Thank God For Trip Insurance; Our Merry Land/Sea! (Two new updates October 3)

[Tinker_Tam]

I have been following along and kept thinking that your DH looks like someone. I finally figured it out. I think your DH looks like Freddie Prinze Jr. Does he hear that often? LOL

I am curious about the whole thrilling disappointment... anxious reader here!

 

[praisehisname]

I have read many TRs from cruisers and most loyal DISERS get a boarding pass 2. I have never seen a 20 in TRs.

On our first 2 cruises, they didn't do boarding passes and there was just a huge line snaking through the entire terminal. On our last cruise, we got a 22! You're right, though; it goes pretty fast.

It was an enjoyable, relaxing lunch.

Eating at Parrot Cay is so much nicer than Beach Blanket!

 

[ampc3]

I'm glad your spirts were still good after all the mishaps of your arrival and boarding! Hope things turn around

 

[tinkmom2]

Our first cruise we got to port so late the terminal was empty and there was no one to welcome us aboard we almost didn't eat because of the muster drill closing everything down. Our second cruise we pulled a #12 and when they welcomed us I got tears in my eyes! I will have to remember to take video of that when we go on the Dream! We didn't go swiming either time even though we had our swim suits on under our clothes.

 

[pmama]

Love the cruise report so far...but I'm worried about the use of trip insurance!

And guess what! Our check from the trip insurance is supposedly in the mail FINALLY!

You are so right about all the super eager Disers like myself getting to the port at the crack of dawn to get that number 2 boarding pass. Nothing wrong with arriving later either.

Ugh, that whole rental car ordeal sounded like an ordeal, I hope they refunded you the difference for the downgrade in car.

You know, in the end it just wasn't worth the battle. So, nope we didn't get any refund.

What a disaster with the car rental! Not the best start to your cruise!

Hopefully things pick up soon! Can't wait to hear more!

They do.

Great start to the cruise part of your TR! Your girls are so cute, they look like best friends! What deck was your stateroom on?

They are best of friends. I'm so glad they have eachother. We were on deck 2.

Shoot, I forgot that I told you about the shark thing. Don't want to beat a dead horse.
Anyway!!! The start of the cruise doesn't sound too promising. The rental car fiasco would be enough for me. I think a letter to the company might be in order.
The cruise, so far, seems to be going off without a hitch, other than the rain. Can't wait to hear more about this "wonderful" experience.

We did run into more problems at the end of our trip when we returned the car to the airport. You know, I really should follow up on that. You are right.

What a miserable start to your cruise (teeny car and rain!). A friend at work was supposed to go on a Disney cruise December 3, 2009 but due to financial problems had to cancel and lost the deposit. However, he & family are now going to WDW in May and so all was not lost. I mention this because I am curious as to how you liked your cruise (this would have been their first too). I can't wait to read all about your cruise now!

We loved the cruise but will never book a cruise in December again.

a thrilling disappointment! Oh no

Thrilling disappointment!? Can't wait to see what that is all about!! GREAT start though...sorry about the car. Love your matching tshirts

Thanks, I loved those T-shirts too.

 

[pmama]

I have been following along and kept thinking that your DH looks like someone. I finally figured it out. I think your DH looks like Freddie Prinze Jr. Does he hear that often? LOL

I am curious about the whole thrilling disappointment... anxious reader here!

Yep DH does get told he looks like Freddie Prinze Jr. Too funny.

On our first 2 cruises, they didn't do boarding passes and there was just a huge line snaking through the entire terminal. On our last cruise, we got a 22! You're right, though; it goes pretty fast.


Oh, good I feel better now.

Eating at Parrot Cay is so much nicer than Beach Blanket!

I am glad I had read the tip to just ask to wait for PC. It was a calm, relaxing first meal on board.

I'm glad your spirts were still good after all the mishaps of your arrival and boarding! Hope things turn around

They will.................... For a while.

Our first cruise we got to port so late the terminal was empty and there was no one to welcome us aboard we almost didn't eat because of the muster drill closing everything down. Our second cruise we pulled a #12 and when they welcomed us I got tears in my eyes! I will have to remember to take video of that when we go on the Dream! We didn't go swiming either time even though we had our swim suits on under our clothes.

Wow, you really did get there late. I actually think I like the time we got there. Not much waiting at all.

 

[miprender]

Yikes, that is too bad about the car rental. Where did you rent from? We will be using a new rental place for this trip and there is no way our family will ever fit into a compact.

 

[Cheryl726]

How did you like deck 2?

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

This TR has me on the edge of my seat I can't wait to get the whole story of the "thrilling disappointment"!

 

[smithpack]

I hope it doesn't rain your whole cruise. That would not be good. I also hope nobody gets sick. OP was right, your DH does look like Freddy Prince Jr. I had thought the same thing before, just forgot to mention it. That's funny.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

Yikes! Thrilling Disappointment! Let's Hear it! Great start, looking forward to more.

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi there,
I just started reading your trip report over the weekend and am now all caught up. I have really enjoyed the Disney World portion of your trip. you have a beautiful family and your girls are adorable! My DD is 9 and I can't get her to wear all those cute Princess and Tink outfits like your DD does. I just don't get it . She doesn't even like BBB anymore. My DH and I were in Disney in December as well. The Christmas party and Osborne lights are awesome aren't they. Looks like you had a great trip so far, except for the compact rental car to the port. Looking forward to hearing all about your Disney cruise. We are planning on booking the Dream for 2011. Sorry you had to use your trip insurance, that doesn't sound good.

Nichole

 

[pmama]

Yikes, that is too bad about the car rental. Where did you rent from? We will be using a new rental place for this trip and there is no way our family will ever fit into a compact.

We rented from Budget. Recently saw a thread where others were not happy with their service.

How did you like deck 2?

We liked deck 2 just fine. It was close to deck 4 and easy to disembark from.

This TR has me on the edge of my seat I can't wait to get the whole story of the "thrilling disappointment"!

Thanks, sorry it's moving so slow.

I hope it doesn't rain your whole cruise. That would not be good. I also hope nobody gets sick. OP was right, your DH does look like Freddy Prince Jr. I had thought the same thing before, just forgot to mention it. That's funny.

Hmm, I guess I can see some similarities.

Yikes! Thrilling Disappointment! Let's Hear it! Great start, looking forward to more.

Thanks

Hi there,
I just started reading your trip report over the weekend and am now all caught up. I have really enjoyed the Disney World portion of your trip. you have a beautiful family and your girls are adorable! My DD is 9 and I can't get her to wear all those cute Princess and Tink outfits like your DD does. I just don't get it . She doesn't even like BBB anymore. My DH and I were in Disney in December as well. The Christmas party and Osborne lights are awesome aren't they. Looks like you had a great trip so far, except for the compact rental car to the port. Looking forward to hearing all about your Disney cruise. We are planning on booking the Dream for 2011. Sorry you had to use your trip insurance, that doesn't sound good.

Nichole

I'm sure this was the last year my oldest daughter would dress up. I figured I might as well make the most of it while I could.

 

[pmama]

Alrighty, my last update ended with us in our life jackets preparing for the life boat drill. It really wasn't all that bad. They had us line up as a family single file with the youngest in the front. I think the girls even liked it.

After the drill I followed a fabulous hint I had read here on the boards. The girls and I took off our life vests and handed them to DH to return to the room while we climbed our way to the top deck for the Sail Away Party! When we arrived on deck we were the second family there. Front Row! We claimed our spot front and center stage (standing over the covered Goofy pool).

The girls had fun dancing around with their streamers as we waited.

It was great to be front and center but one bummer was that by the time DH arrived there we were surrounded and he was not able to stand directly by us. He was within smiling, waving, and yelling distance though. Our spots were coveted by all and if we made a single budge more kids (and moms) would try to squeeze in.

Towards the end Faith was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the crowd.

(She will get over this by pirate night.)

They ended the party by having all the kids come up on stage. I was glad I was up front because it was difficult even from where I was standing to keep an eye on your child.

As soon as the party was over we went to deck 10 to watch us actually sail away. I must admit it was an amazing feeling. It was our first time ever sailing away on such a big ship.

If memory serves right we went back to our room to hang out and ordered room service (the only time we did this). It was a cracker and cheese plate. We had too much fun watching the pilot boats from our window.

Before we knew it, it was time to get dressed up and head to the show. (We had late dining which worked great for us since our tummies are on mountain time.)

The show tonight was Golden Mickeys. As we approached the theater there were all kinds of cast members pretending to take pictures of our family as we arrived as if we were walking the red carpet. I had to laugh because I had read TRs and knew they weren't actually "taking" the pictures. (They were just using the flashes). Well I looked over at DH and he was actually smiling and posing. I whispered that they weren't actually taking the pictures so wouldn't feel like a complete fool by the end. We all really enjoyed the show. Perfect for our family with young children.

After the show we stood around forever to watch the "tree lighting ceremony". It really wasn't worth the wait as we could see the tree lighted at any time but it was a beautiful view non the less.

Tonight on our dining rotation was Tritons. This was Faith's favorite restaurant. There was a beautiful mosaic wall that looked like her menu here.

Don't remember who took this picture.

On this particular night we were waited on maticulously. Our servers were missing everyone from a HUGE table next to us so they were free to help us with everything. I have read some reports of "hovering waiters". I'm sure they could have been considered hovering but we loved it. Hope spilled her drink and within second they were both there. One rushed her plate away and quickly brought out all new food. They carefully creased down a napkin with a knife so that it was pretty and perfect within seconds. They did magic tricks to the girls and we had our first of many Mickey ketchup plates.

By far the best service we've ever had in our lives.

Here are some pictures that were taken by a photographer that night. (This is a picture of the computer screen kiosk.)

From looking at the Navigator I knew something very important was coming up this evening RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR DINING ROOM that we could not miss. The girls and I decided to leave DH to eat desert on his own so that we could be first in line for PRINCESS TIANA!
Wow, that certainly beats standing in line for 60-90 minutes in WDW. Plus we got the bonus of a beautiful Christmas tree in the back.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

 

[pmama]

I guess I haven't mentioned yet how incredibly rocky it was. At one point in the evening DD5 and I literally tripped over eachother and fell to the floor. We were actually both embarrased and at first I was afraid I hurt her but we look back at it and laugh now. It was too funny to watch crowds of people walk down the hallway because they all would move from one side of the hallway to the other in a herd as the boat leaned back and forth.

Even DD9 was feeling a bit queasy. I was so glad I had taken Bonine the night before as I am easily motion sickness. I felt queasy but was able to deal with it since I'd taken meds. The reason the huge table next to us was out was because they were all sick.

I remember telling DH during dinner that I had no idea cruises were actually that rocky. Well, finally about this point in the evening we took the girls to get their pictures taken. It was here that we learned from the photographer that this was not normal. She told us she even felt sick and light headed. She wasn't sure how well her photographs would turn out. (We ended up loving every one.) We bought them but I don't feel like taking the time to scan in so here is a picture of the picture from the screen.

There were even more but I'll stop there! Definitely worth taking the time for photos. They really take the time to get the best poses.

After a long magical evening we returned to our stateroom. We found our fist fish extender gifts. In my hurry to pack I had forgotten to pack the stocking I had decorated to be our fish extender. So, we had made a make shift fish extender with a small zip back that zipped off our roller cooler.

The girls just loved being part of the fish extender exchange. Here are our first goodies.

We found that our stateroom host and turned down the beds. The girls were ecstatic to see the top bunk that magically appeared out of the ceiling.

What's funny is Faith handed me a waded up towel and said, "here mommy this towel was left on my bed". Poor thing, she had no idea she had just destroyed our first towel animal before anyone could see what it was.

We all found that the rocking of the ship was like being rocked to sleep and all fell asleep quite easily for a great night sleep.
_________________________________________________________________

This will most likely be my last update before our trip to Florida and RCI cruise in the Caribbean as we leave tomorrow!!! I'll be back to finish up the trip report and do some comparing. Thanks for sticking around.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hurray! So glad that you got meet Tiana and it was a beautiful picture.

The pictures of the girls with the white background were lovely as well.

Too bad about the rocky seas, that is unusual!

 

[Princess_K]

Great update! I've been a lot more interested in a DCL cruise lately, so I love reading reports like this!

Have a wonderful trip

 

[AlohaAnnie]

Hope you guys have a great cruise, can't wait to hear more when you get back!

 

[lilpapsgirl]

Have a fun and safe cruise!! It is an awesome time of the year to go. I hope you guys have a wonderful time and can't wait to hear the rest of your Trip Report!!

 

[lmillercrew]

Have a great time on your cruise! Can you explain what the fish finder thing is? I don't know much about Disney cruises.