The dreaded "Walk of Shame"

[kalel29]

Think about it. The months (in some cases years) of planning your dream cruise vacation. The anticipation of pulling into port and seeing your disney ship for the first time and knowing you will spend the next several magical days on it. Walking into the terminal for the first time and checking in to get your KTTW and lanyard. Next, walking through the yellow mickey head shaped gateway, down the long hallway all the while seeing the welcome banners. Having the CM's announce your family as you walk into the huge beautiful atrium. And that is just day 1. You know there is so much to explore, eat, and be entertained with. Then it hits you like a ton of bricks. You picture the last night of your cruise. Packing all of your clothes and personal belongings back into the suitcases. Carefully wrapping the fragile souvenirs or FE gifts you got so they don't break. Knowing that in the morning, your vacation will be ending and you will be making the seemingly long journey off the ship, through customs, and back to reality?! The "Walk of Shame" (see below) as myself and my brother calls it (I'm sure some of you do too). "Dis" brothers and sisters, its enough for your humble narrator/author of this thread, to be sad before even setting foot on the ship. Will I be spending my 7 day vacation with a "countdown" clock in my head? Everyday telling myself: 6 days left,5 days lefts, 4 days left, etc...Taking away from the happiness and the carefree life I should be living on the cruise? After spending the last few months of my freetime here on the disboards, reading cruise trip reports, there's no questions the saddest part of all of them is when they describe their feelings on the last night and disembarking day. Lets call this post an "intervention". What can I do to help with my fear? How did you guys handle it? Or how will/would you handle it?

*Walk of shame* So a few years back, myself, DW, DS, DD, brother, and sister took a trip to Disneyworld. As we pulled into our resort on the magical transportation bus we looked around and saw famililes pulling their luggage up to the stop to be picked up. Me and my brother noticed the look on their faces of sadness and disappointment. I hate to say this, but we laughed and dubbed it "The walk of shame". We told each other that was going to be us in 5 days. And sure enough thats what happened. On the last day of our trip, after checking out of POR, we were on our way outside to the shuttle stop to wait to be taken to the airport. On the way, we looked at each other and started laughing because we knew the next set of families, pulling up on the bus, were now looking at the expressions on our face and laughing.

[jdb in AZ]

The only way we can handle it is to book another cruise while onboard. That gives us something to look forward to.

It also helps to go to WDW for at least a day (or DLR if we're on the west coast) to help ease us out of the funk. Otherwise we're depressed for at least a month.

[cruisecrasher]

We actually swing by to visit our next room on our last morning on the ship. To say "see ya real soon!"

[Luv2Diz]

I know exactly what you are talking about with the Walk of Shame!

I don't find myself counting down until the cruise is almost over. We have done two 7 night DCL cruises so far. I go for the gusto and enjoy every bit of the cruise for the first 5 days or so.

Around day 5 I starting going into "countdown mode." That's when I start thinking "only a couple days left" and that it's time to start assembling things to repack in the suitcase.

The only cure for this is to book another cruise! And I am working on that really hard!

[disneylover2170]

Ya I know what u mean its so sad I didn't want to leave I wish every day was disney day

[jm106]

It is not shameful, I plan some thing else even if its not disney

[Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by jdb in AZ

The only way we can handle it is to book another cruise while onboard. That gives us something to look forward to.

It also helps to go to WDW for at least a day (or DLR if we're on the west coast) to help ease us out of the funk. Otherwise we're depressed for at least a month.

i agree 1000%...we booked our next (5th) Disney cruise on our 7 night Fantasy WC last August...even with that my daughter was in tears the entire day we left the ship....we surprised her the next day; as she thought we were driving to the airport instead I pulled into WDW for a four day stay...by the time that was over we were all ready to go home!!!

one last thing about the walk of shame (pain is a better description) when you exit the ship and are heading to get your luggage don't turn around as those signs with Mickey that say "see you real soon!" are double sided and say "welcome aboard" for the next set of cruisers....

[Melissa&Shawn]

Wow that is so me!!!! I think about how many days left from the second we are on vacation. Goal is to try not to but having a future cruise or vacation date usually helps. My DD will start kindergarten this year so our plans are TBD so it's sad

[TIGGER/POOH4]

See You Real Soon!

[nzdisneymom]

OP, I thought for sure this thread was going to be tales of those who packed everything and had to head for home in their pajamas

[Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by TIGGER/POOH4

See You Real Soon!

the funny thing is, arriving for departure day is when Port Canaveral looks so nice but when you leave the ship after the cruise is over its such an "ugly" place....

[mmouse37]

It is not shameful....but more sad if anything.

MJ

[AngelDisney]

Ditto for booking another cruise onboard! It will be great to visit Disney every year (the Parks or Cruise). If not, being able to visit another city or country every year helps a bit.

[Pookieshoney]

I plan the next vacation as we are driving home. My DH laughs at me, but he now knows I will have something great planned for the next year.

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Originally Posted by Zeppelin

the funny thing is, arriving for departure day is when Port Canaveral looks so nice but when you leave the ship after the cruise is over its such an "ugly" place....

Agreed. I like this view SOOO much better on embarkation day.