When Monroe resident Meagan Farrell decided to enter the Princess Cruises' Inspired Essays contest last summer, it was kind of on a whim. She let her husband, Mike, know that she had entered, but neither of them really thought they would win. So they forgot about it.
Then, just before Thanksgiving, they received an email notifying them that Meagan's story about her triumph over breast cancer had been selected as one the winning essays.
Meant to celebrate the Princess Cruises' 50th-year anniversary, contestants were invited to submit their inspiring stories relevant to the theme of "How did you celebrate with Princess Cruises?GÇ¥ The prizes included round trip airfare to Los Angeles, California, hotel accommodations for three nights, travel arrangements to and from the New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena and a ride on the Princess Cruises' 50th-anniversary Rose Parade float.
As an added bonus, the winners also got the opportunity to rub elbows with the six original cast members of "The Love Boat,GÇ¥ who were visiting as part of the Princess Cruises anniversary festivities.
While they didn't win the free cruise that came along with the grand prize, for Mike and Meagan, who happen to be from Pasadena and also huge fans of The Love Boat, the trip couldn't have been more perfect.
"It just meant so much to us to receive this neat little trip and this experience of a lifetime. I mean, that's how we really feel,GÇ¥ Mike said. "This was amazing. We'll never forget it.GÇ¥
Originally from California, Mike, Meagan and their 13-year-old daughter, Lindsay, have lived in Monroe for about nine years, having moved to the area after Mike was hired as the City of Monroe's director of the Parks and Recreation department. For the contest, Meagan wrote about a cruise the three of them took in April 2011, to celebrate the end of her breast cancer treatment.
Diagnosed in June 2010, Meagan underwent the full cancer-fighting protocol, including a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. The diagnosis and the grueling chemotherapy regimen caused a shift in the family's mindset, inspiring them to do something completely spontaneous and adventurous; they booked a 12-day Panama Canal cruise with Princess Cruises.
"We did it when I was done with my treatments, and it was awesome, because chemo made me really, really, really sick,Gǥ Meagan said. "So Mike would pull up the laptop on some of my worst days and go, "Look where we're going GǪ think about this, not that.'Gǥ
While the family had cruised with Princess before, traveling to South America wasn't ever on their agenda. The cruise began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, went through the Panama Canal, the Caribbean and South America, and finished in San Francisco. They vowed to live life to the fullest while aboard the ship, taking advantage of every opportunity to enjoy each other's company and try new things.
"It was somewhere we would have never thought of going,GÇ¥ Meagan said. "And it was just a great chance for our family to reconnect.GÇ¥
Mike, Meagan and Lindsay swam with dolphins, took a canoe journey through Panama, danced and went sightseeing. They even took the time to renew their wedding vows.
"That was such a meaningful cruise to us,GÇ¥ Mike said.
Lindsay enjoyed the cruise as well, as Princess Cruises plans their excursions to be family-friendly. She said that the "kid's zoneGÇ¥ aboard the ship was divided into different age groups, with a group for toddlers, one for younger kids and a teenage group as well.
"I went there a lot and made some friends,GÇ¥ Lindsay said. "It was really fun.GÇ¥
It takes five years of remission to be considered cured of cancer, a status that Meagan looks forward to achieving in July 2015. And it would seem that her newfound spontaneity has remained intact, because her decision to enter the Princess Cruises Inspired Essay contest was rather spur of the moment itself.
"I just entered it right into the online application thing and then just hit submit,GÇ¥ Meagan said.
Their Rose Parade adventure began on Dec. 30, 2014, as they traveled to Los Angeles to get settled in before the New Year's Day festivities. Meagan's family still lives in the area, as does Mike's, so they were able to catch up with close relatives while they were there. Princess Cruises handled everything from transportation to food to providing them with blankets and hand-warmers during their outdoor activities.
"They just treated us like rock stars,GÇ¥ Meagan said.
And making the trip even more memorable was their interactions with the cast members from "The Love Boat.GÇ¥ Throughout the trip, they spent time mingling with Gavin MacLeod (Capt. Merrill Stubing), Ted Lange (Isaac, the bartender), Bernie Kopell (Doc, the doctor on the cruise ship), Jill Whelan (Vicki, Capt. Stubing's daughter), Lauren Tewes (Julie the cruise director) and Fred Grandy (Gopher).
They chatted with Tewes about Seattle; the actress has lived in the area for a number of years. Mike bonded with Lange about their mutual love of history, and Lange shared with him his current passion, which is directing historical plays about events like the Revolutionary and Civil wars. And MacLeod signed a copy of his autobiography "This is Your Captain Speaking: My Fantastic Voyage Through Hollywood, Faith & Life,GÇ¥ which Meagan had purchased for Mike for Christmas.
"They were just so friendly and so down- to-earth,GÇ¥ Meagan said. "They were so genuine, all of them.GÇ¥
Despite the fact that the final episode of "The Love BoatGÇ¥ aired in 1987, Lindsay has watched the show with her parents and is also a fan.
"I'm really familiar with the show and all the characters,GÇ¥ Lindsay said. "So it was really exciting to see all of them.GÇ¥
The Princess Cruises float, which was 60 feet long and 24 feet high, was awarded the Craftsman Trophy for Exceptional Achievement in Showmanship and Dramatic Impact. With over 24,000 different flowers and natural materials, the float highlighted many famous landmarks that can be seen when vacationing with Princess Cruises.
"Lindsey and I were sitting under Big Ben, and Meagan was sitting under the Leaning Tower of Pisa,GÇ¥ Mike said.
Making the day even more special was the fact that Meagan's family actually has some history with the Rose Parade, having served as volunteers at the event for many years.
"We've all volunteered at it, but no one's ever actually been in it. So that was really cool,GÇ¥ Meagan said. "It was just really fun.GÇ¥
The float, which played the theme music from "The Love Boat,GÇ¥ took more than two-and-a-half hours to slowly traverse the five-mile parade route. Hundreds of thousands of spectators filled the streets of Pasadena to see the parade, cheering and waving and singing along with "The Love BoatGÇ¥ theme music as the float passed by. Spirits were high, and to Mike, Meagan and Lindsay, the positive energy was intoxicating.
"We just couldn't get over it,GÇ¥ Mike said. "We had big grins on our faces and probably still do.GÇ¥Photo byRob Comeaufor Princess Cruises
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