When You Wish Upon A Star...POOF your teens vanish!

Seriously! It happened!

Welcome all to my 8th trip report being composed about yet another Disney Cruise Line adventure. This was hubby's & my 4th cruise with Mickey and the kids' 3rd. Yep, you read that right. We ditched the teenagers back in September. We have no shame. Don't even bother trying to make us feel bad. LOL!

This cruise was partially for our family's Christmas. We tried to surprise the boys on Christmas morning but that didn't work out entirely as planned. Our 16 year old Mr.Clever picked up on a few clues when I was working on some of the planning and put the pieces together. Thankfully, he was a good sport and kept the surprise alive for his 15 year old brother. It's tough to keep secrets when you're a homeschooling mom with your 2 kids as your constant sidekicks.

There was a bit of a surprise for me, too, that I found out before I was supposed to. I was visiting my folks 3 states away from home before Christmas when I was woke up from a lovely nap by Disney Cruise Line's shoreside concierge calling to offer their planning services to me. My hubby sprung the big one on me but wasn't so thrilled when I found out early:

Here's the Christmas morning video. Remember, the youngest (Brian) had no clue. His brother (Chandler) knew but he didn't know about the cabana on Castaway Cay. Poor Brian didn't believe us! He thought it was a joke!




And with a whirlwind of planning, a ton of work, and many sleepless nights wondering how I'd get it all together in time...it was time to go!

But where??? Dang! I almost forgot that part! We were on the January 18th sailing of the Disney Magic out of Galveston, Texas. How convenient! That's just 20 minutes from us! This was our itinerary:

January 18.....Embarkation.....Galveston, TX
January 19.....At Sea.....Gulf of Mexico
January 20.....At Sea.....Gulf of Mexico & Atlantic Ocean
January 21.....Castaway Cay, Bahamas (Disney's private island)
January 22.....Port Canaveral, FL / Walt Disney World (bus transport to/from the parks + 1 day parkhopper ticket included in cruise fare)
January 23.....At Sea.....Atlantic Ocean
January 24.....Key West, Florida
January 25.....At Sea.....Gulf of Mexico
January 26.....Debarkation.....Galveston, TX

And just in case you don't already know us (I take for granted that most folks do by now), we're: Kelly (me, the SweetPee), Tracey (my old man, bestest friend, and daddy-o extraordinaire), Chandler (16 year old know-it-all Mr. Mom), and Brian (15 year old one-man-party on wheels).

 

[iloverags2]

Awwwww, Cindy! I'm so sorry to hear about Klondike! My goodness, sweetie. That's just awful. My heart goes out to you. Riley is the first and only furry baby I've ever had. Especially because I "raised" her from a pup (teaching her to sleep still & quiet all night, go potty outside, be still for baths & combing, etc. etc.) it's like she's my 3rd child. She's my girl. I can't even begin to imagine what I'll do when/if she gets sick and passes. So at least the gravity of it, I can sorta understand. Bless your heart.

Ah, this cruise was fantastic. We had such an amazing time. Cannot wait until next week for the next one. We're trying so hard not to overpack for this one. I haven't started puting everything into suitcases but I'm hopeful. Just in case, Tracey has arranged for me to drive his Tahoe over to Florida vs. my car. We're just so nervous all the stuff won't fit plus the kids would be more comfortable.

Thanks Kelly. Russ rescued Klondike at the tender age of about 6 weeks or so. She was with us almost all of the sixteen years of her life. Had a portrait of her commissioned, and it has turned out more beautiful than we could have imagined. I can't wait to get it framed and hanging.

Enjoy your cruise! You guys will have such an awesome time! (And I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Fantasy!)

 

[dragwit]

Chandler got his panties all in a bunch because he overheard the lady say outloud after passing by me "She really shouldn't be wearing that..." I had to calm him down by reminding him she could've been talking about anyone, not just me. And, hello! I was carrying my glittery heels vs. wearing them. At this point I obviously agreed about the fact I shouldn't be wearing those things! But that's my boys for ya, ever the over-protective young fellas... **sigh**

So I'm a usual lurker on the boards, I love reading the TR's and yours are great! I have something to say about this and it slightly embarrasses me. I read this and instantly thought, that the woman who said that rude thing here could have been my own mother (she tends to open her mouth about that sort of thing A LOT...) and she does not like seeing people in attire that she deems "immodest". But I had to find out...I knew she sailed that same itinerary in January but I wasn't sure of the dates... so I asked her, and it was the same cruise you were on... and I wouldn't be surprised if it was my own mother who said that after she walked by you...and I am sorry that you had to experience that. No one should be insulted like that (even the "other woman she may have been talking about")... But I'm glad you were able to talk to Chandler about it.

Anyway, I did finish your report and it makes me want to go on a Disney Cruise even more! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I love reading your trip reports! I just stumbled onto this site and your reports have instantly made me a huge fan!! Totally helps pass the time away during slow moments of the day!

I haven't been to WDW in almost 15 years and I'm just itching to go back. Being a California girl, I've gone to Disneyland more times than I can count, but can't wait for a return trip to WDW. And now from reading your TR, I definitely have to add a Disney Cruise to my list!

And your family is the cutest! You definitely seem like the type of people my boyfriend and I would love to run into on our Disney adventures!

Looking forward to your next report!

Aww shucks! Thanks for the compliments! I'm glad you've enjoyed my yammering!

The cruises are amazing and I can't recommend them enough. Obviously. I'm so addicted it's not even funny!

Well, I think my guys are pretty cute, too! Me? Notsomuch. Hopefully all the poor victims...er...co-vacationers we run into have as much fun with us as we do. I'd hate to think we're killin' someone else's fun.

Uploading pics for the next report as I type. Still have a few things to scan and then some old pics to dig out for contrast. I'm hoping before long I'll be rolling with it!

Thanks Kelly. Russ rescued Klondike at the tender age of about 6 weeks or so. She was with us almost all of the sixteen years of her life. Had a portrait of her commissioned, and it has turned out more beautiful than we could have imagined. I can't wait to get it framed and hanging.

Enjoy your cruise! You guys will have such an awesome time! (And I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Fantasy!)

Wow! You did have Klondike for her whole life. Sometimes I think about our little dog and how blessed she is to have been parked in a family that totally adores her from the very get-go. So many other pooches out there aren't so fortunate, right? I'm turning into this totally freakishly soft doggy person. When we were in Mexico last week we saw a few dogs and it killed me not to go love all over them. Before I had a dog you'd have had to put a gun to my head to get me near a dog. So strange how the little furry babies make such a huge impression on us! I'd love to see Klondike's portrait! Shoot me an email if ya get a minute!

The Fantasy. Boy, do I have thoughts. A whole boat-load of thoughts.... <--I'm so punny! LOL! Here's a little hint: at the very end of the cruise when we filled out the comment card there's a spot on the back where you can check off all the Disney ships you've sailed on. We checked off the Magic, Dream, & Fantasy. Then, I drew an arrow pointing at the Magic and wrote in all caps "BEST SHIP IN THE FLEET!"

So I'm a usual lurker on the boards, I love reading the TR's and yours are great! I have something to say about this and it slightly embarrasses me. I read this and instantly thought, that the woman who said that rude thing here could have been my own mother (she tends to open her mouth about that sort of thing A LOT...) and she does not like seeing people in attire that she deems "immodest". But I had to find out...I knew she sailed that same itinerary in January but I wasn't sure of the dates... so I asked her, and it was the same cruise you were on... and I wouldn't be surprised if it was my own mother who said that after she walked by you...and I am sorry that you had to experience that. No one should be insulted like that (even the "other woman she may have been talking about")... But I'm glad you were able to talk to Chandler about it.

Anyway, I did finish your report and it makes me want to go on a Disney Cruise even more! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

Oh NO! Seriously! That lady coulda been anybody! And I didn't even notice her looking at me so I really do think they were discussing someone they'd seen inside. I know we find ourselves discussing people we see that are kinda out-there. There's been plenty that we've seen that we had total moments! My dress wasn't too crazy revealing and me carrying those shoes that would easily look like torture devices would probably seem more normal than not. Chandler is just waaaaay oversensitive AND overprotective. I know to a large extent that's just his personality but you pair those wild teenage mood-swings and you're bound to get those oversensitive moments. I love and appreciate how protective he is over me but then sometimes it's annoying because, you know, I'm a big girl who's managed for 39 years pretty well, I think I can handle myself. LOL! Sons. Ya gotta love 'em, right?

So glad you enjoyed the report. As mentioned, there should be another beginning much sooner than later!

 

[YoungNY]

I bet you think we're in DHS to hit up TSMM! Maybe RnRC! ToT?! Nope. It's all about the Star Tours, baby! On our way Brian had to stop to pull the rope:

What happens when you pull the rope?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You hear someone. You should try pulling the rope sometime! It's fun!

 

[rani8600]

Loved your report. Sounds like your family had a great vacation. Im cruising on the disney dream in sept, reading through your report is making me even more anxious for vacation to be here

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Loved your report. Sounds like your family had a great vacation. Im cruising on the disney dream in sept, reading through your report is making me even more anxious for vacation to be here

Thanks for reading along! I started the next one just yesterday!

Hey! Holla for the Dream in September! I'll be on both the Dream AND the Fantasy in September. Can't WAIT!!!!