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Sunday, January 18, 2004
Day 2 of 6
Cast of Characters:
Mom (Grammie) - 62
Dad (Pop) - 60
Me (Jen) - 27
Everett (Brother) - 37
Patricia (Pat SIL) - 39
Chad - 14
Josh - 12
Rachel - 10
Nate - 7
The last thing I remember thinking before I went to sleep last night was that at that not too far away,
Enter The Haggis was probably finishing up their set at the Altamonte Springs Holiday Inn. If you've seen
Off Kilter at EPCOT, they're along those lines. www.enterthehaggis.com They're this great group from
Toronto Canada and have played at the Maine Highland Games for the past two years and that's just about the
only time they're in Maine. At first, we were going to spend the night there, instead of the Hyatt, but my
niece and nephews would have wanted to go listen to them with me and the tickets were just too expensive
for them and I couldn't afford to take them all. Usually, I would have no problem going by myself, but
that would have been very selfish of me to go and leave them behind and that's just not something "Aunt
Jen" would do. So, going to sleeping knowing that ETH was only a half an hour away was very disappointing.
Well on with the trip report . . .
7:00 am couldn't have come early enough. Those beds are WAY harder than I'm used to. If it weren't for
Nate and Rachel staying with me, I would've gotten right up and started to get ready. Finally, the alarm
goes off and we quickly get ready for breakfast. It's a cloudy, dreary, rainy day out today, but for what
little we have to do, that is fine with me. Besides, I tell them, it'll probably clear up by time we get
ready to leave the Port.
I had told my Dad that my roomfull were getting up at 07:00 and that we would be ready to go for breakfast
at 07:20. Well, at 07:10, He couldn't wait any longer and stops by early. From the first time I heard of
Krispie Kreme I've wanted to try a nice hot doughnut. Any time we hear Krispie Kreme, we get a glazed look
in our eyes. So, Pop, Rachel, Nate and I head down the elevator in search of the Krispie Kreme we knew
was somewhere in the airport. We get there and hot doughnuts are just coming off the line. My lucky day,
I thought. Well, after one bite of this wonderful doughnut, I gave it to my nephew. To me, they were
disgusting. I don't know if it was the glaze (they use Florida water) or what it was, but I just did not
like them at all.
I went to the deli stand to grab a bagel and while we were eating, Josh and Chad came down to get some
coffee and doughnuts. As they leave, they wave to us and head back up to the room. The funny thing about
the Hyatt Elevators is that to get them to go up, you have to have a room key. A fact my nephews forgot
when Grammie sent them out to get coffee and donuts. A couple minutes later, we see Chad running towards us.
Since everyone was finished except me, I grabbed what was left and went back to the room.
It's now about 08:30 and mom still isn't ready. We get after her but she says, I have a whole hour yet.
So, after waiting for her to get ready, more fussing about, repacking, and Chad insisting to anyone who
would listen that the limos and towncars that he could see from our room that were in the parking lot were
the CIA, we check out at 09:35 and our driver is already there waiting for us. There was a bit
confusion on the rest of our transfers, but I was expecting that. I had made 5 reservations with
yourride for our whole trip and was paying for them all at the beginning. With 3 families, two hotels and
no round trip transfers, a little confusion was expected. We straightened everything out and I was
glad to know that our driver, Roger, would be handling all our transfers.
Our trip to the Port was uneventful. We had a 10 passenger van but I made my dad sit up front with the
driver. It was the best place for him as he is very "inquisitive". Nate fell asleep on the way to the
port and when his brothers and sister saw the ship, the quickly shouted at him to wake up. Poor thing sat
straight up, so confused, and looked out the wrong window. After going over two more hills, he finally
saw the ship, but still didn't know what was going on! Now everyone's just about freaking out - this is way
too much excitement for plain Maine folks.
Roger said that depending on the security level at the port, we would either be dropped off at the door, or
across the street in the parking lot. Well, after he showed us where he would be picking us up, we were was
able to be dropped off right at the door. We told them which suitcases we wanted them to take on the
ship for us, then we were directed around to the front door.
As you enter, you and your carry-ons have to go through the screening like you do at the airport. For
us, the only ones in line, security was a breeze. It's funny because the metal detectors didn't pick up
mom's knees (both artificial), but it did pick up the two barrettes I had in my pocket???
We get to the top of the escalator and there are tables with DCL representatives to help you fill out
your forms if you've never done it before. Everett and Pat had to fill out some forms for the kids that
they missed and we quickly go through check-in and get in line. The check-in process was SO simple. We put
our stuff in line and decide that two people should stay with our stuff while the others go explore.
We're only the second or third family inline, but it quickly grows bigger and bigger and bigger. Everyone
was very glad I decided to leave early and because we're greedy, we should've left 15 minutes early than
we did ;)
We take turns in line while some get muffins & drinks and the kids take off to find characters and watch TV.
We were figuring that if we get something to munch on while waiting in line, we wouldn't have to go to lunch
and could go immediately and get in line for reservations.
We notice on the Welcome Aboard sheet they gave us that embarkation will begin an hour early (12:00
instead of 13:00). At about 11:45, our group slowly starting to come back to the line. As they started to
announce that they would be begin boarding soon, we all stood up and got our bags ready. One of the kids
got a bit too excited and turned around to tell us something. Well, their backpack hit the "rope thingy"
and it came undone and snapped back and hit my mom in the chest. OUCH! She had heart surgery 10 years ago
and it can still be sensitive, so that was not a good start to her vacation. We told her it was a quick bit
CPR just to make sure her heart was still working and wasn't over excited. She didn't think that was very
funny.
To get on the ship, you have to have your photo ID, and your Key To The World card. (Birth
Certificate/Passport were required at check-in). Well, Ev was off chasing characters when the line
started moving. Mom had to go after him because he had Pat's ID. Eventually, we all get through
(remember folks - there are two lines). We get our group picture taken, then enter the atrium. They
announce "the Henry family, more of the Henry family, more of the Henry family" and finally "Give a GREAT
BIG welcome to the REST of the Henry family". We all thought that was pretty funny.
Having read everything I could find about DCL, I knew what came next RESERVATIONS. I had given everyone
their assignments. Me & Pat = spa reservations; Dad = bridge tours; Mom = shore excursions to book something
for Nassau; Ev = guest services to take charging privileges off kids cards and see if Nate and Josh can
switch rooms. Nate and Rachel were going to be in my room. The more we thought about it, we figured it
would be better to have Rachel (10) and Josh (12) with me since they would be better pairing since they could
roam around on their own and check themselves in and out of the clubs. They were able to switch rooms, but
the kids had to be present and keys had to be changed.
Anyway - we were in the Atrium and I was telling everyone which way they were supposed to go when a
Cast Member talked half of the family into going to Parrot Cay for lunch first. So, we all go to eat,
again, (yum - corn dogs!!) and at 12:30, we quickly run off to get our assigned reservations.
Pat and I went up to the spa and waited for them to open at 13:00. We were the first ones in line but I
was kind of disappointed because I didn't remember until they told me - they don't have the hydrotherapy
bath on the Wonder, it's only on the Magic (And there were rumors going around that they took it off the
Magic???). My Mom was really looking forward to the hydrotherapy bath for her arthritis, so when we
finished making our reservations, I called her on our walkie talkies and had her come up to the spa to check
out the Alpha Capsule. She wasn't sure she'd like it as she's claustrophobic, but ended up booking 3
treatments on it. Actually, Ev, Mom & I all did this and we really like it.
Also, for the most surprising event of the day, my DAD signed up for the Rainforest Room with my mom.
YIKES!!! My Dad is a very straight laced, you can't tell when he's joking, standoffish kind of guy. For
him to even step foot into the spa reception was amazing and when he said he'd pay to go to the
Rainforest room, Mom, Pat and I just about passed out!
The rest of the afternoon was a bit confusing afternoon with everyone running everywhere. Around
13:45 or so, our rooms were ready (they put a sign up at the end of the hallways if they're not) and our
luggage was already there. We did a bit of unpacking then while checking out each other's rooms. It was
then that we noticed that we had two different tables for dinner. So Ev & Rachel and Me & Dad go up to
Wavebands to see if we can have it changed. They said they were near each other and to speak with our
server. Turns out our tables were next to each other for Parrot Cay and together for the rest of the
restaurants. That was fine with us, so Ev & Rachel went up to the ESPN Skybox to watch the game and dad
and I ended up on the walking tour. Since we were done with everything, it was nice to be able to "chill
out" and get a better look at the whole ship.
Before we split up, and even before we left Maine, I made sure that everyone knew that around 15:30, we
should head back to the rooms and get ready for the boat drill. We're get our personal flotation devices
and chill out in Ev & Pat's room and Mom & Dad's room (because they have balconies). Other ships must do
their boat drills around the same time because as we're sitting in their room, we kept hearing whistles,
thinking they were ours. We'd look out in the hall and no one was going anywhere, so we just went back on
the balcony and waited. We quickly found out that when the DCL whistles/alarms go off, you'll know it!!
By now, the rain is gone and the sun is starting to come out. The boat drill really is quick and
painless. With the sun, it's a little hot for the kids, but otherwise ok. We quickly go back to the
room, drop off the life jackets and split up again.
Nate wanted to go to the Sailaway Party, but Ev was going to ESPN Skybox and Pat was going to have her pedicure. So Grammie and I take Nate up to the party,
the other kids all take off and Pop goes off to take pictures. I grab a virgin topical drink and share with Nate as I try to get him out and dance with me.
Doesn't work, and eventually he wants to go to deck 10 so he can see better.
While we're up there, we bump into Rachel and Ev. They came down from the ESPN Skybox (Patriots won!) for the rest of the party. As we're watching the
party, we point out another huge ship leaving to my niece and nephew. Everyone was like Wow, look at that, that's cool. We were very excited to see
another ship leaving. Then, about 10 minutes later, we realize it wasn't the other boat moving, it was us! Yes, that's right, we didn't even know we were
moving!!!!
Rachel and I run to the Starboard side and wave and wave to the people when we notice it's already time to get ready for dinner. As we're changing, we notice
Chad and Josh are no where around. Well, Ev isn't worried and there's plenty of places they can get food and they can't get of the ship, so we figure it's
their loss, not ours.
While walking down the hallway to Parrot Cay I get my first dizzy spell. Nothing major, just a little lightheadedness/dizziness. We are taken to our tables
were we meet our servers Gurkan from Turkey and Jo-Gail from South Africa. Gurkan greeted us all by name. I don't want to ruing the first experience, but
the dining experience is very nice! The dizziness happened a couple more times during supper and Gurkan overheard me saying I was dizzy. He asked if I had
seasick pills to take it. I said yeah, but that I wasn't sick, just dizzy. He said trust me, take it. I decided it couldn't hurt, so after dinner and before
Bingo, I ran up to grab a couple Bonine. That did the trick, so - thanks Gurkan! Actually, I only had to take them them Sunday night and Monday night. The
rest of the trip I was fine.
Anyway - back to the meal - I don't know what everyone else got, but for an appetizer I had Glazed Chicken Wings with Pomegranate Barbeque Sauce; main entree,
Roasted Rib-Eye of Beef with Double Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Green Beans; and for dessert, a Mickey Ice Cream Bar (off the kids menu). I have to say that
everything was amazing! Definitely yummy! The potatoes were extra yummy!!
Dinner is at a relaxed pace and when the kids were done, they wanted to go to the clubs. Rachel took off on her own and since our dessert hadn't been served
yet, I brought Nate up to his club. (Everett set it up so that my parents and I were all allowed to drop off or pick up Nate, with the proper password, of
course.) After our fabulous dinner, Dad went off to see if he could get his GPS to pick up the satellites and Ev, Pat, Mom & I headed to Wavebands to play
BINGO! On our way through the Promenade Lounge, we spot Josh, sitting all alone in the dim lighting, behind the big screen watching football backwards
(remember, he's behind the screen). Everett goes over to talk with him and come to find out, he and Chad were supposed to play basketball and then Chad decided
to ditch him and go off with his new friends. They didn't want to carry a lot of stuff with them, so Chad had the only room key between them and the walkie
talkie was left in the stateroom. Josh had no clue where we were or that he could just walk up to the Pluto's or Pinocchio's and get "free" food. He
couldn't get into the kid's club because he didn't have his KTTW. So, he just sat in the lounge for about an hour or so, watching football.
After we got him straightened out with food and sent him up to the kid's club, we made our way to Wavebands
for Bingo. When we got there, after we got our cards, they needed someone to check to see that all the
numbers were there, so Mom and Pat got both jumped up from the table and ran up to the stage. Just for
doing that, they each got a little DCL pin - not the pin trading kind, though. I think for them, that was
the most excited part of playing Bingo! We didn't win anything, but it was still fun.
Dad came and found us near the end of the last game, in a panic, because it was time for Hercules to start! We quickly run up the stairs and get a seat in the
last row. The show was good, but a little disappointing. The first part was great, but they fast-forwarded through the middle and ending. Instead
of acting out the middle and end, the narrator just talked through it and it seemed cut short. If you
hadn't seen the movie, I don't think you'd know what happened.
I head back to the room, grabbed some cash and headed to guest services to take care of my charging for the day. It wasn't much, but at check-in at the terminal,
I chose to settle my account in cash. They don't take any information or money at the terminal and you are given a $200 credit. I knew my spa treatments
tomorrow would eat that up quickly, so I wanted to put some money to pay off the little bit of today's purchases. When I got to guest services, she
explained that now that I was onboard, I could put as much cash on the room as I wanted. Then when I spent it all, I would only have a $200 credit left before
they put a stop on charging. This worked out real well for me and I wish that's how they would do it at WDW. (Yes, I did get cash back for what I didn't
spend on the last day.)
From there, mom, dad & I headed up to Deck 9 Aft and are disappointed to learn that Scoops closes at 8pm. Well, we decide to head to the drinks station and a
quick walk around. Well, the quick walk around happened while we were trying to find the drinks station. We got off the mid-ship elevator, walked to
the front, thinking it was the back, then walked to the back, oops, not there either. Thinking we were at the front again, we walked all around until I said
STOP! I went to the railing, checked to see which way the water was moving and from there, eventually we find the drinks station, (lemonade, iced tea, coffee)
grab a quick cup of coffee and head back to the room.
I was too exhausted to go up to any of the clubs in Route 66, so I worked on notes for my trip report and waited for the kids to hear of their day. They
finally came in around 23:00 with milk and cookies that they ordered in their parent's stateroom. They ate their snack and watched the end of a movie before
bed.
It was now Midnight. Tomorrow, I have a hair appointment at 08:00 and a facial at 09:00, so I set the wake-up call for 06:30, hoping to go for a walk
around deck and get some pictures before then. Finally, it's off to dream land. Nigh-night.
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