Ahoy November 12th, 2009 Cruisers!! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

kutchyone

03-06-2009, 01:21 PM

It's my second Disney cruise this year too. Sailed on the Wonder January 4th on a four night with my 20 year old daughter and her boyfriend, it was part of their Christmas gifts. This time I'm sailing with my sister, it will be her first cruise! Not so sure how I feel about the 3 night after experiencing the 4 and that wonderful day at sea! Same deck different category stateroom. Heading to DW after for a conference and a few days in the parks. Will then head home either on 22nd or 23rd.

disneydarling07

03-06-2009, 01:28 PM

My dh felt the same way about going from a 4 day down to a 3 day. But since we weren't all that impressed with Nassau, we decided we were going to stay on the ship and relax that day.
But we are determined to scour every inch of Castaway Cay this time! We hit the beach and snorkeled and then it cooled off a bit, so we went back to the ship. Never explored at all.
We are on the same deck, just the other side this time.
Dh is also thinking about doing the Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom this time.

anetnmike

03-06-2009, 04:18 PM

Hello everyone!
Hey Wendy! We are "practically" neighbors! :) We live in the Plainfield area. I went to nursing school at Christ Hospital (many,many years ago)and lived on Wojo burgers:thumbsup2
We are planning on snorkeling on CC this time too. I really really hope the water is not too cold. :scared:
We booked our same exact cabin because we liked the locale so much::yes::
Glad to meet our new ship mates!

disneydarling07

03-06-2009, 04:31 PM

I've gone to Wojo's a few times....good stuff!!!

We loved the snorkeling at CC. I lasted about an hour before I got tired. My dh was out about 2 hours, found TONS of fish, Minnie statue and the Mickey statue. He went thru 2 underwater cameras. He finished off one camera and had to come all the way back to get the second one...lol..he wasn't too happy.
The water was alittle bit cold when you first got in, but you got used to it very quickly. At one point, when we were out there, the temp changed so drastically, dh and i looked at each other and said holy crap! i thought it would be colder further out but it was nice! That's how we were able to stay out longer.
Lots of different fish and huge schools of them! Dh even saw a stingray.

What category did you book? We were in a Cat 4...room 8528. We couldnt get the same room this time. But we are on the other side of the ship, so we can see the sunrise from our room this time.

mem22

03-06-2009, 07:00 PM

Hey Wendy and Kutchyone! I agree with ya that going from a 4 day to a 3 day is going to be hard. I know it's going to feel like we just got on and then we're getting off! The reason we're doing a 3 day is simple...the bounceback deal! Cheap vacation getaway during the cold weather! We won't be going to WDW after or before the cruise this time. DW booked us on a 7 day in 2010 and plans on booking another one when we get onboard. :cool1: She also has her sights set on the inaugural sailing of the new ship in 2011:banana:
Wendy, how did you like your Cat 4 room? We may upgrade to a Cat 4....don't know yet. My DW is like a TA/Cruise Director/Spa Expert! :thumbsup2
I know it's early but 3pm at the Goofy pool sounds like a great meeting time to me! What say you? pirate:

So what's a Wojo burger? :confused3

Mike

anetnmike

03-06-2009, 10:38 PM

Hey guys
We booked cat9. We have so much fun onboard that we don't spend lots of time in our cabin but we thought it would be fun to have a verandah so I actually had my TA call DCL today to see if we could upgrade to a cat6. They said no. Just FYI.
I am with you guys. I would much rather a few more days of cruising but $99 is $99.
Mike ,a Wojo burger is a burger from a family owned restraunt (Wojo's) in one of the extreme far southwest corners of Chicago,more famous for it's hot dogs really but their burgers are flame broiled and are yummy!::yes::
I'm in for the DIS meet!:cool1:

anetnmike

03-07-2009, 06:51 PM

I made a ticker and managed to get it on here!( yes my brilliant DH helped but just with the bb code part):hug:
now I am happy!:thumbsup2
wow,I just realized it is the same one as mem's and ljm's
there's that great mind thinkin' alike thing again!

SCQ86

03-09-2009, 11:38 AM

Wendy, how did you like your Cat 4 room? We may upgrade to a Cat 4....don't know yet. My DW is like a TA/Cruise Director/Spa Expert!

So what's a Wojo burger? :confused3

Mike

Mike are you doing your upgrade when you get there????

I'm in the neighborhood too....but I don't know what a Wojo burger is.....someone fill me in.

Clueless in Chicago.

ljm23

03-09-2009, 12:42 PM

We're sure going to try to upgrade at the port. (I'm mem22's DW Laura) I could kick myself for not doing it on my last cruise when I was one of the first two people to check in. I've priced out what the difference is between cat 5 and cat 4 ($260 actually, not that much) so this time I'll be prepared.:cutie:
I'm pretty sure they won't let you upgrade before then but if anyone hears different let me know!
Happy Daylight Savings Time:cheer2:

disneydarling07

03-09-2009, 02:15 PM

We liked it, but with 5 of us (4 and a half actually), it was quite crowded when they turned the beds down.
The stroller stayed out on the verandah the whole trip. The hallways were too narrow to use it.
Once we got unpacked, hid the suitcases under the bed and got organized, it was really nice.
LOVED the verandah! REally cool to wake up and just step outside into the fresh air.
We were right next door to the Roy Disney Suite....I WISH we had enough to reserve that room!
This time my oldest dd will not be joining us and we're leaving the stroller at home, so more room for us!

Sue...Wojo burger!!! Sounds like a lunch date to me!!!

anetnmike

03-09-2009, 03:25 PM

Wojo's-yum! I don't get out that way too often. it's at 99th and Pulaski. Wouldn't mind it though. Not to mention the 50something(maybe more?) different kinds of shakes too:thumbsup2 yum yum yum
OK, way off topic
Wow! You guys were near the Disney suite? Sweet! I would love to look around in there! Wouldn't it be fun to stay there? I would like to try to upgrade at the port but I am afraid that there won't be any cabins left to upgrade to. I still would like to try a verandah::yes::

mem22

03-09-2009, 04:32 PM

Hey Wendy, We totally love the verandah too! There is nothing like just standing out there enjoying the views! If Laura says we're getting a Cat 4 then she'll make it happen one way or another. :thumbsup2 She's awesome when it comes to this stuff...she loves planning and reserving. I think it gets her psyched up all that much more.

So did you steal a peek around the verandah divider to look at the Roy Disney suite??? :lmao:

Are you guys ok with a meet and greet kinda thing at the goofy pool? We did it on our last cruise and it worked out great!

Mike

disneydarling07

03-09-2009, 04:45 PM

of course we peeked! The verandah was 3 TIMES as big as the Cat 4! Lots of room to spread out and let the kids run around out there.
Dh got a peek inside when they left their door open. He said it was HUGE inside.
We did get busted peeking on the verandah once...lol...okay, i told the kids to peek and see if they can finnagle an invite...lol.
The people were really nice too! But no invite...darn!
Dh peeked at the luggage tags when their bags were in the hallway too...I forgot who he said they were...or what the family name was....

I"m fine with a meet and greet...maybe this one will work out better than our first.

anetnmike

03-09-2009, 06:10 PM

you sneeked a peek!:eek:
lucky!!!:lmao:
maybe this time we should all have the same color T shirts or something ,Mike ,so we know who we are looking for?
how old and what gender are everyone's kids?

disneydarling07

03-09-2009, 06:24 PM

OUr group consists of...

Me (Wendy)
Dh (Tom)
Jessica (7)
Jason (2)

My oldest dd Brittany (19) opted out of this cruise. She has an offer to go to Florida with one of her friends instead.

SCQ86

03-09-2009, 06:37 PM

of course we peeked! Dh peeked at the luggage tags when their bags were in the hallway too...I forgot who he said they were...or what the family name was....

It was Pelligrini....the water????

Don't ask my why I remember such trivial stuff and I always keep forgetting when it's Wendy's birthday...lol

Sue (too old to list)
Mike (20)
Luis (13)
Balfred (12)

mem22

03-09-2009, 07:51 PM

Wendy...what happened on your first meet? Ours went really well. It was nice because we saw people around the ship and were able to stop and chat every now and then but still do our own thing. :cool1:

Annette...maybe something more subdued like getting those mickey paint chip things from home depot and displaying it somehow. Can have it on your beer mug (as in my case, lol) or other beverage holder, pasted to your forehead :lmao: ,pinned to your shirt or holding it somehow... That way we won't look like a big tourist group! :rotfl2:

Mike

anetnmike

03-09-2009, 09:06 PM

Good idea Mike:thumbsup2 That is why you are the fearless leader! Lime green DIS board Mickey heads from Home Depot is a much better idea::yes::
I am curious as to what made it a bad meet too. Let's plan to make this one fun for all of us!
I originally got on the DIS boards to find out if there would be any kids my DS's age so he could have friends in the Oceaneer's Lab. (To clarify: my DS 16 is opting out of yet another Disney cruise. He is staying home with my excellent FIL.) DS 10 had a great time with Michael M. and made a couple of other friends in the Club too. This ended up being a fun way for all of us to make new friends!
I really wish this were a longer cruise!:yay:

anetnmike

03-10-2009, 07:50 AM

I was just reading the cruise forum and found out that the menus are changing this week!:woohoo: SO when we cruise we will have a prettied up ship AND different food!:cool1:

disneydarling07

03-10-2009, 09:40 AM

our dismeet wasn't "bad". We were supposed to have a group of around 30 people (including kids), but a few people boarded late, and being first timers, we were a little overwhelmed with where to go and what to do. We managed to meet a few people. But to be honest, the lime green Mickey heads barely did the trick. WE had them displayed as tags and there were a little hard to notice. Sue walked around for a bit holding hers up...lol. That's how we found a few people. Another thing,..we decided to meet at the Mickey pool...but didn't know what side! Like I said, being 1st timers, we didn't know. NOw that most of us are more familiar with the ship, I think if we came up with a more specific spot, we should be fine.

WE also planned on a dismeet for Mardi Gras in one of the bars. Little did we know that that was going to be the same night of the Pirates in the Caribbean party! By the time we saw the show, watched the fireworks, everyone was ready for bed. WAAYYY too tired to hit the bar. Sue did go down to the bar, but no one was there. So we didn't feel too bad about missing it....lol.

The people we did meet were wonderful and we still chat with them once in a while. Sadly, we didn't get any pics of us all together.

Better planning and all will be fine this time....lol.:thumbsup2

SCQ86

03-10-2009, 11:18 AM

We were so unfamiliar with the ship and thought the Goofy pool will be fine....my goodness...you wouldn't imagine how many people are hanging around the Goofy pool....then to tramp around with a tiny lime green Mickey head....I honestly believe people thought I was weird. One family found us easily, and another family, well she posted a picture of herself on the disboards, so that made it easy. During our sail away party, I saw a lady with a lime green Mickey head and so I approached her too....not shy here.

Wendy tried to create a large lime green Mickey head as a signage for people to see.....that would be an idea.....or we can post pictures....so at least we can get familiar with the faces.

But I do tell you....it was nice to keep running into friendly faces on the ship.

mem22

03-10-2009, 07:58 PM

We didn't have any problems with our DISmeet. We all agreed to meet on the starboard (right) side of the Goofy pool at 3pm. When we arrived everyone showed up literally right next to the Goofy pool at exactly 3pm. The Goofy pool is only maybe 20' long so the room for error is pretty small. My family actually wore t-shirts with Cruise Line badge logos and they had our names on them. We had roughly 15 to 20 show up. There were a lot of people who said they would be going but never showed up. I agree, I found it really nice to meet new friends and see them around the ship. :thumbsup2 I can't wait to go already....I agree Annette....it's going to be too short! :sad2: Having said that....it will be a great cold weather break before the beginning of Thanksgiving and Xmas season!!

Mike

disneydarling07

03-10-2009, 08:42 PM

I like the badges idea! We actually had name badges made but used them as door magnets...lol.:thumbsup2
I'll try to make a big lime green mickey head too....put it on a stick and wave it around...:lmao:

mem22

03-10-2009, 08:51 PM

OMG....Then we'll definitely look like to Tourist Group!:lmao:

disneydarling07

03-10-2009, 10:29 PM

alright, alright....I'll leave the bullhorn at home....:lmao:

anetnmike

03-10-2009, 11:05 PM

:rotfl2:
Mike, I think you have a tourist group phobia:lmao:
I am sure we will be able to find each other without too much trouble.:thumbsup2 It helped me alot when you said starboard (right) side of the Goofy pool.
It was fun to see people in person after chatting for months.
Did you guys see that they released the names of the new ships being built?:)

mem22

03-11-2009, 05:52 AM

Bullhorn!!! :lmao: You had me laughing out loud Wendy!! Just FYI...we will be eating at Fishlips the night before and staying at the Radisson.

Is anyone thinking about dinner or brunch at Palo's?

Hey Wendy...our last cruise it seemed the girls all got manicures and pedicures (including my wife Laura) before we went. Laura even put little Mickeys on her nails! :thumbsup2 Did you guys do the same thing?

Mike

anetnmike

03-11-2009, 07:59 AM

No Palo plans for us. Definite plans for a mani/pedi though ( me, not DH:rotfl: ) I had a manicure onboard last cruise and I was surprised at how reasonable the price was. I expected alot more.
Laura's Mickey head toes did look really pretty!
I am trying to talk DH into the couples massage on Serenity Bay.
I've got 8 months to work on it:rolleyes1

disneydarling07

03-11-2009, 11:29 AM

no mani or pedi for me this last trip...but now im thinking about the mickey heads....too CUTE!!!

I promised myself I was not going to overplan this trip. We decided we were just going to "wing it". With the little one and limited space at Flounder's, we kinda have our hands tied. We plan on doing the bike ride to check out the rest of Castaway Cay. Then just letting the kids play on the beach while we lay out for a while.
As for Nassau, I wasn't too impressed. So that will be our "sea day". Probably stay on the ship that day and just chill out.

mem22

03-12-2009, 06:36 AM

I totally agree with you on Nassau Wendy....we will not be getting off the ship! It's so nice because a lot of people do get off so beach chairs around the adult pool shouldn't be hard to get! :thumbsup2 Laurie did the little Mickey heads herself. She got a pedi at home and got some kind of pen (you girls should know what I'm talking about) and did the "blotting" herself. She also put some "bling" on it to further spruce it up. It looked great and stayed with no problem. I bought her little Mickey toe rings in the Orlando airport before we left to come home too. I think we're kinda getting this down to a science...my wife is a master planner...!! :thumbsup2

Wendy did you guys do a fish extender thing? Mike and Annette did but we didn't. How was it if you did?

Mike

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-12-2009, 04:59 PM

:wave2: Hello to my new friends, and a few old friends! I was on that 4 day Wonder in February with Wendy & Sue (hey ladies!:hippie: )

We are also "bouncing back!" Can't wait! I see I've got alot of catching up to do on this meet thread, so I'll be happily reading for awhile.

Be back soon.:thumbsup2

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-12-2009, 05:11 PM

did you guys do a fish extender thing? Mike and Annette did but we didn't. How was it if you did?

We sure did do the fish extender exchange - our family LOVED it! We received some AWESOME gifts! Some of our favorites were a custom cruise-mix cd (my DS listens to this in him room almost every day while he plays and shouts down the stairs "hey Mom! This is that song from the cruise!"); yummy flavored popcorn, flavors were cinnamon roll, white cheddar, and jelly bean for the lil guy - which was great to take to the shows; and my personal favorite: little sample bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and hand sanitizer gel. It's really difficult to say what the best gifts were because they were all so GREAT! The people in our exchange really put alot of preparation into these gifts, many were personalized! I will definately do this again.

mem22

03-12-2009, 05:11 PM

Hi Alice....wow did you guys all plan to take the bounceback together? When was your Feb. cruise? We were on the Feb 8th one...along with Anetnmike!

Mike

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-12-2009, 05:31 PM

Yep - you figured us out! We've been talking a bit since we've been home as to when we're going back. We were all on the Feb. 22 trip.

So here's a quick question: I'm not technically booked yet. Did you all just call DCL and book it? I thought we had to wait until early April?:confused:

anetnmike

03-12-2009, 05:47 PM

Hi ALice!
I used my travel agent (she is a AAA agent). Mike and Laura booked thru DCL. We did the Fish Extender too and had a blast with it. We had alot of really creative gifts!:thumbsup2
You can book your bounceback now, make your deposit and DCL will adjust your balance after the April date. You have to write your new reservation number on your voucher and mail it into DCL.
In regards to staying on the ship instead of visiting Nassau, we stayed aboard and enjoyed it very much. Nassau did absolutely did nothing for me and we had a great time on the ship while everyone else left.

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-12-2009, 06:08 PM

Oh geez! If I would have realized I could have been already booked I would have done it the day we got of the ship!:rotfl:

Ok - going to do that NOW!

Just a thought on how to recognize each other at our meet (since our last one didn't quite work out so well...:rolleyes1 ). What about getting special lanyards made? I've seen that done on other trip reports, but I don't have any idea how much it would cost. Should I look into it?

I also thought about doing personalized lime green can coolers, because it seems like everyone cracks open a cold one as soon as the step on board!:drinking1

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-12-2009, 07:17 PM

We're OFFICIAL! Got a reservation number, baby!

disneydarling07

03-12-2009, 07:51 PM

COOL!!!
The only one missing out is SHarkbait! OH well....we will have to toast a beer in his absence...

I'm sooo excited!!!

244 more days!!!!!

anetnmike

03-12-2009, 09:43 PM

I bet Mike will really like the lime green cooler idea for his cold one! That shouldn't be too touristy:eek: They will be very handy during the cruise and afterwards too. I think they will also be easier to see than lanyards maybe?
Great ideas Alice! Good for you on your reservation! You are in!!!:woohoo:
Annette

SCQ86

03-13-2009, 09:05 AM

We're OFFICIAL! Got a reservation number, baby!

Another familiar face!!! Welcome aboard!! So glad you picked this date!!! We are going to have a blast!!!

I don't think I will be getting off the boat in Nassau either.....only for Starbucks......One of my goals in life....to hit all the Starbucks in the world...:lmao: :lmao:

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-13-2009, 10:08 AM

I agree - no Nassau town for us either. On our last trip we were able to see alot of the city, and I've been there before. I'd much rather lounge around on the most beautiful ship in the harbor!

DH is not sold on this idea though. He wants to go to Hard Rock and do a few other tourist-y things. Me, not so much. Maybe I'll just send him with another family!

mem22

03-13-2009, 11:07 AM

Hey Alice...congratulations on booking! We are trying to drag one of the families that cruised with us onto this cruise. Don't know if that's going to happen though.
As far as the get together goes...maybe it's just me but I don't think finding people right next to the goofy pool on the starboard side of the ship is going to be difficult all. Really...how can it be, it's a small pool :rotfl2: . We had no problems at all on our Feb 8th cruise. Actually only one person probably needs to ID themselves somehow and we will all gravitate toward them anyway. There is WAY too much thought going into this...lol! :lmao:

All this talk about cracking cold one's and toasting sharkbait is getting me thirsty!!:drinking1 Can't wait to meet everyone too. :hyper2:

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-13-2009, 12:10 PM

There is WAY too much thought going into this...lol! :lmao:

Oh, buddy - you don't know me very well...I am an OBSESSIVE planner - it's what I LIVE for!

anetnmike

03-13-2009, 12:34 PM

WHOA!
Hold on a minute! There is a Starbucks in Nassau?:scared1:
I WILL be getting off the boat for the sole purpose of heading straight over to the Starbucks and heading straight back happily clutching a grande iced mocha ,non fat ,no whip in each of my hands. Amen sister Sue to your awesome goal of wanting to visit every Starbucks in the world!! I share it too:thumbsup2 I loved "the bucks" so much I went to work for them a few years ago. But my chosen profession pays alot more than my beloved Barista job so I am a retired Barista. I dearly miss my discount though!::yes::
The coffee bar on the ship served me a nasty tasting coffe drink:scared:
Anyone who wants to make a pilgramage over to the Starbucks in Nassau is welcome to join me:)

mem22

03-13-2009, 12:52 PM

Ok Wendy....plan away! :worship: :lmao:

Hey Annette...gheesh didn't know you loved Starbucks so much! I got a cup of coffee at the Quiet Cove this past cruise and wasn't impressed at all! I should have just had a beer :thumbsup2 . Not a big fan of the Nescafe either. Disney must get the Nescafe donated to them or something because I can't see how they would serve that on the ship and parks! :confused3 Maybe the Quiet Cove stuff is some kind of Nescafe brand too? I origianlly thought in 2006 when we took our first cruise that Quiet Cove served Starbucks...but I guess not.

Gotta throw this out there....any firefighters cruising besides Annette's husband Mike and myself (also Mike)?

SCQ86

03-13-2009, 02:03 PM

Oh, buddy - you don't know me very well...I am an OBSESSIVE planner - it's what I LIVE for!

You and Wendy....two peas in a pod.

SCQ86

03-13-2009, 02:06 PM

Gotta throw this out there....any firefighters cruising besides Annette's husband Mike and myself (also Mike)?

Not in my family....but there are one too many Mike's on board....we are going to have to number them.....my son is Mike too.

mem22

03-13-2009, 03:32 PM

Hey Sue...more Mike's? I'm Mike and I have a son Mike. Mike and Annette have a son Mike too!

When you said "you and Wendy two peas in a pod"....was that meant for me? :confused3

Mike

SCQ86

03-13-2009, 04:00 PM

When you said "you and Wendy two peas in a pod"....was that meant for me? :confused3

Mike

Meant for Alice in Wonderland.....the other obsessive planner....gotta love them.....:lovestruc :lovestruc

Wendy started her list already.......of all the things she wants to do that she didn't do the first cruise......the closer she gets to the trip...she will have lists of lists....:lmao: :lmao:

I have it all up in my head and on my blackberry......if I get too drunk...I have a little reminder that dings on my blackberry what I need to do....but if I'm really drunk...I usually lose the blackberry...:rotfl2: :rotfl2:

anetnmike

03-13-2009, 04:18 PM

Yep, I take my coffee pretty seriously::yes::
The expresso at the Quiet Cove was beyond foul. :scared: I really don't mind the Nescafe at WDW or on the ship tho. Maybe that's just because I am in my happy place:yay:
I think Disney has the same kind of coffee deal they have with Coke products.
I am also a compulsive list make the closer we get to cruise time. This is going to be such a fun place to chat:thumbsup2
Hey Mike, looking to add to the Castaway Cay Fire Dept? :)

disneydarling07

03-13-2009, 04:30 PM

There is nothing wrong with making lists of lists!
And I can make a list of what is right about them! LOL!
I"ve already started the mental list of what I need to make a written list of...
It's on my list of things to do....

I cannot be convinced to get up off my lounge chair to walk over for a cup of coffee! I will have to suffer the whole 3 days without it...as long as I have ice cream and know how to make a chocolate shake, I'm good.

No Mike's in our family, but I thought of an idea for our dismeet...
I'll have them say over the PA system..."Would Mike please meet the rest of your group over by the Goofy pool"....and see how many people actually show up....LOL

Just curious....how many other kids are going to be in our group?

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-13-2009, 05:08 PM

Just curious....how many other kids are going to be in our group?

Wendy, are you asking because you're already thinking of FE gifts like me?:rotfl:

mem22

03-13-2009, 05:37 PM

Sue....I totally love what you said about your Blackberry...that was hilarious!!! :lmao:

Wendy....I like the idea about the Mike announcement! :thumbsup2 "Mikes" are great company!! :cool1: Sounds like this is going to be a great crew! :thumbsup2

Annette...definitely trying to recruit for the CCFD!! We need to man at least an engine company to get this off the ground. I'm thinking a Pumper Rescue with a Medic onboard! Tell Mike not to give up his certification just yet!! :rotfl2:

Wendy we have a 10 year old son going with us. Very friendly, has only bitten once, well trained. :rotfl2: I'm sure my wife will start posting pics of him. On our last "cruise thread" she started a "picture of the day" and it worked out well. We actually were able to pick out families based on the pictures they posted. Maybe that's another reason our DISmeet went so well...we knew who to look for!

Mike

anetnmike

03-13-2009, 09:11 PM

I love the list of lists. I am obviously in the presence of listmaking greatness:worship:

Mike, you crack me up! Can you see them making an announcement saying "Mike ,your party is waiting for you by the Goofy pool" :cool1: The Mike Party!:banana: :banana: :banana:
DH wants to give up his medic in a big way so we will have to actively recruit for one for the CCFD. I will leave that up to you boys. The women's auxillary is strictly for refreshment purposes:drinking1
We have a 10 year old DS going with us, our DS 16 is staying home with his Grandpa and going to try to talk him into taking him to Hooter's for dinner every night:lmao: (worked once last time!):laughing:
Wendy, no one should suffer without coffee.If you want some, I would be happy to bring you coffee on my way past your sunchair :thumbsup2

SCQ86

03-13-2009, 09:38 PM

I had totally forgot....I want to go to Nassau to gamble!

We went to Atlantis with the the guys on the trip....my son Mike wanted to gamble since he was old enough in Nassau....so of course Miss money bags had to go with him....yep he lost a whole $100 in about 5 minutes.....it was guys night out, but I finagled my way to the casino. Had to put on my men panties before I left the ship. :rolleyes:

That's what I call a day to remember....a cup of joe from Starbutts (that's what Wendy and I call it....it's kind of like crack) and a little gambling.....

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-13-2009, 10:29 PM

Sue - you just "crack" me up! PUN INTENDED!

This is the best way to pass the next 7 months and 30 days! Luv it! :)

disneydarling07

03-14-2009, 09:18 AM

:cool1:

This is going to be a fun group!
I'm sitting here looking through our pics from the last trip and can't believe i have to wait 243 more days to do it again!
Tom is thinking about going into Nassau now too....maybe I can be convinced. He is thinking about a quick trip over to Atlantis just to check it out a bit.

Did anyone do the Sail Away Party? Sue and I had front row action! I was able to get awesome shots of the characters. Note to self....get to Pirate Party earlier this time!

And don't forget about the seafood buffet this time! I can't believe I totally forgot about it!

So what dinner seating does everyone have? We took the late seating this time. Anyone interesting in linking ressies so we are all seated together? Won't they be happy to have to deal with one huge, loud, rowdy group!?
But I'll bet they will never have such a fun group again!

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-14-2009, 11:48 AM

We have early dinner this time - if I would have known you had late we might have taken it. BUT, it just didn't seem like we had any time to do anything afterwards. How did you like early dinner this last trip?

Seafood buffet?! What? Where? When? I don't remember hearing/reading anything about it! Fill me in sister!

We never even made it to the Pirate Party! We were so sunburnt and exhausted after our day on CC that we had our dinner from AP brought down to our room, ate, and crashed. Didn't even get to see the fireworks. :( We will definately have to plan for it this time!

anetnmike

03-14-2009, 01:01 PM

we have early dinner as well
we were so tired on pirate: party nite that DS was like a little zombie
we watched fireworks and headed to bed as we had done CC that whole day and were happily sleepy
we never saw the buffet either - I guess it was on the other side of the ship (we were on starboard) the deck was pretty crowded with partygoers :dance3:

mem22

03-14-2009, 03:30 PM

Ok Sue and Alice...obvious question coming. Sue...what are "men panties"..:scared1: .and Alice...why does that "crack" you up?? :confused3 I can't wait to hear this! :thumbsup2 Also...what's the gambling age in Nassau?

We're going to stay on the ship. There's nothing really at Atlantis or in town that we wanna see or do. On past cruises we've done the Dolphin excursion, walked around town shopping and done the Pirate Museum. We also stayed on the ship once and liked it so much.....we're going to do it again! :banana:

We have early dining. It does cut into your day a little but we'd rather eat early. I wish they would pick another day to do the Pirate Party because after a day of sun, fun and drinking on Castaway Cay...dinner, then party and huge buffet are just too much. I'm usually beat after dinner but we've done the party and stayed up to watch Curse of the Black Pearl in the past.... just would be a lot easier if it was the night we leave Nassau!

Mike

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-14-2009, 07:25 PM

I think we're all in agreement that DCL should change the Pirate Party to Nassau night! I'll put that down on the comment card next time!

mem22 - Sue is to Starbucks as what an addict is to crack! :lmao:

gent1987

03-14-2009, 07:48 PM

Hi everybody. I'm Alice_on_WONDERland's DH. I'm writing because she made me...

mem22

03-14-2009, 07:50 PM

Alice....I'm such an idiot! :lmao: After I posted my wife Laura (ljm23) pointed all that out to me! :sad2: Sorry :confused3

I did write that on the survey card on our last cruise! Think they'll listen?? lol....:sad2:

Mike

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-14-2009, 07:52 PM

Hi everybody. I'm Alice_on_WONDERland's DH. I'm writing because she made me...

Oh the things he'll do for my love!:lovestruc :rotfl: :laughing:

anetnmike

03-15-2009, 10:25 AM

Alice, I am so jealous. I have yet to sweet talk my DH into posting!
He thinks I have DIS board addiction:lmao:
He had a great time when we met everyone though!

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-15-2009, 06:04 PM

Yeah, well I made him get a user ID because he's been lurking on these boards for months - I think it's time he stepped out of the shadows and showed himself!:laughing:

Oh honey, you talk about addiction. I won't tell no lies. I am without a doubt ADDICTED to these boards and planning our trip. I think I need a 12-step program!:rotfl:

anetnmike

03-16-2009, 07:34 AM

That would be for those who want to be cured! Why would I want that?
I am perfectly happy the way I am!:rotfl:

ljm23

03-16-2009, 11:50 AM

Nothing wrong with a DIS addiction IMHO:goodvibes Gives us something positive to go to when every other way we look is doom and gloom!
My DH has come on full force to the boards :love: He's the social one of the two of us. I'm enjoying all the chat though already on our November cruise. It'll be short but it'll be a blast.

disneydarling07

03-16-2009, 01:23 PM

my DH is addicted to Mafia Wars from Facebook. So I highly doubt he will ever join us here.

Besides...I am making him a "Honey Do" list (yes another list...lol) for spring, so he won't have much time to chat anyway. Not if I have anything to say about it!

But I totally agree that the good stuff on this whole board does take you away from reality. Builds up the excitement every time!
I have to fix my countdown board.

We had early dining last trip. We all felt rushed through the whole day. It seemed like as soon as you finished lunch, it was time for dinner. We saw one of the shows after dinner and then went to bed. We almost missed the Pirate party cuz we were so tired. We thought the late dinner seating would be better, but it doesnt sound like it....

disneydarling07

03-16-2009, 06:21 PM

I got the confirmation letter for our next cruise!:banana:
And I got the planning DVD for 2009- 2010...cuz inside it says "Welcome Aboard Crowe Family"! LOL :cool1:
Another cool addition to the scrapbook!:thumbsup2
And I got my first batch of cruise pics back today!!! The 1st 100 pics! I can start scrapping any time now...yeah right! :lmao:
As soon as I finish the October 2008 trip!:woohoo:

A very good mail day!!!!

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-16-2009, 07:53 PM

I got the confirmation letter for our next cruise!:banana:

Me too! Me too! :thumbsup2

And I got the planning DVD for 2009- 2010...cuz inside it says "Welcome Aboard Crowe Family"! LOL :cool1:

What's this? :confused: We didn't get one...I'm jealous! How do you always get all this cool stuff?!

disneydarling07

03-16-2009, 09:01 PM

Me too! Me too! :thumbsup2

What's this? :confused: We didn't get one...I'm jealous! How do you always get all this cool stuff?!

Just go the website and order one. It's the free planning DVD they always give away. When you put in your order info, they automatically personalized the letter for you. :thumbsup2

anetnmike

03-16-2009, 09:53 PM

Lucky!::yes::

SCQ86

03-16-2009, 10:23 PM

Got my Mickey mail too! Well....it's a confirmation letter...but I will take anything!!

anetnmike

03-17-2009, 08:26 AM

I really gotta send in that voucher soon! I want Mickey mail too!

SCQ86

03-17-2009, 08:42 AM

I really gotta send in that voucher soon! I want Mickey mail too!

My voucher is still here with me....this is the regular full price statement....but I'm sure they will send me some more Mickey mail once I send my voucher in!

anetnmike

03-17-2009, 09:37 AM

oooo! I'm gonna get Mickey mail soon!:dance3: thanx Sue!:woohoo:
better go to work now or nobody is going anywhere!
ttfn!

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-18-2009, 09:28 AM

Can I mail that voucher in any time, or do I have to wait until the date listed on it?:confused:

disneydarling07

03-18-2009, 09:50 AM

we have to call back on April 6th to let them know we have the voucher and give them the number so they change the price.
Then we mail it in.
This is what I was told when we booked.:confused3
Hang on to the voucher until the actual date. Call them on the 6th and see what they say...this is what I plan on doing.:thumbsup2

ljm23

03-18-2009, 10:47 AM

Interesting, I was told to mail it in right away. I did but I haven't seen my pricing change yet on my cruise. Maybe that will happen after the 6'th :scared1:
I did keep a copy just in case ;)

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-18-2009, 02:07 PM

Ok, I'll hold on to it - thanks!:hug:

SCQ86

03-18-2009, 02:39 PM

So here in Chicago....we are having gorgeous weather.....just makes you in the mood for vacation!!! Unfortunately we have over 200 days still....Uggghhh!

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-18-2009, 04:28 PM

Hi friends -

Have any of you ever upgraded at port? Or even asked about the cost to upgrade?

SCQ86

03-18-2009, 04:57 PM

Hi friends -

Have any of you ever upgraded at port? Or even asked about the cost to upgrade?

I would like to know too. Since this vacation is soooooo on the cheap side, I'm really tempted to upgrade at port.

The category 11 was fine, but I think I will prepare myself before my trip and lock myself in my closet for about a week so I'm use to the confined space. :rotfl: :rotfl:

anetnmike

03-19-2009, 07:58 AM

My TA told me to put the new reservation number on the voucher and mail it into DCL now. I have not done it yet:sad2: I am going to mail it certified because it makes me a little nervous to just mail it off and not know for sure if it has been received. I am also going to make a copy before I mail it.
April 6 is jsut around the corner...
I want to try to upgrade at the port too. It does make me a little nervous that DCL has already told my TA that they won't allow upgrades with the vouchers. Disney has never EVER had a problem taking MORE of my money before-and believe me I have happliy handed over plenty of it:rolleyes: over the years.
Save me a verandah cabin!:yay:

ljm23

03-19-2009, 01:10 PM

I think they won't allow upgrades at reservation time but there's no way they won't allow you to upgrade at port. You'd be paying the same for the upgrade as the next guy in line so it won't make any difference to DCL, go for it, I know I will! :banana:

anetnmike

03-19-2009, 06:34 PM

You know I will too!!!:cool1: I'll stand right behind you in line,Laura,and take the cabin you just gave up! :)

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-20-2009, 08:40 AM

:flower3: Hey everybody!

I posted earlier about upgrading at the port...and then I was lying in bed this morning thinking about it all :idea: and came up with this wonderful idea:

Rather than spend extra money just to upgrade to a cabin with a veranda I will only be able to enjoy for three days, why not spend that money on the 4 day right before it! That's right - a Back-2-Back! :woohoo:

I priced it out this morning and it's totally do-able. So I talked to DH about it and he said he'd think about it! (When DH says he'll "think about it" that's a good sign! ...he didn't say NO afterall...:rotfl: )

So this is my new obsession - figuring out how these Back-2-Backs work, and how I can convince my DH to do it!:laughing:

disneydarling07

03-21-2009, 07:54 AM

I'm still trying to figure out how to add a few days to our trip so I can sneak in a trip to the parks!

236 days......

anetnmike

03-21-2009, 06:27 PM

oooo! Alice! I like your idea! I think it is brilliant! DH and I cannot take xtra time off or we would be right behind you.

kutchyone

03-24-2009, 12:11 AM

Looking forward to see all of you onboard.

We had fun at Atlantis and I want to show my sister the casino, hotel and the grounds. I don't plan on spending as much time off the ship as we did on the four night.

Category 9 for us this time. Last trip we were upgraded from a 12 to a 10. Who knows maybe they will upgrade us for free again, one can only hope.

Late dining for us, love it!

Yacht Club after for 8 nights, 1 1/2 day at the EarMarked Conference.

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-24-2009, 09:06 PM

:welcome: Kutchyone! I see you're from Ohio...so are we! We're up in the northwest corner near Toledo. Small world, huh? We're so glad to have you "onboard" with us! It will be nice getting to know you over the next several months. :thumbsup2

kutchyone

03-25-2009, 07:44 AM

Twinsburg, between Cleveland and Akron. Nice little community world known for the annual Twins Day Festival, stop in and see us in August!

Any change the originator of this thread can update the first message to include any DIS meets? I would enjoy seeing some of you.

So much to do today so little time, cany someone help me out here so I don't have to search for it? Do they have martini tastings on the 3 night cruise? If so can those be pre-booked on-line or do they have to be done onboard and where onboard do you book?

Where is your first choice location for the sail away party? No kids so we really like deck 10, starboard on the rail looking down at the stage. Once we are on the move we head forward for a better view!

Thanks.

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-25-2009, 09:57 AM

Hello again!

world known for the annual Twins Day Festival, stop in and see us in August!

I have TWO sets of twins in my family! Don't know if they've ever been to the Twin's Day Festival though... I really want to head your way this summer for the Vintage Ohio Wine Festival. Have you ever done that?

Any change the originator of this thread can update the first message to include any DIS meets? I would enjoy seeing some of you.

There has been talk of one or two Dis Meets, but nothing is official yet. We've talked about meeting up by the Goofy pool on embarkation day...

So much to do today so little time, cany someone help me out here so I don't have to search for it? Do they have martini tastings on the 3 night cruise? If so can those be pre-booked on-line or do they have to be done onboard and where onboard do you book?

I'm pretty sure they do the martini tastings, but I don't think you can pre-book... I've never done this before, although I would really like to! This may be a question for the main forum.

Where is your first choice location for the sail away party? No kids so we really like deck 10, starboard on the rail looking down at the stage. Once we are on the move we head forward for a better view!

On our 4 day we spent a little time up on deck 10, then DS decided he wanted to be right down there in the action, so we went down to deck 9. Then we decided to take a break from all the commotion and headed down to the "secret" deck 7 aft overlook. We really liked it back there, we nearly had thw whole deck to ourselves!

elmo2200

03-25-2009, 03:54 PM

Wow, you guys are a hoot!!!! We were with the Mem, Ljm, and anetnmike on Feb.08th. It sounds like my DH is considering the bounceback Nov.12th. Just reading the thread so I'll be ready!!!
Not making lists yet. Think I'm a pro now. I packed for a 4 day Spring Break trip in only an hour! I don't even unpack my travel size shampoos and stuff.
Anyway, will continue to work on DH. Got him on my cell right now! He says that if we can get good airfare we will go!!!
Better go surf every airfare website known to man...
Just realized I have chores to do first :sad2:
Tracey

ljm23

03-25-2009, 04:54 PM

Hey Tracey, that would be great if you could join us. I know the airfare can be a killer but hopefully you're early enough to get a good fare.
We'll keep our fingers crossed!:worship:
kutchyone - twinsburg wow, that must be a blast!
I can't believe how active this forum is for a trip that's not until November, bodes well for us all having a GREAT time:dance3:

mem22

03-25-2009, 06:17 PM

YAY Tracey!!!!!!!!!! :rotfl: I am totally STOKED!!! :cool1: I knew you could do it!! :thumbsup2 Get crackin on those airfares :yay: Did you tell Corin and Nick? :banana: Staying at the Radisson?

So are you girls getting pedi's before the cruise or onboard?? :lmao:

Mike

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-25-2009, 06:47 PM

:welcome: Tracey! We sure hope you and your family will join us!

I don't even unpack my travel size shampoos and stuff.

I do the SAME thing! (I think it's ingenius! ;) )

kutchyone

03-25-2009, 10:03 PM

Twinsburg during Twins Day weekend is a total trip. We locals get a kick out of it especially the Double Take Parade and the twin fireworks display. But to be honest we also poke fun at it and call fondly refer to it as freak week. To see some of the costumes.....OMG!

elmo2200

03-26-2009, 01:45 AM

I just checked airfares again and they are the same as last month. I know my husband doesn't want to spend $1000 air plus rental car $165. We'll have to consider our options because that is a lot to spend when we would rather try Eastern Caribbean. We definately don't want to drive it again.
By the way mem22, my brother loaned his Jetta to a friend and they took it to Orlando during Spring Break. That car has more Florida miles than Texas!!!!
Anyway, I'll have to talk with DH....

anetnmike

03-26-2009, 09:43 AM

Hey Tracey! That would be awesome if you guys could join us! November is a long way away and you have plenty of time. Put the deposit down!!:yay:
Those folks that make the airfares are more tempermental than two year olds!:lmao: Before ya know it we could all be sitting in the spa getting Mickey heads painted on our toes!princess:princess:princess:

Mickey's Best Girl

03-26-2009, 07:26 PM

Hi Gang!

First time cruisers from the Great White North here. Just me and DD17 jumping onboard the Wonder for 3 nights and we are VERY excited!

Hope you don't mind me crashing your thread!
:goodvibes

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-26-2009, 08:19 PM

:rotfl::welcome: Mickey's Best Girl! We're so glad to have you with us! Can't wait to "read" all about you!

SCQ86

03-26-2009, 11:16 PM

Wendy and I booked on Southwest the last trip....and when Ding! gave us a deal, we jumped on it. I think we each have about $250 in voucher credits for our November trip :cool1::cool1:

Now we are just waiting for those flights to come up so we can book!

I usually do mani and pedi before the trip, but I really want the Mickey heads on my nails :thumbsup2

You know I'm just posting something so I can see how many more days I have...LOL

disneydarling07

03-27-2009, 12:14 PM

it is exactly 1 MONTH since we stepped off the ship!
WHY does it seem like it was YEARS ago??
Time really flies....until you think that we have 239 more days till we step back ON the ship...

I think I need practice runs on my Mickey head mani and pedi....

anetnmike

03-27-2009, 02:18 PM

Hey all!
sally hansen makes a nail pen you can draw Mickeys on by yourself with!
we've got a little time to practice:thumbsup2
Welcome aboard Mickey's Best Girl! We are glad to have you in the mix!:banana:
keep posting girls so I know how long we've got too!:rotfl:

SCQ86

03-27-2009, 05:13 PM

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-29-2009, 06:41 PM

Hello Friends,

It's SNOWING in Ohio tonight! I'll just dream about Castaway Cay and imagine it away...:goodvibes

anetnmike

03-29-2009, 07:53 PM

Hi Alice! It snowed today in Chicago too but it was gone by dinnertime!
Obviously mother nature was briefly confused!:rotfl:
I read a trip report the other day that said it was 66 degrees at CC!
bummer for them!
It was warmer than that when we were there in Feb!
I am sure it will be gorgeous for us in how many days? 220 and some change?:teacher:

elmo2200

03-31-2009, 11:33 AM

Okay - I put a cabin on hold. I will call on Monday to either book or release it. My travel agent could not get anyone at Disney to say they would honor the bounceback voucher if booked before the 6th.
DH has a well-off client that likes to save money. He told us to shop ebay and such for airline tickets. We will see... Anyway Fedex employees get cheap standby with Southwest if we purchase in advance and jump through the hoops.
I will get back with you all on Monday!!! :)

Alice_on_WONDERland

03-31-2009, 06:41 PM

anetnmike

04-01-2009, 04:08 PM

Hooray!!!!!!:banana::banana::banana:
there has got to be something between now and then !!!
we will save you a seat in the spa Tracey!!!princess:princess:princess:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-01-2009, 05:45 PM

we will save you a seat in the spa Tracey!!!princess:princess:princess:

So are all the ladies going to do a spa day together on this trip? :cheer2:

I just found out today that my college will be sending me to Cambodia 6 months after this trip! Maybe I can sneak another cruise in between so that my family and I can have a little "quality time" together before I go!

I'll be spending 2 1/2 weeks training Cambodian principals, school administrators, and teachers the "art" of teaching. Fun, fun!:teacher:

anetnmike

04-02-2009, 08:25 AM

wow Alice! that is really awesome that you are going there to teach.
Perhaps I should type properly?:) I think that improving education is very noble.::yes::
A trip to the spa for a nice pedi or whatever is your favorite would be a great way to start a vacation, don't you think?:rolleyes:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-02-2009, 12:08 PM

wow Alice! that is really awesome that you are going there to teach.
Perhaps I should type properly?:) I think that improving education is very noble.::yes::

Well, I'm NOT the grammer police! Even I make those mistakes. ;) But thank you for the compliment! I have ALOT of work ahead of me,:headache: but it will all be worth it. This cruise we're taking in November should provide a nice bit of respite before all the planning and preparations for the big trip.

mem22

04-02-2009, 12:25 PM

Great Job Alice!!! :thumbsup2 Very noble indeed!! The cruise will be a nice break before heading out!

Keep working on those plans Tracey!! Before you know it we'll be seeing ya at the Radisson Pool! :yay:

Newsflash....we may be heading out on a 7 day Western before our bounceback!! :banana:

Mike :)

disneydarling07

04-02-2009, 02:40 PM

I'm not liking this work stuff!!

Great News Harmony!! Congrats!! I agree...the cruise will be a much needed break before you are hard at work.

So what is everyone doing the day before the cruise?? It doesn't look like we will be heading to the parks first after all. What hotel is everyone staying at?

I am soooo done with this weather!!! My little boy's 2nd birthday party is this Sunday...and they are predicting snow again!!!

I'm trying to come up with little things to do this summer to make the time fly by faster. Museums, zoo, baseball!!!!

Monday is check in day!!! I'm calling right away to apply the bounceback rate and mail in my voucher. Here's hoping we all chose the right date!

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-02-2009, 03:58 PM

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-02-2009, 03:59 PM

Newsflash....we may be heading out on a 7 day Western before our bounceback!! :banana:

LUCKY! :woohoo: How'd you work that one out?

anetnmike

04-02-2009, 05:12 PM

We are flying in from Chicago the day before and staying at the Radisson. We are hoping to arrive around early afternoon.

Time is going by pretty quick-it is almost Easter! Before we know it the kids will be out of school!:scared1: DS is in baseball already.
We will be doing the Zoo for sure! Chicago's Science and Industry Museum has a Harry Potter movie exhibit coming in April (invite is still open Mike and Laura!) not to mention the museum itself which is also fun, the Shedd, visits to cousin/aunts&uncles, oh and DH and I still need to work to pay for all this stuff!
:rotfl:
Happy Birthday to your little guy Wendy!:bday:

ljm23

04-02-2009, 07:22 PM

Thanks for all the well wishes! :goodvibes

We're staying at the Radisson too. We should get in to Port Canaveral late afternoon. Last time we headed to Rusty's for dinner down by the port. I think we'll do that again, but maybe try a different restaurant. I saw Fish Lips and Grill's right close by. Oh! And we MUST make our run to the liquor store to stock up for the cruise. :rotfl: We did Ron Jon's after the cruise last time. If you haven't been there, make time to check that place out!
Hey Alice, we aren't sure when we're getting in yet but we've already made plans to eat at Fish Lips. Another couple on our last cruise ate there and liked it so we thougth we'd try it. Last time we ate at Grills, it was nice too. Really nice watching the ships leave!
About the 7 day, our daughter is a Disney College rep and is graduating from Syracuse this year so this may be our last chance at using her discount (but she has to be with us for us to get the discount). She hasn't cruised with us before because she was always in school or working but we're going to try to figure out a way to fit it in. Keeping our fingers crossed here :shamrock:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-03-2009, 09:42 AM

Hey Alice, we aren't sure when we're getting in yet but we've already made plans to eat at Fish Lips. Another couple on our last cruise ate there and liked it so we thougth we'd try it. Last time we ate at Grills, it was nice too. Really nice watching the ships leave!

Maybe we should just make our first official Dis Meet at Fish Lips the night before!:rotfl: Either that, or by the pool at the Radisson since it seems that is where everyone is staying!

About the 7 day, our daughter is a Disney College rep and is graduating from Syracuse this year so this may be our last chance at using her discount (but she has to be with us for us to get the discount). She hasn't cruised with us before because she was always in school or working but we're going to try to figure out a way to fit it in. Keeping our fingers crossed here :shamrock:

How cool! That would be so great for your family if you all were able to cruise together. Best wishes to you all!

anetnmike

04-03-2009, 11:12 PM

The first DIS meets at the Radisson or Fish Lips- that's a great idea!

disneydarling07

04-04-2009, 10:16 AM

We are still deciding where to stay. Sue has a timeshare near WDW. We need to get together and work out the details.
But nothing wrong with driving over to meet at the Radisson or Fish Lips!

anetnmike

04-05-2009, 07:59 AM

Hey Harmony! I read your trip report (finally). That was an awesome story and a great trip report! I am so glad everything is well with you now. ::yes::
I love reading trip reports. It's like taking a mental vacation.:rotfl: and the price is right!
I have deceided that all of the list making people and obsesive trip planning people are normal and it's ok to be one of them:dance3:There are plenty here on the DIS boards!:laughing:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-05-2009, 09:47 AM

Hey Harmony! I read your trip report (finally). That was an awesome story and a great trip report! I am so glad everything is well with you now. ::yes::

Why thank you! :hug: Sometimes I can't even believe it all happened. I am so thankful it's all over and I'm as healthy as can be. :flower3:

I have deceided that all of the list making people and obsesive trip planning people are normal and it's ok to be one of them:dance3:There are plenty here on the DIS boards!:laughing:

Welcome to the club my friend. We will welcome you with open arms.:grouphug:

anetnmike

04-05-2009, 08:42 PM

Welcome to the club my friend. We will welcome you with open arms.:grouphug:[/QUOTE]
Thank you!
I am among my people and I am happy here:rotfl:

elmo2200

04-06-2009, 12:31 PM

Yes, I booked today!!!!! My Travel agent was going to be on hold for ages so he will email me my booking confirmation. We are trying to get early dinner seating too. Never have before because we are night owls but we wanted to join the dinner party. My husband already asked me if I'm gonna obsess, I said no!!!!! :rotfl2: Surely you guys know me better than that!!!!! But I will absolutely try to not obsess for his benefit!!!! Glad to cruise with such a great, crazy gang! :grouphug:

3littleHalls

04-06-2009, 01:40 PM

We just booked this morning with the bounceback!! Cant wait!!

3littleHalls

04-06-2009, 01:50 PM

Wanted to say "Hi" to my fellow peeps from the 2/8 cruise!!

mem22

04-06-2009, 06:06 PM

Tracey....that is totally AWESOME!!! :cool1: You're planning to stay at the Radisson, right? FYI...we're planning to go to dinner at Fishlips the night before. Brett and Deavon liked it and we went to Grills in Feb. so we decided to try Fishlips this time.

Hey 3littleHalls! Now there is four of us from the Feb 8th cruise!! You going to meet us all at the Goofy pool at 3?

elmo2200

04-06-2009, 07:15 PM

mem22, I think we have plenty of time to make these decisions and should wait at least 3 or 4 months....
:laughing: Ya right!!! I will probably start looking at Radisson and car rental prices after DH goes to work tonight!!!!
Just so you know, DD 14 says that you all are a bad influence on my OCD and I'm not allowed to play with you any more.
Seriously though I am going to reign in my OCD. It must be possible. I plan to just make magnets & FEs, check temps for Nov., check every car rental in FL, watch Radisson rates & schedule Radisson shuttle. My FEs are mostly handled already!!

anetnmike

04-06-2009, 09:57 PM

Hey Tracey, if you do all of this tonight, what will you do tomorrow?:rotfl:
I am sure you will think of something!
Don't hold back the OCD-let it go! You are in great company here!:grouphug:
Our DISmeet will be so much fun! It's like a great big reunion:dance3: with more new friends:yay::yay:
This really needs to be a longer cruise!Too much fun for just 3 days!

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-07-2009, 10:12 AM

Hello Folks,

The swirling snowflakes here in Ohio :cold:have inspired me to hop on the phone and apply my Bounce Back code! Now I just need to pop it in the mail.

I cannot wait for this trip! The wacky weather here is making it really difficult for me to be happy where I am at this moment!

....dreaming of Castaway Cay....:beach:

jedijill

04-07-2009, 06:03 PM

Hey kids! Its official! Another 2/8 peep joining in on the bounceback. I couldn't resist especially with no single supplement penalty!!! :)

Jill in CO

3littleHalls

04-07-2009, 08:06 PM

Yea Jill!! Glad to see you are "on board" for another cruise!

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-08-2009, 09:43 AM

I just have to say - this is a great thread! Since we have all cruised together in one way or another we all have great ideas. Plus it just makes for one fun cruisin' community. Love it!:thumbsup2

disneydarling07

04-08-2009, 12:07 PM

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-08-2009, 04:48 PM

Hey Wendy!:wave2:

We stayed at the Motel 6 - and will NEVER stay there again! :crazy2:We almost checked out the moment I saw our room, but I was too tired/hungry/grumpy to go scout out a new place, so we ended up staying. It was cheap and that's the best I can say about it.

The Radisson is VERY close to the port and they do have a free shuttle to the cruise terminal. You may need to rent a car to get there from the airport though. That's what we're doing. :drive:I found a rate of $99 for the Radisson. I thought that was a good price. Has anyone found anything better?

I think it will be great for most of us to stay there. We can all hang out by the pool and let our kids play together (while we sip our favorite adult beverage, right?!:drinking1).

jedijill

04-08-2009, 04:53 PM

The great thing about the Radisson is that they provide free parking. I've heard that even if you don't book a park 'n stay package, if they have room they will give you the free parking. They have a free shuttle to the port which you can make reservations for ahead of time.

I'll be making my reservation there soon. :)

Jill in CO

anetnmike

04-08-2009, 05:05 PM

Hey Jill! We are so excited that you are coming with us! :dance3:
Little Michael says to say Hi!:wave2:, still gotta get the big one to send you the picture of us and the sting rays! Are you up for the spa?princess:princess:princess:princess
I believe they may need extra help to take care of our party!:laughing:

elmo2200

04-08-2009, 05:49 PM

I talked to dh last night. How close is the Raddison to port? do they have a shuttle or would we need a rental car?

Harmony...where did you stay before and how close was the beach?

I brought my notebook today...gotta start taking notes and making lists...oh boy...it's so early...only 218 more days to go!!!!:cool1:

disneydarling07, We have stayed at the Radisson twice and loved it!!!! In Feb. we paid $107 + tax. You can get a time slot on the shuttle now (even 1 year in advance!). We got a rental car at the airport and left it for free at the Radisson. ALL rooms include the free parking - not just the parking package. They have a great pool. The hotel is not far from the beaches. FYI - we will NOT eat at the Omlet Station again...

jedijill

04-08-2009, 10:36 PM

elmo2200

04-09-2009, 01:24 AM

Just booked Radisson. What time are you guys booking shuttle? I will probably book for around 10 or 10:30am. We were on 10:30 last time and it worked out well. I don't think we will try to buy upgrade at the port. We wont know what our cat. is until docs arrive. We booked cat 12 last time and got cat 9. We will just be surprised again!!!!
Just checked out rental cars. I know it's early... but anyone find a great rate? So glad the water will be warmer than in Feb!! Also started work on FEs!
Better get to bed, rather cruise the DIS!!!! FYI: I just found the scrapbooking threads, somebody force me to leave!!!! :surfweb:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-09-2009, 07:43 AM

FYI - we will NOT eat at the Omlet Station again...

Why? What happened? We ate there and everything was fine...

elmo2200

04-09-2009, 11:05 AM

The people were nice. We just did not like the food at Omelet Station.

disneydarling07

04-09-2009, 11:28 AM

as soon as DCL gets our voucher and adjusts the price, we are going to book our room at the Radisson. I have to start looking for a rental car too. I have no idea where to start.
Is everyone planning on going to Fish Lips too?

I'm going to be able to start working on my cruise scrapbook this weekend, so I will be missing it even more...and getting more anxious to go back! lol

elmo2200

04-09-2009, 07:57 PM

Taking a little break from doing my taxes. I booked the 10:30am shuttle at Radisson. I couldn't get 10am. Around 5pm Florida time the kids and I used a port webcam to watch the Wonder leave. Hope you guys are having a WONDERful day!!!!

disneydarling07

04-09-2009, 08:38 PM

seriously?? the shuttles are booking up that fast??

anetnmike

04-10-2009, 09:23 AM

Tracey you are crackin me up!:lmao:
I'm so not worthy of your level of OCD:worship: You have it all together girl!!!
I have not even thought of shuttles. I have only briefly considered rental cars. Although an omlette sounds yummy right about now...
Jill, Michael is really excited that you are coming with us because he loved your FE gifts! He says" she knew exactly what I like Mom!:rotfl:
I will have to check into the Alone Time::yes::
Wendy, I have a big pile of stuff on my dresser to make a scrapbook. I have been promising myself I will get to it for 1.5 years now! Maybe I'll start after our next cruise!:rolleyes1 I saved all the Navigators and all kinds of stuff!

elmo2200

04-10-2009, 11:40 AM

Wendy, I have a big pile of stuff on my dresser to make a scrapbook. I have been promising myself I will get to it for 1.5 years now! Maybe I'll start after our next cruise!:rolleyes1 I saved all the Navigators and all kinds of stuff!

anetnmike - me too!!!! I have only finished like 3 pages ever. Those are from our first Disney cruise Feb.08. I may post pics on the scrapbooking thread. I hope to work on more pages this summer. My husband bought me the big Cricut machine with Disney cartridges for Christmas. Now I can make all kinds of Disney embelishments - if I had time!!!! Let me know if you would like some for FEs it would give me a push to get to work. Have you seen the Creating Keepsakes Disney Magazine? It is hard to find because it is from around 2000 but it is awesome!!! I have it on Creating Keepsakes Idea Vault CD-ROM. Enough rambling... :goodvibes

disneydarling07

04-10-2009, 12:01 PM

I just finished our 2008 Disney trip...it's only about 140 pages! LOL!
This being our 1st cruise...i have already printed out a couple hundred pics....im going to need dozens of albums to put these pages in.

I save everything too...i have multiple copies of the Navigators and anything else i could get my little hands on that would fit in a scrapbook.

And I get to do it all again in November! LOL

I have all the pics of my pages posted on my myspace account. Maybe one day I'll post them here. I thought about it, but it looks like most of the scrappers on the Dis are into digital scrapping.

Oh well,...can't waste any more of my day off sitting here on the computer! Off to organize more pics!

mem22

04-11-2009, 08:25 AM

Hey Jill...that's awesome that you're going with us!!! I can't wait to meet everyone. I sent you a couple PM's asking if you were taking the bounceback...did you get them? :confused3

We had a great experience with the Radisson, great room/prices, great pool and awesome location. We rented a car from Hertz, picked it up at the airport and drove straight to Grills. Since we were leaving on a Sunday we caught the Magic leaving Sat. night for her voyage...that was awesome seeing her sail by! :thumbsup2 We decided to eat at Fishlips this time just for something different and because Deaven and Brett Meador tried it in Feb and enjoyed it. On the morning of the cruise Michael and I drove accross the street, picked up breakfast and coffee at McD's, dropped off Laura's b'fast and Michael and I found our way to the Port (couldn't be easier and less than 5 mins). We use Portable radios and Laura called us telling us she was ready so we headed back to the hotel and picked up her and the luggage. :cool1: We then drove to 7-Eleven and picked up some small incidentals. 7-Eleven has a small insulated tote that held a 12 pack and ice perfectly for 6 dollars!! :banana: We headed to the beach and hung out for 20 mins or so before we drove over to the Port to drop off Laura, Michael and the luggage. They hung out with Deaven, Sophie and Jake until the Port opened. I drove to Hertz (which is practically right next to the Radisson) dropped off the car and immediately got on the shuttle and was dropped off at the Port. There was no waiting..people are shuttled over as they show up. When I got dropped off Laura was gathering the luggage and we walked right into the Port with the Meadors and were numbers one and two to check in! :woohoo: We love getting there early...it's not for everyone but we really like it (we're early risers anyway). Our Feb cruise was perfectly orchestrated for us....it just seemed to work out great :)! We will probably do everything the same this time. Oh...I also recommend using the portable radio's, they work great on the boat and on Castaway Cay. They are a small inconvenience to carry around but if you want to stay in touch...it's the only way to go. :thumbsup2

Oh...FYI...I saw a post last year that had a group of people leaving the Radisson at like 4 in the morning to go see Wonder pull into the Port!! lol...:scared1:. Seemed to be a "club" of some sort..lol.

Mike

anetnmike

04-11-2009, 09:09 AM

OMG, there is digital scrapbooking?! I am so behind the times!
Wendy, I would love to see yours! 140 pages! WOW!!!:worship:
I have a friend who is into scrapbooking. She is going to help me-if I ever get around to asking her:rotfl:We will probably spend $100s at Michaels for the supplies alone!
Tracey, I'm glad I'm not alone in having my pile of stuff :) I have not seen any of the things that you recommended because I am not a crafty kind of person but now that you have mentioned them I want to go look for it! I am in the middle of taking a class right now but when it is over that sounds like a fun project to tackle. Then (in theory) I would have everything I need for November's trip!:rolleyes:
Anything sounds like a lot more fun than writing papers right now:sad2:
Mike's plan for the time leading up to embarkation sounds like a winner to me.
It would be fun for the kids to get to hang out together at the pool if we get the chance the day before-give us all time to get reacquainted and make new friends:grouphug:
Annette

mem22

04-12-2009, 07:26 PM

FYI for the Feb 8th cruisers, Deavon and Brett are doing their bounceback on Dec. 17th.

LynnF0513

04-12-2009, 08:58 PM

Hello All! DH and I booked this cruise today. After looking at the thread I have a lot of reading to catch up on! I look forward to getting to know all of you. :goodvibes

elmo2200

04-13-2009, 10:29 PM

LynnF0513 :welcome: Glad to have you join our happy family.

anetnmike

04-14-2009, 12:18 PM

Welcome aboard!:banana:

kutchyone

04-14-2009, 12:40 PM

Our flight arrives at 12:58. Renting a car, not sure if it will be through Hertz or Budget just yet. Any deals out there yet? Staying at the Radisson. Just called today, as suggested here, and have a 10:00 transfer to the port for the two of us. We are meeting up with second cousins who live in Tittusville who I have not seen since they were little girls. Not sure where we will be dining at. Has anyone just stayed, relaxed and eaten at the Radisson? Opinions? Not that interested in the Cocoa Beach area, did that not that long ago and was not very impressed. Nothing compares to Castaway Cay for beautiful sand and water. LOL!

Looking forward to catching up to some if not all of you at the pool at the Radisson. We really do have to try to get together.

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-14-2009, 06:15 PM

Hey Cheryl! We're Tribe fans too! :thumbsup2

Can I be one of Grady's ladies?:rotfl: I'm probably too old...:confused3

kutchyone

04-14-2009, 07:58 PM

Maybe I should change that to Go Cavs!

Trying to get information on the Martini Tasting. Do they offer it on a 3 night, if so where do you sign up and do you know when they offer it?

mem22

04-15-2009, 08:17 AM

Welcome LynnF0513 !! :thumbsup2

Mike

disneydarling07

04-15-2009, 02:33 PM

Glad to see our group getting bigger and bigger!

I checked my ressie last night and was very happy to see the discount was applied and those big numbers dropped down alot! Now I can budget for everything else I want to do.

Trying not to be OCD about this trip...but since i was bored at work, I brought in the Navigators from last trip. I started making a list of things I wanted to make sure we did this time. And characters we missed...lol.
Can never get enough of the characters!!!

I have DD7 excited about the new stuff in the kids clubs, now that she is getting bumped up to an older group. Now if i can get DS2 to rethink his attitude towards Flounders...he lasted about 20 minutes before we had to go get him. I think he was really tired and didn't want to nap in a place he wasn't familiar with yet. I'll try to plan his nap times better this time. I"m sure if he had a chance to play first, and get to know everyone, he would have adjusted better. Either that or he is just a total momma's boy...lol.

211 days??? I lost count...

disneydarling07

04-15-2009, 02:36 PM

Oh...FYI...I saw a post last year that had a group of people leaving the Radisson at like 4 in the morning to go see Wonder pull into the Port!! lol...:scared1:. Seemed to be a "club" of some sort..lol.

Mike[/QUOTE]

I mentioned this to DH...at first he thought they were nuts, but then the wheels started turning...I am a VERY early riser, so this is quite a possibility for me! I think that would be the coolest thing EVER!

I'm willing to start my own "club"...lol....

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-15-2009, 06:07 PM

Trying not to be OCD about this trip...but since i was bored at work, I brought in the Navigators from last trip. I started making a list of things I wanted to make sure we did this time. And characters we missed...lol.
Can never get enough of the characters!!!

Wendy, you didn't get everything done last time?! I cannot believe it!:lmao:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-15-2009, 09:18 PM

DH and I have been tossing around the idea of staying at WDW the night before our cruise and spending a little time at Downtown Disney. The POP is only $6 more than what we'd plan to spend on the Radisson in port. None of us have EVER been to WDW - shocking, I know - so I don't know much about it. I've got a few questions...

I know that if you stay on-site that there is a courtesy shuttle at the Orlando Int'l Airport. I also know that there is a shuttle that will take us from WDW to the cruise terminal. Is this a "courtesy" shuttle too, or is there a fee?

Also, do you have to pay to get into Downtown Disney if you stay at WDW?

Just looking into this right now... Thanks for all your input!

stacieps

04-15-2009, 09:41 PM

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-15-2009, 10:33 PM

Magical Express is the free transportation from the airport to Disney Resorts. The transportation from the resort to the cruise port is $35pp each way or $69 pp round-trip.

There are busses to take you from Disney Resorts to Downtown Disney (or parks) - they are also free.

Ok, so here's a few more questions...

Can I rent a car on-site at WDW?

Is there a fee to get into Downtown Disney? Or is is free if we stay at the POP?

elmo2200

04-16-2009, 01:08 AM

Ok, so here's a few more questions...

Can I rent a car on-site at WDW?

Is there a fee to get into Downtown Disney? Or is is free if we stay at the POP?

We have also never been to WDW but we do go to Downtown Disney before or after we cruise. Downtown Disney is free and a great place to check out. We love the Lego store!!! Also the incredible toy stores! One store has awesome art and prints. Wish I could buy them all!

COPIED from mousesavers.com - At Orlando International Airport (MCO) the in-terminal rental car agencies are Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, National and L&M. All others are off-site at the airport, so you will have to take a shuttle. In addition, there are Alamo/National locations on-site at Walt Disney World, which is very convenient should you wish to keep your car for only part of the trip. There are also rental car locations at several of the hotels in the Downtown Disney area.
HTH

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-16-2009, 07:56 AM

Tracey,

Thank you for all of this AWESOME information! You know right where to look for it all, and I'm still learning! I think that you have helped us make up our mind to stay at WDW the night before. I'm so excited!:goodvibes Thanks!

anetnmike

04-16-2009, 09:15 AM

Downtown Disney has alot of very cool things to see and taste! The have a Wolfgang Puck's Express (yummy for lunch) and the T-Rex restraunt,which you will need ressies for but is really fun.There is also Ghiradelli ( I am very probably spelling it wrong-sorry!) chocolate shop that is so yummy you will think you have gone to heaven!:worship: and many more places to eat that are great!
There are tons of places to shop.The Lego store and the Disney Store are good for long stops to see everything they have. I am going to make a serious plea to DH to make a stop there before heading home (he doesn't know this yet);) because it is just so wrong to go so close to WDW and not stop by!
For those of you who have not gone to WDW yet, do try to go at some point. It is amazing. It is a totally different experience than cruising but so worth it.

disneydarling07

04-17-2009, 12:53 PM

Wendy, you didn't get everything done last time?! I cannot believe it!:lmao:

I know!! I was sooo disappointed in myself! But I am determined to do much better this time....or else they better offer a new bounceback deal!

my lists are pretty short this time...but I WILL get them done! :surfweb:::yes:::thumbsup2

I cannot believe you have never been to WDW!! Downtown Disney is very cool! Anything you can find in the shops in the parks is sold there. Now you are making me want to spend a day there too.....

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-17-2009, 03:30 PM

I cannot believe you have never been to WDW!! Downtown Disney is very cool! Anything you can find in the shops in the parks is sold there. Now you are making me want to spend a day there too.....

Yep, we're going!:thumbsup2 I guess I won't be able to meet up with everyone at the Radisson and Fish Lips.

But we'll see you on the ship fo' sho!:banana:

LynnF0513

04-17-2009, 08:07 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome guys :goodvibes

I am really excited about this cruise. DH and I, like many others, booked this as a bounceback after our 01/31 cruise. We made good friends w/our tablemates during our last cruise and decided we wanted to cruise together again so we booked and got our ressies linked so we could dine together :cool1:

I have read through some of the board but haven't gotten through all of it to know if a magnet swap or fish extenders have been planned...I know it's a short cruise but it could still be fun :thumbsup2

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-17-2009, 08:31 PM

I have read through some of the board but haven't gotten through all of it to know if a magnet swap or fish extenders have been planned...I know it's a short cruise but it could still be fun :thumbsup2

Hi Lynn!:wave2:

There has been talk of a FE. We could do magnets too. Many people are staying at the Radisson in Port Canaveral so there's an "unofficial" DIS Meet at the pool there in the afternoon the day before. There's also been talk of a group going going to Fish Lips for dinner...

Invite your cruise friends to join us here on the DIS boards. We'd love to meet them!

LynnF0513

04-18-2009, 12:18 AM

On our 1/31 cruise we did FE's and Magnets and it was a lot of fun. For a shorter cruise I would say we should probably do just one due to time constraints. In our group we only had 13 people and it took almost an hour to get everything delivered (we were pretty spread out).

Thanks for inviting us to the meet. I will check w/DH to see if he can get an extra day off. I love to participate in pre-cruise fun :cool1:

anetnmike

04-18-2009, 01:36 PM

Hi Everyone!
I tend to agree with Lynn. I have never done anything with magnets but we did do the FE last cruise. We got a lot of really cool magnets IN our FE tho:thumbsup2
DS is begging to do some type of exchange because we had so much fun with the FE last time. One type would probably be best as it is only a 3 day.
I wish (for the bazillionth time) that this was a LONGER cruise!::yes::

elmo2200

04-18-2009, 05:15 PM

Anyone else hang their fish extender on the wall hoping to get a surprise???:lmao:

anetnmike

04-18-2009, 07:50 PM

somehow it doesn't seem to work so well here at home!:confused3
:rotfl:

disneydarling07

04-18-2009, 09:18 PM

I made all my lists of things to do on CC. So we get there, set up on the beach and hit the water. We were enjoying ourselves so much on the beach, the time flew by and it was time to board the ship again....so AGAIN, we missed EVERYTHING there was to do on CC!!! All my lists and preplanning was made in vain!!
THAT SUX!!!!
AND the WORST part.....I woke up before I found out if they gave us another bounceback offer!!!

208 more days..

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-19-2009, 09:09 AM

Wendy,

What do you hope to do on your next trip to CC?

I'll let you in on a little secret: they have steak at the adult beach BBQ!

disneydarling07

04-19-2009, 12:16 PM

I heard sometimes they have lobster too....yum!!!

WE just wanted to tour the whole place. Jessica never made it to Scuttles Cove. We at least wanted to take the tram over to Serenity Bay to see what it looked like. There were a lot of character photo ops that we missed. We are renting bikes for an hour or two and riding all over the island. I heard there is a lookout tower near Serenity Bay that is supposed to be pretty cool.

When we look at the map of CC, it just seems like we barely stepped off the boat, found our spot on the beach and that was it.

disneydarling07

04-19-2009, 12:18 PM

here is the link to my photobucket account. I uploaded all of the scrapbook pages from our 2008 trip to WDW.

Hope the link works!

http://s731.photobucket.com/albums/ww312/disneydarling07/Disney%202008

LynnF0513

04-19-2009, 03:07 PM

DD- I know what you mean about CC on our last cruise we had it all "mapped" out until the tram b/t the family beach and SB was down for 30 minutes. We ended up plopping down on a couple of chairs at the FB and lo and behold we ended up right next to our tablemates. We ended up veggin' out for the rest of the day w/a Konk Kooler. Oh well. This time will be different. We are signing up to do the Ecotour which will force us to do at least something on our list :lmao:

OK does everyone think the FE's are feasible? I am not sure if someone has already volunteered to handle the list but if we need someone to do it I am game. I am taking the summer off from school :banana: so I have some free time to do some extra tasks.

anetnmike

04-19-2009, 06:25 PM

Wendy your scrapbook is incredible!:worship:
I have a lot of work to do!!!:rotfl:
I really liked it. You are so creative! You really got alot of autographs too! That is so fun. I loved all of your pictures and costuming.All of the details are amazing!
I may have to downgrade my scrapbook to a simple "photo album":scared:
:laughing:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-19-2009, 07:26 PM

I am taking the summer off from school :banana: so I have some free time to do some extra tasks.

I'm taking the summer off too! :woohoo::yay::woohoo:Man I can't wait! I only have three weeks left in this semester, then I have to really hit it hard in the fall. I've got a TON of work to do for a trip I'm taking to Cambodia in May 2010. I'm going to enjoy EVERY minute of this summer.

We planning to do FE's. Wendy (DisneyDarling07) handled our list on our last cruise. We've got alot of repeat cruisers from our group so I bet she'll help you out - if you ask nicely!:rotfl: (Yep, Wendy I volunteered your help! Sorry...guess I'll just have to buy you a drink to make it up to you!)

LynnF0513

04-20-2009, 07:31 AM

I know how you feel about taking the summer off. I haven't had a semester off since I got married (11/11/06) so I am way overdue. I plan on catching up on Lie to Me and Hell's Kitchen and doing nothing in general.

It sounds like Wendy will have it under control. Especially after looking at that scrapbook. Pretty Amazing :thumbsup2. I have no problem w/that if she needs any help I will be happy to peel myself off of the couch. :rotfl:

It's nice you guys are cruising together again. I am really excited b/c we are cruising w/out tablemates from last time. They are a really nice couple that we have kept in touch with.

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-20-2009, 08:46 AM

How nice that you have made friends with and kept in touch with your tablemates. Ours aparantly HATED us! We sat with them the first night of the cruise and by the second night they were gone! Our head server said that they requested their own table!!! What did we do that was SO BAD that they couldn't face us for the rest of the cruise?!?!

All I can think of is that we spoke a different language then they did and communication was strained and difficult. It all worked out in the end because my DH and I got to have dinner with out son without having any distractions. (It was kind of nice!)

How do you say RUDE in Spanish?:rotfl:

LynnF0513

04-20-2009, 07:42 PM

According to Yahoo Answers "grosero" :lmao:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-21-2009, 09:42 AM

According to Yahoo Answers "grosero" :lmao:

Translation: GROSS-ero! :lmao::rotfl::lmao:Love it!

disneydarling07

04-21-2009, 11:36 AM

We talked it over last night and even though it was fun, we are going to opt out of the FE exchange this time.

If i can get away with packing nothing but my bathing suit and sunscreen, I would be the happiest person on that boat! lol

Thanks for the nice comments on my scrapbook. I'm having a blast working on the book for the cruise....just makes me miss it that much more...

205 days!!!

LynnF0513

04-21-2009, 06:03 PM

I know what you mean. I love to scrapbook but haven't been able to do anything since the beginning of last year. Ever since I started at UF (GO GATORS!!!) I swear I don't know whether I am coming or going. One professor acts like Mommy Dearest and the other one thinks he's Batman :lmao::rotfl:

Wendy, That stinks you are going to sit this one out but I can certainly understand. I remember last time how long it took to get my packets together UGGGGHHHH but it was pretty fulfilling when it was all over.

If it's still the consensus that we are going to do the FE's I am still down for keeping track of the participant list. Let me know what everyone thinks.

I meant to ask has anyone ever ordered any baskets from Shirley? I want to order DH one and our cruise mates one.

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-21-2009, 08:12 PM

I'm a "GO" for the FE.

Wendy & family, we'll miss you being part of the FE fun!

Lynn, if you want to handle it that would be great. (one less thing for me to do:lmao:)

LynnF0513

04-21-2009, 10:22 PM

OK well that makes 2 of us :thumbsup2

I will start an Excel Sheet today. I will need Names of All Cruisers, Ages, and Room Number. Fellow FE'ers can either post the info in the board or PM me.

When it gets closer I will start announcing the running total weekly in the board and send PM's to everyone participating w/specifics. Sound good? Good. Next book of Business :lmao:

"Alice" - OH BTW I read your TR I am glad everything turned out awesome for you :flower3:. My mom went through 3 scares w/in the last year. I think I was on edge all year. Her last scare came after she went to the DR the day before we boarded for our 1/31 cruise. Needless to say I tried to have a good time but my mind was elsewhere. This cruise is a chance to have the time I wanted to have the first go around and believe me I intend to make the most of it. :banana:

elmo2200

04-22-2009, 01:59 AM

Alice - I finally read your trip report. Good Job! I see why you fit right in with us! We just can't fight the OCD. I get my husband off to work at night and put the kids to bed then lurk on the disboards for awhile! I do check on boards some during the day but I am really trying not to....
Congrats on your recovery. I too had a very bad illness in 2008. I had been progressively ill for several years and I was almost completely debilitated. Often I could not speak or move anything but my head. I couldn't think straight so the kids would put what we needed in the grocery cart for me. I started nutritional treatment 7 months ago when I was finally diagnosed with RA and candida overgrowth (sometimes called chronic fatigue syndrome). I get a little better each day. God is good. I can now do housework, think clearly, hypoglycemia is much better and I am joyful again. We have been blessed. If someone who reads this is suffering too feel free to pm me. :hug:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-22-2009, 09:36 AM

Lynn & Tracey,

Thank you for your kind words and thoughts. You are too sweet! When a person's health is sacrificed life simply stops. There is no life without good health. I'm glad that each of you have been able to overcome the health obstacles in your lives. Blessings to you and your families!

When we get on that ship we'll have to have one nice big group hug!:grouphug:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-22-2009, 09:38 AM

Hello FE Patrol! We'd like to join in on the fun. Please add:

The Beck Family
Shawn - the daddy
Harmony - the mommy
Jackson - the kid, will be 5 when we cruise

We don't have our cabin assingment yet, we're simply GTY

Thanks! We're looking forward to the FE FUN!

SCQ86

04-22-2009, 09:57 AM

Hi everyone....welcome aboard (that's for everyone new that joined our group!)

It's been a while since I've posted....I've been so exhausted!!! I've been having late meeting and getting home late.....and on top of that...trying to remodel our dining room.

Not sure about doing the FE exchange....but I will put it out there for my kids...if they want to do it....well then they are responsible.

I'm so looking forward to this vacation....I'm staking my claim now....
I WILL NOT GET OCD THIS TIME!!!!

Even though I had a plan for the plan....I seemed to miss a lot on the boat...heck...I didn't even take any pictures with the characters....WTH????

This time, I will be doing that....even if I have to borrow Jason and Jackson (Wendy and Harmony's little ones)...LOL

Harmony...your child may be used more than once...my son and Wendy's daughter went to Mickey Mania and they were bummed that they didn't get picked....well of course they didn't have a small one with them....after everyone got picked, I saw you in the front of the place and I said to my son.."There is Harmony with her child...you could of asked her to borrow Jackson" My son still complains how slow I am to notice people in the crowd.

I'm with Wendy on the packing....If I can get away with just packing a bathing suit and maybe some unmentionables....I think I would be fine....LOL!!!

I just unpacked my suitcase from my trip today!!!! Wendy...I found the underwater cameras....not where I said they would be.....I still have my 2 carry ons to unpack!!!

As much as I was tired and burnt out from my last Disney trip....I'm so itching to go back......but....shhhhhhh....without the kids!!!! I need a vacation away from them!!!

anetnmike

04-22-2009, 04:50 PM

Hey Everyone!
We are IN for the FE! DS would bever forgive me if I said no. Hopefully we won't have to pack a seperate suitcase for them though:rotfl:
I will PM you with the particulars Lynn
Thanks for taking on that task!:flower3:

LynnF0513

04-22-2009, 06:01 PM

anet ~ Awesome! The more the merrier :cool1::cool1::cool1: I really like planning etc so this will give me something to keep up w/over the summer.

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-24-2009, 04:54 PM

:flower3:Here in Ohio we've had our first day of BEAUTIFUL weather (last weekend was nice, but we're talking over 80 degrees!) and the sun feels so nice!:sunny:

It reminds me of the blissful feeling I get from the sun on Castaway Cay!

Have a great weekend everyone.:goodvibes

anetnmike

04-25-2009, 09:10 AM

Chicago is gorgeous too! Although we are livin' up to our "windy city" nickname:rotfl:

disneydarling07

04-25-2009, 09:25 AM

yes..but this breeze is awesome! im sitting here trying to scrap and the wind keeps blowing my stuff all over...lol
but i can't complain now...i think the rain is coming later...
oh to be on the beach right now....

LynnF0513

04-25-2009, 02:36 PM

It's hot here in Jacksonville almost to the point of suffocation. No breeze...just HOT. At least on CC there is a little rustling of the palms. CAN'T WAIT!

Just finished my first Final of the Spring Semester...1 down 1 to go. I guess I did pretty good considering I ended up w/an A in the class!!!

SCQ86

04-25-2009, 06:03 PM

Ran this morning to eat out for breakfast....I won't tell you how my hair looks.....windy is under statement!

Raining a little now.

anetnmike

04-26-2009, 08:57 AM

Way to go on your final Lynn:cool1:
I am finishing my last paper today and then tidying it up in APA format:headache and it should be good to go for Wednesday's last class:woohoo:
Then maybe I can do :laundy: :laughing:

My TA finally got confirmation from DCL that our voucher has been applied. Apparently they received a whole bunch in the mail right around April 6th.:sad2: and it took them a while to sift thru. At least that is what a CM told my TA when she called to verify last week. But all is well and we are bouncing back!:cool1:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-26-2009, 09:49 AM

Awesome! I'm not the only glutton for punishment then, huh?

My finals don't start until NEXT week...I still have this week left of "regular" classes. Then I have FOUR finals! Two presentations and two papers - and I haven't even started them yet!

So Annette & Lynn, what type of degrees are you working towards? I'm finishing up my Bachelor's in Education, then straight on til Masters. Yippy skippy.:headache:

LynnF0513

04-26-2009, 12:03 PM

Thanks guys :goodvibes trust me when I say it was an easy A. I got lucky w/this one. My Business Law test tomorrow may not be as forgiving :idea:

I attend UF and am going for my BA in Business Admin. I will be done December of next year and then will apply to the Graduate School of Business to get my MBA.

I was very blessed in the fact that I am really good w/writing papers. I always do my papers 2 days before they are due. I write best under pressure and it seems to work for me, I have never gotten less than an A.

I swear I got really lucky w/my voucher. I sent in Certified Mail this past Tuesday and when I checked the web site on Thursday it had already been applied :scared1: I couldn't believe it. W/all the backlog I figured it would be at least 2 weeks. Guess someone sprinkled some pixie dust for me. It's a wonderful thing to look at the web-site and see a balance of 76.00. :lmao:

Oh also, DH and I's anniversary is on 11/11 so I was thinking about surprising him w/a basket from Shirley. As anyone here ever used her?

elmo2200

04-26-2009, 03:22 PM

Hi guys!! We are excited to do FEs again. It sure was exercise last time!!! My daughter and I would each take one side of the ship to make it easier.

Pequeno Family
Alonzo - DH
Tracey - mom
Corina (she prefers Cori) - DD 14
Nicholas (Nick) - DS 10

Thanks Lynn!!

elmo2200

04-26-2009, 03:28 PM

The other day my daughter was making fun of the DIS and its addicts. It was hillarious!!!! We had a blast freaking out about every little detail and pretending that we have only 6 months left and we are SO behind! :rotfl2: It would be so funny to write a play as we continue waiting to sail.

LynnF0513

04-26-2009, 06:13 PM

Tracey~ I am so glad you are joining in on the FE fun. I have added you to the list. What a great idea. Depending on how many we end up w/I may split up the ship b/t DH and I. I guess it will depend on how nosy I am feeling that day. I really love to go by people's room's and see their FE's. I have seen some really unique ones :thumbsup2

Your DD is definitely right on the money b/c let's face it if we weren't master planners we wouldn't be on this board :rotfl: plus the whole "OMG there is so much to do" really makes you feel like you are that much closer to paradise :love:

Oh and I can tell you this much...if the dis'ers put on a production on the Wonder I would pay to see it any day. We are quite a creative and rowdy bunch. I bet it would be a hoot!

disneydarling07

04-26-2009, 06:29 PM

LynnF0513

04-26-2009, 08:28 PM

Wendy ~ As I was reading your previous post I thought to myself who would want to leave. Then I thought about my dog....I would definitely have to find a way to get her on the island. Maybe I could have someone put her on a plane to Nassau and then I could take a waverunner over to pick her up. :lmao::rotfl::lmao:She loves the water so I am sure it wouldn't be a problem. All I can think about is Gilligan's Island :happytv:

disneydarling07

04-26-2009, 09:37 PM

she could totally do it! Haven't you ever seen the Homeward Bound movies?? Dogs can do anything! lol

Or Lassie....can Lassie find her family stranded on the island!

it's getting late...im losing it....lol

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-27-2009, 09:53 PM

Alice on WONDERland has not mailed in her Bouceback offer yet...:scared1::scared1::scared1:

LynnF0513

04-27-2009, 09:55 PM

I have seen Homeward Bound (just take a look at my avatar my Roxy girl favors him a little). Believe me Roxy is just like him, very adventurous and mischievous.

As for Lassie....he found Timmy in the well so I don't see why he couldn't find his family on an island :rotfl::lmao::rotfl:

Listen Alice :rotfl: you better get on that.

SCQ86

04-28-2009, 09:29 AM

every night I dream about something regarding the trip....sometimes good, sometimes bad...
WE could definitely write a script! With multiple endings! We need to put ourselves in situations and then come up with ways to fix it. Like, we are having so much fun on CC, that the ships leaves without us. Now we have to figure out how to get back...if we want. We would have to survive on Konk coolers and Mickey chicken nuggets! Oh the horrors!!!

Sounds like a plan....DCL Survivor! How long can you go without your check off list??? No luggage...can you manage???? Stuck in a Category 12 with 5 people....do you fit??? 5 Mikes on the trip...how long before you go insane????

LOL:lmao::lmao:

elmo2200

04-28-2009, 06:29 PM

You guys have great ideas. SCQ86 - Very funny! I'm in for the DCL Survivor!!! Could I pillage and plunder the FEs to get needed supplies? Could probably get some toiletries and candy... At ports of call we could challenge the "Carnival" tribe.

DD's ideas for our freak outs(get your popcorn) popcorn:::
1. Better start interveiwing manicurist now. What if they can't do Mickey ears????
2. We start calling Disney every week to get updates. It could be "Tonya Tuesdays" or what ever the rep is named...
3. When non-DISers say "Calm down, you still have 6 months!" snap back "Quit reminding me how behind I am!" :scared1:
4. Tell the kids to stop wearing their nice clothes. I don't want to re-iron!!!
5. "No Timmy, Don't you dare get your undies out of that suitcase!!!! Mommy doesn't care if you're naked, we're at home." :rotfl2: "I'll do the laundry after I finish on the DIS." :laundy:

A little exagerated? yes. Funny? yes. Mostly accurate? yes!

elmo2200

04-28-2009, 06:33 PM

You guys are so entertaining that I forgot why I logged on. We got good news. The travel agent had told us that after the voucher our cruise would be $1022. Today I called TA to see if voucher was received and he said that the price was now only $545!!!!! :woohoo:

LynnF0513

04-28-2009, 06:52 PM

Elmo ~ DD sounds right on the money :lmao:I finished my last exam yesterday and have been lurking here on the boards since. I figure you can never be too prepared :thumbsup2

I decided to go ahead and order a basket for DH from Shirley and am already brainstorming on what I want in it.

FE plans are already a go. Just have to get all the supplies which I won't do until 1 month before.

As for the price....whooo...hooo...I think for DH and I it came to 272.00 which is a great deal :banana::cool1::banana::cool1:

anetnmike

04-29-2009, 08:01 AM

Hi everyone! OMG you all are too funny!:dance3:
I don't watch reality shows-I work in the evenings so I don't really watch a whole lot of TV in general but Survivor on CC. :lmao:
The Carnival tribe wouldn't stand a chance!
As for school- I am finishing my Bachelor's in Nursing in an acclerated program. It is going to take a while because the hospital I work for is footing the bill and I am at the mercy of their tuition reimbursement program -so another 2 years. Not very accelerated!:laughing: Then I have the crazy idea that I want my Masters Degree (in Nursing) also! I will be getting that diploma at 80 years old at this rate!:sad2: But I will probably be able to write a paper in perfect APA format in my sleep at that point!:rotfl2:
We are excited about the FE too!

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-29-2009, 09:48 AM

anetnmike

04-29-2009, 12:14 PM

Hooray! Your DS is at THE perfect age to go! How exciting! You will have SO much fun! Everything will be magic for him and for you too! The best part is watching it thru his eyes. That is awesome!

disneydarling07

04-29-2009, 02:59 PM

the POP! :banana: I am so excited! (I've been spending my "down" time planning our vacation to help save my sanity during my exams - and it's WORKING!)

My very first trip to WDW! I think I'm more excited than my 4 year old!:rotfl2:

But the most important question is....Did you mail in the voucher yet?? lol

I haven't stayed at the POP, but it looks cool. We stayed at Music and Sports and visited Movies. They are a lot of fun for the kids! Jack is going to love it!

disneydarling07

04-29-2009, 02:59 PM

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-29-2009, 05:40 PM

But the most important question is....Did you mail in the voucher yet?? lol

I haven't stayed at the POP, but it looks cool. We stayed at Music and Sports and visited Movies. They are a lot of fun for the kids! Jack is going to love it!

About that voucher... I had good intentions of taking it up to the post office today because I really want to send it certified. I put it in my purse and everything...and it's still there! I got a killer migraine after class :crazy2: so I cruised right by the post office and went directly home to bed. So, I'll mail it tomorrow! (I think all this THINKING is giving me massive headaches!)

We're only going to Downtown Disney & the Boardwalk this time. We're just staying at the POP the night before the cruise. I plan to book our flight to leave Detroit early in the a.m. so that we can get to Orlando by noon~2:00 p.m., get to the room, take a bit of a rest, and then head out for the night.

Our plan is to take a week cruise in 2011 on one of the new ships and then spend a few days at the parks either before or after. This will be my graduation "present." So since we're gonna spend the big bucks then (and we just went in February!), this trip in November will be a bit of a budget trip. But one thing we will splurge on this time is the stingray feeding on Castaway Cay. Gotta do that!

Well, gotta get of the DIS now and do some homework. :sad2:

LynnF0513

04-29-2009, 08:39 PM

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies you are all a hoot. I can't wait to meet you guys :lmao:Soooooo.... I took my other final on Monday grades are in and it's going to be.....drum roll please....A & B :cool1::cool1: believe me after the killer test I took I will take the B.

I can relate to the whole hospital reimbursement thing...I work in a hospital as well and they offer tuition reim. Since I work in finance they were willing to foot my Business Admin. degree which I thought was sweet of them :lovestruc

I had POP is really nice. I am trying to decide where I want to stay the night before the cruise. I wanted to stay at the Radisson b/c of the meet but since the 11th is our anniversary DH said he wanted to stay at Disney so that we could eat at Narcoossee's (we LOVE it). On the other hand the Sheraton in Cocoa Beach is an option as well...decisions...decisions...what a rough life :lmao:

Oh and I am with you about the 2011 thing. I am hoping the new dates will be out when we cruise. DH has already said we are re-booking on board either way...he said if need be we will book a dummy date until they are released and then choose from there. I am really hoping for a Mexican Riviera Cruise

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-30-2009, 11:58 AM

I am writing a paper (min. 9 pages! AHH!) on integrating technology into the classroom. Do you think I can incorporate the DIS boards into this paper?:rotfl::lmao::rotfl:

anetnmike

04-30-2009, 03:00 PM

oops! Sorry Harmony, I thought you were going to the parks before the cruise. I will have to wait to be excited for you until you take that trip::yes::
Just thinking about going makes me happy!:banana:
Way to go on your final Lynn! It's a relief to have it done isn't it? My grade should be out Monday afternoon. I will be back in class during our cruise so that may get interesting but my mental health comes before schoolwork. :cool1: I absolutely refuse to take homework on the ship!!!:sad2:

Alice_on_WONDERland

04-30-2009, 05:50 PM

I will be back in class during our cruise so that may get interesting but my mental health comes before schoolwork. :cool1: I absolutely refuse to take homework on the ship!!!:sad2:

I agree about the mental health! I was in class during our trip in Feburary and I will be again when we go back in November. I just made sure to get everything done before we left and submitted all the assignments a bit early. Everything went nice and smooth, our should I say smooth sailing?:thumbsup2

LynnF0513

04-30-2009, 06:49 PM

OMG I know what you mean. I think we are triplets :lmao: I was in class during our 1/31 - 2/7 cruise and will be again during this cruise. What's worse DH wants to book a Western for next year around our anniversary I am not sure about this though b/c I will be in my Finance class (This is supposed to be the hardest class of the program). Also I really want to wait for 2011.

anetnmike

04-30-2009, 09:26 PM

:rotfl: I have every intention of booking a 7 day on this cruise! I want to go on one of the new ships!

LynnF0513

04-30-2009, 10:34 PM

I read into it and I think I am going to book a dummy date so that we we will get the discount and the SBC then I will decide afterwards :cool1::cool1::cool1:

elmo2200

05-01-2009, 01:20 AM

:teacher: congrats on getting thru your tests!!!! You guys rock!

Alice - know what you mean about wanting to make this a budget trip. We spent a lot in Feb!!
I would like to save money to cruise Eastern or another not Bahamas location and to finally take our kids to the parks.

Lynn - we almost booked Disney Caribbean Beach Resort for the 11th because we love it so much. DH thinks we may arrive on 10th so maybe I'll check the rate for just one night because I already paid 11th at Radisson. OUCH - just checked rate for CBR $170!!! We have paid that much before but this is a budget trip. Anyway it could get lower closer to the date.

anetnmike

05-01-2009, 08:40 AM

I read into it and I think I am going to book a dummy date so that we we will get the discount and the SBC then I will decide afterwards :cool1::cool1::cool1:
That was my plan. At this point I am thinking a 7 day Eastern because the Tortola area looks interesting and DH wants to do something other than Western.

Alice_on_WONDERland

05-01-2009, 09:42 AM

OUCH - just checked rate for CBR $170!!! We have paid that much before but this is a budget trip. Anyway it could get lower closer to the date.

Watch for those 40% off rate codes and pins. I hear they're out there, maybe you'll get lucky! Also, I noticed on the Disney parks & resort website last night that they are REALLY discounting rooms for May & June, so if we watch maybe they'll knock some serious money off CBR for you closer to November.

Alice_on_WONDERland

05-01-2009, 09:44 AM

Can someone please explain the whole "booking-a-dummy-date" thing to me please?

LynnF0513

05-01-2009, 05:09 PM

anet ~ DH and I wanted to do the Totola cruise too but the last sail date is in Sept 09. I didn't really want to do another eastern since we just went to St. Thomas in Jan so we may just wait for the 2011 dates. If we don't cruise next year we will probably go to Disney for 5 or 6 days and stay at the Grand. I love to stay there :cloud9:

Harmony ~ A dummy date is when you book the furthest date open (so far Dec 2010) in order to get the 10% discount, reduced deposit, and SBC (currently 200.00) then when the following years dates open (for us 2011) you can move your reservation to the new date and still keep the perks. Of course the figures will be different depending on the total of the cruise you actually end up w/but you get the idea. It just basically secures the 10% discount and the 200.00 ship board credit (deal you can only get when re-booking on board)

anetnmike

05-02-2009, 07:01 PM

Hmm, good point.:idea:I guess I will look to see what our options will be then. I forgot that the Dream will be taking over the Wonder's routes. I would book a double dip then. I LOVE CC!!
:beach:
They say DCL puts out the new dates in the fall...:rolleyes:

LynnF0513

05-02-2009, 08:17 PM

anet ~ I heard that the new dates may be released by November. That would be awesome. I could take the 2011 dates booklet to the rainforest and mull it over w/no option of coming out until my mind is made up :rotfl: (you guys might see me by the last day of the cruise) :lmao:

The rumor is that the Wonder is head to LA to host the Mexican Riviera Cruise among other itineraries in 2011. If this happens we will definitely be flying to CA to do the MR cruise. This will also give us the opp. to stay at the Grand Californian and go to Disney over there (we have never been). So that leaves 2010 open. It would be nice to do the 4 night on 12/19 and go to the Grand Floridian 3 days prior to the cruise....Boy I love it when a plan comes together :lmao: