Originally Posted By dagobert And here is Day 2: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://reisewarnung.blogspot.co.at/2015/01/honeymoon-part-2.html">http://reisewarnung.blogspot.c...t-2.html</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Not sure what they were thinking when they chose that for a theme. It is well done, but why would you want to do that in the first place?<< They wanted something that would be quick and cheap to add. They had hoped that it would be temporary until something better could be added (10+ years later, and there's no signs of it going anywhere), and I've seen several sources claim that the whole area could be cleared out in 3 days if needed
Originally Posted By dagobert Here are part 3 and 4 of my trip report. Universal Studios <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://reisewarnung.blogspot.co.at/2015/01/honeymoon-part-3.html">http://reisewarnung.blogspot.c...t-3.html</a> Islands of Adventure <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://reisewarnung.blogspot.co.at/2015/01/honeymoon-part-4.html">http://reisewarnung.blogspot.c...t-4.html</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Great photos! I especially like all the ones at Riverside, since that has become my "home away from home" while I'm in WDW, but we stayed elsewhere this year so I was starting to miss it. I'm glad to see that it's still the same! And I'm surprised to see that the Jaws photo op in Universal is still there. I had assumed they got rid of it when they got rid of the Jaws ride
Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips Love your pictures Personally never been to Universal so now I want to go even more We have only stayed at PO Riverside....glad you liked it
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Love your pictures Personally never been to Universal so now I want to go even more We have only stayed at PO Riverside....glad you liked it<<< Thank you. POR was a great resort and of course we liked it. You should go to Universal, but only if you are a Harry Potter fan. We found Universal very ovverrated and without HP we wouldn't visit again. I mean we liked it, but as I already said, there is so much buzz going on for Universal, but I din't meet our expectations.
Originally Posted By dagobert On the weekend I finally finished our trip report. It's pretty long, since I covered every day. So if you are interested feel free to click through the report. Here's the whole trip report: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://reisewarnung.blogspot.co.at/search/label/Honeymoon">http://reisewarnung.blogspot.c...oneymoon</a> Universal Studios: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://reisewarnung.blogspot.co.at/search/label/Universal%20Studios">http://reisewarnung.blogspot.c...0Studios</a> Walt Disney World: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://reisewarnung.blogspot.co.at/search/label/Walt%20Disney%20World">http://reisewarnung.blogspot.c...%20World</a> Disney Cruise Line: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://reisewarnung.blogspot.co.at/search/label/Disney%20Cruise%20Line">http://reisewarnung.blogspot.c...e%20Line</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Great photos! I typically prefer an active vacation to a "sit and relax" one, but the cruise looks really nice! And the food from Palo and Remy looks incredible! I also agree that the adult pool looks much nicer than the family one, so I'll have to keep that in mind if I ever make my way on one of the ships And I think we just missed seeing you guys the day that you walked from the Studios to Epcot. We took a boat from Epcot to the Studios after a late-ish lunch and when we got to the Studios we saw how long the line was for people getting on. We must have been there right around the same time, going in opposite directions
Originally Posted By dagobert Thank you! We also prefer an active vacation, but a cruise combines both, an active and a relaxing vacation. It seems we really missed each other, but I wouldn't have known you anyway. So even if you would have been standing right next to me, I wouldn't have recognized you.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Very true! I might have recognized you from your wedding photos, but I doubt I would have noticed you in a crowd if I wasn't trying to find you
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<We also prefer an active vacation, but a cruise combines both, an active and a relaxing vacation.>> Yes, with a fitness center, basketball and volleyball courts and swimming on board, a cruise vacation could be very active if you wanted it to be. Especially when you add in all the excursions available at the ports of call. Since I'm 62 and have COPD/Emphysema, I tend to like the relaxing side of cruising... hanging out on my verandah, laying in the sun around the pool, enjoying the incredible dining and hanging out at the clubs. Castaway Cay is always fun though, and that is what I save my energy for!
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Very true! I might have recognized you from your wedding photos, but I doubt I would have noticed you in a crowd if I wasn't trying to find you<<< And we are talking in German to each other, so maybe you would have recognized us.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Especially when you add in all the excursions available at the ports of call.<<< Exactly, that's what I meant with active.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Yes, with a fitness center, basketball and volleyball courts and swimming on board, a cruise vacation could be very active if you wanted it to be. Especially when you add in all the excursions available at the ports of call.<< But I can use a gym, basketball court, or pool at home for a lot less money. I really enjoy exploring new places, so the shore excursions would be right up my alley, assuming that they aren't all guided tour groups (which doesn't appear to be the case). I would just need to find a voyage that focused more on architecture/history ports than beach/marketplace ones, and I'd be good to go! >>And we are talking in German to each other, so maybe you would have recognized us.<< That would help, but with how tired I was at that point with all of the early wake-up calls for the races, I'm not sure that German would have sounded any different than English to me : )
Originally Posted By dagobert >>> I really enjoy exploring new places, so the shore excursions would be right up my alley, assuming that they aren't all guided tour groups (which doesn't appear to be the case). I would just need to find a voyage that focused more on architecture/history ports than beach/marketplace ones, and I'd be good to go!<<< Disney offers many guided tours, but you don't have to book them. We always went on our own, because we don't like guided tours. San Juan, Puerto Rico, would have been perfect for you. Lot's of history and architecture there. Sint Maarten was for relaxing and shopping, but maybe the French side with its capital Marigot would have provided more cultural stuff.
Originally Posted By dagobert By the way, it was a bit strange to see European Union licence plates in that part of the world. The French side of the island is part of the European Union, unlike the Dutch part, which is only part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the country The Netherlands.
Originally Posted By dagobert Disney Merchandise If you have been to DLP, you know that the merchandise selection isn't very good. It's mostly cheap stuff, however they offer some attraction branded merchandise that is quiet cool. So we had high hopes for the merchandise at WDW and DCL. Unfortunately we were disappointed. It's basically the same stuff you can get in Paris and like in France it was mostly cheap stuff. I was hoping for some Star Wars and Indiana Jones things, but there wasn't much I liked. I only got one pin and a mug from our hotel and a WDW magnet for the fridge. In the France Pavilion in EPCOT they sold the exact same Paris branded merchandise you can buy at DLP. At first I thought it's DLP merchandise, but it had the EPCOT logo printed on the merchandise. DCL wasn't so much better, but they offered some nice DCL mugs. We only got a DCL mug and a Disney Fantasy logo pin. It looks like every Disney resort sells the same stuff. At least there are still some resort branded things available. I really hate the one Disney Parks brand.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I actually think that DLP has a lot of unique merchandise compared to the US parks (which tend to share a lot between them). I also noticed the DLP stuff at Epcot, and thought it was odd. If you looked carefully, it looks like they just printed the regular DLP stuff, and then put an Epcot sticker on top of the DLP logo; I thought it was very tacky. I'm actually a little surprised that you were able to find hotel-specific merchandise, since that was mostly eliminated in the early 00's That's also weird that there were EU license plates in the Caribbean. I would have assumed that any islands would have just been colonies, like Puerto Rico, rather than actual parts of their parent country
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>I actually think that DLP has a lot of unique merchandise compared to the US parks (which tend to share a lot between them)<<< When have you been to DLP? After the 20th Anniversary? With the 20th birthday DLP started to sell attraction based merchandise again, like TOT or PM, but WDW sells the same things. >>>I'm actually a little surprised that you were able to find hotel-specific merchandise, since that was mostly eliminated in the early 00's<<< In the hotel store they had Port Orleans Riverside mugs and pins.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>When have you been to DLP? After the 20th Anniversary?<< I was there during the 20th, so maybe they had some extra stuff out then. Although not strictly park-related, I saw a ton of stuff with the Eiffel Tower and other Paris icons (like the Epcot merchandise) in several stores. I guess it's not technically park-specific since it featured non-Disney icons, but it seemed like there was more of than I typically see WDW- or DLR-specific merchandise in those parks My favorite is always when they get WDW-specific stuff in DL or DL-specific stuff in WDW (though that's less frequent). Shortly after DCA's big relaunch, the stores on Buena Vista Street were carrying Spaceship Earth mugs, and I've seen glassware with the Fun Wheel in Epcot. Around 2009, I saw a toy dinosaur with a Countdown to Extinction (original name of DAK's Dinosaur ride, 1998-2000) label on it in DL's Adventureland; that's probably the worst offender, but it sure made me laugh!
