Fun with Dick and Kaz - A Cruisin' Trip Report... COMPLETED

[AliceGardner]

I think it was around $2800 to upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 3...

Cat 4 is in the region of $5500 (total for two people)? So a bit over $8000? More exspensive taking Lucy, our toddler daughter (paying for an extra person...)...

Thank you very much for sharing - very interesting

I hope that you have time to write a trip report and post lots of photos when you get back

Hope that you have a fantastic time - although I know that you will!

Best Wishes,
Alice

 

[mumloveseeyore]

sounds absolutely fabulous, have a wonderful trip! Gill

 

[CustardTart]

UPDATE:
We received the official "Fairytale Wedding" paperwork today.

I confess there was a tear in my eye as I reviewed our details, but that was most likely down to shampoo as I'd had to race out of the shower in full lather to greet the UPS man!

Just over 2 weeks to go and reality is biting - hard! So far, on my check-list, I've only been able to tick off "find suitable man" - but as he's been hanging around the place for almost 30 years, I can't really claim any recent planning success...

Despite checking out all the local boutiques, I'm sticking with the turquoise silk dress. DH has chosen a gorgeous shirt that picks out one of the colours plus it fits in with that whole "old, new, borrowed and blue" thing. For anyone of a certain vintage, I don't mean the 1974 Slade album - I just mean I'm old, the dress is blue (sort of). And I'm still working on the new/ borrowed aspect...

 

[mandymouse]

Karen, I can't wait to hear all about your vow renewal and see your photos

Mandy

 

[wicket2005]

Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[mark&sue]

The whole trip sounds amazing. We have just come back after our first disney cruise and would definately do another one.

congratulations on your silver wedding. Hope you have the bestest time.


susan

 

[cocinelle]

Hi Momma,

Just wanted to drop in on your TR before I leave for Gatwick. You and Daddy are going to have the most amazing time renewing your vows with the mouse, and I can't wait to see the photos/ hear all the tales of derring-do once we're all back in sunny London!

Have a lovely lovely lovely time- and CONGRATULATIONS!!

Sophie xxx

 

[CustardTart]

Thanks sweetie! Have a fab-u-lous trip and I look forward to hearing all about Zanzibar when we next meet. Gonna miss you... xxxxxx

 

[Frances999]

Karen, just want to wish you the most wonderful trip and anniversary. Thanks for the pre-trip report; hope you have an amazing time!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

WOW - your cruise sounds absolutely amazing! I bet you are so excited! Just wanted to wish you both a truly magical time! Look forward to seeing all the photos and hearing all about it on your return!!!

 

[CustardTart]

THE FINAL UPDATE...

OK so we only have 1 more sleep until our journey begins and I'm happy to report I've successfully avoided a pre-cruise/VR meltdown. Even when DH dropped his "No, I haven't ordered the new wedding rings" bombshell, I remained super-cool! Actually sub-zero might be more accurate and DH wisely avoided making eye contact until all danger of him turning into an ice sculpture had passed. Thanks to the World Wide WonderWeb, I found a fab company who have made a couple of emergency platinum wedding bands in less than a week and at an excellent discount - they are stars! The wedding band will be my 'new' VR accessory and a London blue topaz ring belonging to DD will be the 'borrowed' - I'm a stickler for tradition...

I have a cushion cover for the onboard characters to sign as a personalised memento of our trip - hopefully the concierge will help us with that. It seems to be a popular souvenir on the DCL forum so I thought I'd get in on the action. No door magnets tho', I'm afraid, as the printer flatly refused to work and I decided in the interest of sanity to let it go. As I've spent many a Happy Hour exploring my creative side, the designing of DCL specific door magnets was a breeze. For now though, these expressions of pure PhotoShop genius are consigned to a folder on my Desktop, succinctly entitled My Left Click...

On a brighter note, I'm packed - something of equal artistic achievement I feel, and all that's left is to throw necessary toiletries into a bag first thing tomorrow. My hair's done and I had a manicure this afternoon - seems I can't deny it, I'm actually ready to go! The dogs are kennel-bound, the house is tidy and DS knows how to work the essential appliances - nothing can possibly go wrong there, then...

Goodbye, gentle reader. Rest assured there will be further Fun with Dick and Kaz...

 

[mandymouse]

Karen, I hope you have a fab time on your holiday, Cruise and Vow Renewal. I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back, and I hope you'll take lots of photos

Best Wishes to you both

Mandy

 

[saratogagirl]

Karen, have a fab time honey, I can't wait to see the piccies, take care and enjoy x

 

[carolfoy]

I hope you have the most amazing time Karen, your report certainly sounds like you will.
wishing you and your 'new' DH the very best

 

[BRobson]

Have an amazing time - I cant wait to hear all about it

 

[CustardTart]

Day 1: The alarm stormed my consciousness at 6am and I awoke immediately feeling slightly sick and buzzing - I think it's fair to say I'm not a morning person! Actually I'm mostly a late afternoon/early evening person but I swung my legs out of bed anyway, padded to the bathroom and started running a bubble bath before heading downstairs to put on the coffee and reflect on the day ahead. The cases were lined up in the hall and all paperwork was present and correct in the traditional Virgin Holidays document folder. I dispensed two mugs of Starbucks House Blend coffee and headed back upstairs. Time to wake my groom-to-be-again and get this party started...

Three hours later, DH and I were sitting in Gatwick's Virgin Clubhouse in a couple of extremely comfy chairs. We ordered breakfast, drank more coffee and chatted about the trip. Our flight was a little delayed so we had more time to relax and I enjoyed a wonderful complimentary pedicure that was still going strong 10+ days later. Believe me, I could get used to this level of pampering! We ordered a couple of Virgin Redhead champagne-based cocktails (oh my, they are so flippin' delicious!) then settled down to read the papers and people-watch whilst waiting for our flight to be called...

Eventually, we found ourselves onboard and sipping yet more champagne-based alcoholic beverages - Bellinis all round, please! Our seats were 8A and 9A - side-by-side which was quite sweet. We enjoyed a little dish of chips with our champagne and then the flight attendant asked for our meal selections. I can't recall exactly what I chose but I'm pretty sure smoked haddock pate and roast chicken featured somewhere. Tho' not on the same plate. At least I don't think so... Anyway, the food was actually quite good and the champagne kept flowing which made the flight all the more fab-u-lously enjoyable and only enhanced our party mood - I just love the way you can sit together for your meal. Later I watched Shrek 3 whilst DH took advantage of the comfy flat bed and had a snooze...

We arrived in Orlando having enjoyed our journey and made our way to immigration. This is where things went a little awry and I'm ashamed to report I experienced what can only be described as vacation melt-down. I think in the past I have bragged about my immunity to this particular evil so I guess pride came before the fall. And what a fall! I won't bore you with the details but suffice to say it involved DH deciding to change the details on the green form as we stood in line! With just one person in front of us!!!! AAARGH!!! This stressed me out quite irrationally and, even though we made it through without mishap, I was furious with him for quite a while! To anyone in the vicinity at the time, the woman having the peculiar hissy fit at Baggage Claim 2 apologises unreservedly. Anyway, domestics aside and after finally collecting our luggage for the second time, we checked-in at the on-site Hyatt Regency and spent the rest of the evening chilling out on an incredibly comfortable bed, enjoying room service and watching TV US-style...

 

[natalielongstaff]

what a swish way to travel keep um comin !

 

[mandymouse]

Great start Karen - I can't wait to hear about your Cruise - so get typing missus

 

[florida sun]

Looking forward to more

 

[KayleeUK]

More please