August 20, 2005 - L.A. to Port Canaveral - Eastbound Repo Cruise - The SHIP OF FOOLS Part 2

[Mom2Belle&PeterPan]

Glad you guys are with your ds Mel. It was probably good you did not have your cell phone today. When my ds was little, he had stitches on his forehead above his eye. Dh went in with him for the stitches in the stitching room while I waited outside. Said it was scary for kids to have those stitches, even though he likes to watch with his scientific mind. Know you will watch him for concussion tonight... Oh, what am I thinking??? YOU ARE A NURSE!!! You probably would have wanted to be there to make sure all was going well since you know what is right, etc. OK, hugs to you all...hope you guys sleep well tonight and that Alex feels a bit better tomorrow. May take a few days to feel like himself again.

 

[Bmwdsny]

Glad you guys are with your ds Mel. It was probably good you did not have your cell phone today. When my ds was little, he had stitches on his forehead above his eye. Dh went in with him for the stitches in the stitching room while I waited outside. Said it was scary for kids to have those stitches, even though he likes to watch with his scientific mind. Know you will watch him for concussion tonight... Oh, what am I thinking??? YOU ARE A NURSE!!! You probably would have wanted to be there to make sure all was going well since you know what is right, etc. OK, hugs to you all...hope you guys sleep well tonight and that Alex feels a bit better tomorrow. May take a few days to feel like himself again.

THANKS!!You are so very kind...Yeah, as the matter of fact, i walked in while they were stitching on him and Bob was the one who had to look the other way. As much as i felt bad for Alex, i had to watch the Dr. stitched him up..(watching her like a Hawk making sure she doing it right!! LOL)
Back to you!!

OOOOHHHH, how can i ever forget this, speaking about birds!!! When we were at my parents house over Christmas, my father made turkey and he threw the turkey carcass out on his backyard, because he feels bad for the stray cats, and about an hour later, guess what was circling above the house....VULTURES!!!!! 4 of em!!!! It was an awesome sight...Took a picture of it too!! perhaps if i know how to download it, i would post it here!! (Renee, i need you to instruct me on that again!!) and at the same time as i was looking at those vultures with my family at the back porch, i am thinking to myself..."Hmmm vultures...Mark, Grumbo, Bob(izzi) and Jazz...They are all here!!!!" No, i didn't say anything to my family what i thought, including Bob since they already thinks i am nuts to hang out here already!! LOL!!!! But i thought i shared this with you fools!!!

 

[piglet33]

Glad to hear that Alex is ok. I don't know what I would do if that happened to Haley. It's so hard when things like this happens when they're so little.

If you want to email me the pic, I can post it for you. Otherwise, I'll write up some instructions and PM them to you. Not a problem. Just let me know. I'm off to bed now since I've been up since 4:15 am.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Reneé

 

[Bmwdsny]

Thanks Renee, Have a good night sleep, you deserve it!! Yeah, PM me with instructions when you have the time..no hurry!! AND let me know when you PM me so Grumbo doesn't think it is for him!!! LOL!!!

Going to bed myself...Alex gets a treat tonight...He is sleeping with his mom and dad on our bed!! (good thing Brianne is at her cousin's for the few days.) And because i am still a night owl, After i caressed my boy to sleep, i am going to watch my North and South DVD on my BR TV...Good night all!!

 

[mississaugamom]

Oh my goodness, Melinda! Poor Alex! ~ and poor you too!!! It is soooo scary as a parent to realize that we cannot protect them from everything and sometimes they will get hurt! Hopefully he'll be feeling fine soon, and benefitting from the extra hugs and attention he's getting tonight!

Lara has only had stitches once, but she was only 9 months old at the time! I thought I would faint if I ever had to watch that, but you just suck it up and do whatever you need to when it's your child. (Talk about "mommy-guilt"! I had been back at work for 2-1/2 days and had Lara at a private home where she was the only child during the day. The sitter was feeding her on the floor (?!?) and broke the baby food jar on the ceramic floor. Her first instinct was to clear up the glass without moving the baby. Lara of course saw the food (she was a little piggie when she was small) and plunged her hand right into it, badly cutting the index finger of her left hand. We had a pediatric plastic surgeon stitch her finger, and there's not even a trace of a scar!)

Barbara - woohoo on "date night"! It must be amazing to be able to see those opportunities again! (We go out maybe twice a year without Lara) Let's hear it for the Kids' Club onboard!!!!! It'll be nice to spend some quiet time with Martin while she's happily doing something she's interested in.

I escaped from the office after only a few extra hours. To make up for it, I took Lara to "Playdium" which is our local video game/arcade place. (The outing gave Martin a chance to rest/relax for awhile on his own.) She loves going there, and it's fun for a couple of hours. I love watching her try all the virtual ski jumping, water skiing, parasailing machines and being so excited about "great" she's doing! (If this were real, we'd be in the emergency room very quickly!!!)

We went to Starbucks afterwards, and had a very happy "mother-daughter" night.

Arlene

 

[mississaugamom]

Going to bed myself...Alex gets a treat tonight...He is sleeping with his mom and dad on our bed!! (good thing Brianne is at her cousin's for the few days.) And because i am still a night owl, After i caressed my boy to sleep, i am going to watch my North and South DVD on my BR TV...Good night all!!

Ahhhh .... Patrick Swayze ~ what could be better????? Enjoy it! "Talk" to you tomorrow!

Arlene

 

[AuntyBrat]

Hello Sisterhood and Gentlemen of the Clan known as The Ship of Fools

Sorry I haven't been posting in the last couple of weeks. Didn't feel all the hot after chemo and then those pesky holidays....but, having survived Christmas with my family and not killing anyone, which is quite an accomplishment considering I have been living with my parents for the last 6 months, I finally got some good news!!

I saw the doctor today and I am DONE DONE DONE with chemo!!!!!
And tomorrow I go get set up for radiation!!!

The bad news: Radiation will take 2 weeks longer than originally thought because I have been so sensitive to the chemo, they want to give me smaller doses over a longer period of time. They hope this will mitigate any side effects.

Now for the weird news: I know I am leaving myself wide open to Mark, but I figure it will be a challenge for him to figure out how to try and get 'pictures' of me to post. My hair has started to grow back...but with a few differences than before. I was a blonde and the first round of hair I started to grow was blonde also. That fell out and then started growing in again, but very dark. But I figured, what the heck, as long as there is hair, I can make it any color I want, right sisters? Well, now there is ALOT of grey hair!!! And not just on the top of my head. My eyelashes and eyebrow are grey. Notice I said eyebrow? Well, the left side of my head has noticably more grey hair than the right side. The eyebrows are VERY noticable, as are the lashes!!! No grey hair in the right eyebrow or lashes, and just a few grey hairs on that side of my head.

Questions: Does this mean the cancer only scared me half to death? Am I about to become the 'real' Cruella? (and no using those pictures Mark!!) I don't like puppy coats!! Puppies are for snuggling!!!

But the best news is, the Doctor feels that there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to make the cruise and meet Roy!!!

Happy New Year folks!!! (Canadians celebrate it on the same day as us, right?)

TTFN!!!

Laura

 

[mississaugamom]

Sorry that the chemo has been so difficult for you, Laura, but congratulations on having it behind you!

Maybe the extra two weeks of radiation will be worth it if it keeps the side effects down for you.

Looking forward to seeing you on the cruise and celebrating your full recovery! Don't worry about Mark and his potential "Cruella" jokes - a good hairdresser can fix absolutely anything (including brows and lashes!)

Happy New Year to you too! Yep, Canadians do celebrate this on the same day. However, Martin's Japanese heritage makes this the biggest holiday of the year for his family, so I'll be spending the next three days cooking for the big family dinner we're hosting on January 1. Wish me luck - sushi making and tradiitional Japanese cooking does NOT come naturally to this British-background "sister"!

Arlene

 

[AuntyBrat]

Thanks Arlene!!! I am so happy I have been dancing around all day!!!

Understand the cooking part. I usually host a big New Years Eve party at my house, but not this year. Love cooking for all my friends, but not enough energy this year. Ivanova is hosting this year. I am going early to help. Good luck with the Japanese food. Have you tried to convince them that taquitos are really Japanese and not Mexican? What about the shrimp platters you can get at your local seafood restaurant? I know, convince them that since McD's is in Japan, that Quarter Pounders are now technically Japanese food?

Just trying to help you out!!!!

 

[mississaugamom]

Thanks Arlene!!! I am so happy I have been dancing around all day!!!

Understand the cooking part. I usually host a big New Years Eve party at my house, but not this year. Love cooking for all my friends, but not enough energy this year. Ivanova is hosting this year. I am going early to help. Good luck with the Japanese food. Have you tried to convince them that taquitos are really Japanese and not Mexican? What about the shrimp platters you can get at your local seafood restaurant? I know, convince them that since McD's is in Japan, that Quarter Pounders are now technically Japanese food?

Just trying to help you out!!!!

Thanks, Laura! As I'm panicking over how to get all the traditional stuff done, Martin is suggesting that I should make some fancier sushi as well "since I took the course this year"! If DCL can claim they serve sushi, I should be able to claim those quarter pounders too! Enjoy your New Year's party at Ivanova's!

Arlene

 

[Mom2Belle&PeterPan]

:

LET THE CELEBRATING BEGIN, WONDERFUL NEWS LAURA!!!!!!!

That was the best news of the season, I am sooooo happy for you!!! You win the prize for great courage this year. I cannot wait to meet you and your dd and celebrate your recovery! Sending prayers and pixie dust that your radiation will go quickly and with little side effects. We sisters are going to party and celebrate with you on our cruise!!! Mark, you be nice to AuntyBrat or I will personally kick your behind, no Cruella jokes!!! Laura, how about mixing in some of those Disney colors to balance the colors back out, OK?! This is wonderful, wonderful news!!!

Arlene, you are such a good mom! What a nice mommy date for you and your Lara! What a scare you had when Lara was an infant, glad it turned out so well. BTW, how is Lara's hand? Will she be able to return to gymnastics in January?

And, Mel...somehow I knew that Alex would be sleeping special with mom and dad tonight...Good going and kudos to you and Bob! You guys are terrific parents. When my Matt got stitches, they only let one person in the room, glad you both could be there. Enjoy your movie, I agree with Arlene, Patrick Swayze, yummy!

Well, I came in for a few minutes before we watch a video.

Hugs to my sisters, and watch out all you LooneyHOOD gentlemen friends, we sisters are rested and ready to take you on in the preparation for this cruise of a lifetime!!! (BTW, what were you boys doing circling around Melinda's parents' backyard? Not enough to eat or bother at your own holiday gatherings???...ROFL!!!)

Nite!

Barbara(PS Happy New Year's Eve and cooking at/for your parties girlfriends!!!)

 

[Luv2Dream]

Fantastic news Laura !!! I'm so happy for you and look forward to meeting you on this cruise for a celebration party ! I hope Alex had a restful night in the special bed. What more could he ask for than his parent's warmth around him all night? And, my DH and I are very excited if this Roy Disney rumor turns out to be true ! The only part that bums me out is we had requested Room 8528 thru Dreams and they reserved it, but their quote was higher than the one that I got personally so I didn't take it. 8528 is right next door to the Roy Disney Suite!!!! We could have gawked at him from my verandah!

 

[Luv2Dream]

Oh yes, please add DH and I to the wine tasting party although I don't really care much for wine, but I wouldn't miss this for the world !

 

[Luv2Dream]

There's a cruise ship going thru the Miraflores Locks right now. It's 8:42 a.m. 12/30/04 in case anyone's around and interested
http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

 

[jiminyC_fan]

That's cool, Lynn. Could you post the link? I must have missed it somewhere along the line. Thanks! For that matter, I probably have missed a ton.

We have always done a wine tasting at our gatherings on the ship. They are so much fun and we taste so many different wines. Some good and some not so good. My goal is to try Two Buck Chucks wine when I get to CA. Heard about it on a show like 60 Minutes or another similar show and we haven't been back to CA since we heard about it.

 

[Bmwdsny]

And, my DH and I are very excited if this Roy Disney rumor turns out to be true ! The only part that bums me out is we had requested Room 8528 thru Dreams and they reserved it, but their quote was higher than the one that I got personally so I didn't take it. 8528 is right next door to the Roy Disney Suite!!!! We could have gawked at him from my verandah!

Now i wonder why that particular room is a higher quote than the room you have..since they are both cat 4!!! So perhaps Roy Disney is indeed going to be there, you would have to pay a higher to be next to him!! hmmm!!! interesting!!! Lynn, if you did have that room, you and I were be best friends!!! Well, who knows, maybe i will be directly below him...I don't have my room assigned yet....

WONDERFUL NEWS LAURA!!! You are so blessed that despite what you are going thru, you have the humor in you!!! Laughter is the best medicine!!! Keep us updated!!

Arlene, Barbara, I guess i wasn't the only parent to have their kid stitch up!! I never had stitches, but broke my arm twice and had to wear that horrible heavy cast for 6 weeks, both times!! Alex is feeling better this morning. The hospital just called to see how he was, also. I am just waiting for Bob so we can take his bandaid off and check it out and clean it and replace with a new one.. I know Alex will have a fit over that!!! Right now he is playing game boy and resting, so i didn't tell him yet that i am going to do that...wish me luck!!!

BTW, How is lara doing???? Her hand better???Back to norm??

 

[kmiles]

That's cool, Lynn. Could you post the link?

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

 

[Bmwdsny]

Quote by 10 day Magic Diser...

Dancind here, signed in on DDs ID from Saratoga Springs at WDW this time.

No way is 10 days too long, wish we were on the 14 day! Possible exceptions: they didn't plan any events for the first two nights after second seating dinner (already mentioned). The event on the third night, a comedian I think, was packed with no seating left for second seating diners. Instead of doing Match Your Mate the first night, they did it on Christmas night to a total of about 10 tables. Disappointing, but mostly DISer's and we made our own fun!

To fill the extra three nights in the Walt Disney theatre, they added the "concert" with Christy Carlson Romano, the Rhythm Extreme show, and ventriloquist Taylor Mason did a full length show. There were also two movie nights, not sure which shows were extras.

The only other problems seemed to be with the kids clubs, especially the teens. Apparently, the bonding process that arcs nicely in 7 days started to fall apart a bit on the 10 day cruise. We heard a rumor that there was ******* amongst the 13 year old and 17 year old groups, but my 13 year old and her friend said they didn't see it in their group. I know there were some romances that fell apart in 10 days, but that's normal, isn't it? They did see some very bad behavior in the older group. They said there were some 17 year olds that were drinking and throwing furniture overboard. Sounds like they need some security on the upper decks at night. Those kids should have been thrown off the ship, as DD and friend said this happened several times. Not sure if they witnessed it, or just heard about it.

We enjoyed Antigua and St. Lucia. Did the pirate excursion on Antigua, though I didn't go to the beach. Watch out for nasty bug bites if you do any beach time or hiking in Antigua! Went into the downtown area in Antigua. It was Christmas eve and seemed like a block party was going on! Very nice people there. DH was especially impressed by the dive boat crew at St. Lucia, very fun and friendly group.

Cruising with the DISers is the best. I am not terribly outgoing, but still had a great time and enjoyed new friendships. This made even a cold day at Castaway Cay lots of fun! DD had a blast, and more freedom than she will have again until college, or at least the next cruise!

A bit of sadness on the last day, knowing that some members of the crew were worried about family members in Indonesia.

All in all, a really fabulous time and very worth the price we paid.
__________________

Good thing my DD is not in the teen clubs!!!Thank God she will only be 12!!!!WHEW!!! Imagine throwing furnitures in front of Roy!! and no romance allowed for my DD either!!! Of course, why am i worrying about the teens, it the LOONEYHOODS i should be worrying about!! LOL!!! ROFL!!!

Alex is a brave boy!! The only thing it hurted was the sticky part of the bandaid over his hair!! OUCH!!! but it is healing nicely...The next hard part is removing the stitches by Dr on Monday...yikes!!

 

[kmiles]

In seven cruises I've seen my share of very poor behavior among children of all ages. And by "poor behavior" I don't mean running up and down halls, screaming and yelling, and the other normal kid stuff. I'm talking about throwing chair cushions down flights of stairs, breaking glass in picture frames, etc.

Personally, I do think Disney should do a better job with security issues. If parents can't control their children then perhaps they would benefit from some assistance from the cruise line. Or, as the OP said, perhaps the entire group should be asked to leave the ship.

 

[Bmwdsny]

In seven cruises I've seen my share of very poor behavior among children of all ages. And by "poor behavior" I don't mean running up and down halls, screaming and yelling, and the other normal kid stuff. I'm talking about throwing chair cushions down flights of stairs, breaking glass in picture frames, etc.

Personally, I do think Disney should do a better job with security issues. If parents can't control their children then perhaps they would benefit from some assistance from the cruise line. Or, as the OP said, perhaps the entire group should be asked to leave the ship.

I wholeheartly agree with you!! It is so sad to see other parents who allows their kids have no respect for others and their things. Bob and I have run across many parents in resturants, malls, etc and we just roll our heads!! Heck, on one Disney cruise we were on a few years ago, there was this parents who allowed their 2 children splashing around in the adult only pool and another adult told the CM about it and CM went to them and parents reason?? Even though, they admitted they knew it was an adult pool but it was too crowded at the other pools!! They were kicked out anyway!! and the parents were MAD!! I can't stand people like them!!! I would be mortified if my kids even step in the adult only pool or threw anything in the hall, or stuff like that!!! but i am not to worry, since my kids know better than that!! or they WILL suffer consequneces!!! Believe me!!