Chapter 4: The Cruise
Today was the day. The day of the Watterson family's departure for the Seven Seas cruise. To say everyone was eager to get out the house would be an understatement. In fact, they were outright ecstatic for this special occasion, to the point where they all got up extra early to get dressed for the big day. Nicole managed to wake up before everybody to make them all breakfast so no one would go hungry during the bus ride. She even made sure there was enough for her in-laws to show her gratitude to them for offering to watch over the house. She noticed her husband coming out of his and her bedroom, along with her three kids walking down the stairs, carrying their suitcases and bags to the front door and sitting down at the table to eat, the grandparents joining them right after.
The food consisted of one of their favorite morning meals: pancakes, eggs, bacon, and orange juice. So, they dug right in, finishing up every bite before their transport would arrive. Just as it was expected moments later, the shuttle bus of the Seven Seas cruise line pulled up in front of the house at 12 pm, honking its horn three times to let them know it was there.
The Watterson's raised their heads in alarm when they looked outside. Nicole was the first to stand straight up from the table.
"The bus is here! It's time to go!"
At an instant, the mother, father, and children threw their paper plates away, said goodbye to Granny Jojo and Grandpa Louie, and rushed out the door with all their luggage. Stopping at the side of the bus, the doors of the vehicle opened to reveal a certain working man who resided in the same town as them, smiling at the family of five as he sat at the wheel.
"Larry, you work for the cruise ship too?" Gumball questioned in a surprised tone.
"Not exactly," the rock man answered him. "I was just recently hired to take you all to the ship since I know the way from the city of Elmore to Port Coral."
Larry proceeded to give the family directions on entering the shuttle bus. "Since you all are here now, make sure you set all your suitcases and backpacks on these racks behind me before you take a seat."
The five individuals did as they were told and sat right next to each other, eager for takeoff.
"Sit tight you all. It'll take a while for us to get there."
The shuttle bus driver started the engine, turned the vehicle around on the opposite side of the road, and headed straight for its course, driving away from the Watterson household. Granny Jojo and Grandpa Louie came out to wave at their relatives until they were no longer in sight.
While driving, Larry continued to converse with the family. "So, this is your first cruise vacation, correct?"
Nicole smiled with excitement. "That's right! We actually won this trip for free online thanks to my two boys right here."
"Uh huh!" Gumball and Darwin happily admitted.
The rock man grinned at their answer. "That's great! Now, before you get on board, there are two important tips you should follow: Overeat and under sleep!"
Richard immediately beamed at this. "Now you're talking!"
Nicole and Anais giggled while Gumball and Darwin had the same expressions as their dad.
"Once you get on the Seven Seas, there will be so many activities on board, you won't be able to stop! A limitless buffet, all-day waterpark and swimming pools, lively concerts, you name it! And if you ever want to relax, you can either visit the spa or just watch the ocean from the balcony while inside your cabin!"
"We're definitely looking forward to that!" The eldest Watterson child responded.
"And one more thing," Larry added. "If you ever get seasick, which happens to most first-timers on the ship, you can either get an ear patch or eat a green apple. It certainly helps since I ate one myself on one of my jobs as a sailor."
Anais pulled out her note pad and wrote down the information being given. "Hmm, green apples…very interesting."
"A sailor? You really are well-rounded at everything!" Darwin commended the rock man at the wheel.
Larry blushed in appreciation. "Hey, it's what I do."
After two whole hours of traveling on the shuttle bus, passing by every car, watching the road, and, in Gumball and Darwin's case, reading comic books, playing video games, and checking the praising messages their classmates sent to them that exploded on both their phones, the Watterson's were now approaching Port Coral, where the Seven Seas cruise ship, the Seven Seas itself, stood big and proud, getting closer and closer in view as they got to the parking lot, much to the family of five's amazement. There were a couple of clicks heard from Darwin's cell phone as he took pictures of the scene through the window. The shuttle began to slow down until it stopped at the spot the driver chose.
"Here we are everyone!" Larry announced. "You may exit the shuttle safely and carefully."
The mother, father, and three kids got out with their backpacks and purses, observing the busy area around them. They noticed other families coming out of other shuttle buses as well. Gumball watched from afar as an entire family of thirteen (including an extra child who may have been a family friend) gathered after exiting out of two shuttle buses each, much to his shock.
"Alright, Loud's!" The 12-year-old cat heard a man say to the group, who he assumed was the patriarch. "Me, Lori, Leni, Luna, and Luan are going to prove ourselves during this job training so we can get summer jobs and a free vacation for the whole family this year!"
"Yeah!" the group rooted for him and the four eldest girls as the five individuals had looks of determination on their faces.
With Darwin, he saw two separate families exit out of a single bus. One family had three aliens, two young adults (one man and one woman), and a preteen girl while the other family had a man in a white lab coat and three multi-colored girls with superpowers.
"Keep close you all," he heard the young woman speak. "If I am going to get hired by Captain Mickey for this summer, we all have to make a good impression on him. Especially you, Lilo and Stitch. I don't want you two running off just yet."
"We weren't going to do anything, Nani," the preteen girl sighed in annoyance, her blue alien companion right next to her.
The multi-colored girls flew around excitedly around the man in the lab coat. "We can't wait to get on the ship, Professor!"
"Calm down, girls. We'll be on there in no time," the man smiled in amusement.
As for Anais, she saw a shuttle much larger than the others, an entire group stepping out which was made up of a teacher and a class of seven children.
"Alright y'all," the teacher addressed his students. "Since we're representing the Westley School for Performing Arts, we're gonna make sure we give the Seven Seas one of the best shows yet!"
"We won't let you down, Sunny!" One of the students, a boy with a hat, responded.
At that moment, the Watterson family saw a group of small, yellow puff-shaped aliens wearing goggles approach all the shuttle buses; their work uniforms were all-white outfits consisting of a buttoned-up long-sleeved shirt with the cruise ship's "7S" symbol on the front left and two blue stripes at the ends of the sleeves, long pants with two blue stripes at the ends also, and black dress shoes. A group of three came towards them with a golden luggage cart, one of them tugging on Larry's pants to get his attention and handing him a card, which he immediately read.
"Oh, well what do you know? These are the bell boys who'll be gathering up your luggage for the ship."
Gumball raised one of his eyebrows in confusion as the little aliens took the suitcases out of the shuttle and onto the luggage cart.
"What are they though?"
One of the shorter aliens walked over to the 12-year-old cat and his family, handing a card over to Nicole and pointing to himself.
"Minion," he told the Watterson's happily.
"Minion?" The matriarch raised her eyebrow in confusion as well until realization hit her. "Oh, you're Minions!"
The smallest Minion nodded his head in agreement.
"Well, thank you very much for getting our luggage for us."
The little guy nodded again before helping his buddies out with the suitcases.
Larry smiled as he gave out his last instructions. "In order to get on board, you first have to go to that building over there…" he pointed to the Passenger building sitting right in front of the cruise. "…and check in with all your information so you can get your cabin cards. Just follow where everyone else is going."
"Thank you so much, Larry," Nicole told the rock man. "We appreciate everything you've done for us."
"No problem. Hope you all have a safe trip!" He waved to the family of five as they walked away.
"Thanks, Larry!" The rest of the Watterson's called out as they waved back and entered the Passenger building.
Now, it was a long process having to get checked in for the Seven Seas; the five members had to show their papers, including the documentation, sweepstakes letter and winning tickets, go through the security scanner, and get each of their cabin cards processed (with all three of the kids getting cruise bands since they were 12 and under). Once the hard part was over, the Watterson family got their I.D. pictures taken by the cruise security and headed straight for the glass walkway leading to the entrance of the cruise, with Darwin keeping his phone out to record the whole moment.
"And so, it begins…" Gumball narrated in a dramatic tone. "Anticipation rose with each step the Watterson's took to set foot onto this boat of festivities."
Anais smirked at her eldest brother's antics. "Is that even necessary?"
"Let your brother have his moment," Nicole beamed at her youngest child. "This is a life changing experience after all."
"I can just smell that buffet now!" Richard stated as he shook with eagerness.
Three whole minutes of strolling on the walkway had passed by when the Watterson's had finally set foot upon one of the decks of the exhilarating Seven Seas cruise, going through the entrance when a pink blur popped up right next to them, startling the five.
"Welcome to the Seven Seas cruise, where you'll enjoy ocean luxuries in the cool, relaxing breeze!"
The pink blur was revealed to be a light pink pony with a poofy dark pink mane and tail, bright blue eyes, and a cutie mark in the shape of three balloons, a yellow one in the middle and two blue ones sitting on each side; being a worker on the cruise, she wore a long-sleeved shirt with the cruise ship's "7S" symbol on the front left and two blue stripes at the ends of the sleeves. The hostess beamed brightly at the family as she welcomed them inside.
The Atrium (Deck 4) had quite an exquisite architecture, resembling a ballroom and shopping mall mixed in one; the entire area was decorated with beige walls and a beautiful coral marble floor, which the Watterson's currently stood on. Two upper levels hovered above, blockaded by glass barriers, and were held up by two erected terracotta pillars on each side. What connected all three of the levels together, however, was a silver spiral staircase cascading all the way to the Atrium floor on the right side, stopping behind a circular-shaped bar, and providing a similar shaped ceiling for it that doubled as a stage in the middle of the stairs, a color-changing chandelier shining upon the platform from the beige ceiling. As to be expected, passengers onboard were either hanging around at the bar or relaxing on the comfy sunset orange lounge chairs resting upon large circular rugs of similar color on either side of the bar. On the left side of the Atrium sat three glass elevators, the sunlight beaming down on them through the skylight glass hovered all the way to the top.
"Are you seeing all this?" Gumball questioned in an elated tone.
"Uh huh!" His four relatives nodded, impressed with the scenery in front of them.
The pink pony next to them got their attention. "If you think this whole entire Atrium is impressive, wait until you go up to Deck 9, the Lido deck! That's where all the other passengers are heading to right now since they're waiting for their cabins to get prepared!" She pointed her hoof towards the glass elevators next. "Since you're currently on Deck 4, you just take one of those shafts over there so you can go see the real experience of the Seven Seas!"
As the Watterson's saw the location being pointed at, Nicole turned back to the excitable, yet helpful worker. "Thank you so much, Miss…"
"Pinkie Pie! Or Miss Pie, if that's what you want to call me."
The family of five began to follow through with Pinkie's directions. The pony waved back, happy with helping another group of passengers.
"Hope you all enjoy your stay!"
The Watterson's went straight to one of the mechanical shafts, going up from Deck 4 to Deck 9. Darwin still managed to record everything, with Gumball telling him what pictures to take along the way. It took a whole minute to get to the destination, but as they all made it, the excited family strolled through the hallway and headed towards the glass doors leading to where they presumed the other passengers were at, considering all the commotion and muffled music they could hear. Once the doors automatically slid open, no words could describe the marvelous sight before them!
"Oh, WOW!" all the Watterson's exclaimed.
Pinkie Pie wasn't kidding at all. This was the real experience of the Seven Seas! Music was blasting throughout the whole outdoor Lido deck (which they recognized as Phil Collins' "Sussudio") while everyone was living it up in more ways than one; partying at the pools below and waterpark up above, chilling at the snack and drink bars, carrying around buffet food, and so on! The family of five even saw a ginormous TV screen sitting above the pools on the other side, which flashed the words "Welcome Aboard the Seven Seas!"
Nicole was the first to break out of her entrancement of the place. "Okay everyone!" she failed to hide the giddiness in her voice. "Let's go find someplace to sit before we do anything."
Following the mother, the family observed everything they passed by, with Darwin taking even more pictures and videos than ever at the same time.
"Take a picture of that! And that too! Oh, don't forget about that!" Gumball directed his younger brother in enthusiasm.
As the five individuals entered the Lido buffet, it was bustling yet welcoming at the same time; the area had walls made of sandy rose bricks, and tiled ceilings and floors of ivory color, the former installed with mini flush mount lights. It even had a tropical feel to it with all the faux palm trees with colorful lanterns decorating almost every aisle. People were either dining comfortably at their caramel wooden tables/booths with terracotta orange cushions or moving from one station to another, standing in numerous lines to pick whichever meals they wanted. The aroma of food lingering in the air only made it even more gratifying, causing the Watterson's stomachs to growl. But nobody was as hungry as Richard, who was having a hard time restraining himself as he watched all the other passengers sitting down with their meals. Nicole noticed this and reminded him that they had to find an empty table first before getting anything to eat. It was quite packed which made the task even more daunting for the family, but after searching high and low several times, Anais found the perfect place.
"Hey, look! There's a booth over there right next to the Deli!" the youngest Watterson pointed out.
The mother was super relieved to see one of the few empty spots in the area, as well as everyone else. "Thank goodness! Let's go, you all."
Approaching the booth, the three kids sat on one side while the parents sat on the other. The boys even sat their backpacks under the table while Nicole and Anais kept their purses wrapped around them. Now that they settled down, Richard turned to his wife to ask her the question he's been dying to get off his chest the moment they stepped onto this deck.
"Nicole, can I pleeeease get some food now?" he pleaded with her.
The blue cat woman warmly smiled. "Of course, sweetie."
"ALRIGHT!"
The ginormous pink rabbit was gone in less than a second, grabbing every single plate he could find at all the buffet stations he came across; Barbeque, Pizza, Fruits & Veggies, Baked Goods, you name it! All the other passengers, including the chefs and bakers, watched in shock as Richard piled up dish after dish in his hands.
"Aw man, I was going to get one of those!" A giant badger with an eyepatch and mechanical arm named Badgerclops complained as Richard took the last of the calzones and pizzas at the Pizza station.
"Ice Bear needs more pizzas and calzones." A chef named Ice Bear told a Minion right next to him at that same station, who went straight into the kitchen behind them to alert his fellow Minions of more orders. They were grateful Flint Lockwood took the time to invent a couple of One-Minute Oven's for them to cook the food faster.
"Well, somebody seems to love our sweets," A guy named Tom Dupain smiled at his wife, Sabine Cheng at the Bakery station, with the latter heading straight into the back to grab more desserts.
"There's plenty more coming right up."
"Schnitzel, time to whip out more main dishes for the All-American station!" A chef named Mung Daal called to his assistant, a rock monster who was working hastily alongside a group of Minions to put out more food.
Gumball, Darwin, and Anais laughed at the ruckus their dad had caused in the Lido Buffet, along with Nicole, who knew her husband all too well. The four wanted to wait until the giant pink rabbit came back to get some food for themselves. Once he returned, Nicole stood up from the booth so he could sit down, with all the plates and drinks he grabbed almost filling the whole table, shocking any onlookers nearby.
"I'm back!" Richard greeted his family with a wide grin.
The Watterson matriarch turned to her three children. "Okay, looks like it's our turn."
Darwin was the next one to speak. "Gumball and I noticed this place called Kronk's Burger Joint, which we passed by on our way here."
"Now that you mention it…" Anais pondered. "I read from the catalog that their burgers were super good. So yeah, we should definitely go."
Gumball grew elated at this decision. "Kronk's Burger Joint it is!"
"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Their mother began to lead the way.
As his wife and kids were leaving, Richard waved to them while he chowed down on his food. "Don't forget to get me one too!"
At the burger station, hungry customers were waiting in a long line to receive their meals, including Nicole and her three kids. Thankfully, it was getting shorter and shorter at every passing minute while the four Watterson members were trying to decide what to get off the menu Darwin took a picture of on the wall next to them.
"So, what are we all getting?" Nicole questioned her children after looking at the food items on her middle son's cellphone.
Gumball looked like he was stuck. "Aw geez, it's really hard to decide."
"Same here," his two younger siblings commented.
"I know how you guys feel."
An unknown voiced agreed with the Watterson kids. When Gumball turned his head, he saw in front of him a boy smiling at him; he was a freckled, buck-toothed Caucasian 11-year-old with short white hair, a large tuft of it sticking out, and he wore an orange polo shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers with red stripes.
"I don't really know what to choose myself. My little sister on the other hand…" he pointed to a younger girl in front of him. "…keeps changing her mind every second."
The girl was a 6-year-old Caucasian with short blonde hair in low pigtails, wearing a backwards red baseball cap, a murky green T-shirt under dark blue overalls, and white sneakers with blue stripes; she also had a large gap at the front of her teeth, which showed whenever she spoke. She was currently struggling with what burger she wanted.
"Um, do I want the Big Ring? No, uh, how about the Bacon Blast? No, wait…"
"Hey, you guys," a boy in front of the young girl got her and her older brother's attention; he was a freckled African American with black hair in an afro who wore round black glasses with blue-tinted lenses, a long-sleeved blue and yellow striped shirt with a white collar, black pants, and black tennis shoes with three white stripes and white laces.
"How's about we just get the Main Plain's and head over to the Toppings Bar to put whatever we want on our burgers? That's what everyone else is doing."
The bespectacled boy was right. Nearly all the passengers got plain burgers and were adding extra items to their meals at the place he mentioned nearby.
"Well, what do you know?" The white-haired boy responded. "Main Plain's then." He looked down at his younger sister. "Do you want to go with that, sis?"
The 6-year-old beamed, making her final decision. "Sure!"
Nicole smiled at the African American boy's suggestion. "Well, if that's what you say, young man, my three kids and I will get the same."
Gumball, Darwin, and Anais nodded in agreement.
"Sure."
"Yeah."
"Let's go with that."
As everyone received their Main Plain burgers (Nicole getting two for both herself and Richard) with fries on the side from Kronk, the cook who had the burger division named after him, they headed over to the Toppings Bar while conversing with one another still.
"My name's Lincoln Loud by the way," the white-haired boy introduced himself to the four Watterson members. "And over here…" he gestured to the young pig-tailed girl right next to him. "…is my sister, Lana Loud."
"Hello!" she smiled at them.
"And I'm Clyde McBride, Lincoln's best friend," the bespectacled boy spoke up next.
"I'm Gumball Watterson," the 12-year-old cat stepped up first. "And these two…" he gestured to his younger siblings. "…are my brother and sister."
"Hi, I'm Darwin!" The 10-year-old goldfish greeted in a chipper tone. The 4-year-old rabbit went with a more formal approach. "Anais. A pleasure to meet you."
The Watterson matriarch smiled as her three children were already starting to make new friends.
"And I'm their mother, Nicole Watterson. Is this your first time on the cruise too?"
"It sure is! Well, for half of my family, including myself," Lincoln answered, recalling the whole swapping fiasco due to the termites invading the Loud household. "My dad got recommended for a summer job on here since his restaurant was a huge success back in our hometown. Some of my older sisters got recommended as well, so if they all succeed on their job training, they'll not only work on the cruise from June to August, but we'll all get a free vacation too!"
Gumball pondered over his thoughts a bit before speaking. "Come to think of it…weren't you three with that family from earlier who took two separate buses to get here?"
The white-haired boy looked at him in shock, blushing in embarrassment next while looking off to the side. "Oh, so you noticed. Well, let me just say that a family of thirteen isn't something you see every day. It's my mom, dad, and ten sisters. I'm both the middle child and only boy of my siblings."
The four Watterson members froze in shock while in the middle of gathering their toppings, astonished at what the 11-year-old just said.
"Say WHAT?!" Gumball, Darwin, and Anais exclaimed at the same time, getting the attention of onlookers around them.
"You have TEN SISTERS?! There's ELEVEN OF YOU?!" Nicole questioned with wide eyes. It was already busy enough for her to take care of three kids. She couldn't possibly imagine what it was like with eight more!
Lana Loud nodded happily as if there was nothing abnormal about her own family.
"That's right!"
"Yeah," Lincoln agreed. "Our family is so large that my dad received all our tickets in a bubble mailer."
"I just happened to tag along with them since they accidentally got an extra ticket for their baby, who they forgot was allowed to go for free," Clyde stated.
After everyone finished gathering up their desired toppings, they began to head off in their own separate ways, but not before giving their farewells.
"So, we'll see you guys around, right?" Darwin asked the three kids he and his family recently met.
"Most definitely!" Lincoln answered. "Have you guys signed up for the kids' clubs too?"
"We sure did!" Gumball smiled widely. "So, we might see each other later today."
"Looks like you all have a get together planned already," Nicole smiled warmly.
Lana began to tug on her brother's arm impatiently. "Lincoooln! I'm starving!"
The white-haired boy turned to the younger girl next to him before turning back to the Watterson's. "Well, we better get going. My sister gets cranky when she doesn't eat. Bye for now!"
Clyde followed Lincoln and Lana while waving to the family. "See you guys later!"
"Bye!" the four Watterson members waved back.
While on their way back to the buffet, the kids got some ice cream and lemonade to go along with their burger meals, with their mother getting a beverage of her own. They weren't surprised at all when they came back to see a bunch of empty plates being collected by a couple of Minion waiters as Richard sat at the booth not yet satisfied. As they settled down, with Nicole giving her husband his burger while she had her own in front of her, the whole family dug into their food at the same time. Their eyes immediately went wide at the savory taste of the fresh sandwiches they bit into, falling into a state of bliss as the juicy meat filled their mouths.
"This is SOOO good!" Gumball joyfully stated after swallowing his first bite.
"Totally!" Darwin chimed in.
Anais gave her own thoughts as well. "These really are the best burgers on the ship!"
Nicole and Richard were just as elated as their kids.
"We should definitely get these whenever we come in here!"
"I should've gotten two burgers instead of one! It's like a meat-filled paradise biting into this!"
The Watterson family continued to enjoy their main courses, along with the hot, crispy fries, refreshing lemonades, and in the children's case, sweet and cold ice cream. The more they ate their Main Plain's, the more it filled their bellies, and while the parents got to finish theirs, the three kids were getting super full just eating half.
"I don't think I can eat anymore," Anais commented in a weary tone as she stared at her half-eaten burger. "I'll have to save this for later."
"Tell me about it," Darwin agreed, feeling as stuffed as his sister. "We got to finish everything else except these."
It was no different for Gumball either. "My head says 'yes,' but my stomach says 'no.' Either way, I'm going to try to finish up mine's."
Both of his siblings looked at him as if he grew a second head.
"Are you serious, dude?!"
"Are you trying to torture yourself?"
Nicole gave her eldest son a concerned smile. "Honey, you don't need to do that. We're allowed to take our food to the cabin with us."
Richard, on the other hand, tried to reach out for the 12-year-old's half-eaten burger. "Can I finish it for you?"
The small blue cat pulled his plate away from his dad and had a look of determination on his face. "Nope. I'm not letting this go to waste. I'm going to finish it no matter what."
Gumball ended up keeping his word. He ate the last remains of his food in three long, agonizing bites while chugging it down with his cup of lemonade. Looking at his now empty plate, he sighed in satisfaction, proud of his accomplishment. The rest of his family, sans his father, shook their heads in amusement, wondering how someone like him could be so reckless. Suddenly, the speaker above them cracked to life, with three melodic rings sounding throughout the entire ship.
"Attention, passengers! This is Co-Captain Minnie Mouse speaking. All cabins are now prepared for everyone to settle into, along with all your luggage sitting right by the doors of your chosen cabins. Please make sure to check your documents to see what the number of your cabin is, as well as what floor it's sitting on."
Goofy's voice was heard next on the speaker.
"We hope you'll enjoy your stay on the Seven Seas, where you'll enjoy ocean luxuries in the cool, relaxing breeze! Hyuck!"
When the announcement ended, Nicole took the documents out from her purse and set her eyes upon the number of the family's chosen cabin.
#8-298
"Room #8-298," she read it aloud. "If I'm correct, then that must be right below this deck."
"Great!" Anais smiled. "That means if we ever want to go swimming or get more food, we'll just take the stairs instead of waiting at the elevators."
Instantly, the Watterson matriarch began to take charge.
"So, what are we waiting for? We're already done eating, so let's go to our cabin right now."
Everyone got up from their booth with their belongings, along with Darwin and Anais grabbing their wrapped-up burgers and exited out the buffet towards the entrance they came in through earlier alongside other passengers. Heading down the stairs in the hall, they made it onto Deck 8 and looked in both directions, noticing there were separate hallways for the Odd Number cabins on one side and the Even Number cabins on the other. Since the Watterson family's cabin had an even number, they went into the direction of the latter. It only took them 3 minutes to find their chosen room, so as they stopped by Room #8-298, they noticed all their luggage sitting neatly against the wall on top of each other. Taking her I.D. card out, Nicole slid it into the door slot and opened said door for the rest of her family as they took their suitcases inside.
In all honesty, the cabin had quite a roomy feel to it, with cream-colored walls, navy blue carpet, and a door and window that led to the balcony all the way at the end. On the right side of the room was a comfy looking king-sized bed, a warm-colored sofa with a coffee table sitting across, a fold-out bed on the wall hovering above the sofa, and a door to the bathroom; on the left side was a desk with drawers and cabinets, a large mirror sitting above, and a flat screen TV hanging on the upper wall.
"I can't wait until this ship sets sail. I bet there'll be some real awesome sights for me to capture!" Darwin smiled as he and Anais sat their burgers on the coffee table.
Gumball gazed around the room after sitting his stuff in front of the couch, nodding in a satisfactory manner. "Looks comfortable. I could get used to this."
Richard himself sat his suitcase beside the bed and laid flat upon the soft furniture. "Ah, this is the life."
Nicole opened the door to the balcony to look outside, along with her young daughter.
"Isn't this amazing, sweetie?"
"It sure is."
Both Watterson girls could feel the warm sun upon them and smell the cool ocean breeze as they saw Port Coral right below them. That's when an idea popped into their heads.
"Hey, Darwin, do you mind taking a picture of us over here?" the mother waved to her middle son.
The face on the 10-year-old brightened up on this request. "Here I come!"
Striking a pose from where they were standing, the girls smiled as the young goldfish captured a photo of them and were satisfied when he went over to show them the scene on his phone. Afterwards, he too was entranced by the view of the ocean and the port, taking in the whole scenery. Suddenly, he heard splashes from down below and he laid his eyes on something moving in the water. Excitement grew inside of him when he realized there were two large creatures swimming beside one another.
"Dolphins! There are dolphins swimming down there!"
Nicole and Anais caught sight of what Darwin was pointing at and became just as giddy as him.
"That's incredible!"
"Now that's something you don't see every day!"
Gumball and Richard came right out when they heard the commotion.
"Did you say there are dolphins outside?!"
"I want to see them too!"
Two large dolphins swam side by side on the surface of the water, going up and under every few seconds. Darwin managed to capture the moment through video, not wanting to miss it for the world. This would be a great part to put in the slide show presentation he and Gumball would create once they return home! Once the aquatic animals were out of sight underwater, the eldest Watterson child turned to his family.
"Since we're all in our rooms now, you think they'll tell us when we're setting sail?"
Nicole looked back inside at the small television hanging on the wall and the intercom on the ceiling. "Maybe they'll let us know on the TV or speaker."
Heading back inside the room, Gumball sat on the couch and grabbed the remote off the small table in front of him, turning on the television to search through every channel for the take-off time while his brother Darwin sat beside him to help. At the same time, Anais was showing a page of the Seven Seas catalog featuring the ship's map to both her parents, pointing out what was included on each deck.
"Deck 5 is where they have most of the shops at, including one called the Candy Cavern, which I assume is the candy shop."
"Alright!" Richard, Gumball, and Darwin exclaimed happily, with Nicole shaking her head in amusement. The youngest girl was excited about it too, but mostly kept it to herself as she was still going over the map.
"And it says here that the Kids Kove and Tropical T are located on the same level, along with an arcade and a couple of cafes."
"Did you hear that, buddy?" Gumball nudged his younger brother. "Looks like all of our favorite hang-out spots will be in the same area!"
A wide smile grew on Darwin's face hearing this. "Can't wait to see what games will be at the arcade!"
Their sister continued to list off the other decks. "Of course, we already know about the waterpark, pools, and buffet on the Lido deck, but on Deck 10, they have a steakhouse and barbeque, and a spa and gym on Deck 11."
"Well, looks like we know of some places we might potentially go to," the Watterson matriarch beamed.
Out of the blue, three melodic rings came through the speaker on the cabin ceiling, which signaled another announcement throughout the entire ship. Even the TV automatically changed to display the important message.
"Attention all passengers! This is Captain Mickey Mouse speaking! The time is now 3:00 pm. In 25 minutes, we will be performing a lifeboat drill at the muster stations outside on Deck 4. As you all stand in your assigned muster stations as stated on your Seven Seas identity cards, each worker will perform a demonstration of how to properly put your lifejackets on in case of any disasters we encounter out at sea. Six blasts will be released, including one long blast at the end, as a signal for everyone to come to Deck 4 immediately. We'll gladly appreciate your participation in this drill for your own safety. Captain Mickey Mouse out!"
The Watterson family turned to one another once the announcement was over.
"A safety drill?" Gumball questioned. "Isn't the ship already stable enough to keep us safe?"
"Well, you never know what dangers will lie ahead," Anais advised her older brother. "So, we gotta be prepared for anything that comes out way."
Nicole stood up from the bed and began to pick up her suitcase, approaching one of the three closets near the door.
"Before they sound that alarm, let's make sure we put all our belongings away."
Everyone followed through with the mother's request by setting their things inside the cabin closets and placing their leftover food inside a mini refrigerator under the desk, along with the matriarch taking some of her hard-earned cash and setting it inside a safe hidden in one of the cabinets while keeping the rest of it in her purse. She even double-checked to make sure she had each of her family member's identity cards so they would pass the inspection at the muster stations. As it was anticipated from earlier, the cruise released six short blasts and a seventh long one at the end, signaling everyone onboard to leave their cabins immediately.
"That's our cue. Let's go."
Nicole led all the Watterson members out the hallway, where they were met with a huge crowd of other passengers exiting out of Deck 8 to walk downstairs to Deck 4. Even though everyone was walking at a moderate pace, the family of five made sure to stick close together to prevent any one of them from getting lost. The large group headed down from one flight to the next (ten flights of stairs to be exact), which felt like forever, until they finally made it to Deck 4, each passenger heading out in separate directions to stand at their assigned muster stations. The Watterson family stood at Muster E and waited for any upcoming instructions from the Main Staff within their group, with 15 minutes passing by (3:15 pm) as individuals from the other decks came outside.
"Man, this is so boring," a boy named George Beard murmured to his best friend, Harold Hutchins, behind the three Watterson kids.
"I know, right?" Harold whispered back. "I doubt anything bad will happen to us all while we're on vacation. Plus, I was just about to draw out the best part of our new comic book."
A group of Minions separated from one another to help any confused passengers by checking their Seven Seas cards and directing them to the right spots, as well as inspecting the cards of those already in their groups. Once the entire inspection was over (which went on for about 10 whole minutes), other members of the cruise staff stepped in to give lifejacket demonstrations to each of the stations.
"Good day, everyone! My name is Egbert and I'll be showing you all how to properly put your lifejackets on."
A man named Egbert greeted the passengers at Muster E with a jolly tone; he was short, plump and elderly with a round head and no visible neck, smooth grey hair and a full beard, a stubby red nose, and black sunglasses. He wore the standard Seven Seas staff outfit, consisting of a buttoned-up long-sleeved shirt with the cruise ship's "7S" symbol on the front left and two blue stripes at the ends of the sleeves, long pants with two blue stripes at the ends also, and black dress shoes.
On the right of the Watterson family stood a blue hedgehog named Sonic, who was quietly chuckling to himself as he saw the man in front of him. Egbert reminded him of a shorter, older version of his arch-nemesis, but with different features. Of course, it would be impossible for that evil genius to be on this ship! Last thing he wanted was for his vacation to be ruined because of that man! So, he pulled himself together before his buddy Tails (who was right next to him) would notice and paid close attention. Throughout the demonstration, Egbert displayed how to tighten up a lifejacket around the body with the black strap once he slipped it on, as well as show off the special features the jacket included, such as a whistle, flashing light, and high visibility fabric with light reflective patches. Nicole and Anais made sure to take in all the knowledge that was being provided to them, especially the latter, who soaked all the information into her head like a sponge. Richard, Gumball, and Darwin on the other hand were itching for this drill to be over so they could get back to the exciting parts of this cruise. After 10 whole minutes had passed by with the demonstrations, as the time was now 3:35 pm, the muster drill was finally over, which felt like eternity to the Watterson boys. The passengers were allowed back inside the ship, but not before the staff told them one last thing.
"The Seven Seas cruise will be setting sail at 4:30 p.m., everyone!"
Entering inside the Atrium, the Watterson family contemplated on what to do next until Nicole spoke up first.
"So, you all want to return to our cabin to set up our things, then go back to the Lido deck to watch the ship take off?"
When the four other members thought it over, they all grinned and nodded in agreement.
"Sure, let's go for it," Anais answered.
"We might end up capturing that awesome moment on camera!" Gumball beamed at Darwin right next to him.
"That's a great idea!"
"To the cabin it is!" Richard pointed to the ceiling enthusiastically.
"Then it settled," The matriarch finalized as she led the way to the elevators. "Let's head back upstairs!"
Everyone followed her to the glass elevators, eager to get settled in their room so they won't miss out on witnessing one of the most exciting moments of this cruise vacation in person!
Looks like the Watterson's have already settled onto this fun-filled boat! Hope you all caught on to some special guest appearances, as well as some hints of foreshadowing for later.
Important Notes:
- I made the Seven Seas cruise into a fusion of both the Carnival Liberty and Carnival Breeze
- Some of the events in this chapter are based off my personal experiences on the cruise
- For Egbert, he is not an OC, but an actual cartoon character in disguise! His identity will be revealed real soon in later chapters
- As for the Watterson family's vacation attire, they won't be getting those until the next chapter
I made this chapter extra-long to make up for lost time. Hopefully, this will satisfy you all while I'm working on the next chapter. Chapter 5 coming soon!
I do not own any of these characters. They respectfully belong to Ben Bocquelet and Cartoon Network, as well as Disney, Nickelodeon, Illumination, and Hasbro.