"Cruise Therapy: An Infusion of Magic" Pre-Trip Report for June 20th *COMPLETED*

[anewmac]

not sure if you have a Michaels craft store near you but they have buttons and you can just print pics (cut them out in the circle template they give you) pop them in and viola' you have yourself a buttong.. I think they run anywhere from 50cents - $1 depending on how large you get them!

 

[anetnmike]

Wow! Ollie's got a fan base!
you may have to start booking personal appearances and paw print signings

 

[RoyalVizier]

I think maybe pass out pics of Ollie to his fan club....I'd love to wear his pic on my lanyard. My kids said they would too....he's so cute.

Wow! Ollie's got a fan base!
you may have to start booking personal appearances and paw print signings

not sure if you have a Michaels craft store near you but they have buttons and you can just print pics (cut them out in the circle template they give you) pop them in and viola' you have yourself a buttong.. I think they run anywhere from 50cents - $1 depending on how large you get them!

I would like to say a personal THANK YOU specifically to the three of you for skyrocketing my wife to a whole new level of dapple-lovin' euphoria.

You think DCL would have any issue with her setting up a booth right there in the Deck 3 Atrium on sea days to promote Dapplebeans: The Ollie Fan Club? We could sell buttons, T-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, backpacks chocked full of Ollie-stamped goodies, hand out (oh excuse me... SELL) autographed photos of Ollie and his Momma, book fan trips, appearances (thanks for that idea ANETNMIKE!), cookies with the little snugglepie's face on them, plush, ceramic figurines, cell phone and PC skins, jerseys, photobooks... the ideas are endless.

Thanks so much for planting them firmly in OlliesMomma's head!

Okay, so brace yourself for I am going to give a Pre Trip Report Cruise Update, and it doesn't have anything to do with Ollie. ( I wonder how many of you readers just backed out of this thread and lost interest. ) By the way, OlliesMomma has totally shared with Ollie himself that he has managed to completely derail my Pre Trip Report thread, and I think he likes it. He walks around here with his head held just a bit higher... his chest puffed out just a bit more. Psst... I think he knows he's gaining notoriety.

So again... an Ollie-free note:

Beginning today I am now on the official countdown to vacation and this cruise. Over the last two weeks at work I have continued to build and build upon the time I was taking off for this cruise. It started with just the days of the cruise itself... then after talking with the wife and thinking about some things I tacked on the two days prior to the cruise, and that was approved so I had off from June 18 - 28. THEN the wife and I got to talking about it more and we wondered if maybe I should just do a major escape from reality and take that entire previous week off of work so.... I DID IT! So I now have to work today through Saturday and then I am DONE DONE DONE until June 29th!



That is cause for some major... MAJOR... celebration! I have never taken that chunk of time off all at once before, but believe me... I need it and I want it! What a wonderful reset before I even board the ship. It'll give me some much needed time to clear my head and get my thoughts transfered from occupational insanity to clear Caribbean brilliance.

So the lists have grown to almost an unmanageable state, the suitcases are sitting with miscellaneous odds and ends in them in the corner of the bedroom, the flippies are being broken in, the purchasing has almost reached a conclusion (thank goodness), so I think we're sitting in a pretty good spot.

Twelve Days!

 

[anetnmike]

Oh RV! You are declaring an Ollie free zone?
He might be happy now but wait until he realizes he got left behind
OK.OK. Due to a nasty case of not being able to sleep at 4am and because I am interested in booking an Eastern (and possibly Tortola) I read your last trip report this morning, RV. When I got to the part about the Mickey tattoo I had to muffle the laughter with pillows
I also absolutely LOVED your definition of the Disney gene. In all sincerity, you are certainly a gifted writer.
That being said- my DH and I totally agree with you and Olliesmamma about the healing proprties of ice cream.
What are you planning to explore in the ports on this cruise? Are the Eastern waters really more turbulant?

 

[Smileneyes]

A special note to Olliesmomma: If your loving husband (RV) is trying to "omit" Ollie from the discussion, he's more than welcome to make an appearance on the gang's Facebook page....

 

[anetnmike]

 

[RoyalVizier]

Oh RV! You are declaring an Ollie free zone?

No, not at all... I'm diggin' this, and it's making my wife ecstatic which is always my main goal in life.

OK.OK. Due to a nasty case of not being able to sleep at 4am and because I am interested in booking an Eastern (and possibly Tortola) I read your last trip report this morning, RV. When I got to the part about the Mickey tattoo I had to muffle the laughter with pillows
I also absolutely LOVED your definition of the Disney gene. In all sincerity, you are certainly a gifted writer.
That being said- my DH and I totally agree with you and Olliesmamma about the healing proprties of ice cream.
What are you planning to explore in the ports on this cruise? Are the Eastern waters really more turbulant?

Thanks for reading it!

Oh, and thanks for reminding me! We need to pack baby oil and scotch tape because believe me... the lesson was learned two years ago in the Pirate Mickey Tattoo Incident. Who knew that you couldn't just wipe a temporary tattoo off? I know, I know... probably everybody.

The only port plan we have as of right this moment is to visit The Baths of Virgin Gorda off of Tortola. We ran across is on the excursion list on DCL.com, got curious about it, did the research, and discovered that it's just as easy to do it on our own through ferry and taxi rides rather than book through Disney, so we're going to head that way on that day. It sounds and looks phenomenal! As for St. Thomas, we're going to play that one by ear and see what happens. Probably wander and shop.

As for the waters of the Eastern caribbean... we felt that yes, they were more turbulent. Just our opinion. But we remember someone saying (not please keep in mind that geography is NOT my strong suit) that the Eastern itinerary takes the Magic into more open waters without Cuba to block some of the oceans movement. Made sense to me! We didn't mind the motion of the ocean, but we definitely noticed it more than on the Western.

Overall, thanks so much for the kind words. They always mean a lot to me and it's fun to know that people are reading and interested in what is said. As I've said before, I really write these for myself because my memory is horrendous, and knowing that others are enjoying is a nice bonus!

A special note to Olliesmomma: If your loving husband (RV) is trying to "omit" Ollie from the discussion, he's more than welcome to make an appearance on the gang's Facebook page...

I'm not trying to omit Ollie at all. I kid, and I joke about him, but in all honesty he is the cutest thing in the whole world and I love him dearly, but most of all he makes my wife happy which again, as I said above, is one of the main goals in my very existence.

As for Facebook... did that a few days ago!

 

[Smileneyes]

As for Facebook... did that a few days ago!

Oh, I did notice that..sent you a big welcome.

I was actually inviting Ollie to join....

 

[OlliesMomma]

not sure if you have a Michaels craft store near you but they have buttons and you can just print pics (cut them out in the circle template they give you) pop them in and viola' you have yourself a buttong.. I think they run anywhere from 50cents - $1 depending on how large you get them!

Rock on! Thanks for the tip. I will definitely check that out later this week!

Oh, I did notice that..sent you a big welcome.

I was actually inviting Ollie to join....

Ooohh, Ollie loves Facebook! He is pretty famous on FB too.

 

[TiggersPal]

Couldn't stop myself - had to share...

Well sorry, the missing "link" photo seems to have disappeared!!! Anyway, it's ok because this is really Ollie's thread anyway!

 

[anewmac]

aww man less then 2 weeks... im bummbed we didnt keep this now...

 

[RLccweems]

Oh my GOSH! What a GREAT idea!! The Ollie Fan Club! LOVE the idea. I'm still working on getting buttons made, but I'm on a mission now.

HOW FUN! Thanks for the idea. No worries, you guys will be the first ones to get your Ollie button.....

YEA!!! We're so excited!!! Look for us in the terminal!!

 

[anetnmike]

That is awesome that you feel that way about your wife. There are not many DHs like you! I have one and I thank God for him everyday!
I had read the same thing about the Baths tour on other trip reports. I can't wait to see what you guys think as well. This is one of the things that has drawn me to this trip.

As for the waters of the Eastern caribbean... THIS is what I am worried about! I do not want to spend the whole time getting to know the plumbing up close and personal! Or conked out from meclizine! (Bonine)
Olliesmamma- put me down for an Ollie coffecup!
Let me know when the Ollie World Tour is coming to Chicago so we can see him in person! DS is now a fan!

 

[OlliesMomma]

I am THRILLED to report that I found the buttons for our Ollie fans. They will start production later this week and will be completed in time for our sailing on the 20th!!


Honey, I'm sorry that I have derailed the pre-trippie once again. Now back to the flip floppy discussion: Are you ever going to post that photo of us in our flippies for all YOUR fans out there??

 

[RLccweems]

I am THRILLED to report that I found the buttons for our Ollie fans. They will start production later this week and will be completed in time for our sailing on the 20th!!


Honey, I'm sorry that I have derailed the pre-trippie once again. Now back to the flip floppy discussion: Are you ever going to post that photo of us in our flippies for all YOUR fans out there??

You mean to say there's a photo of RV is his flip flops already? You know RV it's not official until we see you in the flip flop's on the cruise ship for at least two days in a row. At the time we will post a photo of you wearing them for all to see......

 

[anetnmike]

 

[RoyalVizier]

YEA!!! We're so excited!!! Look for us in the terminal!!

You all should look for OlliesMomma in the terminal. She shouldn't be too hard to spot. She'll be the one wearing the Ollie pin that is the size of a frisbee. You could eat a steak dinner off of that thing!

That is awesome that you feel that way about your wife. There are not many DHs like you! I have one and I thank God for him everyday!

Aw...

I had read the same thing about the Baths tour on other trip reports. I can't wait to see what you guys think as well. This is one of the things that has drawn me to this trip.

This is one of the things we are most excited about. We're going to make every attempt to document our adventure in video, still photos, and in writing so I'll do my best to report the findings upon our return. We've been looking at YouTube videos of the Baths from others and it just looks like such a beautiful and unique spot.

I am THRILLED to report that I found the buttons for our Ollie fans. They will start production later this week and will be completed in time for our sailing on the 20th!!

Once again... thanks, all. I've always wanted to spend the week before my sail away vacation working an assembly line in the blistering heat within the crawl space under the stairs, working my fingers to the bone, cutting pictures with nothing but a dull butter knife and a penlight, and assembling buttons for Ollie's fans. Hopefully this chaffing from the dog collar around my neck and chained to the wall will heal before June 20th. But thanks honey for that 2 minute break you gave me about 13 hours ago so that I could lick some dog hair from the shadowy corners of this small dark space. The protein allowed me to remain working for you so these can get done.

BTW... TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY KIDDING. Just in case I have some massively literal readers out there who are not totally down with my sense of humor! There is no need to call the authorities... or to cheer.

Are you ever going to post that photo of us in our flippies for all YOUR fans out there??

All in good time... all in good time!

So just a quick update on the festivities...

It is now official... I am off of work until June 29th!



Here is a picture of the calendar that hangs at my desk at work:

Isn't that the most gorgeous thing? And the theme of June couldn't be more perfect! Surfboards and fish and palm trees and... square crab. And those two glorious weeks coated in a magical blue sharpie sheen!

Just to illustrate for you the level to which OlliesMomma's excitement has elevated as we draw nearer and nearer to the cruise... the other evening we had fettucini for dinner so she placed a nicely sized dollop of noodles oozing with decadent alfredo sauce on her plate in a neat and near perfect circle. Then she placed two rolls on each upper corner of the square plate then let out a shriek of glee as she stared down at the hidden fettucini Mickey Head she had created.

Sorry, no picture to back that one up.... you'll just have to trust me.

 

[anetnmike]

LOVE THAT!!!!!
That's the way to get in the spirit before the cruise! I doubt the chef's on the ship could have done any better!
Happy start of vacation RV!

 

[anewmac]

WOOOOHOOO Week away dance..... and officially on vacation dance.... yeah YOU!... sucks for us LOL

 

[Smileneyes]

WOOOOHOOO Week away dance..... and officially on vacation dance.... yeah YOU!... sucks for us LOL

Drea, we'll miss having you on board! And thanks again for your spreadsheet...I've been keeping it updated and passing out to our gang. It'll definitely come in handy!