March 8, 2008 Western

[TiggerStac]

Has anyone else booked yet? I know this just opened up oh 20 minutes ago. We will be on, room 8040.

This is our 3rd Disney Cruise (myself, DH and DS) This will be 1st cruise for my other son to be, who will turn 1 in 1/08. We went on the Eastern in 2/04 and the 10 night Southern 9/06.

[dragonflydreaming]

We'll be there too!! Just down the hall in 8032.

It should be great!

[TiggerStac]

We were actually in the room on the 10 night southern carribean (on the Wonder, of course)!! I wanted to move a little more mid ship. That room is right next to the Walt Disney Suite.

[Disney Sweetie]

Hi....We will be sailing with you. It will be myself, DH, DD(21), DD(18), DDBF(21). This will be our 2nd cruise and the first for the kids. DH and myself were on the 11 night Southern on the Wonder. We will be in cabins 7540 and 7542.

Looking forward to meeting you! :wave:

Pam

[TiggerStac]

bump...anyone else booked???

[Disney Sweetie]

Looks like we are all alone!!!!

[Scratch42]

Tentatively have booked this one for myself and DD(16 at time of sailing)!

I initially booked this as a throw away, since we don't know where we will be sailing in the Summer of 2008. IF it's Alaska, we don't want to go there since we have enough of ice and snow here(but you wouldn't know it with today's weather!:rotfl: )

So if the Magic is going someplace we don't want to go, you're stuck with us!;) This will be our first Western and looking forward to it!

j

[TiggerStac]

Tentatively have booked this one for myself and DD(16 at time of sailing)!

I initially booked this as a throw away, since we don't know where we will be sailing in the Summer of 2008. IF it's Alaska, we don't want to go there since we have enough of ice and snow here(but you wouldn't know it with today's weather!:rotfl: )

So if the Magic is going someplace we don't want to go, you're stuck with us!;) This will be our first Western and looking forward to it!

j


If Magic is going someplace good next summer...we may change, too. All depends on what we see in the next few weeks.

[Scratch42]

Well if the rumours are correct of the Magic going back to the West Coast, been there, done that! And I really doubt I'll get a good of a deal I got the first time around!

DD has no interest in doing that again either!

Would be nice though if it were LA to someplace better than Mexico! Time will tell!

j

[TiggerStac]

For us, the flights to the West Coast would be insane. We will be a family of 4....I would love to do one of the repositioning cruises and would in a heart beat...if we didn't have a child in school. I love that much time on a boat...the 10 night was great!!

[Scratch42]

The Repos are great fun! Love those 14 day cruises! Unfortunately, this one won't be a go! Spending to much money on the Med Repo and then I absolutely hated some of the stops that they made. The best one we missed, Cabo San Lucas due to Hillary. And then there was Curacao, beautiful!

j

[Scratch42]

Well the Winds of Change have blown upon us!

Looks like we'll be trying for the EB Repo!

They have added Columbia, Aruba and one more day now making it 15 days of sailing!

If I get a room, We Are So There!

Have A Great Time! Maybe one day I'll get to do a Western Cruise!LOL

j

[TiggerStac]

The EB is also tempting me...haven't mentioned to hubby, yet. The only thing is is figuring out when school will start for DS!! He will be starting 1st grade then. I have a K meeting this week, so I'll at least get an idea when next year starts. If only it was 1 week earlier..I'd have no problems!!

[TiggerStac]

No EB for us...DS would miss first few days of school...


So Anyone else joining us on this cruise?? Need to get a ticker going..

[Hockeychic]

Well not booked yet but really considering this one.

It would be myself, Dh and DD who will be 15 by the time we sail.

Kim

[Hockeychic]

Looks like we will be booking after all.

Hope to hear from some others soon.

Kim

[pop5]

We are on this one too!! I have tried posting here before and it never shows up. We are leaving for the magic eastern in a little over a week and then will be planning this cruise. Looking foward to meeting you.

[mkmommy]

I booked this a month ago but I was just waiting for confirmation of spring break dates. It looks like it is this week so we will be on board, myself and 2DD5and 7. We have never cruised before, and I think I will try and keep it a secret from the girls. All they talk about is going back to Disney so hopefully this will be just as much fun.

[pop5]

Glad you are going!! We just had a great time on the Eastern.

[SB's Mom]

We booked this cruise 2 weeks ago on our Spring break eastern Cruise. . .Pop5 were you on that cruise???
Finally got confirmation of DD's spring break and we guessed the correct date!

This will be our 4th Disney cruise!

Charlene

[TiggerStac]

Looks like we will not be able to go on this cruise...have to push it off. We have taken temporary guardianship of our niece. We have no idea what is going to be going on past september. We could end up w/another 90 day temp or permanent. We really like to get our airfare, etc booked ahead of time and getting passports, etc. So we decided to drive to disney for 2 weeks in April. I will only drive if we go for 2 weeks. This way, it's easier to add another person to the car, than a flight.

[mkmommy]

It is still 8 month away, but it will go fast, is there anyone else going on this cruise?

[SB's Mom]

Due to a big project with my DH's job. . .we're having to postpone this trip!:sad1:

Charlene

[DMoss3377]

Hi all!

We'll be joining you! It will be me, BF and a couple friends of ours.

Can't wait!

:banana:

[dragonflydreaming]

Wow! Less than 8 months. I'd better start packing!:rotfl2:

[tmli]

Pretty certain we will be on this one. My DH(that feels strange--we are getting married next month), DS (11) and myself. We plan on booking it during our honeymoon cruise next month. Nice to see some fellow Ontarians onboard!

[mkmommy]

I am sure there will be more of us from Ontraio, as most of the public schools have this week off for spring break. My daughters were looking at some pictures of the ship, and are looking forward to this trip.

[DMoss3377]

I just got back from my vacation, my BF and I went to Puerto Rico for a few days then to Jost Van **** in the British Virgin Islands. It was heavenly! :love:

Now that I'm back though...all I can think about is the cruise. I've already started planning the trip for us and our friends...and I can hardly wait to start packing. :)

It's been 3 years since my last DCL cruise and 2 years since my last cruise period. I'm over due!

I almost feel like a first time cruiser it's been so long. I know a ton has changed on board the ship and so I'm sure I'll be doing tons of research to bring myself back up to speed. I just hope some of my favorite shows and activities are still there. :)

Well...looking forward to getting to know you all!

[mkmommy]

Dana

Sounds like quite the trip you had, I am sure you had lots of fun.

Looking at your ticker it is almost 7 months till we leave, it is going to go so fast, we are really looking forward to the trip also.

Lisa

[DMoss3377]

Hi Lisa,

One of my friends joining us on the cruise is a Lisa too. We'll have to make sure we don't get you two confused. I'm sure she'll be on here posting soon. The cruise is going to be a surprise xmas gift for her DH. Unfortunately, I'd already blabbed about it to my BF, so it's no surprise for him. I'll have to come up with something else to do as a surprise for him for xmas...preferably cruise related, so I'll have to think about that one a while to come up with something cool. :santa:

I know the time will fly by...especially with the way my life moves...I coach a high school competition cheer squad, work full time, go to college almost full time to finish my degree, and still try to have some semblance of a social life...so with all that and the holidays...March will be here before I know it. :hourglass

So far it's just the four of us, but we have a few other friends thinking about joining us. It amazes me sometimes how people just can't think that far out...and look at me like I'm nuts for planning a vacation for next year already. If they only knew! LOL

Well, better wrap things up and get stuck in traffic! :rolleyes:

[DMoss3377]

Pretty certain we will be on this one. My DH(that feels strange--we are getting married next month), DS (11) and myself. We plan on booking it during our honeymoon cruise next month. Nice to see some fellow Ontarians onboard!

Tracey!

Congrats and have a great wedding and honeymoon!

:love: :love: :love:

Sending you lots of pixie dust!pixiedust:

[mkmommy]

Planning trips is half the fun, I feel lost if I don't have a trip in the pipes. I am just waiting for Air Tran to come out with the March flights so I can book the return and then I will start looking at excursions. Anyone have any recommendations for good ones with young girls 5 and 7?

Thanks

Lisa

[DMoss3377]

Hi Lisa,

I've been watching the flights too. I'm going to WDW in October with some friends and we just got round trips for $120 out of DC to Orlando. I would love to get the same kind of deal for March.

As for excursions, wish I had some suggestions for you. No kids myself, but I'm sure others will have some suggestions. Our thread is awfully quiet...there's got to be more going on this cruise. Maybe it's just too far out still for most people.

All I know is that now that the season has started, classes start in a couple weeks, plus holidays...March will be here in no time! :banana:

[garytam]

Hi All

We just book the 7 nights. It will be me, DW, DD(11) and DS(9). It will be our fourth DCL and second Western.

[dragonflydreaming]

:thumbsup2 Planning trips is half the fun, I feel lost if I don't have a trip in the pipes. I am just waiting for Air Tran to come out with the March flights so I can book the return and then I will start looking at excursions. Anyone have any recommendations for good ones with young girls 5 and 7?

Thanks

Lisa


Hi Lisa,

Dolphin encounter in cozumel was AMAZING! My DD is 6 and DS is 5. Don't miss that!

I'm surprised the Air Tran flights haven't been announced yet. We're flying Air Canada out of TO and when I had to change the return flight time we had difficulty getting seats together. everything books up sooooo fast for March break. It's March break for both Public and Catholic schoold here that week.
We're flying out the Wed. before the cruise to avoid the march break madness.
:thumbsup2

[mkmommy]

I was finally able to book the return flight on Air Tran, so now I just have excursions, we are going down the Thursday and spending a day at the MK, before the cruise.

For the Dolphin encounter did anyone find that their kids had problems in the water? I have read that for small children the water is too deep and it is hard for them to stand in the deep water and have any contact with the Dolphins. I know my oldest would be ok but my 4 year old daughter is not so brave in the water, and I am taking the girls by myself so we would all have to do it.

Glad to see that some one else is going with young kids, I am hoping that my daugters 6 and 4 will have lots of fun with all the other kids, I am sure there will be lots, as they have become really social and want to spend all their time with friends.

Now it is only 6 months

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Hello all. I've been lurking on this meet thread, but now that we're only 6 months out I thought I'd let myself be known. We, (myself, my DH and DD7) will be on the March 8th Western.

We are very excited. I was able to book my flight to Orlando from Phoenix on SW a couple of weeks ago and was able to lower the price just yesterday. We too are flying into Orlando on Thursday, but we are spending Friday at AK.

Looking forward to getting to know you over the next six months.

[garytam]

Hi Lisa

We did the encounter last time, I had to grab the kid's life jacket while they were "kissing" the dolphin. We were standing on a platform that was about 4 ft deep. Try to book the encounter yourself, you will have more time to enjoy the park and save a few dollars.

[dragonflydreaming]

Hello all. I've been lurking on this meet thread, but now that we're only 6 months out I thought I'd let myself be known. We, (myself, my DH and DD7) will be on the March 8th Western.

We are very excited. I was able to book my flight to Orlando from Phoenix on SW a couple of weeks ago and was able to lower the price just yesterday. We too are flying into Orlando on Thursday, but we are spending Friday at AK.

Looking forward to getting to know you over the next six months.

hmmmm. I don't know what happened to my post so I'll try again. If this is a duplicate, sorry.

The dolphin encounter will be too deep for little ones to stand. It is actually unsteady for adults as the dolphin makes quite a bit of waves as it goes by. We were all in life jackets so DH and I held the platform with one hand and each held one kiddo with the other. It was no problem at all except we discovered that my son was not terribly fond of dolphins.

When you arrive hang back when they are forming the groups. The last group is always smaller and you'll get more opportunities to touch, kiss and interact with the dolphin. Our group only had 6 including us and it was more than enough time for us. All the rest had at 12.

Tracey

[dragonflydreaming]

5 MONTHS 3 WEEKS AND 6 Days!!!!!!!
WOO HOO

:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[mkmommy]

Tracey

Thanks for letting me know about it being too deep for the kids to stand, sounds like it may be a bit trickey to do with 2 girls alone. I will have to save that for when the girls are older.

What are some of the other must do excusrions on the Western?

Lisa

[dragonflydreaming]

Tracey

Thanks for letting me know about it being too deep for the kids to stand, sounds like it may be a bit trickey to do with 2 girls alone. I will have to save that for when the girls are older.

What are some of the other must do excusrions on the Western?

Lisa

My kids were 3 and 5 at the time. Your 7 year old might be O.K. I'd post a message on the general cruise board and ask those whose kids were that age if they were ok on their own. My kids will be 6 and 5 when we cruise in March and I know We'll still need to hold them.

As for other excursions, my little guy was 3 at the time so we didn't book anything else for them off ship. DH and I did the stingray adventure on Castaway Cay and loved it. It's really shallow and they swim around your feet and you feed them. They have no teeth and their barbs are removed. You get to feed them and that was really fun.

We reserved all the toys on Castaway Cay and used nothing. We played at the beach all day.

We did tea with Wendy and my kids didn't enjoy it very much. They really weren't into Peter Pan and they served real tea. My kiddos just aren't that civilized :rotfl: We tried to turn it into iced tea by using all the sugar but it was not a hit. It was a lot of sitting and we don't do still well.

The other thing we did was stay on the ship at one port. The ship virtually empties out and ther are no line ups for the water slide and the pools aren't crowded at all. It's a great time to be on the ship. So, if there's a port that nothing really interests you in, stay on board.

Here's something we did that you may want to do for your girls (and for yourself as well). We had wonderful gift baskets made up Shirley at "The perfect Gift" for each kiddo and they were in our cabin when we boarded along with a note saying each was from their favorite Disney character. They were loaded with beach toys that they personalized, some of their favorite snacks, drinks, rainy day things, disney stuff etc. They were beautiful, the kids loved them and I didn't have to haul the stuff from Ontario. They will customize the baskets with whatever you'd like. I sent one to us as well with wine, cheese and grown up goodies in it. Just something you might like to do.

Also, another tip, if your girls are into the "Disney Princesses" go out right after halloween and buy some costumes or borrow from friends and bring them. My DD wore matching ones to meet each princess (and to formal night) and wore tinkerbell to tea with Wendy. There were lots of little girls in their princess gowns and lots that didn't wear them as well.

For pirate night gymboree has girls pirate costumes in their stores now and online. They are so pretty but still piratey.

You can see them at www.gymboree.com

I don't work there, really. My DD is a real girly girl and was not impressed with being Captain Jack on pirate night :sad2: .

She's thrilled with this outfit.

Lastly, be prepared to cry. When my DD saw Cinderella the look on her face was something I'll never forget. I tear up just thinking of it. You'll definitely make some amazing memories that you'll all remember forever.

If I can help with anything else please let me know.

Have a Magical and Wonderful trip with your girls.


Tracey

[mkmommy]

Tracey

Thanks for taking the time to give me some great tips. I will print this out and add it to my growing pile of tips that I have. I will have to look into the Dolphin Encounter a little more. I read recently that you must have 1 adult per child so that might limit me.

I found some great pirate customs at Winners last week, and I am always on the lookout for Princess customs, dress up time is a favorite in our house.

I was planning on spending some on the port days on the boat, as the girls love the pools, but since we are going so far I think we should get out and see some of the sights, so I will continue to research that.

Thanks again.

Lisa

[retiredkid]

Hi Guys; apologize if this is a duplicate, but I thought I posted it already and I cant find it:confused3 Well, I booked this one yesterday. I had no idea that people booked so far in advance. There will just be the two of us.
Myself, Cathy (57) and DH Lorne who will turn 65 on our sailing date. We were in WDW last month and it just hit me that this would be a terrific present for his special birthday. (A present for myself too, but we won't tell him that, will we? This is our first Disney cruise. We were on one other cruise (Bermuda) and from what I can see, that ship doesn't compare to the Magic!!!!!!!! Can't wait. Doesnt seem to be too many on this particular thread.

[mkmommy]

Anyone getting excited?

Lisa

[dragonflydreaming]

Anyone getting excited?

Lisa


You Bet!!!!!!!

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:
:woohoo: :yay: :woohoo: :yay: :woohoo: :yay: :woohoo: :yay:

[mkmommy]

How is everyone doing, my girls keeping asking how much longer till we go?

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Hey fellow cruisers! Have you received any pre-cruise documents yet? My TA told me he mailed mine out yesterday. Can't wait to get them. Just a little over 4 months to go!! :cool1:

[mkmommy]

I was checking the Disneycruise website and noticed that some of the prices have gone down. Hope someone can same some money.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

I just checked. No price decreases for us! Oh well!

[DMoss3377]

No docs yet for me...I can't wait though, I can hardly wait. =)

[Seahunt]

I just posted this over on the other part of the cruise board about a group sailing on the March 8,2008 Magic, but thought I'd put it here too as it affects your sailing. My post there might get buried on the back pages by all the other posts on the "regular" board before you got to see it! I always like to know what/if any groups will be aboard, and thought you might also :goodvibes

Just an FYI for any DISers sailing on this date- when googling something else I came across info that showed there will be a medical conference group sailing on this cruise. And guess what? It's for psychiatrists - wonder if they could diagnose the WDW/DCL obsession we all have! Of course, maybe by the time they disembark they will have "caught it" too! :rotfl:

I doubt you'll even know they're aboard, but based on TV shows I've seen if at dinner your tablemate asks you about your childhood and says "hmmm" a lot, it could be one of them :laughing:

Here's some of the info from psychiatryreviewcourse:

Medical CME Cruise on DISNEY, March 8-15, 2008
Western Caribbean cruise, Disney Magic

What better way to spend a week in March 2008 than aboard a Disney cruiseship while enjoying our high quality CME and benefitting from our reduced group rates for Disney?

There will be approximately 13 hours of CME group sessions during this conference, featuring a mixture of general and specialized topics, plus an additional 9 hours in our optional CME To Go program.

pirate:

[retiredkid]

thanks for the info, seahunt. :thumbsup2 OOOOPS, better be on our best behaviour at the dinner table. Never know who's listening. :lmao:

[retiredkid]

DH and I are on this cruise. We have not received any docs yet, either. I would have thought that this is too soon?:confused3

[dragonflydreaming]

Hey fellow cruisers! Have you received any pre-cruise documents yet? My TA told me he mailed mine out yesterday. Can't wait to get them. Just a little over 4 months to go!! :cool1:

Just a summary of the cruises we've got booked, itineraries, balance owing etc. Not the good stuff.

I'm ready to pack! :thumbsup2

[mkmommy]

4 months to go:cool1:


Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

I just booked my return flight. I'm glad I did it first thing, because the price went up $60 in just a couple of hours.

[retiredkid]

getting excited.........:cool1:

[Out to Sea Lee]

I've been sicking my nose in this thread for probally six months now reading what eveyone has posted. I've never have done the message board things, until today. We are also booked on this cruise. We are sooo excited. This cruise is going to be part of our children's Christmas gift, so as for now it is still a suprise. There will be four of us, me 28, DH28, DS10, DD6. This is going to be our first Disney Cruise!!!:cheer2:

[disneyfaninaz]

I've been sicking my nose in this thread for probally six months now reading what eveyone has posted. I've never have done the message board things, until today. We are also booked on this cruise. We are sooo excited. This cruise is going to be part of our children's Christmas gift, so as for now it is still a suprise. There will be four of us, me 28, DH28, DS10, DD6. This is going to be our first Disney Cruise!!!:cheer2:

:welcome: Welcome aboard. The more the merrier. :)

[mkmommy]

Good Luck keeping the secret, I wanted to keep it a secret, but my girls love planning a trip that I thought it would be better to get them involved. They love talking about the cruise and are looking forward to meeting lots of other new friends.

Lisa

[Ottawacruiser]

My DW informs me that we have just made our final payment for this cruise!

There will be 4 of us:
Me - the Ottawacruiser
DW
DD1 - will be 17 on the cruise
DD2 - will be 14 on the cruise

We've previously done the Eastern cruise on the Magic but this is our first Western - we're all looking forward to it.

This is March break for our kids here in Ontario Canada so I'm assuming there will be a larger contingent of Canadians on this cruise!

See you all on board,

... Mike (aka Ottawacruiser)

[retiredkid]

My DW informs me that we have just made our final payment for this cruise!

There will be 4 of us:
Me - the Ottawacruiser
DW
DD1 - will be 17 on the cruise
DD2 - will be 14 on the cruise

We've previously done the Eastern cruise on the Magic but this is our first Western - we're all looking forward to it.

This is March break for our kids here in Ontario Canada so I'm assuming there will be a larger contingent of Canadians on this cruise!

See you all on board,

... Mike (aka Ottawacruiser)

Hi, Mike:
The two of us, DH 65 on cruise and myself 57 are leaving from Toronto.
Have you booked your air yet? :scared1: We are talking minimum $1100 EACH now for non-stop. YIKES DH does not like transfers.
Are you flying? driving?
This is still a rather quiet thread, compared to some.

[Ottawacruiser]

Hi retiredkid:

My wife booked our air a few months ago using my points so we are flying for "free"! The flight is Ottawa-Orlando direct and we're arriving in Orlando a few days before the cruise leaves to give us some buffer to departure as well as to give us some time to enjoy the parks.

Interesting that you are in Toronto. I'm down here on business right now and I'm writing this from Markham!

I hope you get over that airline sticker shock soon!

Regards,
... Mike (aka Ottawacruiser)

[garytam]

Hi retiredkid:

We are also from GTA area, have you consider flying out from Buffalo. It cost US$1,200 for family of 4.

[retiredkid]

HOLEY SMOKES, GARYTAM. What a savings. I will check on the internet after supper. I guess you drive and pay for parking at airport? stay over? thanks for the tip.

[dragonflydreaming]

Hi, Mike:
The two of us, DH 65 on cruise and myself 57 are leaving from Toronto.
Have you booked your air yet? :scared1: We are talking minimum $1100 EACH now for non-stop. YIKES DH does not like transfers.
Are you flying? driving?
This is still a rather quiet thread, compared to some.

Holy Cow! We booked our flights back in July and it was really reasonable. So much so that we were able to use our Visa travel miles to pay for all 4 return flights. I had no idea the prices jumped up so high as time went on.

Have you considered going down a day or 2 before March break starts? The rates may be a lot lower going down if you leave on the Thursday.

Also, the Buffalo idea is a really good one. I have friends that fly out of there all the time and they swear by it. We decided the trip would be long enough for our little ones without adding the drive home from Buffalo at the end.

Good luck! I hope you find a deal somewhere.

[dragonflydreaming]

Isn't the "magic"al 90 day mark for booking excursion etc. fast approaching???

[mkmommy]

I second the Buffalo option. Just got back yesterday and it took me 3 hours 15 minutes from the time the plane landed to get luggage pick up car, cross the border and drive home. 3 hours is the norm from Pearson so spending an extra 15 minutes to save $1700 is a no brainer ($1000 Buffalo to MCO and $2700 is the cheapest I have seen for the same dates out or Pearson)

My 7 year old daughter is getting so excited, does anyone else have young daughters going, mine are hoping to make lots of new friends, and spend lots of time in the pool?

3 months and 3 days until I get some nice weather, it was beautiful in Orlando last week, I can't wait to head back.

[disneyfaninaz]

My DD is also 7.

[garytam]

Hi retiredkid

We drive over the night before and staying at one of the hotel near the airport. Almost all airport hotels includes a week or two parking, shuttle service and breakfast. Usually check in around dinner time then drive over to Galleria mall's CheeseCake factory for dinner. If you decide to park at the airport, I think it cost about $50.00 for a week of preferred parking.

We book Southwest, but you may want to check Airtrans and couple other airlines that you can check in from the ship.

[dragonflydreaming]

I second the Buffalo option. Just got back yesterday and it took me 3 hours 15 minutes from the time the plane landed to get luggage pick up car, cross the border and drive home. 3 hours is the norm from Pearson so spending an extra 15 minutes to save $1700 is a no brainer ($1000 Buffalo to MCO and $2700 is the cheapest I have seen for the same dates out or Pearson)

My 7 year old daughter is getting so excited, does anyone else have young daughters going, mine are hoping to make lots of new friends, and spend lots of time in the pool?

3 months and 3 days until I get some nice weather, it was beautiful in Orlando last week, I can't wait to head back.

Mine are excited as well.

Maybe they'll meet onboard.

DD6 and DS5

[mkmommy]

My daughters will be the 2 girls at the bottom of the slide trying to convince themselves that they can do it. They have seen videos of the slide and really want to do it, but my youngest hates water in her face and my oldest will not want to do it alone.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

My DD7 loves the water and slides, she would be the one offering to go up with your DDs.

[Out to Sea Lee]

Has anyone begin to look into what excursions they are going to book? Is any one going to be brave enough to do one on their own?? The 75 day mark is approaching quite quickly. We are so excited...We'll atleast I am. :banana: I cannot wait until we tell the kids. It's almost everyday one of them says, "I cannot wait to go back to Disney World." This is even better!!!

[retiredkid]

Ive been looking, but haven't decided yet. I'm excited too. there is just DH & I, so no kids to worry about. Considering the romance package, but don't know about the excursions. what about you?

[mkmommy]

I am still having a hard time with excursions. I am thinking of going to Boatswain Turtle Farm on Grand Caymen, I am thinking of doing that on my own, but I will wait and see what there 2008 prices are. It is supposed to be easy to do on your own. I am not sure how my daughters are going to like the ocean, so I don't really want to go on an extended trip to the ocean and find out they hate the salt water. Last time we were at the ocean, one mouth full of salt water and that was it for the beach. I am hoping they will like it more this time.

Lisa

[dragonflydreaming]

I am still having a hard time with excursions. I am thinking of going to Boatswain Turtle Farm on Grand Caymen, I am thinking of doing that on my own, but I will wait and see what there 2008 prices are. It is supposed to be easy to do on your own. I am not sure how my daughters are going to like the ocean, so I don't really want to go on an extended trip to the ocean and find out they hate the salt water. Last time we were at the ocean, one mouth full of salt water and that was it for the beach. I am hoping they will like it more this time.

Lisa

We decided last cruise to skip excursions at 1 port and stay on the ship. It was wonderful. The ship is really quiet. We decided that for our family we had booked too many excursions last time and there wasn't enough down time (our kids were 4 and 5). This time we asked them what they wanted and they said more swimming time. So we've booked things so that we have as much pool and beach time as possible. I had wanted to book the Botswain excursion but the family decided it was too much for 1 day.

Here's what we're doing this time.

Key West
no excursions-we'll probably go for a little walk or just stay onboard and enjoy the ship

Grand Cayman

Sea world explorer semi-sub (early) and then off to the beach

Cozumel
booked dolphin discovery again! got the latest time slot available so that we can stay on the ship all morning and use the water slide etc. when it's not busy

Castaway Cay
rented floaty stuff and booked the family to go to the stingray adventure again. we loved it. We booked the last time slot then as well because getting them away from the beach and their floaty stuff would not be fun early on. This way we swim and play all day and then go play with the stingray's just before we board the ship again.


We booked Palo High Tea Monday (at sea)
Palo dinner Tuesday (after Grand Cayman)
Brunch Thursday (at sea)

Hope this is helpful!

[atinkerbellmom]

Hi March 8th Cruisers:wave2: We are on the Magic the cruise prior to yours. March 1-8th. We are taking part in the pass it forward thread, where one of the DISers collects all left over sand toys, water, door hangers etc and passes it to the next group of DISers. If you are interested, be sure to join in on the thread. I will come back and post the thread's link. Julie may have already contacted you. I did not want to be into your cruisemate business, so I did not go back and read your thread to see if she posted. Countdown underway. We will keep the chairs by the pool warm for ya.:hippie:

Here is the link, my computer was not allowing me to copy it for some reason, so I copied the thread insert.
There is a thread going right now

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1627762

for people wanting to pass on items such as over the door hangers, pails & shovels, unopened snacks/water, etc... to people on the following cruises.

We currently have someone on the cruise prior to yours looking for someone to leave items to. If you are interested, please respond on that thread. I will add the first person who responds...

[mkmommy]

Port days on ship sound like a good idea, I know my kids will love having the pool a little less hectic than it sounds like is gets on sea days.

There are a couple of the Sub Tours on Gran Caymen, is one better than the other.

We just saw Enchanted on the weekend, and the girls are really hoping it is still playing in March. I just know there is going to be too many things to do and not enough time.

Lisa

[mkmommy]

So I am all stressed out now. We were planning on staying at the Polynesian the day before the cruise, swimming all morning at the pool and then taking the DCL transfers. I now find out the the main pool is going to be closed, should I change resorts, or rent a car and get to the port early so the girls can get some time in the pool before it gets too busy, or book a car service? I am travelling with my girls by myself so I did not really want to have to juggle the girls and the luggage, but I hate to pay that much for the Polynesian and not able to use the pool. I thought I had everything all planned

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

We are staying at the POFQ before our cruise and I just read that the pool was going to be closed there as well. One of the reasons we picked the resort was because of the cool serpent slide. Oh well. As it turns out, we probably won't have much time to swim anyway. If worse comes to worse, we can go use the Riverside pools.

[garytam]

Hi mkmommy

We are staying at AKL for two nights prior to cruise. I think the pool is open and even if it is close, there are a lot of things to do within the resort. I haven't decide to rent a car or get a town car yet but leaning toward the town car since it would be much easier.

[mkmommy]

The AK Lodge is an option, my girls love the bunkbeds, so I will have to give it some thought, and I know they will love the pool there.

Garytam, are you flying from Toronto or Buffalo? We are heading from Buffalo on Thursday. Airtran keeps changing our return flight, but I keep hoping they will change the departing flight as we will not get in till after 5:00.

Lisa

[garytam]

Hi Lisa


We are flying out from Buffalo on Thursday via Southwest. Staying by the airport hotel on Wed. Heard a lot of good comments about AKL, it will be our first visit.

Gary

[mkmommy]

The AKL is a beautiful property, I stayed there for 4 nights last month. The pool was really nice, and I found the bus service very good , never waited very long for a bus either at the resort or the parks.

I don't think I would want to stay there for a week, as it was quite far from everything but the AK, but it would be great for a short 2 days stay especially if you plan on going to the AK.

Merry Christmas to all.

Lisa :dance3:

[garytam]

Just one note, there is Pirate and Princess party at MK on Thursday night. We just booked that.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to everyone

[disneyfaninaz]

Thanks! We already got our tickets. We'll be there too.

[mkmommy]

Make sure to see the fireworks at the PPP. Last Feb, we got lucky and were on the ferry from the TTC to the MK, we were the only people on the ferry so the pilot stopped in the middle of lake and we had the most amazing view of the fireworks, I have every seen. Our flight does not get into Orlando until 5:00, but I am hoping to catch the PPP fireworks from the beach at the Poly.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

I just finished doing my online reservations. I was so excited to see that Palo brunch reservations were still available as we won't be arriving to Port via DCL transportation until after 1:00 PM. :cool1: :thumbsup2

For some reason, I can't access my on-line forms yet, but they can wait until tomorrow.

Good luck to all of you with your reservations! :goodvibes

[mkmommy]

Just an FYI, I was able to book a one way rental for March 15 with a drop off at MCO through budget.ca for $20 with taxes for a small car.

[pats_magic]

Hi,
I'm completely new to this board, have been lurking for a few days, and am really happy to find it! We are sooo excited to be going on this cruise, our first. (especially now that we are buried under a foot of snow!) We have 3 kids (DD 6, DS 10, DD 12-going-on-13). It took me a while to figure out the reservation system, but I'm also wondering if it's not better just to under-book and enjoy the boat and beaches. We're planning on doing some scuba, snorkeling, and beach-hanging. How much time are the kids going to want to be in the club activities? I'm trying to get a picture of what the days will be like. Thanks!

[mkmommy]

Pats Magic, welcome aboard. We were looking at some of the kids club activites last night, and I think my daughters will be spending lots of time in the clubs, they seem most excited about making Flubber. I keep trying to get them interested in going on excursions, but they seem more interested in staying on the ship.

I hear you about the snow, can't wait for some warm sunshine.

Lisa

[retiredkid]

just the two of us on this trip, and we decided not to do any excursions. We plan on just getting off the ship and walking around and doing whatever hits us at that time. We may even stay on board for some of the ports. This is all about relaxing for us. Can't wait!!

[Out to Sea Lee]

Welcome Pats Magic!! We are also very excited about this cruise. This is our first Disney cruise we've sailed three times on Carnival. I have become addicted to reading these boards. My children are the same age as yours... DD6 and DS10. They are looking forward to spending time in the clubs. Only nine weeks from tomorrow!!! I cannot wait!! Has anyone booked a room at the Port? I have been looking at the Raddison and Country Inn & Suites, not sure what to do. I got to get it done soon though.

[pats_magic]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome! :goodvibes
Great to hear the kids enjoy the clubs. We go to family camps where the kids go off with their groups all day, so I think they will be in heaven. My ship-board plans are pretty lofty - a whole novel, read in peace in a chair, looking at the ocean!
Glad to see there are so many Canadians aboard. Bodes well for a great cruise!

[pats_magic]

As long as I'm asking questions: DD-12 is worried the 10-12 club will be too young for her. She's in 7th grade, is 5'7", responsible, etc. Will she be allowed to do the teen activities/dance?

[dragonflydreaming]

Welcome Pats Magic!! We are also very excited about this cruise. This is our first Disney cruise we've sailed three times on Carnival. I have become addicted to reading these boards. My children are the same age as yours... DD6 and DS10. They are looking forward to spending time in the clubs. Only nine weeks from tomorrow!!! I cannot wait!! Has anyone booked a room at the Port? I have been looking at the Raddison and Country Inn & Suites, not sure what to do. I got to get it done soon though.

We're staying at the RonJon

http://www.ronjonresort.com/

It's pricy but we're flying down from TO 3 days early so we wanted a place with lots to do for our kids, dd 6 and ds 5.

If you're interested call them directly. For some reason their website always says no availability even when there is.

See you onboard! :woohoo:

[mkmommy]

I dread packing, but I guess I am going to have to soon take stock of what still fits the girls. I think my 5 year old has grown about 3 inches since the fall, she wears nothing but dresses and I am sure they will all be too short.

Anyone got suggestions on how to keep the luggage down to a reasonable amount, the girls have a real hard time with the one stuffed animal rule.

Lisa

[Out to Sea Lee]

Lisa
I'm the opposite of you!! I'm so ready to start packing. We received a new set of luggage for a Christmas gift and I have left it out because I am ready to start packing, but I guess I need to wait a little while. I'm not one to ask about packing light. The way I look at it...the children's clothes are smaller so I can pack more of them. No, I'm really tryng to decide if I want to full around with doing a wash or two of laundry mid week. Then again it is vacation, so who wants to do laundry??

On our last cruise, I let my daughter choose one doll and one stuffed animal, and she understood that was all she could take. As far as clothing fitting, I'm also crossing my fingers. We usually give the children all of their spring clothes for Easter. I've starting picking up a few things along that will be cute to wear on the cruise also.

Lee Ann

[DMoss3377]

Hey all!

I can't believe we're getting so close...I'm about to jump out of my skin I'm so excited.

It's been a while since I've posted...so let me introduce myself all over again. I'm Dana (30...31 by the Cruise) and will be cruising with BF Dan, Friends, Lisa & Alex and John & Deb. All of us are childless couples...but have quite the inner child in all of us. This will be Dan, Lisa, Alex and John's first cruise...not to mention first Disney Cruise. I figured for their first cruise, what better way to go than DCL. This will be my fourth DCL cruise and I'm well over due! LOL

So far, a few of us will be doing the Tulum Ruins excursion in Cozumel, has anyone done this or heard anything about it???

Alex is a diver and will be doing that at both Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Dan may join him as well in Grand Cayman, but hasn't decided yet.

The girls are hoping to get into Tea one day at Palo, but the reservations are not available online...so crossing our fingers we can squeeze in when we get on board or get on a waiting list.

We're staying at Saratoga Springs the Friday night before the cruise and then Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas the Saturday night after the cruise. I'm DVC so it just works out for us. Dan, Lisa, Alex and I are coming from Northern Virginia...and John & Deb are coming from PA.

As for packing tips...the best thing I've learned is to not over pack. Put out everything on your bed of what you think you want to take and then cut it in half...I personally recycle certain things like shorts or capris so I don't have to pack as many, tops are usually what I pack the most of to switch out...and I always end up buying a couple items in port or on the ship anyway, so after my first couple cruises, I learned to scale back. I've also started getting some dresses and things that can get packed tightly and not wrinkle for dinner and stuff. Works out great!

I'm so excited!!! Welcome to all the new additions to this cruise and hello to everyone else!

[pats_magic]

Lisa,
Since there are 5 of us, I love to use packing cubes (ebags or any other travel store). Basically, one person's stuff fits into a cube (or 2). We put everyone's cubes into 1-2 suitcases, then can just take out the cube and throw it into a drawer (no unpacking!). There are also sets of cubes/various sizes, so most outfits go into the main cube, swim/play/sleep stuff in another. Each person is color-coded, the stuff stays IN the cube in the drawer until worn. I have also used other clear-zipper bags for this (ie, blanket bags), finally broke down one sale and bought the real thing. They also keep us from packing too much!

I learned a big lesson from a European student who stayed with us for 10 days. Basically, all she had was a solid color knit skirt, a pair of jeans, a pair of capris, 3 tops, a cami, a light sweater, a cute scarf, and underthings. She mixed and matched, and everything fit in her small duffel. With my kids, I now just make sure all their clothes can mix/match, so if one shirt is dirty, the shorts can still be worn with something else. I fully expect they will be in bathing suits with a cover-up most of this trip, so I'm packing pretty light. I'd much rather do an emergency load of laundry than have to lug twice the stuff I need....

I've already made a spreadsheet packing list if anyone wants it. (How would I post it?)
Remember to pack one full set of outfits (and bathing suits! for everyone into a carryon. I've learned that the hard way!
Re the stuffed animal rule, stick to it! Remind them that the more they bring, the more that could get lost. A few small things (polly pockets, etc) and some coloring stuff, Disney stickers for autographs, a few books, are all the toys we're bringing.

I think I'm more excited than my kids!

[mkmommy]

The packing cubes look like a good idea, it is hard to keep things seperate. The girls got the cute wheeled Disney Heys carry on bags, and they are having a blast playing pretend go on vacation. They know they have to pack, shorts, Pj's and a bathing suit in this bag, so that does not leave them much room for stuffed animals.

I am not too worried about over packing clothes, I am pretty good at that, it is all the other stuff, like sand toys, dvd's player for the plane trip, costumes. The girls do not know this but they are having lunch at Cinderella' table the Friday before, and they must have a princess dress for that.
I also found the cutest pirate wenches costumes for the Pirate party, so I am worried about the space that will all take.

Dana- sounds like you found some more friends to join you, must make it even more exciting to share the trip with, I am sure you are all getting excited.

Lisa

[DMoss3377]

Hi Lisa,

Yeah...the more the merrier...and we're such a fun group anyway. I know we'll have a blast...my only worry is that they might be overwhelmed with Disney. I being the Disney fan that I am can't get enough...but some of the group haven't been sprinkled with fairy dust yet. pixiedust:

It's been so long since I've been on DCL, almost 4 years now...I'm well over due. I can't wait to see all the changes since my last cruise.

Does anyone know if they still do the 80's night at Rockin' Bar D? I loved that night...and I'd love to see if any of my friends get chosen for the battle of the bands. LOL

[mkmommy]

Dana

I think I read that they no longer have the 80's night, but not sure if it was the Magic or wonder.

I have never cruised, but I am sure that the adult areas will not be too much Disney for your friends.

Lisa

[DMoss3377]

Hi Lisa...

Thanks for the info. I'll have to look around to see if it's the Magic or the Wonder that lost 80's night. I loved that night...but hey, they won't know what they're missing.

I'm just glad that Pub Night is still on the last night...that is a nice way to end the cruise...even though it's bitter sweet.

Does anyone have a place they could recommend for the packing cubes? I'm not sure I'm envisioning what they are, I have something way too big in my head. LOL

Thanks!!!

[mkmommy]

For the packing cubes, I looked at ebags.com

[DMoss3377]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for the link.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. The 6 of us who are cruising together got together this weekend to hang out. Makes me even more excited for the cruise...knowing how much fun we'll have together.

I'm really excited to see all the changes since the last time I cruised. I'm ready for some warm weather too...we've had a pretty mild winter so far, but it's just so darn gloomy.

:)

[mkmommy]

I am starting to get into that panic mode, that the girls will not enjoy the kids club. I am sure there will be lots to do, but has any one had kids that did not enjoy the clubs?

Lisa

[retiredkid]

it has been a while since I read this entire post, and I just skimmed it now....have we decided on a 'Meet'? I couldn't find it. I would :lovestruc to meet some fellow disers.

TIA

[pats_magic]

Lisa,
I've talked with a bunch of folks recently who've had kids in the clubs onboard. My youngest is 5 (will be 6 once we set sail), so she's the one I was worried about. There will be several kids in this age group with us - a 4 yr old niece, an almost-7 niece (we are an extended-family trip), along with my DD. Everyone I've talked to has said the kids love the club, great staff, they notify via pager right away if any problems. Our girls are really excited about the princess stuff; feel free to tell your girls there will be some kindred spirits at the club to play with! I'm going to bring some bead crafts and lanyard to keep them happy should it rain.
FYI - Target in the dollar area this week has princess and pirate gear, temporary tatoos, etc!

[Out to Sea Lee]

Since retiredkid brought up the topic of a 'Meet' and Lisa is somewhat distressed about her girls in the kids club. Maybe it would not be a bad idea of us to 'meet' once we get onboard especially since many of us have children about the same age. I think it would be neat to also exchange pictures and info before we cruise so our children will already have built in friends when we get on the boat. I don't know, just an idea. What does anyone else think?

I do not know much about the whole 'meet' thing. This is our first Disney cruise. I know I have seen pictures of groups of people when they all meet, but where do you meet? How do you identify yourselves?

[mkmommy]

My girls would love to know some kids before we get on the ship, so if anyone with young kids( mine are 5 and 7), just send me a pm and maybe we can get some emails going for the kids. The first thing my oldest asked was do any on them have a Webkinz, she is quite concerned about not having access to Webkinz for a whole week.

A meet would also be great, but I am also a first time cruiser so I would not know where to start to organize.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

I'm back. Until earlier this week I wasn't sure if we would be able to go on the cruise or not.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer after Christmas and just got the word from my doctor that I would be able to go on the cruise. :cool1:

Anyway, my DD is 7 and would love to meet others. She is a little nervous about not knowing anybody in the Club. My DD also loves Webkins, however she likes the stuffed animals more than being on-line.

[Out to Sea Lee]

Snow in south Mississippi!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we had about 2-3 inches of snow this morning. We were so excited!! This is the first time to see snow in over 6 years. To bad we are not getting on the boat today!!!

[mommywa]

It's my turn to say hi. This is our second Disney cruise. There will be myself (34) husband (33), DD 11, DS 7, DS 2, DNiece 12. We cant wait. Our plans are:
Key West; butterfly/aquarium on our own.
Grand Cayman: sand bar, coral reef, and starfish snorkel with Native Way.
Cozumel: Xcaret (have done before and loved it)

With us will be my MIL, FIL, DH's Aunt and DH's nephew 13.

We are driving :sad2: down on Wednesday and staying at Shades of Green on Disney property. We will going to MK on Friday. I guess that is all I can think of for now.
Ashley

BTW; I know my ticker is wrong. I just cant figure out how to fix it.

[dragonflydreaming]

I'm back. Until earlier this week I wasn't sure if we would be able to go on the cruise or not.

I was diagnosed with brest cancer after Christmas and just got the word from my doctor that I would be able to go on the cruise. :cool1:

Anyway, my DD is 7 and would love to meet others. She is a little nervous about not knowing anybody in the Club. My DD also loves Webkins, however she likes the stuffed animals more than being on-line.

{{{{HUGS}}} to you. :hug: I'm so sorry you received this diagnosis but I'm so glad you'll be able to go on the cruise. There's nothing like a vacation to recharge your body.
My DD will be just shy of her 7th B-day when we go. She's 6 going on 13. She LUVS her Webkinz as well. I'm sure she'd love to meet your daughter. She's been in the clubs before and loved it.

Anybody going with 4 year olds? My little guy could use a buddy as well.

[DMoss3377]

I'm back. Until earlier this week I wasn't sure if we would be able to go on the cruise or not.

I was diagnosed with brest cancer after Christmas and just got the word from my doctor that I would be able to go on the cruise. :cool1:

Anyway, my DD is 7 and would love to meet others. She is a little nervous about not knowing anybody in the Club. My DD also loves Webkins, however she likes the stuffed animals more than being on-line.

Sending some pixie dust your way....pixiedust:

I'm glad you'll be joining us on the cruise...like DragonflyDreaming said, no better way to recharge the body, mind and spirit.

Welcome to all the newbies. As for a DIS meet, I know some people in the past have picked a spot, sometimes at the Sail Away Party to meet up. They also wear something lime green to designate their DIS status.

Hope everyone has a great day!

[retiredkid]

we dont have any kids, its just my DH and myself. I will wear lime green and hopefully in the meantime, collectively, we can figure out where/when to meet

[retiredkid]

I'm back. Until earlier this week I wasn't sure if we would be able to go on the cruise or not.

I was diagnosed with brest cancer after Christmas and just got the word from my doctor that I would be able to go on the cruise. :cool1:

Anyway, my DD is 7 and would love to meet others. She is a little nervous about not knowing anybody in the Club. My DD also loves Webkins, however she likes the stuffed animals more than being on-line.

pixie dust and prayers for you, Wendy. Hope everything goes smoothly for you. I'm so glad you are able to be on this cruise. Hope to meet you there.

[pats_magic]

A meet sounds great. Lime shirts? I'll try.
We are: me, DH, DD12, DS10, DD6, In Laws: grandparents, SIL family= DD4, DS 15 months, BIL family= DS 8 and DD 7
My kids would love to know someone beforehand. Especially my 12 yr old, who is worried that the 10-12 club is going to be way too young for her (and I worry the teen club too old!). She would love to exchange emails with the 11-13 crowd, maybe they could have a mini-preteen club.
Now, if only I can figure out this PM thing....

[pats_magic]

PS - Sounds like a WebKinz meet is in order, as well!

[mkmommy]

I have never cruised before so I have no idea how busy the ship gets, but would it not be hard to meet people at the Sail away party.

On the Webkinz front, I told my oldest daughter that we are not bringing a laptop, and the look she gave me was one of how will I survive.

Lisa

[pats_magic]

Hmmm, Is there not wireless on the ship??? We will have to find a virtual Webkinz vacation spot. Maybe they could all go to the same pound.;)

[mkmommy]

Was looking at cruisecal.com and the days the Magic will be in Grand Cayman and Cozumel there are between 5 and 8 ships in the ports at the same time. Does anyone know if that is a normal or high amount? Seems like a lot of people in one place, are the beaches crazy busy with that many people?

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Since Costa Maya was destroyed by Hurricane Dean, ships have to make alternate plans. This probably isn't normal, but will be this way until Costa Maya is up and running again.

[Out to Sea Lee]

Hello Everyone!! I just wanted to share my story for the day with you guys. When I was reading the boards the other night, I saw a posting from someone in room #6056 (which is the same room as we are in, but on the other side of the ship) and she said that there was a horrible banging noise in that room. This morning I found a posting from someone who just returned Sunday and were in room #6556 (the same room we are booked in) and it was horribly noisey. :scared1: So panic mode kicked in...we've got to change rooms. Well, DH stayed on the phone for what seemed like an eternity, I had to leave the room b/c my nerves could not handle it. Disney did admit that there was a problem in those rooms and we were moved to another room. :banana: I mean, that is just my luck. We hand picked that room when we booked it last April. I can pick them too. Oh well, a happy ending to a sad story. I just feel much better now. I just didn't know what I was going to do if I could not sleep for a week.

On a side note, it's getting really close. Has anyone made fish extenders or magnets for the door? Just wondering. As excited as I am, I just don't have it all together yet.

[mkmommy]

Glad you got your room changed, I am sure you did not want to worry about getting a room that is known for problems. I work in the hotel industy and this one hotel I worked at had a few rooms that you just dreaded selling, but when you are full you have no choice but to sell it and I am sure it is the same on a cruise ship, just glad it will not be you stuck with it.

I have a GTY room booked so I am waiting to find out where we will be. I always seem to get the room the farthest away, we stayed at the Yacht Club in December and if any of you have been at the Boardwalk you know how spread out the hotel is, we had a that room way in the corner that almost touches the Dolphin, so I am not holding my breath for a great location. We do not plan on spending much time in the room so I am not too worried.

I can't believe it is almost February, January has gone way to fast.

Lisa

[mkmommy]

5 weeks to go:banana:

I sure hope the weather is nicer than it is here. We got a big snow storm yesterday, and I see that lots of flights were cancelled, I feel bad for all those people who are stuck at the airport, I was thinking of originally going on today's cruise and I am now glad that I did not or I would be stuck in Buffalo.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Greetings to everybody from the center of the universe. Well, it seems that way anyway with the Super Bowl being played in my home state today! Fortunately, the football stadium has a retractable roof because it will be raining by kick off. So much for Chamber of Commerce weather. But, I am not complaining. I love it when it rains here in the desert, Lord knows we need it.

Hope you all enjoy the game and get to eat lots of good munchies!!

BTW, only a little over a month left! Woohoo!!!

[atinkerbellmom]

Hi 3/8/08 MAGICneers-
Not jumping in on your thread and not reading either, that is between your DISNEY FAMILY.;) Just want to say we are your pay it fwd people and wanted to make sure you guys saw that DCL has now stopped the PASS IT ALONG idea. They said it is considered an insecure box. So sorry guys. We promise to take good care of her for you though. Hey, I took the Western last cruise, so if you have any questions, I may be able to answer, you can PM me and I can post it here for you. Happy cruising Everyone....:hippie:

[charpie127]

Ahoy fellow cruisers!!!

My mother, sister and I will be looking for Captain Jack on the Disney Magic with ya'll

Looking forward to our 1st Disney cruise.

Of course anything that starts with Disney makes my old heart race.

see you soon

(Mom, Linda, Helen)

:dance3:

[mkmommy]

Welcome aboard, we are all getting most excited, we have been busy mastering the art of making "mickey heads out" of melty beads and attaching magnetic paper, the girls love to make them and they are kinda cute, great project for snow days.

One month tomorrow we will be heading to Orlando, anyone get any cruise documents yet?

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Okay, it's official. EXACTLY 1 MONTH until we're on the Magic. Anybody packed yet?

[retiredkid]

nope, but starting to gather stuff together...... have we decided on a place to meet yet?? I went back and didnt see anything.

[mkmommy]

I was hoping that we would be assigned a room at the 30 day mark, but we are still without a room number. I guess there are rooms to sell still so they wait a little longer to assign rooms. Has anyone in a GTY room gotten a room number yet?

The downside to vacation is trying to get all your work done before you go, so it is going to be a hectic 4 weeks.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

:cool1: Our tickers are now showing DAYS! :cool1:

[retiredkid]

Swim Little Fishie, Swim!!!!!!!!!!

[charpie127]

Hello shipmates!!

I have been reading all the trip reports :surfweb: from former cruisers and I can not wait till 2:00 pm mst on 3/7/08 (24 days 8 hours 43 minutes) (that's when I leave work to head to the airport to meet my mom and sis). Our flight arrives in Orlando at 11:30 pm and we will be staying at the Swan/Dolphin. We have only stayed at the All Stars so this is the beginning of an all new adventure!

On the other posts they mention door decorations, meets, nightly bags?

can anybody who has been on other cruises explain this to me? I have seen the pictures of the doors so I am starting to get things together for that, but I want to be prepared for everything...

sorry if i am rambling it is just that "I'm to excited to sleep" :yay:

[mkmommy]

We got upgraded:cool1:

My oldest is going to be so happy we have a room with the a bunk bed and also a window. Booked at 12 GTY and got a Cat 9.

Only 3 more weeks, and we can get out of all this snow.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Congratulations! :cheer2:

P.S. I was at the Disney Store yesterday and got matching "lime" green Tinkerbell t-shirts for my DD and me. Can't wait to wear them.

[Out to Sea Lee]

Congraulations Lisa!!!! I'm so excited for you!!

I cannot belive that we will be on the boat three weeks from tomorrow!!! Wow these months have passed quickly!

Are we going to have a DIS group meet? Are we all going to wear lime green, or just meet? I'm so excited...I just have to start packing.

Lee Ann

[mkmommy]

I think a meet would be great. I am assuming that the first day is the best to do it, and that most people would be on board by 2:00, I would suggest around 3:00 and 3:30 but I have no idea on where. Another option for all of us with kids is maybe to meet at the open house at the kids club on the first night. We have main dining but once again have no idea when we would be finished eating. So many unknows, but so much to look forward too.

Lisa

[retiredkid]

I think a meet would be great. I am assuming that the first day is the best to do it, and that most people would be on board by 2:00, I would suggest around 3:00 and 3:30 but I have no idea on where. Another option for all of us with kids is maybe to meet at the open house at the kids club on the first night. We have main dining but once again have no idea when we would be finished eating. So many unknows, but so much to look forward too.

Lisa

since there a some of us without kids, I like the first idea (for us) ...3:00-3:30.
but, what time is the emergency drill?? Maybe before the sail away party? Just a thought.
Maybe if we just made a point of wearing something identifiable Lime Green, of course...?? I dunno.

[disneyfaninaz]

The security drill is at 4:00 PM. The sail away party is immediately following and could be very chaotic trying to meet up somewhere. And, while I have lime green shirts to wear, my family is wearing matching blue "Tiki" outfits for our embarkation picture.

I have read of DISer's meeting in the Promenade Lounge at 3:00 PM.

[retiredkid]

that sounds good to me....anyone else??

[charpie127]

we got upgraded too....from cat 12 to cat 11 :rotfl:

we were all set for deck 2 in the front of the ship and now we are on deck 6 in the middle. as long as we have a cabin i am happy :yay:

so has a decision been made? lime green t-shirts? where to meet?

is anyone else counting the hours?

[mkmommy]

I think 3:00 at the Promenade lounge would be great. I doubt the we will be in lime, pink is the dominante colour in my girls closet.

Lisa

[retiredkid]

sounds like a good beginning. 3:00 in the Promenade Lounge.
Lime green (or not). Just look for the happiest people!!

[disneyfaninaz]

Maybe we could all wear lime green Mickey heads somewhere on us, whether it be pinned to our shirts or on a lanyard or something. I will probabaly wear one on a lanyard.

[retiredkid]

OKAY NOW I'M REALLY EXCITED:thumbsup2

[Out to Sea Lee]

Yeah!!! Less than three weeks. I'm so excited!!! I finally started packing a little today. A meet sound great to me too!!

[Out to Sea Lee]

Is anyone dressing up for pirate night? I know some of your children are, but as an adult are you considering dressing up? How much is too much? I just realized that if we are going to dress up that I better order something ASAP since we leave 2 weeks from Friday. I would love to hear what you guys are doing!!

[charpie127]

we are not doing a complete costume ...just a few props..eye patch...sash...earring...

16 days 20 hours 15 minutes till we land in orlando!!!!!!!!!!!! and an escape from reality

i am not a bit excited :laughing:

[retiredkid]

DH wouldn't dress up. Best I could do is matching Pirate t-shirts from Disney Store. (He doesn't know that yet, either):laughing:

[mkmommy]

I have a great costumes for the girls and I will just wear and I will see what I can find for myself.

Lisa

[Out to Sea Lee]

:yay: :yay: I just received my cruise documents!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: This makes it seem all the more real!!!:banana: :banana:

[charpie127]

congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that means ours will be here soon too!!!
how were they delievered? postal service? ups? fedex?
i had read somewhere that they are by ups

little details mean sooooo much to a mickey mind

[retiredkid]

Yay! Waiting patiently.....hurry up docs...

[garytam]

Just got ours last night via UPS. :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[mkmommy]

No documents yet, but they probably go to the travel agent first.


Ok I could not get to sleep last night, all I could think about about was all the things that I need to add to my packing list, and where all the summer stuff is. I of course cannot find my youngest's sandals. How is it all going to fit into 2 or 3 suitcases?

Question for Target shoppers, can you get Webkinz clothes at Target, my oldest is obsessed about getting clothes for her Webkinz, and I can't find them anywhere here in Canada?



Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Hey Lisa, Webkinz clothes are here at local Hallmark stores. Do you have them there?

I got my documents today from my AAA agent. Very excited. Just waiting for my energy levels to come back up from my latest chemo and I will be able to start packing!

[charpie127]

mom and i just got our docs about half an hour ago but ups!!!!

now the countdown can really begin...

time to get serious about packing

[retiredkid]

I put a call into out TA.
WHERE'S OURS??????????????

[mkmommy]

Wendy- hope you are feeling ok, do you have anymore treatments before the cruise, make sure to take things easy. Thanks for the tip I will have to check out the Hallmark stores.


So what is everyone looking forward to most. We were talking tonight and the girls are looking forward to the sail away party and also the Pirate Party and I am looking forward to the fireworks. It is going to be a great time.

Anyone know what the weather has been like? I had some friends come back last week from a Western Cruise on RCI and I guess some night were pretty rough.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Wendy- hope you are feeling ok, do you have anymore treatments before the cruise, make sure to take things easy. Thanks for the tip I will have to check out the Hallmark stores.


So what is everyone looking forward to most. We were talking tonight and the girls are looking forward to the sail away party and also the Pirate Party and I am looking forward to the fireworks. It is going to be a great time.

Anyone know what the weather has been like? I had some friends come back last week from a Western Cruise on RCI and I guess some night were pretty rough.

Lisa

No, no more treatments before the cruise. I should be good to go. My DD is looking forward most to the club and the dolphins.

It's a little early to be predicting weather. I think it will be nice and warm though.

[retiredkid]

I'm most looking forward to Key West and CC.
Poor DH doesn't know a lot about this whole trip, other than I have a bunch of surprises in store for his BD. I guess I'm also looking forward to his reaction of the stateroom being decorated and full of gifts/treats. I pick up our documents today YAY!

[mkmommy]

2 Weeks to go:banana:

I had a productive day, while the girls were at gymnastics I had an hour and a half to read my Passporter Guide, there is so much to do on the Magic, it is going to take some co-ordinating to see all the must do's.

I also got out all the summer clothes and picked what is going. I hate to say this, but I think laundry is going to be part of this vacation, I just don't want to take enough clothes for 11 days, and I know my girls cannot wear a tee shirt 2 days.

Have fun getting organized everyone, hopefully no will get too stressed out trying to get ready.

Lisa

[DMoss3377]

Yay, doing the doc dance! :cool1:

We got our cruise docs and we're so excited...just a couple more weeks. I'm going to be a wreck by the time the cruise gets here...but once I step on board, all my troubles will melt away.

Can't wait!

[disneyfaninaz]

We are officially under 2 weeks to go! I just ordered my basket from Shirley. Can't wait for my DD to find it.

[mkmommy]

Still no documents, my TA says there were only mailed to her on Friday, so I should be getting them by the end of the week. I sure hope so, not too worried about the cruise portion just the hotel, as I know what can happen there.

Has anyone seen any of the weather forecasts? Not looking like it will be terribly warm on March 8, I think it was 70 as the high in Orlando might have to pack more pants.

Lisa

[pats_magic]

Ouch, just looked at the weather (wunderground.com). Looks like rain in Grand Cayman every other day for the next 10 days, temps in the 70's in key West. Since we're getting yet another 5 inches of snow today in Ann Arbor, I was really looking forward to HEAT and SUN. Well, we'll do a weather dance in our lime shirts first thing on the boat, maybe the weather fairies will listen.

Anyone else doing the Pirate scavenger hunt in Key West? DH and I are taking our youngest (DD6), as well as 4 nieces and nephews while our oldest two go on the Thrill boat with grandmother. I'm wondering if we really needed to sign up for this or if it's better to just walk around Key West ourselves with them.

[mkmommy]

A week tomorrow we are heading out of winter, and we are in need of some sunshine.:banana:

We have no plans for Key West, looking at other people's trip reports it looks like it will be easy to walk around, any one know what time the ship departs Key West, and what time the sun sets that far south, really starting to notice that it is getting dark later.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Anybody look at the temps for Cozumel. According to Accuweather, it is going to be in the high 80's with a feel like temp of 108 degrees. :beach: Ouch!! Fortunately, we're used to the heat, it's the humidity we can't tolerate! ;)

[disneyfaninaz]

A week tomorrow we are heading out of winter, and we are in need of some sunshine.:banana:

We have no plans for Key West, looking at other people's trip reports it looks like it will be easy to walk around, any one know what time the ship departs Key West, and what time the sun sets that far south, really starting to notice that it is getting dark later.

Lisa

I have sunset at 7:33 PM. All Aboard is at 7:30 PM.

[disneyfaninaz]

:cool1: We are in single digits! :cool1:

Doing the single digit dance!! :yay:

[pats_magic]

Anybody look at the temps for Cozumel. According to Accuweather, it is going to be in the high 80's with a feel like temp of 108 degrees. Ouch!! ;)

Guess I'd better watch what I wish for, eh?
We are hopping excited around here. :banana: Found fun mask/fin/snorkel sets in self-contained backpack at Costco for the kids so that we don't have to worry about rentals. I'm bringing way too much stuff....!

[mkmommy]

Pat join the club, I have way too much stuff, the worst is all the shoes, I have this dream that I am going to have time to go to the gym there, so I need runners too:rotfl2: I finally found the sand buckets so I now think I have located everything, I just need to wash and pack it all.

Wendy I like your forecast much better, I am not worried about too hot, it is the forcast I saw for March 7 in Orlando for lows of 49, hoping to take in Spectromagic at the Magic Kingdom that night, and that is jacket and glove weather, which adds to the too much stuff problem.

It has been so cold here this week, we really need to warmth. The girls are getting excited and not sleeping well, so lets hope they do not get sick.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Don't worry. It won't get down to 49 until the wee hours of the morning. It will probably be low 60s high 50s for Spectromagic. I would bring a sweatshirt. We are in the same boat for Thursday night for the P&PP. It's going to be in the 60s.

[charpie127]

GOOD MORNING!!!!! 7 days 8 hours and 50 minutes till our flight leaves!!!!

Next Friday we will be counting hours and minutes!!!
I have procrastinated(?) long enough and time to pack!!!

I went back over the posts and created this list.
Am I missing anyone?
Is everyone planning on coming to the meet?


name how many
dmoss3377 4
dragonflydreaming
disney sweetie 5
hockeychic
pop5
mkmommy 3
tmli 3
garytam 4
disneyfaninaz 3
retiredkid 2
out to sea lee 4
ottawacruiser 4
pats magic 5
mommywa 10
charpie127 3


Can't wait to see ya'll

Helen

[retiredkid]

See Ya There!!!!!!!

[Out to Sea Lee]

I'll be there!!! We just cannot wait!!

Lisa - I ran into the mall last night and as I was walking by The Limited, Too I saw a display of Webkins and outfits. I just thought about you!!

[mkmommy]

We will be there. I decided not to order gift baskets so we could make it for 3:00. If the girls saw the baskets in the room they would never leave the room. I found some Green Mickey heads at Home Depot so I will attach them to my bag.

I ordered some Webkinz clothes from Amazon to be delivered to the hotel instead, anyone staying at the Pop prior to the cruise? I had them delivered to the Pop as we are staying there after the cruise and the estimated delivery time was 12 days from when I ordered them but of course they were delivered there in record time of 3 days. I may try and call the Pop and see if they can send the package over to the Poly.

It is actually warming up today, we may get above 0, so hopefully my husband can get the girls outside on the weekend and I can pack in peace, the girls are the greatest packers, I put one thing in they take out 2 and sneak in a few stuffed animals.


Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

I'll be there!

[garytam]

I will be there, not sure about DW and kids. Hard to pull them out of the pool.

[mkmommy]

Well I survived the packing, and was not able to have just 2 bags, I thought I was doing really well, as the second bag was not full and then I realized that I had not packed the girls clothes yet. :rolleyes1

Glad we are leaving on Thursday they are forecasting a big snow storm for Friday, so hopefully we can get out before it hits. Nothing worse than doing the shuffle to Buffalo in a snowstorm, that was last winter and it was no fun.

Happy packing to everyone.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

Wow! I can't believe your packed already. I don't plan on actually packing my suitcases until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Looks like we're going to have beautiful weather! :sunny:

[DMoss3377]

GOOD MORNING!!!!! 7 days 8 hours and 50 minutes till our flight leaves!!!!

Next Friday we will be counting hours and minutes!!!
I have procrastinated(?) long enough and time to pack!!!

I went back over the posts and created this list.
Am I missing anyone?
Is everyone planning on coming to the meet?


name how many
dmoss3377 4
dragonflydreaming
disney sweetie 5
hockeychic
pop5
mkmommy 3
tmli 3
garytam 4
disneyfaninaz 3
retiredkid 2
out to sea lee 4
ottawacruiser 4
pats magic 5
mommywa 10
charpie127 3


Can't wait to see ya'll

Helen

Hi Helen,

I'm going to try to get the gang there, everyone else traveling with me are newbies and are so excited to explore the ship and check everything out. Hopefully we'll be able to make the meet and "meet" you all.

I can hardly believe we're less than a week away! I'm starting to pack tonight, at least figure out what to pack. It's been a while since my last cruise.

Hope you meet you all soon.

[pats_magic]

Green lanyards sound like a great idea!
We get on a plane in 4 days!
Quick newbie Q: I am reading on other boards that you can get on the boat before 1pm, just can't get into the room until later than that. I was trying to clarify the transport issue (we're going to be coming on Disney transport from the airport) with Disney this am. They said there is "no reason" to get to the terminal before 1pm, as they do not allow boarding. Is this new or the party line? Does the line move pretty quickly? We're hoping to have some time at the terminal to clarify groups for the kids (ie, can my 12 yr old go with the teen group).
Can one person check in the group (ie if DH stops to get wine for the cruise). Well, maybe that's a bad idea. I can just see us waving to him on the dock with his bag of wine as we cast off!

[disneyfaninaz]

Pat,

You might get more answers to this if you ask it on the main board, but I'll give it a stab.

There's no reason to get to the terminal early, but you can get into the terminal as early as 10:00 ish. You are given a boarding number when you check in. Yes, one person can check in as long as they have everybody's ID or passports, etc. You can check your kids into the various clubs at the terminal. Boarding begins around 11:45 ish, or so I've read. Boarding is in order of the number you received so camping out in line is not needed.

As far as your DH, he can go for a wine run and meet you in the terminal IF he has ID on him. If you are using drivers licenses and birth certificates, you will not be able to check him in until he meets up with you.

Hope that helps. See you on Saturday!

[garytam]

Hi Pat

If you are using Disney transportation, it may be difficult to get to the wine store. But, you can get the wine at Key West on Sunday.

See you all Saturday.

[pats_magic]

Thanks for the info. Key West is a great idea for supplies. We'll be walking around anyway. Think I'll keep this whole crew together until we're safely on board!
Bought extra sunglasses today, so I guess we're really getting close!:cool1:

[mkmommy]

2 more days to go and we are still in one piece, had a close call yesterday. Lots of black ice on the front steps, and I just flew out the door. Lucky for me being the pack mule that I am , I had my laptop, gym bag, lunch, purse and kids library books, and all that stuff shortened the fall, I am sure if I had not had all the stuff I would have broke my ankle, the way I fell sideways.

Everyone keep healthy would hate for something to happen, and someone not able to make the cruise.

My boss from Daytona Beach is here and he said the weather has been great.

Lisa

Lisa

[dragonflydreaming]

In case any of you were panicking that you weren't ready to go I thought I'd put your mind at ease.

Our flight leaves in 10 hours and we haven't started to plan yet. AT ALL! No shopping, no planning, no packing, no laundry, nothing! Our life has been upside down on the last few months and we haven't done anything yet. I just logged on to get the DIS list for packing and then I'm going to see what I can pull together. Luckily we're staying at Port Canaveral from Wed.-Sat. So we can shop for anything we don't have. I wonder how customs is going to feel about us flying down with empty suitcases LOL!

Well, off to pack and have a glass of vino to de-stress! This vacation is going to relaxing right?????

Anything you can think of that I MUST bring???? I'll check in a little later.

Thanks All!

Tracey

[mkmommy]

Tracey

You can always check with me, there was no way I could get everything in 2 bags, so I decided to bring everything I could possible need and still fit in 2 large and 2 small. I have all the sick possibilties covered. I debated on the duck tape, but I did leave it out, but I must say it had come in hand on some of our camping trips, nothing fixes a leak in a canoe better than duct tape.

All you really need are bathing suits and sunscreen.

Hope you make it out with this crazy weather tonight, more freezing rain and snow.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

I am just about to go on and get my boarding passes. We are expecting great weather all the way. No worries with snow or ice here! ;)

Lisa and Tracey, I hope the weather Gods are smiling on you and you can get out. :worship: Look forward to seeing you on the ship.

Happy travels to all! :goodvibes

[mkmommy]

We got a foot of snow last night, if Tracey was leaving at 6:30 that would mean her plane was in last night, so if she got to the airport she should be there by now.

I just checked in for our flight, hard to believe that 24 hours from now we will be on our way.

Have a great trip.

Lisa

[disneyfaninaz]

We are packing our last minute items and we are OUTTA HERE! :yay:

See you on the ship! :cloud9:

[dinghydeb]

Curious to find out if the engine/weather situation is resolved.

[wanderlust72]

Curious to find out if the engine/weather situation is resolved.

I was on the 3/1/08 sailing and wonder if things worked out as well. Hopefully it's been smooth sailing!

[misslissa]

Hi all!

I hope you all had a wonderful trip and come back with great stories to tell!

Many people have been worried about the engine and port times for the western cruise.

When you get back, could you possibly come on over to our thread and let us know about your experiences?

Here is the link: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1744032

Thank you so much in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wizard:

[whamma]

Hi! Just wondering if any of you can confirm the rumor that the dining rotations have changed--and for me most importantly, that formal night has been moved to Sunday. Not sure if anyone is checking this now that you're back--but would appreciate any insight. We leave 3/22! :banana:

[disneyfaninaz]

Yes, the dining rotations have changed. Our rotation was APPLAPL at 5:45 PM. It looks like you repeat your restaurant on your second and third nights, third night being formal night on the Western.

No engine problems that we were told about or experienced.

The weather was wonderful. Very windy for the sail away party and the pirate night party, but all and all very lovely weather. Castaway Cay day was perfect. Sunny skies and a slight breeze allowed for a beautiful day on the island.

Unfortunately it had to end and I hope my fellow DISer's had a great time.

[pats_magic]

Welcome home! We watched for others in lime green, saw a few scattered but didn't see a group. sorry we missed finding everyone!
Great trip, eh? DD6 cried herself to sleep on the last night, sad that she wouldn't see the characters any more. We only saw DS10 at mealtimes! The cousins had a blast. DH lost his 25 year old Mickey Mouse watch on Castaway Cay beach. Ironic, it was finally home. I convinced Doubting Thomas to call Guest Services that night to see if it had magically appeared, and yep, it was there, all right! Pixie dust.
With the exception of the bizarre clock two-step, and the mass of jellyfish stings covering my arms and legs, we had a very smooth trip.

[DMoss3377]

Wow...I can't believe we're back. Talk about getting back to reality. I'm pleased to say this was the best cruise I've ever had. I'm sure it had a little something to do with the company I had on board...:love:

We all rebooked for 2009...not sure if we'll keep it or if DCL will announce some cool new itineraries...we'd love to try the Mediterranean or the Mexican Riviera. One way or another we'll be sailing in 2009.

Sorry we didn't meet up with any of you, hope you all had a blast. :)

Till next time...:flower3:

[Ottawacruiser]

There's a bit of a trip report on the March 8th Eastern happening at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1757493

It covers dining rotations as well.

Regards,
... Mike

[misslissa]

Welcome home! We watched for others in lime green, saw a few scattered but didn't see a group. sorry we missed finding everyone!
Great trip, eh? DD6 cried herself to sleep on the last night, sad that she wouldn't see the characters any more. We only saw DS10 at mealtimes! The cousins had a blast. DH lost his 25 year old Mickey Mouse watch on Castaway Cay beach. Ironic, it was finally home. I convinced Doubting Thomas to call Guest Services that night to see if it had magically appeared, and yep, it was there, all right! Pixie dust.
With the exception of the bizarre clock two-step, and the mass of jellyfish stings covering my arms and legs, we had a very smooth trip.

Ahhhhh!!!!!! Where where you when you got the stings? I am going in May and am scared of jelly stings.......

[charpie127]

anybody else ready to go back to Castaway Cay? Serenity Bay? :yay: ME ME ME ME !!!!!!

Mom's suitcase ended up with someone else's name on it :confused3
(Sharon something) and went to Phoenix. We didn't get it back for 6 days!!!! :headache: Mom was very worried and upset, :scared: but we are thankful that American airlines finally found it for us. :worship:

Did anyone see those silly old ladies that wore matching t-shirts? :dance3:
and swim suits? :lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl:

Good thing they found Mom's suitcase...her t-shirts and swim suit and cover up was in there

Gotta love us!!!! :love:

[disneyfaninaz]

Hey Charpie~

I saw you several times, especially on Pirate night. Glad to hear you had a great time. Sorry to hear your mother's luggage followed us home! ;)

Could the weather have been any better for Castaway Cay? :cloud9:


anybody else ready to go back to Castaway Cay? Serenity Bay? :yay: ME ME ME ME !!!!!!

Mom's suitcase ended up with someone else's name on it :confused3
(Sharon something) and went to Phoenix. We didn't get it back for 6 days!!!! :headache: Mom was very worried and upset, :scared: but we are thankful that American airlines finally found it for us. :worship:

Did anyone see those silly old ladies that wore matching t-shirts? :dance3:
and swim suits? :lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl:

Good thing they found Mom's suitcase...her t-shirts and swim suit and cover up was in there

Gotta love us!!!! :love:

[charpie127]

No the weather was perfect at Castaway Cay....the water was a bit on the cool side when we went in for the stringray feeding at 10:00 am, but quickly got use to it. Serenity Bay lived up to it's name. Just sitting in our tubes and floating was so peaceful. Mom does not swim and is terrified of water even enjoyed it and jumped out and got wet all the way up to her neck in 2 feet of water. The picnic was great...i was just going to have a bbq rib but this guy behind me talked me into a steak. It was cooked on the rare side which is the way my sister and I like it so we shared it. I forgot to get the drink konch kooler which i had heard is very good so i guess we will have to go back. Mom wants to do one of the cruises where you get to go to Castaway for 2 days....I think there is one in September....ha ha

[disneyfaninaz]

No the weather was perfect at Castaway Cay....the water was a bit on the cool side when we went in for the stringray feeding at 10:00 am, but quickly got use to it. Serenity Bay lived up to it's name. Just sitting in our tubes and floating was so peaceful. Mom does not swim and is terrified of water even enjoyed it and jumped out and got wet all the way up to her neck in 2 feet of water. The picnic was great...i was just going to have a bbq rib but this guy behind me talked me into a steak. It was cooked on the rare side which is the way my sister and I like it so we shared it. I forgot to get the drink konch kooler which i had heard is very good so i guess we will have to go back. Mom wants to do one of the cruises where you get to go to Castaway for 2 days....I think there is one in September....ha ha

I know what you mean. My DH only wants to cruise again if the only stops are at Castaway Cay! :rotfl:

I didn't try the Konk Kooler either, but I did have 2 Bahama Mamas. Yum Yum!!

Where are you retiredkid and Out To Sea Lee? Want to hear about your adventures. Hope Loren had a great birthday.

[retiredkid]

HI Wendy! I've been posting....click on the link in my signature.

Oh, yeah... Howdy Neighbour!!

[Out to Sea Lee]

Hey! All my cruise buddies!!! I've been lurking when I get a few minutes. When we got home reality hit hard!! I haven't had time to even work on my trip report. I wrote eight plus pages of notes on every thing that we did, and we have 700+ pictures, even some of our food. I just haven't had time to stop and take a break. I've stuck my head in on the trip report threads and Wendy and Lisa you guys are doing a great job!! The cruise was just wonderful!! I cannot wait to go on another one.

[retiredkid]

Lee! I was wondering where you were. Get busy and write that TR. I know its tough, but its fun to relive. I've just done the first two days of our trip, and we're not even on the ship yet!

[Ottawacruiser]

Hey! Can I join in?

[mkmommy]

Hey! All my cruise buddies!!! I've been lurking when I get a few minutes. When we got home reality hit hard!! I haven't had time to even work on my trip report. I wrote eight plus pages of notes on every thing that we did, and we have 700+ pictures, even some of our food. I just haven't had time to stop and take a break. I've stuck my head in on the trip report threads and Wendy and Lisa you guys are doing a great job!! The cruise was just wonderful!! I cannot wait to go on another one.

It is no fun coming back to the real world. I will look for a TR

Hey! Can I join in?
Sure join in.

Thanks for mentioning about Pinball Clemmons. You know how you seem to get into the same routine as someone else and always see them, it was that way with what I am sure was Pinball Clemmons and his family. We always seemed to be in the same elevator or in Parrot Cay at the same time, and DD5 was always fasinated with his youngest DD shoes. :rolleyes1 I knew he looked familar and when you mentioned the name it just clicked.

Hope you had a great trip and would love to hear more about it, like Wendy said it is amazing how we all did different things, but unfortunately the more you find out about the more you just need to go on another cruise.:rotfl2:

Lisa

[retiredkid]

You're right, Lisa. We kept running into Lee and her husband the first couple of days, we were on the same wavelength for a while I guess. And you're right again in finding out all the stuff you didn't do but NEED to do the next time!!:thumbsup2