MickeyMeCrazy
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2015
- Messages
- 35
I always go on cruises with the idea that I'm going to write a review or trip report when I get home, then reality sets in. It never seems to get done! This time, I'm going to make a genuine effort to write one - for two reasons. 1. I'm currently off work due to an injury, so I have a lot of time on my hands. 2. I don't plan on going on another Disney cruise for QUITE some time, so I need to preserve these memories! What better way to do that than a trip report! You'll learn more about #1 and the reasoning for #2 later on in this report.
About ME
Since this is my First Trip Report, and I'm not a well known individual (YET!) on the DIS Boards, I wanted to tell a little bit about myself. I'm 27 years old and married to my wonderful Husband who is 31 years old. We have a son who is 4.75+ years old - turning 5 in November. We live in Wisconsin. We also live to travel. We take at least 1 "big" (a week or longer by plane) vacation a year, sometimes more. We also take various road trips throughout the year to keep us exploring. When I'm not traveling, I'm booking travel for other people - I'm the Manager of the Travel Department at a meeting and event planning company.
A little cruising background - First off - we love it. Second, we are loyal NCL cruisers. We have been on many NCL cruises (both together and before each other's time). We have also experienced other lines such as Carnival, and RCCL. My Husband has been on Princess (I haven't) and also one Disney Cruise (I hadn't) prior to meeting me.
Enough about me, right? This is supposed to be a trip report after all!
Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention was #1. The injury I spoke about earlier. This is a whole nother story in itself, so I'll try to make it short. In July 2015, I was diagnosed with a spontaneous CSF Leak. What that means is - basically, my brain fluid was leaking out my nose. I had brain surgery performed through my nose on September 2nd, so I would have plenty of time to heal prior to this cruise (we booked this cruise July 2014). There were some unexpected complications in which I ended up having to have spinal surgery as well (similar to a laminectomy) 2 days later. After spending 10 days in the neuro ICU, we weren't sure if I'd be making this trip, but it's obvious, I MADE IT!
OK - Now Seriously - Enough About Me....On to the good stuff!
Below - I leave you with a silly family photo - "Stingray Selfie" (as my son called it) from our trip!
Pre-Cruise Adventures
On this trip, we were traveling with my Husband's parents who often travel with us on family vacations. Also, our friend Dean, and his 6 year old son would also be joining us!
We arrived in Miami two days before the cruise on October 7th. Our flight left super early in the AM out of Chicago O'Hare, so we had to leave the house by 4:30am. We flew on Frontier. Not my favorite airline, but we got a great deal on the tickets, and arrived on time and all in one piece. That's all we could ask for right? Unfortunately, we got stuck sitting in the back of the bus with about 10 very naughty children. They took turns screaming, yelling, and kicking backs of seats for the duration of the flight. They made my son look like an angel (which isn't easy sometimes!). The one across the aisle from me hit the "Call" Button 4 times in about a 3 minute time frame, if that gives you any indication of how fun the 3 hour flight was.
The flight attendants were even attempting to quiet down these obnoxious children to no avail. ANYWAY - we were on vacation, so we couldn't be TOO bothered by it all. 
We stayed at Four Points By Sheraton Miami Beach for our 2 night pre-cruise stay. It was more than adequate for what we needed. Clean, with a pool, and right on the beach. We got a really good rate, and were even upgraded to a nice room with a view. I was communicating with the hotel's GM via email prior to our trip regarding his responses to the negative Trip Advisor reviews of his hotel (they are hilarious - check them out if you ever get a chance), and we also received a bottle of Champagne and free breakfast buffet coupons. We had two rooms (one for two nights, one for one night for our friend arriving on October 8). Both were upgraded to oceanfront rooms.
Alex - My Son - Hanging Around Outside The Hotel Before Our Room Was Ready
Hotel Lobby
View from Our Room
Coming up next......Embarkation Day!!
About ME
Since this is my First Trip Report, and I'm not a well known individual (YET!) on the DIS Boards, I wanted to tell a little bit about myself. I'm 27 years old and married to my wonderful Husband who is 31 years old. We have a son who is 4.75+ years old - turning 5 in November. We live in Wisconsin. We also live to travel. We take at least 1 "big" (a week or longer by plane) vacation a year, sometimes more. We also take various road trips throughout the year to keep us exploring. When I'm not traveling, I'm booking travel for other people - I'm the Manager of the Travel Department at a meeting and event planning company.
A little cruising background - First off - we love it. Second, we are loyal NCL cruisers. We have been on many NCL cruises (both together and before each other's time). We have also experienced other lines such as Carnival, and RCCL. My Husband has been on Princess (I haven't) and also one Disney Cruise (I hadn't) prior to meeting me.
Enough about me, right? This is supposed to be a trip report after all!
Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention was #1. The injury I spoke about earlier. This is a whole nother story in itself, so I'll try to make it short. In July 2015, I was diagnosed with a spontaneous CSF Leak. What that means is - basically, my brain fluid was leaking out my nose. I had brain surgery performed through my nose on September 2nd, so I would have plenty of time to heal prior to this cruise (we booked this cruise July 2014). There were some unexpected complications in which I ended up having to have spinal surgery as well (similar to a laminectomy) 2 days later. After spending 10 days in the neuro ICU, we weren't sure if I'd be making this trip, but it's obvious, I MADE IT!
OK - Now Seriously - Enough About Me....On to the good stuff!
Below - I leave you with a silly family photo - "Stingray Selfie" (as my son called it) from our trip!
Pre-Cruise Adventures
On this trip, we were traveling with my Husband's parents who often travel with us on family vacations. Also, our friend Dean, and his 6 year old son would also be joining us!
We arrived in Miami two days before the cruise on October 7th. Our flight left super early in the AM out of Chicago O'Hare, so we had to leave the house by 4:30am. We flew on Frontier. Not my favorite airline, but we got a great deal on the tickets, and arrived on time and all in one piece. That's all we could ask for right? Unfortunately, we got stuck sitting in the back of the bus with about 10 very naughty children. They took turns screaming, yelling, and kicking backs of seats for the duration of the flight. They made my son look like an angel (which isn't easy sometimes!). The one across the aisle from me hit the "Call" Button 4 times in about a 3 minute time frame, if that gives you any indication of how fun the 3 hour flight was.
The flight attendants were even attempting to quiet down these obnoxious children to no avail. ANYWAY - we were on vacation, so we couldn't be TOO bothered by it all. We stayed at Four Points By Sheraton Miami Beach for our 2 night pre-cruise stay. It was more than adequate for what we needed. Clean, with a pool, and right on the beach. We got a really good rate, and were even upgraded to a nice room with a view. I was communicating with the hotel's GM via email prior to our trip regarding his responses to the negative Trip Advisor reviews of his hotel (they are hilarious - check them out if you ever get a chance), and we also received a bottle of Champagne and free breakfast buffet coupons. We had two rooms (one for two nights, one for one night for our friend arriving on October 8). Both were upgraded to oceanfront rooms.
Alex - My Son - Hanging Around Outside The Hotel Before Our Room Was Ready
Hotel Lobby
View from Our Room
Coming up next......Embarkation Day!!
