theDIBB - A touch of Disney and 2 cruises in a week! Pre Trip

Last November when we assumed that 2021 would bring better things we booked flights for a 3 week long Florida trip in September.

As we had been fully vaccinated in June 2021 we anticipated foreign travel to be more straightforward as the year went on and so were quite positive that the US travel ban would be lifted.

Unfortunately, as we got closer and closer it became clear that wasn't going to happen and in August our flights were cancelled - we have moved them to June 2022 and will keep our fingers crossed.

We then started looking at alternative options and considered both Jamaica and Barbados. Jamaica unfortunately was ruled out when the FCDO advised against non essential travel.

Barbados looked appealing but we were a little worried about their COVID rules if we were unlucky enough to test positive while on our trip.

So we decided to stay in the UK and started looking at some of the cruises which are available this year.

We liked the look of the Disney cruises but they were quite expensive compared to the other options.

In the end we decided on Royal Caribbean sailing from Southampton with an itinerary of Belfast and Liverpool. Using a discount via work we booked a Junior Suite for £1582 which also included $200 onboard credit. We have booked a Doubletree in Southampton for the night before the cruise so it will be like staying at the airport!

I have been doing lots of research and we have selected the soda package and a coffee card for me. I am particularly keen to try out Johnny Rockets on the ship!

Of course at this stage my keen readers will be thinking what on earth is the 'touch of Disney'?

Well, I kept thinking about going to Disneyland Paris so that I could get a Disney fix during our time off but flights from Bristol were not great and I don't understand the obsession DLP has of selling tickets for each day of your trip even if you have an early / late flight so we ruled that out.

I kept checking availability for the Disney cruises and on Monday night there was availability on the Disney Magic in an inside cabin for £680. Still loads for a 2 night cruise but cheaper than I had been pricing for DLP!

So we booked! And we sail on Monday from Tilbury 😁 And again from Southampton the following Sunday!

I know we will only really be on board for a day and a half but I'm so excited about seeing Mickey and the gang again!

I am hopeful that I can get Mickey waffles and maybe a Mickey bar?

So we have booked another Doubletree - this time Dartford Bridge and now have to find charging points along the way for our electric car. I'm hoping we don't have too many issues with broken chargers as we have seen reported!