Now Figment has been talking of nothing other than seeing Alaska for years now, and lately lamenting the fact that she will likely never see it, which just tugs at my heartstrings. And I had just been thinking the day before this all came to happen, about talking with my brothers and seeing if there wasn't something we could all do to get her to her dream destination, as I just don't know that I can swing that expense entirely on my own, so it seemed fateful that he contacted her when he did.
Now here is the icing on the cake. When they first talked with us, we mentioned that if we were flying all the way out to California (the cruise leaves out of San Francisco) that we would of course want to go to Disneyland. He made an offhand comment about they could maybe help us with that portion of the trip. Today he was a little more clear. They bid on, and won, a 3 night stay with 4, 1 day park hopper tickets to DL at a recent charity event
He said we could fly in, all drive down (a possible nightmare there with 5+ hours in the car...did it once when they first moved up to San Fran, wasn't pretty...but at least there would be 2 less people in the car as their children are now grown), do the DL portion of the trip, and then return to San Fran for the cruise. The dates of the tickets are 7/5 - 7/8 ~ thinking that is a pretty crowded time at the DL resort 
In my mind, I know this isn't the best idea. The house has to be painted this summer, there are other repairs that can no longer be put off, and so many other things to do that I could work 24 hours a day and possibly never get caught up, not to mention that Mom is really pushing to move to Florida within a year or two to escape the winter weather. My income has never been all that steady since becoming self employed and I obviously don't have any paid vacation time. But in my heart, there is a chance to get Mom where she wants to go, with family that can help her get around, and a bonus side trip to DL!
We had everyone together in Chicago about a year ago and it was great to have time to visit and just be together as a family again. My brother that lives in the Chicago area is sort of like us. He wouldn't mind going, but financially it will be tight having just purchased a condo. And his daughter will be in art camp during the summer. He did say he would talk with his ex, but that never goes well. And I don't know if he would go without his daughter or not. If he would, the three of us could share a cabin on the cruise to help save on costs.
Anyhow, that's the possibility. And like Alice, I'm always curious...Thoughts? Pros and cons? Anyone with experience on Princess Cruise Lines?
