Monica D
Ready to plan my next cruise!
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2007
- Messages
- 452
This is my first trip report, so please be kind. 
Hubby and I must have said "Put it on my tab" (a la Steve Carell) a hundred times during our cruise, so I figured that was an appropriate name for it. 
Included in this report are:
Me (mom, wife, packer extraordinare)
Dh (dad, husband, lugger of my heavy suitcases)
Darth Vader (son, 10.5 years old, lover of all things Star Wars)
Belle (daughter, 8 years old on 11/14, loves the color blue and is not into the princesses anymore, although she tolerates Belle and Ariel)
Our trip actually began on Thursday, November 1st when we left the Bay Area for Orlando. We spent two days going to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM. Someday I hope get a report done for those as well.
Sunday, November 4th
The day weve been waiting for is here! Since wed had such a busy day on Saturday and everyone was still passed out, I decided to get up, get ready and get the rest of our stuff packed up. After everyone else woke up we headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. The quick part didnt go so well, as the dining area was completely packed. When we sat down to eat we looked over at the TV and saw that Jaws was on. We all thought that was an odd choice given that the majority of the hotel guests were getting ready to spend several days on the open sea, but whatever.
After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed to the port. It didnt take long to catch our first glimpse of the smoke stacks. The excitement in our car was mounting. I had When You Wish Upon a Star playing, and we could barely wait to get to the terminal. 
After getting our documents checked and unloading our rather large group of luggage we headed upstairs to get our boarding pass. I had seen pictures of the terminal building, but it felt surreal to actually be there. Our check in went smoothly and I was thrilled to get a #2 boarding pass!
We registered the kids for the Oceaneers Lab and bought some snacks and lanyards for each of us (tip: these things were worth the money and then some!).
Once everyone was settled I decided to walk around and take some pictures.
Eventually (mainly because were just plain impatient) we decided to wait near the boarding area, which worked out well as we were able to chat with a very knowledgable cruiser (we later learned his name was Kevin. HI KEVIN!
). In no time at all it was time to board! We grabbed all of our stuff, took a quick picture (I hadnt bought matching t-shirts for nothing, after all) and walked onto the ship. They directed us to go to BBB for lunch, but being a loyal Dis Board reader I knew better. We took the elevators up to deck 9 and as soon as the doors opened I yelled, To the Mickey pool! To my surprise and delight, we were the first ones there (I seem to recall that I did just a little bit of gloating). While the kids were busy having fun in the pool, we decided it was a great time for our first Bahama Mama. 
After drinks and a quick bite I decided to head down to Wavebands to see if I could up our late seating a little (I was hoping to go from 8:30 to 8:00). After talking with Nelson I found out that we could be waitlisted for the earlier time but if we stayed put wed have a table to ourselves. Not knowing who we could be sitting with and not knowing how our kids would be acting at dinner, I decided that sticking with what we had was good enough. By now it was time to go back up to deck 9, grab a couple of bags and head to our stateroom.
We quickly found our room, which was conveniently located mid-ship. I think the first thing I did was open the door to the verandah, which gave us a perfect view of the ferry building. It wasnt too long before a few bags started to show up, and I found that even though we had packed enough to last us a month there was more than enough room to put everything away. Pretty soon it was time to go meet my fellow Dis friends. We chatted for a few minutes (hi Kris, Patty & Stephanie!) and then it was back to the room to grab our life vests.
Another Dis tip I shared with my family: dont get to the drill too early. Even though it wasnt a hot day, its amazing how a few minutes in the sun wearing a giant piece of foam can make you sweat. My late arrival plan worked out well, as Belle started to have a meltdown about 30 seconds into it. They were more than happy to get back to the room and shed those things. I think it was around this time that I started shrieking, The sail away party! Hurry! Hurry! Yes Im like this all the time.
(continued below)
Hubby and I must have said "Put it on my tab" (a la Steve Carell) a hundred times during our cruise, so I figured that was an appropriate name for it. Included in this report are:
Me (mom, wife, packer extraordinare) Dh (dad, husband, lugger of my heavy suitcases) Darth Vader (son, 10.5 years old, lover of all things Star Wars) Belle (daughter, 8 years old on 11/14, loves the color blue and is not into the princesses anymore, although she tolerates Belle and Ariel)Our trip actually began on Thursday, November 1st when we left the Bay Area for Orlando. We spent two days going to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM. Someday I hope get a report done for those as well.
Sunday, November 4th
The day weve been waiting for is here! Since wed had such a busy day on Saturday and everyone was still passed out, I decided to get up, get ready and get the rest of our stuff packed up. After everyone else woke up we headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. The quick part didnt go so well, as the dining area was completely packed. When we sat down to eat we looked over at the TV and saw that Jaws was on. We all thought that was an odd choice given that the majority of the hotel guests were getting ready to spend several days on the open sea, but whatever.
After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed to the port. It didnt take long to catch our first glimpse of the smoke stacks. The excitement in our car was mounting. I had When You Wish Upon a Star playing, and we could barely wait to get to the terminal.
After getting our documents checked and unloading our rather large group of luggage we headed upstairs to get our boarding pass. I had seen pictures of the terminal building, but it felt surreal to actually be there. Our check in went smoothly and I was thrilled to get a #2 boarding pass!
We registered the kids for the Oceaneers Lab and bought some snacks and lanyards for each of us (tip: these things were worth the money and then some!).
Once everyone was settled I decided to walk around and take some pictures.
Eventually (mainly because were just plain impatient) we decided to wait near the boarding area, which worked out well as we were able to chat with a very knowledgable cruiser (we later learned his name was Kevin. HI KEVIN!
). In no time at all it was time to board! We grabbed all of our stuff, took a quick picture (I hadnt bought matching t-shirts for nothing, after all) and walked onto the ship. They directed us to go to BBB for lunch, but being a loyal Dis Board reader I knew better. We took the elevators up to deck 9 and as soon as the doors opened I yelled, To the Mickey pool! To my surprise and delight, we were the first ones there (I seem to recall that I did just a little bit of gloating). While the kids were busy having fun in the pool, we decided it was a great time for our first Bahama Mama.
After drinks and a quick bite I decided to head down to Wavebands to see if I could up our late seating a little (I was hoping to go from 8:30 to 8:00). After talking with Nelson I found out that we could be waitlisted for the earlier time but if we stayed put wed have a table to ourselves. Not knowing who we could be sitting with and not knowing how our kids would be acting at dinner, I decided that sticking with what we had was good enough. By now it was time to go back up to deck 9, grab a couple of bags and head to our stateroom.
We quickly found our room, which was conveniently located mid-ship. I think the first thing I did was open the door to the verandah, which gave us a perfect view of the ferry building. It wasnt too long before a few bags started to show up, and I found that even though we had packed enough to last us a month there was more than enough room to put everything away. Pretty soon it was time to go meet my fellow Dis friends. We chatted for a few minutes (hi Kris, Patty & Stephanie!
) and then it was back to the room to grab our life vests.
Another Dis tip I shared with my family: dont get to the drill too early. Even though it wasnt a hot day, its amazing how a few minutes in the sun wearing a giant piece of foam can make you sweat. My late arrival plan worked out well, as Belle started to have a meltdown about 30 seconds into it. They were more than happy to get back to the room and shed those things. I think it was around this time that I started shrieking, The sail away party! Hurry! Hurry! Yes Im like this all the time.
(continued below)
Love all the pictures! (And Steve Carell reference 
)
Happy birthday to you, too! 
I'm hoping to write some more tonight, but we'll see as I'm currently buried under a pile of homework that is threatening to smother me. 
