ELEVATE! Is that a whale out there? A three-generation cruise to Alaska!UPDATE 8/29

[RGirl]

Willow looks lovely in her Cinderella gown Did lots of other kids dress up too?

Dinner sounds great! You must have really loved the servers to end up being FB friends.

Love the booze confessions No need to feel bad sharing that with us, we're not judgy and would probably have done the same thing. In fact, I think bringing boxes was brilliant, probably a much better idea than glass.

I've heard that the servers remember drink orders and have them waiting, would you have felt bad if you wanted to get something different though? Sorry the crab legs were disappointing, you'd think that seafood would be good while at sea.

And Willow eats peas? You're my hero.

Yay for a peaceful dessert course! No "mommy is it time to go yet, are you done yet, can I be done eating?" Sounds blissful.

I suspect rough waters were ahead?

Hey Shannon!

There were always some miniature princesses around. The cruise is cool in that the kids can dress up or not at any time. Very fun.

Oh, just wait until you hear all about our beloved Doulson. He was the sweetest young man. DD was crushing big time.

I figure y'all are accustomed to my booze confessions by now!

You know, we wouldn't have felt bad to order something else for DD if she had wanted it. You have this amazing feeling of being able to order anything you want just to try it. It is awesome. As it was, DD is a chocolate milk fiend, and for her to arrive to a chocolate milk every night was amazing for her! It's not like she sees chocolate milk every day in real life.

Um, Willow sometimes eats peas - she likes them raw from her grandpa's garden. I don't actually remember her eating a single pea (or vegetable ) on the cruise, so I think her commentary was based more on the photo than reality.

That dessert course was a revelation to me - "wait, you mean, when my child gets bored with a restaurant meal, there is somewhere for her to go and have a blast and I can come back and sit and chat, drink my wine, enjoy my dessert? WHAT?????" I was sold on cruising at that moment!!!!! I was also just blown away that she was so comfortable and excited about the kids' club, and it was only the first night!

 

[amandaw]

Our suitcases would not have fit AT ALL had I not received that unbelievable tip. I was sending many virtual thank you's to the DIS genius who mentioned it. Our room would have gone from spacious to CROWDED had we been forced to find another location for those cases!

I can only imagine how crowded it would've been without being able to put the bags under the bed. Well, I still don't know which ship you booked y'alls next cruise on but.....if it's on the Dream or Fantasy, bags (even big ones) can fit under the bed!

The nice thing about the kids' club is everyone is happier! Kids are happier because they are not forced to sit and be proper at a l-o-n-g restaurant dinner every night, and mommies are happier because they get to down their wine, er, I mean, eat their desserts in peace and accompanied by adult conversation.

You are sooo right! On our cruise last May, it was so short & we were newbies so I never thought to bring Reid to the club during dinner. I always made him wait until we were done. Yeah, he'll be leaving the table in May as soon as he's ready to go!

It was a scary night indeed! I was going to try to get the update posted tonight, but it really needs Willow's input as she is at the heart of the "scary" - she has gone off to bed, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Yes, we must have Willow's input! But, now I'm really worried that she is at the heart of the story. Obviously, y'all are okay. But, I feel my anxiety peaking here.

 

[RGirl]

I can only imagine how crowded it would've been without being able to put the bags under the bed. Well, I still don't know which ship you booked y'alls next cruise on but.....if it's on the Dream or Fantasy, bags (even big ones) can fit under the bed!

You are sooo right! On our cruise last May, it was so short & we were newbies so I never thought to bring Reid to the club during dinner. I always made him wait until we were done. Yeah, he'll be leaving the table in May as soon as he's ready to go!

Yes, we must have Willow's input! But, now I'm really worried that she is at the heart of the story. Obviously, y'all are okay. But, I feel my anxiety peaking here.

I will give nothing more away about what we have booked! You are so devious in your attempts!!!!!! Suffice it to say that, one way or the other, we will store our bags under the bed!

You know, it was a revelation to me - cruising is the ONLY vacation where my child can say, "I am tired of this. I want to go hang out with my friends" and that is okay! How awesome is that???? For the kid, for the parent(s), for everyone. It was a relief for DD to be able to be busting up ready to misbehave because she was bored out of her mind and then realize that she could just say, "hey, I want to go to the kids' club," and I would happily take her there, and both of us would be happy. If we cruise again, much like WDW, we will do it just the two of us, and we will take advantage of this to the benefit of both of us. I think it will be amazing for both of us not to feel like we need to make anyone else happy. We will be answerable to each other but be able to agree that, if she wants to hang with friends, Mommy will be good to go with grown-up stuff too.

It actually was a pretty bad night, but everyone was okay and no medics had to be called or anything, so don't get too anxious. (Had you been the parent in the moment, you (like I did) would have been FREAKING OUT, but it was all good in the end. )

 

[amandaw]

I will give nothing more away about what we have booked! You are so devious in your attempts!!!!!! Suffice it to say that, one way or the other, we will store our bags under the bed!

My attempt to snoop has been foiled again! (*insert an emoticon shaking an angry fist*)

You know, it was a revelation to me - cruising is the ONLY vacation where my child can say, "I am tired of this. I want to go hang out with my friends" and that is okay! How awesome is that???? For the kid, for the parent(s), for everyone. It was a relief for DD to be able to be busting up ready to misbehave because she was bored out of her mind and then realize that she could just say, "hey, I want to go to the kids' club," and I would happily take her there, and both of us would be happy. If we cruise again, much like WDW, we will do it just the two of us, and we will take advantage of this to the benefit of both of us. I think it will be amazing for both of us not to feel like we need to make anyone else happy. We will be answerable to each other but be able to agree that, if she wants to hang with friends, Mommy will be good to go with grown-up stuff too.

I do think you'll enjoy a cruise with just the 2 of y'all even more. You'll be able to sit back & just enjoy yourself more. I do love the kids clubs on the ships. The kids love them & want to go there. And because they are very secure, I felt comfortable with leaving Reid there. And, God forbid, something does happen, it doesn't take you that long to get there. What I think is great about cruising is that it's filled with opportunities for family time but also allows parents & kids to do their own thing.

It actually was a pretty bad night, but everyone was okay and no medics had to be called or anything, so don't get too anxious. (Had you been the parent in the moment, you (like I did) would have been FREAKING OUT, but it was all good in the end. )

I hope this update comes soon because I'm freaking out a little bit over what happened. But, I will wait patiently....kind of.

 

[lucky1]

Thanks! And how funny!!!! Did you enjoy the cruise????

We loved the cruise. Wish that we could have had longer at the ports, but we could not have asked for nicer weather. I also saw that we had the same dining rotation, except we were table 20. Too bad we didn't meet at the DIS meet, we could have waved across the room. We didn't have the best server, he was new and really had a hard time getting the orders straight. We generally were the last ones out of the dining room.

Our suitcases would not have fit AT ALL had I not received that unbelievable tip. I was sending many virtual thank you's to the DIS genius who mentioned it. Our room would have gone from spacious to CROWDED had we been forced to find another location for those cases!

Lol.. our first cruise over 12 years ago was a 4 night on the magic and we had big suitcases that we tried to cram in the closet. We didn't have the tip. I found the DIS and saw the tip of of sliding them under the bed. DH lifts one corner of the bed and I slide the luggage underneather. I make sure everyone knows that because it makes life so much easier in the stateroom. Thank goodness for the DIS

 

[RGirl]

My attempt to snoop has been foiled again! (*insert an emoticon shaking an angry fist*)

I do think you'll enjoy a cruise with just the 2 of y'all even more. You'll be able to sit back & just enjoy yourself more. I do love the kids clubs on the ships. The kids love them & want to go there. And because they are very secure, I felt comfortable with leaving Reid there. And, God forbid, something does happen, it doesn't take you that long to get there. What I think is great about cruising is that it's filled with opportunities for family time but also allows parents & kids to do their own thing.

I hope this update comes soon because I'm freaking out a little bit over what happened. But, I will wait patiently....kind of.

Yep - I just love that there are so many things to do together and so many things to do on your own as well. It is just an ideal way to go!

I will get the update done today - got some work to do, but I will hunt down DD at some point and get her to add her input.

We loved the cruise. Wish that we could have had longer at the ports, but we could not have asked for nicer weather. I also saw that we had the same dining rotation, except we were table 20. Too bad we didn't meet at the DIS meet, we could have waved across the room. We didn't have the best server, he was new and really had a hard time getting the orders straight. We generally were the last ones out of the dining room.

Lol.. our first cruise over 12 years ago was a 4 night on the magic and we had big suitcases that we tried to cram in the closet. We didn't have the tip. I found the DIS and saw the tip of of sliding them under the bed. DH lifts one corner of the bed and I slide the luggage underneather. I make sure everyone knows that because it makes life so much easier in the stateroom. Thank goodness for the DIS

Wasn't the weather amazing???

That's a shame about your server. But at least the food was yummy!

 

[amandaw]

I will get the update done today - got some work to do, but I will hunt down DD at some point and get her to add her input.

Please don't feel like you have to do it today. If you want to, that's great! But I'll be ready whenever it gets posted!

 

[RGirl]

Please don't feel like you have to do it today. If you want to, that's great! But I'll be ready whenever it gets posted!

Oh, I will get it posted today! I actually just got DD's thoughts while she was having lunch, so it's ready to go.

Except for the fact that Photobucket is not working AT ALL. Don't know if it's the site or my computer.

 

[RGirl]

9. A Scary Evening at Sea

When I last left you, DD had ditched the grown-ups to return to the kids’ club, I had enjoyed a kid-less dessert at Parrot Cay, and we had finally left our table to our wonderful servers so that they could start all over again.

So, with no DD with us, we decided that this was a good opportunity to go at least take a peek at Route 66 (where the more adult-oriented establishments on the Wonder are located). So we strolled down there, and we peeked into the Cadillac Lounge - this place is cool. It is a small bar with a piano - it is just very comfortable and welcoming. ***Dream Sequence Begins*** I had visions of coming down here by myself, with DD all tucked away in bed with The Judies having offered to “babysit” - I would read my Kindle, enjoy a glass of champagne, be alone, be an adult. ***Dream Sequence Ends***

Doesn’t that sound lovely? Okay, probably not to most of you. It probably sounds pretty lame. But to me, it sounded heavenly - just one night like that. I wouldn’t enjoy it all the time, but one night. I LOVE being a parent; I LOVE being an only parent. But that does not mean that I would not also LOVE a couple of hours on one night to just sit in an awesome adults-only place, read my book, sip champagne, etc. Well, let me go ahead and dispel any notion that this actually happened. At some point, ¾ of the way through the cruise, The Judies did actually make such an offer during the day on a day that we couldn’t do it (I think it was pirate night or something), but I thought maybe we could do it another night. Just didn’t happen. Or maybe it was never offered again? You be the judge.

So, we had peeked into the Cadillac Lounge and were going to check out Diversions, when, what do you know - I received a text from the kids club that Willow was tired and wanted to be picked up.

BTW, I don’t think I have mentioned this, but each stateroom has two “wave phones.” These are fabulous because you can carry them with you all over the ship, and anyone in your party can find you (if you are traveling with people who actually take and/or use their phones - ahem, The Judies, ahem). They are also the way that the kids club gets in touch with you!

So we went to get DD and returned to the staterooms, given how tired she was. This little guy was waiting for us:

And The Judies had a new friend too:

DD’s input on the towel animals: “They were so cute. I liked ours a lot, and I liked Nini’s too.”

DD had her promised choice of beds:

DD chose the top bunk and then would NOT go to sleep - up and down, up and down, drink of water, up and down, up and down. She fell asleep around 10:00, I think. I really enjoyed being able to have one of the little lamps on so that I could enjoy some vacation reading. And, BTW, I was totally doing “vacation reading” - I never get to do recreational reading in real life, so I was going to do it up big. Yep, that’s right, I am a 40-something-year-old woman, and I was livin’ large with the Hunger Games on this cruise!

When I did finally tear myself away from my “young adult” fiction and turn out the light, I was not able to go to sleep. I could feel every movement of the ship and hear every creak of things shifting. The waters were not rough at all, and it was not unpleasant. I am a VERY bad sleeper though, so anything different means I won’t sleep (at least for the first night).

I think I finally dozed off at about 2 or 3 in the morning, and then I was awakened about a half hour later by a screaming DD. Like a screaming-bloody-murder-like-she-has-never-screamed-before DD. I jumped out of bed, ripped aside the curtain, and scrambled my way in the dark towards the blood-curdling scream.

I located DD by the ladder to the bunk. She was still shrieking at the top of her lungs. Finally, I was able to ascertain that she had been climbing off the ladder and had fallen backward. It was terrifying! But she was okay. I poked and prodded and questioned until I was sure. And then she did end up with a bloody nose, but I don’t think it was actually because of the fall - she didn’t hit her face, and she gets weird random nose bleeds often enough to make me think that it was just one of those. Eventually, we were calmed down, and she went back to bed - IN THE BOTTOM BUNK.

DD’s input: “I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to get a bloody nose. It happened when I fell. I just didn’t see and forgot to look - it was too dark - and then I just fell. And then you got up so fast to see what was going on.” “When I was falling onto the ground, when I got close to the ground, my head accidentally hit the table, and then fell onto the ground. I was scared because I thought I was going to crack my head open.” (BTW, this is the first I have heard of the table. )

In case you are thinking, “Oh, Roni, surely it was not that bad or that loud, let me assure you that it was. When we reported everything to The Judies the next day, Judy 2 commented several times during the day that she had heard something and thought, “OMG - is that Willow????” but then thought that it couldn’t possibly be. So clearly there is a good possibility that DD’s blood-curdling screams awoke at least the people on the other side of us. If you are reading this, dear neighbors, I do apologize, although it really was a tragic accident at sea.

Up next: 10. We Engage in Some Additional Eating​

 

[JLCJMC]

Oh my -- that is scary! I remember when my son fell out of a HUGE pine tree, backwards, in my parents yard -- hit every branch on the way down! Luckily (due mostly to a massive amount of winter clothing) there was no injury but I still remember watching it happen like it took three years -- most helpless feeling ever.... (BTW he is now 17 years old and this was when he was about 5 -- still remember ever detail....)

I COMPLETELY understand about the desire to sit in the piano bar with a drink and a book! My boy is old enough that I can do things like that now, in a limited way, and it is lovely to have some peace and time to do me things -- Never feel you have to justify the desire -- has nothing to do with loving your child and loving being their mom -- sometimes it is just so lovely to be just you for a few minutes Last summer one of my favorite moments from our WDW trip was walking into World Showcase by myself, getting a glass of champagne from the kiosk in France and a berry tart from the pastry shop and sitting on the bench right by the bridge between the international gate and France and just people watching and enjoying being alone It was loverly.

I am loving the trip report -- thanks so much for sharing with us -- I doubt we will ever cruise (motion sickness for me and issues with the unfamiliar and close spaces for my son) but I have always wanted to see the inside of the ships!

BTW --- How is the job hunt?

 

[RGirl]

Oh my -- that is scary! I remember when my son fell out of a HUGE pine tree, backwards, in my parents yard -- hit every branch on the way down! Luckily (due mostly to a massive amount of winter clothing) there was no injury but I still remember watching it happen like it took three years -- most helpless feeling ever.... (BTW he is now 17 years old and this was when he was about 5 -- still remember ever detail....)

I COMPLETELY understand about the desire to sit in the piano bar with a drink and a book! My boy is old enough that I can do things like that now, in a limited way, and it is lovely to have some peace and time to do me things -- Never feel you have to justify the desire -- has nothing to do with loving your child and loving being their mom -- sometimes it is just so lovely to be just you for a few minutes Last summer one of my favorite moments from our WDW trip was walking into World Showcase by myself, getting a glass of champagne from the kiosk in France and a berry tart from the pastry shop and sitting on the bench right by the bridge between the international gate and France and just people watching and enjoying being alone It was loverly.

I am loving the trip report -- thanks so much for sharing with us -- I doubt we will ever cruise (motion sickness for me and issues with the unfamiliar and close spaces for my son) but I have always wanted to see the inside of the ships!

BTW --- How is the job hunt?

Hey there!

Your Epcot moment sounds so lovely! You know, if we cruise again, I will make a point of doing something like that - DD loved the kids' club. I will take some of that time to sit back BY MYSELF.

You know, I have been so conflicted about the whole job search/moving thing that I haven't really done anything about it lately. My boss and I talked this week for quite a while, and she promised that she would do everything she could to try to convince the powers that be to increase my grade. It's all a matter of timing and strategy and it is not very likely to happen, but I think I will hang in a little longer and see if she can make it happen.

 

[iloverags2]

Oh my! How scary with the fall. So glad all turned out ok.

 

[RGirl]

Oh my! How scary with the fall. So glad all turned out ok.

Thanks! It really was scary. What a relief it was to realize that she was okay though.

 

[pas130]

Doesn’t that sound lovely? Okay, probably not to most of you. It probably sounds pretty lame. But to me, it sounded heavenly - just one night like that. I wouldn’t enjoy it all the time, but one night. I LOVE being a parent; I LOVE being an only parent. But that does not mean that I would not also LOVE a couple of hours on one night to just sit in an awesome adults-only place, read my book, sip champagne, etc. Well, let me go ahead and dispel any notion that this actually happened. At some point, ¾ of the way through the cruise, The Judies did actually make such an offer during the day on a day that we couldn’t do it (I think it was pirate night or something), but I thought maybe we could do it another night. Just didn’t happen. Or maybe it was never offered again? You be the judge.

BTW, I don’t think I have mentioned this, but each stateroom has two “wave phones.” These are fabulous because you can carry them with you all over the ship, and anyone in your party can find you (if you are traveling with people who actually take and/or use their phones - ahem, The Judies, ahem). They are also the way that the kids club gets in touch with you!​

So I COMPLETELY understand the whole Judies thing. Yep we will give you some quiet time...and it just magically never happens. I was the bad mommy who snuck out with DH for a walk when everyone was passed out sleeping

I think the phones are a great idea, and yes if you actually need them

And Roni so glad Willow was OK, but that must have been so frightening for BOTH of you

 

[RGirl]

So I COMPLETELY understand the whole Judies thing. Yep we will give you some quiet time...and it just magically never happens. I was the bad mommy who snuck out with DH for a walk when everyone was passed out sleeping

I think the phones are a great idea, and yes if you actually need them

And Roni so glad Willow was OK, but that must have been so frightening for BOTH of you

Thanks pas!

You know, I know that nobody owes me a break. And I'm good with that. But it was kind of disappointing that they finally caught on to the fact that this would be a perfect opportunity to give me such a break, and then there was no follow-through. Part my fault, of course. I could have brought it up on a better night, but I hate asking for things like that!

It was a really scary moment. I have never jumped out of bed that fast before in my life! So thankful that it turned out like it did.

 

[shan23877]

How scary! You must have been so freaked out! I'm so sorry that happened to both of you! Were either of you able to get back to sleep? I'll bet that it'll be a long time before she gets into a top bunk again. Poor kid (and mommy)!


That fantasy evening does sound lovely. I'd wish for the exact same thing. Often when I come home from work I'm hoping that everyone will be asleep so that I can have a little quiet time. Never happens.

And the Huger Games? I have it and haven't had a chance to read it yet!

That's too bad that the Judies didn't offer to let you have a Mommy's Night Out more than once. I totally understand not wanting to ask though, I'm the same way. Unless it's an emergency, we never ask family to watch Mads. Luckily, one of Bryan's cousins (we're very close) always wants Maddie to sleep over, so we do get the occasional adult night. We usually celebrate it by catching up on sleep.

 

[amandaw]

OMG! I would have freaked the H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS OUT!!! I'm so glad she was okay. That would have been scary enough to happen while y'all were awake. But, to be asleep & be woken up by that?!? Poor Willow! And with her nosebleed, too! I thought of myself as a child when you said she gets random nosebleeds. I had chronic nosebleeds as a child. They were so awful. I could be asleep & would wake up to my nose running like a faucet. I feel so bad for her.

I'm sorry you never got to live out your fantasy. But, I know what you mean - I love being a mom & spending time with Reid. But, sometimes you just need a little alone or adult time. I often fantasize about Ed coming home from work & saying, "Don't worry, I'll give him his bath & put him to bed. You just relax."

And the Huger Games? I have it and haven't had a chance to read it yet!

Warning: It is so good that once you start, you won't be able to put it down! I read all 3 books in the matter of like 10 days last summer. I even got Ed to read them they were so good. The only books I've ever been able to get him to read were Harry Potter.

 

[RGirl]

How scary! You must have been so freaked out! I'm so sorry that happened to both of you! Were either of you able to get back to sleep? I'll bet that it'll be a long time before she gets into a top bunk again. Poor kid (and mommy)!

That fantasy evening does sound lovely. I'd wish for the exact same thing. Often when I come home from work I'm hoping that everyone will be asleep so that I can have a little quiet time. Never happens.

And the Huger Games? I have it and haven't had a chance to read it yet!

That's too bad that the Judies didn't offer to let you have a Mommy's Night Out more than once. I totally understand not wanting to ask though, I'm the same way. Unless it's an emergency, we never ask family to watch Mads. Luckily, one of Bryan's cousins (we're very close) always wants Maddie to sleep over, so we do get the occasional adult night. We usually celebrate it by catching up on sleep.

It was definitely a very scary moment. I was so relieved when I finally figured out that everything was okay. Phew!

Those books are GOOD! They were perfect cruise reading. Only downside is that I didn't make it through all of them, so who knows when I will get to pick them up again.

That must be so nice to have someone who takes Maddie once in a while overnight. And how fun for Maddie too! My parents have finally offered to take Willow when I travel for work next month (I have had to travel for work MANY times, and they have never offered; in fact, they have made a point of saying that they can't even though I haven't asked). I am a little nervous about it - Willow has done fine either going with me (when possible - sadly, not possible on this trip) or staying with a friend of mine, so I know she'll do fine, but well, I won't go on. Hopefully, it will be a great experience for all. A kid should have those overnights with grandparents - I remember absolutely wonderful times spending a week with my grandparents when I was a kid.

OMG! I would have freaked the H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS OUT!!! I'm so glad she was okay. That would have been scary enough to happen while y'all were awake. But, to be asleep & be woken up by that?!? Poor Willow! And with her nosebleed, too! I thought of myself as a child when you said she gets random nosebleeds. I had chronic nosebleeds as a child. They were so awful. I could be asleep & would wake up to my nose running like a faucet. I feel so bad for her.

I'm sorry you never got to live out your fantasy. But, I know what you mean - I love being a mom & spending time with Reid. But, sometimes you just need a little alone or adult time. I often fantasize about Ed coming home from work & saying, "Don't worry, I'll give him his bath & put him to bed. You just relax."

Warning: It is so good that once you start, you won't be able to put it down! I read all 3 books in the matter of like 10 days last summer. I even got Ed to read them they were so good. The only books I've ever been able to get him to read were Harry Potter.

It was horrible. Luckily, despite all my craziness, I am very calm under pressure, so I managed to handle it pretty well and get Willow calmed down pretty quickly.

Okay, I NEVER had nose bleeds ever. Willow's nose bleeds throw me for a loop a little bit. They are just like you described - she wakes up tasting blood, and it is just pouring out of her nose like a faucet. It happens every few months. She is INCREDIBLE - I don't know how she does it, but she manages to get out of bed, down the hall, to my room, and she doesn't get a drop of blood on her blankets or the carpet. But why does it happen? Do you know? It is completely foreign to me.

Oh dear lord, Ed should do that! Why doesn't he???? GAH!

I made it through the first book and 2/3 of the second. Since we have returned home, I have taken to reading the rest of the second book during time-outs. It is less blissful, but it does make time-outs more do-able.

 

[RGirl]

10. We Engage in Some Additional Eating

When I last left off, DD and I had had a rough night what with me not sleeping and her falling off a ladder! So, you are probably not surprised to discover that we were both a bit tired and grumpy this morning. However, this was our “at sea” day, so we didn’t really *have* to do anything or be anywhere, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Speaking of the sea, wondering about sea sickness? Well, we all put on sea bands on the first day as a precautionary measure. By early evening, DD had proclaimed them too irritating and removed hers. She never had an issue. By dinner time, I had also proclaimed them too irritating (and ugly) and had removed mine as well. I never put them back on and did not experience a moment of sea sickness. I think The Judies eventually ditched their bands as well. I think we are just blessed to have been born without the motion sickness gene or something though. I am sure that there were others who would have needed something to stave off sea sickness - at least on some of the days.

Before we got going this morning, DD had to tell The Judies about how she fell off the ladder. And she kept ending the story with, “And then, my mom realized *pause* that *pause* my nose was *pause* bleeding!” It was very dramatic! Anyway, DD and I talked a bit about her fall. I was able to clarify that she really had fallen off the ladder and not the bed. Phew! And she was able to explain that she had thought that she was at the floor, but she was really two rungs up. So we talked about how you can tell where you are on a ladder by feeling to make sure that you are actually at the bottom, etc. She then stated that she was going to try the bunk again that night. I really wanted to just say, “no way!” But I knew that I did not want to instill an unnecessary fear in her or discourage her from “getting back on the horse” as they say. So I said, “well, let’s just see how you feel at bedtime.” (BTW, Judy 1 was quite worried about my decision to allow DD to make this decision. )

The Judies wanted a sit-down breakfast, so all four of us went down to Deck 3 to Triton’s for breakfast.

Our server was very nice, and the restaurant and food were lovely. But this meal took a LONG time. I don’t think is the norm, however, because our server was obviously concerned about how long it was taking and brought everyone a fruit cup to tide us over.

DD started off her vacation right with some Mickey waffles!

DD’s insight: “Yum.”

The rest of us ordered a standard breakfast plate thing with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and what appears to be a lot of meat! Don’t worry - the eggs are overcooked because that is how I requested them.

DD did get a bit jealous of our hash browns, so I asked the server for some for her. He brought a plate of THREE hash brown cakes! I am not going to comment on whether I *might* have eaten one of those three extra cakes…… It’s VACATION!! Don’t judge!

DD’s insight: “YUM. I loved it so much.”

I should also note that Triton’s breakfast was really a brunch - there were a number of breakfast choices and a number of lunch choices available. I’m not sure why I feel that I “should” note that, but there you go!

Up next: 11. A Wee Tour of the Wonder​

 

[shan23877]

It was definitely a very scary moment. I was so relieved when I finally figured out that everything was okay. Phew!

Those books are GOOD! They were perfect cruise reading. Only downside is that I didn't make it through all of them, so who knows when I will get to pick them up again.

That must be so nice to have someone who takes Maddie once in a while overnight. And how fun for Maddie too! My parents have finally offered to take Willow when I travel for work next month (I have had to travel for work MANY times, and they have never offered; in fact, they have made a point of saying that they can't even though I haven't asked). I am a little nervous about it - Willow has done fine either going with me (when possible - sadly, not possible on this trip) or staying with a friend of mine, so I know she'll do fine, but well, I won't go on. Hopefully, it will be a great experience for all. A kid should have those overnights with grandparents - I remember absolutely wonderful times spending a week with my grandparents when I was a kid.

I spent tons of time with my grandparents when I was their age. In fact, they took me with them on vacations! My MiL is too busy to have Maddie over (I think she's spent 1 night there without us in her life) and my mom lives too far away now. It also makes us a little nervous to have Maddie at my Mom's (long story), but now that she's older we might be able to let her more often.

Bryan's cousin truly adores Mads and gets mad at us if we don't send her for sleepovers often. It is really nice for us, but especially for Maddie. It's important to feel that loved.

I know that you don't want kudos for raising Willow alone, but I think that you're amazing. You actually go out of your way not to complain about being tired, stressed, etc. The rest of us have help and we complain! As tired as I am at the end of a day, I can only imagine how you must feel. Have you had a full nights sleep in the last 5 years?

Raising my imaginary champagne flute to you... but that's the best smiley I could find.

Oh dear lord, Ed should do that! Why doesn't he???? GAH!

Seriously! Ed needs a talking to!

I made it through the first book and 2/3 of the second. Since we have returned home, I have taken to reading the rest of the second book during time-outs. It is less blissful, but it does make time-outs more do-able.

Great plan!!

Roni, I posted a very special report on the TR tonight. I don't want to give it away, but it may change your life forever.