I did it....booked Land/Sea...all on points.

[alldiz]

Hi,
I am sooooo excited. I borrowed all of my 10 points...used all of my 09 points for this ressie.

WLV 11-27 to 12-3. Then DCL...12-3 to 12-6...Disney Wonder:cool1: :banana:


My 1st DCL and I get to see it decorated for Christmas:cloud9:

I just had to share with people who would understand how excited I am:goodvibes
Kerri

[Tinker74]

:banana: :woohoo: ....Thats great!...I would love to do the cruise one day...and how lovely it will be at VWL with the christmas decorations..:wizard:

[december14disney]

Thats great! I hope to do it one day! :cool1:
Was it a TON of points?

[alldiz]

:banana: :woohoo: ....Thats great!...I would love to do the cruise one day...and how lovely it will be at VWL with the christmas decorations..:wizard:
Thanks:goodvibes I'm so excited to be surrounded by the beautiful decorations at WLV and the "Wonder":sail:
Thats great! I hope to do it one day! :cool1:
Was it a TON of points?

It was a heavy for me...I usually don't even use my points on a weekend:headache:

11-27-11-29....Fri & Sat..Studio...55 points
11-29 - 12-3...Sun-Thurs....1 BR...92 points
12-3-12-6.....3 night cruise....2 adults....226 points....(113 pp)

I then pd....$95 transaction fee....and $229 for DD...3rd passenger...ran out of points:headache:

For a grand total of 373 points...I now have 4 points left for 2010:scared:

I just pray for good weather.:goodvibes
Kerri

[bobbiwoz]

That sounds like a wonderful vacation! A few years ago we stayed at VWL for 1 night after a DCL cruise. It was in November near the 17th I remember because that's DH's birthday and VWL was already decorated for Christmas. It did make the vacation even better.

Bobbi:goodvibes

[vbarry]

I hope you have a great time! We used a ton of points last Feb to take a 7 night cruise and it was a lot of fun. Boy...I missed my points the next year but oh well! It was better than paying cash. Have a great trip.:)

[WoodysRoundup]

Congratulations! Sounds like a "wonder"ful trip. We hope to finally try the cruise in '10.


I understand your excitement and wish you the best time!! :)

[alldiz]

Thanks:goodvibes I'm so excited to be surrounded by the beautiful decorations at WLV and the "Wonder":sail:


It was a heavy for me...I usually don't even use my points on a weekend:headache:

11-27-11-29....Fri & Sat..Studio...55 points
11-29 - 12-3...Sun-Thurs....1 BR...92 points
12-3-12-6.....3 night cruise....2 adults....226 points....(113 pp)
I then pd....$95 transaction fee....and $229 for DD...3rd passenger...ran out of points:headache:

For a grand total of 373 points...I now have 4 points left for 2010:scared:

I just pray for good weather.:goodvibes
Kerri
I just want to note that the 113 pp point on the cruise was for a navigators verandah room.:cloud9:
That sounds like a wonderful vacation! A few years ago we stayed at VWL for 1 night after a DCL cruise. It was in November near the 17th I remember because that's DH's birthday and VWL was already decorated for Christmas. It did make the vacation even better.

Bobbi:goodvibes
Thanks:goodvibes WLV during the Christmas season, WAS the reason I bought DVC. Of course I've come to appreciate EVERY season at WDW:goodvibes
I hope you have a great time! We used a ton of points last Feb to take a 7 night cruise and it was a lot of fun. Boy...I missed my points the next year but oh well! It was better than paying cash. Have a great trip.:)

I have a feeling after this 3 night cruise.....We will be hooked forever....7 night is my ideal....WAY to many points for me...Especially when I go in snob mode and "need" my balcony.:snooty:
Aaaargh....I need to work more and buy more points:rolleyes1
Kerri

[brookelizabeth]

That is great!!!!!!! Have a wonderful trip! :thumbsup2

I hope to do a cruise in a few years when DS is a bit older, I can't wait!

[lichevyguy]

you will be hooked forever , ive been on the magic 2 times and i cant wait to go again , they are beatiful ships , and very well cared for , the food is great and the parties are to die for , dont miss any of the evening show , have a ball , i wish i was going:banana:

[alldiz]

Congratulations! Sounds like a "wonder"ful trip. We hope to finally try the cruise in '10.


I understand your excitement and wish you the best time!! :)
Thanks so much:goodvibes I swore last year I would do a DCL in 2010 and I beat it by 27 days:cool1: Of course I know after I go.....I will be "living" for the next DCL:rolleyes:
That is great!!!!!!! Have a wonderful trip! :thumbsup2

I hope to do a cruise in a few years when DS is a bit older, I can't wait!
How old is DS....I hear the kids clubs are AMAZING.....DD6 will be "living" in them I'm sure;)
you will be hooked forever , ive been on the magic 2 times and i cant wait to go again , they are beatiful ships , and very well cared for , the food is great and the parties are to die for , dont miss any of the evening show , have a ball , i wish i was going:banana:

This is what I am afraid of....it just seems like the "perfect" vacation, and DD6 will have the kids clubs to go to. She is an only child and "craves" to play with the kids all the time. When we go to WDW she usually goes to the kids clubs most nights while we enjoy a good dinner. She will "die" to realize she can go "all" day:lmao:
Kerri

[ACDSNY]

Have a great time on your trip! I'm feeling your pain as we used our 08, 09 & 10 AKV points for our land portion. It's nice to hear we may see some X-mas decorations when we go for our first land/sea trip next Nov 8th - 21st. I'm hoping to snag a THV for the 2 nights after our cruise.

[MommaX03]

Hi!
I just did a four day on the Wonder from 12/14 to 12/18, with an overnight at SSR on 12/13. It was fantastic! We did it on points and our family of 5 stayed in a family suite, 8th deck.

I highly recommend the Cruise boards on this site as well as the indispensible Passporter book on Cruises. As you booked on points, the staff should know that you are DVC. There will be some DVC goodies in your room one night (special magnets on your door and keepsake book) as well as an onboard DVC members meeting, which is an opportunity to learn about your next potential add-on and win some DVC merchandise.

We came off the ship lusting for another cruise. The kids' clubs are wonderful. Book as much as you can online for excurisons, Palo, spa, etc. when your window opens.

While it is a pain to lose the points for next year, it was priceless to hear my 7-year-old say, unprompted, "Thank you, Mom, for the best time I have ever had in my entire life!" :lovestruc

The decorations were beautiful! We got to make gingerbread houses as a craft with the kids and it was led by the ship's pastry chef.:santa:

We had 80 degrees in the Bahamas and sunny skies for the whole trip.
:banana: :cool1:

Enjoy!!! It will be great!

[Pinkprincessmom]

We have done 2 Disney cruises, a 4 day in September 2005 and a 7 day in December 2007. Our next one is a 4 day for January 2010. You will so be hooked on DCL. We booked our first cruise as a last minute thing and got a great price. We didn't rebook on board after the first cruise, but booked 21 months out for the Dec. 2007 cruise. This gave us great prices and plenty of time to pay it off.

The Christmas decorations are spectacular. Plus there is story time with Mrs. Clause and all kinds of Christmas activities.

Sounds like you are going to have a wonderful Christmas in 2009.

[TheDISneyFamily]

Congratulations! :yay: You are going to have such a great time! Thanks for breaking down the points for us. I've never really looked at how many points it would cost to do a cruise - now I know and that information is dangerous! LOL! :rotfl: Doing a DCL cruise has always been on my To Do List, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Thanks for the inspiration! :goodvibes

[alldiz]

Have a great time on your trip! I'm feeling your pain as we used our 08, 09 & 10 AKV points for our land portion. It's nice to hear we may see some X-mas decorations when we go for our first land/sea trip next Nov 8th - 21st. I'm hoping to snag a THV for the 2 nights after our cruise.
Our 09 trip is late....I borrowed all 2010 pts....but I'll probably borrow some 11 points for something in 2010. Could I make it a whole year. Of course after this cruise I'll probably book another cruise in 2011 and have no points till 2013:scared:
Hi!
I just did a four day on the Wonder from 12/14 to 12/18, with an overnight at SSR on 12/13. It was fantastic! We did it on points and our family of 5 stayed in a family suite, 8th deck.

I highly recommend the Cruise boards on this site as well as the indispensible Passporter book on Cruises. As you booked on points, the staff should know that you are DVC. There will be some DVC goodies in your room one night (special magnets on your door and keepsake book) as well as an onboard DVC members meeting, which is an opportunity to learn about your next potential add-on and win some DVC merchandise.

We came off the ship lusting for another cruise. The kids' clubs are wonderful. Book as much as you can online for excurisons, Palo, spa, etc. when your window opens.

While it is a pain to lose the points for next year, it was priceless to hear my 7-year-old say, unprompted, "Thank you, Mom, for the best time I have ever had in my entire life!" :lovestruc

The decorations were beautiful! We got to make gingerbread houses as a craft with the kids and it was led by the ship's pastry chef.:santa:

We had 80 degrees in the Bahamas and sunny skies for the whole trip.
:banana: :cool1:

Enjoy!!! It will be great!
I hope we have great weather.....sounds like a great trip. I hope my DD says this....I'm dying for her just to SEE the ship:goodvibes WOW....DVC goodies:woohoo: I truly am soooo excited...I'm driving my DH crazy already. Asking him if he wants early or late seating. ....."so now I need to know what time I want to eat next Nov:headache: He just dosen't "get it":headache:

We have done 2 Disney cruises, a 4 day in September 2005 and a 7 day in December 2007. Our next one is a 4 day for January 2010. You will so be hooked on DCL. We booked our first cruise as a last minute thing and got a great price. We didn't rebook on board after the first cruise, but booked 21 months out for the Dec. 2007 cruise. This gave us great prices and plenty of time to pay it off.

The Christmas decorations are spectacular. Plus there is story time with Mrs. Clause and all kinds of Christmas activities.

Sounds like you are going to have a wonderful Christmas in 2009.
Thanks....To be fully immersed in the Disney Christmas spirit is :cloud9:
Congratulations! :yay: You are going to have such a great time! Thanks for breaking down the points for us. I've never really looked at how many points it would cost to do a cruise - now I know and that information is dangerous! LOL! :rotfl: Doing a DCL cruise has always been on my To Do List, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Thanks for the inspiration! :goodvibes

This is my 1st venture..."offsite", but being that I feel like a "veteran" at WDW....It is sooooo exciting to have something totally new to research. Being that Disney does so much right....I know this Cruise will be fantabulous:goodvibes
Kerri

[MommaX03]

Order the free DVD of the cruise through Disney. We waited until right before the trip to see it though because we knew the kids (and us) would want to be on the cruise immediately!

[alldiz]

Order the free DVD of the cruise through Disney. We waited until right before the trip to see it though because we knew the kids (and us) would want to be on the cruise immediately!

They had a disney travel channel DCL special on the other day that i taped....can't wait to watch it.

I might do a NY cruise out up to Canada this summer to hold me over......and part of my plan... to let DH see how much better the DCL is;)
Kerri

[MommaX03]

[QUOTE=alldiz;29584184]I might do a NY cruise out up to Canada this summer to hold me over......and part of my plan... to let DH see how much better the DCL is;)

Good thinking! The Disney cruise was our first cruise ever, so we are forever spoiled!

[alldiz]

I wish DCL would come to NY:worship:
Kerri

[T-i-double-g-err]

We did a DCL cruise in April! It was a blast. We did it on cash as we were not DVC members then. We just put our down payment on our DVC membership last week and are awaiting the paper work! :woohoo:

We are a family of 5, so we needed either a family cabin or a suite if we opted for the same room. Instead, we got two connecting cabins, which worked great; the cabin steward had door jams to keep the connecting doors open. They were two of the "secret" porthole cabins. We had more space and two bathrooms. DW and I were in one cabin, and the kids were in the other. DD9 and DS6 both thoroughly enjoyed the kids' clubs, and we literally had to pry them out at the end of the evening. DD11 spent some time there but wanted to go to the shows and hang with us; I think when she gets a little older the teenager area may be a draw. She reviewed the itinerary for her club area and cherry-picked the activities that interested her.

In any case, I just wanted to drop a quick note that we did the Romantic Escape at Sea package on ours. From what I remember, it included a bottle of wine, DCL robes, dinner for two at Palo, pass to Rainforest room at the spa, a more elaborate breakfast in cabin one morning, and a romantic turn down service for the cabin; there may have been other stuff. The in cabin breakfast was enough for our family of five. Something we found out when we booked this package was that it opened our ability to book excursions, Palo, spa, etc. much earlier than first time cruisers not booked in concierge level cabins.

Here a pic of the romantic turn down service. It was actually a bit of a surprise as we had forgotten that aspect of the package.
http://home.comcast.net/~dkerven/08-04/turndown.jpg

Here's a picture of the bunk beds in the cabin:
http://home.comcast.net/~dkerven/08-04/bunks.jpg

Have a great trip!

[disneymom8589]

Congratulations!! DCL is fantastic! You will totally love it! :lovestruc We used 1/2 DVC point and 1/2 cash for a family cruise in 2007 and were so glad we did! This summer DH and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary on a 7 night Caribbean cruise using DVC points. :)

[alldiz]

We did a DCL cruise in April! It was a blast. We did it on cash as we were not DVC members then. We just put our down payment on our DVC membership last week and are awaiting the paper work! :woohoo:
We are a family of 5, so we needed either a family cabin or a suite if we opted for the same room. Instead, we got two connecting cabins, which worked great; the cabin steward had door jams to keep the connecting doors open. They were two of the "secret" porthole cabins. We had more space and two bathrooms. DW and I were in one cabin, and the kids were in the other. DD9 and DS6 both thoroughly enjoyed the kids' clubs, and we literally had to pry them out at the end of the evening. DD11 spent some time there but wanted to go to the shows and hang with us; I think when she gets a little older the teenager area may be a draw. She reviewed the itinerary for her club area and cherry-picked the activities that interested her.

In any case, I just wanted to drop a quick note that we did the Romantic Escape at Sea package on ours. From what I remember, it included a bottle of wine, DCL robes, dinner for two at Palo, pass to Rainforest room at the spa, a more elaborate breakfast in cabin one morning, and a romantic turn down service for the cabin; there may have been other stuff. The in cabin breakfast was enough for our family of five. Something we found out when we booked this package was that it opened our ability to book excursions, Palo, spa, etc. much earlier than first time cruisers not booked in concierge level cabins.

Here a pic of the romantic turn down service. It was actually a bit of a surprise as we had forgotten that aspect of the package.
http://home.comcast.net/~dkerven/08-04/turndown.jpg

Here's a picture of the bunk beds in the cabin:
http://home.comcast.net/~dkerven/08-04/bunks.jpg

Have a great trip!
Congrats and Welcome Home:goodvibes
Thanks for the great pics.....How beautiful the bed looks:lovestruc
I know after this 3 night I will "NEED" a 7 night;) I think my DD will LOVE the kids clubs. She is an only child an always wants to play with other kids. I figure I'd pick her up on the way off the ship:lmao: :rotfl2: Just kidding:rolleyes1
Congratulations!! DCL is fantastic! You will totally love it! :lovestruc We used 1/2 DVC point and 1/2 cash for a family cruise in 2007 and were so glad we did! This summer DH and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary on a 7 night Caribbean cruise using DVC points. :)
Can't think of a better way to celebrate than with a 7 night DCL:goodvibes

great thing about DVC is it is sooooo flexible....you don't have enough points...no problem...pay some on cash:thumbsup2
Kerri

[MommaX03]

My friend, who is also a DVC member, did the four night Thanksgiving 2008 trip on the Wonder. A 7 day DLC is now on her wishlist.

Great pics from the PP. The staff set up your beds every night and put the room back to normal every morning. Outstanding.

If you do the connecting rooms mentioned above, it costs fewer points for more room and bathrooms. It was very tempting, but we did the verandah for our family of 5 so that we can have breakfast every morning by room service on our deck on our very first cruise. The 2 bathrooms though is priceless with the connecting rooms and would be a consideration for a 7 day DCL.

[ChelleinNC]

Congrats Kerri! That is soooo exciting! :banana: :dance3:

[alldiz]

My friend, who is also a DVC member, did the four night Thanksgiving 2008 trip on the Wonder. A 7 day DLC is now on her wishlist.
Great pics from the PP. The staff set up your beds every night and put the room back to normal every morning. Outstanding.

If you do the connecting rooms mentioned above, it costs fewer points for more room and bathrooms. It was very tempting, but we did the verandah for our family of 5 so that we can have breakfast every morning by room service on our deck on our very first cruise. The 2 bathrooms though is priceless with the connecting rooms and would be a consideration for a 7 day DCL.
funny how that works:rolleyes: I can't see giving up the balcony....but it will be hard to afford the 7 night....but I am motivated:goodvibes
Congrats Kerri! That is soooo exciting! :banana: :dance3:
Thanks....I'm already scoping out cruises for 2010 or 2011 to possibly "rebook" onboard:goodvibes

BTW....how much do you save rebooking onboard....and who do you think gives the best onboard credit. I am assuming since I booked with DVC I won't get anything:headache:
But good to know for next time:goodvibes
Kerri

[MommaX03]

funny how that works:rolleyes: I can't see giving up the balcony....but it will be hard to afford the 7 night....but I am motivated:goodvibes

Thanks....I'm already scoping out cruises for 2010 or 2011 to possibly "rebook" onboard:goodvibes


BTW....how much do you save rebooking onboard....and who do you think gives the best onboard credit. I am assuming since I booked with DVC I won't get anything:headache:
But good to know for next time:goodvibes
Kerri

The DH and I checked out which cruises we wanted and how many points we need to bank and borrow to make it happen. So 2011 will hopefully be the year for our second DCL!
The good news is that you get two options of rebooking savings as a DVC member:
In the goodie kit from DVC in our stateroom, there was a DCL points chart with a reduced points structure of about 7 to 9 points per person if you booked within 4 business days of your return. We also checked the DCL booking desk for the cash only offer. They offered 10 percent off and a future shipboard credit of $100 to $200 (the exact amount depended on the length of cruise). It had to be booked prior to leaving the ship. You cannot do a combo of these two deals on points and cash. We did not do either because we did not have the points or the cash. Also, note that there are some good deals going on right now for the kids to travel free through DCL this winter into spring.

[alldiz]

The DH and I checked out which cruises we wanted and how many points we need to bank and borrow to make it happen. So 2011 will hopefully be the year for our second DCL!
The good news is that you get two options of rebooking savings as a DVC member:
In the goodie kit from DVC in our stateroom, there was a DCL points chart with a reduced points structure of about 7 to 9 points per person if you booked within 4 business days of your return. We also checked the DCL booking desk for the cash only offer. They offered 10 percent off and a future shipboard credit of $100 to $200 (the exact amount depended on the length of cruise). It had to be booked prior to leaving the ship. You cannot do a combo of these two deals on points and cash. We did not do either because we did not have the points or the cash. Also, note that there are some good deals going on right now for the kids to travel free through DCL this winter into spring.

:yay:
I didn't realize they had discounts for DVC members:cool1:

Now I just need more points:lmao: :goodvibes
Kerri

[aDVCguy]

:lmao:
Hey, Kerri!
Tried to write you back...seems your allotment
of space for personnal messages is FULL!:rotfl:
I'll try again later- aDVCguy:thumbsup2

[BWV Dreamin]

The DH and I checked out which cruises we wanted and how many points we need to bank and borrow to make it happen. So 2011 will hopefully be the year for our second DCL!
The good news is that you get two options of rebooking savings as a DVC member:
In the goodie kit from DVC in our stateroom, there was a DCL points chart with a reduced points structure of about 7 to 9 points per person if you booked within 4 business days of your return. We also checked the DCL booking desk for the cash only offer. They offered 10 percent off and a future shipboard credit of $100 to $200 (the exact amount depended on the length of cruise). It had to be booked prior to leaving the ship. You cannot do a combo of these two deals on points and cash. We did not do either because we did not have the points or the cash. Also, note that there are some good deals going on right now for the kids to travel free through DCL this winter into spring.
Thanks for this info!! We have a 3 night Wonder cruise scheduled for May 28th. We plan to return in 2011 for our 30th anniversary....so what your saying is I have up to 4 days after this cruise to rebook a 7 night Western at a points discount? Wooo hooo!!!:woohoo: :cool1: That will be right on time for my 2011 cruise!!

[alldiz]

:lmao:
Hey, Kerri!
Tried to write you back...seems your allotment
of space for personnal messages is FULL!:rotfl:
I'll try again later- aDVCguy:thumbsup2

:headache:
Wow I don't know how that happened:confused3

Anyhoo.....all cleaned up now:surfweb:
Kerri