October 1st, 2011 Western Caribbean on the Magic!

[B9erSteve]

Well, I might as well get this ball a'rollin'

My Name is Steve and I have a wife and two wonderful children (DS and DD) In just a few short days we'll be on the Magic and I'm making a beeline toward the reservations kiosk to re-book for our next great adventure. I plan to book this date and I'm looking at a 9a cabin.

We're going with my brother and his family as well as three families that I work with. (they've already booked, Some even snagged the Cat 10a SPH rooms!) I hoping to get all of us to post on this thread.

My personal plans for this vacation is to take a week in WDW and add it to a week on DCL. It's a vacation that I've been wanting to do for a long time.

Here's to a great time anticipating a great vacation and meeting new friends!

[IrishCowboy]

I have added a link to your thread on the main index page. Have a great cruise!:thumbsup2

[B9erSteve]

Thanks!

[B9erSteve]

Well, we just got back from our vacation and we've booked the next cruise!

I'm hoping that this cruise is every bit as fun as the one that I got off of.

[LauraJo]

We had an awesome vacation and enjoyed visiting and hanging out with all of the friends we made on the DIS board prior to our cruise. They are an amazing group of people. We are already looking forward to our next cruise and can't wait for it to be here. Just 2 more years. lol

[IrishCowboy]

subscribing

[karentan]

hi everyone!
we're thinking of booking this cruise, it'll be me (karen) and my DH gary (both 29 at the mo) sailing. we were originally planning on the 2011 westbound transatlantic, but we've decided to do a 7 night cruise and 7 nights in disney too.
we havent booked yet, but are looking forward to cruising again! we've done two 3 night DCL cruises and think we're ready for a longer one now!

anyone interested in doing a FE exchange?

[karentan]

yay, we're now officially booked for this cruise!!! DH got the confirmation through today! and how about this for "its a small world", one of our cruisemates from our 3 night cruise in september is going to be on this cruise too! yay!

[B9erSteve]

hi everyone!
we're thinking of booking this cruise, it'll be me (karen) and my DH gary (both 29 at the mo) sailing. we were originally planning on the 2011 westbound transatlantic, but we've decided to do a 7 night cruise and 7 nights in disney too.
we havent booked yet, but are looking forward to cruising again! we've done two 3 night DCL cruises and think we're ready for a longer one now!

anyone interested in doing a FE exchange?

yay, we're now officially booked for this cruise!!! DH got the confirmation through today! and how about this for "its a small world", one of our cruisemates from our 3 night cruise in september is going to be on this cruise too! yay!

Hello Karen. Welcome! We're thinking of spending time in WDW during this vacation too. We'll be there prior to the cruise for about 5-6 days.

You'll find it is really great to be cruising with people that you've cruised with before. On our cruise in Oct we cruised with a bunch of dis'ers that we cruised with 2 years prior. That was a blast!

I haven't decided on if we'll want to do the FE exchange this time or not. We had a lot of fun with the last one, and my kids really got a charge out of it. However, we're flying from CA and I ended up paying for an extra peice of luggage to carry it all. I'm already thinking that my budget has gotten crazy out of whack for this trip.

So far 3 of my co-workers and their families have booked and my brother and his family has booked. I've been unsuccessful at getting any of them to join the thread yet though.

[B9erSteve]

Hey Karen, I just noticed that you're from the UK. We'll be in your neck of the woods in just a few days. Laura and I plan on celebrating New Years on the Thames.

[karentan]

oh cool! bring a coat though, its soooo icy and cold here at the mo. we live in southend, in essex, which is about an hour to the right of london. i've never managed to make it up to london for NYE but i've heard its supposed to be great. just wrap up warm!! especially if you've come from california, it'll be a bit of a shock to the system!!

this is our first "longer" cruise, only done 3 night cruises before so it'll be cool going to new places (and not going to nassau! :rotfl:), and really looking forward to it.
sounds like you've got quite a group of you going! should be great fun for you, have you guys all linked reservations so you can sit together?

if you do decide to join in the FE, let us all know, i'm definately up for starting one, and i'm pretty much sure there will definately be one by cruising time!

[B9erSteve]

Yeah, I was thinking it would be cold. I like the cold but my wife, Laura, does not. We're bringing long underwear and fleece lined clothing. I figure that we we'll be pretty comfortable.

I like the longer cruises. I've never been on a short one with Disney, but I can't imagine spending the money to fly to Orlando for a short jaunt (I guess it makes sense if one is combining WDW)

My group is very excited about going. They've made me the travel guide since I've done this twice before. I plan on linking the reservations. But I think that I'll do it after the 75 day mark. A friend of mine learned that linking too early makes it difficult to schedule certain activities. His suggestion was to wait until everyone has made their Palos and excursion ressies then link.

I'll let you know about the FE. You're right, they'll definately be one by cruising time!

[karentan]

so when are you due to fly out? we've been having a bit of snow the past few days, and unfortunately our country sucks when it snows, we just cant handle it, the airports end up closing, the roads are chaos, public transport either gets delayed or cancelled. hopefully you dont have any problems coming over, but just be prepared. with the windchill its bitterly cold. DH is in scotland at the mo, due back tomorrow but he's snowed in at the moment, actually in town, he cant get back to his parent's house, and is looks like he might not be able to drive back down tomorrow.

[B9erSteve]

Yeah I've been thinking about that lately. I see on flightstats.com that the delays at LHR are moderate with a decreasing trend so I have my fingers crossed. We bought fare on the heathrow express so I'm hoping that that won't be a problem either. Once I'm there it won't break my heart to be delayed a day or two on our return.

[karentan]

we always think that way too, we'd hate to be delayed on the way out, but we wouldnt mind being stuck at WDW for a day or two more :)

[Lilo's Mom]

Hi Everybody! My name is Donna and my DH Bob and I will be on the cruise! Karen and I were on the cruise together in September. It was such a surprise when I saw that she was interested in going on this cruise because Bob and I booked this cruise, before the last one ended. I am so excited that Karen and Gary are going to be on this cruise too because we didn't get to spend much time with them on the last one and now we can! :banana:

[karentan]

hi donna! i was wondering when you'd find the thread! i'll be sure to bring over some more jelly babies for bob :) is kelly coming this time?

[B9erSteve]

Hi Everybody! My name is Donna and my DH Bob and I will be on the cruise! Karen and I were on the cruise together in September. It was such a surprise when I saw that she was interested in going on this cruise because Bob and I booked this cruise, before the last one ended. I am so excited that Karen and Gary are going to be on this cruise too because we didn't get to spend much time with them on the last one and now we can! :banana:

Welcome Donna! Glad to have you here.

[Lilo's Mom]

Hey Karen! No Kelly this time....just Bob and I. Kelly and Voni are talking about doing an cruise to Alaska with some of their other friends. Are you going to do a stay at Disney World as well? We are thinking about staying a few days. I really want to stay at Kidani Village....Kelly and I stayed there for two nights in early November, it was awesome! So far out of all the places we have stayed at together Bob likes Old Key West. I have a feeling that will change in May when we stay at BLT!

Well, it's just about midnight here, so I am going to get some sleep since I have to work in the morning. In case I don't make it back on tomorrow......:santa:

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! :santa:

[karentan]

we're planning on doing 7 nights in disney before the cruise, probably back at saratoga springs, gary really liked it there. i think jenny and lainey are planning on going to WDW around the same time too so we can have a big reunion!
so daft question :rotfl: but are you and bob up for the FE again?

and happy christmas everyone!!!!!!!!

[Lilo's Mom]

Sure, I would do the FE again. It was fun planning and putting the bags together. I would just stick to one bag per cabin this time instead of several because it was a pain to deliver and in shipping the bags tore open. Plus now Bob has lots of time to plan what he wants to do, he loved making the little chests and usb flash drives.

[karentan]

he's got the best part of nearly 2 years to plan, cant wait to see what he comes up with this time!!

[B9erSteve]

Merry Christmas! I hope you're enjoying your day.

[karentan]

happy christmas to everyone too! hope you're having a great day :)

[karentan]

hi steve, are you back from your trip to london yet? did you have a good time?
i hope you managed to get back ok, our whole infrastructure kinda grinds to a halt when it snows and i've heard there's been hundreds of flight cancellations so far, hope you're not caught up in them.

[B9erSteve]

Yeah, we got back on the 4th. Had a wonderful time. I was truly amazed by the amount of history that is contained in those few square miles. On my next day off, I'll be posting some pics.

We did notice that the northern UK was pretty socked in, but London was fairly dry while we were there. As far as snow went there was only a light dusting on a couple of occasions.

[karentan]

its definately making up for it now!! our village is statistically the driest place in the UK, and at the moment, we've got about 6 inches of snow! at least you managed to avoid it all, there's been tons of cancellations and closures at the airports the past week.
you'll have to show us some of your photos, i only get up to london once or twice a year but still love seeing it.

[karentan]

hi everyone!!
we're now officially on this cruise, our paperwork turned up this morning from our travel agents :banana:
what dinner seating is everyone on? i think they've put us down for early, but probably going to change that to late, we've done late the last 2 times, and dont really fancy sticking to early...

[B9erSteve]

Hello Karen. Laura and I are on early seating. I tried late seating once and was so hungry I could barely stand it.

[Fire14]

Hello We ( DH, I and a Cruise Buddy) are now booked and will be joining you onboard. This will be our 2nd 7 night cruise, 1st western, 4th cruise for Dh and I and 3rd for cruise buddy. We are on deck 7.

[Fire14]

Karen our crew is up for FE exchange, Jodi(cruise buddy) has her own so there should be 2 FE at our stop.

[B9erSteve]

Hello We ( DH, I and a Cruise Buddy) are now booked and will be joining you onboard. This will be our 2nd 7 night cruise, 1st western, 4th cruise for Dh and I and 3rd for cruise buddy. We are on deck 7.

Welcome! Nice to have you!

[karentan]

yay for more cruise mates!!
hi fire14, welcome to our small(ish) meet thread, i'm sure we'll get more people closer to the time! not sure if you read the rest but i'm karen, and i'm cruising with DH gary, we're from the UK and this is our first 7 nighter, but our third DCL cruise. we're really looking forward to cruising and going back to WDW too! shame its so far away at the mo!
then again, we're still over a year and a half away, and including you and jodi, we've got 4 groups for the FE already!

[Fire14]

yay for more cruise mates!!
hi fire14, welcome to our small(ish) meet thread, i'm sure we'll get more people closer to the time! not sure if you read the rest but i'm karen, and i'm cruising with DH gary, we're from the UK and this is our first 7 nighter, but our third DCL cruise. we're really looking forward to cruising and going back to WDW too! shame its so far away at the mo!
then again, we're still over a year and a half away, and including you and jodi, we've got 4 groups for the FE already!
I know on our last cruise the thread really took off about a year out. Is anyone planning/have done a facebook group? for cruise I found on last cruise the FB group was quite active too.

[karentan]

i made one for our last cruise too, just made one for this cruise:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=296088364520

[Fire14]

Hello do we have any new castaways yet?

[B9erSteve]

I hadn't thought of a facebook group. Interesting idea. I'm planning on making my first payment for this cruise next month. Whoo Hoo! Working a lot of OT to make it happen!

[karentan]

i've made a facebook page for us, the link is a couple of posts up.
at this rate we're going to have the ship to ourselves!

[B9erSteve]

i've made a facebook page for us, the link is a couple of posts up.
at this rate we're going to have the ship to ourselves!

Well, somebody snagged up the SPH rooms. They've gotta be lurking out there somewhere!

[B9erSteve]

Well, My last comment got me to looking on the Disneycruise website and there were two SPH rooms left. 5020 and 5524. My friends are in 5520 and 5522. So I took 5524. My Bro is moving to that 5020 room. Saved about $430! Whoo Hoo!

[karentan]

at least our FE gift delivery will be easy for you guys! :)

[snugglepeas]

Hi everyone, Im Paula my DH and I just booked last night we are going to be in stateroom 7634. anyone else book around us? It's just DH, myself and our 5year old(at time of sailing)

[B9erSteve]

Hi everyone, Im Paula my DH and I just booked last night we are going to be in stateroom 7634. anyone else book around us? It's just DH, myself and our 5year old(at time of sailing)

Welcome! I've been In a stateroom near that one before. Is it a verandah? If it is it may have been that one. This is my third cruise and I want to save money for Aulani in 2012. So no verandah for me.

[Fire14]

Hi everyone, Im Paula my DH and I just booked last night we are going to be in stateroom 7634. anyone else book around us? It's just DH, myself and our 5year old(at time of sailing)
were down hall in 7620 :)

[snugglepeas]

Welcome! I've been In a stateroom near that one before. Is it a verandah? If it is it may have been that one. This is my third cruise and I want to save money for Aulani in 2012. So no verandah for me.

Yes it's a verandah room it's the last room before the handicap rooms, we decided to go all out as it's our first cruise and it's our 10th wedding anniversary

[B9erSteve]

Our first cruise we were upgraded to a verandah for free, and on the second, I decided that I really wanted that verandah and upgraded myself. You'll really like it. I'll probably be spending more time on deck this time since I'm not getting one this time.

[karentan]

congrats on the 10 year anniversary :)

we're sticking to a cat 11c this time, as we never spend too much time in the room anyway, on our first 3 night, we booked a 12, got a 9, and on the second 3 night, booked a 12, got an 11. the way i see it is that i'd rather spend the extra on shopping/food/drinks etc. then again i've never done a 7 night before, so might end up changing my mind after 7 nights in an inside cabin!

[B9erSteve]

congrats on the 10 year anniversary :)

we're sticking to a cat 11c this time, as we never spend too much time in the room anyway, on our first 3 night, we booked a 12, got a 9, and on the second 3 night, booked a 12, got an 11. the way i see it is that i'd rather spend the extra on shopping/food/drinks etc. then again i've never done a 7 night before, so might end up changing my mind after 7 nights in an inside cabin!

I would have done the same for this cruise too, but I'm cruising with a bunch of friends from work and they were wanting to stay on the same area of the ship with porthole views.

Now when I book on the Dream (or Fantasy) I'll be inside all the way. Those "porthole" monitors seem like a lot of fun

[karentan]

yeah i've heard about those! i think it'll help people who may be a bit claustrophobic, nothing beats a proper window or verandah, but its gotta be better than nothing!

[B9erSteve]

You're right about nothing beating real sunlight! I'm thinking more about the entertainment value that it would deliver to my kids. They'd constantly be trying to guess what cation character would pop up next.

[KilleriMac17]

This will be my first cruise. snugglepeas is my EW(evil wife) ;)
never been on a cruise before. or outside of the U.S.(except the one time when I was 4). looking forward too it.

[B9erSteve]

Welcome Aboard! I'm Steve. My Wife is Laura. At the time of sailing this will be our 4th Disney Cruise. (I just booked a short 2 night Cruise on the Wonder on Jan 21st which is our 3rd.)

[karentan]

2 night wonder cruise? wow thats short!

[KilleriMac17]

My wife and I were wondering.. when you eat lunch/breakfast at a sit down restaurant, do you tip the people? Normally at a restaurant I would anyways, but they normally get tips at the end, but that's usually for your nighttime wait staff. I haven't seen anywhere that mentions the people during the day. I know you tip room service. Just haven't seen anything on the daytime restaurants.

[B9erSteve]

2 night wonder cruise? wow thats short!

Yeah it is, they're filling a gap between the 14-night repo and the beginning of the 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises. The Price was excellent and We've not been on the Wonder yet so I jumped all over the deal.

[B9erSteve]

My wife and I were wondering.. when you eat lunch/breakfast at a sit down restaurant, do you tip the people? Normally at a restaurant I would anyways, but they normally get tips at the end, but that's usually for your nighttime wait staff. I haven't seen anywhere that mentions the people during the day. I know you tip room service. Just haven't seen anything on the daytime restaurants.

No you have no need to tip anyone until the end of the cruise. I believe that any alcohol has tip included. The suggested tip amounts are fine, however, I find that I like to tip a bit over that amount since the staff have always worked hard to make our trips wonderful. The exception to the above. (and it is purely up to you) is Palo. The surcharge for eating there includes the tip. But I've found that 1) it seems fairly paltry (I'm not sure how much of that $15 actually goes to the wait staff) AND if you have a Palo server on your side you'll get some awesome service there. Example: We had brunch at Palo. I tipped our server a bit (she was awesome) then when we had Dinner at Palo, she made sure that she had us at one of her tables. She was so helpful and fun that our dinner there was truly magical. I tipped her generously for that!

Overall, tipping is always at the discretion of the customer. One should never feel overly obligated to tip, but after having these people work so hard for me, I personally want to reward them for their hard work.

[KilleriMac17]

No you have no need to tip anyone until the end of the cruise. I believe that any alcohol has tip included. The suggested tip amounts are fine, however, I find that I like to tip a bit over that amount since the staff have always worked hard to make our trips wonderful. The exception to the above. (and it is purely up to you) is Palo. The surcharge for eating there includes the tip. But I've found that 1) it seems fairly paltry (I'm not sure how much of that $15 actually goes to the wait staff) AND if you have a Palo server on your side you'll get some awesome service there. Example: We had brunch at Palo. I tipped our server a bit (she was awesome) then when we had Dinner at Palo, she made sure that she had us at one of her tables. She was so helpful and fun that our dinner there was truly magical. I tipped her generously for that!

Overall, tipping is always at the discretion of the customer. One should never feel overly obligated to tip, but after having these people work so hard for me, I personally want to reward them for their hard work.

Yeah, we may do the brunch at palo. I normally tip higher than the 'required' unless service is really bad. I was just wondering what happens to the daytime servers if most people dont tip.. maybe they are all pooled...

[B9erSteve]

Yeah, we may do the brunch at palo. I normally tip higher than the 'required' unless service is really bad. I was just wondering what happens to the daytime servers if most people dont tip.. maybe they are all pooled...

The daytime servers are the nighttime servers. (you may not see yours though). The tips that they receive at the end of the cruise covers their duties for those periods as well. Which is why I'm usually generous.

[KilleriMac17]

The daytime servers are the nighttime servers. (you may not see yours though). The tips that they receive at the end of the cruise covers their duties for those periods as well. Which is why I'm usually generous.

thats what I kinda figured, I am not a cheap tipper so thats good atleast(don't wanna have to keep carrying around spare bills everywhere) :)

[B9erSteve]

thats what I kinda figured, I am not a cheap tipper so thats good atleast(don't wanna have to keep carrying around spare bills everywhere) :)

Nice!

[B9erSteve]

I forgot to tell y'all. I got a packet from DCL the other day with general information on this cruise along with a postcard listing the final payment date and earliest excursion/palos booking date for me. Funny thing is I have another DCL cruise that is booked for only 9 months from now that I thought this packet would cover that one. I was quite surprised to see the Oct 1st date on it. Anyone else get this packet?

[Fire14]

I forgot to tell y'all. I got a packet from DCL the other day with general information on this cruise along with a postcard listing the final payment date and earliest excursion/palos booking date for me. Funny thing is I have another DCL cruise that is booked for only 9 months from now that I thought this packet would cover that one. I was quite surprised to see the Oct 1st date on it. Anyone else get this packet?
I haven't yet but we also booked thru TA so that may play into it.

[karentan]

and i'm in the UK so it normally takes longer for us to get stuff.
plus with no planes allowed to fly in europe at the mo, i think the international mail is going to have a huge backlog!

[B9erSteve]

and i'm in the UK so it normally takes longer for us to get stuff.
plus with no planes allowed to fly in europe at the mo, i think the international mail is going to have a huge backlog!

hadn't thought about that. Gonna be miserable for the mail carriers as well. I was surprised that it was sent out so early.

[KilleriMac17]

We got two packets, one for the reservation(which lists when I can start reserving things and the balance) and a second one after we made our deposit.

[KilleriMac17]

Due to some financial issues we had to change our category from 6a to 11b(quite a downgrade) but saves us $2000 for our first cruise so we can still have some spending money. Luckly we were able to change it online
:sad1:

[karentan]

we're in a 11c, so at least you're not in the lowest ones like we are!

[B9erSteve]

Due to some financial issues we had to change our category from 6a to 11b(quite a downgrade) but saves us $2000 for our first cruise so we can still have some spending money. Luckly we were able to change it online
:sad1:

$2000 is $2000. I like the verandah's but I can also do w/o them too. I'm trying an 11b for my 2nt cruise in Jan. We'll see if I can stand it. I think that when I go on the Dream (or Fantasy) I'll be cat 10.

we're in a 11c, so at least you're not in the lowest ones like we are!

I doubt you even see that 11c. Most of the cruises that I've been on in Oct, the 11's are upgraded.

[karentan]

i booked a cat 12 (what the 11c's used to be called), first time we got a cat 9, second time we got an 11 (same as cat 12 but in different places on the ship).
i loved having the free window in the first room, but i didnt think the cat 11 was bad at all. it was handy having the split bathroom in the first one, but it wasnt the end of the world not having it, and we dont spend that much time in the room anyway. who does??!!

[B9erSteve]

i booked a cat 12 (what the 11c's used to be called), first time we got a cat 9, second time we got an 11 (same as cat 12 but in different places on the ship).
i loved having the free window in the first room, but i didnt think the cat 11 was bad at all. it was handy having the split bathroom in the first one, but it wasnt the end of the world not having it, and we dont spend that much time in the room anyway. who does??!!

My wife really likes the split bath. She doesn't think that she'll miss it for the two nighter. But for the longer cruises I'd catch it for not getting one. And I suspect that as the kids get older, it'll get more important. If it were just me and her, I'd not spend a dime more for the split bath.

[karentan]

thats our thoughts exactly, i'm sure if and when we have kids we'll need the extra space, but for now its just me and gary :)

[Fire14]

WE may get us some cruise crasher. My brother and Wife might be joining us.

[B9erSteve]

WE may get us some cruise crasher. My brother and Wife might be joining us.

It's always nice to have family onboard.

[karentan]

the more the merrier!!!

[dsnydaddy]

Hey, everyone. I thought I'd poke my head in here. I changed my Username But kept my avatar and Siggie so that people can recognize me.

[Fire14]

Hi All ltnc Getting excited to go cruising

[dsnydaddy]

Hi All ltnc Getting excited to go cruising

You and I both.

Actually, funny thing is, that I just left DL last month and I'm already itching to go back. My Son and I are planning a father/son only trip next month. And I am jazzed! DCA changes so much everyday now, I really can't wait to see what is different.

[karentan]

i'm really looking forward to cruising the caribbean, but i've gone ahead and booked another trip too, i got an amazing rate so in 20 days i'll be on the magic in the mediterranean!
booked a cat 12 again, this time i got a 10!

[dsnydaddy]

Sweet! Good For you. I too needed and DCL fix and booked the Cruise to Nowhere. I so drool over those European cruises. but Airfare to and from will cost as much, if not more, than the cruise! My hope is that they will post the Magic in Europe once the Fantasy is online. Then maybe I'll be able to score some off-season rates and airfare and make the trip possible.

[karentan]

i got a really great last minute rate for the 7 night barcelona to dover repo cruise, but the one way flights from UK to barcelona cost about half the price of the entire cruise!

[dsnydaddy]

That's why I really can't do a repo cruise the one-way tix kill me!

[karentan]

the airfare was ridiculous. my boss is also on the same cruise and hers was even more than mine was!

[m_kasch]

Hey everyone!! My DH and I may be joining you all on this cruise!! I'm just trying to work out switching from another...

We were tablemates with Karen & Gary on our first cruise last September. I've been on another 3 day cruise since, and I can't wait to get back out there!! I'm having major cruise withdrawls!! :rotfl:

We're hoping to book an 11C, but those keep coming and going...so who knows!!

[karentan]

come and join us mary, come over to the dark side ;) :rotfl:

[dsnydaddy]

Hey everyone!! My DH and I may be joining you all on this cruise!! I'm just trying to work out switching from another...

We were tablemates with Karen & Gary on our first cruise last September. I've been on another 3 day cruise since, and I can't wait to get back out there!! I'm having major cruise withdrawls!! :rotfl:

We're hoping to book an 11C, but those keep coming and going...so who knows!!

Congrats! We're glad to have you!

[MouseMadness]

Hi...our family just booked this cruise. We were supposed to be on the Magic this October, but due to DS's school, we had to reschedule. It will be Me, DH, DS (8 at time of sailing) and DD (5 at time of sailing).

Oh yeah, and I still need to change my ticker!

[karentan]

welcome to our meet thread monica! its a bit quiet at the mo, but its still really far out, so hoping it'll get busier closer to the time!
i'm karen, and i'm sailing with my husband gary, we're both 29, and this will be our 4th disney cruise :)

[dsnydaddy]

Nice to have you Monica.

[Fire14]

Welcome to group Monica.

[angiengary]

Hi Everyone,

We just booked this cruise and are looking forward to getting to know you all. This will be our first Disney cruise. We originally booked a cruise for this October with some friends but their plans and ours got changed and neither of our families could make it. There will be 3 of us traveling my husband Gary, myself and our son Geoffrey who will be 9 at the time of sailing.

[dsnydaddy]

Hello Angie, Nice to have you.

[MouseMadness]

Hi Everyone,

We just booked this cruise and are looking forward to getting to know you all. This will be our first Disney cruise. We originally booked a cruise for this October with some friends but their plans and ours got changed and neither of our families could make it. There will be 3 of us traveling my husband Gary, myself and our son Geoffrey who will be 9 at the time of sailing.


ANGIE, YOU CRAZY GIRL, WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME!!!!! I thought you guys were still up in Canada...YEAH...you decided to change and go with us. I am soooooo excited!!!!

Gotta call you...

[TifffanyD]

We are going to join you all! We had to cancel the transatlantic :confused: so this is our consolation cruise :rotfl:

We are going on this same itinerary in a few months (Oct 30!) and can't wait!

[dsnydaddy]

Welcome Tiffany. We'll be glad to have you.

[ssanders79]

We booked this cruise the other night onboard the Wonder. My daughter did not want to leave the ship this morning. I will be more than happy to keep track of the Fish Extender list. Just send me a PM or post to the thread and I will keep it updated up to the time we leave the morning of the cruise.

Here is the link for the Fish Extender list (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE).

The page will be more printer friendly in the coming weeks. I just threw this together to get the ball rolling.

[Silverfox97]

^^^^^^^

That's my spouse :) Yes, we just got off the Wonder this AM from a 5 night double dip and we booked this cruise on board. Our DD will be 4 1/2 when this cruise sails............I don't know how we'll wait 14 months until we cruise again!!!

The FE exchange we did was soooooooo fun! Hope we can do it again :flower3:

[karentan]

welcome to all the newcomers!
still wayyyy too long to go til we cruise :(

[Fire14]

We are in for FE exchange Juli (fire14), Danny (fires_grumpy), And Jodi ( no dis board name) who has her own FE so you get 2 for price of 1 at cabin 7620. Yes cruise long ways off but excitement just keeps building

[Silverfox97]

We are in for FE exchange Juli (fire14), Danny (fires_grumpy), And Jodi ( no dis board name) who has her own FE so you get 2 for price of 1 at cabin 7620. Yes cruise long ways off but excitement just keeps building

Another secret verandah room :thumbsup2 We were so worried that "our" room would be gone & already booked before we cruised.....we wanted to book on board, so we were thrilled when our room was still left. I'd take that room for every cruise.

[angiengary]

We are going to join you all! We had to cancel the transatlantic :confused: so this is our consolation cruise :rotfl:

We are going on this same itinerary in a few months (Oct 30!) and can't wait!


Welcome Aboard!

[angiengary]

We booked this cruise the other night onboard the Wonder. My daughter did not want to leave the ship this morning. I will be more than happy to keep track of the Fish Extender list. Just send me a PM or post to the thread and I will keep it updated up to the time we leave the morning of the cruise.

Here is the link for the Fish Extender list (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE).

The page will be more printer friendly in the coming weeks. I just threw this together to get the ball rolling.

We would love to be included in the fish extender. Thanks for taking care of it all.

[dsnydaddy]

Another secret verandah room :thumbsup2 We were so worried that "our" room would be gone & already booked before we cruised.....we wanted to book on board, so we were thrilled when our room was still left. I'd take that room for every cruise.

I love to take advantage of one of those, but I understand that they only hold 3. We have 4. Enjoy!

[dsnydaddy]

Add the Joseph family to the FE list. Room 5524. Steve (dsnydaddy)and Laura (LauraJo), Stuart (10 at time of sailing) and Leah (7)

[Silverfox97]

Add the Joseph family to the FE list. Room 5524. Steve (dsnydaddy)and Laura (LauraJo), Stuart (10 at time of sailing) and Leah (7)

We made good friends with a family on our last cruise - they were in 5524! SPH room - not too shabby, either! :thumbsup2 I think we'd enjoy a porthole room, especially on the 5th deck. If we had a family of 4, I'd definitely try for those. I love that there are "secret" rooms - I don't think that is going to happen at all on the Dream or Fantasy!

My poor sweet DD thinks we are cruising THIS October.........oh my.

[dsnydaddy]

Most of my group got SPH rooms on this cruise. 5520 and 5522 are friends from work as well as 5020 which will be occupied by my brother. Another friend from work will be in the inside cabin down the same hall as my coworkers and I. You may be right about the Dream and Fantasy. But we won't know for sure until people actually get on the ship and examine the rooms. I know one thing for sure the number of deluxe inside rooms are VERY few! Most of the inside rooms have the single bath!

[dsnydaddy]

My poor sweet DD thinks we are cruising THIS October.........oh my.

I'd be having a similar problem (the kids would be bugging me about a cruise) but I bought a cabin on the two night cruise to nowhere in Jan. So that'll tide them over.

[Fire14]

Another secret verandah room :thumbsup2 We were so worried that "our" room would be gone & already booked before we cruised.....we wanted to book on board, so we were thrilled when our room was still left. I'd take that room for every cruise.
We had 7120 first 2 cruises but thgis last cruise we decided to move down the hall a bit and fell in love with secret Verandah but when I went to book this upcoming cruise 7120 was taken and we decided we wanted to check out view from other side so we chose 7620.

[dsnydaddy]

We had 7120 first 2 cruises but thgis last cruise we decided to move down the hall a bit and fell in love with secret Verandah but when I went to book this upcoming cruise 7120 was taken and we decided we wanted to check out view from other side so we chose 7620.

Oh you'll like that side, you'll get a view of CC when docked!

[dsnydaddy]

I don't know how many of you are planning a WDW add on to this cruise. But the DIS is rumoring that 2011 discounts will be released tomorrow! I'm sure we can count on free dining, but I'm thinking there may be other incentives as well.

[Silverfox97]

I'd be having a similar problem (the kids would be bugging me about a cruise) but I bought a cabin on the two night cruise to nowhere in Jan. So that'll tide them over.

I hear ya! I'd love to book a quick 3 or 4-night in Feb., since that is exactly half-way in between our last cruise and this one next Oct.....Only problem, those cruises will be on the Dream, which is filling up and is more expensive. We're not really into jumping right onto that ship right away while it's "hot," - we'd rather enjoy it once the pomp & circumstance fanfare has passed. We'll see....there's always a chance of something and I can be hopeful - I will just hope for pixie dust! :wizard: I am still lucky that I have a child not in school yet - don't know what we'll do when that changes!!

Last night, I was pricing different options and I had to laugh :laughing: Next summer's 5 night double dip cruises on the Dream cost more than the 7 night cruises. That is crazy, and also hilarious.

Maybe I should've booked 2 cruises when we were on board!

[Silverfox97]

We had 7120 first 2 cruises but thgis last cruise we decided to move down the hall a bit and fell in love with secret Verandah but when I went to book this upcoming cruise 7120 was taken and we decided we wanted to check out view from other side so we chose 7620.

That is why we originally chose 6634 (7620 was our 2nd choice :goodvibes) - the view of CC/Flying Dutchman when the ship backs in is amazing! The water is so beautiful! And, on our double dip, we got to see it twice.

Oh, there is too much time between cruises! :sad2:

[dsnydaddy]

Last night, I was pricing different options and I had to laugh :laughing: Next summer's 5 night double dip cruises on the Dream cost more than the 7 night cruises. That is crazy, and also hilarious.


I've heard about the 5 night cruises being really expensive. Funny thing is that booking a 3 and 4 night back to back is cheaper than the 7 night and 5 night. I think that's the way we'll go if we don't do a 7 night on the Fantasy.

[dsnydaddy]

Well, I'm crazy excited! Just booked WDW for the week before this cruise with free Dining! Whoo Hoo! Saved me $840. (actually, not, because we were probably not going to do WDW unless we got some sort of significant savings because as is I'm spending a boat-load of money on this vacation.)

[Silverfox97]

I've heard about the 5 night cruises being really expensive. Funny thing is that booking a 3 and 4 night back to back is cheaper than the 7 night and 5 night. I think that's the way we'll go if we don't do a 7 night on the Fantasy.

My hubby cringed :eek: when he originally saw how much our 5 night cruise this year was...........But, lucky for me, I got out of the woods when they released Florida Resident rates and 60% of the cost of the cruise was refunded back onto our Disney Visa. We wanted the 2 days at CC, so I am SOOO glad we did it.

Excellent point about B2B - I always forget about that option............

[dsnydaddy]

Nice almost makes me want to live in Florida. But I've heard that nurses don't get paid too much there.

[Silverfox97]

Nice almost makes me want to live in Florida. But I've heard that nurses don't get paid too much there.

NOT TRUE! I can only speak for my institution in my area (Tampa). In fact, I am an inpatient RN and our patient to RN ratio is 4 patients to 1 nurse. Unheard of in most hospitals! But, cost of living is different, all of those things come into play. I can say it was a lot more than I made in Ohio, that's for sure!

We moved to Tampa in April '07. Chose Tampa for my job, but also where we are in Tampa the beach is 1 hr to the west (close, but far enough that we are out of hurricane harms way), and WDW is 1 hr to the east, Port Canaveral is 1 hr 40 min. Love the weather, love my job, love the location! No complaints on this end :lovestruc

Well, we decided to book another cruise so that we could take one while waiting for this one...........it's a 5 night DD on the Magic - post-holidays. Can't wait for both cruises!! Now we get to do 2 FE's!!

[ssanders79]

The FE list (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE) has been updated.

[Fire14]

Nice almost makes me want to live in Florida. But I've heard that nurses don't get paid too much there.
If nothing else everyone will feel safe with at least 3 nurses in our group as I'm a nurse also :)

[Silverfox97]

We are in for FE exchange Juli (fire14), Danny (fires_grumpy), And Jodi ( no dis board name) who has her own FE so you get 2 for price of 1 at cabin 7620. Yes cruise long ways off but excitement just keeps building

For the FE, am I correct to assume Jodi is an adult?

[Fire14]

For the FE, am I correct to assume Jodi is an adult?
yes she is a travel buddy of Dh and I.

[dsnydaddy]

NOT TRUE! I can only speak for my institution in my area (Tampa). In fact, I am an inpatient RN and our patient to RN ratio is 4 patients to 1 nurse. Unheard of in most hospitals! But, cost of living is different, all of those things come into play. I can say it was a lot more than I made in Ohio, that's for sure!

We moved to Tampa in April '07. Chose Tampa for my job, but also where we are in Tampa the beach is 1 hr to the west (close, but far enough that we are out of hurricane harms way), and WDW is 1 hr to the east, Port Canaveral is 1 hr 40 min. Love the weather, love my job, love the location! No complaints on this end :lovestruc

Well, we decided to book another cruise so that we could take one while waiting for this one...........it's a 5 night DD on the Magic - post-holidays. Can't wait for both cruises!! Now we get to do 2 FE's!!

I'll have to check it for myself then. We've got two nurses in our ED that fly in from FL and work for a long stretch then fly home. They say that even with the expense of flying they still earn so much more working in CA that it is worth it. We have state mandated ratios here too. For the ED it's 4:1 and 2:1 for criticals. But in the ED environment ratios don't mean much, you have to take care of whatever hits the door regardless of what the state tells you.

[dsnydaddy]

If nothing else everyone will feel safe with at least 3 nurses in our group as I'm a nurse also :)

Sweet, sounds like great company!

[Silverfox97]

I'll have to check it for myself then. We've got two nurses in our ED that fly in from FL and work for a long stretch then fly home. They say that even with the expense of flying they still earn so much more working in CA that it is worth it. We have state mandated ratios here too. For the ED it's 4:1 and 2:1 for criticals. But in the ED environment ratios don't mean much, you have to take care of whatever hits the door regardless of what the state tells you.

Interesting. We get some RNs from the midwest that do the traveling thing thru the agencies (usually they do it in the ICU -- we've never had one on our floor). They are usually from MI, OH, etc. They come for the same reason your FL RNs come to CA.

Actually, we don't have state mandated ratios - just my hospital. I work for an NCI Cancer Hospital (Moffitt Cancer Hospital). It's a perfect fit for me. Like I said, as far as $$, I can only speak for Moffitt. They pay well and treat their employees well - their retention rate is very high. RNs just don't leave!

Cost of living in CA is very different than FL, though, too. I've seen the show "House Hunters" :laughing: I don't think my salary would buy a shack there! But here, I've got a great place :goodvibes

Sorry for the off topic everyone! At least the nurses can bond at the meet ;)

[angiengary]

The FE list (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE) has been updated.

Please add us to the FE list, thanks

[ssanders79]

Please add us to the FE list, thanks

Your already on the list.

[angiengary]

your already on the list.

thanks :)

[Silverfox97]

Well, this thread has been quiet for almost a month!

Just thought that if anyone was bored :goodvibes, that you get "meet" our family by reading the trip report for our Aug 5 night cruise. There are lots of pictures of us, and DCL food :thumbsup2 It's not that long - the entire thread is only 2 pages :cutie:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2551452

Almost 1 year away...........watching those tickers closely!!!

[dsnydaddy]

Interesting. We get some RNs from the midwest that do the traveling thing thru the agencies (usually they do it in the ICU -- we've never had one on our floor). They are usually from MI, OH, etc. They come for the same reason your FL RNs come to CA.

Actually, we don't have state mandated ratios - just my hospital. I work for an NCI Cancer Hospital (Moffitt Cancer Hospital). It's a perfect fit for me. Like I said, as far as $$, I can only speak for Moffitt. They pay well and treat their employees well - their retention rate is very high. RNs just don't leave!

Cost of living in CA is very different than FL, though, too. I've seen the show "House Hunters" :laughing: I don't think my salary would buy a shack there! But here, I've got a great place :goodvibes

Sorry for the off topic everyone! At least the nurses can bond at the meet ;)

Yeah, California homes can be very expensive! I bought my house at a good time and so I don't owe a whole lot on it. Many of my friends are crazy upside-down on their homes.

Our hospital used to be a lot like yours too. They strove to make sure that we were well paid for the area and lots of perks. But since we went union, the hospital-nurse relations have become very adversarial. It's been very sad!

[dsnydaddy]

Well, this thread has been quiet for almost a month!

Just thought that if anyone was bored :goodvibes, that you get "meet" our family by reading the trip report for our Aug 5 night cruise. There are lots of pictures of us, and DCL food :thumbsup2 It's not that long - the entire thread is only 2 pages :cutie:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2551452

Almost 1 year away...........watching those tickers closely!!!

Well, here's my big news for this trip! I booked my pre-cruise trip to WDW and snagged that Free Dining Deal! We'll be staying at POR and are leaving Sept. 24th 2011. Gonna be a long awesome vacation!

[angiengary]

Well, this thread has been quiet for almost a month!

Just thought that if anyone was bored :goodvibes, that you get "meet" our family by reading the trip report for our Aug 5 night cruise. There are lots of pictures of us, and DCL food :thumbsup2 It's not that long - the entire thread is only 2 pages :cutie:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2551452

Almost 1 year away...........watching those tickers closely!!!

Thanks for sharing your thread with us. I enjoyed reading about your cruise and seeing all the great pictures. YOu have a beautiful family.

[Silverfox97]

Thanks for sharing your thread with us. I enjoyed reading about your cruise and seeing all the great pictures. YOu have a beautiful family.

Thanks for your kind words :goodvibes Glad you enjoyed it!!!

[dsnydaddy]

Well, this thread has been quiet for almost a month!

Just thought that if anyone was bored :goodvibes, that you get "meet" our family by reading the trip report for our Aug 5 night cruise. There are lots of pictures of us, and DCL food :thumbsup2 It's not that long - the entire thread is only 2 pages :cutie:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2551452

Almost 1 year away...........watching those tickers closely!!!

Nice TR! I just finished it. The Pictures were Great. Good thinking about that January Cruise BTW! We'll be on the Wonder just a few weeks after your photo op.

[dsnydaddy]

Just popping in to brag a bit. I killed myself with overtime this month and paid off my cruise! Whoo Hoo! Now to pay off the WDW portion!

[angiengary]

Just popping in to brag a bit. I killed myself with overtime this month and paid off my cruise! Whoo Hoo! Now to pay off the WDW portion!


Congrats on paying off your cruise :)

[ssanders79]

Awesome!!! I miss OT. Those were the good old days.

[dsnydaddy]

Awesome!!! I miss OT. Those were the good old days.

Actually, trying to get to the point where I don't have to do it at all. I foresee a time when it'll be a bit more scarce. Right now though we're running an ER with nowhere near the number of nurses that we really need for the volume that we have.

[karentan]

hi guys, we've decided to swap this cruise and do the 2011 westbound transatlantic instead.
hope you guys have an awesome cruise and we'll make sure the ship is ready and waiting for you :)

[dsnydaddy]

Have a great time Karen!!! Sorry we'll miss you.

[dsnydaddy]

Hey! Does anyone know why all of the Caribbean Cruises in Oct and Nov 2011 no longer show up on the DCL website?

[Silverfox97]

Hey! Does anyone know why all of the Caribbean Cruises in Oct and Nov 2011 no longer show up on the DCL website?

Just searched for our cruise....they are still there.....:confused3

[dsnydaddy]

maybe something funky with my computer then. Crazy. I can see to book all the other cruises. Just not the Oct or Nov 2011 ones.

[dsnydaddy]

Okay, I feel better now. While I still cannot pull up any of the OCT NOV 2011 cruises on the home page search engine, If I do an advanced search I can easily go to them.

[dsnydaddy]

Well, It looks like we'll be ducking out of this cruise date. Recent changes at the hospital I work, means that early October will be off limits for vacations. We've switched to a late October cruise date on the Dream (B2B!!!) Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and have a fantastic cruise!

[ssanders79]

Well, It looks like we'll be ducking out of this cruise date. Recent changes at the hospital I work, means that early October will be off limits for vacations. We've switched to a late October cruise date on the Dream (B2B!!!) Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and have a fantastic cruise!

Enjoy your B2B!

The FE List (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE) has been updated.

[dsnydaddy]

Thank you. I was lucky to pick two cruises that have some great DIS friends on them so it turned out to be a great change on all fronts.

[MouseMadness]

Happy New Year!!! Now we can officially say we are cruising THIS year!!! :goodvibes

[ssanders79]

Thanks and Happy new year!

[Silverfox97]

Happy New Year!!! Monday we get to make the 1hr 40 min trek to the Port and embark on our 5-night double dip on the Magic before we hop on the Magic again for this one -- can't wait -- 2011 is going to be a fun year :goodvibes

[colormedisney98]

Hi I just turned 13 yesterday and I was wondering if anybody on the October 1-8 Western Caribbean cruise had any tween or teen kids? Thanks :yay:

[Pinky3]

Looking forward to Oct 1. Our 4th cruise.

Rick
Debbie
Zac (will turn 13 in Aug)


See ya soon but not soon enough

[Silverfox97]

Looking forward to Oct 1. Our 4th cruise.

Rick
Debbie
Zac (will turn 13 in Aug)


See ya soon but not soon enough

Welcome :) It will be our 4th cruise as well,but 1st to somewhere other than the Bahamas!!!

[colormedisney98]

Hi I just turned 13 and I was wondering if anyone had any kids around that age going on this cruise? Thanks :)

[colormedisney98]

Oh lucky! This will be my 3rd, and it's my 2nd to the Western Caribbean.

[colormedisney98]

I think that cruise was the one after mine! When did it start?

[colormedisney98]

Will he have a disboard by then? I can't find ANYONE my age on here!!!

[ssanders79]

I'm lost!

[merky]

Looking forward to Oct 1. Our 4th cruise.

Rick
Debbie
Zac (will turn 13 in Aug)


See ya soon but not soon enough

Wow I see you are from E-town :woohoo: we will be on the same cruise we live about 30 miles from you and have a DD just turning 14 next mt.

[MouseMadness]

Hey everyone, looks like we will be exiting this cruise date...district played a switch-a-roo this year, and just posted the calendar...with Fall break two weeks later than it has ever been! :confused3

So, it looks like we will be sailing 2 weeks later than you guys on October 15th. Hope you all have a great time, and I'll keep an eye out for any TRs! :goodvibes

[Silverfox97]

Just checking in to say hello to everyone!!! It's under 8 months until we set sail!!!

[Silverfox97]

OK, I just checked the FE list - 6 participants in 5 cabins - we need to drum up some FE business or I am going to have to keep filling ours to keep DD from getting depressed over an empty FE :sad1:

[merky]

booked part of my flight today :banana:

[Fire14]

OK, I just checked the FE list - 6 participants in 5 cabins - we need to drum up some FE business or I am going to have to keep filling ours to keep DD from getting depressed over an empty FE :sad1:

I so agree but if nothing else maybe Jodi and I can play secret Mice friends to your DD, and drop off a small gift each day.

[JanDave]

Hi All, we're cruising with you!!!!

It'll be me, DH-Dave and my cruise buddy - Carla. (Carla is my DD's m-i-l). This will be my 3rd DCL western cruise and my 16th DCL cruise. We were booked on the 10-12-11 Wonder but changed our minds yesterday.

We are "oldsters" - in age not mind! We have three adult kids/in-law kids and 6 amazing, wonderful grandchildren, all between the ages of 4 and 8.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you. AND, hoping summer is over soon so that we can get closer to boarding that beautiful ship.

Jan

[wmurphy1]

Hi all we are joining you on this cruise. There are 18 family members going in 6 cabins for most this is not their first cruise but this is me and my part of the families first cruise. I have all kinds of questions. First off what is FE?:confused: I have a teen in my group that would love to have more in the 14 year old range any out there?

[JanDave]

Welcome Wanda and Family!!! :cheer2:

Jan

[JanDave]

One more thing .... then I have to get back to sleep so I can function today!

I was pleasantly surprised when our TA told me that we could have early seating. Booking just months before we cruise, I assumed we'd have to waitlist main dining. We have done late dining in the past but it doesn't work for us. I can take that to-do off my to-do list - heading to Rockin Bar D at 1pm on the day we board to get main dining.

Jan

[JanDave]

FE is short for fish extender. Outside each stateroom is a metal fish that acts as a clip and is your "mailbox". For example, if you are a DVC member, an invite to a DVC member meeting will be put there. As an FE participant on a cruise thread, you will hang a fabric holder on the metal fish - picture a long piece of fabric with 2-4 pockets - width approx. 12 inches - that has a string at the top to attach around the metal fish. to the DCL thread at the top of the main board list titled "DIS DCL FAQ and scroll to: Fish Extenders - FE 101 Basics, FE Info, Directions to make a no-sew FE - you can click onto each of these topics.

Sample fish extender:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a147/melb315/100_0406.jpg

Cruisers who participate in FE gifts deliver their gifts on a given day to designated participants. The FE list will show a list of participants with stateroom numbers, names/ages of people in the participating cabins. I have been on a couple of DCL cruises where the FE exchange has so many participants that it is divided into 2 or more groups.

Wanda, click on this thread to see FE gift ideas.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1980639&highlight=what+is+fe

Hope my explanation isn't too confusing. Hopefully, our fellow cruisers can explain much better.

Now, back to sleep for me!

Jan

[JanDave]

Karen, while searching for FE info, I found a post of yours regarding your FE gifts from a prior cruise. Amazing!!!! You are so creative!!!!

Jan

[merky]

Hi all we are joining you on this cruise. There are 18 family members going in 6 cabins for most this is not their first cruise but this is me and my part of the families first cruise. I have all kinds of questions. First off what is FE?:confused: I have a teen in my group that would love to have more in the 14 year old range any out there?

welcome and my DD is 14 and would love some company

[Silverfox97]

I so agree but if nothing else maybe Jodi and I can play secret Mice friends to your DD, and drop off a small gift each day.

:thumbsup2 She is ALREADY talking about getting FE stuff and we are still several months away!!!

Welcome to Wanda and Jan -- Jan, great explaination of FE :goodvibes

[JanDave]

Booked our airfare today - $89 (without fees) from Detroit to Orlando.

Booked rental car also both ways.

Taking things off my to-do list.......

Jan

[wmurphy1]

WOW Jan 89 dollars great deal we have not seen anything that good here yet. the lowest quote I've got so far is 269. Hope the prices here get better.

[ssanders79]

Booked our airfare today - $89 (without fees) from Detroit to Orlando.

Booked rental car also both ways.

Taking things off my to-do list.......

Jan

Awesome deal.

[Silverfox97]

Booked our airfare today - $89 (without fees) from Detroit to Orlando.

If gas prices keep going up, it's going to cost us more to drive & park at the port than for you to fly!!!! :sad2:

[Bekkilin]

We booked this crusie a few weeks ago. I am Becky (41), with DH Dave (44), DS Aiden (8) and DD Fallon (5) from western Massachusetts. This will be our second cruise and our first time going for a full week! We are very excited and can't wait.

[ssanders79]

We booked this crusie a few weeks ago. I am Becky (41), with DH Dave (44), DS Aiden (8) and DD Fallon (5) from western Massachusetts. This will be our second cruise and our first time going for a full week! We are very excited and can't wait.

Welcome! Let me know if you want to be added to the FE List.

[JanDave]

Welcome Becky and Family! We, too, are excited about this cruise. This will be DCL #16 for me and the excitement is still there!

Jan

[Aunt Gram]

Hello Everyone,
We will have three families on this cruise. We range in age from 6 months to 62, and all love to cruise--especially on DCL.

[ssanders79]

Hello Everyone,
We will have three families on this cruise. We range in age from 6 months to 62, and all love to cruise--especially on DCL.

Welcome!

[JanDave]

Welcome Aunt Gram and Family!!!

Jan

[JanDave]

WOW Jan 89 dollars great deal we have not seen anything that good here yet. the lowest quote I've got so far is 269. Hope the prices here get better.

Wanda, are you flying out of Cleveland? Friends of ours (our tablemates on a DCL Magic cruise in 2004) who live in the Cleveland area always complain about the price of flying out of Cleveland.

Jan

[wmurphy1]

Yes Cleveland is one of our choises but we could do Pittsburg easy enough too. The prices are a bit better but still high.:confused3

[wmurphy1]

Ok I need some info on the Fish Extender thing like how do I get involved, how many thing would I need can I add more than one room my daughter will be in a different room and wants to do it too and we are kind of thinking about dragging my brother in too it too. That would be three rooms that are doing this does everyone do different things for different age groups. Any other info that you might want to just throw in there ok too.:scared1:

[Silverfox97]

Yes Cleveland is one of our choises but we could do Pittsburg easy enough too. The prices are a bit better but still high.:confused3

When we lived in Ohio, we used to fly Southwest non-stop Columbus to Orlando. Even when we lived west of Cleveland, it was still cheaper to drive to Columbus. Plus, no baggage fees w/Southwest :)

[missander]

Hi
We will be joining all you lovely people on this cruise. There are 3 of us, my mother, my dd 9 and myself. We are from Sydney Australia and this cruise will be in the middle of what I am calling our " sea to shining sea " holiday- 6 weeks to Hawaii, Seattle, an Alaskan cruise, Vancouver then down to Florida for Oasis of the Seas, this cruise, Disney Dream , WDW , Las Vegas and home- I am tired jut writing it all !!! When you come so far you have to cram it all in!! We have cruised a lot before on different lines, Princess, Star, RCL, Costa, Carnival- but this is our first Disney. We are really looking forward to it. Jennie

[ssanders79]

Ok I need some info on the Fish Extender thing like how do I get involved, how many thing would I need can I add more than one room my daughter will be in a different room and wants to do it too and we are kind of thinking about dragging my brother in too it too. That would be three rooms that are doing this does everyone do different things for different age groups. Any other info that you might want to just throw in there ok too.:scared1:

To get involved PM me with your stateroom number, who will be in each room. You can take a look at the current FE List (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE)to see what info is needed. As for the second part that is up to you. Some people do one item per stateroom, while others put something together for each person. It is entirely up to you.

Hi
We will be joining all you lovely people on this cruise. There are 3 of us, my mother, my dd 9 and myself. We are from Sydney Australia and this cruise will be in the middle of what I am calling our " sea to shining sea " holiday- 6 weeks to Hawaii, Seattle, an Alaskan cruise, Vancouver then down to Florida for Oasis of the Seas, this cruise, Disney Dream , WDW , Las Vegas and home- I am tired jut writing it all !!! When you come so far you have to cram it all in!! We have cruised a lot before on different lines, Princess, Star, RCL, Costa, Carnival- but this is our first Disney. We are really looking forward to it. Jennie

Welcome! Wow that is one heck of a trip!!!

[swollf]

I am new to this thread, and am going to be on this cruise with myself, I have 4 children. An 11 year old, 9 year old, and 2 six year olds. Then my husband and his parents. Are you doing the fish extender? This is all new to me, but would like to make it the best possible experience because we will probably never be able to do again. Nice to meet you!

[ssanders79]

I am new to this thread, and am going to be on this cruise with myself, I have 4 children. An 11 year old, 9 year old, and 2 six year olds. Then my husband and his parents. Are you doing the fish extender? This is all new to me, but would like to make it the best possible experience because we will probably never be able to do again. Nice to meet you!

Welcome!

[Silverfox97]

I am new to this thread, and am going to be on this cruise with myself, I have 4 children. An 11 year old, 9 year old, and 2 six year olds. Then my husband and his parents. Are you doing the fish extender? This is all new to me, but would like to make it the best possible experience because we will probably never be able to do again. Nice to meet you!

We are definitely doing the FE!

[Fire14]

Ok I need some info on the Fish Extender thing like how do I get involved, how many thing would I need can I add more than one room my daughter will be in a different room and wants to do it too and we are kind of thinking about dragging my brother in too it too. That would be three rooms that are doing this does everyone do different things for different age groups. Any other info that you might want to just throw in there ok too.:scared1:
WE personally did a pkg for each room and made sure there was a rubber duckie/glow item for each child in room(actually each had own baggie). THis is looking to be a smaller group so we may do more this round.

[colormedisney98]

welcome and my DD is 14 and would love some company

I'm 13, my name is Kennedy... would that help?
:)

[merky]

Hi, I am sure she would love to meet you !

[feeandjon]

Hi All,
We are joining you on this cruise as well. Can't wait. Our family is Jon, Fiona and our bubs are Xavier (1) and Sarah (8). This is part of a whirlwind trip - Disneyland, San Francisco, then Orlando, Disney cruise and a couple more days in Orlando.
This is our second family cruise together and we are so excited about the idea of a Disney Cruise. Please include our family in the Fish Extender - we are travelling from Brisbane, Australia so will working on an Australia theme gift for all those joining in.
Can't wait to meet you all - Not long to go now !!!
Cheers
King family

[ssanders79]

Hi All,
We are joining you on this cruise as well. Can't wait. Our family is Jon, Fiona and our bubs are Xavier (1) and Sarah (8). This is part of a whirlwind trip - Disneyland, San Francisco, then Orlando, Disney cruise and a couple more days in Orlando.
This is our second family cruise together and we are so excited about the idea of a Disney Cruise. Please include our family in the Fish Extender - we are travelling from Brisbane, Australia so will working on an Australia theme gift for all those joining in.
Can't wait to meet you all - Not long to go now !!!
Cheers
King family

Welcome!
The FE List (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE) has been updated.

[wmurphy1]

Welcome King family, :goodvibes This is part of a great extended family cruise for us. First cruise for us not for most but the fist Disney cruise for all. We are all getting so excited. Haveing a family reunion this month and I know that will be the topic eveyone wants to talk about :mickeyjum

[feeandjon]

Thanks Scott & Wanda,

Scott, an update for the FE list - we are room 8048, First Dinner seating.

Have a great day all !!! I am spending a great deal of time downloading youtube videos of other peoples trips away - this will be great !!!

:cool1::yay::dance3::woohoo:

[ssanders79]

Thanks Scott & Wanda,

Scott, an update for the FE list - we are room 8048, First Dinner seating.

Have a great day all !!! I am spending a great deal of time downloading youtube videos of other peoples trips away - this will be great !!!

:cool1::yay::dance3::woohoo:

Thanks for the update. If you get tired of watching youtube vids and have time take a look at our Trip Reports in my signature.

[wmurphy1]

Thanks for the update. If you get tired of watching youtube vids and have time take a look at our Trip Reports in my signature.

ssanders just read your trip reports and they were wonderful!!!!! can not wait to habe one of my own:goodvibes

[feeandjon]

Great report Scott - we are starting to get a feeling this cruise might be a cruise of a lifetime. We should arrange a time to get together and meet everybody - be great to have a group pic together. Our kids have no idea of the great time they are about to have.

Cheers
Kings

[ssanders79]

ssanders just read your trip reports and they were wonderful!!!!! can not wait to habe one of my own:goodvibes

Great report Scott - we are starting to get a feeling this cruise might be a cruise of a lifetime. We should arrange a time to get together and meet everybody - be great to have a group pic together. Our kids have no idea of the great time they are about to have.

Cheers
Kings

Thanks. The credit for the TRs should go to DW silverfox97, I just provided the photos.

[Silverfox97]

Thanks. The credit for the TRs should go to DW silverfox97, I just provided the photos.

I am thinking that the next one (for this cruise!!!) will be focused more on scenic pictures, with some food pics sprinkled in, instead of food-pic focused. I especially want to get more room interior rooms, especially since we have our fave secret verandah cabin again :goodvibes

Glad you all have enjoyed reading them!!!

I'll tell ya, we just got off the Magic in Jan., but this cruise can't get here fast enough!!! Itching to get back onto a DCL ship soon!!!!!!!!

[Fire14]

I have no idea if I ever posted this stuff but:
Danny and I are ceebrating our 9th wedding anv on cruise- as in will b on boat on that day :).
Also we are first dining.

[wmurphy1]

I have no idea if I ever posted this stuff but:
Danny and I are ceebrating our 9th wedding anv on cruise- as in will b on boat on that day :).
Also we are first dining.
Congratts Fire on the 9th me and DH are going to be #26 by then. What day is the celebration I will be celebrating my 23 aniversary of my 21 birthday on the ship and in Key West!! :banana:

[Fire14]

Congratts Fire on the 9th me and DH are going to be #26 by then. What day is the celebration I will be celebrating my 23 aniversary of my 21 birthday on the ship and in Key West!! :banana:
Oct 4

[JanDave]

Yes Cleveland is one of our choises but we could do Pittsburg easy enough too. The prices are a bit better but still high.:confused3

Wanda, how close/far do you live from Pittsburgh? My son and family live in Morgantown, WV and we travel through Ohio/Pittsburgh 5-6 times a year.

Jan

[JanDave]

Hi
We will be joining all you lovely people on this cruise. There are 3 of us, my mother, my dd 9 and myself. We are from Sydney Australia and this cruise will be in the middle of what I am calling our " sea to shining sea " holiday- 6 weeks to Hawaii, Seattle, an Alaskan cruise, Vancouver then down to Florida for Oasis of the Seas, this cruise, Disney Dream , WDW , Las Vegas and home- I am tired jut writing it all !!! When you come so far you have to cram it all in!! We have cruised a lot before on different lines, Princess, Star, RCL, Costa, Carnival- but this is our first Disney. We are really looking forward to it. Jennie

Welcome Jennie, mom and DD!!!! :cheer2:

What a wonderful vacation you have planned!!!

Jan

[JanDave]

Welcome to our cruise - SWollf and the King family!!!!

October 1 can't arrive soon enough!!!

Jan

[JanDave]

Fire 14 - are you a Spartan as in Michigan State????!!!!!

Go Green!!!!!

Jan, who lives 10 miles from MSU.

[wmurphy1]

Wanda, how close/far do you live from Pittsburgh? My son and family live in Morgantown, WV and we travel through Ohio/Pittsburgh 5-6 times a year.

Jan

We live about an hour to a hour and a half outside of Pittsburgh in the Youngstown area

[Fire14]

Fire 14 - are you a Spartan as in Michigan State????!!!!!

Go Green!!!!!

Jan, who lives 10 miles from MSU.
Yes mam I'm a Spartan stuck in this land of Buckeyes.

[ssanders79]

Yes mam I'm a Spartan stuck in this land of Buckeyes.

I feel your pain. I was a Buckeye stuck in a land of Buckeyes. Now I'm a happy Buckeye in the land of Gator, Seminoles, Caines, and Bulls.

[JanDave]

We live about an hour to a hour and a half outside of Pittsburgh in the Youngstown area

Wanda, small world. We had relatives in Youngstown. When my grandparents immigrated from Italy in 1920, they settled in New Castle, PA.

Jan

[wmurphy1]

Wanda, small world. We had relatives in Youngstown. When my grandparents immigrated from Italy in 1920, they settled in New Castle, PA.

Jan

It is a small world

[MiaSRN62]

Hi...would like to join the group.
We booked this cruise in January and it's our 4th Disney cruise. It will, however, be the first without the kids. My kids will all be in college this fall and none of them (I have three) can make it. We are traveling with two other couples that are good friends of ours so it should be fun.

[JanDave]

Welcome Maria, DH, and friends!!!!

Cruising this time is DH, Carla, our DD's m-i-l and me. Leaving the kids and grandkids at home!!! One of my grandson's doesn't think it's fair that his nana is cruising on the Magic without him!

Jan

[ssanders79]

Welcome Maria, DH, and friends!!!!

Cruising this time is DH, Carla, our DD's m-i-l and me. Leaving the kids and grandkids at home!!! One of my grandson's doesn't think it's fair that his nana is cruising on the Magic without him!

Jan

Welcome! Are you interested in the Fish Extender exchange?

[wmurphy1]

Hi...would like to join the group.
We booked this cruise in January and it's our 4th Disney cruise. It will, however, be the first without the kids. My kids will all be in college this fall and none of them (I have three) can make it. We are traveling with two other couples that are good friends of ours so it should be fun.

Welcome to the group.

[JanDave]

Hey, we are just about 4 months away from our Magical cruise!!!

Hoping all is well with everyone. Tomorrow, we are flying to Orlando and staying a few days at the DVC resort in Vero Beach. We plan to head to Cocoa Beach on Thursday to watch the Dream sail away.

Jan

[MiaSRN62]

Thank you for the warm welcomes all ! Can't believe it's only 4 months away !
Jan....we love Vero Beach---just returned from there a couple weeks ago.
Anyone going to be in WDW before or after the cruise ? We're planning 2 days before and 2 days after :goodvibes

[JanDave]

Thank you for the warm welcomes all ! Can't believe it's only 4 months away !
Jan....we love Vero Beach---just returned from there a couple weeks ago.
Anyone going to be in WDW before or after the cruise ? We're planning 2 days before and 2 days after :goodvibes

We are so looking forward to our stay at VB. We had lunch there the day we got off the Wonder last November. The short visit we had there convinced us to go back.

Jan

[Fire14]

Thank you for the warm welcomes all ! Can't believe it's only 4 months away !
Jan....we love Vero Beach---just returned from there a couple weeks ago.
Anyone going to be in WDW before or after the cruise ? We're planning 2 days before and 2 days after :goodvibes
WE are going for few days prior ( girls only for first night and MNSSHP night before cruise) and 1-2 days after. Getting excited.

[feeandjon]

We will also be there the week prior - for our first trip to Florida there seems to be so much to see and do - 3 days of parks and 2 'rest' days ready for the cruise trip.

Just finished paying the cruise and are ready to jump on and start booking things on June 3.

Fingers crossed we can get a Castaway Cay Cabana when the booking opens.

Have a great day all.

Cheers
Jon

[ucancallmetink]

Hi all~
I apologize for not reading through the whole thread, but can someone point me to the sign-up for the FE?

Oh and, hi! We'll be joining you on this cruise. We are Darcie (me), Jeff (DH), Torri (DD17), Kennedy (DD13), Cassidy (DD11) and Jayce DS (5). Looking forward to digging into this thread over the next few weeks!

[ssanders79]

Hi all~
I apologize for not reading through the whole thread, but can someone point me to the sign-up for the FE?

Oh and, hi! We'll be joining you on this cruise. We are Darcie (me), Jeff (DH), Torri (DD17), Kennedy (DD13), Cassidy (DD11) and Jayce DS (5). Looking forward to digging into this thread over the next few weeks!

The FE List (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE) has been updated.

[speakerchad]

My DW and I recently booked our 1st Disney cruise (not our first cruise though). Can't wait!

[speakerchad]

More info: Both DW and I are 37 (38 when we cruise), no kids. We will be spending the week prior to the cruise in WDW at AKL - Jambo House.

Still trying to understand the whole FE thing. Should we just jump into it?:confused3

[Fire14]

More info: Both DW and I are 37 (38 when we cruise), no kids. We will be spending the week prior to the cruise in WDW at AKL - Jambo House.

Still trying to understand the whole FE thing. Should we just jump into it?:confused3
Fish Extender thing is a fun lil gift exchange among cruisers. On past cruise we got a drink decorater kit, some cute pirate stuff, candy, a Cute music cd, home made bookmark, A can bank with label on it saying cruise fund. I will SAY Our group is adults only but we were like kids running back to room to see what goodies were waiting for us. I say jump in on fun. Your Fish extender can be a plastic bag hanging from your fish or A really nice custom made for you pocket organizer.

[speakerchad]

DW is the crafty one, so I'm sure she can come up with an interesting FE. One more thing to look forward to! :thumbsup2

[Fire14]

DW is the crafty one, so I'm sure she can come up with an interesting FE. One more thing to look forward to! :thumbsup2
I can dig mine out and take picture of ours if you'd like. I had mine made by someone on ebay.

[ucancallmetink]

The FE List (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE) has been updated.

Thank you!

We are in cabins 6111 and 6113.

Also, just wondering if there is a "last day to sign up". My gifts are partially determined by the number of participants!

[ssanders79]

Thank you!

We are in cabins 6111 and 6113.

Also, just wondering if there is a "last day to sign up". My gifts are partially determined by the number of participants!

I updated the list with your cabin numbers.

The cut off date is a month out (Sept 1). However, anyone who would like to join after that date is more than welcome with the understanding that they might not receive something from every stateroom. I've found in the past there are quite a few people who find the meet thread in the last 30 days as their excitement grows.

[speakerchad]

DW and I would love to get in on the FE thing. I'm not sure what additional info is needed, but stateroom currently assigned is 6632.

[Silverfox97]

DW and I would love to get in on the FE thing. I'm not sure what additional info is needed, but stateroom currently assigned is 6632.

You are our next door neighbor; we're in 6634!!!

[speakerchad]

You are our next door neighbor; we're in 6634!!!

Cool! By coincidence, I just happened to read your double dip cruise report the other day.

I love your photos on Flickr. Link to my page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13933131@N08/

[Silverfox97]

Cool! By coincidence, I just happened to read your double dip cruise report the other day.

I love your photos on Flickr. Link to my page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13933131@N08/

Thanks! I wrote it, but my DH (ssanders79) gets the credit for the pics - he's really into photography & IMHO, does a terrific job!!!

[platinumcruzer]

Hello to everyone...
Just returned from the EBTA and booked this cruise to celebrate my Bday...looking forward to another fantastic cruise on the magic....:cheer2:

[ssanders79]

DW and I would love to get in on the FE thing. I'm not sure what additional info is needed, but stateroom currently assigned is 6632.

I added you to the FE List (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE). If you want to add any additional info let me know.

[speakerchad]

I added you to the FE List (http://www.emilyandscott.us/FE). If you want to add any additional info let me know.

Thanks! DW's name is Brandy. Her birthday is the week prior which we will be celebrating in WDW.

[ammouse]

Hello do we have any new castaways yet?

Hi, we are new Disney Cruisers. We will sailing on Disney Oct 1 Western carribean cruise. We would like to do FE.

[ammouse]

I updated the list with your cabin numbers.

The cut off date is a month out (Sept 1). However, anyone who would like to join after that date is more than welcome with the understanding that they might not receive something from every stateroom. I've found in the past there are quite a few people who find the meet thread in the last 30 days as their excitement grows.
Our family would also like to join the FE.

[JanDave]

Welcome platinumcruzer and ammouse and families!!!

Platinumcruzer - how did you like the 14 days on the Magic? M DD and family were on the westbound transatlantic last September and thoroughly enjoyed it - especially the many sea days.

We're only 111 days away from sailing on the Magic! :dance3:

Jan

[ammouse]

yay for more cruise mates!!
hi fire14, welcome to our small(ish) meet thread, i'm sure we'll get more people closer to the time! not sure if you read the rest but i'm karen, and i'm cruising with DH gary, we're from the UK and this is our first 7 nighter, but our third DCL cruise. we're really looking forward to cruising and going back to WDW too! shame its so far away at the mo!
then again, we're still over a year and a half away, and including you and jodi, we've got 4 groups for the FE already!

Sorry just noticed you are no longer on this cruise

[ammouse]

Welcome! I've been In a stateroom near that one before. Is it a verandah? If it is it may have been that one. This is my third cruise and I want to save money for Aulani in 2012. So no verandah for me.
Hi we will be in 9B. Did n't you say you are 9A.

[ammouse]

Thanks for the update. If you get tired of watching youtube vids and have time take a look at our Trip Reports in my signature.


I loved your trip report WE are going to be in area 9B

[ammouse]

Welcome platinumcruzer and ammouse and families!!!

Platinumcruzer - how did you like the 14 days on the Magic? M DD and family were on the westbound transatlantic last September and thoroughly enjoyed it - especially the many sea days.

We're only 111 days away from sailing on the Magic! :dance3:

Jan
Thanks. We are so looking forward to our first Disney Cruise:dance3:

[JanDave]

Our cruise is becoming a reality .... just booked Palo for brunch and dinner!!! :yay:


Jan

[ammouse]

Our cruise is becoming a reality .... just booked Palo for brunch and dinner!!! :yay:


Jan
Congratulations. How much is the brunch. What excursions are you doing?

[JanDave]

Congratulations. How much is the brunch. What excursions are you doing?

$20/person for brunch or dinner, plus we add grauity. My "main job" once we board the Magic is to make sure we get Annie Marie as our Palo server (if she is not on vacation). Hoping she is working the week we're on the ship.

We aren't planning to book any excursions through DCL.

Key West - just planning to walk around Duval area. Lots of great people watching. I may stop at Kino's sandals but plan to be there first thing when we get off the ship as it closes around 2pm on Sundays.

Grand Cayman - we will probably hail a cab and go to 7 Mile beach.

Cozumel - We plan to go to Nachi Cocom. We've gone there twice before. It's $49/adult and they only allow 100 persons per day. $49 includes all you can eat and drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages), chair with umbrella on beach and pool. Cab fare is approx. $16 for 4 persons one way. It is a very relaxing day at Nachi.

Castaway - I asked my DH if he wanted to fish at CC, which he has done 3-4 times. He's decided to relax in the sun and have lunch at Serenity. I have parasailed twice and it was a great experience. Usually by 2pm, I head back to the ship to cool down in the pool.

Jan

[ammouse]

$20/person for brunch or dinner, plus we add grauity. My "main job" once we board the Magic is to make sure we get Annie Marie as our Palo server (if she is not on vacation). Hoping she is working the week we're on the ship.

We aren't planning to book any excursions through DCL.

Key West - just planning to walk around Duval area. Lots of great people watching. I may stop at Kino's sandals but plan to be there first thing when we get off the ship as it closes around 2pm on Sundays.

Grand Cayman - we will probably hail a cab and go to 7 Mile beach.

Cozumel - We plan to go to Nachi Cocom. We've gone there twice before. It's $49/adult and they only allow 100 persons per day. $49 includes all you can eat and drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages), chair with umbrella on beach and pool. Cab fare is approx. $16 for 4 persons one way. It is a very relaxing day at Nachi.

Castaway - I asked my DH if he wanted to fish at CC, which he has done 3-4 times. He's decided to relax in the sun and have lunch at Serenity. I have parasailed twice and it was a great experience. Usually by 2pm, I head back to the ship to cool down in the pool.

Jan

Is Nachi Cocom a good place for children. My DGS will be with us who is 7.
Is Serenity a good place to lunch

[JanDave]

Is Nachi Cocom a good place for children. My DGS will be with us who is 7.
Is Serenity a good place to lunch

I have seen children at Nachi. PM me and I will give you the link to Nachi. First heard of Nachi on cruise critic.

Serenity Bay is the adult beach area on Castaway. The buffet lunch is smaller than Cookies and Cookies Two, but serves a purpose in that the adults don't have to take the tram to either of the Cookies for lunch.

Jan