03/30/08 4 night Wonder, 30th March 2008 [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

Deweysgirl

07-10-2007, 10:10 PM

Hi There! :wave2: We will also be on The Wonder sailing 3/30/08! It will be me (Liz), DH, and 2 DD's.
Glad you started the post, I have been looking for it too!

We have sailed once on The Wonder and once on The Magic-Western. We have an Eastern coming up in September to celebrate DD's 13th birthday!
We booked this 4 day as it is Spring Break for us here and we will also be celebrating little DD's 10th birthday onboard, the 2nd of April.
We have 1 cabin, Cat. 10. We had an inside on our 1st Wonder cruise and it worked fine for us. We have a verandah for the 7 night, I thought maybe we will have a chance to use it more. :goodvibes

Anyone else???

wayneg

07-11-2007, 05:08 AM

Hi Liz & family:wave2:
Glad you posted, I was beginning to think we were having the ship to ourselves.
What deck are you on? did you manage to get a Secret porthole room? we have had them twice on The Magic, great value if you can get them. All 3 of our previous cruises have been deck 5, visited other decks while onboard but we like 5.
:sail:

Deweysgirl

07-15-2007, 09:47 PM

Hi again! :wave2: Maybe our families will have the whole ship to ourselves! :banana: I see you have been on the Magic before...was it the Eastern itinerary? I'm trying to decide on shore excursions for our Eastern cruise coming up in September. Any suggestions? Thanks!

wayneg

07-16-2007, 06:07 PM

We have done both Eastern and Western but only excursion we have done is Ocean bottom Fishing at Castaway Cay (considering again).
In each port we visited we only got of for an hour for a quick look around then back on to enjoy the empty ship. We go on cruises to totally relax so not done the excursions sorry.
Is there any you have seen you are considering?

Deweysgirl

07-20-2007, 09:22 PM

Gosh! Looks like we really are going to take over the ship! :scratchin OK - I call the Mickey Slide and one of the hot tubs for my family and I'll take the Walt suite, your family can have the Roy suite! Sound good! :lmao:

We are thinking of the Doubloon Sail and Snorkle :boat: in St. Thomas and my girls want to see the butterfly farm in St. Maarten. :hippie: I was considering the 12 meter regatta but kids not old enough yet. I definately want to get some shopping time in too. I, like you, would like to also have a bit of chill out time to hopefully just relax! :beach:

Deweysgirl

07-31-2007, 08:17 PM

Oh my gosh! We were on page 4! BUMP! :jumping3:

Any spring break cruisers amongst us yet?

Hi Wayne and family - we decided on the St. Maarten Island tour and the Butterfly Farm. My 2 DD's thought that might be fun! :hippie:

In St. Thomas we are planning to go snorkeling at Buck Island and hopefully seeing some sea turtles, then hitting some shops in town and taking the tram up to Paradise Point. We are avid boaters/living here in Florida so this sounds right up our alley.

We are really looking forward to our Spring Break cruise, we are hoping to spend the day over in Atlantis, I heard they are adding a new excursion that includes the waterpark and facilities there. That would be awesome rather than renting a room for the day there just to be able to use their pool,etc.

wayneg

08-01-2007, 04:44 AM

Hi,:wave:
There must be other diser's going with us.
Your plans sound great, I have not looked at excursions for spring yet. Will have a look nearer.
Have to rush off now, just finishing off at work then home to get ready for our trip tomorrow, 25 nights in Florida, can't wait.:cool1:
Wayne

Deweysgirl

08-01-2007, 08:51 PM

Crossing the pond, eh? Hope your family has a wonderful trip and enjoy your vacation here in Florida! :beach:

wayneg

09-08-2007, 06:10 PM

Hi Liz and Family
Still no-one going with us?
Had a great time in Florida, after 25 nights there we did not want to come home. Found a new place to eat which we loved, Texas Roadhouse. Food there was just what we like at great prices. We considered doing RCCL cruise for 4 nights it was so cheap(about $300each) but decided to wait until next March for Disney.
Hope you are all OK.
Bye for now.
Wayne

Deweysgirl

09-10-2007, 09:14 PM

Hello! Glad you all had a great vacation here in Florida! We were actually over at DisneyWorld for a few days taking advantage of the free dining promo. We could have had a mini-dismeet except it would have only been just your family and mine! :rotfl: The smallest dis-meet ever!

We also tossed the idea around of taking a different cruiseline, certainly cheaper that's for sure, but it is spring break time for several counties here in Florida and I didn't want to take a chance of getting on another ship where it would certainly be "the party boat" with a bunch of "wild and crazy" college kids! haha! My kids might learn a few things I just might not be ready for them to know! :scared1: I feel like the Disney cruise will probably be mostly, if not all families, and that's good for us right now! ;)

Well, hopefully we'll be joined by some cruisemates very soon. I'm sure this will be a sold out ship, just a matter of when everyone jumps on...

nisiemouse

09-15-2007, 06:46 PM

Hi there! We will also be on the 4 night on 3/30/08. It will be myself (Denise), dh, dd who will be 14 at cruise time, and ds who will be 10. 2 other families will be going with us (neighbors) and they have 5 kids between the 2 families. This will be our second cruise. Thanks for getting this thread started. We have a secret porthole room. :)

wayneg

09-15-2007, 06:55 PM

Welcome aboard Denise:cool1:
You got one the secret porthole rooms then, I tried but all taken:goodvibes
Which cruise did you do before?
Sounds like you have a good sized party going with you.
Are you spending some time at Disney also? We are there for 2 weeks incl the cruise. Arrive in Orlando 22nd March.
Wayne

nisiemouse

09-15-2007, 07:29 PM

Hi Wayne,

We went on the 4 day last time as well in December of 2004. We booked a long time ago (last Novemeber) to get the secret porthole room. 4 were already taken. We got one and one of the other families we are traveling with also got one. The other family is staying above us. We are staying at disney for 2 nights after the cruise. The night before the cruise we are probably going to stay by the port. The 29th is my birthday. This will be the first disney cruise for the other families. It is spring break for us.
Denise

Deweysgirl

09-15-2007, 08:06 PM

:welcome: Welcome Denise and family! :welcome:

We are in a SPH too! Cat. 10 on deck 5 and my folks are traveling with us and they have another SPH. I think we know who has all of the SPH's spoken for now! :rotfl:

Our kids are same age. My DD is 13 the first of October, we are celebrating her birthday on The Magic. My youngest DD will turn 10 while we are sailing on The Wonder,(4/2). We are planning a couple of days at Disney World after the cruise also.

Wayne and his family and my family and I were beginning to think we might be the only passengers on this cruise. Glad you all will be joining us! :woohoo:

nisiemouse

09-15-2007, 08:47 PM

Hi Liz,

Our friends who are in the other secret porthole room also have a dd who will be 13. I am glad to finally find some disers who will be on the cruise with us.:)

wayneg

10-03-2007, 04:12 PM

Hi Liz, Denise and families
Down to page 4 again so thought I should bring it back to the top.:)
I have never been on a cruise thread so quiet.:goodvibes
We are busy planning our next trip(only just paid off the last:rotfl2: )
In 2 weeks we are off to Vegas and Disneyland CA. only a 9 night trip but should be fun, Never been to Vegas so not sure about it. Booked to see Cirque show 'O' and I think we will drive out to the Grand Canyon maybe go on the new glass Skywalk. Then when we get to Disney doing the Halloween party one evening. Maybe a Disney tour if they are not fully booked.
Now I have gone on a bit too much, it was only a bump.:laughing:
Hope all is well on that side of the Atlantic
Wayne.

nisiemouse

10-06-2007, 09:57 AM

Hello Wayne,

Thanks for checking in. Glad to hear you and your family are doing well. I have never been to Vegas or Disneyland. Hope you have a wonderful and safe trip.:)

Liz,

Are you back from your DD's birthday cruise? I hope you had a wonderful time.

Hopefully we will have a few more people join in on this thread as our cruise gets closer.

Take care everyone,
Denise

Deweysgirl

10-08-2007, 10:15 AM

Hi! :wave2:

nisiemouse - We are back, we just got back last night. We spent Saturday and Sunday after the cruise at Disney World. The cruise was great! We loved St. Thomas, St. Marten was just ok. The best part of course, was the cruise itself and Castaway Cay. We had a wonderful time and we re-booked this cruise (3/30/08) onboard in order to pick up the 10% discount and the 100.00 onboard credit. Turns out the price of the cruise has gone up a bit since we booked so the savings was minimal but at least we got the 100.00 obc. Every little bit helps! ;)

wayneg - I've never been to Vegas but my parents went 2 years ago and they loved it! They also booked a tour over to the Grand Canyon and they said it was one of the highlights of the trip. They want us to go with them sometime so maybe we'll get a chance to do that with them in the future. Let us know how you enjoy it. :thumbsup2

Well, needless to say I have tons of laundry and unpacking to catch up on so I will check in with you all later.

nisiemouse

10-08-2007, 08:17 PM

Glad you had a great time Liz. I hope you were able to keep the SPH cabins when you rebooked. Thanks for checking in.

Denise

Deweysgirl

10-12-2007, 10:41 AM

Wayne, we are giving up our SPH rooms today. We have 2 of them. I know you mentioned some interest about them so wanted to let you know. When we booked onboard we actually were able to get a Cat. 9 for 200.00 less than what we were paying for the Cat. 10 SPH. I booked them through Small World so not sure if they will go back to them or directly to Disney but just wanted to let you know.

Denise - we will be down on Deck 2 now but maybe the girls can meet up sometime at Ocean Quest.

Talk to you all soon! :)

wayneg

10-12-2007, 04:57 PM

Thanks for letting me know Liz. We had a talk about it earlier but decided to stay with what we have, although not a big increase in cost we feel the trip will be costing enough without adding more on just for a porthole. The 2 week trip with cruise is already costing over $8,000 before we start with food and theme parks.
This time next week will be our 1st day in Vegas:)
Wayne

Deweysgirl

10-12-2007, 06:22 PM

oK- I felt silly because I didn't even think to check about upgrading while onboard to a Cat. 9 cabin until after talking to our TA and she suggested it. Sure enough, she was right. We got the Cat. 9 for same price as the SPH ( a difference of $6.00), that's the only reason I gave up the SPH's! I do know what you mean, this cruise is a little pricey because of Spring Break. We pulled the kids out of school a couple of weeks ago when we were on the 7 day Magic and they really had a lot of work to make-up when they got back. We've decided that we'll have to do most of our traveling for now when they are on break and so we pay the price. $$$ It's worth it though, although I've only sailed with Carnival other than Disney, between the two, there is no comparison.

Have a great trip to Vegas! Tell us about it when you get back, I'm sure you and your family will have a blast!

nisiemouse

10-13-2007, 05:21 PM

Liz,
Sorry to lose you as our SPH neighbor but am sure you will have a great stay on deck 2. That is where we stayed on our first cruise.

Wayne,
Let us know when you get back from Vegas. Have a safe trip.

Denise

SueNFla

10-17-2007, 11:24 AM

Horray!! I finally found you all. I have been looking for months - must've been looking in the wrong place. I usually hang out on Cruise Critic.. anyway, in case you haven't guessed, I (SUE) am currently booked on this cruise with my DD (7). We sailed the Wonder last May and booked this one while on board (Spring Break).

I'm a single mom and, quite frankly, I was bored out of my mind on the Disney Cruise. My daughter loved it so much, she didn't want to even have dinner with me (but I made her). Therre wasn't much for adults to do, I went to some activities, but they were "dead". She wouldn't even hang out with me on Castaway Cay.

Seriously,I had fun though - booked through Small World - and received an AWESOME upgrade to a humongous handicapped cabin on the Verrandah deck. This very roomy cabin had a LARGE balcony - almost triple the normal size. I always start out with inside cabins and usually end up with one. Except for that time. I ordered room service every morning, had my coffee out on the balcony in my PJ's or just sat on the couch with the sliding door open enjoying the ocean air.

Well I better run for now. It will be nice getting to know fellow cruisers.

SUE

wayneg

10-17-2007, 11:55 AM

Welcome Sue:welcome:
Glad to have someone else onboard. We hardly ever see our Son when we cruise. Before we found Disney cruising he never left our sides and would never go to any kids clubs etc. I still say our first Disney cruise was a turning point in his development. He wanted to be in the clubs all the time we were onboard. His confidence levels totally changed.
OK back to packing, 12 hours from now we leave for Vegas/Cali.:banana:
Bye for now
Wayne

SueNFla

10-17-2007, 12:07 PM

Have fun, Wayne. Thanks for the BIG welcome. I look foward to hearing about your trip when you return.

SueNFla

10-17-2007, 12:12 PM

Are you sure we are all going on the same cruise. Our tickers all say something different....

wayneg

10-17-2007, 01:14 PM

Are you sure we are all going on the same cruise. Our tickers all say something different....

You had me worried then:rotfl2:
I had to double check our dates. Mine is set to the day we leave England, 20th March. We have 8 nights in a condo at Windsor hills, cruise 30th March -3rd April then 2 nights at Fairfield Inn Marriott Village before we fly back home.
Packing all cameras, phones and internet stuff now. Can't decide on camcorder, do we take it or not.:confused3

SueNFla

10-17-2007, 02:49 PM

You had me worried then:rotfl2:
I had to double check our dates. Mine is set to the day we leave England, 20th March. We have 8 nights in a condo at Windsor hills, cruise 30th March -3rd April then 2 nights at Fairfield Inn Marriott Village before we fly back home.
Packing all cameras, phones and internet stuff now. Can't decide on camcorder, do we take it or not.:confused3

Whew, thanks for clarifying. Well, you have a wonderful trip.

Deweysgirl

10-17-2007, 10:44 PM

Welcome Sue! Glad to have you aboard with us! party:

We have booked a Cat. 9, first time for us as the last 2 cruises were a verandah. I hope we won't be disappointed. Our very 1st 4 night on The Wonder was a Cat. 11 and then we booked a verandah on our 1st 7 night Western, we did so again for our 7 night Eastern. I really LOVE the verandah too but for this 4 nighter we decided to forego, only because this cruise is so pricey being Spring Break and all. An upgrade sure would be nice! :goodvibes

Wayne - Have a wonderful trip, hope you'll post a few pics of you and the family when you get back. We are out of town starting tomorrow so we'll check in next week.

:wave2:

nisiemouse

10-18-2007, 12:24 PM

Welcome Sue.:welcome: Glad you found us. This will be our second disney cruise as well. It is spring break for us. It will be here before you know it. I guess I need to get a ticker going. :)

Denise

SueNFla

10-18-2007, 12:38 PM

Welcome Sue.:welcome: Glad you found us. This will be our second disney cruise as well. It is spring break for us. It will be here before you know it. I guess I need to get a ticker going. :)

Denise

I am looking forward to a great Spring Break vacation. Hopefully, DCL doesn't attract the same kind of Spring Break travelers as the other lines do (college kids, etc.) They can get a little crazy sometimes. Do you have children traveling with you? What age(s)?

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

nisiemouse

10-21-2007, 11:13 AM

SueNFla

10-21-2007, 05:58 PM

Hello again Sue,

I have a dd who will be 14 at cruise time and a ds who will be 10. We have two other families who will be traveling with us (neighbors). Our last cruise was in December of 2004.
What deck is your cabin on? We are on 5.

Denise

My cabin has not been assigned yet. I did this under the advice of my TA and it worked out in my favor last time... keep your fingers crossed. LOL

nisiemouse

10-26-2007, 05:53 AM

I will keep my fingers crossed for an upgrade.:) In our case I hope they don't move us since we are close to our neighbors. You will have to let us know when you get your assignment. Hopefully you will get a nice surprise one day when you check on the website.:surfweb:

Denise

Deweysgirl

10-27-2007, 09:17 AM

Hi Gang!

Just checking in! 22 weeks until we sail! :boat:

Hope everyone is doing well. We are getting ready for Halloween. Kids are getting excited. Went to Busch Gardens last night for Howl-O-Scream. Was a lot of fun. We usually go to MNSSHP but this year we decided to go to MVMCP instead. :santa: We are really looking forward to that! We also made ressies for the Candlelight Processional.

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween! :stir:
Liz

nisiemouse

10-28-2007, 11:46 AM

Thanks for checking in Liz. My 9 yr-old is getting excited about Halloween.

We love the Candlelight processional. Hoping to go back to Disney for the holiday season in 2007. We went to the Pirate & Princess Party in August and I think it was the most fun I have ever had at the Magic Kingdom. Attendance was very low so we walked on everything.

My neighbor who is cruising with us used to live in Tampa.

Back to laundry.:laundy:
Denise

wayneg

10-28-2007, 12:29 PM

Hi
Just got back from our trip this morning after about 18 hours driving, flying and sitting in airports. Was worth it though had a great trip. Did not do everything we had planned in Vegas, just ran out of time. Drive to Grand canyon was amazing, buffet lunch at the Bellagio was outstanding. Then had 3 days in Disneyland/DCA hardly anyone in the parks with the fires, just got busy on our last day (Friday) and a day in Hollywood Blvd area. Took 1500 photos:scared1: , not looked at them yet but will try post a few. No more trips planned until March 22nd now, seems so far away, we like go to WDW for Xmas/New Year but Karen has to work this year:sad1:

We usually go to MNSSHP
We have done 3 MNSSHP, great fun. Just did our 2nd Mickey's Halloween party at DCA, not as good as WDW as you only get 4 hours but still a good evening. Soooo much candy to carry home.:goodvibes

We went to the Pirate & Princess Party in August and I think it was the most fun I have ever had at the Magic Kingdom. Attendance was very low so we walked on everything.
Back to laundry.:laundy:
Denise
We did pirates evening on Weds 15th Aug. Mathew and I dressed as pirates, great evening even though I did look stupid:rotfl2: Karen had more sense and just wore a princess pin.

nisiemouse

10-28-2007, 04:41 PM

We did pirates evening on Weds 15th Aug. Mathew and I dressed as pirates, great evening even though I did look stupid:rotfl2: Karen had more sense and just wore a princess pin.[/QUOTE]

We were there right after you on August 18. I couldn't get William to dress up though. Sounds like you had a great trip. I would love to see a few pictures when you get the chance. I guess I won't complain about the time it takes for us to travel after hearing how long it took you to get back home:) We will go to Destin, FL to see my mother-inlaw after Christmas and that is the only trip we will be taking before the cruise. Next year we plan to go to disney after Christmas. It has been a few years since we have been there during the holidays.

SueNFla

10-29-2007, 12:51 PM

Hello folks:

Just thought I'd just jump right in...my DD and I attended a Halloween party over the weekend. He costume won first place. I dressed her as Raggedy Ann and it was adorable. What fun it is to relive my childhood through her.

Went to Princess/Pirate Party last February when they first opened it. It was fabulous. Had never done any of their parties, but it was worth it. My daughter isn't quite used to the late hours, but she hung in there like a trooper. You're right, though, tons of candy (loot). LOL

Have a great week everyone.

nisiemouse

11-01-2007, 07:27 PM

wayneg

11-01-2007, 07:56 PM

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. It is hard to believe it is November 1 and time to start thinking about :santa: It will also be time for me to make that final cruise payment before too long.

Have a great weekend everyone. I am off tomorrow. We are going out to lunch to celebrate our 19th anniversary tomorrow. :love:

Congrats on your 19th, next Sept will be our 19th also:scared1: Where does time go?
Wow what is going on with your economy over there, £ and Euro are hitting highs against the $ every day. We can get $2.08 to £1 now, 1st visit to Florida 14 years ago we were only getting $1.40. Last time we were there houses were so cheap compared to here, now with this exchange rate they are even cheaper. I wonder which way the rate is going to go next, do I pay cruise of now or is it going to get even better for us?

Yesterday I booked our flights for next August fly out on 1st August and return home on the 25th. They were ridiculously cheap, less than $700 each, I am sure there was some error there but I am not complaining (I believe they should have been another $400 each at least)

Enjoy your Anniversary:goodvibes
Wayne

nisiemouse

11-04-2007, 09:58 AM

Congrats on your 19th, next Sept will be our 19th also:scared1: Where does time go?
Wow what is going on with your economy over there, £ and Euro are hitting highs against the $ every day. We can get $2.08 to £1 now, 1st visit to Florida 14 years ago we were only getting $1.40. Last time we were there houses were so cheap compared to here, now with this exchange rate they are even cheaper. I wonder which way the rate is going to go next, do I pay cruise of now or is it going to get even better for us?

Yesterday I booked our flights for next August fly out on 1st August and return home on the 25th. They were ridiculously cheap, less than $700 each, I am sure there was some error there but I am not complaining (I believe they should have been another $400 each at least)

Enjoy your Anniversary:goodvibes
Wayne

Thanks for the anniversary wishes. It is hard to believe it has been 19 years.

I am glad the exchange rate is in your favour right now. Those airfares sound like a great deal. It seems like you visit pretty frequently. Have you ever looked into DVC? I know it isn't for everyone but we have really enjoyed our membership.

Have a good rest of the weekend.

Denise

wayneg

11-04-2007, 10:44 AM

Hi Denise
Next year planning on 4 visits totalling 9 weeks (Easter, August, Oct & Xmas) unless we change the Oct visit to Vegas/DLR again.
Never really looked into DVC, I don't think it would be for us. Our only experience onsite was ASMovies, 7 years ago, Did not enjoy the small rooms, crowded pools, poor foodcourt, Disney transport or the room rate.
I know the DVC properties are in a different class to the Vaue resorts but we love getting away from Disney after the parks. Eating and sleeping Disney is OK for a few nights on a ship but we prefer offsite.
Our fave location is Courtyard by Marriott LBV easy to get to Sea World, Universal and just about anywhere. Usually pay around $50/night (or $75 for a suite) incl tax and wireless internet.
I keep considering trying moderate or Luxury resorts, sometimes get offers with our AP's but Karen says why when we only sleep there might as well spend the money on luxuries like Discovery cove, ballon flight etc. I think its ASM that has put her off trying other Disney property, maybe for our 25th I can get her to try a luxury resort:goodvibes

nisiemouse

11-04-2007, 11:09 AM

[QUOTE=wayneg;21615170]Hi Denise
Next year planning on 4 visits totalling 9 weeks (Easter, August, Oct & Xmas) unless we change the Oct visit to Vegas/DLR again.
Never really looked into DVC, I don't think it would be for us. Our only experience onsite was ASMovies, 7 years ago, Did not enjoy the small rooms, crowded pools, poor foodcourt, Disney transport or the room rate.
I know the DVC properties are in a different class to the Vaue resorts but we love getting away from Disney after the parks. Eating and sleeping Disney is OK for a few nights on a ship but we prefer offsite.

9 weeks in Orlando sounds wonderful.:) The thing that really swayed us to DVC were the big two bedroom units. The rental rates are unreasonable if you rent through disney but very reasonable with DVC points. A lot of people really enjoy offsite though and it sounds like you get a good rate at the Courtyard. I still might give it one more try at some point though for a couple of nights. The other properties are very different than the value resorts. Anyway, just curious. There is so much to do in Orlando and it sounds like you and your family have been doing very well staying offsite.

Denise

wayneg

11-04-2007, 11:33 AM

For 8 nights before the cruise we are trying a 2 bed Condo at Windsor Hills, gets very good reviews, costing about $120/night incl. we need the extra room as we are taking Mathews friend with us.
Not sure we will enjoy as much as a hotel, we like someone coming in a cleaning up and making the beds.
Is it simple for you to give me the rough cost of DVC or too complex?

nisiemouse

11-05-2007, 09:17 AM

Wayne,
If you go to the DVC forum at the top click on "more info on DVC". If you go under the DVC operations forum there are usually a lot of people asking questions about the program and good information. I believe right now it is $101 a point with an incentive of $8 a point. So, $96 a point for Animal Kingdom Villas and $94 a point for Saratoga Springs. Also, if you give a member's name for referral you can get 160 extra points that have to be used within a year. You can stay at all the DVC resorts but can book your home resort at 11 months and the other resorts at 7 months. You can also buy one of the sold out properties as disney buys back points when owners sell. Our first set of points were at OKW at $60 a point about 5 years ago so it has gone up in value. The minimum buy-in is 160 points and you pay yearly maintenance fees (don't have the fees right in front of me but maybe about $4.25 or $4.50 a point depending on your home resort). We had our initial investment paid off in about 5 visits so now all we have is dues every year. So now if we if reserve a studio at 12 or 14 points for a night it is only costing us about $50 or $60. A 2 bedroom on the other hand would be about $130 to $170 depending on the resort and time of year but the rate through disney would be about 4 times that. Like I said, it's not for everyone but has worked out well for us. Sometime you might want to take the tour just to see all the ins and outs of the program. It is not high pressure at all.
Have a good week. Less than 5 months until the cruise.:)
Denise

Deweysgirl

11-14-2007, 06:38 PM

Hi Everyone! So excited, today I got my cruise planning guide in the mail! :cool1: Did you all get yours yet?
Only 20 weeks to go!! :banana:

wayneg

11-14-2007, 07:11 PM

Hi Liz, yes we got ours yesterday morning:woohoo:
It was something new for us, never got them on previous cruises. how long they been sending them out?

We have been trying to decide what to do next fall this evening. Either back to Florida, Vegas/Disneyland CA again, New York or just a week on the beach in Spain doing nothing but eat and drink. Already Spring and Summer (and probably next Xmas) in Florida so think it might have to be somewhere different but we have annual passes for everywhere in Florida which cuts down on costs.

Have a great week everyone, surely more must be joining the group soon.
Wayne

SueNFla

11-15-2007, 09:22 AM

I GOT MY DOCS TOO. HOW EXCITING!!! YEAH. :banana:

Deweysgirl

11-15-2007, 06:12 PM

I GOT MY DOCS TOO. HOW EXCITING!!! YEAH. :banana:

Yup, it feels closer now then ever before! :cool1:

Hi Liz, yes we got ours yesterday morning:woohoo:
It was something new for us, never got them on previous cruises. how long they been sending them out?

This is a first for us too. When we went on the previous cruise in September they weren't doing it then either. I think it's a nice touch, really gets you in the mood for cruising!

We have been trying to decide what to do next fall this evening. Either back to Florida, Vegas/Disneyland CA again, New York or just a week on the beach in Spain doing nothing but eat and drink. Already Spring and Summer (and probably next Xmas) in Florida so think it might have to be somewhere different but we have annual passes for everywhere in Florida which cuts down on costs.

Wayne

Decisions....decisions...I would pick in this order but for no particular reason though because I've never been to any of these places.

1. Vegas/Disneyland
2. Spain
3. New York

I'm sure it will be fun, no matter what you decide! :thumbsup2

nisiemouse

11-15-2007, 07:20 PM

SueNFla

11-27-2007, 11:25 AM

We got ours in the mail too.:) I think it will be very helpful for my neighbors as it will be their first time on the disney cruise.

What is everyone doing for Thanksgiving? We will be staying home this year. The last couple of years we have visited dh's mom in Destin but we decided to make the trip after Christmas this year. Hopefully we can use the long weekend to get Christmas decorations up.

I went to Ocala, FL to spend Thanksgiving with family there. I got a wild hair up my butt to go stand in line at the stores for the Black Friday sales. NEVER AGAIN!!! I did get a desktop and a laptop from Circuit City dirt cheap, but I think I've learned my lesson. I was on line from 6:00 p.m. Thursday until the store opened on Friday at 5:00 a.m. WHEW. What vultures!!

Deweysgirl

11-28-2007, 07:21 PM

SueNFla

11-29-2007, 08:36 AM

Wow Sue! What a trooper! I would have liked to get that laptop too but no patience for any lines, especially ones that go on overnight!!! :crazy2:

Not sure if you guys saw that they came out with Fl. Resident rates for the 3/29/08 cruise. Maybe that's a good sign for us that we'll see them on the 4 night too. That would be great because I'm paying a pretty penny for this cruise! :scared1:

I'm a little worried too because I heard that some cruise lines are tacking on fuel surcharges because of the gas prices skyrocketing. DCL already charges so much more than the other cruises, I'm not sure how that's going to fly!

Hope everyone had a nice Turkey day! :goodvibes
Liz

I know what you mean about the cruise prices. I'm a single mom and I'm just eeking by. You can bet that I'll be checking with my TA regarding any discounts opening up. Last time, she was great about applying that back to me...plus I was upgraded at the last minute to the GINORMOUS cabin. What a treat that was!! Kind of spoiled me for future cruises.

Have a great day everyone!!!

wayneg

12-31-2007, 05:07 PM

Hi everyone
Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year.
I am always so busy in December I dont get much time to post, being a Florist is a great job but Christmas is a killer, working upto 20 hours a day. Then 26-28th I was ill, not quite flu but it was bad.
Well I booked another cruise August 2009, 7 night Western, done it before but last time they changed the itinery due to devastation with hurricaines, hopefully this time we will stick to the original itinery. We even managed to bag a SPR.
Its now only 1 hour 50 mins to 2008 relaxing with a few drinks. Not long to sailing now.
Wayne

LostGirls

12-31-2007, 06:50 PM

Hello all! We'll be joining you - me (Lynn), husband Marty, DD's Ashley (10) and Emily (6), and my Mom, Darlene. We did a 7 day Western in May 2005 and had plans for another last year, but we lost my Dad to a brief battle with stomach cancer in January. That cruise was our last big vacation with him so it was very magical in many different ways. Made our Palo reservations last night and have booked the Beach Day at Atlantis excursion. I plan on doing NOTHING on the beach at Castaway Cay - pure bliss for us folks who get TOO MUCH RAIN! :rolleyes: Happy New Year!!

wayneg

12-31-2007, 07:23 PM

Welcome Lynn and family.:welcome:
Sorry to hear about your Dad. I lost my Mum 3 years ago age 59 with no illness, very hard to accept, she was my best friend, babysitter, gardner, employee, you name it she was it. Its very hard to lose parents.
Where in Seattle are you from? I say that as if I know it well:rotfl2: I have no idea about the area, my friend lives in Aberdeen, WA. Talk to her everyday on messenger. anywhere near there?
Well its now 2008 here, Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

LostGirls

01-01-2008, 01:21 PM

Wayne,
We actually live in Silverdale, which is about an hour's drive East of Aberdeen, across the water from Seattle. I am originally from Key West, FL but have lived here for almost 20 years. Even so, I still consider Key West "home"! :goodvibes

SueNFla

01-02-2008, 09:49 AM

Happy New Year everyone. Welcome, Lynn and family. My daughter is 7 (1st grade). She will have plenty in common with your daughter.

We're in the final stretch now!!!

Deweysgirl

01-02-2008, 08:10 PM

Happy New Year all!

Welcome Lynn and family! We have a 9 year old daughter, she will be turning 10 on the cruise. Nice to know she will have a fellow DISer her age cruising too.

Have the rest of you made any shore excusion plans? I was thinking of the Atlantis excursion too, sounds fun. I know my kids will love the waterpark. I am hoping to snag a room at the hotel next door so I won't have to pay full price for the day. Hopefully I will have some luck with that.

I haven't paid the cruise off yet. I was thinking maybe Fl. resident rates would come out, nothing yet. I will have to pay it off shortly though or I will miss the boat! :boat:

nisiemouse

01-03-2008, 07:52 AM

Happy New Year everyone. Welcome Lynn and family! I just made our reservations for Palo for our group yesterday. What day did you book for?

I haven't decided on any excursions yet. We have been in Destin to see my mother-in-law and came back to snow. DH came back sick. Glad you are feeling better Wayne. I can't wait for warm weather again.:)

LostGirls

01-03-2008, 01:00 PM

Boy, this morning was brutal at our house! I'm not sure what our district was thinking, sending the kids back to school on a Thursday! :confused:
I only made Palo brunch ressies, I couldn't decide which night for dinner, so we decided to skip it. I'll probably be disappointed about that! We also decided only to do the beach day at Atlantis, not the water slides. I don't think my 6 yr old is a strong enough swimmer for some of those. We were also hoping to have time to do the Pirate Museum in Nassau. Do any of you know anything about that?

nisiemouse

01-03-2008, 01:20 PM

I booked brunch and dinner reservations figuring we could always cancel 1 later if the group decided. I booked dinner on the 3rd night. The earliest time for brunch was 11:00 when I booked. What time did you get? I read things get depleted near the end so I didn't want to book the last time at 11:30.

We went back to school here today as well. Originally we were supposed to go back yesterday but thankfully had a snow day since we spent all day driving back on the 1st.

I don't know about the pirate museum.

wayneg

01-03-2008, 01:38 PM

Mathew goes back to school on Monday so a few more days yet.
Doubt we will be eating at Palo, Karen will not eat anything out of the sea, there is probably only a chicken dish she would try and even that she would just prefer plain without all the trimmings. We also prefer informal family dining so don't think its out sort of place, who knows, maybe next year on the 7 nighter.
Still not looked at excursions, may do Ocean bottom fishing again at CC, that was a great afternoon last time.

LostGirls

01-03-2008, 10:13 PM

Our Palo reservations are at 11:00. I found the Pirate Museum, it looks pretty neat, we'll probably check it out: pirates-of-nassau.com pirate:

Deweysgirl

01-04-2008, 07:46 PM

We went to the Pirate Museum in 04. It is an easy walk from the ship and felt safe. It was fun to go and shop around in town and check out the museum. Kids enjoyed it.

We are also skipping Palo dinner this time and going only for brunch. We ate at Palo's 2 times last cruise and I'm ok with skipping the dinner this time. The brunch is great though and I don't want to miss it if possible. :thumbsup2

My kids go back on Monday too, THANK GOD! :worship: They are driving me crazy! I think they are just bored and how much VMK can 1 person play! Exercise you say?!?! Ha! That's a 4 letter word around here. I forced them to go on a bike ride with me Saturday. You would have thought I was killing the little brats, uh I mean darlings! Of course once out of the house and on our way they had a blast and begged me to stay out longer. With my thighs feeling like paralyzed jello, I thought it best to come back home! :rotfl2:

wayneg

01-04-2008, 07:57 PM

I think they are just bored and how much VMK can 1 person play!

We are all VMK mad here, been playing it since just after it started. Just had to stay up to do a trade for Mathew, he arranged it before he went to bed to get another Red Stitch hat. No good being on different time zone, makes it hard to meet some people.

Deweysgirl

01-05-2008, 04:46 PM

We are all VMK mad here, been playing it since just after it started.

Very popular in my house as well! I see your a big fan in your siggie avatar. My daughters both play but seems more appealing to my oldest.

Does anyone know if they have Ocean Quest on The Wonder or is it only on the Magic?

wayneg

01-05-2008, 04:59 PM

Very popular in my house as well! I see your a big fan in your siggie avatar. My daughters both play but seems more appealing to my oldest.

Does anyone know if they have Ocean Quest on The Wonder or is it only on the Magic?

Mathew says its on both Magic and Wonder. I have no idea:rotfl:

What are their VMK names?
Here we have AceCaptainWayne, StitchMad(Mathew) and DCLMad(Karen)
Let me know if they want any Pirate wells or Sub middles we picked up a few handfulls in the parks last year.

Deweysgirl

01-07-2008, 08:34 PM

Hi Wayne, they said yes, would love to have that. Do you have a code? Forgive me, I am only the translator, I don't play myself. ;)

wayneg

01-08-2008, 04:25 AM

I will PM you some pirate well codes this evening.
Since the weekend having problems entering Sub middles, hopefully they will sort out the error soon and then I will send you codes for them also.

wayneg

01-08-2008, 11:09 AM

see this thread looks like there is a chance we will be some of the 1st to see new Toy Story musical.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=22470209#post22470209

Deweysgirl

01-10-2008, 09:29 PM

Hi Wayne, they have the codes in now. Thanks again!

Yes, I was so happy to see that article. We are big Toy Story fans here, I wasn't that fond of the Hercules show. I think it's one of those things where you either loved it or hated it. We saw it once back in 04 and not too impressed. I sure hope the Toy Story is on during our cruise. Would be great! :wave:

wayneg

01-11-2008, 03:10 AM

We saw the Hercules show but never seen the film so did not m mean a great deal to us, Toy Story will be 10 times better for us.

driver

01-11-2008, 10:38 AM

We will be on this cruise too for Spring Break. It will be me, DD (13) and my mom (leaving my hubby at home). My dad passed away recently so we decided to have a girls trip to cheer up my mom.

This will be our 8th Disney Cruise - we're addicted!! We also live in Florida so can answer any questions anyone has prior to the cruise. :thumbsup2

wayneg

01-11-2008, 10:49 AM

Welcome aboard.
We visited Clearwater a few years back, stayed at the Hilton, they had just taken it over from Doubletree. Not really our sort of place but I know lots of people love it.
Oh well back to work just over 1 hour to go then I can go home:)
Wayne

nisiemouse

01-11-2008, 12:44 PM

Welcome aboard.:) I also have a dd who will have just turned 14 and we are traveling with neighbors who have a dd who will be 13. This is our second disney cruise. So sorry about your dad.

LostGirls

01-11-2008, 03:46 PM

I'm sorry about your Dad. My Dad passed away last January, so we are coming up on the one year mark. It's been a tough year, and we all needed something to look forward to. Our last big trip with him was a DC in May 2005 My Mom is coming on this trip with us as well. We can't wait to see some SUN! :goodvibes

Deweysgirl

01-11-2008, 10:52 PM

:welcome: driver!

We are neighbors! We are in Palm Harbor. I also have a DD13 too! I am so sorry for your loss. We lost my father-in-law in June. We really had a rough year all the way around so I'm hoping this cruise is just what we need to lift our spirits. :flower3:

Wow! 8 cruises, that's fantastic! I'm shooting for that too! :thumbsup2

Deweysgirl

01-11-2008, 11:00 PM

We can't wait to see some SUN! :goodvibes

I bet a Superbowl win would be just what the Dr. ordered to get you through the cold winter! Lol!
Go Seahawks!! :cheer2:

kkoelr

01-12-2008, 10:07 AM

Hi everyone,

We will also be joining everyone on the cruise this year. This will be are 3rd cruise in 3 years - all on the Wonder. We are a family of 4 from Illinois - myself (dh), dw, dd (12 yo) and ds (9 yo). We are on deck 7 - as was last year. The first year we were on deck 8 and it was noisy from all the activity above us on deck 9. We are so LOOKING forward to warm weather - albeit I just returned from WDW last week on business.

At Nassau we've done some excursions. Two years ago we did Blackbeard's Stingray Cove/Beach. The girls had a great time feeding the stingrays; we boys had fun just being on the beach. Last year we did the Dolphin Encounter. That was way cool - but the water was way cold...and I do mean cold. This year we are thinking of doing the Atlantis Waterpark. What is everyone else thinking about?

It's also nice to hear that we may be able to see the new Toy Story musical. Quite frankly, the Hercules show was getting old.

We look forward to hearing more from everyone.

:dance3:

wayneg

01-12-2008, 10:50 AM

:welcome: party:
Welcome
I really hope we get to see Toy story, doubt we will get back on The Wonder for a few years, August might be on Sovereign of the Seas then Next August is The Magic.
We fly out to Florida 10 weeks today, can't wait. Between now and then I have Valentines day, Mothers Day and Easter, lots of work being a florist but it will pay for all the vacations this year. I will be so ready to go on 22nd March.

Deweysgirl

01-12-2008, 02:26 PM

Welcome kkoelr! :welcome:

We have been to Nassau a couple of times. We decided to go ahead and reserve a room at Comfort Inn to get the wristbands for the Atlantis Waterpark. I understand we can also explore The Dig and use all of the facilities there as well. Looking forward to the Aquaventure at Atlantis and especially the Lazy River. The kids love the slides and it looks like a lot of fun. I did a Google on it and found lots of info and pics. :beach:

We are skipping Palo dinner this time. I do want to try and get a brunch though if possible. We don't have any excursions planned for CC. We have done the parasailing, banana boats and the Jet Ski eco-tour there in the past which were all great fun but thought we will just relax this time and maybe sneak away to Serenity Bay for awhile without the kiddo's. :rolleyes:

Deweysgirl

01-13-2008, 08:54 AM

Go Seahawks!! :cheer2:

I was so disappointed that Seattle lost yesterday. :mad: We live in Florida and the Jacksonville Jaguars also lost last night to the Patriots. :sad2: It's going to be a long winter!

Come on March 30th! :boat:

LostGirls

01-13-2008, 03:36 PM

Yes, we are disappointed too. :sad1: Luckily, we go to a really fun Superbowl party every year, so it will be fun even though the Seahawks won't be there.
I swear my skin tone has gone from white to blue from lack of sun! :sad2: Come on ten weeks!!!

nisiemouse

01-15-2008, 10:36 AM

Our ship is filling up.:) Welcome everyone. It is going to be down to 0 this weekend here. I can't wait for some Florida weather.
We are still undecided about Nassau and Castaway Cay excursions. We did decide to fly this weekend and I am excited about that. The Southwest rates came down. Unfortunately, when I tried to add another night at the radisson they did not have our room category except for smoking (dh has asthma). So right now I have a suite booked for Friday and a regular room for Saturday. I am trying to decide if I should just go ahead and go with the more expensive room for both nights. It is a pain to have to move rooms.
Hope everyone is having a great week.
Thanks for the Toy Story news Wayne.

Denise

Deweysgirl

01-15-2008, 06:03 PM

75 Days!!!

WooHoo! Can I get a whoop-whoop! :cool1: :cheer2: party:

kkoelr

01-16-2008, 01:40 PM

We signed up for the excursion at Nassau to do the Atlantis Aquatic Adventure. :eek: Quite pricy!!! Over $500 US dollars for a family of 4.

We are still looking forward to this trip.

Deweysgirl

01-16-2008, 07:22 PM

We signed up for the excursion at Nassau to do the Atlantis Aquatic Adventure.

Great! We are also doing the Atlantis Aquapark...(on our own though). Nice to know fellow DISers will be there too. It will be 4 us, Me, DH, DD13 and DD9. I did a little research through Google and it really looks awesome. We are looking forward to going too! :thumbsup2

Liz

driver

01-22-2008, 08:23 PM

Holy cow!! We were all the way on page 4. Bumping us back up to page 1.

I hope everyone is getting excited about the cruise - I know we are!! :cool1:

wayneg

01-22-2008, 08:47 PM

Yes getting very excited now. All paid up last week. Also paid deposit for 4 nights on Soveriegn in August so expensive week for us. Wish Disney was so cheap, Outside cabin for 3 of us £1,250, Disney was over double for same dates.

LostGirls

01-22-2008, 11:34 PM

Did you guys see the post on the boards about Travel Zoo having a deal for Atlantis? It was for $179 (and last week it was available for the date we will be there). It would be cheaper for you to get a room then pay for the excursion. Sorry, but I don't know how to post the link. Anyway, didn't know if you would be interested or not, but I thought I'd share. My mom and my husband's folks are coming along on the cruise too, so it won't work for us.
We are having the coldest weather of the winter so far this week :eek:
SO ready for the sun!!!

SueNFla

01-25-2008, 10:11 AM

Can one navigate Atlantis on their own, or is a shore excursion required? I did check TravelZoo and the special runs through today only. In fact, it beats the price the cruise line charges for 1 adult and 1 child. Any tips and/or recommendations?

Last year, we chose not to do any excursions and enjoyed our quiet time on the ship. Would consider bebopping over to Atlantis for the day though if you can do it on your own.

Welcome newcomers.

Deweysgirl

01-26-2008, 09:44 AM

Hi Sue,

We have done Atlantis on our own twice. It is very easy to take a taxi or ferry over to Atlantis. We decided to get the room at Comfort Suites this time because we are interested in using the new aquaventure water park that you can't do unless you pay. I now understand they sell day passes to the waterpark alone but the room at Comfort was still cheaper for 4 of us then buying the day passes from Atlantis.
On your own: When you come off of the ship you will walk straight down to the visitor center and there is where the taxi stand is. Ask how much (usually 4.oo a person or so) and then you hop in and go on over. Maybe a 15 minute ride or so. We looked around the hotel, did some shopping in the stores there, played in the casino, had ice cream outside next to the marina and then headed back to the ship. If you wanted to take the ferry then you keep walking and turn left past the hairbraiding area and the waterfront is right on your right where you will see the ferry to Atlantis. It was 3.00 a person last time we went on it. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions, I might be able to help. Getting closer now, we are getting so excited! :banana:

SueNFla

01-29-2008, 02:52 PM

Deweysgirl

01-30-2008, 07:25 AM

SueNFla

01-30-2008, 09:56 AM

Wow Sue! How exciting that you were able to see Hannah Montana. How was the concert? I'm sure it was great!

My understanding of the connection between Atlantis and Comfort is that they are owned together. So when you get a room at Comfort you are allowed to use the facilities at both hotels. When you check in at Comfort they give you a wristband for each person in the party and that allows you to go between both hotels to use the facilities including the aquapark, the aquarium, etc. It's much more economical than Disney's excursion for the same thing, that's why so many DISers have done it this way, saves a lot of $$.

Hope that helps! There are also several threads on the main cruise line forum of people talking about this very thing. Unfortunately the search engine never works so you have to go page by page usually to gather up the info. But I think that's pretty much the deal.

:wave2:

Thanks for the info. That helps a lot

Hannah Montana was awesome. My daughter says I ROCK!! It was VERY loud. My daughter (if you can get a visual on this) says with her hands over her ears.."Mom, did you know you can still hear like this?". LOL Poor thing, it was her first experience with anything that loud. Now she wants to try the NASCAR races here. School incentives give them free tickets to the time trials. Anyway, Disney truly hit a gold mine with Miley.

wayneg

01-30-2008, 10:25 AM

Hi everyone, hope you are all getting good weather, we start with bad winds tomorrow and good chance of snow on Fri, 22nd Mar can't come soon enough to get on that flight.
Its great taking kids to their 1st concert, we are all Meatloaf fans taken Mathew a few times, now that is loud. 1st time we took him it was actually called the Everything louder tour.

Liz, I keep trying the Sub middle codes for VMK but they are still not working. Not happy we went to great lengths to get the cards, distracting cast members is not always easy:rotfl:

Deweysgirl

01-31-2008, 08:39 PM

Wayne, :rotfl: no problem, if they come up that would be great otherwise they'll just have to work at it themselves, lol!

Sue, glad your daughter had fun and was able to experience it. Too funny about the hands over ears. Out of the mouths of babes!

Well gang, getting closer now everyday! Can't wait to vacation!! :goodvibes

LostGirls

02-01-2008, 11:50 AM

Sue, my daughters were very impressed and they want to meet your daughter. ;)
Have we talked about a meet for everyone yet?
Wayne, we have had one of the coldest winters in many years and STILL have snow in the forecast, so I sympathize. The scary thing is they have so much snow in the mountains, they have had to close 2 different passes because of avalanche danger (and 2 actual slides). The governor also has declared a state of emergency in 15 counties because of all the snow. That is not where we are, so we are lucky, it could be worse! It all just makes me appreciate our trip all the more! :thumbsup2

Deweysgirl

02-03-2008, 04:56 PM

Only 8 more weeks!! Yahoo!! :cool1:

We should probably talk about a quick Dismeet, I don't think it's been mentioned yet but a quick meet and greet is always fun. Anyone have any ideas of where or when?

Liz

wayneg

02-03-2008, 05:12 PM

Wayne, we have had one of the coldest winters in many years and STILL have snow in the forecast, so I sympathize. The scary thing is they have so much snow in the mountains, they have had to close 2 different passes because of avalanche danger (and 2 actual slides). The governor also has declared a state of emergency in 15 counties because of all the snow. That is not where we are, so we are lucky, it could be worse! It all just makes me appreciate our trip all the more! :thumbsup2
Brrrrrrrrr, when I was younger we used to get snow 3-4 feet high and stay for weeks, in recent years we just get a covering and it goes in no time. They forcast us to get upto 4 inch on Fri, see pics below what we got on Saturday, it lasted about 6 hours and it had totally gone.:goodvibes
Our forcasters are useless.
Only 8 more weeks!! Yahoo!! :cool1:

We should probably talk about a quick Dismeet, I don't think it's been mentioned yet but a quick meet and greet is always fun. Anyone have any ideas of where or when?

Liz

Anywhere for me, just let me know where and when. Last one I went to was all adults so it was up near adult pool but with us all having kids probably better somewhere else.

Heres our 6 hours of winter with Thomas our cat.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/P1000200.jpg
2 pics out front of our house.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/P1000196.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/P1000194.jpg
and 2 out the back.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/P1000192.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/P1000204.jpg

Disney Fanatics R Us

02-05-2008, 12:14 AM

:lovestruc We just booked this cruise. It's me Lisa (DW), Jeff (DH) and Lara (DD). Our DS is now in college and will not be able to go with us. DD is 15 almost 16 by the time of the cruise. This is her spring break. Our son has spring break at another time. This will be our third Disney Cruise and the first on the Wonder. We have done the 7 days on previous trips. We are concerned that 4 days will just not seem like enough.

We have never booked this late and have made no plans so far. We were just sick of winter and had vacation club points we needed to use before May so.... here we come. It will seem funny without our son- we've never been on vacation without both kids. Snow and cold... it has been a bad winter.

We have a Cat. 9 on Deck 2. Have never had a veranda so don't know what we are missing. We spend little time in the room so never felt it was worth it. We would however not turn down an upgrade.

Gotta go. Looking forward to a meet.

wayneg

02-05-2008, 04:48 AM

Welcome Lisa and family:welcome:

Better late than never:rotfl:
Only time we had a verandah was a free upgrade, used it for about 10 mins all 4 days. Won't object if they give us another but no way would I pay for one.
4 days won't be enough but better than nothing, will be nice to get back on a Disney ship again.
Hope your winter will soon be over, we all need some sun I think.
Wayne

Deweysgirl

02-05-2008, 07:02 PM

Welcome Lisa and Family! :welcome: We are also Cat 9 Deck 2

Wayne, thanks for posting the pics! I know the cold weather must be miserable but the pictures sure are beautiful! I've only seen snow once in my life and really enjoyed the couple of days I was in it. Today it was 80 degrees here in Florida. Can't complain I guess. :sunny:

Disney Fanatics R Us

02-05-2008, 09:28 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome :dance3: pixiedust: pixiedust: :thanks: pixiedust: pixiedust:

Don't complain about the Florida weather. It is again snowing in Iowa- we are right in the center of the storm and they are predicting another 6-12 inches of the rotten stuff. This has been a long winter!!!:confused3 The only good thing I can say is I had to fly to Madison today for work and at least I was able to get there and back before we had too much snow. I was worried I might get stuck there overnight- I had packed a bag just in case!!!

DD was also home sick today and I'm betting she will not have school tomorrow either. Why don't they ever cancel work????

Anyone aware of any teens going that would be our daughter's age? We thought we might have another family with us but they decided against the trip. Hoping DD can find someone to hang with- she has always had her brother or someone else with her.

wayneg

02-06-2008, 04:02 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome :dance3: pixiedust: pixiedust: :thanks: pixiedust: pixiedust:

Anyone aware of any teens going that would be our daughter's age? We thought we might have another family with us but they decided against the trip. Hoping DD can find someone to hang with- she has always had her brother or someone else with her.

Our DS, Mathew and taking his friend Dan both 14, Matt is very mature and almost 6' so everyone thinks he is older. But at that age who knows if they will get on well. I am sure she will find someone or group to hang out with but not an easy age group:goodvibes

Deweysgirl

02-06-2008, 05:55 PM

Anyone aware of any teens going that would be our daughter's age? We thought we might have another family with us but they decided against the trip. Hoping DD can find someone to hang with- she has always had her brother or someone else with her.

We have a 13 yr old girl and 15 year old boy in our group, cousins. If we introduce our girls and really all of the kids they can possibly hang out in the stack/aloft together or at least they will recognize some familiar faces while they are there. I know it's hard when kids are use to being with each other, my youngest will be in the lab now by herself as her sister is now a teenager.

Disney Fanatics R Us

02-06-2008, 08:38 PM

We have a 13 yr old girl and 15 year old boy in our group, cousins. If we introduce our girls and really all of the kids they can possibly hang out in the stack/aloft together or at least they will recognize some familiar faces while they are there. I know it's hard when kids are use to being with each other, my youngest will be in the lab now by herself as her sister is now a teenager.

Thanks. Lara is pretty quick to meet people. She was excited on the last trip to spend time at the Loft/Stack- found a friend to spend time with. Her brother was 18 (still in high school) so also was at the stack but he had a friend who went with us on the trip.

Wow- I am really surprised at how few people are responding to the forum for this trip. I suspect it will not be a full trip but who knows.:cool1:

We ended up with 12 inches of the white stuff today. I went into the office but came home before it got dark as it was really blowing.

Deweysgirl

02-08-2008, 05:43 PM

I know, I'm really surprised this cruise thread isn't as busy as I thought it would be. This is Spring Break week for many counties here in Florida. I've never sailed on a ship that wasn't full before, that would be real nice! :goodvibes

Another sunny warm day today here in Florida. Just think of what you all have to look forward to!! You will love it after the cold winter you've been having. :beach:

Anyone going over to Disney before or after the cruise? We're going over for a couple of days after the cruise. Going to the Character Breakfast at Grand Floridian and also to the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. I'm so excited for this vacation, can't get here soon enough! :cool1:

wayneg

02-08-2008, 05:56 PM

We fly in on the 22nd March. Staying in a Condo at Windsor Hills near Maingate. Always stayed in hotels before so thats something new for us.
This is possible Itinery, might change but doubt it.
Sunday 23rd MGM
Mon 24th SeaWorld
Tues 25th Islands Of Adventure
Weds 26th Epcot
Thurs 27th Animal Kingdom
Fri 28th Universal
Sat 29th Magic Kingdom
Sunday 30th-Thurs 3rd Cruise
Fri 4th Magic Kingdom
Sat 5th Fly home

Deweysgirl

02-09-2008, 08:03 AM

Wayne, I'm jealous, sounds like a fabulous trip you have planned! We went to Islands of Adventure for the 1st time last May and we really liked it. We are Floridians and you would think living here we would have been there by now but we have always been such big Disney fans we didn't think it would appeal to us, but it really did.

We are staying at POR Riverside two days after the cruise. We tried for the French Quarter but it was already booked solid back in December when I tried to reserve it. As I say, this is Spring Break time for us so I think the parks will be busy. The good news is most colleges and several schools are actually on Spring Break the week before and week after Easter so we are kind of on the tail end of it which means the crowds may be a bit more manageable for us, I sure hope so!

Well, hope everyone has a nice weekend, just think coming up on 7 weeks! WooHoo!

wayneg

02-10-2008, 04:34 AM

We went to Islands of Adventure for the 1st time last May and we really liked it. We are Floridians and you would think living here we would have been there by now but we have always been such big Disney fans we didn't think it would appeal to us, but it really did.

We are staying at POR Riverside two days after the cruise. We tried for the French Quarter but it was already booked solid back in December when I tried to reserve it. As I say, this is Spring Break time for us so I think the parks will be busy. The good news is most colleges and several schools are actually on Spring Break the week before and week after Easter so we are kind of on the tail end of it which means the crowds may be a bit more manageable for us, I sure hope so!

[/SIZE]

We have had AP's for Uni/IOA fro about 5 years now, Mathew and I can spend 4-5 hours in Curious George water area, time flies in there for us.
I like both parks just as much as Disney, also AP's for Busch and Seaworld all great parks.
We have booked 3 nights at POR for August, want to try a moderate as we didn't like value. I still think we will prefer offsite but won't know if we don't try.
The UK spring break is staggered this year, usually all the country would have same 2 week as us (22nd March-6th Apr) but this time many are have 5th April for 2 weeks, so hopefully not as many Brits:woohoo: :banana: :worship: (can you tell I am pleased:rotfl2: ) either this year

Disney Fanatics R Us

02-10-2008, 08:49 AM

We will be flying to Florida late on Friday March 28- not leaving until DD gets out of school that day. We plan to spend one day at one of the Disney Parks on Saturday- we have not been to Florida to a park for almost 4 years, DD gets to pick which one and she wants to spend the day MGM- needs her dose of Tower of Terror and Rock n Roll Roller Coaster. I'm hoping we might be able to hit EPCOT for dinner and maybe the fireworks/laser show. I was hoping she might want to go to Animal Kingdom- lots of new things there since we were last there. Like I said it will be her choice. We actually have some free park hoppers from our last stay at WDW. Had some problems at check in to our vacation home and with use of our park card. I wrote to them afterwards about the issue and they sent us two free park hopper tickets for everyone in our party- there were nine of us.

Has anyone ever done the Dolphin encounter at Nassau? We planned to do this on our last cruise but due to the Hurricanes we were rerouted away from Nassau and sent to Costa Maya. It was actually a decent stop- very new and some fun excursions but we have never been to Nassau. We also did not find this out until we arrived to check into the ship- so had last minutes cancellations of the excursions as we did not book it through Disney. Worked fine and we were impressed with the outside group so considering that again.

A cold day here again- windchill is 33 below. Yesterday had no snow but the wind made for blizzard like conditions as we have so much snow.:confused3

LostGirls

02-10-2008, 03:29 PM

It's 50 degrees here today - almost balmy!! :goodvibes
We fly in Saturday and will stay overnight at Hyatt at MCO. Loved it last time.
We are on deck 2 also - last time we had an upgrade to a verandah, which we loved, but wouldn't pay for.
What time is the life boat drill? Maybe a quick meet before that?
I need to have my girls try on their shorts, etc. so I know they will have stuff to wear for the cruise. Cause you know we won't need those kinds of clothes around here until July! Ha!

wayneg

02-10-2008, 03:59 PM

What time is the life boat drill? Maybe a quick meet before that?

Boat Drill is at 4pm. For us it is probably no problem as we will be at port early, its just if anyone is planning on arriving in the afternoon it will be a rush.

Disney Fanatics R Us

02-10-2008, 10:34 PM

We did our meet at 3 PM before the drill for our last cruise. It worked out fine. We will be there early. DH likes to be one of the first in the terminal- just to sit and watch the people and characters.

We also were talking about clothes and what still fits. The way this winter goes we won't need those clothes either. Good news for that is... we can start to pack very early.:banana:

Looked today for our over the door shoe bag. Best tip we ever got from this forum. Bought one for our first cruise and have used it ever since. It was great for keeping everything in one place.:laundy:

wayneg

02-11-2008, 07:08 AM

Deweysgirl

02-12-2008, 07:30 PM

The drill is at 4pm. I think 3pm sounds great on Sunday for a quick DISmeet. Does that seem ok with everyone? Now where should we meet is the question ???

I agree, we used the over the door organizer and it was real handy. We put everything in there, even our lanyards, cameras, sunglasses, room service tips, navigators, all in one place. Now why can't I be that organized at home! :rotfl:

I have never done the Dolphin Encounter in Nassau, sure looks fun and I hear it is very popular. We went to Costa Maya too and it was real nice. Of course it was completely devastated last year by hurricane. Very sad! But the good news is that they are rebuilding and hope to be up and running very soon.

Holly Harbor

02-14-2008, 01:26 PM

Our group will be joining you on March 30th...There are fourteen of us. DH and I will be raising the average age, since we're the grandparents! We're bringing along DD and DS and their families. DGS's ages are 17,15,13,9, and 6. DGD's ages are 15,13, and 10.

Our family lived in Clearwater, FL during the planning and building stages of WDW. I have been a Disney fanatic ever since I first stood at the end of Main Street and saw Cinderella's Castle. We have taken all our grandchildren, except the youngest one, to WDW without their parents. Taking three-year old and four-year old cousins away from their parents in North Carolina for a week in Florida was pretty bold, don't you think? We had a GREAT time! Two years ago our plans were to make the trip with the youngest, but I got an inconvenient cancer diagnosis and was going through chemo...that caused some changes in plans. :sick: I'll admit to using the grandkids as an "excuse" to go to WDW at "my age". All is going great now and we are all so excited to have our first family cruise.:banana: Only four of us have cruised before and this will be our first with DCL.

Looking forward to seeing you on board.

Jackie

wayneg

02-14-2008, 02:32 PM

Hi Jackie
:welcome: Welcome onboard and welcome to DISboards :welcome:
I thought this DISmeet was going to be really easy with only a few names to remember I have no chance now, can you all wear name tags please :rotfl2:

Just survived another Valentines day, been working 18 hours a day all week. Then in 2 weeks its Mothers day so 18-20 hours a day all that week. I wish ours was in May like yours.

LostGirls

02-14-2008, 06:02 PM

Welcome Jackie!
I have a DD age 10 who is anxious to meet others her age! I have another DD age 6.
Where to meet? I'm trying to remember where we had our meet last time.
What is above the Goofy Pool? Or Mickey Pool? I remember there was a bar near by for anyone who wanted drinks.... it's been too long!
Wayne - you must be exhausted! I am - and it's just from the kids' parties at school. That and we went to the Sonics basketball game last night - my 10 yr old performed pre-game with her dance studio. It was a lot of fun, but I'm dead today!

driver

02-15-2008, 06:47 PM

I'll put in a vote to meet at Goofy Pool. Seems like there is majority of tweens/teens in our group so that would probably be ideal. I know DD13 would love to meet some fellow teen cruisers to hang out with during the cruise.

We're definitely counting the days to the cruise! :banana:

DSTinFL

02-16-2008, 01:38 PM

Woohoo!! :cool1: We are cruising for spring break this year and so looking forward to it! I'm a single mom of two; a daughter (10) and son (9). This will be the kids first cruise ever and our first Disney Cruise. Unfortunately, they will be separated (different age groups) at Oceaneer Lab so, I'm hoping that they will meet some great kids, their age, in each of their groups. I'm secretly hoping that there will be lots of single parents on the ship! :woohoo: We are in a guaranteed Cat 8. so, I don't know where we'll be yet.

Tried to book the Dolphin encounter online and couldn't. I hope it's not booked up already. What do you think about the banana boats for the kids? I've heard that it's a bit rough for some kids. My son wants to parasail, but you have to be 90 lbs. and my son is only about 79 lbs. I think that two can do it together, but my daughter says "no way!" and I don't know if I have the nerve to get up there myself. I also may book a brunch at Palo for myself. Haven't decided yet.

Counting down the days!
Shawn & kids
:cheer2: :cheer2: :cool1: :cheer2: :cheer2:

wayneg

02-16-2008, 08:26 PM

Welcome Shawn and Kids :welcome:
Sorry cant help with banana boat, only trip we have ever done is ocean bottom fishing.
Must go to bed now, been out drinking all night for friends Birthday, not often I drink but I did tonight
:drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1

Disney Fanatics R Us

02-17-2008, 12:40 AM

Welcome Jackie & Shawn and families-

Sounds like there are lots of teens who will be looking for someone to hang out with. We were hoping DD(15) can find someone to hang with so we can go to Palo's at least one night and not feel guilty.

Valentine's Day and Mother's Day that close- that would not be good. I'm sure you are tired.

Meeting at the Goofy Pool sounds great. We however may not be there as early as expected. We made reservations this week to stay at Animal Kingdom the two nights before the cruise and they have said they will not pick us up for the transfer until 12:30 PM on Sunday. I'm not real happy with that as I like to be on the boat by then. Any one have experience with taking another shuttle to the cruise line from Orlando? We also wondered about taking a the Disney Shuttle back to the airport and taking the Cruise Line Shuttle from there... not sure if this works or not.:confused3

Would you all believe that we are again having a winter storm predicted. Freezing rain first and then 6-8 inches of snow- it is really not funny anymore. What a winter.:confused:

Deweysgirl

02-17-2008, 09:31 AM

Unfortunately, they will be separated (different age groups) at Oceaneer Lab so, I'm hoping that they will meet some great kids, their age, in each of their groups. What do you think about the banana boats for the kids? I've heard that it's a bit rough for some kids.
Shawn & kids
:cheer2: :cheer2: :cool1: :cheer2: :cheer2:

Hey Shawn and kids and Jackie! Welcome!

Shawn - My daughter is 9, turning 10 on the cruise. She would enjoy meeting your DD. She will also be in the Lab so maybe they could pal around too. We'll look for you at the DISmeet. There are a couple of others that are her age too so would be nice for all of them to meet and have some fun together at the Lab.

Both of my kids did the banana boat ride last cruise and they absolutely loved it. I was too chicken to ride so the two of them went on it alone. They liked it so much I have booked it for them again at 3:30pm on Castaway Cay day.

Wayne - good luck with the flower deliveries! Sounds like you needed a night out for some much deserved R & R but I hope you won't be paying for it today! &:faint:

Driver - My DD13 will be at the DISmeet, hope to see you there!

Jackie - We live a stone's throw from Clearwater, just north on US 19. My parents still live in Clearwater and I grew up there. Not sure how long it's been since you've been here but I don't think you would recognize it! We have also lived here since 1971 and my parents honeymooned at Disney World the very first year it opened. I guess that is why I have loved Disney all my life, been going there ever since I can remember and now my kids have been born and raised with the mouse too!:earboy2: My parents will be going on this cruise with us too so you won't be the only grandparents along! I think it's wonderful that families can all travel together harmoniously (well for the most part anyway! haha! ;) )

Ok everyone-let's get excited!! 6 weeks to go! Woo-hoo!

wayneg

02-17-2008, 11:35 AM

I hope you won't be paying for it today! &:faint:

Ok everyone-let's get excited!! 6 weeks to go! Woo-hoo!

I was not too good this morning, ok now though:rotfl2:

I have just ordered Sea World ticket For Matt's friend and All you can eat BBQ buffet in Sea World on Monday 24th. $12.55 each with AP discount, thought it was a good price for inside a theme park, hope its nice food.
Also printed off vouchers for free desserts at 2 different places in SW.

Ordered his Universal ticket about 2 weeks ago and Pick up his Disney ticket from Cast member friends house when we land. Glad we have AP's for all the parks, its a pain all this buying tickets.:goodvibes

Hope thats everything sorted. Wish it was here now.

LostGirls

02-17-2008, 12:08 PM

We used FL Tours in 2005 and plan to use them again this year to get from the airport to the Port. They were great - arrived on time, clean van, driver was very nice. We rented a car after, and will this time too, as we will stay a couple of days at the beach after the cruise.
It's supposed to be 55 degrees today :thumbsup2 and the rain will start up again next week, but I think I can handle 6 more weeks as long as we don't have any more snow! :goodvibes

driver

02-19-2008, 06:25 PM

We're still trying to get into cruise-mode. Once we get through this 3 weekend soccer tournament we will be able to focus better. :cool1:

Our family did the banana rides and loved it (wish it were a longer ride though). Another excursion we have done on CC is the jet ski tour. It was really fun! We also have done the reef snorkel off a boat and that was not worth the price as the reef is severely damaged from hurricanes that went through the area a few years ago. Not enough time for the reef to recover enough for plentiful fish and coral, etc.

A big hello to all the fellow Pinellas/Pasco cruisers! See y'all soon!

rjones69

02-23-2008, 10:26 AM

We're coming! My DH, DM, DD (16yrs) and DS (11yrs) will be there. We are so excited!

Deweysgirl

02-23-2008, 12:26 PM

Hi rjones69 and Welcome! :welcome:

I see you've cruised before, this is our 4th DCL cruise. We are so excited to be going back on The Wonder! We are booked in Cat. 9, first time for us in a window cabin. Our 1st cruise was inside, next two we had a verandah and this time we will be with the big porthole. I hope we won't miss the verandah too much. What type cabin did you book? We booked the room at Comfort in Nassau to get access to the new Aquaventure water park. We also booked a Palo brunch, decided to skip the dinner this time. That's about all for us.

Just about 5 weeks to go!! Woop-Woop!! :woohoo:

wayneg

02-23-2008, 12:38 PM

Welcome rjones69 :welcome:

4 Weeks from now we will have been on the plane for 4 hours with about another 5 hours to landing.:goodvibes

Holly Harbor

02-26-2008, 09:14 PM

I tried to drop in with some responses to your gracious welcomes some time ago but something messed up and I lost my message. Too late to try again that night, so here I am again. I do look forward to meeting all of you and 3 PM at Goofy's sounds fine.

Deweysgirl and driver: When we moved to Clearwater (right after our honeymoon) I taught high school math in New Port Richey. It took me twenty minutes up a two-lane highway 19 to get to school. The last time we tried that same trip was in the late '70's or early '80's it took me 45 minute on a 4-lane highway! Now when we visit my brother in Sarasota we just keep on I-75.

rjones: Glad to see another North Carolinian group. DH and I have been residents of Durham since July 2006. DS and DD and their families live in Cary. The teenagers in our group go to Panther Creek HS and Enloe Magnet HS. DS and her family go to church in Apex. It's a Small World After All!

rjones69

02-27-2008, 06:09 AM

Hey that's cool you have some Wake County Students cruising with you. We are Middle Creek High!

mcmckissic@charter.n

02-29-2008, 10:22 PM

Hi there, our family of 5 cannot wait to try out Disney Cruising in only four weeks!! Can't wait. We have three girls: 6, 4 and 9 months...so hoping the two older girls will meet some new friends on the ship! Looking forward to meeting everyone, and we just found this board, how fun!! So, so tired of winter in Michigan!! Looking for some sunshine! Carrie.:)

wayneg

03-02-2008, 01:05 AM

Hi Carrie
Welcome aboard, and Welcome to Dis:welcome:
I think most people have had enough of winter now, we have gone from the snow and frost to very high winds, so much damage around here yesterday. Did any of you hear we had a 5.3 earthquake this week? near to us, I slept thru it:scared1:
Mothers day here today, back to work now, coffee break over. Had a sleep in today until 4am, been 3.15am all week.:scared1:

Deweysgirl

03-02-2008, 07:51 AM

Hi Carrie and Family and Welcome! party:

We are so glad to have you join us! The first time we cruised on the Wonder my girls were about your daughters ages. They had so much fun and met new friends at the club and just had a fabulous time. I'm sure you all will have a blast!

Wayne - Good Luck today!! :wizard:

4 Weeks to Go! Whoop-Whoop!! :cool1:

SueNFla

03-03-2008, 02:45 PM

Hi ya'll. I haven't posted in a while, but wanted to welcome all the new folks on board. I'm interested in the meet & greet, so include me and my daughter in the plans. This is our 2nd Disney cruise and my daughter just loves the camp. She's 7 and I won't expect to see much of her for 4 days.

SueNFla

03-06-2008, 06:42 PM

I got my cruise docs today and my cabin assignment...anyone else???

wayneg

03-06-2008, 07:03 PM

I got my cruise docs today and my cabin assignment...anyone else???

Lucky you, been expecting ours any day now. 2 weeks and 1 day to work now. Getting so close.:goodvibes

LostGirls

03-07-2008, 03:27 PM

wayneg

03-07-2008, 03:48 PM

SueNFla

03-07-2008, 06:35 PM

Sue, thanks for the "heads up". I can now begin to stalk our UPS driver! :lmao:
We have been SO sick with the flu - I was down for 6 days, my DD 10 missed 3 days of school and my DD 6 missed 5 days! Hubby came down with it the night before last. We are SO ready for some sunshine!!!

I was just emailed by my TA after advising her that I had happily received my docs from Disney. She said she was shocked, because normally they don't send them out until 2 wks prior to sail date. Keep that in mind for those waiting for the man in brown UPS

nisiemouse

03-08-2008, 07:46 AM

Sue, thanks for the "heads up". I can now begin to stalk our UPS driver! :lmao:
We have been SO sick with the flu - I was down for 6 days, my DD 10 missed 3 days of school and my DD 6 missed 5 days! Hubby came down with it the night before last. We are SO ready for some sunshine!!!

Welcome to everyone who is new. I haven't posted in awhile. Things have been crazy lately. Dh, ds10, and myself have all been so sick as well. Our 2 year old refrigerator quit working this week. Thankfully it was fixed yesterday.
We have 6 inches of snow here in Ky. We got our documents yesterday as well as the other two families we are traveling with. It is hard to believe we are so close.:)

LostGirls

03-11-2008, 12:25 AM

We received our docs today. No upgrade :confused3 (Just a tad disappointed because we did get an upgrade last time - guess lightening doesn't strike twice!) :goodvibes
I really hope we all can stay healthy and get there - while everyone in our family is now vertical, there were 11 kids out sick in DD 6's class today! That is like an epidemic! Yuck!

wayneg

03-11-2008, 05:11 AM

They tried to deliver ours yesterday, left a note saying they will try again today. Unfortunately we are both out all day again. Left a message on door for them to bring to my store or ring me, I can be there in 2-3 minutes. Lets see what they do.
I checked online last night, no upgrade for us either. Only got upgrade on our 1st cruise, never since, don't mind though we only used the verandah once for about 10 minutes all 4 nights.
11 days from now we will be on our way to the airport.:banana:

Deweysgirl

03-12-2008, 06:54 PM

No upgrade for us either. Sailed 4 times and never an upgrade. I am completely happy with what we booked though, like Wayne said, I don't think we'll miss the verandah.

Good luck to those of you still waiting..:wizard:

Hope everyone is feeling better soon! :goodvibes

wayneg

03-12-2008, 07:22 PM

They re-delivered yesterday. Left them with a neighbour. Filled them in this afternoon. Also been printing and laminating our door magnets.
Just deciding which bottle of bubbly to have waiting for us in our cabin now:goodvibes
Pic below what I ordered on last cruise

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/Disney%20Cruise/OrlandoOct200564-1.jpg

newfie123

03-13-2008, 07:41 PM

I have been looking for a thread for our cruise for over a week now with no luck, please post a link if there is one already started.
This will be our 4th Disney cruise, 2nd on The Wonder.
There will be myself(Wayne), DW(Karen), DS(Mathew, 13) and DS best friend(Daniel, 14)
2 inside Cabins on Deck 5. Had verandah last time we sailed on Wonder but was a waste, never used it.
Anyone else?:goodvibes

Myself (Bev), DH (Troy), DD (Victoria, 14) and DS (Adam, 9). We are category 10. 1st time on a Disney Cruise. We are so excited but have no idea what to expect. Hope there is lots for teens to do.

wayneg

03-13-2008, 08:11 PM

Welcome Bev and Family.:welcome:

Looks like a lot of teens on this cruise so hopefully they will all have a great time, our Son will but he has been on 3 Disney cruises before so knows what to expect.

Just had a look this evening, only cat 5 rooms showing. Maybe it is going to be a full cruise.

newfie123

03-13-2008, 08:29 PM

Thanks for the welcome. We are in the middle of a major snow storm here in Newfoundland. We have about 40 cm now and looks like another 15 - 20 more coming over night. Everything shut down. Winds are about 100 kms/hr. We are so looking forward to sunshine after today.

We are leaving on the 21st and going to Disney Pop Century for 5 nights, Hard Rock at Universal for three nights and then we have one night before the cruise. Not sure if we should head to port canaveral and stay in a hotel there before the cruise.

wayneg

03-13-2008, 08:46 PM

We never get snow like that anymore, we used to when I was young (30+ years go:scared1: ), it was here for weeks but recently we just get a covering and goes again within hours.

We always drive over to the port on the morning we sail. Get up, have breakfast and get to port for doors opening.

Soon be seeing these:)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/Disney%20Cruise/OrlandoOct2005120.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/Disney%20Cruise/FloridaOct05109.jpg

And my Fave dessert.:cloud9:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/Disney%20Cruise/Cheesecake.jpg

Holly Harbor

03-13-2008, 09:51 PM

Glad to see that there are two more in that age category that our grandkids can meet. My whole family thinks that I am BONKERS because of all the time I spend on these boards "educating" myself...and for their benefit too, I might add! They have eleven more school days and work days before we head south and they are starting to count the days as much as I am. DH and I are just blessed to be retired! DGD (10) has helped me with some t-shirts and magnets. The teenaged grandsons mostly fantasize about playing basketball high up on the ship.

Today the temperature here reached 76 degrees under a beautiful Carolina Blue sky; but we're not ready to say that Spring has arrived. You folks who are still fighting snow, I feel your pain. I like maybe one four-inch snow per winter. This year we've only had a couple dustings, but at least no ice storms. We are all ready for the Caribbean!

When our documents came this week, I decided I'd keep them with me until we get to Country Inn and Suites at Port Canaveral. DS and DD will have enough to do getting themselves and kids ready and dogs to the kennel. I'm trusting that they can remember their passports!

See You soon:goodvibes

newfie123

03-14-2008, 12:52 PM

My kids are looking forward to meeting your grandchildren. Finally stopped snowing here. :banana: You wouldn't believe the amount of snow we have. My friend sent me a picture this morning. When she opened her front door, all you could see was an imprint of her door in the snow. Her whole entrance was covered in. :scared:

We are counting down the days now. Three more work days for me and four days of school for the kids.

I am spending too much time on this chat line as well. What are these magnets that everyone is doing?

Holly Harbor

03-14-2008, 03:37 PM

Bev, your description of your friend's snowed-in entryway reminds me of the picture that has circulated the Internet of a guy in the same situation. When he opened his door you could see that he was using the snow as a refrigerator to cool his drinks. He had inserted them horizontally and all you could see were the bases of the bottles.

About the magnets: On the Disney Cruise Line Forum there is a thread "What does your magnet look like?"...or something like that. It has 184 pages on it; so you might say it has been pretty popular through the years. It's probably on page 3 or 4 of the forum now. Some folks like them, some don't. I had fun doing them for the doors of our three staterooms. I figure it will make it easier for the younger kids to find their room. I want to warn you, it can be addictive. Oh well, I'm still trying to decide what I'll be when I grow up.

Jackie

wayneg

03-14-2008, 05:43 PM

Hi everyone, gone thru all the posts and put all the info on my website, I am hopeless at remembering names so this is easiest way for me, If I have anything wrong or you want anything adding or taking away let me know.
Sorry if I have missed anything. Its bottom link on left of my homepage.
http://www.astersflorist.co.uk/

This was our door with magnets Oct 2005. I have done something similar for this trip.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/wayneg1/Disney%20Cruise/OrlandoOct200598.jpg

Deweysgirl

03-14-2008, 06:15 PM

Welcome Bev and Family! :welcome:

Wayne those chocolates and bubbly look wonderful! My folks are celebrating onboard, their anniversary is April 1st and I would like to surprise them with somethng like that, where do I go to order it?

Your door magnets look great! I hope I have enough time to get something together for our doors too. :goodvibes

Jackie - thanks for the magnet info, I'm off to find that page...:surfweb:

newfie123

03-14-2008, 06:36 PM

wayneg

03-14-2008, 06:38 PM

Wayne those chocolates and bubbly look wonderful! My folks are celebrating onboard, their anniversary is April 1st and I would like to surprise them with somethng like that, where do I go to order it?

Can't see the chocs this year :confused3 http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/en_US/myCruise/giftsLanding?name=AmenitiesAndGiftsLandingPage
This is what Disney provide but there is also the store Shirley owns, she is a Dis member http://theperfectgift.cc/ You have probably come across her on here sometime.

nisiemouse

03-14-2008, 06:44 PM

Welcome Bev and family!:) I have a dd 14 and a ds 10. We are also traveling with neighbors who have a dd 13 abd a ds 10. Another family has a ds 11 and a ds 8.
We had snow last weekend but only 5 inches. Looking forward to the sunshine. Dh just said he is not bringing any warm clothes no matter what.:)

wayneg

03-14-2008, 06:52 PM

Wayne, your magnets from 2005 look fabulous:cheer2: I showed them to Adam and now we are off to walmart for supplies.

I also looked for those chocolates on the disney gifts site but didn't see anything similar.

Thank you.
Just updated the info page, I missed Victoria and Adam's names. Have a look and make sure your info is now correct.
www.astersflorist.co.uk

yup no chocs:mad:

newfie123

03-14-2008, 06:55 PM

Hi Denise,

I just went on Wayne's website and it looks like alot of kids around the same age. I just started packing my clothes and I am trying not to take warm clothes but I am having a hard time not putting in all my warm sweats. Hard to believe that this time next week I will be in Florida. :yay:

wayneg

03-14-2008, 06:58 PM

Welcome Bev and family!:) We had snow last weekend but only 5 inches. Looking forward to the sunshine. Dh just said he is not bringing any warm clothes no matter what.:)

Had email from my Brother this evening, he has been in Orlando for conferences this past week, says he will be glad to get home, no sunshine all week. He does not like theme parks so he went for work and sunshine, at least he will have got more work done than he expected.:goodvibes

nisiemouse

03-14-2008, 07:55 PM

Wayne,
Thanks for making the list on your website. If you get a chance could you add my ds 10 (William) to it? dd 14 is named Elizabeth. My dh's name is Chuck. We are getting to be a large group so it is a big help.:)

Bev and Wayne,
It looks like you guys will be the first to arrive in Orlando. You will have to report in if you can.

Denise

LostGirls

03-15-2008, 12:01 PM

Wayne, thanks for putting the list together. It was fun to see all the ages of the kids - my girls were excited to see that, yes, there would be kids their age (they are so funny!) :goodvibes Am looking forward to meeting all of you!! Pray for good weather!!

wayneg

03-15-2008, 07:22 PM

Updated names. I knew I would miss someone, Sorry William:goodvibes

We have had so much trouble the past 24 hours trying to sort Daniels cruise docs. With his Parent or Legal guardian not cruising there is a form to fill in and signed, then witnessed by a Notary Public. We rang DCL for info, they said a bank would be the place to go. Not in UK, eventually we have found somewhere it can be done but its a lot of hassle (no idea on cost).
Can't believe we can take him to US and back with no problems but to go on a 4 day cruise its difficult. We don't have this hassle to get passports in UK, they only have to be witnessed by someone who has known you for 2 years can be dentist, doctor, funeral director, list is endless.
I think its very extreme for a cruise but has to be done.
7 days from now we will just be landing in Orlando:banana:

Deweysgirl

03-15-2008, 09:57 PM

Wayne, good luck getting all of that sorted out, I think it's so nice that you all let your son have a friend travel along, my DD is just getting of the age where she is starting to ask if her friend can go EVERYWHERE we do, I feel like I have a newly adopted daughter!! Lol!!

Well, I can't believe we are finally getting down to the last week or two. :goodvibes We are already thinking about re-booking another cruise while we are onboard to get the onboard room credit and 10% discount.

Anyone else thinking of rebooking yet? It's so darn addiciting! :rolleyes:

mcmckissic@charter.n

03-17-2008, 07:10 AM

Wayne- That was SO great of you to put that list together of everyone's names and ages etc. Our girls are Cassidy (6), Gabrielle (4) and Emily (9 months) We are Carl and Carrie and too old to list our ages, HA! Looking forward to seeing everyone in less than two weeks! We leave this Thursday, we are driving from Michigan to Marco Island, then over to the cruise, YAY!

I love your door magnets, this is our first Disney cruise so I am so ignorant to everything, where do you get the cool supplies to make them? Thanks Wayne. I think our girls would be SO excited if we made them some magnets for the door! Is cruising Disney really as great as everyone is raving about? We have done RCCL and Norwegian in the past and loved it. How often do people get motion sickness? I was thinking about getting some Dramimine or something from the Dr. Thanks again! Cannot wait! It has been the longest winter ever here! See everyone soon...Carrie.:cool1:

wayneg

03-17-2008, 07:44 AM

Will update names tonight.:goodvibes
Done 3 Disney cruises no motion sickness. Done 1 RCCL (Sovereign of The Seas) and I was not good:sick: bought something onboard which helped (Bonine?) I think Disney ships must have a much better stabalising system.
For the magnets just messed with Microsoft Word, printed laminated and cut the shapes then bought self adhesive roll of strip magnet. this is a large roll, but we bought a small one http://cgi.ebay.com/MAGNET-MAGNETIC-TAPE-STRIP-ROLL-100-WITH-ADHESIVE_W0QQitemZ180223023050QQihZ008QQcategoryZ2 8103QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you like Disney parks then you will love Disney cruising. Soon find out:goodvibes

SueNFla

03-17-2008, 10:07 AM

Hey Wayne,

Thanks for the great list.

Please add my DD name is Rachael.

Did I miss any information on a place and time for the meet and greet?

This is going to be so much fun. On our other cruises, the "group" decided to wear beads or lei's on board so that we could identify one another more easily.

Holly Harbor

03-17-2008, 11:58 AM

Wayne: Thanks for compiling a list of folks on this thread. I had been writing some of that info on a notepad with intentions of doing the same thing. Thanks for saving me the trouble. I do have a DGS who is 6; but to include him you'd have to widen the field. That's what we get for bringing eight grandkids!

Carrie: Wal-Mart, Target, and some office supply stores carry Avery Magnet Sheets (#3270) that will feed through an ink jet printer. You'll find so many ways to use them! Just don't use good scissors on those thick sheets when you cut out images.

Just think, two weeks from today we'll be in Nassau.:cool1:

Jackie

wayneg

03-17-2008, 02:48 PM

Did I miss any information on a place and time for the meet and greet?

This is going to be so much fun. On our other cruises, the "group" decided to wear beads or lei's on board so that we could identify one another more easily.

I have meet down for 3pm at Goofy pool (sure thats what I read in previous posts) unless anything else is decided. Please don't have me wearing beads, just look on my website for pics of me, you can't miss me.:lmao:

Updated names. Anything else needs adding or changing just shout out, it only takes seconds to do. www.astersflorist.co.uk

wayneg

03-17-2008, 08:15 PM

Looking good for Toy Story, guests on March 20th should be 1st to see it:)

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2008/03/curtain-almost.html

newfie123

03-17-2008, 09:26 PM

I can't believe it is only four more days. Well guess what's happening here in Newfoundland again tonight and tomorrow. Yes, another major snow storm. Another 50 cm coming. Kids will be off school again tomorrow. I hope it stops snowing soon so I can get off the island on Friday.

We took the advice on Comfort Suites at Nassau (I believe Liz mentioned it) and booked it tonight. It is a fabulous deal for $199 and all four of us can use Atlantis Aquaventure Park. This is alot cheaper than booking it through Disney Cruise. I hope it all works out o.k. We did call the hotel directly to make sure it was all on the up and up. They said we would have full access to the park.

See everyone soon!:flower3:

Deweysgirl

03-17-2008, 10:03 PM

Looking good for Toy Story, guests on March 20th should be 1st to see it:)

Yay!! I'm so excited, sure hope we are one of the first to see it!
:jumping1:

We took the advice on Comfort Suites at Nassau (I believe Liz mentioned it) and booked it tonight. It is a fabulous deal for $199 and all four of us can use Atlantis Aquaventure Park. This is alot cheaper than booking it through Disney Cruise. I hope it all works out o.k. We did call the hotel directly to make sure it was all on the up and up. They said we would have full access to the park.

We are really looking forward to Aquaventure too! :beach: Sorry about your cold weather :cold: but you will be in Florida very soon, just to get you a little excited, it was sunny and 80 degrees here today! :sunny: Not much longer now! :woohoo:

mcmckissic@charter.n

03-18-2008, 10:09 AM

newfie123

03-18-2008, 07:17 PM

Hi there Bev and Family, We too booked the Comfort Suites for the $199/night to have full access to the Atlantis Water Park. Someone mentioned this and it sounds like a great way to save some dollars! They even said we can check in at like 9 a.m. to get our wristbands if we want to to use all of the activities... Cannot wait! Hope that it all works out OK! See you all on the ship...take care only a few more days! Carrie:cool1:

We were wondering if we could check in early and get our wristbands. That's great.

Does anyone know if you can change your dinner seating when you get on the cruise? The early sitting was all taken when we booked. I believe I read somewhere that you can put in a request when you board. We are not used to eating that late but maybe that will work out o.k. on the cruise.

SueNFla

03-18-2008, 08:54 PM

I can understand that booking Comfort Suites in Nassau is a great idea for families, but for just me and my daughter, we heard back from Atlantis directly and they will sell a day pass for $105 for adults and $75 for kids 4-12. That would be cheaper than booking a room, unless I can find another party of 2 that wants to split it and then we'd really save. Definitely is cheaper than paying the excursion price.

Is it time to go yet???

SueNFla

03-20-2008, 09:27 AM

Deweysgirl

03-20-2008, 06:45 PM

Hi Sue, I was reading a recent trip report from a lady who recently went, I will post the question for her as I would like to know as well. One thing I did read on a post is these people asked at the shore excursion desk if the bus wasn't full taking the people who booked through Disney over to Atlantis could they tag along and use Disney's transportation even though they booked on their own and they told them no problem if there was room, so they met up with the tour at the meeting time and were able to ride over with Disney's excursion at no cost to them, I guess it doesn't hurt to ask.

I will go post your ? over on her trip report. It's a great report and she has tons of pics of Aquaventure...It's called "The adventures of Mom's Booty" 10/4 Wonder, it's on the first page on the cruise trip report forum.

Deweysgirl

03-20-2008, 08:48 PM

We were wondering if we could check in early and get our wristbands. That's great.

Does anyone know if you can change your dinner seating when you get on the cruise? The early sitting was all taken when we booked. I believe I read somewhere that you can put in a request when you board. We are not used to eating that late but maybe that will work out o.k. on the cruise.

Yes, you can request a change but get in line early. Ask about this when you are checking in but usually a line forms at Wavebands and they start taking dining change requests at 1pm.

kkoelr

03-21-2008, 01:59 PM

Thank you.
Just updated the info page, I missed Victoria and Adam's names. Have a look and make sure your info is now correct.
www.astersflorist.co.uk

Hi everyone! I haven't posted in awhile, but I do lurk...;)

I saw the link that contains family info... the kkoeler's are: Kelly (DH, that would be me), Nancy (DS), Becky (DD, 12) and Kyle (DS, 9). This will be our 3rd year in a row doing the Disney Cruise. We all look forward to this - especially today as we are experiencing a "spring" snowstorm in Chicago right now.

wayneg

03-21-2008, 07:55 PM

Updated Kelly (and family) :thumbsup2
We leave for Airport in about 10 hours so no more updates after that unfortunatley, any left in next 8 hours I will do before we leave.
Not looking forward to the 9 hour flight but at least there is some warmer temps there. Been out to watch a game of rugby tonight, -1c and snowing stood out in it for 2 hours, I must be mad.
Will try keep an eye on any posts.
Wayne:)

Deweysgirl

03-21-2008, 08:04 PM

We leave for Airport in about 10 hours so no more updates after that unfortunatley, any left in next 8 hours I will do before we leave.
Wayne:)

Wayne, you and your family must be so excited!!! Another sunny and 80 degree day here in Florida....:cheer2:

Look forward to meeting you all at the DISmeet-see ya real soon! :mickeyjum

nisiemouse

03-22-2008, 09:44 AM

Safe travels Wayne.:) We leave next Friday. All the suicases are laid out to start packing.

Denise

Deweysgirl

03-22-2008, 07:39 PM

Has anyone been to Aquaventure before? I'm wondering if there are a lot of shaded places. We are in Nassau and the next day in Castaway Cay. That's a lot of time in the direct sun. I may just take a cab over to Atlantis and purchase a day pass for the water park.

Here is the answer I got from the gal I was telling you about that just got back from aquaventure. Great information!

Hi Liz....
There is lots of shade around the Atlantis grounds...however most of the areas directly near the pools are in full sunlight. There are some lushly landscaped areas around, and as I recall quite a few chairs in partial shade near the Mayan Temple Pool....but in the area immediately surrounding Aquaventure (ie the Current and the Power Tower) is pretty much in direct sun. As I mentioned there were certainly ample chairs and it seemed plenty of umbrellas, however we weren't trying to get one so they may be harder to get than I implied. It may depend on how early you get out there and get set up.....If you can do it by 11 am you should be in good shape but we noticed a huge increase in population by the pools between appx 11 and noon.

As for the Current there is virtually *no* shade...there are little caves you go through but you are traveling pretty fast through those so it would be really hard to linger underneath. There is also shade in the first conveyor area, but again you are moving through, so not a lot of respite from the sun. The long conveyor up to the Power Tower (the one I have a picture of) I remember was *ridiculously* hot b/c you are pretty much out of the water for about the 20 minutes it takes to get through the bottleneck at the bottom and up to the entrance at the lower level of the PT. Once inside the PT you are in shade but we were only inside for about 5-8 mins before getting to the slide itself.

The reflection of sunlight off the water only intensifies the sun's rays, and it can get pretty darn hot, even while in the water. I would certainly recommend a fairly powerful (at least 30 SPF) waterproof sunscreen, and do not hesitate to reapply it after an hour or two. By the time you feel the sunburn on your skin, it is to late and you may be burned pretty bad. I had an OK tan when we went and still got a bit burnt, even though I used sunscreen. It was most uncomfortable the next day at CC, which is your exact concern. As nice as it is to brown up on vacation, it won't be worth the pain and suffering when you are trying to enjoy CC the next day (the ropes of the hammocks on burnt backs....owch! )

And it always bears repeating....hit the Mayan Temple slides first, those lines get so ridiculous by early afternoon, while the Power Tower lines seemed to stay steady (and fairly manageable) throughout the day.

Hope this helps you and have a fantastic cruise!!!

SueNFla

03-23-2008, 06:23 PM

Thank you so much. That is some great information!!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE! Packing starts tomorrow!

Deweysgirl

03-24-2008, 06:45 PM

:jumping1: Let the packing begin! So excited, just think 1 week from today we'll be in beautiful Nassau soaking up the sun!
Woo-Hoo! :banana: :cool1: :yay: :cheer2:

nisiemouse

03-24-2008, 07:29 PM

It is 44 degrees here and we even had snow last night. I can't wait although I wish I was a little farther along on the packing. It will get done though.:)

Disney Fanatics R Us

03-24-2008, 07:46 PM

:banana: It has been awhile since we posted. Wayne- thanks for making the list of everyone. That is great-I know you are already in Florida but hopefully you will see at some point. Welcome to all those who have joined since we last posted. I'm looking forward to the Meet.... Goofy Pool at 3 PM..

We leave Friday. Packing has started as I am out of town for work for a couple of days and knew I needed to start early. Our son has returned to college from his spring break and I'm not sure he will ever forgive us for going on a cruise without him... but that's the way it goes sometimes.

We are still getting snow. Had a dusting on Easter morning and it has still been cold(30's)... all designed to make sure we enjoy this trip.:dance3:

wayneg

03-26-2008, 12:19 AM

Hi everyone, had a few days in Florida now. When we left UK on Saturday it was snowing as we took off:) had great weather in MGM on Sunday then Monday in Seaworld and today in Islands of Adventure and Magic Kingdom was a lot cooler, had to wear fleeces, hopefully start warming up again now.
Very surprised with low crowd level in MGM Easter Sunday but other 3 parks yesterday and today were crazy, what I expect for Easter.
EPCOT tomorrow:goodvibes

driver

03-26-2008, 02:51 PM

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Goofy Pool on Sunday! Safe travels to all.

It's almost here!! :banana: :cool1: :thumbsup2

Deweysgirl

03-29-2008, 07:01 AM

Today will be a busy one! I wanted to post 1 last time before we leave. It's been a pleasure chatting with you all and we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the goofy pool. Wow, that feels weird saying "tomorrow"!! :banana:

Happy Trails to everyone!!

dan394

04-03-2008, 05:32 PM

The cruise was great! All the shows were great and I was at the DISmeet with wayneg. Here are some pics:

The Disney Wonder!
http://i25.tinypic.com/2j48sie.jpg

The Wonder again!
http://i26.tinypic.com/6jhbug.jpg

The Wonder with the Flying Dutchman!
http://i31.tinypic.com/2vmd2xh.jpg

diswonder529

04-03-2008, 09:00 PM

i had fun on the cruise! does anybody have myspaces or anything with pics if so post the url to them

SueNFla

04-04-2008, 12:23 PM

i had fun on the cruise! does anybody have myspaces or anything with pics if so post the url to them

Hi everyone,

I have myspace: it is http://www.myspace.com/suen0724

I don't have photos up, but will post them soon.

On the last evening of the cruise, I received an invitation in my cabin from Rachel, the Cruise Director. We were to go to Studio Sea at 9:45. We went there and had a seat. No one was there. We were scared. Soon a lady came in and started locking the doors. She walked up to us and said to my daughter, "you must be Rachael". She said yes and said "wait right here". Next thing you know, every character filed in one by one for a private personal character meet and greet. WOW. How awesome. What a surprise. Sure was MAGICal and WONDERful.

For those who went to Aquaventure, I'd be interested to hear whether your experience was worth the $$ or not.

Thanks

Great meeting all of you and enjoyed running into you throughout our journies.

SueNFla

04-04-2008, 06:10 PM

THIS IS WAYNE AND THE BOYS

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa44/SueN0724/wayne/disneycruise047.jpg

dan394

04-05-2008, 08:31 AM

Me in the middle!!!
LOL

Deweysgirl

04-05-2008, 04:59 PM

Welcome back to all of you who have returned from the cruise. We just got home today. I was not able to make it to the DISmeet and I was very disappointed. We drove in to Port Canaveral from the Tampa area on Sunday and we got lost!! We took the exit off of I-4 and thought we were on 528. No idea how we ended up on 417 and went way too far north and had to back track down 417 to 3 to 528. By the time we parked the car, got the luggage on board and checked-in they were already closing down the lunch buffet. We were so tired and disgruntled, we went to the safety drill then back to the cabin and collapsed.

Sue, how exciting for your daughter!! That was a true magical moment! We went over to Atlantis and went to Aquaventure. Yes, we thought it was well worth it. We took a taxi to Comfort and checked in. Got our tickets to pick up our wristbands next door at Atlantis. It was a short walk over and once there we stayed in the lazy river just about all day. There were so many slides and things to do that one day could not cover it all. We really enjoyed it and would do it again. I would never pay what Disney is charging for their excursion though unless it was just two of us, but for our family it was more economical by far to do it on our own.

Hope everyone had a wonderful cruise and vacation!!!