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.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Sooooo, I uploaded a few missing pieces to our last at-sea day. Thankfully, I was able to edit in a few things. In THIS post I added a pic of the yucky (to me) Mickey pool, Jerry sleeping in the Walt Disney Theater, and a couple pics and videos of us doing the Midship Detective Agency. I'll be continuing to get my edits done then finish this bad-boy up. I'll be sure to point out what I've added so it's easier to spot the additions. This is why I've held off even coming back to finish. So frustrated at my goof-up with the missing pics/videos then rushing to keep going. Ugh! Hard lessons about patience.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

No way I'll get these added into the chronological order because there won't be space. The artwork is just too dang cool not show y'all. So here's a load of artwork pics for sale in the gallery:

 

[joanna71985]

I'm going on the fantasy for thanksgiving. Can't find anything about a mixology class, I definitely wanna do that!

I really hope they're offering it on the cruise I go on.

So jealous! I would love to go on the Fantasy again. You'll have a blast

 

[sweetpee_1993]

When I last left you we were sailing away from a dreary Castaway Cay. Once we were sufficiently out we returned to the stateroom to start the awful task of packing. Yuck! We returned our extra Wave phone and shopped a little. Got our pics from Shutters. Again, we didn't buy many, certainly not enough to justify the $399 (I think it was) for the photo CD. We dressed for dinner and headed down a little early.

Our final dinner was at Royal Court. Jerry & the kids gave Tracey and me a present.






Blurry pic Jerry took but this is what we got:




Here, I just took these pics. It's the Fantasy!




My favorite part is the little "drawing" below the picture. The little labels aren't serious. They're kinda witty.




We didn't get to see Sarah on her birthday so we gave her her birthday card a little late. Better late than never.





Fun little tidbit. Jerry and his ex-wife got married when Chandler was just a few weeks old. My pregnancy and delivery with him was pretty uneventful and normal. Well, Sydney came along less than a year later but her birth was anything but normal. We were so worried Jerry & Michelle wouldn't have anymore kids because of their scary experience so we had them come into the delivery room when I had Brian. It was really cool especially the video we have of all of us together and Brian's birth. ((Nothing gross! Jerry video'd from behind me!)) So, when it was time for Sarah to be born by planned cesarean Jerry & Michelle had me come with them to share the moment. I took the pics and video this time. It was really cool. I can honestly say that one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced in my whole life aside from the births of my own babies was being present and seeing another human being come into this world. The best part is that it was my sweet little niece. Every year when it's Sarah's birthday I have that crazy awesome memory to look back on. Jerry & Michelle were so very sweet to give me the gift of sharing that moment with them. I love them both so very much! Ack! Enough of the sap-fest, right??? Right!

We had a final wonderful dinner. Well, Tracey and I ate extremely light. Salads only. Everyone else had another killer meal.





Can't leave without a solid goodbye to our dining room team. Love love love Ferdi and Malwin!




Tracey left dinner a little early to go lay down. He really was feeling bad again.

Chandler & I filled out our comment card together. The last of the packing was finished up, I wrapped up my notes, and we piled into bed around 11. Again, it was on-demand movies for bedtime. Tonight's choice was "The Game Plan"!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

June 1: All good things must come to an end...

I woke up so much last night coughing. It wasn't much of a sleep.

Brian got in around 4:30 or so. That really surprised me because he told us the previous day how this cruise sucked for him compared to the Magic in January because he didn't really make the tight friendships he did before. The kids were different. Vibe was different. But still he found something worthwhile to stay out late for. LOL!

I got up and started getting ready to go at 6:30. We skipped breakfast. Nobody was really feeling it. We walked off the ship at about 8:00. There were long lines from the moment we stepped off the ship all the way thru customs. We usually walk off the ship as soon as they open the gangway so the lines were all-new to us.

Waiting out on the curb for transport back to the off-site parking lot was interesting. There was a whole line of folks out there waiting for the same lot. One family had been waiting almost an hour by the time we walked up around 8:30. Insane! So when the next bus to the lot arrived that family got on first (there were a LOT of them) then a few other families rushed up and jumped on. We just kinda stood there like, "Well, crap..." Jerry & Tracey were able to squeeze on without any luggage. They went to get the cars and come back for the rest of us. That seemed more reliable than waiting for the next bus. So, 15 or so minutes later they pulled up with our cars. The problem was that there were tons of other transport companies pulled up including a big tour bus. So, Tracey & Jerry were forced to double-park to get us. We moved fast working as a team to quickly load everything and everyone into the cars. We were just about done when the tour bus started backing up and it really looked like he was going to hit our Tahoe. Tracey was screaming and cursing at the guy. I just hurried up and got in so we could go. I'd say that impatient bus driver missed our right front quarter panel by less than 6 inches. Seriously. It was chaos out there. Another bit to add to the list of reasons we will NEVER try to save a buck by parking offsite again. We have NEVER had this sort of stressful, insane experience leaving the port. Ugh!

Can you believe I didn't take a picture of the ship as we left??? Nope. Ready. to. go. I can't believe I said that but it was true.

So, the plan all along had been for us to drop Tracey & Chandler at the airport so they could fly home & get to work. Brian & I were going to pick up our little dog and go to my parents' house in south Alabama for a couple weeks. Believe me, I'd been thinking about this the last few days when I was feeling rough and looking forward to having Mom take care of me. There's something about Mom looking after you when you're sick that's a comfort, right?

Buuuuuut, on our way from the port to Orlando I got a call from the groomer at the Pet Paradise where Riley was. She had just started bathing our dog when she noticed Riley had what appeared to be ringworms all on her belly. She couldn't be groomed or bathed. Riley needed to go to a vet. This was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I just cried. I cried and cried. I had HAD it with all the sickness. Even my poor little baby girl was sick! Tracey suggested he call Southwest and cancel the flights, we all go pick up Riley, and we all go home so we can all see our respective doctors. When we were well I could load us up and go over to Mom & Dad's for a visit. At this point I was just so broken down. I agreed. That's what we did. Tracey cancelled the flights. I called Mom and boo-hoo'd some more.

We needed to eat before we hit the turnpike so we decided to stop at Downtown Disney again to give Wolfgang Puck Express breakfast a try. The menu looked good! Again, everything was wonderful and hit the spot. Food pics:






We stopped into Goofy's Candy Co. for more crispy treats before we loaded back into the cars. We were on the road rolling towards home at 11:00 or so. Man, I was a ball of emotions today. Saying goodbye to my brother was brutal. We both stay so busy I don't get to see him very often these days. I guess I didn't realize how much I really missed him until I got to spend time with him and had to say goodbyes. Plus, I'm really bad at goodbyes. It's a childhood holdover, I think. We only got to see our dad once or twice a year at best. Whenever we had to say goodbye to him it would rip my heart out. It was unbearable at times. Jerry always was the stronger one. So, yeah, anytime I say goodbye it brings back the heartbreak and I cry like a baby all over again. Hell, I'm tearing up right NOW! So crazy!

We picked up our itchy, stinky little dog. She was so happy to see us! I missed her, too! We definitely made the right call opting to bring Riley on home. She had some raw spots on her belly plus one of her paws was very swollen with an obvious yeast infection (again - she's had that before).

We got home at around 2:30 a.m. First thing we did was bathe the stinky dog. That couldn't wait. We were all in bed by 3:30 a.m. What a loooooong, worn-out day.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Prologue: The Road to Wellness

Not that it's so pertinent to the story but I think it's definitely worth mentioning just to understand how tough the illnesses we had were.

Riley. We thought about it and decided NOT to take her to her vet right away. We still had a refill on her fluconozole pills and half a bottle of her anti-fungal shampoo. Ringworm is a fungus. So, we decided to give her the fluconozole pills again and use the shampoo. If that didn't clear up both the ringworm and yeast infection then we'd take her in to see Dr. Peterson. Luckily, a week of pills and shivering baths did the trick. She was fine. Yay for Riley!

I was over the worst of whatever I had by the time we got home. Now I had the lingering cough and cold symptoms. I tend to hold onto cold & flu illnesses longer than most people. It was another 2-3 weeks before I was cough-free and sleeping all night.

Tracey & Chandler continued to have stomach issues on and off. We took Tracey to the doctor a week after the onset of his symptoms. Mostly we wanted to know for sure that it wasn't Hepatitis. He had a buddy who got Hepatitis from eating shrimp once. The doc did a whole host of tests including blood work. Not Hepatitis. None of the labs had anything conclusive so we never found out definitively what they had. The doc seemed to think it was a viral thing. Both guys fought their bellies on & off for about 10 days or so. It was crazy!

Jerry & I kept in touch to track each other's progress. Jerry is never sick so it was unusual for him to be sick at all. He did 2 or 3 rounds of antibiotics and fought his belly a bit. It was at least another 2-3 weeks before he was well again, too.

So, yeah, we were pretty dang sick! I hope we never eeeeever have to do another trip sick like this again. It was tough!

But, ya know, every time I talk to Jerry we both agree: I'd go again tomorrow even if I had to be sick to do it. In the end, in spite of all the struggles, the cooties, everything, it was an amazing adventure. We had a lot of fantastical moments, memories we'll never forget. At this very moment I'm 6 1/2 weeks post vacation. Already the stuff I think about and the things that come to mind when I think of the trip aren't being sick. Nope. We Pop'd and Tyhpoon Lagoon'd together! I did the Cupid Shuffle with the kids! We played with stingrays! We snorkeled over beautiful coral gardens! We standup paddleboarded in the rain! We had drinky-drinks in a tiny bar on the beach in Mexico! We showed a cabbie that Americans know a whole list of dirty-words in Spanish! We drove xrails thru the jungle and jumped off a small cliff into a cenote! We laughed, we cried, we solved mysteries and saw shows. We cheesed it up for the cameras. We clowned around for the hell of it. We had an amazing adventure all of us together. Those are the things we'll remember. They're the things we'll never forget. Heck yeah, I'd do it again! Wouldn't you?!?!

 

[Kerby626]

I love your trip reports they are so true to how you guys are as a family. Everyone is amazing abdvitbhas been forever since we have seen. Almost 3 years for you and the boys and 6/7 since I have seen Tracey. I can't wait to see you in sept

 

[WDW_Princess24]

Great report I really loved reading along! So many beautiful pics!

 

[fractal]

Sorry for all your sickness but glad you made some awesome memories! Great report!

 

[Mrs.Skellington]

I had the hardest time reading the end of your trip report. I didn't want it to end. I'm sitting her waiting to go into work with tears and mascara streaming down my face. I'm so glad that you were able to see through the sickness and have fun. It is amazing to be that close to your family. I know how that is. I don't know how in going to do without my sister 5 minutes away.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I love your trip reports they are so true to how you guys are as a family. Everyone is amazing abdvitbhas been forever since we have seen. Almost 3 years for you and the boys and 6/7 since I have seen Tracey. I can't wait to see you in sept

Thank you!

OMG! Gotta tell ya! Last night we went out to dinner with Tracey's folks and Kacey. We were on our way to our table and Tracey had been reading the last of the TR on his phone. He turns to me, shows me your post, and says, "Who the hell is this??? I've met this person???" I laughed! Um, yeah! This person has seen you fallin' down drunk, definitely listened to us both cry, and had lots of awesome times with us. DUH! When I told him who it was he was like, "Oh. Well that makes sense. I was wondering who it was that's seen you and the kids and ME." He couldn't believe it'd been that long since he last saw y'all. We thought about it. Last time was when we met y'all at Chili's in Beaumont when you were on your road trip out to California when Sean got stationed out there last. It was before the twins were born and that's been almost 5 years. Yeah, it's been THAT long. LOL! I can't wait to see you, too. September is gonna ROCK!!!

Great report I really loved reading along! So many beautiful pics!

Thank you for joining us for the fun. At least you didn't have to catch what we had to enjoy the ride. LOL!

Sorry for all your sickness but glad you made some awesome memories! Great report!

Thanks, Chris! Can't wait for your upcoming adventure and subsequent trip report!

I had the hardest time reading the end of your trip report. I didn't want it to end. I'm sitting her waiting to go into work with tears and mascara streaming down my face. I'm so glad that you were able to see through the sickness and have fun. It is amazing to be that close to your family. I know how that is. I don't know how in going to do without my sister 5 minutes away.

Awwwww...I didn't mean to make anybody cry! Jerry and I aren't as close like day-to-day as we used to be mostly because we both have busy lives and we live 550 miles apart. We definitely have our differences and one could easily say we're more different than alike. But, there's something about siblings. We get together and it's largely a peas-n-carrots thing. We just get along. I especially love when Tracey & Jerry get together because it totally amps-up the entertaining factor for each of them. They're so fun! I almost think, tho, that if we lived super close our differences could be a divisive thing so the distance is prob'ly a good thing on some level. Still, I miss my brother. I miss my family. If anything ever in life I hate it's missing someone. I handle that about as well as I do goodbyes. LOL!

((Totally on a side-note but I randomly thought of this the other day in the car and had to speak it just now. I caught the old Christopher Cross song "Think of Laura" while flipping thru satellite radio stations. Listening to the words really got me thinking about, you know, after you die and all. He was asking where this girl Laura was now that she's passed away and how he thinks she's near them taking their tears away. He said how he can feel her presence when he sings. But he was just a friend of a friend. So I'm wondering why he would assume that Laura's spirit would choose to hang out with with him vs. her parents or a sibling or someone close to her. That's when I had this epiphany of sorts. Maybe one of the parts of the life hereafter that we don't have to contend with is having to choose 1 location to be at any given time. What if your spirit can be with everyone you love all at the same time?! What if the missing people is only something I have to do in this life while I'm bound to a human body??? And it was such a joyous moment for me. Hell, I'm getting all teary-eyed over it just thinking about it! I won't have to carry that sorrow anymore when I pass on! I cannot describe how happy that makes me! Now I'm in no rush to be done with this life by any means but it's definitely something I look forward to in the next. Heaven isn't heaven to me for all the wonderful things people typically think of off the tops of their heads. There's the end of sorrow. That's a big deal! Right???))

Okay. I'll shut up now.

 

[Kerby626]

You'll have to remind him I have seen him at his finest in myrtle beach non the less. I am excited it will be a birthday to remember for sure

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You'll have to remind him I have seen him at his finest in myrtle beach non the less. I am excited it will be a birthday to remember for sure

Just remember: sloppy drunks shall be banished to the verandah. That is all.

LOL!

 

[Mrs.Skellington]

I guess I can understand where you are coming from with the missing family part. That's probably why it made me upset.
We are planning a move in the next few months that will put us very far away from both sides of our families. My husband has never lived more than 10 minutes from his momma and daddy. :0. Now we will be 12 hours away. It's a huge jump but something we have always wanted to do. (We're moving to Disney World !!!). I know they will visit and so will we it's just going to be different not having them close to us anymore.
After my father passed away my sister and I are really all we have. We help each other with everything. I'm sure she is really going to miss me cutting her grass and watching her baby when she is sick. I'm gonna miss that stuff too. But, sometimes you have to do what's right for you in your life and I feel like this is our time to do it.

I also feel that way about death. I can feel my dads presence with me a lot. Especially on really hard days. Kind of like he is picking me up and keeping me moving.

 

[steviej]

Sounds like a bitter sweet trip. You def got me amped for my trip on the dream in November!

Glad Riley is feeling better (my aunt has a golden with the same name)

So sorry to hear about people not feeling so hot on the trip.

Love how close you are to your family, it's inspirational. I live in NJ, my father lives in CO, we're not close at all. I don't speak to my mother, stepfather, or uncle (who was like a brother to me, only a 16 year difference). And my mother takes care of my 85 year old grandmother who has alzheimers, and my mother blackmails her not to speak to me. I am a happily engaged man, and I think if my future family can reach a point of closeness that's halfway between where I am with my folks, and where you are with your family, I'll be pretty damn lucky.

Can't wait for the next tr!

 

[Tiggerish]

Oh my goodness, I just screamed out loud when I read about Riley's ringworm, what an end to your trip! Although WPE breakfast looked really good.

You guys are a fine example of "rolling with the punches".

 

[Disney80]

*looks at watch* WOW! I literally just finished your trip report.

It was so well-written and the pics added to the magic of it all. This is my first full trip report read and all I can say is I am impressed.

I cannot wait to read another trip report of yours in the future and last but not least, you may have triggered a need for me to book a Disney cruise. *LOL*

Thanks again from a newbie

 

[joanna71985]

Oh man, what an end to the trip! I think the saying "if it's not chickens, it's feathers" fits in here. I really hope your make-up cruise makes up for this one

 

[MerMom1981]

Reading your TR has been like a peek into the future (I hope). I have a big brother whom I love madly & we also bring out the clown in each other. We also have a crop of little crazies! My 2+ his 3= 2 five-year-olds, 2 three-year-olds & one two-year-old. They're already like a little posse! Seeing another batch of cousins with a bond has me looking forward to my family making similar memories.

 

[obrienIII]

You finished the report! You really have a wonderful way of telling the story of our adventure. Funny you said "I don't remember being sick, but all of the great memories." I feel the same way. When we all leave this earth, all we can take with us is our memories. Life is too short, and the kids are almost grown. We should all get together more. I miss my little sister, and we aren't as different as you make us out. I just like giving you a hard time, been doing a great job since the day you were born.

You also have done a great job raising my nephews, and couldn't have done a better job picking my brother in law (my bad, a husband). The girls and I miss you all, and can't wait to make more memories. I love you Kel!