Caleb, 10, is *obsessed* with the Titanic. For nearly half his life, he has been reading about, watching shows about, and building Lego models of the famous ocean liner that sunk in the Atlantic over 100 years ago. Caleb was set on doing something Titanic-themed for his Dream, so we sent him and his family to the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN. “I could not have dreamed for a better trip for him,” his mother said. “It was wonderful.”
After Caleb took his first flight and received first class treatment from his Southwest pilots and crew, he landed in the Great Smokey Mountains and was ready to start his adventure.
“Caleb had the best time at the museum!” his mother told us. “They gifted him a Captain’s hat and made him ‘Captain for the Day’. He was absolutely stoked!”
Caleb did so much research ahead of time, so he knew exactly what he wanted to do and see. The whole experience of the museum was so cool,” his mother reflected. She added, “Caleb’s retirement plan is to be a guide at the museum!”
Ahead of their tour, each family member was assigned a person who had traveled on the Titanic’s maiden voyage. At the conclusion of the tour, each person found out their fate. “We were all survivors!” his mother said. “I thought that was a great theme for the trip.”
Before they left the museum, Caleb’s mother let him go crazy in the gift shop. He picked out a 772-piece Titanic Lego set – “he’s been playing with it every day since we’ve been home!” his mother said. He also chose a Titanic Bear to go along with his Toby’s Dream Bear and a few more fun souvenirs. “Thanks to our gift of spending money, the kids got spoiled that day,” his mother said.
Caleb and his family also got to spend some time at WonderWorks, a science-focused indoor amusement park. “They had all kinds of cool and interesting art and fun interactive activities. The kids loved the laser tag!” his mother told us.
Caleb and his family stayed at the Arbors Pigeon Forge. “It was amazing!” his mother exclaimed. “It was essentially a townhome! There was so much space for all of us.”
With a pool and a 24-hr hot tub, Caleb and his family spent lots of time in the water. “I never thought I’d be out with my kids at 3am, but we were on vacation and just having so much fun!” his mother said, laughing. “We absolutely loved the accommodations.”
“Every little thing was a new experience for Caleb on this trip. He was just so into all of it. To see him so happy and able to let go and just be a kid was huge,” his mother reflected. She added, “To not have to worry about anything was so nice – I could just breathe – it was peaceful.”
What a ‘titanic’ Dream for Caleb! We are so glad he got such a special experience learning even more about what he loves and making special memories with his family. We are thankful for our partnership with #ChartwayPromiseFoundation for helping to fund this Dream.