kikipug
A princess NEVER chases a chicken!<br><font color=
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2004
- Messages
- 5,178
After she was forced to cancel her voyage with the Double Scoop Group just days before we were to set sail, I promised Susan (ArmyFam) that Id write a trip report
so, for what its worth
here goes.
HEY ARMYFAM... THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!!!!!
Cast of Characters:
Me 38
DH-(CoachPug)-39
DD- (Tinkluvr) 12
DS- (LilPug) 9
150 or so other DISers on the Double Scoop thread surf over the the 5/27 cruise meet thread to meet them youll only have 45,000+ posts to wade through.
Guess I should start at the beginning that would be November 10, 2004 the day that I called our TA to book our first ever DCL cruise. Booking 18 months out sure saved us a BOATload of $$, as I kept checking the pricing as we got closer, to find that, with 9 months to spare, it had doubled.
The cruise was going to be a surprise Christmas present to our kids for Christmas in 2005 yes, that meant keeping my big mouth shut for an entire 13 months hardest thing Ive ever had to do! Thankfully, while doing some vacation research, I found the DISBoards (November 17, to be exact), and hopped on board what would later come to be known as the Blabbermouth thread. This, and this alone, I think is what kept me from spilling the beans! On Christmas morning, the kids woke up to find a 152-link paper chain winding through the house, ending at a gift wrapped box containing personalized t-shirts that spilled the beans about our cruise. For the next 152 days, they ripped off a link and read the printed quote, fact or tidbit out loud at breakfast. So we ALWAYS knew how many days we had to go.
Fast forward to May 26 (if you need 18 months of details, check out the 5/27 thread its all there and still going.)
Unlike most of the other Double Scoopers who flew in DAYS before, enjoyed the parks, and extended their vacations, those of us who live within spitting distance of the port were forced to WORK on the day before our big adventure. So, packing up my desk at noon and changing my outgoing voicemail message to something that resembled Dont call me, Im not here, under the guise of an important meeting at an account (well it WAS), I headed for home, then off to JBs Fish Camp in New Smyrna for a mini-DIS-meet with 24 others, including our favorite Cruise Board Moderators, Mark & Mary, and a host of other characters. (And they ARE characters!!) We had a great time, and were ready to set sail. Of course, WE had to go back home first, do a few more loads of laundry, sleep in our own beds one more time, get the dog to the kennel you know, more of being local as opposed to spending the night at the Rad having another DISmeet poolside.
Upon waking at 4:22AM, I was soooooo ready to go. The stupid arena anthem song (cant think of the name of it, but youd know it if you heard it the HEY one in the Starbucks commercial with Hank) blaring in my imagination. I tossed and turned til 6AM when I stumbled into the kitchen for coffee, and found Tinkluvr (DD12) dressed right down to the shoes, carryon in hand, ready to leave. Now, mind you, this is the same kid who needs a crowbar and a cowbell to get out of bed at 7AM on a school morning. LilPug (DS9) was two steps behind her ready to go, both sporting their DISBoards Blabbermouth t-shirts and buttons. (Thanks DVCPam & MarkRG). Had to wait around impatiently til 8AM when the kennel opened had a DISmeet there, too, as the Scuba family kids were dropping off their critters for the week.
About 10 minutes into the drive, LilPug realizes that WE FORGOT FLOPPY Floppy is his constant night-time companion nope, mean mom that I am, we didnt turn back. We made the 1 hour drive to the port in record time, only to find out that we couldnt park til 10AM. Grrrrr. The security guard told us to park across the street, and that he would let us out of the lot before letting the general traffic turn into the terminal area. Met up with several other DISers in the parking lot, all of us eager to get on board NOW! We were the 2nd car out of the lot the car ahead of us (obviously not DISers) was taking his time, asking questions to the porter we jumped out, threw the bags to the curb, and the kids and I managed to be THE FIRST ones through the metal detector that morning, while CoachPug parked the truck. By the time he returned from getting a front row spot (its strange seeing your truck parked next to the Magic as you sail away!), I had already been through the check in area, and was ready to pick up our pager for the kids. Gotta LOVE online checkin!!!!!!! It literally took less than 30 seconds from start to finish.
Usually, waiting in the terminal is the hardest part, but the DISers commandeered a corner (more like a large portion) of the terminal, and spent the next 90 minutes or so getting into high gear! Id love to be able to say that I managed to meet everyone but even after 7 days, there were some that I barely got to say more than a hello to. (Guess we all need to cruise again to catch up with the rest!) The kids in the group all seemed to become instant friends, and, even the ones who had cruised together before were more than happy to welcome the first-timer kids into the fold.
After watching and waving the royal wave as the concierge level DISers boarded, it was finally our turn. By this point, we had somehow gotten ourselves separated from the DIS herd, but ended up ahead of them through the Mickey tunnel, stopping for our pre-requisite boarding photo (horrible, by the way, and I HATE the map background), then into the grand Atrium as our name was announced. The moment had FINALLY arrived!!! I just hoped it would live up to my wildly high expectations.
First stop was Rockin Bar D for Palo ressies CajunGirl2(Angie) was nice enough to offer us the other half of her reservation for 4 on Formal night, however, we were hoping to eat as a family that night, so we went out in search of a better time for us. As luck would have it, Dancind was canceling her Thursday night, and was directly in front of us, so all worked out great! The it was off to Parrot Cay for lunch had to get to the shrimp before ScubaMatt devoured it all we had been warned.
My kids hadnt cruised before, and, having no idea if they would be susceptible to motion sickness like DH, I forced them to take Dramamine and I do mean FORCED in the case of DS9. It wasnt a chewable, so I planted it in his blue jello and made him eat it once it was in his mouth, he refused. A lot of tears and frantic gesturing ensued, as I REFUSED to let him spit gnawed-up jello back into his plate. Finally, after several embarrassing moments with a poor young couple at our table who had to witness it (sorry, whoever you are ), he managed to get it into his system. (It made him feel terrible all night Ill never give it to him again.) Little did I know how little the Magic actually moves I was disappointed that I didnt get rocked to sleep at night, as is customary on other ships Ive sailed on.
After lunch, we set out to explore the ship DS was playing basketball on the WWoS deck in record time. DD had already taken off wandering with her new friends. Our stateroom, 2034, a Cat 9, was ready at 1:30, as planned. I had been worried about 4 of us in one stateroom (as DH and I always cruised kid-less, and on cruise lines with smaller cabins than DCL). We had plenty of space for the 4 of us- especially considering that we spent ZERO time in there!
Our 3PM DISMeet on Deck 10 was almost unnecessary, as we had spent so much time getting to know each other in the terminal but of course it was fun! We were already getting "DoubleScoopTroop Shout-outs" from DJ Holywood, who had asked us about our huge gang after seeing our shirts/buttons/totebags, etc. Lots of fun music and festivities to get us in the mood! (As if we needed any help???!!!)
DD informed us that she had just been to the stateroom and our bags were already there so off I went to unpack. Its amazing how it takes 3 weeks to pack, and 20 minutes to unpack. Enough drawer & closet space for everyone, even though this is a room without the beloved steamer trunk in it- not a problem! The oft-repeated cruise tip of bringing a shoe bag was a good one.
Lifeboat drill went off without a hitch though I had to agree with one of the comedians (forgot which one) who said that PFD stands for Pretty Flippin Dorky. But, as we all know, in light of recent events on other lines, evacuation procedures are in place for a reason. It WAS great to have a muster station inside, in the air-conditioned Walt Disney Theatre.
Originally, we were going to attend the DIS sailaway on Deck 4 which was on deck 4 so that GarRy (cruisingoose) could see the banner that was made for him as he waved to us from the jetty. (He couldnt make the trip at the last minute do to personal issues ) I was torn I wanted to send all the pixie dust we could to GarRy, as he needs all weve got and more, however, knew that the Sailaway Party was something that my kids HAD to experience being a DISer, I knew GarRy would understand. Headed up to Deck 10, directly across from the Ariel Vision for a birds-eye view of the sailaway party. As Mickeys countdown got to 1 and the magical horn sounded, I actually had tears in my eyes (yes, Im a sap) it was FINALLY HERE!!!
More later... but the rest certainly WON'T be as long.. from here on in, the details get a little fuzzy!
HEY ARMYFAM... THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!!!!!
Cast of Characters:
Me 38
DH-(CoachPug)-39
DD- (Tinkluvr) 12
DS- (LilPug) 9
150 or so other DISers on the Double Scoop thread surf over the the 5/27 cruise meet thread to meet them youll only have 45,000+ posts to wade through.
Guess I should start at the beginning that would be November 10, 2004 the day that I called our TA to book our first ever DCL cruise. Booking 18 months out sure saved us a BOATload of $$, as I kept checking the pricing as we got closer, to find that, with 9 months to spare, it had doubled.
The cruise was going to be a surprise Christmas present to our kids for Christmas in 2005 yes, that meant keeping my big mouth shut for an entire 13 months hardest thing Ive ever had to do! Thankfully, while doing some vacation research, I found the DISBoards (November 17, to be exact), and hopped on board what would later come to be known as the Blabbermouth thread. This, and this alone, I think is what kept me from spilling the beans! On Christmas morning, the kids woke up to find a 152-link paper chain winding through the house, ending at a gift wrapped box containing personalized t-shirts that spilled the beans about our cruise. For the next 152 days, they ripped off a link and read the printed quote, fact or tidbit out loud at breakfast. So we ALWAYS knew how many days we had to go.
Fast forward to May 26 (if you need 18 months of details, check out the 5/27 thread its all there and still going.)
Unlike most of the other Double Scoopers who flew in DAYS before, enjoyed the parks, and extended their vacations, those of us who live within spitting distance of the port were forced to WORK on the day before our big adventure. So, packing up my desk at noon and changing my outgoing voicemail message to something that resembled Dont call me, Im not here, under the guise of an important meeting at an account (well it WAS), I headed for home, then off to JBs Fish Camp in New Smyrna for a mini-DIS-meet with 24 others, including our favorite Cruise Board Moderators, Mark & Mary, and a host of other characters. (And they ARE characters!!) We had a great time, and were ready to set sail. Of course, WE had to go back home first, do a few more loads of laundry, sleep in our own beds one more time, get the dog to the kennel you know, more of being local as opposed to spending the night at the Rad having another DISmeet poolside.
Upon waking at 4:22AM, I was soooooo ready to go. The stupid arena anthem song (cant think of the name of it, but youd know it if you heard it the HEY one in the Starbucks commercial with Hank) blaring in my imagination. I tossed and turned til 6AM when I stumbled into the kitchen for coffee, and found Tinkluvr (DD12) dressed right down to the shoes, carryon in hand, ready to leave. Now, mind you, this is the same kid who needs a crowbar and a cowbell to get out of bed at 7AM on a school morning. LilPug (DS9) was two steps behind her ready to go, both sporting their DISBoards Blabbermouth t-shirts and buttons. (Thanks DVCPam & MarkRG). Had to wait around impatiently til 8AM when the kennel opened had a DISmeet there, too, as the Scuba family kids were dropping off their critters for the week.
About 10 minutes into the drive, LilPug realizes that WE FORGOT FLOPPY Floppy is his constant night-time companion nope, mean mom that I am, we didnt turn back. We made the 1 hour drive to the port in record time, only to find out that we couldnt park til 10AM. Grrrrr. The security guard told us to park across the street, and that he would let us out of the lot before letting the general traffic turn into the terminal area. Met up with several other DISers in the parking lot, all of us eager to get on board NOW! We were the 2nd car out of the lot the car ahead of us (obviously not DISers) was taking his time, asking questions to the porter we jumped out, threw the bags to the curb, and the kids and I managed to be THE FIRST ones through the metal detector that morning, while CoachPug parked the truck. By the time he returned from getting a front row spot (its strange seeing your truck parked next to the Magic as you sail away!), I had already been through the check in area, and was ready to pick up our pager for the kids. Gotta LOVE online checkin!!!!!!! It literally took less than 30 seconds from start to finish.
Usually, waiting in the terminal is the hardest part, but the DISers commandeered a corner (more like a large portion) of the terminal, and spent the next 90 minutes or so getting into high gear! Id love to be able to say that I managed to meet everyone but even after 7 days, there were some that I barely got to say more than a hello to. (Guess we all need to cruise again to catch up with the rest!) The kids in the group all seemed to become instant friends, and, even the ones who had cruised together before were more than happy to welcome the first-timer kids into the fold.
After watching and waving the royal wave as the concierge level DISers boarded, it was finally our turn. By this point, we had somehow gotten ourselves separated from the DIS herd, but ended up ahead of them through the Mickey tunnel, stopping for our pre-requisite boarding photo (horrible, by the way, and I HATE the map background), then into the grand Atrium as our name was announced. The moment had FINALLY arrived!!! I just hoped it would live up to my wildly high expectations.
First stop was Rockin Bar D for Palo ressies CajunGirl2(Angie) was nice enough to offer us the other half of her reservation for 4 on Formal night, however, we were hoping to eat as a family that night, so we went out in search of a better time for us. As luck would have it, Dancind was canceling her Thursday night, and was directly in front of us, so all worked out great! The it was off to Parrot Cay for lunch had to get to the shrimp before ScubaMatt devoured it all we had been warned.
My kids hadnt cruised before, and, having no idea if they would be susceptible to motion sickness like DH, I forced them to take Dramamine and I do mean FORCED in the case of DS9. It wasnt a chewable, so I planted it in his blue jello and made him eat it once it was in his mouth, he refused. A lot of tears and frantic gesturing ensued, as I REFUSED to let him spit gnawed-up jello back into his plate. Finally, after several embarrassing moments with a poor young couple at our table who had to witness it (sorry, whoever you are ), he managed to get it into his system. (It made him feel terrible all night Ill never give it to him again.) Little did I know how little the Magic actually moves I was disappointed that I didnt get rocked to sleep at night, as is customary on other ships Ive sailed on.
After lunch, we set out to explore the ship DS was playing basketball on the WWoS deck in record time. DD had already taken off wandering with her new friends. Our stateroom, 2034, a Cat 9, was ready at 1:30, as planned. I had been worried about 4 of us in one stateroom (as DH and I always cruised kid-less, and on cruise lines with smaller cabins than DCL). We had plenty of space for the 4 of us- especially considering that we spent ZERO time in there!
Our 3PM DISMeet on Deck 10 was almost unnecessary, as we had spent so much time getting to know each other in the terminal but of course it was fun! We were already getting "DoubleScoopTroop Shout-outs" from DJ Holywood, who had asked us about our huge gang after seeing our shirts/buttons/totebags, etc. Lots of fun music and festivities to get us in the mood! (As if we needed any help???!!!)
DD informed us that she had just been to the stateroom and our bags were already there so off I went to unpack. Its amazing how it takes 3 weeks to pack, and 20 minutes to unpack. Enough drawer & closet space for everyone, even though this is a room without the beloved steamer trunk in it- not a problem! The oft-repeated cruise tip of bringing a shoe bag was a good one.
Lifeboat drill went off without a hitch though I had to agree with one of the comedians (forgot which one) who said that PFD stands for Pretty Flippin Dorky. But, as we all know, in light of recent events on other lines, evacuation procedures are in place for a reason. It WAS great to have a muster station inside, in the air-conditioned Walt Disney Theatre.
Originally, we were going to attend the DIS sailaway on Deck 4 which was on deck 4 so that GarRy (cruisingoose) could see the banner that was made for him as he waved to us from the jetty. (He couldnt make the trip at the last minute do to personal issues ) I was torn I wanted to send all the pixie dust we could to GarRy, as he needs all weve got and more, however, knew that the Sailaway Party was something that my kids HAD to experience being a DISer, I knew GarRy would understand. Headed up to Deck 10, directly across from the Ariel Vision for a birds-eye view of the sailaway party. As Mickeys countdown got to 1 and the magical horn sounded, I actually had tears in my eyes (yes, Im a sap) it was FINALLY HERE!!!
More later... but the rest certainly WON'T be as long.. from here on in, the details get a little fuzzy!
know once that happens, I will be bawling. And my DD7 (who is a very LOUD talker) will say "MOM, WHY ARE YOU CRYING???!" so loud everyone will be staring at the SAP! 
