Trip Report Surviving the Fantasy - Making the most of moments before they're gone...

Maybe other parents of teenagers can relate to yet another "season" of parenthood when your teenagers are busy people and time with them becomes less and less. You realize that the time you thought you had to do all those little things you put off when your kiddos were younger is growing ever-so short. Why does time speed up?! Ugh!

This trip was a journey of adversity before we ever left home. So many little things popped up that potentially jeopardized the whole trip beginning months prior. Even when intuition kept poking me and trying to tell me this trip isn't the thing to do, the petulant child in me refused to give in or give up. We went, by God, in the face of all the adversity that life could throw us we went. After all, time stops for no one. My boys and my brother's girls aren't getting younger and their individual lives aren't getting simpler. My favorite "big guys" in the whole world, my husband and big brother, aren't growing younger any faster than I am. Dues had to be paid, I suppose, for my stubborn nature and pay them I did. Looking back I have no regrets. I made it through with warm memories and fantastical stories to tell of our amazing adventure. Oh yes. We survived the Fantasy. No, we kicked the Fantasy's butt because we didn't let it kick ours. We went to places I never imagined I'd go and we did things I never thought I'd say I did. We did it all together as a family, a big, crazy family out to make the most of the moments we have before they're all gone.



Who?
-Me, the SweetPee
-Tracey, the devoted/entertaining husband
-Chandler, my 17 yro son
-Brian, my 15 yro son
-Jerry, my older brother (@obrienIII)
-Sydney, my 16 yro niece
-Sarah, my 14 yro niece

What?
-Family vacation, baby!

Where?
-2 nights @ Pop Century
-7 night Disney Fantasy Western Cruise (Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel, & Castaway Cay)

When?
-May 23, 2013 - June 1, 2013



So come along with me for a wild ride of highs & lows, teenager-filled fun, amazing activities, and wild rides. You won't be disappointed!

But first....@obrienIII....I have a question: Exactly what would you do if I posted some of those forbidden pictures in my report? I would like to calculate my options.

 

[emcclay]

Everyone loved their presents! I think the best part was hanging out with YOU! Chandler really enjoyed himself, too. He's not like most kids, huh?

Oh! I'll be crossing my fingers for the news you're looking for from the chef!

Sbux on MSUSA! I'm so excited for it! I know how others despise the very idea of it but it's something I loooooove. If that makes me wrong, I'll be wrong with complete and utter joy.

Being away from Riley is hardest when I have to leave her at boarding places. She's almost never alone. She's a very people oriented little dog. And, of course, we've had her since she was just a tiny pup. I was the one who taught her to sleep all night, I potty-trained her, etc. etc. She's like my 3rd baby. Seriously! My mom says she's the girl I never had. She's like my little sidekick, follows me anywhere I go so that I'm always in eye-shot. Riley's my girl. So when she's somewhere that she's not getting the same people-time like at home I worry. A lot! Picking her up is always fun! She's always so crazy happy to see us which is a very niiiiice thing!

Yes, it was so awesome hanging with you and Chandler! You and Tracey definitely get the "Great Parents" stamp of approval!

That's funny- my chef said he is crossing his fingers for me also! Thank you!!

I will be getting my usual skinny green tea frap tomorrow. My dad is stoked he will be able to get "his coffee" when they come down in January. I wouldn't be surprised if we have some late morning starts at the CR and he goes over to MK to get his own coffee!

Pets are totally considered family members. So, I completely agree with you calling her your "baby" because I really consider my cat to be my "baby". *Crazy cat lady alert*. LOL! But, really pets are so special. It takes special humans, like us, to take care of them and give them a loving family to spend their life with.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Loving the TR so far!

I would love to do a cruise with all my siblings. But unfortunately I don't know if that will ever happen

Cruising with Jerry & the girls was a stretch for us. They typically travel when school lets out and we don't for a reason. It costs more and there tends to be a LOT more people sharing the same destinations then like September or January or even early May. We originally had booked early in May but then Jerry said they wanted to do a cruise. We rebooked for when they could go which cost us a little over a thousand dollars more to do. As often as we're traveling nowadays I'm not sure we'll spend as much on a single cruise again in the near future but I've definitely learned to never say never. Sometimes the impossible happens!

Aww! That stinks about the sunglasses

Yes, yes it does. On the bright side, I later learned (while purchasing new sunglasses) that I can send my broken pair into Maui Jim for repair. That's cool. Now I'll have 3 pairs. My old ones I wear for running. Then I'll use the newer 2 for stylin' 'n profilin'! LOL!

Loving it so far Kelly!! I had to show Ashley the picture from Mellow Mushroom because we LOVE their pizza and don't have one near us, either. Haven't had it since March and I'm craving a pepperoni and bacon pie soooo bad right now!!

I know all about being close to my cousins. On my mom's side there is Ashley and me, my aunt Lisa has 2 kids (plus her ex husband had 2 kids so they were our step cousins til her and him got divorced) my aunt Heather has 2 kids and my aunt Kelly has 2 kids (her husband had a son from a previous marriage but sadly he passed away in 2004.) I'm the oldest at 30 and then Ashley is 27, Alison just turned 27, Nathan is 23, Patrick is 20, Noah and Mike are 18 and Sadie just turned 14. So 16 years between myself and Sadie yet we always have so much fun when we all get together. It's so awesome. I love my family! Dad's side of the family is smaller though, cousin-wise. My aunt and uncle adopted a baby and she is 15 now. Only one other blood cousin and he is the son of my uncle and his girlfriend. They never married but have been together 15 years or so. She has 3 daughters and I don't consider them relatives, at all. (Long story there lol) So now that I've bored you with my family tree lol I will say cousins are the best!!

EDIT: Had to add in that I LOVE Typhoon Lagoon! Went there last month for the first time in years and I forgot how awesome it was! It was pouring rain for the first hour or so so I think that made the crowds light but the only time we waited for anything really was a couple of the tube rides midday. Everything else was a walk on all day long. We finished out the day with a rainstorm in the wave pool followed by a beautiful rainbow. Was a super great way to end the day! Love Crush N Gusher but I feel it could be a bit longer. I didn't even notice the tractor on top there. Might have been cause I was too busy checkin' out the hot guy who gave us our rafts and sent us down the slide. Oops! Next time I'll pay more attention lol

Holla for the Mellow Mushroom! Dang, that place is good! And they have soooo many beers! Yuuuuumm!!!

Yeah! People are gettin' the love of cousins and the importance of that in this trip! Don't mind the family tree at ALL! My mom is the youngest of 5 kids and my dad is the oldest of 8. Cousins?? Yeah, I have a *few* on both sides. LOL!


A rainy day at TL would be awesome! I'd do it, hot guy that hands out rafts or NOT!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh no ... your poor sunglasses! I would have cried!!! And look how nice you're being, regarding nice pics of your big brother and he laughs at your sunglass dilemma??? You're such a good little sister!!!! LOL

LOL! He was totally kidding and we were both posing for that one. I guess once the stupid sunglasses are broken you just gotta look at it like, "Well, what's done is done. No use in crying now." Right?? I am pretty good at making him look bad, tho. I think I'm onto something. He's gonna love me. He's soooo gonna read this tonight. I should prob'ly turn my phone off before bed. Hahahaha!!!!

Yes, it was so awesome hanging with you and Chandler! You and Tracey definitely get the "Great Parents" stamp of approval!

That's funny- my chef said he is crossing his fingers for me also! Thank you!!

I will be getting my usual skinny green tea frap tomorrow. My dad is stoked he will be able to get "his coffee" when they come down in January. I wouldn't be surprised if we have some late morning starts at the CR and he goes over to MK to get his own coffee!

Pets are totally considered family members. So, I completely agree with you calling her your "baby" because I really consider my cat to be my "baby". *Crazy cat lady alert*. LOL! But, really pets are so special. It takes special humans, like us, to take care of them and give them a loving family to spend their life with.

Awww, shucks! Thanks!

Yes, Sbux peeps shall rejoice!

Pets are special! Seriously. I thought dog people, heck all pet people, were nuts for carrying on so over just a dog or just a cat. I get it now. I'm kinda like the Grinch on Christmas. My heart grew!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We were trying to be smart and knock out the big lines things so next we headed over to Shark Reef. Tracey held everyone's sunglasses and took pics for us. Chandler ditched us all for the wave pool. Brian & I took Jerry & the girls over to do the swim. We only had a few minutes wait. Sarah was kinda nervous and wasn't so sure about the whole thing. I liked the way it was done this time vs. last May. Last time it was sit on the edge, put on your stuff, then go. This time it was sit on the edge, stand up right here in the water, put on your stuff, kneel, then go. It gave you a chance to acclimate to the cold water before you started off swimming. Much more enjoyable. So here we are sitting. Brian is behind the lifeguard. Then there's me looking to the side, Sarah, Sydney, then Jerry.




Kneeling down. Jerry looks like that cold water mighta hit him kinda hard. Dontcha think?




About the time we were to start forward and swim I heard Sarah say, "I'm not going." I knew this was something she wanted to do and I remember how nervous I was when I was her age about doing such major new things. I didn't want her to think about it too much because she'll over-think it the way I would have and miss out. So without even a word I grabbed her hand and pulled her forward with me. "Come with me." And we started swimming our hands never leaving each other's. Here we are swimming along. We're the line of folks that look like they're under the foot bridge:




Just keep swimming....Brian has gotten out in front but this is us:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Was it cold, Brian?




That was a LOT of fun! I definitely saw more fish this time. I wasn't just trying to get across. I actually saw 3 or 4 sharks, too. Very very cool!

Photo op time!




Now act like the shark is eating you! I think Jerry is praying?




I'll be fair and censor a pic of me, too. I'm suuuuuch a good little sister!




Now act like shark food!




No words. This one speaks for itself.




Random snap as we walked over towards the wave pool to join Chandler. Definitely a wow moment when I was sorting and editing pics.




I spy with my little eye...




Lookin' down at the wave pool fun:




When Sydney saw a big wave come out for the first time she might or might not have uttered a Holy-poo-like expletive. Funny!

Let's go get in that mess!!!! WooHOOOOOOO!!!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Trying to capture the scale of the big ol' waves that come out is really hard. I've been to many water parks. I've NEVER seen a man-made wave as big as these.





Typhoon Tilly started spewing so I had to take a pic of that!





While waiting for waves we did my favorite waiting activity: pictures!




Lookit mah feets!




Clownin' with cousins:




I think this was supposed to be Brian holding Sydney while Sarah holds Brian holding Sydney. Not quite what they had planned, I think:




Jerry was taking a pic of Tracey & me but then a wave was coming. Why was he waiting so looooong?! Um, not what we had in mind but definitely a good candid moment:




Here it is! Aaaaaaaaaarrgghhhhh!!!!!




Man, that is SOME FUN! If you've never gone to Typhoon Lagoon, what the heck are you waiting for?!?!

On our way back out of the waves Sarah was holding onto her small child by the hand:

 

[obrienIII]

Hey, I have a question. Why do little sisters have to give older brothers a hard time? You just like to share every detail, and with our dark humor sometimes, I just didn't want anything put on a public forum that someone might take offense to. I love you, and wish we were still making memories on the cruise. I've even shed a tear or two already. You are a great story-teller, and the best sister anyone could ever have, now on with the show!

 

[Sumrdog]

I am so happy you started your report! I have been stalking the trip report forums all week...

I love the pictures at Pop of the old Atari 2600 and your description. We had a similar setup, ours was also on a tiny black and white TV in a corner of our unfinished basement...We were pretty sure we were the luckiest kids in the neighborhood. The stuff that the kids have now is almost overwhelming...

I seriously almost cried at your pictures of your kids and their cousins when they were so little. My husbands brother and his family are our best friends and my kids and their cousins are so close, right now they are all between the ages of three and ten. I know its going to feel like a moment has passed and they will all be teenagers...

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Next up: Castaway Creek! When we first got in there were no available tubes to be found. That's fine. We'll swim along and relax until we happen upon some. That's sorta like waiting, right? Because I know what to do to kill time while waiting!






Sydney was first to snag a tube.




We all found them very soon after. Oh look! A whole family of toes goes floating down Castaway Creek!




We were like this giant floatilla meandering along down the creek. I have no idea why we all hung onto each other but we did.






Stupid water droplet on the lens totally bombed an otherwise good shot. Dang!




Me thinks I like taking pics of Tyhpoon Tilly the way @plaz10 likes her pics of SSE:





Just keep floating...just keep floating...what do we do?...we float....







We even floated with a rainbow speedo guy!




We get photo-bombed by cute little girls floating!




We float under neat stuff to look at!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Did ya just see that?? Go back and look at that last pic. Those Imagineers are so punny!!!

We float past really cool vigniettes that are like sweet sweet candy for your eyeballs and then you take more pics that only ever entertain the person who took them all!




And then we get out of Castaway Creek because all that water makes you have to goooooooo...baaaaaaaaad...and I do NOOOOOT do that in pools! You're welcome! I do, however enjoy the punniness here:




Tracey & I got some fruit to snack on. It's the $10 fill-a-bowl. I coulda schooled that CM on how to pack a bowl extra full. With a few trips to Genghis Grill under my belt I'm like a certified bowl packin' NINJA!




This is where the fruit bowl comes from:




Tracey and I laid down to rest a few. Jerry & the kids took off to hit some slides. I caught up my notes and emptied my email box via iPhone. Tracey and I decided to go do some wandering and hit up the shop. I got a Mickey's Premium. No idea why I just paid for that. I can get all I can eat for FREE tomorrow!




When we got back we found Jerry catching a quick snooze:




Wasn't long and the kids returned. Everyone was sorta done and ready to go. No problem. We left at about 1:15 in the afternoon. Did everyone have fun???




Back at Pop everyone showered, rested, got snacks, and we did up 5 loads of laundry. What??? You didn't think I'd do any laundry??? Come on! You know me!

I got this little children's turkey wrap box meal thing at Everything Pop that I probably bought mostly because it was so cute. It was $5.99 including the mini-water. Isn't it cute?!





It really hit the spot for me. Not too much but not too little. Juuuust right!

Everyone was still pretty worn out and not up to a whole lot of much. We had been raving about our killer Wolfgang Puck Express dinner from last night to Tracey. With no other plans or ADRs we figured why not show him the awesomeness of WPE??? Off we went for our 2nd trip in 2 days! LOL! We even sat at the same table!




I had the same flatbread I had last night but this time I paired it with a butter lettuce salad that Tracey & I split.




I think it was Jerry who ordered that bacon wrapped meatloaf we eyeballed last night. He let everyone taste it. Man, was this stuff GOOD!




We wandered around a bit after dinner trying to walk off some of the hurtin' we had put on our bellies. We went into Goofy's Candy Co. thinking maybe we'd get a giant crispy treat to take on the ship with us. In the end we were worried it wouldn't be sufficiently pre-packaged to the right standards to carry on plus all our carryons were pretty full with...uh...beverages that we decided against it. I did, however, take the time to drool over some sweets!





Chocolate covered crispy turkey legs??? I like the way these people think!




We had a quick ice cream at Ghiradelli's. That's always good. Why didn't I take pics?! Then Tracey dropped Sydney and me off where the old ticket booths are for Pleasure Island so we could run to Curl for me to look for some sunglasses for me. Yep. Bought another pair. The employee that helped me looked at my gimpy ones and told me to send them in for repair. I'll definitely be doing that!

We returned to the resort to repack the suitcases and prep everything for a smooth departure in the morning.

Sarah in Chandler's size 14 (?) flip flops. So cute!




Jerry went with the kids to the gameroom. Tracey was asleep not long after 9:00. I made myself stay awake long enough to see Duffy's bedtime story on tv. I really liked it!




I was asleep before 10:00. I think Jerry & the kids said they got back around 11:00. I wouldn't know. I was out like a dead person!

 

[diddy_mouse]

It's always amazing to see how much your boys have grown in each trip report! Nice young men you've got there, Kelly.

I love how you post the road trip adventures/memories...coming from someone who did them all the time as a youngin' it's such fun for me to read about how others travel. And the kids look like they still have fun together which can always be a bonus, especially since they're teenagers.

The report is off to a great start!

 

[tiaragirl]

Kelly, excited that you're back and in rare trip reporting form!

In fact, you are calming me down from my scary email that I just received about my future! We have to be in Beijing "no later than August 17" - THAT IS IN TWO MONTHS EXACTLY! Freaking out. But on to your news..

I love the cousins trip! My cousin came with us to Disney on my high school graduation trip - she's actually coming to visit me on Wednesday, so excited! It was one of the best trips we took, also because Lauren came with, and we legit had an unreal time. There's nothing like sharing wonderful memories with family members.. even big brothers?

I love your censoring! It makes me think of Dadder when we go on cruises and he gets mad at me for taking pictures of his "big belly".. yanno, like I set out to take inappropriate photos of my 54 year old father. Not likely, Dad! Maybe next time I'll send them to ya for censoring and keep the scarring to a minimum - you'd take one for the team, right?

Also, very touching introduction. Families are something special.. regardless of obstacles, family vacas are always très worth the headaches leading up to the trip itself. Memories foreva!

 

[iloverags2]

Yay! Finally! I soooooooo love Typhoon Lagoon...best. waterpark. evah! Hate that you had a poopy trip on the Fantasy, but I just know you will find bright spots to report about. Looking forward to reading about those.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Hey, I have a question. Why do little sisters have to give older brothers a hard time? You just like to share every detail, and with our dark humor sometimes, I just didn't want anything put on a public forum that someone might take offense to. I love you, and wish we were still making memories on the cruise. I've even shed a tear or two already. You are a great story-teller, and the best sister anyone could ever have, now on with the show!

Answer: it's my job.

I wouldn't say our humor is "dark". Twisted, maybe. Juvenile at times. But not really dark. I think we're pretty darned funny people to travel with. Not uptight that's for sure. If there's anything I've ever tried to maintain in my writing because it's something I deeply value in what I read it's honesty. If you can't be yourself then it's not worth doing. Trust me. I can spin even the not-so-pretty bits into positives. Have faith. I'll do us up right! Besides, if you read a trip report that was all rainbows & sunbeams with no clouds or rain would you really buy into it??? No way! Gotta be honest. The valleys make the ride just as exciting as the hills do. TRUST!

We'll have to figure out a way to do another high seas adventure. I miss you, too, more than even I realize sometimes. You might be a PITA but I wouldn't trade you for anything. Yep, lets get this show on the road!

It's always amazing to see how much your boys have grown in each trip report! Nice young men you've got there, Kelly.

I love how you post the road trip adventures/memories...coming from someone who did them all the time as a youngin' it's such fun for me to read about how others travel. And the kids look like they still have fun together which can always be a bonus, especially since they're teenagers.

The report is off to a great start!

Awwwww...thank YOU! These boys of mine are in growth hyper-drive! You know it's bad when they can outgrow their clothes within the same season you bought them for. And when you buy the stuff you buy it too big to begin with. Ugh! A few weeks ago I looked at Brian's feet standing barefoot in the kitchen and they looked visibly bigger. I asked if his shoes were getting tight and he said, "I didn't want to say anything because I haven't had them that long...." I love it, though. I used to look at their sweet little faces and try to envision how those faces would look when they became men. Now, it's harder to see the baby faces than it is to see their grown-up faces. Ah, the tribulations of a momma watching her babies grow. LOL!

I was kinda iffy on whether or not to include the road trip part. But, ya know, it's really a long drive and a huge part of the entire experience. Jerry & I road tripped a lot as kids to/from visits with Dad. I love a good road trip. I really do.

Kelly, excited that you're back and in rare trip reporting form!

In fact, you are calming me down from my scary email that I just received about my future! We have to be in Beijing "no later than August 17" - THAT IS IN TWO MONTHS EXACTLY! Freaking out. But on to your news..

I love the cousins trip! My cousin came with us to Disney on my high school graduation trip - she's actually coming to visit me on Wednesday, so excited! It was one of the best trips we took, also because Lauren came with, and we legit had an unreal time. There's nothing like sharing wonderful memories with family members.. even big brothers?

I love your censoring! It makes me think of Dadder when we go on cruises and he gets mad at me for taking pictures of his "big belly".. yanno, like I set out to take inappropriate photos of my 54 year old father. Not likely, Dad! Maybe next time I'll send them to ya for censoring and keep the scarring to a minimum - you'd take one for the team, right?

Also, very touching introduction. Families are something special.. regardless of obstacles, family vacas are always très worth the headaches leading up to the trip itself. Memories foreva!

Kenzie! Beijing in 2 months! Why is that scary?! That's the adventure of a lifetime, girl! You're going to have the time of your life. Hell, take me WITH you! I'll do laundry! LOL! Nah, you're prob'ly scared of the unknown or unfamiliar. You're going to be just fine. Don't fear these things. This is some major spice to your life that you're going to be telling your great grandkids about someday when you take them to the China pavilion in World Showcase! LOL!

I don't think I ever went to the Disney parks with cousins. We did, however, get to go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Kings Domionion in Virginia with cousins. Awesome memories! And Six Flags over Georgia. Trivial at best compared to Disney but, hey, big mega-coasters with cousins can also be pretty dang fun!

Yep, you nailed it. None of us look like we did when we were 20. Or 30. So what?! Once upon a time, yeah, I had the picture perfect figure (like YOU!). I would much rather have been 15 lbs. lighter on this trip but I wasn't. I could've been all self-conscious in the bathing suits but I refused. Thankfully, a few weeks before the trip I read an article about a "plus" model who had recently been featured in like H&M ads or something and she totally owned her body. She nailed it. When she was approached to go into modeling she was told she could go 2 ways: lose weight and be a small model or put on a few pounds and be a plus model. Her response? "My body was never built to be a size 4. Why try to be something I'm not and suffer because I can't be?" Absolutely. I was a size 4 in the 9th grade. I'm never going to be that as a grown woman. I'd rather live content with who I am than miserable for what I'm not. Tell Dadder I said these scrawny little dudes running around ain't all they're chalked up to be. The "hot factor" comes from the substance within. It's not the cover story.

True story! When I was..oh..16 or 17..I got this boy that lived on my street to ask me out. Dude was like perfect model gorgeous. He was an athlete so...wow...there are no words. Any way you looked at him it was all BAM! Then he'd turn and it was BAM! again. Ugh! I'd see him when I'd drive past his house all the time and think, "Man! If ONLY! What would I do with THAT?!" So I get this crazy hot dude to ask me out. I was so proud of myself! Me, the awkward little wall flower, gets this insane picture of beauty to ask me out. Crazy! So he picks me up, we go out, and it was a total nightmare. Dumb. as. dirt. Couldn't carry a conversation if his life depended on it. I took to silence. Silence made him much more appealing. He'd start to talk and I'd shush him. For real. I did. Then...gag...he kissed me. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. If a boy kisses like a cow licking a salt brick, yeah, I'm over it. I made my excuses, went home, and hung out with my step-mom the rest of the evening. We had some good laughs! That's the only time I went out with that one. Great big lesson learned, too. Be careful what you wish for! Gag!

Yay! Finally! I soooooooo love Typhoon Lagoon...best. waterpark. evah! Hate that you had a poopy trip on the Fantasy, but I just know you will find bright spots to report about. Looking forward to reading about those.

You are so right! Typhoon Lagoon is incredible. Without even doing much of anything it's crazy awesome. Think about it. Tracey & I rode Crush n Gusher ONCE then we did Castaway Creek. That was IT! Still had a wonderful time. That park is so gorgeous. The theming is beyond words. I'd put it just below being on Castaway Cay for the details. Seriously. It's THAT good to me!

Yeah, I'm kinda glad I had to wait a little to start the TR. Gathering, editing, and organizing photos and videos from 3 or 4 sources was no small feat. The time has given me a chance to let go of the poopy stuff a bit. I love that you said that, a poopy trip. My mom cracks all the kids up because she uses that word as an expletive. Like she'll stub her toe and yell, "Awww POOPY!" The kids are like, "Nana! You can't say poopy!" LOL!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

May 25 - The Fantasy turns to reality that turns to...oh nooooooo...

I hadn't mentioned it before now and I guess I should've. One of our big red flags leading up to this trip was about 2 weeks before I was to leave Tracey & I both came down with pretty nasty colds. We talked to Jerry over the phone and he would say things like, "Y'all better get well fast," or , "You're going to be over this in time for the trip." He also made the mistake of saying, "I don't get sick." Tracey I had no doubt would be just ducky well ahead of the trip. I'm a toss-up because when I get sick with colds, flu, etc. I tend to hold onto it for a LONG time. But Jerry doesn't get sick, right? Upon my arrival in Florida I was pretty much over my cold. Tracey was fine. Jerry? I called him from Gramma's and he said, "I don't know what I've gotten into. I feel like crap." Oh no. When we all converged at WDW I figured I was good to go. I had fresh immunities built up in my old bod. I gave it no other thought whatsoever. Jerry, on the other hand, was pretty darned sick. He had cold symptoms and said he was on & off achy. He kept saying he was fine and, by God, he wasn't going to let whatever cooties he had slow him down. He was pretty well solid on that word, too.

My alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. I've had 8 solid hours of sleep and I woke up absolutely dying tired. I seriously had to talk myself into getting out of the bed. I thought nothing of this because I'm not a morning person on a perfectly good day but looking back I know 8 hours of sleep shouldn't have been so awful to get out of bed from.

Everyone was up, dressed, and we were out of our Pop rooms at 7:45 a.m. Making great progress!




Goodbye, Pop old friend!




We pulled into the Hess station over by the Boardwalk resort to top off the tanks. Thankfully, we were able to buy regular gas at a great price of just $3.29 per gallon. I hadn't seen it that cheap since I left Texas. Plus, if we were in my car we'd be pumping premium gas.

We hit up the IHOP on Irlo Bronson to top off our tummies before heading out to the port. My throat was burning this morning so even IHOP coffee was wonderful to me:




I was too hungry to take pics of my omelet and pancakes but then only ate maybe half of it? That's not like me at ALL. Oh well. We all stuffed ourselves then we were on our way to Port Canaveral by 8:55. Doing great on time!

We only overpacked a little.




Actually, after the cruise I'm supposed to stop at my folks' house in Alabama for a week. There's a whole pile of non-cruise crap in this pic as well. LOL!

Along the way on the toll road Tracey caught up to a.....dun dun duuuuuuun! Disney Cruise Line bus!!! Whaaaaaat???





I don't even think I need to state the obvious. We sped up. LOL!

Meanwhile, in the car with Jerry the kids are having fun killing time with the camera:





Oh yeah! And here's a fun shot for Mom to come across while editing pictures! Niiiiice! Well, you act like an idiot with your finger-shots and Mom shall oblige...all over the interwebs. You're welcome, Brian. Teenage boys. You pick your battles.






A few weeks ago my cousin's wife, @Kerby626, took my cousin and their twins on their first cruise ever. There's nothing like when you see the ship for the first time with your very own eyes. Gabby's reaction was absolutely priceless! I swear, this is just how I feel whenever I see it, too!




Our big kids absolutely loved the video of Gabby & Jerome so they did their version of "Mickey's Boat". Not quite as adorable but, hey, they were thinking of their distant little cousins:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I was doing the Gabby freak-out on the inside. I had to be still enough to take this shot:




Prior to the cruise we had a lot of discussion on what to do about parking. Parking at the port terminal like we normally do would cost $120 per car. Me being the oh-so-clever planner had heard a few good reviews of the Park Port Canaveral which is a parking lot across the street from the Radisson hotel behind an old office building near the port. It's owned by the Radisson, fenced, and has 24 hr security. We could park for $58 each and they would shuttle us over. We even prepaid online which seemed very convenient. That can't be too hard, right? WRONG! We pulled into the lot and immediately came across a highly-aggravated employee yelling at everyone. Tracey and Jerry unloaded us and all our luggage at the curb then parked. In the meantime, I was standing there in the sun with all the luggage, 4 teenagers, and now multiple employees that I could see were quite unhappy with all us clueless people. Maybe my aggravation in this moment was another sign I wasn't feeling too good. I dunno. Brian, my darling baby boy, decides right now is the time to capture the magic of the moment. Capture it he did! I cannot look at this video now and not totally crack up. It's such a descention as he goes person to person. The girls are excited. Chandler tells him to go away. I just do a whack-out Mom moment. God, love us.




I can tell you what I was thinking, too. It's hot. Even if we all grab 3 bags this stuff ain't moving. We're going to get yelled at. Where are the guys? Really? You're puting a camera in my face NOW?!?! Teenagers are awesome! No really. I love this video. It's so real. And real FUNNY!

I opted to leave the kids standing with all that luggage quite a distance from where the shuttle bus was loading. Barking attendants had ordered me inside to go check-in. Okaaaaaay. Back out with the guys closer now to the shuttle bus and the lady person is really yelling at everyone to get on the bus. When I got up close to her I could see she was sweating and just looked miserable. I did my best smile and said something nice to the effect of, "Gawd, I know this is miserable out here but thank you for being here." She sorta halfway broke a small smile then went right back to barking about the stupid bus. Tracey & Jerry tried to pause to grab our luggage and she ordered them on the bus saying they'd get the luggage. Fine. Whatever. What a b...... nevermind. Sheesh!

So we're on the bus but there's room to squeeze more people on so we have to stop across the street at the Radisson hotel. We're on the bus!

 

[Bam Bam]

Woo hoo!! You started your trip report!!! I looove you censored pictures of you brother!! That is too funny! Loving your report so far!

 

[foreverbelle]

OK so first off, as always loving the report. Fabulous

Second, I looked at the way back when pictures and I could still see your boys. They haven't changed-which may or may not be a fantabulous thing....because after all they aren't babies anymore. But still they remain the same in some way.

Second, that pizza, even if I can't have it looks amazing.

Third what a bummer about the glasses. I feel your pain and I think I would cry if I had broken, lost or had anything happen to my glasses. I am sorry but you spend that much money on them how would you not be able to?

And I didn't realize those purses were seatbelt purses, I am not fond of the dooney patterns lately myself, so thankfully I am not alone. But those are super cute!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We stopped at the Radisson and the chaos out front with people and luggage EVERYWHERE made the chaos at the lot look like a total flippin' cake walk. This can't be good. We finally get up close and a single family joined us onboard, a nice lady, her husband, and 2 smaller kiddos. She asked if we'd stayed at the hotel the night before, too. No. She rolled her eyes then smiled and said it was just bad. Never again. I was starting to feel the same way about their parking lot, too. I had squeezed onto the back row of seats with the kids. Tracey kept his seat. Jerry had gotten up to give his seats to the lady & her kids. Her hubby was standing, too. Soooo, booty shot!




Wow. Is this a sign of things to come with the soliciting for bucks? I took a pic, don't know why. Tracey even asked me what I was taking a pic of. I just shrugged my shoulders.




Oooooh..we are here!




The port wasn't yet open when we arrived. Porters were there to take all our bags. Tracey & Jerry sent me to go lineup to get inside. I went to the gate on the ground level and they sent me up to level 3 of the parking garage where the walk-across is. Okaaaaaay. So I took the 4 kids with me and we went up to line up. The line was all the way back out into the garage by the cars. Yikes! Within a moment or two the port opened and they started filtering people on thru over the walk-across to the security check. As we got close to the garage elevators Tracey & Jerry appeared. Tracey was on the phone. Apparently whacked-out parking lot people DIDN'T get all our bags onto the stupid bus when they were yelling at everyone to get on the bus and they'd get the bags (that each had a DCL bright aqua blue luggage tag attached to them). They missed 2 bags! Tracey was on the phone with them being connected to crazy b.... lady from the lot. She totally berated Tracey on the phone saying how it was his own fault because they aren't responsible for luggage. He let her have an earful about yelling at people and saying they're going to do something, failing to do it, then blaming their screw-ups on paying customers. They had the 2 bags and were sending them over on the next bus. Her response to Tracey? "Not my problem." And she hung up. Nice. Lesson learned. You get what you pay for. I will NEVER ever eeeeeeeever go cheap and park offsite again. EVER! EEEEEEEVER! And if you are thinking of parking at the Park Port Canaveral place I linked above hold off making that reservation until you read about our return from the cruise. If your mind isn't already changed it just might be after you read about that!

Enough venting...

So we got thru security and made it into the terminal. Yay! We made it!




They didn't have the health forms out on the little round tables before you get in the check-in lines. Interesting. That's different. A CM told us they'd have the forms when we got up to the counter. Okay. We got in the repeat cruisers check-in line (we had booked Brian in Jerry's room and Sarah in our room so Jerry's room would fall under our Castaway Club status). We walked right up to a waiting CM to check-in. The kids stood out of the way as per our usual drill with the boys:




By the time we were all checked-in there didn't appear to be any available seats to sit down while we waited to board so we stood near the rope entry where you go thru to board. We had a great boarding group number! I Instagram'd this one. Kelly's toes got a good boarding group number!




While we waited Jerry took the girls out onto the little observation deck to look at the ship.




Then it was TIME! Boarding began and in no time we were taking our boarding picture. Thanks DCL for changing the background color to something other than that awful golden yellow from last year. Yuck!




And then we boarded! Pardon my craptastic video. It all happens so fast...

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Woo hoo!! You started your trip report!!! I looove you censored pictures of you brother!! That is too funny! Loving your report so far!

I censored one of me, too! LOL!

Thanks! I'm having fun reliving it all. I can't wait to get to the good stuff!

OK so first off, as always loving the report. Fabulous

Second, I looked at the way back when pictures and I could still see your boys. They haven't changed-which may or may not be a fantabulous thing....because after all they aren't babies anymore. But still they remain the same in some way.

Second, that pizza, even if I can't have it looks amazing.

Third what a bummer about the glasses. I feel your pain and I think I would cry if I had broken, lost or had anything happen to my glasses. I am sorry but you spend that much money on them how would you not be able to?

And I didn't realize those purses were seatbelt purses, I am not fond of the dooney patterns lately myself, so thankfully I am not alone. But those are super cute!

Yeah, some days they're the same but some days they're so different. The little pictures are the ones that throw me most now. Ugh!

The sunglasses. I know. In the moment all I could hear is my mother laughing at me for spending so much on sunglasses just to have them busted. Honestly, I've had Oakleys since my mid-20s. The Maui Jim's I had prior to my busted pair I wore without any mishaps whatsoever for 4 years. They're still in great shape. Not even a scratch. Then THIS. For 15 years it held true for me that if I saved and spent on sunglasses I took waaaay better care of them. I've worn my pricey sunglasses in water parks for years, too! The one time I took them off which I never do even on water coasters this is what happens. I think next time I'll bring my old sunglasses and wear a leash on them. Geez! But, the new Maui Jims are cute. I didn't get a new bag this trip so I think of my new Maui's as my big souvenir. We didn't do much buying of drinks or other souvenirs. We didn't do any upcharge dining. The new sunglasses are my prize.

Oh YES! Even if you don't get a Disney Couture Harvey's bag you should check them out! The company's story of how it got started is great. The bags are so well-made, too. And, like other more expensive brands, if your bag needs a bath or service they have a spa service where you can send them in. Seriously! VERY well-made bags. I highly recommend them!