I'm about to do something I've never done before. Write a fic with Jazz as a strong supporting role. Anyway, there's been a lot of "Danny Phantom Goes on Vacation" fics before, but they've all been lacking something. Namely a plot that works. I'm of course joking and don't mean to offend anyone, but the summaries alone make me wonder how much thought was put into the story. Hopefully, this has a good one that we can all enjoy. It's got some pretty neat twists and turns in it, so I hope you enjoy the ride.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. A majority of the characters in the story are owned by Nickelodeon. Some characters are my own.


Cruise Crisis


Chapter 1: The Grand Prize


Life can be stressful when one lives in Amity Park. When beings from a parallel dimension known as the Ghost Zone attack the town on a semi-regular basis, it's difficult not to be stressed. None could explain any better than Danny Fenton. On a normal day, he's an average teenager, coping with the hardships of Casper High School and dealing with his scientist parents. But under the attack of ghosts, he assumes the persona of Danny Phantom, Amity Park's ghostly crime fighter and local hero. It has been a few days since the last ghost attack, and Danny was receiving a ride home from school by his older sister, Jazz.

"So," Jazz said, breaking the silence, "it's been a peaceful couple of days, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it has," Danny said, merely agreeing.

"So, how was your school day?" Jazz asked, looking to get a conversation going.

"Nothing special," Danny said, going along with it. "Math was more with fractions, astrology was more about eclipses, PE was really nothing but stretching, and English was about using the semi-colon. I really don't understand that."

"No one does, Danny," Jazz quipped. After a rather awkward silence, Jazz again spoke, "So, you're not going to ask me about my day?"

"Jazz, I'm fourteen," Danny explained. "Do you think I care about how other people's school days went?"

Jazz laughed and said, "No, I suppose not."

Jazz Fenton is a brilliant girl herself. She's the smartest student in Casper High, having a 4.0 grade point average and holds the highest score ever for Casper High's mandatory career aptitude test. When she isn't pursuing her dream career of psychology, she helps her brother fight ghosts, being one of only a few to know his secret. As much as she likes to help, Danny finds her as an occasional annoyance on the battlefield, as her intense eagerness tends to lead to bad things for him, such as harm or capture from either her or the ghost they're fighting. While Jazz has been improving, Danny much prefers assistance from his two friends, Samantha "Sam" Manson and Tucker Foley.

The two finally arrived at their house, which was also the company Fenton Works, Amity Park's local family-owned ghost gadget warehouse. The siblings walked in to find their ghost-obsessed parents, Jack and Maddie, were not in the family room or the kitchen, which only left the basement, or rather, their laboratory.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, they found a note on the door that led to the basement. It read Testing New Invention. Keep Out!

"I wonder what they're working on this time," Jazz wondered. As soon as she was finished, an incredibly bright green light emerged from the open spaces of the closed door.

"Apparently that," Danny answered. His hero instincts kicked in as he went rushing through the door to check on his parents.

"Danny, wait," Jazz called out, concerned over what possible danger could lie ahead.

Danny arrived at the basement floor, relieved to see the lab was still intact. Directly in front, he saw a pile of envelopes under a lamp with a pair of fluorescent tubes. Jazz arrived to see the same thing just as Danny took note of the giant steel wall behind it. From behind the steel wall emerged Jack and Maddie Fenton.

"Danny, Jazz!" Maddie said, removing her safety goggles. "How long have you been down here? You could've gotten hurt."

"We just got here," Danny informed. He then pointed at the lamp and had to ask, "And what is that?"

"That is the UF Ghost Light," Jack answered.

"UF?" Jazz questioned.

"For Ultra-Fenton!" Jack proudly announced. He continued, "Postal security will never be the same when this baby is perfected. Slide a letter of package under it, and it'll eliminate any ghostly material on or inside it. We just need to focus on concentrating the light and it'll be finished."

"Did it work?" Danny asked.

Jack was about to give a positive answer, as seen by the massive grin on his face, but it quickly vanished as he explained, "I really can't say. We never checked those letters for any ghostly material. Probably should've thought that through." Jack saw the bright side and added, "But at least there isn't any ghostly material now! ...I hope."

As Jack was explaining the invention, Maddie was cycling through the letters. She pulled out one particular letter and called, "Jazz, this one's for you. It's something from Women Geniuses."

"It is?!" Jazz responded excitedly. She rushed over to retrieve the letter from Maddie and tore it open. She skimmed through the letter, saying, "Oh my gosh." She looked in the envelope and then screamed out loud, "OH MY GOSH!!!"

His sister hysterically giggling and jumping up and down being very foreign to him, Danny asked, "What is it?"

Jazz finally calmed herself, though still had a hint of excitement as she explained, "Okay, a month ago, Women Geniuses magazine had an essay writing contest. I wrote an essay about how our ghost portal could easily lead to instant transportation around the world. And I actually won! I got the grand prize!"

"What's the prize?" Maddie asked, wanting to know so very badly.

Jazz reached into the envelope and pulled out, "Cruise tickets! WE'RE GOING ON A CRUISE!!!"

As soon as they heard the news, Jack and Maddie exploded with bouts of happiness and congratulations with Jazz. Danny, on the other hand, didn't seem nearly as elated as his other family members.

With an expression best described as a cross between happy and dull, Danny said, loud enough to get over his family's screams of joy, "Alright, a cruise getaway. Hey, Jazz, why don't we both celebrate upstairs while Mom and Dan finish up on that ghost light?"

Jazz heard and, rather confused, said, "Danny, what are you-"

"You should do that!" Jack interrupted. "When your mom and I finish up on the ghost light, we can get on the ship in a greater mood than normal!" With that, Jack moved to his children and pushed them up the stairs back to the kitchen. At the top, he pushed the kids out the door and said, "Have fun!" before going back to work on his latest invention.

Jazz didn't exactly know what to make of Danny's behavior, asking, "Danny, what was-"

"Lemme see that letter," Danny said, taking the letter without getting Jazz's say-so. Danny carefully looked over the letter, looking over what was written:

To
Jasmine Fenton,

We at Women Geniuses are pleased to inform you that your essay has been selected as the winner of our annual "Genius at Work" contest. As promised, your essay will appear as an article in our next month's issue and you will be given tickets to the Cruise de la Cruz cruise resort for yourself and three of your friends and/or family members, where you will spend three days and two nights in luxury suites and take place in leisurely activities. We hope that you enjoy your time on the ship.

Sincerely
Christina Walker
Chairwoman & CEO

"Jazz, this cruise thing is obviously a trap for me," Danny pointed out.

"A trap?" Jazz said. "What are you talking about?"

"I know how these things work," Danny informed his sister. "This letters always contain some sort of hint at who's trying to trap me or take over the city or whatever. First was Dalv Industries, then the cruise run by M. Bersback, now Christina Walker. Does that ring any bells?" Danny was referring to the Ghost Zone prison warden Walker, a rule freak who has been pursuing him for the longest time.

"Danny, Christina Walker has been the chairwoman and CEO for Women Geniuses for six years," Jazz informed.

"Look, I'm just being cautious," Danny said. "If something were to happen to you guys-"

"Danny, this is just a regular cruise line," Jazz had to say, wanting to show Danny how normal this is. "Cruise de la Cruz has been around for years. I know you've seen the commercials."

"Well, okay," Danny said, starting to run out of excuses. He then came up with, "Well, what if something happens to Amity Park? If I'm not there to-"

"Look, Danny," Jazz reassured her brother, "if it'll make you feel any better, I'll call Sam and Tucker and tell them where we keep the spare house key so they can use whatever gizmos they need to save the city themselves."

As Danny was struggling to come up with a reason for why going on the cruise was a bad idea, Jazz advised, "Look, Danny, I know how much this hero thing is stressing you out. I know how much you've been through recently. This getaway is something you need."

Danny thought about it for a bit and finally said, "I suppose you're right. I need the R&R."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Jazz smiled. "Now let's go back down and celebrate with Mom and Dad."

Just as Jazz finished her suggestion, another bright green light came through the basement door, followed by Jack calling, "Almost got it!"

"Or not," Danny suggested.


And I promise this won't take more than a year to finish.