my favorite cruise tips

There are many things that "they" don't tell you when you book a cruise. There are also many things that this seasoned cruiser has picked up over the years that end up being my life savers for the week in a 156 square foot cabin.

1. Duct tape--will fix ANYTHING that is broken (hems, suitcases, shoes...etc..)

2. An extension cord or a power strip-the cabin will come with ONE maybe two if you are lucky outlets...this is a must do for cell phones, laptops, alarm clocks, electric razors, hair dryers...

3. Alarm clock-your room won't come with this and if you have an inside cabin, you will LONG to know the time.

4. Night light-again for inside cabins. You can't leave the bathroom door open, as you are sailing it will rock back and forth making noise. If you need light at all you had better take a light.

5. Ziploc bags-perfect for anything that might leak, wet bathing suits on the way home and I keep one in my camera bag. I cut a hole big enough for my camera lens and I have semi water resist way to still take pictures. Especially handy on a whale watching excursion.

6. Sea sickness-if you get motion sickness to consider a midship cabin. Less rocking! If you like the waves book a forward cabin (I LOVE them!!!) Aft tend to feel the roar of the engines.

7. Post it- I leave NOTES on my cabin door and usually a balloon...this helps find your cabin in a long hall full of cabin doors and makes you unique.

8. Address cards-Handy to give out in case you find a tablemate or a crew member you want to stay in touch with...I use this tip A LOT!!!

9. Hand Sanitizer-I don't generally use the stuff, but in foreign countries, it is sometimes hard to find soap and water. Most of the ships will require you to use the stuff before you enter dining halls.

10. Hangers-I bring hangers to hang up our clothes. The closet will not have enough drawer space or hangers. Bring your own and you solve the not enough drawer space problems. I leave them at the end of the cruise for the next guest. Sometimes I have been lucky to be the recipient of another guest that left their hangers. LOVELY!

11. Travel journal-you may want to jot down things. If you are that type of person bring a notebook so you don't forget a thing.

12. Dollar bills-perfect for tipping room steward for room service (food is free but it is nice to tip), tipping a cab driver, or a porter

13. Highlighter-perfect for marking your daily map so that you won't miss the things you want to do. Also good for keeping up with shops you want to visit and grading trivia contest papers.

14. Don't be afraid to make friends-there are some great people on cruise ships, say hello. On the other hand, these people don't know you, you want to wear your speedo, ok go for it (I promise I will be snickering at you).

15. Insulated cup-get a cheap one...use it to fill with tea or water so you can take to the decks or to your room. Most cruise lines have them for sale if you forget to bring one....then you have a ship souvenir with the logo.

16. Ship map-I always at least glance at it before I leave. Find your room, the dining room and the main lobby. This will help make things easier on you. You probably will "get lost", but that is half the fun.

17. Don't forget to look for an abandoned bar/lounge/area during the daytime if you just want to read and watch the water out of the sun (or if it is raining). I like to draw and write in these areas.

18. Don't forget to shop on board. Specials last one day so if you see one you like and it is the special of the day, get it!!! Scarves, purses, and costume jewelry are usually $10 and a great deal. Some ships offer "outlet" days on a day at sea. Watch your ship newspaper for details. It is usually last seasons style but who at home will know?

19. If you drink alot of sodas purchase a soda card. A can of soda alone will cost you about $5.75, a soda card about $25 for a week. A much better deal. Coffee, water, tea, lemonade and sometimes fruit punch are free. You may bring sodas and water from home. I always do, just don't overdo it. I have seen people get on board with a 12pk of sodas with no issues.

20. Consider booking excursions before your cruise. The purser and excursion desks are nightmares. I avoid them whenever possible. Book before you go and you are guaranteed a spot. Alaska ones sell out.


For those interested, I don't mind sharing my packing list. Email me and I will send it out to you. Please let me know if you want Caribbean or Alaska, word or pdf. champion.am@gmail.com or werthechampions@bellsouth.net

Nine Old Men

Walt Disney had a group of men that worked for him. Their job for the Disney company was in the animation department. Walt called this group of dudes "Nine Old Men". They were involved from the first animated movie ever, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and were some of the most talented people on the planet.

I know the names of all of them, but I only know facts about my favorites so if you care, you will have to research on your own.

Marc Davis-My all time favorite animator. He was just a little bit of wonderful. Of course, I think his greatest achievement was Maleficent. She is beautiful, graceful, and willowy and she is pure EVIL!!! And dressed in purple and black. I adore her. Marc also served as a Disney Imagineer and this work lives on in the theme parks...The Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Carousel of Progress and the Haunted Mansion.

Ollie Johnson-My second favorite of the nine. He did Prince John in my second favorite Disney film, Robin Hood. Casey at Bat is one of the coolest stories ever, yeah it was drawn by Ollie. He was short and adorable himself. Ollie was the last of the 9 to die (2008) and was featured in the Incredibles!!! He worked a lot with my third favorite...

Frank Thomas--The Queen of Hearts and Madam Mim belong to Frank. He and Ollie did a wonderful book called the Illusion of Life.

others....they don't thrill me as much...

Wolfgang Reitherman--he should thrill me since he worked on Maleficent as a dragon, but he does not.
Les Clark--mainly drew Mickey
John Lounsberry-great work on Fantasia, I do love that film
Milt Kahl--He was my villain animator and did Allan a dale from Robin Hood
Eric Larson--can't remember any of his characters..how terrible is that?


Ward Kimball--Mad Hatter, Jiminy Cricket and Three Caballeros (I love this number) all were penned by Ward. I think he's greatest was World of Motion for EPCOT. You know how I feel about EPCOT.

Uncovered Goodies

So I am going through my cassette tapes and I found some jewels that I have not heard in years. you are not really going to care anything about these precious things UNLESS you like Disney. You see, Michelle is OBSESSED with Disney. Especially Classic Disney (those teeny shows stink, IMO). I am very much into music. Every time I can get to the parks or Downtown Disney the first thing I do it try to find music that I DON'T have.

Much of my older collection is on cassette tapes, just because John and I did not get our first cd player until 2000!!! That is right, and you know really the reason we did was that I found one cheap at Kmart in Little Rock.

Here are some gems that I uncovered:

God Help the Outcasts-The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Talespin (one of my all time favorites) from Talespin the tv show
Fathoms below-the Little Mermaid (I have this as a ringtone)
Step in Time--Mary Poppins
Candle on the Water--Pete's Dragon
Topsy Turvy--Hunchback
Casey Junior-Dumbo
The Tiki Tiki Tiki room---old school version
the Parent Trap--I love Annette
Mr Piano Man--again Annette
Golden Dreams-the original version
Carousel of Progress from the 70's

I shall leave you alone while I finish listening to my Disney music

Cheeseburger

I have an addiction to cheeseburgers. Honestly, I think that I could eat them every day. I could eat them with tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard. With guacamole, bacon, and mayo. With onions, pickles, and lettuce. Maybe some mustard, pickles, and cheese. I am getting hungry just typing about this...yummy.

There are many days at work when I crave one so badly that I can't stand it. Yes, that is how bad the addiction is. I will dump out the entire contents of my purse scouring for money to pay for a $1 burger. Yes, it is that bad.

A friend of mine realized that the addiction has gotten out of hand...mainly because I walked around singing "you are his cheeseburger" from veggie tales ALL THE TIME!!! So she went to Clay Chameleon and made me a cheeseburger. A cheeseburger with no fat, no calories and will help me save for a cheeseburger. Oh yes, it is a bank. I am now putting all my change into the cheeseburger so that one day I can shake out all the coin and buy a Red Robin cheeseburger.

Red Robin, YUM!! Thanks Jennifer for the wonderful present!

My letter to Tim Holtz

Dear Tim,
I must tell you that I am in love with you. I have never in my life seen someone so creative or inventive. You inspire me to be more instinctive in my work and create what I feel...NOT what other people think I should create. You can take the "strangest" of household items and turn them into beautiful works of art.

I have yet to see any of your products that does not make me stop and think. The usage of keys, door knobs, and inks to create things that look old but have a new flair to them. I have been following your blog for a while too and I was sooooo inspired by the Twelve Tags of Christmas. My Christmas cards had a new flair thanks to one Tim Holtz.

I have learned how to be a better stamper, an embosser, a distresser, and I think a better scrapbooker. One day, I hope to meet you or even take one of your classes.

thank you, Tim, for all you do and all that you create.

Words with Friends

I would like to thank my dear little darling Wesley Morgan for this habit. He walked into work one day and said, "you should try words with friends". Well, I did...and now thank you, Wesley, I am addicted.

I have always been a word game friend, and even though I am NOT that good at the games, I am having a BLAST!!! I have played over 20 games in 3 days and have about 10 going right now. I do notice a severe drop in Droid X battery life, but that's fine, I always carry a power cord with me anyway. You know, this may be a good excuse to get that Droid X external battery that I have been wanting...mmmmmm

Well, thank you, Wesley, for my new habit.

They did that in school?

My first experience with school was in the middle (to me, I don't know about geographically) of NOWHERE!!! Our school seemed old to me and served 1st-12th grade. There was a kindergarten, but it was half day and across the street in a Baptist church. The high school kids were so crazy. Did you know that there was an area next to the cafeteria and before the classrooms where high schoolers could take a smoke break? Oh yes, they could smoke at school right next to my first-grade eyes!!! I was shocked!!! And the sad thing was one of the high schoolers that I saw smoking was my dear little baby sitter. I was devastated that she would smoke. The only person that I knew that smoked was my grandmother's sister.

The next thing that might shock you was that high schoolers were allowed to sit on the bus with small children (like myself). I learned many grown-up words and "actions" on the school bus. I even saw a few and was mortified by the stuff that I saw. Oh yeah, it goes on...

We kids had COKE BREAK every day. We were allowed to bring money from home and buy a bottle of coke to drink at school. These were glass bottles and full sized. I remember that my mom let me sometimes by an orange crush. If I did not get to buy a drink I went towards the baseball fields. Here you could see high schoolers kissing their boyfriends and girlfriends.

It was a different time. I remember one "kid" (he was in high school) saying that he would turn 16 next month and he could not wait because he was quitting school and joining "daddy on the farm". Wonder what happened to that kid. I don't know if he ever got an education or not.

I remember the high schoolers pulling pranks on high school girls in the halls, and they were not nice at all. I remember walking into the bathroom and seeing high schoolers smoking in the bathroom. I remember seeing them making out in the bathrooms, oh yes, you know what I am talking about.

I know times have changed at schools now (thank goodness), but this was the 70's. These kids were loving life and glad not to be in the military. The girls didn't always wear bras to school and wore the largest bell bottoms that I have ever seen in my life. They wore those candies wooden bottom shoes (that I NOW wear), carried a cigarette behind the ear, wore long gold chains and had massive afro hair. I bet many of them knew how to disco too! Times have changed and today you kids have your own weird styles and someday there will be a person blogging about the crazy things they saw YOU doing in school. Make good choices kids, somebody's watching you.