A Wish Granted - One Mom's Escape to the Sea

[IrenicMom]

Gosh - I can't believe it's already come and gone. And now, it's time to write a trip report of my own!!!

Let's start with the player. Yes - only one. This should be easy!

I'm Cheryl. (That's me, on the right. ) I am a SAHM to three kiddos - a son who is 7 and 4 year old twins (son and daughter). We're a busy family - and as CEO, CFO and COO of our family, I'm busy by default. My dh works 5 days and 2-3 nights a week, and travels regularly for business.

I'm a retired (ha!) engineer (civil, to be exact) and believe the "stay-at-home" part of my new title is a misnomer. We're not home very often, between sports and school (and thus, school volunteer requirements) and general day to day things as a family of five.

The title of this trip report comes from my long standing belief that mothers are much like Genie (a'la Aladdin). Our days are filled with requests, rubs at our lamps, as Genie says "Poof, what do you need?"

So, Genie and I have been linked for a long time in my family - so much so that everyone always seems to be on the lookout for Genie themed things for me. (Seriously? He's one of the most undermarketed Disney characters on earth. Right up there with Phinneas and Ferb.... but I digress)

(Note - when I shared my theory with the guys, Aladdin had a good laugh. He said he'd never heard that before, but totally agreed!)

So, while I normally take a girls trip every year, this year, it just didn't work out. So much so that I had pretty much decided to cancel it all together. But, my husband was adamant. "Go," he said, "it's been a rough year. You deserve a break!" Have I mentioned that I love this man?!?

So, I contacted the TA, found a cruise date that worked with our hectic schedule, and booked it. I had 35 days from book date to sail date to prepare for not only my first ever DCL cruise, but my first ever cruise, period.

We are AP holders, so WDW is an easy vacation for us. But DCL? I won't lie - I was intimidated!!!! I was thankful to have everyone here on the DIS, as well as my TA, to help me through the process.

So, while my husband made it all possible, you all made it Wonder-ful!

Now hang on - it's a wild ride!

Up next - 4 am is a dark, dark time.........

 

[joseph'smom]

OMG CHERYL! I DID meet you! You were in front of me to meet Jack Sparrow and you let my son go 1st - remember? I took some pics for you with your camera. HOW FUNNY!

 

[TiggerTails57]

Great start! Can't wait for more.......

 

[MagicMe]

Great start - I love reading trip reports from first-timers and getting their initial reactions to everything (although I feel the same everytime I board!!!).

 

[RoyalVizier]

I had 35 days from book date to sail date to prepare for not only my first ever DCL cruise, but my first ever cruise, period.

Yay!

 

[Skyw]

WOW. A solo cruise. I don't know if I would have to guts to do that!!! Can't wait to read more.

 

[kileybeth]

Oh wow! This sounds soooo awesome. What a great hubby to send you off for a bit of R&R!

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Lucille1963]

I can't wait to read more!

 

[IrenicMom]

OMG CHERYL! I DID meet you! You were in front of me to meet Jack Sparrow and you let my son go 1st - remember? I took some pics for you with your camera. HOW FUNNY!

No WAY! Oh my gosh. How funny!!!!! I kept thinking, every time I would come across a boy that looked to be around 7 - "hmm, I wonder if this is Joseph?" I never was brave enough to ask, though

So, you were first hand witness to my awkward moment with Jack. Yikes!

I'm so sorry we didn't connect - on purpose! - on the cruise. You guys seemed very sweet!!!

WOW. A solo cruise. I don't know if I would have to guts to do that!!! Can't wait to read more.

Ahh, I think you're not giving yourself enough credit. Solo trips are fabulous, and of them all, the cruise was the easiest to plan! I used to have to travel for work, so traveling alone was necessary. Now, it's a luxury!

Oh wow! This sounds soooo awesome. What a great hubby to send you off for a bit of R&R!

Can't wait to hear more.

He is a wonderful guy. He takes good care of us

More later - I have a meeting to go to tonight!!

 

[joseph'smom]

Yes, I think ole' Jack Sparrow had quite a bit of rum before showing up for photos. He told me I was frumpy and that he didn't like my dress so I told him he had on way too much make-up. He then proceeded to pick imaginary bugs out of my son's hair. He did make a great Jack Sparrow though. Did I get any good pics at all? I just kept clicking away. BTW- do you have any idea why we were so late leaving Port Canaveral? I never heard...Well it was great to meet you even though I didnt know it was you at the time. Thanks so letting Joseph "win" in line! What did you think of the Disney stars? I have already voiced my opinion on my report (see the Yay me..)

 

[OurOhana]

Great report so far - and I agree with other posters - great husband. My husband subscribed us to this report so he could hear some of the tips you've talked about in your other thread. (I think he's most curious about how to get a discount on the massage.) I hope he also pays attention to what a wonderful husband you have who insists you pamper yourself with a vacation.

 

[BethA]

glad your trip was great-can't wait to hear more
Beth

 

[Narnia_girl]

Yeah, another fun report to read!! I'm ready for the adventure.

I LOVE your Genie analogy and never would have thought of that. It's so true!!! I'm also a SAHM who's hardly ever home!

What a special blessing to take a trip on your own. I can't wait to read all about it. Were your kids upset that they couldn't go too?

 

[IrenicMom]

Yes, I think ole' Jack Sparrow had quite a bit of rum before showing up for photos. He told me I was frumpy and that he didn't like my dress so I told him he had on way too much make-up. He then proceeded to pick imaginary bugs out of my son's hair. He did make a great Jack Sparrow though. Did I get any good pics at all? I just kept clicking away. BTW- do you have any idea why we were so late leaving Port Canaveral? I never heard...Well it was great to meet you even though I didnt know it was you at the time. Thanks so letting Joseph "win" in line! What did you think of the Disney stars? I have already voiced my opinion on my report (see the Yay me..)

I'm sorry. You? Frumpy? Maybe he was confused and was looking at ME that night. It wasn't my best night, unless, of course, I was **trying** to channel Danny DeVito as the Penguin... Yikes. I was horrific.

There was news on the other thread about the delay, but I'll get to that!!

Great report so far - and I agree with other posters - great husband. My husband subscribed us to this report so he could hear some of the tips you've talked about in your other thread. (I think he's most curious about how to get a discount on the massage.) I hope he also pays attention to what a wonderful husband you have who insists you pamper yourself with a vacation.

I hope he pays attention, too!!! My girls trips came out of a playful banter about when did **I** get to take a trip, sleep late, and not have to cut anyone's food?!?! It was meant as a joke, but it's been taken seriously for the last 4 years!!!

glad your trip was great-can't wait to hear more
Beth

Beth - thanks, again, for the lanyard!!! More coming, soon!!

Yeah, another fun report to read!! I'm ready for the adventure.

I LOVE your Genie analogy and never would have thought of that. It's so true!!! I'm also a SAHM who's hardly ever home!

What a special blessing to take a trip on your own. I can't wait to read all about it. Were your kids upset that they couldn't go too?

You know, they actually weren't upset. They were curious, and wanted to hear all about it, but since they've never been before, they had no idea what they were missing

(And glad to hear of another not-so SAH Mom!!!!

 

[IrenicMom]

So, in an effort be as kind to my husband as possible, I chose NOT to fly out the day prior. Instead, I had a flight departure time of 7:10 am.

My father, being the sweet, kind, and loving man that he is (and one who is (a) an extremely early riser and (b) works very near the airport) offered to drive me and drop me off, allowing me to save about 25 minutes of time to an already early morning.

So, when my alarm went off at 4 am, I dragged myself out of bed. Seriously, with the new(ish) moon and some minor cloud cover? 4am is a dark, dark time. And when you haven't slept well (me? nightmares about missing the ship? nahhhhh.... ) or long enough (me? procrastinate and not be packed until 1 am? nahhhhhh ), it's a tad rough on the brain to crawl out of bed. Especially when there's no coffee brewed and waiting.

HANDY TIP #1 - If your coffee maker has a timed start on it, USE IT!!! I sure could have used the liquid energy!!

So, up, ready, good to go. My dad arrives at 5:10 - he's an early bird, and this is his normal leave for work time!!! The sweet man brought me coffee!!!

It was nice to have the time to chat with him (it's about an hour drive - we're in the far north suburbs). This is already far more relaxing than if I'd driven myself!!! Yay me, I'm on vacation!!!!!!!!!!

Check-in goes just fine - though I am surprised as the number of people at the airport already. And a small note to the family of three who were checking in in front of me? If you have FIVE bags large enough to stuff a body in them, don't be surprised when ALL of them are overweight. I'm just sayin'

Flight #1, connecting through ATL, goes fine. I'm tired, I need more caffeine, but I'm running on pure adrenaline at this point in time. I'd planned on listening to some music on the way, but my old, favorite earbuds don't fit my iPhone (which until now, I'd never needed to/wanted to use as an iPod.)

HANDY TIP #2 - Test drive all technology before departing! Make sure things like batteries are charged (and don't forget the charger and/or more batteries!) and that all accessories work, too. And if you're connecting through ATL, there is a handy dandy tech store in Terminal E

After negotiating ATL, (seriously - I **hate** this airport. I understand the concept the designers were going for, but I still hate it.), I get to my gate and board. Unfortunately, so do about 27 additional people who don't actually HAVE seats on the plane, though they were told they did.

So, after a delay because of a special needs boarding situation, and a delay of trying to figure out what to do with 27 more people than the plane can hold, we depart nearly an hour later than planned. Darn it - don't these people know there is a boat waiting for me?!?!?!?! But then I remind myself - Yay me!! I'm on vacation!!!

The trip down is uneventful. I was seated next to a man who is from the very very very small/obscure town in TN where my grandfather lives, so we have a lovely chat. It was weird to learn that I actually met his parents while I was attending to my grandfather during my grandmother's funeral a few months ago. Six degrees of separation? Check!!

I arrive at MCO, to the best of my knowledge, my luggage arrives at MCO (you'll never believe where I see it next!! Hint - it's NOT my stateroom!), and I check in at the DCL desk.

Here, I proclaim what will become my slogan for the trip "Nope! Just me!"

Why? Because I'm on vacation! Alone! Yay me!!!!!!

Up Next - Getting to, getting on, and getting ready...........

 

[Narnia_girl]

Can't wait to read more!!

I always sleep poorly the night before a trip, also! Seems to be the thing....

 

[Melcatfish]

Great start, looking forward to reading more. I wondered how you got on after reading your post about the delay in departure.

Mel
x

 

[kileybeth]

OMG! Not the most uneventful start to your trip but Thank goodness for Dad's!

The technology thing, oh dear, I ask my teens multiple times if they have their chargers, their batteries, there headphones, someone always has forgotten something. . . it's just a given.

Looking forward to you arrival in Port Canaveral!

 

[IrenicMom]

Getting to, getting on, and getting ready...........

Let's see - where were we?? (Yes, I know, I'm a little delayed. See aforementioned post of busy family!! )

Ok, so after a very (very) short wait, Chip and Dale 5 is called for boarding. Yipee!!

I sit and watch as others are boarding and have a twinge of guilt. These kids look so happy and excited - I know my kids would love this. Then I remind myself that a happy mom = happy kids, and that I **need** this break. And most importantly of all, we will sail DCL as a family in the next two years. I snap out of it, offer to take some pictures for a few families, and take a few minutes to start jotting down notes.

Handy Tip #3 - Bring a small journal and write down bits and pieces throughout the trip.

We watch the cute little video of Mickey and the Gang packing up, boarding the bus, and getting to the port. I won't lie - I was a little weepy in a few parts. I could physically feel my body start to relax. Honestly, this is exactly what the dr ordered!!!!!

We arrive at the port around 1:15 pm. The drive over was barely long enough for the video to finish - there must have been NO traffic to speak of. It was 45 minutes at the absolute most - probably more like 35.

I am thrilled to be there, to feel the warmth (it didn't even reach 65* at home the day before I left - yuck!!), smell the salt air, and best of all - take it all in.

Now, I'd like to say that I was a dutiful little reporter and took tons of photos of the port. But you know what? I wasn't. I was running later than I'd hoped (darn airport delays - though leaving a day earlier simply wasn't an option) so I was mostly just in a rush to get onboard.

I will also say that this was one of two times the entire trip I really wished someone else was with me. The wait in line was long (about 30 minutes) and I so wanted to skip out and take some pictures, chit chat with someone to share in the excitement, and overall, was just feeling a bit lonely. It passed quickly, and wouldn't return much over the trip, so it was ok. But, there's my excuse for no port/terminal shots. I was on a mission - get on the boat!!!

Now, I will say this - there **are** tons of signs that say no coolers, no alcohol, etc - so I can completely understand why people are confused as to whether or not this is allowed. I don't understand why DCL is sending such mixed messages - honestly - it's one of the few non-guest friendly situations. I can see this being an argument between my husband and myself the first time - we're both rule followers, so to know, and then convince him, a rule isn't really a rule might be tricky. JMO.

As I'm shuffled through security and up to check-in, there is a recurring moment of weirdness. I understand that traveling solo isn't the norm, but WDW CMs seem to be better at reading the lines and understanding body language than DCL CMs. While I was in line, on four separate occasions, CMs kept trying to group me with either the family in front of me or the one behind. It was a little annoying, especially since from pure appearance, one of these things (ME!) was different than the others. The family in front of me was Asian - I'd guess Korean from the dialect, and the family behind me was French, and all brunettes. I was such a sore thumb in between them And while I was somewhat expecting this, I still felt badly for the family in front of me when they had to repeatedly disown me, as well as the family behind me as I had to repeatedly disown them. Only a glitch, but still an interesting point. DCL CMs could take some lessons from the WDW CMs on how to discern who belongs with whom.

I enter the ship and receive the customary rousing greeting as "Disney Cruise Line welcomes CHERYL!!!" Yay!!! I received several high fives from those working in the atrium - all thought it was pretty cool that was traveling solo.

I was directed to PC for lunch, which I thought was interesting, given the amount of conversation I'd read here regarding CMs directing folks primarily to BBB. I had hoped to go to PC, simply because I did want to set my things down and not have to juggle them through the line. So, I happily headed that way, was seated, and settled into my first meal.

It was perfectly satisfactory for me. I had salad, bread, fruit and beef from the carving station. (On this trip? You might notice a theme - Beef it's what's for dinner....and lunch....) Service was quick and friendly, and since I wasn't tied to my very-slow-eating-children, I was able to eat and head up to my room right away.

By this time it was 2 pm. I met my stateroom hostess - Wilnipa (Willie) - who was FABULOUS - explore my room, and regroup.

I had, of course, packed a swimsuit and sunscreen in my carry on, so I changed into that.

HANDY TIP #4 - Ladies, don't forget to pack a swim cover up of some sort in your carry on! (Gents, a t shirt for you if you'd prefer).

Realizing that I was without such a thing (in my luggage, yes. carry on? no), I slipped my capris back on over my suit. I mostly wanted to walk around a bit and explore for a while. I wouldn't have been comfortable doing so in just my suit, so the capris pulled double duty that day.

By the time I was ready to go (and I'll admit, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out the stupid verandah door - I was expecting a SWINGING door, not a SLIDING door......), it was around 2:45.

But wait!!! I almost had forgotten one of the things I was most excited about - my door magnets! I didn't have many, but I did have some. So, I put them up quickly and was getting ready to go (for real, this time) when I heard a little girl in the hall. She was 4, maybe? Maybe 5.

When she saw my door - she said to her mom - "Oh my gosh!!! That's Minnie Mouse's room!!!!!!" It turned into a huge thing for her over the next few days. I heard her tell everyone in the hallway that Minnie was staying in the room across the hall. I overheard her on the ship telling a CM that Minnie was staying in the room across the hall. It was such a fun thing to hear, and I didn't want to ruin the magic for her, so I tried to make sure I didn't go in or out of my room while she was in the hallway. I walked past my room on MANY occasions - my neighbors probably thought I was always lost

Up Next: I see my luggage! And we count down...............

 

[OurOhana]

How sweet was it that the little girl thought Minnie lived in your room. And that was nice of you to go out of your way not to leave when she could see it wasn't Minnie walking out the door.

Great tips - I agree with you about the cooler. It is confusing, when you read your not supposed to do something, and yet they let you do it. If they'd prefer no ice, or soft-sided coolers, you'd think they'd just post that.

I also don't think I would have thought about bringing a coverup in my carryon. Smart idea.

Can't wait to read more.