July 6th, 2010- 5 Night Wonder

[m&m's mom]

OK, are we the only ones going on this cruise?
This seems late for a Meet Thread but I thought I would start one.
We have not actually booked yet but plan to this week. We cancelled a 12 day RCCL Med cruise and were looking for something else to do and voila! DCL came to mind.

There will be me (44) DH, (55) and DD's 10 and turning 14 on the cruise.
My parents, My sister and her family and my SiL and niece.

Anyone else or we will have the ship to oursleves? :rotfl2:

[IrishCowboy]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list :thumbsup2

[m&m's mom]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list :thumbsup2
Thanks! Now let's see if I will have the ship to myself. ;)

[Tink rules]

I'm hoping to be on the cruise... but I have to talk my brother into letting me borrow my nephew... I'll let you know...
:thumbsup2

Thanks for starting the thread!!! :cheer2: (I was beginning to wonder too...)

[MN Dis Fans]

I booked these dates last night! :cool1::cool1:

In our troop, there is me the DH ::MickeyMo, DW ::MinnieMo, and 2x DS's pirate:pirate: They will be 15x & 12x at cruise time. Mind you, the younger one will be 1x month shy of the BIG 13! :rolleyes1

We're also currently booked on the 12 night Baltic departing the same date, but are having some serious 2nd thoughts about this one. I'm about 90% sure we'll be cancelling Europe for this year, but we'll be making the "final" decision within the next week or so. I just don't feel right about spending $20k+ on a vacation right now. :scared:

We'll keep you all posted. :thumbsup2

[m&m's mom]

I booked these dates last night! :cool1::cool1:

In our troop, there is me the DH ::MickeyMo, DW ::MinnieMo, and 2x DS's pirate:pirate: They will be 15x & 12x at cruise time. Mind you, the younger one will be 1x month shy of the BIG 13! :rolleyes1

We're also currently booked on the 12 night Baltic departing the same date, but are having some serious 2nd thoughts about this one. I'm about 90% sure we'll be cancelling Europe for this year, but we'll be making the "final" decision within the next week or so. I just don't feel right about spending $20k+ on a vacation right now. :scared:

We'll keep you all posted. :thumbsup2


This was our case almost exactly. We had a big family trip planned for a Med cruise on RCCL. The cruise was not the issue as it was the airfare and times of flights that were killing us. The only flight that worked perfectly for us was almost $2,000 each and in just my family of 4 that would be close to $8,000.
There was also the extra time to build in for the new security procedures in foreign airports, the cruddy Euro exchange rate, the heat and crowds of the summer etc. Just was not meshing and it was not worth the $20,000+ we were going to have to spend either.
So since we all had off work that time we looked for an option closer to home that would still be a lot of fun.

[Tink rules]

I think a lot of people are rethinking the cruises in Europe this year...

[m&m's mom]

I forgot to say we actually booked! We have 5 cabins deck 6 forward.
I am disappointed to only be spending 5 nights on board instead of 12 and the cruise is almost as expensive as the RCCL 12 night but.... looking forward to being on the Wonder again.
We are all going to going to WDW afterwards for a few days so that will be worth it!

[Tink rules]

5 cabins... WOW...

If I get to book (talk my brother into it...)

I will be me and my nephew Will who will be just shy of 14 so I'm hoping to put him in the teen club (he'll be 14 that Sept) and goes to camp and such with older kids so he'll handle it good.

I am from the Albany NY area and my nephew lives in Teaneck NJ...

[MN Dis Fans]

Our DS's hockey season and the Olympics :happytv:will be over this weekend. Then I can REALLY start to post here. Where are all the other cruisers?

[Tink rules]

Not that we don't love company... but I do believe you need to go to this thread... Have fun on the Baltic!!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1975441

[MN Dis Fans]

This is the cruise we are going on instead of the European one. It is pretty sure now.

[Tink rules]

Silly me... I got confused by the picture in your signature!!!

[MN Dis Fans]

Yep, it's pretty much decided! :woohoo: We'll be on this one. :goodvibes

I'll be cancelling the 12-night Northern Baltic on Monday; :sad2:

On the upside, we snagged the 3x SPH's on the starboard side of the ship, so we're going to bring Grandpa & Grandma along as well. :thumbsup2

I managed to book all 6x tickets with frequent flier miles, use DVC for our 4x nights pre-cruise, and intend on using RCI for our 3x nights post cruise. So, despite the extortionate? prices for the 5x night cruise, I reckon this will still cost us about 1/2 the price all in of doing the Europe thing.

DW is all excited about FE exchanges, so hopefully a few more cruisers decide to join us! :rotfl2:

[m&m's mom]

Hey! Welcome one and all!
We ended up with 4 cabins as most of my college ages nieces and nephews are in special camps and internships over the summer.
If we do a FE, this might be the smallest one ever. :rotfl2:
On the last cruise I was on, there were almost 100 cabins on the FE exchange. Took us forever to distribute but on the up side, we did get the see the whole ship. :thumbsup2

Coral

[MN Dis Fans]

100 FEs?!?:scared1: Wow! I am impressed. I bet everyone had a great time with that. Awesome.:thumbsup2

[m&m's mom]

It was just the funnest group of pirates ever! But getting all the FE's to the ship, distributing them and taking all we got back- was quite a chore.
This will be my 1st time cruising w/ teenagers. I am a little nervous since I am the travel planner of the group.
Sure hope they are not bored.

[Tink rules]

I did 135... HANDMADE... FE gifts... :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: for the WBPC repo...

Now I can say... NEVER AGAIN!!!! :rotfl2:

[Tink rules]

Hey! Welcome one and all!
We ended up with 4 cabins as most of my college ages nieces and nephews are in special camps and internships over the summer.
If we do a FE, this might be the smallest one ever. :rotfl2:
On the last cruise I was on, there were almost 100 cabins on the FE exchange. Took us forever to distribute but on the up side, we did get the see the whole ship. :thumbsup2

Coral

Well... all we need is a couple more people and we've got it...:thumbsup2

[m&m's mom]

No one said anythig about making anything.:rotfl2: There is no way I would have the patience to actually make something. I was an excellent purchaser.;)

[Tink rules]

Oh I'm not doing that again... we made neck coolers for everyone. they were a hit, but I don't think I've touched my sewing machine since...

I'm buying this time!!! :thumbsup2

[m&m's mom]

Oh I'm not doing that again... we made neck coolers for everyone. they were a hit, but I don't think I've touched my sewing machine since...

I'm buying this time!!! :thumbsup2

That sounds like a great FE gift!
If I consume too many Konk Coolers I might say what ours were.
They were not bad- just different.:rotfl:

[Tink rules]

I didn't know if I was crazy or trying to impress people... (it was my first cruise...)

[MN Dis Fans]

OK: we cancelled our Northern Baltic and have now paid this baby off in full. :cool1: We have now also booked the shore excursions and PALO brunch we were after, + the DW ::MinnieMo has booked all of the spa treatments that she wanted.
It sure is quiet here. I was doing some surfing :surfweb: of the DCL website earlier. It seems that there are many cabins in each category still available.
Where is everybody? :confused3:confused3

I wonder if there will be any discounts offered?

[Tink rules]

I don't think there will be discounts. They seem to be offering any extra rooms to CM's and travel agents.

[chezpixelpixie]

My 8yo DD and I will be on board this summer! Anchors away :goodvibes

[m&m's mom]

My 8yo DD and I will be on board this summer! Anchors away :goodvibes

Welcome aboard!

I am whatever level gets to book at 90 days so Tues or Wed is my day to book. I want to try for parasailing. I did it the 1st time which was an adult only trip and had it booked on the EB Repo for all 4 of us but it was cancelled due to wind.
I am passing on the spa this year. Last time it was not enjoyable.
This trip is definitely going to be more laid back. We are going to WDW for a week after the cruise and although I have ADR's for every day, I am not planning too much else. This will be our 1st trip during July. We have gone in June before but usually very early June. Last year it was hot and crowded- this year is going to be hotter and more crowded. Plan to tour the park as slow-pokes.

[m&m's mom]

Happy to report back that I have Palo brunch when I wanted and I got parasailing. I was surprised I got my choice of times, but am happy.

[ATL Mus]

Hello all,
This will be my first cruise ever (along with this being my first post ever).
My extended family will be joining you on this cruise. There will be 8 of us.

I hate to be a bother but... could you explain this fe thing to me?
I want to be prepared.

Also do you have any advice for me?

I'd appreciate it.

On this trip will be myself and:
dh
bil
sil
niece 17 :cheer2:
neph 10:wizard:
twin neph 6 :yay::yay:

Looking forward to our adventure.
:grouphug:

[Tink rules]

Welcome!!!

I'm not officially on the cruise yet, but I'm hoping to be with my nephew who will be almost 14.

The FE is a fish extender. Next to your door on the cruise you will have a fish... DCL uses it to leave you messages, etc. Someone came up with an idea long ago to hang something on the fish and each stateroom give a gift to those who have signed up for it. You can use anything for it.. I use an Xmas stocking... the gifts are usually inexpensive things.. fun really...

Here is a picture of a fish extender

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t147/dsparks25/DSC01027-1.jpg

[georgeat]

Don't want you to think the ship will be lonely. The wife and I will be on the cruise. It is number 8 and looking forward to the trip. It is usually quite this time of the year. Looking forward to some good weather for the whole trip. You all have a good time.

[m&m's mom]

:cool1: Looks like we will have a few DIS'ers on this cruise.

[Tink rules]

Think we'll get up to pg 5 by the cruise???

We only need 5 cabins or so for the FE... one a day... unless we get 10 cabins... :banana:

[m&m's mom]

Think we'll get up to pg 5 by the cruise???

We only need 5 cabins or so for the FE... one a day... unless we get 10 cabins... :banana:

So are you booked on this cruise yet?

[ATL Mus]

How many little gifts do you need to bring for the F E exchange?
Do they have to be homemade?

I want to participate (still not clear on how to do it, but I want the full experience)

:) Entire family is sooooooooooooooooooo excited for our first cruise.

:grouphug:


:dance3::dance3::dance3::dance3:

[Tink rules]

So are you booked on this cruise yet?

Not yet... it all depends on Will's grades and whether or not I can talk my brother into getting his passport in time... but we'll see... I have the week in Nov. (Jersey Week) as a back up just in case...)

How many little gifts do you need to bring for the F E exchange?
Do they have to be homemade?

I want to participate (still not clear on how to do it, but I want the full experience)

:) Entire family is sooooooooooooooooooo excited for our first cruise.

:grouphug:


:dance3::dance3::dance3::dance3:

:welcome:

Fish Extenders are REALLY easy... Usually it is one gift per room. (some do more for kids, but I've usually done very large cruises with like over 100 rooms so I stick to one per room...) Relax... so far we have like maybe 10 rooms here...

Alot of times who ever is organizing it will give people a specific day to deliver so you get something each day.

Oriental Trading is a good place to get gifts. Since this is a July 4th cruise, you might want to go with a patriotic theme.

They do not have to be homemade. I did them last time and it was alot.

& put your name on them (label, etc.) so everyone knows who gave it to you.

Just fun thing...

For my fish extender I use a Xmas stocking I made out of green mickey fabric. I have seen others use the elaborate ones custom made, etc. I have also seen people use nothing more than a small tote bag you can get at Michaels or AC Moore.

It is IMPORTANT though that you bring zip ties (you can get them at Home Depot, etc.) LONG ONES... so you can attach the FE to the Fish next to your door. Your room attendant can help you cut it down when your cruise is done.

[MN Dis Fans]

The DW ::MinnieMo & I ::MickeyMo will happily organize the FE exchange for our cruise. :goodvibes

I think the easiest / safest way to pass information to and fro, will be for each family to PM us your relevant details: :surfweb:Real names, cabin numbers, and an e-mail contact. I'll make up a spreadsheet containing all of this information, and at a date to be determined by the group, can e-mail this out. This way everyone will have all of the necessary information of who / where to deliver to during our cruise.

*Perhaps if you plan on seeking an upgrade at the port, you may want to mention this as well, and we can figure out a way of notifying the group if the upgrade is successful.

We prefer to leave the delivery date of FE gifts up to the participating family. That way, this can be done at your leisure, when it is most convenient for you.

The DW likes to by little gifts / trinkets from the area where we are from. :worship: Little trinkets from our local museum, candy made at a local business, things of that nature. :hug:

Like Tink rules mentions, this is a lot of fun. Our 2x DS's pirate: pirate: love coming back to the cabin, and collecting new booty. :thumbsup2

[ATL Mus]

AWESOME!

We are in! I have been brainstorming some gift ideas.
I will send our info.
Thank you so much for expalining it to me.

:)
Phyllis
::yes::

[MN Dis Fans]

Who's in for the FE exchange? PM me details, and I'll start to put the list together for everyone. :banana:

We're down to 40x days until we leave. :cool1: I just happened to check my parents reservation this morning. I had booked them Gty. 12. Happened to notice they have now been assigned a room (Category 11). So they did get an upgrade, albeit a small one. :thumbsup2

Still seeing lot's of availability in almost all Stateroom categories. :surfweb:I have to wonder how full the boat is going to be. :confused3

[Tink rules]

Well... I'm afraid we won't be joining you.... I've decided for the money that it would be better to take him on a 7 night and to be able to see other ports, etc.

Have fun all and I'll be thinking of you! :thumbsup2

[ATL Mus]

I am trying to send you a pm with my info, but I have not sent enough posts to be allowed to do so... so I am adding random posts.

[ATL Mus]

I am trying to send you a pm with my info, but I have not sent enough posts to be allowed to do so... so I am adding random posts.

43 days to go!

[MN Dis Fans]

:thumbsup2:thumbsup2 Hi Again! Got your PM! So far, it's you and us! :rotfl2:
This has got to be the quietest cruise meet thread we have ever been a part of. I hope we are not thread killers? :eek:

Anyone else on this cruise want to join in on the FE exchange? :surfweb:

Tink rules: Sorry you're not joining us! I hear you on the money thing. This 5-nt is almost the same price as a normal 7-nt. :scared1:

[DISNEYGATOR]

My friend and I just booked! It will be myself, my friend and her daughter (9). So excited!!

[DISNEYGATOR]

I'm a late addition to this thread, since I recently booked. Who else is going?

There will be three of us going....myself, my friend, and her daughter...

Who else is going??

[MN Dis Fans]

Hi There and Welcome Aboard! :welcome:

Glad to see that you are joining us. In our crew, there is me DH ::MickeyMo, DW ::MinnieMo, DS 15 pirate:, DS 12 pirate: and my parents, aka Grandpa and Grandma.

Days to do, definitely getting few. We leave 4x weeks from today! :cool1::yay:

Are you interested in joining the FE exchange? Drop me a PM if interested. Currently it's a very small group, but hoping to add a few more families during the next couple of weeks? :confused3

[DISNEYGATOR]

its been a while since I have been on the DIS boads. What is the FE exchange?

[MN Dis Fans]

DISNEYGATOR Check out pages 2 & 3 of this thread. Tink rules gave a very brief overview of what a FE (Fish Extender) exchange is all about. She even included a picture of hers from a previous cruise. Also, if you check the DCL forum, there are many questions / explanations given as to what this entails. :thumbsup2

The DW ::MinnieMo & I ::MickeyMo volunteered to organize this for our cruise. So, if you are interested in joining us, send me your details, and we'll include you on the list. :goodvibes

[ATL Mus]

Hello all!
I have got my first gift idea started... although I do not know how many to put together, I am excited just the same.

I guess if it is a small group then it will make if more affordable to buy (yes... I am more of a shopper than a crafter... sorry people) better trinkets if we do one a day.

:)

Phyl

my cruisin family

:yay: me
:wizard: dh
:cool2: bil
:lovestrucsil
princess: 17 yo niece
pirate: 10 yo nephew
:woohoo::woohoo: 6 yo twin nephews

[DISNEYGATOR]

We are just about to the 30 day mark!! I can't wait until my cruise countdown in counting weeks and days, and not months!! Let's see if we can crack 5 pages on this post. I'm curious how many disser's are actually on this cruise?? :confused3

[MN Dis Fans]

DISNEYGATOR Got your PM, and glad you are joining us for the FE exchange! :cool1:

Any other lurkers out there that wish to join us? :goodvibes We're up to 3x families! :confused3

ATL Mus Can't wait to see what trinkets you come up with. :thumbsup2

I came across my DW's ::MinnieMo stash of FE stuff last week, as I was starting preparation's for our trip. She's been shopping a year in anticipation for the next cruise, and reckon we have enough FE stuff for a cruise of 100! :rotfl2::ssst::stir::flower3::hug:

No doubt I'll hear about this when she check's the boards out. :rolleyes1

[DISNEYGATOR]

I will have to work double time to get my FE stuff ready! Going to Michael's tomorrow to find some supplies to make my FE extender.

So exciting! I called trying to get an upgrade today, but they said only decks 1 had outside staterooms available :scared1:.. so I am sticking with my deck 6 inside stateroom. :thumbsup2

I sure hope we have great weather! I am also super excited to be a platinum castaway club member!! I got the call from DCL and had no clue! Been almost a year since my last cruise---so much has changed for the better with castaway club.:yay:

Lets get this thread going now!! come on lurkers.. we know you are out there:goodvibes

[minniemoms]

Hi
We just decided to go on this cruise. Our 3rd Disney cruise, but first time wonder and first time shorter than 7 day. We have never done this FE thing before, so newbie here. We did a Disboards meet the 1st ever Mexico/CA in 2005, but didn't do all the rest of the things. Is there a meet and greet sort of thing? I don't have a FE thing, wondered about it, but working full time not sure I will have the time or $$ to go and organzie all the things to pass out daily. Just paying for 3 of us to fly out to Florida and pay for the cruise and a few excurisions, not sure about all the extras, but I would LOVE to know when there are any special meet and greets... If you have anything like that. It will be ME, DH and DS 18, and maybe D-nephew.. He is undecided. My son is sorry he will JUST have turned 18 so he won't be able to go to the kids clubs, but he is okay hanging out with Mom and dad... PM if I need to give out more info.....\
I am JUST SO EXCITED about this.... Can't stand it......:banana:

[DISNEYGATOR]

WELCOME!!! I haven't heard about a meet up yet, just the FE. I am a recent addition to this cruise as well. I think the FE gifts are very small trinkets.. and my FE extender is nothing too snazzy. Crafty and me don't mix too well, so it's just the best I can put together with my two thumbs :rotfl:

Anyway, we are excited to have more to join us. Also, is your son still in school? I believe if they are still in school, and only recently turning 18 they can still participate in the teen club activities. Call DCL and verify though. I swear I read that on another thread some time ago.

It's myself, my friend, and her daughter. We are two school teachers cruising for the summer :cool1:

[minniemoms]

My son and my nephew JUST graduated from HS this past week. I guess I can call, just figured once they were 18 they couldn't go, but I can call.
So do we get things for all these people and put them in their FE everyday?? Going room to room??? Not sure how it works

[MN Dis Fans]

Hi minniemoms and welcome aboard to you! :welcome:
My DW ::MinnieMo & I ::MickeyMo volunteered to organize the FE exchange for our cruise. (We are fairly recent additions to this sailing as well. I normally book at least a year in advance. :rotfl2:) If you would like to join us, just drop us a PM. As I mentioned just a few posts ago, check out pages 2 & 3 of this thread, or there are many posts on the main DCL forum board discussing FE exchanges. It looks like there will only be a handful of cabins participating, so it should not take a great deal of time / effort to get involved. On the FE exchanges that we have been previously involved in, the organizer sent the list of cabins to those taking part, and you pick the day that you want to deliver to each of the cabins participating. This is just sort some of little knick knack / knack's that your creativity comes up with.
Again, if you're interested, drop me a PM, and we'll add you to the list. :thumbsup2

As for meet and greet's, no one has volunteered to organize one of these yet. Any volunteers? :surfweb:

Our Group: Me DH ::MickeyMo, DW ::MinnieMo, DS 15 pirate:, DS 12 pirate: (one month shy of 13), and my parents, aka Grandpa & Grandma. This will by DW & my's 10th cruise with DCL, so I guess we're not considered Platinum until after this one. :sad1::sad2:

[DISNEYGATOR]

This is my first cruise sailing Platinum since they changed the Castaway Club program... I am super excited. Just to help me plan and shop this week, about how many people/cabins are participating?

[minniemoms]

How fun for you guys to have your 10th cruise. This is only our 3rd Disney, but we have done 2 Celebrity cruises and 1 Princess All to Alaska.
We would LOVE to do Alaska on Disney, but it is Way to pricey for us. We did a large family suite on Celebrity with a HUGE veranda for 4 adults, and paid less money than 4 of us with a window. That is hard to forget. We had 4 full length chase lounges on that one, and there was also room for a table. So it is hard to go from that size to no veranda on Disney. We LOVE Disney but when this last minute cruise came up, we jumped on it.
I will go back and read the FE pages. So what sorts of things do you guys do, and do you do it everyday.
I remember our first cruise and our son was a few weeks shy of turning 13, and I went and asked and they allowed him into the teenagers group. But he was very mature and over 6 foot then, so he would NOT have fit in with the 12 and under group. And he had a 15 year old brother in the older group.
But I was reading there are a few things , very few, but he may find some things to do in the adults things...
Nice to meet you guys. Can't believe how quick we made this decision. WE are usually planners of 1 year out too.

[m&m's mom]

Great to see so many on this cruise!
We are not going to participate in the FE this time. We are spending a week at WDW after the cruise so luggage space will be at a premium.

On this cruise we will have:
Me- Coral
DH- Bill
DD- Megan 13- turning 14 on CC day.
DD- Miranda 10

My sister and her DH
Niece- 18
Nephew- 15

Sister-in-law
Niece- 13

My parents

[MN Dis Fans]

DISNEYGATOR To answer your question (for shopping purposes), right now, we are at 3x families: :surfweb:

MN Dis Fans: We'll have 2 FE's out, 1x for my parents (after all, they act like kids, particularly my dad :rotfl2:), and a 2nd one for our 2x DS's.

DISNEYGATOR: 2x adults, 1x child -> Can you PM me your e-mail, and I will send finalized list w/ cabin numbers once everyone has signed up.

ATL Mus: 4x adults, 4x children

minniemoms There is still time to join in? There's only a few of us!

All: I would recommend just doing one delivery (at your convenience) during the cruise. Saves on the stuff you have to haul around, and does not impact on relaxation time. :thumbsup2

[DISNEYGATOR]

Thanks a bunch!! Now I have something to work on until we sail away!!!

I am super excited for this sailing! It's amazing how much longer a 5 days seems compared to a 4 day!

[minniemoms]

I think it would be nice to meet up sometime just to see those smiley happy faces. Then when we run into you again, I will know. But just not sure I want to put together things to pass out. I guess I need ideas of what you guys pass out. And it just sounds like a lot of work, and I don't really have the time to do it.. But it does sound fun.

[MN Dis Fans]

minniemoms I just replied to your PM. :thumbsup2

Several of you have made some queries about a cruise meet. We've had varying degrees of success on these during our 9x other cruises. I am always reluctant about suggesting anything, but I will throw this out there.


We will be sitting on Deck 9 Port Side over by the Goofy Pool, over around the foosball tables after we have had lunch on embarkation day. (It's been almost 2 years since we were last on the Wonder, they haven't changed the layout any, have they?) I suggest sometime around 3PM. I'm sure I'll have a tall frosty one in my ESPN mug :drinking1, and am sure my DW will have some sort of refreshing girly concoction in her hand :drinking:.

[jkpmac]

We will be joining you all on this cruise as well. We will be spending three days in Disney World before, then doing the cruise before heading back home. There will be Me, the DH (46), My DW (A gentlemen never Reveals his wifes age, unless he likes the couch:rolleyes1) and our DS (6). This is not only our first Disney Cruise, it is our first cruise ever.

Hope to see you on board!!!!!!!

[jkpmac]

The FE sounds very interesting, but we are travelling a long distance, with limited luggage space. Please PM me with more details such as is it one "gift" per room" One gift per person, and a respectable value. I have seen from posts, that there are many creative people who have come up with unique things. I'd hate to short-change anyone (for lack of a better word). Coming from Atlantic Canada I can think of a few unique things I can bring, but I doubt they will allow lobster, fiddleheads, atlantic salmon, poutine, dulce, or snow across the border:rotfl:

I guess I will need to make a few more posts before I can PM anyone back.

[DISNEYGATOR]

Welcome!!! Our little Dis group is slowly growing! You are going to LOVE cruising, especially with Disney:thumbsup2 Look at me, I am hooked!
This will be my first FE exchange though, since this is the first time I am cruising with kids.

It's getting closer and closer though. I can't wait! It's been forever since I have been on a Disney ship:wizard: Welcome again.. once you go cruising, nothing is quite the same!;)

[jkpmac]

Thanks we are getting very excited about the whole trip. This being my 15th post, please feel free to pm me (I can pm back now) about the FE. I would really like to see if it is something we can participate in.

[MN Dis Fans]

jkpmac Welcome Aboard! Glad you are joining us! :welcome:

We're doing 3 days at WDW before the cruise as well, staying at OKW on DVC points. We are so looking forward to vacation. :cool1::cloud9:

The DW ::MinnieMo & I ::MickeyMo have volunteered to organize the FE exchange. We currently have 4x cabins signed up. :surfweb:

To Summarize for you folks new to this thread, and the whole FE exchange thing.

Check out pages 2 & 3 of this thread. Tink rules provided a picture of her FE, although it certainly doesn't need to be anything this fancy. We have seen shopping bags hung from the FE before.

There are also multiple threads on the main cruising board giving many ideas of things people have given / received. Check these threads out if you're having troubles coming up with ideas.

If you participate you would deliver to each cabin once during the cruise, at a time of your choice. I personally like doing it this way, as you can do it when your schedule permits.

jkpmac A suggestion: Since you're doing a few days at WDW before, you could always find a few trinkets at WDW, so you don't have to pack them in your bags for your flight? :goodvibes

Drop me a PM with your details if you want to join us, and I'll add you to the list.

Only 10x more work days for me before I head home on vacation, and 18x more before we leave for Orlando! :jumping1:

[jkpmac]

Well I am going to have get a lime green button or ribbon, maybe we will bump into each other before the cruise. We are staying at an All star resort for this trip. We are never in the hotel room except to sleep, so we figured why go upscale.

We will have to go to a DVC seminar on the boat if possible.

By my count from past posts we might have 17-25 people interested in FE? We will have to see if we can find some uniquely Atlantic Canada things. I will let you know by the 18th of June. I hope that is not too late for anyone. I was surprised that nobody asked what fiddleheads, dulce, or poutine was. Maybe they aren't as Atlantic Canada specific as I thought.

[ATL Mus]

So glad to see our group is growing! :grouphug:

Does anyone know about how many gifts we need to buy/make yet?
Have we decided to do:
one a day per room?
or one per person?

Getting rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreally excited for our first cruise!

[MN Dis Fans]

FE Exchange Participants (and those of you still thinking about it)

So far, here is where we stand concerning FE participants:

MN Dis Fans: We'll have 2 FE's out, 1x for my parents (after all, they act like kids, particularly my dad ), and a 2nd one for our 2x DS's.

DISNEYGATOR: 2x adults, 1x child

ATL Mus: 4x adults, 4x children


Still thinking about it: jkpmac & minniemoms
If you want to join in, drop me a PM with e-mail address, room number, how many adults / children in your group (and rough age of the kids). It helps for some of us that may buy more age appropriate gifts.

Again, entirely up to you as to what / how often to give, but I am only suggesting that you deliver once only to each cabin participating, at a time convenient to you. What you buy and put in the FE is entirely up to you.

I would like to put a deadline for joining the FE exchange for next Saturday, the 26th June. Once I have the finalized list, I will e-mail details to those participating. ((Unless this is to late for any of you))

jkpmac I work with a bunch of Canadians here in North Africa, and keep forgetting to ask them what fiddleheads, dulce, and poutine are. Please tell. :surfweb: What parks are you doing pre-cruise? We are doing MK on the 3rd, Epcot on the 4th, and DS on the 5th. :thumbsup2

3x weeks today we'll be on the boat! :cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1:I am soooo looking forward to it! :goodvibes:goodvibes:goodvibes

[jkpmac]

Dulse is a harvested red sea weed tht grows on the east coast. Apparently it is very healthy. I have an aunt that loved it. I didn't like the taste much. You can find it just about anywhere around the bay of fundy.

Fiddleheads are the sprouts of a fairly prolific local fern. Harvested in the spring when the leaves are coiled in a tight roll that looks like the head of a fiddle. Never had them, never will. Some rumour of a toxin that can make you quite ill, if they are not cooked correctly. The CDC did a study in the 1990's.:scared1:

Poutine ah Poutine. French Fried Potatoes, smothered in gravy and cheese. (The original uses cheese curds) Bad for the waist line, bad for your cholesterol level, but so so good for the soul!!!!:thumbsup2

Course being in North Africa, they are nothing compared to some of the local delicacies I imagine you have experienced.

I think while we are in WDW we are going to the same parks you are. Save maybe a trip to a water park. But don't worry, we aren't stalkers :littleangel: I could tell you about the DW encouraging :scared: me to make a schedule for our last trip, the hours I put in to it:surfweb:, then how it got changed the minute we arrived :confused3, but I don't want to be accused of holding a grudge :rolleyes1 By the By, I am more of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person when I am on vacation.

[minniemoms]

Yea... We or rather I will do it. I have 2 18 yr old boys in our cabin and DH. Not sure they will participate, but I will. Just once tho. After finding out that we pay for every bag we take, we are packing lite, and I don't want to bring a lot, and pay for another bag. Just took a flight on Delta, and I can't believe how big the carryons were. I asked several people sitting beside me how they do it. I even got out a ruler and measured mine to make sure. I was told, they don't check. Well, guess what ... When I was getting on, they were stopped, cause their bags wouldn't fit in the sample size thing..(why can't I think what its called).. Anyhow, they were taking there luggage and putting them below and making them pay for it.. One man was so mad and said he had NEVER been stopped before why now.. The Delta attendant told him, it doesn't fit...and we are cracking down on it...
So.... I will pay for one bag for myself, but don't want to pay for 2..

[DISNEYGATOR]

Talk about panic!!! I have an action packed July...this cruise, then 10 days in St. John, then a double dip...

But my flight to St. John was on Spirit:scared1::scared1::scared1:

I fought for 3 days.. and then this morning.. got a full refund

Then at 5pm... The strike ended with a tentative agreement:rotfl:

Now I guess I rebook with Spirit.. cause it's the cheapest and they are offering a $50 discount to book:yay:

All that stress this week for nothing!

[ATL Mus]

FE Exchange Participants (and those of you still thinking about it)

So far, here is where we stand concerning FE participants:

MN Dis Fans: We'll have 2 FE's out, 1x for my parents (after all, they act like kids, particularly my dad ), and a 2nd one for our 2x DS's.

DISNEYGATOR: 2x adults, 1x child

ATL Mus: 4x adults, 4x children


Still thinking about it: jkpmac & minniemoms
If you want to join in, drop me a PM with e-mail address, room number, how many adults / children in your group (and rough age of the kids). It helps for some of us that may buy more age appropriate gifts.

Again, entirely up to you as to what / how often to give, but I am only suggesting that you deliver once only to each cabin participating, at a time convenient to you. What you buy and put in the FE is entirely up to you.

I would like to put a deadline for joining the FE exchange for next Saturday, the 26th June. Once I have the finalized list, I will e-mail details to those participating. ((Unless this is to late for any of you))

jkpmac I work with a bunch of Canadians here in North Africa, and keep forgetting to ask them what fiddleheads, dulce, and poutine are. Please tell. :surfweb: What parks are you doing pre-cruise? We are doing MK on the 3rd, Epcot on the 4th, and DS on the 5th. :thumbsup2

3x weeks today we'll be on the boat! :cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1:I am soooo looking forward to it! :goodvibes:goodvibes:goodvibes

I did not mean to pressure you... I was just looking for a guide.
:)


Thanks for all you are doing.

[MN Dis Fans]

I did not mean to pressure you... I was just looking for a guide.
:)


Thanks for all you are doing.

I had several PM's asking for clarification, so felt that I would try and address them all at the same time. :flower3:


minniemoms Glad you decided to join us. Can you PM me your e-mail address and stateroom number?

Note to Self: I need to sit down :surfweb: and collate everyone's information in a spreadsheet!

[DISNEYGATOR]

I am so impressed that we are at 6 pages of posts now! :)

Is anyone doing any excursions in Key West or Nassau? We are booked for the Blackbeard's Beach and Stingray excursion in Nassau.

I can't believe how close it is!!

:cheer2::dance3:pirate::goodvibes Woohoo!:banana::cool1::thumbsup2:woohoo::yay:

[jkpmac]

We are doing the kayak, snorkel, dolphin watching adventure in Keywest. As long as it is not affected by that tragedy in the gulf. In Nassau we are just going to do the Atlantis Aquarium tour, I think it is called Discover Atlantis.

Then of course Parasailing in CC, atleast for the wife and I....well maybe just the wife.....more than likely just the wife........I wonder if scuttles cove has room for a 40+ year old chicken?

[jkpmac]

Oh yes we are going to participate in the Fish Exchange as well.

DW, myself and DS is age 6.


Getting Super Excited, 2 weeks until we leave, one 4 day rotation at work to go before holidays begin.:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[jkpmac]

Are there any allergies we should be aware of for the fish exchange?

[m&m's mom]

DH and sisters family are going deep sea fishing in KeyWest. The girls and I are going in a jet ski tour around the island. My parents are going their normal city tour.
In Nassau most of us are doing the Comfort Suites version of Atlantis and 2 are doing through Disney.
CC we are parasailing and I sssoooo hope it does not get cancelled again. I have done it but the time the girls did it, it was cancelled.
We really wanted to get the beach cabanas at CC but I guess they will not be open yet.

[ATL Mus]

We are doing the

pirate scavenger hunt at Key West

Stingtays at CC

Atlantis Aquaventure at Nassau

and ....??

We have a severe nut allergy in our party.

:banana::banana:

[minniemoms]

Wow, we are going to be very boring here. I want to do the city tours on each place, but nothing other than that. Paying for airfare out from CA and then staying 2 days at WDW, and paying for the 18yr old to go to college, the budget doesn't allow for a lot of extras.... Darn....
We have 6 children, 4 married daughters now.. AND..... Daughter #3 and #4 BOTH GOT MARRIED THIS YEAR.... Jan and March... So we have depleated our account,But we will still have fun on the ship......But we can't WAIT to go.

[DISNEYGATOR]

I hear you about breaking the bank.. but mine is more splurging then practical things like college;)

We are just touring Key West on our own....I am soooo ready to get on the ship! Anyone have second seating? I am waitlisted for early seating, but have 2nd as of now..

[MN Dis Fans]

For those of you participating in the FE Exchange, I have just sent you the FE list to the personal e-mail addresses you have given me.

Please note that you will receive it 2x (except jkpmac), as I had made a typo when I noted jkpmac's e-mail. (The 2nd one is the corrected version)

If you are participating in the FE exchange, and did not receive an e-mail, please PM me, so I can get it fixed. :surfweb:

We leave in 12x days! :cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1: I am so ready for it. (And only 3 1/2 more days of work, followed by 2 more travel to get home)

We're also doing KW on our own. I think the current plan is to take in the Harry Truman Little White House, and the Customs House.

In Nassau, Grandpa & Grandma are taking the 2x DS's on the city tour, while the DW & I do the wine & cheese tasting at the GrayCliff. :thumbsup2

G&G, and the boys are also doing the StingRays on CC. I'll be on the beach with a cold one in my hand, although the youngest DS & I will no doubt get some snorkeling in sometime during the day.

We've also got 2nd seating. The big advantage of 2nd seating is the last morning. They don't kick you off the boat as early! :rotfl2::rotfl2:

[jkpmac]

Sorry about the e-mail, it confuses everyone. I just kept my old university one, and now it is too hard to get the ISP to change it.

I was wondering about the drink dispensers on the boat. I am assuming they serve Coke products there. Do they serve gingerale or ice tea? Also is it Barq's Root Beer? I think it is the rootbeer made by coke, atleast up here in Canada. We tend to keep they young lad away from pop (soda) as much as possible, but he loves gingerale and rootbeer. Problem with Barq's though is it has caffeine in it. Do they have juices? I noticed they sell minute maid in WDW.

[MN Dis Fans]

My memory is good, but short. :rotfl2: I seem to remember they have pink lemonade and ice tea. I did a quick search, and the 3rd response in the attached thread confirmed my memory. :thumbsup2

I'm a diet coke man. It mixes with Jack, rum, etc. etc. etc. I'm guessing you get the picture? :cool1:

Don't think you can get root beer, but I think you can buy ginger ale from the bar? :confused3

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2436696&highlight=coke+products

Sorry about the e-mail, it confuses everyone. I just kept my old university one, and now it is too hard to get the ISP to change it.

I was wondering about the drink dispensers on the boat. I am assuming they serve Coke products there. Do they serve gingerale or ice tea? Also is it Barq's Root Beer? I think it is the rootbeer made by coke, atleast up here in Canada. We tend to keep they young lad away from pop (soda) as much as possible, but he loves gingerale and rootbeer. Problem with Barq's though is it has caffeine in it. Do they have juices? I noticed they sell minute maid in WDW.

[DISNEYGATOR]

They do have iced tea, just not brewed iced tea.... its unsweetened nestea from the fountain.... I think they have root beer as well.


Two weeks and two days!!!

[jkpmac]

WOOO HOOOO Vacation begins :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Time is counting down, and I am really geting excited. Well Vacation for me, DW has two more days of work.

I was just curious Minniemoms, do you have one or two rooms? Just planning the FE's part of it will be something for each room instead of each person, although you can all share.;)

[minniemoms]

One room.... Don't you feel sorry for me.. DH 6'4" DS 6'3" DN nephew..well, 5'10" but they are all big guys.... So then there is me... I think I will bring some earplugs and room freshner.....Lots of stinky socks...But it will be so fun. We should have gotten 2 rooms, but at the time wasn't planning to bring the nephew along.. Then it was too late to get another room.

[MN Dis Fans]

Hi Everyone: :wave2:

I have just sent the finalized FE Exchange list out (by e-mail) :surfweb: to those of you participating. If you did not receive, please let me know.

Days to do, definitely are now few. :banana:

I'm officially on vacation now as well. :cool1: Although, saying that, I spent the first day of it working in the yard. I should have just called one of the local farmers, and had him come over with his baler! :rotfl2:

Do any of you plan on doing any of the wine / beer tastings on the ship? :drinking1

[jkpmac]

One room.... Don't you feel sorry for me.. DH 6'4" DS 6'3" DN nephew..well, 5'10" but they are all big guys.... So then there is me... I think I will bring some earplugs and room freshner.....Lots of stinky socks...But it will be so fun. We should have gotten 2 rooms, but at the time wasn't planning to bring the nephew along.. Then it was too late to get another room.


You can lament with my DW. I snore loud enough to drown out the engines (according to the DW). And the DS has the unique ability to sneak into bed with us, but then again that tends to only wake me up for the rest of the night, when he manages to stick his foot in my left ear.:confused3 I am actually a little jealous, because the top bunk looks cool!!!

I don't know about the tastings, but I want to try the appetizer demo, galley tour, and ship tour. ****newbies**** We are missing the Palo brunch in favour of supper on our anniversary.

[m&m's mom]

We will try one or more of the tastings. I hope they have the tequila and or margarita tastings.

[jkpmac]

Just wanted to say thanks for the great work you did MN Dis fan, on the FE Exchange.:thumbsup2

Can't wait to get on board!!!


Oh, I assume we follow the order on the list for delivering our FE's?

MN Dis Fan First Night
ATL Mus Second
DISNEYGATOR third
jkpmac fourth
minniemoms the last night?

[MN Dis Fans]

You can deliver your FE Gifts whenever it's most convenient for you. We tend to deliver them all at the same time. :thumbsup2

m&m's mom: I would hope they will have them. There was a thread the other day with the 5-nt KW Navigator's on them. The OP deleted the photo's from the thread, but here is the link where you can find them.

http://s1021.photobucket.com/albums/af333/owensjro/5N%20Key%20West%20June%205%202010/?action=view&current=P1020827.jpg#!oZZ1QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2F s1021.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf333%2Fowensjro% 2F5N%2520Key%2520West%2520June%25205%25202010%2F%3 Faction%3Dview%26current%3DP1020827.jpg%26


2x more days to go for us! :cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1:

Just wanted to say thanks for the great work you did MN Dis fan, on the FE Exchange.:thumbsup2

Can't wait to get on board!!!


Oh, I assume we follow the order on the list for delivering our FE's?

MN Dis Fan First Night
ATL Mus Second
DISNEYGATOR third
jkpmac fourth
minniemoms the last night?

[minniemoms]

What???
Oh, I assume we follow the order on the list for delivering our FE's?

MN Dis Fan First Night
ATL Mus Second
DISNEYGATOR third
jkpmac fourth
minniemoms the last night?
We are supposed to follow this order??
so I would only deliver to MN Dis Fan only the first night?????

What If I want to deliver them all the first night??? I might be bringing something that would be native to my area.... I have 3 boys in my cabin that might want to eat what I brought for others...
So what about that??? If these are the rules I will do them, but I would like to be able to thank you if I see you on ship for what I got, and if I am the last night, I might not see you to thank you later on cause we would all be leaving the next morning...

[MN Dis Fans]

Hi minniemoms :wave2:
You must not have seen my reply to jkpmac. I have re-copied it here again. I hope this clears up the confusion? :flower3:


Delivering FE Gifts:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can deliver your FE Gifts whenever it's most convenient for you. We tend to deliver them all at the same time.


What???

We are supposed to follow this order??
so I would only deliver to MN Dis Fan only the first night?????

What If I want to deliver them all the first night??? I might be bringing something that would be native to my area.... I have 3 boys in my cabin that might want to eat what I brought for others...
So what about that??? If these are the rules I will do them, but I would like to be able to thank you if I see you on ship for what I got, and if I am the last night, I might not see you to thank you later on cause we would all be leaving the next morning...

[jkpmac]

Minniemoms,
I was just wondering if that was the case or not. Everyone just delivers them when it is convienient for you to do so. I guess with three men (boys) you may want to get any treats out of the room as fast as possible. I am thinking that might not be too bad an idea for us too, DS has been oggling a few things I picked up at the store today.

By the by I noticed in a local store some key chains with a uniquely Canadian design that can act as bottle openers, okay for the two 18 yr olds? I wouldn't want to be responsible for leading them astray with regard to beer bottles, even though most are twist cap now anyhow.:rolleyes1. Legal drinking age up here is 19.

ATL Mus,
there are going to be 4 adults and 4 kids in your party total? I checked with any treats we are bringing and there is only one thing that may contain nuts or trace of nuts, so we will just substitute with something else for your group.

[minniemoms]

Well, anything you give to us, would be just fine. As far as the bottle openers, they would get a kick out of them. None of us drink alcohol. But they would probably think that was cool anyhow. But as I said, what ever would be great.

Now as far as "Nut allergies" who has them???? I live in "Almond Country" Seriously , there are thousands and thousands of acres were I live. Probably tens of thousands, so I was thinking of almonds in some fashion, but I don't want to bring any problems to you guys. Let me know quick..There are almonds right next to my property right behind us, in the neighbors fields....
Everywhere....... My son in law's family grows them.
here are the facts. My county alone produced "$455,600,000." of almonds in 2009. That is a lot, and that wasn't the top agriculture producer, Milk was.. How's that for some facts, I didn't even know that, I just looked it up.
So now if you don't get almonds, don't be sad or mad at me.:)

[jkpmac]

They can use them to open cola bottles :thumbsup2

I posted a while ago asking if anyone had a nut allergy, ATL Mus mentioned one person in their party had a nut allergy. I am just going to substitute out the nut containing item for something else equally as yummy.

As for us, I love Almonds, my wife loves almonds , and our son,....well to be honest we would probably eat his almonds too!!;);)

[DISNEYGATOR]

I love anything with any kind of nut!!

Been doing all my last minute shopping :) It's now less then 1 week away!!!


Finishing up FE exchange things tomorrow as well. I just wish I was more crafty :goodvibes

[jkpmac]

I hope you all have a safe trip down, see you on the boat or in WDW:banana:

[MN Dis Fans]

We leave in a couple of hours! :cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1:

See you on the boat! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2::cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

[minniemoms]

My problem is.... all that I wanted to bring I am afraid will wait... This should have been a winter thing.... So hopefully you won't have melted things

[jkpmac]

I am afraid of a little melting too, but hopefully it will get cold enough on the flight down that it will stay set until we get to the hotel.

[minniemoms]

There were so many things I could think of if it wasn't for the heat...

Where do we meet on deck 9 around?????Which side of the ship again, I forgot where I read that info...

[jkpmac]

This is from MN DIS FAN, it was on page 5.

We will be sitting on Deck 9 Port Side over by the Goofy Pool, over around the foosball tables after we have had lunch on embarkation day. (It's been almost 2 years since we were last on the Wonder, they haven't changed the layout any, have they?) I suggest sometime around 3PM. I'm sure I'll have a tall frosty one in my ESPN mug , and am sure my DW will have some sort of refreshing girly concoction in her hand

I am glad you reminded me printing off this page tp remember

[DISNEYGATOR]

Tomorrow is the day!!! All packed and ready to drive to port!! So excited!

[jkpmac]

Just a note to say thanks to you all, now that we are safely back home. The cruise was a wonderful experience made more so through the treats from you all, as well as the tips we got from the DIS Boards in general.

Now to start writing my cruise report:surfweb:

Have a wonderful summer!!!!

The MacDonalds

[minniemoms]

Ok... I am so sad it is over... Thank you so much for our treats.
That was so much fun. However, I am disappointed that I didn't know who I was giving to on the ship. We got there late about 3:15 to the meet by the pool thing, and I guess I missed you guys? I took my 2 boys while my husband was down in the DVC meeting trying to win something. But I went up there and didn't see a group that it could be. I walked back and forth, and both sides and I went up to one group of people and said... Hi, are you the Disboard fishextender people??? They just stared at me funny like... Opps I guess not.
Well as relucant as I was to do the fish extender bring treat things, it was so much fun.. As I said, I just wish we would have tried to meet at some other time, just too much to do. We were in late dinning, started out at Tritons, wouldn't it be funny if we ran into each other on the ship and didn't even know it.
Thanks again for our goodies...
BTW... The Sconza chocolate you got says Oakland CA. on it, but it is actually from Oakdale... They moved the plant. Oakdale USED to have the Hershey
Chocolate Factory here.Because of our HUGE Almond poplulation and Milk. Very abundant in our area, But they moved the plant to Mexico 2 years ago.. Cheaper labor... So I had thought about bringing some Hershey kisses and stuff, but since they deserted us, I didn't want to bring it. and the plain ol almonds were just too heavy to pack. This Sconza factory also does wonderful choc covered cherries, and choc. covered almonds, and yogurt raisins, and etc.... But too melty back there.
And wow, was it humid. We are from Central CA, so we don't get lots of humidity... So my skin was always damp. Oh we just loved loved loved our cruise. Couldn't have asked for better waters... So smooth....
I wanna go again....

[jkpmac]

We missed the meet too. Our son was tired after 3 days in WDW, with a late night before we left, so he was cranky, and we got on the boat late. By the time we ate lunch, it was actually supper time. We wandered around a bit, but eventually just headed to the room to get ready for supper. I do think I ran in to one on MN Dis Fans' boys. I was explaining the FE to a room hostess, when a young lad I assume was 12 came running by, heard the word FE and took off for the section MN Dis Fan was staying at. Hopefully he got the right package, for the life of me I couldn't figure out whose room was the parents and whose was the boys.

I must say I loved all the gifts and Patrick thought it was excellent to find something in the FE when we got up or came back to the room.

I hope you son and nephew liked the key chains. I also hope I delivered them to the right room. Patrick came with me, and he thought it was a great adventure.

I often wondered if we passed another dis'er in the hall or were on an excursion with them.

We won a DVC blanket I think, it came in a little blue bag. We are seriously considering it. We are going top talk to co-workers that belong.

The only draw back to the entire trip was food orientated. First I will be dieting forever, I was overweight before hand but I am sure I gained 10 more pounds. Secondly the DW has told me to start making wine reductions to incorperate into meals. Curses that I ever learned to cook at all!!

[jkpmac]

Oh by the way, I LOVED the chocolate covered Pistachio's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MN Dis Fans]

After a rather long day of travelling thanks to the weather and plane delays(about 5 1/2 hours worth), we are now home as well. :sad::sad::sad:

DW was just telling me that we now need a vacation from our vacation. :rotfl2:

We also enjoyed the FE exchange. The DW loves doing this, and made several drops at the participating cabins. I didn't get to see much of the "booty" you folks gave, as our eating machines tended to take care of the goodies before I ever got around to sampling, although the pistacchio's and almonds were lovely! :goodvibes

jkpmac I'll keep my eyes posted for your trip report. Looking forward to reading it. I asked our younger one about overhearing someone talking about FE exchanges. He said it was him. He thought someone had left goodies in ours, so headed back to the room to check it out.

minniemoms We were at the DVC celebration gathering as well on embarkation day as well. DW won a blanket in a bag. I was somewhat disappointed in it, as it started late (Very Un-Disney Like).

Like jkpmac we also had 3x days at WDW pre-cruise. Post cruise we stayed at Summer Bay, chilled on Sunday. We then hit Universal Monday / Tuesday. The family wanted to see the new Harry Potter wing.

We booked a 7 night Alaskan cruise for next August. Just had to get the onboard credit and 10% discount! Did anyone else book another one while on board? :thumbsup2

[minniemoms]

Oh I am so glad you like the Pistachio's. I gave out Choc covered Pistachios and Choc covered almonds.. And the worst part was, I got all these postcards for Yosemite and San Joaquin Valley and some Oakdale postcards, and I left them on my bed. So now I have about 21 postcards of the places near by that I don't need....
Oh well.. I dont' know how to post pictures on here of my family cause I would love to see the rest of your faces, so I would know if I saw you or not on the ship...
I too gained about 7 pounds. And I took the stairs most of the time, and we walked so much, and wow, we just had a blast...
we did 2 days at WDW after the cruise, and my boys kept saying they weren't getting enough to eat... They missed the cruise too..

[minniemoms]

We booked too. Not sure when we are going, I just booked a cruise and paid the deposit and I will figure out the time later. I booked a cruise in 05 while on a cruise to get the discount. Funny thing is, we have still yet to go on it. I just keep changing the date out.... But the best part of all, that cruise is almost entirely paid for. So with this one, I just picked a date in late 2011, and I knew I will go, but wasn't sure when, but wanted to take advantage of the discount. Some people don't know you can change the date, if you do it before the penalty.
You were in the DVC and won a blanket? My DH and i got in there a bit late. Then our 2 boys came in, and I left to hurry up to deck 9 to meet some of you.. When I came back he had won the bag?? It is pretty nice. So we were in there at the same time. Darn I wish I knew who you guys were.
I forget who gave it to us, but the PEZ dispensers were a HUGE hit with my grandkids when I got home. My grandson turned 7 today and he wanted one of them so bad for his 7th birthday so I gave it to him and he was so thrilled...
So thanks... I love them too

[jkpmac]

Hope you all had a wonderful summer, just to let you know, I am still trying to write a trip report. Summer here has been busy, a lot of appointments, a lot of work, everytime I open up my trip report file, bang the phone rings some one comes in. But get it done I will!! However, it may be time for the next cruise before I get it done!!

Enjoy Autumn!!!

J