Pre-Trip Report - Magic Eastern Dec 4th - Forced Electronic Cleansing

[BeachPartyof3]

It has been 2 very long years since we cruised on the Disney Magic. Western Caribbean in October 2008. My daughter was 5, my husband and I were..well age doesn't matter at a certain point right?

Anyway.. you can see our trip report on our website www.EldertVacations.com
Yes, I build websites and do Internet marketing so I built one for our vacation, a simple one, but it isn't like I'm getting paid for it. Right now I am at 109 domains and 2 corporations... yeah. I need a vacation. And one where I am forced to get off the computer - like a Disney cruise is the best thing for me. Right now though, it doesn't seem to be moving fast enough. Even though our paperwork arrived in the mail yesterday! PLUS we tried out our Pirates' costume for a wedding/halloween party on Saturday the 30th!

The Disboards are interesting in the fact that you get to meet so many people before you even step on board. The Cruisin Nuts group has been chatting for 2 YEARS now awaiting this cruise. Crazy right. I had boyfriends who didn't last a tenth of that time

This cruise will probably prove to be a little extra fun, because we will be taping The Kids Reviews on board. This is a website my daughter and I started this year and we will be doing reviews about all aspects of the ship, the tours, ports and Discovery Cove and SeaWorld this year. Several other parents/kids on the Disboards will probably also be participating, so it will be fun to be able to see what kids really think about a Disney Cruise (like we don't already know

Also I will probably be doing some podcasting for my travel section of NetBitsRadio which is an international station I run through NightOut Radio. I've never done one 'remotely' before, but I'm excited to try.

So.. fish extender (saved from 2 years ago - ready to go)
Piles of FE gifts for group.. bought and ready to label.
Candy & Nut tips for staff.. ready.
Scotch for husband and wine for me.. is on the list http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/rolleye11.gif
Pirate outfits.. Ready
Frame for characters to sign.. Ready
Mickey ears ..check
laundry bags, suntan lotion, and waist bags... ready...

sanity..left long ago!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Looking forward to reading your trip report!

Do you happen to have a picture of your FE? I am trying to get ideas on how to make one for my own cruise.

Podcasts from aboard the ship? COOL!

 

[BeachPartyof3]

I have been trying to attach pictures, not sure what I am doing wrong.. you would think with a web design background I could figure out how to get a picture in a forum

Anyway.. Since I was having such a 'cruise' focus.. I am launching my cruise series of websites 30 days pre-cruise.

I would LOVE feedback. They are a work in progress - you could not imagine how long it took to design and fill 8 websites at one time!

www.TopFamilyCruises.com
www.TopSeniorCruises.com
www.TopSpecialtyCruises.com
www.CruisingTheIslands.com
www.CruisingAroundEurope.com
www.Cruising-USA.com
www.Cruising-Atlantic.com
www.Cruising-Pacific.com

I know I have some work to do.. but if anyone wants to email me off list at the email on the bottom of the sites with feedback, I would love suggestions.

And.. on to today's packing news! The couch in my office looks like a suitcase exploded - I have everything piled still...and it is a mess... but I get happy every time I see it!

 

[BeachPartyof3]

I got an email yesterday from a business list I'm on. The author said it was a programmed email because he was on a one-week digital cleansing.
Digital Cleansing? Yep. Meaning that he wasn't going to be around any 'electronic' devices for a week. WOW. No cell phone, no computer, no ipads, ... no sanity. Or maybe sanity back. Anyway, what does this have to do with the cruise. I will be 'locking away' my toys in the safe and having a digital cleansing on the cruise. I am a little stress by the whole concept to be honest, and a little excited. I know I couldn't 'cleanse' while at home surround by my toys..but on a ship, in the caribbean with tons of other things to do and see...it may be possible. I will let you know in Dec

 

[BeachPartyof3]

Well it has been a few weeks since my last report. My futon is covered with stuff we are taking. My toiletry rack (shoe holder) is full and covering the door in my office as I fill every available pocket. I plan to try to roll it up full and just unroll it when I get there..we will see how that goes!

We have been dealing with a slew of medical issues for the last few weeks. I told my husband we were going regardless if I had to take him in a wheel chair because we didn't pay for the insurance! Anyway, my normally healthy husband decides to get his wisdom teeth out last week. With 3 weeks prior to the cruise a few wisdom teeth shouldn't be an issue right?

Well, first he developes such bad gas / stomach pain from the anesthesia that he has hiccups for several days, which leads to chest pain, which leads to being tested to see if his gall bladder needs to come up. No on the later, and they prescribe over the counter gas meds.

(Did I mention he is an RN that runs an ER at a hospital!)

Next the iv the dentist put in caused his vein/artery (I always get them confused - I am NOT an RN) to harden, swell, and block causing pain from his shoulder to wrist, threatening things like clotting going to lungs etc. So for the last 3 days he has been on meds, antibodics, and heating pads to fix his arm - all this from TEETH!

So what do I do.. buy Booze! Lots of it! little bottles from the liquor store, vodka, rum, and a BAG of mojitos! Yep we are still going on this cruise, if I have to liquor him up and drive 12 hours to FL and put him on this boat! Just kidding, he is getting better.. but I did buy the alcohol LOL

I also had Ariel call Sianna and say she was excited about the cruise. It was fun, she pretended to faint and was thrilled. Sianna wants another website besides TheKidsReviews so I am setting her up with Sianna.ME which I bought for her years ago. Nothing says love as much as a mom who buys you a personalized domain name..and some people name stars LOL

Anyway, she is setting up a blog on her own so she can learn web design like Mommy.. I am going to figure out a way to monetize it and the kid can start earning her college fund at 7. She loves being on video and being 'famous' so it isn't like I'm torturing her.

I bought some white T-shirts and am working on finalizing our family T-shirt design for our departure day. I also got a T-shirt coloring kit for Sianna at A C Moores. It was Ariel and she colored it, we put on the cruise name and date, and ironed it for her to wear sometime on the ship.

I love using art and media to personalize and make this special for us.. it helps so much more with the remembering the trip.

Ipad/i phone users.. there is an app for St. Martin. It shows the whole island, places to go and is like carrying a tourist book with you. it is loaded on, so you don't need signal and we are exploring it in the evening - I probably will NOT take it on the island, I would prefer to leave my ipad safe in the safe..plus we signed up for a guided tour of the island. BUT if we were doing it on our own, I would definitely consider bringing it along!

 

[BeachPartyof3]

Just 3 days left. I am hoping in my writing of this that I am actually understandable.. because all I hear in my brain is .."blahh blaahh blaahh..you need sleep...blahh blahh blaah.. why aren't you in bed...blahh blahh blahh"
Yep. I'm melting down.

My to do list gets short one minute then another 'emergency' happens and it grows again. For example: to do: oil change before driving to Florida and back. 2 days and 2 auto shops later and I still haven't found someone to change my oil! Honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I told you why..but it is ridiculous. I will try again tomorrow, but who thought it would be this hard to get oil and a filter!

I am also getting fitted tomorrow for a hand brace that makes it impossible to move my thumb. Yes folks, even someone who only figured out how to text two years ago can get 'tendinitis' from a Blackberry. Now I have to change over to a touch screen since my thumb is about to fall off!
(I don't really 'text' - just reply to work emails about every 5 minutes throughout the entire day!)

I am also preparing by putting Wikinomics on my ipad to listen to on my drive down..getting meds refilled, writing an instruction list for my virtual assistant, renewing library books, and packing enough suitcases to make any bellhop (do they still call them that?) salivate for a tip!
Somehow my mantra "take less stuff' than last cruise - changed to "well if you take the kitchen sink, you won't have to buy it on the boat". My futon and all the floor around it is completely filled with bags. Now where is my bag of mojitos - because at this rate I will need it before we even hit the road!