2-8-07 or How the DIS created a DCL Expert/Addict:Chap 23 Up! TR Done!

[mcraft17]

Hope you are having an awsome time! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back.

 

[jrose529]

I hope your cruise was everything you hoped for! Let us know how it went.

 

[ashman]

Just got off the plane, great cruise good trip home. I will hopefully get the first installment up tomorrow!

 

[Tink rules]

Welcome back!!!

Hurry Hurry!!!

We've been wondering all weekend!!!

 

[jrose529]

Welcome home! I can't wait to read your TR.

 

[mom_of_2_princesses]

I can't wait to read about it.

 

[ashman]

Well at long last the time has come to get this trip report underway! No a bit of a warning, some trip reports are straight to the point cliff notes type. Others are like the scene from “Airplane!” “Bring me up to step, I want to know everything that happened to this point.”

“Well first the earth cooled, then the dinosaurs came, then they died because they got to big and fat, then the Arabs came driving their big shiny cars” You get the idea. This is probably going to be one of those trip reports.

It is now the eve of the cruise, all bags are packed except for the toiletries that will be needed in the morning. We get the kids to bed and remind them, if you wake up tomorrow don’t get out of bed until we tell you! The last thing we needed was them up at 1:00 AM raring to go!

I guess that was what did me in. The kids went to sleep no problem at all! Me on the other hand not so good. It was shades of that old Disney World commercial where the sister tells the brother to go to sleep and he says, “I can’t I’m too excited!” they then cut to the mom and dad who say the same thing! I never really got to sleep that night, I tossed and turned and snatched sleep in 15 to thirty minute increments. We had the alarm clock set for 3:55, at 3:45 I decided to get up and take my shower. I get dressed in the bathroom and when I get out there is Sweet Child grinning ear to ear, dressed and ready to go! Our plan was to eat breakfast pack the car and hit the road at 4:30 AM, we pull out of the garage at 4:28 YEEESS!

Reminder for our readers, at this point, the girls still don’t know they are getting ready to get on the plane for the first time.

We pull out of the subdivision, my wife looks at me with a grin and says, “My heart is leaping out of my chest!” The gas light goes on, Sweet Child exclaims, “Dad! The gas light is on we need more gas, we have a long trip to Florida!” I smile and say don’t worry honey, we will get gas before we run out. Sweet Child then asks, “Dad, can we take a shortcut?” Yes honey in fact we can! I turn in to the airport. “Dad why are we turning into the airport?” “You said you wanted a shortcut right? Well here we are!”

The shock and the fog from the early morning wake up time is slowing the reaction time, it hits them right out the time I dump DW, kids, and the luggage at the curbside. I go park the car and come back to two kids with HUGE grins on their faces. We get checked in and go through security, and wait.

“Dad why can't we go right now?”

“Sweetie flying on the plane means a lot of hurry up and wait!” I say as several other grownups around us start laughing!

Shot of the girls while we wait:

And a shot of them on their first plane ride:

We push back a bit late due to some frost on the wings. I don’t see her and she didn’t say a word but I tell my wife “Don’t worry hon we will make our connection. Remember she is the planner and wants everything to go just so, I am the dreamer who thinks it will all work out. We have a 35 minute connection window in Atlanta.

We take off, it is still dark so the city lights are still shining. “OOOOOO its so beautiful, it great! Thanks dad for taking us on the cruise, and for flying us!”

Okay the trip can end now! They were so happy and exciting it was a blast.

We land in Atlanta and start booking it for our gate. We about as far away from our connection as we could possibly be. We get to the gate with 10 minutes to spare but they are loading. I look at my wife and say, “Don’t worry hon the bags probably beat us to the gate.

We land in MCO and go to baggage claim. While there we meet up with our driver from MH Transportation. I booked them based on a recommendation of several Dis’ers, and once again the Dis did not disappoint! They were great on both legs and I would not hesitate to use them again.

We get all three of our bags, give my wife a wink and we are off! While in the car Mini Me retorts, “Dad, I am too sleepy I got up too early!”

“Go ahead and take a nap darling”

“But what if I am asleep when we get to the ship, will the man take me to the ship?”

Well she take me up on the offer and the poor thing nods off then and there:

We get to the terminal at 10:45 and get a number three boarding pass!


I will be back soon with more! Thanks again for reading and for your well wishes for my trip!

 

[Tink rules]

I'm hoping to take my nephew to WDW in August and it will be his first flight too!!! I'm so excited right now.... IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Can't sleep!!!

Keep it coming!!! We want to relive it with you!!!

 

[ashman]

To the Terminal, To The Ship!

I have heard how people describe coming over the bridge and seeing the ship for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect or what it would be like, but when I saw her for the first time, I was in the immortal words of Lafayette the dog from the Aristocats, “Plum goose pimply all over!” Sweet Child was speechless, Mini Me was still asleep! We get to the gate, a porter gets our bags, I tip him and they are gone!

We get in line at the gate with ID and tickets in hand, when I see it for the first time, someone else’s kids having a temper tantrum. I’m thinking to myself, “Glad it’s not me” and move on in.

We go through screening, by now the girls are seasoned pros and go through without any coaching from us at all! We get our boarding number and head up the escalator. For those of you who have gone before, you know what that’s like. For those who haven’t its hard to explain but it just feels nice. We get to the top and Sweet Child exclaims, “Dad, I think I’m dreaming are we really here?” There is no wait at check out and I go up to the CM at the counter and get checked in without a hitch. We have First Seating, Second group, APL rotation.

Big Cruise Tip Hint! Fill out your stuff online and do your Bahamas Immigration Forms ahead of time. There was two families checking in on either side of me when I got to the counter, I was done before both of them! Another hint, get the passports, one lady was having a major time with her birth certificates, passports much easier for everyone!

We get the kids checked in for clubs, when we see it, the first character sighting! It was Pluto! The kids rush over to see him and it is over before we can get the camera ready! A valuable lesson, always have the camera and keep with the person who has the kids!

A little later on we see Minnie:

As we are getting our pictures, I look over to check in which now looks like the Chicago Stock Yards, the more clueless are pouring over the various forms that they didn’t do ahead of time. I smile smugly to myself as I turn my gaze of disdain from the hapless fools who either don’t know the Dis or didn’t heed its teachings, a return to my vacation.

Before long they call boarding groups 1 and 2 to board the ship. The Group 1 didn’t get their own separate call, I guess non had checked in yet. We got to the terminal shortly after 11 and were on the ship in no time!

 

[ashman]

The Pool Where is the Pool?

We get on board and they offer us to go to Parrot Cay for lunch. I didn’t really want to go to Parrot Cay because 1) I wanted to see more of the ship first, 2) I really wanted to Eat on Deck 9 because I knew the girls wanted to get to the pool and I wanted to be close to the action, 3) I didn’t want to, the Dis taught me I could eat wherever I wanting to on the ship! We make our way to the Buffet which was excellent! I the girls discovered the joys of cruise desserts and Mini Me had her first Parfait.

After lunch we went exploring around the ship a bit. The kids were excited but really wanted to get to the pool. Here is the okay here is your smile can we go swimming look:

We get to the pool and it is practically deserted. The slide isn’t open yet so it’s a good thing we walked around a bit. The girls really wanted on that slide! This was probably the best tip I got from the Dis, pack your suits in your carry on bag. It made DW and I huge heroes! Later that after noon I can remember how many times I heard, “I wanna go in the pool!” “No, sweetie, we can get to our rooms until 1:30!” “But those kids get to go!” Once again, I smile smugly to myself as I turn my gaze of disdain from the hapless fools who either don’t know the Dis or didn’t heed its teachings, a return to my vacation.

Another tip, keep only one day bag with you. I can’t tell you how many people I saw that looked like they were trying to gear up for a run on the Oregon Trail. Send more stuff to the room, travel light. Keeping the suits with us made it less pressing to get to the room.

The weather was beyond belief gorgeous, it was mid 70’s and very sunny.

Here are the kids on their first slide run:

And the pool that they had nearly all to themselves, this was taken around 1

I call this the “Shamu Shot” cuz they look like a couple of marine mammals on the deck of a show!

The pool starting to get a bit crowded after the staterooms were open so the kids tell us they want to check out the Goofy Pool, so off we go! We get there and again, nearly deserted. The kids ask me to go swimming with them (like I’m gonna say no!) so I head to the stateroom to change. I had my suit with me I just thought it would be more comfortable plus I could drop off the bag. I get to our stateroom (7014) and I meet our attendant Wana from the Czech Republic, she is a sweetie who takes excellent care of us during our stay. We have three of our four bags! Murphy’s law dictates the hanging bag with the dinner cloths have yet to arrive. I get changed and head back to the Goofy pool where the girls are in the hot tub. We take the obligatory girls with dad in the hot tub picture (a quirky little tradition)

You may have noticed at this point a dearth of pictures of my lovely wife this is largely due to 1) She is a “backstage” “behind the scenes” kind of girl and 2) she takes better shots than I do. In fact of the nearly 300 pictures we took 142 have Sweet Child in them, 138 have Mini Me in them, 42 have me in the and only 26 bear he dazzling visage of my sweet and precious wife.

The girls then invite me to get in the Goofy pool with them. I step onto the little mini deck of the Goofy Pool and step into a puddle of water and it’s freezing! Not looking forward to the jump in. I jump in and the pool water is almost as warm as the hot tub. My wife heads to the stateroom to change into something cooler. While she is gone we see Daisy. Of Course she has the camera. From this point forward the parent with the kids always has the camera! Mini Me is upset because she doesn’t get a picture. She is a huge Daisy fan. She fears it is her last chance. Its tough being a Daisy fan in a Minnie world! I assure her that we will see her again.

We swim for a bit and then get changed. We explore a bit before the lifeboat drill. It is at this time I make an important discovery. Our stateroom is forward and when we take the stairs up to Deck 9 it puts us out at the Quiet Cove. I realize this and I figure just hurry the kids through and maybe no one will notice. I keep expecting the crew in the yellow jump suits to rip off their name tags to reveal (CDA Child Detection Agency) where my children will be whisked away never to be seen again and my wife and I doomed to the rowing deck to provide extra power. We get through without incident but

ANOTHER BIG TIP…… remember if you in the forward section of the tip you will suffer the same fate did. We trained ourselves to go to the midship stairs but I still felt like I had messed up.

We see almost everything except the Oceaneer Club, we get to the club right as they are closing it down for the lifeboat drill, we got into the doorway and that was it. Turns out that was the closest that the kids ever got to the club the whole trip!

Up Next the Lifeboat drill!

 

[kevinsmom]

loving your t/r !! especially the shot of your girls in "shamu" position!!! lookin' forward to some more!!

 

[curlybop]

Keep on going! We've waited a long time for this. (like you haven't?)

 

[Jennifer48]

Yey! You are finally back! The anticipation has been killing me!

Keep up the good work! Can't wait to read more!

 

[ashman]

Keep on going! We've waited a long time for this. (like you haven't?)

You got the right sister! Now I got no ticker. I suffer from lackoplanning crisesdosis dysfunction!

 

[Serene1]

We were one the same cruise as you. I recognized you and your girls as soon as I saw you at the Port from the pictures you had posted. We were also on the same dining rotation as you, so I spotted you quite frequently throughout the trip. Your family looked like they were having a great time!

 

[Floridagram]

Wow Ashman, I am so proud of you! 3 chapters up already! Keep them coming!

 

[ashman]

We were one the same cruise as you. I recognized you and your girls as soon as I saw you at the Port from the pictures you had posted. We were also on the same dining rotation as you, so I spotted you quite frequently throughout the trip. Your family looked like they were having a great time!

We had a blast! I hope you did too. Wasn't the weather just perfect! You should have introduced yourself! It amazed me how easy it was to talk to folks!

Wow Ashman, I am so proud of you! 3 chapters up already! Keep them coming!

Thanks! I have to do this quick because 1) It helps me stretch the vacation out a bit 2) I didn't take any notes so I am going on memory 3) I know how fickle the Trip Report readers can be, they can go from adoring readers to angry mob if you keep them waiting

I like to keep folks happy!

 

[ashman]

Life Boat Drill, Pretty Pictures, Steak and other Muse-ings

Now I must set the stage for this next little bit. Some of the funniest things I have read on the Dis have been centered around the facilities and our interactions with them. The two that come most to mind are Grumpydude’s (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1228254 see page 5 post #72) introduction to the term shub (part shower part tub) and the Super Suck O’Matic (also know as the toilet). (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1228254 see Page 2 Post #24) Another legend in the Pantheon of Bathroom Lore is the infamous Sleepydog Tub Incident in his Trip Report (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1246056 see page 12 post #169) This is milk come out the nose funny!

With this in mind and alone with the admonition that I post pictures of me doing something goofy, I present to you my dear readers, this:

The kids had lots of questions about the drill, we compared to a fire drill at school. We also assured them that no unlike grandpa’s boat at the lake, they don’t have to wear the preserver the entire time while at sea!

We make our way to the muster station and everything goes rather quickly. Someone asks what happens if you don’t show up. I mention that the KTTW cards have tracking chips, the first guest to find the offender and drag them to the brig gets free beer for the trip. Alas no frenzied manhunt for us as the drill is over rather quickly. After the obligatory family “hey this is what we look like in florescent blocks of Styrofoam” picture:

We head back to the rooms to get ready for the sailaway party. We decide to bypass the human Tetris puzzle that the forward elevators and stairs had become and make our way to mid-ship. Along the way we pass the shops, THE SHOPS! The girls have been dying to get to the shops and to shop on the ship! Which is further proof to me that this is an inherent genetic condition of most females but being grossly out numbered in my house (even our dog is female, we had a guy hamster but he escaped, too much estrogen I suppose) I usually keep this to myself but now I have posted on the internet for time immortal! I guess what I am trying to say is, my girls were ready to shop and wanted to know why the shops weren’t open. How do you explain the laws regulating the sale of goods on a ship while in port to a 5 and 7 year old? I take the easy way out.

“The ship has to be at sea away from the dock for us to shop, we’ll hit the stores after dinner”

We get back to our room where the whole family gets to meet Wana, the girls present her with a Mickey Mouse Coloring signed by them along with a bag if Lindt Chocolate Truffles. (My wife’s idea she is so great about thinking about stuff like that!) We chit chat and then head up to the deck where the party is already going pretty strong. Deck 9 is a crushing sea of humanity so we make it up to Deck 10 which is only slightly better. We break out our bubbles only to find that they have no blower sticks in them! Oh well that’s the joy of shopping at the Dollar Store, sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you! The kids can’t see to well so they ask for rotating turns on my shoulders:

Mini Me:

Sweet Child:

Sweet Child of course wants me to dance with her up top so I am dancing and jumping with her on top, next song is the “Together” song from the end of High School Musical and of course Sweet child wants to not only do the moves while up on top of me but wants me to join in, so I do as best as I can. We do wind up on the big screen for our efforts so I guess it was worth it!

The party was lot of fun. The girls had really been looking forward to it. We told them that we may leave early but to just trust us. Sweet Child just thought it was too cool for wards that you could dance on top of the pool. We make our way down to the Atrium for a character meeting with…………Daisy and Donald!

See Mini Me I told you, you would get your chance. While we were waiting the length and the exhaustion of the day was making the kids a bit touchy. I was starting to get a bit annoyed with some of their actions when at that moment another family had the joy of having their son go through a DefCon 5 Level Temper tantrum. It was almost like God was saying, “Give the kids a break, they have had a hard day, but they aren’t doing that!” I said a short prayer of thanks for the girls and it really helped me keep perspective. It also seemed that whenever I would lose perspective I would see another demonstration.

If you will indulge me a bit I would like to get on my soapbox a bit. I think a critical key to success on a trip like this is to know your child and help get them in a place they can succeed. A kid that is used to 8+ hours of sleep at night and a nap in the afternoon is not going to do well if he or she is up at the crack of dawn and goes non stop til 10 PM. We really tried to give our kids down time and recharge time. Whenever they got a bit squirrelly we tried to keep that in mind. They were great over the cruise and did a great job.

Okay soapbox over thank you for indulging me.

We head to Animator’s Palate for dinner where we meet our Server Whitt from Thailand and our Assistant Server Laura from Manchester, England. They did great, Whitt did tricks for the kids and Laura always made Ketchup Kreations. On the first night she did a Minnie Mouse. We are all steak lovers so we all had Filet Mignon for dinner. We had prepped the kids that the cruise was going to have all sorts of great food and encouraged them to try something and if they didn’t like it we could get something else. I was very pleased with them that they tried something off the “Big” menu every night! Whitt recognized that the kids were a bit tired and did a great job of getting our food to us fast that night! Mom and Sweet Child had Mickey Bars for dessert, Mini Me had Ice Cream Sundae and I had the Peanut Butter Pie! Yum!

The AP show was cool and the kids liked it, but I think they would have enjoyed it more if they hadn’t been up so early.

After dinner we make our way to the Show and of course THE SHOPS. The kids spent a good deal of time looking in Mickey Mates. The girls both got gift cards for Christmas so they were looking forward to spending there own money. The first night was a reconnaissance trip, get the lay of the land.

We get to the Walt Disney Theatre around 8:20 and the lower level is packed, we get a seat in the middle of the second row on the second level. The show was good. Most of the humor went over the kids heads, Pain and Panic stole the show IMHO.

After the show we make our way back to the stateroom it is time for bed for all of us! The kids are up way past their normal bedtime, had an early start. We had a great first day but were ready for sleep. We get back to see our first towel animal, the lobster:

Tomorrow, Princesses, Dolphins and Slides Oh My!

 

[Tink rules]

Oh man!!! I can just IMAGINE Sleepydog in that tub!!!

I think you should use the lifeboat drill pic for future Xmas cards!!!

 

[Floridagram]

So how long did it tak you to get OUT of the tub! Good thing you tried it out, 20 years from now you would never try it!

Were you in 7014? We are going to be in 7016. How was it, quiet, I am guessing or is that hoping?

Can't wait for the next chapter!