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Are You Ever Coming Home?...No! I am playing with Wizards,Farkles & Sparkling Friends


jenseib
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Amanda had arrived and Claire texted me that they were loading the luggage and spotted a tear on my other bag.

The ladies said if it was bad to come back in and they would empty that bag too and send that off.

Amanda and Claire took off to circle around so they wouldn’t get in trouble for sitting there and I finally came out to wait. A text then came through with a picture.

 

36587931726_4dc3591cc6_z.jpgmco6by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

You have got to be kidding. At this point I was too tired to go back inside to take that bag and the 2 duffles I had were super heavy. There is a reason I have 4 wheels on my luggage. I said I would file a claim with the manufacture as this luggage is guaranteed to hold up.

Just an FYI…it is Samantha Brown luggage through HSN and they are complete idiots there. They will not admit to any issues and the warranty is pretty useless. They said they would give me $20 to get it repaired. I actually just now have taken it in and the local guy is going to put a patch on it. I am sure it will not match, but at this point, I just don’t even care.

 

So Amanda and Claire pulled back around and we crammed the 2 duffles in the car.

 

36587930466_3afe33cb0b_z.jpgmco10by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

In the meantime, Skip had been calling and I told him I would get back to him later as it was crazy right now and we had to circle the air for over an hour. I called him back and he told me not to hang out too long as there would be storms at home tonight. I told him we were going to get something to eat before taking off. He didn’t think this was necessary and he was driving me nuts. One thing that drives me crazy is being told what to do. I knew he was missing us, and we would get home as soon as we could, but we were hungry and a little cranky too.

 

We finally took off and headed off and decided the Cheesecake Factory is what was needed for dinner. I didn’t take any pictures, but the food was great as always and hit the spot.

 

We headed back to Amanda’s and loaded our luggage back into my car and then started home. We have about a 2 ½ hour drive when we add in our bathroom breaks and at first we were making good time. It started getting dark at about the halfway mark and then there were a few rain showers starting. By the time we made it to our favorite McDonalds for a bathroom break it was raining pretty hard.

 

We went in and got some drinks and they had these on display.

 

36587930356_f5249d5c7a_z.jpgmco11by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

36587930106_0a598da154_z.jpgmco12by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

What a small world! If you remember way back towards the beginning of the cruise I had mentioned we started watching the movie “The Founder”, which was about McDonalds and it’s original owners and then how this man basically stole the company from them…..this was the original mascot and look of the stores. I mentioned it to the lady who was working. She was a manager and she had no clue about any of it. LOL. I still need to rewatch that movie and watch the end. I found it really interesting.

 

Back on the road again and the rain had let up a bit. Yippee! Well about 20 minutes later it started to pour….and I mean pour. I could not see at all and the highway was super black with no lights. The few cars on the road were all going at a snails pace. I was tempted to pull over, but I was afraid someone wouldn’t see me and hit us. I trudged on slowly and I could hear Skip’s voice telling me “I told you so”.

 

As we got closer to home it did let up and we could drive at a normal speed then. I was never so happy to see my house when we pulled into my driveway. I grabbed the suitcases and put them in the house and we said hello to Skip, who was already in bed….and we were not far behind. It had been a long travel day and it was great to be back in our own beds once again.

 

The following day consisted of emptying suitcases and lots of laundry duties. We had a lot of stuff, but it was actually the fastest I have ever unpacked and got things put away.

 

And of course, real life came crashing back.

 

And that’s the end folks! Thanks for reading along with me as I relived our fabulous vacation.

 

I’ll post some final thoughts later….

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Final Thoughts

 

This vacation was amazing! It was wonderful to sail with so many great friends.

 

I am really happy we were able to fit some Disney World time in too. When I started planning this cruise, my first thought was cruise only. Then I went to 1 day in the parks, thinking that Animal Kingdom would be top priority….then when flights were so much cheaper coming in 2 days early and leaving 2 days later, it actually worked out perfectly. Tickets are good for 14 days from the first use, so we had them timed out perfectly to use before expiring.

We experienced a lot of new first for us, which is always a nice touch for anyone. We have been to the parks many times, but there are still so many new things to experience.

2 new to us resort stays, new dining places, new attractions and rides….plus mixed it with many of our favorites.

Claire hadn’t been to all 4 parks in 3+ years, so this really made her happy.

 

The cruise was just fabulous. We enjoyed each of the ports and the new ones were super exciting for us. We loved the 4th of July fireworks and I don’t think next year sitting at home will even be comparable. I am sure Claire and I will think about how we had been sailing the year before.

Not only did we visit many new ports, but we also did new things on the ship. And we actually took it easy a little more this time too. Playing games with our friends in Cabana’s is not something we would have ever thought to do normally, but we had so much fun and one of our best memories.

Being able to eat with both Cass’s family and Patty’s family made for a great mix for us.

I now know that 10 days on a ship is still not long enough for us. I know Claire agrees after all the tears she shed.

 

Were things perfect? Nope! We had a few issues here and there and by looking at a lot of Claire’s pictures you would think she had a horrible time…but she didn’t. That is just what she does to me when I go to take her picture. I told her some day she will wonder why I have all these pictures of her with a nasty look. I’d like to say it’s a phase, but she has been doing it off and on since she was 3. LOL.

 

Since this trip I have actually changed the company I work for, so I no longer can call these lovely people my co-workers….but I will call them friends for life. I am still doing the same thing I had been doing, but it was time to make the change and do what works for me better. I still have mixed feelings…LOVE my new company so much, but I do miss the comfort of my close co-workers from the old. The plus side is, this was NOT a work trip, so I can still do non work trips with these lovely ladies in the future.

And even some work trips too! I am actually going to CruiseWorld in Nov. and Brook (as well as a few other ladies I know) will all be there too. I am excited about this next trip and what it will have to offer…unfortunately no cruises. LOL. And on top of that, I was selected to arrive early and tour Fort Lauderdale for a few days prior with a group. (14 of ustotal).

 

After that, my next official vacation is over Thanksgiving, where I will be heading to NYC with my family for a few days. Once again, I may catch up with Brook again and possibly a few other past co-workers.

 

I do have a deposit on a cruise for Next Oct. and I hope to do it, but it will depend on a few other things and it may get changed eventually.

 

I want to thank everyone who has read and followed along as I relived this great vacation. I am so happy to have made these memories for not only myself, but for Claire. I am a big believer in making wonderful memories with your kids. When she looks back at things we have done together now, most of her memories have to do with a place we have traveled to and the fun we had together. I hope she keeps these memories forever!

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Thanks for you review! I always enjoy following your adventures. I have an anti-Disney husband, so I will likely never get to board one of "those" ships. but I do love following you and awing the beautiful ships. I look forward to reading your next review when you get to travel again.

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Thanks for you review! I always enjoy following your adventures. I have an anti-Disney husband, so I will likely never get to board one of "those" ships. but I do love following you and awing the beautiful ships. I look forward to reading your next review when you get to travel again.

 

 

Thanks for reading.

It was such a fun cruise. Yes, Skip is anti-vacation pretty much anymore. Over the past 6 plus years I decided instead of begging him to go all the time, I will just go with my daughter. He had done a few, and he always has a great time, but he just always has excuses. I am super lucky as my job also offers chances to travel for reasonable prices at times. Even though some consist of meetings, they usually offer some other fun options. Last Feb I went to a work conference at Universal Orlando and yes we had a couple of days with meetings, but we also were treated to a VIP tour in the parks and it was amazing.

My upcoming trip to Ft. Lauderdale will consist of tours, including an airboat ride, a hockey game, water Taxi and dining at different hotels....then 3 days of meetings all day long.

Our family is also going to NYC for Thanksgiving....but Skip won't go for that. That is not his kind of place at all.

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Thanks so much for this - loved your review. Going on the Fantasy in 36 days, so really enjoyed reading your review!!

 

You also inspired me to finally post my NCL Haven vs. DCL in the med review (on a different Disney board). I just wish I was savvy like you and knew how to download all my photos and post them!!

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Thanks so much for this - loved your review. Going on the Fantasy in 36 days, so really enjoyed reading your review!!

 

You also inspired me to finally post my NCL Haven vs. DCL in the med review (on a different Disney board). I just wish I was savvy like you and knew how to download all my photos and post them!!

 

Thanks for reading.

Have fun! It's a great ship! My goal is to eventually get on a ship when it is decorated for the holidays.

Let me know if you write up something. I would love to read it. It's really easy to post pictures. I use Flickr to upload my photos and then you just copy and paste the BBCode in where you want the picture to show up. I write mine in word and then copy and paste here because it is easier for me to write it ahead before posting.

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