Day 2 - Key West

Gayle: Greetings from Key West! Since our last post...

Bell Service came to get the bags around 8:20am yesterday, while we were still asleep. And by sleep, I use that term loosely. I was up AGAIN at 2:30, 4:30, & 6:30am. Crazy. We slowly got ready, headed next door to the Jambo House section of Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we would catch our bus. We bought a couple of small things in the gift shop & basically ate breakfast out of our stash of snacks.

It was a boring wait for our bus to come by at noon to get us, except for the giraffes Kara photographed. There were quite a few of us, but we still had to make other stops (Boardwalk & Saratoga Springs Resorts, other Vacation Club properties). I really didn't sleep on the bus, which is usually guaranteed. :(

Arrived at the ship about 1:40pm, quickly checked-in, had our photos taken, boarded the ship, changed our dining located, dropped the carry-ons in the room (verandah room) and headed for lunch. It was too late for Parrot Cay, so we had lunch at Topsiders. As you can imagine it was packed inside, as it was too cool & windy to sit outside.

Too soon it was time for the Safety Drill, so we donned our life jackets & headed to our outside assembly station. By this time I was DONE. Lack of sleep, standing our in the "cold", moderate wind, etc. I had completely run out of any energy or motivation I might have had. Thus, in a shocking turn of events, I sent Kara to the Sail Away party & I stayed in the room. I further nixed going to the opening night show, which Kara agreed with. We never intended to go to the assigned dining (Parrot Cay), so we just stayed in all night. I know - totally boring. But both of us were completely exhausted after our respective prior month at work. Kara also cancelled her shore excursion to the Ruins outside of Cozumel.

We ordered room service - a lovely mix of soup, macaroni & cheese, lasagna, burger, & cookies. So healthy, eh?

I just couldn't take anymore, so I took a whole Dramamine to try to help me sleep. Luckily, Harry Potter 1 was on. This was the movie I wrote nearly all of my dissertation to, so it can put me to sleep in a heartbeat. :) (See, I warned everyone how boring this might be! But we'll try to be more entertaining in the coming days!)

So, now to today - Sunday, Key West day!
This morning we woke up between 6:30 & 7:30am because we went to sleep so early. We hadn't yet arrived at Key West (all ashore time was 12:30pm), so we headed to brunch at Lumiere's. We had underwhelming service, which is rare with Disney. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, waffles, & apple beignets.

Back in the room by 10am. We tried to watch NCIS off the iPod Touch through the TV, but the cables would only give us sound. L In the spirit of a true vacation, we then napped until noon! LOL!

Grabbed a quick American buffet in Parrot Cay and headed off the ship to Key West. Last time we took a lovely train tour of the city, but this time we didn't book anything. Our favorite place in Key West? The CVS! No joke, as we can grab so we can grab some "beverages". Get your brain out of the gutter; we got water, Diet Sunkist, & of course, Mt. Dew (Disney is a Coke company.) Other than room service all of the non-alcoholic beverages are free, but sometimes you just want what you want in your own room. Sounds like college, eh?!

Back on the ship I engaged in a losing battle with Facebook. I CANNOT get my mobile photos to upload, about which I am still furious! While fighting the tech, I sent Kara to the Trivia session, which she WON! Ask to see her “WINNER” hat & DCL flashlight/keychain!

We then turned in our re-booking forms for the next cruises. If you do this on the cruise, you get a % off the cost and an onboard credit (for the 7 nights, it’s 10% & $200)! We’re already booked for Alaska, May 2011, but I added a trip for my mom and Kara & I added one with a fake date. We always just like to have one in the hopper! Crazy, & economically stupid, I know!

So right now Kara’s trying to nap while we listen/watch more NCIS. We’re waiting on SUPER BOWL time, as it will be televised on the jumbo screen above the pool, the bar, and the sports lounge! J We were hoping for the pool to view, but it’s still quite chilly & windy, so I guess it’s off to the sports bar/lounge for us!

Sadly we’ll have to duck out of the game to get to our dinner (French menu in Lumiere’s tonight). I’ll likely have Lobster Macaroni & two (yes, two!) of my favorite desserts – Crème Brulee & Grand Marnier Souffle! J Then we’ll go racing back to the room to change back into our Colts shirts to finish watching the game!!!

Tomorrow is a Day at Sea, so there will be no blog update. Stay tuned for an update on Tues. from Cozumel. Wishing everyone warm & safe wishes, as we hear another winter storm is on the horizon. Never has the timing of a trip been more perfect!

Kara says “Well done! Post it”