SmithAlien

What will eventually become of Carnival's Fantasy class ships, which date back to the 1990s? With the departure of the Holidays and older, smaller classes, the Fantasy class are now the oldest, and smallest, ships in the fleet. They were once a backbone of the 1990s fleet, between the older, smaller classes and the emerging larger classes in the days before megaships. I sailed on Carnival Fascination for my first cruise, in 2001. I enjoyed this trip and still keep an eye on Fascination's evolution, and want to sail on her once more to see how much has changed and how much remains the same. The Fantasys have had a good long service life, and when they are retired, hopefully they will find good homes. Any idea of their next lives?

I'm single as single can be, so I live alone and travel alone. I travel all over the world. I love it!

Other than my first two cruises (where my mom and I went together), I have sailed solo, albeit only on themed cruises (specifically, Star Trek: The Cruise), where everyone has something in common (and I'm part of the global Trekkie family). I'm going on two craniofacial group cruises in the near future--on NCL Escape from NYC in November (Cher Crewz) and on Disney Fantasy in May 2019 with a craniofacial family group.

So far I haven't done a normal cruise (i.e. non-themed, non-group, just regular cruise, where I know no one else) all by myself yet, but someday I will.

In June 2001, my mother and I took our first cruise together (and the first cruise for either of us). We sailed on the 3-night Miami to Nassau itinerary, on Carnival Fascination. We were on Empress deck, cabin E68 (port side, next to the boarding doors used when boarding from a Jetway-style elevated gangway from the cruise terminal). Our cabin had metallic red fixtures and trim, as well as artwork of old ocean liners in it.

I remember there were no balconies below the highest decks (if there were balconies that I could remember, that is), now I see that balconies have been grafted en bloc to the sides and stern of the ship. I also remember a "topless deck" around the funnel (because I saw the sign next to the ladder indicating adults only and the cowboy-saloon-style gate across the ladder); now that deck is the launch pad for a new waterslide complex topside. I still remember the 88 piano bar, the Passage to India Lounge with the big elephants guarding the doorway, the Puttin' on the Ritz, the Palace Show Lounge, and other venues, restaurants, clubs, etc. as well as the glitzy Grand Atrium with neon glass elevators and sweeping stairs. The MDRs were Sensation and Imagination. We ate in Sensation (forward MDR). The interior decor was Hollywood themed, with mannequins of Humphrey Bogart and other Hollywood stars standing or sitting about all over the Promenade deck. Light metallic purple (or lavender metallic) trim was everywhere in public areas around the Grand Atrium.

I notice that Fascination has undergone multiple refits since 2001, and most recently, yet another dry dock refit this year, with the addition of new eateries and venues. I know Fascination is based in San Juan now and does a much longer (and more port-intensive) itinerary from there, much more interesting than Nassau.

I would love to re-cruise Fascination one day and see how much the ship has changed since my 2001 cruise. In your experience, how has it changed, and would I still recognize the ship today?

The three new ships that Disney Cruise Line have ordered (for launch in 2021, 2022, and 2023) don't have names, as of yet.

What are your guesses for the names for the new vessels?

My guesses would be Wish (from "When you wish upon a star"), Star (from

"When you wish upon a star"), and Princess (since Disney have historically made a lot of princess films), or maybe even some classic original Disney character names. A Facebook friend even suggested Millennium Falcon (I replied that a ship with that name would of course need to be Star Wars themed throughout).

By the way, I'm booked for my first Disney cruise--Disney Fantasy sailing May 11, 2019 (with a craniofacial family group someone else has organized). I'm looking forward to this new experience!

SmithAlien

I have been looking at Halifax from satellite photos (Google Maps) to see what the city looks like, in case of a future job opportunity there. I've never visited there, but may do so soon. In the satellite photos I noticed the cruise port close to downtown. I vaguely remember seeing there were cruises offered to Halifax as part of Canada/New England itineraries, but never gave it a thought.

Do any cruises depart from there (ie, could I get on a cruise there), or do cruises only stop there as one port of call on their itineraries?

I'm single, will be 42 on April 25, and have three cruises planned in 2018:

1) January 5-11, 2018: Norwegian Jade (Star Trek: The Cruise II)

2) April 1-8, 2018: Norwegian Getaway (I'm hosting Fabulous Faces at Sea II: The 2018 Craniofacial Cruise)

3) November 4-11, 2018: Norwegian Escape (Cher Crew Cruise)

Thanks for your ideas and suggestions!

I definitely plan to downsize dramatically if I make this move in future. In this case, I would get rid of my car (no need to drive in London or anywhere in the UK or Europe), all my household furniture, appliances, electrical goods and electronics, and kitchen stuff, and slim down on clothes; basically unload everything that can be replaced. What little is left over (such as medical records, a few special books, my medical artifacts and antiques collection, and a few other items of historical value to my life) could easily be packed up in boxes to be put in a surface shipping container (bulk shipping as some replies suggested) for transshipment separately from me. In the meantime, I would just carry what luggage I could easily handle and travel to NYC and get on the ship. Upon arrival and settling in, I would indeed need to look for a domicile, whilst waiting for my (little remaining) stuff to catch up. IKEA and other appropriate domestics stores would serve me well for stocking my new home in London or wherever in the UK.

In 2004, I moved away from my hometown of Fort Wayne, IN, on my own for the first time in my life--to London. London became my first home away from home--a huge leap for me from growing up in semi-rural Indiana to the great world city of London! I lived and studied in London for the next 3 years (I studied at King's College London, where my career in craniofacial genetics and embryology research began). Three years were not enough time for me to live in and experience London, IMHO, and it was very sad for me to leave London at the end of my term there. To this day, I have an insatiable desire to move back to London one day. In January 2016, I made my first return visit to London since I lived there, and it made me only more determined to move back there one day.

Looking back to that time, I wish I had considered using Cunard's former flagship QE2 to take me across the pond when I moved to London, instead of taking the usual, forgettable flight that I did. That would have been quite an experience!

I'm currently working in Denver, but will be moving in about a year and a half to yet another position--somewhere on Earth. (Since 2004, I have moved frequently--London from 2004-2007, then San Francisco 2007-2012, Calgary 2012-2015, now Denver.)

If I do get the opportunity to move back to London or elsewhere in the United Kingdom (eg, get a position in my alma mater King's College London or some other place there relating to my craniofacial research work), I am seriously considering the possibility of taking Cunard's QM2 on the transatlantic NYC-Southampton run as my means of relocation. QM2 now has single oceanview staterooms (perfect for me, a bachelor). The transatlantic voyage would be a relaxing, civilised, adventurous alternative to the cramped overnight flight in an economy seat (as much as I love BA and their 747s over any other airline I've flown transatlantic).

Of course, if I end up with the opportunity to move across the pond this way, I will need to get rid of most of my stuff (including my car, IKEA furniture, any bulky items, and most other stuff of mine that is not of any historical or other significant value to me), and just take a few suitcases with (and maybe a handful of boxes of important stuff, either as freight on the ship or shipped ahead). Once I get rid of most everything, I will have to get from Denver to NYC somehow, then get to the Cunard terminal in Brooklyn. What is the Cunard terminal in Brooklyn like? From what photos I've seen of it, it looks like a big white warehouse or shed, but I cannot see whether the ship is boarded via elevated gangway (like a jetway) or from the ground level. How would I get there from a NYC airport (if I flew in) or railway station (if I took Amtrak to NYC)?

Have any of you ever used Cunard (or others) to relocate across the pond? What are your experiences with that?

Do you need to tip when handing the luggage over to be checked (ie, to the porters at curbside)?

I was on Escape in August this year, and found Margaritaville mostly empty most of the time. My group ate lunch there on our last sea day, and there were a few more people around then (but not many). Their Beach Club sandwich (Mom and I split it) was good though. I have never been in a Margaritaville on land, so I would have nothing to compare the Margaritaville at sea to.

I am starting to plan the next Fabulous Faces at Sea Craniofacial Cruise for 2018 (likely April 2018 on NCL Getaway).

I forgot to add one NCL ship:

NCL Epic has 120 Studios.

Also, Pride of America has no dedicated Studio Lounge, but like her NCL fleetmates with Studios, POA still has activities and stuff for solo travellers.

For those of us who want to sail solo on a cruise, here is my list of cruise ships that offer single-occupancy cabins (designed and priced for one), current to the best of my knowledge:

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE (NCL has specially designed Studio cabins--inside cabins for solos--in an access-controlled area with Studio Lounge.):

*Escape (82 Studios)

*Breakaway (59 Studios)

*Getaway (59 Studios)

*Pride of America (4 Studios)

I highly recommend NCL for solo travellers, based on my recent cruise experience on Escape, where my mom and I had adjoining Studio cabins, and all the amenities they have for solos aboard ship.

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE:

*Prisendam (3 singles)

*Koningsdam (12 oceanview singles)

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL:

*Quantum of the Seas (28 inside and balcony studios)

*Ovation of the Seas (28 inside and balcony studios)

*Anthem of the Seas (28 inside and balcony studios)

*Harmony of the Seas (15 inside and balcony studios)

COSTA CRUISES:

*Costa Favolosa (17 inside and outside singles)

*Costa Fascinosa (17 inside and outside singles)

CUNARD LINE:

*Queen Elizabeth (8 oceanview singles, 1 inside single)

*Queen Victoria (9 singles)

*Queen Mary 2 (15 oceanview singles, after recent refit)

P&O CRUISES:

*Azura (18 inside and outside singles)

*Britannia (27 inside and balcony singles)

*Ventura (18 inside singles)

*Oriana (2 inside singles)

*Arcadia (6 inside and balcony singles)

*Aurora (4 outside singles)

FRED. OLSEN CRUISE LINE (all ships in fleet have singles):

*Balmoral (64 inside, oceanview, and balcony singles)

*Boudicca (43 inside, oceanview, and balcony singles)

*Braemar (40 inside, oceanview, and balcony singles)

*Black Watch (43 inside and oceanview singles)

CRUISE & MARITIME VOYAGES (CMV):

*Magellan (150 superior interior and oceanview twin cabins set aside for singles with a 25% supplement on superior category 3 and 9 twin prices. Plus, there are dedicated interior and oceanview singles, but number of these is unknown.)

*Marco Polo (15 inside and oceanview singles)

*Astor (8 inside and oceanview singles)

*Astoria (10 inside and oceanview singles)

*Columbus (Multiple categories of inside and oceanview singles, number unknown)

Again, this list is current to the best of my knowledge of what lines and ships have single-occupancy cabins, but if you know of any more, let me know.

Hi all!

Sometime in the (indeterminate) future, I want to do a World Cruise.

I am 41 now, in a career in craniofacial anomalies laboratory research as well as public engagement for awareness of craniofacial anomalies and the need for research into these.

I am single and will remain so for the foreseeable future, unless of course I find a special someone to finish out my life with. (By the time I get married, if it does happen, it will be late in life anyway.)

I realize there are quite a number of choices, in terms of cruise lines, ships, itineraries, prices, etc. for World Cruises.

I would love to do Cunard's QM2 (because I'm an Anglophile, having lived in London for 3 years recently). I regrettably missed out on QE2 (I wish I had taken that option for when I first moved to London years ago). QM2 is the only ocean liner out there (and worry that it could be the last).

But I'm open to other options for WCs on other cruise lines.

1) How soon should I consider doing a WC, considering I'm 41 now?

2) How early can I start planning? I'm thinking probably around age 45-50 (which would be 2020-2025), as a nice round number and a milestone for age, for my first WC. Or it could be later. How early do cruise lines start opening bookings for world voyages?

3) How much do I really need to pack? I use a CPAP machine to keep myself breathing at night (due to my small airway, part of my craniofacial birth defects), so of course I need to carry that and have the cruise line provide distilled water for the machine. Other than that, I want to carry as little luggage as possible (I'm small and not physically strong, besides the fact I'm alone and live and travel alone, so don't want to carry a whole lot). How little in terms of luggage can I get by with?

4) What cruise lines offer the best experience for their WCs in terms of what you get for your money, as well as the best WC experience for solo travellers? Or, if I get married someday, for a middle-age/senior couple?

5) I am still physically active (meaning, I walk miles each day, but I don't swim, dive, play ball, or do anything else strenuous), so I love to explore cities on foot. I picked up this habit (I call it "urban hiking" when I lived in London, and have continued it in San Francisco, Calgary, and now, Denver). A WC would provide the opportunity for me to explore new cities worldwide on foot, is that right?

6) On a WC, what kind of cabin accommodation would be best for me, since I'm single? Are solo cabins available for WCs on many lines?

Or, if I get married at some unforeseen and indeterminate later stage by the time I chose to go on a WC, what kind of cabin would be best for a late middle-age or early senior couple? Would a balcony be a minimum to aim for then? A suite would be nice (especially if there was a piano in it, as I'm a lifelong pianist), but might be quite pricey, or would that be a good value?

7) I've also discovered Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV), the UK cruise line using classic ships (Marco Polo, Magellan, Astor, etc); they will do their first WC soon, and are advertising the lowest prices of any line for the WC. What do you think of them?

8) I notice Carnival, NCL, and other mass market lines have not done or don't do WCs. Is it because they serve a market not predisposed to WCs?

There are many more questions I haven't thought of.

Please let me know more!

Not yet. I asked him the other day on FB.

Thanks, let me know when you hear back about John Heald's announcement about something for us solo cruisers on Carnival.

This cruise was a "workation" (working vacation) with the purpose of both fellowship among families with craniofacial challenges and education of others about our challenges.

My current career trajectory, as a research doctor in craniofacial genetics, not only includes my laboratory research in genetics but also includes public engagement for awareness of craniofacial anomalies and the need for our continuing research into craniofacial malformations and how to treat them. Other initiatives I have begun include collecting in-person video interviews of my craniofacial research professors and mentors (past and present) at my various alma maters in England and America, for the purpose of providing a public resource for education about craniofacial anomalies and research. I also want to foster ecumenical efforts at interaction between us scientists and those medical professionals who work directly with children with craniofacial differences (ie, cross-talk), as well as enhanced global research collaboration. And this cruise is yet another of my initiatives for public outreach, so it's a part of my work anyway!

This cruise will hopefully be just the first of a continuing tradition of Fabulous Faces at Sea Craniofacial Cruises in coming years.

Small world! I went to Snider, hubby Homestead. My BIL lives in New Haven. I know where Garrett is too. I'm still in Indiana, north of Indianapolis. We just flew out of FWA a couple weeks ago for the first time in years. Nice airport for your mom. I really enjoyed your review and pictures!

Small planet, indeed, for me too. I meet people from Fort Wayne wherever I have lived and travelled during my 41 years visiting Earth. Even more strangely, at an antique map store in Boulder, CO, the proprietor told me that people come in often asking for antique maps of...Fort Wayne! I miss Fort Wayne. I was a fan of the Wizards baseball team and attended a game or two every year, but since I've been gone, I have yet to see a TinCaps game at their new Parkview Field downtown. I would LOVE to own a downtown condo--either at Anthony Wayne Building or elsewhere downtown, as a second home or pied-a-terre, if I could afford it.

I was born in Bloomington, IN, in 1975, and given up by my native Irish parents for adoption, then spent my first 2 months in the NICU at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Meanwhile the state put me in medical foster care with an elderly black woman in inner city Indianapolis, not too far from Riley Hospital, for my first 2-1/2 years. At age 2-1/2, the state placed me with my new, adoptive family in the Fort Wayne area. My new mom had to learn to care for my tracheotomy and tube feedings, my special hearing aids that looked like Walkman, get me into speech therapy, and get me to specialized craniofacial plastic surgeons to start the very long process of reconstructing my deformed face (no ears, cleft palate, no eyesockets or cheekbones, severe jaw deformities, etc), in both Indianapolis and St. Louis, where there were craniofacial interdisciplinary teams devoted to challenges like mine.

When I came to my new family in 1978, they already had 10 other children also adopted, and they were living in New Haven. In 1979, we moved north to Garrett, where we had bought a former funeral home. I lived there until 2004, when I moved on my own for the first time, to London, England.

During my life in Garrett, I went to preschools in Fort Wayne (the Montessori preschool at Wayne Street United Methodist Church) and Auburn (at their Methodist church). From K-3rd grades, I attended JE Ober Elementary School in Garrett. From 4th-6th grades, I attended Faith Christian Academy (now Lakewood Park Christian School) outside Auburn. For 7th and 8th grades, I attended what was then Garrett Jr.-Sr. High School (which has just been totally rebuilt very recently). For high school (grades 9-12), I went to Canterbury School in Fort Wayne, graduating in 1994. I attended IPFW for pre-med biology 1994-1998 (BS Biology 1998) and for my MS in Biology (2001).

I first moved away from home, on my own, in 2004. I went to university in London, England (2004-2007), where I got my start in the field of research in craniofacial embryology and genetics (studying craniofacial development and birth defects in embryos). I pursued my PhD in craniofacial sciences in San Francisco (2007-2012), then did a postdoctoral fellowship in Calgary (2012-2015) and am now doing my 2nd postdoc here in Denver.

When I first came to the family (in 1978), they attended the original St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Fort Wayne, where they had me baptized (that's when I got my current name); that church burned down in September 1993. In Garrett, we attended St. Joseph's Catholic Church, and later on, we attended Bible Baptist Church (now Lakewood Park Baptist) outside Auburn (that's where the aforementioned Christian school is). My mom still attends Lakewood Park.

In 2008, Mom sold the ex-mortuary house in Garrett and downsized to a ranch in the Stellhorn/Maplecrest area (near IPFW) in Fort Wayne.

I still consider FWA my hometown airport--I fly in once or more times a year to visit family. I have been flying out of FWA since 1995, and other members of my family used it much earlier. They still give out cookies (from the nearby Ellison Bakery) to arriving passengers.

Thank you so much for sharing about Treacher Collins Syndrome and for the great review and pictures. Looking forward to your future reviews, well done!

PS - what is your moms secret? She looks amazing and would have never guessed she was in her 90's-

If you want to know Mom's secrets, ask her! :) But anyway, what I can guess of her secrets is 1) she and Dad (who died in 1995) devoted their marriage to adopting and raising us 12 kids with special needs, and God gave them the strength and grace and with Mom, the longevity to fulfill this mission; 2) Mom's spirit and love of life and good, clean, healthy living; 3) Mom's faith in Christ has sustained her in challenging times; and 4) Mom is Swedish (her grandparents came over in the late 19th century from Sweden to the US), and Swedes apparently have longevity. There may be other, hidden, reasons, for her longevity and very good looks that belie her age. She has aged like a fine wine--in other words, well. In fact, on the cruise, she was once mistaken for my wife.

We were on the SAME cruise as you guys! And were also on the previous week as this was a B2B for us. I did see beautiful Emma with her family in the spa...and was immediately reminded of our own "special" son back home who has autism. Our son LOVES to cruise...but every once in a while DH and I need to get away on our own and this was one of those times.

 

The idea of bringing awareness to the syndrome just really touches my heart as we have also done "Autism" cruises with our son.....but also just regular cruises as he does pretty well at this age. But the opportunity to share stories with families having similar situations is just TOO valuable for words! I applaud you and hope that more people use all manners of methods to share the word of various disabilities, syndromes, etc. By doing this and increasing awareness - we all benefit!

 

As a side note....your photos made me both happy and sad as I am SO happy to have had another wonderful cruise...but also sad that it is over! And your mom looks amazing! It does help so much to speak with other parents that are just now beginning to go through the "process" of raising a special child.

 

Thank you so much for not only the review of the ship and cruise but for your amazing spirit is educating and helping others with special needs and differences! If the world had more people like you.....everyone would benefit!

I wonder if we ran into each other on this cruise? There were so many people aboard, so it's hard to tell.

Emma does win hearts wherever she is, apparently. Other people on the cruise (for example, a group of men at Wave Bar who were cigar aficionados mentioned they saw Emma and her family earlier that day, and they got to know me once they found out I was the organizer of that group) mentioned they met Emma and her family on different occasions over the course of the cruise. We who have Treacher Collins syndrome have a kinship with each other, and children with TCS have a special place in my heart. They have a unique personality.

I have a form of autism myself--apparently high-functioning, probably Asperger, according to another TCS adult who knows me well and who works with people with autism. When I was a baby, one Sunday at Mass, another parishioner came up to my parents and told them she recognized autism in me (she was a teacher who worked with autistic and other special needs children in her school). The book Son Rise, by Barry Neil Kaufman back in that day (the 1970s) helped my parents work with me. My mom still has a copy of it.

My mom's good looks belie her age, truly! Her spirit shines through. She has aged as well as a fine wine. One guy on the ship even mistook her for my wife!

I am glad to educate others about my condition and inspire others.

What a fantastic review! However, I don't believe your mom is in her 90s! :-) I'll be on the Escape in May of next year, so really appreciated the great photos. I, too, am a *huge* fan of the Studios - and am loyal to NCL as a result. Cheers!

She actually is 91 (almost 92), as her birthdate is 9/23/24! :)

You're right, she does not look anywhere near her age. Women do age more gracefully than us men (they are like fine wine, they improve with age).

One guy I met at Waves Bar, who was smoking cigars with a number of other guys, said he saw me with my mother earlier in the cruise. He told me he thought she was my wife! :) That was of the highest compliments I ever heard paid to my mom.

Mom and I both enjoyed our Studio cabins (ours were adjoining, with a connecting door between them). I am definitely a big fan of NCL's Studio concept for solo traveller accommodations. NCL were the first to come up with accommodations for solo cruisers. A few other lines are picking up on that--Cunard have just refitted Queen Mary 2 with 15 Britannia Oceanview Single cabins (and their two other Queens already have single cabins); Royal Caribbean have a few single insides with "virtual balconies" in their largest ships; Holland America Line have just launched their first ship with single cabins (Koningsdam); P&O have single cabins on their ships now; and there may be others I haven't heard of. When I book my next cruise, I will base my booking decision on the availability of solo cabins. NCL is on my radar for whenever I book my next cruise. If and when I move back to London, England, I want to take QM2, now that she has single cabins.

My next scheduled cruise is Star Trek: The Cruise, in January 2017, on Norwegian Pearl. Pearl, and the other smaller ships, do not have Studio cabins, but for this upcoming cruise, I was able to book an inside cabin as a single ("inside single" pricing).

Tell me more about spice. I know there is no pool. Is there hot tubs or misters ? Any more pictures?

Spice H2O is an open air sun deck on 17 aft, at the stern. It has no pool, but has two hot tubs (one port, one starboard). It has three ascending tiers of deck chair space, and on the starboard side, has a small bar called Spice Bar. On the port side, there is a water feature behind a wall of "rock" where people can walk under waterfalls. This is an adults-only space. During the day, people relax on deck chairs on the tiered platforms and soak in the hot tubs and water feature and drink at the bar. Mom and I relaxed out there during sea days and sometimes in port.

At night, Spice H2O becomes a nightclub of sorts, for dancing, nightlife, and sometimes even the showing of a movie on the big screen astern. I came out here at night and met new friends.

Some of the pictures I have posted show parts of Spice H2O.

Here are more:

Thanks so much OP for your review. We are sailing the Escape for my 50th birthday next July. We just booked last week. Thank you also for the brief information regarding Treacher Collins Syndrome. I wasnt aware what the condition was named and thank you for the details.

 

Your mom looks FANTASTIC! I hope, PRAY, that when I am 91, I can look as great as she does and still be cruising!! I loved in all the pictures, dinner or in the cabin, she had her white sunglasses on top of her head lol Her muscle tone looks great! Just wow!

 

KEEPONCRUISING, Ill be 50 in May and ALWAYS need a mid-day nap on a cruise so tell you mom that too! lol.

 

SmitjAlien, Id love to see any more pictures you have on the ship. Did you use the gym? What did you do during the day on sea days and did you see the Chocolate Cowboy at any of the bars (I heard he works at 5 O'Clock Somewhere). Thanks!

Thanks for your encouragement! I am glad to be an ambassador for those of us with Treacher Collins syndrome, wherever I am on planet Earth. I am a research doctor (with a PhD) in craniofacial genetics and embryology at the University of Colorado in Denver, and got my start in this field of research at King's College London and Guy's Hospital in London.

So many people on the cruise commented that my mother does not look her age! In fact, one guy at Waves Bar, who was there with others smoking cigars, actually thought my mother was my wife! That was one of the highest compliments ever paid to her.

She does look so good, and her spirit radiates from her. She and (late) Dad raised us 12 kids, all with special needs. I'm not sure how she kept her good looks so long, but I suspect her good clean living helped, her Swedish ancestry may have given her longevity, and God has looked after her all her life. She continued to raise the youngest of us (including me) after Dad died at 72 in 1995. She still lives at home mostly independently (with the help of my younger sister who also lives at home). She may yet live quite a few more years. I hope we can squeeze maybe one more cruise in! Mom and I have been so close to each other our whole lives, since she first met me through the adoption process and learned to care for my complex medical needs (as a young child, I had a tracheotomy and needed constant tube feedings, not to mention all the major reconstructive surgeries I needed for most of my life, hearing aids, speech therapy, etc.).

I did not see a gym (or know where it was), but I did see the ropes course and walk-the-plank topside. I didn't yet take the time to go up there.

I never saw the Chocolate Cowboy (and never got in the 5 O'Clock Somewhere bar).

During the day, on sea days, my mother and I were relaxing together either in the forward atrium on deck 6 listening to the piano music or other performances and reading our books we got from the ship's library, or we were outside on Spice H2O sun deck on 17 aft sunning in deck chairs or soaking in the hot tub, while watching the water go by.

What a wonderful review! The pictures were great and it looked like you and your group has a fantastic time. You and your mom looked so cute on your date. Glad she made it home safely. My husband and I grew up in FW and we still have family there.

I grew up in Fort Wayne too. Before I was adopted into the family, they had lived in Champaign-Urbana, IL, during the 1960s and moved to Fort Wayne in the early 1970s. I came to the family in 1978, when they were in New Haven (FW suburb), then we moved to Garrett (a town north of FW). I lived in the Fort Wayne area until 2004, then moved to London (2004-2007) for university, then San Francisco (2007-2012) for my PhD studies, then to Calgary (2012-2015) for a postdoc, then to Denver where I currently live.

I still keep up with what's happening in Fort Wayne, and go home once or more a year for Christmas/NY and for family events.

DISEMBARKATION IN MIAMI, SUNDAY AUGUST 14

Our ship arrived early Sunday morning at PortMiami and began disembarkation upon clearance by US Customs. Mom and I got up around 7am, finished packing, and headed to our favourite breakfast spot--the Garden Cafe buffet (deck 16 aft). I took Mom down to the theatre on deck 7 forward, where those needing wheelchair assistance were instructed to gather for expedited, escorted disembarkation. After I left Mom and her walker there, I went back to our cabins (deck 10 forward) to retrieve all our luggage, and schlepped it all back down to the theatre. A ship's staff member pushed Mom in the wheelchair whilst I followed behind, as we debarked from deck 7 through the Jetway-style elevated gangway into the crowded, sprawling Terminals B and C complex, took a lift down to US Customs, and cleared through Customs with the appropriate declarations paperwork and passports and everything. Outside the Customs exit, we waited for the rest of our group to come out. Eventually they did, and Mom and I followed them to the center island in the car park to await our arranged private bus transfer. The bus came, we all loaded, and we headed from PortMiami up north to FLL airport.

Since my mother's flight was leaving before our group's flight, and she was flying AA (and we were flying UA), our travel agent instructed our bus to drop off me and Mom first, at FLL T3 (the AA terminal). I helped Mom get into T3, where we requested wheelchair assistance. Our escort helped Mom check in for her AA FLL-CLT-FWA flights, and we had to wait a bit longer to check in her suitcase (as it was over 4 hours prior to Mom's scheduled departure). Eventually Mom's bag got checked in (she was checking it as it contained her big bottle of Champagne). She was escorted to the TSA security checkpoint, as I gave her one final hug good-bye before she headed home. As soon as I saw her safely escorted through TSA, I left T3 and walked all the way over to T1 (for my UA flight with the rest of the group).

I joined up with the rest of my group at FLL T1 after having seen my mom off at T3. We checked in, and the group checked in their bags (I chose to carry mine aboard, since they were small enough to stow overhead or underseat). We went through TSA; since I have NEXUS/GE, I automatically have TSA Pre, so I breezed through. We had lunch at Chili's in the concourse, awaited our UA FLL-DEN nonstop, and had an uneventful flight back to DEN. We arrived at DEN at 5:37pm local.

Mom eventually made it home to Fort Wayne, meanwhile. Her AA FLL-CLT made it to CLT, but then her connecting AA Eagle CLT-FWA was delayed over an hour and a half, so she did not make it to FWA until 11pm local. A family friend of ours waited at FWA to pick Mom up and took her home.

CONCLUSION

This trip was a wonderful, and successful, "workation" for me (it was part of my work, as my work not only involves my research in craniofacial genetics, but also public engagement for craniofacial research and awareness of craniofacial anomalies). "Workation" is the term I have coined, meaning "working vacation". The point of this cruise was, besides fellowship and getting to meet each other, for me and my mother to share with others about our experiences (me living with TCS and Mom raising me with my challenges). I also was an ambassador of sorts aboard ship; by meeting so many other people on the ship over the duration of the cruise, I got to make friends while sharing my unique perspective and life experience and inspire them.

I plan to continue hosting Fabulous Faces at Sea Craniofacial Cruises for years to come, aiming them at the craniofacial community (adults with craniofacial conditions, families with children with these conditions, and others) as not only an opportunity for fellowship, but also as an educational workshop type of thing on a cruise.

I hope you all have enjoyed sailing the seas with me on this unique cruise.

LAST NIGHT OF THE CRUISE: MOTHER-SON DATE

On this final night of the cruise, after we had left Nassau on our way back to Miami, I took Mom out for a "mother-son date" at Le Bistro, the French specialty restaurant (I had made a reservation a few days prior for tonight's dinner). This would be our special way of capping off our fabulous cruise vacation in which we had forged a closer bond as mother and son, with an exquisite dinner at this restaurant.

We dressed up a bit for tonight's "date". I had purchased a NCL logo polo shirt in the ship's gift shop Sandbar, and Mom had bought a black and white striped dress there.

We had the French onion soup as an appetizer, the ribeye steak for two (which was cut up for us at tableside) with vegetables and mushrooms was our entree, and our wine was a French cabernet sauvignon. Over this exquisite dinner, Mom and I just enjoyed talking and reminiscing and growing even closer together (we have always been very close).

After our lovely dinner date, Mom and I returned to our cabins to pack up and get ready for debarkation in Miami the next morning. Mom went to bed, and I stayed up a bit to explore the ship one last time and meet and dance with my nightlife buddies whom I had gotten to know (and who had come to love me) over the week for the last time.

Here are the last two pictures of our cruise, with Mom and the rose I had gotten for her a few nights prior. She was able to take the rose home with her, a piece of me and a memento of our cruise together. Yes, that is a beer bottle serving as a vase!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: DISEMBARKATION, AND CONCLUSION