12/19/2009 - 12/26/2009 Magical Christmas Cruise! It's not that far Away?

[papertraveller]

Have a great trip everyone!
And a word to think about for those of us left behind -- there aren't that many Eastern trip reports, and we'd love to hear about your adventures!

[crystald]

Can someone Pm me the FE list please I can't find it.

[stichlover87]

Can someone Pm me the FE list please I can't find it.

Just sent you a PM with a link to the list.

[stichlover87]

2 more days of work until cruise time :cool1: I haven't started packing yet...this is probably the latest I have ever waited to pack...I just don't feel like packing :confused3 I wish all my things could just show up on the boat :lmao: I should probably start thinking about what to pack. At least my FE gifts are done :woohoo:

[lovesDCL]

Question: does anyone know the times the Disney Cruise Line Bus leaves the airport? We want to be on the 1st one. :banana:

We stayed at the airport Hyatt on our last cruise and took the DCL bus through them and were on the bus around 9am. If you are staying there and using the DCL transfers, when you check in they give you asheet with all the info on what to do with your luggage and where and when to meet for the bus. Hope this helps! :goodvibes

[disneyland255]

We stayed at the airport Hyatt on our last cruise and took the DCL bus through them and were on the bus around 9am. If you are staying there and using the DCL transfers, when you check in they give you asheet with all the info on what to do with your luggage and where and when to meet for the bus. Hope this helps! :goodvibes

Awesome! Thank you for the info. How was the Hyatt?

[lovesDCL]

Awesome! Thank you for the info. How was the Hyatt?

It was so convenient! We didn't have to worry about anything. :thumbsup2

We didn't get to use the pool because we got there after hours but the room was nice, the bed comfortable, and the room service was good too. :)

[disneyland255]

It was so convenient! We didn't have to worry about anything. :thumbsup2

We didn't get to use the pool because we got there after hours but the room was nice, the bed comfortable, and the room service was good too. :)

Awesome! Can't wait to use it!!!

[3DAN]

Well,,,, here it is ,,,,, midnight and I'm here at the office working. I suspect that I have another two hours of work ahead of me tonight. Then,,,, a couple hours of sleep and THEN,,,,,,, you guessed it,,,, MORE WORK!!!!!!!
Of course, that will begin at 6:45AM across town in the downtown Indy area. AND,,,, who needs sleep anyway. Me, you say???? Eye don't thin k so(PS, deliberate attempt to make you think I am sleepy). Where was I? Oh yeah,,, I'm here. AT THE OFFICE. AND IT'S MIDNIGHT!!!!! Not even bananas will make me happy at this point. BUT, never hurts to try.
:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:
Bill

I know I will be sleeping on the plane Friday.

[Pluto,]

well i dont go back to work until jan 4:cool1:
havent did no packing yet got a lot to do leave tomorrow morning staying 1 night in wdw. might go to the parks if i have a day left on a old ticket cant remember if not i will just go to down town disney. i dont want to pay 80 dollars for a 1 day 1 park ticket that i would only be able to use a half a day.

[Peaceableone]

It's our Friday, It's our Friday! :banana::banana::banana:

We leave tomorrow befor the sun is up. Last night my youngest son brought the suit cases upstairs and started packing (how cute is that). Get this, he packed his underwear and socks in the carry on, and everything else in the next size up suitcase. How funny. I'm like, sorry, those things are not going to be carry on :rotfl:.

But, with some laundry to be done today, we are pretty packed up. Aside from the hustle and bustle at work, I think we are good to go!

Like 3DAN said before, I need to check out the dates/times for our meets. They aren't in my mind yet.

Anyone going to buy web acess on the ship? Anyone know what it costs? I'm debating on if I should bring my laptop or not.

See everyone soon!

[disneyland255]

Hey Everyone!

Took the day off and we have been running around doing laundry, cleaning house, buying last minute items, and packing!

Just took some pictures of our FE and wanted to share!

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/6593/img0282.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6286/img0281j.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4968/img0280j.jpg

[lovesDCL]

Hi everyone! We're at the airport waiting to board our flight to Orlando! I can't believe the day finally came!:woohoo: We're sooooo happy to get out of the cold. Hope the Florida weather is nice.

See you all soon! :wave2:

[disneyland255]

Have a safe trip you guys! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY also!

[itutorfortravel]

Hey guys! we made it to st. augustine. staying at a hotel downtown on the bay. the town is really pretty all dressed up for the holidays. tomorrow we pick up step-dd in orlando and head to cocoa beach...can't believe the time has finally come for our Christmas cruise - yea!!!

someone mentioned the meets on the last page...i believe we said 2 pm in the promenade lounge on both saturday and sunday. also, if anyone wants to try to meet in the terminal, we could try to do that around 11 by the ship's model...

[disneyland255]

A meet?? I had no idea. We're going for the first bus so we should be there by 11. We'll try to meet up with everyone while were there. HOW EXCITING!!!!

Glad you made it safely tutor!!!!

[3DAN]

SLEEEEEEEPPPPPP,,,, You bet,,,, I sure am still at the office. HMMMMMM,, Let's see. If I work constantly and the plane leaves at 7AM and I need to be there at least 1 hr before, not including any sales tax on my calculations, then I believe that I will feel like cra# long before any happiness or sleep occurs. Oh, wait , I already feel that way. :rotfl2::rotfl2: Bet you don't know where I am. :rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1 :rolleyes1
Two guesses and the second one doesn't count.
:rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1
TA DAAAAAA
THE OFFICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I'll go and start packing.
TTFN
Bill
See,,, I am getting tired.

[itutorfortravel]

bill, how do you go on so little sleep? night before last i woke up at 2:45 am and couldn't go back to sleep...yes, i was up FOR THE DAY before 3 AM!!...anyhow, i was sooooo tired all day yesterday that i ended up with a migraine by 7 pm. i just don't do too well with sleep deprivation...i wish i had the energy level that you do...i plan to enjoy some much needed rest on this cruise!

[riggins]

Hi guys-
We finally told the kids about the cruise tonight and it was awesome!! I did a scavenger hunt with some clues, but they didn't even suspect what it really was until they got the end. They were so excited!! My 6-year-old was upset for about 20 seconds when she realized she was going to miss her class Christmas party tomorrow, but she got over it quickly. I videotaped it and will try to share it when we get back. It was sooooo worth waiting.

So, we're heading out in the morning. I'll see all of you at the port or in the Promonade Lounge on Saturday.

Safe travels!
-Leslie

[disneyland255]

Oh my gosh! That sounds awesome! I'm so glad your kids were thrilled. I don't know any who wouldn't be. We'll see you on the ship!!!

[robynchic]

I won't be getting any rest until we get in the car to drive down tonight! IEP meetings are done, as are IEPs, I'm feeling much better, and all I need to do is pack the last minute stuff. I can't wait!

[bpescar]

We are leaving for the airport. See you all on ship!:dance3::cheer2:

[lovesDCL]

We made it in! At the Hyatt. We plan on exploring the area a bit while we pick up some last minute items. Travel safe everyone! :flower3:

[stichlover87]

Leaving the house now for the hotel by the port. Safe travels and see you on the ship!

[itutorfortravel]

we're here! getting settled in for the night and anxiously anticipating tomorrow. i can't believe it's finally here!

Leslie, the surprise to the girls sounds awesome! I hope we get to see the video. we video taped our DD in march when she did a scavenger hunt to find out about our april cruise...it's priceless!

[lovesDCL]

Hi Kimberly. Happy to hear you made it there safely! :goodvibes

Why is tomorrow taking sooooo long to get here? Is it time yet? :hyper::hyper::hyper: I'm ready to be on the MAGIC!

[momtomari]

Were here at our hotel near the airport. While I was at the airport in detroit I realized I forgot the fish extender and my sandals. Oh well. Not sure what were gonna do now.

[stichlover87]

Just got home...now to start unpacking :guilty: Thanks for all the great FE gifts and I hope everyone had an amazing cruise! Happy New Year!

[Debs Hill]

:goodvibesWe were supposed to be on this cruise but had to cancel for finanical reasons! Hope you all had a great time. How was the weather?
Debsx

[Pluto,]

:goodvibesWe were supposed to be on this cruise but had to cancel for finanical reasons! Hope you all had a great time. How was the weather?
Debsx

the weather wasnt too bad. we had great weather all the way until wednesday night when we left st thomas the ship was rocking and thursday the ship was rocking a little. we got to castaway cay late than they had trouble docking didnt get cleared to go to shore until about noon. we left castaway at 1730 instead on 1700. we seen the wonder in the morning and when we left castaway the magic and wonder did a sail by. it looked like they were pretty close i was eating in parrot cay at the time. many people wasnt able to enjoy the sail by it was at a bad time supper time and show time for both ships.

[disneyland255]

The cruise was awesome! So sorry you weren't able to make it.

The weather was a little on the warm side with about 50% humidity. One thing my wife and I noticed was that everything was a lot greener this time of the year (as opposed to our March 07 cruise). BEAUTIFUL!

The ship did a ton of rocking during the week. I never am effected buy it, but it almost did me in this time. The ship was very pretty all decked out in Christmas. Christmas music played everywhere. We made ginger bread houses and had tea with the Mad Hatter (VERY FUN).

The only disappointment we had was with the sihp itself. It looks worn down. Things were broken, paint chipping, rust showing, windows dirty, not the Disney shoe were used to. The ship was in better shape 2 years ago than now. My parents, who traveled with us and this was their 1st Disney cruise, were disappointed in the look of the ship.

On the upside, our 17 month old daughter went with us and the cast members were MORE than attentive to our little "princess." It was fantastic!

We also participated in the FE. THANK YOU! to all of you who shared this experience with us! WE LOVED IT! So much generosity and so much fun went into this. We can't wait to do it again! To those of you I met on the ship, I hope we can keep in touch!!! Please PM me if we met. :D

I'll try to post some pictures of our cruise up on here in a day or two (anyone have advice for posting multiple pictures?

[itutorfortravel]

Hi everyone!

We just got home yesterday and now the fun of unpacking and doing laundry begins...

We had a fabulous cruise! The only complaint I had was that once again there was so much I wanted to do and not enough time to do it.

I'm sorry I didn't get to meet all of you, but I enjoyed meeting those of you who I did meet on the first day on board...oh, and it was great timing that I got to meet you Francine as you were delivering FE gifts ;) Leslie, Cynthia, and Shannon I loved running into you guys throughout the trip to say hello and catch up on how you were enjoying yourselves.

The FE gifts you guys gave out were phenomenal! You are one creative (and generous) group of people! :goodvibes Thanks for everything. Both my DD's, especially Morgan, were so excited to find things in our FE throughout the trip. When we were in the room, Morgan kept looking outside every 5 minutes to see if anyone had left something. We will definitely have to do the FE exchange again on our next cruise.

Did any of you rebook onboard? I rebooked my 2011 Dream cruise to be able to get the lower deposit, discount, and OBC. I also put out a dummy date so I'd have another week to move around if something good pops up. I'm thinking it will probably be 2011 before we sail again but you never know!

I hope you all have a good new year! If any of you would like to keep in touch, PM me your email address...I always love chatting about upcoming Disney trips with others who have the same passion!!!

Take care,
Kimberly

[shannonetherton]

You guys were awesome! I just finished going through all of our FE stuff and it was amazing!! peaceableone my ornament is hanging on my desk and it is going to stay there all year long!! I am already planning to make these for everyone next year for gifts!! You guys were great and I am so glad we joined this group! Everyone seemed to really click well and friendships were definintely made. I thought Emily was going to cry when she had to leave Paige and Grace Murphy! They are buds for life! (We are kind of fond of their parents too!) Kimberly I loved seeing Morgan's beautiful red head all over the ship! You guys all looked like you were having too much fun on the adult beach. I am also planning outfits that the chicken can wear on future trips!! That was the first time in six cruises I have stepped foot on that beach!!
I do have to agree about the ship. I noticed the same thing in May but it was worse this time. My husband and I both commented that the Wonder is in much better shape. I know a ship with ten years is going to show some wear but it was really pronounced this time. Mostly in upper deck areas. Oh well it did not matter I was still happy to be there!
We booked a dummy date on the Dream for 2011. I will probably flip it into something sooner. I have a feeling we won't be taking the Med sailing as airfare is just nuts! Oh well there will be others!! Keep in touch!
Shannon

[Peaceableone]

How said it is all over. OMGosh did I have a good time. We didnt plan any excursions, and I think that combined with our trip being seven days, was very relaxing. I didn't feel any pressure. I got to walk, swim, read, have time away from the kids (w/o worries) and time with the kids. I saw my kids acting older and more responsible (whew). Now, it is all over and I'm back to work... dreaming about the next trip.

Everyone.. thanks for all the FE gifts. We received SO MUCH STUFF! I loved the white board and found it so useful. The soaps were so pretty! I love the tea bags (ok, I need to buy those) and the shortbread. The candy was our airplane snacks. We had so much stuff.. we ended up sharing with our neighboring cabins (which we used to introduce them to the FE process..I think they''ll join for their next trip) and we shared with our table companions. We had so much stuff with our 'small' group..I can't imagine what it would be like if it was larger!

Thanks everyone!

[Peaceableone]

Hey, I was wondering.. well, we were..

At the end, we all give those cute envelopes to our servers, etc. I thought I heard something that Disney does not pay them, but that those little envelopes were they salary. Anyone know?

[owensjro]

Hey, I was wondering.. well, we were..

At the end, we all give those cute envelopes to our servers, etc. I thought I heard something that Disney does not pay them, but that those little envelopes were they salary. Anyone know?

The servers and stateroom hosts are tipped positions so while Disney does pay them a small amount (I have heard $50 per week but don't believe I have ever seen anyone be able to prove that) and they do get room/board, they mostly depend on tips.

As for ship condition, the only thing that bothered me was the stains on the carpet. I didn't really notice anything else that detracted from my experience.

I was actually pleased by the overall weather. We've done two January 7N easterns and this was by far the best temperatures and the least rocking we've had.

Thanks to all for the FE gifts. I'm not sure how we managed to miss the meet and greets. I'm sure we saw everyone around throughout the week and just didn't know it :)

Jim

[disneyland255]

Hey All!

Just wanted to throw an update out there...the misses and I are booking our Disney Dream 5 night cruise for June 7th of 2011. If any of you are doing the same let me know as I'd love to keep in touch and maybe be in a new thread for this cruise!

I'm so glad everyone had such a wonderful time on this cruise!! This was our first FE and we absolutely loved it!!! One of the best experiences was when I was talking with some friends we made in Lumieres about whether they were on disboards or not. I mentioned my screen name (disneyland255) and the lady at the table next to them (I think her sn is mermaid something) said "disney255??" I said "yeah?" She knew me from the boards. What a great meeting!

We loved coming to our rooms during the day to check out our FE. It was really special to those who thought of our daughter and got her bibs, onesies, little toys, etc. SHE LOVED THEM!!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!

[itutorfortravel]

"mermaid" is Cynthia...I saw her around the ship all week! She is so sweet :)

We booked the Dream for June 12th, 2011...I didn't think DD's school would be out in time to go any earlier, and when we got home the new school calendar was released, and I was right! The June 12th date is the earliest we could do the Dream in the summer, so I'm glad I booked it. It would still be fun to keep in touch though since we're only one cruise after you! Sorry I didn't get to meet you and your family this time around...

[disneyland255]

I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you and your family either. I thought there was a meet at the port, but I didn't see anyone that I recognized. Oh well, there's always another cruise!

Mermaid was definitely sweet! It was a thrill to just meet her. We also met another wonderful cople as we were putting gifts in their FE. They opened the door and we all stood there startled like deer in the headlights. It was too funny! Her husband made her shut the door till we were done, then we discussed pins on their FE.

Such a wonderful thing these FEs.

[itutorfortravel]

You are right, we did plan to meet at the port. Unfortunately I missed it. My SIL and I really wanted to try to get upgrades and so by the time we both got through normal check in and the process of upgrading, it was past 11 o'clock. My family was sitting near the ship's model and walking around it to see where our rooms would be, and I looked to see if I saw any groups congregating around the area, but it must have been too late. But like you said, there is always a chance on a future cruise. :goodvibes

[disneyland255]

Wait, would you happen to have a picture of your family to share, I think I remember seeing you guys...:banana:

[itutorfortravel]

I've never figured out the picture posting thing here... :confused3

But let's see, there were 9 of us. My immediate family would have been me, my step-DD, my DD, and DH. I remember I was wearing jeans and black sweater jacket. I think DD was wearing a Tinkerbell sweatshirt (maybe purple?)...I can't remember what anyone else was wearing. My DD has bright red hair so if you saw a little redhead milling around, that might have been us...unless it was Shannon and her DD, who also had beautiful red hair!

[disneyland255]

I'm not sure if I saw you guys or not. I was looking for DIS BOARD people....LOL Like we look any different from the average guest. LOL Ha ha!

I'll try to get a picture or two up also.

[robynchic]

We just got back yesterday, and we're going through withdrawal. We're already talking about doing another cruise, but we need to figure out our finances, first.

[bpescar]

Mark and I had a marvelous time. We got lucky and had kikimouse and her husband dining with us. It was a great cruise! We will be booking another cruise but I am not sure when either. It will depend on finances. We are thinking of taking Mark's mom.... We will see what the future holds. We loved the Fe gifts we received and hope that everyone enjoyed our gifts as well. It sure was fun filling up those FE. Hope to meet with you all again soon.:dance3::cheer2:

[Pluto,]

well gtg back to work tonight:sad1: been off for almost 3 weeks

[MERMAIDLOVE]

:wave2:Hi Everyone!!!

We arrived Sunday and Have been a bit busy with :laundy:and other stuff.

It was nice meeting everyone and a special Thanks from our family to those that added us to the FE and I hope that ours was received ours since I was a bit confused with Two of the staterooms nums. Btw I did experience the shock feel of somebody opening the door while I was delivering the gifts and it was funny we all just looked @ each other not knowing what was the next move,:rotfl2:

Hi Kimberly, Shannon, Leslie, Disneyland255 hey Casey Addison is Beautiful-God Bless Her!!! Tiffany SmokeScreen I think you are the pregnant one if so Congratulations nice to chatting with your family in St. Thomas if its not you sorry it was a bit hard to keep up with the names. Then last but not least Downrivermama nice taking the sales presentation with you and your daughter is very nice.

We had a very nice time and looking forward to do it again.
Casey yes the ship has a bit of wear and tear which seems odd cause it went into refurbishing just 2 years ago and it was stripped completely, I was puzzled by it. It still did the Grand Job of delivering the Magic!!!

Casey I will be sailing on Jun 5th but will be taking the repositioning from Barcelona to Dover. May change it if no cheap airfares are found I'm having the same problems as Shannon--And Shannon I haven't forgotten about you. I have been looking but they are wayyyyy up there in price.

[MERMAIDLOVE]

OH almost forgot, the most important part! Wishing you all a,

pixiedust::cheer2:Happy New Year!!!pixiedust::cheer2:

[3princessMommy]

Hi!:wave2:

We are going on the Christmas 2010 cruise. I would love to hear any advice that you all might have for things that we should do/shouldn't bring/weather stuff - anything!

I looked to see if there were any trip reports, but didn't find any. :confused3

I hope you all enjoyed your wonderful vacation - please share any thoughts/memories/advice with us! (Or better yet - come join us! :thumbsup2)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1975680


Thanks!
Joann

[cruiselineent]

hi we were on the cruise too, and booked the Dream for June 12, and Dec 26, 2011.
We're on the Wonder Dec 19, 2011 for our first Platinum member cruise. see ya there.

[cruiselineent]

make that 2010 for the Wonder