1 Mom, 2 Daughters and 3 Days of Wonder! **Completed 6/29!** About This Page:

[POOH]

What a great last night. But, what a bummer that the trip and this TR is coming to and end. I really enjoyed reading it and brought back some memories from my first cruise a couple of months ago.

[statelady01]

And so it was, we slept beautifully and woke up already docked in Port Canaveral. As bummed as I was to leave, in a way I was kind of ready- I missed the rest of the family and I know they were ready to have us back too.

The girls and I both basically threw our clothes on, made one last sweep of the room and headed out. Both of the girls wanted McDonald's instead of breakfast on the ship so we simply headed to the lobby, said our goodbyes to the CM's. As we did, several of them wished me a Happy Mother's Day- which I thought very nice- and frankly, in all the excitement of the trip- I totally forgot it was Mother's Day. What better gift could I have asked for than spending time on this marvelous ship with my two precious daughters?

Disembarking could not have been easier. We found our luggage very easily, proceeded through customs without any problems and got in line for the shuttle back to the Radisson. That was a bit of a wait but we did get a seat despite the numerous people who were on it. We drove around to the other terminals to pick up the Carnvial folks- and got a glimpse of Freedom of the Seas:



We got back to the Radisson, loaded up and stopped by McDonald's on the way out. An hour later, we rolled into the driveway where all the guys were waiting on us!

As we unpacked our stuff, I realized the lithograph was nowhere to be found. The one that Captain John had signed- my most precious souvenir. I was pretty distraught and decided to call DCL to see what could be done. They couldn't have been better- I was immediately transfered to an agent at the port. She took my name and number and promised to call me back.

About 2 hours later, the agent called me back. Glen had found it and they would be priority mailing it to me. (And it did arrive about 4 days later- in perfect condition).

What a wonderful trip we had full of memories for each of us.

Final thoughts are in the next post- if you'll indulge my writing for one last installment!

[statelady01]

Final Thoughts

This being my second Disney cruise was another enchanting adventure. And my girls had the time of their lives- it was such a neat experience to have just the three of us- because in a family of 5 kids- one on one time with your child or parent, for that matter, is hard to come by.

As a general review, the ship, programming and facilities were superb. However, that being said, I didn't think the service was as exceptional as it was on my first cruise- two crew members stood out on this one- Dan from India and Glen, our stateroom host. In my previous cruise- I had a list of 5 or 6 I wrote DCL about. However, I am not disappointed- it wasn't that the service was bad- it was very good.

Our stateroom was fabulous. I never thought at Cat 9 would work so well. If you can't afford the balcony, don't sweat it. You will enjoy a Cat 9 room as much, ok almost as much. I could easily be happy with one on a 7 day cruise- that's how impressed I truly was with it. The staterooms are exceptional. Cozy, beautifully appointed and spacious- with spacious on a cruise ship being a relative term, of course!

This cruise sealed my fate as a cruise junkie. And I might say while some are exclusively loyal to Disney, I probably am more inclined to try other lines in the future. I think Disney sets the standard for sure but other ships have impressed me enough to keep adventuring on other ships/lines as well.

So this brings us to the end of THIS trip report. However, fear not! Another one has begun- the report detailing our Alaskan cruise coming up in a few days. I've posted the first part of the pre trip report in Globetrotting- so please, stick with me and sail awhile! I'll also be posting live updates and photos thanks to my new iPhone!

Here's the link to the new report:

http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post2828415

Thanks to all of you for your kind words, responses and messages. I am glad to have written it and lived the memories once more.

See ya in Globetrotting!!

[POOH]

What a wonderful trip you had with your girls. Now I can't wait to read all about your Alaskan trip.

[lauren-roxy]

What a wonderful trip for you and your girls!! Thanks so much for sharing with us and I loved all the photos!! Everyone definitely had a great time!!!

[rlb38]

It was wonderful to read about your trip with your girls. And now I'm off to read about Alaska !

[DrDolphin]

Such a wonderful trip for you and the girls!!

[Colexis Mom]

Great finish Maureen! Glad you got the litho back!! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!!

[orionchika]

Thank you for sharing your vacation with me...

[lauriep]

Beautiful report. I'm so glad we can now read about your Alaskan cruise!

[HeatherD]

Thanks for sharing your trip and your girls with us. I'm gonna go check out your Alaska cruise TR, since that is another I've been dying to do (as has my MIL).

[chezp]

Great finish - I've loved reading all about your girls only cruise.

[Big Baloo]

That was so fun! I really relived parts of our family cruise. thanks for sharing all your experiences.

[Kenny]

While I am sad that yet another cruise is over, I am so glad to have met you, Katie, and the most amazing Miss Em. Your girls are wonderful and beautiful, each in their own right. They are as lucky to have you as their Mother as you are to be blessed with them. I don't know much about autism, but it seems as if you were able to give Katie an experience of fun and happiness that she will, hopefully, be able to remember for a long time. Emily impressed me with her selflessness and grown-up-ness in regards to her sister, and yet was still able to have fun as an eight year old and Mommy's little girl.

All is not over, though, for now it's on to Alaska, and to meet more of your wonderful family!

Thanks for bringing us along!

[mcc0313]

What a perfect trip Mo...I am so glad that you got to enjoy this time with the girls, and you could see on their faces in all your pictures how much they enjoyed it as well.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure...onto Alaska (already started your PTR and I am craving to hear more )