Traveling the WB Repo 2008 with an ex - FINISHED with PICS

[discruiser]

Jolene...

We are on the EB Repo and are booked for the same tour in Acapulco. Did you think it was worth the money? Do you think you saw enough or do you think that too much time was devoted to shopping? I'm really enjoying reading about your trip.

Thanks,
Kim

 

[Credit Man]

Enjpying your report. Thanks for posting

 

[philatiger]

Thanks for sharing. We have been enjoying your TR. As much as I like visiting Mexico, I keep hearing more and more stories about what happened with your father. Glad it turned out ok

 

[littleaussie]

Guess what? I set the alarm for 7:15 this morning! The reason being I had to go down to guest services and send a message to all the dis staterooms.

Today, DD 6 was feeling sick. The story begins a few days before we left. DD 3 came down with a wet cough. It got really bad once we hit Florida and all that moisture was around. I had gotten antibiotics from the doctor before we left to be used in an emergency. My mom, who is a nurse, said her cough had changed so we had to start her on the amoxicillin. She still has a bit of a cough but no other symptoms. This past weekend, I got a cold, the kind that makes you feel really lousy and all you want to do is sleep. Well DD 6 decided to get both the cold and the cough over the weekend. Today she ran a fever and felt achy and had the wet cough too.

So she stayed in the stateroom most of the day. X brought back some breakfast for us all and then we shifted over to my folks’ verandah room. We went to see Ducky’s family presentation and it was just as good as before. Mom, both DDs and myself went. DD 6 felt ok around mid-morning so we went to it. Darrin was the host for the show and guess what??? DD 6’s raffle number was called to win a sketch by Ducky!!! She won a sketch of Lady. I am starting to think that Darrin and DD 6 are a winning combination. I’m attempting to find out what other events he is hosting so we can see if the winning streak continues. . .

After that excitement, my mom took the girls to her stateroom and I went to get the Captain’s autograph. I waited 45 minutes in line and he signed the Panama menu I have been dragging everywhere.

After that, I ran up and got some pizza and checked on the kids. DD 6 was complaining that she ached all over but the medical center didn’t open until 4:30. I had to leave at 2pm for the Dis Kids dance practice. 6 girls showed up and at first they were hesitant but by the end of practice, they looked like they were having a good time. I think they will do well in the talent show.

At 2:45, I grabbed DD 3 to attend the princess tea time hosted by Belle in Lumieres. There were tons of girls either dressed in princess costumes or wearing nice dresses. My kid was in a t-shirt and shorts but to my defense, I have been really busy today with all that is going on and I knew DD 3 wouldn’t like dressing up for a 1 ½ hour production. We live on a farm and dressing up to us is putting on a pair of shoes! Formal night was pretty rough, having to sit through 2 hours in a dress for the girls.

DD 3 wasn’t too impressed with this princess thing. Her name was written on a card and when we got inside, a man was announcing “Princess Kinsey”. We walked down a line of waiters/waitresses and received a pink sash that says “Princess” on it. DD 3 refused to wear it.
Hey, I think I see a DISMEMBER!!!

At the table, they had coffee, tea, juice, milk or softdrinks plus water to serve. We also had tiny bite sized cakes, sandwiches and other desserts. Belle, Snow white, Cinderella, Minnie, Dopey and 2 female mice from Cinderella were there. They all visited each table and periodically, someone would go to the center of the room and teach us how to curtsey, wave, talk and all. Most of the kids seemed to really enjoy it. DD 3 flatly refused to get her picture taken with anyone who came to our table.

My dad showed up after about 45 minutes of this and I left then. He said Peter Pan, Wendy, Alice, White Rabbit, and Mad Hatter showed up then. He took a bunch of pictures with Kinsey and them I guess. I was just glad to leave because it was loud and all. But most of the kid adored it.

I got in line to get the lithographs signed by Ducky. I took my parents’ too. He was scheduled to sign at 4:30 and I got in line about 3:40 or so. I was behind about 20 other people. Luckily, he started signing around 4:00 and about 4:15 I got ours done. When I left, I was amazed by the line. It started at the entrance to the Walt Disney Theater, right in front of Walt’s picture. It went to the elevators, snaked around the side and along side of Studio Seas and then down the corridor going towards Shutters. Talk about a line! I was so glad I got in line early.

After that, I picked up the girls. DD6 was still achy so we went back to our stateroom. She wanted a potato though so I took that as a good sign. The girls and I stayed in our room while X went to supper at Lumieres. He brought back the menus and tonight was Around The World. I ordered the steak and potato for dd 6 and the prime rib for myself. DD 3 was sleeping. It took a while but finally there was a knock on our door. It was our main server Adrian! He had personally come to deliver our meals and make sure we didn’t need anything. I think I will be tipping him more than the recommended amount because he is really good.

DD 6 didn’t eat anything and looked a lot worse so I broke down and took her to the medical center. Just before 7 we went in and got checked out. The doctor said she had the FLU!!! I was pretty upset to hear that (she hasn’t gotten her shot this season) and was worried about the Q word. QUARINTINE!!! The doctor did not say a word about it and gave us no meds. He said it was a virus and there is nothing we can do except relieve the symptoms. He said no kids program and that was it! Wow, that took a load off my mind! I was worried she would be stuck in the room for 2 days but I guess not. I won’t be taking her anywhere anyways so it probably isn’t a big deal if we were stuck in our stateroom but if she feels better tomorrow, I was hoping we could take turns going into town. He thought she would feel better tomorrow.

So that was a $76 charge on my room. After we got back, I gave her some motrin and she threw it up. This was the first time she did so I gave the center a call. Now I thought we would be quarantined but we weren’t told anything like that. The nurse on call just said if she was throwing up in the morning, to bring her down. She fell asleep shortly after. Poor little kid.

I decided to go to the show tonight, because everyone said Joey is really good. X stayed in the stateroom with the girls. The show tonight was Joey Fatone and Alfonso Riberio. Just in case you are clueless like me: Joey was a singer in the N’Sync band. I’ve heard other people say Backstreet boys, 98 degrees and others but he told us tonight it was N’SYNC. Alfonso was the guy who played the rich cousin of the Fresh Prince of BelAir show. He had that funky dance he would do sometimes and he did it for us tonight!

Joey and Alfonso sang some oldies songs like My Girl, Under the Boardwalk and a few Disney songs. In between, they did some humorous banter between themselves. They were fun to listen to. I especially liked it because I could listen to them sing but watch the interpreters. They really do steal the show. I know, I sound like a broken record. . .

I came back to the stateroom and X went to do laundry.

Up next: Puerto Vallarta 8:00-5:30 (no excursions booked), Taste of California, Crew Talent Show

Random thought: I think our servers may have had a falling out but I am not sure. I like both our servers a lot but I do know this is only their 3rd week together.

I am starting to feel like the worst mother of the year today by dragging a sick kid around the ship. DD had spurts today of feeling fine to feeling achy. If I would have known she had the flu, I wouldn’t have taken her anywhere today. I was worried about the quarantine but only because of all the stories I read about it on the boards, like being stuck in the stateroom because a kid was sea-sick or got sun-sick. I thought the medical center was Q happy or something. I am sorry that I took her to the Walt Disney Theater. I don’t want to expose her to other people. The reason I took her to the medical center tonight is because she started to look gray. Throughout the day, she was ok and then complaining about her cough. I was thinking she just had the same cough my DD 3 had. Tomorrow we may just take turns staying in the room with her because she doesn’t need to be dragged around if she feels bad.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Loving your report so far!!!!

I wish I could have seen Joey Fatone! I was a HUGE 'N Sync fan...well, still love their music so I would have LOVED to have seen him! Have you seen him wandering around the boat at all?

Can't wait to hear more!!!

 

[mickeyteachers]

Love your report. It is so much fun reading your report. Purtypat, nice to see you online. I am also reading taysmoms report. It seems so strange that we were on the ship a year ago. We are leaving in a few weeks for the Magic. I am pretty excited.

 

[HeatherBeiswenger]

Jo- can you ask dad where the the new tags are for the boat (the smaller one-not the yacht). Rod wants to use it this weekend and I couldn't find them anywhere. Just send me an email with the info maybe he didn't renew it yet. Sorry Bree is sick, sounds like you guys are having fun though. Pretty funny dad almost got arrested. They were probably just scared of him. Has he found any t-shirt flea-markets yet? Dionne, Annie and I have been reading your blog, it's fun to see what you are up to everyday. Just one question, is there only like 2 or 3 restaurants on the ship or do you just go to the same ones? What's mom been doing, is she having fun too? When are you guys coming home exactly? Mon, Tues??????

Heather

 

[goofyforlife]

Hey Jolene...

Why not get some cough suppressant at the Walmart in PV? It is supposedly visable from the cruise dock.

It might help her sleep a little if the cough is bothering her or keeping everyone else up....

 

[Cobbo]

glad to hear you're having a good time and that X appears to be living up to the crayon agreement (at least that we've heard...)....

Really nothing exciting to report except the X and I had a domestic this morning. Ooops! Was thinking we could actually pull this vacation off without arguing but I guess it couldn’t happen. Oh well, it wasn’t that bad, no blood or missing limbs so I guess we can make it to the end. . .

Oops...guess I spoke to soon... bad me...bad me... oh wait, Bad X, Bad X!


Anyway, thanks for keeping us posted on your trip...sorry to hear about the flu, we just went through that as it passed through both DDs, DW & myself...made for a lovely 2 weeks...hope it doesn't spread & that everyone feels okay....

 

[VegasPixie]

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter's flu! What a bummer to be on a cruise with the flu. Wishing her a speedy recovery!

 

[DMMarla07860]

Just in case you are clueless like me: Joey was a singer in the N’Sync band. I’ve heard other people say Backstreet boys, 98 degrees and others but he told us tonight it was N’SYNC.

I'm not clueless like, you lol N'SYNC was my favorite band, I'm jealous you got to see Joey, I saw him 10 times in my life when N'SYNC still was a band

 

[newfamilyman]

Our secret mickey gift exchange is going well. The organizer left it up to us how often to give, what to give but told us to keep the level down under $25. My dd 3 has gotten a little gift every day, mostly princess stuff. DD 6 has only gotten a few gifts on the cruise so it is hard for her to see her sister get more. The girls have given things like silly putty, funky chapstick, sand bracelets, stickers and we bought some stuff in Aruba to give to their kids too. I think we are going to give a big finale gift at the end, probably something with their favorite disney character. We've been giving gifts every other day or every 3rd day.

Thanks for that info, but could you give any more information about how you've been leaving the gifts? What will you do if they are too big for the fish extender? Thanks.

 

[starrzone]

Hey Jolene...

Why not get some cough suppressant at the Walmart in PV? It is supposedly visable from the cruise dock.

It might help her sleep a little if the cough is bothering her or keeping everyone else up....

Hi Jolenel I'm relly enjoying reading your TR and hearing about your adventures! Sorry your little one isn't feeling well. I quote the above because the Walmart in PV is most definitely visible from the pier; it would be either a very short taxi ride or a nice walk if you have the time. The port area isn't too bad at all; I felt safer walking around there than I did in Nassau, to be honest with you. Get healthy vibes are coming your way!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

HI
Just wanted to tell you that I am really enjoying reading your trip report - it's almost as if we are on the ship along with you. I loved the Panama canal and Acapulco episodes - brought back happy memories of my days working for Princess Cruises doing the Panama Canal route.

Sorry to hear your little girl is poorly - hope she is soon feeling better.

 

[littleaussie]

Today, for some strange reason, we woke up at 7:00 a.m. X went up to bring back some breakfast and DD 6 watched cartoons. DD 3 was over at my parents’ cabin, she had a sleepover because of DD 6 being sick. DD 6 did not want anything, it all tasted bad to her.

After we got ready, DD 6 and I went up on deck 10 to take the pictures of our next port. Puerto Vallarta is nestled in a harbor. We were cleared to go ashore at around 8 a.m. Parked next to us was the Carnival Pride. They had a ton of stateroom verandahs on their ship, even on the aft section of the ship. There was also a submarine in port too.

We went down to deck 1 to wait for X, DD 3 and my parents. We took the stroller for DD 6. This morning, she felt much better, ate a little and only had a cough. So we decided to go ashore on our own. DD 6 and I waited for X and DD 3 about ½ hour on deck 1. X said my parents were folding clothes (???) and would be down later. We decided to disembark without them. Once off, we proceeded down the covered walkway. Right by the ship was a table stand with people soliciting city tours. They also had free maps. The lady there told us we could do 3 tours (downtown, tequila making, rainforest/birds) for $25 each. We said no thank you.

Further down the walk were the government vans and taxis, we said no to them too. About ½ way through the port area, there was a huge mass of people waiting to take a boat that was shuttling people over somewhere. There were natives and tourists waiting. The port area was pretty disappointing, a few shops selling food and Mexican hats.

Finally my parents arrived and we went out. Last night at the show, Brent told us not to use the government taxis, to take the local ones. Outside the gates, there was a whole bunch of the government tours/taxis. One guy approached us and told us he would give us a tour and showed us where we could go. Originally we were going to get a taxi to the downtown/Malecon/Boardwalk area. But we decided to go with this guy.

His name was Jesus and he drove us in a surburban. First we went for a tour around the Marina area. We saw lots of fancy houses, condos, motels and golf courses. It was a very pretty area.

Then we went downtown and stopped at a cathedral to take some pictures. 80 % of the population is Catholic.

Our next stop was at a tequila making place. It was in the middle of some narrow cobblestone streets. The guy there gave us a run-down on how to make tequila and we tasted a bunch of stuff. Some of it was icky. We spent probably ½ hour there. My parents bought a bottle of the tequila mix that tasted like candy. It was mixed with something to make it very sweet and chocolate. The guy said we could use it on our ice cream.

Next we traveled around the downtown area. The streets were so narrow and cars were always parked on one side. So if 2 cars were going down it in opposite directions, 1 car would have to pull onto another street and let the 1st car pass. PV is very hilly so we were going up and down some pretty steep streets.

Jesus took us to a beach next. We parked in the middle of the dead end street and got out. There were umbrellas with tables and chairs underneath it. Jesus said we could use them, all we had to do was order a drink and they were ours. I didn’t like the area (although the beach was very pretty) because there were old men walking around trying to sell stuff. Jesus said that was very typical of all beaches. Mom took the kids out to get their feet wet and a wave came in and got them soaked. The kids were crabby after that.

We drove down the Malecon/boardwalk area. I really liked this area. It was over 1 mile long and was lined with shops and restaurants and the beach too. That was what I originally wanted to do. He said he would take us back there and we could stay there and call a taxi later.

Next we went to a very hilly section of town and stopped for the view and to browse some vendors. Part of the agreement these tour guides have with the various places and to be certified (you know, the fancy ID card). The vendors were pretty tacky: Mexican sombreros, blankets, silver bracelets, bags, etc. . . My dad bought the girls silver bracelets. I guess even though they were tacky, we still buy them don’t we?

We passed by, somewhere along the way, a bull-fighting arena. Jesus said there were bull fights every night at 5:30. In Acapulco, they were beginning to ban it for the cruelty to animals.

Our last stop was the market section. My dad was in his element here, bargaining for everything. I like to have him with me when I look for things because he can always get a good deal. I bought some vanilla for a friend of mine who likes to bake. DD 3 found her bobble head turtle and DD 6 got a wooden “thing” that makes weird sounds. I have no idea how to describe it. The markets had all the same stuff, same as the Acapulco stuff so if you miss it in 1 port, you’ll find it in the next one.

Then we decided to go back. I was disappointed because I wanted to go to the boardwalk but there’s no way I would do that by myself. I swear our tour guide read the Passporter book 2008 because if you look in it for what walking tour to do and points of interest, our tour guide took us to each spot.

We paid $100 for all 6 of us on this 3 ½ hour tour. Again, it was very flexible. He took us where we wanted to go and was great to listen to. If you find yourself going there, I can give you his details if you’d like to try his tour.

After we got back on-board, we relaxed in the stateroom until our supper time. Tonight was Mousekateer theme with the menu of Taste of California. We were in Animators tonight. My dad and X went to a movie – The Bucket List – and said it was really really good. So they didn’t go to dinner. Mom and the girls and I went to dinner. I had some sort of Duck pastry (it was icky), the butternut soup (excellent) and prime rib. Sorry guys, I am not very original with my meals.

I figure I am daring enough with all these tours so when it comes to food, I better play it safe.

Tonight’s show was Crew Talent Show. It was pretty good. There were a few singers (some of them shouldn’t have been singing) and some dance numbers. They had dancing with the officers, several of the officers and a few guests did some numbers that they have been practicing on this week. There was a hip hop solo dance. A lady who did some balancing tricks. And my favorite was the maintenance boys did a hip hop routine that was really really good. Oh yeah, Brent rounded up 3 other guys to dress up like the Wiggles and they did a wiggles song. It was really funny.

After that, we went to bed because we have Cabo tomorrow and have to tender. Tomorrow night is also pirates night and Mike Super – magician.

 

[littleaussie]

Hey Heather!
Still snowing in MN???
Dad says he didn't get new tags for the boat. Tell Rod just to suck it up and explain that he knows Roger, that should do the trick.

Hahahahaha!

We'll be back Monday night.

Jolene

 

[HeatherBeiswenger]

NO we didn't have any blizzards this week, but it still hasn't warmed up very much. Although it will be 70 today with hurricane winds of course.

Tell Dad Rod says he's just going to transfer everything in his name and then they won't have that problem. I think he's going to try to renew the tags today.

Let mom know that I got some planters to put at the cemetery on Monday and I will clean up the sites.

Avah wants to know if you bought her any souvenirs yet and what they are.

So will it be late monday? When does your flight get in to Mpls?

Have some fun for me!

 

[GrumpyMom1]

I've really been enjoying your trip report. Glad to hear your DD is feeling better.

Did you end up taking a goverment taxi in PV or one of the local ones?

 

[Jennifer48]

Jolene,

I'm enjoying your trip report very much. Thanks for keeping us updated throughout your trip!

I'm so jealous that you got to see Joey Fatone. I was/am a huge 'N Sync fan.

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter getting sick. I'm glad that they didn't quarantine you to your room.

Keep up the great work!

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Hi Jolene,

Will your family spend any time, in CA, or are you flying home today?

Thanks again for sharing your report with us, it was great.

Have a safe trip home.