The Parkers take over the Wonder! January 4-8,2009 Pre-trip.

[Amlee]

Ok, starting tomorrow we are 75 days out. In those 75 days, we have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, 1 Birthday, 1 Cruise, 1 Savannah trip and a surgery.

Let's start the madness!

This story starts way back in January of 2008. A friend of my parents started talking about taking their kids and grandkids on a Disney cruise. Well this was talked about in front of my 7 year old nephew. Who quickly caught on to the conversation. So with his puppy dog eyes looked at his Papa and said the magic word. PLEASE!? My dad then got that deer in the headlight look, and I knew he had been caught. My mother just smiled with that HA! You got busted look toward my dad.

We then have to decide the when. I knew that January was out of the season, but what about school? So we debated and talked and knew the kids would be out the first week of January for Winter break. So we got to pricing and the price difference between for the New Year’s cruise and the week after made it a no brainier! So we booked for the January 4 – 8, 2009 sailing. Which we lucked up, it worked out the kids didn’t go back to school until January 6th. So they would only miss 4 days of school.

In 2006 my parents did the kids and grandkids Disney cruise with us all, and this time it was a grandkids only cruise, unless the kids wanted to pay for themselves and go.

I knew that the other kids would not go, if they had to dish out their own money. I also knew that my parents and all of the kids couldn't all fit in one cabin. I also knew that there was no way that my parents would put the kids in a cabin by themselves. I also knew that my sister and one brother would not let their kids go, unless they got to go. They like to play those type games. So I knew 3 of the 6 wouldn't get to go. So I quickly started rubbing my hands together with a plan!


Sure enough everyone was all for it, until they heard the, we will only be paying for the grandkids. The adults have to pay for themselves. So far I’m right on target with my plan. It ended up with 3 kids going and 3 kids staying at home. I then asked my mother if they wanted to upgrade to one of the cabins that sleep 5 or put the kids in a cabin by themselves? Oh now that was a priceless face!


I don’t think they had thought the idea of grandkids only all the way through. Also my parents will only sail with a balcony. Unless they put the kids in an inside cabin across the hall, or move them to their own balcony. They were going to have a problem. As my mother after sailing in an inside cabin said she would never put her grandkids in one. See my plan is working just as planned! So I suggested, you know if I went, then I could have the kids in a cabin with me and we could have a cat 9 on deck 2. You could see the wheels a turning with that. They also aren’t people that stay up late or do the shows. So that would relief them of having to do all of that. Which I quickly pointed out to her.

After thinking things over it was decided that I would be going. Now before any of you say it’s not right. Out of the 5 of us kids there are only 2 of us single. Out of the 2 of us, the other has been contracted to work the fireworks for NYC’s NYE’s show. So he can’t go. The other 3 would be in the same bolt as my parents and we would have ended up getting more than one extra cabin. At least that is how I justify it.

After looking over the pricing, I upgrade the kids and I to a balcony cabin. So there you have it. My parents, the kids and I are all booked in 2 non-connecting cat 6 cabins. So the starring characters in this story will be.

Myself: (33) The organizer, planner, and the women with the plan!
Mama aka: Nana: (55) turning 56 on the ship
Dad aka: Papa: (65) aka Papa Grumpy
Oldest Niece T: (17) but thinks she is all grown up
Niece A: (13) but thinks she is 21, and younger sister to T. My dad has already asked do they make a leash to fit her?
Nephew E: (will be 8, by the time we sail) He is determined to rescue Mickey from Captain Hook this time!

 

[Amlee]

So once my plan was put in action and completed the fun stuff started. I think!

My parent’s friends also decided to book. They all opted for 4 cat 9 cabins. A friend of theirs and her daughter also signed up with this group for an inside cabin on deck 7.

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!
Another rule my parents have when cruising, is flying in the day before. Period! No if, an’s, or buts about it! So the decision was do we stay at the Hyatt, closer to the port, at the parks? Ok, the parks got me a yeah right look, so I knew that wasn’t happening. But hey, it was worth a shot!

Disney ruined my dad with their luggage program. He hates the hassle of getting there and leaving. So when in the talk, I mentioned getting our luggage and taking it….. Well that is as far as that went! Because he remembered that he didn’t have to haul his luggage far, when they stayed at the Hyatt on the first cruise. So it was the Hyatt.

Since I didn’t want another one of those looks, I just signed us up with the Disney transfers.

Now we are only a few weeks into Jan and I’m already saying book air! Book air now! But the parents are all debating do we book now on Delta or wait for Southwest to come out in August. My parents have credit with Delta which is enough to cover the 5 of us now, if we book now. I also knew that the air would just go up and if we waited for August that the air wasn’t going to be cheaper than the $250 each that I had found with Delta. Still the debate went on, so I used my knowledge of the people I was dealing with and went to the two dads.

Me: You know if yall wait and book with Southwest, the prices could go up? But also Southwest isn’t a Disney airline. So we would have to haul our luggage around before and after the cruise.
The Dads: I don’t think so! Book Delta now!

See I know who I’m dealing with!

With all the decisions made everything has shaped up like this.

Flying in on January 3rd on a direct Delta flight (HA! So we thought!).
Staying the night at the Hyatt
Taking DCL down to the port on the 4th.
Taking DCL back to MCO on the 8th, for our direct flight home (again HA!)

Coming back part of the other group decided they will go on to the parks for a few days, while the rest of us come on home.

For the months of Feb, March, April, May and June the Disney cruise got put on the back burner. I was in and out of the country Feb and March on different cruises. April and May, I was busy with meetings in San Diego and Atlanta. Then both set of parents went on an Alaskan cruise for 2 weeks.

But it wasn’t that far on the back burner! I started thinking about excursions, door signs, matching t-shirts and other ideas.

It was during this busy time that one of the other groups kids called and asked a question about their flight (remember they are staying a few days over to do DW). So I look on line at their flight information, and I have a huge surprise. Our flights had been changed. Now this was around March and I got NO call or email from Delta. Not happy about this at all!!

Because they had removed us from our direct flight and put us on a connecting flight through Heltanta! But what was worse they had us on a miss connect and had put half of us on one flight and half on another. Despite of the fact that, I had notes made on the ressies that this was a family traveling together. UGH!

So I spent a good hour or so, on the phone with Delta getting all of that fixed. But no luck in getting us back on a direct flight. Our flight is moved to 6 am on the 3rd getting into Orlando around 9:30am. Our return flight, for those of us coming directly home doesn’t leave until almost 9pm.

So I made an executive decision and booked a day room at the Hyatt. NO way was I seating around at the airport all day with that many hours to wait. Wasn’t happening!
It also helps when you call someone with a problem, to have a fix to said problem! It tends to go over better that way!

 

[Amlee]

As the summer went on, I started making little purchases. You know those things, that you just can’t find for a winter cruise to the Caribbean. I found sun screen on sale, swim shoes to fit the kids, glow necklaces at Wal-Mart for $1, pens with strings round them for the kids to wear around there neck.

While going through some things at my parent’s house, I found some old casino cards on attachable bungee cords. IDEA! I have found about 6 of them so far. I removed the cards from the cords and have attached clear plastic pouches to them, for the kid’s cards. Our 3 will get Castaway Members lanyards, but the other group will not. So I thought they might enjoy having them.

As the summer starts to come to a close, things start going on sale! I found E some play shirts at Wal-Mart for $2 each. These are great because he will still be able to wear them next summer also. I also found T and A some cute dress at another store. E also gets a few more shirts and some shorts. I found a really cool glow in the dark pirate shirt and spider man shirt. He is going to flip when he sees though.

I did bust the girls bubble when I wouldn’t let the girls take their new clothes home. Everything is piling up in one of the bedrooms at my parents house.

I talked to the girls and we decided to have the white background pictures made as a surprise for everyone. The four of us have blue tops to wear with black bottoms. This will be a something we can give to the parents. It’s also T’s senior year and I’m hoping we might could do some senior pictures for her. But I’m going to surprise her by doing this for her.

I’ve told the girls I would be bringing all the shower, hair and other products they will need. They use my stuff when they come over anyway. So we don’t need to have 3 different bottles of shampoo in such a cramped area. All they have to bring is clothes. They came to spend a week with me during the summer and you would have thought they were moving in!! So we had a LONG talk about packing for the cruise. I have one 28 inch drop bottom duffel, that they plan to share. It shall be fun watching two teenage girls share a suitcase. Especially since T thinks she needs 8 pairs of shoes for a 3 day weekend.

The kids will also have 1 carry-on case and a backpack to take with them. I bought all the kid’s their own DS this summer. That way they will have something to do in all of that hurry up and waiting we are going to be doing.

 

[Amlee]

Since we are getting in so early the morning before, I’ve been tossing around some ideas. We adult kids have talked about leaving the kids with the parents and going to Downtown Disney for the day. The kids have hinted about going to one of the parks for the day. They have also hinted and talked about going to the Atlantis water park the day in Nassau. I told the kids that we couldn’t do both.

I’m thinking as a surprise for Christmas, I’ll buy the kids a one day park ticket for them. I’m thinking the water at Atlantis will be COLD in January. I just have to make up my mind. Ugh! That means I have to work out transportation for the 4 of us to the park and back. More work for me! YIPPIE!!!

I did a cruise in Sept out of PC, and I spent some time in the airport. I wanted a pair of the Mickey gloves, but they don't sell them there. I was told I would have to go to the parks to find them. So another reason to buy us tickets.

October 1st my grandmother(79) had knee replacement. She has only been in the hospital one other time, so she doesn't like the idea of being down there by herself. So my mother and I split our time down there at night. With my aunt pulling the weekend shift. They moved her to rehab on the 4th and she will be in there for at least 2 weeks up to 4. Depending on how she does and what the doctor says. The place she is staying at is GREAT! I said yesterday that she might not want to come home. They have all kinds of actives for the patients to do.

Both set of parents, have a planned week trip to Savannah coming up at the end of October. So we are all hoping that my grandmother will be home in time for them to do that.

Since it’s now October, and the weather is getting cooler. I have started packing my summer cruise clothes away. I’ll just put them in their suitcase with dryer sheets, so they will be ready come January. Couldn’t be much easier! The girls are doing the same thing. E has out grown his summer clothes , so they will go to the boys that are traveling with us. Their mother LOVES when he out grows his stuff.

Like I said, tomorrow is our 75 day mark. There isn’t anything we want to book, so it’s no big deal. OTHER than a spa treatment or two for me, which I’ll book on board.

I’m not sure what we will do in Nassau, the kids did the Atlantis tour last time. E has said to just leave him in the clubs. The girls have talked about going shopping. My dad will make a bee line for the Atlantis casino (remember all of those cards I found!?). My mother likes to shop. (those girls come by it honestly!)

If there is anything that we would remotely pre-book would be the sting ray thingy at Castaway. E, saw Samantha Brown where she did it at Sting Ray city in G.C. He was all excited about that. I'll look into booking him that some time between now and then. He is terrified of bugs and such. So I'm not sure he will follow through with it.