bubba's mom's annual trip report to Univ...wait! WHAT?! NO Universal?!?!?!?!

[RVGal]

I got here in time for the big finish.

Loved the snorkeling pics. Looks like you have made a good choice in heading back to Grand Cayman for your full vacation. Should be fun for all of you.

The excursion cancellation in Cozumel sucks. DH sez if you aren't going under water in Cozumel, don't bother going to Cozumel. I think he's right.

The day at sea looked fun. How cool that Bubba chose that moment to conquer the climbing wall? Way to go Ry!

And you ain't kidding about breakfast the last morning. Whoosh. Butt crack of dawn or don't eat. A little harsh after forcing us to relax and/or party for a week, don't you think?

 

[bubba's mom]

What a fun last day. That fiesta thing with all the food looked wonderful! I would've been nibbling my way through it. I couldn't beleive all you got was a cookie. I would've had at least half the plate of chocolate cover strawberries myself!

this ship is just beautiful, I hope to get a chance to see it myself someday.

I'm glad to hear the repairs are coming along. What a pain that is to do.

Believe me...by then, I was tired of eating I think the guys had some munchies, but I was just sorta roaming around and taking it all in. Freedom really is a great ship. Wouldn't hesitate to sail her again!

Just read through your last cruise day. You certainly made a full day of it- enjoying a lot of what the ship offered.

The Freedom Fest looked like a lot of fun. The ice scultpures and the beautiful food art are amazing. It also must have been fun to watch the towel animals and napkin folding.

Did people get to eat the cupcake they decorated?

Yeah for Bubba for climbing the rock wall! My kids were younger when we were on our cruises and they didn't have any interest.

Pretty cool (get it) that you are able to ice skate on a cruise ship!

Once again, loved seeing the menus and the food from dinner! YUM!!! I am a very enthusiastic eater and it would be hard me to choose. I know you can get more than 1 choice, but then you run into the too full to enjoy issue.

I appreciate your pictures and descriptions from the shows. We never seem to get to those.

I have enjoyed reading about your great vacation with your families followed by the cruise. You guys know how to have a great time!!!

I would guess people would be able to eat their decorated cupcake? I mean, you are paying for the class and doing the work, you should be able to eat the stinkin thing, right?

There were only a few times we couldn't decide what to order to eat at dinner, so we did order a couple different things. That didn't include the stuff our server would just bring us either We always try to go with the unknown or different in addition to the familiar (jic we don't like the 'unknown/different').

Hopefully throwing IT up next day sometime today....just about ready to head home.

 

[bubba's mom]

I got here in time for the big finish.

Loved the snorkeling pics. Looks like you have made a good choice in heading back to Grand Cayman for your full vacation. Should be fun for all of you.

The excursion cancellation in Cozumel sucks. DH sez if you aren't going under water in Cozumel, don't bother going to Cozumel. I think he's right.

The day at sea looked fun. How cool that Bubba chose that moment to conquer the climbing wall? Way to go Ry!

And you ain't kidding about breakfast the last morning. Whoosh. Butt crack of dawn or don't eat. A little harsh after forcing us to relax and/or party for a week, don't you think?

^ugh...I think! It's SO hard to get up that last day...it's TOO early

Have no idea when we'll be able to attempt Coz again But, we are SO looking forward to next 2 summer trips...snorkeling everyday in the caribbean....

Now that my family room is just about 'normal' looking again, hoping to finish this up today. As 'you' know , I just ain't been around lately.

 

[natebenma]

I would guess people would be able to eat their decorated cupcake? I mean, you are paying for the class and doing the work, you should be able to eat the stinkin thing, right?

Hopefully throwing up

just about ready to head home.

You have to pay for the class???

We have been on a couple of cruises, but they are not my favorite type of vacation. I would rather be on the island or beach when I want to, not when the ship docks or the tender can take me. And it always bothers me when cruises claim to be "all inclusive". Yes, except for the soda, and the alcohol and the specialty restaurants, and the tips and the excursions and the classes, etc...

Rant over!

Ok, I read the last part of your comment quickly and I thought it explained your absence!

 

[bubba's mom]

You have to pay for the class???

We have been on a couple of cruises, but they are not my favorite type of vacation. I would rather be on the island or beach when I want to, not when the ship docks or the tender can take me. And it always bothers me when cruises claim to be "all inclusive". Yes, except for the soda, and the alcohol and the specialty restaurants, and the tips and the excursions and the classes, etc...

Rant over!

Ok, I read the last part of your comment quickly and I thought it explained your absence!

I am not 100% certain, but I think you DO have to pay for that class.

I agree...cruising used to be great...almost everything included. Now, not so much. BUT, nice to know I'm not paying for things I won't use/don't want too. Just like a lot of peeps balk at Loews Hotels because you have to pay per nite to park. Disney builds that price into their price. I'd rather NOT have it built in since we never have a car at Universal. But, cruising is still a great vacation. We like visiting different places without having to worry about getting there ourselves. Not to mention discovering great places to visit on their own....

I didn't mean "throwing up"...I fixed it

Have a little free time, thought I'd finish this up!

 

[bubba's mom]

Day 16 -- Sunday, July 17

Cruise Day 8 -- Debarkation & fly home

Today's Compass. Oh wait....there isn't one.

It was up early for us today...can't remember exactly when...maybe 7:30ish??

We were up, got ready and packed up the rest of what we used that morning. We grabbed our bags and headed to Windjammer for breakfast. We went there because they served until 8:30, unlike the dining room that served till only 8am.

It was REALLY crowded this morning. It was hard to find a table, but we did eventually. We took our time eating because we were in no hurry this morning.

While we had been sitting there eating, I got a voicemail from the car company that was picking us up. It was just a reminder call, but the driver left me his cell number which would turn out to be a wonderful thing. After eating, I called him and got his voicemail. I left him a message asking him if there was any way he could come sooner for us?

At our seat at breakfast, we had a perfect view of the Disney terminal. The Dream wasn't there, so no picture of her. She's doing 5 night Bahamas right now.

We only left the Windjammer because they were cleaning up and trying to get ready for the lunch crowd.

Normally, we would leave the ship en route to Universal Orlando or my FIL's house, but we were flying home that afternoon. We had already spent a week before the cruise at Dad's and my BIL's. Not knowing what time we'd be off the ship and clear customs, I booked our car for noon (toldja we was in no hurry!)

Not long after we left the Windjammer, I got a call back from him saying he could come sooner...he'd be there in about an hour.

Not a problem. We went to the top deck and took in the scenery. Savoring our last moments on board.

We watched the dock peeps do their thing...recycling, food coming, luggage..... Until we were asked to go. 9:30ish.

We headed off the ship and stood in line to leave. LOVE how it's always "hurry! hurry off!", yet only to be backed up in a line (almost as bad as "Wait Disney World")

We had zero problems finding our luggage, after all, most people were gone already! Once we retrieved our bags, I moved some of our carry-off items into the other bags. A lighter load to carry ON the plane was a good idea!

We had nothing to declare and barely stopped going through customs.

Outside we waited for our car. He was about an hour, like he said.

He picked us up and we were on our way to MCO. There was no traffic and we arrived in plenty of time for our 3pm flight. We checked our luggage and printed our boarding passes.... "A" passes for Southwest. (We had Dad & Joyce check us in yesterday online and they did great.)

We stopped by the food court for something to eat, but the lines were crazy long! DH said, "Forget it. We'll get something on the other side of security." And that's where we headed.....

Bubba got flagged at security and they pulled him aside and wiped his hands for residue. At least his hands were clean then .

After clearing security, we stopped at that McDonalds. On THIS side of security, NO lines We sat and ate some burgers and filled our drink cups with water (Bubba's cup from his soda package and my cup from Labadee). I called home to see who had our dog. Either my client who we dropped him off with 17 days ago, or my Mom. My client is 70 and her and her husband have a camper at the Delaware shore. They were thinking of going to their camper while we were away (they usually go every weekend in the summer from Wed/Thursday and come home Mon/Tuesday) and if they did, they'd turn our dog over to my Mom to watch him. So, called Mom's first, he wasn't there. My client had kept him. Called her next and told her we were at the airport and about what time we'd be by to pick him up. Turns out, they didn't go to the shore the whole time we were gone because the painters they'd hired to do some work at their house, finally decided to show up and do some work!

After my phone calls, we made our way to our gate. Once at our gate, we plugged in the laptop and watched the end of the movie we watched on the way down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid-Roderick Rules). We didn't miss much, so it didn't take long.

After the movie, Bubba played his DSiXL or PSPGo while DH & I checked out what we'd missed on the internet. Checked our emails and he checked his Facebook & Twitter....just killing time and catching up with the real world. It's always strange when you come back from a cruise...no internet, cell phones, news...You can really feel disconnected from the world while at sea!

Before we knew it, it was time to board our flight home. We were over the wing again and our in-flight movie home was Toy Story 3. We hadn't seen it yet because we were saving it to watch on the plane. I thought it was good, but expected much better (based on what I'd heard). Movies on the plane always makes the flight go by fast.

We arrived home on time, but had to wait forever and a day for our luggage. I will never, for the life of me, understand how MCO does luggage SO efficiently, while Philadelphia never seems to have a clue? We went to the carousel we were told to. They said another flight's luggage would be there, as would an Air Tran's luggage before our flight's...even though there wasn't anyone standing around that carousel. Yeah. Okay. NO sense in using the Air Tran carousel NEXT to the one we were standing at! I think because Southwest and Air Tran are going to become one, they decided to only use 2 out of the 3 luggage carousels there. Dumb. But...that's PHL for ya!

Finally, after what seemed over 15 minutes, we got our luggage and I called for our car. They were there within 10 minutes and we hopped in and left for home.

We were concerned how much traffic we'd hit on the way home because of 'shore' traffic (flight arrived around 5:30), but we didn't hit much. Closer to home, we stopped at a Wendy's drive-thru for dinner. Where they decided to mess up my burger order...twice!! Yeah...this ain't no Royal Caribbean dear. After I finally got what I wanted, we headed toward home...arriving back in our home area in just about an hour after leaving the airport. We stopped to pick up the dog and he was beyond happy to see us. Since he was there for 17 days, he may have thought that was his new home He couldn't wait to go, so we didn't stay long and left.

Back at home, begins the 'back to routine' craziness. Mail, grocery store, etc.... All would be taken care of tonite and tomorrow (we both don't work the day after returning home from vacation).

All in all....a great trip. I had a LOT of expectations of the Freedom ship, and I was not disappointed at all. We would definitely sail on her again!

We are super excited for our vacation next year. We've rented a catamaran in Roadtown, Tortola, BVI and we (us 3 and my BIL, his wife and 3 kids) are going to sail island to island in the BVI for a week next July.

Thanks for reading...see ya next year

 

[RVGal]

They checked Bubba's hands for residue?

I bet Max was beyond glad to see you guys. Especially his buddy Bubba. Poor guy probably had to sleep alone and on the floor the whole time you were gone.

 

[bubba's mom]

They checked Bubba's hands for residue?

I bet Max was beyond glad to see you guys. Especially his buddy Bubba. Poor guy probably had to sleep alone and on the floor the whole time you were gone.

Don't worry about Max...one reason he went there was cuz they spoil him! (My Mom ignores him pretty much.)

He slept on HIS bed on the floor next to their bed.

While their dog slept downstairs in his crate.

yeah...he's spoiled

 

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

What a fantastic trip report! I'm kind of sad to see it end. The good news is I take my Universal/WDW trip in 6 weeks, and I hope I can return the favor.

Thanks for bringing us all on the trip with you.

 

[natebenma]

Another great report!!! You guys have such a great time on your trips.

We checked our luggage and printed our boarding passes.... "A" passes for Southwest. (We had Dad & Joyce check us in yesterday online and they did great.)

After the movie, Bubba played his DSiXL or PSPGo while DH & I checked out what we'd missed on the internet. Checked our emails and he checked his Facebook & Twitter....just killing time and catching up with the real world. It's always strange when you come back from a cruise...no internet, cell phones, news...You can really feel disconnected from the world while at sea!

Thanks for reading...see ya next year

That's brilliant having someone else check you in for your flights!!! We have never done that (though I'm not sure there is anyone else I would trust)

You know it is truly a wonderful vacation when you have no contact with the outside world until you get back. I used to ask our airport driver "Who died while we were gone (someone famous always dies)" but my husband thought the question was kind of morbid, so I stopped doing that.

The Freedom sounds like a wonderful ship. Our 3 cruises have all been Royal, and we have been pleased with the cruise line.

I am excited to hear about your next couple of trips. Officially envious of sailing around the BVI. Beautiful sights above and below the water.

 

[jenseib]

I'm so sad this is over. You had such a wonderful trip! I can't wait to cruise again! And I have been even looking at prices for this ship as well.
I always have trouble at fast food places too and Wendy's almost always screws up one of our orders. I just went to a local hot dog chain on Monday and sure enough my order was messed up. Can't they hear? I said it nice and clear.

 

[bubba's mom]

What a fantastic trip report! I'm kind of sad to see it end. The good news is I take my Universal/WDW trip in 6 weeks, and I hope I can return the favor.

Have a wonderful time on vacation! Yours is a LOT closer than my next one

That's brilliant having someone else check you in for your flights!!! We have never done that (though I'm not sure there is anyone else I would trust)

The Freedom sounds like a wonderful ship. Our 3 cruises have all been Royal, and we have been pleased with the cruise line.

I am excited to hear about your next couple of trips. Officially envious of sailing around the BVI. Beautiful sights above and below the water.

We had BIL check us in via cellphone last year. It's great (since you can reprint boarding pass at airport) IF you can find someone you trust. I did it for a friend of mine when she was at WDW. If you ever need someone to do it, and I can, you can always ask me

Don't be TOO envious of BVI trip. Just think of all the $$ YOU'LL save NOT going!

I'm so sad this is over. You had such a wonderful trip! I can't wait to cruise again! And I have been even looking at prices for this ship as well.

Good luck finding the next ship to cruise on! Hopefully Skip actually makes that one. I don't doubt you'll have something in the works...the Disney mind never stops.....

 

[jenseib]

I have so many trips in mind....go on a cruise ...DCL or RCCL, got to Universal...go to WDW or to Disneyland........I want to do it all!
I do know I'll be sailing the Dream next Nov, (2012) so thats a plus

 

[bubba's mom]

just started this year's....link in sig....