pierresgirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2006
Avast thar thar scallywags ye made it here! Next up be whar scurvy pirate fills his belly wit cheer. It be under th' table whar he puts down his beer, it be sudsy, it be tasty and it's hid under 'here 
That clue was how my husband of 15 years found out about this trip.... Ok, actually that was the second clue but let me back up a bit. This is my third trip report and I'm Leyla aka Mrs Bossy, married for 15 years to Pierre aka Mr Thinkshecanbebossy. Feel free to read as 'thinks he can be bossy' or 'think she can be bossy'
and we have a nearly 15 year old Bella aka Notbossy daughter
and 12 year old Cooper aka Definetlybossy son
Our family has been on 2 wonderful Wonder cruises, the first being 6 yrs ago and the second 4 years ago. Alas it's been that long since we've had a family vacation and I decided it's well past due! A work trip with mom, even to Miami, doesn't count. Not fair when I'm working and they are at the beach or
poolside lounging, amiright?!?! The last few years have not been easy but we've made it and come out stronger. Our 15 year anniversary was last summer but our work schedules have been nutty and I've traveled a lot the last 2 years so have not had any free time. We didn't even go out for lunch or dinner, isn't that sad? Dh's 50th birthday is in Feb and our dd 15th birthday is in March so it got me athinkin'!
A few months ago I began plotting and scheming how to do either another Disney cruise or possibly Disney's Aulani resort in Hawaii. I had quite a few miles as well as a flight voucher for coughing up a seat during a work trip. I have the USAirways credit card and was issued 3 tickets at a really reduced cost that I planned on using for Hawaii. However I realized that said tickets could only be used for continental US travel so there went Hawaii! Mahalo. This Haole be going somewhere else! Not that I was too sad though, I had a Disney Cruise to plan for! All on the downlow!
My next big decision was between 4 nights on the Fantasy but going to the same ports we had been to OR 5 nights on the Wonder going to new ports. DD happened to be grounded, without her phone, and was being super grumpy READ:mean, towards me and I knew how to get back in her good graces.
"Hey Bells"
"Wut?" Growl, snarl, snort
"Do you love me?"
"#Debatable" growl, snarl, snort
" Wanna be my best friend?"
"No" growl, snarl, snort
"Wanna go on a Disney cruise?"
"Wait what mother dear who I love so very much?!?!?!!! ARE you KIDDING me?!?!"
So between the two of us we decided that longer on a smaller boat going to new ports would be best for our family. As much as I'd love to do the Dream or Fantasy one day I kept thinking about how many more people would be on the boats and Castaway Cay. I decided to keep it a secret and surprise dh and ds12 at Christmas. I don't know how I did it, that's for sure! I have a big mouth and yap all day at work, don't tell me any secrets....by accident it might come out! I had to be super careful and not leave the disboards open on my iPad or flight/cruise ressies in my email.
I was trying to think of the most creative way to tell him and decided on a pirate scavenger hunt. I kept looking on Pinterest, YouTube, and Google
for different clue ideas but most things were geared towards kids. Meh, not what I wanted. My creative juices got aflowing and the clues just came to me. I found a website that translated everything in pirate speak (so fun!) and the hardest part was just making sure I had the right clue tied to the right object in the right location. My brain hurts just thinking about it! I put the big reveal in a box I painted to look like a pirate chest
In the treasure chest was a personalized DCL tshirt and cruise certificate, woohoo!! When I was putting them all together I started to think about the flight and how we would have to pay for at least 3 cases to be checked, mine would be free for my USAirways CC. Why not use my points and pay a few bucks to upgrade so the bags go for free? AND we start vacation early with included drinks. Like my thought process? I sure do!!!
On Christmas morning Pierre and Cooper opened their gifts and liked everything they got but I was so amped
up to get to the main event! Pierre is always slightly zombified on Christmas because the guy works 2 jobs and December is H-E-Double-hockey-sticks. For real. He is in the UPS warehouse and helps manage our local hockey rink (get the double hockey sticks...
.) Please give your UPS warehouse workers a big hand ladies and gentlemen. Nearly each day in Dec he went in between 11pm the night before and 1 am to get the trucks ready. He then goes straight to the rink and sometimes back to UPS without coming home. I don't know how he does it, I most certainly couldn't 
I had told Cooper he had a big gift that was going to be last so he was all hopped up! I placed the first clue in the tree and it lead to the next. Everything was attached to a pirate item such as eyepatch, telescope, hook etc.
We went from room to room and they were confused but having fun. At least I was. Cooper knew he had to share whatever it was so he was leaning towards the 'This is stupid' side, or truth be told he was TOTALLY on the 'This is stupid' angle. Basketball shoes are life yo. iPhones are life yo. I hope there is one at the end of this.... When they opened the last clue that lead to the trunk it took a minute to sink it...Wait, what? We're going on the Disney Cruise? You said cruises are stupid! This is awesome!!
So Cooper is an interesting kid. He blows everything
up by a good 500% and the first 2 times I ask him something he tends to fib. Or lie. However you look at it he ain't tellin the truth. He also commits to things and bails last second so we have to force him. Or at least try to force him. He drives me nuts but I love him SO much. Even when I want to wallop him. Anyone who has read my past trip reports will recall certain incidentS...
Anyways, that be it for now guys!
More planning and booking to come so jump aboard to hear about our 5 nighter Wonder cruise 3/1/15 with stops in Cozumel and Castaway Cay!
That clue was how my husband of 15 years found out about this trip.... Ok, actually that was the second clue but let me back up a bit. This is my third trip report and I'm Leyla aka Mrs Bossy, married for 15 years to Pierre aka Mr Thinkshecanbebossy. Feel free to read as 'thinks he can be bossy' or 'think she can be bossy'
and we have a nearly 15 year old Bella aka Notbossy daughter
and 12 year old Cooper aka Definetlybossy son
Our family has been on 2 wonderful Wonder cruises, the first being 6 yrs ago and the second 4 years ago. Alas it's been that long since we've had a family vacation and I decided it's well past due! A work trip with mom, even to Miami, doesn't count. Not fair when I'm working and they are at the beach or
poolside lounging, amiright?!?! The last few years have not been easy but we've made it and come out stronger. Our 15 year anniversary was last summer but our work schedules have been nutty and I've traveled a lot the last 2 years so have not had any free time. We didn't even go out for lunch or dinner, isn't that sad? Dh's 50th birthday is in Feb and our dd 15th birthday is in March so it got me athinkin'! A few months ago I began plotting and scheming how to do either another Disney cruise or possibly Disney's Aulani resort in Hawaii. I had quite a few miles as well as a flight voucher for coughing up a seat during a work trip. I have the USAirways credit card and was issued 3 tickets at a really reduced cost that I planned on using for Hawaii. However I realized that said tickets could only be used for continental US travel so there went Hawaii! Mahalo. This Haole be going somewhere else! Not that I was too sad though, I had a Disney Cruise to plan for! All on the downlow!
My next big decision was between 4 nights on the Fantasy but going to the same ports we had been to OR 5 nights on the Wonder going to new ports. DD happened to be grounded, without her phone, and was being super grumpy READ:mean, towards me and I knew how to get back in her good graces.
"Hey Bells"
"Wut?" Growl, snarl, snort
"Do you love me?"
"#Debatable" growl, snarl, snort
" Wanna be my best friend?"
"No" growl, snarl, snort
"Wanna go on a Disney cruise?"
"Wait what mother dear who I love so very much?!?!?!!! ARE you KIDDING me?!?!"
So between the two of us we decided that longer on a smaller boat going to new ports would be best for our family. As much as I'd love to do the Dream or Fantasy one day I kept thinking about how many more people would be on the boats and Castaway Cay. I decided to keep it a secret and surprise dh and ds12 at Christmas. I don't know how I did it, that's for sure! I have a big mouth and yap all day at work, don't tell me any secrets....by accident it might come out! I had to be super careful and not leave the disboards open on my iPad or flight/cruise ressies in my email.
I was trying to think of the most creative way to tell him and decided on a pirate scavenger hunt. I kept looking on Pinterest, YouTube, and Google
for different clue ideas but most things were geared towards kids. Meh, not what I wanted. My creative juices got aflowing and the clues just came to me. I found a website that translated everything in pirate speak (so fun!) and the hardest part was just making sure I had the right clue tied to the right object in the right location. My brain hurts just thinking about it! I put the big reveal in a box I painted to look like a pirate chest
In the treasure chest was a personalized DCL tshirt and cruise certificate, woohoo!! When I was putting them all together I started to think about the flight and how we would have to pay for at least 3 cases to be checked, mine would be free for my USAirways CC. Why not use my points and pay a few bucks to upgrade so the bags go for free? AND we start vacation early with included drinks. Like my thought process? I sure do!!!
On Christmas morning Pierre and Cooper opened their gifts and liked everything they got but I was so amped
up to get to the main event! Pierre is always slightly zombified on Christmas because the guy works 2 jobs and December is H-E-Double-hockey-sticks. For real. He is in the UPS warehouse and helps manage our local hockey rink (get the double hockey sticks....) Please give your UPS warehouse workers a big hand ladies and gentlemen. Nearly each day in Dec he went in between 11pm the night before and 1 am to get the trucks ready. He then goes straight to the rink and sometimes back to UPS without coming home. I don't know how he does it, I most certainly couldn't I had told Cooper he had a big gift that was going to be last so he was all hopped up! I placed the first clue in the tree and it lead to the next. Everything was attached to a pirate item such as eyepatch, telescope, hook etc.
We went from room to room and they were confused but having fun. At least I was. Cooper knew he had to share whatever it was so he was leaning towards the 'This is stupid' side, or truth be told he was TOTALLY on the 'This is stupid' angle. Basketball shoes are life yo. iPhones are life yo. I hope there is one at the end of this.... When they opened the last clue that lead to the trunk it took a minute to sink it...Wait, what? We're going on the Disney Cruise? You said cruises are stupid! This is awesome!!
So Cooper is an interesting kid. He blows everything
up by a good 500% and the first 2 times I ask him something he tends to fib. Or lie. However you look at it he ain't tellin the truth. He also commits to things and bails last second so we have to force him. Or at least try to force him. He drives me nuts but I love him SO much. Even when I want to wallop him. Anyone who has read my past trip reports will recall certain incidentS...Anyways, that be it for now guys!
More planning and booking to come so jump aboard to hear about our 5 nighter Wonder cruise 3/1/15 with stops in Cozumel and Castaway Cay!
and my step bro and I set them up, woot woot!!) and daughter. He paid for them to swim with dolphins in Nassau and we went to watch. Unfortunately it wasn't quite in our budget to do.... However we went to that super fun water park there and the kids were quite happy!
I didn't do this on my earlier cruises so Pinterest & Etsy here I come! I don't really want to spend the $35-50 on a fish extender so I need to sort that out! Anyone have good ideas?? I like to think of me-self as crafty(ish) but don't sew. I've seen a couple of super cute gift ideas though, from Minnie and Mickey head cookies to melted crayons in Mickey or Minnie head shapes to booze ( who wouldn't like that?!?!) to movie snack pack. I'll look at the ages of everyone and go from there! Whats the typical amount people spend? 
Gave me the sads. Anyways, her cousin is also doing a cruise but on the Dream (or Fantasy, can't quite remember) and my friend will be at Castaway Cay a day or two before. Her husband suggested they bury something somewhere for their kids to find. How cute! Then she said she was going to do it for us too! Just a little bottle with a note in it but it'll be fun to look for! Go to such and such tree, turn right, go 3 paces and 'X' marks the spot!
In my brain they look great, just have to see how it turns out! I got the gifts for the kids on Etsy and will pick up the drinks once we arrive in Miami. Along with the drinks I'm getting for myself, I love Skinnygirl margarita! 
I definitely want to keep my bar bill at a minimum. We had a ton of crazy things happen all at once just before Christmas and if it was before the cancellation deadline and I hadn't bought our airline tickets I would have 100% cancelled. First Pierre's car needed a new engine, got a 4 year old tax bill, stove died, dishwasher died, septic overflowed (ON Christmas Eve!), and a furnace repair 
Hmmm that would be me. Ho ly crap. Expired. British passport. No expediting. Panic. Temper tantrum. Lost fight with kitchen chair. Bruises to prove it. Looking for a genie to fix it 
. Obvi I got no sleep that night and spent the next day on the phone with 
Turns out I can just use my green card as long as I don't miss the boat. Then I'm in big trouble....
