Quickie baby update: Maybe...maybe home tomorrow? Things are moving in the right direction. They are now just waiting on the fucking insurance company to okay the at-home oxygen, but of course it's a holiday weekend so who cares if the kid had to spend three unnecessary days in the NICU because the insurance company took a long weekend. The hospital case managers were at work, but the people who control his discharge plan were at the beach or something.
There will be further outpatient testing to see if his heart is sorting itself out, and possibly surgery if it doesn't. Right now he needs his parents and a break from poking and prodding strangers. He's a bright eyed, adorable, alert little guy, and he needs home and a chance to figure out his own sleeping and eating schedule.
Meanwhile, I'm amusing myself by planning another Disney cruise for next spring. His parents are on board with the plan, Disney is the way to go if traveling with a baby. We'd like to do 4 or 5 days this time; 3 days was good for testing our cruise enjoyment, and yeah, we loved it and I'd do an extra day or two in a hot minute. I feel like I learned a lot about what I like from the first trip in Feb '23. I belatedly realized that I lost my blog story about that trip when I let my hosting go, but it'd be easy to recreate in a few short paragraphs:
The Disney Wish is gorgeous. The art, entertainment, staterooms, lounges, everything is just freaking amazing, especially if you're a Disnerd, but even non-Disney nuts rave about it. They aren't kidding about the "Broadway" shows, Aladdin in particular was really gorgeous and so well done! The cast members were all wonderful. We adored our servers, and since Disney does rotational dining, we got to know them and they knew us, which was really cool. The food was all very good to excellent. Despite traveling in early February specifically because this was when the storms are least likely, the weather SUCKED for half the short trip, but we managed to have a lot of fun.
It was very fun but 3 days was very short, and I learned some things about what to do and NOT do next time.
The main thing: Don't listen to the crazy people in online forums, especially on Facebook. There are people who treat cruises like a religion, and people who treat Disney like a religion, and combine the two and craziness ensues. As a cruise newbie, I joined a couple of groups and was immediately wondering what the fuck I'd gotten us into! Those people are intense!
Reality: "Everybody" doesn't dress up in themed clothing or do the "fish extenders" or have crazy lists of things you MUST bring with you. You do not have to do any of that, and most people don't. (You won't hear this in "those" FB groups, they'll have you almost convinced that if you aren't all dressed in themed "boarding outfits," people will point and laugh.) Honestly, I'd say maybe...20% of the passengers on our sailing were all about themed clothing, and on our deck maybe 20-25% of the cabins had those fish extender baggy thingies hanging outside. It's an entirely optional thing. We will continue to opt out.
Likewise, while there is a pirate night that is a blast, you do not have to pack an entire pirate costume to fit in. If you want to dress up go for it, but it's entirely optional. It varied from people who clearly spent a lot to dress their entire family in full pirate regalia to people who put on a black t shirt and a bandana and grabbed a beverage with rum in it, to most of us who just wandered in wearing our normal shorts and sandals, and grabbed a rum beverage or two. It was very fun and far less work than I'd been led to believe. Just grab a drink, with or without rum, and enjoy the show. Very talented people, really fun.
What I DID learn was that there's a restaurant open for breakfast when most people go do the buffet, and it was LOVELY to sit down in a pretty space and order delicious food from a menu and have a smiling server bring coffee, instead of juggling a tray and looking for a place to sit. Check which restaurant is open for breakfast that day and make your way there.
Honestly, the food in Marceline Market (on the Wish) was very good, but the atmosphere made me flash back to college: noisy chaos and people milling around with trays looking for a place to sit. There was even a 40-ish guy wandering around in what appeared to be his pajamas: baggy t shirt, Disney themed flannel pants, flip flops, messy hair. He rolled right out of bed and headed for breakfast, and nobody gave him a second look. It was a college dining vibe; not offensive in any way, but I'm at the "I want a chair under my ass and somebody bringing me food" stage of travel.
If you're an early riser like me (I will pop awake at 6 AM even if I got to bed at 1 am), room service has you covered for early coffee, fruit, pastry, etc. and it's all included. I fully intend to take way more advantage of room service next time, there's a full menu plus snacks, including fruit and cheese plates to go with the wine I will pack. It's included, so go for it.
Do bring your two bottles of wine in your carry on bag if you drink wine; your cabin steward will bring glasses and an opener. I have heard of this thing called "leftover wine" though it's not something I've personally experienced, but if you have experienced it, pack one of those little silicone stoppers so you can stick the bottle in the wee mini cooler.
Also the drinking water is just fine, you don't have to haul a case of water with you (again glares in the direction of Facebook groups). And this is coming from a family that refers to Dasani as Dashitty. (Dasani is the water sold in the parks, and yeah, I have to be really thirsty and it has to be really cold. I bring my own insulated bottle and fill it at the bottle fill stations.)
Again, FB groups will swear you have to haul a case of water with you. I don't know where they're from or how delicate their palates may be, but whatever. The ship's water was perfectly fine, nothing weird about it. Unless you're some sort of water snob or have a medical reason to pack your own, you do not need to do this. Do bring insulated water bottles and fill them as needed.
Everything you need to know about the cruise is on their website. Facebook should be taken with several margarita rims' worth of salt.
Castaway Cay was everything I'd hoped it'd be; relaxing, tons of seating and umbrellas, food included, restrooms so clean you could perform surgery in them, just...aaahhhh.
Basically, just do it. Pack your bags and just show up and trust that Disney knows how to deliver a really fun experience. I can't wait to do it again.
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