2013 Christmas Cruise on Royal Princess - A Photo Review!

[The Big Booper]

The Lumix is a great camera, and I know a lot of people who enjoy it. For me, I'd rather carry around the extra baggage. I didn't go to DHS to photograph Beauty and the Beast, so I intentionally left behind the lens I would have wanted. I've had many opportunities to photograph this show and will have a few more in the future. Sometimes it's good to just put the camera down and enjoy the show! :D

 

I remember that show, very well done. It should be interesting what they do with Tangled.

 

An aside on Disney, notice how many of the full length cartoons in recent years have girls as lead characters. Frog Princess, Brave, Frozen, Tangled. This is a sea change for Disney which always felt that little boys would not go to cartoons featuring girls such as Mulan vs. Lion King.

 

Did you get to the revamped Fantasy Land?

[IrishLassie]

Loving your review. We're thinking of booking Royal for nx. Nov. for our anniversary, so your pictures are helping us decide! :D The pictures of the decorations for Christmas were so pretty, much better than on Oasis. Thanks again for posting. :)

[The Big Booper]

Loving your review. We're thinking of booking Royal for nx. Nov. for our anniversary, so your pictures are helping us decide! :D The pictures of the decorations for Christmas were so pretty, much better than on Oasis. Thanks again for posting. :)

 

Agree on that, the RP Christmas decorations were better then on Allure, which did have backlit snowflakes all over the Royal Promenade and one large decorated tree. Allure did not have smaller subsidiary trees or Christmas dioramas. This is one of the few areas where the RP is superior to the big girls, IMHO.

Edited January 13, 2014 by The Big Booper

[cruiseclues]

With a photo like this, I can see how you chose your screen name, LittleMissMagic...certainly lives up to the name...thanks for the great photo review. :):):):)

 

Edited January 14, 2014 by cruiseclues

[LittleMissMagic]

After visiting the Osborne Lights, we left Hollywood Studios and took the Friendship Boat to Epcot.

 

Epcot was a party! It's definitely the "adult" park, and I actually saw very few children compared to the number of adults. There were drinks available around the world, and DJs and dancing around World Showcase. The China Pavilion and Italy Pavilion were club-like atmospheres. There were security guards by the entrance - I was wondering if they didn't allow children in.

 

12.31.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We circled all the way around World Showcase before the New Year's Eve countdown (starting in France and returning to France). I think that France has the best drinks. My mother had returned from the restroom and said that the cast members were really wanting to close their shops. Well, they came running out from their stores just in time for the New Year's Eve countdown! We rang in 2014 along with all of the France Pavilion CMs!

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

After IllumiNations, we went to Future World to celebrate with the DJ set up behind the dancing fountain. It was really fun, but unfortunately, they cut the DJ off at 1AM (park closing). I don't know why Epcot wasn't open longer. The DJ suggested that he was born in Central time (us too!), so he should get to keep the party going an hour longer.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Getting back was a struggle. We decided to walk back to DHS rather than take the friendship boat. We went to cut through the Boardwalk resort, but took a wrong turn and ended up near the Hess Station (which was quite close to our resort)! We quickly regained our bearings.

[IrishLassie]

Just want to say again, Victoria, how much I enjoyed your review of Royal & D.W. The picture that you took where it shows Kermit the Frog really brought back memories. Our niece was the 1st. Miss Piggy when they did a live show & the park was called MGM so we saw many shows there as we only live 1 1/2 hrs. away from D.W. She also met her husband there who was Fozzy Bear and they now have a son, and twins (boy & girl). They both ended up being hired by Sesame Street & went on tour for several yrs. Sorry I went on so long :eek:, just thought you'd find it interesting.

Anyway thanks again for the GREAT review and will look forward to your nx one. :D

[windjamming]

Epcot was a party! It's definitely the "adult" park, and I actually saw very few children compared to the number of adults. There were drinks available around the world, and DJs and dancing around World Showcase. The China Pavilion and Italy Pavilion were club-like atmospheres. There were security guards by the entrance - I was wondering if they didn't allow children in.

 

LMM, thanks again for the first hand account of Epcot on NYE. I'm just imagining what the China and Italy Pavilions look like as clubs!

 

I would *love* to do Disney on NYE but have always heard the horror stories of parks not letting people in midday. How crazy did you find the crowds?

[LittleMissMagic]

Just want to say again, Victoria, how much I enjoyed your review of Royal & D.W. The picture that you took where it shows Kermit the Frog really brought back memories. Our niece was the 1st. Miss Piggy when they did a live show & the park was called MGM so we saw many shows there as we only live 1 1/2 hrs. away from D.W. She also met her husband there who was Fozzy Bear and they now have a son, and twins (boy & girl). They both ended up being hired by Sesame Street & went on tour for several yrs. Sorry I went on so long :eek:, just thought you'd find it interesting.

Anyway thanks again for the GREAT review and will look forward to your nx one. :D

 

Wow, that's too cool! I don't remember the live Muppets Show, but I'll ask my parents if they do. I do remember MGM - it took me a long time to get used to saying Hollywood Studios!

[LittleMissMagic]

LMM, thanks again for the first hand account of Epcot on NYE. I'm just imagining what the China and Italy Pavilions look like as clubs!

 

I would *love* to do Disney on NYE but have always heard the horror stories of parks not letting people in midday. How crazy did you find the crowds?

 

Well, we never tried to enter the park in the middle of the day, but we were a little concerned about leaving Hollywood Studios (around 9PM) to go to Epcot. Before exiting the park, we asked a security guard if he knew if Epcot was still accepting guests, and he said that they didn't have any concern of any of the parks reaching maximum capacity before midnight.

 

We were at Epcot for NYE four years ago, ringing in 2010, and I remember it being miserably crowded. You could hardly walk because the crowds were moving so slow. I think that Disney has gotten much better at crowd control. This year, there were plenty of cast member who were well-trained on directing traffic and maintaining a walking flow. And they also added a backstage exit to Future World from World Showcase to help move guests out of the park quickly and efficiently. While the "clubs" were crowded, the movement of people throughout the park was steady, and I never once felt unsafe, claustrophobic, or frustrated.

Edited January 15, 2014 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

I remember that show, very well done. It should be interesting what they do with Tangled.

 

An aside on Disney, notice how many of the full length cartoons in recent years have girls as lead characters. Frog Princess, Brave, Frozen, Tangled. This is a sea change for Disney which always felt that little boys would not go to cartoons featuring girls such as Mulan vs. Lion King.

 

Did you get to the revamped Fantasy Land?

 

Females have been leading characters in Disney movies since the first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. I think the difference we're seeing now is that these leading females are no longer in the stereotypical role as the damsel in distress. Beginning in 1989 with the Little Mermaid, the leading females have gradually become more in control of their own lives, and even their own heroes.

 

What I've found most exciting is that boys like these independent females. I was taken by surprise when a boy around the age of 8 told me that his favorite Disney character was Mulan. The princesses are no longer just pretty faces, but characters that girls and boys can appreciate.

[The Big Booper]

Also Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

 

I remember an article from the late 90's where a top Disney exec did say that the Lion King was the most successful cartoon for the company because girls would go to a movie starring a lead male character but boys would hesitate to go to a cartoon with a female lead.

 

Obviously Disney figured out a way around that issue.

 

The animation in Frozen is incredible and ties into to the music.

[HRPro]

Both my granddaughters and grandsons loved Disney's Frozen. Of course, I enjoyed it too:)

[Mom33]

Little Miss Magic....thanks again for the great read and pics of your cruise and Disney visit. It was nice to see the ship and Disney through a young person's perspective. The latter brought back memories of New Years past ;):D

 

We did New Years eve in Epcot twice. The first time, we stayed at the Caribbean Resort and used the bus transportation. We were afraid to leave the park and go back to the hotel for fear we would not get back in. It was the longest day of our lives. We did not get back until 2:30 am. The bus lines were horrendous. We loved the entertainment and celebration though so we made reservations for the next year at the Yacht Club. No buses to worry about. We just walked in the park around 10 after resting in our room. It was wonderful!:D

[LittleMissMagic]

Little Miss Magic....thanks again for the great read and pics of your cruise and Disney visit. It was nice to see the ship and Disney through a young person's perspective. The latter brought back memories of New Years past ;):D

 

We did New Years eve in Epcot twice. The first time, we stayed at the Caribbean Resort and used the bus transportation. We were afraid to leave the park and go back to the hotel for fear we would not get back in. It was the longest day of our lives. We did not get back until 2:30 am. The bus lines were horrendous. We loved the entertainment and celebration though so we made reservations for the next year at the Yacht Club. No buses to worry about. We just walked in the park around 10 after resting in our room. It was wonderful!:D

 

Yes - it was New Year's Eve walking from Epcot to the parking lot at DHS when Dad and I decided that we would never again stay off-property. I was kind of wishing we had booked the Swan/Dolphin because it would have been so convenient.

 

Rachel and Mom said that it wasn't nearly as bad staying off-property as they thought it would be. Rachel liked riding to the park in our car and not having to worry about cramming onto the Disney bus. The park that's the biggest pain to drive to is Magic Kingdom because you have to park then take the tram/walk to TTC, then take the monorail/ferry.

 

The Waldorf Astoria was a nice hotel, and I won't say that I'll never stay there again in the future, but I did miss being on property... and at a Disney resort.

[jewel825]

Thanks LMM for such a great review! I can remember reading reviews of yours in the past and seeing your cute family. I love your fun personality and positive attitude! Now you have me jonesing for a WDW vacation! I haven't been there since 2004 when my kids were tiny and I'd love to go back again without the strollers, diaper bags, etc... :)

[LittleMissMagic]

January 1, 2013 - Animal Kingdom + Magic Kingdom

 

I had planned for us to take our time getting to the parks today since we were going to be out late celebrating the New Year the night before. I didn't book any of our FP+ reservations until the afternoon. It's been a long time since we've done Animal Kingdom in the afternoon/evening. We'll usually arrive at Animal Kingdom first thing in the morning and leave in the early afternoon.

 

When we arrived at Animal Kingdom, crowds were low. I checked my My Disney Experience app, and it said that Kilimanjaro Safari had a 0 minute wait. Our first FP was for Kilimanjaro Safari in an hour! So I changed it to Dinosaur which had a 70 minute wait (probably because it had been raining and Dinosaur is indoors). This was the first time that I made a FP+ change while in the park using the app, and it was really easy.

 

The wait for Kilimanjaro Safaris turned out to be a little more than 0 minutes... it was around 10, but we weren't complaining. Right after the rain is one of the best times to go on the safari because the animals that are usually sleeping or hiding come out to play. We've had the good fortune of doing the safari right after the rain maybe twice before.

 

Our guide was great - she was really knowledgeable about the animals. I've done the safari so many times that I always appreciate a guide who switches things up and can tell me things I haven't already heard. Unfortunately, the four rows behind us in the vehicle consisted of a large party of completely obnoxious Spanish-speaking people (I promise, guys, I don't get annoyed by all Spanish-speaking people! I actually almost minored in Spanish and took a language immersion program where I was only allowed to speak in Spanish for six weeks). They thought it was really funny to all say, "Ooooohhhhh," really loud at absolutely nothing, and they also kept trying to stand up. At first, the guide didn't seem to mind, but she quickly got annoyed by their frequent, "Ooooohhhhh," and said, "I'm not sure if they are actually fascinated by something, or if they just like making noise." And that of course made the teenagers who could speak English very happy, and they encouraged the rest of the group to be even louder. I was upset because our guide was really good, but they were being so rude that she stopped sharing so much information.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

When we were approaching the giraffes, our safari guide asked that the group in the back please be quiet because giraffes are very skittish, and she didn't want us scaring them away. They calmed down for a little bit, thankfully.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Seeing the giraffes all together like this is rather unusual and was a result of them seeking shelter from the rain.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And then, the most exciting part of the safari.... the male lion was awake!!! Lions sleep around 22 hours a day, so usually whenever you drive by the lion habitat, you can barely see them sleeping up on the rocks. But today he was up and looking over the kingdom!

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And then in another completely rare event, a female lion came and joined him! What spectacular timing!!

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

At the end of the safari, one of the obnoxious people behind me tapped on my back. I turned around and she handed me her camera and motioned for me to take a picture (when you carry around big camera equipment, you get approached by many to take a photo... personally, I always try to find someone whose equipment looks more expensive than my own to take a photo). I instinctively went to take it of her and her husband and she said no and motioned to take the photo of the entire group. This was getting ridiculous. These people annoyed me for the entire safari, and here I was taking their photo. I half-hazardly held the camera above my head, clicked, and walked away before she could ask me to do anything more.

 

Rachel was disappointed in me. "You took their picture??? You should have told them no because they're rude and obnoxious!"

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

After, we headed for our new FP+ for Dinosaur.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel says that to this day, the ride still legitimately scares her.

[LittleMissMagic]

After Dinosaur, we went to Rainforest Cafe for a late lunch. As annual passholders, we get 10% off entrees. However, Mom ordered an appetizer for her entree, and Dad got soup and salad, so Rachel and I were the only ones to qualify for these savings.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We both got the barbecue wrap. I highly recommend it.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Afterwards, it was time for our FP+ for Expedition Everest.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I love the view from the top!

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

[Colo Cruiser]

Fantastic photos!

[LittleMissMagic]

We then headed to Dinoland USA to wait around for our Primeval Whirl FP+.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Say what you want about the tacky carnival theme, but I love the mood it creates in rainy, overcast weather. I find the juxtaposition between the bright carnival lights and gray skies really intriguing.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We took a whirls on Triceratop Spin.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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[LittleMissMagic]

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I think I'm one of few who appreciates the corniness of this part of the Animal Kingdom.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

We then headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey (which has now closed to make way for Avatarland) for Festival of the Lion King (which is temporarily closed until a new theater is built for the production in Africa).

 

I love this show. If you see one show in the Animal Kingdom, make it this one. The Lion King Soundtrack is amazing (I'm listening to it as I write) and the performers are great.

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

My favorite part is the tumble monkeys...

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

01.01.14 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

After Festival of the Lion King, we exited the park and headed back to the Waldorf.