Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Goofin' Off Crossing Off Bucket List Item...Or Did I?

This update has me reflecting on whether or not I actually crossed an item off of my Disney bucket list.  First I'll give my project updates, and then maybe you can help me decide.

First off, I'll show you how Captain America is progressing.

Step III Is Complete

Step IV - A

Step IV - B

Step IV - C

And as for how our Mickey and Pirates cross stitch project is coming along, you can see for yourself. This piece will be poster-sized when completed, so it may be hard to tell at this point what is what, but since I know what the completed picture looks like, I'd say things are looking pretty accurate. We've got more of Goofy's pirate hat taking shape at the moment.

Mickey and Pirate Friends - 06/07/2017

Now where was I?  Oh, yes, last post we had just finished up with Day 3 of our Disney cruise trip report.  Well, the morning of Day 4 arrived early.  The cruise director had mentioned the night before that we would be going under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco about 6:30 in the morning. So, if we wanted to see it, we had to be up early.

Mr. Goofin' Off and I managed to get up early enough, but whether or not we would actually see it would be another story.  It was a bit foggy when we first got out, but by the time we reached the bridge, well, the fog had burned off and we had a lovely view.

Approaching Golden Gate Bridge with Fog

Getting a Little Closer to the Bridge and a Little Less Fog

We're Almost There - Fog Is Almost Gone

We had a small pod of whales, probably four or five, guiding the way in front of the ship. Unfortunately, they weren't breaching so it was difficult to get them in the pictures.  But it really set the mood nicely for the morning.

Our excursion for the day had been to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum and then see some of the other prominent sites around San Francisco.  We went with the excursion offered through the cruise ship.  I won't say too much about our guide, but let's just say she didn't seem too prepared for this tour.  She had never been to the Walt Disney Family Museum...and she was guiding a bunch of Disney nuts, so she really didn't have much to offer early in the tour.

Our first stop actually turned out to be at the Lucasfilm headquarters which is just down the street from the museum.  We only had about five to ten minutes here, so I snapped a quick picture of the Yoda statue out front.  Who doesn't love Yoda?

Yoda Statue and Fountain Outside Lucasfilm Headquarters
After a few wrong turns in the Presidio, where the Walt Disney Family Museum is at, we managed to arrive at the museum about a half hour late.  Our tour guide then went in to purchase the tickets for us, while we waited an additional 15 minutes on the bus.  We would have thought since this was a Disney Cruise tour that the tickets would have been ready and waiting...but no. When she returned with we were able to get off the bus and I was able to snap this baby...there may have been a tear or two of joy shed because I am such a Disney nerd.

Walt Disney Family Museum - Front
I snapped lots of pictures...in the first gallery of the museum, but since I'm pretty sure most of you really don't have the same Disney affinity that I do, I'll only share a couple that had meaning to me. First is the picture of the furnishings from Walt's original apartment at Disneyland.

Furniture and Furnishings from Walt's Apartment at Disneyland

The other picture I'll share is one of the Oscar's Walt Disney won.  Of particular interest to me was the one he won for Snow White.  It was a large Oscar with seven little ones next to it.  As a child, I loved watching old Shirley Temple movies, and there is a clip of her talking to Walt about this particular Oscar that always comes to mind.  Who couldn't love Walt and Shirley Temple?  

Walt's Oscars - Snow White Oscars Front and Center

Now visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum has been on my and Mr. Goofin' Off's Disney bucket lists for long, long time.  While, technically, we did make it to the museum, we wound up with a little less than an hour and a half there. The tour had to move on.  The museum has 17 galleries, and we only made it through 3 of them.  We didn't even begin to see the things we had wanted to.  So one has to ask, did we or didn't we check this item off our bucket list?  Please let me know if you think we did below...seriously, I'd love your thoughts (or maybe I'm just trying to rationalize another trip).

The tour moved on.  We tried to go to Twin Peaks, but the road was closed, so the bus couldn't get there.  So...another strike against our unprepared tour guide.  We diverted to some park so we could at least get a potty break.  Then we headed to Lands End Lookout.  I have to admit, there were definitely some beautiful views here.  

Lands End Lookout
Lands End Lookout - Seal Rock

From there, we headed to the Golden Gate Park.  We had a few minutes here, so we snapped some pictures, did a very short hike, and grabbed a snack.  

Golden Gate Bridge as Seen From Golden Gate Park
Alcatraz As Seen From Golden Gate Park

We left Golden Gate Park and headed back to the cruise ship.  Mr. Goofin' Off and I admittedly came away from this tour a little disappointed. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the top deck of the ship and catching a little sun. We didn't see very much sun the entire cruise, so it was a nice treat to grab some Vitamin D. Then we had dinner, went to the show, and came back to our cabin for a good night's sleep. It had been an early day, and I am pretty sure I zonked out early.

So here it is a few weeks later, and we're still deciding whether or not we can say we can cross this off our bucket list.  I think I know Mr. Goofin' Off's thoughts because he was already researching a trip to San Francisco before we even got home.  

Thanks for dropping in.  I love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.  

I'm linking up with Midweek Makers


21 comments:

  1. I'm a Disney Girl also so I loved your post and I think you need to revisit a trip to San Francisco so you can enjoy the museum better since you were definitely shortchanged with the cruise--I would complain to them. I was in SF in 2015 and unfortunately we only spent a day there to visit my cousin; we were staying in Yosemite and did a day trip. Now I want to go back. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by! Yes, we did let Disney know about our disappointment with the tour. We'll see if anything comes of it. --Andrea

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  2. your trip looks lovely.......enjoy........

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    1. Thank you for dropping by. Yes, we did enjoy our trip. --Andrea

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  3. Sounds like your SF trip could have been a bit better - especially if there was stop at Ghirardelli for ice cream and chocolate! Thanks for sharing on Midweek Makers and come back for a visit again!

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    1. Susan, Thanks for dropping in. Looking back, we wish we would have taken an Uber to the museum and then an Uber to Ghirardelli before heading back to the ship. Things would have been better on our schedule. But, overall, we had a great cruise and enjoyed the time with family.

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  4. Hi Andrea,
    I think you definitely cannot cross the museum off your list. Three out of 17 galleries does not a visit make. It was really just a taste - one of those one-bite things chefs make to get all the flavors so you order the whole entree. Nope, you definitely need to go back and take your time! And you missed a LOT in SF - you'll need a few days there to see everything. The cable cars, the wharf, CHOCOLATE, China Town, the crocked street, just to name a few. Just my opinion (and that tour sounds like a bust). ~smile~ Roseanne

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    1. Roseanne, Thanks for dropping by! I am leaning towards you and think we cannot consider this as crossed off the bucket list. I feel another trip is in order to San Francisco. --Andrea

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  5. I think you should definitely go back. I love having our own time to do things.

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    1. Katie, Thanks for dropping in. It's looking more and more like we need to go back to San Francisco to cross it off our bucket list. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. --Andrea

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    2. Rationalize immediately and go on another trip! All or nothing...that's my Disney philosophy and if you can't do it all, come back again so you can!

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  6. What a thrill to have the whale escort as you sailed under the Golden Gate. Thanks for sharing the photo's of Walt's oscars & some of the furnishings. I love watching him introduce his programme, when I was a child.
    Will watch for you "Poster" sized cross stitch progress, brave choice. :):)

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    1. Thank you for dropping by! Yes, the whale escort was a nice touch. This Disney-fan loved what we were able to see at the museum. We'll definitely have to go back some day.

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  7. You need to live near me and you could go to Disney at the drop of a hat.

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    1. Karen, We'd love to live in Florida. For the time being, we're settling for a timeshare there. I think one day, when we retire, we'll probably snowbird down there. Very jealous of those who can drop in to Disney at the drop of a hat. --Andrea

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  8. Sorry, but you cannot count this as a 'done' item. You need at least 4 hours at the museum. It should remain on your list. a78mandel at yahoo dot com

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    1. Annette, Thanks for dropping by. I think you are correct, we can't cross the Disney Museum off the bucket list quite yet. Plus, there is so much more in the area that we want to see. Now to start saving those pennies. --Andrea

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  9. Captain America looks like he's coming along. Sounds like you had a great trip, but you definitely have to go back to the museum. Who doesn't want to see San Francisco again any way?

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    1. Mari, Thanks for dropping by. Yes, I do believe another trip to San Francisco is needed. It is a beautiful city. I am pretty sure my hubby is convinced, too. --Andrea

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  10. Lovely photos of the Golden Gate bridge Andrea. I used to live in California and definitely miss the San Francisco area. You definitely need to go back and see all the sites that you would enjoy so much. Your stitching is coming along beautifully...it is definitely a project by the size of it. Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by our blog. RJ @ stitching friends forever

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, RJ. It's always fun to meet fellow bloggers. --Andrea

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