Having the key on our Holidaycation cruise to the Bahamas was lovely, and the morning of disembarkcation, we still had a few perks to use. We could be out of room later than we had been before, which was nice..
But we also got to have breakfast in the Main Dining Room instead of having to fight for spots in the Windjammer so early in the morning. We gathered up our stuff and dropped it at the enterance to the Main Dining room, and then ordered our breakfast. Asa got crab cake eggs benedict, which was his favorite thing he ate on the ship.
I ordered the blueberry pancakes, which were light and fluffy and came served with a delicious berry topping.
We were even seated by the windows, where we were greeted by a bunch of dolphins. A lovely way to end another cruise in the Bahamas with my favorite person.
We headed off the boat somewhere around 9 am, made our way quickly through customs, grabbed a seat on the shuttle back to parking and we were off in no time at all...
Instead of ending our holidaycation here, we decided to spend a night in Orlando so we could go to a bunch of theme parks to see them all decorated for Christmas. Our first stop was at Epcot.
Since we were up so early, it was easy to grab our spot in the virtual queue (it opens at 7am and they go quick!) Our return time was somewhere around 3, but then they opened our spot early. I didn't go on it, because it makes me super motion sick, but I waited in line with Asa, and he loved the ride just like the first time he went on it. And this time, it had a holiday overlay!
Epcot is always one of my favorite parks, but especially at the holidays.
Not only do you get awesome deocrations- you also get the Festival of the Holidays with special offerings.
We made our way around the world- to enjoy some Epcot staples, and some Festival of the Holidays food. Asa's favorite drink- maybe of all time- is in the China Pavillion. The Tipsy Ducks in Love is his absolute fave!
Meanwhile, I grabbed a couple of egg rolls (one of the best deals at Epcot for food, I think). They aren't imaginative, but they are affordable!
The Festival of the Holidays also feature different holiday story-tellers and bands around the world. We caught people playing traditional Chinese instruments in China.
Over in Germany, we grabbed some delicious pretzel bread pudding. For real, this stuff was legit. The sauce made it, for sure.
Of course, every pavilion is decorated for Christmas, so it's night to check out all the details. Although I was really sad to see they're still not decorating the train in Germany the way they did pre-covid.
I always like nosing around to see what the gift shops have for Christmas too.
We hit Itlay just in time to see one of the street performers.
And then left that slightly early to catch the Voices of Liberty- Holiday style, singing Christmas Carols.
And if you're at the American Adventure, you have to stop and see the unique Gingerbread houses.
Working our way around the world showcase, we nosed around the Japan store to see if we could happen upon any good Christmas presents for the kids..
...and in Morocco we stopped for some dinks, and more snacks.
We especially enjoyed the cider flight. And for $10, it seemed like a good deal for Disney food. (The bread service for $5 was also very enjoyable). We meant to take our flight to the famous Binny over in the UK, but forgot. So, instead, I took a picture of Asa sans drink, at Binny, to the Disney Daydrinkers Facebook group. If you know, you know.
The United Kingdom was all dressed up for the holidays too, though we just missed Father Christmas.
We did arrive in Canada at the perfect time to hear the band at the Mill Stage playing Christmas music.
We finished our trip around the world, with some holiday poutine at the Refreshment Port. And our lunch around Epcot was complete.
We did want to catch the Short Film Festival, and when we walked into the building, Mickey was there, all by himself with no line at all! We couldn't believe how lucky we had gotten. While we hoped Chewbacca was our first character hug after covid, when Mickey was there, we knew it was just the right call. So, we went to say hello. It's been nearly three years since I've had a character hug. I wanted to cry.
Asa, obviously, was just as endearing to the characters as they were to us.
And there it is- our first non-socially distant picture with a character since covid.
And then we got to watch the short film festival, which is also one of my underrated activities.
ON our way out, we still had to walk past all the construction walls, but you can see the Moana attraction coming together.
That's it for Epcot, because our hotel room was ready!
We didn't get anything fancy- just a room at a Hampton Inn on International Drive, but it was pretty nice for what it was. We were able to use my cousin's Hilton friends and family discount, and get a great deal. Thanks Jake!
After a little regrouping, and some coffee (it had been a long day and it wasn't even dinner time), we headed over to Universal.
Inparticular, I wanted to catch the Holiday parade. I'd heard great things about it, but I'd never gotten to see it.
We parked it right inside the gates to nab ourselves a spot (I wore my Mimosa shirt!). YOu'll notice Asa was barely hanging on at this point, but he loves me.
And the parade was so worth it! Everything lit up, there were huge balloons, and Santa even made an appearance.
In some spots, it even snowed on Santa!
Asa and I made our way back to Diagon Ally after the parade, enojoying the lights and decorations along the way.
Diagon Alley at night is always great, but I love it decorated for Christmas.
Even better than that is Hot Butterbeer, it's the best way to get it, and there aren't a lot of days when you even want it served warm. So you have to get it while you can.
On the way out, we even caught the Gringotts dragon breathing fire.
I had hoped to make it over to Islands of Adventure as well, but the parks so close so early these days. I miss midnight closes. What's with this 8pm garbage?
We did use our pro tip and get ourselves a spot at the Cowfish bar, without a reservation and without having to wait. So here I was, eating dinner at Universal after having lunch at Epcot, and breakfast on a cruise ship. What a day.
And that about does it for day 4. Asa was asleep by 9:30. I wasn't too far behind him. It was a long day for sure.
Next up: One last holidaycation day at the Magic Kingdom
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