February 16, 2008 - 7 night Eastern

[lauritagoddess]

I just booked this for my DS and I. He has off school for President's Week and I figured it would be a good time for some more DCL fun. Anyone else booked for this cruise? :goodvibes

[durango kid]

Well, it looks like our families will have the run of the ship! I'll be there with the DW and DD (13)!

[lauritagoddess]

LOL. Interesting though that there aren't other DISers yet booked. I figured with it falling during this week that there's be alot of families with kids normally in school.

We have our next trip in August and will be going on our first DCL cruise then, a 3 day on the Wonder. I'm very excited!! :)

[durango kid]

We just did a three day, in Feb. with DD24. We loved it, but it leaves you wanting more. So, we booked this trip. The 14th (valentines day) is our anniversary:love:. I can barely stand the wait.

[VesTrace]

Hello All,

We're sharing your ride south... Me+wife+2 daughters (6 and 4...almost 5 at sail)+grandmom+great grandmom.

Great time of year to cruise.....the weather will be great!

Note....Book hotel soon at Port Canaveral, their filling up!

[lauritagoddess]

Hello All,

We're sharing your ride south... Me+wife+2 daughters (6 and 4...almost 5 at sail)+grandmom+great grandmom.

Great time of year to cruise.....the weather will be great!

Note....Book hotel soon at Port Canaveral, their filling up!

Wow, 4 generations together, that's great.

I'm looking forward to our 3 day that's a month from today, and then it will be so nice to have this cruise to look forward to. :)

[NYCDisneyFan]

Hi! We are 'all in' for the 2/16! Will be me, DD16, DS13, DW. Just off the 6/27 Med, and can't wait to visit again.

Brian

[VesTrace]

Hi! We are 'all in' for the 2/16! Will be me, DD16, DS13, DW. Just off the 6/27 Med, and can't wait to visit again.

Brian

Wow....that's nice. We spent a week at WDW in April. However, this is our first cruise. Gone to the Caribbean a couple of times but stayed on land.
We're looking forward to it.
I assume the Med. cruise we great.

[durango kid]

Hello All,

We're sharing your ride south... Me+wife+2 daughters (6 and 4...almost 5 at sail)+grandmom+great grandmom.

Great time of year to cruise.....the weather will be great!

Note....Book hotel soon at Port Canaveral, their filling up!

We don't have to worry about the hotel thing. Just one of the MANY perks of living in Celebration!! I also get to hear the Fireworks everynight, and I'm surrounded by other people who "get" Disney. Heck, it's why most of them live here. Anyway, I'm looking forward to raising a glass of something with all of you on our trip.

[lauritagoddess]

We don't have to worry about the hotel thing. Just one of the MANY perks of living in Celebration!! I also get to hear the Fireworks everynight, and I'm surrounded by other people who "get" Disney. Heck, it's why most of them live here. Anyway, I'm looking forward to raising a glass of something with all of you on our trip.

What's it like living in Celebration? I've always thought it would be a fabulous place to live.

[durango kid]

What's it like living in Celebration? I've always thought it would be a fabulous place to live.

I really can't say enough good things about my town. Most important is how safe I feel. My daughter and her friends can walk to the movies and I never worry. We take our little NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) to get around town, or we just ride a bike, everything is so close. It's also very clean and well maintained. All the tourists take some getting used to though. The other day a bus load of Japanese tourists was blocking the road, while they were taking pictures of the houses. We go into the parks all the time,sometimes we just pop in for dinner, or to ride just one ride and go home. My dd has been to the parks 3 times this past week, to DTD once and stayed the night in a grand villa at SSR for a friends birthday. Pretty good life, if you ask me.

[Sandaneli]

Hi. we just got home from the 11 night 7/28 Med cruise. It was wonderful. We booked the 7 night Eastern Caribbean for 2/16/08 for the kids for Christmas.

The Dis thread for our cruise was wonderful and we had great fun meeting everyone and hanging out while onboard and on different excursions.

Our DD is 13 and DS will turn 16 on 2/24.

We're looking forward to another great cruise.

Sandra

[durango kid]

WELCOME ABOARD SANDRA!!

We are barely able to contain ourselves, waiting for the cruise. Our DD(13) had invited a friend along, but she was not able to come. Something about missing school:confused3. But, oh well, we will still have tons-o-fun. I am excited to see that there will be several kids my daughters age. Hopefully they will get together so that she will leave me to my deck chair. Deck chair is code for buffet.

I can feel the sea spray now...oh wait that's the sweat dripping off of my head. Celebration is beautiful, but we haven't figured out how to control the summer heat...yet.

I'm looking forward to meeting you all. The first one to buy me a beer gets to take their picture with me!

[bettyann29]

I just booked me and DH for this sailing.. Cant wait! Our anniversary is the 14th but we wanted Eastern Caribbean so this will be our 1st Anniversary.. :banana:

[durango kid]

Welcome Aboard Bettyann!!

There are now TWO V-D anniversaries going on!! What a great day to be married. We plan on doing a vow renewal (or as I refer to it "renegotiating my contract") at the church here in Celebration, the 14th before going on the cruise.

Not to brag...but I will! We (DW and I) just go back from lunch at the House of Blues in DTD and then we went into AK just long enough to ride Everest. Twice! Then we came home. Meanwhile, our DD and her friends went to Typhoon Lagoon for about an hour and a half, now they are on their way to the movies here in town. So everybody, how did you spend your Sunday?

[durango kid]

OOOOkay...so, talking about the weekend didn't work, talking about the kids, didn't work. Lets try...what excursions have you guys got planned?

I won't bother telling you that we went to The Rose & Crown for dinner last night. Further, I will not tell you that the fish and chips were great, as usual or that the Bass was nice and cold. Nope, I won't tell you. I will tell you however that when I ordered the Bass, my daughter thought that it was the type of fish I wanted for dinner.

[lauritagoddess]

No idea yet about the excursions, but I'm sure I'll be poring over things soon trying to figure out what we want to do.

And we may not be at the Rose & Crown now, but we'll be heading down there in 6 days!! We'll spend one night at CBR, 3 days on the Wonder and then another 7 days at OKW after. Oh yeah, oh yeah!! :cool1:

[VesTrace]

OOOOkay...so, talking about the weekend didn't work, talking about the kids, didn't work. Lets try...what excursions have you guys got planned?

I won't bother telling you that we went to The Rose & Crown for dinner last night. Further, I will not tell you that the fish and chips were great, as usual or that the Bass was nice and cold. Nope, I won't tell you. I will tell you however that when I ordered the Bass, my daughter thought that it was the type of fish I wanted for dinner.

I'm not sure which excursions either. Wife and I went to St. John for our honeymoon and it was great. Never been to St. Marteen..... We'll have a 4 and 6 year old so we are a bit limited.

I believe we'll either hit the beach (we're beach lovers) at St. Marteen, go on the catarmaran, or go horse back riding.
At St. Thomas it will depend on what we did at St. Marteen....but I believe we'lll stay close to the boat. It's a short day so, IMO, it's not worth trying to get the St. John w/2 kids. Probably just shop around, get the littles ones some exposure to crazy Havensight or Downtown.
Then we'll do the stingrays at Castaway Cay and relax.
When we return from the cruise I believe we are going to WDW on Saturday to spend the day at Epcot....not sure about this though.

Next time order a New Castle.....that'll get her!

[VesTrace]

I'm not sure which excursions either. Wife and I went to St. John for our honeymoon and it was great. Never been to St. Marteen..... We'll have a 4 and 6 year old so we are a bit limited.

I believe we'll either hit the beach (we're beach lovers) at St. Marteen, go on the catarmaran, or go horse back riding.
At St. Thomas it will depend on what we did at St. Marteen....but I believe we'lll stay close to the boat. It's a short day so, IMO, it's not worth trying to get the St. John w/2 kids. Probably just shop around, get the littles ones some exposure to crazy Havensight or Downtown.
Then we'll do the stingrays at Castaway Cay and relax.
When we return from the cruise I believe we are going to WDW on Saturday to spend the day at Epcot....not sure about this though.

Next time order a New Castle.....that'll get her!

Just realized I was mispelling St. Maarten....sorry

[durango kid]

No idea yet about the excursions, but I'm sure I'll be poring over things soon trying to figure out what we want to do.

And we may not be at the Rose & Crown now, but we'll be heading down there in 6 days!! We'll spend one night at CBR, 3 days on the Wonder and then another 7 days at OKW after. Oh yeah, oh yeah!! :cool1:


That's a heck of a good vacation! are you planning on doing anything your first day at CBRor are you going to just hang out at the pool?

We spent Thursday and Friday at Saratoga again. Our daughter had a party. She and five of her friends went to see Ally & AJ (singers from Disney Channel, ask your kids) and then went swimming and spent the night at the resort. Good times.

[lauritagoddess]

That's a heck of a good vacation! are you planning on doing anything your first day at CBRor are you going to just hang out at the pool?

We spent Thursday and Friday at Saratoga again. Our daughter had a party. She and five of her friends went to see Ally & AJ (singers from Disney Channel, ask your kids) and then went swimming and spent the night at the resort. Good times.

We're just going to hang out at CBR. Just being there will be a nice start to our vacation. :) And it sounds like it must have been a great time for you daughter.

[kcashner]

We're on the 2/16 cruise. It will be our 16th (I think!) sailing on the Magic....although DD insists that the 14 day Panama Canal sailing should be counted as 2!

It will be me and DD, who will turn 17 the week before we sail. She's basically grown up on the ship, and after a great time on the President's week sailing last year she asked if we could do it again. This high school stuff is majorly cramping my vacationing! And when she does have a few days off, we have to do college visits.

See you all there!!!

[durango kid]

Welcome Aboard!

Every group needs a cruise expert, you're it!

[Sandaneli]

We aren't planning on any excursions. This will be our third trip to the Eastern Caribbean. We are limited as to which weeks we can travel due to the kids school schedules and DH's job. It has worked out that the dates we can go always seem to be for the Eastern Caribbean. But that doesn't bother us. The kids don't want to get off the ship anyway except for Castaway Cay.

We haven't booked a room yet for Port Canaveral. I forgot all about needing to do that early. I'll start looking today. We are having a tough time getting affordable airfare. So far it's over $500 each and that is just way too much. It's tough because it's school vacation week so the prices go up. But I'm sure we'll find something.

Have a great day.

Sandra

[durango kid]

Lauren and her son are probably lounging in Castaway Cay, right about now! Have the grouper sandwich for lunch is my recommendation.

Since I can't be there too, I guess we'll run over to The Earl for an All American Sandwich.

For those of you thinking about getting rooms in Port Canaveral, remember the drive from the Disney area is about 45 minutes, and rooms might be at a better price that time of year. Just a thought.

[Sandaneli]

Does anyone have a guess as to why so few people are signed up for this cruise board? I"m wondering if there are a lot of first time cruisers on this cruise.

Just wondering.

Also, I'm not sure where everyone is from but how are you finding airfares? We are finding them extremely high.

We are giving this cruise to our kids for Christmas and I know they will be so excited. I can't wait to go.

Sandra

[Sandaneli]

We booked the airfare this morning. We are flying down on Thursday night and coming back right after the cruise. Leaving on Thursday gives us one extra day to get to Florida in case of snow or air travel delays. I'm so glad that is out of the way. Now we just have to book the hotel and we'll be able to sit back and relax until it's time to leave.

Does anyone have any suggestions for hotels in Orlando? We usually stay in CocoaBeach but we arrive very late on THursday and I think it would be better to stay in Orlando and then leave for Port Canaveral from Orlando on Sat. AM. It will be easier to do the ride Sat am than 10pm THursday.

I hope everyone has a great day.

[durango kid]

I know this sounds self serving. But, look into the Celebration Hotel. http://celebrationhotel.com/ (http://http://celebrationhotel.com/) It really is beautiful here. Very Disney like, and it's a very easy drive to the port from here. plus the trip from the airport here is fast.

[Sandaneli]

I know this sounds self serving. But, look into the Celebration Hotel. http://celebrationhotel.com/ (http://http://celebrationhotel.com/) It really is beautiful here. Very Disney like, and it's a very easy drive to the port from here. plus the trip from the airport here is fast.

Thanks for the suggestion. It's a bit over our price range for 2 nights. WE are getting in late on THursday so we decided to stay at the airport. And got a great rate on Hotwire.com.

All we have left to book now is the transportation. We usually use Tiffany Town Car. THat will be easy to book. IT's a relief to have all of that done. Now we can just sit back and relax and look forward to our cruise.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Sandra

[mom2dina]

We are cruising on the Feb 16th Eastern Caribbean cruise Too! :banana: this is our first time on DCL and first time cruising with kids we are all very excited.

We will be cruising with My daughter who is 7 (she'll be 8 on Feb 29th on leap day!) , My Son who is 6, and My 2 nieces who are 9 and 15, My mom, and my 2 sisters!!! (My DH and Ds are the only males :) )

We are actually going to celebrate DD "2nd" birthday and the whole family is joining us for our leap year celebration. For her "1st" Birthday when she turned four we all went to Disney and we all had a blast.

We had to do it during Feb. Vacation week (16-23) so the kids wont miss school but I'm sure we'll be able to celebrate her birthday on board. Does anyone know if DCL does anything special for birthdays?

We too haven't booked airfare as it is very expensive from New England I think it is because of Feb vacation week. I hope prices go down as I don't think we can go earlier and I like the fact we get off the plane directly to our transport without getting our luggage and just heading to the port.

Anyone here from the MA/RI area!

I can't wait :woohoo:

[durango kid]

Welcome Aboard Mom2dina! That's quite the group you've got there!

[mom2dina]

I just heard some bad news from my sister in TN the school is giving her a hard time for pulling my neice out of school for the Birthday celebration (she will miss 4 days)
I hope everything works out otherwise they may have to cancel ... I don't understand why the school would give her such a hard time its not everyday we can have a family reunion like this, the kids grow up so fast and leave home ... they should let them spend time with their family.

[durango kid]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm sure it will all work out. In the end it is up to the parents. We always felt that what would be learned in that one week, would ultimately not be as important as the memories that we made together. When our kids got older we left it up to them as to whether or not they could afford to miss the time from school. Two kids through college and one starting her second year, I guess we did okay.

[kcashner]

The real issue is the the public schools receive federal funds based on the school's attendance. It has little or nothing to do with learning! Personal opinion, there's nothing that they are learning prior to high school level that isn't going to be reviewed a zillion times. I took DD out MANY times from a private setting with no ill results.

That said, we FINALLY got our flight arrangements! The Delta web site was upgrading at the same time I was trying to book flights yesterday--they were literally changing by the minute and wouldn't let me complete the booking. I spoke with three different agents on the phone when I couldn't do it on line. The last guy was great--said he sees it happening all the time and suggested waiting till today. The good news was that he could look at some of the flights and tell me that they are virtually unsold. When the flights came up today they wer $10 - $20 cheaper than Friday!

It would have been cheaper to book thru DCL (very unusual), but I really wanted to fly in on Friday after school. They would have allowed us to fly in on Friday IF we stayed at the Hyatt, but would have charged an additional $50 per ticket for an "air deviation" if I requested a flight leaving late in the day. The good news is that the air part is now done.

I must be getting old....I got really stressed out over not being able to book the air. Now....I have to wait till February......I miss the Magic!

[durango kid]

I must be getting old....I got really stressed out over not being able to book the air. Now....I have to wait till February......I miss the Magic!


Now it's just the waiting, which after all is the hardest part.

I know what you mean about the air part of a trip. Before moving to Celebration, we lived in Durango, Colorado. I've been in houses that were bigger than the airport terminal. Our Disney trips always started with the decision; do we drive eight hours to Denver and fly from there? It's a forty minute flight to Denver, but it cost more to fly Durango to Denver than it did Denver to Orlando.

anyway you've got a flight and now soon my wife will start packing for the trip. Packing being a code word for buying new clothes.

[mom2dina]

Congrats on getting the airfare. :cheer2: We had a wedding yesterday and I didn't check at all I'll go do that right away.

At my friends sons school they were told the first day the absentee policy but they were also told for family special trips they would be excused because before you know it they'll be off by themselves! The sad thing is my sister spoke to someone at the school before booking the cruise its only when she sent in the letter that she recieved a call. Its not even public school (she goes to a catholic school) so I don't think they have to worry about getting paid!

We'll find out more on Tuesday! Wish us luck.

[mom2dina]

The airfare is still high for us ... I'll keep trying!:sad2:

[kcashner]

It's good to know that I'm not the only one with "missing the Magic" craziness. DD wanted to go to Shogun over the weekend to have her favorite--the teriyaki shrimp. Then she came up with, "Do you remember the teriyaki shrimp appetizer on the Magic when I ordered like 8 of them?" In reality, I think she ordered 3 and ate half of mine as well.....but she promptly went into Magic mode. "Do you think we could go before February?" No dear--the only school vacation long enough is Christmas and that's sold out.

I'll be packing soon as well. In my case that means that I store my summer clothes in my empty suitcases. That way when it's time to pack, it is really just a matter of sorting things out.

[mom2dina]

I'll be packing soon as well. In my case that means that I store my summer clothes in my empty suitcases. That way when it's time to pack, it is really just a matter of sorting things out.

That is a great idea! I have so much back to school clothes I have to put away but have no space for. I'll pack the kids summer clothes in a bag and sort out later! Thanks for the idea!

[mom2dina]

Hurray - The school is letting my DN go on the trip! She can only miss one other day that semester (so no sick time for her) or they will start deducting from her grade ...
And now my DB and his wife may be joining us also!

[durango kid]

It's your lucky day:cool1:

[Sandaneli]

Hurray - The school is letting my DN go on the trip! She can only miss one other day that semester (so no sick time for her) or they will start deducting from her grade ...
And now my DB and his wife may be joining us also!

It must be such a relief to have that problem out of the way. I haven't told the kids about the cruise so I haven't dealt with the school yet. DD13 goes to a private school and I work there so it won't be a problem. DS15 is in public high school, I don't know what their policy is but one day isn't going to make or break his education.

How is the airfare search coming?

Did you say you were from MA/RI?

Great idea for packing/storing summer clothes. THis is also a great time to pick up clearance sale things for the cruise.

WE are missing the Magic as well. It's hard to believe that we are going to go back again in only 5 months:banana: :banana: we've usually waited 18 months between cruises but this opportunity came up so we grabbed it.

I hope everyone is settling back into their school routines.

Sandra

[mom2dina]

The airfare is still high for us here in RI. I keep checking!

I told the kids about the free Mickey Bars (from room service) - they save up money for them every time we go to Disney, they were so excited! Then my DS asked if he can order anything he wants for free!

My DN (not the one mentioned above) who is 9 goes to public school in TN and they said she can't miss more than 5 days or they can take the parents to court. Now I know there are reasons for these rules but come on a DCL vacation should be exempt ;)

We are just waiting for our passports at this point! I know there is Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to but all I can think about is the cruise!

[mom2dina]

Just got email notification that they mailed my passport:banana:
Now all that is left is just the flight and the kids passports (and everything else in between!):dance3:

[Sandaneli]

Congratulations on getting your airfare. We watched for Jet Blue to post the rates for Feb and booked them on the first day. We still have to pay almost $400. each. We went for Feb vacation in 05 and paid $300. each.

I've been watching and the prices look pretty high. Do you fly out of Providence or Boston or NY. Would that make a difference? I know it's a long drive to NY but not as bad as driving to FL or paying the prices for flying from up here. Just a suggestion.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

[Wachsdds]

We booked on the 2/16 Eastern about 5 months ago and can't wait. This is going to be our sixth DCL cruise, but our first that eastern and first time our family has grown too big for one room. My DW and I have a DS7(going to be 8 at cruise time), DS5, DS2 and DPrincess(3months old) princess: . So, alot has kept us busy since booking the trip and has kept me off the boards. We actually just returned from a two week Hawai'i trip with the whole family. You GOT to get there. Airfare booking was also fun and I did what Sandaneli did and got JetBlue the first day fares were posted. Just to mention, I was stuck a couple years ago with $800 per ticket for the February break when booking in November. We're coming down Thursday before and staying over at Animal Kingdom Lodge to sneak a day in at WDW and get out of the risk of getting stuck in snow. pirate:

[durango kid]

WELCOME ABOARD!!

Lets see...you made the rez 5 mos ago, and you have a 3 mos old. is there a cabin discount on early booking for the un-born?

I'm sure you guys must get tired of hearing all my Disney stuff, but I called this morning and was able to get a rez for the California Grill for this evening!! So, I guess it's dinner and then a monorail ride over to the park for WISHES.
That beats TV dinners and Seinfeld reruns any day. :happytv:

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[mom2dina]

We booked on the 2/16 Eastern about 5 months ago and can't wait. This is going to be our sixth DCL cruise, but our first that eastern and first time our family has grown too big for one room. My DW and I have a DS7(going to be 8 at cruise time), DS5, DS2 and DPrincess(3months old) princess: . So, alot has kept us busy since booking the trip and has kept me off the boards. We actually just returned from a two week Hawai'i trip with the whole family. You GOT to get there. Airfare booking was also fun and I did what Sandaneli did and got JetBlue the first day fares were posted. Just to mention, I was stuck a couple years ago with $800 per ticket for the February break when booking in November. We're coming down Thursday before and staying over at Animal Kingdom Lodge to sneak a day in at WDW and get out of the risk of getting stuck in snow. pirate:

Welcome! My DD is turning 8 also (althought not till feb 29th) we're still on planning on celebrating her Birthday. And my DS is going to turn 6 at the end of the month! So we'll prob run into you at all the kids activities!

The airfare is really worrying me I do not want to pay $800 per ticket! :sad2:

[durango kid]

DW just informed me that since Feb 14 is our anniversary, we will be doing the bride and groom ears. :hug:

we have not found the time to get passports, so I have to take Friday off, I hope we didn't wait too long.

[kcashner]

Nothing too new or exciting, but we had slipped back to page 4....so I'm bumping us up. It is finally fall here...which means that February can't be far behind!

[durango kid]

Yes, it's finally fall here too. I think it only got to 92 degrees today :santa:

I got the passport thing taken care, we were told 6-8 weeks.

We had dinner at Flying Fish Cafe on the Boardwalk last night, we had a great meal.

[kcashner]

Drool....I've been trying to get DVC ressies for WDW during fall break, Christmas break, etc. There's NOTHING available. We have 14 wait list requests in! Ah well, we are on the ship.

Yes, I know to call periodically just in case something opens up.

[durango kid]

are you saying you can't get dvc rooms, or adr's for dining while you're here?

I sometimes get annoyed when I can't get a room or adr on short notice. like it's all my park and why are all you people here. spoiled? not really. okay, yes, living here does spoil you.

Sunday we stopped in to MK for haunted mansion which is GREAT!! and rode space mtn, no wait with the fast pass, and walked on to pirates. then back home for dinner.

[durango kid]

well that was fast! Our passports arrived yesterday, along with a packet of cruise onto from DCL. Our daughter still doesn't seem all that excited. Whats up with that?

[mom2dina]

We got airfare going out of RI ... inorder to get anything below the $500 mark we had to travel on Friday so we'll have to figure out a hotel for one night (still will be cheaper as we got the tickets for 360 ... and they are refundable anytime so if I see anything cheaper I can grab it).

My kids are kind of excited we've seen the video and read the book but I don't know if they really know what to expect. The video for the parks are much more exciting for them ;)

[Little Miss Liberty]

Hi Everyone. My sister and I are young single ladies going on our 3rd DCL cruise with you guys. I know we don't fit in with the families on here but I just wanted to say hi. We were on this cruise this past Feb 17/07 so if you have any questions I would be happy to answer. We had a blast and hope we have just a good a time in February. :goodvibes

[Wachsdds]

Planner Pack arrived on Monday. :cool1: DCL knows how to get us fired up for a cruise! This is our sixth DCL cruise and the family is getting excited as if it were our first.pirate:

[Sandaneli]

We got airfare going out of RI ... inorder to get anything below the $500 mark we had to travel on Friday so we'll have to figure out a hotel for one night (still will be cheaper as we got the tickets for 360 ... and they are refundable anytime so if I see anything cheaper I can grab it).

My kids are kind of excited we've seen the video and read the book but I don't know if they really know what to expect. The video for the parks are much more exciting for them ;)

Congratuations on getting the airfare. Your price seems reasonable. You must be so relieved to have the airfare out of the way. We booked flying out of Boston on Thursday night and paid about 1500. for 4 tickets. We used hotwire and booked a hotel in Orlando for two nights. We arrive in Orlando quite late and didn't want to travel too far before we can go to bed. Hopefully we'll be able to go to one of the parks for the day on Friday.

We haven't booked our transportation to Port Canaveral yet. But I'm not worring about that. We're so excited but the kids don't know yet so we have to keep it quiet. I'll be glad when Christmas comes so we can all be excited together and enjoy the anticipation.

Only 4 months and 2 weeks and we'll be on the Magic:cool1:

Sandra

[Sandaneli]

Hi Everyone. My sister and I are young single ladies going on our 3rd DCL cruise with you guys. I know we don't fit in with the families on here but I just wanted to say hi. We were on this cruise this past Feb 17/07 so if you have any questions I would be happy to answer. We had a blast and hope we have just a good a time in February. :goodvibes

Welcome!
We were on a 4 day cruise in Feb of 06 and the weather was beautiful. How was it last year?
I'm sure you and your sister will have a great time. My husband and I went on the Med cruise this summer without the kids and had a wonderful time (although we did miss the children). THe ship has so much to offer to adults. Sometimes I think it's the best kept secret. So many people come with kids that the adult areas never seem busy or crowded.

Sandra

[kcashner]

My renewed passport and our travel pack both arrived yesterday--hooray. It's nice to feel that it is getting closer.

We've done at least 8 February cruises...on DCL and before DCL existed. We had 2 years of less than lovely weather (like in the 60s and too cool to swim). However, that has to be kept in perspective. Those years it was frigid at home and 40-50 in Florida. We've also had many days on Castaway where it was in the high 70s and we had a delightful time. I'd just plan on it being beautiful. Do bring a light sweater or jacket for the deck at night (you might need it in the theatre and restaurants too.)

And...the school quarter ends next week (a long weekend where no one has any homework!)

[Little Miss Liberty]

Welcome!
We were on a 4 day cruise in Feb of 06 and the weather was beautiful. How was it last year?
I'm sure you and your sister will have a great time. My husband and I went on the Med cruise this summer without the kids and had a wonderful time (although we did miss the children). THe ship has so much to offer to adults. Sometimes I think it's the best kept secret. So many people come with kids that the adult areas never seem busy or crowded.

Sandra

The cruise in February was great we had fantastic sunshine the whole time the only thing is that it's a little chilly to swim in Castaway Cay. Your right about the adult entertainment it's great. And the adult pool is never crowded. I'm sure everyone will have a great time.

[Sandaneli]

My renewed passport and our travel pack both arrived yesterday--hooray. It's nice to feel that it is getting closer.

We've done at least 8 February cruises...on DCL and before DCL existed. We had 2 years of less than lovely weather (like in the 60s and too cool to swim). However, that has to be kept in perspective. Those years it was frigid at home and 40-50 in Florida. We've also had many days on Castaway where it was in the high 70s and we had a delightful time. I'd just plan on it being beautiful. Do bring a light sweater or jacket for the deck at night (you might need it in the theatre and restaurants too.)

And...the school quarter ends next week (a long weekend where no one has any homework!)

Congratulations on getting the passports. We renewed the kids passports in June and they came in August so the wait wasn't too bad. Even so it's a relief to have that done.

I always bring a sweater to any indoor venue. I find the ship is kept very cool.

We also received our travel packs. It just makes it seem so much closer. Also we booked two rooms so received two travel packs. Now I know what we can wrap up for the kids for Christmas. I'll be so glad when they know.

We've been on the Eastern Caribbean twice but have not been to St. Martin, does any one have excursion suggestions? We're considering just not getting off the ship but I wouldn't want to miss something if it's good.
In Puerto Rico we did a Rain Forest Hike. We really enjoyed that and it's not something we can do around Boston. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Wachsdds]

Last year we surprised the kids with a cruise. The boys didn't even know where the plane was landing. When we landed in Orlando the thought they figured it out, Disney World. They fell asleep in the car driving to Port Canaveral. Our older son woke up while we were crossing the bridge to the Port and saw the ship. He was so excited he woke up his little brother with hugs. It was a awesome sight to watch but dangerous while driving. So my recommendation is to keep the trip destination a secret until your at the port and keep your eyes on the road while driving!!!pirate:

[kcashner]

Oh what fun! DD fell asleep on the way to our first cruise. She knew where we were going, but it was still fun to have her wake up and see the ship.

As to St. Maarten excursions....don't do anything that goes to Orient Beach with kids. The beach is "clothing optional" which my DD learned means that fat old men don't wear anything. It was a bit of a shock--I expected topless women! We will stay on the ship this time. We've done the town, done the driving tour, etc. The beaches are lovely if you want a beach day....but avoid that one!

[Sandaneli]

Oh what fun! DD fell asleep on the way to our first cruise. She knew where we were going, but it was still fun to have her wake up and see the ship.

As to St. Maarten excursions....don't do anything that goes to Orient Beach with kids. The beach is "clothing optional" which my DD learned means that fat old men don't wear anything. It was a bit of a shock--I expected topless women! We will stay on the ship this time. We've done the town, done the driving tour, etc. The beaches are lovely if you want a beach day....but avoid that one!

Thanks for the information about Orient beach. We were leaning toward staying on the ship. It is so relaxing!! The excursions just don't look that interesting, especially after the Med cruise last summer. But on the Med Cruise we never really had a chance to just relax on the ship so we'll be looking forward to that.

Has anyone been to Castaway Cay lately? When we went in 06 there was a problem with sea lice and DD had hundreds of tiny bites. Now she doesn't want anything to do with CC. I was hoping to assure her that the problem is gone.

[kcashner]

Sea lice appear to be a seasonal thing. We had no problem in Feb. 07.

[VesTrace]

Oh what fun! DD fell asleep on the way to our first cruise. She knew where we were going, but it was still fun to have her wake up and see the ship.

As to St. Maarten excursions....don't do anything that goes to Orient Beach with kids. The beach is "clothing optional" which my DD learned means that fat old men don't wear anything. It was a bit of a shock--I expected topless women! We will stay on the ship this time. We've done the town, done the driving tour, etc. The beaches are lovely if you want a beach day....but avoid that one!

We are still trying to decide what to do in St. Maarten. I'm not too worried about a little nudity....and if it's all fat old men I not too worried about my wife either :rolleyes1 . I read that there is a more family area at Orient Beach. Have you guys experienced that area? And I also read that the nudity is more common in the morning (before 11:00 AM).
Is there shopping close to the dock like there is in St. Thomas?

What are you guys doing about transportation? I have to figure out a way to get six bodies to the port. I guess I'm going to rent a mini van but I'm scared all six plus luggage will be tight. Any ideas?

[Wachsdds]

I am not sure that there is a family (non topless) part of the beach. I actually remember as a teenager being at Orient Beach and seeing a family with little kids playing volleyball in the nude. At the time, it was quite a site.

Now, as a father of 4 (DS8, DS5, DS2, DD9months) and my wife also are trying to figure out ground transportation. We will be staying at Animal Kingdom for two night before the cruise. I have made reservations to rent a minivan for a the two days and the take the Disney Bus or a limo to the cruise. I haven't quite settle on exactly how!!! What are your ideas?pirate:

[VesTrace]

I am not sure that there is a family (non topless) part of the beach. I actually remember as a teenager being at Orient Beach and seeing a family with little kids playing volleyball in the nude. At the time, it was quite a site.

Now, as a father of 4 (DS8, DS5, DS2, DD9months) and my wife also are trying to figure out ground transportation. We will be staying at Animal Kingdom for two night before the cruise. I have made reservations to rent a minivan for a the two days and the take the Disney Bus or a limo to the cruise. I haven't quite settle on exactly how!!! What are your ideas?pirate:

I would love to see the beach at St. Maartin.....we've been to St. Thomas, St. John, and Puerto Rico and would like to compare. We will probably go to Orient....my mom is going who has never been out of the US....so it should be very interesting!

We are arriving at MCO Friday early afternoon (1 from Chicago and 5 from Birmingham). I have a mini van rented through Budget which I'm turning in Saturday morning in Port Canaveral. They say it has seven seats and room for luggage....I hope the 5 women pack light! Then pick up another van when return and drive to the airport to drop the Chicagoian off for a Saturday departure. Then spend Sat and Sun at Sea World....but that got vetoed. So, now we all leave on Saturday and I'm debating on cancelling the rental and going on Happy Limo. It is actually about the same price and if we're not going to Sea World then I don't need a car. Option three keep the car for the MCO to Port Canaveral but take Happy from PC to MCO (depending on the one-way cost).

The only thing I've heard about the Disney Buses is you don't really know when they leave. I guess it's more of go get in line and wait.....but you're in the same situation I am....I don't want to wait in lines with kids (two daughters 4 - 5)! But that was at the airport going to Port Canaveral. You may be better off leaving from the parks. They (the buses) sounded nice....playing movies and such. I did read that the Disney Buses will have you back at the park by 10:30 AM Saturday from Port Canaveral.

If you have a rental.....what are you going to do with it Saturday? When we were at DW in April we stayed at the Doubletree close to Downtown Disney. They had a car rental place there. Not sure who the rental company was but it would be easy to find out. That way you could just take the free shuttle back to Animal Kingdom.
We didn't have a car and we weren't staying on the property.....is there a specific reason your renting a car?

[Sandaneli]

We have always used the car service because you arrive on your own at the port and not with a large group. This keeps you from standing in long lines.

We are staying in Orlando and may go to a park on Friday, on Sat. we're using the car service again to get to the port.

And we are so excited!!!

[kcashner]

VesTrace, I'm not sure I know what you mean by not knowing when the DCL buses leave. We've done many different ways of getting to/from the port. The first DCL bus supposedly leaves MCO about 9:45am. In actuality, we've had it leave a little earlier than that. It leaves when it is basically full. Each successive bus leaves as it fills up. The next one is sitting there as the current one is fulling.

Many people on the disboards freak because they don't find out what time their bus will leave WDW until they check in at their resort. All the buses leave WDW between 11:15 - 12:45. You will be given a specific time that your bus will leave your resort. They tell you when you check in, they put an info sheet under your door on the last night, and there is a cruise desk at the resort should you have questions.

On the way home, the buses are arranged by airline and by WDW resort. You check in with the CM and are directed to the right bus for your location. Again, they leave as soon as they are full. If you are on a participating airline, you check in for your flight and check your luggage right at the port--board the bus, and your luggage goes on a truck. If you are on a non-participating airline your luggage will go in the baggage compartment of the bus and you will retrieve it at the airport. These buses start leaving as soon as people start coming off the ship. We have never waited more than maybe 10 minutes for one to leave. They try to arrange the buses by which airline or resort you are using so that you don't have to make a lot of stops to reach your destination.

We've never had much of a wait at the port. We did have a bit of a wait when our flight got in at 9 and the bus didn't leave till about 9:35. We really prefer to fly in the night before, but on one trip that wasn't possible.

If you plan to take the bus to PC, they take your flight info when you book the transfers. THat way, DCL has a good idea of how many buses will be needed in each time period, and knows where to find your luggage.

We've also used rental cars and our own car. The shuttle to get to the rental place is usually already there when you get off the ship. If it's not, just call them.

I've heard that there is a family friendly portion of Orient beach---I've never seen it. There is shopping near the dock area at St. Maarten. If I'm not mistaken, that's also where they have the water taxi to another shopping area--it was like $5 for a wristband that was good all day or $3 for a 1 way ride. I won't swear that was St. Maarten, but I think it was.

[kcashner]

I can't believe we're back on page 4....gotta move up!

I called DCL last week to ask about the price for the Hyatt for the night before--wasn't planning to stay there initially, but DCL does have excellent deals with them, so worth pricing. Bottom line, they are sold out of the DCL rooms for our date. No big deal to me--back to my original plan.

I packed away the last of my summer things today (since it's 50 here....) in my suitcase all ready for February.

[Jodijo]

Hi everyone! We (me, DD 12, DS 10, and DH) are also going on the Feb. 16th Magic cruise. We will be flying in on Friday morning and doing one day at the parks. We are staying at POR.
I would like to do a half day on Saturday at Disney's Hollywood Studios! It is EMH in the morning. We will be using a town-car service. Is this advisable? What time should we leave to get to the ship?

Also, what excursions are not to be missed? We have a few days left until we can book and I am looking for any recommendations.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Jodijo]

Anyone? :sad2:

Please help to plan excursions. (see above post) :cool1:

[Mumph39]

Hi! We are two families (me, dh, ds17, ds10, 2 Friends and their ds17 and dd12). This is my families 4th Magic Cruise and their 3rd. We lucked out and got 2 adjoining Cat.3 rooms. Looking forward to booking our spa, Palo and excursions in a few days!

Jodijo: This will be our 3rd Eastern Magic Cruise, so 3rd time to St. Maarten. We never have done an excursion on that island. First time (2002), we rented a car and drove to Dawn Beach on the Dutch side of the island, then to Orient Beach for lunch. The last time, we cabbed it to Orient Beach and spent the entire day. Orient Beach is beautiful, there are some topless bathers there though. The further to the left you go (when looking at the water) the more "family friendly" the beaches get. We plan on doing the same thing this time too. The beach we went to was KaKao. I'm sure there are some great excursions, we just haven't done them.

On St. Thomas I have been to Megan's Bay, it's gorgeous, but gets crowded. Went to Sapphire Beach last time. Would go back in a heartbeat, great snorkeling a restaurant and a pool. We did all of these on our own as well. We are going to try a snorkeling excursion to St. John this time. If not, back to Sapphire. I also recall that people who did excursions through DCL on St. Thomas also got through immigration a lot faster. Don't know if that's still true.

I don't know if doing a 1/2 day at the parks is advisable. It takes about an hour to get to the Port from Orlando. It might be too hectic. It's great to get on the ship a little early. I'm guessing you're in a Cat. 1, 2 or 3 since you're talking about booking excursions in a few days. Concierge guests are also able to board the ship earlier.

Good luck with your planning!

[kcashner]

As to 1/2 day at the parks--I'd rather be at the ship sooner. You can board about 11:45 and go to lunch...then hit the pools. They are rather uncrowded then. You can't get to your cabin until 1:30, but you can explore your new home--check out the public areas, etc. I usually go down and unpack when the cabin is available. That way, everything is finished (including pressing anything that needed it), and after the safety drill I'll have no more work for the week.

It is an hour driving from WDW to port. My preference is to arrive at port before 11:30. I shoot for 10:30 if I need to make ressies, but 11:30 is fine if I've done everything in advance. That really doesn't allow for a park trip in the morning. However....I will do laundry the morning that we leave for the ship if I've spent the week before in the parks. That way everything is clean, etc....again, no worries while cruising.

No idea how many Easterns we've done. We have 15 sailings on the Magic, but I can't keep track of how many of what. We now schedule by dates (off school time) rather than where the ship is going.

We've done Coral World and the island tour--this is much easier and cheaper to do on your own. You can get discount admission coupons on line or in the tourist info book at the port. That way, you can stay at Coral World as long as you/kids want to. There is a lovely family beach right across the parking lot--if you wear swimsuits under your clothes, you can enjoy that too. It is very easy to get a cab back. Sorry, I can't quote current cab fare. Coral World has underwater viewing, aquarium, hiking trails, animal touching area, snack bar and gift shop. Good for ages 3-???.

Butterfly farm--again, do this on your own--cheaper and no crowds. The butterflies are much more active when the crowds leave. Again, good for all ages.

My favorite beach on St. Maarten is Little Bay. It is lovely, not as written up in tourist mags as some of the others, so much less crowded. With kids 10 and 12, avoid Orient Beach. There is supposedly a family friendly area, but there is definitely an area where "fat old men" walk around nude. Description is from my DD.

If you do shopping--or just walk around the shopping areas...don't miss a shop called "That Yoda Guy" or something similar....at least if your kids are into Star Wars. One of the original artists sells art work, movie misc., etc. He's friendly and it's a great fun place to just look.

There's great snorkeling and scuba available if the kids are adventurous..... I generally don't book excursions thru DCL, but we've been there enough that I'm totally comfortable doing it on my own. It's easy, and never more than the DCL price. Everyone speaks English, the currency is dollars. You'll need cash for the taxi fare, all else can be plastic. Just be sure to be back at the ship on time.

[Jodijo]

Thanks for all the help! I think we will skip the parks on the morning of Feb.16. I much rather relax and enjoy the day.

[Skylarr29]

Just wanted to chime in, my boyfriend and I just booked this cruise! It will be my first on DCL and his first ever! Can't wait. :goodvibes

[Sandaneli]

Skylarr29 Welcome. You will both love DCL I think just about everyone does!

I agree with Kcashner, I'd rather be on the ship sooner. We go to Parrot Cay for lunch and then the kids go to the pool and I get to the rooms asap and unpack etc... then after the boat drill we're ready to go and all the work is done.

Does anyone have a DD13? Our daughter is 13 and hasn't been to the teen club yet. DS15 has been but they have very different interests and personalities. She was never very interested in the Kids programs but we're hoping she'll like the teen club better.

We're getting excited it's only a bit more than 3 months away and we can't wait to tell the kids, it's their Christmas Present for this year so they'll find out on Christmas Day.

Sandra

[kcashner]

My DD will turn 17 (ouch, that's scary) the week before the cruise. She's been in The Stack at least once each year since she celebrated her 13th birthday there-she loves it. One key is to do some e-mail correspondence with other teens before boarding. The kids who are good buddies before cruising are rarely best friends on the cruise, but just knowing someone in advance and looking forward to meeting them in person adds a lot to the cruise.

The groups are somewhat segregated 13-14 and 15-17, but there is a lot of free "just hanging out" time that is totally together. If you want to private message me, I'll tell DD to look for your daughter--mine has never met a stranger and is an "alumni counselor" with our middle school choir.

[gweeptrish]

deleted

[durango kid]

Does anyone have a DD13? Our daughter is 13 and hasn't been to the teen club yet. DS15 has been but they have very different interests and personalities. She was never very interested in the Kids programs but we're hoping she'll like the teen club better.


Our daughter is 13 and this will be her first cruise, we have been trying to talk up the teen club, but she is of the opinion that it can't really be any fun if she doesn't know anyone there. Her friend who lives two houses away has been on two DCL trips in the past three months has been trying to convince her, but she's not really buying it. She thinks we're trying to ditch her.

Maybe if we can hook them up online before hand, they might both enjoy the trip together. Does your DD13 do VMK at all?

[durango kid]

edit

[NYCDisneyFan]

FYI for Castaway Club Members.

[gweeptrish]

We would love to be part of this suprise, just let me know!

Fabulous, thank you!

-Trish

[Skylarr29]

I can't wait until we can book our Palo ressies! We really want to try the brunch and dinner...not long now.

[VesTrace]

Just made that final payment.....and it hurt!

FYI: Just in case some of you have got your passports. We got ours in less than 3weeks.

If you've been to St. Maarten before.....are you familiar with the beach close to the dock? It looks like it is walking distance from the dock. The link is to a photo.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/DCL_St-Maarten/pages/DSC00027.htm

Less than 14 weeks to go!

[Cinderella&Dopey]

My BF and I are booked on the Eastern curise on the 16th too! It's our first DCL trip! Can't wait :cheer2:

[durango kid]

Welcome aboard!! First is always best!

[kcashner]

My suggestion for those of you with teens is to let the kids "meet" on line--it can be done thru e-mail, posts on these boards (we can open a kids thread if desired), or live chat. You can even have the e-mails sent to you and you can forward them to your child if they are ok.

I've just found that DD has had the best experience when she has communicated briefly with another teen who will be on the ship, although now that she's older, she really doesn't care. Your 13 year olds will have a blast in The Stack, and the counselors are great.

We aren't having any luck getting ressies for WDW at New Year's--wonder why (hee hee). We've been waitlisted for many months....so I'm thinking more about February!

[Sandaneli]

Thanks for the suggestions regarding my dd13. We will be telling them about the cruise on Christmas and then I'd like to get in touch so the girls can connect before the cruise.

We booked Palo for dinner and brunch but tea was not available:confused3 . Oh well, I'm sure we'll be able to get on a waiting list.

[kcashner]

Also remember that not all ressies are available on line. Some are held back for concierge use and any of those not used are available to the general population late on the first day. In addition, some are just not posted on line so that there is always a chance upon boarding. Just go to "Dining Changes" (location on the welcome aboard navigator) and they will either be able to give you a ressie on the spot or offer a waiting list place.

[Sandaneli]

Also remember that not all ressies are available on line. Some are held back for concierge use and any of those not used are available to the general population late on the first day. In addition, some are just not posted on line so that there is always a chance upon boarding. Just go to "Dining Changes" (location on the welcome aboard navigator) and they will either be able to give you a ressie on the spot or offer a waiting list place.

We're hoping to get into Plo several times. We love it and don't mind being on the waiting list or even just trying to walk in. We've always been very fortunate to get in.

Today we are going to try to book connecting cat 10. right now we have side by side cat 11. but we'd rather have connecting rooms. DCL suggested that we call today because it is the last day to get refunds.

We're hoping that they will be available.

It's getting close now:cool1: :cool1:

Sandra

[Cinderella&Dopey]

YAY 75 days away! We booked Palo today. We stayed up late last night to book it but it wouldn't work until this morning. :sad2: Oh well! Only 75 more days to go!! :woohoo: :woohoo: excited!!

[Skylarr29]

We got Palo for dinner but were unable to book brunch! I am sorta bummed but I hope that I will be able to get a spot once on board. Grrr, now we have to be to the port early. Also wasn't able to book parasailing on Castaway Cay but that's not a big deal! Can't wait.

[durango kid]

Well good afternoon all!

My family added one more person to our cabin. My daughter asked if her friend from 2 houses over could come along, and we said yes! :thumbsup2 She's been on two DCL cruises in the last few months. When I asked how come she's so lucky, I was informed that her dad is a manager for DCL!! He is on board about once a month to train people. Molly has been on "dozens of Disney cruises" knows her way around the ship and was told by her mom that she is not allowed to act like a tour guide. I say "please guide me! I'm a little annoyed with myself for not knowing that my neighbor worked for DCL.

[Wachsdds]

Bumppirate:

[durango kid]

when we initially booked our cruise we booked on a cat 12, and got a gty. When they announced the Florida resident discounts two weeks ago it was for cat 10 and higher. Dreams Unlimited bumped us up to a cat 10 gty and we still got a $400 refund:woohoo:

So far My only worry about the cruise is that I'm still wait listed for the first dinner seating. By the time we get done with dinner on the second seating we are just groggy and ready for bed. I hope we get moved to the first.

[kcashner]

I'm about to decompensate......

We chose to fly Delta because they had a direct flight that left at 4 pm on Friday--after DD was out of school. Also, had a direct flight home that left shortly after noon. I got an e-mail..."Delta has changed your itinerary."

Bottom line, they have eliminated the direct flight on Friday and put us on a flight thru Cincinnati that means DD will miss the afternoon of school. She doesn't mind, but I'm less than thrilled. THey put us on a flight home leaving at 10 am! I called them and let them know that I was less than thrilled and that the 10 am won't work at all. Now we're on a 1 pm thru Atlanta. I also pointed out that I had paid a premium fare to get those direct flights (I could have booked flights with transfers for $50 less). They don't make any adjustments unless there is at least a $75 per ticket difference (grrrrr). If I'd had my brain engaged, I'd have told them to just cancel their new flights and give me a full refund, and then booked the one stops on line for the cheaper fare. DOn't know if they'd have done it, but since they are the ones who messed things up, I'd have had a good arguement.

Oh well...we will get there and we will be on the ship. I just really like my direct flights because I know I'll be there, less chance of losing luggage, and I don't have to worry about weather in another city.

[durango kid]

They recently did the very same thing to my daughter. she was coming home for Thanksgiving and when online the night before her flight to check in, when she had tried three times to no avail she called customer service, only to find out that her flights had been changed. She was sent and e-mail, but they had an out-dated address since she now goes through the college server rather than hot mail. She ended up going from a direct flight that arrived with just enough time for me to pick her up after work, to a flight with a three hour layover that arrived at ten p.m., and her return flight left at 5 a.m. which meant arriving at the airport around 3:30 a.m.

Never again.:mad:

Just a quick park update for all of you so far from the magic, we stopped in at the MK on Saturday, it was practically shoulder to shoulder, but yesterday at MGM we walked onto ToT, so go figure :confused3 could have been because of the cold, it was in the 50's all day and worse after dark.

[Wachsdds]

That sounds like a balmy day to me since it is about 29 degrees outside and we started at 16 this AM! Did I mention the snow and ice. My biggest thrill ride at this moment is getting down my 300 foot steep down hill drive of ice. :scared1:Unfortunately, four wheel drive doesn't mean four wheel stop. It's even more fun in my wife's minivan!!!! We're looking forward to the more relaxing thrill rides of the parks before we get on the Magic!! 57 days until we are Florida bound.pirate:

[kcashner]

50 actually sounds good at this point....but I really want 80 in February!

Did you see on the news that they have temporarily closed Expedition Everest yesterday? The report said that someone died at the hospital after being taken off the ride unconscious. They are looking into pre-existing conditions, etc. DD objected to the views of the ride that were shown on the newscast. She felt that they destroyed the "magic" as they showed some of the inner workings on the view from above that guests never see.

[durango kid]

At this point I'd take some cold and snow for Christmas, talk about stealing the magic. It's no fun putting up lights and decorations when you're wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Maybe I'll try to bottle some of this weather and bring it out for our trip. Last Feb was a little blusterry for the cruise. We couldn't get into the water at Castaway Cay till mid afternoon and then only up to our knees, but then again I'm a cold water wimp.

I hope you all have Happy Holidays! :santa:

[kcashner]

We've done several Feb. cruises since it is my DD's birthday and a school break time. We've had it be 80s on Castaway and we've had it be 50. It really depends on our luck in February. I would strongly suggest a sweater or jacket for the evenings as it will be cool out on deck.

Normally, we swim, snorkel, etc....but there was the year that I was on the beach at Castaway covering myself with towels to stay warm (and hadn't been near the water)....and finally told myself to quit being a fool and proceed back to the ship.

Merry Christmas everyone.....Feb. is almost here!!!

[Sandaneli]

I'm about to decompensate......

We chose to fly Delta because they had a direct flight that left at 4 pm on Friday--after DD was out of school. Also, had a direct flight home that left shortly after noon. I got an e-mail..."Delta has changed your itinerary."

Bottom line, they have eliminated the direct flight on Friday and put us on a flight thru Cincinnati that means DD will miss the afternoon of school. She doesn't mind, but I'm less than thrilled. THey put us on a flight home leaving at 10 am! I called them and let them know that I was less than thrilled and that the 10 am won't work at all. Now we're on a 1 pm thru Atlanta. I also pointed out that I had paid a premium fare to get those direct flights (I could have booked flights with transfers for $50 less). They don't make any adjustments unless there is at least a $75 per ticket difference (grrrrr). If I'd had my brain engaged, I'd have told them to just cancel their new flights and give me a full refund, and then booked the one stops on line for the cheaper fare. DOn't know if they'd have done it, but since they are the ones who messed things up, I'd have had a good arguement.

Oh well...we will get there and we will be on the ship. I just really like my direct flights because I know I'll be there, less chance of losing luggage, and I don't have to worry about weather in another city.

That's horrible about your flights. I'd be disappointed too. We booked our flights on Thursday to get direct flights after school and to give us extra time in case of bad weather.

We told the kids yesterday, they were very excited, and I'm thrilled to be able to talk about it and make plans.
DD13 would like to get in contact with someone else who is going, if someone has a young teenager going, who would be interested please send me a Private message so we can set it up. Thanks

It's only 53 more days and we'll be in Sunny Florida:cool1: :cool1:

Sandra
Sandra

[Wachsdds]

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Oh yes! And only 46 more days to Bon Voyage pirate:

[kcashner]

I refuse to allow us to slip all the way back to page 4 when we are cruising NEXT MONTH! Yeah!

[gallaj0]

Hi all, just jumping in here with the news that we just booked the 2/16 cruise.
It'll be me, DW, DD (11) and DS (9).

We've been on one Disney Cruise before, a 3 day that turned into a 5 day courtesy of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 although we missed Castaway Cay because of it, and went to Cozumel instead; so though it's our second cruise, it's our first to CC.:lmao:

we're probably flying out of Boston also; Providence is no cheaper at this point, but we knew how much they were going to be this late in the game.

[durango kid]

Good Morning All!

Just thought I'd let you know that it was 29 degrees when I left for work this morning! Just a touch of winter to remind me of what it feels like, but it's supposed to be near 80 come Monday, so...

I hope everyone had a great New Years. DW and I went to Kimono's over at the Swan. I love, love, love that place. If any of you are sushi lovers do yourself a favor and GO! There is no finer sushi anywhere on Disney property. I believe that it's the best I've had anywhere. Really it is that good.

[Sandaneli]

I'd take 29 degrees. That would be warm compared to here. This morning it was 6 degrees when we left for school and the high is expected to be 18.

This cruise can't come fast enough for us.

[kcashner]

Well, I just checked--no room assignment yet on our gty. I didn't expect it, but it is fun to look.

Since our cruise is only a month away.....are we going to plan anything for Disboard people? The common idea is a cruise meet shortly after boarding (usually about 3) either by the Goofy Pool or by Studio Sea. Another idea is the lime green color to make it easy for us to identify each other--in a name tag, lanyard, or whatever.

I'm not trying to play social hostess for the cruise, just suggesting some of the things Disboarders have done on previous cruises.

[kcashner]

Well, I just checked--no room assignment yet on our gty. I didn't expect it, but it is fun to look.

Since our cruise is only a month away.....are we going to plan anything for Disboard people? The common idea is a cruise meet shortly after boarding (usually about 3) either by the Goofy Pool or by Studio Sea. Another idea is the lime green color to make it easy for us to identify each other--in a name tag, lanyard, or whatever.

I'm not trying to play social hostess for the cruise, just suggesting some of the things Disboarders have done on previous cruises.

[Sandaneli]

HI, I think a Dismeet would be nice. We were on the Med cruise last summer and had a very large and active group of disboarders. We made t shirts with our disboard logo and wore them on embarkation day. IT was great fun to meet people we had been chatting with prior to the cruise.

Wearing lime green might be a better suggestion for this group since it is quite small. Just let us know where to meet and we'll be there.

[durango kid]

I am def up for a group "Cheers"

[Gupsmom]

Getting closer...I cannot believe I had to dig through 3 pages to find ths thread.

Anyway...we're onboard for this cruise. Our immediate party is DH, me, DS (10), DD (9), DD(8), twin DD's (8months old). My parents are also coming....beyond that we have a few parties that we're friends with booked too (most notable is Zakatak...also a Disboard member).

I see someone called and got the movie schedule (posted on the DCL board)....


National Treasure II
Enchanted
PoTC AWE
Bridge to Terebithia
Meet the Robinsons
Wild Hogs
Dan in real Life
Ratatoullie
Underdog

It looks like my kids (the older 3) will be spending some time in the theaters. DH cannot wait to see National Treasure II.

I cannot wait to see who will be on as entertainers for this week.

Not much longer...
Jess

[durango kid]

That was me calling about the movies, My daughter was hoping to see the Hannah Montana Movie.

I do hope more of "us" will get together just to say hello.

[Wachsdds]

Thanks for the movie list. I was just talking about it with the kids. It's good to see another big family. Min is made up of myself, DW, DS8, DS5, DS2, and DD8months. It is going to be a great cruise. pirate:

[Sandaneli]

Welcome Gupsmom and family:) :)

Thanks for the movie list.

We are all getting so excited, only 37 days to go!:cool1: :cool1:

There are so many things to do on the Magic we are all talking about what we're looking forward to most.

For me it's having someone else plan, cook, and clean up all my meals for me.:banana: :banana: :banana:


Anyone else have something they are looking forward to most on the cruise?

[Gupsmom]

Welcome Gupsmom and family:) :)
Anyone else have something they are looking forward to most on the cruise?

For starters...

I want to see that big yellow-orange ball in the sky. You know, the one that gives lots of HEAT!! I miss that ball so much.

Jess

[Sandaneli]

For starters...

I want to see that big yellow-orange ball in the sky. You know, the one that gives lots of HEAT!! I miss that ball so much.

Jesshttp://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/lmao.gif
:lmao:

Thanks for that you gave me quite a laugh. :lmao: :lmao:

Today is warm, 50 but it has been very cold lately 6 degrees last week, so I agree completely.

Sandra

[durango kid]

All right all you frozen northerners it's about 80 degrees here today. Sorry, But the weather and Disney are about the only two things I can brag about from Florida!

I love the shows and I am looking forward to those. That and the chance to wear those ugly "Hawaiian" style shirts, that us guys have to wear on vacation (it's the law)!

[Wachsdds]

Has anyone actually got their boarding pass package yet? I have forgotten when DCL sends them out. A while ago, we received the shore excursion and passport reminders for the kids. I also have already done all of the online registrations. I am looking forward to All That Is Disney and of course the beautiful Caribbean. My DS2 will not let up with excitement to see Mickey and Cinderella (a REAL Princess). :woohoo: 36 days and coming fast!!! pirate:

[Sandaneli]

Has anyone actually got their boarding pass package yet? I have forgotten when DCL sends them out. A while ago, we received the shore excursion and passport reminders for the kids. I also have already done all of the online registrations. I am looking forward to All That Is Disney and of course the beautiful Caribbean. My DS2 will not let up with excitement to see Mickey and Cinderella (a REAL Princess). :woohoo: 36 days and coming fast!!! pirate:

If I remember correctly the cruise documents come about 1 month before cruise time so they should be here in a week or so.

Tonight we got out the Navigators from previous cruises to talk about some of the activities we are looking forward to.

Sandra

[kcashner]

Cruise documents usually arrive about 3-4 weeks before the cruise if you did not book air thru DCL, more like 2 weeks before if you did book air thru them.

IF you used a TA, the documents will be sent to the TA and then forwarded to you.

If you have a gty cabin and are waiting for a specific room assignment, these are usually available on line about 30 days before departure.....which means the middle of next week!!! I can't wait. It's warm here today--29 degrees.

[Wachsdds]

I am just curious what a GTY cabin is! Also I'm just wondering where does everyone live. We in Westchester County, New York and it is 40 degrees here; However, they, accuweather are predicting 3-6 inches of the white stuff for Sunday night into Monday morning commute then a few more midweek. Goodbye, warmISH weather. We are definitely looking forward to a Caribbean Sun!!! pirate:

[PURTYPAT1]

Hi All,

We just booked on the 2/14/08 Magic Eastern. I searched for airfares, to kinda get an ideal what the fares would be like for next year. I am shocked at how high the fares are in the north for your week. :scared1:

Has anyone gotten there airfare under $300.00 rt?

kcashner will you be going 2/14 Magic next year?

I am having fun reading your posts, & hoping to learn from you all, for our trip for next year.

[Sandaneli]

I am just curious what a GTY cabin is! Also I'm just wondering where does everyone live. We in Westchester County, New York and it is 40 degrees here; However, they, accuweather are predicting 3-6 inches of the white stuff for Sunday night into Monday morning commute then a few more midweek. Goodbye, warmISH weather. We are definitely looking forward to a Caribbean Sun!!! pirate:


We live in Massachusetts, about 30 miles south of Boston and our weather is like yours. I'm hoping for a snow day on Monday.:cool1: I work in a school.
We can't wait for this cruise we've been looking at Navigators and menus for our cruise it's hard to wait.


Hi All,

We just booked on the 2/14/08 Magic Eastern. I searched for airfares, to kinda get an ideal what the fares would be like for next year. I am shocked at how high the fares are in the north for your week. :scared1:

Has anyone gotten there airfare under $300.00 rt?

kcashner will you be going 2/14 Magic next year?

I am having fun reading your posts, & hoping to learn from you all, for our trip for next year.

Hi, we paid almost $400. each for airfare. Direct from Boston to Orlando but stop in Akron Ohio on the way home. We're flying Airtran Airways for the first time. We are flying on THursday just in case of snow or flight problems.

Now we just can't wait to go.

[rumtumpanda]

My two DS's (8 and 10) and I will be on this cruise. We're headed to Discovery Cove the day before - I added that when I saw that the dolphin outings aren't available in St Maarten (until May I believe)...

Looking forward to meeting everyone! :goodvibes

Chad

[Cinderella&Dopey]

Hey we're from Nova Scotia, Canada and can't wait to get away from this white fluffy stuff!:banana:


We go down on 02/07/08, so it's getting really close for us!! Can't wait!! We've never been on a cruise before! We are going to disney first before the cruise.

I'm sure you don't want to know what our airfare cost! :rotfl2:

[Wachsdds]

Hi All,

We just booked on the 2/14/08 Magic Eastern. I searched for airfares, to kinda get an ideal what the fares would be like for next year. I am shocked at how high the fares are in the north for your week. :scared1:

Has anyone gotten there airfare under $300.00 rt?

kcashner will you be going 2/14 Magic next year?

I am having fun reading your posts, & hoping to learn from you all, for our trip for next year.

We were getting prices of $800 roundtrip from most airlines. We held off until Jetblue offered their fares. I picked up tickets for $399 Round trip non stop out of Stewart airport in Newburgh, NY this was $50 less than JFK or Laguardia and is much closer to us. Stewart airport supposedly never closes due to snow because it is used by the military. To play it safe, we also are flying down to WDW on Thursday in case of snow. pirate:

[durango kid]

I am just curious what a GTY cabin is! Also I'm just wondering where does everyone live. We in Westchester County, New York and it is 40 degrees here; However, they, accuweather are predicting 3-6 inches of the white stuff for Sunday night into Monday morning commute then a few more midweek. Goodbye, warmISH weather. We are definitely looking forward to a Caribbean Sun!!! pirate:

I guess everyone knows that I live in Celebration since I talk about it all the time. Speaking of which; after church this morning, we ran over to Animal Kingdom. We did the Safari, which was GREAT, since the weather was cool all the animals were out and active. It was the first time I've ever seen the lion AND the lioness up and walking around. It was beautiful. The giraffes were tight next to the bus, very cool. We did the trail walk to see the gorillas, had lunch at the new YAK N YETI restaurant, rode Everest and then back home. All in all, a pretty good way to spend the morning.

Looking forward to meeting you all.

[PURTYPAT1]

Thanks, for sharing your fares with me. I guess we will be spending in the ball park of $300.00 RT I will start searching in March :surfweb:

We usually fly out of LGA (about 25 mins) or EWR(about 35 mins) now I'm going to consider Stewart. I live about 5 minutes from the George Washington Bridge, does anyone know about how far Stewart airport is, from the GW bridge?

Again am having fun, reading all of your plans. I hope you all rebook for next years cruise & join us.

Thanks everyone, have a great time.

[Sandaneli]

My two DS's (8 and 10) and I will be on this cruise. We're headed to Discovery Cove the day before - I added that when I saw that the dolphin outings aren't available in St Maarten (until May I believe)...

Looking forward to meeting everyone! :goodvibes

Chad

In Feb '06 we did 2 days at Sea World, 1 day at Discovery Cove including swimming with the Dolphins and then the 4 night cruise. The day at Discovery Cove was fantastic we highly recommend it. Your kids are at great ages for your trip.

We're looking forward to meeting everyone too. 34 days:cool1: :cool1:

[Sandaneli]

Hi again,
On our Med cruise we did a Fish Extender gift swap. Is anyone interested in doing one on this cruise?
Sandra

[mom2dina]

We got our snow day in MA today the kids were home from school so I couldn't go to work ahhh too bad ;) Hopefully it wont snow the day we leave!

We have a Cat 12 GTY and I keep checking online to see if we've been assigned a room - Nothing yet (I can't wait):goodvibes

[mom2dina]

We have a 9 pm flight out on Saturday and were thinking about doing Discovery Cove - swimming with the Dolphins (since it is not available on the cruise and my DD (7) had her heart set on it.

Has anyone else done this - do you think we will have enough time? will it be too cold? we'll prob need to be at the airport aroud 6 or 7.

If not Discovery cove we were thinking Universal studios since we've never been there and we've been to disney many times. What do you think?

Can't wait :yay:

[mom2dina]

Anyone get their GTY room number yet :rolleyes1

[PhotoLisa]

Hello mid-February Eastern cruisers!

Last year I cruised with kcashner and her dd during President's Week -- it just happened to be Mardi Gras week too.

This year, I'm on the 2/2/08 Eastern (Mardi Gras week again). Our room assignments were made at 3 weeks and 2 days before our cruise. It seemed like it took forever but we finally received them.

No cruisers on our meet have received their cruise documents yet so yours are quite a bit off before you'll receive them.

I will try to scan my navigators as soon as I get back home after the cruise. We don't land until around 7 at night so it'll be the next day before I will have the chance to do it. As soon as I have them scanned, I will post a message here with a link to them so that you can get any information from our navigators that you might want to see. One difference is that we are cruising on Superbowl Sunday so our formal night is being moved to Monday.

Our next planned cruise will be Mardi Gras 2010 which is President's Week again. We are planning on taking a break next year from Disney cruising, however -- you never know if we'll get that horrible itch again!

If you'd like to make a list of things for me to check on when I'm onboard, feel free to do so and I'll see if I can get the answers for you.

Lisa

[mom2dina]

Great - Can't wait to see where we'll end up :goodvibes

Thank you so much for the Navigator let us know when you post :banana:

[Little Miss Liberty]

Hello mid-February Eastern cruisers!

Last year I cruised with kcashner and her dd during President's Week -- it just happened to be Mardi Gras week too.

This year, I'm on the 2/2/08 Eastern (Mardi Gras week again). Our room assignments were made at 3 weeks and 2 days before our cruise. It seemed like it took forever but we finally received them.

No cruisers on our meet have received their cruise documents yet so yours are quite a bit off before you'll receive them.

I will try to scan my navigators as soon as I get back home after the cruise. We don't land until around 7 at night so it'll be the next day before I will have the chance to do it. As soon as I have them scanned, I will post a message here with a link to them so that you can get any information from our navigators that you might want to see. One difference is that we are cruising on Superbowl Sunday so our formal night is being moved to Monday.

Our next planned cruise will be Mardi Gras 2010 which is President's Week again. We are planning on taking a break next year from Disney cruising, however -- you never know if we'll get that horrible itch again!

If you'd like to make a list of things for me to check on when I'm onboard, feel free to do so and I'll see if I can get the answers for you.

Lisa

Thanks for the information Lisa it's very much appreciated. Can't wait to check out those navigators. Have a great trip.

[Sandaneli]

Mom2Dina

In Feb. 2006 we went to SeaWorld for 2 days and Discovery Cove for one day before a 4 day cruise. Discovery Cove was one of the best and most memorable family days we've ever had. The kids were 12 and 14 when we went and they stayed in the water most of the day. The dolphin area water is a bit colder than I like but they have "wet suits" to put on so it doesn't feel too bad.

There is a lot to do there so it's not as relaxing as you might think but it's well worth it. You'll all have a great time.

Sandra

[mom2dina]

Mom2Dina

In Feb. 2006 we went to SeaWorld for 2 days and Discovery Cove for one day before a 4 day cruise. Discovery Cove was one of the best and most memorable family days we've ever had. The kids were 12 and 14 when we went and they stayed in the water most of the day. The dolphin area water is a bit colder than I like but they have "wet suits" to put on so it doesn't feel too bad.

There is a lot to do there so it's not as relaxing as you might think but it's well worth it. You'll all have a great time.

Sandra

Thank you so much for the information Sandra my DD 7 had her heart set on it and I think it would be a neat experience for the entire family. I hope the weather is good and we'll be able to go.

Did you have to get tickets ahead of time or can we pick them up on the 23rd - We don't want to spend the money if the weather is bad.

Thank you :)

[Sandaneli]

Thank you so much for the information Sandra my DD 7 had her heart set on it and I think it would be a neat experience for the entire family. I hope the weather is good and we'll be able to go.

Did you have to get tickets ahead of time or can we pick them up on the 23rd - We don't want to spend the money if the weather is bad.

Thank you :)

We went on the Friday before school vacation and we had to book in advance. It was full on the day we went. So I'd suggest you at least call them to see what they recommend. They only accept a certain number of reservations so it doesn't get too crowded. I'm not sure what they do if it rains or is really cold. I agree it is a lot of money if the weather is bad.

[kcashner]

Discovery Cove was one of the best things we've ever done--much better than the dolphin experiences or dolphin swims on the cruises. You will have a full wet suit for the day, so the water temperature is not as big an issue as it might otherwise be. You must wear the wetsuit for the dolphin swim. It is optional for the other areas. You will also get a snorkel set--the snorkel is yours to keep. You are also supplied with dolphin safe sunscreen. They ask that you not wear anything else in the animal areas.

I was totally impressed with this place. You have a locker (with real lock!). There was usually an attendant in the locker area whenever we went over there. It was very clean. We shed our wet suits and while I was looking for the place to put them, someone came over and took them for us.

We dropped major $ on the photos. DD had a great time. She was about 10 or 11 and big for her age. The trainer asked her if she wanted to go "really fast." She said yes, and the dolphin took off at quite a pace with DD on her fin. It's expensive, but well worth the $. The price is "all inclusive" so you have parking, lunch, etc...and a week pass to Sea World.

On other subjects....we are less than a month out. No cabin assignment yet.

[PURTYPAT1]

Discovery Cove was one of the best things we've ever done--much better than the dolphin experiences or dolphin swims on the cruises. You will have a full wet suit for the day, so the water temperature is not as big an issue as it might otherwise be. You must wear the wetsuit for the dolphin swim. It is optional for the other areas. You will also get a snorkel set--the snorkel is yours to keep. You are also supplied with dolphin safe sunscreen. They ask that you not wear anything else in the animal areas.

I was totally impressed with this place. You have a locker (with real lock!). There was usually an attendant in the locker area whenever we went over there. It was very clean. We shed our wet suits and while I was looking for the place to put them, someone came over and took them for us.

We dropped major $ on the photos. DD had a great time. She was about 10 or 11 and big for her age. The trainer asked her if she wanted to go "really fast." She said yes, and the dolphin took off at quite a pace with DD on her fin. It's expensive, but well worth the $. The price is "all inclusive" so you have parking, lunch, etc...and a week pass to Sea World.

On other subjects....we are less than a month out. No cabin assignment yet.

Hum.......I was really, thinking about doing the dolphin excursion on the cruise, but, after reading above, I think we will wait & go with Sea World.

Thanks for sharing.

[mom2dina]

Hum.......I was really, thinking about doing the dolphin excursion on the cruise, but, after reading above, I think we will wait & go with Sea World.

Thanks for sharing.

I don't think the dolphin excursion is available anymore on the Eastern cruise ...

[Sandaneli]

Only 4 weeks left:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

KCashner, thanks for the details about Discovery Cove. I had forgotten many of those details but your post brought back lots of fun memories.

Just wondering, is anyone planning on decorating their door?

My DD and I are planning to make signs for the doors. There are some great ideas on some other threads if anyone is interested.:)

Sandra

[PhotoLisa]

Cruise documents for the 2/2 Eastern arrived today. In two weeks, you should have yours!!

[mom2dina]

Cruise documents for the 2/2 Eastern arrived today. In two weeks, you should have yours!!

2 weeks! thats too long! :goodvibes Thank you for the info!:yay:

I thought about decorating the door but we've been so busy lately I don't think there will be time ... we'll see.

[kcashner]

No cabin assignments yet, but the DCL website has markedly changed their categories available for purchase. Last night everything was available. Today, only select categories are still available (4,5,6,10,11). Makes me think they are working on our locations!

[Little Miss Liberty]

I just checked the DCL website. They have the stateroom assignments up. I got upgraded from a 12 to a 9. I'm throwing some pixie dust to everyone here, I hope you get an upgrade to.

[kcashner]

No pixie dust here--from a 12 to an 11. Oh well......

[sisterpate]

Hi All,

My name is Renée and will be travelling w/two great friends on our "cheaper than therapy" cruise. We are three gals in our 40s, leaving our DH home (and for them their DDs and DSs). We are flying in from UT, CA and England (though US native). Two of the three of us have annual passsports to Disneyland so we are crazy for the Mouse.

Love to learn more about our fellow travellers.
Renée (sisterpate)

[sisterpate]

I just checked the DCL website. They have the stateroom assignments up. I got upgraded from a 12 to a 9. I'm throwing some pixie dust to everyone here, I hope you get an upgrade to.

How do you check your room assignment? Thx. :-)

[kcashner]

How do you check your room assignment? Thx. :-)

You go to www.disneycruise.com. From there, click on "my Disney Cruise" and then "my reservation. Enter your name, password, reservation number and date of birth, and your information will pop up.

If you haven't previously registered on the site, you will have to do this first.

[sisterpate]

How do you check your room assignment? Thx. :-)

Nevermind... we got our room, too. We are still cat. 12. That's OK since we are in the room to brush teeth and change clothes. :-)

[Sandaneli]

Nevermind... we got our room, too. We are still cat. 12. That's OK since we are in the room to brush teeth and change clothes. :-)

We were in a cat 12 2017 on the Med cruise last summer and it was fine. The room isn't as important as being on the ship:goodvibes

We are a family of 4 on our 4th Disney Cruise (3rd with kids).

You and your friends will have a fabulous time. This is a great idea for a reunion. There are so many things for adults to do on a Disney Cruise. It's the best kept secret there is.

Be sure to go online to the DCL website and book Palo, the food and service is even better than in the regular dining rooms and they are wonderful.

Only 27 more days:yay: :woohoo: :yay: :woohoo:

Sandra

[AlfreNY]

Hello fellow cruisers!!
Here we are again, a few days from going back to paradise. We have done both the Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. We liked the Eastern better. (Those two consecutive days at sea are great!). That does not mean that the Western is anything short of phenomenal!!
It is DW, DD (10), and me. It has been really difficult to find reasonable airfares from New York, therefore we have decided to sacrifice, drive down, and keep the $1500!! Imagine all the Mai-tai's that's going to buy, :rolleyes1 as well as pictures from Shutters, those pictures always come out great! See you on board!! Ahoy! pirate:
:surfweb:

[Sandaneli]

Hello fellow cruisers!!
Here we are again, a few days from going back to paradise. We have done both the Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. We liked the Eastern better. (Those two consecutive days at sea are great!). That does not mean that the Western is anything short of phenomenal!!
It is DW, DD (10), and me. It has been really difficult to find reasonable airfares from New York, therefore we have decided to sacrifice, drive down, and keep the $1500!! Imagine all the Mai-tai's that's going to buy, :rolleyes1 as well as pictures from Shutters, those pictures always come out great! See you on board!! Ahoy! pirate:
:surfweb:

We haven't done the Western, it never seems to work out with the dates we can go but we don't get off the ship anyway so it doesn't matter where the ship goes as long as it's warm;)
How long will it take to drive from NY to FL? The airfares have been outrageous this year but it would have to cost thousands to get me to drive more than 5-6 hours.
I hope you have a safe drive down to FL.
Sandra

[AlfreNY]

Hi Sandra,
According to Mapquest it would take us about 18 hours to get from our house to the Port. We both drive and we could do this trip in two stages. :drive: We'll be on vacation!! I can't wait... My daughter still doesn't know, we want to surprise her... She thinks we are going skiing on that week... Boy, what a contrast...
Anyway, Thanks for your good wishes. We'll be careful and take our time.
Regards,

[Wachsdds]

What a cool surprise. We surprised our kids a few years ago. They figured out that were in Florida and were let down we headed away from the parks. We told them we were going to their great grandma's. They fell asleep in the car and woke up as we were crossing the bridge to the port. The surprise was awesome. Keep the kids guessing!! Let them discover the surprise when they see the ship.

I have been involved with this meet board for a while and seeing the New York and Northeast members always wondering where they actually live. I read your post and was going to respond about the driving until I saw the town Somers since we are also from the Cradle of the American Circus. A pretty small world or large ship!!! How old are your kids. I have little young ones DS8, DS5, DS2 and DD8months. The older two are at SIS and Primrose. Again, welcome to the cruise!! pirate:

[PURTYPAT1]

Hi Sandra,
According to Mapquest it would take us about 18 hours to get from our house to the Port. We both drive and we could do this trip in two stages. :drive: We'll be on vacation!! I can't wait... My daughter still doesn't know, we want to surprise her... She thinks we are going skiing on that week... Boy, what a contrast...
Anyway, Thanks for your good wishes. We'll be careful and take our time.
Regards,

Hi There

We were also, going to go on this cruise, but the airfare stopped us. We are waiting for next year.

Here is a cool site for driving

http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/

[Sandaneli]

This cruise was a Christmas present for our kids. They are DD13 and DS15 and they love Disney cruises. Actually its the only cruise line we've been on. On Christmas morning they each had a few gifts and then we gave them boxes to open at the same time. In the box was a mickey mouse mug and inside that was a postcard we had received some time ago that had Mickey on it and said "So glad you're coming back to the ship". It was great to watch their faces as they realized they were going on another cruise.

I've read accounts of people keeping the surprise right up to the port. That would be fantastic. Also there is a really cute video on youtube of a girl being surprised for her birthday with a cruise. I'm not sure how to find it but if you're familiar with youtube you might be able to.

Only 26 days :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[mom2dina]

Hi!
Well we got our room number it is 6002 so we are a family of 4 so we got upgraded from a 12 GTY to a 11. ;) oh well ... not much of an upgrade. I still can't wait :banana:

The good thing is they upgraded our entire party (3 rooms the others only have 3 in a room) and we will all be right next to each other.

I am so looking forward to this :yay:

[Wachsdds]

What does GTY stand for?? pirate:

[sisterpate]

Nevermind... we got our room, too. We are still cat. 12. That's OK since we are in the room to brush teeth and change clothes. :-)

I stand corrected... the reservation said 12; however, the room assigned wasn't. They moved us to a Cat. 9. Yeah!!! Are we there yet? Purchased my Bonine and wristbands tonight. :-)

[sisterpate]

We were in a cat 12 2017 on the Med cruise last summer and it was fine. The room isn't as important as being on the ship:goodvibes

We are a family of 4 on our 4th Disney Cruise (3rd with kids).

You and your friends will have a fabulous time. This is a great idea for a reunion. There are so many things for adults to do on a Disney Cruise. It's the best kept secret there is.

Be sure to go online to the DCL website and book Palo, the food and service is even better than in the regular dining rooms and they are wonderful.

Only 27 more days:yay: :woohoo: :yay: :woohoo:

Sandra

Hi Sandra,

My DH and I did a cat. 12 back in 2005 and we were happy. We did Eastern then, too.

Our cruise director (Bonnie/UT Guest) has all our Palo ressies done. She also set our excursions. We are doing the Regatta in St. Maarten and the historic walk on St. Thomas. We are also doing the glass bottom boat at Disney's island. Just hoping we can doc this time. Back in Feb. 05 we got an extra sea day because it was too rough to doc.

How can life be wrong when we are less than four weeks away from cruise heaven. Hope to meet you on board.

Renée

[Sandaneli]

I think we are planning a DisMeet I'll go back a few pages and see if a time and place were decided on yet.

It would be disappointing to miss Castaway Cay. Did you feel the rough seas on the ship or did the Captain stay away altogether?

Cat 9 is a nice upgrade:thumbsup2 do you know if you're on the deck 1 or 2? We have never been upgraded that would be a nice surprise.

Are you and your friends meeting on the ship or before the cruise?

Sandra

[AlfreNY]

GTY means the they assure you that you'll get a room the category you requested or better. I guess is sort of a marketing strategy to sell more rooms at a lower price. That is why you hear people saying the got upgraded from 12 to 11 or 9. I don't know what criteria Disney uses to make this decisions but I'm sure I'd love to know! :lmao: For me my room doesn't matter much, you just go there to shower, change clothes and sleep.
Patricia thanks for the website link on fuel costs to drive down. It will cost me aprox. $156.20 each way. We'll be staying at the Radisson at the Port on Friday night. They are the closest hotel to the port and offer free shuttle service to the Disney Magic! :sail:
Repeat after me: "Just a few more days... Just a few more days... Just a few more days... " :earsboy:

[sisterpate]

GTY means the they assure you that you'll get a room the category you requested or better. I guess is sort of a marketing strategy to sell more rooms at a lower price. That is why you hear people saying the got upgraded from 12 to 11 or 9. I don't know what criteria Disney uses to make this decisions but I'm sure I'd love to know! :lmao: For me my room doesn't matter much, you just go there to shower, change clothes and sleep.
Patricia thanks for the website link on fuel costs to drive down. It will cost me aprox. $156.20 each way. We'll be staying at the Radisson at the Port on Friday night. They are the closest hotel to the port and offer free shuttle service to the Disney Magic! :sail:
Repeat after me: "Just a few more days... Just a few more days... Just a few more days... " :earsboy:

How much is the Radisson? We do not have a hotel the night before yet. We are all flying in Fri. night. Haven't decided if we should get ourselves over to the Cape or stay near the airport then shuttle in.

[sisterpate]

I think we are planning a DisMeet I'll go back a few pages and see if a time and place were decided on yet.

It would be disappointing to miss Castaway Cay. Did you feel the rough seas on the ship or did the Captain stay away altogether?

Cat 9 is a nice upgrade:thumbsup2 do you know if you're on the deck 1 or 2? We have never been upgraded that would be a nice surprise.

Are you and your friends meeting on the ship or before the cruise?

Sandra

Thanks for checking. I did the meet on my first cruise and it was fun. It is a great way to make new friends quickly.

I never really noticed the boat rocking; however, you could see the Capt'n was having a rough go. They tried until about 11 am before calling it quits. As soon as they did, the crew was in high gear switching to sea day.

We are on Deck 2 (2080). Do you know your room yet? We are meeting the night before. Andrea (flying in from England) arrives first. Bonnie and I fly in a few hours later; however, our flights land about 15 minutes apart.

What things are your "must do"/"must see" this trip? I am just hoping they are playing Enchanted about a bizillion times in the theater. (Love that movie!)

TTYS,
Renée

[Sandaneli]

Well, I just checked--no room assignment yet on our gty. I didn't expect it, but it is fun to look.

Since our cruise is only a month away.....are we going to plan anything for Disboard people? The common idea is a cruise meet shortly after boarding (usually about 3) either by the Goofy Pool or by Studio Sea. Another idea is the lime green color to make it easy for us to identify each other--in a name tag, lanyard, or whatever.

I'm not trying to play social hostess for the cruise, just suggesting some of the things Disboarders have done on previous cruises.

This was the suggestion for a DisMeet. Is anyone else interested in getting together?

[Sandaneli]

We booked rooms 6643 and 6641 from the beginning. We wanted rooms next to each other, we're travelling with teenagers but couldn't get connecting rooms. We like to be near the small deck on the 7th floor it's great in the morning and there is a staircase from 6 to 7 so the access is quick. There weren't any rooms available on the 7th floor when we booked.

We didn't take the kids with us on the Med cruise and booked this one out of pure guilt while in the Med last August by then there wasn't much left to pick from and since we wanted rooms next to each other we weren't willing to take a chance on not being together. I'm worried enough about the rooms not being connnected.

We haven't seen Enchanted yet. It is one of the things we are looking forward to. Also the new National Treasure Movie and the Hannah Montana Concert if it's available. IT comes out on Feb 1st so it might be.

Palo for dinner, and brunch are at the top of our list, next would be Diversions. It's fun to hang out there and they have the best guacamole in the world at about 5 every day. The french fries at Pluto's Dog house are absolutely incredible and a great snack while watching a movie at the Buena Vista Theater. Beyond that we are thinking of trying the rainforest room in the spa. There are so many things to do. The Med cruise was very busy and we didn't have much time to just relax so that is something we want to do on this cruise.

We don't have any excursions booked we probably won't get off the ship except for Castaway Cay.

We leave in 22 days:cool1: :cool1: today was only 15 degrees so it can't come soon enough for me.

Sandra

[AlfreNY]

The rate is $139.00/night; with tax is $154.29. The rooms are very nice and the pool is great. There also a bar near the pool for cocktails. I tried to copy and paste the link but it says that my post count is too low and does not allow me to paste. Just go to de Radisson website and look for the "Radisson Resort at the Port". Also, try radissonport dot com

My advice is to get to a hotel around the port the night before. The sooner you get checked-in in the morning, at the Magic, the better; it gets pretty busy from noon on. Once you get to the port, you leave the luggage at the curb, where the staff takes is to the ship and leaves it outside your cabin later on in the afternoon. Make sure you take a carry on with a bathing suit, SUNSCREEN, and personal items that you may need during the PM hours.
Additionally, last time the boarding went by group number. Group #1 boards first, then group #2, and so on. Then, you can wait around for the Disney characters that come around dressed in the nautical outfit to take pictures and get passengers in that wonderful Disney mood. :earboy2:

Exciting... uh? :banana:

[kcashner]

Right--boarding goes by number. Group 1 is concierge and disabilities needing assistance. Groups 2 - ? are by the order you arrived at the terminal. It goes very smoothly.

As to a dismeet--as far as I know, we have nothing scheduled yet. I will propose 3 pm starboard side by the Goofy pool. Now...somebody remind me!

Just send me to the Magic today. We have a water leak somewhere between the water valve at the sidewalk and the main entry shut off to the house--which we learned when we got a water bill three times higher than we've ever had before. SO....the plumber has shut off the water both to the house and at the sidewalk. Tomorrow or Friday (don't you love this definite scheduling) they will proceed to dig up my yard starting at the sidewalk and working toward the house until they find the leak. They promise that it is a simple fix after they find it. Meanwhile....I shower at the gym. I stopped at church to use the bathroom and bring home a couple pitchers of water (realized that I didn't have enough to fill cat bowl this morning!) Really makes me want to get out of here. I called the plumber back this morning after the "before you dig" service came out and marked all the lines...hoping that maybe I could get them to move up the digging. "We'll call you back and let you know which day we can be there." Oh well. At least I had run the dishwasher and done the laundry before we lost the water.

Maybe I'll pack for the Magic!!!

Enchanted is scheduled to be shown on the ship. Most movies run 3 or more times on each cruise to give a variety of time slots.

[PURTYPAT1]

There are so many things to do. The Med cruise was very busy and we didn't have much time to just relax so that is something we want to do on this cruise.

Sandra[/QUOTE]

Sandra, I loved the Med cruise. I am hoping Disney does it again, for I think I would sail with them to Europe in a heart beat. Our trip was just about perfect.

Do you remember what servers you had ? I had Sammy & Walter as the assisstant. They were great.

[Sandaneli]

Patricia - The Med Cruise was incredible. We went on July 28th and I would highly recommend it to anyone. There was a huge Disgroup and that added a lot of fun too. I don't remember our servers names but will look it up, they were terrible. We ate at Topsiders a few nights so we wouldn't have to deal with them. We are planning on requesting servers this time. I have been asking people who've just returned from the Magic who they had for servers and if they would recommend them. We've had a few suggestions.

It would be great if Disney went back to the Med. With the new ships I think there will be lots of destination options available. We're hoping for Hong Kong. Disney is the way to go Anywhere!

Dismeet - 3pm by the Goofy pool sounds good to me. That will give us time to eat and unpack before we meet.

KCashner - I'm sorry to hear about your water problems. It's unbelievable that they can't get someone to come out sooner and give you an exact time. How are you supposed to live in the house without water? Since it's the towns problem will they pay for you to be in a Hotel until they fix the problem? At least it might speed up their work on fixing the problem.
I do hope it gets fixed very soon so you can get back to planning your cruise.:)

Mom2Dina - I'm praying for your mom. Please let us know how she is doing.

Now it's back to :laundy: :laundy: :rotfl:

Sandra

[sisterpate]

The rate is $139.00/night; with tax is $154.29. The rooms are very nice and the pool is great. There also a bar near the pool for cocktails. I tried to copy and paste the link but it says that my post count is too low and does not allow me to paste. Just go to de Radisson website and look for the "Radisson Resort at the Port". Also, try radissonport dot com

My advice is to get to a hotel around the port the night before. The sooner you get checked-in in the morning, at the Magic, the better; it gets pretty busy from noon on. Once you get to the port, you leave the luggage at the curb, where the staff takes is to the ship and leaves it outside your cabin later on in the afternoon. Make sure you take a carry on with a bathing suit, SUNSCREEN, and personal items that you may need during the PM hours.
Additionally, last time the boarding went by group number. Group #1 boards first, then group #2, and so on. Then, you can wait around for the Disney characters that come around dressed in the nautical outfit to take pictures and get passengers in that wonderful Disney mood. :earboy2:

Exciting... uh? :banana:

Super! Thanks for the hotel info. :-)

[kcashner]

The other option is to stay near the airport where hotels cost somewhat less. Of course, that means you need to be on the road by 9 to be at the port when it opens to incoming traffic by 10.

I had a brilliant flash today....DD wants to look at a couple of colleges in Florida so we were thinking of a trip over spring break. Mom thought...why not go to Florida 2 days early for the cruise and do college visits then? Yeah, right. The airlines want big bucks to alter our reservation, car rental rates are double what they were when we looked for the cruise (and in April), etc. The bottom line is that it will be essentially the same price to do a second trip (and she won't get to take days off school). Maybe we'll think about adding a day or two at WDW in April....don't have to book that one now.

[Sandaneli]

We are staying near the airport because our plane arrives late and we didn't want to arrive at the hotel after midnight. Also we have some family near Orlando we are hoping to see. The last time we stayed in Orlando and it worked out fine. I'd like to see WDW for the day on Friday but it's so expensive for 4 tickets for just one day.

Looking at colleges sounds like a good excuse to go back to Florida in April. That's actually my favorite month in Florida. The weather always seems perfect then.

[kcashner]

We also have a hotel near the airport because we are flying down after school on Friday. When we get in late, my only requirements are that it is clean and safe. The fact that we have a free shuttle (between MCO and hotel) and breakfast is a bonus. We got the hotel for $36 on Priceline (total with taxes, fees, etc. was $46)

[Sandaneli]

We used Hotwire and got a room at the Wingate Inn at the Airport for 4 for $117.47 for 2 nights also includes breakfast and shuttle service. Airfare was outrageous! By flying on Thursday we saved $400.00 and it gives us extra time in case of snow. We are flying from Boston so in Feb that is a possibility.

We leave 3 weeks from tonight!!!!

[Jodijo]

We booked rooms 6643 and 6641 from the beginning. We wanted rooms next to each other, we're travelling with teenagers but couldn't get connecting rooms. We like to be near the small deck on the 7th floor it's great in the morning and there is a staircase from 6 to 7 so the access is quick. There weren't any rooms available on the 7th floor when we booked.

We didn't take the kids with us on the Med cruise and booked this one out of pure guilt while in the Med last August by then there wasn't much left to pick from and since we wanted rooms next to each other we weren't willing to take a chance on not being together. I'm worried enough about the rooms not being connnected.


Sandra

We are in the same boat (so to speak)! We are in 2 rooms on the 6th floor. I am nervous about the kids being next door to us. I guess we will have to lay down some rules when we get on the ship.

Also, we have no excursions planned either. I was wondering if others took cruises and stayed on the ship like we do. I love being on the ship when it is not very crowded. Also, it seems like there are so many things to do on the ship that I don't want to leave.

20 days until we start our vacation!

[Sandaneli]

We are in the same boat (so to speak)! We are in 2 rooms on the 6th floor. I am nervous about the kids being next door to us. I guess we will have to lay down some rules when we get on the ship.

Also, we have no excursions planned either. I was wondering if others took cruises and stayed on the ship like we do. I love being on the ship when it is not very crowded. Also, it seems like there are so many things to do on the ship that I don't want to leave.

20 days until we start our vacation!

We were thinking of bringing an intercom so we can hear what is going on next door. On our last cruise I woke up at 2:30 am to find my son was not in our room. After a search of the ship I found him talking to friends in the elevator lobby on the 10th floor. They were not misbehaving and a crew member was nearby but I was quite nervous not knowing where he was at that hour. The teen activities end at about 1:30 am but the kids are on their own to get back to their rooms or not. We will be setting the rules but I'd feel much more comfortable if the rooms were connected.

We probably won't be getting off the ship either. We also like the quiet of the ship when it's less crowded.

What rooms are you in? We are on the 6th floor too.

We leave in 20 days:cool1: :cool1:

Sandra

[Wachsdds]

We are in the same boat (so to speak)! We are in 2 rooms on the 6th floor. I am nervous about the kids being next door to us. I guess we will have to lay down some rules when we get on the ship.

Also, we have no excursions planned either. I was wondering if others took cruises and stayed on the ship like we do. I love being on the ship when it is not very crowded. Also, it seems like there are so many things to do on the ship that I don't want to leave.

20 days until we start our vacation!

We were fortunate to get connected rooms because our kids are very young DS8,DS5,DS2, and DD7 months. How old are your kids. On our past cruises I have seen the teens up on deck dancing to the music or in one of the clubs well after midnight. They were being supervised my cast members. I thought it looked like a lot of fun. I wished I had activities like this when I was a kid traveling with my parents. As for the separate rooms, you know your own kids as far as how strict the rules have to be!!! I haven't set formal excursions. We did rent a car for St. Maarten to explore on our own. Counting down the days until the warmth. It was 9 degrees this morning when I got into my car. BRRRR!! pirate:

[kcashner]

Teen activities end at 1:30am on most nights. Yes, they are on their own to get back to their cabins (or roam the ship.) One night, DD "explored" on her own--she just wanted to see what went on after everyone was asleep. The funny part was that a security officer was following her. She stopped and asked him if he was, and he said that he was "just doing my job." She laughed and said that it seemed like his job was to follow her. She added that she loves the Magic and no one needs to worry about her doing anything bad--and he said that part of his job was to keep her safe! I loved it. The funny thing is that this was on a cruise a couple years ago...before the one where DD did have a security detail.

The counselors from The Stack supervise any organized activities (which do take place in other locations sometimes) until 1:30, after that, the kids are on their own.

DCL will issue you a "mom key" so that you can get into the kid's cabin. Another thought is a baby monitor so that you can hear what's happening in there.

We have no excursions planned. We've done so many Easterns that if we decide to leave the ship, we are comfortable on our own. We'll probably just enjoy the Magic!

[durango kid]

We haven't seen Enchanted yet. It is one of the things we are looking forward to. Also the new National Treasure Movie and the Hannah Montana Concert if it's available. IT comes out on Feb 1st so it might be.

Sandra

When I checked the movies a couple of weeks ago I was told the Hannah Montana concert movie will NOT be shown onboard, as it is 3D.

I was able to get tickets for my daughter and two of her friends to see the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert. She will be in Orlando on the 28th and the 29th. I suprised the girls with them. I was planning on selling them on Ebay, but I figured, for once in my life I might be the cool parent. The only down side is that I have to go with them.

[Sandaneli]

When I checked the movies a couple of weeks ago I was told the Hannah Montana concert movie will NOT be shown onboard, as it is 3D.

I was able to get tickets for my daughter and two of her friends to see the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert. She will be in Orlando on the 28th and the 29th. I suprised the girls with them. I was planning on selling them on Ebay, but I figured, for once in my life I might be the cool parent. The only down side is that I have to go with them.

DurangoKid, welcome back,
I'm sorry to hear about Hannah Montana not being on the cruise. I don't see why being 3D makes any difference, the film runs the same you just need the special glasses. They could put them in the cabin as a special gift. Oh well, there are enough other things to do anyway.

Only 20 more days:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:
and we'll be in the warm weather too.

Sandra

[durango kid]

Glad to be back!!

I was on a ski trip to West Virginia, as a chaperone for the church youth group. Twelve hours on a bus full of teenagers :scared:

It did remind me of one of the big reasons for moving to Florida...the rest of the planet is freezing!! It was nice to come home to find my cabin had be assigned, no upgrade, but there is still hope I guess. We will be in the last cabin before the officers quarters, so, in theory it should be quiet.

[kcashner]

Three weeks from now I will be on the Disney Magic!!! I brought my snorkel gear up from the basement today. Guess that counts as starting to get ready.

I really can't wait. I'm tired of cold, no sun, etc. And the water isn't fixed yet although they are bringing the supervisor and the whole crew out on Monday morning (I've been the squeaky wheel!)

[dad2kids]

We are also a family of Canadians getting away from the weather. We are turning into BIG Disney fans after our first trip to Disneyland last year. This is our first cruise and very excited! Weather is cold and windy here in Calgary, Alberta and we are all counting the days! Family of 4, 2 boys 10 and 9. We are in rooms 6131 and 6133. The message board has been great information. Anyone near us? We would love to meet some other families.

20 days and counting!!!

[sisterpate]

We are also a family of Canadians getting away from the weather. We are turning into BIG Disney fans after our first trip to Disneyland last year. This is our first cruise and very excited! Weather is cold and windy here in Calgary, Alberta and we are all counting the days! Family of 4, 2 boys 10 and 9. We are in rooms 6131 and 6133. The message board has been great information. Anyone near us? We would love to meet some other families.

20 days and counting!!!

I love Canada. My husband lived in Quebec for 18 mons and 6 months in Nova Scotia when he served a mission for our church. I was fortunate to have two work trips to Ottawa and stayed for a total of 1 month. While there I explored the capital, and spent some time in Quebec being a tourist. Doesn't matter where, just as long as I eventually go back. We had very good friends from your neck of the woods. They were an older couple and passed away awhile ago. The husband was from Lethbridge and they lived there for a number of years as a family before moving to UT. (She was originally from Toronto.)

Looking forward to meeting you and your family on board!

Renée

[sisterpate]

Several of you got great deals in FL. We did not fair so well. Our room with tax is about $180. Luckily free shuttle to/from airport + breakfast. Since we are splitting the cost, I can deal with it.

For those of you who have stayed by the airport before, then went back to get on the Disney shuttle, where do you go? Last time I sailed my husband and I stayed in the airport, so we just basically had to go down the elevator and walk about 25 yards.

Can't wait to sail. I only lost 5 of the 15 I was hoing to before sailing. Maybe if I am lucky, I will lose another 5 befoe we set sail. Of course, all I am doing is deciding which food I want to eat this time so I am sure all that was lost will be found before I return home.

TTYS,
Renée

[kcashner]

Renee:
When you return to the airport to catch the DCL bus, you go the the Magical Express desk on the lower level.

$180 for a room by the airport, not the Hyatt? DId you try Priceline or Hotwire? You're paying 4 times as much as we are, and we also have complimentary shuttle and breakfast.

I'm seriously starting to count the days....

Let's plan on the DIS meeting about 3 pm by the Goofy pool Starboard side. Is that OK with everyone as a meeting time/site? That way, the kids can be in the pool if they wish.

Home Depot has paint samples shaped like Mickey--you can pick up some of the green ones and use them as nametags. I don't know why, but lime green is the unofficial color of the disboard cruisers.

[Sandaneli]

We are also a family of Canadians getting away from the weather. We are turning into BIG Disney fans after our first trip to Disneyland last year. This is our first cruise and very excited! Weather is cold and windy here in Calgary, Alberta and we are all counting the days! Family of 4, 2 boys 10 and 9. We are in rooms 6131 and 6133. The message board has been great information. Anyone near us? We would love to meet some other families.

20 days and counting!!!

Welcome,
We are also a family of 4 (DD13 and DS16) and have rooms right around the corner from you 6641 and 6643. Try to make it to the Dismeet at 3pm on the starboard side near the goofy pool. That way you'll get to meet some of the people on this thread.
My family is from Cranbrook BC, we sometimes fly out of Calgary. It's quite a drive but there aren't too many places in the world as beautiful as on those roads.

Is this your first cruise? This board is full of great information and helpful ideas for making your Disney Cruise the best it can be.

We are counting the days, we leave in 18 days:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[AlfreNY]

We also have a hotel near the airport because we are flying down after school on Friday. When we get in late, my only requirements are that it is clean and safe. The fact that we have a free shuttle (between MCO and hotel) and breakfast is a bonus. We got the hotel for $36 on Priceline (total with taxes, fees, etc. was $46)

One thing about the Radisson at the Port that works for us is the fact that they let you park for the whole week for free. If we park at the port we'll have to pay $10 dollars a day... That's $80 + tax. We are paying $139.00 +tax. Paying the difference is not a bad deal for a Radisson Resort. Besides, if you get up early on Saturday you will be able to see the Magic arriving to the port...
... TO PICK US UP!! party:
Anyway, we are also counting the days, it is really hard to keep this trip a secret to our DD, I'm ready to burst!

Have a happy week everyone! :flower3:

Alfredo pirate:

[durango kid]

I'm seriously starting to count the days....

Let's plan on the DIS meeting about 3 pm by the Goofy pool Starboard side. Is that OK with everyone as a meeting time/site? That way, the kids can be in the pool if they wish.



I will be there, I am sooo looking forward to meeting all of you! My wife made me do some shopping for the cruise this weekend. She's already packed :confused3 . We also stopped into Epcot for about two hours yesterday, just long enough to see Turtle Talk and visit the manatees. We walked over to Japan and had a little bit of lunch. The only place in th ewhole park that was crowded was Space Ship Earth, the line was CRAZY LONG, but that always happens when an old ride gets an update.

Taking the girls to the Hannah Montana concert tonight...wish me luck.

[Wachsdds]

I will be there, I am sooo looking forward to meeting all of you! My wife made me do some shopping for the cruise this weekend. She's already packed :confused3 . We also stopped into Epcot for about two hours yesterday, just long enough to see Turtle Talk and visit the manatees. We walked over to Japan and had a little bit of lunch. The only place in th ewhole park that was crowded was Space Ship Earth, the line was CRAZY LONG, but that always happens when an old ride gets an update.

Taking the girls to the Hannah Montana concert tonight...wish me luck.

Good Luck tonight. My DD is only 8 months old. I am not sure if I could say I am looking forward to taking her to the tweeny events. We will have to see how much she wraps me around her finger. She is off to a good start!!! pirate:

[Sandaneli]

I will be there, I am sooo looking forward to meeting all of you! My wife made me do some shopping for the cruise this weekend. She's already packed :confused3 . We also stopped into Epcot for about two hours yesterday, just long enough to see Turtle Talk and visit the manatees. We walked over to Japan and had a little bit of lunch. The only place in th ewhole park that was crowded was Space Ship Earth, the line was CRAZY LONG, but that always happens when an old ride gets an update.

Taking the girls to the Hannah Montana concert tonight...wish me luck.

Durango Kid, how was the concert? It's hard enough watching the tv show I can't imagine thousands of teeny boppers screaming at the same time.:scared1: I'm sure your daughter appreciated you taking her.

Only 17 more days til we are in Sunny Florida:banana: :banana: :cool1: :banana: :cool1:

[kcashner]

I started really packing today--getting out the Disney t-shirts to decide what to take, etc. Not long till we see some sun!

[durango kid]

Durango Kid, how was the concert? It's hard enough watching the tv show I can't imagine thousands of teeny boppers screaming at the same time.:scared1: I'm sure your daughter appreciated you taking her.

Only 17 more days til we are in Sunny Florida:banana: :banana: :cool1: :banana: :cool1:

It was a RIOT:yay: Although I have to admit I didn't see much of it, since everyone in the stadium was standing except me. I am 6'2" and knew that I would block the kids behind me so I remained seated. The opening act was Everlast (i didn't know them, but the kids did) I have never seen that kind of energy at a concert before. I have a new respect for Hannah/Miley, at one point she asked the audience "So who here has your Mom or Dad with you tonite?" Well that was everyone of course. Then she says "Well you've got the coolest parents on the planet, make sure you thank them, and I dedicate this song to all of you parents to say thank you from me" I thought that was cool. At any rate I had a good time, just knowing that my kid was haveing a good time. We got home about 11:00 so Amanda might be a little rough this morning. One of the girls I took is home schooled, so she was the lucky duck who gets a bit of a sleep in.

When you see my DD on the ship make sure you ask and I'm sure she will tell everyone all about it.

[Cinderella&Dopey]

Single Digits until we leave this snow!!!! :banana:
Can't wait! The weather was so bad here yesterday. It took me 40 minutes to drive home that normally takes 15 minutes. School was cancelled today. I'm just praying for good weather when we leave on the 7th!

Has anyone ever taken the bus from the resort to the port? I'm scared we are going to get there too late and miss brunch reservations!:confused3

[kcashner]

Yes, we've sometimes done the bus from the resort to port. It gets to port a lot later than I like to arrive, but it is convenient. There won't be any line waiting to board when you get there.

As to reservations, you can only hope. We've been known to get reservations from the wait list (were able to "double dip" that way), so it does happen.

[shmoopea]

Hello everyone! We are a family of 4, 1 boy(8yo) and a girl (5yo). This our second Disney Cruise and boy are we hooked. We live in cold NE and can't wait for the sunny Carribean. We're hoping to meet some of you on this cruise and maybe even some new pals for our kids.pirate:

[Wachsdds]

We are also in the NE looking forward to the warm Caribbean ocean air. We are heading done in 15 days. My family and I can't wait. We'll be jumping on the plane in no time. I am making the arrangements to have my drive plowed if a snow hits while we're away. What a wild concept planning for the snow and Caribbean at the same time. I wouldn't mind being in the Durango Kid's locale. I actually grew up near Malibu and chose to move to New York. What was I thinking!!!pirate:

[Jodijo]

We are also a family of Canadians getting away from the weather. We are turning into BIG Disney fans after our first trip to Disneyland last year. This is our first cruise and very excited! Weather is cold and windy here in Calgary, Alberta and we are all counting the days! Family of 4, 2 boys 10 and 9. We are in rooms 6131 and 6133. The message board has been great information. Anyone near us? We would love to meet some other families.

20 days and counting!!!

Hey Neighbor! We are in 6135 & 6137!:yay: We are also a family of 4. My daughter is 10 and son will be a week away from 13 on our trip! We were thinking of putting the kids in their own room but I am a little uncomfortable with that. I think it will be girls in one room and boys in the other. How are you working out the arrangements for your 2 rooms?


:confused: Also, did anyone get their cruise doc's yet? Last year we had a problem getting ours and don't want to go through that again.

[durango kid]

We are also in the NE looking forward to the warm Caribbean ocean air. We are heading done in 15 days. My family and I can't wait. We'll be jumping on the plane in no time. I am making the arrangements to have my drive plowed if a snow hits while we're away. What a wild concept planning for the snow and Caribbean at the same time. I wouldn't mind being in the Durango Kid's locale. I actually grew up near Malibu and chose to move to New York. What was I thinking!!!pirate:

And I though I was the crazy one, moving from the Colorado mtns to Florida (although i never say I moved to fl, i say i moved to celebration). But Malibu to NY :confused3

But I must say, Celebration is a wonderful community and I have never felt more involved than I do here. It almost make up for the three months of the year that are so hot even my toe nails are sweating.

[Cinderella&Dopey]

Hey Neighbor! We are in 6135 & 6137!:yay: We are also a family of 4. My daughter is 10 and son will be a week away from 13 on our trip! We were thinking of putting the kids in their own room but I am a little uncomfortable with that. I think it will be girls in one room and boys in the other. How are you working out the arrangements for your 2 rooms?


:confused: Also, did anyone get their cruise doc's yet? Last year we had a problem getting ours and don't want to go through that again.

We called 2 days ago and were told that the documents were already mailed! We leave in 8 days! :sail: I hope they are here in time and didn't get lost on the way to Canada! :sad2:

[durango kid]

:confused: Also, did anyone get their cruise doc's yet? Last year we had a problem getting ours and don't want to go through that again.


Nothing here, and I live only about a mile from their offices.

[Wachsdds]

I haven't seen any documents yet either. We have a little time. We aren't heading down to Florida until the 14th.

As far as leaving the West Coast for New York. Grad School and training brought me to NY and marrying my wife kept me here. We often joke around about dropping everything and moving to Celebration; However, we spent alot of time developing our practices which makes it very hard to leave. You never know what the future holds. Durango, your a good role model for us all to jump ship!!!pirate:

[durango kid]

I haven't seen any documents yet either. We have a little time. We aren't heading down to Florida until the 14th.

As far as leaving the West Coast for New York. Grad School and training brought me to NY and marrying my wife kept me here. We often joke around about dropping everything and moving to Celebration; However, we spent alot of time developing our practices which makes it very hard to leave. You never know what the future holds. Durango, your a good role model for us all to jump ship!!!pirate:

A good wife is a good reason to go (and stay) anywhere!! I miss my beloved Colorado more than I can say. I also remember what my life was like before I met my wife. If she called me right now today and said that we were relocating to the ninth ring of Hell, I wouldn't even question her. I'd just start shopping for asbestos underwear.

There are good wives, great wives, and then there's my wife.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f144/danansue0214/dana%20n%20sue/triphome05036.jpg

[dad2kids]

Hey Neighbor! We are in 6135 & 6137!:yay: We are also a family of 4. My daughter is 10 and son will be a week away from 13 on our trip! We were thinking of putting the kids in their own room but I am a little uncomfortable with that. I think it will be girls in one room and boys in the other. How are you working out the arrangements for your 2 rooms?


:confused: Also, did anyone get their cruise doc's yet? Last year we had a problem getting ours and don't want to go through that again.
This is the 3rd day in a row below -40° today! We are leaving in 16 days!!!! Can't wait. We are likely going to be putting the boys in 1 room and we will be in the other room. The boys are OK with it, but we will see what it is like when we get there. This is our first cruise and if the boys are scared at all, we will swap bunks, so to speak. Stop by and say HI

I got your PM but for some reason could not reply to it. If you PM me again, and send me your email I will send you our contact info and we can arrange to meet.

[Wachsdds]

This is the 3rd day in a row below -40° today! We are leaving in 16 days!!!! Can't wait. We are likely going to be putting the boys in 1 room and we will be in the other room. The boys are OK with it, but we will see what it is like when we get there. This is our first cruise and if the boys are scared at all, we will swap bunks, so to speak. Stop by and say HI

I got your PM but for some reason could not reply to it. If you PM me again, and send me your email I will send you our contact info and we can arrange to meet.

Brrrr! Where are you that it is -40 degrees?

[dad2kids]

Calgary, Alberta Canada. This is not a typical winter period, colder than usual. Makes the cruise seem so far away when it hurts to breathe outside and the school were closed yesterday because of the cold.

[dad2kids]

We are originally from the East. I was raised in Ottawa and my husband in Gaspe, Quebec. We miss the East but the kids love it here in the West. Your response about Ottawa and Quebec is typical. In my very biased opinion, it is the most beautiful city in the world and I miss it terribly. I am sure the warm sun will help shake it off, it's -40 degrees today in Calgary.

[Cinderella&Dopey]

My brother lives in Alberta. He was saying how cold it was. We live in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. We had a very messy situation with rain/snow and hail freezing on the roads. Really bad driving. There were alot of accidents.:scared1:

Today it's 2 degree C a nice change. I hope it melts the ice!

[Sandaneli]

We leave in 2 weeks from today.:cool1: :banana: :cool1: :banana:

Is anyone interested in going to be putting up door signs or Fish Extenders?

It's finally warm here today! It may reach 40 degrees. The snow is melting. I know winter isn't nearly over but by the time we get back it will almost be spring and the Dairy Queen will be open near us. That's what we have to look forward to after the cruise.

For now we are thinking about relaxing in the sun while being pampered for 7 days:thumbsup2
Only 16 more days and we sail away!!!!

[Jodijo]

We leave in 2 weeks from today.:cool1: :banana: :cool1: :banana:

Is anyone interested in going to be putting up door signs or Fish Extenders?

It's finally warm here today! It may reach 40 degrees. The snow is melting. I know winter isn't nearly over but by the time we get back it will almost be spring and the Dairy Queen will be open near us. That's what we have to look forward to after the cruise.

For now we are thinking about relaxing in the sun while being pampered for 7 days:thumbsup2
Only 16 more days and we sail away!!!!

I am putting up door signs! What are Fish Extenders?

[Sandaneli]

Fish extenders are sort of pocket organizers that hang over the fish "clip" outside your door. Some groups use them to put in little gifts or notes from other Disboarders in their group.

We did it on the Med cruise and it was fun to come back to the room and see little things in the pockets.
You can check out the links below for more information

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1700462
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1699389

[Jodijo]

Fish extenders are sort of pocket organizers that hang over the fish "clip" outside your door. Some groups use them to put in little gifts or notes from other Disboarders in their group.

We did it on the Med cruise and it was fun to come back to the room and see little things in the pockets.
You can check out the links below for more information


Sounds like fun! Count me in!!!!

[sisterpate]

Renee:
When you return to the airport to catch the DCL bus, you go the the Magical Express desk on the lower level.

$180 for a room by the airport, not the Hyatt? DId you try Priceline or Hotwire? You're paying 4 times as much as we are, and we also have complimentary shuttle and breakfast.

I'm seriously starting to count the days....

Let's plan on the DIS meeting about 3 pm by the Goofy pool Starboard side. Is that OK with everyone as a meeting time/site? That way, the kids can be in the pool if they wish.

Home Depot has paint samples shaped like Mickey--you can pick up some of the green ones and use them as nametags. I don't know why, but lime green is the unofficial color of the disboard cruisers.


I talked to one of my travelling buddies last night about looking for another room. At least we have one. If we end up with a less expensive one, great. If not, I will be too excited to care.

I am totally stealing your paint sample idea. I am going to get the green ones for the meet and them a whole bunch for our door as decorations. (I am in charge of our room sign.)

We made a change to our excursions last night. I got my PassPorter book from Amazon yesterday and found the glass bottom boat at CC got a 2 rating. We will probably rent bikes instead.

Two weeks from tomorrow I am on a plan headed to FL! Yeah! See you all soon.

[sisterpate]

This was the suggestion for a DisMeet. Is anyone else interested in getting together?


Bonnie, Andrea and I (Renée) will be at the meet where Home Depot paint sample name tags. :-)

You can find me early eating the best hot dog in the world near Pluto's. :-)

[sisterpate]

Fish extenders are sort of pocket organizers that hang over the fish "clip" outside your door. Some groups use them to put in little gifts or notes from other Disboarders in their group.

We did it on the Med cruise and it was fun to come back to the room and see little things in the pockets.
You can check out the links below for more information

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1700462
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1699389

I will check out the links to learn more. Sounds like a fun thing to do.

From the official door decorator of room "2080". :-)

[sisterpate]

What a great photo! :-)

[Sandaneli]

You can find me early eating the best hot dog in the world near Pluto's. :-)

I'll be the one with the huge plate of fries. They are yummy and addicting.:lovestruc

[Little Miss Liberty]

Here in Toronto we are expecting 15-30 cm of snow Friday. On the upside we got our cruise documents today. :cool1:

[kcashner]

Got my documents today also.....hooray. One more thing on the list to check off.

[durango kid]

:cheer2: We got docs, yes we do, we got docs, how bout you? :cheer2:

[Wachsdds]

Still waiting:worship:
pirate:

[Sandaneli]

Still waiting up here too!

We leave 2 weeks from tonight:cool1:

[AlfreNY]

We are also waiting for the doc's... How do you know which movies are playing on our cruise?
We are getting ice towards the morning here in New York...:sad1:

Two weeks...:upsidedow

[durango kid]

We are also waiting for the doc's... How do you know which movies are playing on our cruise?
We are getting ice towards the morning here in New York...:sad1:

Two weeks...:upsidedow


I called DCL and asked what movies were playing for our week, they were more than happy to tell me.

I was at Boston Gardends last night and had ice too...ice on my beer mug that is... on the Boston Gardens patio of the Celebration Town Tavern :lmao: http://www.thecelebrationtowntavern.com/


Sorry but it's going to be 80 today.
I'm starting to get the idea that I'll be the only one in our little group that is going from warmer weather to cooler for the cruise!

[Wachsdds]

They did close the schools today for the pending sleet and ice. Durango, I can also frost a beer. I just stick it out side on my deck for a couple minutes and then it's perfectly frosted!!:) We are expecting a really nice weekend near 50 degree with sunshine after this mess leaves today.

Under two weeks!:cool1: Looking forward to the warmth and sunshine! :cool2:

[Jodijo]

I called DCL and asked what movies were playing for our week, they were more than happy to tell me.



Well, what are they? Do you remember?

[durango kid]

National Treasure II
Enchanted
PoTC AWE
Bridge to Terebithia
Meet the Robinsons
Wild Hogs
Dan in real Life
Ratatoullie
Underdog

Jess

Here you go!!

[Jodijo]

Awesome!!! Those are all movies I have wanted to see but have not had the time!!!! I can't wait to tell the kids. They are going to be excited too!!!!

[dad2kids]

UPS guy just came and went. We have docs!

:dance3:
DSs and I are doing the happy dance!
:banana: :yay: :woohoo: :Pinkbounc :ccat: :donald: :sulley: :tigger:

As Durango so aptly put it earlier...

:cheer2: We got dos, yes we do, we got docs, how 'bout you?:cheer2:

Woo Hoo!

[kcashner]

OK....put hold on mail, picked up kid's photos (needed for audition when we get back). While at mall, bought kid sweater.

Next, look at dressy clothes.

Disney store had lots of pirate stuff on sale.
Kathryn

[AlfreNY]

LOL :rotfl2: Very funny, Durango Kid, I'm sure that your apology for the 80 degree weather comes straight from your heart... :laughing:
I'm going to try to follow Wachdds, my neighbor, way to frost a beer...
Looking forward to Superbowl weekend... Go Giants!! :cheer2:

Sandra: No matter what happens Sunday... we'll still be friends, right? :flower3:

Two weeks... :beach:

[Cinderella&Dopey]

:dance3: We got our cruise docs today!! :cheer2:

[durango kid]

So, who all is coming down a day or more early?

I guess my real question is, who will be in the wdw/celebration area?

[kcashner]

We are coming in on Friday, but flight doesn't get in till 7:30 pm. So much for our direct flights (canceled by Delta...now going thru Cincinnati). It doesn't matter as long as we and our luggage arrive safely.....DD has "free period" last class of that day, so leaving school early is no big deal.

[Sandaneli]

LOL :rotfl2: Very funny, Durango Kid, I'm sure that your apology for the 80 degree weather comes straight from your heart... :laughing:
I'm going to try to follow Wachdds, my neighbor, way to frost a beer...
Looking forward to Superbowl weekend... Go Giants!! :cheer2:

Sandra: No matter what happens Sunday... we'll still be friends, right? :flower3:

Two weeks... :beach:


I'm more concerned that you might be upset when we WIN :rotfl: :rotfl: :lmao: Either way we'll still be friends.

We use our breezeway as a freezer/refridgerator most of the winter. It comes in very handy when we have company. Our relatives from FL were here in November and they just laughed when they saw all the "refreshments" outside. There has to be some upside to this cold weather.:laughing:

Today it is a balmy 50 degrees:cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

:cheer2: :cheer2: Go Pats #19 wins!:cheer2: :cheer2:

But no cruise documents yet:confused3

[sisterpate]

We are coming in on Friday, but flight doesn't get in till 7:30 pm. So much for our direct flights (canceled by Delta...now going thru Cincinnati). It doesn't matter as long as we and our luggage arrive safely.....DD has "free period" last class of that day, so leaving school early is no big deal.

You and I arrive in Orlando almost at the same time... however, I am flying Southwest and from a completely different direction. :-)

My flight lands at MCO at 7:35.

[sisterpate]

So, who all is coming down a day or more early?

I guess my real question is, who will be in the wdw/celebration area?

Bonnie, Andrea and I arrive Friday... don't know which hotel, only that it is within 2 miles of the airport. I just text msg'ed Bonnie to find out where. Since she is meeting me at baggage claim, I figured we were good and she would know where to go. :-)

[durango kid]

For all you Pats fans, a little local connection...the Pats former kicker, Adam Vinetari lives here in Celebration.

[sisterpate]

Here you go!!


RE: Bridge to Terebithia

I am a big cry baby... on a scale of 1 to 10 how sad is this movie. I heard it is good and also heard it has a sad scene.

I am excited that Enchanted is playing. I love that movie, especially the cleaning scene and the "How will you know". I don't know what it is... I will be 43 next week and when I see the pricess I am instantly 12 all over again.

Counting the hours... :-)

[sisterpate]

Jodijo: Where is Penryn, CA? I live in Escondido, CA -- about 30 miles north of downtown San Diego. See you in two weeks.

[sisterpate]

Hello,

Our group had a slight change of plans as far as excursions go @ St. Thomas. Andrea and Bonnie are going snorkling and I am going on the St. Thomas Island Tour. After the tour I plan to walk around St. Thomas a bit. Anyone else signed up for the St. Thomas Island excursion?

Renée

[sisterpate]

We leave in 2 weeks from today.:cool1: :banana: :cool1: :banana:

Is anyone interested in going to be putting up door signs or Fish Extenders?

It's finally warm here today! It may reach 40 degrees. The snow is melting. I know winter isn't nearly over but by the time we get back it will almost be spring and the Dairy Queen will be open near us. That's what we have to look forward to after the cruise.

For now we are thinking about relaxing in the sun while being pampered for 7 days:thumbsup2
Only 16 more days and we sail away!!!!

Hi Sandra,

Where is a good place to buy an extender? I talked with Bonnie and she and I agree it would be fun to have one.

Take care,
Renée