, but after pricing tickets, it was a better deal to take advantage of the "more you play, the less you pay" deal and purchase a one-day pass to Islands of Adventure and three-day park hopper passes to Walt Disney World (multi-day tickets cost less per day the more days you add).  And being a Disney World annual passholder, my wallet was very happy to be spending more time at the World.

Our traveling party included Max's family friend, Natalie, and her sister, Rachel, who flew all the way from Houston, Texas to join us on our 8-hour car ride to Orlando!

We stayed at the Hilton in Downtown Disney.  Natalie and Max's mother both have a lot of Hilton HHonor points and so generously used them on this trip.  I was excited to stay at this hotel because it's in a great location and has the added benefit of Disney Extra Magic Hours (on scheduled days, a specific park will open one hour early or two hours later).  The Hilton Downtown Disney is the only off-property hotel that offers Extra Magic Hours to its guests.

You're invited to join us on our hot, Hot, HOT Orlando adventure... but fortunately with the added comfort of your air-conditioning! Go ahead and bookmark this page, as it will serve as an index for the Trip Report. The links below will become active as each post is published!

[Day 1] Magic Kingdom - Mad rush to the Mine Train and visit to First Aid
[Day 2] A Visit to the Dark Side... aka Universal's Islands of Adventure
[Day 3] Epcot + DHS - Breakfast with Donald and Drinking Around World Showcase
[Day 4] DHS - Attempting the Kitchen Sink and finding the Greatest Souvenir EVER

Also, be sure to check out my review of our lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table.

Thanks for following along!  Have you ever ventured to the "Dark Side"?  Let me know why and how you liked it in the comments below!

Being incredibly patriotic people, spending the Fourth of July at Walt Disney World (who also happen to be annual passholders) was an easy decision for us.



In fact, it was decided in less than 24 hours via group text.


This was actually our third time spending the Fourth of July at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, as we had stayed there previously over Independence Day in 2008 and 2011.  Before discovering the Beach Club, the Grand Floridian was without a doubt our favorite Disney Resort.  So it was good to return to our first favorite (and it still has a fighting chance for my all-time favorite).

I took it easy on the dining reservations, booking just one meal on all but one day.  We dined for the first time at a few restaurants - Grand Floridian Cafe and Marrakesh, and also revisited a few favorites - Crystal Palace, Beaches N' Cream, and Garden Grill.  I was able to photograph patriotic fireworks at Magic Kingdom on July 3 and Epcot on July 4.  We were also there for the debut of Frozen Summer at Disney's Hollywood Studios!

You're invited to join us on our Fourth of July adventure at Walt Disney World!  [I'm trying something new!] Go ahead and bookmark this page, as it will serve as an index for the Trip Report.  The links below will become active as each post is published!

Day 1 - Fighting the pre-Fourth of July crowds at Magic Kingdom!
Day 2 - Celebrating (the United States of A) MERICA at Epcot
Day 3 - Conquering Hollywood Studios overrun with tour groups, as well as our first (mini) Kitchen Sink
Day 4 - Hitting Three Parks and Two Character Meals in One Day
Day 5 - Getting Frozen at Hollywood Studios

Thanks for following along - comments and questions are encouraged!  Leave me some comment love!

ESPN Club

Rachel I had done the unthinkable by going to Disney over fall break - skipping a home game! We knew we had a pretty good place to watch it, though.

So did everyone else. Check out the line outside!



ESPN Club at Disney's Boardwalk is the best place at Walt Disney World to watch football (or any sports game).  The restaurant has over 100 screens showing games on 35 different channels.  Even the bathrooms have televisions, so you never have to miss out on a minute of the game!

About a month before her birthday, Rachel texted me and told me that she thought she wanted to go to Walt Disney World to celebrate her birthday which is during fall break. That's all it took to get me planning! Within a week, we booked at the Beach Club Resort, I started making dining reservations (a painful process, due to the free dining package which had been offered during that time, but one which all worked out in the end!), and I ordered our Magic Bands!

The week before the trip was AWFUL for me! I pulled two all-nighters... not because I was procrastinating or being inefficient, but because that was how much work needed to be done and what was expected from me by my professor. So I absolutely worked up until the last possible minute... and I passed out in the car on the way down there!

I forget where we stopped, but it was about an hour outside of Disney. My dad booked a Marriott Courtyard for the night. We arrived around 11PM, but we had to get up early the next morning because I had made us early Cape May Café reservations... oops?

Beach Club Resort

We got to the Beach Club at 7:50 AM - right in time for our reservations! However, the guy manning the door really wanted us to check in first. He took us straight to the check-in desk. I had completed the online check-in, but for some reason none of our information saved!!! We had to redo everything.  We were also working with a CM who was "Earning Her Ears," and it was a little frustrating. There were several times when I wanted to ask if her supervisor could just do this. I think it was her first day on the job because she had no idea what she was doing, and her supervisor kept having to show her how to do things.

When my dad came back from parking, I went to check us in at Cape May, and we left him at the check-in desk when our buzzer went off for us to be seated.

Cape May Café was also a little rocky on the customer service. Our waitress just wasn't very "Disney," plus we had a really bad experience with Donald Duck. Rachel had been joking that she was going to ask Donald Duck to Mallard Ball (an ADPi event), so when Donald came to our fingers, she asked him to do Pi fingers. He shook his head no and was just really rude about it. And then he wouldn't pose with me and Rachel - just put his hands on his hips while we stood awkwardly behind. It was like he wanted us to take his picture, not a picture with us. We understand why Donald might not be able to do Pi fingers - they probably don't want the characters making hand signs that guests request because who knows - that could be a gang sign? Or maybe Donald's "girlfriend" was affiliated with another sorority, and he didn't feel right doing the Pi fingers. Either way, there was a cuter way to say no. We watched Donald circulate the room, and he'd just walk up to each table and stand there.... not wave to the kids, not make kisses or act duck-like. Clearly, Donald was having a very bad day.

But when Donald emerged from the room after his break, he was full of life, strutting around the restaurant and being typical silly Donald. I guess he just needed "coffee"?

Hey, Goofy!