Hello there! My family will be on this cruise, and after an informal poll, the concensus is that the kids want to participate in the Fish Extender again, so I figured I might as well start here and introduce us!
Cruising will be me, my DH, our DDs 22 and 17, and DD 22's fiance. We live in the Chicago area, and will be driving down, staying at the Animal Kingdom Villas for the week before the cruise.
This will be the first cruise for the fiance, but for my family it is either our 7th or 8th (apparently, I am old, and the memory is failing, for all the cruises have run together into one great big happy jumble of experiences!). He won't join us until the cruise, because he has to work to save money before he marries my DD (we like him, he has good priorities).
On this cruise, we shall be celebrating a college graduation with honours, a high school graduation with honours, and my youngest will be turning 18 on June 19th, during our cruise. I daresay, she is ecstatic at the prospect of being able to join mom and dad at the adult pool and the adult clubs. I am not sure what she believes happens there, but she can't wait to find out!
Oh, and almost forgot, we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary! Ok, it isn't until September, but since youngest is starting college then, DH doesn't want to be gone to the places I would like to go (Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, etc.), and he is right, we should be somewhat nearby in case DD "needs" us. The memory of the tears during eldest DD's first few months of college is ingrained upon our hearts, and we would feel awful if we weren't around in case the other girl has a rough adjustment! Some kids can't wait to leave home (me!), my children seem to like being home. And now there is a fiance that likes being with us, too.
Or there is the thought that DH doesn't want to leave the dogs twice in one summer. I believe that is the real reason we aren't going anywhere exotic for our anniversary!
Since this will be our celebration trip, I am going all out and having fun. I just might order two Mojitos in one day!
Oh, I am the party animal! Maybe I will even bring the bikini!
After all, after two Mojitos, I won't care what anyone thinks!
I have not read most of the posts on this thread yet (I shall try to catch up and get to know you all over the next few days), so please forgive me if this has been mentioned, but is there a list with the ages of the kids? Or will that be on the Fish Extender page?
I ask because my DD17 is certain there will be no one on the ship that she can hang out with. The teen club won't be for her, plus she will turn 18 mid-cruise so she would be the oldest, and she is sad that her sister will have her fiance with her, so no sister hang-out time like on our previous vacations. I am trying to convince her to try the 18-20 group on the ship, but I have heard that no one ever shows up to those events, and I would prefer she not spend time moping in the room. Will there be any young adults joining the fun?
I did read that some of you are thinking of having dinner before the cruise near the port. If anyone is staying at the resorts pre-cruise, I would be up for a get-together at Disney. We can start the Mojitos a few days early!
Well, I better start reading this thread from the beginning. I may finish before we leave for vacation! Woo-hoo!
aboard the Fathers Day Eastern Fantasy and DISboards. The ship will be full of boys your son age. The OC lab should be buzzing the entire cruise. Your son should have no problem making friends. My DD and DS are in the Edge and can't wait to go back. Also please feel free to join our FB page as well. The link is on the first post of this thread. If you have any questions regarding the Eastern itinerary please do not hesitate to ask.
