April 9, 2009 Wonder 3-night Bahamas Cruise!

[Deb T.]

Let's start a Cruise Meets thread for the 4-9-09 cruise! :)

It will just be DH and myself on this cruise. I booked it nearly 6 months ago while still onboard the 4-3-08 3-night cruise. :woohoo: It will be my 8th and DH's 7th Disney cruise! :lovestruc

I am looking forward to getting to know other cruisers and would be happy to answer any questions about the 3-night Bahamas itinerary. :)

~Deb T. pirate:

[Deb T.]

I wanted to share this link for 3-night Navigators from September 2008 that were recently posted on the DIS Boards! :woohoo: Even though the Navigators do change a little from sailing to sailing, they can still give you a good idea of all the fun to come! :) Hopefully, we'll get lucky and more recent Navigators will be posted closer to our cruise.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1965699

[momtomari]

I will be on this cruise with my DD5. we cruised the wonder aug 08 and had a great time

amanda

[Deb T.]

I'm so glad you posted! :) Hopefully, we'll see more and more fellow cruisers on here as the time gets closer. I was on the same cruise last April and only 4 others posted on our meets thread. But, we still had fun getting to know each other online, at our little DIS Meet on the ship, and with a Fish Extender gift exchange. pirate:

[Deb T.]

We're keeping this Spring Break cruise, but we just booked a 2010 Northern European Capitals cruise! :woohoo: We did the Mediterranean on Disney in 2007 and had an amazing time, so I'm really looking forward to another European cruise! Does anyone else have another Disney cruise booked besides this one?

[momtomari]

We're keeping this Spring Break cruise, but we just booked a 2010 Northern European Capitals cruise! :woohoo: We did the Mediterranean on Disney in 2007 and had an amazing time, so I'm really looking forward to another European cruise! Does anyone else have another Disney cruise booked besides this one?

i am keeping this cruise and have just booked the eb transatlantic in 2010. that trip will end up being a family trip will myself, dd, mom, grandma, and aunt

i have just booked a last minute cruise this december and hopefully will rebook onboard and get a discount and obc for this april 09 cruise

[Deb T.]

i am keeping this cruise and have just booked the eb transatlantic in 2010. that trip will end up being a family trip will myself, dd, mom, grandma, and aunt

i have just booked a last minute cruise this december and hopefully will rebook onboard and get a discount and obc for this april 09 cruise

Wow! Congratulations to us both on our 2010 cruises! :cool1: It's awesome that you'll have three generations of girls on that cruise! :)

I'm envious that you will be cruising this December, too! That trip will practically pay for itself with all the OBC discounts you'll receive by booking your next two cruises onboard! :thumbsup2

I've been trying to talk DH into going to WDW in December to see all the Christmas decorations, Osborne Light Spectacle, and Candlelight Processional. :rolleyes1 He keeps saying no because we were just there the first weekend of October for EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival.

I'm surprised that no one else has found us yet and started posting here. Last April there were 4 or 5 of us posting on that thread. Even though only four of us did a Fish Extender exchange, we still had fun with it. We also had a little DIS Meet on the day we embarked. :goodvibes I'm hoping we can have a FE Exchange and DIS Meet on this cruise, too. :flower3:

[momtomari]

Wow! Congratulations to us both on our 2010 cruises! :cool1: It's awesome that you'll have three generations of girls on that cruise! :)

I'm envious that you will be cruising this December, too! That trip will practically pay for itself with all the OBC discounts you'll receive by booking your next two cruises onboard! :thumbsup2

I've been trying to talk DH into going to WDW in December to see all the Christmas decorations, Osborne Light Spectacle, and Candlelight Processional. :rolleyes1 He keeps saying no because we were just there the first weekend of October for EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival.

I'm surprised that no one else has found us yet and started posting here. Last April there were 4 or 5 of us posting on that thread. Even though only four of us did a Fish Extender exchange, we still had fun with it. We also had a little DIS Meet on the day we embarked. :goodvibes I'm hoping we can have a FE Exchange and DIS Meet on this cruise, too. :flower3:

it will actually be 4 generations and then my aunt. i cant wait for our cruise and i would be interested in a fish extender trade. i was going to buy one from ebay this week so that i am ready for 2010

amanda

[Deb T.]

it will actually be 4 generations and then my aunt. i cant wait for our cruise and i would be interested in a fish extender trade. i was going to buy one from ebay this week so that i am ready for 2010

amanda

Amanda, that's fantastic about 4 generations! (Sorry, I obviously mis-calculated!:upsidedow )

I'm so glad you'd like to participate in a FE exchange because they are so much fun! :)

[Deb T.]

Wow - We booked this cruise during our spring break cruise last April, so I'm really excited that (as of tomorrow) we're only five months away from being back on board again! :cool1: Whenever I have a difficult day at school, I just imagine relaxing on the verandah as the ocean drifts quietly by. :goodvibes Ahhhhhhh, it definitely is my "happy place"! :lovestruc

[Deb T.]

We received the packet of general information for our cruise!!! :cool1: The "checklist" section was missing, but everything else was there. We (Castaway Club members) can book spa, Palo, and excursions on January 9th (as long as we're paid in full). The final payment date is January 24.

We won't be booking any excursions for this cruise. It'll be our 8th time in Nassau, so we probably won't even step off the ship there. It's definitely a case of "been there, done that". :rotfl: This will be our 6th time on Castaway Cay :lovestruc so we're planning to just find a cozy hammock on the adult beach and relax there all day. I don't think we'll book Palo's for this cruise, either. Since we're going on the Northern Capitals Cruise, we'll use the money we "don't spend" on this cruise toward that one. ;)

[Deb T.]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Less than 6 months before we sail! :cool1:

[Deb T.]

:yay: :cool1: :yay: Only 4 more months to go! :yay: :cool1: :yay:

We're planning to make our final payment right after Christmas! :)

[jd99]

We are thinking of booking this. We've never been on the wonder. Just the magic 5 times. How fast do those 3 nights go by...

[Disney On A Dime!]

We just booked this cruise! This will be our second Disney Cruise...we were planning on cruising in August of 2009, but this new deal with the kids sailing free for three days peaked our interest. Our family is very interested in doing the FE exchanges and getting to meet new people!

:cheer2: Here is our "Mickey's Crew" for our family...

Me - Crystal
DH - Dan
DS - Blake (11 years old)
DS - Dylan (8 years old)

party:We are so excited!!!

[jd99]

We're in too! Sandwiching this cruise in between a few days stay at SSR! Never been on the Wonder before (Magic only) so really looking forward to it.

Me: Jeff
DW: Mina
DD10: Elizabeth
DD5: Emily

[antje]

My DS11, DS7, fiance' and myself will be traveling on the 4/9/09 3nt cruise on the Disney Wonder. This will be our very first cruise on DCL. We are sooo excited! :yay:

[kimkreis]

I just paid my deposit! I received a job offer yesterday afternoon to start full time teaching, so this is our reward!

First cruise ever, first Disney cruise! Just really excited!

[Deb T.]

Welcome Aboard jd99, Disney On A Dime!, antje, and kimkreis!!!! :cool1:

Wow - It's been a while since I last checked this thread, so imagine my surprise when I saw all the new posts! :woohoo: I'm so glad there will be several DISers on this cruise! :goodvibes Looks like there are 6 of us so far! :)

We are thinking of booking this. We've never been on the wonder. Just the magic 5 times. How fast do those 3 nights go by...

To answer your question... way too fast! ;) But, 3 nights is definitely better than no nights! :rotfl: Our Disney cruises so far have consisted of one 11-night, one 7-night, two 4-night (way back when DCL only offered 3&4-night cruises), and four 3-night cruises... and they ALL have gone by way too quickly! To help make the 3-night cruises last as long as possible, we pack very lightly and always arrive at the port early enough to board as soon as they start allowing guests on. For those of you who've only cruised The Magic, the ship will seem exactly the same, so you'll know your way around already. The only thing you'll have trouble with is remembering to not to call Beach Blanket Buffet "Topsiders"!!! :rotfl2: For those of you who are new to DCL, I'd recommend that you download a map of the decks to sort of get a general layout of the ship prior to boarding.

We just booked this cruise! This will be our second Disney Cruise...we were planning on cruising in August of 2009, but this new deal with the kids sailing free for three days peaked our interest. Our family is very interested in doing the FE exchanges and getting to meet new people!

We'd like to participate in a FE exchange, too! :)
Anyone else??

[kimkreis]

I think an FE would be great. Can someone post a link to the thread that has the basics for them?

[Deb T.]

I think an FE would be great. Can someone post a link to the thread that has the basics for them?


I believe this thread should do the trick! :thumbsup2
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607

There are several ways to set one up, but the one way we've enjoyed the most is when each family delivers their FE gifts at their own leisure instead of being assigned to specific days. We've always given gifts to each child plus one gift to the adults. pirate:

I've participated in four FE exchanges and was the organizer two of those. I would be more than happy to organize this one, too, unless someone else would like to do it. :)

[kimkreis]

Those are cool! I have sent pictures to my even cooler MIL who does wonderful embroidery work so hopefully she can make us one!

[Deb T.]

The combination of me being not very handy at sewing and not having a lot of extra time on my hands has caused me to be rather "lazy" in my Fish Extender. ;) I use a plain, white small canvas bag (like you can buy craft stores like Michael's or AC Moore) for our FE. I outlined a Mickey head icon (from a Disney paint chip sample) onto the center of the bag with a black sharpie and then colored it in with a lime green highlighter. It's not fancy by any means, but it does work out well for all the surprises that are delivered! :thumbsup2

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hello all!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile...It is great to see some others interested in getting to meet new folks and do an FE exchange. Our family is quite open to doing whatever will make this cruise fun!!! Just tell me what to do! I did end up purchasing an FE on a website for a very low price...it is not hand-made, but it will do. We are now trying to figure out a good location to stay in Cocoa Beach for a few days before the cruise. We really don't want to go into the Orlando area (we are visiting there in January) however, we would like to make a nice beach trip out of this cruise. Any suggestions??? We kind of were thinking about the Radisson....the pools look great there (I am kind of a pool person.) Anyhow...I have a bit of time to figure that one out!

Crystal

[Deb T.]

We are now trying to figure out a good location to stay in Cocoa Beach for a few days before the cruise. We really don't want to go into the Orlando area (we are visiting there in January) however, we would like to make a nice beach trip out of this cruise. Any suggestions??? We kind of were thinking about the Radisson....the pools look great there (I am kind of a pool person.) Anyhow...I have a bit of time to figure that one out!
Crystal

We stayed at the Radisson for one night pre-cruise ten years ago and found it quite comfortable. I believe it gets fairly good reviews here. I don't remember how far it is from a beach, though. :confused3

Whenever we're able to fly down a day or so before a cruise, we always stay at WDW. We're DVC members and have APs, so we can stay & play without having to spend any additional cash (other than food). :goodvibes

[kimkreis]

We are doing a time share hotel thing in Orlando for the three days before the cruise, so we will be heading over from Orlando the mornig of the cruise. We have reservations right now at a hotel right in front of Universal.

[Disney On A Dime!]

We stayed at the Radisson for one night pre-cruise ten years ago and found it quite comfortable. I believe it gets fairly good reviews here. I don't remember how far it is from a beach, though. :confused3

Whenever we're able to fly down a day or so before a cruise, we always stay at WDW. We're DVC members and have APs, so we can stay & play without having to spend any additional cash (other than food). :goodvibes

Thanks for the information about the Radisson! I think that you are right about its location...close to the port, but further away from the beach. I believe that our plan right now is to spend two or three nights in Cocoa Beach...haven't quite worked out all of the the details...

Hey - I really like your idea of spending a some time at WDW before the cruise...I might have to do some research! I know that that is just what my husband wants the hear!!!

Right now we are concentrating on our January trip to WDW...I still have to make some t-shirts for my neighbors kids, however; after January 28th it will be all out for the cruise!:cheer2:

[Disney On A Dime!]

We are doing a time share hotel thing in Orlando for the three days before the cruise, so we will be heading over from Orlando the mornig of the cruise. We have reservations right now at a hotel right in front of Universal.

Your plans sound great also! Are you going to get an opportunity to go to Universal? My kids loved Universal! Especially my oldest..he likes the coasters and big rides. I used to like all of those things, but for some reason as my age gets older so does my ability to tolerate the heights and spinning and such...Nowadays I often find myself holding all of the backpacks waiting at the exits to the rides! :wave:

[kimkreis]

[QUOTE=Disney On A Dime!;29368579] Are you going to get an opportunity to go to Universal? My kids loved Universal! QUOTE]

I don't think so. Whil it would be nice, we have free tickets from Anheiser Busch for Sea World. And I think with one day kinda devoted to the stupid timeshare talk we will only have one day for a park, and free beats every other deal out there!

We were thinking of doing the Mystery Dinner theater one night.

I am trying to decide if there are any Disney restaurants we want to hit since the reservation window would be opening soon. Maybe Chef Mickey the morning of the cruise. In all my trips we have never made it there. But also know we would love to do Jiko again, but we also ahve never hit the boardwalk area either.

Decisions, decisions!

[Deb T.]

i am keeping this cruise and have just booked the eb transatlantic in 2010. that trip will end up being a family trip will myself, dd, mom, grandma, and aunt

i have just booked a last minute cruise this december and hopefully will rebook onboard and get a discount and obc for this april 09 cruise

Hi Amanda!
I was just wondering if you went on that December cruise? Were you able to get the OBC for the next two cruises?

[Deb T.]

I am trying to decide if there are any Disney restaurants we want to hit since the reservation window would be opening soon. Maybe Chef Mickey the morning of the cruise. In all my trips we have never made it there. But also know we would love to do Jiko again, but we also ahve never hit the boardwalk area either. Decisions, decisions!

If you've never been to O'hana's at the Polynesian for breakfast, I would highly recommend it! :) The food is served all-you-can-eat family-style, and Lilo & Stitch go from table to table for photos and also form a conga line with the kids! If you're really lucky, you might even be able to snag a table with a MK view! :goodvibes

We've been to Chef Mickey's several times, but always for dinner. There's really nothing special in the Boardwalk area for breakfast - it's more of a night-life kind of area. We've never eaten at Jiko, but have always heard great things about it. Good luck with your decision!

[Deb T.]

Hey - I really like your idea of spending a some time at WDW before the cruise...I might have to do some research! I know that that is just what my husband wants the hear!!!

Thanks! I already had Wednesday night (April 8) reserved at BCV and just tried to add Tuesday night but had to be put on a waitlist for that night. I also finally booked our flights. Originally, DH was going to be at a conference in Orlando Sunday through Wednesday pre-cruise, so we were going to fly down on Sunday. However, his company has suspended all conference funding this year due to the economy, so now we're flying down Tuesday after work.

Right now, our new favorite ride is Toy Story Mania, so we're planning to be in line at HS first thing Wednesday morning! :) We rode it for the first time last July at California Adventure, then at WDW in October, then again in December!!! (DH finally let me talk him into that trip! :goodvibes ) Between our October and December trips, I searched online and learned that there are several tricks for getting surprises and extra points in each scene, so we tried them out in December and had so much fun!!! We can hardly wait to get down there and ride it again!!! :cheer2:

[Deb T.]

It looks like there are four of us, so far, who are interested in doing a FE Exchange! pirate: I would be more than happy to coordinate it. What I've done in the past is have everyone PM me with their cabin number, the names of everyone in each cabin, and the ages of the kids. Then, I PM the information back to all the participants. :) The first time I ever coordinated a FE Exchange was last spring break when there were only 4 families participanting. The second time I coordinated one was last July on the Mexican Riviera cruise - and there were 20 families participating! Both times, it was a lot of fun!

I've also organized several DIS Meets onboard. It seems to work out well to meet around 3:30 p.m. on embarkation day. It's really nice to be able to put faces with DIS names, especially before the FE Exchange starts. :goodvibes A good spot to meet is by the Mickey Pool, by Scoops, so everyone can enjoy a cup of ice cream while getting to know each other. :) However, I'm open to any ideas that anyone else has!

[Disney On A Dime!]

It looks like there are four of us, so far, who are interested in doing a FE Exchange! pirate: I would be more than happy to coordinate it. What I've done in the past is have everyone PM me with their cabin number, the names of everyone in each cabin, and the ages of the kids. Then, I PM the information back to all the participants. :) The first time I ever coordinated a FE Exchange was last spring break when there were only 4 families participanting. The second time I coordinated one was last July on the Mexican Riviera cruise - and there were 20 families participating! Both times, it was a lot of fun!

I've also organized several DIS Meets onboard. It seems to work out well to meet around 3:30 p.m. on embarkation day. It's really nice to be able to put faces with DIS names, especially before the FE Exchange starts. :goodvibes A good spot to meet is by the Mickey Pool, by Scoops, so everyone can enjoy a cup of ice cream while getting to know each other. :) However, I'm open to any ideas that anyone else has!

You've got my vote for both the ideas and the coordinator!:thumbsup2

[Disney On A Dime!]

I don't think so. Whil it would be nice, we have free tickets from Anheiser Busch for Sea World. And I think with one day kinda devoted to the stupid timeshare talk we will only have one day for a park, and free beats every other deal out there!

We were thinking of doing the Mystery Dinner theater one night.

I am trying to decide if there are any Disney restaurants we want to hit since the reservation window would be opening soon. Maybe Chef Mickey the morning of the cruise. In all my trips we have never made it there. But also know we would love to do Jiko again, but we also ahve never hit the boardwalk area either.

Decisions, decisions!

Sea World is awesome and the spring is a great time to go! Oh...and my kids vote for their all-time favorite character meal is...Chef Mickey!::MickeyMo

[Deb T.]

party: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! party:

:rockband: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer: :rockband:


:jumping1: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :jumping1:

[phythomp]

My 7 year old and I will be cruising and I can't want!! :cheer2:

[Deb T.]

My 7 year old and I will be cruising and I can't want!! :cheer2:

Welcome Aboard, phythomp! And, CONGRATULATIONS on your FIRST POST! :cool1:

[kimkreis]

My 7 year old and I will be cruising and I can't want!! :cheer2:


Girl or boy? I have a 7 year old (TODAY!!!!!!!) and she is going to be so excited if she knew we were cruising!

[phythomp]

Thanks for the invite!!

[phythomp]

My son will be 7 years old by the time we cruise. My mother had the nerve to tell me today that my son will not enjoy himself. Of course, I think she is bonkers.....LOL!!!!

[Disney On A Dime!]

My 7 year old and I will be cruising and I can't want!! :cheer2:

:welcome::welcome::welcome::welcome::welcome:
You all are going to have a great time! My boys DS11 and DS8 love Disney cruising!
Crystal

[Deb T.]

My son will be 7 years old by the time we cruise. My mother had the nerve to tell me today that my son will not enjoy himself. Of course, I think she is bonkers.....LOL!!!!

I would have to agree that she's bonkers! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Your son will have the time of his life on this cruise! It is SO MUCH FUN! :thumbsup2

[Deb T.]

Hi All!

We're down to just 3 months before we set sail! :cool1:

Now that the holidays are behind us, we can start focusing on our cruise! :woohoo: (I LOVE having something to look forward to!!!) We should probably get started on setting up our Fish Extender Exchange and also make specific plans for a DIS Meet onboard. :)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would be more than happy to coordinate the FE Exchange. :flower3: If you'd like to participate, I'll need your cabin number, names of everyone in your party, and the ages of the kids. (You can send the info to me through a PM or post it here on this thread.) I will keep all participants up-to-date as we add families to the exchange. Then, a week before the cruise, I'll send out the final list so that you can print a copy to bring onboard so you'll know where to deliver your surprises. :goodvibes

If you've never participated in a FE Exchange before, let me tell you that it's a LOT of fun! I was a little nervous the first time I joined in on a FE Exchange because I knew I wasn't going to be able to produce a fancy Fish Extender to hang beside my cabin door and I wasn't sure what to give out to everyone. But, I read through some of the FE Exchange threads on the DIS Boards and that gave me a lot of good ideas on what to do. pirate: Most importantly, I learnd that "anything goes!" :) I ended up using a canvas bag for my FE and made little baggies of goodies for each of the kids and a gift for each couple. That gift was even mentioned on one of the "favorite FE gifts" thread... so I've already come up with another surprise to add to it. :)

Soooo, start sending me your info and let's get our FE Exchange up and running! :yay:

[momtomari]

Hi Amanda!
I was just wondering if you went on that December cruise? Were you able to get the OBC for the next two cruises?

i did go on my december cruise and we had a great time. i did not book onboard as i have an awesome deal for a 7 night western june 13th for the same price as i was going to go on a 4 night in march. right now im not sure if i will be going on this cruise we have never been to universal and seaworld and it would be about half the price to do that instead and save my money for some shore excursions on the western. i was not able to book the 7 night on board because category 12 was not available all cruise which was fine $1600 for 2 of us on a 7 night western in june is great. im still tetering on this cruise though.

[Deb T.]

i did go on my december cruise and we had a great time. i did not book onboard as i have an awesome deal for a 7 night western june 13th for the same price as i was going to go on a 4 night in march. right now im not sure if i will be going on this cruise we have never been to universal and seaworld and it would be about half the price to do that instead and save my money for some shore excursions on the western. i was not able to book the 7 night on board because category 12 was not available all cruise which was fine $1600 for 2 of us on a 7 night western in june is great. im still tetering on this cruise though.

Hi Amanda!
Thanks for updating us. I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful time on your December cruise! I'm soooo envious that you got to cruise last month!! :) Wow - sure sounds like you have an incredible fare for the 7-night Western! Way to go! :woohoo: Please keep us posted on what you decide for our April cruise. Final payments are due on January 24th, so I guess you'll have to decide pretty soon. :eek:

Speaking of deciding soon... we're considering transferring our reservation to Dreams Unlimited for this cruise. It will all depend on whether or not we qualify for their $100 OBC special. We had a really bad TA experience (with AAA - not DU) on our first cruise so we've never, ever used a TA again. I'm nervous about transferring this reservation, but a $100 OBC would cover tips for the two of us. If anyone else has used DU, I'd love to hear some feedback! We also have a 2010 Baltic cruise booked and aren't sure what to do... DU is offering a $600 OBC if we transfer by January 29th... but right now we have a Cat4 GTY (even though I booked on the day reservations opened up for that cruise) and we really want to be sure we get a mid-ship cabin with a plexiglas verandah. If I turn that reservation over to DU, I won't have any control over trying to get that type of cabin assigned to us. :scared: Makes me very nervous, so we're still trying to decide what to do. :guilty:

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hi Amanda!
Thanks for updating us. I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful time on your December cruise! I'm soooo envious that you got to cruise last month!! :) Wow - sure sounds like you have an incredible fare for the 7-night Western! Way to go! :woohoo: Please keep us posted on what you decide for our April cruise. Final payments are due on January 24th, so I guess you'll have to decide pretty soon. :eek:

Speaking of deciding soon... we're considering transferring our reservation to Dreams Unlimited for this cruise. It will all depend on whether or not we qualify for their $100 OBC special. We had a really bad TA experience (with AAA - not DU) on our first cruise so we've never, ever used a TA again. I'm nervous about transferring this reservation, but a $100 OBC would cover tips for the two of us. If anyone else has used DU, I'd love to hear some feedback! We also have a 2010 Baltic cruise booked and aren't sure what to do... DU is offering a $600 OBC if we transfer by January 29th... but right now we have a Cat4 GTY (even though I booked on the day reservations opened up for that cruise) and we really want to be sure we get a mid-ship cabin with a plexiglas verandah. If I turn that reservation over to DU, I won't have any control over trying to get that type of cabin assigned to us. :scared: Makes me very nervous, so we're still trying to decide what to do. :guilty:


We love DU! I have used them for all our Disney vacation packages and was going to use them for our canceled August cruise. I did not go with DU for this April cruise because another TA was offering a better OBC, and on our last cruise in April of 08 we used Small World Vacations again because of better OBC. DU is very easy to work with...I am not sure about the cabin assignment, but I would think that DU would attempt to get you the assignment that you want. They are very good at personalizing your vacations. Send them an e-mail or call them inquiring about the cabin assignment and see what they say...they are very accessible!

:lovestruc I hope that this helps!

[Deb T.]

We love DU! I have used them for all our Disney vacation packages and was going to use them for our canceled August cruise. I did not go with DU for this April cruise because another TA was offering a better OBC, and on our last cruise in April of 08 we used Small World Vacations again because of better OBC. DU is very easy to work with...I am not sure about the cabin assignment, but I would think that DU would attempt to get you the assignment that you want. They are very good at personalizing your vacations. Send them an e-mail or call them inquiring about the cabin assignment and see what they say...they are very accessible! :lovestruc I hope that this helps!

Wow - yes, this certainly does help! So, based on your glowing report, I went ahead and switched this cruise (the April 9th 3-night) today! :)

I wish I had more time to decide whether or not to switch the Baltic cruise because I'd like to see how this one turns out first. But, I'd have to transfer that ressie by January 29th in order to qualify for their $600 OBC special. I will take your advice and email them to see what they say about staying on top of our cabin assignment. We would be very unhappy with a Navigator's verandah after paying full price for a Cat4! :sad1:

[Disney On A Dime!]

Wow - yes, this certainly does help! So, based on your glowing report, I went ahead and switched this cruise (the April 9th 3-night) today! :)

I wish I had more time to decide whether or not to switch the Baltic cruise because I'd like to see how this one turns out first. But, I'd have to transfer that ressie by January 29th in order to qualify for their $600 OBC special. I will take your advice and email them to see what they say about staying on top of our cabin assignment. We would be very unhappy with a Navigator's verandah after paying full price for a Cat4! :sad1:

Glad that I could help!:cutie:

By the way...have you all ever taken a cab from a Disney Resort to the Airport? My husband has come into a snag for our upcoming trip and needs to leave early (real early in the morning to catch his flight) however; he does not want to take the Magical Express. I have already put in for Florida Tours Towncar and they quoted $65 plus tip and I believe that I saw somewhere here on the DIS that a cab ride would be $60 plus tip...Any thoughts? :idea: I am not opposed to the $60, but just wanted to make sure that this might be the going rate.

[Deb T.]

By the way...have you all ever taken a cab from a Disney Resort to the Airport? My husband has come into a snag for our upcoming trip and needs to leave early (real early in the morning to catch his flight) however; he does not want to take the Magical Express. I have already put in for Florida Tours Towncar and they quoted $65 plus tip and I believe that I saw somewhere here on the DIS that a cab ride would be $60 plus tip...Any thoughts? :idea: I am not opposed to the $60, but just wanted to make sure that this might be the going rate.

I don't know, but I'll bet if you post this question on the Transportation Board they'll be able to tell you. :)

[Deb T.]

For those of us who are Castaway Club members, we were able to start booking excursions, spa treatments, and Palo's as of last Friday, January 9th. However, DH and I ended up deciding not to book anything this time. We've been to Nassau and Castaway Cay several times and have already done all the excursions we were interested in. We did Palo on our first cruise ten years ago and have really never felt the need to go back. I usually book a massage... maybe I'll end up booking another one after we're onboard. ;)

What we'd like to end up doing in Nassau is find a beach within walking distance of the port. I posted this question on the main cruise page. So far, I've learned that there's a beach nearby but you have to pay to use it. :guilty:

Has anyone else booked anything?

[Disney On A Dime!]

For those of us who are Castaway Club members, we were able to start booking excursions, spa treatments, and Palo's as of last Friday, January 9th. However, DH and I ended up deciding not to book anything this time. We've been to Nassau and Castaway Cay several times and have already done all the excursions we were interested in. We did Palo on our first cruise ten years ago and have really never felt the need to go back. I usually book a massage... maybe I'll end up booking another one after we're onboard. ;)

What we'd like to end up doing in Nassau is find a beach within walking distance of the port. I posted this question on the main cruise page. So far, I've learned that there's a beach nearby but you have to pay to use it. :guilty:

Has anyone else booked anything?

Haven't booked anything yet...just went into the system and updated all of the cruise documents. This will be our first time to Nassau...so our kids want to do Atlantis:cool2: however; the Comfort Suites price right now is $332 with a AAA discount:scared1: I have my TA working on getting us a better rate...so we shall see! So with our little experience on Nassau...I have no idea about a good beach...hope that someone else might have some info. for you!


On the downside:sad1: my husband is not going to be able to go on our Disney trip planned for next week! Usually this trip is for mom's and their kids, however; this year my husband wanted to go...so we got him tickets and room...and now...this trip is not going to fit into his work schedule!:sad2: Granted we live in VA and he has been working in TX and he has spent a great deal of time recently back here in VA and in DC...so now he feels like he needs to take the time to work back in TX. My boys were so sad!:sad: And I am down too...he is a total clown and provides for lots of fun and comic relief!

Oh well! Sorry to bring my story to the boards...he will definitely be on the boat headed to fun in the sun!:beach:

[Deb T.]

Haven't booked anything yet...just went into the system and updated all of the cruise documents. This will be our first time to Nassau...so our kids want to do Atlantis:cool2: however; the Comfort Suites price right now is $332 with a AAA discount:scared1: I have my TA working on getting us a better rate...so we shall see!

Yikes - $322!?!?! :scared1: I sure hope your TA can come through for you!

I updated all our cruise documents last week and then printed them out and tucked them in my "Spring Break Cruise" folder. All I have left to do is pack! ;)

[Deb T.]

On the downside:sad1: my husband is not going to be able to go on our Disney trip planned for next week! Usually this trip is for mom's and their kids, however; this year my husband wanted to go...so we got him tickets and room...and now...this trip is not going to fit into his work schedule!:sad2: Granted we live in VA and he has been working in TX and he has spent a great deal of time recently back here in VA and in DC...so now he feels like he needs to take the time to work back in TX. My boys were so sad!:sad: And I am down too...he is a total clown and provides for lots of fun and comic relief! Oh well! Sorry to bring my story to the boards...he will definitely be on the boat headed to fun in the sun!:beach:

So sorry to hear that your DH won't be able to go to WDW next week. :sad1: I can definitely empathize with you! My DH had something come up at work right before our spring break last year and wasn't able to go on that cruise! :sad2: I thought about it long and hard, and decided to go ahead without him. It felt weird to cruise alone, but I met some DISers onboard and still had a good time. :) I hope you and your boys will still be able to have a fun time at WDW. :flower3:

[Disney On A Dime!]

So sorry to hear that your DH won't be able to go to WDW next week. :sad1: I can definitely empathize with you! My DH had something come up at work right before our spring break last year and wasn't able to go on that cruise! :sad2: I thought about it long and hard, and decided to go ahead without him. It felt weird to cruise alone, but I met some DISers onboard and still had a good time. :) I hope you and your boys will still be able to have a fun time at WDW. :flower3:

Yes - we should be able to whip up some fun!:stir:Now it is only going to be 3 moms and 6 kids. Two of our families are huge Disney fans - the last mom and 2 kids are almost anti-Disney...they have never been on our winter getaway before...so we are going to show them how to have a great time at Disney!:mickeyjum Now all I have to do is pack and figure out how to get winter clothes into three carry-ons...plus pack all the kid essential plane items...I might need some major pixie dust on this one!:tink:

[Deb T.]

Yes - we should be able to whip up some fun!:stir:Now it is only going to be 3 moms and 6 kids. Two of our families are huge Disney fans - the last mom and 2 kids are almost anti-Disney...they have never been on our winter getaway before...so we are going to show them how to have a great time at Disney!:mickeyjum Now all I have to do is pack and figure out how to get winter clothes into three carry-ons...plus pack all the kid essential plane items...I might need some major pixie dust on this one!:tink:

I did a similar trip several years ago - 3 moms and 4 kids - and we had a BLAST! I was the "tour guide" and master planner. :) We went in July, so we definitely didn't have to worry about packing winter clothing. I'm sending lots of pixie dust pixiedust: your way to help with packing!!! :thumbsup2

[Brandy C]

Hello,

I finally booked this cruise.:cool1: I will be traveling with my DFi and DD 16.
This will be our second trip to the world but our first time on the Wonder. :goodvibes

[Deb T.]

Hello,

I finally booked this cruise.:cool1: I will be traveling with my DFi and DD 16.
This will be our second trip to the world but our first time on the Wonder. :goodvibes

Welcome Aboard Brandy! You are going to have SO MUCH FUN on this cruise!!! If we can answer any of your questions or be of any help, please don't hesitate to ask! :)

[Disney On A Dime!]

I did a similar trip several years ago - 3 moms and 4 kids - and we had a BLAST! I was the "tour guide" and master planner. :) We went in July, so we definitely didn't have to worry about packing winter clothing. I'm sending lots of pixie dust pixiedust: your way to help with packing!!! :thumbsup2

We are packing! Thanks for the pixiedust! We are all very excited...the neighborhood is buzzing with the thought of being at the World in just a few days! We will let you know all about it when we return...then it is off to the cruise!:rainbow:

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hello,

I finally booked this cruise.:cool1: I will be traveling with my DFi and DD 16.
This will be our second trip to the world but our first time on the Wonder. :goodvibes

:boat: Welcome to the April 9th cruise! :boat:

[Brandy C]

Thanks Deb T & Disney on a Dime for the warm welcome.

[Deb T.]

Thanks Deb T & Disney on a Dime for the warm welcome.

I noticed in your signature that you did the Mexican Riveria last July... which one? We were on the July 13-20 sailing! :)

[Deb T.]

We are packing! Thanks for the pixiedust! We are all very excited...the neighborhood is buzzing with the thought of being at the World in just a few days! We will let you know all about it when we return...then it is off to the cruise!:rainbow:

Have a great trip! :thumbsup2

[Brandy C]

I noticed in your signature that you did the Mexican Riveria last July... which one? We were on the July 13-18 sailing! :)


We were on the July 20-27th cruise:beach: . I had a great time and I hope DCL will do this again in 2011. It was very convenient for us since we live in the LA area.

I'm eyeballing the 12/18/10 cruise and I hope to make a decision so I can book on board.

[kimkreis]

Ok for those of us who aren't Castaway Club members we get to sign up for things on Saturday right?

So what should a first time cruiser sign up for? Since it is our first time I think we will skip Palo.

I am tempted to book the Rasul because we will be celebrating our anniversary (15th!!!), but just getting some rain forest time might work too huh?

I think in Nassau we will do the city cruise, do some running around on our own and enjoy the boat.

Anyone want to suggest somethign else or change my mind on things?

[kimkreis]

Do we have a Pirate party on our cruise, or is the 3 day too short?

[Deb T.]

We definitely have a Pirate Party on the 3-night cruise! pirate:

It is typically held on Friday night - Nassau day. (It's my theory that the ship probably loads the pyrotechnics in Nassau so that we're not sailing all around with a cargo full of explosives!) If the weather is bad (rainy), the captain will attempt to sail to an area without rain so the party can go on as planned. On one of my Wonder sailings, it wasn't possible to steer clear of the rain so Pirate Night was postponed in it's entirety to Saturday night.

However, on our 7-night Mexican Riviera Magic cruise, it POURED on Pirate night so they moved the party (only the dancing) inside to the atrium. The next night they announced they'd shoot off the fireworks, but still never did the whole Pirate show, which was disappointing because we had seven kids between the ages of 5 & 7 sailing with us who'd never been on a Disney cruise before. :sad1:

[Deb T.]

Ok for those of us who aren't Castaway Club members we get to sign up for things on Saturday right?

Yes - Saturday, at the magical hour of midnight, you can make reservations for excursions, the spa, Palo, and Flounder's Nursery. :thumbsup2 You have to be paid-in-full prior to booking anything online.

Sometimes, the DCL website plays not-so-funny tricks while trying to snag reservations. :headache: If you get an error message (like: "You are unable to book at this time because you are not paid in full or one or more birthdates are incorrect."), just log out of DCL, close that browser, open a new browser, and try again. It's happened to me and it's VERY frustrating! But, hang in there and keep trying! :)

[Deb T.]

So what should a first time cruiser sign up for? Since it is our first time I think we will skip Palo.

I am tempted to book the Rasul because we will be celebrating our anniversary (15th!!!), but just getting some rain forest time might work too huh?

I think in Nassau we will do the city cruise, do some running around on our own and enjoy the boat.

Anyone want to suggest somethign else or change my mind on things?

I agree that it's probably a good idea to skip Palo on your first Disney cruise, especially when it's a 3-night cruise. You definitely want to experience all three dining rooms! :goodvibes

The Rasul would be a great anniversary celebration activity. ;) Just be sure to take several extra towels in with you. ;) ;)

IMHO, the Rain Forest is highly over-rated. Basically, it's just a bunch of heated stone (absolutely no padding, just hard stones) loungers around a nice fountain. There's no privacy because people are constantly wandering in and out to lay on the loungers, sit in the saunas, or take a shower. I've never understood why DCL charges people to spend time in there. I've found that I'd much rather lay outside in the fresh air and sunshine. I prefer either the adult pool area or Deck 10 above the family pool.

We've never done an actual excursion in Nassau, but I'm sure I'd like doing the harbor cruise. :) Once, we walked all over Nassau following DCL's map of recommended shops, but didn't end up buying anything. On two cruises, we've walked to the Straw Market. This time, I'm hoping to find a nice beach near the port to stroll on for an hour or so, then spend the rest of the day enjoying the ship. I'm secretly hoping there'll be a showing of Bolt in 3-D that day since we haven't seen that movie yet. ::yes::

[kimkreis]

Yes - Saturday, at the magical hour of midnight, you can make reservations for excursions, the spa, Palo, and Flounder's Nursery. :thumbsup2 You have to be paid-in-full prior to booking anything online.


Thanks, I have a class to get to tomorrow morning and I was worried it would be at 7AM or something. I am paid in full so no problems. When would eb the best time to schedule te RAsul? I was kinda thinking of booking it for late afternoon on Nassau day. Are the kid's club open on Port day?

[Deb T.]

Thanks, I have a class to get to tomorrow morning and I was worried it would be at 7AM or something. I am paid in full so no problems. When would eb the best time to schedule te RAsul? I was kinda thinking of booking it for late afternoon on Nassau day. Are the kid's club open on Port day?

Yes, the kids clubs are open all day, every day. ::yes::

The link below has Navigators posted from a September '08 sailing. Although all activities are subject to change, these Navigators can still give you a really good general idea of what's offered each day. :thumbsup2 Some things, such as the kids club hours, show rotation, dinner menu themes, breakfast & lunch hours, snack hours, shop hours, etc. stay pretty much the same on each cruise. :) All the extra activities, movies, and character greetings do tend to change from cruise to cruise.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1965699

Happy Planning! :)

[kimkreis]

Well I got the Rasul for late afternoon on Nassau day, AND I got a couples massage on Castaway Cay!

Just filled out all of our paperwork! Now it's just a matter of waiting to see what my GTY room turns into!

[Deb T.]

Well I got the Rasul for late afternoon on Nassau day, AND I got a couples massage on Castaway Cay!

Just filled out all of our paperwork! Now it's just a matter of waiting to see what my GTY room turns into!

Hooray!!! :cool1: I'm so happy for your good luck in scheduling the Rasul AND a Couples Massage!!! That's AWESOME! :thumbsup2

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

Hello Everyone! My family is looking forward to our FIRST Disney Cruise April 9th!! :beach:

[Deb T.]

Hello Everyone! My family is looking forward to our FIRST Disney Cruise April 9th!! :beach:

Welcome aboard WDWCrazyfromGA! Thanks for joining us on our "Meets" thread! You're going to have a wonderful time on our cruise! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! :)

[Deb T.]

pirate: Fish Extender Gift Exchange pirate:

Hi!:wave2:

I thought I'd bring everyone up-to-date on the status of our Fish Extender Gift Exchange. :flower3: So far, the grand total of families participating is.... drum roll please.... two. Me ("Deb T.") and "Disney_On_A_Dime!". While I'm sure we'd enjoy the experience with just two families, it would most definitely be a lot more fun if we had more people participating. ::yes:: Please, please, please consider joining us! :)

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

Hi Deb! Thank you for the welcome! I have gotten so much good information from the boards since I booked the cruise - I am so excited!! :yay:

Could you explain the Fish Extenders? I have read the 'how to' make them and what they look like..........but what do you do with them?

[Deb T.]

Hi Deb! Thank you for the welcome! I have gotten so much good information from the boards since I booked the cruise - I am so excited!! :yay:

Could you explain the Fish Extenders? I have read the 'how to' make them and what they look like..........but what do you do with them?

Beside every cabin door is a large silver fish with an indentation in the back for cruise personnel to leave information, invitations, etc. I know the teenagers receive invitations to Teen Club activities and we've also received "rebooking onboard" price quotes tucked in our fish.

DISboarders have taken the silver fish one step further... by creating hanging pockets (much like letter holders) to hang from the fish - thus the name, "Fish Extender". :) The Fish Extenders (FEs) can be practically anything, as long as they have at least one pocket to hold goodies. My FE is just a plain little canvas bag I purchased at Michael's Craft Store. I traced a Mickey Mouse (three-circle) shape on the front with a black Sharpie and then colored it in with a lime green highlighter. (Lime green is the official color of the DIS Boards.) I'd love to have a "real" FE, but haven't taken the time to attempt to make one. On my DCL spring break cruise last year, one family used paper gift bags for their FEs, another family used a cloth bag with boats one it. Anything works! :)

Then, each "Cruise Meets" thread (such as this 4-9-09 one) organizes a little gift exchange during the cruise. People sign up by giving their cabin number, names of everyone in their cabin, and ages of the kids so that everyone will know how many gifts to bring and where to deliver them. Some people give one gift per family, some people give a little gift to each person. It's totally up to the giver to decide what to give and when to give it during the cruise.

There are several threads that discuss ideas for FE gifts. Some gifts are from Dollar Stores, some are handmade, and some are bought in bulk from websites that sell trinkets. Often, they are stickers, candy, glow sticks, lanyards, etc., with themes such as pirates, beach, cruise, tropical, hometown, holiday, etc. The main idea is just to have fun giving and finding little goodies in your FE throughout the cruise. :goodvibes The kids LOVE running back to their cabin to see if anything's been left in their FE. :hyper: As an adult, I have to admit that I love it, too!!! ::yes::

If you'd like to join in on the fun, please let me know. You can either post your information here in this thread or send me a private message by clicking on my name in the upper left hand corner of this post and then clicking "send a private message to Deb T.". As people join, I will send private messages to all participants to keep everyone up-to-date. Since some people are traveling earlier in the week of the cruise, I think we should close the list by April 1st to give everyone time to purchase their gifts and pack them. You'll also need to print the final list of participants and pack it with your gifts so you'll know where to deliver them. :)

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

Thank you Deb! I should have read the beginning of our thread for the 'what and how' - thanks for going though it again for me :blush:

This sounds like so much fun! I'm definately in for the FE!! I have a 'GTY' room - so do we get our room assignments prior to sailing so that I will be able to give that to you?

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

OK - I'm learning that I should read (and read some more) before I ask questions....I saw that we get room assignments approx 30 days out....

Now I've got to make a FE and get some goodie ideas - I'm already finding things to decorate our door!!

[Deb T.]

OK - I'm learning that I should read (and read some more) before I ask questions....I saw that we get room assignments approx 30 days out....

Now I've got to make a FE and get some goodie ideas - I'm already finding things to decorate our door!!

I can feel your excitement about the cruise! Your enthusiasm is contagious! :)

I've marked you down for participating in our FE Exchange! :cool1: As soon as you get your cabin number, be sure to send me a private message with the names of everyone in your family and your cabin number so I can forward that information to "Disney_On_A_Dime!" and everyone else who decides to join in on the fun! :)

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hello Everyone! My family is looking forward to our FIRST Disney Cruise April 9th!! :beach:

:wave: Welcome to the April 9th cruise! :wave:

[Disney On A Dime!]

We're back from the World! We had the best weather...hopefully that is a precursor to what's to come on the cruise! The kids got to swim everyday and we barely needed jackets! :beach: The parks were relatively slow (it is still Disney World!) and we managed to do almost everything that we set out to do. All in all it was a lot of fun!


The best news that I have now is that we got moved to main dining seating for the cruise!!! Since we booked so late in the year the only dining seating available was the late one, however; my TA put us on the waiting list for main. Well...my reservation now says main! :cheer2:


Now it's time to work on my FE items and my door magnets. I am getting very excited!!! :)

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

We're back from the World! We had the best weather...hopefully that is a precursor to what's to come on the cruise! The kids got to swim everyday and we barely needed jackets! :beach: The parks were relatively slow (it is still Disney World!) and we managed to do almost everything that we set out to do. All in all it was a lot of fun!


The best news that I have now is that we got moved to main dining seating for the cruise!!! Since we booked so late in the year the only dining seating available was the late one, however; my TA put us on the waiting list for main. Well...my reservation now says main! :cheer2:


Now it's time to work on my FE items and my door magnets. I am getting very excited!!! :)

THANK YOU Disney On A Dime!! I had the 2nd dining and when I read your post, I thought "man, I wish I had known there was a wait list for Main Dining" I called Disney figuring it would not hurt to add us to the wait list and Guess What....We got Main Dining! Even the CM was shocked when it was available. After a long, hard day at work - this made the day end on a positive note. It's always the little things......:cheer2:

I am so jealous of your recent trip to WDW. My DD started school this year, so now we're stuck with the 'school break' schedule when it's crowded. We went in Oct last year during her fall break - it wasn't so bad - but not as nice as it is in January or the week before the week of Thanksgiving.

Thanks again!!! I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

[Disney On A Dime!]

THANK YOU Disney On A Dime!! I had the 2nd dining and when I read your post, I thought "man, I wish I had known there was a wait list for Main Dining" I called Disney figuring it would not hurt to add us to the wait list and Guess What....We got Main Dining! Even the CM was shocked when it was available. After a long, hard day at work - this made the day end on a positive note. It's always the little things......:cheer2:

I am so jealous of your recent trip to WDW. My DD started school this year, so now we're stuck with the 'school break' schedule when it's crowded. We went in Oct last year during her fall break - it wasn't so bad - but not as nice as it is in January or the week before the week of Thanksgiving.

Thanks again!!! I hope everyone has a nice weekend!


pooh: Hip Hip Hooray for main dining!!! :eeyore:


Okay...that might be a little over the top with Disney lingo! But I am very happy for you all to have gotten main dining!


Yes, welcome to the world of working out vacations according to the school schedule! We have been fortunate enough to have had a two day break for the past three years during January...so why not go to Disney? This year was the utmost best for weather though! I was so sad to have to come back to 30 degree temps! But like I said before...now we have the cruise to look forward to! It's going to be a blast!


P.S. Just to let you know...January has become a very popular month for large groups from Brazil to travel to Disney World. We encountered groups of about 50 to 60 people in many locations. We had to change up ride plans one day because they always seemed to be in front of us. Oh and the line cutting...I finally spoke up to one group who was slowly moving people up to their group in line...it was crazy!!! We still had a great time! :flower3:

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

OMG - the Brazil tour groups were there in October as well - in huge groups wearing the same t-shirts. We also had to change our park plans to try to get off of their rotation........and we had the issues with cutting in line.

[Deb T.]

The best news that I have now is that we got moved to main dining seating for the cruise!!! Since we booked so late in the year the only dining seating available was the late one, however; my TA put us on the waiting list for main. Well...my reservation now says main! :cheer2:

THANK YOU Disney On A Dime!! I had the 2nd dining and when I read your post, I thought "man, I wish I had known there was a wait list for Main Dining" I called Disney figuring it would not hurt to add us to the wait list and Guess What....We got Main Dining! Even the CM was shocked when it was available. After a long, hard day at work - this made the day end on a positive note. It's always the little things......:cheer2:



Congratulations to both of you for getting the Main Dining time you wanted! :cheer2: That is wonderful news! It's nice to know that MAGIC pixiedust: is happening for our cruise already! :)

[Brandy C]

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am so excited I can hardly wait.:hourglass

We will be at WDW for 6 days prior to the cruise. Does anyone know what the weather is like in April? :confused3 (I know what June feels like :faint:)

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am so excited I can hardly wait.:hourglass

We will be at WDW for 6 days prior to the cruise. Does anyone know what the weather is like in April? :confused3 (I know what June feels like :faint:)

Hi!

The weather in April is great in Orlando! Not too hot and not too cold...just right! :sunny: In the past we have worn shorts everyday and enjoyed swimming. Do watch the weather report though...this year has been rather cold in Florida and our trip is only two months out.

Prior to the cruise we will also be at a Disney Resort, however; we will be enjoying SeaWorld and Aquadventure (sp?) My crew can't wait for the trip! :jumping3:

[Deb T.]

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am so excited I can hardly wait.:hourglass

We will be at WDW for 6 days prior to the cruise. Does anyone know what the weather is like in April? :confused3 (I know what June feels like :faint:)

We've been to WDW several times in April, and most of the time we've had great weather, but one year it was very c-c-c-cold! April is normally chilly in the mornings and after the sun goes down in the evenings, but that bright sunshine sure does feel good during the middle of the day! :goodvibes

We're arriving in Orlando five days before the cruise. DH has to attend a conference the first half of the week so we'll be staying off-site until Wednesday afternoon. Sadly, I'll be going to the parks all by myself while he's stuck in meetings.

[Disney On A Dime!]

Sadly, I'll be going to the parks all by myself while he's stuck in meetings.

That just doesn't seem fair! You know...he could call in sick couple of days...maybe he just needs a mental day to go and see a mouse?!? ::MickeyMo You never know!

[Deb T.]

That just doesn't seem fair! You know...he could call in sick couple of days...maybe he just needs a mental day to go and see a mouse?!? ::MickeyMo You never know!

I know. Sad, huh? Actually, we're considering ourselves to be very lucky this year because last April he had to cancel out on our 3-night DCL cruise at the last minute because of work. I ended up going on that cruise all by myself! :sad1:

His conference ends at noon on Wednesday. The second he's done, we plan to take a cab to BCV, check in, and then walk to HS and head straight to Toy Story Mania! We LOVE :love: LOVE :love: LOVE that ride!!! :)

[Brandy C]

Thanks for the info Ladies:thumbsup2

I will definitely keep track of the weather. It was 75 degress yesterday and today it's chilly and raining. Some weird weather patterns alright.

[Brandy C]

I love that ride too! I can't wait to ride the one in HS.:hyper:

[Deb T.]

I love that ride too! I can't wait to ride the one in HS.:hyper:

The first two times we rode it was at California Adventure last July! We've been to WDW twice since then (October & December) and have spent most of our time waiting in line for it there! :rotfl: The queues are completely different at the two parks. As you know, at CA the line is mostly outside. At HS, there's an overflow queue outside, but the main line (and the talking Mr. Potato Head) is inside.

Did you know there are several tricks to getting more points? ::yes:: There are certain shooting sequences that will unlock additional point opportunities in each scene! :) For example, in the army men scene where you are breaking plates, you can get the mountain to open up and a tank to appear that shoots high-point plates at you! In the Buzz Lightyear scene where you are shooting rings at the little green aliens, you can get the rocket to fly off and a huge robot to appear! :hyper:

[Brandy C]

The first two times we rode it was at California Adventure last July! We've been to WDW twice since then (October & December) and have spent most of our time waiting in line for it there! :rotfl: The queues are completely different at the two parks. As you know, at CA the line is mostly outside. At HS, there's an overflow queue outside, but the main line (and the talking Mr. Potato Head) is inside.

Did you know there are several tricks to getting more points? ::yes:: There are certain shooting sequences that will unlock additional point opportunities in each scene! :) For example, in the army men scene where you are breaking plates, you can get the mountain to open up and a tank to appear that shoots high-point plates at you! In the Buzz Lightyear scene where you are shooting rings at the little green aliens, you can get the rocket to fly off and a huge robot to appear! :hyper:

I was not aware of the army men scene but DD did discover the Buzz Lightyear one. What a fun ride.::yes::

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Hello!:wave2:

hope you don't mind this, but I thought you might be interested in case it has not been posted already:

this is from today:

Coach Boeheim will Cruise for a Cure on the Disney Wonder
Posted by Amber Smith/The Syracuse Post-Standard February 06, 2009 6:05AM
Categories: Cancer, top cny
Disney Wonder

Syracuse University Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim and his wife, Juli host their 2nd annual cruise aboard the Disney Wonder Aug. 9 to 13. The ship sets sail from Cape Canaveral, Florida and cruises to Nassau, Bahamas and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Speical on-board activities include a basketball clinic for kids and an SU Trivia Night with Coach Boeheim.

The cost begins at $1,185. A portion of the proceeds go to Coaches vs. Cancer.

prepare for some Upstate New Yorkers to join you!

have a great cruise!

pirate: :)

[Brandy C]

Hello!:wave2:

hope you don't mind this, but I thought you might be interested in case it has not been posted already:

this is from today:

Coach Boeheim will Cruise for a Cure on the Disney Wonder
Posted by Amber Smith/The Syracuse Post-Standard February 06, 2009 6:05AM
Categories: Cancer, top cny
Disney Wonder

Syracuse University Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim and his wife, Juli host their 2nd annual cruise aboard the Disney Wonder Aug. 9 to 13. The ship sets sail from Cape Canaveral, Florida and cruises to Nassau, Bahamas and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Speical on-board activities include a basketball clinic for kids and an SU Trivia Night with Coach Boeheim.

The cost begins at $1,185. A portion of the proceeds go to Coaches vs. Cancer.

prepare for some Upstate New Yorkers to join you!

have a great cruise!

pirate: :)

Thanks for the information but we are cruising April 9th-12th not August 9-13.:)

[Deb T.]

Thanks for the information but we are cruising April 9th-12th not August 9-13.:)

Ooops! Good catch, Brandy! Too bad, though, because it would have been interesting and fun to have all the extra activities going on.

Only 8-1/2 weeks to go! :cool1:

For all you first-time cruisers, it's been my experience that time seems to d-r-a-g on while waiting for what seems like forever for the cruise to get here....... until three weeks out and then there never seems to be enough time to get everything done! :rotfl:

DH and I basically have two countdowns going: one for the cruise pirate: and one for when we actually leave for Orlando :beach: !

[kimkreis]

Will anyhting be done for Easter? I am thinking of getting baskets from Shirley with an Easter theme from the Easter bunny, saying he wouldn't be able to reach us on the water. But don't want that ruined by a Disney Easter surprise on Easter morning.

[Disney On A Dime!]

:goofy: We're definitely counting down! Well...I guess between the kids schoolwork and projects - that's a countdown...baseball season getting ready to start - another countdown...my DH finally ending his out of town work (sometime in March) - that's another countdown...however...the Disney Cruise is #1 in everyone's countdown. Everything right now relates to getting to Spring Break and cruising! :boat:


On another note...I have been having a great time making magnets for our stateroom door! The wonderful DISigners over on the DISign board are awesome! Each time I check over on that board...I get new ideas! :idea:

[Deb T.]

Will anyhting be done for Easter? I am thinking of getting baskets from Shirley with an Easter theme from the Easter bunny, saying he wouldn't be able to reach us on the water. But don't want that ruined by a Disney Easter surprise on Easter morning.

We sailed on this exact cruise last year (3-night Wonder that ended the morning of Easter) and nothing special was done Easter morning. :sad2: I sort of expected maybe a little bag of candy or something hanging from our door handle, but nope, nada. Nothing special was left on the beds during turn-down the night before, either. Now, that's not saying that the DCL bunny won't end up doing something this year... but I doubt it. And, keep in mind that Shirley's stuff is always delivered to staterooms upon embarkation.

That last morning is a bit of a downer, and rushed... getting up early, packing up the rest of your things, eating breakfast, and then disembarking. It's so sad knowing you have to leave that awesome ship. :sad:

I've heard that the Easter Bunny doesn't have the proper kind of passport or birth certificate to board cruise ships. So, the Easter Bunny would have to do something crazy like mail his baskets to the ship or sneak them into your luggage when you aren't looking! If you're headed straight home Sunday, maybe the Easter Bunny would have already left surprises at your house for your return?

I would be more than happy to assist the Easter Bunny in any way possible. He's been visiting us for years so we are very good friends now. Feel free to send me a PM if you'd like me to contact him to set something special up.

[Disney On A Dime!]

Will anyhting be done for Easter? I am thinking of getting baskets from Shirley with an Easter theme from the Easter bunny, saying he wouldn't be able to reach us on the water. But don't want that ruined by a Disney Easter surprise on Easter morning.

I have been thinking about the same thing. I did read somewhere that nothing special goes on on Easter morning or to celebrate Easter. We have had Easter morning in many, many hotel rooms though. From Vegas to Phoenix to Disney...you know that bunny has a way of finding those kids! :sulley: It's just that right now the bunny has to figure out all the logistics of a cruise ship stateroom.

The baskets from Shirley sounds like a good idea. In the past our bunny has brought a basket in a fancy gift bag, a basket in a plastic bucket, a basket in a fancy box, and a basket...as a basket. It all really just depended on our luggage space. Right now...I have no idea what the bunny is going to do this year. :confused3

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I have had the same "what about the Easter' question. I think he will visit our house since we wont be telling him we're anywhere different. I'll be ordering a basket from Shirley and may ask her if she has any of the Disney characters in the bunny outfits or something like that to throw in to have an Easter touch.

Do any of you veterens have any advice for us newbies? I read a lot of the boards and have digested all the advice that I feel most applies to us. I know it might seem over-kill....but I'm a planner and this is how I will keep myselft relaxed and capable of enjoying the cruise when it finally gets here :hyper: But if you have some secret advice to pass on - then let us have it..... I have our resi at the Radisson and have booked our shuttle - so I think I'm covered on that. I'm running out of things to plan at this point which is making it seem like FOREVER until April 9th gets here!!

I am jealous of those of you who are going to WDW prior to our cruise :upsidedow I tried to talk DH into us going prior (and even have a res at POR on the 4/3 deal) but we just went for a week last October and plan to go again this October and he thinks that is enough - so it looks like I will be cancelling the POR resi. It's just so hard to get that close to WDW and not go visit the happiest place on earth!! I hope that you all will understand my obsession better than he does :goodvibes I would be happy to come with you Deb so you don't have to go alone :)

[Deb T.]

Do any of you veterens have any advice for us newbies? I read a lot of the boards and have digested all the advice that I feel most applies to us. I know it might seem over-kill....but I'm a planner and this is how I will keep myselft relaxed and capable of enjoying the cruise when it finally gets here :hyper: But if you have some secret advice to pass on - then let us have it..... I have our resi at the Radisson and have booked our shuttle - so I think I'm covered on that. I'm running out of things to plan at this point which is making it seem like FOREVER until April 9th gets here!!

I'm an extreme planner, too, so I totally understand! :goodvibes The best advice I have is to keep up with the main cruise boards because the most up-to-date info is always posted there. :) Also, take some time to look over and become familiar with the Navigators for the 3-night cruises because they will give you an excellent idea of what activities to expect, although the days and times do vary from sailing to sailing. And, don't hesitate to ask lots of questions! :)

Here are some tips:
Embarkation Day-
*Arrive Early! The cruise is short, so you'll want to have as much time on the ship as possible.
*Upon boarding, stop by the Guest Services desk FIRST and pick up that day's Navigator. Otherwise, you won't see one until after 1:30pm when you go in your cabin. Grab a map of the ship, too.
*Dress the kids in their swimsuits so they can enjoy the pools while they are the least crowded of the day. You and your DH can take turns going through Beach Blanket Buffet's embarkation buffet and carry your trays outside to the pool area while the kids swim!
*Once the kids are done swimming, take some time to become familiar with the layout of the ship on each deck.
*Come to our DIS meet. It's really fun to bump into each other throughout the rest of the cruise!
*Do NOT miss the evening shows each night! Arrive at least 15 minutes early.
*Call room service and set up milk and cookies to be delivered each night at bedtime. The kids will LOVE the special treat! After all, they're on vacation, too! :)
*Get your souvenir shopping done this evening. The shops are CrAzY busy the next two nights!

Nassau/Pirate Day-
*If you are even remotely thinking about booking another cruise onboard, stop by the DCL booking desk and fill out an interest card. They will have a quote to you by the next day. Then, you can decide if you want to put a deposit down on it or not. I recommend putting down a deposit while onboard and then deciding whether or not to keep the reservation after you're back home. You can always cancel it without penalty later, but you can never book it with the OBC and discount after you're off the ship.
*Go to Guest Services and charge your tips to your room. There are LONG lines to do this the next afternoon/evening.
*Check your Navigator for when Captain Jack Sparrow will be available for photographs!
*Avoid Shutters directly before and after meal times - that's when that tiny little space is the most packed!
*The Pirate Dessert Buffet is only open for about 30 minutes after the end of the Pirate Show. Be sure to go and look at all the decorations and food carvings even if you're not planning to eat anything. You have to get your drinks from the 24-hour drink station, so we like to do that first before getting in the buffet line.

Castaway Cay Day -
*Pick up a Pirate Scavenger Hunt map before you leave the ship. Try to read the directions before you leave the ship, as well, otherwise you'll have to backtrack on the island to find all the clues.
*Check the Navigator for all the fun activities offered on the island.
*Be sure to bathe the kids as soon as you're back on the ship to was any traces of sea lice off before they get itchy.
*Pack before dinner so you don't have to miss the Til We Meet Again show.

*Take time to enjoy just being onboard that beautiful ship! :goodvibes

[Deb T.]

I am jealous of those of you who are going to WDW prior to our cruise :upsidedow I tried to talk DH into us going prior (and even have a res at POR on the 4/3 deal) but we just went for a week last October and plan to go again this October and he thinks that is enough - so it looks like I will be cancelling the POR resi. It's just so hard to get that close to WDW and not go visit the happiest place on earth!! I hope that you all will understand my obsession better than he does :goodvibes I would be happy to come with you Deb so you don't have to go alone :)

Come on down! Leave your DH at home! :rotfl: I'd love to have someone to hang out with! :)

Seriously, though, I'm sorry your DH doesn't want to go back down in April. :guilty:

[Brandy C]

Hi,

I love all the activity on here today.:cool1: I just returned from a school fundraiser that took us to the Nevada Stateline for a turnaround trip. (1/2 hour before Vegas) :cool: I'm exhausted and although I did not win any money, I had a great time.

I'm counting the days until April 3 since that's when we're headed to WDW.
Only 59 days until we board to the Wonder.:woohoo:

It would be nice to receive a little something from Mickey for Easter. Too bad we will have to be rushed off the ship.:sad1:

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Thanks for the information but we are cruising April 9th-12th not August 9-13.:)


sorry for the mistake, everyone!:upsidedow:headache:

I did a search for August 9 - this came up and I didn't do a "second look"!!!

Have an awesome cruise!!!!!:wizard:

[Deb T.]

Hi All!

Exactly 8 weeks from now (6:30pm EST as I write this), those of you with Main Dining will be getting to know your tablemates and servers while looking over the dinner menu and ordering scrumptous appetizers! If you are new to DCL, you can't yet even imagine how much you will come to love your servers in these three short nights... and how much you will miss their pampering once you return home. ;) Remember: if you can't decide between two entrees (or appetizers, or salad/soups, or desserts), it's perfectly all right to order them all!!! :thumbsup2

Those of us with Late Dining will be sitting comfortably in the Walt Disney Theatre enjoying The Golden Mickeys stage show! :goodvibes Don't worry about grabbing "the perfect seat" because they're all good seats! We actually prefer the top half of the theater because you have a broader view of the stage and all the action! :)

Then in a couple of hours, we'll all switch places. Main diners will be in the theatre while late diners will be starting their meals. :)

As you can probably tell, I'm already counting down the days until we're onboard! Since we've cruised DCL several times already, it's easy for me to visualize what I'll be doing on any particular day and time. DH and I definitely have a nice little onboard routine. :goodvibes

[Deb T.]

Exactly 8 weeks from now, we will have just spent the day enjoying all that Nassau has to offer! :) Some of us will be a little sunburnt. :rolleyes1 The first thing my family likes to do after spending a day on shore is head to Pluto's for some piping hot french fries and the 24-hour drink station for something iced cold to drink. :lovestruc We eat our snack at a table near the pool and talk about all the fun we had that day. Then, if there's enough time before the "Toy Story the Musical" show (or dinner if you have main dining), we indulge on some ice cream, too! :goodvibes But, we do keep in mind that we need to save enough room for a four-course dinner and then the pirate: Pirate Dessert Buffet!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh, :lovestruc I just LOVE being on vacation!!! :lovestruc Especially when it's on a Disney ship!

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I am loving the 8 week countdowns!!!! :love:

THANK YOU Deb T.!!!!

[Deb T.]

I am loving the 8 week countdowns!!!! :love:

THANK YOU Deb T.!!!!

You're welcome! It's helping me pass the time before we're finally onboard! As you can tell, in my mind I'm already there! :rotfl:

[Deb T.]

:love: :love: :love: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! :love: :love: :love:

[Deb T.]

It's Saturday, around 11:30 a.m. EST, and exactly 8 weeks from now we'll all be basking in the bright sunlight and cool tropical breezes of what we like to call our little piece of heaven on earth, Castaway Cay! :beach: Cookies' BBQ is just opening and the Crab Derbies start in another fifteen minutes!

Inarguably, Castaway Cay is paradise at it's best! :lovestruc There is something for every personality... family fun in the sun on the Family Beach, a quiet adult retreat on Serenity Bay, a walking/biking trail, lots of planned activities, the teen-only beach, the kid's club area, characters, music, shopping, food, fruit, beverages, and ice cream! :thumbsup2

DH and I like to stroll all the way from the ship to Serenity Bay - no trams for us! :cool2: Yes, it's a long walk, but it's peaceful and pretty. We've even seen a few hermit crabs along the way. :) We usually spend an hour or so relaxing on the beach, and then walk back to the Family Beach area to watch the Crab Derbies and eat lunch at Cookies' BBQ. We take a few pieces of fruit to nibble on while walking back toward Serenity Bay. We always take a little detour on the walking/bike path so we can climb the tower and look out over most of the island. You see, we're actually working up our appetite again because we'll also be stopping at the Air Bar on our way back to Serenity Beach for lunch part deux! :rolleyes1 In our defense, sometimes the two locations offer different lunch options... for example, Cookies' has corn-on-the-cob whereas Air Bar usually doesn't, and sometimes Air Bar has nice steaks! And hey, we're on vacation, so calories don't count, right??? :rotfl:

[Disney On A Dime!]

::MinnieMo Happy Valentine's Day!

I love the 8 week countdown! :lovestruc I can't wait to see what today's events will be! UPDATE: They are awesome!!!

By the way...that DCL cruise tips that you put together DebT was wonderful! Even though we have cruised before with DCL it is so good to refresh my memory of those special tips and such! I had been wanting to thank you for a couple of days now, but my computer got attacked with a virus. The virus took out everything! Anyhow...most of our important info. is on an external hard drive...it's just that I have been unable to get on-line! Yikes! :scared1:

Well our excitement continues to build! :yay: Only 8 more weeks! :woohoo:

[Deb T.]

::MinnieMo Happy Valentine's Day!

I love the 8 week countdown! :lovestruc I can't wait to see what today's events will be!

By the way...that DCL cruise tips that you put together DebT was wonderful! Even though we have cruised before with DCL it is so good to refresh my memory of those special tips and such! I had been wanting to thank you for a couple of days now, but my computer got attacked with a virus. The virus took out everything! Anyhow...most of our important info. is on an external hard drive...it's just that I have been unable to get on-line! Yikes! :scared1:

Well our excitement continues to build! :yay: Only 8 more weeks! :woohoo:

Thanks! :) You're sweet! :hug:

We must have posted at the same time, so be sure to scroll up for this morning's instalment of the 8 week countdown! :goodvibes I'll post "Saturday, Part II" later this afternoon. :thumbsup2

[Disney On A Dime!]

Thanks! :) You're sweet! :hug:

We must have posted at the same time, so be sure to scroll up for this morning's instalment of the 8 week countdown! :goodvibes I'll post "Saturday, Part II" later this afternoon. :thumbsup2


Yes...as soon as I posted I saw your new installment...so I went ahead and edited my post. Gotta keep things up to date!


:beach: Oh to be at Castaway Cay! Can we go now???

[Deb T.]

Saturday, exactly 8 weeks from now, continued...

It's around 7:30 p.m. EST and we've just spent the most wonderful time on Castaway Cay. If you decided to do the Scavenger Hunt, you were drawn to areas of the island that you might not have ordinarily visited, and you are now aware of several previously unnoticed details. You were very sad 2-1/2 hours ago as you watched us pulling away from that beautiful island and, as it faded smaller and smaller into the horizon, you were already busy plotting how to afford another Disney cruise soon!!! ;)

You'll see a LOT of sunburnt people at dinner tonight!!!! Main diners are finishing up, handing out tips, and maybe exchanging email addresses with tablemates. One particular Late Diner is trying very hard to disguise the fact that she's crying :sad1: at this exact moment - near the finale of Disney Dreams. (It gets me EVERY time... and I've seen it 7 times!!! :upsidedow )

The rest of the evening will be very busy - trying to fit in every last moment of this magical vacation. It will be difficult to narrow down which photographs to purchase... You'll want one last souvenir shopping spree... Maybe one more trip to Scoops... Oh - and don't forget the Captain will be signing autographs tonight in Treasure Ketch! :) And, in 2-1/2 hours, you'll see all the characters gathered together in the atrium for a final goodbye... 'Til We Meet Again. If you haven't already, quickly give room service a call and order milk and cookies for a special treat for the kids tonight before they go to bed! :goodvibes

[Deb T.]

Exactly 8 weeks from now (Sunday, noon, EST)....

Each of us will be caught off guard at one time or another with the slightly off-balanced feeling of a "rocking motion" - as if you were still on the ship!! :upsidedow For some, like me, this subtle reminder of being onboard will last a few days. :goodvibes If it becomes problematic though, I usually take ginger supplements for a couple of days, and for more persistant cases half a Bonine tablet every 12-hours helps. Don't worry, though, eventually your land legs take over. :rotfl:

It's Easter morning, and you've probably eaten your first sit-down breakfast of the cruise - in the exact same spot you ate dinner last night! (The other mornings my family routinely eats breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet.) Then, you've lingered... stalled, actually... as you slowly and reluctanly made your way toward the exit in the atrium. This large opening in the wall on Deck 3 has been concealed and largely unnoticed during the duration of the cruise, and you take a moment to marvel at how clever Disney engineering is! After all, it's the same opening that you entered through with great anticipation just 3 days prior!

Well, fellow sailors, this concludes the 8 Week Countdown. I might try to come up with a different installment next week! ;)

[disneychic]

HI EVERYONE :)

For this cruise we have 3 staterooms full of people! Me and my DH, my Mom and my adorable 3 year old nephew, and my BFF & her Hubby and we all cannot wait! We're gonna have a great cruise :cool1:

[Deb T.]

Welcome aboard, disneychic! pirate: We're glad you joined us on this thread! Be sure to send me a PM if you'd like to join in on our FE exchange! So far, the participants are:

Disney_On_A_Dime!
WDWCrazyfromGA
Deb T.

We're also planning a quick DIS Meet onboard on Thursday (April 9) at 3:30 p.m. at the Mickey Pool by Scoops! :thumbsup2

[disneychic]

Hey Deb T. :) not sure about the FE exchange for this cruise as we have a bunch of family members/friends joining us on this cruise, and we'll be busy catching up w/ them all (plus, they are all first time cruisers). I'll keep it in mind though, and run it by the DH -- if he says he'll help then we will definately be in! I'll keep you posted. Thanks again!

[kimkreis]

I am in on the FE Exchange. Just need instructions!

Getting really excited for this cruise. I loved the recaps of what we will be doing on the cruise.

[Disney On A Dime!]

I am in on the FE Exchange. Just need instructions!

Getting really excited for this cruise. I loved the recaps of what we will be doing on the cruise.


:cheer2: Three cheers for the recaps and cruise tips from DebT! :cheer2:

I have printed out all of them and have even started highlighting the items that are important for our cruise. I love the planning part of a vacation! :upsidedow


As far as the FE exchange goes...just PM DebT with your names, kid's ages and room number, and she will add you to the list and give you a list of who has signed up. I think that there are now 4 rooms signed up for the FE. pirate:

[Deb T.]

I loved the recaps of what we will be doing on the cruise.

:cheer2: Three cheers for the recaps and cruise tips from DebT! :cheer2:

Thanks! You're both very sweet! I had fun doing them. :goodvibes Stay tuned... I might just do some more in the coming weeks! :)

[Deb T.]

I am in on the FE Exchange. Just need instructions!

Getting really excited for this cruise. I loved the recaps of what we will be doing on the cruise.

Hi Kim! I'm glad you're going to do the FE Exchange! It's a LOT of fun! As "Disney On A Dime!" said, just send a private message to me (click on my DIS name and then click on "send Deb T. a message") with your cabin number, names, and kids' ages. I'll then send you a PM back with the information from the others who are participating.

As far as instructions on the actual exchange itself, it's very easy! :)
Before you leave for the cruise:
*Print a copy of participants so you'll know which cabins to deliver your gifts to.
*Buy or make little gifts for each cabin (some people give a gift for each person in the cabin, some people do one gift per cabin - it's totally up to you!)
Once you're onboard the ship:
*Hang a FE from the silver fish clip outside your cabin door. Your FE can be anything, just as long as it can hold a few treats! I use a small canvas bag, but many people have gorgeous personalized hanging pockets (very similar to hanging letter holders).
*Whenever it's convenient to you, deliver your FE gifts to the other participants. pirate:
*ENJOY peeking inside your FE to see what surprises have been delivered to your FE! :lovestruc

[Brandy C]

Deb T I also enjoyed reading your lovely recap. Brings back some memories and I'm super eager to get on the ship. :)

It's around 8:30 am here in CA right now and I wish I was serving myself some Mickey waffles at the Beach Blanket Buffet. I want to have my breakfast on deck 9 not in my kitchen. :rotfl2:

[Brandy C]

HI EVERYONE :)

For this cruise we have 3 staterooms full of people! Me and my DH, my Mom and my adorable 3 year old nephew, and my BFF & her Hubby and we all cannot wait! We're gonna have a great cruise :cool1:

:welcome: :wave2:
That is great. I would like to get (more like convince) my Mom and BFF's to join us on a cruise.

[Deb T.]

Deb T I also enjoyed reading your lovely recap. Brings back some memories and I'm super eager to get on the ship. :)

It's around 8:30 am here in CA right now and I wish I was serving myself some Mickey waffles at the Beach Blanket Buffet. I want to have my breakfast on deck 9 not in my kitchen. :rotfl2:

Thanks! I'm super eager to be back on the ship, too! :cool1:

And, I couldn't agree more - we love :lovestruc sitting outside in the sun on Deck 9 eating a breakfast I did not have to cook! And lunch... And dinner in one of the restaurants... and snacks in between our meals from Pluto's... and Pinocchio's... and Goofy's Galley... and Scoops... and Cove Cafe... :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[antje]

This will be our first cruise ever for my DS11, DS7, my fiance' and I. I'd love to receive any advice on what items to pack, type of clothes to wear, generally what are "must-haves" for the cruise.

So far, I'm bringing plenty of sunblock, aloe gel, dramamine, camera, and waterproof camera.

We planned the catamaran ride around the Bahamas and the catamaran/snorkel trip on Castaway Cay. We want to spend tons of time exploring/enjoying the ship, the pool deck, the Oceaneer club, etc.

Need travelers checks to make purchases on the Bahamas is one of my big questions


TIA:goodvibes

[Deb T.]

This will be our first cruise ever for my DS11, DS7, my fiance' and I. I'd love to receive any advice on what items to pack, type of clothes to wear, generally what are "must-haves" for the cruise.

So far, I'm bringing plenty of sunblock, aloe gel, dramamine, camera, and waterproof camera.

We planned the catamaran ride around the Bahamas and the catamaran/snorkel trip on Castaway Cay. We want to spend tons of time exploring/enjoying the ship, the pool deck, the Oceaneer club, etc.

Need travelers checks to make purchases on the Bahamas is one of my big questions


TIA:goodvibes

Welcome back to our meets thread! :goodvibes

There's a fairly comprehensive packing list somewhere on the main cruise board... you might have to do a search to find it. Or, you could post it as a question and someone will quickly point you in the right direction. :)

The 3-night cruises are pretty casual. Even "formal wear" is optional on what they now call "Dress-up Night". Cruise casual is fine and dandy. It's also fun to dress up in pirate gear for Pirate Night on Friday.

Nassau accepts U.S. currency and all major credit cards so, unless you feel safer with Traveler's Checks, you probably don't need them.

[Deb T.]

Hello Fellow Cruisers!
Just for fun, I've come up with a "Top 10" list of what you can do now to prepare for this cruise. ;) In true David Letterman style, this is all in jest, so enjoy! Oh, and if this is your first Disney cruise, please be sure to re-read this again after our cruise... I promise it'll be much more humorous then. :rotfl2:


Deb T.'s Top 10 List of Things to Do to Help Your Family Prepare for a Disney Cruise:

10. Start serving all breakfasts and lunches buffet style.

9. Every Friday evening, make everyone dress in full pirate gear for dinner. After dinner, dance around while talking like a pirate. Arrrrrrrrgh!

8. Set your children's artwork out on display in the living room, set up folding chairs for everyone to sit on, and then auction off each piece of artwork to the highest bidder.

7. Step outside and lean on a porch or deck railing, gaze wistfully out at your landscape, and comment on how amazing it is that the ocean is spread out before you for as far as you can see.

6. Start checking your children in and out of their playroom. If your children want to leave the playroom before you come to get them, they must stand in the doorway and make beeper sounds until you arrive.

5. Draw the DCL logo on tall plastic cups and drink your favorite alcoholic beverages out of them.

4. Every night, perform a turn-down service for everyone. Place a small chocolate bar on each pillow and leave a schedule of the next day's events and a towel animal on each bed. Oh, and don't forget to set chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk on the nightstand (from Room Service, of course!).

3. Every evening at t 5:40 p.m. (for those of you with main dining; 8:10 p.m. for those with late dining), make your family line up outside the dining room door to wait for dinner to begin. Before they are allowed to enter at 5:45 p.m. (or 8:15 p.m.), make sure the table is set and their favorite drinks are poured and waiting for them. Oh, and of course, have a 4-course dinner prepared to serve.

2. Every evening at 8:00 p.m. (for those of you with main dining; 5:45 p.m. for those with late dining), have everyone sit in front of the TV to wait for that evening's show to begin. Actually, if you'd really like to enhance the cruise, I suggest you have the children watch Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, 101 Dalmatians (live action w/Glen Close), Sleeping Beauty, Tarzan (animated version), Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Pinocchio. Now, back to my silliness: on Friday nights watch Toy Story and Toy Story II for the "Toy Story The Musical" show and on Saturday nights watch Peter Pan for the "Disney Dreams" show.

And the number one thing to do to help your family prepare for your cruise
1. In the mornings, make a 3-tone chime noise, then make the following announcement in your best British accent: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, in 2 minutes time the forward door will open for all guests to disembark for school. The weather today is going to be (insert your weather, i.e. cold) so be sure to take your (insert necessity, i.e. hat and mittens) when you leave the house. And remember, all aboard is at (whatever your curfew is). Have a magical day!

[Brandy C]

Hello Fellow Cruisers!
Just for fun, I've come up with a "Top 10" list of what you can do now to prepare for this cruise. ;) In true David Letterman style, this is all in jest, so enjoy! Oh, and if this is your first Disney cruise, please be sure to re-read this again after our cruise... I promise it'll be much more humorous then. :rotfl2:


Deb T.'s Top 10 List of Things to Do to Help Your Family Prepare for a Disney Cruise:

10. Start serving all breakfasts and lunches buffet style.

9. Every Friday evening, make everyone dress in full pirate gear for dinner. After dinner, dance around while talking like a pirate. Arrrrrrrrgh!

8. Set your children's artwork out on display in the living room, set up folding chairs for everyone to sit on, and then auction off each piece of artwork to the highest bidder.

7. Step outside and lean on a porch or deck railing, gaze wistfully out at your landscape, and comment on how amazing it is that the ocean is spread out before you for as far as you can see.

6. Start checking your children in and out of their playroom. If your children want to leave the playroom before you come to get them, they must stand in the doorway and make beeper sounds until you arrive.

5. Draw the DCL logo on tall plastic cups and drink your favorite alcoholic beverages out of them.

4. Every night, perform a turn-down service for everyone. Place a small chocolate bar on each pillow and leave a schedule of the next day's events and a towel animal on each bed. Oh, and don't forget to set chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk on the nightstand (from Room Service, of course!).

3. Every evening at t 5:40 p.m. (for those of you with main dining; 8:10 p.m. for those with late dining), make your family line up outside the dining room door to wait for dinner to begin. Before they are allowed to enter at 5:45 p.m. (or 8:15 p.m.), make sure the table is set and their favorite drinks are poured and waiting for them. Oh, and of course, have a 4-course dinner prepared to serve.

2. Every evening at 8:00 p.m. (for those of you with main dining; 5:45 p.m. for those with late dining), have everyone sit in front of the TV to wait for that evening's show to begin. Actually, if you'd really like to enhance the cruise, I suggest you have the children watch Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, 101 Dalmatians (live action w/Glen Close), Sleeping Beauty, Tarzan (animated version), Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Pinocchio. Now, back to my silliness: on Friday nights watch Toy Story and Toy Story II for the "Toy Story The Musical" show and on Saturday nights watch Peter Pan for the "Disney Dreams" show.

And the number one thing to do to help your family prepare for your cruise
1. In the mornings, make a 3-tone chime noise, then make the following announcement in your best British accent: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, in 2 minutes time the forward door will open for all guests to disembark for school. The weather today is going to be (insert your weather, i.e. cold) so be sure to take your (insert necessity, i.e. hat and mittens) when you leave the house. And remember, all aboard is at (whatever your curfew is). Have a magical day!


You get a standing ovation from me. BRAVO! :thumbsup2 That was excellent and so fun to read. :goodvibes

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hello Fellow Cruisers!
Just for fun, I've come up with a "Top 10" list of what you can do now to prepare for this cruise. ;) In true David Letterman style, this is all in jest, so enjoy! Oh, and if this is your first Disney cruise, please be sure to re-read this again after our cruise... I promise it'll be much more humorous then. :rotfl2:


Deb T.'s Top 10 List of Things to Do to Help Your Family Prepare for a Disney Cruise:

10. Start serving all breakfasts and lunches buffet style.

9. Every Friday evening, make everyone dress in full pirate gear for dinner. After dinner, dance around while talking like a pirate. Arrrrrrrrgh!

8. Set your children's artwork out on display in the living room, set up folding chairs for everyone to sit on, and then auction off each piece of artwork to the highest bidder.

7. Step outside and lean on a porch or deck railing, gaze wistfully out at your landscape, and comment on how amazing it is that the ocean is spread out before you for as far as you can see.

6. Start checking your children in and out of their playroom. If your children want to leave the playroom before you come to get them, they must stand in the doorway and make beeper sounds until you arrive.

5. Draw the DCL logo on tall plastic cups and drink your favorite alcoholic beverages out of them.

4. Every night, perform a turn-down service for everyone. Place a small chocolate bar on each pillow and leave a schedule of the next day's events and a towel animal on each bed. Oh, and don't forget to set chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk on the nightstand (from Room Service, of course!).

3. Every evening at t 5:40 p.m. (for those of you with main dining; 8:10 p.m. for those with late dining), make your family line up outside the dining room door to wait for dinner to begin. Before they are allowed to enter at 5:45 p.m. (or 8:15 p.m.), make sure the table is set and their favorite drinks are poured and waiting for them. Oh, and of course, have a 4-course dinner prepared to serve.

2. Every evening at 8:00 p.m. (for those of you with main dining; 5:45 p.m. for those with late dining), have everyone sit in front of the TV to wait for that evening's show to begin. Actually, if you'd really like to enhance the cruise, I suggest you have the children watch Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, 101 Dalmatians (live action w/Glen Close), Sleeping Beauty, Tarzan (animated version), Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Pinocchio. Now, back to my silliness: on Friday nights watch Toy Story and Toy Story II for the "Toy Story The Musical" show and on Saturday nights watch Peter Pan for the "Disney Dreams" show.

And the number one thing to do to help your family prepare for your cruise
1. In the mornings, make a 3-tone chime noise, then make the following announcement in your best British accent: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, in 2 minutes time the forward door will open for all guests to disembark for school. The weather today is going to be (insert your weather, i.e. cold) so be sure to take your (insert necessity, i.e. hat and mittens) when you leave the house. And remember, all aboard is at (whatever your curfew is). Have a magical day!


:mickeyjum:donald::goofy::stitch::simba::tigger: :dumbo::maleficen:sulley::mickeyjum:donald::goofy: :stitch::simba::tigger: :dumbo::maleficen:sulley:

DCL Boot Camp! Line em' up and get their brains in gear for a WONDERful cruise! I was going to comment on my favorite one, but I love them all!

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I LOVED THE TOP 10!!! Thank you Deb - I absolutely love the countdown and then the top 10 :thumbsup2

6 weeks from today I will be on the boat sipping some kind of umbrella drink!!!!!!! :banana:

[Deb T.]

You get a standing ovation from me. BRAVO! :thumbsup2 That was excellent and so fun to read. :goodvibes

DCL Boot Camp! Line em' up and get their brains in gear for a WONDERful cruise! I was going to comment on my favorite one, but I love them all!

I LOVED THE TOP 10!!! Thank you Deb - I absolutely love the countdown and then the top 10 :thumbsup2

6 weeks from today I will be on the boat sipping some kind of umbrella drink!!!!!!! :banana:

:flower3: Thanks! :goodvibes I had a really fun time coming up with that! :lmao:

Since you all liked it so much, I think I'll post it on the main cruise thread, too! :)

[disneychic]

We should be getting our cruise docs. in the next few weeks:cool1: It sure would be great if people post here on this thread letting us know they've received them. That way we'd all know that our own docs will be coming shortly :thumbsup2

[Deb T.]

We should be getting our cruise docs. in the next few weeks:cool1: It sure would be great if people post here on this thread letting us know they've received them. That way we'd all know that our own docs will be coming shortly :thumbsup2

:cool1: :cool1: Oh you can bet that I'll be doing the Document Dance on here the second they arrive! :cool1: :cool1:

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

Hello! We finally got our room assignment today. Unfortunately, it is right beneath the kitchen. I did the Cat 9 for our first crusie because I though we might enjoy having the daylight in the room (and enjoy the view.) I am still excited because any room is fine when we're with Disney - but I must admit my disappointment :sad2: We have room 2600 - one of like 5 or 6 of the Cat 9 cabins that I was hoping not to get because we are all light sleepers. Oh well - you win some and lose some....... atleast we're cruising in 37 days!!!

[Deb T.]

Hello! We finally got our room assignment today. Unfortunately, it is right beneath the kitchen. I did the Cat 9 for our first crusie because I though we might enjoy having the daylight in the room (and enjoy the view.) I am still excited because any room is fine when we're with Disney - but I must admit my disappointment :sad2: We have room 2600 - one of like 5 or 6 of the Cat 9 cabins that I was hoping not to get because we are all light sleepers. Oh well - you win some and lose some....... atleast we're cruising in 37 days!!!

Have you tried calling DCL (or your TA if you used one) to see if you can move to a different Cat9 cabin? Hopefully they'll be able to help you. I'm sending you Pixie Dust pixiedust: for good luck!

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

Thank you for the pixie dust Deb! Do you think I should give it a few days to see if we get upgraded or changed - or is it pretty much set once an assignment is made to a 'GTY' room?

[Deb T.]

Thank you for the pixie dust Deb! Do you think I should give it a few days to see if we get upgraded or changed - or is it pretty much set once an assignment is made to a 'GTY' room?

I think it's pretty much a done deal on DCL's side once they've made cabin assignments. So, if I were you, I'd definitely call first thing in the morning! I have no idea if this cruise is sold out, but if it isn't then you have a pretty good chance of making a change. :)

pixiedust: Good Luck! pixiedust: Good Luck! pixiedust: Good Luck! pixiedust:

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I think it's pretty much a done deal on DCL's side once they've made cabin assignments. So, if I were you, I'd definitely call first thing in the morning! I have no idea if this cruise is sold out, but if it isn't then you have a pretty good chance of making a change. :)

pixiedust: Good Luck! pixiedust: Good Luck! pixiedust: Good Luck! pixiedust:

I called and our ship is completely sold out - so we are stuck with our stateroom. My family is pretty good at making the best of things - so no biggy. We'll just work extra hard to tire ourselves out so that the kitchen noise doesn't bother us at 4 in the morning :jumping3: I don't think we will have any problems doing that!

37 - okay more like 36 more days!!!! :cheer2:

[Deb T.]

I called and our ship is completely sold out - so we are stuck with our stateroom. My family is pretty good at making the best of things - so no biggy. We'll just work extra hard to tire ourselves out so that the kitchen noise doesn't bother us at 4 in the morning :jumping3: I don't think we will have any problems doing that!

37 - okay more like 36 more days!!!! :cheer2:

Awww. Well, at least you tried. You might continue calling back a few times before our cruise... just in case. :thumbsup2

[disneychic]

Boy, for a month that supposedly "Comes in like a lion" it certainly feels like it's moving at a snail's pace! I was thinking of counting how many "work days" I have left until our cruise, but I don't want to get too depressed! :sad1:

[ppiew]

I will be taking my 2 granddaughters on this cruise. is anyone bring 'fish extenders'? not sure how to participate.

[Disney On A Dime!]

I will be taking my 2 granddaughters on this cruise. is anyone bring 'fish extenders'? not sure how to participate.


:fish: Yes! We are doing a "Fish Extender" or FE exchange. DebT is heading up the FE list. I am sure that once she sees your post...she will get with you about all of the details. :cutie:

By the way...Welcome Aboard! We are all looking forward to a great spring cruise!

[Disney On A Dime!]

Five weeks to go! I thought that I would post some past cruise pictures to show what we might be doing 5 weeks from now. Enjoy!

Thursday, April 9th

Gathering for the Sail Away Party!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0006.jpg

Sail Away Party!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0022.jpg

Let's Dance!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0017.jpg

Leaving Port Canaveral...
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0023-1.jpg


party: Anyone have anymore to add? We'd love to see them!

[Deb T.]

Wow - I'm AWOL from the boards for just one day and look at what all I missed! :upsidedow Today was our DD's birthday so DH and I made the 3-hour round trip drive to her town to take her out to dinner and let her open her gifts. :goodvibes It's been a loooong day, but a fun one!

ppiew - Welcome Aboard! pirate: We're so glad you joined us! I sent you a PM regarding our FE Exchange! :thumbsup2

Disney On A Dime!, kimkreis, and WDWCrazyfrom GA - I PMed all of you with our FE Exchange update! We now have a total of 5 families participating! :cheer2: If anyone else would like to join in on the fun, just send me a PM! The cut-off date for adding participants is April 1st to give everyone enough time to gather their gifts and print off the list of cabin numbers before heading to the port.

Disney On A Dime! - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for posting your awesome photos! :flower3: This will make an AWESOME countdown for this week! :woohoo: You're brilliant!!!!!!!! I can hardly wait to see tomorrow's photos!

Only 6 more weeks!!!!! :banana:

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I cannot wait until I have pictures to post to the cruise boards!!!! :yay:

[Disney On A Dime!]

5 Weeks from today...

Friday, April 10th
The Bahamas! (Never been there...sorry no pics :cutie: )
Pirate Night! pirate:

Ahoy there ye mates!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0130.jpg

Pirate Night at Animators Palate!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0131.jpg

Love Animators Palate!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0136.jpg

:cheer2: I am getting so excited! Pirates...Blue Ocean Waters...Lot's of sun...Large drinks with umbrellas in them! :cheer2:

[Disney On A Dime!]

5 weeks from today...
Saturday, April 11th

Castaway Cay!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp177/cmtenney/2008_0411DisneyCruise0144.jpg

Happy Saturday to all! princess:

[Deb T.]

5 weeks from today...
Saturday, April 11th

Castaway Cay!

Happy Saturday to all! princess:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... :)

[Brandy C]

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn151/brandyc1012/DSC08966-1.jpg

[Alexander]

Hi All!

Deb just sent me the link to this thread. I didn't even consider looking for one since on our last 2 cruises I posted and couldn't find anyone! Now I am even more excited!

This will be cruise #3 for DS1 and I. It will be DH's and DS2's first! Here's our itinerary to catch everyone up to speed:

We fly out of Rochester, NY on Wednesday afternoon into Melbourne (love that little airport) We are staying at the Comfort Inn in Cocoa Beach Weds. night (thanks to Hotwire). We will sail with all of you Thurs. to Sun.:banana: then we'll visit my parents in Vero Beach until Thursday, then we'll spend a couple of days at the Beach Club Villas before flying home out of Orlando.

We were originally on the 4/12--4 night cruise, but when the kids sail free offer came out, the price of changing our cruise dropped $1400!!! I couldn't justify one more night on the ship for $1400!!! We switched to the 3 night sailing on 4/9--and here we are!

I would love to do the fish extender gift swap thing. I think the kids would absolutely love it. I haven't done one and don't know exactly what to do, but would love to be brought up to speed!

Deb--I am going to PM you with all of our information! Thanks for the link to this thread!!!!!

[Deb T.]

Hi All!

Deb just sent me the link to this thread. I didn't even consider looking for one since on our last 2 cruises I posted and couldn't find anyone! Now I am even more excited!

This will be cruise #3 for DS1 and I. It will be DH's and DS2's first! Here's our itinerary to catch everyone up to speed:

We fly out of Rochester, NY on Wednesday afternoon into Melbourne (love that little airport) We are staying at the Comfort Inn in Cocoa Beach Weds. night (thanks to Hotwire). We will sail with all of you Thurs. to Sun.:banana: then we'll visit my parents in Vero Beach until Thursday, then we'll spend a couple of days at the Beach Club Villas before flying home out of Orlando.

We were originally on the 4/12--4 night cruise, but when the kids sail free offer came out, the price of changing our cruise dropped $1400!!! I couldn't justify one more night on the ship for $1400!!! We switched to the 3 night sailing on 4/9--and here we are!

I would love to do the fish extender gift swap thing. I think the kids would absolutely love it. I haven't done one and don't know exactly what to do, but would love to be brought up to speed!

Deb--I am going to PM you with all of our information! Thanks for the link to this thread!!!!!

Welcome Aboard! We're so glad you joined us!

I sent your FE information out to the other participants! We now have 6 families participating! :woohoo: The more the merrier!!!

[Disney On A Dime!]

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn151/brandyc1012/DSC08966-1.jpg

Gotta love the towel animals! :dogdance: Each evening it's a great surprise! I didn't have the heart to post a pic for today :lovestruc ...I don't even want to think about getting off of the ship!

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hi All!

Deb just sent me the link to this thread. I didn't even consider looking for one since on our last 2 cruises I posted and couldn't find anyone! Now I am even more excited!

This will be cruise #3 for DS1 and I. It will be DH's and DS2's first! Here's our itinerary to catch everyone up to speed:

We fly out of Rochester, NY on Wednesday afternoon into Melbourne (love that little airport) We are staying at the Comfort Inn in Cocoa Beach Weds. night (thanks to Hotwire). We will sail with all of you Thurs. to Sun.:banana: then we'll visit my parents in Vero Beach until Thursday, then we'll spend a couple of days at the Beach Club Villas before flying home out of Orlando.

We were originally on the 4/12--4 night cruise, but when the kids sail free offer came out, the price of changing our cruise dropped $1400!!! I couldn't justify one more night on the ship for $1400!!! We switched to the 3 night sailing on 4/9--and here we are!

I would love to do the fish extender gift swap thing. I think the kids would absolutely love it. I haven't done one and don't know exactly what to do, but would love to be brought up to speed!

Deb--I am going to PM you with all of our information! Thanks for the link to this thread!!!!!

:welcome: Welcome aboard! It's great to add another family to the FE list! Only 4 1/2 weeks to go!!!

[Deb T.]

I didn't have the hear to post a pic for today :lovestruc ...I don't even want to think about getting off of the ship!

I know what you mean! I deliberated long and hard when I was posting my 8-week countdown whether or not to post anything for Sunday. :guilty: The ONLY thing that makes it even slightly bearable leaving the ship on the last morning is knowing that I have another cruise booked! :cloud9: I'll be booking an April '10 cruise onboard, and we're booked on a July '10 Baltic cruise! :woohoo: Then, all I have to do is hope and pray that DH and I keep our jobs throughout the recession so we can still afford to continue cruising!

[Disney On A Dime!]

I know what you mean! I deliberated long and hard when I was posting my 8-week countdown whether or not to post anything for Sunday. :guilty: The ONLY thing that makes it even slightly bearable leaving the ship on the last morning is knowing that I have another cruise booked! :cloud9: I'll be booking an April '10 cruise onboard, and we're booked on a July '10 Baltic cruise! :woohoo: Then, all I have to do is hope and pray that DH and I keep our jobs throughout the recession so we can still afford to continue cruising!



We are looking to book something for '10 also...we haven't quite figured out when we want to cruise next year. The kid's Spring Break has worked quite well for the past two years...I guess we will figure that out sometime soon! princess:

Oh yeah...gotta keep the work going in order to pay for all of our Disney Fun! Vacations with Disney are a top priority in our household! :lovestruc

Only 4 more weeks until we are in Orlando :cool2: ...we decided to stay at Coronado Springs for a couple of days prior to cruising...then move on to the Radisson for one night...then to the cruise! I can't wait!!!

[Deb T.]

Only 4 more weeks until we are in Orlando :cool2: ...we decided to stay at Coronado Springs for a couple of days prior to cruising...then move on to the Radisson for one night...then to the cruise! I can't wait!!!

We'll be off-site at the Marriott World Center from Sunday to Wednesday while DH attends a conference. Then, Wednesday we'll stay at the Beach Club Villas before we head to the port the next morning.

I plan to go to the parks while DH is attending conference sessions. Maybe those of us who are planning to be at WDW prior to the cruise could plan to meet for lunch somewhere one day??? I've participated in a pre-cruise meet twice, once last April at EPCOT before a 3-night cruise and again last July at Disneyland's DTD before the Mexican Riviera cruise. It was really fun to put faces with the names of everyone we'd been cooresponding with all those months prior to the cruise! :goodvibes

[disneychic]

We hit the 30 day mark today! :cool1: :cool1: YIPPEEEEE.....Now, where are those cruise docs!

[Disney On A Dime!]

We'll be off-site at the Marriott World Center from Sunday to Wednesday while DH attends a conference. Then, Wednesday we'll stay at the Beach Club Villas before we head to the port the next morning.

I plan to go to the parks while DH is attending conference sessions. Maybe those of us who are planning to be at WDW prior to the cruise could plan to meet for lunch somewhere one day??? I've participated in a pre-cruise meet twice, once last April at EPCOT before a 3-night cruise and again last July at Disneyland's DTD before the Mexican Riviera cruise. It was really fun to put faces with the names of everyone we'd been cooresponding with all those months prior to the cruise! :goodvibes

I'd love to do a pre-cruise meet! Let's see what the interest level is like and then go for it (if possible.) :wizard:

[Deb T.]

I'd love to do a pre-cruise meet! Let's see what the interest level is like and then go for it (if possible.) :wizard:

Awesome! :cool1: Anyone else interested in meeting for lunch at WDW a day or two before the cruise? The more, the merrier! :goodvibes

[Brandy C]

:cool1: 30 day count down:cool1: We're taking a red eye flight out of LAX and will be arriving WDW on 4/3. Just 24 days to go for us.:yay: We will be staying @ Coronado Springs for the week. We have DCL transfers to the Port and I'm kind of bummed that we will not be arriving until the afternoon.
We have the dining plan and pretty much have the majority our meals pre-planned. That was a major task to accomplish.:crazy2: A pre cruise meet would be fun.

Where exactly will the crusie meet onboard be held? :idea: I will need to write this down and put it in my documents folder.

[Deb T.]

[QUOTE=Brandy C;30725549 A pre cruise meet would be fun.

Where exactly will the crusie meet onboard be held? :idea: I will need to write this down and put it in my documents folder.[/QUOTE]

Yay! :yay: We now have three families interested in a WDW pre-cruise meet!

As for when we're onboard, I've set up several meet and greets before. Meeting at 3:30 p.m. on embarkation day by the Mickey Pool near Scoops seems to have always worked out well. That way, everyone can get a little treat and the younger kids can play in the pool if they'd like. I think the DVC Member Celebration runs from 2:30-3:30 and then the Mandatory Lifeboat Drill is at 4:00, so that gives us about a half-hour in between for our meet. However, I'm always open to any other ideas or suggestions. :)

[Brandy C]

As for when we're onboard, I've set up several meet and greets before. Meeting at 3:30 p.m. on embarkation day by the Mickey Pool near Scoops seems to have always worked out well.

Great, I just noted this info.

[Isi]

We will be joining you guys on this cruise, this is our 3rd cruise on the Wonder..I just got my documents today, look out for the UPS guy..:cheer2:

[disneychic]

THANK YOU Isi!!!!! That means our docs. are in the mail!!! :banana: :banana:

[Brandy C]

Yay :dance3: :cool1: :dance3: :yay:

[disneychic]

YIPPEEEEEE CRUISE DOCS CAME IN THE MAIL TODAY :dance3: :dance3:

[Deb T.]

We will be joining you guys on this cruise, this is our 3rd cruise on the Wonder..I just got my documents today, look out for the UPS guy..:cheer2:

Welcome aboard, Isi! :flower3: We're glad you found us!

No sign of cruise docs here yet. :sad2: I'm (IM)patiently waiting! :rolleyes1

[kimkreis]

I don't have anyhting to add except that I am excited. I ahve a bunch of stresses over the enxt couple of weeks and I am just gritting my teeth and gettign through it and focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel which is that big beautiful boat!

We will be in Orlando from the 6th on, but we are staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club on International Drive and doing Sea World this trip. Will hit Downtown Disney on the 6th for a T-Rex ressie and some DTD shopping.

[Deb T.]

:banana: :banana: Guess who's doin' the Document Dance today! :banana: :banana:

[Brandy C]

:banana: :banana: Guess who's doin' the Document Dance today! :banana: :banana:

:woohoo: party: :jumping1:
I'm still waiting.:sad1:

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

:banana: :banana: Guess who's doin' the Document Dance today! :banana: :banana:

:banana: :banana: I'm doing the document dance too!!! :banana: :banana:

[Brandy C]

:banana: :banana: I'm doing the document dance too!!! :banana: :banana:

On Saturday I will be picking up my WDW documents and I'm hoping they will have my cruise documents as well.

[Deb T.]

On Saturday I will be picking up my WDW documents and I'm hoping they will have my cruise documents as well.

I'm sending tons of pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: Pixie Dust your way in hopes that you're able to pick up your cruise documents, too!!! :)

[Brandy C]

I'm sending tons of pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: Pixie Dust your way in hopes that you're able to pick up your cruise documents, too!!! :)

Thanks for the pixiedust::)

[Brandy C]

:banana: Just got a call from my TA and they have my Cruise Documents. I guess I will indeed be picking up both of my documents tomorrow:banana:

[Deb T.]

:banana: Just got a call from my TA and they have my Cruise Documents. I guess I will indeed be picking up both of my documents tomorrow:banana:

:yay: That is WONDERFUL news! :yay:

[Isi]

So has everyone gotten there documents already?????

[Brandy C]

So has everyone gotten there documents already?????

I have all my documets:banana: Just 21 more days until Cruising time:cool1:

[Deb T.]

So has everyone gotten there documents already?????

Yup! My documents arrived March 12th. Plus, I've already printed my online documents and put them in a folder with our passports. This weekend, I'm putting together my FE gifts. Then, all I'll need to do is pack! :cool1:

[Disney On A Dime!]

I'm dancing too! :cool1: No documents yet, but TA is sending them...no worries there! I think I might quickly print off a countdown chain from the DISigns board and put it together for my boys...they keep asking "How much longer!" :rolleyes1

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I'm going to try to organize all of my documents this weekend, and my FE stuff - then I'm getting together my sunscreen, chapstick, shoe hanger, etc (all the other such items that have been recommended on the DIS.) I'll be in Tampa all next week on business - so I'm going to try to go by the Disney store there and pick up some nice surprises :) If I have a completely free evening - I might even buzz over to downtown Disney for Dinner. Since my DH won't let us go over the night before the cruise (he says we have to wait until our October trip) - I'll get a little fix on my own time :rotfl:

As for my documents - the online docs are the same as the one's they sent, right? Or do I need to complete both?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

[Deb T.]

Hello Everyone!

The DIS Boards finally posted fairly recent 3-night Navigators! :woohoo: Here is a direct link to them:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/DCL-Navigators/2-05-09/index.htm

Now, if someone would just post the updated menus, we'd be all set!! ;)

[Deb T.]

I'll be in Tampa all next week on business - so I'm going to try to go by the Disney store there and pick up some nice surprises :) If I have a completely free evening - I might even buzz over to downtown Disney for Dinner. Since my DH won't let us go over the night before the cruise (he says we have to wait until our October trip) - I'll get a little fix on my own time :rotfl:

:thumbsup2 I think that's a GREAT plan! he he

As for my documents - the online docs are the same as the one's they sent, right? Or do I need to complete both?


You don't need both sets of documents - just one. In fact, since I'd already completed and printed my online documents immediately after making our final payment, my mailed packet didn't even include those pages! :angel: If you have your printed online documents, then all you need from your mailed packet is your luggage tags. :)

[Deb T.]

pirate: Ahoy Mateys!

Any skallywags who be wantin' to partake in our Fish Extender Booty Exchange need to enlist now or walk the plank! Aye, me hearty, we be havin' a fine time givin' and gettin' loot whilst onboard!

Shiver me timbers, we already have 6 swashbucklin' families ready to trade!
WDWCrazyfromGA
Disney On A Dime!
kimkries
ppiew
Alexander
Deb T.

The FE exchange is very easy! :)
Before you leave for the cruise:
*Print a copy of participants so you'll know which cabins to deliver your gifts to.
*Buy or make little gifts for each cabin (some people give a gift for each person in the cabin, some people do one gift per cabin - it's totally up to you!)
Once you're onboard the ship:
*Hang a FE from the silver fish clip outside your cabin door. Your FE can be anything, just as long as it can hold a few treats! I use a small canvas bag, but many people have gorgeous personalized hanging pockets (very similar to hanging letter holders).
*Whenever it's convenient to you, deliver your FE gifts to the other participants. pirate:
*ENJOY peeking inside your FE to see what surprises have been delivered to your FE! :lovestruc

Aye, so if ye be wantin' to join in the fun, ye need to sign on! Just post here or send a PM to me. pirate:

[ppiew]

When do we get the 'final' list of FE info?

[Deb T.]

When do we get the 'final' list of FE info?

Earlier, I set a deadline of April 1st for people to join the FE Exchange so the final list can go out on Thursday, April 2nd. That way, anyone who's headed to FL early will have a couple of days to print the cabin list and get their gifts together before leaving on vacation. :)

[kimkreis]

How in God's name did our cruise meet end up on page three!!!!!!!! I am so busy for 4 more days but I am so close to being done with all of my teaching qualification tests and then can total obsess over this awesome cruise!!!!!!

:cool1::dance3::rotfl:

[Deb T.]

How in God's name did our cruise meet end up on page three!!!!!!!! I am so busy for 4 more days but I am so close to being done with all of my teaching qualification tests and then can total obsess over this awesome cruise!!!!!!

:cool1::dance3::rotfl:

Good luck with your tests! :)

[Deb T.]

Hi All!

I called DCL today and here is the list of movies currently playing onboard The Wonder:

High School Musical III
Hannah Montana in 3-D
Jonas Brothers in 3-D
Bolt in 3-D
Bedtime Stories
Race to Witch Mountain
Confessions of a Shopaholic

As always, Disney reserves the right to change them at any time. However, I think it's a pretty good bet that these will be still be playing in two weeks! :)

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hi All!

I called DCL today and here is the list of movies currently playing onboard The Wonder:

High School Musical III
Hannah Montana in 3-D
Jonas Brothers in 3-D
Bolt in 3-D
Bedtime Stories
Race to Witch Mountain
Confessions of a Shopaholic

As always, Disney reserves the right to change them at any time. However, I think it's a pretty good bet that these will be still be playing in two weeks! :)


popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:: We can't wait!!!

[kimkreis]

Oh cool, I will skip seeign Witch Mountain until the cruise!

[Deb T.]

Oh cool, I will skip seeign Witch Mountain until the cruise!

I want to see that, too! And Bolt... and Bedtime Stories... :rotfl:

[Brandy C]

:banana:Just two more weeks to go !:banana:

[Deb T.]

:banana:Just two more weeks to go !:banana:

Hooray! I cannot wait... I cannot wait... I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cheer2:

[Deb T.]

Just a reminder that Wednesday, April 1st, is the cut-off for joining our FE Exchange. :flower3: The good news is it means we are very, very close to our cruise date!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!! :cool1:

We currently have 6 families participating! pirate: It will be a LOT of fun!! :cheer2:

[ppiew]

Whoops! I just put a 'reminder' on the Forum board! didn't see your post, sorry! Maybe we will get a few more who knows. My grands think I am nuts but when the time comes they will love it! Just like 'trick or treating.!

[Deb T.]

Whoops! I just put a 'reminder' on the Forum board! didn't see your post, sorry! Maybe we will get a few more who knows. My grands think I am nuts but when the time comes they will love it! Just like 'trick or treating.!

No worries. The mods will probably just move your Main Forum post to this thread. :thumbsup2

Your granddaughters will love :love: the FE exchange!! Honestly, as an adult, I love the FE exchange, too! :goodvibes

[daisylove]

Getting very close and the birth certificate for my 1yr old has not arrived yet!! I have to tell you i am getting Very nervous. Is there no way around a BC for a baby?

Do you think they will premiere the new hannah montana movie onboard? It opens april 10.

Also, anyone have any ideas on temp and water temps for our cruise?

I am thinking about the FE but it may be just too much to prepare for in the VERY crazy busy days before the cruise. If not I still hope to see you fellow Disers! We will be decorating the door so you will know we are there.:)

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

Getting very close and the birth certificate for my 1yr old has not arrived yet!! I have to tell you i am getting Very nervous. Is there no way around a BC for a baby?

Do you think they will premiere the new hannah montana movie onboard? It opens april 10.

Also, anyone have any ideas on temp and water temps for our cruise?

I am thinking about the FE but it may be just too much to prepare for in the VERY crazy busy days before the cruise. If not I still hope to see you fellow Disers! We will be decorating the door so you will know we are there.:)

Hi daisylove - I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the BC to arrive - I know that must be stressful for you!

Yes, from what fellow DISers have told me - the Hannah Montana movie will show on board - my DD is so excited!!

Pixie Dust :wizard: for the BC to come in soon!!

[kimkreis]

Ok the big test is done and now I am stressing over the cruise stuff. I have work this week but I do have all next weekend to get ready. We head down to Orlando on Monday the 6th.

What should I type into my GPS to get to the port?

Also I am strating to freak about packing!!!!

Calm me down someone.......

[Deb T.]

Getting very close and the birth certificate for my 1yr old has not arrived yet!! I have to tell you i am getting Very nervous. Is there no way around a BC for a baby?

Do you think they will premiere the new hannah montana movie onboard? It opens april 10.

Also, anyone have any ideas on temp and water temps for our cruise?

I am thinking about the FE but it may be just too much to prepare for in the VERY crazy busy days before the cruise. If not I still hope to see you fellow Disers! We will be decorating the door so you will know we are there.:)

Here's pixiedust: pixie dust that the birth certificate comes in time! Would it be possible if you could pick one up in person? You might want to call DCL to see what your options are.

From http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/NassauBahamas.htm :
What is the weather like?
Nassau enjoys a subtropical climate with mild winters, seldom dipping below 60°F. Average temperatures range in the low to upper 80’s; with water temperature never below 72°. With that said, however, just like Florida, these are averages and during winter months be prepared for an occasional cold front to cause drastic temperature drops.

I would almost bet that they will premiere the new Hannah Montana movie - maybe even starting at midnight on our first night onboard! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you... and here's a little extra pixiedust: that it does! :)

Please let us know by Wednesday if you decide to do the FE exchange. I've been working on my FE gifts all day today! :woohoo:

[Deb T.]

Ok the big test is done and now I am stressing over the cruise stuff. I have work this week but I do have all next weekend to get ready. We head down to Orlando on Monday the 6th.

What should I type into my GPS to get to the port?

Also I am strating to freak about packing!!!!

Calm me down someone.......

Close your eyes: (okay :cool2: you'll have to peek for my calming instructions)
Deeeeeeep breath... innnnnnnnn.... out........... sigh.......
Picture a crystal clear ocean and sandy white beach....
Imagine a warm tropical breeze gently blowing....
Feel the sunshine on your face....
Ahhhhhhh yesssssss, that fantasy will come true at this exact moment in just 13 days! :goodvibes

Congrats on getting the big test over and done with! :woohoo: Was that the Praxis? What grade level do you want to teach? I'm a teacher, and this is my DD's fourth year as a 1st grade teacher. :teacher: She just mailed off her National Board Certification packet yesterday! She won't learn if she earned it or not until the end of November! :scared:

We'll be in Orlando on the 5th! :yay:

From http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/en_US/directions/directions?name=PortCanaveralDrivingDirectionsLand ingPage
PORT INFORMATION
Address
The cruise terminal is located in Port Canaveral at Cruise Terminal A, 9155 Charles M. Rowland Dr., Port Canaveral, FL 32920

That link also has driving directions to the port from every direction. :thumbsup2

Definitely don't freak about packing. Everything is casual on the 3-night cruises, which makes packing very easy! :) Over the years, we've learned the art of packing light so DH and I will be arriving with one roll-aboard suitcase each! Good luck... and remember, the rule of thumb is to lay out everything you want to pack and then put half of it back into your closet! :rotfl:

[Deb T.]

Currently, DH and I have DCL bus transfers to and from the port. However, we've been thinking about renting a car for Thursday morning's drive to the port from the WDW resort. We would :lovestruc LOVE :lovestruc to arrive at the port a little before 10am to snag a low boarding number.... specifically that good 'ole coveted #2!!! ;) Would anyone else want to share the ride and the cost??? We're a very pleasant, non-smoking couple who will be traveling light - just a roll-aboard and carry-on bag each. :)

We booked a ridiculously early flight out of MCO that Sunday morning... I'm almost afraid to even post the departure time because it would sound like we'd lost all our marbles. However, I made that same flight on stand-by last year, so I'm pretty confident we'll make it in time with our bonifide ticketed reservation. If not, we're prepared to pay the consequences in additional fares for the next, much later, flight. So, we'll probably just keep our DCL return transfer and be on that first bus from the port.

Sooooo, all we're really looking for would be a one-way shared ride to the port early Thursday morning. :flower3: DCL is charging us $34.50 per person each way and I've heard rental cars can be booked for as little as $30 one-way!

[Isi]

Hello, I would love to join the FE but I just don't know how it works.. if there is still time and someone could explain it to me then add me to the list...

[Deb T.]

Hello, I would love to join the FE but I just don't know how it works.. if there is still time and someone could explain it to me then add me to the list...

If you would like to join in on our FE fun, please send me a "private message" by clicking on my name on this post (Deb T.) and then click on "Send Deb T. a private message". We'll need your names, ages of the kids, and your cabin number(s). I will then send you the list of everyone who is participating in a private message and also send your information to everyone that is participating.

As far as instructions on the actual exchange itself, it's very easy! :)

Before you leave for the cruise:
*Print a copy of participants so you'll know which cabins to deliver your gifts to.
*Buy or make little gifts for each cabin (some people give a gift for each person in the cabin, some people do one gift per cabin - it's totally up to you!)

Once you're onboard the ship:
*Hang a FE from the silver fish clip outside your cabin door. Your FE can be anything, just as long as it can hold a few treats! I use a small canvas bag, but many people have gorgeous personalized hanging pockets (very similar to hanging letter holders).
*Whenever it's convenient to you, deliver your FE gifts to the other participants. pirate:
*ENJOY peeking inside your FE to see what surprises have been delivered to your FE! :lovestruc

[Disney On A Dime!]

Currently, DH and I have DCL bus transfers to and from the port. However, we've been thinking about renting a car for Thursday morning's drive to the port from the WDW resort. We would :lovestruc LOVE :lovestruc to arrive at the port a little before 10am to snag a low boarding number.... specifically that good 'ole coveted #2!!! ;) Would anyone else want to share the ride and the cost??? We're a very pleasant, non-smoking couple who will be traveling light - just a roll-aboard and carry-on bag each. :)

We are leaving Disney World on Wednesday and staying at the Radisson for the night, otherwise; we would have been able to help you all out. I have rented a car from Disney property before...it was relatively easy...I believe I went over to the Swan and Dolphin hotels to get the car. I know what you mean about getting that low number! ::yes:: Last year we were the first two families in the port and to check in...it was great! Although we did have to wait around a very long time before they started the boarding process. :dance3:

Here's hoping everything works out smoothly for you! :thumbsup2

[Disney On A Dime!]

:teacher: Three cheers for teachers!!! :teacher:
Kimkreis...I know that you are thrilled that those tests are over...Congratulations! :cheer2: I used to teach 4th and 5th grade during the 90's. You are going to totally enjoy teaching! No two days are ever the same!

[Disney On A Dime!]

Getting very close and the birth certificate for my 1yr old has not arrived yet!! I have to tell you i am getting Very nervous. Is there no way around a BC for a baby?

Do you think they will premiere the new hannah montana movie onboard? It opens april 10.

Also, anyone have any ideas on temp and water temps for our cruise?

I am thinking about the FE but it may be just too much to prepare for in the VERY crazy busy days before the cruise. If not I still hope to see you fellow Disers! We will be decorating the door so you will know we are there.:)


:tinker: Just thought that I would throw a little more pixie dust your way pixiedust: You know you can never have too much of the stuff!

[Disney On A Dime!]

I might as well post one more response...I am on a roll tonight!

::MickeyMo We will be on Disney World property exactly one week from right now! Hooray! ::MinnieMo

[Deb T.]

I might as well post one more response...I am on a roll tonight!

::MickeyMo We will be on Disney World property exactly one week from right now! Hooray! ::MinnieMo

We will either be at Hollywood Studios or EPCOT at this exact moment two weeks from right now!!! :cool1: Unfortunately, we're staying off-site next Sunday-Wednesday while DH attends a conference. I'll be going to the parks on all by myself on those days. :sad1: On Wednesday, we'll transfer over to BCV around lunchtime and then DH and I'll be able to enjoy a park the rest of that day! :woohoo:

[Deb T.]

We are leaving Disney World on Wednesday and staying at the Radisson for the night, otherwise; we would have been able to help you all out. I have rented a car from Disney property before...it was relatively easy...I believe I went over to the Swan and Dolphin hotels to get the car. I know what you mean about getting that low number! ::yes:: Last year we were the first two families in the port and to check in...it was great! Although we did have to wait around a very long time before they started the boarding process. :dance3:

Here's hoping everything works out smoothly for you! :thumbsup2

Thanks! :goodvibes One way or the other, we'll get there! The earlier, the better, though! :cool1:

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

Hello everyone!! I have Spring Fever so bad - our vacation is consuming my little brain :banana::yay::banana: I did my first run at my FE gifts today and then started making our 'stacks' of clothes (so I can put half of them back next week ;) )

I have to admit to you all that I learned something today reading your posts....I have been using the wrong 'Smile' graphic for pixie dust -- I just thought all this time that my wand didn't work when I posted the graphic. Today I finally looked closer and saw that I was using the wizard graphic instead of the pixiedust graphic.....I feel like such a goober :rotfl: Oh well - I learn something new every day......

[kimkreis]

I am in Georgia so it was the GACE. Science broad field. I actually already started teachinhg. i am coming in under the TAPP program. I have a physics BS, meteorology BS and MS. Worked twelve years in the AF as a weather officer.

Started teaching high school 10th and 11th graders in Physical and Environmental Science.

Tough transition with two preps, never having done it before, PLUS having to take an intro to teaching course which took up every Tuesday night 5 -9, and then every Saturday 8-4. That just eneded on 7 March, GACE done this weekend. So my life just got back to normal. This cruise is a surprise for my kids since they ahve handled the upheaval so well.

Plus my 15th wedding annivesary was two weeks ago and we couldn't really do anything because of the stress. That RASUL and the couple's massage on CC will serve to celebrate that event!

[ppiew]

I am (will be on Wednesday!) a 70 yr old Grandma. (right now still only 69) Hubby and I are taking our grands to Fla and on the cruise. We will be at AKL on Mon to Wed and then THE BOAT!!!! cAN HARdly wait! I know the parks will be overloaded with spring breakers - but what can we do? Just lucky to be there and get away from the snow and cold i guess. I will try to make the cruise meet at Scoops. 3PM right?

[elliew94]

My family - brother (6), mum + dad + me (14) from England.
will be going on this cruise.
we're really excited, and can't belive its only in a few days !

[ppiew]

Cool! Our daughter recently moved to Nottingham!

[Deb T.]

My family - brother (6), mum + dad + me (14) from England.
will be going on this cruise.
we're really excited, and can't belive its only in a few days !

Welcome Aboard, elliew94! pirate: And, CONGRATULATIONS on your first post on the DIS Boards! :) I'm so glad you found us! :woohoo: Will this be your first Disney Cruise? Have you been to America before? We are looking forward to meeting you and your family!

[Deb T.]

I am (will be on Wednesday!) a 70 yr old Grandma. (right now still only 69) Hubby and I are taking our grands to Fla and on the cruise. We will be at AKL on Mon to Wed and then THE BOAT!!!! cAN HARdly wait! I know the parks will be overloaded with spring breakers - but what can we do? Just lucky to be there and get away from the snow and cold i guess. I will try to make the cruise meet at Scoops. 3PM right?

I think we set the DIS Meet onboard the ship for 3:30pm by Scoops. :) I am looking forward to putting faces with DIS names! :goodvibes

[ppiew]

Whoops! 3:30 SCOOPS. sure do get confused!!

[elliew94]

Yeah this will be my first cruise,
I've been to America about 7 times before, but havn't been in a long while.
I look forward to meeting some of you on the ship :)

[elliew94]

Cool! Our daughter recently moved to Nottingham!
Cool!, I live not far from Nottingham, it's about half an hour's drive away :)

[Deb T.]

Yeah this will be my first cruise,
I've been to America about 7 times before, but havn't been in a long while.
I look forward to meeting some of you on the ship :)

You will have a great time! Disney Cruises are awesome! Have a safe trip across the pond! :)

[elliew94]

You will have a great time! Disney Cruises are awesome! Have a safe trip across the pond! :)
thankyou!
8 and a half hours trip, but all be worth it!
:):)

[Disney On A Dime!]

I am (will be on Wednesday!) a 70 yr old Grandma. (right now still only 69) Hubby and I are taking our grands to Fla and on the cruise. We will be at AKL on Mon to Wed and then THE BOAT!!!! cAN HARdly wait! I know the parks will be overloaded with spring breakers - but what can we do? Just lucky to be there and get away from the snow and cold i guess. I will try to make the cruise meet at Scoops. 3PM right?


party: :bday: party: :bday: party: :bday:

[kimkreis]

I want Saturday at 5PM to be ehre. I have a wedding cake to do. After that I am full fledge vacation all the way nothing else to think about.

I want this CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rotfl::banana::rotfl::ba nana::rotfl:

[Disney On A Dime!]

I want Saturday at 5PM to be ehre. I have a wedding cake to do. After that I am full fledge vacation all the way nothing else to think about.

I want this CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rotfl::banana::rotfl::ba nana::rotfl:



Me Too! :rainbow: We are leaving sometime Saturday afternoon for our drive to Florida. Not sure where we are staying that night, but will arrive at Disney sometime on Sunday! Has anyone checked the 10 day weather reports for Orlando? :cool2: Here's hoping for warm, sunny days! :cool2:

[elliew94]

There is a 10 day forecast here - http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USFL0372

weather looks as if it could be a lot better

:):)

[elliew94]

There is a 10 day forecast here - http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USFL0372

weather looks as if it could be a lot better

:):)

[Disney On A Dime!]

There is a 10 day forecast here - http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USFL0372

weather looks as if it could be a lot better

:):)



:thanks: Thanks for the link! Yea...it looks kind of rainy for Sunday and Monday, but then that lightens up for the rest of the week! :upsidedow Also the temps. for the week are kind of lower than what I had expected...at least it's not going to be hot! When do you all arrive in Florida? Like others have posted...hope your travel across the ocean goes well! pooh:

[Deb T.]

There is a 10 day forecast here - http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USFL0372

weather looks as if it could be a lot better

:):)

Don't worry - the rain will most likely be scattered or not even rain at all! And, the sunshine will make it seem warmer than it really is. Just be sure to bring a jacket or sweatshirt to wear when the sun goes down. For the most part, Orlando weather this time of year is pretty nice! We definitely won't have the heat, humidity, and afternoon thunder storms that are typical in the summer. :)

[kimkreis]

So excited, so excited!:woohoo:

My DS is ten tomorrow. He is getting a set of golf clubs. On a whim I decided to see if could get him and DH a tee time at Disney's Oak Trail - their 9 hole course. This will be on Wednesday before the cruise. Got in right at the tiem we wanted. So on a whim I had them transfer me to Dining. I snagged a ressie for he Garden View Tea for me and my daughter!

Then because I had the tea booked for my birthday in June I had her cancel that. Because I had the tea booked I had planned a lightish dinner at Kona that night, so now I could do somethign alittle nicer. Guess who snagged a 7:30PM ressie for Cali Grill for her birthday? And because that messed up my dining plan plans, I decided to pay for that OOP and to fill my 1TS for that day I booked Crystal Palace for lunch! This woman loves her some Pooh!

A real serendipitous call to Disney for me today!

[Deb T.]

So excited, so excited!:woohoo:

My DS is ten tomorrow. He is getting a set of golf clubs. On a whim I decided to see if could get him and DH a tee time at Disney's Oak Trail - their 9 hole course. This will be on Wednesday before the cruise. Got in right at the tiem we wanted. So on a whim I had them transfer me to Dining. I snagged a ressie for he Garden View Tea for me and my daughter!

Then because I had the tea booked for my birthday in June I had her cancel that. Because I had the tea booked I had planned a lightish dinner at Kona that night, so now I could do somethign alittle nicer. Guess who snagged a 7:30PM ressie for Cali Grill for her birthday? And because that messed up my dining plan plans, I decided to pay for that OOP and to fill my 1TS for that day I booked Crystal Palace for lunch! This woman loves her some Pooh!

A real serendipitous call to Disney for me today!

Wow! You've just had a great run of luck! You should run out right this very minute and buy yourself a lottery ticket! ;) Don't ya just love it when everything works out perfectly!!! :)

[Deb T.]

Is anyone interested in setting up a pre-cruise meet at WDW? If so, please post the days and times you're available to meet to see if we can coordinate something. :)

Last July, we did a pre-Mexican Riviera meet at Disneyland and it was a lot of fun! We had arranged to meet at a quick-service restaurant with outdoor seating for lunch. We all sat around a large table - kids on one end and adults on the other. Everyone had a nice time, and then the next day it was a lot of fun boarding the ship and recognizing new friends right away! It's amazing how often we ran into each other during the cruise! :goodvibes

[kimkreis]

Wow! You've just had a great run of luck! You should run out right this very minute and buy yourself a lottery ticket! ;) Don't ya just love it when everything works out perfectly!!! :)

Maybe Disney will call me and offer me an upgrade to a suite...Yeah no I'll just be happy with what I have received tonight!

[Deb T.]

Maybe Disney will call me and offer me an upgrade to a suite...Yeah no I'll just be happy with what I have received tonight!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Wouldn't that be awesome! :)

[Brandy C]

Just checking in to say Hi and that I will be heading to the airport in a couple of hours. I'm still running around trying to do last minute stuff. I'm typically not a procrastinator but I have not been able to get things together lately. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you. Take care and see you next Thursday!

[ppiew]

We will be at the AKL April 6 & 7 then have to move to Boardwalk for the 8th prior to cruise. willing to meet anywhere anyone is interested. I think we will be in DDD on Monday night as Grumpy promised one of the grands more Legos (Ithink he likes them better than her). We might stay and go to Raglan Rd for dinner or return to the hotel. Tues we will be at EPCOT, haven't figured out Wed yet but we will be at the Clambake at The BC for dinner. Let me know

[Disney On A Dime!]

We leave sometime tomorrow :yay: I am still putting the final items in our luggage. We are staying the first few nights at Coronado Springs and the night before the cruise at the Radisson. I talked with DH and we are still not sure of our schedule for this week. We aren't doing the Disney parks, but are doing Sea World and possibly Busch Gardens Tampa. I would love to meet prior to cruising, but just don't think it will work this trip. I look forward to meeting everyone at Scoops on Thursday! :grouphug:

Here's to everyone's safe travels down to Florida! :cheer2:

[Deb T.]

We're leaving in the morning! :cool1: Have a safe trip, everyone!

See you at the onboard DIS Meet by Goofy's Galley (by the Mickey Pool - near the ice-cream station formerly known as Scoops) on Thursday at 3:30pm!! Looking forward to meeting everyone! :)

[Isi]

Have a safe trip....

[Disney On A Dime!]

:thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

Thanks to all who participated in the FE gift exchange! My family thoroughly enjoyed each and everything! :cutie:

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

:thanks: :thumbsup2 THANK YOU so much for the awesome FE gifts. You all are so creative! :worship: My daughter absolutely loved haivng the surprises when we returned to the room and actually 'saved' some of it for play on the ride home - this made the 8 hours go by a little more quickly for her. We had a great time on our crusie and hope that all of you did as well. My daughter sat up in her bed Sunday morning and said "mommy, I want to live on a cruise boat" - I had to agree with her!

[ppiew]

Another kudos from me to all in the FE exchange. My granddaughter said it was the best thing about the cruise! You people are creative geniuses! In my wildest dreams I couldn't do some of the great things you did. What a super idea! I went to Scoops at 3:15 but didn't see anybody so i left. So to my new anonymous friends again 'thank you' efforts like yours made the cruise so enjoyable for us all!

[elliew94]

This cruise was great!!!!!
We are going on a Med one next year for 10 nights

:):)

[Alexander]

Hello my Dis friends! My boys LOVED the FE exchange! They looked forward to checking for "mail" several times everyday! DH thought the whole thing was kind of strange before we sailed, but then really got into it! DS (10) liked delivering the goodies to everyone else each day too! Thank you for everything! We had a great time!

And thank you for finding us in our new stateroom, we were able to upgrade at the port for an amazing price!

DH had never cruised before (DS and I were on our third) and wasn't so sure about it, now he says he can't wait to go again, and that three days was no where near long enough!