8/17/2008 Double Dip 4-day Wonder

[Ski-and-Sea]

Ok..anyone still here? I'm freaking out about the weather and just read on the main post board about people who flew out the day of and missed the boat! We've always flew on the day of..we fly the first flight out...but my husband is insistant we will be ok!
Oh my!!

I wouldn't worry - we'll be fine. I just read weather.com and the system is very disorganized. Its over Puerto Rico right now and its mostly showers and thunderstorms. Sounds like it will pass over the Bahamas on Saturday and we don't get to CC until Monday.

You'll be fine for your flight.

 

[Coach Rick]

Well folks, the unthinkable is happening. Yes, I was supposed to be at WDW now, but at 8:30 am yesterday morning as I was checking my baggage my cell phone rang. It was my sister telling me she didn't think it was a good idea to get on the plane. Dad was rushed back into the hospital after being out for 7 hours, and was in ICU in critical condition. I put my wife and the kids on the plane and sent them down, and rushed down to the hosptial to sit by him. I have now been up 28 straight hours, and totally lost as to what to do. The prognoses is not a good one. The doctors are not sure he will ever regain consciousness, and quite frankly how long he will survive. If it is possible for my heart to be broken in two places, then it is. Obviously in fear of loosing dad has me down and out, and knowing that my family is in WDW without me is devastating too. I just spoke to my wife, and my youngest did nothing but cry in the happiest place on earth because I wasn't there to see this and that. Given the storm predictions it is almost like an omen to me. I told them to go on without me, but I am not sure they want to, plus of course they are upset at possibly loosing their grandfather before they come back. I wish there were easy answers, but there is not. Unless some miracle happens I won't be there.

Lynda, please call my wife to meet up with you with the two tshirts I PM'd you her cell number...

I wanted so much to meet you all! Perhaps some day!

 

[Coach Rick]

Just got off the phone with DCL, and thankfully, until August 31 they are allowing you to apply the full amount of the cruise you cancel to a future cruise, otherwise I would have lost the $2000 deposit I had put since it is NON refundable, even from the insurance!

Anyhow, I have booked August 16, 09. I can't believe I have to wait another full year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know some of you may read this after the "mystery cruise - 09", and I hope so much some of you might be on this 09 cruise I booked. I think this is one of my biggest disappointments, that is not meeting you all! I just can't believe how this has turned out. In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined this!

Quite frankly, I don't know how dad will make out. He is getting tired of all this, and I think he is making that decision to stop fighting it. In a strange way I feel both relieved for him, and extremely sad for me.

I will pray that you all have a safe and magical time on "our" cruise, and I will be thinking of what "Should" have been!

To my shipmates, I will keep the lights on until you guys return.

Ps...I have a sale going on for lime green tshirts that were never worn.

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Oh Coach Rick - this is just horrible, horrible news. The timing is just awful (not there is a good timing).

I can't even imagine what you are going through emotionally. What a stressful situation.

I'm sure I speak for everyone that we are all so disappointed not to meet you, too.

We're saying prayers for you.

Please keep us up to date.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Coach Rick, I just pm'd you. And of course you know how heartbroken we are at the news and the fact that we can't meet you.

I think this is it for me now! I'm just trying to finish the packing and then we're off tomorrow morning for Orlando.

See you all at the dismeet on Sunday! Coach Rick, you're definitely in our thoughts and prayers!

 

[Coach Rick]

You guys that are left...if you are looking for a great tour of Nassau, look up Perry...he is awesome, and will bring you on a tour of the REAL Nassau, all for $25 each. That includes visiting the Atlantis. He is by far the best tour guide there! Again, his name is Perry McPhee...tell him Rick from RI sent you.

 

[Coach Rick]

I have THE most amazing children. They're in Florida staying at AKV and this morning, they got together, and went to my DW and told her if I could not go on the cruise they wanted to wait for us to all go together...amazing! My wife said they have cried more than once because of things we normally do together, and since I am not there they are missing me...They don't miss me enough to not be staying at MK till 2 AM for extra magic hours though....

God, I am so blessed!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Coach Rick......what a lovely story about your family not wanting to cruise without you. I'm not surprised at all to hear that. Must be a bright spot during this troubling time.

Well, I'm signing off now and heading to bed. Most everything is packed except for what I need in the morning.

Boy, I have a terrible feeling I've forgotten something even though I've tripled checked the packing list.

Looks like the tropical storm is heading too far south to bother us.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Okay, I'm back for just one more post pre-cruise!

Coach Rick, as I said in my pm, you're so lucky to have such a great family behind you. But that doesn't surprise me at all because it's so obvious that you're a great dad!

Sea-and-Ski, I was so glad to see your comments re the tropical storm missing us! Thanks for letting us know that!

Well, this is it for me! Take care, Coach Rick, and see everyone else at the dismeet on Sunday!

 

[virginiamama]

Coach Rick - So sorry to hear your news. Hugs to you and your family.

Well, we're almost ready to go, bags 95% packed, just have to get those last few things together. I feel like I'm walking into something totally unexpected - we are trying to mentally prepare ourselves for possibly missing some ports, while still being excited about the cruise in general. Who knows what the next few days will bring!? We are heading to the airport at 9am, take care all!

 

[kewlteacher]

Coach Rick-
I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I know this is a tough time for you and your family. I'm not a religious person, but God only gives you what you can handle...and what doesn't break you, makes you stronger!
Hope Dad is ok and you and your family as well. We'll miss you on the Wonder!

Just finished packing...feeling a bit overwhelmed as usual, but whatever I don't have, I'll buy! lol

See everyone of the cruise!

 

[kewlteacher]

Coach Rick-
I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I know this is a tough time for you and your family. I'm not a religious person, but God only gives you what you can handle...and what doesn't break you, makes you stronger!
Hope Dad is ok and you and your family as well. We'll miss you on the Wonder!

Just finished packing...feeling a bit overwhelmed as usual, but whatever I don't have, I'll buy! lol

See everyone of the cruise!

 

[cyndisun]

A single (and blurry) photo taken on Deck 3 meet up:
http://gallery.me.com/rm8t#100127&bgcolor=black&view=grid

There's also a video being uploaded right now:
http://gallery.me.com/rm8t

-Arrrgh Matey (rm8t), cyndisun's husband

 

[Coach Rick]

A single (and blurry) photo taken on Deck 3 meet up:
http://gallery.me.com/rm8t#100127&bgcolor=black&view=grid

There's also a video being uploaded right now:
http://gallery.me.com/rm8t

-Arrrgh Matey (rm8t), cyndisun's husband

OMG...Thank you so much for posting that...breaks my heart and makes me very happy at the same time..figure that one out. I appreciate that picture more than you will ever know!!!!!!! I am printing it to keep it....Thanks ye maties, and a safe voyage for sure.

Dad is stable, and looks like I will head to WDW tomorrow or Tuesday to spend the rest of the week with my DW, and DK (ids)...perhaps I will run into some of you there on Thursday and Friday...

 

[disneymama]

We're safely home after a very long day. What a trip!

 

[delauzons]

We're home too! We switched our flight to Fort Lauderdale. We LOVED the cruise even with the storm. We can't wait to go again. Has anyone gone in July on a 4 day? Is the weather the same? Hope everyone had a great time!
The de Lauzon family

 

[disnutz]

Safely home here as well. It was a long day yesterday, but we made it. I thought we were going to have such a long wait at the airport - NOT. 5 minutes after going back to port, picking up the car, and going to the airport through the deluge.

Coach Rick -

Just wanted you know we all thought about you, and toasted you!!

Hope everyone had fun - we did!! Now we can be jealous of 5lilfish and Ski and sea, who are still at sea.

 

[TiggerzFan]

Hey all you 8/17 cruisers! Welcome Home!

There are plenty of us DISers curious and concerned to know how your cruise went as there are no trip reports yet. Did transportation back to MCO and/or Port Canaveral go smoothly? Did your itinerary get changed? Hope everyone is making their way home safely!

We live in Central FL, just 30 or so minutes from the port. Believe me when I tell you that EVERYONE here is glad Fay finally packed up and left. Hopefully life will get back to normal soon.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

Nothing was changed at all, other than bunches of excursions being cancelled due to weather. IIRC, the Captain came over the PA at 5ish on Wednesday announcing that we would have to sail to Ft. Lauderdale and that we'd be bussed back to Orlando. At dinner we were given our breakfast information (5:15 for us, we skipped it). We disembarked about 7:00 AM and were on our bus by about 7:30. We were at MCO by 11:00.

It was a great cruise, really. The weather was overcast on Monday at Castaway Cay, but for me that was absolutely perfect. It stormed that night and was rainy in Nassau until noonish but then it cleared up nicely. It was sunnier at CC on Wednesday but very windy. We were on deck 2 (2068) and the only night we felt any motion at all was on Wednesday. Other than that we didn't feel a thing.

 

[Mommak2p]

That's good to hear, I have a DD cast member on the ship....haven't heard from her yet so I've been watching the boards for any news!