New To Cruzin' - Nov. 10-17-07~Part 3, after a long break

[buf68]

Hey everyone! I've been around the dis for awhile, but this is my FIRST DCL trip report. That's because this is our FIRST cruise, that's right, we've never cruised ever ever ever before.

My love of disney has been pretty much my whole life, but DH only learned to love it when we got married. He had never been to disney until our honeymoon! We spent a week with the mouse then and he's hooked :p

The Players on our Trip:
Me (Mary, 23)
DH (Jeremy, 24)
DMum (Cheryl, 44)
DSis (Rachel, 11)


So a little background on why we're cruising. DMum has always wanted to go on a cruise. In May of this year (2007), DDaddy passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) at the age of 45. In the limo on the way to the cemetary DMum says to DSis "we are going on a cruise....a DISNEY cruise....we need to get away". Later DMum decided that DH and I would go as well to keep them company.

We speak with a travel agent (also a friend at church) and decide that a 7 night Eastern Carribean cruise would be best for us. We also decided that AFTER hurricane season would be ideal. Thus, it is set, we will leave dear sweet michigan and head for orlando florida on November 9th, 2007. Then spend that day in the Magic Kingdom, and spend the night at CBR, then head to the big boat :p

Here's a picture of the whole family from my wedding last year:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/Wedding%20Day/p356.jpg

So it begins, the planning stages. We are a bit divided as DMum is paying for all excursions etc. for Dsis (including using a Disney Visa to get onboard credit for Dsis to use), while DH and I are paying for these ourselves. So far DH and I have an Exotic Rasul booked for Sunday afternoon of our cruise :) and a snorkeling excursion on St. Thomas (Trunk Bay). Dmum has "private time", a pedicure, and a few other spa treatments booked, as well as both semi-subs at St. Marteen and St. Thomas. Sadly we didn't get to the computer exactly at the 75-day mark to book palo :( so i'm going to try to book that asap on the ship. I'd really love for DH and I to eat there, so lets hope.

So onward we go. Thankfully Dmum bought DH and I a nice luggage set (it's like a bright green :thumbsup2 ) so it should be easy packing.....ok, i have to show it off:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/buf68/PICT0200.jpg

Cute huh?

I know we're only a month away, but I haven't started packing yet. DH and I wear our cooler clothes around the house alot. I pretty much KNOW what i'm going to pack, just have to wait for the weather to stabilize here so we can put them "away".

Now I guess I just sit back and try to stay calm. I have a lot to do before we take off. I'm a PhD student so i'm writing my thesis proposal (which is due the day before we leave!!! :scared1: ), plus I'm taking a class where I have an exam next thursday :eek: so it will be an eventful time.

I hope you all stay with me and read through this month and then my trip report. I will try to give interesting info in the next month....:P

Pre-Trip Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21360012&postcount=9)
Overall Impressions (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21835763&postcount=41)
Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21836070&postcount=42)
Part 2: We're getting on the ship! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21881773&postcount=53)

[Babs417]

We will warm the ship up for you , we are on Oct 27. Good start to your report, sorry about your Dad. Way to young.:grouphug:

[buf68]

yeah it's been really hard. The last time I was in WDW with my family (Dmum and sis) was with him on a fairy godmother foundation trip (kinda like make a wish but for adults). He was diagnosed almost exactly 3 years prior to his death. We're all still not handling it the best, but i think the trip will help. Disney just has that magic pixiedust:

[love2travel]

We are on the Magic the week before you. We will leave everything in real good condition for you. Enjoy!!!

[buf68]

lol you better!

FYI, forgot to mention, we are right now in room 2614. It's category 9 on the 2nd deck....hopefully it's a good location (?)

[PurplePrincess4]

Subscribing....

[woody73]

Looking forward to cruising with you.

Woody

[buf68]

thanks woody :) and cheryl too!

I can't wait to go. I need to get away from all the stress around here.

[buf68]

Wow I haven't fallen off the first page yay!

SO not much has been going on in regards to planning/packing. I had an exam today (i'm a PhD student) so now that's a load off my shoulders. I'm still working on my thesis proposal which is due the day before we leave down to florida....so ya, this vacation comes at JUST the perfect time.

Since I don't have much new info, I thought I'd let everyone see a few pictures from my disneymoon :) We had such a great time. I wrote a trip report for that one too I think, i'll have to go back and see if i can find it.

This is the ornament we got in downtown disney. I thought maybe on each of our trips alone we could continue the tradition. Do they have ornaments on DCL? If so I'm totally buying one for our tree :P
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/Honeymoon/weddingornament_small.jpg

Here's DH and I at one of our favorite parks (it was nice just to walk around the world holding hands :p)
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/Honeymoon/Epcotball.jpg

Our first of the disney "cruises"...lol
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/Honeymoon/sassagouladock.jpg

My two best friends:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/Honeymoon/marywithmickeyandminnie_downtown.jpg

And finally a picture my DH took that I adore....
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/Honeymoon/postcardcastle.jpg


i can't wait to see what the disney magic is like when you take it on the road....well not the road, but the ocean :p I am getting very excited.

This list is more for me...I need to start packing!

Packing List:
ME
Polka Dot Suit
Blue/Green Suit
Black/Blue Suit
Brown Suit
Sash Suit
Handkerchief Skirt
Pink and Coral T-shirts
Shorts (few pair)
Capris
PJs
Pirates Shirt (need to buy!)
Red/black skirt
Red shirt (black tank for under)
Black shirt with beading
Tank Tops


DH
Swim Trunks (all 5 pair)
Shirts to go with Trunks
Polos (green, blue, white)
Khakis
New Blue Collared shirt
Old button up blue shirt
Suit (white shirt, red/black tie)

[frdeb1999]

What a beautiful wedding pic! And so sorry about your dad. I think your going to love your cabin location. Deck 2 is great! Hope you have a absolutely wonderful time and can't wait to hear TR! :) :)

[buf68]

Thanks frdeb....

I hope it's a good cabin. I've been secretly praying we get an upgrade, but I think we'll like it no matter what, because honestly, who DOESNT like anything disney :p

[buf68]

So after a few days of EXTREME drama between Dmom and me/DH, we had decided to no longer go on the cruise...

...however, thankfully, drama got settled and DH and I both realized that we really NEED this vacation, and there's plenty of rooom on the boat for us to avoid eachother...


SO we're back on. It took a little prying for DH, but i think he's starting to look forward to it. I think the fact that we have an exotic rasul booked for day 2 of our cruise helped in his decision :)

I'll update more later once i actually get packing. I can't believe I leave 2 weeks from tomorrow!!!:scared1: :banana:

[woody73]

. . . DH and I both realized that we really NEED this vacation, and there's plenty of rooom on the boat for us to avoid eachother. . .
So glad you're back with us. Fortunately its a big ship.

We were on one Disney cruise where our table mates were a family of four and we only saw two of them at dinner on embarkation day, and then at breakfast on disembarkation day. They seldom saw eachother, and at the final breakfast they all said they had the best time ever!

Woody

[buf68]

Yeah, DH needed to be reminded that we would just have to see them when we sleep and maybe at dinner time :p But i think things will be ok. It's just a lot of stress from us still living here (financial reasons) and from the grief process.


I just need to come up with ideas now. I'm not sure if i should even attempt to sew a fish extender (i've never sewed more than a button in my life)....but i was thinking about having DH create some magnet designs, to get him involved....i'll post if i can get him to do that :P

[Midwest Cruisers]

Dont fret about Palo's. We booked our Oct 6th 2007 cruise 2 wks before it sailed and couldnt get reservations online. They only take online reservations for a portion of the restaurant. The rest are booked onboard. Just make sure you make a reservation onboard as soon as you arrive. We reserved dinner on a sea day and our waitor asked if we wanted to dine again. We were placed on a waiting list and ate brunch as well 2 days later. It is pretty easy to get in on the last day as well since many people cancel to pack.

Regarding your other question- yes, they have ornaments as well as magnets and pins galore. Some with dates and many without dates. It is a great tradition to start. Have a great time! We had so much fun we booked another cruise onboard.

[woody73]

Yeah, DH needed to be reminded that we would just have to see them when we sleep and maybe at dinner time . . .
If it's less stressful, another dinner option is to dine at Topsiders.

Woody

[buf68]

That may be an option after the first three nights ( i want to experience all three restaurants)....

Or I wonder if we are really annoyed if we can ask to be sat separately? who knows...

[buf68]

So, about 12 days to go! I'm getting excited. I don't have a thing packed, I should start that this week. I'm so happy, Pam from the Design board made some amazing designs for us :) Check 'em out!!

Hiya


Here are your requested designs :thumbsup2

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j167/patnl1/mary-tink.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j167/patnl1/jeremy-buzz.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j167/patnl1/rachel-ariel.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j167/patnl1/cheryl-name.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j167/patnl1/buf68.jpg

[Phelpsie70]

Hey Buf, subscribing to your report. I highly doubt I will manage to write one myself, so I'll have to live vicariously through you. :) Can't wait to meet you on our cruise!

Michele

[buf68]

Thanks Phelpsie


Sadly I'm still having some issues with DH. He keeps saying he's "not going" on the cruise b/c of the issues with DMom....but I keep telling him he's going :p....if only to take care of me. He was scared to go in the first place b/c he's afraid of getting sea sick, so I think he's just using the arguments as an excuse. I'm just going to keep planning like he's going and pack and everything and just wake him up to go and force him into the car and onto the plane :p Unless anyone else has a better idea lol.

[Phelpsie70]

Hey Buf,

You haven't posted in a while, I just wanted to check in to see if everything was okay. Hope all is well. 8 Days left!!

Michele

[buf68]

Hey Phelpsie,
Things are going ok i guess....kinda having some difficulty. DH still doesn't want to go, we've been arguing a lot about it. I still feel like he'll give in, so i'm just going to pack like we are going. It's just so hard because there are a lot of family issues (that i can't really go into on here). I'm planning on tonight sitting down with him and showing him what i have planned and getting his input. We might change from doing the trunk bay excursion and just use that money for spa treatments :p DH wants a head/neck massage of some sort, i was suggesting the fragapani scalp treatment to him in order to save cash :p I was hoping maybe Dmom will surprise us with a massage or something, but right now i'm concentrating on getting DH to go, even if he doesn't want to. His exact reasons: 1)Dmom, 2)seasickness and 3)money, even though we don't have to pay for any of it now. 2 is taken care of by bonine, but he doesn't believe it will work *sigh* and i'm not sure how to get him over 1, but i'm trying.

[LAMPSKIES]

Hey Phelpsie,
Things are going ok i guess....kinda having some difficulty. DH still doesn't want to go, we've been arguing a lot about it. I still feel like he'll give in, so i'm just going to pack like we are going. It's just so hard because there are a lot of family issues (that i can't really go into on here). I'm planning on tonight sitting down with him and showing him what i have planned and getting his input. We might change from doing the trunk bay excursion and just use that money for spa treatments :p DH wants a head/neck massage of some sort, i was suggesting the fragapani scalp treatment to him in order to save cash :p I was hoping maybe Dmom will surprise us with a massage or something, but right now i'm concentrating on getting DH to go, even if he doesn't want to. His exact reasons: 1)Dmom, 2)seasickness and 3)money, even though we don't have to pay for any of it now. 2 is taken care of by bonine, but he doesn't believe it will work *sigh* and i'm not sure how to get him over 1, but i'm trying.

Once he is on the ship all will be forgotten!!

Plus you ARE the Eastern sailing prior to ours....sooooooooo we expect a detailed report!!!

[Phelpsie70]

Hey Phelpsie,
Things are going ok i guess....kinda having some difficulty. DH still doesn't want to go, we've been arguing a lot about it. I still feel like he'll give in, so i'm just going to pack like we are going. It's just so hard because there are a lot of family issues (that i can't really go into on here). I'm planning on tonight sitting down with him and showing him what i have planned and getting his input. We might change from doing the trunk bay excursion and just use that money for spa treatments :p DH wants a head/neck massage of some sort, i was suggesting the fragapani scalp treatment to him in order to save cash :p I was hoping maybe Dmom will surprise us with a massage or something, but right now i'm concentrating on getting DH to go, even if he doesn't want to. His exact reasons: 1)Dmom, 2)seasickness and 3)money, even though we don't have to pay for any of it now. 2 is taken care of by bonine, but he doesn't believe it will work *sigh* and i'm not sure how to get him over 1, but i'm trying.


Buf, sorry to hear its been so tough for you the past week. I hope that your talk last night made your DH feel better. As to the seasickness, does he get carsick? I did a trial run with the bonine on a longer car trip and it really did work. You could have him do a trial run in the car to see if it works for him. Just make sure that he takes it according to the directions - I think you have to take it an hour before you travel. As for your Dmom, you don't have to spend much time with her - remind him that he has friends on board besides you - all of us disers! :thumbsup2

I don't have any other advice, but I hope that it all works out. Keep me posted.

Michele

[dduffin]

Hope all is going well. I'm sure once you are onboard things will "magically" work out. Remember, family is important :grouphug: and after all your family has gone through this year, I think it is important for all of you to pull together. I'm sure much of the difficulty has to do with your loss. Try to relax and enjoy the time and also make it special for your little sis, she is awful young to have had such a loss.

Here's hoping everything works out and you all have a great time.

[buf68]

thanks for the support guys. DH decided to not wait for me and head up to his mom's last night for a visit with his sister and her bf....so now he knows what it's like to spend a night without me, he'll refuse to spend a week! lol

I need help!!! I'm packing and doing laundry and packing some more, but i'm not sure which outfit would be better for formal night:
One:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/101_1210.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/101_1207.jpg

OR

Two:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/101_1211.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/101_1216.jpg


PLEASE i need opinions like 2 days ago :p lol

[tidoublegger]

I'd go with the black skirt outfit for formal night and the other for semi formal night! :thumbsup2

[ybells]

I'd go with the black skirt outfit for formal night and the other for semi formal night! :thumbsup2

I like the black & red for formal night also! We are cruising with you all on 11/10 too! I've read about the difficulties you are having, and once you get on the boat I am sure all will be fine. I understand about the familt stuff. My mom passed away 2 years ago and it changed the whole family dynamic. As much as you want to all pull together, sometimes you end up pulling away. But, I am happy to say that after 2 years , things are starting to turn around. So, maybe this cruise will be a turning point for you all.

Only 6 more days! See you on the Magic!:goodvibes

:cheer2: Me (34) :woohoo: DH (34)
princess: DD (7) pirate: DS (3) :angel: DS (5 months)

[buf68]

I'm pretty sure now that i'm going to wear the black and red for formal. My semi-formal I already have planned. It's a brown crunchy skirt (aka you can fold it and the more wrinkled it is the better it looks) with a cream shirt with a little knit brown shrug over it that ties with brown ribbon it's really pretty.

DH is bribing me. He's saying if i do this or that for him then he MIGHT go. He's going, even if i have to clunk him over the head and drag him onto that plane! lol

I've got most of our laundry done, so now i just have to figure out what to pack for HIM (he's very stubborn and won't tell me what he wants to wear with what grr!)


I talked to Dmom today, and depending on how the talk with Dsis goes we may just hang around the day we get to MCO. We WERE going to MK, but I told her i'd rather eat at o'hanas and watch the fireworks from the poly (something we've never done before).

I'm watchin the UM vs. MSU game and praying that we can make up 10 points in 7.5 mins, but our lead rusher AND starting QB are hurtin. The QB is limping really badly right now, so it may be up to a freshman to win the game for us *sigh*...7.5 mins to go (i'm a UM alumnus, so i'm praying)

Oh man, freshie is in, fumbles, and our leading rusher was back in so he picked it up and got a 1st down....yay!

[been2marceline]

I'd go with the black skirt outfit for formal night and the other for semi formal night! :thumbsup2

DITTO!!

Looking forward to seeing you in them!

Karen, wife of been2marceline

[Phelpsie70]

DITTO!!

Looking forward to seeing you in them!

Karen, wife of been2marceline

I'm with everyone else, definitely the red/black. See you in less than a week! :banana: :banana:

Michele

[buf68]

So i was thinking through everything, and I really think I've already started to overpack myself! lol

I realized that I have two pretty tank tops that I would probably wear out on a normal day, but then i can ALSO wear them to dinner! lol Tank tops are ok right? Specifically they have pretty beading/lace on the top and bottom that make them stand out. I'd probably end up wearing them with a nice jean skirt, or with my handkerchief skirt, depends on the mood. Maybe I should have DH take some pictures of me in them to show off :p This way I can pack fewer tshirts :p I already have in my head what DH will need, it's just a matter of packing him up and getting him to cooperate. I need him to help me decide shirts he wants to wear with his shorts. I DID get him to answer that his swim trunks will probably be worn every day and that I don't need to worry about packing other shorts :p He has a tendancy to wear them anyways as everyday shorts, so that makes me happy :)

The sad thing is that due to the weather he and i both have a tingle in our throats....but i think i'm going to go get some vitamin C candy and make us both wolf it down to boost our immune system. It could just be that we both drank a little last night, sometimes that makes us both feel this way :p

[Lauri]

Just wanted to say that I'm enjoying your pre-cruise report. You said on our cruise thread that we're not stopping by to visit, so I just wanted to let you know that we are here. Look forward to seeing you with your HAPPY family in 6 days.

Lauri

[buf68]

lol thanks lauri. I knew some people were around, but wanted to post our picture for those that didn't stop by and say hi :P

[buf68]

HEY! only a few days to go! I'm so excited. We are just days away now. I still need to pack like a bagillion things, but my proposal is done and I just have to edit it a little. I still have class tomorrow, but that's super easy. I'm so excited!

Ok, so the other day at this hallmark store I saw this webkins animal that looked EXACTLY like my puppy. I told DH and he bought it for me! He just gave it to me today. I'm so excited. She's goign to travel with us ont he cruise and we'll be sure to take some pictures of baby gracie on the trip :p here she is with her big sister and mommy:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/101_1251.jpg

and here she is on our desk so you can see her better:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/101_1252.jpg

aren't they adorable?!

Only 38 hours and we'll be on our flight to Florida!

[LAMPSKIES]

Going to be following the trip report.....the eastern prior to ours!!

[LAMPSKIES]

O.K.....now you all at port....how bout that trip report!!!!

[LAMPSKIES]

Wheres the report??

[buf68]

sadly i had like NO internet access on the ship (it cost far too much!) We just got in really late last night so i'm going to start pulling stuff off my camera and putting things together to start writing. Sorry I couldn't get on here to start it during the cruise lamp!

[frdeb1999]

Can't wait to hear how the trip went!! ;) popcorn::

[buf68]

Ok, I guess we can get started. As this was my whole family's first cruise, we were totally fresh. We had high expectations (mostly from the Disboards) and they were either met or exceeded.

I thought I might start this out with our mini reviews of some things:

First, the food/waiters. AMAZING. We had the #1 rated duo on the ship (Subhash from India and Gi Gi from the Phillipenes. They were amazing. they did everything they possibly could to make sure we were happy. We actually got to talk to them quite a bit and found out that Subhash has been working with disney cruise for 9 years and Gi Gi for 5. Subhash only has till january and then he's going to finish his MBA and retire from DCL :( That will be a great loss to the company as he is just amazing. Gi Gi is on her vacation now and headed home the same day we did to be with her 4 year old son. She was an amazing assistant waitress and she will be back after her vacation I believe.

Staterooms: Though smaller than a hotel room, they were actually quite nice. We loved the dividing curtains (though they didn't quite close ALL the way). The TV was nice, but a bit small. The split bathrooms were quite nice to have, and thank god for the disboards b/c the over the door shoe holder was a godsend! Our stateroom Hostess was Sara from Thailand, and she was very nice too (and a little talkative :p).

Kids programs: my sister loved them, and in fact, was with them a majority of the time on the ship. She was really sad to leave.

Vista Spa: I couldn't say more good things about them, and later in the trip report you will know why.

Cruise Staff: Fun and hilarious. Trent and DJ Mike were the ones we interacted with the most, but everyone of them were just amazing, i don't know how they keep going like that day after day.

Ports: St. Marteen ~ a little dingy
St. Thomas ~ Gorgeous, really beautiful
Castaway Cay ~ better than all the rest. It was simply amazing to be there. The only issue we had was that 1)serenity bay (the adult beach) wasn't very serene, it was very windy and shelly. and 2) a few people were smoking right on the family beach and it ruined the beauty of the moment a few times.

Anyways, those are just quick overviews. I plan on writing Part 1: Day 1 at CBR later tonight (yes i know, not on the ship yet, but we'll get to it :p)...but first i need to upload some pictures to photobucket.

[buf68]

To recap:

The players: Me ~ 23 years old disney fan
DH ~ 24 year old QT :p and new disney fan
Dmom ~45 years old (birthday on debarktion day)
Dsis ~ 11 year old tomboy
Baby Gracie (BG) ~ 14 month old puppy...with us in webkins form

Like I've said before, this was our first cruise and was a much needed getaway after losing our father six months ago. Oh, and I love pictures, so this report will probably be picture heavy...sorry :p

Ok now that that's out of the way, lets get on with the story....and how do those stories start again?....oh yeah...

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away....called michigan. We woke up the friday before our cruise at 4 am!!! Our flight was out of a small town airport at 7, so we had to be out the door by 5. We had a taxi van take us to the airport, which was really nice. Thank God it was a smaller airport, because that meant NO lines at security and plenty of seating to wait for our plane. Even baby gracie was excited:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1253.jpg
Can you tell?

We saw our small plane pull up (not tiny, but smaller than some that i've been on) and got really excited.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1255.jpg

It was a nice quiet flight. DH was excited b/c the plane had XM sattelite radio, and baby gracie was excited about getting free pop on her first flight ever!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1258.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1257.jpg

We landed at about 9:30 or 10 (it was hard to remember). After taking that lovely monorail ride at MCO, we headed downstairs to the Magical Express. We had planned to stay at the CBR the night before and taking disney transportation to DCL the next morning. Sadly that was not MY plan (i would have preferred to be immediately transferred down there and stay at a hotel near the cruise so we could be on early, and that is what i will try to stress for our next trip if/when we can afford it).

The ride was uneventful, but as soon as I saw the sign, I felt at ease and at home:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1262.jpg
Once we got to the CBR, of course it was early so our room was far from ready. Dsis wanted to swim, but I suggested DTD instead since it was near lunchtime and I was starving. We ended up going to Mcdonalds in DTD, then playing in the lego store (they were seriously building an 8ft tall lego R2D2, but it was just started). I totally forgot about my camera the whole time we were down there :( it was traumatic. They also had a festival going on where people were doing chalk art on the sidewalk and it was gorgeous! I seriously didn't know someone could do that with chalk. DH also went shopping and found a hat he ALMOST bought...
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1263.jpg but instead he bought me a mickey visor that I wore the rest of the trip.

We went back to CBR and our room still wasn't ready. Dmom and Dsis forgot to pack a bathing suit in their carryons, but i didn't! So Dh and I went swimming in the main CBR pool:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1271.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1270.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1268.jpg

After swimming for awhile, we called and our room was finally ready. Dmom didn't like CBR very much, mostly because our room was kinda smelly and humid! The outside wasn't humid at all so it was really odd. Here's some pictures of our room for those that haven't stayed there:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1265.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1266.jpg
OH! and our first towel animal.....which baby gracie HAD to get a picture with:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%201/101_1264.jpg

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. We got our luggage, and then DH and I changed. We went back to DTD and had earl of sandwich for dinner (totally worth the price!) and then headed over to walk around at the poly. We had planned to watch the fireworks from over there, but it was really quite cold and DH and I were tired, so we went back to the hotel and went to bed. Like I said, not totally eventful in ANY way. The rest will be better :p

Coming Up Next: Day 2 ~ We're off to port canaveral and setting sail!

[nkkilala]

Great start to your trip report!!!

Was that the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek airport you left from??? If so it is literally 1.3 miles from my house! You would have flown right over it...... IF it was AZO!!

I can't wait to hear more!! DH and I are heading for our first DCL trip on Feb 14!

[buf68]

we actually flew out of Flint.

It's normal for us to drive all the way to detroit, but thankfully flint is about 1/2 the distance, cheaper, and WAY less crowded (like seriously, when we got in last night there was one other flight and like no one in the airport).

It would be a bit further of a drive to head over to Kzoo :p

I'm glad you like it so far. I need to upload photos from Day 2 to get them on here and that takes some time. I see you got married in WDW...i would have loved to do that, but it was so expensive! We did get our honeymoon there though (that trip report is linked in my siggy).

You'll have a lot of fun on DCL, we had a great time. And from what i heard from people who were on carnival that week, i would only do DCL for cruising unless it were free :p

[luv2boys]

subscribing

[buf68]

Hey everyone....life has kinda got in the way the past few days but i'm going to work on an update for tonight :) it'll finally be embarktion day :) yay!

[LITTLEKID58]

Tfs

[buf68]

lol i totally don't know what that means littlekid :p i'm sorry :(

[Disney owl]

great start :cool1:

[buf68]

Thanks owl :)

[disneyfaninaz]

lol i totally don't know what that means littlekid :p i'm sorry :(


tfs = Thanks for sharing

[buf68]

Thanks disneyfaninaz....going to start here in a minute, gotta get those day 2 (embarktion day) photos online :P

[buf68]

So, day 2 dawns. We were told to have our luggage ready for pickup by 8am. A castmember was there about 8:10 to pick them up. We sat around for awhile, finally got dressed and went over to Old Port Royale where we basically sat around for 3 or so hours. Like I said before, this was NOT my idea. I had hoped we would immediate wake up and get on a bus and be at the port by the time people were starting to get on the ship. Sadly the bus wasn't ready till noon!

Anyways, we sat around at old port royale, had breakfast etc. DH got bored so he started video taping:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1274.jpg

Dmom, Dsis and I all got tatoos:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1281.jpg

Here's mine up close
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1285.jpg

well, noon finally rolls around and we meet at shutters (the restuarnt, talk about confusing). A few other families are there too. DH chilled with baby gracie while Dmom got our bus passes and KTTW cards:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1286.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1288.jpg

We finally get on the bus and we're off, the movie was cute :p
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1290.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1300.jpg

and as you can see DH is thrilled:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1301.jpg

after awhile I start geting anxious. Every hill we go over I keep thinking "are we there yet?!"....finally, i see it....

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1303.jpg

I actually saw it out of the front of our bus before anyone else. I was just giddy :yay: we were finally there! even baby gracie couldn't believe it
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1307.jpg

We finally pulled into port and I was practically wanting to run off the bus.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1311.jpg

We get out and get into the line for security. I totally forgot that I had 2 batteries in my pocket so of course I get beeeeped at security...i couldn't figure out what was wrong so the guy wanded me and we found the batteries. I saw the "discover uncharted magic" sign and wanted to take a picture....well as I took it was i yelled at :confused3 b/c apparently you can't take pictures in security areas *sigh*
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1312.jpg

We get up the escalator and i'm exstatic...CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!!!!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1313.jpg I was totally praying they'd be up on the ship too so that we could get the picture in front of the tree that i wanted so badly.

we got the obligatory picture by the model (which sadly is on Dmom's camera still) and since we pre-checked in at the hotel the day before (did i forget to mention that?) we could get right on board. Here's baby gracie starting to head through:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1317.jpg

I started getting butterflies in my tummy...we were finally there! We start across the gangway, and well, Dmom and Dsis were a bit ahead of us.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1319.jpg

We start across and then here "welcome the ____ Family!" (with my maiden name!!) I start blushing a ton i'm sure and I shook my head, i said "it's irwin!"....apparently my sister told the dude that we were ____'s too :( oh well.

We headed immediately to the excursion desk. I HAD to squeeze us into the extreme getaway package on castaway cay! Turns out they could squeeze the two of us in, but would have to deliver our tickets later. So we headed down to our room to drop off my laptop and check it out. Dmom and Dsis are already there. Luckily, Dmom gave DH and I the big bed :p we plop the laptop down and head up to topsiders for lunch. It was great, we sat outside and we could see NASA!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1321.jpg

Since we didnt' get to port till like 1:45 (BOOOO!!!!!! :scared1: ) we didn't have long before we'd have to be ready for the muster drill. So we head back to the room after walking around a little and find almost all of DH and my luggage! So I start unpacking like a madwoman. Through the whole thing we keep getting littel knocks at the door and finally all 7 pieces are accounted for (yes, 7 for 4 people :rotfl: ). I got out our door magnets I made and put them up on our door.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1711.jpg

[buf68]

Then, we hear the announcement that our drill will take place in 5 minutes. Of course, Dmom and Dsis take this to mean get your vest on and go....and i'm like NOOOOOOOO i dont' wanna stand in the sun till i HAVE to!....DH finaally pressures me into getting it on and we head up.
again, DH is thrilled....
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1324.jpg
and so is Dsis (whiney butt)
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1325.jpg

Trent, our lovely host for most of the cruise stuff, was our assembly leader. After a few minutes we were finally down and DH and I race back down to the room, grab my backpack and the cameras, and then head up to deck 10 to get a spot for the sailaway party. We were one of the few up there already so we were happy :) I, of course, got myself a sailaway party drink :)
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1327.jpg
and so it began:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1326.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1329.jpg
and then it happened.....WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR!....I seriously had tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe we were actually there!

We raced to the OTHER side of deck 10 (basically 2 steps from the inside to the outside) because I wanted a picture of the castmembers waving :p
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1333.jpg

DH and I stayed up there for quite awhile. He noticed dolphins following us out which was adorable! We were nervous, but so excited too! Oh, forgot to mention, we DID take bonine that morning, but DH refused to take it the rest of the trip and i only took it one other time and we were FINE. So it was wonderful.

Anyways, we headed back to the stateroom to clean up before our show (late late seating = 6:15pm show). Baby gracie watched out the window as we sailed out of port.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1336.jpg

We went ahead and got dressed for dinner and then headed to the walt disney theater to watch the All Aboard Variety Show. We had the story of Jeremy the wannabee sailor boy and the musical comedy of John Charles (ABSOLUTELY hilarious, he can play the guitar, almost any song, and mock the singer, it was so funny) and the "Greatest magician in the world......almost" Rich Purpura who was also quite funny. Then and there DH decided that whenever THEIR shows were we'd be there. After the show we walked down and checked out beat street for awhile. We walked into sessions and no one was in there. But the minute we walked in the piano music started....and ended 30 seconds later. This was to be our running joke with the piano man :p He was really nice. We also headed over to diversions to try to find out who won the UM vs. Wisconsin game (i'm a UM alumnus).....but sadly we missed the score every time we went in there for like 3 days!

Anyways, we headed to dinner at Lumiere's that night. I totally forgot about my camera. But we met Subhash and Gigi our amazing servers and had some really good food. It wasn't my favorite set of offerings, i think i just got the chicken from the lighter fare. After dinner, DH and I changed and then headed back to diversions to try again...we noticed noise coming from Rockin Bar D so we headed over. A game called Magic Quest was about to start, so we joined in. We had number 11. The goal was to bring up your number and another object...and to be creative. Trent was the host (as usual) and it was quite funny. We didn't win, but we were running around and being basically hilarious. We stuck around for Match your Mate just after Magic Quest. Seriously, if you can get picked to be a part of this DO IT. It may be some embarassment (one question was "where was the most interesting place you and your mate "discovered the magic" with an answer being a teeter totter and a church amongst other things) but the prizes are totally worth it. The couple that won was married 35 years and they got a free spa villa alone time! The other couples also got spa treatments for the wives, so seriously, try to participate! They apparently only do this once on the cruise, so DO IT.

We went back to the room and found our towel animal:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%202/101_1342.jpg
I was so happy. We were at sea and without a care in the world.


Coming up next: Part 3: Day 3 At sea, Exotic Ras...ut oh.....

[nkkilala]

Great addition!! I can't wait to hear more!!!

[buf68]

thanks, that one was hard :p lots of pictures. I am a photo freak, i love picture full trip reports :)

[ybells]

thanks, that one was hard :p lots of pictures. I am a photo freak, i love picture full trip reports :)

Lovin your report so far! We were on that trip also. I think we saw you and your DH at Who wants to be a Mouseketeer on night 5. My DD was the first one up to play!

[buf68]

yeah we went to that one night...can't remember which though....maybe semiformal?

if she was the first one up that means she won until the last question right?

[smeecanada]

thanks, that one was hard :p lots of pictures. I am a photo freak, i love picture full trip reports :)

Love your pics. I was comparing some similar ones from our trip in August. What type of camera are you using? We're thinking of getting a new one.

[buf68]

Ours is a kodak easyshare z740. Pretty much just a point and shoot kinda model. It works for what it's worth. I don't even remember how much it cost, DH had it when we started dating.

Anyways, Thanks for the compliments on the pics :p Which ones are similiar?

[yndygo]

Keep 'em coming hon!
So far so GREAT! :)

((hug))

[Blueyed Girl]

Subscribing! I'm enjoying your TR. We have never cruised before either. I'm so glad I found your report from a first timers point of view. I'm trying to learn all I can from these boards. I'm hoping 2009 is our year!;)

[poffles]

Never cruised before either and reading reports like yours only gets me more exicted for my trip which is still almost a year away !!!

Subscribing ... waiting for more. :coffee:

[disneytraceyl]

Can't wait to hear more. Sounds like a great trip. :hippie:

[lillygator]

can't wait to hear more.

[PurplePrincess4]

Buf,

We had Subash and Gigi as our servers too! Subash was great and brought me a shrimp cocktail every night that he could. Gigi was OK and I found it rather funny that on the last morning for breakfast I overheard her say "No one can piss me off this morning!" She was leaving for the Phillipines later that afternoon. I don't think she meant for me to hear...not a very Disney like thing to say! :laughing:

[buf68]

life's gettin in the way again guys. DH and I live with Dmom and she's very very very much a selfish person and thinks since we can't afford to pay her rent that she owns our lives. She's served us with a "termination of tenancy" notice and if we aren't out by Jan 1 she'll "evict" us.....such a wonderful mother right? 400k from life insurance and she can't help a coupla newlyweds who are family and were there helping for a year......oy...on top of that I have classes and my proposal. I'll try to write the next installment this week if i can. It's hard to look at the pictures right now b/c i just want to go back and get away from her and life here....

[gossipgirl]

life's gettin in the way again guys. DH and I live with Dmom and she's very very very much a selfish person and thinks since we can't afford to pay her rent that she owns our lives. She's served us with a "termination of tenancy" notice and if we aren't out by Jan 1 she'll "evict" us.....such a wonderful mother right? 400k from life insurance and she can't help a coupla newlyweds who are family and were there helping for a year......oy...on top of that I have classes and my proposal. I'll try to write the next installment this week if i can. It's hard to look at the pictures right now b/c i just want to go back and get away from her and life here....
Do you have any stage show pics.

[buf68]

no sorry gossipgirl.

Everyone else, i have my proposal tomorrow so tomorrow night i should be update day 2 of the cruise woohoo....maybe even day 3 if you are lucky :p

[Goldeelox9]

LOVE LOVE LOVE your Trip Report!

[naner]

Love your report - hope you are ok!

[buf68]

I just wanted to let everyone know that indeed i am alive and DH and I are ok. I know it's been months and months. We've been through a lot. I thought if it was ok maybe i'd finish this trip report. I think it would be somewhat therapeutic for me. Luckily I remember pretty much all of the trip and I also have the navigators from every day (for scrapbooking), so I should be able to make it through the whole thing. I'm uploading the remainder of my pictures to photobucket, but then i'll start with Day 3 of our trip (day 2 of the cruise).

[buf68]

Sorry again that's it's been so incredibly long coming. I can't believe it's been nearly 10 months since we went.

Anyways, on with the story:

So DH and I woke this day so very excited. We had our exotic rasul planned in the midafternoon and I just knew it would soo much fun! We decided to head up to topsiders for breakfast and on our way up we saw that the christmas tree had been erected!!!

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1344.jpg

It's a little fuzzy, but you get the idea. I was so excited b/c that meant pictures in front of the tree that night in our formal wear woohoo!!! Anyways, we went up to topsiders and got a yummy breakfast and sat by the window looking out at the ocean. Very pretty sight, too bad I only have a picture of the food :p

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1345.jpg

So we walked around the ship in the morning and honestly i'm not sure what we did. If I remember correctly we "rested" in the room b/c my Dsis and Dmum weren't there :love: I do remember in the morning there was an announcement that we would make an emergancy stop that afternoon for a medical emergancy. It was quite suprising. OH yes, now that I think about it, I remember DH and I discovered the wonder of the deck lounge chair on deck 4, and took a "tour" of the walking path on that deck that connects to the other side of the ship. That's also when we learned that the opposite side of the ship from where our room was, was indeed the "smoking" side of the ship.

At any rate, after our self guided touring of the ship, I remember we went back to the room and changed for our exotic rasul. After hearing about it on here I figured it would be a good "date" for DH and I and would be a great experience. DH and I headed up there seperately (i think he got lost on the way) and met at the spa. They had us come in and go to different changing rooms. Here I just took off my bathing suit coverup I had on and tried to put on the robe and flip flops. Let me tell you, those robs are NOT made for bigger women, that's for sure. At any rate, after relaxing on the lounger for a few minutes, a cast member came in and escorted me into the hallway, and then escorted DH and I to the rasul room. I tried to bring extra towels, but she had me leave them outside in the hallway (grr) and we went in. She showed us the different muds and exfoliants and the steam room etc. And then she left. That's when we turned into little kids. I remembered someone had mentioned on the Disboards that the steam room floor can get really hot so I went in there and turned on all the cold water hoses. DH could NOT stand the heat in there to be in there for more than a minute at a time, which kinda ruined the experience already.....and to make matters worse, about 10 mins into everything we noticed the room was starting to flood. So much so that the water was lapping onto the door (which is a good 2 inches or so above the main floor of the room. All the sudden we hear a knock on the door (super embarassing) and i throw a towel around me (now THESE are big towels and fit nicely) and the castmember comes in saying we are flooding into the hallway and we'll have to reschedule. I'm sure my face was 10 shades of red by then. She gives us a moment to rinse and dry off, and then we go back into the hallway where the manager is helping the castmember to sop up the floor. This was SOOOO embarassing! The manager says they'll have to reschedule us, for free of course, and we won't have to pay for this mishap. Sometimes when the ship is stopped (as we were right then for the medical emergancy) the drains refuse to work apparently. Well, I was so embarrassed and I know that DH didn't like the experience anyway, that I asked if we could maybe do a different treatment instead (thinking maybe a manicure or scalp massages)....then the manager says "i think we can book you guys a complimentary couples massage". I about died, seriously. The couples massages are like at least 2X the price of the exotic rasul (and as I'll mention later, WAY better experience in my opinion) :woohoo: . So we agreed to that, and set one for St. Martin day in the late afternoon (which turned out to be perfect timing).

So after that fiasco, DH and I decided to go to the front of the ship and see where we were stopped at. Interestingly enough, I believe it was San Salvador. We got some great pictures of the Life Boat coming back in from the shore. It was really cool to see one of these in use.....

[buf68]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1347.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1352.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1354.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1355.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1356.jpg

So crisis aside, it was really cool that we stopped like that. I heard the gentleman had a heart attack i believe. I hope he ended up ok. :wizard:

So that night was Formal Night. We lazed around the boat and headed back to the room to change our clothing into our formal attire. and then headed to the golden mickeys!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1357.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1362.jpg
After that show, we ended up going just in time for the captain's welcome reception and got our picture taken with the Tree :)

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1360.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1359.jpg

After our pictures, we headed for dinner at Animator's Palate. My little sister all out refused to get dressed up and preferred to spend the evening in the kid's clubs (a trend that started this evening). So it was just DH, me and Dmum at dinner. I loved the show there and how everything went from black and white to colored...and seeing Sorcerer Mickey was awesome too b/c we had a great seating for it!

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1366.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1372.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1374.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1377.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1378.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1379.jpg

ahh the dessert menu, we had some AMAZING desserts that night too....

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1380.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1381.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1382.jpg

And Subhash and GiGi got all colorful!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1396.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1391.jpg

After dinner we walked through the adult corridor, said hi to the piano man in sessions (who assured us, that the piano music just starts as soon as we walk in, and ends when we leave out the door....a common joke we shared throughout the remainder of the nights on board), and then headed back to our room to change for the Adult only cabaret (something we did EVERY night) and found our animals:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1398.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/disneymoon/DCL%201/Day%203/101_1399.jpg
already ready for bed (including baby gracie there).

That night was live music and then the comedic and magical stylings of Rich Purpura. We had a lot of fun with this guy. Pretty much every night I forgot my camera to these things, but here is a picture of him:
http://www.funny-business.com/images/comedians/details_MAG--Rich-Purpura.jpg
he was quite amusing. We danced a bit to the music after the comedy show, but then headed in for bed. We had to get ready for the next day of amazing things to come at sea, including our Disboards wine tasting in the Roy Disney Suite, and twice charmed at night....and much much more!