Another Crusinmama and Girls Adventure Begins Today - RCI Enchantment 8/3

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Welcome back! You still have a sense of humor- so everything must have ended well but I am sorry to hear about the doctor visit. Hope everyone is ok.

[shorbr]

Sounds like you had a great time! Looking forward to more reviews :)

[crusinmama06]

Welcome back! You still have a sense of humor- so everything must have ended well but I am sorry to hear about the doctor visit. Hope everyone is ok.

 

Thanks rebecca - yes, everyone is fine. And the incident happened on Night of Day 2. So I am coming up to the details now. But yes, she is still healing. And it was my youngest. Of course.

 

And thank you Shorbr - more reviews to come.

 

 

Day 2 - Out to Sea

 

Had breakfast in the Windjammer. They have a Purel station at each door and a crew member reminding everyone to "sanitize". They do need a catchy phrase like NCL though "Washy, Washy, Happy, Happy, Smilie, Smilie" -- yep, missed that phrase. lol

 

Today at 10:00 for the teen club there was a ship tour to scope out all of the "teen hangouts" (that's easy, they are all hanging out outside the door to the Solarium - tee hee). Then on to the ping pong tourney.

 

By 2:00 pm. the first scavenger hunt of the week was on for the Teen Club - the "Art Scavenger Hunt" -- the hunts are not supervised -- and the kids head off alone, not in a group. The prize was a Fuel bag -- so my 12 year old was impressed.

 

Something I was a little concerned with and if anyone knows how it REALLY WORKS let me know -- but the game was called "Assasins" -- they took pictures of everyone in the club on Night 1 -- then if you signed up for Assasins on Day 2 you had to "Drown The Target" (splash water on them), "Poison The Target" (put salt/pepper in their food or drink) or Stab The Target (Mark them with the Pen). Um, I didn't want my daughter to be a target. So we opted out of Assasins.

 

While the teen was in the club, the 8 year old and I got in some quality pool time.

 

 

 

 

We came back to some chocolate covered strawberries. I'd like to tell you how they tasted, but I wouldn't know! Some little child ate them! If you figure out which child it was - please let me know ;)

 

 

And it's time for Formal Night - take note of this picture because it will be the last non-injury picture you will see for the rest of this review. Well, at least she made it through the first formal night.

 

[crusinmama06]

Night 2 - "Steal The Bacon" Becomes Grudge Match

 

So if you have ever doubted the need for a passport. Or the need for cruise insurance. My gorgeous, fabulous and wonderful 8 year old has been to the Ship's Medical Center not once, but TWICE. The first time was 8 years ago, Disney Magic, she was 7 months old, seized, stopped breathing (many know this story).

 

So what are the odds that the SAME child would have another trip to the Medical Center?

 

I just happened to head to the cabin after dinner to change from Formal Night and the phone rang. They said that she was playing a game, "Steal the Bacon" - her and another boy went for the "bacon" and the boy headbutted her in the eye. She needed me.

 

I ran to the club and there she was - her face looked like she had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. She was crying and this child does NOT cry. The AO Supervisor "Bed Head Brett" jumped into action and said "I already called the Medical Center, she is having x-rays. (Thank God! Because it looked to me like her cheek was broken. But I am no doctor).

 

One funny side note in all this -- during the elevator ride as the doors open on other floors, Brett said "No, sorry, we have a medical emergency, please take the next elevator". And on one floor this elderly gentleman tries to get on and Brett says the same thing and his wife says "He's a doctor!" and I said "WAIT, maybe we want him!" ;)

 

So down to Deck 1, we explain to the nurse what happened and she assured us that a broken cheek bone would be dented and concave (good to know). And that the doctor was on his way. Brett was really sweet with my daughter, he was really very concerned for her. He kept promising her a prize for being so brave.

 

The doctor came in and said again, didn't think it was broken but would confirm with x-rays - which he did right on the spot. He showed her (and us) that she "looked like an alien on the inside". We were directed to us ice it up for the next few days and that she would be VERY bruised and swollen. And of course, she was (and still is bruised).

 

The next morning her eye was swollen shut. She cried that she "was ugly" and she didn't want to leave the cabin anymore. :( So I told her that she was going to be an "Undercover Movie Star" for the rest of the cruise and she was going to wear sunglasses. She is going to be "too cool" to remove her sunglasses -- just like the celebrities do. So that's exactly what she did. And it worked! The dining room staff and the cabin attendant played to it. They all commented on her "sunglasses to match every outfit" and some kept calling her "Hollywood"

 

WARNING - she is pretty banged up in the first photo - so don't scan down if you get easily upset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Hollywood!

 

[Livabeth]

WOW .. that is quite the black eye .. you must have been shocked when you first saw her!! LOVE the sunglasses idea ... she does look so Hollywood.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review ... especially about the teen program as my dd will be going to the teen program for the first time :eek: in October when we are on the Allure.

[kerrytens]

Ahhhh, poor little pumpkin:( but man, is she ever rockin' the Hollywood look!!! What a great idea.

[pj103]

Poor baby, she is banged up. I know she was in pain. I think I would be freaking out. I also love the sunglasses.

[topspot]

Holy Cr@% !! Glad nothing was broken, but how is her vision????

 

Sounds like you had a great time, sunglasses and all.

[KeywestK]

I can't believe how grown up your girls are!! Hope the little one is healing. And I agree--she rocked those sunglasses!! I'm so enjoying your review. It's a pleasure to see this cruise from your perspective. Thanks for sharing.

[Mom2B&Z]

OMG cruisinmama06, she looks really banged up! Who knew the kids club was such a danger zone?!? Hopefully she's on the mend, good thing you all have such a great sense of humour :)

I was hoping to use your experience to convince my DH to let me take the kids on a cruise alone, but alas it's more likely to be him...he's the teacher with the summer off and I'm alone with my measely 20 days of vacation a year ;)

[QTMichele]

WOW! Poor baby girl!!! I'm so glad that you were able to be creative with the Hollywood look - good job, Mama! I hope she's feeling better.

[vavasmom]

Michelle,

Sorry to see you DD had an accident but hopefully she is doing better. The sunglasses were a genius idea.

 

I will agree with your teen club observation - the older group (which now includes my DD :eek:) prefers to just hang out in most cases. They will soemtimes participate in the night party but often times not.

 

I have never heard of the assassins game - I will ask DD tomorrow.

[crusinmama06]

Thank you all for your concern and sweet comments :)

 

We just left our local ER. I just wanted to have them look at her and check out her vision. The doctor said that she is healing quickly (I showed him the pictures and he is amazed it was only 5 days ago) Her vision is fine and was not effected.

 

I was concerned because she does have a hard lump under her eye (I was concerned it was fractured and missed on the original X-ray). The ER doctor here thinks it is still just a "hematoma". We are to follow up with an ENT.

[shorbr]

Thank you all for your concern and sweet comments :)

 

We just left our local ER. I just wanted to have them look at her and check out her vision. The doctor said that she is healing quickly (I showed him the pictures and he is amazed it was only 5 days ago) Her vision is fine and was not effected.

 

I was concerned because she does have a hard lump under her eye (I was concerned it was fractured and missed on the original X-ray). The ER doctor here thinks it is still just a "hematoma". We are to follow up with an ENT.

 

I pretty much had the same experience with my son when he was four years old. I will write about it tomorrow. He will be 26 in a few months and doing fine.

 

Glad you are following up with a specialist. She will be fine and you will too!

[crusinmama06]

Shorbr - I will look for that story about your son tomorrow - thank you!

 

 

For those of you who are always wondering about the "Royal Babies and Royal Tots" - the 45 minute sessions with Fisher Price toys for tots and their parents. I was able to track down one of the sessions and get a picture of the set up.

 

 

This is not to be confused with the Royal Tots nursery on other ships. enchantment doesn't have a nursery yet. This is simply some playtime for the little ones and their parents.

[#1TravelMom]

Cruisinmama,

Our little girls are so much alike. You mentioned she doesn't fuss much - just like mine. She broke her arm(fell off her swingset) and came in the house - barely a whimper - and said - "Mommy, I heard it crack - I really did!":eek:

 

Praying your little one heals in no time. I guess you try to look on the bright side - a few inches lower and she could have lost a precious adult tooth. She's so adorable!

[lemonade-sails]

Wow - what a shiner!! Poor thing :( I'm glad you're following up at home too. Also love the sunglasses idea - not sure I would have thought of that.

 

Can't wait for more of your review. I would love to take my daughters on a cruise someday!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Aw- your daughter really got head-butted! That does look painful but you put a great spin on it for your daughter by turning her into a movie star! Good Mom!

 

Hope the rest of her trip was great and that her eyes heals fast.

[dirtgirl]

Ouch, Michelle! :eek: That is quite the shiner! Loved your idea of the sunglasses, and how wonderful that everyone played along. What a little trooper she is!:) Love your review, and sounds like the staff were wonderful!

[Merion_Mom]

Thanks rebecca - yes, everyone is fine. And the incident happened on Night of Day 2. So I am coming up to the details now. But yes, she is still healing. And it was my youngest. Of course.

 

And thank you Shorbr - more reviews to come.

 

 

Day 2 - Out to Sea

 

Had breakfast in the Windjammer. They have a Purel station at each door and a crew member reminding everyone to "sanitize". They do need a catchy phrase like NCL though "Washy, Washy, Happy, Happy, Smilie, Smilie" -- yep, missed that phrase. lol

 

Today at 10:00 for the teen club there was a ship tour to scope out all of the "teen hangouts" (that's easy, they are all hanging out outside the door to the Solarium - tee hee). Then on to the ping pong tourney.

 

By 2:00 pm. the first scavenger hunt of the week was on for the Teen Club - the "Art Scavenger Hunt" -- the hunts are not supervised -- and the kids head off alone, not in a group. The prize was a Fuel bag -- so my 12 year old was impressed.

 

Something I was a little concerned with and if anyone knows how it REALLY WORKS let me know -- but the game was called "Assasins" -- they took pictures of everyone in the club on Night 1 -- then if you signed up for Assasins on Day 2 you had to "Drown The Target" (splash water on them), "Poison The Target" (put salt/pepper in their food or drink) or Stab The Target (Mark them with the Pen). Um, I didn't want my daughter to be a target. So we opted out of Assasins.

 

While the teen was in the club, the 8 year old and I got in some quality pool time.

 

 

 

Michele, "Assassins" is a rather well-known game around here. Our kids (up to age 18!) love to play it. I assure you that it does NOT have "drowning", "poisoning" or "stabbing"!!!!!

 

Those Adventure Ocean counselors need some re-training. :rolleyes:

[shorbr]

Shorbr - I will look for that story about your son tomorrow - thank you!

 

 

Sorry this will be sorta long. I apologize in advance :o

 

I work in a hospital and my son attended the day care center there. It had an excellent reputation and I loved him being there. One afternoon during playtime indoors, they were taking turns on the indoor slide. His little playmate was at the bottom of the slide and my son...I guess in his excitement to be next started to slide down and boom...banged his head into his playmate. I received a call from the daycare center telling me of the incident and that I should come over right away. When I got there my son's eye was completely bruised, as if he was hit with a baseball bat numerous times. I immediately took him to the ER and the 'teacher' in charge, as well as the director of the center said he had 'an accident' and told me what happened. It looked very suspicious to me. While at he ER he received immediate attention, and I thought it was strange that the director of the ER came in to question me. He outright told me that it seemed as if child abuse was the issue. I had to calm myself because at that moment I wanted to scream. But I very calmly explained to him, as well as other staff that I received a call from the child care center telling me my son had an accident and it seemed like it required immediate attention. Can you believe they followed-up at that moment to confirm what i said??

 

Fast forward...numerous tests were taken and he was ok, no damage to the eye or brain area. It was that bad. They had me follow-up with an eye specialist and he confirmed their findings. It even saddens me now because before my son's eye got any better, it would look worse. And over the course of about 3 or 4 months he looked terrible. We didn't even want to take him out, it was so bad. We continued following up with the eye specialist for about 6 months and there still was no damage.

 

Needless to say, heads rolled for this at the child care center. The 'teacher' who had oversight during this was terminated, and I looked into moving my son to another child care center. I was devastated, but fortunately my son was unaware of what was happening. It took approximately 6 months for his eye to look normal again.

 

Once again, sorry for such a long story. Just wanted you to know I know how you felt when you saw your daughter. I wish her well, she is so cute, and let her know she will be looking like herself real soon. Hope she was able to enjoy her cruise despite this happening to her.

 

Take care :) and looking forward to more reviews.

[Julienatul]

Oh My Goodness Michele!!! Glad to hear she is healing well. Poor thing and to happen on the 2nd night of the cruise. Great idea with the "Hollywood" glasses, such a creative mom you are ;). I hope you all were able to still enjoy the rest of your cruise. Hopefully it isnt too painful for her.

[travelhound]

I've been enjoying you review of the cruise until the pictures of your sad little girl with black eye. :( You sure knew how to save her cruise though. Excellent idea of using the Hollywood sunglasses. You can see how well they are working in the picture with the big glasses AND the big smile!

 

Hopefully you were able to enjoy Bermuda too. Thanks for all of the info and pictures. We're hoping to go back to Bermuda when our dd is 3 (not until 2014).

[celle]

Shorbr - I will look for that story about your son tomorrow - thank you!

 

 

Sorry this will be sorta long. I apologize in advance :o

 

I work in a hospital and my son attended the day care center there. It had an excellent reputation and I loved him being there. One afternoon during playtime indoors, they were taking turns on the indoor slide. His little playmate was at the bottom of the slide and my son...I guess in his excitement to be next started to slide down and boom...banged his head into his playmate. I received a call from the daycare center telling me of the incident and that I should come over right away. When I got there my son's eye was completely bruised, as if he was hit with a baseball bat numerous times. I immediately took him to the ER and the 'teacher' in charge, as well as the director of the center said he had 'an accident' and told me what happened. It looked very suspicious to me. While at he ER he received immediate attention, and I thought it was strange that the director of the ER came in to question me. He outright told me that it seemed as if child abuse was the issue. I had to calm myself because at that moment I wanted to scream. But I very calmly explained to him, as well as other staff that I received a call from the child care center telling me my son had an accident and it seemed like it required immediate attention. Can you believe they followed-up at that moment to confirm what i said??

 

Fast forward...numerous tests were taken and he was ok, no damage to the eye or brain area. It was that bad. They had me follow-up with an eye specialist and he confirmed their findings. It even saddens me now because before my son's eye got any better, it would look worse. And over the course of about 3 or 4 months he looked terrible. We didn't even want to take him out, it was so bad. We continued following up with the eye specialist for about 6 months and there still was no damage.

 

Needless to say, heads rolled for this at the child care center. The 'teacher' who had oversight during this was terminated, and I looked into moving my son to another child care center. I was devastated, but fortunately my son was unaware of what was happening. It took approximately 6 months for his eye to look normal again.

 

Once again, sorry for such a long story. Just wanted you to know I know how you felt when you saw your daughter. I wish her well, she is so cute, and let her know she will be looking like herself real soon. Hope she was able to enjoy her cruise despite this happening to her.

 

Take care :) and looking forward to more reviews.

 

I'm a bit confused here. Are you saying that you think one of the staff at the care centre hit your son?

 

If not, then it was a pure accident, caused by children in the normal course of play and there was no need for anyone to be dismissed from their employment. No one, no matter how conscientious they are in their child care, can prevent all accidents.

 

My second son (aged 2) once fell from the top of a slide, while in the care of his father. Dad had watched him safely up the steps and told him to wait at the top until he went round to catch DS at the bottom of the slide. DS, being over-eager, tried to slide without Dad, and fell from the top. He broke his nose and had 2 enormous black eyes that lasted about 6 months. (Yes, probably Dad should not have let DS use the slide, but his big brother was doing it and he wanted to, as well; plus, he had been on slides severl times before, without incident. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!)

 

When I saw him, I honestly would not have recognised my own child - his eyes, forehead and nose were so swollen.

 

I can understand how upset you were. I wanted to cry every time I looked at my poor boy - but he was very brave and he did heal, in time.

[shorbr]

Celle...absolutely not for a moment did I think that the staff did anything to hurt my son. She was dismissed because there was a previous incident with another child who was not supervised.

 

I felt that there was no supervision and apparently so did the director, that is why she was let go.