October 16, 2011 Mexican Riviera on the Wonder

[phred84044]

Just booked for our third Disney Cruise...but our first on the Wonder. We are so excited!!!

We are Trent & Tracy, Karlee (DD 9) and Carson (DS 7).

[IrishCowboy]

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

[gometros]

Phred - just so you know, you won't be alone. We are moving our 2010 cruise to this one. There will be 3 - 5 of us (I have three children in their twenties and schedules are still TBD, but they are booked for now).

[phred84044]

Great to hear there will be others!!! Since my original post we are aware of at least one other family that we are friends with that will be coming. There will be one more family booking in February.

Also since our first post we have found out that our family will be growing by one and have updated our reservation and had to change from one category 9 room to two category 9 rooms. :wizard:

[gometros]

The cruise we moved from, which is a Halloween cruise later this year, also started out slowly and then picked up steam as we crept closer to the date. It's still a little under two eyars away, so there's time for our tiny group to grow :thumbsup2

[Denine]

We just booked this cruise!

We will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary on the ship! After the cruise we are planning on spending a week in DL.

It will be me, Jerry (DH) and Kaleigh (DD who will be 9 at the time of cruise)

[phred84044]

We just booked this cruise!

We will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary on the ship! After the cruise we are planning on spending a week in DL.

It will be me, Jerry (DH) and Kaleigh (DD who will be 9 at the time of cruise)

Welcome aboard!!! Look forward to talking to you over the next 1-1/2 years until our cruise!!!

[Denine]

Thanks. I am just glad we don't have to wait that long to go on another cruise! Looking foward to October. We didn't go on a cruise last year. I am soooo ready.

[gometros]

Welcome aboard. Maybe now we can grow beyond one page :lmao:

[Denine]

gometros, have we sailed with you before?

snow, snow, snow....

[gometros]

gometros, have we sailed with you before?

snow, snow, snow....

If you were on the Oct. 11, 2008 sailing, then yes, we have.

[Denine]

Yes we were.

[Denine]

We need more people to book this cruise!

More snow today.

Leaving on Saturday for Williamsburg.

[gometros]

We need more people to book this cruise!

More snow today.

Leaving on Saturday for Williamsburg.

It's still early. I suspect we will see bookings pick up when we get within the year.

[phred84044]

We're still trying to get other friends to come with us.

[phred84044]

Our group is now up to 5 families and 28 total people!!!! Woohoo....:cool1:

[mouseears1]

My husband and I just booked our third cruise with Disney today but this time it is on the Disney "Wonder" for our 11 year wedding anniversary. I have never been to Mexico before and am looking forward to talking to everyone on this board before and during our cruise.

We have sailed on the Disney "Magic" in 2008 for our 8 year anniversary and will be sailing on the Disney "Magic" again in October 2010 for our 10 year anniversary.:love:

There is no other cruise line for us since sailing with DCL.:lovestruc

[phred84044]

Welcome to the thread!!! We look forward to talking with you about our upcoming cruise!!!

[gometros]

Funny, I was just checking the other day when the last time was that someone posted. I figured things should start picking up on this trip soon.

Welcome aboard. Right now we are planning for our cruise in September, so my focus won't be on the Mexican Riviera until October the earliest. But, I'll be here watching for newcomers.

[Andromeda9mm]

Hey peeps!

I'm almost confident we'll be on this cruise as well.

Fellow Utahn to phred! :wave:

At the time of cruising we'll have:

Me, 33f
DH, 44
DD, 11 (turning 12 in Nov)
DD, 7
DS, 3 (turning 4 in Dec)
DS, 3 (turning 4 in Dec)

We'll probably get the lowest cat available and adjoining rooms.

We go to DL at least one time a year, so we're really excited that DCL is coming to SoCal. We've been on one cruise, Western double dip back in Sep/Oct of 2008.

If we can't book or plans change I'll let you know.

Meredith in Utah

PS... here's a photo from Dec 2009, our last trip

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj179/andromeda9mm/15984170000.jpg

[dxcspilk]

Our family is booked on this cruise, we are first time cruisers! We are a family of 5. DD will be 9 DS 5 and DD 2 1/2. We are also from Utah. I can't WAIT for this cruise, we are soo excited!

[gometros]

What's with all these Utes? :lmao:

Welcome aboard and welcome to the DIS Boards.

[phred84044]

What's with all these Utes? :lmao:


That week is the annual Utah Educator's Association (UEA) conference and our kids are off a few days of school. Usually a lot of Utahn's visit Disneyland during this time but it appears that some of us are taking advantage of having the Wonder on the West Coast next year!!!

Welcome Aboard everybody!!!

[Andromeda9mm]

You got it!

UEA = Utahns Enter Anaheim

You just can't call yourself a true Utahn if you don't consider DLand your home away from home.

Many Utahns have annual passes. :rotfl2:

This should be very cool!

Meredith in Utah

[phred84044]

You just can't call yourself a true Utahn if you don't consider DLand your home away from home.

Many Utahns have annual passes. :rotfl2:



Our APs expired in March and I'm having withdrawls!!!

[MazatlanMonica]

Hello to everyone in this group. I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Monica and I live in Mazatlan, Sinaloa Mexico. For anyone on a future Disney cruise to the Mexican Riviera, I am pleased to make myself available to you for any questions about the city of Mazatlan or country of Mexico.

As for myself, I am a resident of both the United States and of Mexico. I speak both English and Spanish fluently and I have sailed on DCL numerous times and have been a lifelong fan of Disney. Let me say right upfront, I am NOT selling anything nor am I affiliated with any business or tour company. I am only here to help and give honest information and opinions in an attempt to make your time in Mazatlan or Mexico a positive experience.

I hope that everyone will welcome me to the discussion and that I can be of assistance to anyone who has a question about my city or country. I will attempt to check the boards once per day, but should I miss a question, please do not hesitate to send me a private message. I look forward to getting to know everyone!

Gracias,
Monica

[gometros]

You got it!

UEA = Utahns Enter Anaheim

:rotfl2:


New Jersey has a similar thing in November (second week, I think). The conference is in Atlantic City and with schools closed, a lot of Jerseyites head down to WDW for the week.

[Andromeda9mm]

Well, I'm sorry to say, but we are OUT.

When DCL offered kids cruise free for Jan, Feb, and March of 2011, that changed my mind.

We'll pull the kids out of school and go on Feb 27th cruise instead.

I'm sorry that I won't be going, but the savings is too great to pass up!

Feel free to join me. ha ha ha.

Meredith in Utah

[gometros]

I can't blame you, but we're sorry to see you go.

[dxcspilk]

We jumped on the KSF wagon also, so we will no longer be on this cruise. Have a good time!

[gometros]

They're all bailing on us. It's not fair. My kids are too old to qualify. Anyone want to loan me their kids for a cruise? :lmao:

[dopeyfanatic]

We haven't booked yet, but we are hoping to book for this cruise. The day we get back to port would be our 12th anniversary :) My family of 5 will include (at time of cruising):

Me- 31
DH- 32
DS1-11
DS2-9
DD-7 (she'll turn 8 a month after the cruise)

My sister's family is also planning on going. You never know who else since it's still early :)

I do have a question...I hear people talk about category 12, but I don't see any. Is that because they're sold out, or they just haven't offered them yet?

[calmpets]

I do have a question...I hear people talk about category 12, but I don't see any. Is that because they're sold out, or they just haven't offered them yet?

As of 2011 the category 12s don't exist anymore. Now they are all under cat 11c.

[hamletfan8]

Hello everyone! My family and I just booked on the October 16th sailing! We are so excited!! We currently have 3 families, 9 rooms and 18 adults. I've been on 3 Disney cruises before and my brother and his wife did a Disney cruise for their Honeymoon, but everyone else is first time cruisers and of course first time on Disney!!

Can't wait to get to know you all as we have the difficult job of waiting 15 months to go!!

[phred84044]

Hello everyone! My family and I just booked on the October 16th sailing! We are so excited!! We currently have 3 families, 9 rooms and 18 adults. I've been on 3 Disney cruises before and my brother and his wife did a Disney cruise for their Honeymoon, but everyone else is first time cruisers and of course first time on Disney!!

Can't wait to get to know you all as we have the difficult job of waiting 15 months to go!!

Welcome aboard!!! Look forward to learning more about you and your group!!!

[LuvIt]

First time cruisers! :cool1:Me, DH and DS (will be 11). I probably won't be checking this thread much until next year....2011 seems so far away, but am looking forward to being part of this group :-) Just wanted to say hi.:flower3:

Cathy

[winegirl]

Another group joining you all! 8 rooms, 6 families and 29 people so far ... and growing! :)
Can't wait! :cool1:

[phred84044]

Another group joining you all! 8 rooms, 6 families and 29 people so far ... and growing! :)
Can't wait! :cool1:

Welcome Aboard!!!!

[Jathanis]

Well, just flew back from Florida and the Wonder yesterday, and DW already has me looking at possible dates on this same ship out here for 2011 so we can stay with some of the same crew. Hoping to book this cruise, as it will cover DD's 8th birthday (7 was on Castaway Cay this past week), our 16th anniversary, and DW's birthday, all at once! Once I know more, I'll post back. :thumbsup2

FWIW, we got to stay in port at Nassau until 2AM on 10/17, as the Wonder crew won best crew and service in the industry, Large ship category, for 2010 from the Condé Nast Traveler (some major travel magazine). You should have seen the crew taking off for shore just after midnight! Same magazine rated the Wonder as the #1 Large ship in the industry in 2009, so we really want to cruise this ship and crew again before they all jump to the Fantasy in 2012! :worship:

[Denine]

We are recently off the Magic (10-16) and now looking forward to next October!!!

It will be our 20th wedding anniversary and right now the plans are to stay concierge level in one the DL hotels before and after the cruise! We have never done that before so that is exciting!

This will be DCL cruise #12 for us.

[dopeyfanatic]

It's OFFICIAL. We are booked for our cruise :) Can't wait!

[jenpaige]

It's great to see so many faces already. We've finalized our wedding plans. We'll be joining you all for our first cruise (along with 27 of our other friends in the group). Primarily an all adult group - one child, looking forward to relaxing at the spa and enjoying the wedding!

Starting to look at some of the excursions offered by Disney for us, any recommendations from anyone? Looking to relax and have fun!

DB 31 :bride:
DG 30 :groom:

[phred84044]

It's great to see so many faces already. We've finalized our wedding plans. We'll be joining you all for our first cruise (along with 27 of our other friends in the group). Primarily an all adult group - one child, looking forward to relaxing at the spa and enjoying the wedding!

Starting to look at some of the excursions offered by Disney for us, any recommendations from anyone? Looking to relax and have fun!

DB 31 :bride:
DG 30 :groom:

Congratulations and welcome aboard!!!

[Jathanis]

Okay, we're officially in, just booked this morning - deck 7, can't remember the exact room right now... Only 264 days to go!

[jenpaige]

So because it looks like it has affected our ports of call. The shooting last month in Mazatlan has impacted our ports of call for our Oct 16th cruise, according to the site here's our new schedule:

7-Night Mexican Riviera Cruise

October 16 to October 23
Disney Wonder

Day Port
Sunday Los Angeles, California
Monday At Sea
Tuesday At Sea
Wednesday Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Thursday Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Friday Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Saturday At Sea
Sunday Los Angeles, California

[LuvIt]

My thinking on the Mazatlan port change is that Disney has pulled that port stop but may reinstate it by late summer or Fall (when we'll be cruising) if things in Mazatlan settle down in the next few months. JMHO

However, if Mazatlan is not put back on the itinerary, I really love the fact that we'd be docked in Cabo for 2 days in a row 'cause I'm thinking that means we wouldn't need to be hurrying to get back on board in the afternoon by a certain time because the boat will be pulling out of port.....this translates into longer days/evenings in Cabo to do more on-shore port stuff if one desires.:cheer2:

[Denine]

I don't really care about Mazatlan. If we go, we go.

I guess if we have 2 days in Cabo, it will make up for us missing the port when we went on our PC cruise several years ago.

9 days until WDW!

[jenpaige]

I'm actually kind of excited, the excursions for Cabo looked more interesting/varied than Mazatlan...no complaints either way from us ;)

[Jathanis]

I really love the fact that we'd be docked in Cabo for 2 days in a row 'cause I'm thinking that means we wouldn't need to be hurrying to get back on board in the afternoon by a certain time because the boat will be pulling out of port.....this translates into longer days/evenings in Cabo to do more on-shore port stuff if one desires.:cheer2:

From what I've read, this won't be the case - my itinerary for day 1 in Cabo says we're back on board by 4pm, and the following day is 2:30... :confused3

Personally, I'd prefer stopping once on the way to PV and once on the way back, but either way it's done, I'll likely stay on the ship one of the two Cabo days anyways...

[LuvIt]

Oh rats, why wouldn't they allow us late afternoons and evenings in Cabo? Will they have to move the boat out to sea and putter around in the ocean and then redock in the morning?

[Jathanis]

Not sure why no overnight, but this is one place I've read it (3rd paragraph):
http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4332

Almost sounds like they're basing it off what a Carnival ship is currently doing, so who knows why? I'm not so opposed to them having to leave port for the night and return the next morning, but why have onboard @ 4pm? My cruise last year didn't leave Nassau until after 2am, and still made it to Castaway Cay by 7am, so it should be possible to go out to sea, pull a u-turn and head back in to port in what, 2 hours or so? Dinner on shore in Cabo would be nice... :drinking1

[kindsoul73]

Hello! First time cruisers here from San Diego! I am Mindi (38 yesterday), and my DD (will be 6 at time if cruise) and DS (Will be 4) Can't wait!
What is the deal with fish extenders, etc.? Do I need to go get some?
TIA.

[Jathanis]

Welcome to our cruise thread! So far, it seems we have a very small contingent of DISboard members on this sailing, but here's hoping it picks up as we get closer to October!

For more info on the fish extenders, go here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33184281#post33184281
or here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607

This will only be our second cruise, and I didn't find the thread for our last cruise until way too late so I've never actually participated in an FE. But on that last thread, someone took charge of arranging it by compiling a list of anyone who wanted to participate, their room numbers, gender and age of family members, and any food allergies involved. Then it's basically a matter of bringing enough SWAG to spread around to any other participants throughout the cruise! :thumbsup2

I'm sure we'll see some more activity around here as it gets closer, especially if DCL offers a kids sail free package later in the year...

late edit: Here's a great ongoing thread discussing FE ideas: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1522535

[boiseflyfisher]

Add is to the cruise count. We did the MR cruise in late January and the October dates work perfectly with our fall break. While I loved our January cruise, it would be nice to experience our second cruise without KSF. It will be a tough call if they add it and we may want to change to the Western/Magic if they do, but then again, I love a bargain!

[Jathanis]

We did the MR cruise in late January and the October dates work perfectly with our fall break.
Sounds great - welcome! Now we have someone in our little group we can ask MR questions of that haven't been answered out on the main board... :rolleyes1 j/k! (maybe)

[boiseflyfisher]

Sounds great - welcome! Now we have someone in our little group we can ask MR questions of that haven't been answered out on the main board... :rolleyes1 j/k! (maybe)

There are plenty of opinions out there, that is for sure! I'd be happy to answer any questions you have or give my opinion. That was our very first cruise, so I don't have anything to compare it to. We went with no real expectations and found that it was the best vacation we had ever taken. There are a few things we will do differently next time. We will probably get to the port a little later as I don't think we will be looking for an upgrade and there isn't a whole lot to do. We will eat breakfast and lunch in the restaurants more often than we did last time. We will let the kids go to the kid's clubs as much as they want and spend more time up in the adult areas. We had second seating for dinner and we loved it, but dd is 8 and ds is 10, so the later seating wasn't an issue. We encouraged the kids to order from the adult menu and they tried lots of new foods and ended up liking most of them.

I can't speak of any of the excursions. Our neighbors happened to be in Cabo for the week of our cruise, so we met up with them both days we were in port. We stayed on ship for our PV day as the kids had homework to do. It was nice to enjoy the ship when it was less crowded. My kids aren't into getting autographs from the characters, so we never had to deal with the long lines. We saw Tron and Tangled in 3D.

I see that you also own at VGC! We do, too, and will be spending 4 nights there before our October cruise. We did attend the DVC presentation while onboard. They gave away some swag and we won a clock and a throw. You will get a little DVC gift in your cabin and lots of calls to come down to the DVC desk to pick up more gifts: pins, hats, bags, lanyards.

We enjoyed our dining room serving team, but they had both been with Disney Cruise Line for a long time. Our cabin steward was fantastic, too. We thought that all of the CMs we encountered were friendly and professional. Our only complaint was that we wished that it were warmer, but I can't fault Disney for that!

[tomoyo]

nm

[Denine]

We bought our plane tickets today.

I was looking at shore excursions. Not sure what I want to do since DD isn't old enough for a couple of them. She will be 9 and you have to be 10. I don't really want to leave her on the ship. So, that means we either choose a family excursion which is usually just a beach, hotel or shopping, leave her on the ship and go kayaking or stay on the ship and do nothing.

[Andromeda9mm]

For what it's worth, I just got off the Feb 27th sailing, and you can do TONS of stuff when you get off the boat.

I would save money and not go through Disney. There is a zip line in PV that looked SOOOO awesome. You can take a taxi on your own (very cheap) do the zip lines and then eat lunch (we ate lunch, but not the zip lines).

I really wish I could have done the lines, it was about $75.00 pp and it was a weight requirement I believe, not an age requirement.

Just do a google search and see what you find.

Good luck.

[betsy2010]

There are plenty of opinions out there, that is for sure! I'd be happy to answer any questions you have or give my opinion. That was our very first cruise, so I don't have anything to compare it to. We went with no real expectations and found that it was the best vacation we had ever taken. There are a few things we will do differently next time. We will probably get to the port a little later as I don't think we will be looking for an upgrade and there isn't a whole lot to do. We will eat breakfast and lunch in the restaurants more often than we did last time. We will let the kids go to the kid's clubs as much as they want and spend more time up in the adult areas. We had second seating for dinner and we loved it, but dd is 8 and ds is 10, so the later seating wasn't an issue. We encouraged the kids to order from the adult menu and they tried lots of new foods and ended up liking most of them.

I can't speak of any of the excursions. Our neighbors happened to be in Cabo for the week of our cruise, so we met up with them both days we were in port. We stayed on ship for our PV day as the kids had homework to do. It was nice to enjoy the ship when it was less crowded. My kids aren't into getting autographs from the characters, so we never had to deal with the long lines. We saw Tron and Tangled in 3D.

I see that you also own at VGC! We do, too, and will be spending 4 nights there before our October cruise. We did attend the DVC presentation while onboard. They gave away some swag and we won a clock and a throw. You will get a little DVC gift in your cabin and lots of calls to come down to the DVC desk to pick up more gifts: pins, hats, bags, lanyards.

We enjoyed our dining room serving team, but they had both been with Disney Cruise Line for a long time. Our cabin steward was fantastic, too. We thought that all of the CMs we encountered were friendly and professional. Our only complaint was that we wished that it were warmer, but I can't fault Disney for that!
Hi All,
another family joining in! We were on the 2/20 MR sailing and as BoiseFlyFisher said it was the best family vacation we've ever taken. We are going to surprise the kids and take them in October. Our 15th Wedding Anniversary is 10/19 and we usually just go to LA (we met at UCLA) for the weekend to celebrate. We're going to drive down on Friday and the kids will think it's just the 'usual' boring mom/dad revisits their youth trip and then voila on Sunday we'll drive to the port. the hardest part will be keeping my mouth shut for the next 6 months!

We are a family of 4 - me, dh, ds (10), ds (6). Looking forward to it!
Betsy

[Jathanis]

Hi All,
another family joining in! We were on the 2/20 MR sailing and as BoiseFlyFisher said it was the best family vacation we've ever taken. We are going to surprise the kids and take them in October. Our 15th Wedding Anniversary is 10/19 and we usually just go to LA (we met at UCLA) for the weekend to celebrate. We're going to drive down on Friday and the kids will think it's just the 'usual' boring mom/dad revisits their youth trip and then voila on Sunday we'll drive to the port. the hardest part will be keeping my mouth shut for the next 6 months!

We are a family of 4 - me, dh, ds (10), ds (6). Looking forward to it!
Betsy

We'll have to compare notes, as we're trying to do the same for DD turning 8 on your 15th (and our 16th is 2 days later)... I read somewhere else of a couple parents that referred to the cruise as the "hiking trip" when around their kids and it kept them fooled right up to the port - we're trying that and it's working so far! Especially with careless friends who come over and say something about the cruise... We just say something like "Oh, yeah, last year was great!" then pull them aside to explain... Best of luck!

[tomoyo]

It seems more and more like we're a go for the cruise. :woohoo:

We = Tomoyo and AS. We're both in our twenties and engaged. We're going to Disneyland in the fall and after "discovering" DCL, I really wanted to try cruising, so here we are.

As I said in my first post, I would really love to do an FE. If all it takes is someone to organize it for it to happen, I'd be happy to step up and do so. But please remember I've never cruised before, so be patient with me. I'm going to check past cruise meet threads to see how these things go. :)

[phred84044]

As I said in my first post, I would really love to do an FE. If all it takes is someone to organize it for it to happen, I'd be happy to step up and do so. But please remember I've never cruised before, so be patient with me. I'm going to check past cruise meet threads to see how these things go. :)

Our DIS group did not do FE on our last cruise, so I'm not going to be much of a help. However, we did get together for lunch one day and handed out treat bags for the kids in our group. A group got together the day before and collected all the goodies that everyone brought and then put the treat bags together. I think it worked just as well as FE's.

[tomoyo]

Our DIS group did not do FE on our last cruise, so I'm not going to be much of a help. However, we did get together for lunch one day and handed out treat bags for the kids in our group. A group got together the day before and collected all the goodies that everyone brought and then put the treat bags together. I think it worked just as well as FE's.

I would prefer an FE because it can be done on your own time/schedule, allows you to choose whether or not you want to remain anonymous or not, and maybe it's my love of Christmas speaking, but I personally like the idea of returning to our room and finding a little surprise.

Also, it's our first cruise, so I wouldn't want to commit to doing anything beyond the first day intro meet, unless if what everyone decides they want to do is a lunch, in which AS and I will respectfully bow out of. It's like going on a date, I'd say yes to coffee, but no to dinner. :lmao:

Anyhow, it all depends on if there's any interest in participating and the participants.

[Shunasee]

hello!

New to this thread (thank you Tomoyo:goodvibes)

I just booked our cruise this morning :banana::banana:

Just a bit of background. It will be DH and I. At this point he has no idea. I am going to do my best to surprise him with the trip on our anniversery (8/5), I figured since we cant start booking excursions till 8/2, I should be able to hold it in.

DS didn't want to go, which since he turned 18 seems to be normal.

We have never done a DCL cruise. We have done a 3 day and 5 day Mexico cruise and I have done the 7 day western carribean with my mom.

Very excited for this. You will have to pardon me if I post a ton, as I am not able to talk to DH about this quite yet, just a few more months:lmao:

OH, my name is Kristi, HUGE DLR freak. We have had passes as long as we have been married, almost 11 years now. I think thats about it.

Cant wait to get to know everyone and meet on the ship!!

[phred84044]

hello!

New to this thread (thank you Tomoyo:goodvibes)

I just booked our cruise this morning :banana::banana:

Welcome aboard!!! Ask away and some of us DCL veterans will help you out!

[Shunasee]

Thanks Phred!

I am getting pretty excited. I have to admit, that when I found out we would not be able to afford WDW in Oct, I was pretty bummed. I almost felt like doing the DCL was second prize.

However, the more I read on it, the happier/excited I am getting. I have a couple of questions:

1. Where do you find out what the different shore excursions are? I was on the DCL website and I could not find them.

2. Have any of your seasoned DCL people, done the pre-pay for the photos? If so, how many credits do you order? (I *love* doing the prepaid photopass, so this seems right up my alley)

3. Do you prepay your gratiuties? I was thinking this was a good idea, as its one less thing to worry about while on the boat, and of course we would tip more for outstanding service.

I think that is it for right now. Thank you so much for bearing with me!

have a great day!!

-Kristi

[phred84044]

1. Where do you find out what the different shore excursions are? I was on the DCL website and I could not find them.

2. Have any of your seasoned DCL people, done the pre-pay for the photos? If so, how many credits do you order? (I *love* doing the prepaid photopass, so this seems right up my alley)

3. Do you prepay your gratiuties? I was thinking this was a good idea, as its one less thing to worry about while on the boat, and of course we would tip more for outstanding service.


1. Go here: http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/mexican-riviera/ports/ and then click on each destination and then click the tab for Port Adventures.

2. We've never pre-paid for our pictures, but we've never really bought more than 3-5 pictures per cruise. It is my understanding that unlike at WDW where the photopass CD is $99, the photopass CD on DCL is like $400.

3. As all gratuities are, they are discretionary. I have heard of people not paying them (which really blows my mind). Once you see how hard the staff works I can't imagine not giving them their EARNED tip. Prior to the cruise it is my understanding that you can call DCL and have them add money to your shipboard account so that when you arrive on board you have a credit balance. Prior to boarding you will have to provide a credit card to have on file for them to charge things to. If you happen to have a credit balance at the end, they will credit your card that you provided at boarding. Once on board you can also use Disney Rewards dollars (Disney Visa), cash, other credit cards to apply money to your shipboard account. You can charge the gratuities to you account or pay them in cash to the cast members. We've done it both ways. Charging it to the account is the easiest so that you don't have to carry a ton of cash throughout the week.

[Shunasee]

Thanks Trent!

I have a tendency to purchase lots of photos. Our first trip to WDW, my husband took all the pictures and we had none of the two of us. After that I swore it would never happen again.

I had planned on putting money towards shipboard credit each paycheck. I know that it will add up by the time October comes. ;)

Quick edit to the post:

I was lurking around on the DCL website, I saw that you can have Mickey/Goofy/Ariel call and tell the intended surprisee about the cruise.

Has anyone done this? I may implode and tell DH prior, but I thought if the calls are cute, I can plan a call for our anniversary and have Mickey call and tell him, then I can give him the gift with the full itinerary after.

[Shunasee]

Wow quiet thread.

is October a bad time to do a cruise, or is everyone just waiting to let it all out when we are at the 8/2/11 mark and can start booking things?

[tomoyo]

I felt like a creeper reading other meet threads, trying to get a handle on running the FE. :rotfl: But I think I've got it down. :)

If you would like to participate, please provide (in a reply or by PM) the following information:

Names, age and gender of the people in your party
Room number(s) (if you're GTY, just say GTY for now and update us later)
Any allergies we should know about?

I'd also like to request favorite color(s) if you don't mind providing that. For potential FE gift purposes. ;)

[tomoyo]

Wow quiet thread.

is October a bad time to do a cruise, or is everyone just waiting to let it all out when we are at the 8/2/11 mark and can start booking things?

I'm around! Just lurking and reading, trying to soak up as much information as possible.

As of now, I'm mentally packing and trying to decide if we're going to dress up for pirate night and how formal will our formal be.

We're going to Disneyland for a few days before since AS' AP is expiring and we want to get in one more visit, so I need to figure out how to fit it all into carry on bags for the plane. Maybe we'll do laundry on the ship. :confused3

[Jathanis]

Is October a bad time to do a cruise, or is everyone just waiting to let it all out when we are at the 8/2/11 mark and can start booking things?
We took a 4 day Caribbean last year at this same time, and that thread took a while to come alive - but it never got as busy as some others... Guess we'll have to just wait and see as summer gets closer. If they start doing the KSF offer, we may see a lot more people pop up closer to the actual sailing date...

I feel like a creeper reading other meet threads, trying to get a handle on running the FE. :rotfl: But I think I've got it down. :)

If you would like to participate, please provide (in a reply or by PM) the following information:

Don't feel bad, at least you're willing to step forward and do it! :thumbsup2 I might want to add here, as I've seen this on other cruise/FE threads, that anyone joining in may want to also post any allergies here (nuts, etc) so if anyone want to do candy or snacks, they have an early warning!

Off to ask DD what here fav color is this week...

[Shunasee]

Huzzah Posts! :lmao:

I will PM you our info. DH does not know about the cruise, so I will volunteer him.

I hope it picks up as it gets closer.

I have been doing a ton of reading on the trip reports and the general cruise page. I was so on the ball, by now for our WDW trips, that I feel out of sorts at the moment not planning anything.

Thanks for posting!!

[Shunasee]

I'm around! Just lurking and reading, trying to soak up as much information as possible.

As of now, I'm mentally packing and trying to decide if we're going to dress up for pirate night and how formal will our formal be.

We're going to Disneyland for a few days before since AS' AP is expiring and we want to get in one more visit, so I need to figure out how to fit it all into carry on bags for the plane. Maybe we'll do laundry on the ship. :confused3

I dont know how fancy to go either. The other cruises (not DCL), I just wore work clothes, but I long for a sparkly dress. :lmao:

We live like 20 minutes from DLR, so let me know if you need help with anything on that front. Course, if you have AP's you should be good.

[tomoyo]

I might want to add here, as I've seen this on other cruise/FE threads, that anyone joining in may want to also post any allergies here (nuts, etc) so if anyone want to do candy or snacks, they have an early warning!

Off to ask DD what here fav color is this week...

Thanks for adding the allergy note! :thumbsup2

Well, no hurry, I won't know if I'll do what I wanted the color info for until September. But maybe someone else will find the info helpful!

I dont know how fancy to go either. The other cruises (not DCL), I just wore work clothes, but I long for a sparkly dress. :lmao:

We live like 20 minutes from DLR, so let me know if you need help with anything on that front. Course, if you have AP's you should be good.

I'm the poofy ball gown type, myself; I'm leaning heavily that way as I rarely have opportunities to wear a formal gown.

Thanks for the offer! Aside from transportation, I think we're okay. I'm just trying to find the cheapest way for us to travel between Disneyland/LAX/San Pedro right now. We've been visiting yearly for the last couple of years so we know the parks quite well. This trip is specifically for The Little Mermaid Ride. :woohoo: I wanted to go for the opening, but a few co-workers beat me in putting in vacation time for May and no way I'm going in the summer. Worked out for the better since I wouldn't be here otherwise. :lmao:

[Shunasee]

Thanks for the offer! Aside from transportation, I think we're okay. I'm just trying to find the cheapest way for us to travel between Disneyland/LAX/San Pedro right now. We've been visiting yearly for the last couple of years so we know the parks quite well. This trip is specifically for The Little Mermaid Ride. :woohoo: I wanted to go for the opening, but a few co-workers beat me in putting in vacation time for May and no way I'm going in the summer. Worked out for the better since I wouldn't be here otherwise. :lmao:


I took 6/3 off since its the "official" opening of Little Mermaid and re-opening of Star Tours. :banana::banana: I am hoping in the weeks leading up they may do a soft opening for LM.


Question for the season cruisers:

Ever not get off the boat at all?

We had a pretty icky experience in Ensenada. Did a winery tour (they winerys were amazing), but getting back into town in one piece was quite scary. Our bus driver took a turn to tight, went over the side walk. Then there was smoke/steam coming from the engine, so the drive went to pull over and side swiped two cars. Scared the heck out of me. At that point, I though I would never get off the boat in Mexico again.

However, reading some of the possible excursions, there are a few that I would really like to try (Zipline anyone??).

Most of the excursions are through Disney approved companies right?

[Shunasee]

Good Morning!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Nothing new on this front. I was successful in another few days of not spilling the bean to my husband about the trip. :cool1:

[tomoyo]

Question for the season cruisers:

Ever not get off the boat at all?

We had a pretty icky experience in Ensenada. Did a winery tour (they winerys were amazing), but getting back into town in one piece was quite scary. Our bus driver took a turn to tight, went over the side walk. Then there was smoke/steam coming from the engine, so the drive went to pull over and side swiped two cars. Scared the heck out of me. At that point, I though I would never get off the boat in Mexico again.

However, reading some of the possible excursions, there are a few that I would really like to try (Zipline anyone??).

Most of the excursions are through Disney approved companies right?

Yikes! :scared1: It's definitely understandable that you would feel that way. After reading the thread about the car accident, neither of us wanted to be in a vehicle in Mexico. We were planning on walking around the area at the pier, staying close to the ship, but the more I research, the more I want to see.

It can be considerably cheaper to book shore excursions on your own, but if you're unsure and you want the peace of mind of going through Disney, then it'll probably be worth the extra cost.

I spent the weekend looking up Mazatlan, but I don't want to get too excited for that port in case something happens in the fall and DCL pulls out of Mazatlan again.

[tomoyo]

Who else is caught up in the excitement of the new itineraries? popcorn::

[Shunasee]

Who else is caught up in the excitement of the new itineraries? popcorn::

Me! and we have not even done our first DCL cruise.

Got a quote from the TA today about the Hawaii (no airfare!), but for the price I could hit WDW twice.

[tomoyo]

Me! and we have not even done our first DCL cruise.

Got a quote from the TA today about the Hawaii (no airfare!), but for the price I could hit WDW twice.

That's too bad, but seems lots of rooms were released. Were you able to find something cheaper?

[Shunasee]

That's too bad, but seems lots of rooms were released. Were you able to find something cheaper?

Nope. As this is our first cruise, and it has not happend, no special status. We could book last Friday, but it was WAY expensive. Maybe in 2014 we can do that for our big trip.


Hope everyone is good. Nothing exciting going on here. Just working away and reviewing the ports to see what looks fun.

I really do want to do atleast one excursion. Mexico is really a beautiful country and I shouldn't let one bad experience ruin the whole country.

[hamletfan8]

I saw some questions on the thread about how long we can stay in Cabo.

I just went on a Carnival cruise to Cabo in February. We had 2 days in Cabo but we still had to be back on the ship by 4 pm. In Cabo, you have to tender in because the harbor is shallow and I hear that because of the shallowness the ships have to get out to deeper water before dark.....which is why you have to be back on the ship by 4 pm.

But this may be a non-issue because at least right now Mazatlan is still listed as a port of call on the 10/16 cruise. Here's hoping that it stays that way...

[Shunasee]

Question for the experienced DCL people:

When do you find out your dining rotation?

I do want to have dinner at Palo, if I can get a reservation. However, I dont want to miss Animator's Palate.

[boiseflyfisher]

Question for the experienced DCL people:

When do you find out your dining rotation?

I do want to have dinner at Palo, if I can get a reservation. However, I dont want to miss Animator's Palate.

You get your rotation when you check in at the port. It is on your KTTW card.

Someone asked earlier, but we didn't get off the ship in Mazatlan, mainly because the kids had homework to catch up on. It was a quiet, relaxing day.

You will eat at Animator's Palate during the first three nights, so you won't have any problem if you book Palo after night 3.

[Shunasee]

We had to postpone our cruise.

Work cut our hours again. :confused3

I hope everyone has a great time!!

[boiseflyfisher]

Just switched our dummy booking, so we are in for sure! We'll be spending a few nights at DL pre-cruise. We booked a 9B and are GTY status, so I'll be hoping for some pixie dust. Last time we were GTY and didn't get an upgrade, so we are fine either way.

I think we would like to take part in the FE exchange!

[phred84044]

Just switched our dummy booking, so we are in for sure! We'll be spending a few nights at DL pre-cruise. We booked a 9B and are GTY status, so I'll be hoping for some pixie dust. Last time we were GTY and didn't get an upgrade, so we are fine either way.

Welcome aboard!!! Looking forward to a great trip!

[tomoyo]

We had to postpone our cruise.

Work cut our hours again. :confused3

I hope everyone has a great time!!

Aw, I'm sorry we couldn't sail together. :sad2:

I think we would like to take part in the FE exchange!

Yes, please do FE! :cheer2:

[tomoyo]

Did anyone else get the call about Mazatlan being replaced by a second day in Cabo? :sad2:

I'm disappointed since I've been reading up on Mazatlan and was excited to see what all that I read about.

[phred84044]

Did anyone else get the call about Mazatlan being replaced by a second day in Cabo? :sad2:
No phone call here. I just checked my reservation on the DCL website and it's still showing MR itinerary C which includes a stop at Mazatlan. I know that the earlier cruises this year were changed due to political unreast in Mazatlan. Although I would like to see Mazatlan (our previous Carnival MR cruise skipped Mazatlan due to a hurricane) I'm not willing for me or any of my travel party to die over it.

Just curious, is your travel agent Dream's Unlimited?

[tomoyo]

I didn't use a TA; the call came directly from DCL. The call said to look in the planning center, under "My Cruise Plans". I just checked and it does say Day 5 is now Cabo San Lucas.

[LuvIt]

Hello! I don't come to check or post here on the Disboards much since the cruise is a ways off. This will be or first Disney cruise - me, DH and DS11.

Thought I'd get online and check these boards since earlier today I received an automated phone call from Disney (originally booked through Disney not a TA) about this cruise. Looks like some of you did too! (tomoyo, I'm looking at you!)

It basically said Mazatlan has been replaced with a 2nd visit to Cabo :mad: and directed me to the check the website for the revised cruise itinerary which I haven't done yet. I'm disappointed about the change because the shore time in Cabo is so limited (much less time for excursions, exploring, etc. than in Mazatlan or PV). I'd rather do a second, longer shore visit in PV or a different city if Mazatlan isn't an option. We booked this week 'cause it was son's Fall Break week from school, but we're now changing to a school that doesn't have a week long Fall Break so am now trying to decide if we should stick with this week or pick another week later in Oct or Nov or wait till next Spring.....hmmm, decisions, decisions.....

Cathy

P.S. If we end up staying with this week, I would be interested in participating in the FE exchange as long as someone else organizes it :rotfl2:

[tomoyo]

... so am now trying to decide if we should stick with this week or pick another week later in Oct or Nov or wait till next Spring.....hmmm, decisions, decisions.....

Cathy

P.S. If we end up staying with this week, I would be interested in participating in the FE exchange as long as someone else organizes it :rotfl2:

I've already said I will helm the FE if we have one. Seems like it'll be a small group, but I no one will mind. :)

I think it depends what you want from this cruise. Despite my disappointment at the change, I don't mind it that much because it means extra time for us to explore the ship. Since it's our first cruise, we consider the ship itself as destination for us, too.

I read a few of the other sail dates for fall and it seems all of the fall cruises have been affected, so if you want to change dates due to the itinerary, another week in Oct or Nov probably wouldn't make a difference, unless you're considering your son's school schedule. Good luck with your decision! :goodvibes

[LuvIt]

I'm contemplating changing weeks so my son didn't miss a full week at the new - but right now we are leaning towords staying with the Oct 16 sailing.

Thanks for coordinating the FE exchange:flower3: I;m hoping more people will join in over the next 2 or 3 months!

[LuvIt]

OK, we decided to change our reservation to the Oct 23 departure cruise so will be on the ship the week right after you. My son's new school has 2 days off that week for teacher conferences so he misses less school.
Have a great Oct 16 cruise and leave the ship in good condition for us :)

[ctp365]

We have booked this cruise and are so excited about it. We have both cruised before but not on DCL.

We will be leaving Sydney, Australia on 13 October, spending a couple of days in Disneyland, then doing the cruise, then 3 days in Las Vegas.

Very much looking forward to it :)

[Belle402]

I'd like to join the FE group. I did the FE on the Wonder in September 2010 and it was a lot of fun. My name is Marianne and I am traveling with my mom Sue.

[betsy2010]

hey all - I think we're jumping to the KSF promo. use promo code KFO on cruises from 10/30-12/18

best
bd

[boiseflyfisher]

hey all - I think we're jumping to the KSF promo. use promo code KFO on cruises from 10/30-12/18

best
bd

We are tied in on dates due to fall break, but KSF is tempting. Just be prepared that the ship will probably be full and there will be a lot of kids. We did the KSF in January and probably will avoid it for future cruises.

The prices are pretty good, though!

Oops, forgot that you also did KSF this spring. You will know what to expect! I'm wondering if there will be a lot of people moving their cruises now that they have offered the discount.

[phred84044]

hey all - I think we're jumping to the KSF promo. use promo code KFO on cruises from 10/30-12/18

best
bd

We were hoping that KSF would become available in the fall...just dissapointed that it's not available for our dates. We originally booked for October 16th as it coincides with Utah's fall break, but have since moved to Tallhassee. Although the dates are not a big deal for us anymore, the other 4 familieis that we talked into booking on this cruise would probably kill us if we changed our date.

Therefore, we will be staying on this cruise; plus our airfare is already booked.

[tomoyo]

Going through the thread, here's the people expressed interest in doing an FE exchange:

tomoyo
Jathanis
boiseflyfisher
Belle402

Please PM with the names (and ages if you like) of your party, your room number/if you're GTY and any allergies we should be aware of. I'll send out the list via PM as soon as I get more information if anyone wants to get started. :)

On a side note, gosh, I noticed there are a bunch of us going to Disneyland before the cruise. :) Too bad we can't get together and get a group rate or something to get to the port from Anaheim. Unfortunately, Super Shuttle isn't too much of a discount from the cost of DCL's transportation when it's just the two of you. ^^;

[dopeyfanatic]

I got the phone call, and I also got something in the mail about the port change.

As for the kids free thing, it would actually cost me more to do that since you HAVE to do a verandah, than my two rooms. So I'm staying. I also have no desire to go to a ship that will for sure be FULL.

I just wish I could find more reviews on excursions.

[Denine]

We booked Palo and the spa and 1 shore excursion today. I was hoping to find opinions on some of the MR excursions, but am having a hard time.

I was hoping to go to Mazatlan, but, oh well.

[Disney23]

Hi everyone! I'm new to DCL and am trying to figure everything out. I finally figured out what FE is and would like to participate. I am traveling with a group, 9 adults and 8 kids ages 17, 14, 13, 12, 10, 5, 3, and 1. That is the group so far but it seems to be growing. I have been on carnival and royal Caribbean but this is my first Disney. I love the FE concept! I look forward to meeting new friends aboard! Any advice on other items I should bring aboard would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the great forum!

[disneymom84074]

Hey all...I'm Tracy (phred84044's wife :) ). I guess it's about time I joined in on the fun :)

Anyway, we'd be interested in FE and I'll help in anyway that I can. We are so excited for this cruise...as it will be our baby Grace's first cruise :)

[DisneyKim68]

I'm so glad I found this forum! My husband and I and our 12 year old daughter will be sailing on this cruise. Can't wait!!

[disneymom84074]

I'm so glad I found this forum! My husband and I and our 12 year old daughter will be sailing on this cruise. Can't wait!!

Yay! My dd turns 12 just before we sail! We'll have to get them together!

[DisneyKim68]

Disneymom~that would be great!

[tomoyo]

Yay, lots more cruisers have joined in since the last time I visited the thread! :woohoo: Welcome!

Hi everyone! I'm new to DCL and am trying to figure everything out. I finally figured out what FE is and would like to participate. I am traveling with a group, 9 adults and 8 kids ages 17, 14, 13, 12, 10, 5, 3, and 1. That is the group so far but it seems to be growing.

Anyway, we'd be interested in FE and I'll help in anyway that I can. We are so excited for this cruise...as it will be our baby Grace's first cruise :)

To join the FE, please PM me some info! So far, I've only heard from Belle402. :sad2:

* Names and ages of your party
* Cabin #(s) unless you're GTY
* any allergies we should be aware of, just in case

Since Disney23 has a large group, once I get the info, I'll create a spreadsheet or webpage and send the link out to those participating in the FE by PM.

[dopeyfanatic]

Does anyone have ideas about excursions? Originally they offered the pirate ship cruise/treasure hunt in Cabo AND PV, but a few months ago they took Cabo away. I found a website.... cabosanlucastours.net that offers that tour still, but I'm so nervous to book anything not through the ship. Is anyone else using them? I think in PV we will do Las Caletas Hideaway. It's hard with Cabo because the hotels they offer you can't swim in the ocean, so you're paying literally to swim in their pool, and it's not cheap. Is there anything else in Cabo interesting that Disney doesn't offer? Is it a place we can just walk around? We have 3 kids age 8-11. My sister will be with us (but may not do the same excursions) and they have three kids also age 9-13. I really need help!!! lol

[DisneyKim68]

We're going to do the pirate ship excursion in PV, not sure if we're doing anything in Cabo yet.

[dopeyfanatic]

Yeah if I never get brave enough to do the pirate ship in Cabo then we're doing it in PV. There just doesn't seem to be much kid friendly stuff in Cabo. I hear Medano Beach is good....I guess we could figure out our own way to get there....

[tomoyo]

I've been using Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor forums to look up reviews on MR excursions. It's not as thorough as I would like, but I definitely have more info than what I can find here on DIS.

[DisneyKim68]

Yay, lots more cruisers have joined in since the last time I visited the thread! :woohoo: Welcome!





To join the FE, please PM me some info! So far, I've only heard from Belle402. :sad2:

* Names and ages of your party
* Cabin #(s) unless you're GTY
* any allergies we should be aware of, just in case

Since Disney23 has a large group, once I get the info, I'll create a spreadsheet or webpage and send the link out to those participating in the FE by PM.

Hi, I'd love to do the FE, I'll PM you my info!

[Disney23]

Well I tried to PM but the system told me I was not allowed to because I do not have 10 posts yet....so I am building up to 10.

[Disney23]

8 more to go and now I realize....I need 40 seconds between posts. So let me ask because I am so new to all of these acronyms, What is DD and DS and some of the other abbreviations I have seen by peoples names?

[DisneyKim68]

DD=Dear Daughter, DS=Dear Son, DH=Dear Husband, etc. ;)

[tomoyo]

Well I tried to PM but the system told me I was not allowed to because I do not have 10 posts yet....so I am building up to 10.

Oops, sorry! Um, anymore questions? Maybe 1 post at a time? :lmao:

Or I'll ask a question that at least two of us have been debating, are you going to make your own FE or buy a ready made one on eBay or Etsy?

[anthonysmama]

Hi there! I'm so glad I found this thread! This is my family's first ever cruise and I'm a total Disney freak so of course I just had to book us on Disney! Our cruise party consists of myself (Brandy), my DH (Ned), our DS (Anthony - 10), and DD (Valerie - 19 mos @ cruise time)! We are so very excited for our first cruise and lookin' forward to meeting some great new friends while onboard! Been reading up on some of the message boards about what to expect, so I can stop feeling like such a Newbie!! Was wondering if we should do the FE...? I think my kids, at least Anthony, would find it fun! Anyone else planning to participate? Lookin' at them on eBay now.

The countdown till cruise day has us SOOO very excited!! :yay:

Brandy

[DisneyKim68]

Hi Brandy,

Welcome! There are few of us doing the FE, would love to have you join us! PM your info to tomoyo if you would like to participate :)

[tomoyo]

Actually, don't PM me. Unfortunately, we're jumping ship. Something's come up and we can't travel in October anymore. We had to reschedule to next fall, ugh another year to wait for our first cruise! :sad2:

Hopefully someone else can take up being in charge of the FE. Hope you all have a good time! :cheer2:

[MindyA]

Setting sail for cruise in 92 days. First cruise for Mindy, Kyle and our kidos Samantha, Austin, Weston, Tyson and Bayleigh! Cant Wait!:banana:

[boiseflyfisher]

Actually, don't PM me. Unfortunately, we're jumping ship. Something's come up and we can't travel in October anymore. We had to reschedule to next fall, ugh another year to wait for our first cruise! :sad2:

Hopefully someone else can take up being in charge of the FE. Hope you all have a good time! :cheer2:

Sorry you won't be joining us! I'm still not sure if we will be taking part in the FE as we may be moving right after our cruise and I'll have a lot of stuff to prepare for.

A side note, it looks like our ship won't be very full if they don't add a discount to our sale date. Right now it appears that there are a quite a few cabins in each category still available, including suites. That's okay with me. We did KSF Mexican Riviera in the spring and I was hoping to experience a cruise that wasn't totally full. Right now we are in a GTY 9B, with them still booking that category. Maybe we will get an upgrade!

[2inpink]

Hi everyone! I just found this website! We will be joining you on the 10/16 sailing and we are so excited!! DH and I will be going along with our DD's who will be 3 and 7 months old! This isn't our 1st cruise, but it is our first with the DCL. We did a carnival cruise last year when our older DD was 2 but this will be our first time taking an infant. Any advice on traveling with an infant?

[Jes11]

Hey, my name is jesica, im 13 years old and super exited to be going on the disney cruise for the 2nd time. :woohoo: my family is going on board with a big group of people and they all have little kids, so i'm looking for anybody who might be my age on the ship.... :yay:

[DisneyKim68]

Hi Jesica,

My daughter Kaitlyn is 12 and we'll be on this cruise. This will be the first cruise for our family!

[Jes11]

thats awesome,:thumbsup2 we should totally meet up on the ship! You are going 2 love the cruise its so awesome!:banana:....And did u know that there is unlimited ice cream buffet?? :woohoo:

[DisneyKim68]

Hi Jes,

She'd like that! Do you use Facebook? If so I can pm you her info and maybe you two can chat and get to know each other a little bit before the cruise.

[Jes11]

No i actually don't have a facebook,:sad1: but thats a gr8 idea though!:goodvibes ...i guess we'll just have to keep in touch through this thread....:thumbsup2

[phred84044]

Hi there! I'm so glad I found this thread! This is my family's first ever cruise and I'm a total Disney freak so of course I just had to book us on Disney! Our cruise party consists of myself (Brandy), my DH (Ned), our DS (Anthony - 10), and DD (Valerie - 19 mos @ cruise time)! We are so very excited for our first cruise and lookin' forward to meeting some great new friends while onboard! Been reading up on some of the message boards about what to expect, so I can stop feeling like such a Newbie!! Was wondering if we should do the FE...? I think my kids, at least Anthony, would find it fun! Anyone else planning to participate? Lookin' at them on eBay now.

The countdown till cruise day has us SOOO very excited!! :yay:
Brandy

Welcome aboard Brandy and family!!! As first time cruisers I hope that you will enjoy it as much as we do and once you do Disney...you won't want to try anything else. And if you do, like we have, you will be severly dissapointed as you become spoiled with Disney! Your children are similar in ages to two of mine (Carson age 9 and Baby Grace age 1 year today) so we'll have to get them together.


Setting sail for cruise in 92 days. First cruise for Mindy, Kyle and our kidos Samantha, Austin, Weston, Tyson and Bayleigh! Cant Wait!:banana:

Hmmm...I think this is the family that we will all have to watch out for; I've heard some interesting stories about these ones! All kidding aside, Mindy is my wife Tracy's (disneymom84074) dear sister. This will be our 3rd Disney vacation together; two previous Disneyland vacations and we finally talked them into this Disney cruise. Welcome aboard Mindy, Kyle and family!


Hi everyone! I just found this website! We will be joining you on the 10/16 sailing and we are so excited!! DH and I will be going along with our DD's who will be 3 and 7 months old! This isn't our 1st cruise, but it is our first with the DCL. We did a carnival cruise last year when our older DD was 2 but this will be our first time taking an infant. Any advice on traveling with an infant?

Welcome aboard 2inpink! We have done two previous cruises with DCL and the children (much younger back then) did well both times. I think Carson was 2 years old one our first DCL cruise. This time we'll have Baby Grace (1 year old) so we may be in for a treat. At first, $6.00 an hour for Flounder's Nursery sounds expensive but later in the cruise you'll be willing to pay more for some alone time without the baby!!!


Hey, my name is jesica, im 13 years old and super exited to be going on the disney cruise for the 2nd time. :woohoo: my family is going on board with a big group of people and they all have little kids, so i'm looking for anybody who might be my age on the ship.... :yay:

Hi Jesica, I will let our daughter Karlee (age 12 at cruise time) know that you're looking for some friends on the cruise. Our group will have several 11-13 year olds; 4 girls and 1 boy, I believe. Maybe I'll get her set up with a login here so you can talk.

[anthonysmama]

Awesome!! We are soooo excited for our first cruise and I know it will not be our last!! We will definitely be doing Disney every time we cruise! I am a huge Disney fan! I went a little crazy with magnets for our door, so we will not be hard to find but our room is 7041. What deck are you on Phred84044? ( Sorry to post with your username but I didn't catch your name. :blush: )

[anthonysmama]

So sad to hear that babies are not allowed in the pools. :sad1: Valerie LOVES the water! Glad they at least have the splash area for the little ones tho.

Been researching like a mad woman < :surfweb: > on what to pack and I think I finally got my list ready...now to finish buying all the stuff that I still need. :scared1:

A couple questions for you "seasoned" cruisers...

#1. One of the packing lists I found on here (and lots of other peoples' threads) said to bring two way radios to keep in touch when away from the kids and such. Good idea? Do they work well on the ship?

#2. Formal night...getting mixed answers on this one. A friend of mine who has cruised before, but never on DCL said VERY formal and when I called DCL the man who helped me said it can be as formal as I want, or not at all if I choose. I really don't wanna stick out like a sore thumb ::NEWBIE:: (showing up in a super formal prom style dress when everyone else is wearing "Little Black Dress" style). But on the other hand, don't wanna be the sore thumb who's underdressed! Maybe I'm thinking too much about it, but its making wanna bring both so I can run back to my room before anyone sees me to change if I come out TOO done up/not done up ENOUGH!

#3. Question I forgot to ask DCL when I called and I'm hoping to save myself from calling again and bugging them...I keep hearing people talk about putting things in the fridge in their rooms, are there refrigerators in all the staterooms? We booked a Standard Inside for this cruise.

I could go on and on with questions I'm sure but I won't. I'm just sooo excited!!! :yay: 87 more days!!

[phred84044]

So sad to hear that babies are not allowed in the pools. :sad1: Valerie LOVES the water! Glad they at least have the splash area for the little ones tho.

I didn't know that babies were not allowed in the pools. If they are in a swim diaper, not sure what the problem would be. Maybe since they can't verify that ALL babies are in swim diapers they go the safe route and let no babies in the pools. I guess they don't want any AFR's to ruin it for everyone! :rotfl2:

A couple questions for you "seasoned" cruisers...

#1. One of the packing lists I found on here (and lots of other peoples' threads) said to bring two way radios to keep in touch when away from the kids and such. Good idea? Do they work well on the ship?

#2. Formal night...getting mixed answers on this one. A friend of mine who has cruised before, but never on DCL said VERY formal and when I called DCL the man who helped me said it can be as formal as I want, or not at all if I choose. I really don't wanna stick out like a sore thumb ::NEWBIE:: (showing up in a super formal prom style dress when everyone else is wearing "Little Black Dress" style). But on the other hand, don't wanna be the sore thumb who's underdressed! Maybe I'm thinking too much about it, but its making wanna bring both so I can run back to my room before anyone sees me to change if I come out TOO done up/not done up ENOUGH!

#3. Question I forgot to ask DCL when I called and I'm hoping to save myself from calling again and bugging them...I keep hearing people talk about putting things in the fridge in their rooms, are there refrigerators in all the staterooms? We booked a Standard Inside for this cruise.

I could go on and on with questions I'm sure but I won't. I'm just sooo excited!!! :yay: 87 more days!!

1. Not sure that two-way radios are needed any longer on the ships. Each room now comes with two Wave phones which double as communication from the kids club counselors to you and can also be used to communicate to others in your party. You can dial between the two in your room and to any other Wave phone on the ship; so if you have a large party you can round everyone up. These phones are separate from the stateroom phone.

2. The answer that Disney provides, "it's as formal as you want it to be" is accurate. It is your cruise and they don't want you dressing up in a tuxedo if you don't want to. On the other hand, if you're wearing shorts that night (which are typically frowned in the dining rooms for dinner anyways) you may be a bit under dressed. To give you an idea of what we've done in the past, here is a picture of formal night from our cruise is 2007:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1527704871_55036df021.jpg

3. Yes, there are fridges in every stateroom. Always nice to store snacks and leftovers for a middle of the night snack. Or, just call room service to bring some cookies or a Mickey ice cream bar!

Keep asking away...I'm an unlimited source of information. Although I can't post the link to our family Disney blog here (because we run advertising on it) you can look it up in google by typing in the keywords: We're, Dreaming, of, Disney, and you should be able to locate it. We have additional Disney information, tips, etc. there.

Trent-

[Jes11]

Hi Jesica, I will let our daughter Karlee (age 12 at cruise time) know that you're looking for some friends on the cruise. Our group will have several 11-13 year olds; 4 girls and 1 boy, I believe. Maybe I'll get her set up with a login here so you can talk.[/QUOTE]

ya that sounds awesome :thumbsup2... I'd love 2 chat with Karlee! :banana:

[anthonysmama]

I didn't know that babies were not allowed in the pools. If they are in a swim diaper, not sure what the problem would be. Maybe since they can't verify that ALL babies are in swim diapers they go the safe route and let no babies in the pools. I guess they don't want any AFR's to ruin it for everyone! :rotfl2:



1. Not sure that two-way radios are needed any longer on the ships. Each room now comes with two Wave phones which double as communication from the kids club counselors to you and can also be used to communicate to others in your party. You can dial between the two in your room and to any other Wave phone on the ship; so if you have a large party you can round everyone up. These phones are separate from the stateroom phone.

2. The answer that Disney provides, "it's as formal as you want it to be" is accurate. It is your cruise and they don't want you dressing up in a tuxedo if you don't want to. On the other hand, if you're wearing shorts that night (which are typically frowned in the dining rooms for dinner anyways) you may be a bit under dressed. To give you an idea of what we've done in the past, here is a picture of formal night from our cruise is 2007:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1527704871_55036df021.jpg

3. Yes, there are fridges in every stateroom. Always nice to store snacks and leftovers for a middle of the night snack. Or, just call room service to bring some cookies or a Mickey ice cream bar!

Keep asking away...I'm an unlimited source of information. Although I can't post the link to our family Disney blog here (because we run advertising on it) you can look it up in google by typing in the keywords: We're, Dreaming, of, Disney, and you should be able to locate it. We have additional Disney information, tips, etc. there.

Trent-

Yeah. I was exploring all the things there is to do on board on the DCL website when I stumbled across the disclaimer about babies in the pools. Its at the bottom of the description page for Mickey's Pool on the Wonder. I guess I can respect the thought, but I still don't fully understand it. That's what swim diapers were created for, but oh well, I won't be the one to argue the issue. I'm sure our baby girl will have fun playing in the splash zone while on board and we'll be sure to take her in the water on the beaches at the ports. :) It'll be all about taking turns in the pools for my husband and I...or sneaking in a swim while the kids are at the kids program & the nursery. We'll figure it out.


Awesome! Thank you so very much for all the info! So glad to hear that there are fridge's in the rooms and the Wave phones sound perfect for what I was wanting to use them for! As far as formal night goes, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I was feeling so very lost and now I know exactly what I'm going to pack for each member of our family. (Beautiful family photo by the way!) I found your blog and have been reading through it and watched the video you made from your 2007 cruise. Loved it! Now I'm even more excited for October to get here!!


Thank you again for the info and I'll be sure to post more questions if I think of any more that I haven't had answered by the website or my many calls to DCL!!

See Ya Real Soon!

~Brandy~

[anthonysmama]

Just wondering...

Is anyone else planning to dress up for Pirate Night? pirate:

Brandy

[DisneyKim68]

Just wondering...

Is anyone else planning to dress up for Pirate Night? pirate:

Brandy

Yep! When I was at Disneyland I bought the pirate Mickey Ears and a Mickey Pirate shirt. Not sure what else at this point, but since our cruise is right before Halloween, I should have no problem finding pirate accessories! pirate:

[bradc]

Last year my 3 year old was sad she couldn't get in the pool (not potty trained at the time). She did have a lot of fun in the splash area, especially when she had some water toys to play with.https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bvhGZcmJwb4/TOn58ubFa8I/AAAAAAAAJxU/VfKI5b7I8us/s720/IMG_11_16_2010_0292_2787.JPG

[anthonysmama]

Last year my 3 year old was sad she couldn't get in the pool (not potty trained at the time). She did have a lot of fun in the splash area, especially when she had some water toys to play with.https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bvhGZcmJwb4/TOn58ubFa8I/AAAAAAAAJxU/VfKI5b7I8us/s720/IMG_11_16_2010_0292_2787.JPG

How very cute she is! I was glad to read that at least they do have the splash area because when I first started reading where it said they weren't allowed in the pools, I was so very disappointed! My baby girl LOVES water! Seeing & hearing about your little girl helps me feel more confident that mine will have a good time playing in the splash area. :) I'll be sure to bring her some toys. Didn't even think of that! Thank you!

Brandy

[anthonysmama]

Hi again Trent. Thought of a couple more questions for you.

I was wondering if Disney allows us to bring our own bottled water onboard?

Also, have you used the nursery before? When I called DCL, they told me that when I do our online check-in, we are encouraged to book babysitting then, because space is limited and fills up fast but I don't have any idea what days and times to book because we've never cruised before so I dont know what night is what...Pirate night, formal night, etc. I was told this info would be in our daily navigator but if I have to book the babysitting before we get there, that doesn't really help me any! Does the nightly itinerary onboard change from cruise to cruise or is it always the same? (Like: night 2 is pirate night, night 4 is formal night, etc...)

Any help with this would be wonderful!! Thank you!!

~ Brandy ~

[phred84044]

I was wondering if Disney allows us to bring our own bottled water onboard?

You can bring your own water onboard; however this will take up valuable space in your luggage. Also, as the luggage is typically handled with less-than-friendly manners, be prepared for punctured or burst bottles in your luggage. Since lemonade, soft drinks and water are unlimited on the cruise I would recommend bringing a large mug to be filled up. It's easy to pack as you can roll up clothes to put inside of it. For days at port, you'll probably just want to buy bottled water.

Also, have you used the nursery before? When I called DCL, they told me that when I do our online check-in, we are encouraged to book babysitting then, because space is limited and fills up fast but I don't have any idea what days and times to book because we've never cruised before so I dont know what night is what

We used the nursery two times when Carson was not old enough yet for the kids clubs. This was before on-line check-in. We made reservations during the cruise and found availability pretty open. If you know what you'll be doing for your port tours, plan the nursery at online check-in for those times.

Pirate night, formal night, etc. I was told this info would be in our daily navigator but if I have to book the babysitting before we get there, that doesn't really help me any!

Again, they recommend booking ahead of time so there is availability. You will be in the same situation as everyone else. There should be availability for an impromptu or day before reservation.

Does the nightly itinerary onboard change from cruise to cruise or is it always the same? (Like: night 2 is pirate night, night 4 is formal night, etc...)


The Cruise Director uses the same template for the Navigator. The only thing that changes are the dates. You can review a recent navigator and have a pretty good idea of what will be going on and when. Book reservations based on those times and you should be good.

The only time the Navigators really change is if there are unseen circumstances while on-board; i.e., changed ports, etc.

[anthonysmama]

You are awesome! Thank you so very much for sharing your cruise knowledge with my cruise knowledge-impaired self. :)

I'll try not to bug ya with endless questions.

[Jathanis]

I was wondering if Disney allows us to bring our own bottled water onboard?

~ Brandy ~

You can bring your own water onboard; however this will take up valuable space in your luggage. Also, as the luggage is typically handled with less-than-friendly manners, be prepared for punctured or burst bottles in your luggage.

Just as a quick thought here - Disney prefers you to not pack anything like this in your checked luggage, but to keep it with you in your carry-on. This goes double for alcohol and triple for glass bottles! If they do see bottles in checked luggage, they may likely confiscate them as to prevent breakage, damage to other's luggage, and injuries to the staff handling the bags. Last cruise I went on, I just brought a small wheeled carry-on with me that had a bottle of Rum, two bottles of wine, and 8 cans of Guinness in it, wrapped in a sweatshirt to muffle the noise, and my swimsuit for the time until our room is ready. The X-ray tech was hilarious - I was wearing a hat that said "Got Beer?", and when he scanned my carry-on, he looked at me and said "Nice hat, matches your luggage!" with a big smile... :thumbsup2

The water bottles are nice to have, especially the larger ones or the ones with the handles - I'd say throw a few in your carry-on, and use the water at the deck 9 self service Phred mentioned to refill them when needed...

[anthonysmama]

Just as a quick thought here - Disney prefers you to not pack anything like this in your checked luggage, but to keep it with you in your carry-on. This goes double for alcohol and triple for glass bottles! If they do see bottles in checked luggage, they may likely confiscate them as to prevent breakage, damage to other's luggage, and injuries to the staff handling the bags. Last cruise I went on, I just brought a small wheeled carry-on with me that had a bottle of Rum, two bottles of wine, and 8 cans of Guinness in it, wrapped in a sweatshirt to muffle the noise, and my swimsuit for the time until our room is ready. The X-ray tech was hilarious - I was wearing a hat that said "Got Beer?", and when he scanned my carry-on, he looked at me and said "Nice hat, matches your luggage!" with a big smile... :thumbsup2

The water bottles are nice to have, especially the larger ones or the ones with the handles - I'd say throw a few in your carry-on, and use the water at the deck 9 self service Phred mentioned to refill them when needed...

LOL! :laughing: Its nice to know there's people out there that still have a sense of humor! Thank you so much. Thats wonderful advice as well. I am a big water drinker so I'd like to have some on hand, in my room at all times. I'll stash a couple bottles in my carry on and that should work for me as long as I can refill them. :)

[princssdisnygina]

HELLO! I will be adding this cruise to my vacation plans tomorrow morning! :goodvibes I am a Disney Travel Agent and they are offering a deal! YAYAY! It will be me and my friend John! It will be his first cruise every and my 8th Disney Cruise! I will actually have just gotten off the Magic on October 1! :cool1:

This is however, my first Mexican Riviera Cruise!

I am excited to be joining all of you! :banana:

[princssdisnygina]

I need some advice for those of you that have done this cruise before! I am Caribbean experienced but this west coast stuff is new to me!

What is a must see? If the ziplining is available I am thinking we may want to do it... has anyone done it?

I am lost and really excited but want to enjoy the ports!

I LOVE the beach and to shop! Not so much up for tours.

TIA! :goodvibes

[anthonysmama]

HELLO! I will be adding this cruise to my vacation plans tomorrow morning! :goodvibes I am a Disney Travel Agent and they are offering a deal! YAYAY! It will be me and my friend John! It will be his first cruise every and my 8th Disney Cruise! I will actually have just gotten off the Magic on October 1! :cool1:

This is however, my first Mexican Riviera Cruise!

I am excited to be joining all of you! :banana:

Hi there! Welcome aboard! This is my family's first cruise ever so I am not speaking from experience, but everything that I have read says that the Harbor Cruise & Scenic Stop is the excursion to book in Cabo. Thats the one my family and I will be doing. Shows off all the popular rock formations and such there. We are super excited!! Can't wait! :yay:

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

I need some advice for those of you that have done this cruise before! I am Caribbean experienced but this west coast stuff is new to me!

What is a must see? If the ziplining is available I am thinking we may want to do it... has anyone done it?

I am lost and really excited but want to enjoy the ports!

I LOVE the beach and to shop! Not so much up for tours.

TIA! :goodvibes

We are traveling with a toddler, so no zipline for us! Sounds like fun tho! As far as Puerto Vallarta goes, we booked the Paradise Beach Adventure. Can't wait to soak up some sun at the resort! :beach: Hope you guys find some fun and exciting excursions to do! They had lots to choose from that looked fun, but we wanted to pick some the whole family could do together, so we went for the more mellow ones. Maybe on our next cruise, we'll leave the kids at home and do the fun/exciting stuff! :rotfl: I'm thinkin' Caribbean for the next one...any specific must do's there?

~ Brandy ~

[phred84044]

HELLO! I will be adding this cruise to my vacation plans tomorrow morning!

Welcome aboard, feel free to join in on the conversation!

I need some advice for those of you that have done this cruise before! I am Caribbean experienced but this west coast stuff is new to me!

What is a must see? If the ziplining is available I am thinking we may want to do it... has anyone done it?

We did the Mexican Riviera on our first cruise (Carnival) but due to a hurricane we did Puerta Vallarta and Ensenada and skipped Cabo and Mazatlan. Due to weather, our booked excursion in Puerta Vallarta was cancelled so we just walked the city. We were so hoping to get to see Mazatlan but apparently it's not meant to be as Disney has changed the port.

Currently, we have the zipline excursion booked in PV (still trying to talk Tracy into it) and the Dolphin Encounter in Cabo for Tracy, me and the two older kids. I have a friend from High School who did the zipline excursion with another cruiseline in PV last month and he said it was awesome!

[princssdisnygina]

Welcome aboard, feel free to join in on the conversation!



We did the Mexican Riviera on our first cruise (Carnival) but due to a hurricane we did Puerta Vallarta and Ensenada and skipped Cabo and Mazatlan. Due to weather, our booked excursion in Puerta Vallarta was cancelled so we just walked the city. We were so hoping to get to see Mazatlan but apparently it's not meant to be as Disney has changed the port.

Currently, we have the zipline excursion booked in PV (still trying to talk Tracy into it) and the Dolphin Encounter in Cabo for Tracy, me and the two older kids. I have a friend from High School who did the zipline excursion with another cruiseline in PV last month and he said it was awesome!

AWESOME! I have us signed up for the zipline in Cabo! We are in a GTY Deluxe Oceanview room... because I am on an Agent price I don't know what category or room yet. WHO CARES!

I am SO SO SO Excited!

[princssdisnygina]

OH.. is there a hotel near the port that is good? We are flying in on Saturday afternoon. :confused3

[DisneyKim68]

Does anyone know of a good place in Cabo to parasail or rent a jet ski for a few hours? We couldn't find any port adeventures in Cabo that sounded great, so hubby would like to do this instead.

[phred84044]

OH.. is there a hotel near the port that is good? We are flying in on Saturday afternoon. :confused3

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor about 1/2 mile from the terminal. I bid on Priceline for 3-1/2 star at $65. If you reserve from Crowne Plaza's website it is $169. The hotel offers shuttle to/from the pier.

[princssdisnygina]

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor about 1/2 mile from the terminal. I bid on Priceline for 3-1/2 star at $65. If you reserve from Crowne Plaza's website it is $169. The hotel offers shuttle to/from the pier.

I assume the Crowne Plaza is the hotel they gave you? This would be perfect for me and is actually one I looked at!

Did you put in San Pedro as the location? Priceline is such a risk and I want to make sure I get a hotel that takes me to the port.

[phred84044]

I assume the Crowne Plaza is the hotel they gave you? This would be perfect for me and is actually one I looked at!

Did you put in San Pedro as the location? Priceline is such a risk and I want to make sure I get a hotel that takes me to the port.

Yes, use San Pedro as the area. There are only two known 3.5* hotels in San Pedro; the Crowne Plaza and the Double Tree. However, I have only seen winning bids of the Crowne Plaza on betterbidding.com. The magic price is $65. I heard of others trying $63 unsuccesfully and then using a free re-bid at $65 and getting it. Others have just done $65 on first bid and gotten it. I tried $63 and was unsuccessful and was successful at $65. We have used Priceline for well over 24 hotel stays and have never had a bad experience. As long as your plans don't change and you go in with a strategy, there is no other way to get a lower rate on a hotel room than with Priceline.

[princssdisnygina]

Yes, use San Pedro as the area. There are only two known 3.5* hotels in San Pedro; the Crowne Plaza and the Double Tree. However, I have only seen winning bids of the Crowne Plaza on betterbidding.com. The magic price is $65. I heard of others trying $63 unsuccesfully and then using a free re-bid at $65 and getting it. Others have just done $65 on first bid and gotten it. I tried $63 and was unsuccessful and was successful at $65. We have used Priceline for well over 24 hotel stays and have never had a bad experience. As long as your plans don't change and you go in with a strategy, there is no other way to get a lower rate on a hotel room than with Priceline.

SWEET! I am gonna go for it then! Thanks!:thumbsup2

[princssdisnygina]

Yes, use San Pedro as the area. There are only two known 3.5* hotels in San Pedro; the Crowne Plaza and the Double Tree. However, I have only seen winning bids of the Crowne Plaza on betterbidding.com. The magic price is $65. I heard of others trying $63 unsuccesfully and then using a free re-bid at $65 and getting it. Others have just done $65 on first bid and gotten it. I tried $63 and was unsuccessful and was successful at $65. We have used Priceline for well over 24 hotel stays and have never had a bad experience. As long as your plans don't change and you go in with a strategy, there is no other way to get a lower rate on a hotel room than with Priceline.

YOU WERE RIGHT! I got the Crowne Plaza too! It came to $82.11 after taxes and fees! The sure beats the $193 it would've been! Thanks! :thumbsup2

[bradc]

We've singed up for Paradise Beach Adventure in PV. Our kids (6 and 4) love to play in the sand so here's hoping to great weather.

Has anyone ever participated in the dolphin encounters? It sounds like fun but I'm a little nervous because of the price. I'm trying to decide what else we might do in Cabo with the little ones. They tend to get bored on tours or shopping excursions.

[Brooke3L]

Who do I need to contact to sign up for the FE?

[phred84044]

Who do I need to contact to sign up for the FE?

I believe that the person who had volunteered to head up the FE had to back out of this sailing; so at this point we don't have anybody steering the boat (pun intended).

If anyone wants to volunteer, please do. Otherwise, I'll see if my DW Tracy (disneymom84074) will do it.

[Jathanis]

Yes, use San Pedro as the area. There are only two known 3.5* hotels in San Pedro; the Crowne Plaza and the Double Tree. However, I have only seen winning bids of the Crowne Plaza on betterbidding.com. The magic price is $65. I heard of others trying $63 unsuccesfully and then using a free re-bid at $65 and getting it. Others have just done $65 on first bid and gotten it. I tried $63 and was unsuccessful and was successful at $65. We have used Priceline for well over 24 hotel stays and have never had a bad experience. As long as your plans don't change and you go in with a strategy, there is no other way to get a lower rate on a hotel room than with Priceline.

What about the parking for the cruise? I've read elsewhere that the CR offers a park and sail package, but if you book on Priceline, etc, the parking will be extra above and beyond the $65, but if you book through them, it's included in the $169 price... Any experience with that?

[phred84044]

What about the parking for the cruise? I've read elsewhere that the CR offers a park and sail package, but if you book on Priceline, etc, the parking will be extra above and beyond the $65, but if you book through them, it's included in the $169 price... Any experience with that?

I called them a few weeks ago. The $169 price does not include parking. The park and sail package is $199. If you don't do the park and sail package, they charge $10 per night for parking ($12 per night at the cruise terminal). Using Priceline and paying $10 per night parking is cheaper than their park and sail package.

[Jathanis]

I called them a few weeks ago. The $169 price does not include parking. The park and sail package is $199. If you don't do the park and sail package, they charge $10 per night for parking ($12 per night at the cruise terminal). Using Priceline and paying $10 per night parking is cheaper than their park and sail package.

Thanks for the info - makes that part of the budgeting a bit easier!

And while talking to DW today, she started asking about the FE for this cruise - I told her how our coordinator had to cancel, and right now we don't have one. So she decided that there's no reason that her and I couldn't do it (meaning me, of course). So if the fact that this is only our second ever cruise, and first ever FE participation isn't a problem, I'll officially volunteer to collect the names, make the maps, etc. Luckily, there's plenty of other shining examples on this board I can steal... err, gain inspiration from! (I didn't realize she'd already been scouring the bargain section at Target, etc for FE gifts without telling me).

Anyone else want the job? It's all yours! Otherwise, I'll look over the thread and post a recap of who has said they want in in a few days as soon as my work can allow it, but definitely this week to allow the next few months for shopping - and don't forget, exactly two months from right now, we'll all be packing up and getting ready to head for the airport or drive to the pier! :drive: ... :car: ... :boat:

[DisneyKim68]

and don't forget, exactly two months from right now, we'll all be packing up and getting ready to head for the airport or drive to the pier! ... ...


Woohoo! :banana:

[cluna]

Our family is booked on this cruise, this is our first time crusing on DCL! My DD is 8 and DS is 11. They aren't finding out about this trip until we are on the airplane! I been working on all of the clues to lead up to thier surprise...can't wait!

[anthonysmama]

Our family is booked on this cruise, this is our first time crusing on DCL! My DD is 8 and DS is 11. They aren't finding out about this trip until we are on the airplane! I been working on all of the clues to lead up to thier surprise...can't wait!

Welcome Aboard! :banana:

[princssdisnygina]

Our family is booked on this cruise, this is our first time crusing on DCL! My DD is 8 and DS is 11. They aren't finding out about this trip until we are on the airplane! I been working on all of the clues to lead up to thier surprise...can't wait!

Hi Crystal!! You found the thread! :goodvibes

[Jathanis]

Our family is booked on this cruise, this is our first time crusing on DCL! My DD is 8 and DS is 11. They aren't finding out about this trip until we are on the airplane! I been working on all of the clues to lead up to thier surprise...can't wait!

My DD turns 8 on our PV day! I'm sure they'll be spending a lot of time together in the Oceaneer's Club...

[Steiny47]

Daughter & son-in-law surprising hubby with family cruise for hubby's 70th birthday Oct 16th...pointers appreciated...can't wait!:yay:

[cluna]

Hi Crystal!! You found the thread! :goodvibes

Hey Gina! I've been trying to get caught up. I'm used to booking my cruises a year out! So much to do.... :)

I am learning about the Fish Extenders...hoping that we have enough interested to do that for our cruise. Sounds like fun!

[Jathanis]

First of all, welcome, Steiny47!

Second, and what many have been waiting for/asking about: I'm finally done going through the thread, and have started the FE list. So far, I have the following as having definitely expressed interest, with ages, (birthdays if while on the cruise), names, favorite characters, and favorite colors listed if known.

Official 10/16/11 Disney Wonder FE list as of 9/6, 11:35pm

Definitely in

Phred84044 & Disneymom84074 ~ (RSVPed)

DH, Trent, Mickey
DW, Tracy, Tinkerbell
DD 12, Karlee, Chip & Dale
DS 9, Carson, Lightning McQueen
DD 11 months, Grace, Cinderella

Jathanis ~ (RSVPed)

DH 36, Jeff, Genie/Sorcerer Mickey, blue or dark green
DW 38 (on 10/22), Jerri Lynn, Tigger, orange
Aunt, 34, Sabrina, Evil Queen (Snow White), black or purple
DD 8 (on 10/19), Laurie, Rapunzel/Pluto, pink or purple

DisneyKim68 ~ (RSVPed)

DW 43, Kim, Mickey
DH 44, Curtis, Star Wars/Tours
DD 12, Kaitlyn, Arial/Mickey

Geekbunny ~ (RSVPed)

DW 35, Tammy, EVE from Wall-E, pink or red
DH 37, Brent, Stitch, blue
DD 3, Audrey, Sleeping Beauty/Aurora, pink

Anthonysmama ~ (RSVPed)

DW 30, Brandy, Minnie, Purple
DH 55, Ned, Mickey, Any
DS 10, Anthony, Goofy, Blue
DD 1.5, Valerie, Stitch, Pink or Purple

Brooke3L ~ (RSVPed)

OP ?
DD 9, Loretta
DD 7, Lillia

Belle402 ~ (RSVPed)

DD 30, Marianne, Minnie Mouse, pink
DMom 60's, Sue, Ariel, aqua

Bradc ~ (RSVPed)

DH Brad, Mickey Mouse, blue
DW, Laurie, Ariel, red
DS 6, Zach, Phineas & Ferb, red
DD 4, Sarah, Rapunzel/Ariel/Tiana, pink

cluna ~ (RSVPed)

DW 33, Crystal, Minnie Mouse, Purple
DH 38, Dwight, Grumpy, Blue
DS 11, Parker, Jack Sparrow, Green
DD 8, Paige, Mickey Mouse, Pink

betsy2010 ~ (RSVPed)

DW 43, Betsy, any character/color
DH 41, Jason, any character/color
DS 10, Greg, any character/color
DS 6, Peter, any character/color


*No reported allergies yet! *

Possibly in

Boiseflyfisher

DH/DW?
DS 10, ??
DD 8, ??

Disney23

still waiting on info
9 adults, 8 children?



NOT in FE, but Feel free to Surprise (room 6148)

jenpaige ~ DCL wedding!

DW 31, Jen
DH 31, Derrick



I will do another post today when I get home from work with many more details, but I wanted to at least jog everyone's memories! If you're interested, please post, so I can add you to the list. You can also PM me the following info:


Names, age and gender of the people in your party
Room number(s) (if you're GTY, just say GTY for now and update us later)
Any allergies we should know about?
Favorite Disney Character!
NEW REQUEST - Favorite Color!



We appear to have 24 different posters that are on the cruise (although Phred84044, disneymom84074, and MindyA are all in the same party, lol), so there's still plenty of others who may still want to get in - if this is you, please post!

And just as a side note, I noticed we have a 20th, a 16th (mine), and an 11th Anniversary, plus a wedding party, not to mention several birthdays... I will try to post ALL of this I've compiled later... Now, back to work! :scared1:

[Geekbunny]

Hi everyone, we'll joining you guys as first time cruisers, and we'd love to join in the FE stuff!

DD is 3, DH is 37 and I'm 34. Our room # is GTY, and no allergies.

Thanks for organizing this! We're so excited!

[Geekbunny]

DD - Sleeping Beauty/Aurora
DH - Stitch
me - Eve from Wall-E :)

[Jathanis]

Alright, here we go - 50 or so days of shopping left for Fish Extender gifts, so we'd better get going! With thanks to Lornak, who I'm stealing much of this from off of my 10/16 Wonder cruise meet thread from last year:


What Is An FE Gift Exchange?
FE gift exchanges were created by fellow Dissers a number of years ago. Outside the stateroom doors there is a metal FISH Hook for DCL or others to attach important notes or such for you. As part of a FE gift exchange, participants hang some type of hanging organizer, commonly known as a FISH EXTENDER. Some people make elaborate ones, others hang decorative bags, etc. Participants in an FE gift exchange then secretly leave a small gift in the pockets of others Fish extenders. The gift exchange adds more magic to the cruise and it's a real treat to come back to your cabin to find a surprise in your FE! Never seen one before? Here’s a good thread with a description and pictures:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33184281&postcount=2


How do I get a FE??
Here's a link to someone on ebay who creates these for people:
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1311&_nkw=fish+extender&_sacat=See-All-Categories
(or look up the seller "gradysmommy" if the link doesn't work)

Here's a link on how to make a simple, no sew FE (with a picture):
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30302583&postcount=609


What kinds of gifts go in a FE?
There are already lots of threads with ideas on what kinds of gifts you can give in an exchange. So I will just post some links here. But in general, any gift that you think others may like is acceptable. Some gifts are home made and others are store bought. Some people bring items from their home state (or country) and others bring cruise items, candy or little trinkets. The sky is the limit---check out some of these threads for ideas!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1522535&highlight=fish+extender+gifts

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1481047

And here’s a great one of home made gift ideas:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1980639

Last, here's a post with a list of threads to reference for anyone new to Fish Extenders (FE): http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=24451956&postcount=41

Or just do a search for “fish extenders” on the board---you will find TONS of threads!!


How do I sign up for our FE gift exchange?
If anyone would like to participate, just reply to this post or send me a pm, I will keep a master list and update it periodically. I will need to know the following four things:

Names, age and gender of the people in your party
Room number(s) (if you're GTY, just say GTY for now and update us later)
Any allergies we should know about?
Favorite Disney Character!
NEW REQUEST - Favorite Color!

You don't have to have kids to participate!! Everyone is welcome! The rule for gifts is---give however you would like. In other words, if you'd like to give one gift per cabin, or gift to children only, or gift to adults only, or gift to each person individually, then that’s what you do. The gifts can be store bought or home made. We want this to be FUN and not something to feel pressured about! So do what works for you!!!

As we each find out our cabin number as our cruise approaches, post or pm that info along with the deck number and prior to our travel time, I will get a list to each of you. If there is interest, we can also plan a quick meet up time - some do it on boarding day, others do it on a sea day early in the cruise.


Who is still invited that hasn't joined in? :yay:
I posted a few posts above here those Disboard members on this thread who have expressed interest this far in participating, and will continue to edit that post accordingly with updates (as I just did to add Geekbunny) - but just for fun, here's the list of members that have posted that they are going on the cruise, but haven't mentioned interest in the FE - consider this your official "urge" to join up: :lmao:

Gometros
Denine
Mouseears1
Dopeyfanatic
Hamletfan8
Winegirl
Jenpaige (Happy wedding cruise!!!)
Kindsoul73
Ctp365
Disney23 (?)
MindyA
2inpink
Jes11
Princssdisnygina
Cluna (?)
Steiny47



Another important part of this discussion is the cut-off date. From researching previous FE threads, I've noticed many put the cutoff at about a month out, to prevent last minute rushed shopping, so I'm proposing Sunday, September 18th as the cutoff date for anyone who has been lurking on this thread. Anyone new popping up after that date will be considered by the FE group via PM votes, and we will do our best to accommodate them as best we can. I just don't want to see a large group pop up as people are starting to travel, or if anyone orders anything (such as Oriental Trading Company) just to come up short...


Ooooo-kay, I think that does it for now! Please let me know if you see anything I missed, or have any further questions about any of this!

[anthonysmama]

Okay...this is my family's very first cruise EVER, so I have been a little leary about joining in the fun. That, and the fact that I didn't even fully know what the FE was till just recently. :blush: However, I'm almost convinced that I can do this FE thing after lookin' thru a couple boards with gift ideas. I know I've got the perfect gift for little girls (and possibly even some of the women out there if your like me!) :idea: I don't wanna give away my idea, so I won't get too deep into discussion on that. :rolleyes1 The thing I worry about is being able to provide an equally great gift for the boys/men onboard. :confused3

If it's not too much to ask...What I need from those who are planning to participate is basically a gender headcount. Personalized gifts are kinda cool in my opinion, and I'm a tad bit crafty :artist:, so names (even just family last names if you don't wish to share all names) would be AWESOME!! The names of my entire family are posted in my Signature (and on all of our magnets you'll see plastered all over our door!) for those of you who wish to use them for personalized gifts! :cheer2:

Maybe once I see how many boys I've actually gotta figure something out for, it will help me decide if I'm brave enough to sign up! Thank you all!

~ Brandy ~

[Jathanis]

If you check in 30 minutes or so, I'll update post 173 above with more specific information that has been posted by each member that has expressed interest... I wanted to do that last night, but it was already almost midnight by the time I finished the big FE post, so I had to get some sleep to be able to function today! :thumbsup2

Update: done!

[phred84044]

I've been religiously checking our reservation for some pixie dust in the form of a stateroom upgrade and when checking our reservation this afternoon it happened! :cool1:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6195/6077292787_8432f26581.jpg

Check out the cruise description on the reservation. Unfortunately, I refreshed the screen and we were back on a Mexican Riviera cruise. :sad2:

Just an FYI, GTY status staterooms are starting to be assigned for early October cruises so room assignments won't be much longer; probably a week or so! Keep checking your reservations and let us know if you receive any Pixie Dust...

[phred84044]

Here's our FE info:

Room 2124; no allergies

DH (phred84044), Trent, Mickey
DW (disneymom84074), Tracy, Tinkerbell
DD 12, Karlee, Chip & Dale
DS 9, Carson, Lightening McQueen
DD 1, Grace, Cinderella

Thanks Jathanis for putting this together!!!

[cluna]

Okay, I'm new to this FE thing but it sounds like fun! How does the actual exchange work? Do you leave something for each person participating once? Or every day?

[princssdisnygina]

Okay, I'm new to this FE thing but it sounds like fun! How does the actual exchange work? Do you leave something for each person participating once? Or every day?

Hello again Crystal! It's up to you! I have seen people do something small every night but most people do just one big thing. It takes up quite a bit of time to run around the ship to put things on doors so in my opinion, its easier to do one thing.

PS.... email me if you want ideas! LOL.... I am not doing it on this cruise but have done it a few times and received some cool gifts! :thumbsup2

[cluna]

Hey Gina! I'm gonna email you for ideas. I think the kids would have a lot of fun with this but I am not crafty so I have to figure out making this thing too!

[Jathanis]

Thanks Jathanis for putting this together!!!

No problem - gives a slightly OCD Engineer something to do on his lunch breaks other than looking over our cruise itinerary again and again... I'm putting it all in a Google Docs spreadsheet so I can easily work on it no matter where I am, even on my Android phone... :rolleyes1

<edit> Ironically, I first got your children's ages off of your DW's signature, then realized from your comments that the ages were off by a few years... Which made me realize the ages in MY sig were also off! LOL

[anthonysmama]

First of all, welcome, Steiny47!

Second, and what many have been waiting for/asking about: I'm finally done going through the thread, and have started the FE list. So far, I have the following as having definitely expressed interest, with ages, (birthdays if while on the cruise), and favorite characters listed if known.

Official 10/16/11 Disney Wonder FE list

Most Likely in

Phred84044 & Disneymom84074 ~ (RSVPed)

DH, Mickey
DW, Tinkerbell
DD 12, Chip & Dale
DS 9, Lightning McQueen
DD 11 months, Cinderella

Jathanis ~ (RSVPed)

DH 36, Genie/Sorcerer Mickey
DW 38 on 10/22, Tigger
Aunt, 34, Maleficent
DD 8 (on 10/19), Rapunzel/Pluto

Boiseflyfisher

DH/DW?
DS 10, ??
DD 8, ??

Belle402

posted as OP + mother
still waiting for info

DisneyKim68 ~ (RSVPed)

DW 43, Mickey
DH 44, Star Wars/Tours
DD 12, Arial/Mickey

Brooke3L

still waiting on info

Geekbunny ~ (RSVPed)

DW 34, EVE from Wall-E
DH 37, Stitch
DD 3, Sleeping Beauty/Aurora



Possibly in

Anthonysmama

DW 30
DH 55
DS 10
DD 1.5

Disney23

still waiting on info
9 adults, 8 children?

cluna

DW/DH?
DS 11
DD 8




Jathanis...YOU are awesome! :worship: Thank you for being so organized, cause I'm soooo not feelin' too organized at the moment!! :badpc: I'm glad to see so many girls! :thumbsup2 Sorry boys, it's only cause my craftyness tends to be geared toward "girly" things... :laughing: I have a couple "girly" ideas up my sleeve for all our little cruisin' princesses!! princess: I'll figure out something for the few little men we've got cruisin' too! :cool2: Just gotta think on it a minute. ;)

Our info is...
DW ~ Brandy (30), Fav Color: Purple, Fav Char: Minnie Mouse
DH ~ Ned (55), Fav Color: Any/All, Fav Char: Mickey Mouse
DS ~ Anthony (10), Fav Color: Blue, Fav Char: Goofy
DD ~ Valerie (1.5), Fav Color: Pink/Purple, Fav Char: Stitch
Deck ~ 7
Stateroom ~ 7041
Allergies ~ None known ;)
Celebrating ~ Our first cruise EVER! :banana:

:woohoo: So I guess this would be an official "We're In" from us! :yay:


Here's our FE info:

Room 2124; no allergies

DH (phred84044), Trent, Mickey
DW (disneymom84074), Tracy, Tinkerbell
DD 12, Karlee, Chip & Dale
DS 9, Carson, Lightening McQueen
DD 1, Grace, Cinderella

Thanks Jathanis for putting this together!!!

Thank you Trent!! Can I also bother you (and anyone else who'd care to share ;)) for one more piece of info...? Favorite colors, pretty please? :flower3:

Thanks again everyone!

~ Brandy ~

[Jathanis]

<snip> Thank you for being so organized

No Problem! :thumbsup2 Thanks for joining us!


<snip> Favorite colors, pretty please? :flower3:

Thanks again everyone!

~ Brandy ~

Consider it added to the "official" FE info request post! Boy, the best way to boost one's post count is to coordinate an FE! :goodvibes

[anthonysmama]

Hate to have you keep updating your posts. :surfweb: Just wanted to add one last thing. Our family name/last name is Hunter. Thought I'd add it, just in case it matters for personalized items. :) I'm a tad bit OCD myself.

~ Brandy ~

[Geekbunny]

Jathanis, you should generate a questionaire form from your spreadsheet and just post the link here so you won't have to type in all the info :)

Anyway favorite colors:
DW (me) - pink/red
DH - blue
DD - pink

[Jathanis]

Jathanis, you should generate a questionaire form from your spreadsheet and just post the link here so you won't have to type in all the info :)


Wow! I wasn't even aware of that functionality! :eek: Does this look good to you? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEo4YnNXbVZJUF9GY2I0RlV0WHlzSkE6M Q If so, I'll add the link to the FE list post...

[Geekbunny]

The form looks great! Ship it! (Pun intended) :cool2:

[anthonysmama]

Hey Jathanis, I am using the FE post list to get everyones names for personalization on a couple things I'm working on :artist: and realized that your DD's name is not listed in there. :confused3 I really don't wanna leave her out of the personalized goodies! Can you list her name for me when you have a minute? :flower3:

Oh, btw...the spreadsheet thingy looks great!! Do I need to fill it out still? :confused: I'm pretty sure you listed all my info on there correctly. Let me know.

Thanks!

~ Brandy ~

P.S. (To everyone who hasn't listed names) I'm very into personalizing and I'd like to make all of our participants personalized gifts for the FE, so please don't be shy!! Post your names, fav characters, fav colors, and any special celebrations, etc. so that I can go a little more DISign/craft crazy!! :lmao: Gives a Stay-at-home-mommy somethin' fun to do during my baby girl's naptime!! :yay:

[Jathanis]

Hey Jathanis, I am using the FE post list to get everyones names for personalization on a couple things I'm working on :artist: and realized that your DD's name is not listed in there. :confused3 I really don't wanna leave her out of the personalized goodies! Can you list her name for me when you have a minute? :flower3:

Oh, btw...the spreadsheet thingy looks great!! Do I need to fill it out still? :confused: I'm pretty sure you listed all my info on there correctly. Let me know.

Thanks!

~ Brandy ~



I'll make it even easier for you - I'll PM you the link to view the actual spreadsheet, which may have more info than the post I'm updating. Not everyone has given the new info such as colors, etc, so I'm going to be sending out some PMs later today...

[Belle402]

Here is my information:
Marianne (30) and my mom Sue (60's)
Cabin # 6637
Favorite color: pink
Favorite character: Minnie Mouse
No allergies

[Jathanis]

Here is my information:
Marianne (30) and my mom Sue (60's)
Cabin # 6637
Favorite color: pink
Favorite character: Minnie Mouse
No allergies

Sounds good, I'll update the list - does this mean that pink is both your favorite colors, or just yours? Same question for Minnie Mouse... And welcome officially to the FE gift exchange!

[anthonysmama]

I must be doing something wrong... :confused: My PM's don't show after I send them so I have no idea if they sent and I am not receiving any either. Maybe thats just cause no one sent me any cause they didn't get mine :confused3 Ahh, technology. Gotta love its quirks! :badpc: If you sent me a PM Jathanis, I did not get it. :sad2: Maybe I have some settings set wrong or something but I can't figure out what it is.

~ Brandy ~

[Jathanis]

I must be doing something wrong... :confused: My PM's don't show after I send them so I have no idea if they sent and I am not receiving any either. Maybe thats just cause no one sent me any cause they didn't get mine :confused3 Ahh, technology. Gotta love its quirks! :badpc: If you sent me a PM Jathanis, I did not get it. :sad2: Maybe I have some settings set wrong or something but I can't figure out what it is.

~ Brandy ~

I had this same problem, and it's apparently the default setting! To change it, go to the User CP, click edit options on the left, then find the item looks like:

When sending private messages the forum can make a copy of the message
in your Sent Items folder.
_
|_| Save a copy of sent messages in my Sent Items folder by default

It's the 10th checkbox down on my page. When you enable this, you'll see your sent messages... And I'll send the PM again, as I'm not sure if I actually sent it or not!

[anthonysmama]

Awesome! Thanks so much. I got it all straightened out now... The spreadsheet looks great.

I just finished the autograph books I have been working on for my kids. Too excited to wait, I went ahead and got started on my first project for the FE! :thumbsup2 They are turning out really cute!! It's time to call it quits for tonight, well...this morning actually. :lmao:

~ Brandy ~

[Belle402]

Sounds good, I'll update the list - does this mean that pink is both your favorite colors, or just yours? Same question for Minnie Mouse... And welcome officially to the FE gift exchange!

Pink and Minnie are my favorites
My mom says Aqua and Ariel are her favorites.

[jenpaige]

Who is still invited that hasn't joined in? :yay: but just for fun, here's the list of members that have posted that they are going on the cruise, but haven't mentioned interest in the FE - consider this your official "urge" to join up: :lmao:

Jenpaige



As much as we'd love to join. We're still finishing our cruise wedding prep, not sure we'll have time for FEs :( but sounds like a blast!

[Jathanis]

Pink and Minnie are my favorites
My mom says Aqua and Ariel are her favorites.
Awesome, thanks!

As much as we'd love to join. We're still finishing our cruise wedding prep, not sure we'll have time for FEs :( but sounds like a blast!
I totally understand, but why don't you do this - at least give us the room # and Bride and Groom's names, and see what pops up on your door as a wedding surprise? :rolleyes1 I know I have some printable inkjet magnet sheets around here... :scratchin

And if you change your mind, we're not cutting off signups for a few weeks. But there will always be more cruises with more FEs, so focus on what's important, and congrats!

[anthonysmama]

As much as we'd love to join. We're still finishing our cruise wedding prep, not sure we'll have time for FEs :( but sounds like a blast!

Woo Hoo! A Wedding!! I LOVE Weddings!! CONGRATS!! I hope it is everything you dream it could be!

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

Awesome, thanks!


I totally understand, but why don't you do this - at least give us the room # and Bride and Groom's names, and see what pops up on your door as a wedding surprise? :rolleyes1 I know I have some printable inkjet magnet sheets around here... :scratchin

And if you change your mind, we're not cutting off signups for a few weeks. But there will always be more cruises with more FEs, so focus on what's important, and congrats!

Now this is a great idea Jathanis! :)

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

Hello again Crystal! It's up to you! I have seen people do something small every night but most people do just one big thing. It takes up quite a bit of time to run around the ship to put things on doors so in my opinion, its easier to do one thing.

PS.... email me if you want ideas! LOL.... I am not doing it on this cruise but have done it a few times and received some cool gifts! :thumbsup2

Hi there! This is my family's first cruise ever and I could use some ideas for the FE if you've got some!! :idea: Think I've pretty much got the girls down, but its the boys I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what to do for! :confused3 If ya don't mind, could you PM some ideas my way? I'm pretty crafty. :thumbsup2

Thanks!

~ Brandy ~

[princssdisnygina]

Hi there! This is my family's first cruise ever and I could use some ideas for the FE if you've got some!! :idea: Think I've pretty much got the girls down, but its the boys I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what to do for! :confused3 If ya don't mind, could you PM some ideas my way? I'm pretty crafty. :thumbsup2

Thanks!

~ Brandy ~

Just sent you a PM! :thumbsup2

[bradc]

DH Brad Mickey Blue
DW Laurie Belle Red
DS Zach (6) Phineas and Ferb Red
DD Sarah (4) Rapunzel, Ariel, Tiana Pink

Stateroom 7008, no allergies.

[jenpaige]

I totally understand, but why don't you do this - at least give us the room # and Bride and Groom's names

lol, that's easy enough for me: Derrick & Jen (both 31) Stateroom 6148

Woo Hoo! A Wedding!! I LOVE Weddings!! CONGRATS!! I hope it is everything you dream it could be!

Thank you! We're getting so excited, disney has made the ceremony planning a breeze, so our stress has been quite low. I don't know why more folks don't do cruise weddings! (Plus I really get to feel like a princess on my wedding day princess: )

[anthonysmama]

Thank you! We're getting so excited, disney has made the ceremony planning a breeze, so our stress has been quite low. I don't know why more folks don't do cruise weddings! (Plus I really get to feel like a princess on my wedding day princess: )

That is so awesome!! I wanted to do a cruise for our wedding back in 2009, but we had quite a few family members who were not cool with the idea. :( Scaredy Cats! :scared1: Anyways, I hope it turns out beautiful for you! How could it not??! Beautiful scenery, beautiful ship, and a beautiful couple! (I saw your planning journal) Sooo interesting to read all your exciting details and the stories of the proposal & such!!

Congrats again! :yay:

~ Brandy ~

[princssdisnygina]

For those of you on GTY status check the website! We now have a cabin! #5650 and I am SUPER excited about it!! It is perfect for us!! WOO HOO! :banana: Very last room Aft on deck 5 which means our verandah is HUGE! :yay::woohoo::yay::woohoo:

[anthonysmama]

For those of you on GTY status check the website! We now have a cabin! #5650 and I am SUPER excited about it!! It is perfect for us!! WOO HOO! :banana: Very last room Aft on deck 5 which means our verandah is HUGE! :yay::woohoo::yay::woohoo:

Right on! :yay: Wish there was a "jealous of your HUGE verandah" emoticon!! :rotfl2:

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

I was wondering if anyone who has cruised before might be able to help me out here...

Has anyone ever booked excursions NOT through the cruise ship?? If so, can you let me know how it went? :confused:

I'm having trouble finding an excursion to do with the whole family in Cabo. :headache: :( We were booked on the Harbor Cruise & Scenic Stop until I read on the boards from people who have taken this cruise before, that its not the greatest idea since the ship will drop anchor near the famous rock formations that the Harbor Cruise takes you to see.

I found a site :surfweb: (www.cabosanlucastours.net) that has a bunch of excursions the cruise ship does not offer. I'm a little leary of booking anything NOT through the ship, so any info on this topic would be appreciated! :flower3:

Thanks a bunch!

~ Brandy ~

[phred84044]

Has anyone ever booked excursions NOT through the cruise ship?? If so, can you let me know how it went? :confused:

On our Disney Cruise to the Western Carribean we did our own tour in Grand Cayman. We hired a taxi to take us to the Turtle Farm, Governor's Mansion, Hell, and 7 Mile Beach. It was significantly cheaper than the same tour offered through Disney with virtually the same experience(s).

Keep in mind, if your excursion is booked through Disney and the there is a delay in getting you back to the ship (or to water taxis) Disney will wait for you. If you're on a non-Disney booked excursion and there is a delay, the ship will not wait for you and you are responsible for getting you and your party to the next port to board the ship.

So there's a good side/bad side to doing your own excursion. If you do your own, schedule it early enough in the day that you know you will be back on board before the ship leaves port!

[DisneyKim68]

Just ordered my fish extender on ebay, woohoo! :banana:

[phred84044]

Just ordered my fish extender on ebay, woohoo! :banana:

Who did you order from?

[DisneyKim68]

Who did you order from?

I ordered this one

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Pocket-Minnie-Mickey-Head-Custom-Fish-Extender-/320746632764?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aadfd363c

[cluna]

Has anyone found any recent navigators for this itinerary?

[anthonysmama]

I ordered this one

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Pocket-Minnie-Mickey-Head-Custom-Fish-Extender-/320746632764?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aadfd363c

WooHoo!! :woohoo: She's working on our FE right now too!! Your gonna LOVE her work!! I ordered our family a personalized pillowcase for character signatures from her too (before I knew we were gonna participate in the FE) and it's BEAUTIFUL!! Exactly what I wanted! I can't wait to see our FE when she finishes it!! :yay: I LOVE her umbrella spotters too!! Especially the "Mine, Mine, MINE!" one!! I so almost ordered it!!

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

On our Disney Cruise to the Western Carribean we did our own tour in Grand Cayman. We hired a taxi to take us to the Turtle Farm, Governor's Mansion, Hell, and 7 Mile Beach. It was significantly cheaper than the same tour offered through Disney with virtually the same experience(s).

Keep in mind, if your excursion is booked through Disney and the there is a delay in getting you back to the ship (or to water taxis) Disney will wait for you. If you're on a non-Disney booked excursion and there is a delay, the ship will not wait for you and you are responsible for getting you and your party to the next port to board the ship.

So there's a good side/bad side to doing your own excursion. If you do your own, schedule it early enough in the day that you know you will be back on board before the ship leaves port!

Thanks so much for the info! I feel so totally lost and like a complete newbie when it comes to all this stuff because, well...I am!! :blush: I'm not so much looking for the excursion to be cheaper (although, that would be great! :yay:) as I am looking for something we can take Valerie along with us to do. Cabo has the same rules as the ship does about babies in swim diapers in their pools @ the resort getaway excursion :mad:, so that ones out...the other options through Disney that interest me & my husband, either won't interest our 10 year old, or cannot be done with a toddler :headache: and we'd really like to do things as a family on our first cruise. So, I'm trying to find other options for what we can do in Cabo...otherwise, we'll be hangin' out on the ship for both days. :confused3 Although, I don't think that would necessarily be a bad thing either though by what I've read about all the stuff to do onboard on the DCL website. :rolleyes:

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

Has anyone found any recent navigators for this itinerary?

Most recent I have found is from the end of February/beginning of March 2011...

:offtopic: Will you be joining us in the FE? :flower3:

~ Brandy ~

[cluna]

Most recent I have found is from the end of February/beginning of March 2011...

:offtopic: Will you be joining us in the FE? :flower3:

~ Brandy ~

I found March 27-April 2 in pdf form. If anyone wants to see them let me know and I will email them to you.

I really want to do the FE but I am a little intimated! I am not crafty AT ALL!

[anthonysmama]

I found March 27-April 2 in pdf form. If anyone wants to see them let me know and I will email them to you.

I really want to do the FE but I am a little intimated! I am not crafty AT ALL!

I'm curious to see if it has the same info as the one I found. Can you email it to me please? My email is brandyhunter09@yahoo.com :)

As far as the FE goes, from what I've read, you don't have to be crafty. The gifts can be anything at all, doesn't have to be homemade items. Someone on the crafty bus must have started a trend that seems to be intimidating alot of people!! It had me intimidated and I am one of those crafty people!! :lmao: I finally gave in and decided to join in and I'm soooo glad I did! Its turning out to be alot of fun already and we are still a month and a half away from cruise time! :) I hope everyone likes the gifts I am working on. Just thought of something else I might start working on...if I have enough time! Its getting really close now! :yay:

Whatever you decide, just remember, its supposed to be a fun thing...nothing to stress out over. :thumbsup2 Let us know as soon as you know though (for us "personalization happy" people! Like ME!! :rotfl2:)

~ Brandy ~

[Jathanis]

I really want to do the FE but I am a little intimated! I am not crafty AT ALL!

As far as the FE goes, from what I've read, you don't have to be crafty.

Anthonysmama is absolutely correct - for example, yesterday at lunch, I stopped at the Walgreens near where I was eating to pick my daughter up a new pencil sharpener for school - right next to the pencil sharpeners were 3-packs of Disney Princess erasers on sale for $1.50! I grabbed 2, so I now have 6 2" high Disney Princesses that cost me all of $0.50 each to toss in the goodie bags of the little girls on our FE list... :thumbsup2 Of course, the best part was showing my wife when I got home, her reaction some where along the lines of "How in the world did YOU find those?!" :rolleyes1 Many people just hit up the dollar stores, Target's dollar spot, etc. to find inexpensive Disney stuff rather than trying to make personalized items. I think ours are going to be a mix of both - when we run out of time to make all the things we've brainstormed, I'm sure my wife will use it as an excuse to go shopping!

[Jathanis]

DH Brad Mickey Blue
DW Laurie Belle Red
DS Zach (6) Phineas and Ferb Red
DD Sarah (4) Rapunzel, Ariel, Tiana Pink

Stateroom 7008, no allergies.

Thanks for posting, and welcome! The more the merrier!

Sorry I let this one slip, everyone, but work has been crazy this week, trying to wrap stuff up to take a 4 day weekend starting tomorrow...

lol, that's easy enough for me: Derrick & Jen (both 31) Stateroom 6148

Thank you - I've add you as a note about the wedding, but made it clear you're not in the FE, just there for surprises from those of us who want to... :rolleyes1

[cluna]

Anthonysmama is absolutely correct - for example, yesterday at lunch, I stopped at the Walgreens near where I was eating to pick my daughter up a new pencil sharpener for school - right next to the pencil sharpeners were 3-packs of Disney Princess erasers on sale for $1.50! I grabbed 2, so I now have 6 2" high Disney Princesses that cost me all of $0.50 each to toss in the goodie bags of the little girls on our FE list... :thumbsup2 Of course, the best part was showing my wife when I got home, her reaction some where along the lines of "How in the world did YOU find those?!" :rolleyes1 Many people just hit up the dollar stores, Target's dollar spot, etc. to find inexpensive Disney stuff rather than trying to make personalized items. I think ours are going to be a mix of both - when we run out of time to make all the things we've brainstormed, I'm sure my wife will use it as an excuse to go shopping!

Okay, I have officially been talked into it! :banana: I'm excited! A new Disney store is opening in St. Louis next week so I'll be checking it out for FE goodies! Thanks!

[cluna]

I'm curious to see if it has the same info as the one I found. Can you email it to me please? My email is brandyhunter09@yahoo.com :)



~ Brandy ~

Sure no problem! I will send in a few seperate emails because the files may be too large to do them all together.

[DisneyKim68]

Okay, I have officially been talked into it! :banana: I'm excited! A new Disney store is opening in St. Louis next week so I'll be checking it out for FE goodies! Thanks!

Yay! :woohoo:

[anthonysmama]

Okay, I have officially been talked into it! :banana: I'm excited! A new Disney store is opening in St. Louis next week so I'll be checking it out for FE goodies! Thanks!

WOO HOO!! :banana:

You can either type in your travel party info in a message here or use the document Jathanis created (the link is in post #189 on page 13, doesn't work when I try to copy and paste it :() to enter your info so those who want to will have it for personalization. The requested info is (for each member of your travel party):

Names
Ages
Stateroom #
Fav Characters
Fav Colors
Any allergies

And if you are celebrating any special event you would like to share (birthday, anniversary, first cruise, etc...) you can add that too! :yay:

Can't wait to get started on some more crafts!! :woohoo:

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

Doh! I see you have found the spreadsheet already! My bad...disregard that last post! LOL! :rotfl:

~ Brandy ~

[cluna]

Doh! I see you have found the spreadsheet already! My bad...disregard that last post! LOL! :rotfl:

~ Brandy ~

No problem! :) I messed up the first time...didn't follow directions. How can we view the spreadsheet to get an idea of how much stuff to get ready?

[anthonysmama]

No problem! :) I messed up the first time...didn't follow directions. How can we view the spreadsheet to get an idea of how much stuff to get ready?

I'll PM it to you.

~ Brandy ~

[Jathanis]

I'll PM it to you.

~ Brandy ~

Thanks - I've been meaning to PM it to everyone involved, but I've been trying to keep the post on page 12 up to date as well...

[anthonysmama]

Thanks - I've been meaning to PM it to everyone involved, but I've been trying to keep the post on page 12 up to date as well...

No problemo. Lemme know if you need any help. I could be your assistant. :rotfl: I spend LOTS of time :surfweb: in front of the PC!

~ Brandy ~

[DisneyKim68]

Quick question for those participating in the FE: Since it doesn't look like there will be any Halloween activities on our sailing, and since I LOVE Halloween, I was thinking maybe giving something Halloween-ish for one of my FE gifts. So my question is this-does anyone not like/is offended by/does not want to receive any Halloween items? It's totally fine if that's the case, I just thought I better ask, I didn't want to offend anyone. :)

PS-wouldn't be anything scary or offensive, just the usual Halloween pumkins, etc.

[cdl]

Won't offend anyone in my family! :)

[anthonysmama]

Quick question for those participating in the FE: Since it doesn't look like there will be any Halloween activities on our sailing, and since I LOVE Halloween, I was thinking maybe giving something Halloween-ish for one of my FE gifts. So my question is this-does anyone not like/is offended by/does not want to receive any Halloween items? It's totally fine if that's the case, I just thought I better ask, I didn't want to offend anyone. :)

PS-wouldn't be anything scary or offensive, just the usual Halloween pumkins, etc.

Kim, my family and I love Halloween as well and we would be delighted to receive Halloween themed items for the FE! Thanks for checking, so thoughtful of you! :flower3:

party: It's getting soooo close to cruise time!! :boat:

~ Brandy ~

[anthonysmama]

Won't offend anyone in my family! :)

Will you be joining us in the FE? :woohoo: I don't believe I've gotten your info yet for the personalized items I'm making. Don't wanna leave anyone out! :eek:

~ Brandy ~

[cluna]

Will you be joining us in the FE? :woohoo: I don't believe I've gotten your info yet for the personalized items I'm making. Don't wanna leave anyone out! :eek:

~ Brandy ~

Oh geez.. that was me. I didn't realize that I had another login and the login was saved on my kids computer that I replied on. I must have set one up earlier in the year when I was planning a trip to WDW. I wondered why my subscribed threads weren't showing up... lol

I emailed Disboards for help so hopefully they can cancel the other account.

[cluna]

Oh geez.. that was me. I didn't realize that I had another login and the login was saved on my kids computer that I replied on. I must have set one up earlier in the year when I was planning a trip to WDW. I wondered why my subscribed threads weren't showing up... lol

I emailed Disboards for help so hopefully they can cancel the other account.

And apparently I don't know how to set up a ticker either...:confused:

[DisneyKim68]

Won't offend anyone in my family!

Kim, my family and I love Halloween as well and we would be delighted to receive Halloween themed items for the FE! Thanks for checking, so thoughtful of you!

:thumbsup2

[anthonysmama]

And apparently I don't know how to set up a ticker either...:confused:

LOL! I had to try every link they gave me before I got my ticker to post right. :rotfl: I preview and test every link I try to post before I post now. :lmao:

~ Brandy ~

[betsy2010]

hi folks,
been mostly lurking as we weren't sure until the 45 day mark if we were in for sure (which we now obviously are!) we were on the MR trip in Feb and it was awesome and we're back for our 15th wedding anniversary. still planning to totally surprise the kids (as in pull into the parking lot before we spill the beans - they'll be zoning on the DVD player or angry birds assuming we're doing to DLR ;-)

I submitted the FE form - sounds fun!
cheers
betsy

Thanks - I've been meaning to PM it to everyone involved, but I've been trying to keep the post on page 12 up to date as well...

[anthonysmama]

hi folks,
been mostly lurking as we weren't sure until the 45 day mark if we were in for sure (which we now obviously are!) we were on the MR trip in Feb and it was awesome and we're back for our 15th wedding anniversary. still planning to totally surprise the kids (as in pull into the parking lot before we spill the beans - they'll be zoning on the DVD player or angry birds assuming we're doing to DLR ;-)

I submitted the FE form - sounds fun!
cheers
betsy

Woo Hoo! :yay: Happy to see more participants!! Keeps me busy crafting! ;)

Just noticed after looking at the FE spreadsheet...we are gonna be neighbors on the cruise!! We are in 7041!

~ Brandy ~

[DisneyKim68]

Could somebody please pm me a copy of the spreadsheet? Thanks!

[anthonysmama]

Could somebody please pm me a copy of the spreadsheet? Thanks!

PM sent. :)

~ Brandy ~

[DisneyKim68]

Thanks Brandy! :)

[anthonysmama]

Thanks Brandy! :)

No problem at all. :) My baby girl doesn't appreciate sleep as much as I do, so I never seem to get any! Gotta keep myself busy on the pc before I go nuts with all these cartoons and baby talk! :thumbsup2 Gonna be nice to have some adult conversations while on the cruise! :rotfl:

Can't Wait!!! :yay:

~ Brandy ~

[cluna]

I know there were several posts earlier in this thread about Cabo excursions. I am just curious what everyone has decided to do. We are booked through DCL for the Pirate Boat Sail & Snorkel Adventure in Puerto Vallarta, but are still having a hard time coming up with what to do in Cabo. :confused:

[DisneyKim68]

We're doing the Pirate excursion in Puerto Vallarta too. In Cabo we're just going to hang out at the beach and maybe wander around town a little.

[anthonysmama]

I know there were several posts earlier in this thread about Cabo excursions. I am just curious what everyone has decided to do. We are booked through DCL for the Pirate Boat Sail & Snorkel Adventure in Puerto Vallarta, but are still having a hard time coming up with what to do in Cabo. :confused:

Still undecided here as far as Cabo goes. :confused: Debating whether or not to trust booking outside of Disney... :confused3 In PV, we are booked thru Disney @ the Paradise Beach Resort, but cannot find anything for the whole family to do together in Cabo out of the choices I see on DCL's website. :( Valerie is still too young for most of the fun stuff and I don't wanna leave her on the ship. Ugh...decisions, decisions! We may just stay on the ship. I hear there's lots of fun stuff to do there!! :dance3:

~ Brandy ~

[bradc]

Pools are nice when in port, not nearly as crowded since a lot of people are off the ship. We'll be going to the Dolphin Center in Cabo, and hopefully we'll get some shopping in while there. Puerto Paraiso seems like it's close to port and has some shopping options.

[Jathanis]

Since it doesn't look like there will be any Halloween activities on our sailing</snip>

Just out of curiosity, why would you say that? When we took the 10/16 - 10/21 Caribbean last fall on the Wonder, they did trick or treating on the ship on either the first or second day, and ended it with a big dance party on deck for any kids in costume. I'd assume that this cruise would be similar...

And no, no problems here! :thumbsup2