The Mouse called.
He said "Get off my boat!"
Or did he?
No, he muttered something intelligible in my ear that made me flop out of bed, giving the Chief a sharp elbow to the ribs.
What an absolutely rotten day. A stinker. Crummy. Lousy even.
We didn't shower, we knew the post cruise depression wouldn't just wash off.
We dragged the kids out of bed, got dressed, made one last check of the stateroom for belongings, crammed our pajamas and toiletries (well we DID wash and use toothpaste...on a toothbrush...on our teeth)in a bag.
and walked out of one fantastic stateroom.
Up our to Animator''s Palate for breakfast.
Salomie and Tomas seemed in high spirits.
The Gluttons? The Gluttons were in a funk.
The Prince and Princess wanted to order one of each thing off the menu.
I saw Salomie look alarmed when the kids said this, but Tomas chirped "No problem!" and off he went to fulfill two mopey kids' last meal wish before execution.
OK, not execution, but leaving the ship feels horrible.
All those things we didn't get to do. All those things we didn't get to see. I'd only Focked one person and scared them. No DISsers spotted. Lost my camera and its cool housing AND the terrific pictures I'd taken still left on it.
What a downer!
I ate the speedy, zippy quickie breakfast Salomie suggested. The Chief was ominously quiet.
The prince and princess were eating donuts, bagels, pancakes, eggs, breakfast meats, the kitchen sink, and whatever else Tomas could find for them. He knelt down by my chair and told me about his loved ones back in the Czech Republic and that his toddler daughter is nonvocal and medical professionals do not know why. He said he knew I was a nurse and wanted to know if I knew when she would speak.
Tomas had tears in his eyes. I saw his desperation, his sadness, his hope.
I saw that working on the Disney Wonder was how he was trying to provide for his treasured loved ones back home whom he missed terribly and felt helpless to aid.
I wished I'd tipped that man more than I had. I wished I could have given him more than candy in that gift bag.
I wished I could have given him an answer about his daughter's silence.
Tomas took my hand in his and thanked me and my family for coming on the cruise. Salomie thanked us too and encouraged us to visit Ocho Rios, Jamaica where she hails from.
With our tote bag in hand, we left Animator's Palate, followed the line of people headed towards the atrium. Over the gangplank. into the terminal, where the signs read "See Ya Real Soon", down the escalator, to a CM manned desk with a sign announcing it as "Lost and Found" to inquire once more about the camera.
No, no camera.
We reached a line of porters, asking if we needed help with our bags. We accepted and the porter wheeled his hand truck over to the red section (we had red Mickey luggage tags delivered to the stateroom the night before by Ronald which we affixed to our luggage before tossing outside our stateroom door). He grabbed our luggage and wheeled it out of the terminal at breakneck speed, the Gluttons hurrying behind him.
He helped us cram that luggage into the KIA, thanked us for the tip, and off he went.
It was over. Done. Too fast. We weren't ready. The Gluttons were just warming up, hitting their stride, releasing endorphins, breaking past the wall. How could it already be over when it just barely began?
We pulled out of the parking lot, right behind a
Disney Cruise Line bus, and out onto the freeway.
The chief followed the
DCL bus for a while, eventually passing them. More silence. It hit him too. Mr Toughguy was moping too. It wasn't just the wilder Gluttons. I felt it. Even Tribbles jokes wouldn't have lifted the dark cloud of despair hanging over me.
We saw DCL buses heading towards the Port on the other side of the highway. I think the Gluttons would have sold their orqans at that moment to be on one of those buses.
But the Gluttons needed to shake off their funk!
The Gluttons had a date with a Mouse.
It wasn't over yet... not by a long shot!
26. Breakfast the last morning is really rushed. They want passengers off that ship early. So make sure everything is done the night before.
27. Be prepared for the post cruise depression thing. While rebooking seemed to help, knowing your next cruise is closer than 19 months away really would have helped.
Next up: The Gluttons are hicks.....
How's the pizza???
I'm not ready, I need more time....Wait I did not even go yet! Wheeewww, the dream was to real!
