tidoublegger
<font color=purple>Crazy People Don't Know They're
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2003
- Messages
- 1,259
I started a pre-trip report a while back but can't seem to find it so I will start again! We just returned from our first ever cruise on the Disney Magic! We cruised 12/08/07 for a seven day Eastern! 
The background:
Cast of Characters:
DW Tracy age 41 Disney fanatic (aren't we all?!?!?)
DH Jeff age 42 wonderful guy who has become a Disney fan by marriage!
DD Alex age 8 (9 at end of the month) who has been to Disney 3 times!
We actually have 4 other kids (yours, mine and Alex is the "ours")...2 in college and 2 in high school who opted out of this trip. The planning for this started in early 2006 when DH proposed that we take this cruise in October of 07 for our 10 year anniversary.
We booked a category 9 porthole view room 7/06 and started the count down! After the initial deposit of $750 on the Amex, we faithfully sent a check to allseas travel every month. We paid off the trip in June of 07. We booked Jet Blue round trip nonstop in March 07. Now all there was to do was read the boards and count down the days!! 
Unfortunately things didn't turn out as planned. Sadly enough, Jeff's dad became ill with end stage heart failure.
It had been under control for years with medication, but got worse over the summer. He was a candidate for an LVAD (heart pump...think Grey's Anatomy when Izzy cut the wire) but became too sick for the pump. September rolled around and at the end of the month, we started hospice. Our trip insurance wouldn't cover pre-existing conditions so we had some decisions to make. On 10/8, less than 2 weeks before we were to sail with the Cruise-a-Palooza's on 10/13, we called our travel agent. We changed the date til December at a cost of $503 and Jet Blue cost another $249 to change. It was a good decision as his dad passed away 10/22. We would have missed the last week of his life. 
The next month was difficult.
After Thanksgiving, we were finally feeling ready (more than ready after the long past few months) and started looking forward to our trip.
About 10 days before the trip, I rec'd a call and an email telling us we had been upgraded to a Cat. 6 Deluxe Veranda room! Whoohoo! We never would have been able to afford one so that was a really nice surprise!
Then about 4 days before we left, I noticed that Jet Blue's prices for my flight had dropped significantly so we were able to get a credit for $252 good until 12/2008! Both of these unexpected surprises made up for the extra money we had spent to change our dates. 
Coming up....Day one and pictures!
The background:
Cast of Characters:
DW Tracy age 41 Disney fanatic (aren't we all?!?!?)
DH Jeff age 42 wonderful guy who has become a Disney fan by marriage!
DD Alex age 8 (9 at end of the month) who has been to Disney 3 times!
We actually have 4 other kids (yours, mine and Alex is the "ours")...2 in college and 2 in high school who opted out of this trip. The planning for this started in early 2006 when DH proposed that we take this cruise in October of 07 for our 10 year anniversary.
We booked a category 9 porthole view room 7/06 and started the count down! After the initial deposit of $750 on the Amex, we faithfully sent a check to allseas travel every month. We paid off the trip in June of 07. We booked Jet Blue round trip nonstop in March 07. Now all there was to do was read the boards and count down the days!! Unfortunately things didn't turn out as planned. Sadly enough, Jeff's dad became ill with end stage heart failure.
It had been under control for years with medication, but got worse over the summer. He was a candidate for an LVAD (heart pump...think Grey's Anatomy when Izzy cut the wire) but became too sick for the pump. September rolled around and at the end of the month, we started hospice. Our trip insurance wouldn't cover pre-existing conditions so we had some decisions to make. On 10/8, less than 2 weeks before we were to sail with the Cruise-a-Palooza's on 10/13, we called our travel agent. We changed the date til December at a cost of $503 and Jet Blue cost another $249 to change. It was a good decision as his dad passed away 10/22. We would have missed the last week of his life. The next month was difficult.
After Thanksgiving, we were finally feeling ready (more than ready after the long past few months) and started looking forward to our trip. About 10 days before the trip, I rec'd a call and an email telling us we had been upgraded to a Cat. 6 Deluxe Veranda room! Whoohoo! We never would have been able to afford one so that was a really nice surprise!
Then about 4 days before we left, I noticed that Jet Blue's prices for my flight had dropped significantly so we were able to get a credit for $252 good until 12/2008! Both of these unexpected surprises made up for the extra money we had spent to change our dates. Coming up....Day one and pictures!
Let the MAGIC begin! 
