[DrDolphin]

Hello again from the shores of the St. Johns River in beautiful Jacksonville, Florida. Its time for another Terri (DrDolphin) Disney Cruise Line trip report. It seems like this is almost becoming an annual event for me. I guess before I go any further – we should introduce the nine members of our tour party (OMG – am I nuts?? Touring with NINE members of the same family?? Ok officially eight and one to be).

Me – DrDolphin – 38 years young
Marine Biologist & Lover of all things Disney
DVC Member and Castaway Club Member
5th Disney Cruise

DH2B – Chris (known on the boards as Crick85.. don’t look for him too often – he doesn’t post…) – 42 years younger
Pharmacist and learning to love Disney
1st cruise (amazing since he was in the Navy for 6 years and was never on a ship!!!)

DM – My mother – old enough to be my mother
Veteran cruiser – 3rd DCL Cruise

DF – My father
Veteran cruiser – 3rd DCL cruise

DNiece - 10 years old (35 in wisdom sometimes) (DN10)
3rd DCL cruise

DNephew - 6 years old (almost 7) (DN6)
1st DCL cruise

DAunt
My dad’s sister
1st DCL cruise – but has cruised on other lines

DUncle
My dad’s brother in law
1st DCL cruise

DCousin
Aunt & Uncle’s 21 year old, disabled daughter
1st DCL cruise – but has cruised with her parents before

WHEW!!! Did you get all that?? NINE people. Ok - so how did we get here? Time to strap on the way-back machine (this gives you the opportunity to scan forward and skip all my ramblings if you want….) and go back to see how this adventure all began -
My parents and their siblings have cruised together before – about five years ago to Hawaii on the now defunct NCL –America line. And about a year ago – my parents were talking to them again and dad’s sister (DA) suggested they do it again. At the time, mom’s sister DA2 and her spouse were part of the traveling party as well. But that changed. DA said (or so I’ve been told) that since DM and DD have spoken so highly of their DCL cruises with me – they should do DCL. DM booked for all of them – called me and asked me if I could join… here is where things got sticky.

It was March of last year – and I had submitted my application for a yearlong training session with work – and had to wait to see what the calendar for the training classes would be. So I was on HOLD… now that was just not nice… my family, that I introduced to DCL cruising – is planning a trip without me… POUT.

Well – while Lesley and I were bobbing around the Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific Oceans on the Westbound relocation cruise last year, the PA schedule was finally released – and praise be – the week of my family’s cruise was OPEN. Now – this was great news – see I was ON BOARD a DCL ship – see where I am going here? Onboard re-booking bennies!! I emailed my mom from the ship, and she was going to add me to her cabin… 3 adults in a cat 6??? Not exactly roomy. So – she asked me if I could get an inside cabin (since that was about as much as I could swing $$) and agree to bring DN10. I was worried about DN6 feeling left out (see DN10 went on the Med cruise with us 2 years ago – when she was DN8 and DN6 didn’t go…). Mom said to go ahead and book onboard, and we would add DN6 if DSis allowed us to (see we hadn’t even asked my sister if we could steal her kids for a week!!). So I had cabin 7001 – Cat 10, inside stateroom booked with a $200 on board credit and re-booking discount. YEAH!!

Next installment - the challenge of adding a DBF!!!