Magic, January 16, 2010--Winter Day Castaways

[ljcrochet]

I can't beleive it is almost time for the cruise.
Those of you who are flying tomorrow have a safe flight.
I still have not finished packing (and not sure what i'm packing yet)

[AimeeJ]

So, on the way home from work this morning, my vacation started by getting a speeding ticket :scared1: I was so tired and half asleep that when I got off the highway to turn into my neighborhood I was just not paying attention to my speed. What can I say, it was all my fault. :confused3 I hope this means that I have gotten all the "bad luck" out of the way and we will have a magical cruise. :goodvibes

I will be doing laundry tonight and packing in the morning. DD and I have appointments for pedi's after school and then it will be time to pick up my dad.

I will see everyone at the meet :dance3::dance3::dance3:

[harleys mom]

Yeah!!!! I am officially on vacation. The dogs are at Grandmas and we are working on packing...
I went on line to check one more time for the Pixie Dust fairie and WE GOT ANOTHER UPGRADE!!!!!! I was upgraded to the 8th deck to a Deluxe Family Suite!!!!! I am so ready to go now....

[pit303]

We leave Philly at 7 tomorrow morning!! See e/o at the meet on Saturday. Vacation has started:dance3::dance3: and packing is done:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

[Bunless]

We'll be leaving in the early morning rain tomorrow!
Not sure if I'll be able to jump on line tomorrow after we land.

We look forward to meeting everyone at 3pm in the Promenade Lounge!

[lsebastyn]

Couldn't sleep this morning due to vacation excitement! Just a few more little things to pack. This morning I have to get all our documents organized then the limo picks us up at 1.

Looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow!

[harleys mom]

I wish that is why I couldn't sleep. We have to be at the airport in a few hours and as I pulled up my paperwork, I just found out that Disney is trying to charge me for an upgrade. I was book in a GTY and had been upgraded once so I didn't think anything of it when I was upgraded a second time. I was really surpized when I rpinted off the paperwork and was being charged a few of $1900 for the upgrade I did not request. Luckily most of my packing is done so I have a little time to call when the office opens this morning. So much for sleeping in and having a relaxing travle day.....:confused3

[Bunless]

I can't sleep, and I'm supposed to wake up in an hour.

[harleys mom]

The luggage is going in the car. We are stopping off for brunch on the way to the air port so we will be leaving in about an hour. I just got off the phone with Disney and they had messed our reservation, but we ended up getting the Catagory 4 upgrade at no charge due to the fact that is was their error.

See everyone tommrow at 3:00....

[hgon76]

In traffic on our way to the airport :mad:! Glad we left early! See everyone tomorrow....3:00 :goodvibes!

[harleys mom]

We are sitting at the Orlando airport waiting on our flight home. You got to love free internet by Google!!!:hippie:
It was so nice to meet everyone and chat thruout the week. We hope everyone has a safe trip home!!!

[Bunless]

It was so nice to meet everyone and chat thruout the week. We hope everyone has a safe trip home!!!

I'll second that!

We're at the Vero Beach resort for a few nights. I still feel like I'm on the boat, wobbling all over the place.

[ljcrochet]

I think this was the first cruise I went on that I did not get the wobbly legs after getting off the ship.

[ltzol]

I have the wobbly legs! :)

Just wanted to thank everyone for a wonderful cruise (especially those that participated in the FE - my kids had a GREAT time with that). A special thanks to Michelle for organizing the whole thing!

Sorry that I didn't get to meet everyone. We were so busy exploring the ship that time slipped away from us that first afternoon.

This was one of the best family vacations we have ever taken. I can't believe it's over!!! My daughter was crying in our stateroom before we left (I think if I was 9 I would have been crying too...)

[hgon76]

I have the wobbly legs! :)

Just wanted to thank everyone for a wonderful cruise (especially those that participated in the FE - my kids had a GREAT time with that). A special thanks to Michelle for organizing the whole thing!

Sorry that I didn't get to meet everyone. We were so busy exploring the ship that time slipped away from us that first afternoon.

This was one of the best family vacations we have ever taken. I can't believe it's over!!! My daughter was crying in our stateroom before we left (I think if I was 9 I would have been crying too...)

Wobbly legs here as well. When we got home last night I said "Is it me, or is our house moving?";). The girls really had a good time, huh? When my aunt asked her daughter what she'll miss the most she said "Hannah:) and Toto(our server:laughing:)." Unpacked everything. Now just a million loads of laundry to do and putting everything away where it belongs;). Now, that may not get totally done for a couple days. We had so much fun. Can't wait to do it again. Booked for Dec 2011.........but don't know if I want to wait quite that long:rolleyes1.

[ljcrochet]

Can't wait to do it again. Booked for Dec 2011.........but don't know if I want to wait quite that long:rolleyes1.

We booked for August 2011 on the Dream, then DH was saying that 19 months was too long so we also booked for December 2010.:cool1:

[shellcruiser]

I have the wobbly legs! :)



This was one of the best family vacations we have ever taken. I can't believe it's over!!! My daughter was crying in our stateroom before we left (I think if I was 9 I would have been crying too...)

Wobbly even in church yesterday, and I still feel like crying:sad1: When we got home Sat. night the house was so cold we turned on the gas logs. It was surreal to think that 24 hours before we had been playing on the beach at Castaway Cay.

Wobbly legs here as well. When we got home last night I said "Is it me, or is our house moving?";).

We had so much fun. Can't wait to do it again. Booked for Dec 2011.........but don't know if I want to wait quite that long:rolleyes1.

I bet you go back sooner. It's hard to resist! Here's hoping we all get some great pin codes as encouragement:rolleyes1



We booked for August 2011 on the Dream, then DH was saying that 19 months was too long so we also booked for December 2010.:cool1:

I'm jealous! You have 2 cruises already booked... wow!

I want to go on the Dream (double dip), but I keep thinking I have been lucky getting "deals" on cruises, so we didn't book it. I may live to regret it :confused3 Again, here's hoping we can all get those wonderful pin codes.

Good luck to everyone acclimating back to reality. It's so sad there were no chocolates on my bed last night:sad1:

[hgon76]

When u get those pin code emails, who do they show up from? Is it Disney cruise line, or just Disney.com, or something else?? I get so many Disney emails a week because I signed up for special offers, but I I don't always read them word for word because I get so many. Just curious.

[williamson_ja]

I have to say that it was just an amazing cruise!! Of course, this was our first cruise experience, so I have nothing to judge it against. But, I did cry as we were leaving the dock to get our rental car. Driving away from the ship just did me in. It was even better than I could have imagined. The service was far beyond what I have ever experienced before. It's hard to describe to people what it is like.... AMAZING!!!

[ltzol]

Yep - I keep using that word - AMAZING. Hannah told me that yesterday in school she when she would find herself missing the cruise she would squeeze the sea turtle necklace we got in St. Thomas (because we went snorkeling with the sea turtles) and it made her feel better. All I know is that I am still putting away cruise "stuff" and I have nothing to squeeze to make me feel better - plus it snowed again last night *sigh*:sad2:

[hgon76]

Yep - I keep using that word - AMAZING. Hannah told me that yesterday in school she when she would find herself missing the cruise she would squeeze the sea turtle necklace we got in St. Thomas (because we went snorkeling with the sea turtles) and it made her feel better. All I know is that I am still putting away cruise "stuff" and I have nothing to squeeze to make me feel better - plus it snowed again last night *sigh*:sad2:


Emma had to make a vacation journal for school and one of the pages was titled "my favorite part of vacation" & they had to draw a pic of their favorite part. She wrote "playing w/Hannah & spending time w/my family":love:. Your daughter sure left quite an impression:)!

[AimeeJ]

Back at work tonight, sigh. I miss my ship. I miss the service, I miss my friends and I miss the FOOD! It was great meeting people and saying hi as we each went about the fun of discovering our own magic. Thank you to everyone for the fish gifts. Each of the gifts were unique and a delight in their own way. We didn't rebook while on board only because we still can't decide with all the new iteneriaries. We did indulge in something special though. We purchased a portriat from Jean-Pierre. I can't wait to see it in person but the sketch is just wonderful!!!

[Bunless]

We finally got home late last night, after spending an extra few days at Vero Beach. Just wanted to say, I don't remember who made the travel mugs, but thank you! it made the perfect traveler to take the wine down to the beach.

[hgon76]

Is it just me or does everyone else keep saying to themselves "Last week @ this time I was............":guilty: Ughhhh! I want to go back!

[Bunless]

Is it just me or does everyone else keep saying to themselves "Last week @ this time I was............":guilty: Ughhhh! I want to go back!

Yes! ok, Wednesday, with the time change, would be 5:30 or so ... I would have been in the rainforest room for two hours, feeling like putty. Ahhhh.

I just found out that there is a Russian bath house here in Seattle. Steam rooms, saunas, different temperature pools. Sign me up!

I've been unpacking today, thank you, all FE people, the surprises were all fantastic. I'm sure I'll be making Conch Koolers for backyard parties this summer!

[RockiesLady]

Hey everyone..
I have the first moment just now to check in here, and am feeling everything everyone else has said.

I was wobbly for 2 days...which I was worried about, but now am missing (reminded me of the boat). We had the best time.

We did not book another cruise, but only because this one did us in financially. I don't know if we could swing another one.

For those of you who got "deals"...where do you get those?? I'm wondering if I plan it right, and budget, how we might be able to afford one next year. When you mention "pin codes"...what are those??

Also, VERY SORRY, I didn't meet any of you :(. The first day, my kids were dead tired , and needed a nap...while I unpacked us. Before I knew it, it was 4:30pm. We even missed dinner that first night, so we could let the kids sleep in. I wish I would have made it, sure would have added to the trip to know some people on board.

THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the fun treats in the FE. My kids LOVED coming to our door to find the treats!!

And, for the record..we ALL dressed up for Pirate night, and my kids were too tired to participate. We got dressed, went up to the deck, and after 2 meltdowns, were back in our room. So sad that we missed that. Maybe next time they'll be a little older and able to "hang in there".

Michelle

[harleys mom]

Wow... It is hard to believe that at this time last week I was sitting by the pool. It is snowing and cold here. The temp is 18 degrees.... I am remebering the trip by making Choclate Soffle from the Disney Cookbook. They came out soooo goood. I cant wait untill dinner when I can have another. This one was cooked to to make sure the receipe came out.

[shellcruiser]

I am remebering the trip by making Choclate Soffle from the Disney Cookbook. They came out soooo goood. I cant wait untill dinner when I can have another. This one was cooked to to make sure the receipe came out.

Yummy! Someone sent a survey this week which asked where you most like to dine ... I answered Palo. It helps that you HAVE to be on a cruise to eat there, but I love their souffle (and filet mignon, and calamari, and chicken parmesan, and...the list goes on)

Hey everyone..

We did not book another cruise, but only because this one did us in financially. I don't know if we could swing another one.

For those of you who got "deals"...where do you get those?? I'm wondering if I plan it right, and budget, how we might be able to afford one next year. When you mention "pin codes"...what are those??


Michelle



When u get those pin code emails, who do they show up from? Is it Disney cruise line, or just Disney.com, or something else?? I get so many Disney emails a week because I signed up for special offers, but I I don't always read them word for word because I get so many. Just curious.

My pin codes (I think) are coming from Disney Destinations. I do go online every so often (like every 4-6 months) and price a cruise or WDW vacation with different dates. I make sure to register/sign in so they know I'm shopping. So far I have not booked anything online, but there is definately activity on "my account". Each year I have requested the updated Disney planning guides, so WDW and DCL have my email. Also, I have the Disney Visa. So on this cruise, we had a pin code for kids to sail free, onboard credit through Disney Visa, onboard credit from my TA, Disney dollars accumulated through use of the Visa (1% paid back in disney $), and 6 months interest free payments (if we had chose to use it) for paying the total trip on the VISA. Another thing I did was I checked to see if cheaper rooms became available as cruise time approached. We originally booked spring break week(big $), then changed to this cruise Cat 10 because it was more reasonably priced. In Nov. I "downgraded" our ressie again to Cat 12 GTY which saved another $800. We still ended up in a Cat 9 room. So we felt that Tink was dropping Pixie dust from all angles.

Disney sends the pin codes randomly, so there is no guarantee of receiving them. With the economy so tight now, I think they have increased the incentives greatly in an attempt to capture what vacation market remains. Just this week I received a pin code for WDW room discounts. This is probably the 4th or 5th pin I have received for WDW. I have only received 1 pin code for DCL (ever) Hope we all can get some more! Watch the disboards too- deals do come along.



We finally got home late last night, after spending an extra few days at Vero Beach. Just wanted to say, I don't remember who made the travel mugs, but thank you! it made the perfect traveler to take the wine down to the beach.

Glad you could use it! I appreciate the time Mike took to make the logo. Hope the Konch Koolers remind you of Castaway Cay.

[RockiesLady]

onboard credit through Disney Visa

How did you get this?? I've had that Visa for 2 years...we ended up with $1,000 in reward dollars toward cruise, but never had any onboard credit. Did I miss this??

[ljcrochet]

onboard credit through Disney Visa

How did you get this?? I've had that Visa for 2 years...we ended up with $1,000 in reward dollars toward cruise, but never had any onboard credit. Did I miss this??

We got it got the disney visa credit just from charging the cruise on the disney visa.

[hgon76]

onboard credit through Disney Visa

How did you get this?? I've had that Visa for 2 years...we ended up with $1,000 in reward dollars toward cruise, but never had any onboard credit. Did I miss this??

If you charge your cruise (or any Disney vacation) to your Disney visa, you get the onboard credit & 6 months 0% interest. We did a "dummy date" onboard JUST because we got 10% off, 1/2price deposit, $200 onboard credit for rebooking, then another $25 for using the Disney visa. We really don't know when we'll cruise again, but the incentive they give is too good to pass up. Especially with the deposit being 1/2 price. It give a family of 4, 6 months to pay off $500 interest free. And you can move the date as many times as you want. If you decide not to go at all, you get all the $$$ back.

[RockiesLady]

UGGGH...I wish I would have known this when we were on the ship. I actually looked once at Disney Visa site to see if there were any benefits on the cruise, and I didn't see any.

[hgon76]

Was finally getting over my post cruise depression & my aunt sent me her pics (all 605 of them:scared1:) Now I'm missing it all over again!

[shellcruiser]

Well, Kari is out of school again today (3rd snow day this week). So , we went to develope our cruise pics. Seeing the pics really makes me miss it more. Hope you all are coping well.

[hgon76]

Well, Kari is out of school again today (3rd snow day this week). So , we went to develope our cruise pics. Seeing the pics really makes me miss it more. Hope you all are coping well.

3rd snow day??? In North Carolina? Is that highly unusual for you guys? We live in New England & we've only had 1!;)

[shellcruiser]

3rd snow day??? In North Carolina? Is that highly unusual for you guys? We live in New England & we've only had 1!;)

Highly unusual year. We had a huge snow the week before Christmas. Last Fri- Sat we had a big snow which then got a nice coat of sleet to seal it. One problem is we do not have "snow routes" for the buses. So, if all the small back roads aren't clear the kids miss school. Kari did go to school today, but will not go tomorrow due to the "wintry mix" we're now experiencing. That will make 4 snow days this week. I'm sick of winter! The weather is supposedly one of "the" reasons to live here.:confused3

On a happier note, I put our cruise pics in a photo album, and I have enjoyed looking back through them. We really did have fun in St. Maarten:lmao: I may have had one guavaberry colada too many
:laughing:

[unc-bsn]

We're in NC too and missed 2 days of school this week. Holding our breath about our make-up day on Sat. because more 'winter weather' is forecast. Of course, for us a snowflake causes immense alarm and an inch or 2 of snow closes down the city!:confused3 Us 'Southerners' just don't handle the snow like you 'Northerners'!!:)

My daughter misses everything about the cruise and asked the other day if she could write to our cabin steward. She asked if we could go on another cruise in Oct. or Nov. so we could see everyone. Not unless we win the lottery!!

If there is something called "Post-Disney Depression" , I've got it !:guilty:

[Bunless]

I finally got my photos and video on the camera...now to get them on photobucket.

[Bunless]

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j152/bunlessinseattle/th_DSCN2613.jpg (http://s79.photobucket.com/albums/j152/bunlessinseattle/?action=view&current=DSCN2613.flv)

You can't see the plane until about a minute in.

[hgon76]

sitting here,:surfweb: watching the snow fall outside. School was cancelled today:teacher:. Missing the cruise:guilty:. Sunny St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay:cloud9:. Really don't know how I'm going to make the next 23 months til the next one!:rolleyes1. It's going to be tough;).

[ltzol]

We had school today even though we have tons of snow! Hannah wore her pj's inside out, flushed ice cubes down the toilet and slept with a spoon under her pillow - but it didn't work:lmao: those darn buses still showed up at 7am!
Nathan keeps asking me how many days until we go on the boat again and I don't have the heart to tell him that we haven't even booked next year's trip yet...

[williamson_ja]

sitting here,:surfweb: watching the snow fall outside. School was cancelled today:teacher:. Missing the cruise:guilty:. Sunny St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay:cloud9:. Really don't know how I'm going to make the next 23 months til the next one!:rolleyes1. It's going to be tough;).

At least you have a next one to look forward to. It looks like I may never be back on the DCL..:sad1: That was probably the best thing I have done in my life, and now it's over and I'm not going back. too depressing to think about....

[hgon76]

We had school today even though we have tons of snow! Hannah wore her pj's inside out, flushed ice cubes down the toilet and slept with a spoon under her pillow - but it didn't work:lmao: those darn buses still showed up at 7am!
Nathan keeps asking me how many days until we go on the boat again and I don't have the heart to tell him that we haven't even booked next year's trip yet...

We barely even got much of anything so far. They all but shut down the state, closed schools, even the place I work shut down @ noon (which NEVER happens). Now the weathermen are referring to it as "the storm that never happened".:laughing: But, it was a nice, relaxing day indoors. Would still rather be on The Magic:love:!

[pit303]

We barely even got much of anything so far. They all but shut down the state, closed schools, even the place I work shut down @ noon (which NEVER happens). Now the weathermen are referring to it as "the storm that never happened".:laughing: But, it was a nice, relaxing day indoors. Would still rather be on The Magic:love:!

Well in PA just south of Philly we have more than enough we can send you if you really want some. Has been snowing since 7 last night and is still snowing on top of the 29" we got on Saturday!! Plus tonight the wind is blowing and will continue with 30-40mph until tomorrow sometime!! they have even shut down many of our major highways the only one still open is 95!! O please let spring:flower3: hurry up!!

[shellcruiser]

Well, we still have snow on the ground here. This is the third weekend in a row it has snowed here in NC. Not to mention the random midweek storms. CRAZY weather for us. Looks like we have 2 more snows predicted next week. While we're getting all this white stuff, my friend said it was 60 degrees in Rhode Island yesterday. What's the deal??? Looking forward to summer!!!!

[swimchick1984]

Hey everyone Nicole here. Just dropping a quick note to tell you that we are ok right now. The tsunami is supposed to come in about 4 hours. If I can I will update after that.

Of course this is the weekend we pick to visit another island. The hotel is telling us to stay put and since we are on the 5th floo we are ok at this time.

[hgon76]

Hey everyone Nicole here. Just dropping a quick note to tell you that we are ok right now. The tsunami is supposed to come in about 4 hours. If I can I will update after that.

Of course this is the weekend we pick to visit another island. The hotel is telling us to stay put and since we are on the 5th floo we are ok at this time.

Glad to see the Tsunami warnings were all called off. What a crazy day for earthquakes. I saw on the news that there was that one in Chile, then one in Argentina, then one in the states somewhere??:confused3 North Dakota maybe?