2010 ~ January 3 ~ Wonder

[Pinkprincessmom]

Updated 12/21/09

Fish Extenders

pinkprincessmom ~ 2 adults, DD9, DS2
in-laws of pinkprincessmom ~ 2 adults
flagfred ~ 2 adults, DD13, DD9
wishsndreams ~ mom, DD22, DD14
mkymsehi ~ 2 adults, DD6, DD11
marypopins06 ~ 2 adults, DS14, DD12, DD6
donaldseeyore ~ DW and DH
disney trio ~ 2 adults, DD7
mooshu ~ 2 adults
terapin ~ DH and DW, Disneymoon
dawncala ~ 2 adults, DD11, DS8
RHOOK ~ 2 adults, DS5, DS3

FE links:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1980639
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1774643

Helpful links:

tip calculator: http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

packing list: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=935094&referrerid=&highlight=+Excel+Packing+List

Need to ship something to the Wonder ahead of time? http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26940959&postcount=468

DIStips for cruising
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2227769

Dining
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruis...ing.htm#dining

FAQ
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2068966




Roll Call
pinkprincessmom ~ Susan, DH, DD9, DS 2 years 10 months, Susan's parents, husband's parents.
chilly ~ Claire & Mike, Disneymoon
annrae ~ Barbara, DH, celebrating 50th Wedding Anniversary, DS, DDIL, DGD 9 months
wishsndreams ~ (annrae's dtr) Krista, DD22 & DD14
Terapin ~ DW, DH, Disneymoon
rcchello ~ Bob, DW, DD, sister
Disney Trio ~ DW, DH, DD7
Dawncala ~ DW, DH, DD11, DS8
~Dani~ ~ DW, DH
flagfred ~ DW, DH, DD13, DD9
mkymsehi ~ Jeff, DW Kim, DD 11, DD 7
rstackjd
marypopins06 ~ DW, DH, DS14, DD12, DD6
mooshu ~ Marcia
IrishCowboy
RHOOK ~ DW, DH, DS5, DS3

Thinking of joining
njdrumrun
redboxcar

[Pinkprincessmom]

Did I mention that we will be celebrating my birthday on the cruise???:banana:

[Chilly]

Hello!

This will be my first cruise. It will be just me and DF, but by then he will be DH as we get married at Disney 4 days before the cruise so this is part of our Disneymoon.

[Pinkprincessmom]

:cheer2: Welcome Claire and congratulations. I was beginning to think my family would be cruising alone...which might not be so bad.

This will be our third cruise. We've done one 4 day in September and a 7 day in December. I look forward to hearing more from you.

[Chilly]

Any cruise tips greatly appreciated!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Don't let your stomach go empty.

Somewhere on the board is a packing tip list. We got great use out of that. We bought a shoe storage bag for the back of the bathroom door.

Are there any specific questions you have?

[Chilly]

I can't think of anything at the moment but i'm sure I will!

[Pinkprincessmom]

We have a little bit of time to cover everything.

[Chilly]

We have a little bit of time to cover everything.

Too long!

[annrae]

Hi everyone:

We will also be going on this cruise. We hope to arrive at WDW on Dec. 30 and spend New Years Eve there. "We" includes myself, my DH, our daughter and her 2 daughters ages 22 and 14 and our DS and DDIL and our new granddaughter who will be about 9 months old. She is due in March 2009!!

Looking forward to meeting everyone. Barbara

[Chilly]

Hi Barbara! Sounds like a real family holiday for you. The 30th is the day we hope to get married.

[wishsndreams]

My family is going too! This is mine and my daughters' first cruise. Does anyone know if there is wi -fi on the ship?:thumbsup2

[wishsndreams]

Hi Mom ! I finally made it on here. Can't wait for our cruise!

[Chilly]

:welcome: :disrocks:

I don't know about wi-fi

[wishsndreams]

Congratulations Claire! It is sure to be a memorable cruise for you. My mom is annrae, and it is my parents 50th wedding anniversary this year, so we are celebrating that and also my DD1 college graduation. I just can't wait!
It will be nice to meet everyone on the ship.
Krista

[Chilly]

Congratulations Claire! It is sure to be a memorable cruise for you. My mom is annrae, and it is my parents 50th wedding anniversary this year, so we are celebrating that and also my DD1 college graduation. I just can't wait!
It will be nice to meet everyone on the ship.
Krista

Thanks :thumbsup2

I am very excited about the cruise.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Welcome Barbara and wishsndreams. I believe wi-fi is available for a fee.

My parents are cruising with us. My mom's name is Barbara. She will be 71 at cruise time.

I look forward to counting down the days with everyone.:hourglass

[wishsndreams]

Hello! We are all very excited to go on this cruise. My two DD and I have not yet gotten our passports, but we are working on it. We have been watching Suite Life on Deck on the Disney channel, and have seen videos of the Wonder, but I still can't quite wrap my mind around how big the ship really is, I don't think!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Oh it is huge. I've never been on another cruise line to compare. I was so nervous before our first cruise. But it is so spacious. We've been on 2 cruises and have yet to see the whole ship.

[Chilly]

Booked our flights on Tuesday, we are now flying out on Christmas Day :santa:

[Terapin]

Hi! We are going on our first cruise as a honeymoon celebration. We're getting married in our home city December 31, and then leaving for MCO Jan 2nd. We have three kids and have been together 12 years, but have (finally) decided to tie the knot. It's going to be just us, no kids (you might not see us a lot! :rotfl2:). I'm a bit worried to leave them, frankly, for entirely emotional reasons! :lovestruc

I'm a bit worried about sea-sickness as I've experienced it before with smaller boats. I'm currently researching my options, and am open to everything from homeopathy to acupressure to meds.

Nice to get to know y'all!

[annrae]

Hi everyone: This cruise is really coming quickly. I can't believe it is almost the middle of April. I'm sure more people will post as we get closer to the final weeks.

Happy Easter to all of you.

Barbara

[njdrumrun]

been on two others with DCL.

[Chilly]

Hi! We are going on our first cruise as a honeymoon celebration. We're getting married in our home city December 31, and then leaving for MCO Jan 2nd. We have three kids and have been together 12 years, but have (finally) decided to tie the knot. It's going to be just us, no kids (you might not see us a lot! :rotfl2:). I'm a bit worried to leave them, frankly, for entirely emotional reasons! :lovestruc

I'm a bit worried about sea-sickness as I've experienced it before with smaller boats. I'm currently researching my options, and am open to everything from homeopathy to acupressure to meds.

Nice to get to know y'all!

Congratulations!

I'm sure you won't have a problem with sea sickness, you get it with small boats as you rock about a lot but not with massive cruise ships.

been on two others with DCL.

The more the merrier.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Welcome Terapin and hopefully njdrumrun.

Time is passing pretty quickly. We are sneaking in a trip in September to do the Expedition Everest Challenge. I am so very excited about that trip as we are going sans kids!

[Terapin]

We just upgraded to a cat 3 - very excited!

Terapin!

[Chilly]

We just upgraded to a cat 3 - very excited!

Terapin!

How exciting!

[Pinkprincessmom]

7 and one half months until we sail! I have a little boy I need to potty train. Anybody have any tips?

Congratulations Terapin on your upgrade!:cool1:

[Chilly]

Just over 6 months now!

[rcchello]

Hello Fellow Cruisers -

Four more are joining you for this sailing. Wy wife, daughter, sister and I will be taking up adjoining cabin on Deck 2. My wife and I did this same trip almost a year ago and are returning with two Disney cruise newbies.

Plans are to drop three Schnauzers at doggie daycamp and then drive down. Then stay in Cocoa Beach for 1 or 2 nights followed by the cruise. After the cruise we are staying at Disney HHI resort in a 2 bedroom for two nights.

My daughter who is college age originally thought going on a Disney cruise was dumb but changed her mind based on all the good things my wife and I have told her. Hopefully she has fun.

[annrae]

Hello Fellow Cruisers -

Four more are joining you for this sailing. Wy wife, daughter, sister and I will be taking up adjoining cabin on Deck 2. My wife and I did this same trip almost a year ago and are returning with two Disney cruise newbies.

Plans are to drop three Schnauzers at doggie daycamp and then drive down. Then stay in Cocoa Beach for 1 or 2 nights followed by the cruise. After the cruise we are staying at Disney HHI resort in a 2 bedroom for two nights.

My daughter who is college age originally thought going on a Disney cruise was dumb but changed her mind based on all the good things my wife and I have told her. Hopefully she has fun.


Hi to all of you - so glad you will be joining us on this cruise. We are also on Deck 2 - there will be 6 adults and one 14 year old and one 9 month old - one of our adults is 22. We can't believe how quickly it will be here and are already planning on what we are going to do. We will be spending New Years Eve at the Boardwalk and when we return we will be at Old Key West for a few days. Some of us did this cruise last year and enjoyed the excursion to Atlantis very much.

Looking forward to seeing you on deck!!! Barbara

[rcchello]

already planning on what we are going to do. We will be spending New Years Eve at the Boardwalk and when we return we will be at Old Key West for a few days. Some of us did this cruise last year and enjoyed the excursion to Atlantis very much.

Looking forward to seeing you on deck!!! Barbara

I am the only planner in my group. I am not a DIS level planner (don't need Dinner Ressies) but I do like to know where I am going to be staying. My wife and daughter let me know where I will be going each day but they leave me to plan on how to get there, where to stay, etc. I do the plane trains and automobile (and cruise ship) thing:laughing:

[Chilly]

Hi Bob :wave2:

[rcchello]

Hi Bob :wave2:

Hi Claire :wave2: Congrats in advance on your wedding!

[Disney Trio]

Happy to find a place to meet people who have some experience with DC. Finding our way through the forum process.

[Disney Trio]

My DH, DD7 and I can't wait for our first DC. First to WDW for the 4th time, December 28th- Jan 3rd, then here we come DC. Hope to have a great time and meets all expectations! Any tips for first time DC welcome.
:woohoo:

[Pinkprincessmom]

Welcome rcchello and Disney Trio. I am excited to see more people join our group. The date is fast approaching now. Potty training isn't going so well. He's just not interested and doesn't mind being wet!

Bob, we have a 13 year old miniature schnauzer named Maggie. She is currently losing her eyesight and hearing very fast. How old are your schnauzers?

I hope activity picks up here as the cruise date draws near!

[rcchello]

Welcome rcchello and Disney Trio. I am excited to see more people join our group. The date is fast approaching now. Potty training isn't going so well. He's just not interested and doesn't mind being wet!

Bob, we have a 13 year old miniature schnauzer named Maggie. She is currently losing her eyesight and hearing very fast. How old are your schnauzers?

I hope activity picks up here as the cruise date draws near!

My son got pottie trained for a Disney trip. We told him we would not go unless he was pottie trained. He was part of a conspiracy of toddlers in preschool who all refused because if you got pottie trained they moved you to the next group away from your friends. Miracles happened and he was pottie trained just weeks before we left. (He just graduated college so that was years ago :rotfl:)

I have two boys Max (black and silver) who just turned 2 last week and Sascha ( black) who is 3. I got them after my Salt and Pepper boy -Ricky passed away. He was mostly blind but got around fine. He would charge garbage bags outside at night until he got close enough to see they weren't a threat. One Christmas he charged one of those reindeers made of christmas lights and was confused where they went when he ended up under them.

Good luck with your potty training.

[Terapin]

Just popping in to say hi! Our payment date is fast approaching (we are in a cat 3). Once that is done then I guess we will soon be booking excursions, etc.

Yay!

[Pinkprincessmom]

We're still trying to decide about excursions. We might do something in Atlantis.

Bob, our schnauzer gave us a scare in 2007. She had some kind of liver/gall bladder problem. She was very sick for about 6 weeks. We didn't think she was going to make it. She is quite healthy now, except for the eyesight and hearing. She does fine most of the time, unless the children leave a large toy in her path.

How old was Ricky? Maggie was salt and pepper. Now she's gray!

We are hoping that the idea of not being able to swim will motivate our son to potty train. He can wear the swim diapers at the Y, so I'm not sure we can convince him. We'll see!

[rcchello]

We're thinking water taxi to paradise island and walk over to Versaille Gardens and the Cloister then beach walking (maybe to Atlantis).

Last trip we walked to Adastra Gardens.

Don't know how old Ricky was since he was a rescue.

[Pinkprincessmom]

As our group grows and the sail date approaches, I was wondering if we would be interested in meeting on the ship and/or doing fish extenders.

For our first cruise, we had found the boards, but did not get involved in a meet. For our second cruise, we did meet some people from the board and took part in a fish extender trade. My daughter made a friend that she still keeps in touch with and I still keep in touch with some of the moms.

For first time cruisers, fish extenders are bags attached to the fish outside your door that people can leave small gifts in. Some things I remember giving on our last cruise were magnets, glow sticks on Pirate night, princess or cars notepads.

Just something to think about...

[Dawncala]

Can't wait for 1st "REAL" cruise. Me, DH, DD11 & DS8 (hope I got the lingo right. I'm new to the forum thing)

Family had a bad first experience on Carnival a few years back, but I know Disney will replace that bad memory with pixie dust and happiness. Got a great Cat 5 verandah room. Counting down the days until I can schedule excursions. Anyone taken the Fort tour or Ardastra Garden tour in Nassau? Thoughts? Suggestions?

[redboxcar]

Hi everyone,

I am new to cruising (never been on a cruise before) so I have a few questions. I haven't yet booked this trip, but I am looking to do it (hopefully) soon because it seems to be such an amazing price right now.

What is the weather generally like during this time? Also, my boyfriend is terrified of the ocean - I try to tell him that we will be okay, but what can I do to ease his fears?

Thanks in advance, and hopefully we will be cruising with you all come January!

[Pinkprincessmom]

:welcome: Dawncala and redboxcar!

Dawncala, we have only cruised Disney, but I am sure they will replace your bad memories of Carnival. I hope you and your family have a great time!

redboxcar, we cruised in December of 2007. I do not remember the boat being extremely cold. The pool water was nice. On Castaway Cay, the ocean water was too cool for me, but my daughter, husband, and FIL enjoyed a swim.

The boat is windy, so a jacket is in order for any time during the year.

I was a bit nervous about our first cruise. The ship is huge though. I felt very secure the whole time.

One tip for avoiding sea sickness is to keep food on your stomach at all times. This is not a difficult task on DCL.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

We'll be :boat: soon! 4 months and 12 days:cool1::cheer2::woohoo:

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi everyone. I'm cruising the boards today getting ready for our 4 days of Wonder. I found this list of tips I thought you guys might like.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2227769

[annrae]

Hi: This is a great list of tips. We have cruised with DCL 3 times and always had a great time. I'm not fond of being on or in the water but the ship did not bother me at all. Last Sept. we were literally between two hurricanes and the ship felt very stable and safe.

I know on the last cruises we've been on, a list was compiled of everyone (names, board names, and where they were from and also names of people in their party.

The time is going quickly and we are all looking forward to cruising with you.

[annrae]

Hi: This is a great list of tips. We have cruised with DCL 3 times and always had a great time. I'm not fond of being on or in the water but the ship did not bother me at all. Last Sept. we were literally between two hurricanes and the ship felt very stable and safe.

I know on the last cruises we've been on, a list was compiled of everyone (names, board names, and where they were from and also names of people in their party.

The time is going quickly and we are all looking forward to cruising with you.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi all,

I updated our first post with the DIStips link and a roll call. Please let me know if you would like for me to add or delete any information.

:hourglass :boat: :hourglass

[Chilly]

Thanks for the tips I've printed them out to read on the train on the way home from work.

[annrae]

I'm sorry - I completely missed the roll call on your first post. Thanks so much for doing this - Barbara

[Terapin]

I GOT MY CRUISE DOCUMENTS TODAY! Woo hoo! And a nice letter from concierge services, and a reminder to pay the balance, :rotfl2:

We have to pay by Sept 20 but can start booking stuff that day, too! It's coming so fast!

[Chilly]

Oh I wonder If I'll get something soon. I paid my balance off a while ago when the exchange rate was good.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Terepin...congratulations on getting your cruise documents. I told my DH. We were talking about the cruise and realized that we have moved since we booked this cruise. We need to make sure our cruise documents do not go to our previous address.

We booked this cruise while on board in December 2007. It was originally for Sept. 2009, but dry dock was changed. At that time, it seemed that the cruise date would never arrive. Now it is just over 4 months away!!:cool1:

:hourglass :boat: :hourglass

[Hockeychic]

Hey there, DH and I just booked this for before the Goofy Marathon at disney. Nice way to relax. I haven't cruised DCL for quite some time and never on Wonder. Do you mind if I ask a few questions???

Do you still rotate to 4 restaurants?

Do they have Palo?

Are you still allowed to bring on your own alcohol? Now it has been since 2005 since I cruised on Magic and you where allowed then just not sure if it is still OK.

Thanks a bunch and look forward to chatting with you all.

Kim

[Chilly]

Hey there, DH and I just booked this for before the Goofy Marathon at disney. Nice way to relax. I haven't cruised DCL for quite some time and never on Wonder. Do you mind if I ask a few questions???

Do you still rotate to 4 restaurants?

Do they have Palo?

Are you still allowed to bring on your own alcohol? Now it has been since 2005 since I cruised on Magic and you where allowed then just not sure if it is still OK.

Thanks a bunch and look forward to chatting with you all.

Kim

I've not cruised before but from my research you rotate round 3 restaurants and Palo is available to book.

[Hockeychic]

Hi Claire, you may be right...sorry I think it is 3. I should totally wake up before I try to post;)

[Dawncala]

Here is what is says on the official Disney cruise site about bringing alcohol on board.

"Food coolers containing personal snack foods and drinks may not be brought onboard. They are only permitted if needed for medications, baby food or items related to special dietary needs."

"Alcohol is permitted on board. However, be aware that any fragile items (including bottled alcohol) must be hand-carried on board in a day bag and/or carry-on bag, the dimensions of which cannot exceed 22" wide, 14" high and 9" deep. Guests who request a Wine Steward to open and serve a bottle of champagne, wine or liquor that has been brought onboard will be charged a corking fee of $15.00 per bottle."

[~Dani~]

Oops double post

[~Dani~]

Hi all. Thought I'd join in. DH and I will be on the 3rd Jan sailing. This will be our first Disney cruise (first cruise in general!) and we are very excited. Got our travel documents yesterday!

Just thought I'd mention that I was browsing through the Disneycruise website and when I put our dates down again, the rate had dropped by $400! We were originally going to pay $1187, and it has now come down to $787. Bargain!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Do you still rotate to 4 restaurants?

Do they have Palo?

Are you still allowed to bring on your own alcohol? Now it has been since 2005 since I cruised on Magic and you where allowed then just not sure if it is still OK.

Thanks a bunch and look forward to chatting with you all.

Kim

Hi Kim. Welcome to the Jan. 3 cruise. I have cruised the Wonder and the Magic. You do still rotate to three restaurants. Lumiere's is replaced by Triton's, then you still have Parrot Cay and Animator's Palate.

Here is a link to onboard dining.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-dining.htm#dining

Yes, Palo is on the Wonder as well.

We are not drinkers, but I found this about bringing alcohol on board. It is on the FAQ sticky. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2068966

Alcohol is permitted on board. However, be aware that any fragile items (including bottled alcohol) must be hand-carried on board in a day bag and/or carry-on bag, the dimensions of which cannot exceed 22" wide, 14" high and 9" deep.

Also note the following that is noted on the same page.
Please be advised: Disney Cruise Line reserves the right to remove fragile items (including beverages) from luggage. In such cases, items will be stored and returned at the end of the voyage. Beverage containers are considered fragile and have previously caused damage in checked luggage. All fragile items must be transported inside carry-on luggage.

I hope you have a Wonderful cruise!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi Dani. Welcome! I do not think you will be disappointed with your first cruise experience!

[Disney Trio]

Hi all. Thought I'd join in. DH and I will be on the 3rd Jan sailing. This will be our first Disney cruise (first cruise in general!) and we are very excited. Got our travel documents yesterday!

Just thought I'd mention that I was browsing through the Disneycruise website and when I put our dates down again, the rate had dropped by $400! We were originally going to pay $1187, and it has now come down to $787. Bargain!

Checked our price and it too dropped by $500. Made the call and $500 back to me. :banana:

[Pinkprincessmom]

My husband sent me this link today. Looks like we'll be booking again on board!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpt6kJrGFbA

[Chilly]

Checked our price and it too dropped by $500. Made the call and $500 back to me. :banana:

Can you only do that with Disney or with Dreamsunlimited as well?

[Disney Trio]

Can you only do that with Disney or with Dreamsunlimited as well?

I would say you can do it with any travel agent, but not sure. I would definately call and ask, all they can say is no. Disney had no problems with it at all. :confused3 Good luck.

[Chilly]

I would say you can do it with any travel agent, but not sure. I would definately call and ask, all they can say is no. Disney had no problems with it at all. :confused3 Good luck.

I'll give it a go.



We've got stateroom 7122, anyone know if that is a good one?

[Chilly]

Checked our price and it too dropped by $500. Made the call and $500 back to me. :banana:

$384 back to us :banana::yay::woohoo::cheer2::cool1::dance3:

[Disney Trio]

$384 back to us :banana::yay::woohoo::cheer2::cool1::dance3:

Ahh!!! It always feels good to get money back :cool1:

[Chilly]

Ahh!!! It always feels good to get money back :cool1:

It'll just go on wedding stuff instead where we've gone way over budget!

[Terapin]

Hi all!

I found out last night that with the new changes to the Castaway Club concierge guests can not book Palo reservations and excursions etc 120 days in advance, instead of 105 days (to put the concierge guests on par with the Platinum CC members). It is effective as of this am, so if you are concierge or a Platinum Castaway Club member you can book your stuff for our cruise today!

[WDW Enabler]

We just got off the Magic on 9/12, and we are going to take another cruise in January. We are using our DVC points to book our next cruise. The only question is which cruise to take, a 4 day (save some DVC points for later in the year) or a 7 day Eastern.

We just wanted to stop in, say hello and introduce ourselfs.
I am the enabler (Michael) 31
DW is Rose 32
DD is Taylor 4

We have to make our decision by Wed, so we can get our "onboard" discount for booking with points.

Michael

[Pinkprincessmom]

Welcome WDW Enabler. We hope you and your family will join us. Let us know what you decide!

Just over 3 and a half months now!

[Dawncala]

:cheer2: Oh yeah! 100 days till our WDW Vacation!

[Chilly]

:cheer2: Oh yeah! 100 days till our WDW Vacation!

100 days till our Wedding!

[wishsndreams]

I finally made it back here... I was lost in DIS board land for awhile... I can do lots of things but navigating the DIS boards well doesn't seem to be one of them! MY DD's and I are counting down the days! Woohoo we are in the double digits instead of triple now!

[wishsndreams]

Looks like we'll have to bring extra rain gear or something.....thanks to my darling niece's new baby teeth coming in! Anyone want to play silly string? lol I can just see it now... you hold her, no you hold her....ok ok Mom, I can handle the drool but you get to change the diapers!

[Pinkprincessmom]

We're under the 3 month mark now! We make are meal reservation for Disney after the cruise on Friday. It's getting closer and closer...Oh! And my son is finally interested in potty training! :cool1: Hopefully he'll get to do the Mickey slide after all!

[flagfred]

We have just booked the Jan 3 cruise....after much deliberation....it is will be me, DH, DDs (13 and 9).

First cruise and very excited about four days away from it all.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Welcome flagfred. We look forward to sailing with your family.

I also have a 9 year old daughter. Perhaps our girls will meet on the cruise.

[flagfred]

My dd (9) is very excited about the cruise, she is convinced it is going to be just like Suite Life on Deck....she is "anxious" about making a friend, she has mentioned it a couple of times.
I hope my 13 year old ALLOWS herself to enjoy it, we are now a teen you know.....:worship:

[Chilly]

75 days to go! I made our Palo reservations this morning, dinner on night 3 and brunch on day 4 :yay:

[mkymsehi]

We will be at WDW from 12/26/09-1/3/10, Wonder from 1/3-1/7/10, and then back to the World for marathon weekend to 1/13/10. Friends are joining us as well.

Anyone want to get together to run some laps, or on a treadmill? Looking forward to the Castaway Cay 5K run in the morning.

As for the Wi-Fi, it's available for a fee. Something like $10-15 bucks a day, but I'm not positive of the rate.

We banked, used, and borrowed enough DVC points to "pay" for the entire trip, including Old Key West stays before and after.

Palo Ressies made for the last night on board, kids are registered for the kids clubs. Passports and airline tickets are ready to go!

Now I just need to research what to do while in Nassau. Does anyone know if it's cheaper to catch a cab to Atlantis resort to see the aquarium, vs. booking it through the cruise excursions?

[Pinkprincessmom]

Welcome Jeff.

We saw somewhere that parts of the aquarium was free and the paid part was around $30. We decided that once you added cab fare, it would be just a little less than the Disney cost. We are doing the 1:15 aquarium tour with Disney. We plan to eat lunch on the boat before heading out.

Our in-laws have decided to come too. So it will be us, my parents, and my husband's parents. There will be 8 of us total.

Counting down the days! :hourglass

[donaldseeyore]

We just booked this cruise!! Literally! It will be myself (33) and my DH (37) (sans children) to celebrate our 9 yr anniversary!!! We were assigned cabin 7121......i hope we all get to know one another and do some dismeet thing.......Are we doing FE's? I am also hoping this redeems the awful "C" company cruise we went on last year. We are giving cruising another chance and I am excited!!!!! How many days do we have left?

[Chilly]

We just booked this cruise!! Literally! It will be myself (33) and my DH (37) (sans children) to celebrate our 9 yr anniversary!!! We were assigned cabin 7121......i hope we all get to know one another and do some dismeet thing.......Are we doing FE's? I am also hoping this redeems the awful "C" company cruise we went on last year. We are giving cruising another chance and I am excited!!!!! How many days do we have left?

Hello Neighbour, I'm in 7122!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Welcome donaldseeyore. I'm up for doing fish extenders, if anyone else is.

66 days until our cruise sets sail!

[~Dani~]

How do you know your stateroom numbers already? I just checked online and it just gives the category number and GTY.

I've booked our Nassau and Castaway Cay excursions, and am so so excited!!! :)

[donaldseeyore]

YAY!!!! Fish extenders!!! Who else is in? We got out state room number from member services.......maybe with a GTY DCL will let you know closer to the cruise. Since this is our first DCL cruise not too sure though......

[Terapin]

75 days to go! I made our Palo reservations this morning, dinner on night 3 and brunch on day 4 :yay:

Us too! See you there!

[Disney Trio]

We are also braving the crowds before the cruise. 12/28-1/3 I'm really hoping the crowds aren't to bad the whole week, we are spoiled, we're usually there in Oct. when the crowds are minimal. So I must be a real newbie or just not up on my forum lingo, but what the heck are "fish extenders" :confused3

[flagfred]

Fish Extenders look like fun, but I am not quite sure how it all works....but we are up for it.
We have our cabin numbers - but we got them when we made our reservations since we have two rooms....6323 and 6321....

[wishsndreams]

Hi Flagfred, it is our first cruise too! We just can't wait!
We have just booked the Jan 3 cruise....after much deliberation....it is will be me, DH, DDs (13 and 9).

First cruise and very excited about four days away from it all.

[wishsndreams]

Its our first time to do the fish extenders too, but what I understand from my mom, (annrae) is that we hang them on the door and get little gifts in them. We also make gifts and put them in other peoples extenders. She got some really neat things when she did it. Hope this helps, maybe she can explain it better!
We are also braving the crowds before the cruise. 12/28-1/3 I'm really hoping the crowds aren't to bad the whole week, we are spoiled, we're usually there in Oct. when the crowds are minimal. So I must be a real newbie or just not up on my forum lingo, but what the heck are "fish extenders" :confused3

[wishsndreams]

speaking of water slides, did you see the water slide that is on one of the new cruise ships? it goes out over the side of the ship, and goes around the stack. My brother showed me a video of it, boy did it look fun!

[rstackjd]

Just booked this cruise for my wife's birthday - she gets to turn 50 on Castaway Cay! I can think of worse things!

We'll also be at WDW for New Years Eve which has always been a dream of hers, so overall, we're looking forward a nice little getaway.

And the best part - I'm done with my Christmas and Birthday shopping for her! Woo Hoo!

So what the heck are fishextenders?

Is there any kind of DisBoards or DVC meet n' greet planned?

[mkymsehi]

Fish extenders info:


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

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1913780&referrerid=93883

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607&page=2

Is anyone keeping track of who's in for fish extenders during our 4 night cruise?

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi all.

I have a photo of our FE from the last cruise. I'll upload them sometime.

I will be happy to keep track. If you do not wish to post your cabin number, send me a PM. I'll update the first post after I hear from a few people.

We're under 2 months now!!:banana:

[Chilly]

Us too! See you there!

I can't wait!

[marypopins06]

Hello!

I have no idea why I have never seen this forum. Just signed up today! This is our 2nd cruise, we have down sized. 1st cruise there was 8 of us (6 kids) but 3 have left the nest, so only have 5 going on Jan. 3rd -7th; 4 day Wonder. DH, DS-14, and 2DD's 12 and 6. I would like to be included in the Fish Extender games, it sounds great! Our room numbers are 6635 and 6633, we have 2nd dinning. I will continue to watch the links. Can't wait to meet!
:jumping1::jumping1::jumping1::jumping1::jumping1: :jumping1:

[Pinkprincessmom]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/ralsmom/DSCF2577.jpg

I apologize for taking so long to get back here. I began baby-sitting an 8 week old three weeks ago and my days have gotten busier.

We are getting so close to the cruise. I am so very excited!!

At the top of this post is a picture of the FE from my last cruise. I will be glad to make something similar if we all want the same FE. I did not make this one, but it looks fairly simple.

I will update the first post with those participating in the FE. Some of the gifts we gave/received last cruise were glow sticks, pencils, note pads, magnets, post cards. We want this to be fun and simple. It is especially fun for the kids to help stuff the FE's and they enjoy checking the bag for small goodies!

Please let me know if you wish to participate. How does December 18 sound for the cut off date? That will give us time to get our small gifts organized for the cruise. I look forward to meeting everyone.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi All,

Please take a look at the first post. So far I have only put the names of those who wish to participate in the FE's. Once everyone has had a chance to sign up, I will give more information. Is this okay with everyone? If I left anyone out, or if you wish to sign up now, please let me know.

pinkprincessmom
flagred
wishsndreams
mkymsehi
marypopins06

Thanks!

[flagfred]

Pinkprincessmom thank you for taking the lead. We are really starting to get excited about our upcoming cruise. Christmas, New Years and then a Cruise....sounds like a great combo.

[flagfred]

Marypoppins06 - I have a 13yr old dd who is very anxious about not "knowing" anyone...I am excited to hear about your DDs and DS will be on board :goodvibes

[Pinkprincessmom]

I looked back through the posts and found one more family interested in FE's.

pinkprincessmom
flagred
wishsndreams
mkymsehi
marypopins06
donaldseeyore

After Thanksgiving I will send out a PM to everyone.

Have a great night dreaming of Disney! :boat:

[marypopins06]

I know my DS and DD would love a break, we will be in Orlando/Cocoa Beach on Dec. 22 then the cruise. My DS-14 loves movies, and video games. He was a little worried about the same issue. That age is very hard!! If you like I could give you his e-mail or mine, they could chat ahead of time. Get the "odd" start out of the way. My DD on the other hand loves people and makes friends everywhere!!! She is very outgoing, and will not leave anyone sit out because they are shy!

[flagfred]

MP06 thank you for the offer that would be great - my DD (13) is very outgoing but is tentative when something is new and possibly (gasp) uncool....it is sooo important to me that she enjoy our get away. We hope this will be a good option for a family vacation for the future...:rolleyes1

[Disney Trio]

We're in on the FE's, sounds like we're going to have a great time. Our DD7 has already explained the "rules" to us. The cabin is split in half, her half includes the bathroom, but we can come into her half if we need to us it, or are leaving the room.:rotfl2: I really think she gets this attitude from her mom.:confused3 She says she will also be in the club, most days, but is willing to leave for awhile if we want to do something with her.:lmao: So I'm going to compromise and sit at the bar and drink beer,:drinking1 so if any other DH or DW would like to join that would be great.

Jeff

[marypopins06]

We only have 2 rules for the kids, they must show up for dinner! And my kids live for room service, so they had to tip! We had 3 rooms on our 1st cruise. DH and I had 1 and the 6 kids were in the other 2. This cruise we only needed 2 rooms. I have no idea how the kids split the rooms. I know that it cost the older ones a mint to pay for housekeepping. (DH paid all the tips - the kids paid for the extras they wanted).

[Mooshu]

Hi, I am glad mkymsehi pointed me in this direction!

I am friends with mkymsehi and we will probably be hanging out a lot with his family. I am also running the "Goofy" or "Dumbo" after the cruise. I would love to particpate in any FE's, but we won't have a fish extender. I hope we can participate and still give gifts to everyone that have fish extenders.

I can't wait to meet everyone! any tips on cruising? This will be my first cruise EVER! I hope I don't eat too much before my "dumbo". :rotfl2:

[marypopins06]

pinkprincessmom, Thank you for putting this together. Do you want to make them?

[Terapin]

hi!

I just thought I would let y'all know I just booked the MCO Hyatt for Jan 2 for $55 bucks! I have been waiting for ages for it to come up for our pre-cruise night (coming in from up North, didn't want to risk bad weather/flight changes). It came up on Hotwire finally and I snagged it. Yay! So pleased. We didn't really want to stay anywhere else.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi everyone. Just a quick check in. Our son has had croup and we haven't been getting much sleep.

If everyone would like to have the same FE, I am happy to make them. It looks like 2 more families have joined. I'll update the list later!

Good night all...and Happy Thanksgiving!

[Terapin]

I would love to participate in the FE. And Pinkprincessmom, if you are making some FEs, that would be great! I have so many things to do with the wedding coming up that I didn't think I could participate because I wouldn't have time to make the actual FE. Thank you for offering to make one, and thank you for your generosity.

[IrishCowboy]

Subscribing

[annrae]

Wishing all of you a Very Happy Thanksgiving.

With the holidays and planning for the cruise, it is an exciting time for us. I love the anticipation and planning for a trip.

Looking forward to hopefully meeting some of you on the Wonder.:cool1:

Barbara

[Terapin]

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

[Pinkprincessmom]

My entire family was together today. Usually someone is missing. Great day for us! Hope all of you had a great day as well. See you in just over a month now!

[Disney Trio]

Got room assignment, cabin #1056. If I'm not mistaking I think its a Cat. 9 oceanview. What a great upgrade, hope others have the same luck. :banana: :cool1: :woohoo:

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi All,

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and safe travels.

Our cruise date is fast approaching. We booked this almost 2 years ago, so it is hard to believe it is almost here!

I need to get busy with the fish extenders. This is the current list I have. I know that some of you have move than one cabin, please let me know if you would like a FE for each door, or if one will be okay.

Please join us if you like!

FE list as of 12/01/09...deadline 12/18/09

pinkprincessmom
flagred
wishesndreams
mkymsehi
marypopins06
donaldseeyore
disney trio
mooshu
terapin

[Pinkprincessmom]

I updated the first post with more names and some links I found on another cruise meet...tip calculator, packing list, and shipping information. Be looking for a PM from me in the next day or so!

[Pinkprincessmom]

pirate: One month from today we will be boarding the Disney Wonder pirate:

:hourglass :boat:

[Pinkprincessmom]

26 days...

Am I the only one excited? Or is everyone else just too busy to check the boards?

:hourglass :boat:

[annrae]

It is difficult to believe that in twenty some days we will be boarding the Wonder, we will be warm, happy, in awe of everything and the most important thing is that we will be SO excited. The anticipation of planning for a trip is always one of the best parts of the trip for me. It is really hard to decide what to pack as we have only cruised in September when the weather was very warm in Florida and on the Cruise. I undertand the temp. in Nassau and on Castaway Keys will be in the lower 70's which will be warm for us coming from the North. The last time we were in Florida in December I actually wore a turtle neck sweater, a sweat shirt over that and a light wind resistant jacket over that and we bought gloves as it was so cold.

We are looking forward to meeting some of you and to having a grand time.

See you soon.

Barbara

[Disney Trio]

We are very excited too. Our DD is bouncing of the walls, and I must admit I've already got my clothes out ready to go in the suitcase. Unlike the wife, I like to be ready to go on time :thumbsup2 Can't wait to be sitting in the lounge chair sipping on a brew. :cool2:

[Chilly]

25 days to go!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi everyone. We're down to 23 days!! Who has finished Christmas shopping? We have a bit more to do!

I have heard from some families about the FE's. I still need to hear from others. I need room #'s so that we will know where to deliver the gifts. Also, one family has told me that they will make their own FE's. I think that leaves me making 7. I will probably make a couple of extras too. I am getting more excited about the cruise every day!

[Dawncala]

We would love to participate in Fish Extenders. We're in room 7062. My kids will be so excited when they find out they get to deliver little gifts to everyone and also check their pockets back at the cabin. I am pretty crafty so will make our FE pockets.

Christmas shopping is done! Now we're all counting down the days until we arrive in WDW, then board the cruise. :woohoo:

[Pinkprincessmom]

We got our cruise documents yesterday...anybody else?:banana:

Dawncala...I am glad you and your family will be participating in the FE. It is great fun!

[flagfred]

My goodness, I didn't really think thru the whole - hey let's have a big family christmas, do the usual rounds, make cookies, decorate the house, goto 1000 Christmas programs.....and what the heck let's plan our first cruise for just after the first of the year....yikes!

Whew, we are all very excited we are just to busy to type it all down :goodvibes

We are looking for FE gifts, I am not the crafty sort...so we are trying to have fun with them...you do one a night right?

Oh Great Pinkprincessmom you rock for being the guru of the FEs, I will PM you our room numbers.....

Also, we haven't gotten our information from Disney Cruise yet....I saw someone did, should we be getting worried? is it a USPS thing or UPS thing?

Merry 12/12 and have a Chrstmas Cookie,

[Disney Trio]

We are looking for FE gifts, I am not the crafty sort...so we are trying to have fun with them...you do one a night right?

You can if you like, I'm not sure how we are doing it. A gift everyday sometimes leads to packing space issues. I think most peeps do 1 gift per trip. Not sure, maybe we get this cleared up.

Got our cruise docs. yesterday. Really makes it a reality now. Can't wait for vacation, just hope I can handle the crowds at WDW the week after Christmas. We are usually there in the off season, so its really gonna be a shock to the system. I guess the good thing about going every year is that you don't feel like your missing out on something. I get a bigger kick :lmao: out of people watching most the time.

Anyway happy dance has started and its gonna be hard to get through the next 2 weeks at work.

Merry Christmas and have a safe trip. :santa:

See ya all soon!!!! :banana:

[Pinkprincessmom]

Our cruise documents came UPS. Neither my parents or in-laws have received theirs yet, so I would not worry.

As for FE's, you can give however you wish. You can give one gift for the whole cruise, you can give one per cabin, or one per person. I have something special in mind for 2 days, but otherwise, it will probably be one gift per cabin. Please do not spend a lot of money or time. It is just supposed to be fun for all involved, the giver and recipient.

It is kind of crazy planning a cruise so close to Christmas. I spent all day today with a migraine and did not get much accomplished. Just brings us one day closer. I do find that working with a deadline gives me more motivation. Just remember that when we board, all of the work and planning will be accomplished and we can relax and have a good time!

[Chilly]

I got something in the post today but it was just a booklet not sure if i'm supposed to get anything else.

7 more days at work for me, wish it would hurry up already.

[Pinkprincessmom]

Claire ~ ours was just a booklet too. It had our luggage tags. Everything else was just a confirmation of what we have done online. Check yours again. It may be all you need. It tells you what to print out and bring.

I posted some links about FE's on the first post. I will put them here too. For my last cruise, we did not have any rules about what people should give. Some people gave one gift. Others gave one per day. Please do what you are most comfortable with!


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1980639
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1774643

I wanted to add that on my last cruise, Dec. 2007, many people gave Christmas ornaments, magnets, or post cards from their home town. That was a good way to remember them. I do not put my name on my gifts...except one.

It's getting closer and closer!

[Chilly]

Oh good that's what I got.

[flagfred]

we got ours Monday night (yesterday was just toooo crazy to go online)....seems like a bunch of hype for just some luggage tags....I was thinking it would be more information.

My 13 yr old has discovered disboards.....she is reading everything, and is all over the FEs...

[RHOOK]

:flower3:Hi Everyone

I'm new to this so kindly forgive any faux pas on postings, etc.
I've been reading and wanted to share that our family is going on our first ever cruise (of course, it had to be Disney).

Any idea on best place to stay for park and cruise?

Counting down the days... :)

[mkymsehi]

Our cruise docs arrived as well. We head to WDW on Chrismas day, and arrive on the 26th. See you all on the 3rd of January.

Here's what the mkymsehi family looks like, so keep an eye out for us. :lmao:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg92/mkymsehi/072.jpg

This is Mooshu and her mom.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg92/mkymsehi/Marcia-1.jpg

[Pinkprincessmom]

Great idea Jeff. I'll find a recent one of our family.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/ralsmom/DSCF2690.jpg

Welcome RHOOK. We are parking at the port. We stayed at a hotel that allowed parking and shuttled us over for our first cruise. I'll have to get the name from my husband though. We'll be heading to St. Augustine on Jan. 1 and driving to port on the third.

Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for FE's. I hope to make them this weekend. I plan to make 2 items for gifts. I hope I can get it done in time!

Only 5 more gifts to buy and we're finished!

[Dawncala]

Here is our family.

We also have an 11 year old daughter so perhaps the girls will meet in the Oceaneer Lab. (my son is 8 so he'll be in there too)

No cruise docs yet. :confused: Should we be worried and call someone?

http://calafato.smugmug.com/photos/743515319_9msqZ-M.jpg

[RHOOK]

What is an FE? :) We are cruising to celebrate the adoptions of our sons - age 5 and age 3!

[rcchello]

Just checking in again. Everyone here is starting to get excited.

Already done.
1) Arranged Doggie camp arrangements.
2) Picked Daughter up from college

ToDo:
1) Planning what clothes to take!
2) Checking all the the cameras. Packing the waterproof housing in case it is warm enough to go snorkling.
3) Oil change and tire rotation.
4) Arranging rooms for the drive down.
5) Stop Mail
6) Get Neighbor to watch house and pick up newspapers


Reading some trip reports to see what I shouldn't miss. Looking at the food porn to see what I should eat for dinner. Wondering what tastings I should sign up for.

Hope everyone is having a good Holiday Season!

Stay Well and see you all on board :)

[mkymsehi]

FE list as of 12/01/09...deadline 12/18/09

pinkprincessmom
flagred
wishesndreams
mkymsehi
marypopins06
donaldseeyore
disney trio
mooshu (gifting only, not receiving)
terapin


So our final count is 7 families receiving, correct? I need to know ASAP, as we depart on 12/25 for Florida.

[Pinkprincessmom]

RHOOK ~ please see the first post for more information about Fish Extenders. It is a bag attached to your room number (a fish). Fellow cruisers place small gifts in the bag throughout the cruise. We would love to have your family join us. Please let me know ASAP so everyone will be prepared.

Jeff ~ I'm counting 10. I'll double check everything and update the list by Sunday. Will that work for you? I still don't have room numbers from everyone.

Fish Extenders
pinkprincessmom
flagfred
wishsndreams
mkymsehi
marypopins06
donaldseeyore
disney trio
mooshu
terapin
dawncala

[Pinkprincessmom]

Forgot to add...RHOOK ~ congratulations on the adoption. I think a cruise is a great way to celebrate.

Also, mooshu will be receiving gifts too. I convinced her it was not only for the kids!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Had to post one more...didn't like my post count!

14 days! :cool1::banana:

[Pinkprincessmom]

pinkprincessmom ~ 2 adults, DD9, DS2
in-laws of pinkprincessmom ~ 2 adults
flagfred ~ 2 adults, DD13, DD9
wishsndreams ~ mom, DD22, DD14
mkymsehi ~ 2 adults, DD6, DD11
marypopins06 ~ 2 adults, DS14, DD12, DD6
donaldseeyore ~ DW and DH
disney trio ~ 2 adults, DD7 #1056, first dining
mooshu ~ 2 adults
terapin ~ DH and DW, Disneymoon
dawncala ~ 2 adults, DD11, DS8

It is not quite midnight here, so I met the Sunday deadline! I'll send PM's to everyone with names and room numbers.

I was thinking we could meet around 4 pm on deck 10 overlooking the Goofy pool. I'll have the FE bags. They are all made! My MIL helped and then they decided they wanted to participate as well. Hope that doesn't inconvenience you guys too much. I told them they are past the deadline, so don't fret if you've already gotten everything.

Things are getting quite busy now. I'll try to be on the boards at least once daily to check things.

Also, I hope everyone will meet us on deck 10, not just those participating in FE's.

Happy holidays and safe travels to everyone!

[RHOOK]

Sorry we missed the deadline on FE's! :banana:
We'll know to start checking the postings earlier next time! (We're already sure that there will be a next time!)

Hope all fellow cruisers have a great holiday and we look forward to setting sail with you all!

Happy Holidays! pirate:

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi everyone. I hope it is okay if I add RHOOK to our list. I hate for her family to miss out if they wish to participate.

pinkprincessmom ~ 2 adults, DD9, DS2
in-laws of pinkprincessmom ~ 2 adults
flagfred ~ 2 adults, DD13, DD9
wishsndreams ~ mom, DD22, DD14
mkymsehi ~ 2 adults, DD6, DD11
marypopins06 ~ 2 adults, DS14, DD12, DD6
donaldseeyore ~ DW and DH
disney trio ~ 2 adults, DD7 #1056, first dining
mooshu ~ 2 adults
terapin ~ DH and DW, Disneymoon
dawncala ~ 2 adults, DD11, DS8
RHOOK ~ 2 adults, DS5, DS3

My count is 11 families, 24 adults and 15 kids. 11 girls and 4 boys. Feel free to double check and correct me!

[RHOOK]

Yippy - RHOOK family is in for the FE's! I'll read the first post and figure out what we need to do!
So fun!
pirate:

[Mooshu]

Hi Pinkprincessmom!

Just double checking to make sure if you did or did not make a FE for my mom and I. I wasn't sure if it was posted or not...sorry about that.

Thanks,
Marcia

[RHOOK]

So excited that we got in at the last minute on Fish Extenders!
I don't think that I can buy one this close to our departure date - is it okay to use a bag or something outside our door?
Also, do we prepare something for everyone every day and just leave at their cabin door? :confused3
Sorry for the first time cruiser rookie questions!
:confused3

Happy Holidays Fellow Cruisers!
RHOOK Family

[Pinkprincessmom]

RHOOK and Mooshu...do not fear, I have FE's for you. I used felt and the cost was less than $0.75 per FE, so no, you may not pay me for one.

I think I have everyone's room number now. I am double checking my list and hope to email it out to everyone later today. My niece is here playing with my daughter, so my primary job is keeping my son away from them!

I will also print out a list to hand to everyone at the meet. The meet will be on January 3 at 4 pm on Deck 10 above the Goofy pool. The Goofy pool is on Deck 9. We will meet on the side facing the port.

There are really no rules for giving the gifts. I have one gift per day. Most of them are made instead of bought (or will be made soon). For 2 days, I am giving one gift per cabin, the other 2 days, I am giving one per person. These are simple, inexpensive, handmade gifts.

Each family may choose what they wish to do. Of course, the minimum is to give at least one gift per family. I do not wish to cause stress for anyone. For our last cruise, this policy worked well and we got plenty of things. It is just a fun thing to find something in your bags as you return to your room.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am not a leader by nature, but meeting others and doing the FE's was a high light of my last cruise and I wanted to spread the joy.

Hopefully you will be receiving a PM from me very soon with names and room numbers.

Pinkprincessmom

[Mooshu]

Thank you!!! You just made packing much easier to figure out!:cool1:

[Pinkprincessmom]

I'm watching the DCL promotion video with my children and parents, preparing for our cruise in 10 days!

[Disney Trio]

Well the busy holiday season begins for us today. An hour drive to see the fam. then back home late tonight. Wake up early to hyper 7 yr. old :thumbsup2, open gifts, pack car, 17 hr. drive to see ::MickeyMo. So see ya'll on the boat. :cool1:. Merry Christmas and Safe Travels. Anyone in the upper mid-west leave now, cause weather not look'n good for u. :scared1:

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi everyone! Our Christmas festivities are officially over and we can focus on getting ready for the cruise.

I am thinking that the life boat drill will be around 4:00 pm. I will be hanging out on Deck 10 starting around 3:30 and will go back directly after the life boat drill.

We leave on January 1. We are spending 2 days in St. Augustine. We will spend 2 days in Disney after the cruise. We've already started looking at the deck plans for the Dream to rebook onboard!!

See everyone very soon! Safe travels!

[flagfred]

Christmas....wonderful and perfect ( a couple inches of snow made it like a postcard)....NOW I must plan....and pack...and think about FEs.

My girls are getting excited checked weather.com last night and it looks like we will have mid-70s and partly cloudy...not bad considering the low of 9 last night where we live.

Happy packing and we will see you on deck 10 at 3:30ish.....

[RHOOK]

See you all at 3:30 pm!
We are leaving on January 2nd for the drive down from Atlanta!

Happy New Year to everyon! pirate:

[annrae]

Everyone here is getting very excited. We are leaving Wed. Dec. 30 and looking forward to it being a little warmer than it is here.

Hope to see you on Deck 10 about 3:30 pm.

Have a safe trip to Orlando.

Barbara

[Dawncala]

We're on a plane at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning. Last minute packing is driving me nuts because the weather predictions keep changing. It seems to be cooling now at WDW. (prediced lows in the 30's some nights) I need to work out some clever layering options.

We'll try to meet up at 3:30 on cruise day. Happy cruising everyone!
-Dawn

[rstackjd]

So will there be some kind of sign or something on Deck 10 for the get together?

Also, do anyone know if the Dutchman is still at Castaway Cay? We've been lookingoforward to seeing it, and I read something the other day where there was speculation it was going to be moved.

Ah one more day before we head to the Caribbean Beach resort for 3 days before the Cruise.

My DW (Mary if you meet her) will turn 50 on Castaway Cay - I can think of worse ways to spend a birthday!:banana:

[Pinkprincessmom]

We leave at noon tomorrow...busy packing now. I don't know if I'll get a sign made for the meet, but my picture is posted on this page or page 10. I got my hair cut to shoulder length, but think I'll still be recognizable. Unless it is freezing, I will be wearing a gray Mickey t-shirt...along with the rest of my family. I cannot believe cruise time is here!!!

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Safe travels!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hello all. Is everyone home safe and sound now?

I hope everyone enjoyed the cruise. We tried to make the best of the colder weather and a couple of sick ones in our party.

I wanted to apologize that the cruise meet didn't work out so well. I guess I should have planned better around the safety drill. I was on deck 10 from 2:45 until 3:45 and then back at 4:15 after the drill. By 4:15 the deck was getting pretty crowded due to the sail away party.

I did get to meet Flagfred, RHOOK, and Disney Trio on deck 10. I met wishsndreams and mooshu while delivering goodies. I met annrae, Barbara, while delivering goodies to her daughter and then ran into her pretty often on the cruise. Thanks again for the laundry detergent, Barbara!

We enjoyed all of our goodies. My daughter especially enjoyed helping me deliver and checking our bag multiple times a day.

Maybe we'll cruise together again someday! Hope all of you have a WONDERful 2010!

[wishsndreams]

Hi Pinkprincessmom,
Everyone is home safe and sound. It was so nice to meet everyone! I'm glad your little one is feeling better. Please tell your dd that her little parrot accompanied me everywhere pirate night! Despite the cold , ( it really was much colder at home, so we could stand it)we had a wonderful time. I just love Castaway Cay. I hope we get to cruise again sometime! I think mom is going to do a trip report...... she did mention something about it the other day...

[Mooshu]

Hello Dis Cruisers!

Thank you all for the fabulous gifts, it was fun to check the fish extenders every day for the little presents we received. It made me feel important and special!

I'm sorry we missed the meet, but we got confused on the location and time. I kept checking the different areas, but had to go to the safety check and then the sail away party.

Thank you Pinkprincessmom for organizing the fish extender exchange! I love my fish extender and I will hang it on my office door....maybe someone will decide to put treats in it! :lmao:

[mkymsehi]

Yeah, what Marcia said!

We had a great pre-cruise trip of 8 days at WDW. Cold weather was a downer.

We got to the ship early on Sunday to embark. I was the one with the Mickey Gnome taking pictures around the hall and the ship.

We missed the meet, thinking it was after the lifeboat drill, instead of before. I only ran into one person while she was dropping off in our extender one day. (Sorry, but I can not remember her name). My girls got a kick out of all the goodies they received.

Boy was it cold on that cruise. Nassau wasn't too exciting for us, as we just did a short walk around the first two blocks. No excursions, so we headed back on board the ship.

Castaway Cay was fun to run the 5K on. The water was cold, but my younger daughter braved it and walked in.

We had a great cruise, and will gladly do another one in the future. The food was great, especially Palo's. We had great servers, who entertained and watched our girls the night we dined at Palo's.

Following the cruise, Marcia and I returned to WDW for marathon weekend, and ran off all those calories. Marcia ran the Goofy (her 4th), while I did an unofficial 5K on Friday, the official Goofy (my 3rd) on Saturday and Sunday, and an unofficial 5K on Monday. We dubbed it the "Dumbo" challenge. 45.5 miles over 4 days. Including the running I did on the ship/Castaway Cay it was about 55 miles for the week.

Now I'm back at home after 19 days on the road. Catching up on sleep, but I'm still suffering from jet lag, and still on Central/Eastern standard time.

Thanks to everyone who shared in the fish extenders!

[Terapin]

Hi! We had a great trip too, and I was disappointed by the weather, but what can you do? It was still better than being at home. We loved our cat 3 cabin - holy moly was it nice. In Nassau we did a little shopping and bought my mom a very nice emerald and diamond ring as a thank you for keeping our 3 children while we were away. We didn't buy too much more, just some tiny rum cakes and a few other little things.

We loved the fish extenders and giving away gifts. I didn't have too much time to do anything fancy so we gave out little candies and chocolates. I Wish we could have prepared more but the wedding was the day before we left and we were strapped for time.

In Nassau we went on the Greycliffe wine and cheese pairing and it was awesome. We availed ourselves of the spa on board, and managed to get to Palo for brunch and dinner.

We left the ship feeling like the cat that ate the cream! We're back on the Magic in September for the TA and totally looking forward to it.

[marypopins06]

I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for all the items in the FE's. My kids loved it. The candies were perfect! We had to catch a flight right off the ship so I saved it for the trip home - life savers!!!. My kids loved the special items that referred to the ship/cruise. Thank you everyone who made those special items we have already started to put them in our scrapbook. My DH is sorta tough on Disney - gives me a bit of a hard time- well he surprised me! Booked us for the 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise Jan. 30 2011! Again thank you for making the cruise Wonder-ful, for my children. A special Thank You pinkprincessmom for taking the time to make the FE's. They were perfect! My son was thrilled to see they were not just for "girls". My DH had fun going to the rooms and delivering mail. Thank You for making it very special for my family. I hope your family also experienced extra magic!

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi again! I am glad everyone enjoyed the FE's. They make the cruise more fun! We are going to try a Carnival cruise in October with some friends...no kids! I've only cruised Disney. We'll see how it goes!

[Chilly]

Hello! I didn't realise there was a meet planned although it sounds like it didn't really happen becuase of the drill.

The weather sure was cold wasn't it. We were out there for 22 nights and the best day was December 30th, luckily that was our wedding day.

I can't wait to cruise again but I don't think it'll happen for a long while.

[flagfred]

We had such a great time on the cruise - and the weather was cold, imagine how much fun we would have had it had been sunny and warm :rolleyes1

The FE's were amazing and the gifts were so much fun....my dh was giving me a hard time about the different gifts and running around looking for items...but i think even he was pleasantly surprised by the fun.

We can't wait to do another disney cruise - I would love to do one on the Dream but we want to spend more than 4/5 days...we want a week...

My girls had the time of their lives. My 13 yr old is Facebook friends with almost all the teens she met in aloft...it really was a perfect vacation for her. My 9 yr old loved the club and all the activities...she made lots of friends but no FB for her :)

Thanks to everyone for all the advice - disboards made our vacation a great vacation.

[mkymsehi]

Doors!

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg92/mkymsehi/015-4.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg92/mkymsehi/062-1.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg92/mkymsehi/350.jpg

My younger daughter's expression seeing my name, on someone else's door! Priceless.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg92/mkymsehi/352.jpg

[mkymsehi]

Oh, and it took us a few decks of going fore, aft, port, starboard, repeat...

before we realized, do all the rooms in the same area, just up and down the stairs, fore, aft, port, starboard. Dooh! That was a lot of walking until we got the hang of it. :lmao:

[mkymsehi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ff1kKSXBQQ[/URL]

http://www.youtube.com/watch#v=9RIcLU7fB6g&feature=related (http://www.mkymsehi.blogspot.com/)

[URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7OH91Sg4x0&NR=1

[Dawncala]

I've been trying to get up here to say thank you to all our fellow Fish Extenders. We had so much fun delivering our goodies and then finding new treats every day. We took photos of all the cool doors like Jeff did, and I tried to get photos of all the great gifts before the kids began claiming them. (the awesome magnets are not in the photos because they were still on our door)

http://calafato.smugmug.com/photos/795072601_QHUdB-L.jpg
http://calafato.smugmug.com/photos/795072592_HCymw-L.jpg
http://calafato.smugmug.com/photos/795072540_7FYm5-L.jpg

I wish we'd had an opportunity to meet you all, but the kids kept us pretty busy. Except for the chilly weather we all had a fantastic time and can't wait to go again.

[Rainwater]

Did I mention that we will be celebrating my birthday on the cruise???:banana:

Do we have to bring presents?popcorn:: And if we do, what would you like?