Please Help-urgent!!! Leaving Soon!

[GoinCruisin]

The name change fee is only around $35, its not that bad.

 

It changed to $50 last year...

[Luv4dacruise]

I am a bit confused about the whole situation. I know that when my parents would pull me from school for a vacation, my parents would speak to my pricipal/headmaster to make sure that my grades are not effected. Sometimes i would have to bring some school work with me, sometimes not. This is something that was figuired out before booking our vacation though. I am interested to know how long this vacation has been booked for?.....And with such a star student, teachers/professors (dont know the age of the child) should have absolutely no problem with letting him take some time off. No where in this post am i bashing anybody, just want to make that clear. Am just a little confused as to why more preperation was not put into this?.....

[PhoenixCruiser]

I think the kid just wants to stay home so he can have a party or two with say 100 of his closest friends ;) :p

[lilmsonry]

OK CC posters, here is the scoop:

 

Once again, sorry for all the misunderstandings/confusion/implications, and anything else on the negative side.

 

Thanks to all who have responded, appreciate your time and effort and info. You are right, I am probably stressing waaaaaay tooooo muchhhhh, my fault!

 

The verdict is in: Got ahold of Carnival this a.m. and yes, I do get the 50% refund (which is better then the 0% refund). I called the insurance, just in case by some shear possibility, but nothing they could do, just had to try. This is fine, figured as much due to the circumstances. I really don't know if biological mom is behind, like some suggested, your guess is as good as mine. We have our 2 kids, 11 and 10, so it still won't be a kid free weekend, but we will have loads of fun anyway. You posters are the best, have taught me lot, even to keep my big mouth shut! Anyway, thanks for all you do and hope we are still friends!!!

[tipfamily]

I think the kid just wants to stay home so he can have a party or two with say 100 of his closest friends

 

LMAO...I was thinking the same thing. When I was 17, my parents went on vacation and left me at home (I was suppossed to stay at a friends house). Little do they know, I threw a big party. :D Little did I know, I was so stressed out about something getting broke or people being where they were not suppossed to be that I kicked them all out!! :o Brings back the memories!!

[ny grits]

Wow! I'd put my own two cents in, but I'm scared to do it!:eek:

[ny grits]

Okay, here goes.... First, all teenagers ARE wierd! If they aren't, then they're REALLY wierd. I can say that, because I have a 16 yo daughter. She works hard for her grades, but I'm not so naive to believe she'd rather study than cruise!

 

I'm also in a second marriage (my second his first). I don't have step children, but have to deal with the new wife who thinks she knows my kid better than me.:rolleyes: I also know how a father who doesn't have the luxury of having his child live with him on a full time bases can sometimes (understandably) feel the need to compensate with extravagant gifts. BTW, I'd probably do the same thing myself. Furthermore, my parents are divorced, and remarried, so I know very well how kids play the game. I was a pro!

 

This kid is probably extremely proud of himself! He's done an excellent job of playing his stepmom. If she were to demand he go (which it turns out she didn't), then he would say she doesn't care about him or his grades, only her money. On the other hand, he'll turn around and say he wasn't allowed to go because of his grades. This is exactly what I would've done, but that's because I was a wierd kid. The 50% refund would be wisely spent on some therapy for the mom to learn how to deal with a teenager.

 

 

Today, I'd tell my 16 yo daughter to suck it up, and work on the ship. Like it or not she's going, and then throw in the proverbial (sp) saying that "when she's a parent, she'll understand." That would really make her nuts! For the record, my husband and I are leaving the kids with the MIL to go on our cruise to celebrate our anniversary. Family vacations should be scheduled (if possible) during school holidays.

 

Fire when ready...

[MSSQRL]

Just to clarify my post. I wasn't suggesting a bogus letter or asking your principal to say something that was wrong, I was only brainstorming at possible solutions. I just really think it is admirable that this young man is that worried about his grades and it doesn't appear to be just a matter of "changing his mind" but that he feels that being gone for a week would truely be detrimental to his grades. I realized asking the travel insurance to consider this an emergency was a long shot and I thought that perhaps if the principal could write a letter verifying that the young man was having some difficulty with his grades and that being gone for a week would be detrimental the travel insurance might have an emergent category they could fit that into. I guess I didn't do a very good job of saying that in my first post. Sorry.

 

But best wishes to you and your step son. I'm sure when the rubber meets the road you will find a solution you can all live with. And, like some of the other posters have said, teen years can be difficult. But, they will pass all too quickly;) and before you know it you actually be wishing back some of those difficulties just to have them back home for a while. GOOD LUCK

[jetskier]

Lil,

I know you have already made your decision on cancelling. For us we chose our cruise with the holiday in mind to minimize the number of days our daughter will be out of school. We have also pre-arranged to have her school work with us so that she will not be behind when she returns to class. (Got to do something on the sea days besides run around the decks) The only catch is we have to take the teacher's stuffed toy lady bug with us and take photos of it with a background which shows a feature of our port of call. I suggested a pose of before and after the foo foo drink, but my DW shot down that idea.

 

We feel the experiance our DD will have in a different country is well worth the couple of days she will miss in school. You can not learn everything from a book.

 

Dave

[lilmsonry]

I appreciate your posts. Yep it was a long shot and I did try it, just in case, good suggestion ;). You never know unless you try sometimes. I am very glad he is concerned about his grades, thanks for the admiration on your part there also. Anyway, that was yesterday, this is today, and I am going to be happy, look forward till we leave, take out half of the ?)&*%$ that I have already packed for all of us....being 1st timer it is a mountain of stuff that like most post have said, probably won't even need. I am a overpacker anyway which doesn't help.

 

Again, thanks to all for there well wishes of a great cruise and for posting. Wishing the hurricane will go away for the poor people it effects!!!

[chefdeedee]

Lil - best wishes - definately think about packing lighter - My bags were so heavy when I got the the airport (over 50 lbs) that I had to pay a $25.00 fee for 2 bags - LOL - have fun

 

dee

[lilmsonry]

Chef-Thanks so much, we are driving, which is kinda bad cuz there is no limit! Have a great cruise also!

[MSSQRL]

Great attitude Lil!!! You have a fantastic trip. I've only been on 2 and my second was great. But my first was awesome. Have a wonderful time.

[lilmsonry]

MSSQ-THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I do appreciate your kind works. We actually are leaving our house this thursday, wooo hooo! Hope the weather behaves well, unlike right now! Take care and happy sailing to you for your third, are you booked for it yet?

[bluehorizonlover123]

Whatever you packed, take out half. You will be in a bathing suit with cover up most of the day and won't need everything. Plus you can wear repeats. No one will know.

[MSSQRL]

No Lil, we are not booked on a third. It looks like it will probably be late 2006 or early 2007 before we can go again:( DH is an only child and his parents will celebrate their 50th anniversary next March. So, our "cruise" money will be spent on their celebration. But that's ok because they have always been very generous with us and they didn't have a nice wedding so this is something we really want to give them.

 

DH and I turn 50 within 3 months of each other, so we are thinking about sometime between our b'days in early 2007 to celebrate "middle age". (That is of course unless our daughter makes wedding plans, then it might be even longer. But that too would be ok because she has worked hard to get her education and pay for it herself so a nice wedding is the least we can do)

 

I don't think we have to worry about our son getting married for a while. He is a state trooper and pretty much married to the state police. So, we might just get a cruise in before he finds Miss Wright and we have yet another wedding to help pay for. LOL

 

Have a wonderful trip and be safe.

[cathyoo]

It's 13 years to my 50th anniversary and if my kids wanted to help me celebrate our golden, they could round everyone up and take us for a family cruise. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate. Maybe I should start dropping hints now.

[MSSQRL]

Cathyyoo, I couldn't agree with you more. For me that would be an absolutely wonderful way to celebrate any anniversary or birthday or Christmas or any other day and we would have a great time. But, believe it or not in-laws would hate it so as bad as I hate to, I must sacrifice 2006 on their behalf. :)