Okay, I will tell you about my Illuminations cruise with Stephanie.
It was when we went to WDW for my first real time and stayed at POFQ for the 9 days in 2005. Two of my sisters joined us for 5 days. We all were celebrating our birthdays since they all ended in the number 8. My actual birthday did happen while we were there. We spent months planning and getting ready. Since I had only done a few day trips in the years prior, I really was excited to be there for that long of a time.
Every day was jammed packed with things to do. Stephanie told everyone that it was my birthday. I wore my birthday pin everyday. However, by the 6th day, I told her to stop the birthday wishes. I was getting filled to the brim with birthday cake.!!!!
We were on the dining plan.
The day that we were at Epcot, we were scheduled to eat at Le Cellier. We were seated with not much delay, but it seemed that our server took a really long time with everything. Stephanie was getting very anxious and I could not figure why. We hurried out of the restaurant and she turned into a demon woman making calls on her cell phone and walking up and down looking for some boat slip where we were supposed to go. All this time, I am not sure what is going on and my stomach is telling me that I had better slow down. My one sister is trying to help Stephanie read the map and I am with my other sister, hoping the battery on her wheelchair does not die on her.
(I have what some people call IBS or as my DR calls it--the dumping syndrome) If I know ahead of time, I can take some medicine that I have, slip a pill under my tongue and hope things will delay for a while or not happen at all.
We get to a boat, (a very small one) and get on. My stomach is still rolling and churning and all I can think is ---there is definately no bathroom on this boat.
We set off and to this day I cannot remember what we all saw because I was just not feeling that well. We get to where we were to watch Illuminations, which ended up to being under a bridge. Perfect place to watch. No falling debris. I am sitting in the back, sipping on water, maybe even some 7-up or ginger ale. I cannot remember. I am trying to smile but cannot, because all I can think is where do I go if I have to?????
I am looking around and am seriously thinking that if I have to, I will jump over the side and do it right there
that was how bad I was feeling at the time. I did not have any of the cake. No telling when that would decide to turn on me. After Illuminations was over, the pilot of the boat took us to the dock outside of the Hollywood studios. Everyone was saying their goodbys but I was in a dead run looking for the bathroom. Needless to say, I just made it.
That was the first real time that Stephanie had seen me like this so until it happened, she had no idea what I was going thru. I was in tears, and feeling so bad cause she had planned this surprise for me and I could not enjoy it. She still says she should have just took the money and put a match to it.
We can laugh about this now, but it was not much fun while it was happening.
Actually I would love to do another cruise but hopefully I can if and when I can get my kids down there.
It's a great way to see the characters,if that's what they want to do, without waiting in line. 
yesterday was just practice
