*****TRIP REPORT BEGINS ON PAGE 2, POST #6*****
This is way early, but I'm finished with the photo book for California now and it's been a long month or so at work and I need some Disney planning therapy. So, here we go!
I'm traveling November 6 - November 16 and there's quite a bit going on during this trip! I'll be traveling to WDW with my cousin Jenn and my friend Christine.
Jenn is a year younger than me and despite the fact that her family moved from our hometown of Hanover to the Poconos when she was 4-years-old, we've always been close. Jenn has made some unconventional decisions in her life that not all of our family understands, but she is awesome. She spent 4 weeks backpacking Europe; she's a pastry chef--currently in Martha's Vineyard; she loves art and food and music; she's shy and only talks when she thinks she can contribute to the conversation, but she's so much fun to hang out with!
Christine and I graduated from college at the same time and with the same major (Economics), but from different schools. We worked together at the Federal Reserve Board in DC for a few years and I introduced her to her soon-to-be-ex-husband (she still loves me even though it turns out that it wasn't maybe the great match it seemed to be at the time). When we first met, I was sorting a pack of M&M's (I separate my M&M's and eat them in pairs in order of wavelength of the color--you know, ROY G. BIV) and before I even said hello to her, I looked up and exclaimed "Roy G. Biv". She told me later that she new at that moment that we were going to be friends forever.
Jenn and Christine don't know each other yet, but all three of us like to eat and we like to try new food, so food & wine is great. Also, Christine's family lived in Thailand for her dad's job for most of her childhood and Jenn wants to take a trip to Thailand during her restaurant's off season this winter, so they'll have lots to talk about. All three of us are very independent and anti-drama, so I'm hopeful that we'll all have a good time together and that everyone will be cool with hanging with the group or doing their own thing as time and interests allow.
On Thursday night, Benn will be flying to Orlando to join us. When Jenn and Christine leave on Friday, Benn and I will continue on to Port Canaveral to board the Disney Dream! We've cruised on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Princess, but we've never been on a Disney Cruise, so we're very excited to compare and contrast. Unfortunately, since we are basically doing the same itinerary as we would do on the meet-up next year, we may skip the cruise portion of the meet-up to save vacation days for Benn and to save money as this has not been a lucrative year real estate-wise for me.
There is a CHANCE that Benn's mom and her fiance might join us for the cruise. We had invited mom along to Star Wars weekend last year and it wasn't a good time for her, but she just mentioned this past weekend that she would love to go to Disney with us the next time that we go! So of course we mentioned that we have this cruise coming up. I sent them a very detailed email about prices, options, etc. and they are currently reviewing the info and thinking about it. I really hope that they decide to go with us!!
SO the loose itinerary right now is as follows:
Friday, November 6
Benn will drop me off at BWI and I will book the best combo of earliest/cheapest flight available. I will meet up with Jenn and Christine at Saratoga (wait listed for Wilderness, but there's basically no chance that we're getting that) and we'll hopefully have time to get over to the race expo in the evening. If everyone gets in early enough, we'll probably go to TOWL for drinks.
Saturday, November 7
Sleep in, probably hit DTD for a little while, take a nap, and get ready to race! Christine and I are "running" the half marathon at 10:00pm and Jenn (the smart one--LOL) is attending the post-race party. We'll all meet up after the race and hopefully gorge ourselves on delicious festival food until 4am.
Sunday, November 8
Race/gluttony recovery day! We'll probably hit the pool for a while. We have lunch (probably more like breakfast) booked at Sanaa at 1:30 and I intend to take the girls to Jellyrolls for the evening.
Monday, November 9
We'll hit DHS and EPCOT today and we have an ADR for dinner at Flying Fish.
Tuesday, November 10
It's a non-park day, so we may do DTD again or hit the pool or maybe take a cab to see some other cool thing in Orlando (maybe the Gaylord Palms ice sculpture will be open by then!). Christine and I have tickets for MVMCP tonight. Jenn opted out for that one. I think she's planning to hit an offsite Orlando restaurant that night.
Wednesday, November 11
It'a AK & EPCOT day and we have an ADR for dinner at Via Napoli
Thursday, November 12
MK day and a dinner ADR at 'Ohana. Hopefully Benn will be able to get an early enough flight to join us for dinner.
Friday, November 13
Benn and I will transfer to Port Canaveral via Magical Express and Jenn and Christine will fly home.
Saturday, November 14
We'll be in port in Nassau and we're leaning toward taking the Graycliff Chocolatier tour. We've been to Nassau, but last time we just wandered around and did the free jewelry "scavenger hunt". We want to do a short excursion just so that we get some sort of touring aspect this time, but we want to spend a lot of time today doing activities on the boat.
Sunday, November 15
It's Castaway Cay day. I want to do the Castaway Cay 5K and I'm hoping that Benn will join me. For an excursion, I want to do the 4-in-1 that includes biking, snorkeling, petting a sting ray, and tube rental. Benn doesn't like to ride bikes and he's not excited about snorkeling, so we might just rent the tubes and play at the beach.
Monday, November 16
Return to port and fly home 
Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table because that will make you more welcome. --Randy Pausch
Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.
I really want to do it again!
I hope we feel exactly the same way! Depending on how the real estate sales stack up for the remainder of the year, we're hoping to do the meet-up cruise next year and it's the same itinerary. That would be our third time in Nassau and we weren't super impressed with that port stop the first time! LOL. We typically choose our cruises based on the port stops as there is often little that appeals to us on the ships of the other lines. But from what we've read about the onboard experience on DCL, I'm super jazzed up!!
Also it would help tremendously if the Mars company would add indigo and violet M&Ms to my pack. I like this one of each color method, too. What's important is that there is a system in place. 
Have you ever noticed that most packs are heavy on the orange and yellow and they skimp on the green and blue?
PS Skittles, only purple but it works.... 
