July5,2003 Magic...who's going?

[jeanneg]

Just booked the 7-day Western Carribean cruise today. We did the 4-day Wonder 2 years ago and can't wait to get back! Who's coming with us?

[gometros]

There are a few of us on the boards going. Here is the complete list:

<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 BORDER=0 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=607><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Gometros</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6130/6131</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DW, DS(21), DD(MusicalSarander,18), DD(mickeymouse418,15)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Suffern, NY</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Jeanneg</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">7096</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DD (19), DS(18)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Raleigh, NC</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Minniemart</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6548</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DD (Disneygirl421, 15), DD (18)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Toms River, NJ</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Mickbee</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6580</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DW, DS (10)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Manchester, NH</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Disgal</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS (18) DS(14)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Richmond, VA</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">AnnaS</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6631/6633</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS(17), DS(15), DD(10)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Staten Island, NY</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE=2>eye R.N.</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP">2122/2124</TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH DD(Epcotgrl1, 17), DS(14), DD(11)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Annapolis, MD</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE=2>PamA</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DS(19), DS(17)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Richmond, VA</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE=2>Luv2boys</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6555</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS(7), DS(4)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Arlington, TN</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE=2>Jackp</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DW, DS(12), DD(8)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Ohio</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE=2>Wendym</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP">7129</TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DM</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Aberdeen, Scotland</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE=2>AOPI57</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6101/6103/6105</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS(17) DS(14) DD(11) DM DF</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Staten Island, NY</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE=2>sbennett</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP">8528</TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Dh DS(13) DS(10) DD(8)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">East Hampton, NY</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DaveP</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">2112</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DW, DD(7), DS(4)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Baltimore, MD</FONT></TD></TR>><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">carlfrank1</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">2135/2137</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DW, DD(15), DD(11), DD(9)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Crofton, MD</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">TNCruiser</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DD(27)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Tennesee</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">umich cruiser</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DD(23)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Michigan</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">ablyinpgva</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6048</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DD(10), DD(9)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Prince George, VA</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">sjbakerus</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6042</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS(9), DS(5)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Raleigh, NC</FONT></TD></TR><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">joanb</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">&nbsp;</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS(17), DS(10), DD(14), DD(12)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Virginia</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Dis Mama</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">7532</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DD(5), DS(3), DD(14), DD(12)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">San Diego</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Ashleydoc</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">6574</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DW, DS(18)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">London, England</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">CarolJean</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">&nbsp;</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS(10), DD(6), DD(3)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Cincinnati, OH</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">trishy</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">&nbsp;</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">&nbsp;</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">San Diego, CA</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">4xS</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">&nbsp;</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">DH, DS(6), DD(4)</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial">Florida</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

[jeanneg]

Hi Sandy,
We're also New Yorkers (recently transplanted to Raleigh) and DVC owners (OKW'92). We'll be traveling with a 19 yr-old daughter and one-week-shy-of-18 yr-old son (Do you think they'll let him in Palo?) It's not exactly the best age to be on a Disney cruise, but I'm sure there will be plenty of older kids like your own and they'll be fine. I'm just curious.....are the 18 yr olds able to drink and/or gamble? Do any of the port locations have casinos, for that matter? (Gee, I'm a great role-model parent...!)Like I said, we just booked yesterday and I haven't been on this board since our 4-day cruise 2 years ago, so I have alot of catching up to do. I'm really curious about dining rotations and wonder if there's a way to predict what you'll get based on the make-up of your party. The last time we sailed they were totally accurate. I'm going to post a query and see if anybody knows.
Only 5 more months to go........I can't wait!!!!!
Jeanne

[DisneyGirl421]

Hey! I'll be on that cruise with my family (mom dad, sister, and me). I'm 14 (will be 15 by then). and my sister is 18. My mom is on the DIS boards (Minniemart) but she hasnt posted lately. We went on the MAGIC for the fourth of july in 01 so i cant wait!
--Gometros, is ur 15yr old daughter on the DIS? if she is whats her user name?

[Mickbee]

We will be on the Magic July 5th too, after four nights @ VWL. We can't wait!!!

[jeanneg]

Sounds like you're going to have a great vacation....4 days at WDW and a 7 day cruise to follow....I'm jealous! Who will be traveling with you? Are you a DVCer?
Jeanne

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by jeanneg
Sounds like you're going to have a great vacation....4 days at WDW and a 7 day cruise to follow....I'm jealous! Who will be traveling with you? Are you a DVCer?
Jeanne

Hi Jeanne,

It will be a fun time!! DW, DS(10), and myself will be going. We are DVC members too. We booked a cat 6 with our points too. You have to love it!!

If you want a specific dinner rotation and/or servers, you may want to add it to your reservation request. We requested early seating and our servers from last cruise and they were glad to do it. The only catch is if it is already full. If that happens, you can make the request on-board.

Hopefully we will all meet on board!!!

I am counting the days... :bounce:

[disgal1]

Hi all!
We are going on the July 5 Magic. We are from Richmond Va. and are driving down.
Myself, DH, one 18 year old son,
one 14 year old son.

We are staying July 3and 4th at the Swan,and will drive over to the Port .

This will be our second cruise on Disney. Our last was the July 2001 Wonder. I hope we have the same perfect weather we had last time, and the same fantastic time.

See you all soon!!

[jeanneg]

Glad to hear from everyone.....and I'm so relieved to know there will be quite a few other 18-19-yr-olds. It's a tough age to be on a Disney cruise since they've aged out of the teen programs.
Disgal1: Tell me a little about the drive from Richmond. We've always flown (is that a word???) down, but lately the airlines keep cancelling and changing flights. The last time we flew to WDW they changed our slightly-over-an-hour nonstop flight to an over-4-hour connecting one. I don't want to risk something like that if we're taking a cruise. Coming from Raleigh we have a 2- hour advantage over you guys, so just how long is the trip? We have 4 drivers so there's probably no excuse for not doing a road trip other than time.
Mickbee: We've requested late seating. We will probably skip a few of the shows so the later dining time gives us a longer day.
We had great servers on our other cruise, but it was on the Wonder and so we're not familiar with this staff. We'll have to take our chances on that one.
We also used points, but unfortunately we waited too long to book and there were no cat6 cabins left for any of the weeks we requested. So now we're in cat 5 which is exactly the same room just one deck higher and it's costing us more points, which really hurts. I love deck 6 cuz you can take the stairs to everything.
Running out of room, talk later........

[disgal1]

95from our house to orlando takes us about 14 hours. We leave around 3 pm(pick up husband from work ) and will drive 7 hours.
drive the other 7 next day. We have driven straight through, but the last 3 hours are really tough., not on the way down because of the excitement, but the drive home straight through is brutal.

We have family in Ocala, and will spend sat night there on the return, then drive straight through on sun.

The drive down I95 is soooo easy....plenty of places to stop, eat stretch, a couple of outlets to hit to walk around if you like to do that. I am from florida, and have driven down for about20 years, at least twice a year. alot depends on your kids. we always take a portable tv/vcr that plugs into the car. Really passes the time.
We always go down 2 days before, in case of any kind of car trouble, plus we are much more relaxed and in the vacation mood after a night at disney.

This cruise is what my son asked for for his graduation present. he had so much fun last time, and met so many people.
We are doing the resort learn to dive in Grand Cayman, and he can't wait for that and all the snorkling.

[gometros]

jeanneg - where in NY are you? When we last cruised in 2000, my son was 18 and he was able to drink in Nassau (which we found out after the fact :rolleyes: Don't know about the gambling, but I believe the answer is yes. He still may come with us this trip, it all depends on work/school.

Disneygirl - sounds like you and your sister are the same ages as my daughters. I'm the only one in the family on the DIS boards. While they all love Disney, I gues they haven't reached the fanatical stage yet :p

[AnnaS]

Hi everyone. We are from NYC area. We are flying down July 4th and staying at the Radisson, Cape Canaveral (or Cocoa Beach). After our July 5th cruise, we will be staying at OKW for four nights (first time and can't wait). We did the East. Carib. July '01 and knew we would be cruising the West. when they told us on cruise of this new itinerary. It will be myself, DH, DS 17, DS 15 and DD 10. We will be traveling with the same two families again. My friend - children same age/sex so works out great and her parents. As of now we have early seating but were thinking about late seating. What are the times we get in each port? Does anyone remember? Don't we dock late in the afternoon somewhere?

[gometros]

Only because I was just checking, I know that Cozumel is 10:30am to 10:30pm. You can check the other stops at either http://www.dcltribute.com or http://www.*****************.

And disneygirl, my daughter just became DIS Boards newest member. As soon as her ID, MickeyMouse418, gets approved, she'll post.

[MickeyMouse418]

disneygirl~

hey this is gometros' daughter...id love to talk...i really want to get to know some ppl b4 the cruise so we can meet up! im definitely looking foward to it!!

disgal~

does ur son have a user name? im trying to meet as many ppl as i can so i can have the best time possible!!:D

i had a great time on the 4-day wonder 3 years ago, but i was somewhat lonely!
:( im hopin to meet some teens my age (ill be 15) so that we can meet up in july on the cruise.

*elana*

--dad...i guess im a fanatic now? u suckered me into it

[MickeyMouse418]

annas ~

does ur son also have a user name?

*elana*

[AnnaS]

no Mickymouse418 (elana), my 15 yr old does not have a username on this disboard. He actually does not spend as much time on aol as he used to or as much as his sony playstation 2.

Are you guys all dvc members? I know they have a meet for dvc and perhaps one for returning cruisers. I see some are going to WDW before cruise. I could not decided, when we were on cruise last time, people who sat with us wished they were going to WDW after cruise so we went by this and decided to stay after. I am sure it's great either way. What made you guys decide before?

[jeanneg]

My kids are a little older, and they think all my posting is kinda dorky but I think it's alot of fun. I hope you meet lots of kids your age before you set sail

Sandy: I was born and spent the first 30 yrs. of my life in Manhattan, pretty much raised my kids in Tenafly, NJ and have been living in North Carolina for almost 4 years now. Aside from all our friends, the thing I miss the most is the theater!

Disgal!: I'm seriously going to consider driving. Mapquest says it's 10 1/2 hrs. from our home to the port, but they underestimate my husband's driving! taking our own car will certainly resolve the transfer situation and we may even decide to stay an additional day or two. Is your 18-yr old a college student? My DD is presently a freshman at Lehigh College and DS will be a HS
senior.

Anna: glad to see you have an older boy as well. When we did the 4-day cruise they didn't have a reception for DVC members.
If we use points, how will they know we're repeat cruisers? Our last voyage was 2 yrs. ago.

Jeanne

[AnnaS]

jeanneg

When we returned from our last cruise, they mailed us a Castaway Club envelope with a magnet, a form to fill out and if we booked within a certain amount of time, there was this very small discount, etc. When I called to book this July cruise and I started giving her everyone's info, she said it would be a lot easier if I had the castaway member # which I found (card just like DVC membership card). As soon as she punched # in, all our info was there. I am assuming by this they will know we are repeat cruisers. Also, our first cruise we paid 4 adults with points and 1 child with cash. (two cabins). This cruise we are paying two adults and 1 child points, two adults cash (same two cabins again). (I don't know if this makes any difference or not - it shoudn't).
Someone mentioned age for Paolos. I don't know if my oldest son would even come with just mom and dad (perhaps if our friend's son obviously went also) to Paolos, but if he was interested, I wonder if he could go, he will be almost 18. I have the same question about adult pool. My son was 16 last time and even though he looked 18, he refused to step foot in the adult pool, fear of getting kicked out. I wonder and hope he can go in this time. Sorry this is so long. Got carried away.

[jeanneg]

Yep, i remember getting all that stuff.....I'll have to dig it out from who knows where! The CM never asked for any # other than DVC so maybe I'll just call and give it to them after I get my confirmation. We've got cabin 7096. anybody close? Last time we had 6042 and we loved it.
You're right about the kids.....they probably don't want to be anywhere near where we are!
Jeanne

[gometros]

AnnaS - I'll answer for my daughter. We are DVC members since 1995. We are visiting the world for five days prior to the cruise, but since our points are being used for the cruise, we're paying for two days at CS and 2 days at AKL.

JeanneG - I misunderstood. I thought you moved back to New York. I know Tenafly well, since I work in Ft. Lee and live in Rockland County. Think about driving. I know we've driven from Hilton Head to Orlando and it was an easy six hours. My wide doesn't fly, so we take the autotrain from Lorton, VA.

I'm glad I at least got one other member of my family to post. I end up spending months here getting ideas, then nobody takes my advice when implementation time comes :rolleyes:

[jeanneg]

Sandy: Ft Lee, Rockland County......oh, how I miss 9W! Tenafly was a great place to raise my kids, but I'll always consider myself a New Yawker!
This board is great for getting advice. My family thinks I'm nuts (actually I am) but whenever they have a Disney related question, they always come to me.

[gometros]

bump - gotta keep this alive

[jeanneg]

If you already have your cabin assignment, post it here. As I mentioned, we'll be in 7096.
Does anybody know eyeRN, sbennett, or wendym? They're listed on the "unofficial" roster, but haven't checked into this post. So far it appears that we are all repeat cruisers, right?
Jeanne

[gometros]

Jeanneg - this is our fourth cruise. We were on the fifth sailing of the Magic in 1998, the 4-day Wonder in July 2000, the 7-day Eastern in November 2001 and now this one coming up.

We'll be in rooms 6130/6131, although that may change if my son doesn't end up joining us.

Just for fun, I started a DIS list. This is who I have so far:

Gometros DW, DS(21), DD(18), DD(mickeymouse418,15) Suffern, NY
Jeanneg DH, DD (19), DS(18) Raleigh, NC
Minniemart DH, DD (Disneygirl421, 15), DD (18) Toms River, NJ
Mickbee DW, DS (10) Manchester, NH
Disgal DH, DS (18) DS(14) Richmond, VA
AnnaS DH, DS(17), DS(15), and DD(10) Staten Island, NY

[jeanneg]

haha....methinks we both probably have too much time on our hands! I for one should really be doing a thousand other things!

[gometros]

Yeah, well, it's a slow day at work :p :p :p

[Mickbee]

Our cabin assignment is 6580.

What a topic for another day while being burried by snow... Is it time to board yet? ;)

[AnnaS]

We are also aft, deck 6 - two inside staterooms (I thought I would get one with verandah and one across inside - then I decided to spend the extra $$ in WDW). I can't remember #, too lazy to look. Will post though.

[DisneyGirl421]

our cabin is 6548. my mom will be posting soon. she just hasnt had ne time to go online in the past few days!

[jeanneg]

I like your taste in men......will your future DH will coming along on the cruise? (hee-hee)

[MinnieMart]

so excited to read about all the teens that will be cruising together! we went on the magic june 30th 2001 and loved it sooo much that i booked 2 years ahead before we even got the bill!!! lets see i work at our local disney store!!!for 5 years now. i am also an RN working as a permanent sub school nurse at a elementary school. and also a few wound care cases , home care, when it comes available. this year has been very busy!!! we are going to wdw in march the girls hs band trip is march 20th so we are looking forward to a vacation!!! then ... 3 nights before the cruise we stay at the grand floridian for 1/2 price!. this is the last hoorah before we pay for college! did any of you hear about wearing green ribbon on your carryon or purse to recognize you are on the dis boards? the last cruise , we all wore green ribbon and met by chance in the terminal! i can't wait to have a drink at the sail away party and hear that horn!we have early seating. can't wait to laugh at all the entertainment and look forward to the adult entertainment series. sooo relaxing. we went to serenity bay it was heaven.rented a float and held hands with dh{we would float away if we didn't!] can't wait to spend time relaxing at all ports. we have so much to tal;k about. don't forget the over the door shoe hanger for all the toiletries. what a great idea. looking forward to conversing with all of you soon.

[jeanneg]

Hi Minniemart,
Before we moved to Raleigh, I was a New Joiysian like yerself. Yep, I think it's going to be a great cruise. There's still almost 5 months to go and already we have alot of enthusiasm on this board. I plan to tie a lime green ribbon to my carry-on bag, but I'll only have that with me the first few hours. Last time I cruised the few DISers that posted met in the terminal because we were all so anal about getting there early. This time we'll probably arrive around 11:30 or so which should get us in with the first wave of people. Since they didn't take any reservations last time until about 1:45 there's really no great advantage to being 1st as opposed to 50th. Anyhow, if we don't find one another in the terminal, we could set a time and place just before the sailaway party or something like that. As it turned out before, we never actually "hung out" with any of the DISers during the cruise but it was really fun to meet and when you ran into them on the ship it was like seeing an old friend! It seems that this time the kids are more closely associated by age, so who knows how it will turn out. Plus, there's still lots of time for more people to join this board and make it a really big PARTY!!!!

[eye R.N.]

Finally have some time to get on the board. Had to go to work despite the snow (and they are calling for more tomorrow)
I'm sure my DD will be posting as well.

It is myself, DH DD17, DS14 and DD11. This will be our second 7 day, but our first Western. We have two Cat 9 on deck two, which has worked well for us on both the three and the seven day.

We are driving down from Annapolis as soon as DS gets home from his Habitat for Humanity week sometime on July 4th. Then we are staying two extra days at WDW after the trip. We found it was just too depressing to get off the boat and go straight home.

If anyone is up for a DIS meet let me know.

MinnieMart, it sounds like we lead parallel lives. TDS and RN here too. Went with the band last year to WDW.

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by jeanneg
I plan to tie a lime green ribbon to my carry-on bag, but I'll only have that with me the first few hours.

Jeanne,

After you drop off the carry on bag in your room, tie the green ribbon around the cocktail glass! I am sure many of us will be carrying those around on deck at departure time. :D


We are counting the days until we set sail. We booked the cruise right at the 11 month window (to the day). We are more that half way there!

How far out did everyone make the reservations?

Have fun,
Steve

[jeanneg]

Wow, someone else with an older teen...this is great. You should have alot in common with DH....if he ever posted, he could be "Eye M.D." (ya'know I think we chatted once before but I can't remember regarding what) Anyhow, if you guys are driving all the way from Annapolis, which is at least 4 hrs. north of here, we can definitely do it from Raleigh. In fact, hubby and I sat down yesterday with the map and decided to go for it. We'll leave early evening on the 4th, stay at a cheapie roadside motel, and finish up the trip the next morning. (Do you drive through the night or hole down somewhere?) We plan to visit RonJons (love that place!) then head for the port. We recently spent 5 days at WDW over the Thanksgiving break with all our kids (we have 2 others that are a little older) and a few of their friends so we are truly "parked out"
We were thinking of spending an evening in Savannah after the cruise since we've never been there before and hear it's very nice.
This way we can break up the trip and still have hubby back to work on Monday.
We have to get Sandy (gometros) to add you to the check-in list.
See you in a little less than 5 months!
Jeanne

[jeanneg]

i like your style.....what a great idea! I may not have my bag with me very often, but you'll always find me with the cocktail glass!!!!!! (I told you I was a terrible role-model) By the way, are drinks supposed to be free during the sail-away party? That's what the board led me to believe last time, but they did charge for the alcoholic ones when we sailed before.
In response to ?, we only booked this past Monday because we were waiting to hear what our other 2 children had planned for the summer and whether or not they'd be vacationing with us. (They won't be) That was why we ended up with a category 5....all the 6's were gone and my husband really enjoys his veranda. Seems like such a waste of 26 points......
Jeanne

[gometros]

Don't worry, I've got this thread bookmarked and I'll add eye R.N. soon enough. Wow still 5 months to go and I can already feel the excitement swell. And with all the snow we're due this week, July 5th can't come soon enough.

[gometros]

Wow, all the Cat 6s are sold out alrady/ Sounds like the ship will be crowded.

Here's the latest list:

Gometros 6130/6131 DW, DS(21), DD(18), DD(mickeymouse418,15) Suffern, NY
Jeanneg DH, DD (19), DS(18) Raleigh, NC
Minniemart 6548 DH, DD (Disneygirl421, 15), DD (18) Toms River, NJ
Mickbee 6580 DW, DS (10) Manchester, NH
Disgal DH, DS (18) DS(14) Richmond, VA
AnnaS DH, DS(17), DS(15), DD(10) Staten Island, NY
eye R.N. DH DD(17), DS(14), DD(11) Annapolis, MD

Is it too soon to think about a DIS meet?

[jeanneg]

This gives us something to look forward to and there's certainly plenty of time to make revisions.
BTW, our cabin is 7096.
New question: How formal is everyone planning on getting? I'm seriously thinking of doing Palo on the formal night because I love to travel light and hate the thought of bringing all the formal paraphenalia. Semi-formal is no problem, but getting dressed to the nines just isn't my thing anymore and hubby is worse than I am. He doesn't mind a sports jacket and nice collar shirt, but he has to wear a suit and tie every single day, so he really prefers to leave it all behind on vacation.

[AnnaS]

I agree with you jeanneg with the formal attire. I love to dress and don't mind, I also love to take the family picture. Not too many occasions where we are all together and dressed up. It is kind of hard when you are flying lugging all this stuff. Also, based on most of the reports I have read, most are not getting as dressed up anymore for whatever reason. Doing Paolo's on a formal night is a great idea. What do you guys have late or early seating? We have early for now but we are thinking of switching to late (but we are traveling with our friends and her parents - trying to be on same schedule). I know it's easier to switch to late so I will hold on to it for now. Do you think they would make a table for 12? Also, just curious has anyone thought of any exercisons(?). Since it might be too hot, we do not want to take any walking tours. I also don't like being under water. We are thinking of staying with the beach day type of thing, with our without Disney, shopping, doing our own thing this time. The men/boys can snorkle this time at Castaway Cay. (Unless they change their minds).
BTW - we are 6633 and 6631 (not cat. 6 :( but two cat 11).

[gometros]

We don't mind the formal, since we do it so rarely. And driving to Florida makes it easier for us, giving us more room. Besides, I can't wait to see my beautiful daughters dressed up. This time we're not going to screw up and remember to purchase the formal pictures.

As far as dinner times go, we have to eat early, since my wife has reflux and can't eat too late. But, don't let us stop you if you're thinking of geting a DIS table.

And for excursions, the early choices for me seem to be Stingray City and Mr. Sanchos and perhaps a round of Miniature Golf later in the day. Key West we'll probably do on our own.

[AnnaS]

gometros, 1) you must purchase the family (formal) picture. They are beautiful. My MIL wanted our picture. 2) The DIS table sounds great, but I was thinking about sitting perhaps this time with our friends. Last time we were a few tables apart and it gets silly trying to take pictures back and forth of each other and smiling across the room. Can't wait (even though I will be down to WDW and Jupiter in April - cruise is our "official" vacation).;)

[gometros]

Anna - you don't have to convince me about the pictures. What happened to us last year was I kept telling my wife to let's wait until we have all the pictures in Shutters to choose from. We'd keeping checking and group them all together. By the end of the week, we were having such a great time and had so much to do, we forget to go back until the night before debarkation. By then, it was too busy.

So if I were to give any advice to any new cruisers, don't wait for that next picture hoping it will be better. When you see it and like it, buy it. You'll be glad you did.

[eye R.N.]

Since we all have the stuff from last time I figure we are going to go for it. I spend so much of life in scrubs I'd like to look nice on vacation.

We are late seating as this has worked well for us in the past. It is easier to get everyone together. The kids do tend to leave before we are finished to get to whatever is on at Common Grounds for that night.

My DS is planning the Key West day, his ultimate ambition is to open a bar down there. So far he wants us to do the treasure museum, and Mallory Square. We'll see what else he comes up with. (NO BARS too young)

So far, we seem to be leaning toward doing island days on our own. Snorkling with the rays is very high on the family list. If we win the lotto we might consider the dolphin swim. Mini golf also sounds like something we want to do.

[jeanneg]

We requested late seating and I hope we get it. Although when we're home I can barely make it til 11pm and we never eat late, vacation is a totally different game plan. Having the later seating gives us a little more time during the day so we don't feel so rushed, especially since we'll probably skip the shows we've already seen. Since I agree that it's not wise to eat alot before bedtime, it forces us to stay up and party! If you dance all your calories off at Wavebands (or whatever it's called), you don't feel so guilty about all the goodies you've eaten. Last time we cruised, DH and I got a real kick out of the fact that we got back every night later than the kids!
Anna: I'm sure you can get a table for 12. The last time, there was a table by the wall right across from us that, I swear, had to have 20 people. I had the impression it was some sort of corporate group because they seemed a little too formal with one another to be a family and there was only one child among them.
Re excursions: definitely Tulum ruins, maybe stingrays, and just bumming around on our own at KW and CC. I was hoping for a little slot machine action, but I don't think it exists on this trip.
Jeanne

[jeanneg]

Any of you husbands or older teens planning on wearing a tux? For those who have been before, what would you say is the percentage of guys doing so?
Jeanne

[gometros]

I have a tux I bought right before our last cruise. I had an affair to attend earlier inthe month and two more in the spring, so it paid for me to buy one. I have a Mickey cumberbund/tie to go with it, so I'll be in keeping with the Disney spirit.

When we went in Nov. 2001, there were a lot of men in tuxs or suits. I'm terrible at estimating - maybe 30 - 40% were in tuxs?

[AnnaS]

My DH has a black suit that he had to purchase for a black tie affair. My sons will wear their navy sports jacket. We buy a brand new one every year (outgrow) for school. They wear school uniform but first day of school for pictures they must wear sports jacket. We are up to five sports jackets (worn once or twice). My freshman son is a total different size (much slimmer and tinier) and could not benefit from older brother.

[Mickbee]

I would say our cruise there was about 20-30% tuxs. I wore a business suit and felt funny before thinking I would be under dressed. I wasn't. I was shocked at how few tuxs there were. It chapped my butt a bit that some guy was wearing shorts, tee and a BASEBALL hat on formal night. What really bothered me was this "gentleman" was in our family dinner picutres. Grrr. Our son wears a sport jacket and dress pants to dinner on formal and semi night. :D

[jeanneg]

It seems like there are more men NOT wearing a tux than vice versa. DH has a nice black suit and I can surely come up with a sports jacket for DS. We were considering doing the rental, but I'd so much prefer to spend the money on fun stuff rather than looking good.

[gometros]

I agree with you jeanne, there were less men wearing tuxes than not. As far as I'm concerned, I don't judge anyone by what they decide to wear, but I agree with Anna, there are limits to common sense.

How the heck did the guy end up in your picture?

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by gometros

How the heck did the guy end up in your picture?

He was sitting at the table behind us. When they took it, there he was... We just shook our heads because you could see others too, but they blended for a lack of a better word. Oh well, we had fun anyway...

[gometros]

Oh! I thought it was a posed picture, like the ones taken in the lobby.

[MinnieMart]

well we bought a bunch of 8x10's and made a collgege and also with the 6x8's too so we will be dressing to the nines!!! girls have a few long gowns from dances at hs . i have one long dress pretty 2 pc beaded top on sale in macy's 44$ dh wears his suit. can't decide on mr sanchos or playa del sol. don;t care much to shop just want some nice family times to relax. what shouldwe do in key west? any suggestions. eye rn. dh went to usna class of 79! talk to everyone soon!

[luv2boys]

This will be our first cruise for myself, DH, and sons 4 and 7. We can't wait. We wil be driving in and staying at All Star Sports for three nights, then the Radisson at the port for two nights and then the cruise on Saturday. Want to get there in plenty of time. Don't want to miss that boat!!!

[eye R.N.]

We made our first cruise related clothes purchase yesterday. Limited 2 is having a great sale. We got a beautiful full lenght black skirt for $9.99. It passed the "comfort test" and should be easy enough to find a top to go with it. I hate paying lots of money for clothes my dress phobic 11 yr. old will never wear again.

I think we will be doing lots of cruise planning since we are basically snowed in for the next two days.

Minnie Mart, way back in my foggy past I dated a plebe I met at a tea dance (my mother made it sound like fun so I roped about four of my girlfriends into it) I can't remember what class he was in, but it was the first one that allowed women. I have fond memories of that year. Watching them climb the momument was a hoot.:p

[jackp]

Hello all,

My family will also be on the July 5 cruise. We are DVC members using points. My daughter is 8 and son is 12. We'll be driving down from Ohio on the first and staying at the Polynesian until the cruise.

Can't wait.

[Mickbee]

Jack,

Welcome aboard! Will this your first DCL cruise?

I bet this thread will live until we sail!

[jeanneg]

feels like a party already!!!!!!

Get that list updated, Sandy!!!!!!!

(no time for lengthy posting.....I'm doing taxes and hoping for a nice big refund.....more money to spend on the cruise!!!
Hey, are you allowed to order the drink of the day at dinner or is it a happy hour type thing? Also, anybody use the wine package? I know it's a huge rip-off, but we'll probably order wine anyway so we may as well save alittle. Back to taxes.......

[gometros]

Welcome aboard jack and luv2boys. Once I dig out and get back to work, you'll be added to the list. (I really need to get that list off of the owrk computer :)

As far as purchases go, I made my first cruise related purchase a week ago, when I took advantage of the Disney Store 75% off sale and bought a whole bunch of pins for trading.

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by jeanneg
feels like a party already!!!!!!

Get that list updated, Sandy!!!!!!!

(no time for lengthy posting.....I'm doing taxes and hoping for a nice big refund.....more money to spend on the cruise!!!
Hey, are you allowed to order the drink of the day at dinner or is it a happy hour type thing? Also, anybody use the wine package? I know it's a huge rip-off, but we'll probably order wine anyway so we may as well save alittle. Back to taxes.......

OK, a round of drinks on you with your refund money!!!

We have used the wine package and HIGHLY recommend it! We went for the premium and the wines were great. So good in fact, we try to buy the ones offered here at home. We never thought we would use or enjoy it. When we started the cruise we did not buy the package. The first night we had a glass of wine with dinner, the second night we purchased a bottle, and the third night the light went off and we bought the package. It was great because if you don't finish a bottle (yeah right) they will bring it to the dining room the next night. The servers had excellent recommendations with dinner as well. They hit the bull's eye everytime. The bottles we didn't finish, we also took with remaining bottles home. We chose to take home the Disney exclusive wines that cannot be purchased. Trust me, we tried... They were great. Mmmmm where is my cork screw!?! :D

Be sure to go on the wine tasting offered on board. It was great and informative. I think it was $10 or $12 per person. We will do it again this trip too. Have something to eat prior, because they give you a pretty good sampling!

Anyone going to WDW next week?

[AnnaS]

Welcome aboard Jack.

We did not purchase the wine package. We did buy drinks and wine here and there though.

[jackp]

Thanks for the welcome! This will be our second disney cruise. We did a four day Wonder cruise in 2001. Had such a good time we couldn't wait to do it again.

[luv2boys]

I forgot to add that we are also using DVC points/cash and will be in room 6555.

[gometros]

Looks like a bunch of us are on deck 6. Let's keep the noise down a bit :teeth:

The updated list. PamA and EPCOTgrl1 had posted on another thread. I hope they find us here.

Gometros 6130/6131 DW, DS(21), DD(18), DD(mickeymouse418,15) Suffern, NY
Jeanneg DH, DD (19), DS(18) Raleigh, NC
Minniemart 6548 DH, DD (Disneygirl421, 15), DD (18) Toms River, NJ
Mickbee 6580 DW, DS (10) Manchester, NH
Disgal DH, DS (18) DS(14) Richmond, VA
AnnaS DH, DS(17), DS(15), DD(10) Staten Island, NY
eye R.N. DH DD(17), DS(14), DD(11) Annapolis, MD
Epcotgrl1 17 Severna Park, MD
PamA DS(19), DS(17) Richmond, VA
Luv2boys 6555 DH, DS(7), DS(4) Arlington, TN
Jackp DW, DS(12), DD(8) Ohio

[jeanneg]

I wanna be on deck 6, too........(we're 7096, which is what happens when you book late!)
Hey Sandy, any way to get a message to those 2 people on the other board and get them to post on this one? We are turning into a substantial group here.
Mickbee: can we use the wine package at Palo? Does that mean the waiter there gets stiffed on the wine gratuity? I'm assuming they add the 18% to the basic package and divy it up among your regular wait staff. I'm pretty sure we'll go ahead and order the package, but I think we'll opt for the cheaper one. I'd rather pay $20 for a $5 bottle of wine than $40 for a $15 one. Either way I'm getting ripped off, but the cheaper one seems a little less so.
Jeanne

[EPCOTgrl1]

Hey just to let you all know i am the daughter of Eye R.N. but i cant wait till we go....

[gometros]

Thanks for the correction Chelsea. I was fooled cause you said you were from Severan Park and your mom said she was from Annapolis. Hey, I'm from NY, how would I know they're in the same place? :D

[EPCOTgrl1]

my mom puts annpolis because more poeple knows where that is!

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by jeanneg
I wanna be on deck 6, too........(we're 7096, which is what happens when you book late!)
Hey Sandy, any way to get a message to those 2 people on the other board and get them to post on this one? We are turning into a substantial group here.
Mickbee: can we use the wine package at Palo? Does that mean the waiter there gets stiffed on the wine gratuity? I'm assuming they add the 18% to the basic package and divy it up among your regular wait staff. I'm pretty sure we'll go ahead and order the package, but I think we'll opt for the cheaper one. I'd rather pay $20 for a $5 bottle of wine than $40 for a $15 one. Either way I'm getting ripped off, but the cheaper one seems a little less so.
Jeanne

Good question on the gratuity. I am not sure. You can have your wine in Palos. Good point on the cost ratio. It is funny and sort of a rip off because the wines in the premium package differ so much. I won't complain with either as long as I am on board drinking a glass. :D

[jeanneg]

Welcome to our new posters (epcotgrll and pam). I am going out of town for the next several days and will not have access to my computer. Nothing would please me more than to come home to a nice long string of new postings on this thread. With that in mind, I'll start a new topic......

Judging by the age of our kids, I'd say a fair number of us are in the mid to late 40's. Anybody hit the big 5-0? (I'll confess, DH already has, and I'm not too far behind!) Are we the oldest ones?
(still young at heart, tho) Look forward to all your replies......

Heading up to PA today.....DD (the one coming on the cruise) will be swimming a 1650 (among other things) in the NCAA Div 1 championships this weekend. For those of you unfamiliar with swimming that's a mile (66laps), folks! Needless to say, we are very excited!

[gometros]

jean - good idea. I'll be away for the weekend as of this afternoon too. Good luck in the meet. Distance swimmers are the best. ANyoen can sprint 50 or 100 meters, it's the distance swimmers that have the real stamina!

As of tomorrow, my beautiful, charming DW, (who doesn't look a day over 35) will be one year shy of the big 5-0. Man if she sees that I posted this, I'm dead meat :teeth: Of course, I can say that, since I'm nine months behind her.


edited after receiving some very good advice from jeanne :p

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by gometros
jean - good idea. I'll be away for the weekend as of this afternoon too. Good luck in the meet. Distance swimmers are the best. ANyoen can sprint 50 or 100 meters, it's the distance swimmers that have the real stamina!

As of tomorrow, my wife will be one year shy of the big 5-0. Man if she sees that I posted this, I'm dead meat :teeth: Of course, I can say that, since I'm nine months behind her.

LOL! You'll wake up in the middle of the night to someone choking you yelling "You posted what!!!". ;)

I got a chuckle out of your sig "Never had a Dole Whip". Man if you have never had a Dole Whip, you don't know what you are missing!


As for distance swimming, that is awesome. Best of luck in the meet! I get tired driving a mile in my car!! :D

[gometros]

Originally posted by Mickbee
I got a chuckle out of your sig "Never had a Dole Whip". Man if you have never had a Dole Whip, you don't know what you are missing!

I first learned about Dole Whips when I got sucked into the Parks Game thread on the Theme Parks board. Been to WDW close to a dozen times and never had one. I intend to correct that mistake this summer.

On an aside, we just got back from the Catskills, after a stay at the Raleigh Hotel. I hadn't realized how much Disny had spoiled us. Forget about the fact that they haven't changed the decor since I was last there as a kid, while the service was good, it wasn't Disney. They rush you through the meals as if the waiter staff get paid by how quickly they get you in and out.

And the food.... If you've never experienced the Catskills, you can't possibly appreciate it, but it's a cruise on dry land. It seems no sooner do you finish one meal, than it's time for the next one. And don't worry if you can't decide what to order. The waiters throw a few selections of everything on the table for the party to sample. And it's not neaveau cuisine by a long shot. It's the old-style kosher food - the stuff that sits in your stomach for days. I think it's how we survived in the dessert for 40 years. I seriously need to diet to be ready for this cruise this summer!

They did have a hotel version of cruise ship bingo and my daughter won $175!

[jeanneg]

Did ya hear that, Steve......drinks are now on Sandy's daughter!

[eye R.N.]

I've been fighting the battle of the wet basement for three days (First time in the six years since we've owned the house)

I'm tired, sore, frustrated and the only thing keeping me going other than the fact the kids are FINALLY back in school, is the thought that in July I'll be on Castaway Key sitting near the water with several Conch Coolers at hand.

As for age, Yeah you've just about nailed it, both of us are creeping ever so slowly to the big 50. We married young and then waited to have kids.

Well, the dryer is finished, time to get the dry set of towel down to the basement and bring the wet set of towels up.

[gometros]

I feel for you. A few weeks ago, my parents' house had serious busted pipes problems for which I had to deal with, since they are in Florida for the winter. Not fun at all.

[jeanneg]

Been there, done that.......not alot of fun. Is it a new house? Keep thinking of being at CC with your Conch Coolers...... and they'll taste even better cuz Sandy's daughter is treating us with her Bingo winnings!
So several of us have fessed up to being "old farts", what about everybody else? ( Basically, I'm just trying to make sure I'm not communicating with nubile chickees in string bikinis, but if that were the case they'd probably have better things to do than be on this board!)

[luv2boys]

I must be the baby of the group. We are in our early 30s and our boys are 4 and 7. Deck 6 is going to be great!!!

[wendym]

My mum is 69 but a bigger kid you won't meet! I think this year she is going to try jet skiing. I am 33 (turn 34 on the cruise) but am slightly more sensible!
Wendy

[AnnaS]

41 and (dh) 43 here. Young at heart but boy sometimes my body feels like 79.;)

[jeanneg]

I guess you're not driving.......! So glad to finally have you join our party. If I'm correct, that leaves only one person from the master cruise list who has yet to sign in.
Your mom sounds like a really cool lady.....maybe she'd like to go parasailing with me cuz, Lord knows, my husband won't try it!
I've never been to Scotland, but my older daughter (NOT the one coming on the cruise) will be spending several weeks there this summer at the University of Glasgow (I believe) studying typography. (She's a graphic design student.) She'll be there the same time we're all on the Magic. This is turning into a really nice group and I feel confident we can keep it going right on through July. Good job, everyone....I can't wait to meet all of ya!

[gometros]

I think Wendy now gets the distinction of travelling the farthest for this cruise.

Will anyone else be travelling with you and your mum? Let me know and I'll add you guys to the cruise list.

[wendym]

Hi all!
It is just Mum (she's a widow) and I, we've tried travelling with the rest of the family but they cannot keep up with us!
Yes we are not driving - this is our 3rd DCL cruise - did the Western last year and I booked this onboard. Now this bit will make you sick - we are having a week in Orlando first, the cruise, five days in Disneyland, then a week in Virginia. I am a teacher and save all year for these vacations. It actually works out cheaper to do all these flights with United than it would be to fly direct to Orlando.
Counting down the days :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Wendy
PS jeanneg hope your daughter enjoys Glasgow - good time of year to visit.

[MinnieMart]

well, since everyone is telling their ages!!! dh is 45 and i am 43! hope we won't get much snow thurs night . we don't know when graduation is yet. well i'm off to a band meeting to discuss the wdw trip in march. talk soon , lisa

[gometros]

In case you all are wondering. I will NOT be putting the ages into the cruise list I've been keeping ;)

[jeanneg]

Anybody planning on doing the trip to the Tulum ruins in Cozumel? I know it's pricey, but it's the main reason we chose western over eastern.
Also, I know it's early, but where and when can we all meet? I'm thinking that the sail-away party might be a good time, but I'm definitely open to any suggestions. I aim to arrive at the terminal between 11 and 11:30....what about everybody else?

[gometros]

Jeanne - you must have read my mind, since I was going to post a suggestion we start talking about excursions. My early choice is to go to Sting Ray City at Cozumel and Mr. Sancho's at Grand Cayman. On the Eastern we did a lot of tourist stuff and this time we want to do more water related activities.

As far as a meet goes, I'm open to suggestions. When we had a meet on the 11/24/01 Eastern, we met at the Promenade Lounge on Sunday late morning. But the sail away is just as good a time too.

We should be arriving early to port, since we are coming from AKL and have our own car, so we'll probably run into each other at the terminal.

[AnnaS]

We will be staying at the Radisson the night before and will be taking early shuttle bus to the port. Again, we are going with my friend and her parents - also staying at the Radisson. (7 people - she is registered here but I don't think she has ever posted). Where are you Wendy? We might be looking into beach days (w/or without Disney). If it's too hot, are we stuck with any tour we take? Just curious.

[jeanneg]

Anna: what time does the early shuttle arrive?

I'm thinking the earlier the better. This way we won't have the experience of sitting next to someone at one of the clubs, dinner, etc. and not realizing they're fellow posters. Can't wait to party.....

[AnnaS]

Since we arrived early Friday am (July 01), we were the first to book in their first van leaving hotel. I believe it was either 10:00 am or 10:15 - They fill up with people (10-12? don't remember) and luggage and leave. I would say before 11:00 am at port. Of course when we cruised, the Magic before us arrived late (there was a boat out at sea in distress and Magic waited for help to come) so anyone coming from nearby hotels was told to wait til at least noon before arriving at port with guests. Our flight is early Fri. am so we plan on arriving at the Radisson early and take first shuttle to port or dh could drive us to port and come back to return car at Avis and take shuttle on by himself. :p

[jeanneg]

Anna: any chance you're in the Purdue St vicinity? We had some friends who lived there for about 12 years or so and then recently moved to E. Brunswick, NJ.

[eye R.N.]

I haven't made that reservation yet! Now that we know we can pick up DS in North Carolina on the way down, we'll need a place to spend the night.

On another topic, if I am able to get my hands on Disney character lanyards would anyone be interested?

As for excurisons, DH and I did Tulum when we in Mexico (pre-kids) it was interesting, We went in Summer and I don't remember it being incredibly hot.

We are thinking about a Stingray and snorkle tour , I want to see some pictures my CRNA has of the national park, before we decide on it or Mr. Sancho's. He did a similar cruise last week (not Dislney) and had some suggestions.

[jeanneg]

EyeR.N.: I didn't realize you had a son in NC. We're pretty much familar with several of the campuses in the triangle area and may be able to help you out with finding an affordable and convenient place to stay. Let me know if you need any advice.....

[wendym]

Hi all
Mum and I are staying at the Oceanside Inn the night before - free when we booked the cruise (saved so much by changing the booking to a UK TA). Should be at the terminal by 11am.
We did Stingray City in Grand Cayman last year with Captain Marvin's - it was great and so much cheaper than Disney. Also did Mr Sanchos in Cozumel on our own - lovely beach (got my Mum's seal of approval for the clean bathrooms!) and good drinks and snacks. Not sure about this year, I fancy Tulum but mum doesn't - too much walking.
Looking forward to meeting you all.
Wendy

[EPCOTgrl1]

EyeRN 's son (my brother) doesnt live in NC... there is something called woods work and we go and build houses with our church. They are going to NC this year to build! so instead of waiting for ime to come back and leave we are going to meave and pick him up on our way down!

[AnnaS]

Jeanne, I will have to get our Staten Island Map out (if I can find it ;) ) - it does not ring a bell though.

[eye R.N.]

Jeanneg, thanks for the offer. As Chelsea said, he is going with our Church youth group to build houses for Habitat. They normally get most of the work done on two houses in that week . (they are a huge group of kids with lots of adult supervision) As soon as I get some better details on where they are going, I'll be asking your advice.

Wendy, it sounds like you would recommend Capt Marvin? I want to get a Stingray City tour booked soon and I had such good luck with booking Snuba on the eastern on my own last year, that I'm up to booking my own excursions for this cruise.

I did book the Radisson last night, so Anna I'll guess we'll see you around the pool once we get in. The operator told me we could only book a shuttle once we checked in, so I figure hubby can drive us over, I'll take care of check in, and he can park back at the hotel and take a shuttle over to meet us. BTW when did you cruise last? The same thing happened to us on our last seven day July 2000.

[jeanneg]

eye R.N., Epcotgrll: what a noble thing for your son/brother to be involved with. I'm sure he'll enjoy the cruise after all that hard work. I'm happy to know he's a "church" kid, since I occasionally read about the really wild teens that sometimes end up cruising.
I haven't seen anything recently, but when we sailed 2 yrs. ago there wre several reports about kids getting into lots of trouble.

Regarding the excursions.... I haven't really started to plan anything. I printed up that enormous guide that you can find on the castaway site, but I'm reading the whole thing from first to last page and haven't reached the part about the excursions yet. We'll probably do Tulum through Disney, but we also want to snorkle with the stingrays and, if I understood correctly, it appears it's cheaper to make reservations for that directly. If someone has info on how to do that, please share it with me.....you guys know I'm all about saving money, cuz that means there will be more to spend for partying! Also, when do we make ressies through Disney? I can't remember if they send us something in the mail, or if we have to be proactive and call ourselves. Is there a window as to how early we can book them?

[wendym]

This is the website for Captain Marvin's. I can heartily recommend them. We did the half day tour - got the first tender off the Magic easily and were in plenty time.

http://www.captainmarvins.com/

Hope this helps.
Wendy

[jeanneg]

Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the info......now here's my concern: The package I would be interested in booking is the short Stingray excursion. Capt. Marvin charges $34 for the trip and it looks like disney charges $45. That's a savings of $44 (we're a group of 4) which could buy us several nice Conch Coolers. If for some reason Disney can't deliver the trip (bad weather, ship arrives late at port, itinerary change, etc) we would not lose any money. If we book directly, I'm assuming we would lose the whole thing if we fail to show up. Essentially we'll be paying $11 "insurance" on each $34 package. What are your thoughts......do you think it is worth the risk?

[wendym]

I'm not absolutely certain but if the Magic cannot get into Grand Cayman then there will be no charge. Email Ruth at Captain Marvin's and check with her - she is a sweetie. I think it is common policy that if a ship cannot dock then they will not charge you. Definitely save the money for the Konk Coolers - plus you get a smaller boat and more fun!
Wendy

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by jeanneg
Did ya hear that, Steve......drinks are now on Sandy's daughter!

Alright Sandy's daughter is buying!!!

I had a bit of catching up to do on this thread since returning from BCV. Weather at WDW was awesome! It was nice to leave the deep freeze for a bit. we enjoyed plenty of Dole Whips too! :D

Question to the ladies: On our vacation last week, we met a nice family that did the DCL western cruise. The husband advised me to stay with my wife in Mexico because there was mucho grabbing of the ladies by the locals. Is this true? he said it was at the Straw (sp?) market that it was happening.

[gometros]

Are you kidding? If I know my daughter, it'll be all spent on clothes long before we sail.

I'm in trouble. Now that I've introduced her to the boards, she reads everything I post :rolleyes:

[MinnieMart]

hi! we can meet in the terminal!! i ';ll have a minniemouse bag with green ribbon ion it1 we are staying at the grand floridian 3 days before we will return our rent a car then take the bus to the terminal. in cozamel we may go to mr. sanchos. i can't remember where ingrand caymen. we can also meet at the sailawy party. whatevereveryone wants or syunday too. let us know!

[AnnaS]

I know a little late, I found Purdue Ct. It's on the other side of the Island - not that it's too far - about 15 minutes from me.

[jeanneg]

how old was the wife?!? I've already told, you I'm very close to that dreaded 5-0.......doesn't seem like something for me to worry about. Hey, at this stage I'd be flattered. Now, my daughter on the other hand, might have a problem. Several years back, some guy pinched her in Italy and she let him have it alright. Boy, did his friends tease him!
Didn't realize you had been in BCV.....hope you had a great time!

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by jeanneg
how old was the wife?!? I've already told, you I'm very close to that dreaded 5-0.......doesn't seem like something for me to worry about. Hey, at this stage I'd be flattered. Now, my daughter on the other hand, might have a problem. Several years back, some guy pinched her in Italy and she let him have it alright. Boy, did his friends tease him!
Didn't realize you had been in BCV.....hope you had a great time!

LOL!! I would say the wife was around 50 and the daughter was 17. I bet he guy in Italy is still getting flack from his frineds! Good, he deserves it.

Yeah we went to BCV from 2/22-3/1. We had fun. I pciked up the flu the day before I left. so the first few days I spent "relaxing". we had a blast. We actually switched to VWL half way through the trip to stir it up a bit. I want to go back... so now I am REALLY counting the days until the cruise.

Last year we didn't rent a car for our stay prior to the cruise and took Tiffany. I would like to rent a car this time. Any suggestions on a method. Has anyone taken the DCL bus? Pros/cons?

[AnnaS]

We rented a car from Avis right at the airport when we arrived for about $50 and had it for the day (Fri. before cruise). We returned it to Avis right next door to Radisson the next am and took shuttle to port. We are doing the samething this time. Too much money for five people for transfers and if we get picked up by Tiffany or other, we would pay same amount and not have a car for 24 hours. We will pick up car from Avis again after cruise so that we can have it for the 4-5 days while at OKW.

OT. My sister just called me if I had any concerns with all the talk about the war. We are also flying down in April. Is anyone concerned?

[jeanneg]

Anna: Concerned, sure, but I'm not about to change my plans based on the fear of what might happen. Things would have to be pretty bad and very close to home for me to cancel. In Jan of '91 I flew to Hawaii all the way from NY during the first few days of Desert Storm. To be totally honest, I was more freaked out about it being the first time I had ever left my 4 kids behind (with family, of course) than I was about any war. My older son lived within a short distance from Ground Zero and witnessed the collapse of the towers. It was devastating, but he still flies all the time. My older daughter will be flying to London this June. Needless to say, I'm worried, but I'd feel a whole lot worse if I deprived her of this wonderful opportunity. Life is far too short to let fear rule our actions. I realize that here in Raleigh, we're not as much of a target as in the larger cities, but we have to keep moving forward. Don't even think of changing your plans....we're all going to have too much fun!
P.S. Thanks for checking out Purdue St....it was just a thought that maybe you knew my good friend, Anita. She works for the JCC in Statan Island and has two daughters, Jamie and Alyson, (18 and 20).

[gometros]

Speaking of Staten Island, I found another lurker out there who will be joining us, who is also from SI. He started a new thread looking for July 5th cruisers and I pointed him to this thread. Hopefully he finds his was over here.

[AOPI57]

we will be on the disney magic july 5 cruise with the other family from Staten Island. we went together on the eastern in 2001 and had a blast. Can not wait to go again.

[AOPI57]

that other cruiser from SI was my husband. he was showin me how to post on the boards. it was our first time. thanks for pointing us to this thread. looking forward to meeting fellow DVC ers on the cruise.

[AnnaS]

Hoorray for my friend Wendy. She finally found us.

Jeanneg,

My daughter last year went to JCC for gymnastics - don't remember the names of the two ladies in charge though. Your welcome.:D

[jeanneg]

That means we now have 2 Wendys.......wendym from Scotland and the new one from Statan Island.......I hope her last initial isn't "m" also.

[AOPI57]

Hi I am the newest Wendy But its Wendy P . im so thrilled that I finally learned how to post on he boards

[jeanneg]

I just realized we'll be sailing exactly 4 months from today! Now that's cause for a celebration!!!!

[jeanneg]

Boy, I've spent way too much time on this board today! Anyhow, I just wanted to remind you, wendyp, to please post your vitals so sandy can update his list. (Cabin #, people you're sailing with, requested dining seating, etc) Hope to hear from you soon. Logging off now......gonna try to catch up with my work!

[wendym]

Delighted there is another Wendy joining us!
Wendym

[AnnaS]

Wendy P - you are hooked and we are reeling you in.

BTW - I was getting cold feet. Thanks Jeanne for now for your lecture.

[AOPI57]

Jeanne-thanks for the welcome! We are driving to Fl and staying at the Radisson at the port July 4. Kids are two boys -17 and 14 and my daughter is 11. We are staying on deck 6. my parents who are also DVC members are cruising with us.

[AOPI57]

Sandy_ We would love to join the party! Can not wait to cruise again. As i posted to Jeanne, we are driving to Fl. and staying at the port on July 4. We are on deck 6. we have wo boys_17 and 14 and a daughter 11. My parents will be also cruising.

[jackp]

Hello again,

Posted a few pages back as my family is also going on the July 5 cruise and also on Deck 6.

Not sure if we are early but we have started booking excursions.

I was surprised that we leave Grand Cayman at 5pm. I tried to book a sunset horse back ride but fortunately they did not take the reservation and informed me that we left at 5. At least they are on top of things!.

We are water folks so we are going to snorkel every chance we get.

Jack:smooth:

[luv2boys]

We are also staying at the Radisson at the Port, July 3 and 4. Do you think there will be any July 4 celebrations around? We are also on deck 6 and are also DVC Members. Can't wait to meet everyone.

[gometros]

Welcome Wendy. WIth two Wendy's we need at least one Michael and one Peter :p

Looks like the party is going to be on Deck 6.

Gometros 6130/6131 DW, DS(21), DD(18), DD(mickeymouse418,15) Suffern, NY
Jeanneg DH, DD (19), DS(18) Raleigh, NC
Minniemart 6548 DH, DD (Disneygirl421, 15), DD (18) Toms River, NJ
Mickbee 6580 DW, DS (10) Manchester, NH
Disgal DH, DS (18) DS(14) Richmond, VA
AnnaS DH, DS(17), DS(15), DD(10) Staten Island, NY
eye R.N. DH DD(Epcotgrl1, 17), DS(14), DD(11) Annapolis, MD
PamA DS(19), DS(17) Richmond, VA
Luv2boys 6555 DH, DS(7), DS(4) Arlington, TN
Jackp DW, DS(12), DD(8) Ohio
Wendym DM Aberdeen, Scotland
AOPI57 6??? DH, DS(17) DS(14) DD(11) DM DF Staten Island, NY

I guess the best time and place to meet is the Sail Away party. We can work on where as the weeks get closer.

Btw, if anyone has any ideas how to better format this, I'm open to any suggestions. Right now I have it in a table in WOrd and am just copy/pasting it into this note. Does anyone know if I can use HTML tables here

[jeanneg]

Anna: So sorry....I didn't mean to "lecture". (I hear the same from my kids all the time)

Sandy: Can't help you with formatting.....I'm a complete computer illiterate. All I know is that you're doing a great job! And while you're at it, could you pleeeze add our cabin # (7096).

[sbennett]

We're driving down from Eastern Long Island for the 7/5 Western Cruise, DH47,DS13,DS9 will turn 10 on cruise, and DD8 and me 46.
Staying at the Radisson Cape Canaveral on 7/4. Our first family and Disney Cruise. Husband and I cruised before kids! Big Red Boat (old ship)!! After cruise staying at Beach Club Villas for a week....we're DVC members too. Look for the gold Windstar with the "turtle carrier" on the top on I95!! Staying in Cat. 4 and have late seating for meals. :earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsgirl:

[gometros]

jeanne - Done. Too bad you can't move down a deck to the party deck :p

sbennett - welcome to our little group.

We now have:

Gometros 6130/6131 DW, DS(21), DD(18), DD(mickeymouse418,15) Suffern, NY
Jeanneg 7096 DH, DD (19), DS(18) Raleigh, NC
Minniemart 6548 DH, DD (Disneygirl421, 15), DD (18) Toms River, NJ
Mickbee 6580 DW, DS (10) Manchester, NH
Disgal DH, DS (18) DS(14) Richmond, VA
AnnaS DH, DS(17), DS(15), DD(10) Staten Island, NY
eye R.N. DH DD(Epcotgrl1, 17), DS(14), DD(11) Annapolis, MD
PamA DS(19), DS(17) Richmond, VA
Luv2boys 6555 DH, DS(7), DS(4) Arlington, TN
Jackp DW, DS(12), DD(8) Ohio
Wendym DM Aberdeen, Scotland
AOPI57 6??? DH, DS(17) DS(14) DD(11) DM DF Staten Island, NY
sbennett Dh DS(13) DS(10) DD(8) East Hampton, NY

[jeanneg]

I think we've got everybody on that other list signed unto this one.
Hmmmmm.....is category 4 one of the big rooms? Maybe we can have the party there!!! (just kidding....) I'm not sure but I think you might be the only Disney cruise "virgin" on this thread....I envy the fact that you're going to be seeing and doing everything for the very first time. You're gonna have a wonderful experience, especially if you check these boards regularly - they'offer a treasure trove of good advice (along with unsolicited "lectures"). Look forward to meeting you on the ship.

Sandy: I just had an idea that might make your life easier, but I'm not sure it will work. If we ditch this thread, we can start another one with your list as the very first entry. Then, everytime you have to revise it, you could just go to the top of the thread and edit your posting. The only drawback I can see is that we run the risk of losing some people since I'm assuming that we're all "subscribed" to this thread and if we start a new one it may take another month or so to get everyone back on it. Think about it....

[luv2boys]

our family are Disney Cruise "virgins" also. It looks like our kids will be the youngest of this group.

[gometros]

jeanne - actually, you have a good idea and we don't even have to start a new thread. I have the second post and can edit that one. I'm going to try it now.

[gometros]

OK, I got it to work. Sorry about all the white space. I'm not sure how to get rid of that, but I'll keep working on it.

[sbennett]

Did I see it somewhere that you can book the excursions before you cruise to avoid the rush? If so, any suggestions? We'd like to do Stringray City but there seems to be several options, any preferences? Jeep excursion in Cozumel....how many in a Jeep, there's 5 of us. Any Key West suggestions?

[eye R.N.]

We too will be checking into the Raddison July 4th with our three kids a girls 17 and 11 and a 14 yr. old boy.

Looks like we some things in common.

[jeanneg]

Hi Sandy,
I think the list looks great! Maybe you can ask one of the moderators to help you get rid of the white space. If anyone else knows what cabin they'll be staying in, please let us know. Then we can all mark up our deckplans so we'll know where all the DISers are staying!

[AnnaS]

Am I missing something, where is the white space you guys are talking about?

[gometros]

Anna - check the second post on the first page. I inserted a table of the July 5th DIS group. If you don't see it, it may be a browser problem.

[jeanneg]

Hi Anna,
If you go to the 2nd posting on the very first page of this thread, Sandy has a totally revised list of all the DISers on our cruise. It's much easier to read than the previous ones but you have to scroll down through quite a bit of white space to get to it. You can check to see if your info is correct.

[AOPI57]

Hi eyeR.N.


Are you driving to Florida?

[AnnaS]

Thanks guys. I see. Everything is good. We are in cabins 6631 and 6633.

WendyP - yes I see now what you were talking about too last night (Fashion Show) - your DM and DF is on the list too. Thanks for preparing the llist. It's growing. Wow this thread is up to pages 10 already. By the time we sail ......... who knows what page we will be up to.

[jeanneg]

I just read that "Pirates of the Carribean" is scheduled to open on 6/29, so it makes sense that it will be the biggie movie for our cruise. This makes me very happy as I have always had this "thing" for Johnny Depp. (I may be old, but I'm not dead yet....)

[AOPI57]

Hi everyone! We have cabins 6101 (my parents), 6103,and 6105.

Isaw the new thread with the list. Its really so much easier to read in the new format.

[AOPI57]

Anna S Where did you post your question about the travel insurance? I looked and couldn"t find it. My DM and DF had some questions. Thanks. The list is really growing is"nt it? I"m glad you found the new one.

[gometros]

Okay, I got rid of some of the white space. Not all of it, but it's a little bit better. I also added the rooms for Anna and AOPI57.

[gometros]

OK, so I lied. I got rid of all of the white space. thanks to the guys on the techie board.

[eye R.N.]

Starting very early in the monring of the fourth. :eek:

[jeanneg]

Hey, where did everybody go? We were all the way down to page 6! Somebody think of a good topic to discuss or I just may have to ask some more embarrassing questions of my own!

[gometros]

Thanks, Jeanne. I was starting to think it's been too quiet here.

One thing we can talk about is the meet. I think the Sail Away party makes sense. the earlier we meet, the better. But, where during the Sail Away party? On deck 9 or on deck 10, where it's not as crowded? Should we think about a specific spot to meet?

[AnnaS]

Did you guys add your names to the unofficial cruise list?

Anyone staying in a stateroom with verandah?

Again, who else is staying at the Radisson night before?

Have any of you guys brought cell phones or two way radios before and if so did they work fine? (we forgot these last time including binoculars).

Has anyone here tried the spa?

Has anyone here tried Paolo's brunch?

Has anyone tried parasailing or renting jet skiis before?

Okay, your turn. ;)

[wendym]

Right I'll try and answer some of the questions. Deck 10 is quieter for the Sailaway and may be easier to meet up - I am very easy to spot as I always walk so fast and i ahve my poor mother chasing to catch up wth me!
No verandha for us - can't afford it! Staying at Oceanside Inn the night before. Mum loves the rainforset room - she'll be getting the week pass. You must do Palo's brunch - it is awesome. Mum loves parasiling - she did it in Key West last year - she is thinking about the jet skiing this year!
Wendy

[jeanneg]

Deck 10 sounds like a good idea....I've only been on the ship once before, so I can't remember too well, but I seem to recall that Deck 9 was really crazy during the sailaway party. Are there lounge chairs anywhere closeby? Do we just designate a spot or should we try to wear identifying nametags, ribbons,etc.? I have a feeling that a good number will meet at the Radisson and probably some more at the terminal. I have no idea what i'll be wearing, but I'll have lime green ribbons showing somewhere. On my last trip very few people posted, so it wasn't a big deal, but I'm really psyched about this trip...can't wait to meet everybody!
Also, if we do it at sailaway, I can probably get my kids to come along at least for a little while; if we do it later on, they'll be nowhere to be found.
Wendym: I can't wait to meet your mum....she sounds like such a dynamite lady! I'd really love to try parasailing, but I'm getting to the point where I'm seriously getting overbooked and I swore to myself I would do more relaxing and less running around this trip.
I can't help myself...I always want to do everything! Hubby will be happy to sit on the veranda and vege out.

[gometros]

Originally posted by AnnaS
Did you guys add your names to the unofficial cruise list?

I believe it's up to date. If anyone thinks I left any thing off, please let me know. Btw, my email is canetti@optonline.net

Anyone staying in a stateroom with verandah?

I wouldn't travel any other way. the first time we sailed, I originally booked an outside stateroom. At the last minute i decided to upgrade to a veranda and haven't looked back since. My kids are upset that they have the nside stateroom, but it's looking more and more like my son will not be joining us, meaning they will move into the room with us. Maybe I'll apply the savings to an upgrade to a cat 3 :D

Again, who else is staying at the Radisson night before?

Not I. We'll be in AKL the night before.

Have any of you guys brought cell phones or two way radios before and if so did they work fine? (we forgot these last time including binoculars).

My cell phone worked in St. Thomas last year. On the western, it shoudl at least work in Key West. DOn't know about the other two locations. We used the Motorola talk-about radios onboard to keep track of each other and they work great. And I never forget my binoculars. You don't realize how close to the Florida coast you are at some points.

Has anyone here tried the spa?

Not the spa, but we did the outside massages on Castaway Cay last time. It was heavenly!

Has anyone here tried Paolo's brunch?

IMHO, if you are only going to do one time at Palo's, choose the brunch. It is a must not miss. Now you went and got me hungry just thinking about it.

Has anyone tried parasailing or renting jet skiis before?

My wife won't let me :D

And jeanne - as far as bringing kids to the meet, Elana had mentioned the other day that she'd like to see a meet for the kids, if they don't come to our meet. I think it would be a great idea to bring the whole family to the initial meet if we can get the kids to cooperate.

[jeanneg]

I know everybody raves about it, but i've looked over the menu and it really doesn't strike me as all that exciting. I definitely would like to have dinner there one evening and I'm also hoping to get a ressie for high tea, which sounds kind of interesting. If my husband isn't interested in the tea, maybe I can do it with my daughter as a sort of female bonding type thing. Anyhow, I'm really not a buffet person, so I'm thinking right now that the brunch is not for me, but if you guys can convince me otherwise, I'll consider trying it. Heck, maybe if we're super-organized we can even set up a DIS brunch.
My daughter is presently home from college on spring break and last night I casually mentioned to her and my son about meeting everyone at the sailaway party. They both gave me "the face". Sometimes teenagers can be so miserable......
In answer to the other questions, we do have a veranda. DH is very sedate (sometimes comatose) and truly loves just sitting out there and relaxing.
We will not be staying at the Radisson as we will be leaving early evening on the 4th. Both my kids lifeguard at the same pool, and if neither of them went to work on a holiday, the pool manager would throw a fit. We plan to pull into a roadside motel and finish the driving Saturday morning. It will be our first time by car!

[gometros]

Jeanne - you have no reason not to believe me, right? Trust me, you will love the brunch. Try it and if you prove me wrong, I'll buy your next Conch Cooler :cool:

Well I know EPCOT grl and my daughter have been emailing each other, so they are getting to know each other offline. Maybe they can convince the other kids to meet somewhere.

[jeanneg]

Ha-ha, somehow it always brings up bad memories whenever a member of the opposite sex says "Trust me" ! At least I'll still respect myself if I turn out not to like the brunch at Palo! OK, something else to schedule........

[jeanneg]

Sandy,
My my DD(19) wants to know if your DD(18) has a screen name.
Hers is "jswim84". There's hope afterall!

[gometros]

Sara's screen name is MusicalSaranader. I've emailed her your daughter's SN to give her a heads up.

[wendym]

My mum is looking forward to meeting you all. She won't touch my computer - terrified she will break it! She brought up four children, was a widow at 54 and we were terrified she would give up on life - Dad and her were childhood sweethearts and never spent a day apart. However we should have known better. She joined a gym last year and goes more often than I do. She invigilates the exams at my school and the pupils love her. Her grandchildren and her 1 great granddaughter think she is mad and dread to hear what she is going to get up to next.
Jeanne - the menu for the brunch does not do it justice! You must try it - we did it twice the first year and again last year. If you don't enjoy it I will stand you a drink also!
Wendy

[eye R.N.]

I am really looking forward to spending some real time there with hubby. We raced through it last year so we could hear one of the head imagineers talk about Cal. Adventure. This year I am going to try to take it easier (really I am;)


Right now the Disney store has white T shirts with the fab 4 in front of a castle that say "fun Seeker" both kids and adult sizes on sale. I bought one for my youngest and one for me, so I think we might be wearing them for the meet.

If anyone else wants one let me know. I will be spending more time and money at the Disney store on Sunday.

[jeanneg]

I may be showing my age, but the only group of four I know that goes by that name is John, Paul, George and Ringo! So who got left out of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Goofy????

I took another look at the brunch menu (before I read Wendy's post about not doing it justice) and I gotta tell you, it just doesn't call out to me. I really do have buffeteriaphobia and it has nothing to do with germs, but I'm not going to go into it here. If I can get DH (John) to look over the menu and it's appealing to him, then maybe we'll do it, but personally I think I'd rather go parasailing with Wendy's mum!

[eye R.N.]

LOL It comes from spending way too much time at the Disney Store. They also have the fab 5 and the fab 6 depending on which characters they feel like putting on the shirts.

I went online and booked a four hour trip with Capt. Marvin. Now I am just waiting to find out if we get confirmation.

[wendym]

Jeanne
You are welcome to go parasailing with my mum anytime! I don't think of the brunch as a buffet (although it is) because you also get served the main course. Also remember there are no children picking up and putting down food. I don't like seafood but there was people going mad over it. I loved the pastries and cheeses!
Wendy

[AOPI57]

Hi







Hi!

We 're also staying at the Radison on the fourth.Looking forward to meeting everyone at the sailaway party.Has anyone decided what excursions you'll be doing or if you will just go out on your own?

[jeanneg]

WendyP: we're definitely doing Tulum ruins in Cozamel and the stingray excursion in Grand Cayman which we'll most likely book directly through Capt Marvin's. (WendyM posted a link a few pages back). We're also considering parasailing at CC and the catamaran races at Key West, but chances are we won't do either. It's very hard for me to resist the temptation to overbook things and i really want this to be a relaxing vacation.

I just thought of something else we should all post and maybe Sandy can include it in his list: the actual date we'll all be leaving our homes (aka computers) for the cruise. I say this because most of us are tacking additional vacation days to either the beginning or end of the cruise and it would be helpful to know the last day that everyone is still connected.....just in case we need to post a change to the meeting information. We're not leaving until the evening of the 4th, so we'll probably be one of the last ones to go.

Sandy:after much cajoling (and a little bribery!) Jen agreed to IM Sara, but as luck would have it, your DD wasn't online. Right now Jen is on a flight back to PA, but promised to try again. She says she wants to to warn Sara about what a dork I am! Kids.......!!!

[AOPI57]

Jeanne


Is booking through Capt Marvin's cheaper than booking it on the ship? I was also thinking of doing those excursions. My two sons will be 18 and 15. Is Stingray City good for them also? We wil be leaving June 28 to go to a family reunoin in Montross Va. which is near Fredricksburg. We willbe staying there until July 3 and then head to Florida. We are staying at my sister's. Hopefully she'll have a computer hooked up.

[wendym]

Jeanne
We will be flying out on the 28th June and will be unlikely to have access to a computer.
We found booking on our own was cheaper than through DCL.
Wendy

[AnnaS]

We have a very early flight on July 4th - last visit on-line July 3rd.

[gometros]

Originally posted by jeanneg
Sandy:after much cajoling (and a little bribery!) Jen agreed to IM Sara, but as luck would have it, your DD wasn't online. Right now Jen is on a flight back to PA, but promised to try again. She says she wants to to warn Sara about what a dork I am! Kids.......!!!

I bet all our kids say that about each one of us (apparently, with the exception being Wendy about her mom). I bet once we're on board, my girls disavow any association with me, unless they need cash :rolleyes:

Good idea about making note of the departure dates. We'll be leaving the 30th, since we're spending 5 days at the parks before cruising.

[jeanneg]

He who has the most green, gets to call the shots!

BTW, does anyone know what's going on in Cinncinati? Jen was waiting for a connecting flight and they evacuated the entire airport about an hour ago. I have CNN on and I've been trying a few online sites, but can't seem to find any info.

[jeanneg]

Scratch that last query....whatever the problem was, it's apparently been resolved. Flights have been leaving CVG for the last 20 min. or so. Whew....

[gometros]

Glad to know your daughter's OK. There is no worse feeling than not knowing what's going on when your kids are involved.

Btw, you may have said so already, and if you did, I apologize, but where does your daughter go to school?

[AOPI57]

Jeanne

Glad your daughter is alright.

[jeanneg]

Apparently some guy ran through security and because the possibility existed that he could have planted something or handed it off to an accomplice, they made every single person exit and go through security again. So, even though the flights began taking off soon after, there were no Cinncinati passengers on them! Jen's flight ended up being delayed over 5 hours which resulted in a very long day. But everything turned out fine and you can't fault security for doing their job. I hope they really give it to that jerk who ran through! BTW, I know someone asked, she's a freshman at Lehigh.

[eye R.N.]

We will be leaving very early (like wee small hours of am) on July 4th. The local 4th of July parade blocks our street so we need to get out before they start setting up.

As for excustions.
Here is what I got from Capt. Marvins. My children promise me they will be up and ready to go that day!!!!!!

Denise,
Thanks for writing! I have reserved 5 spots for you on our 10 AM trip for July 8th. Please meet us at our office in the Waterfront Centre, 2 blocks to the LEFT of the cruise ship landing. You should be here by 9:15 that morning, with towels and sunscreen. See you in July!
Ruth for Capt. Marvin's
Item Name: Half day trip (10AM-1PM): adults-Stingray City, snorkel , Date of trip(July 8th 2003), Ship, condo or hotel(Disney Magic)
Unit Price: US$39.00
Item Name: Half day trip (10AM-1PM): children-Stingray City, snorkel, Date of trip(July 8th), Ship, condo or hotel(Disney Magic)
Quantity: 1
Item Sub Total Price: US$22.00

[gometros]

Wow, you're good - making those plans already. With the cold weather, I couldn't get in the mindset to make excursion plans (is an excustion and excursion with a planned excuse in case you don't wake up in time? :p ) It just seemed too far away. Now that the warm weather seems to be here for good, maybe I can start thinking about it. I wonder how far in advance yuo really have to make your reservations without worrying about getting locked out?

I'm thinking about joining you on the morning excursion. I just have to sit down with the family and get their agreement. It's so hard when I'm the only one doing te planning, I have to wait for them to get up to speed. I was hoping to get my Passporter by now (I ordered it more for them than for me), but it's now not coming until early April fom Amazon :mad:

Since you've already made reservations, do you have any ideas about what your going to do in the afternoon? I guess with a last tender out of 4:30, there's not much you can do other than walk around town and shop, is there.

[eye R.N.]

Actually, it was more a matter of having them all in the stuck in the house during the snow and everyone wanting to be, as DS put it, "on the isle of St. Elsewhere." The RCCL ads showing the people with the StingRay was also a great help.

I have no idea what we are going to do in the afternoon. DH will want to bring home our allowance of alcohol so that will be one store we need to visit on the way back to the ship.

DS is planning our Key West Day, so far we are going to the Treasure Museum a must see after he saw a documentary on the life of the founder. There will be visits to several Duval establishments for Tee Shirts (although he can't wear any of them at school) and Mallory Square for sunset. I think there is a sandal store that I want to check out. I have to find out the name and address. If DS and DH could find out the address of Jimmy Buffet's house I'm sure they would find a way to get there to take pictures and pay homage.

Mexico is up in the air at the moment. I'd like the kids to see Tulum but that is a little pricey for five of us. Besides they might not be at all interested. A co-worker brought in his pictures of Chaukenaub and it looks interesting, but the reef is dead. I think we might do the mini golf in the evening. I find the idea of using a walky talky to order sangeria that is brought to the hole your playing just too funny.

[jeanneg]

Thanks Eye R.N. (is it Denise?) for getting me motivated to make my reservations early. I used Capt Marvin's and chose the "short" trip which is the 2hr. one that goes to Stingray City and one snorkeling location (Barrier Reef). We're not great snorkelers so I think the short trip is plenty for us. Plus, we won't have to rush off the ship in the morning. The half day trip is definitely a better value, but I know my limitations and this one is enough. I like the fact that if the ship doesn't make it into port or is late getting in, we won't be charged.
Now I can check off one more thing on my list!

[jeanneg]

Just received confirmation from Capt. Marvin's that we're booked on the 11:15 short excursion.

Sandy: I think the girls made contact....all things are possible!

I'll be out of town again until Sunday......flying to L.A. this evening to visit my older son who is now living there. We'll be in the air when the 48 hours expire which has me feeling a little uneasy, but what can you do.....? Anyhow, keep up the banter....I'm looking forward to reading lots of new posts when I return!

Jeanne

[gometros]

Jeanne - Great. I'm picking my daughter up for spring break on Friday. I'll ask her about it.

Don't worry about flying. Everything will be fine.

[eye R.N.]

It's kind of a tradition at our house. This is when everybody else starts getting interested in where we are going and what there is to do. I'll get out the pictures from the last cruise and the naviagors I saved. If I'm feeling real good I'll even pretend to be their waiters and cut up their food and put the napkins on thier laps.

Should make for an intersting dinner, now what to serve?

[jeanneg]

Where is everybody?

[wendym]

Hi Jeanne
Welcome back!
Wendy

[EPCOTgrl1]

hola! i am here... but not for long... school and band take up my life!

[gometros]

Hi jeanne, sorry I didn't get a chance to kep the thread alive, but this was a very busy weekend.

Now for some good news. Tricia, from DU, reminded me that I'm within my 120 days to make my priority reservations.

[jeanneg]

Here's a question that's more for the "ladies" (I think....!):

Has anyone started to shop yet?
I'm the queen of packing light, so I only bring what I'll really need, but I've already started to pick up some items here and there that I'm saving for the cruise. Kmart had some really cute Disney shirts witha nautical Disney motif so I picked up one of those and plan to wear it at the terminal. I've also picked up a few tops that I'm saving for the cruise. This may seem crazy, but about a month before any major trip, I'll actually sit down and write up all the outfits I plan to wear and then see how I can economize with the least @# of pieces, accessories, etc. Unless I spot something I just can't live without, I'll probably raid my closet for the formal and semi-formal wear. I have several items of Chico's travelwear and absolutely love them. Clothes aren't really that important to me, but i think most people try to make a little extra effort on a cruise.

[AnnaS]

I know somewhere within my two screen names I have in my favorites (don't remember name of it) the site with all the Disney exercisions. For those of you who booked already, how did you do it? Thanks. Did you print out forms, call DCL? Details. Thanks.

[AnnaS]

Jeanne, I more or less shop when I need to and then pick up extra here and there. Working part-time and three kids (like everyone else) - don't have much time or find it that important or first priority. Somehow though I manage to have almost all new things for all of us before vacation. I am one of those people though who packs the whole house and bathroom (just in case attitude). I always bring way, way too much. I also do laundry when everyone is sleeping or we are just lounging around somewhere. Everytime we come back I say, I will never pack half of the stuff I bring and it has not happened yet. I do make a list of what to bring so that we don't forget anything. I also love to write a budget and of course I always over-estimate (just in case).

[jeanneg]

Hi Sandy, who can use the 120 day window? Does it have to do with DU? I should probably go ahead and schedule the Tulum trip, which is very likely the only one we'll do with Disney.

BTW, any communication between the girls? I haven't spoken very much with Jen since we've been back.

[gometros]

Jeanne - I may have accidentally confused you. I was talking about PS for restaurants for our land portion. If you have a reservation at a WDW hotel, you are allowed to make PS arrangements up to 120 days prior to your reservation.

I believe for DCL excursions, those reservations can made made up to 60 days prior. I don't know if there are any restrictions for non-DCL excursions Obviously, Captain Marvin's has none.

[eye R.N.]

OK, first thing you need to know is I am basically cheap. I have a real problem spending big bucks for things I know my kids won't wear other than on the cruise. So I have been scouting the sales for things for the DD11 and the DS to wear on formal and semiformal night. So far I found a great basic black long skirt that my daughter actually liked when she tried it on. DS has a confirmation coming up, so I am hoping for a real button down shirt, tie and maybe even a jacket;)

Epcot girl (when not busy with band and school) is campaining for a new formal dress. I am thinking June after the prom season is over should be a good time for that purchase.

I am thinking I need clothes for brunch, tea, wine tasting. Other than dinner I intend to spend lots of time in a bathing suit and pareo. I guess it's time to get out the summer clothes and see what still fits. I have dresses from the last cruise so this year my pre-cruise bill should be light. DH on the other hand is thinking of buying a tux and he has told me he needs a new bathing suit.

Still undecided about what to do in Cozumel in the morning. I am starting to think about parasailing, can that be done is Castaway Cay? Now that I have moved around credit cards an got the $50/room shipboard credit for using the disney credit card, there is some unexpected money calling out to be spent.

We do need a trip to K-mart for an over the door shoe holder. We gave the one we took on the last trip to our room steward. Also we seriously underpacked sun screen last trip so I am saving coupons and stocking up.

[Mickbee]

Originally posted by gometros
Hi jeanne, sorry I didn't get a chance to kep the thread alive, but this was a very busy weekend.

Now for some good news. Tricia, from DU, reminded me that I'm within my 120 days to make my priority reservations.

Jeanne,

help me out here... My wife doesn't share your packing traits... As luck would have it, I draw the short straw as pack mule, so any tips you could provide will save me one back and many thanks. ;)

I have been MIA from tis board for a while, glad to see it is still alive and well!!!

[jeanneg]

OK, at the risk of subjecting myself to ridicule, here is our #1 travel packing tip: You know all that old underwear everybody has that is so ready to be thrown out but you could squeeze one more use out of it......turn it into disposable travelwear! I have a crate in my laundry room just for the old stuff and whenever we travel, we take our underwear from there. Use once and toss.....it certainly limits the amount of laundry you have to do and you have the added benefit of extra room in your suitcase for all those unexpected souveneirs. Occassionally a really conscientious maid will remove our castoffs from the trash and lay them back on our bed which can be somewhat embarrassing considering how dingey they are, so it's a good idea to stick them in a plastic bag and tie them up. Of course, if we ever get into the proverbial car accident, it won't look too flattering for us, but I'll worry about that when the time comes.
I also try to pack things that can be worn interchangeably with other items, so although I may not wear the same exact outfit twice, I might use the individual pieces 2 or 3 times each. I keep basic pieces very plain and use scarves or funky jewelry to give them different looks. At this stage of my life, I'm not trying to be a fashionplate or impress anyone. Clothing is definitely not a priority and as long as I'm neat, clean and appropriate for the occasion, I'll be happy.

[wendym]

We do the disposable underwear thing too! I love comfortable underwear and rely on my close friends to buy me "nice" stuff!
I try to bring things that roll into cases easily. Last year I took 1 fancy dress - I had been a bridesmaid the year before and the bride was desperate for us to wear our dresses again - so I got the photo of me in it and she was happy!
I have bought a couple of new tops - 1 lovely and sparkly - cost about $8 on sale so I was delighted.
Wendy

[jeanneg]

....for making me feel that I'm not such a weirdo!

I can't tell you how many people think the "disposable" underwear is the grossest thing they've ever heard!


HEY, I JUST REALIZED WE'RE AT THE 100-DAY MARK.......HOORAY!!!

[MickeyMouse418]

I'm trying to convince my parents to let me start buying new clothes for the cruise, but its not going well... I'll probably be told to use my BINGO winnings. But my family is well known for overpacking, so all tips are very helpful!

Just going back to the talks about meeting...I would love to meet all the kids my age as my dad mentioned before, so if you can drag your kids that would be cool! I've already been talking to one girl...(I think it's minniemarts daughter, but I could be wrong) and we are planning to meet. If any of your kids my age (I'm fifteen in a month) have screen names I would love to talk to them too. Maybe I can convince them to come to the meeting thing!

[jeanneg]

Tell your dad that if you don't get a new wardrobe it will reflect very poorly on him! Or, if you're anything like my daughter, claim that you have nothing but "belly" shirts and I'm sure he'll get you to the mall in a heartbeat.
DD (Jenni) will be 19 next month and I think she made contact with your older sister, but I'm not sure if they're corresponding regularly. Her screen name is "jswim84". DS (Jason) will be very close to 18 when we cruise and is an avid extreme skater. I'm not sure what his screen name is, but he's very shy and not the type to IM a stranger. I intend to bring both of them to the sailaway party or whenever it is that we meet. It won't be a problem....if they don't show up, they forfeit all charging privileges! After that, they're free to do whatever they want.

[AnnaS]

Jeanne - you are not the only one with the disposable clothes. Though many people might not have a reason to do this or admit to it. We have done this many times for our upstate trips - almost like going camping but with a roof over our head. It's a hunters cabin really. We have had many great times here. I would save all the old undies, undershirts and socks and then throw them out too. I guess I never thought of this for vacations using discretion and common sense of course.

[gometros]

Jeanne - I like your way of thinking (about bribing the kids, not helping my daughter out :)

She has enough clothes. I already need a bigger house because of it :teeth:

[eye R.N.]

My mom is an avid beach comber and all my kids are on a swim team, so we wear out towels regularly.

I am taking the rattiest on the cruise so after Capt Marvin's and whatever else we do I'll throw them away and use the room for the extra stuff we get.

[EPCOTgrl1]

my mom is crazy.... but its oke we do have a lot of icky towels so i guess it is a good way to get rid of them.... i dont know anything anymore.... i just live in this house!

[jeanneg]

Good point, Eye R.N., I had totally forgotten that Disney will not be supplying the towels since we're not doing the excursion with them. We also have plenty of old towels from doing the swim team thing, so that's definitely a possibility. I'm thinking we might also be able to "borrow" some towels from the pool area and just take those along. That's what we usually do for Blizzard Beach and the other water parks and YES, we do return them!

BTW, did everybody get their lime green Mickeys from Home Depot? They will make very cute name tags. I was very surprised that, although all the other colors were fully stocked, someone took every single Sonic Green -- there must be another DISer in my neck of the woods! I had to settle for Alien Green which is a little light, but will get the job done.

[EPCOTgrl1]

did they really have those? That is kinda neat! i wish i knew about it before but i guess they would be gone by now... anyways AAA is giving us them with all of our info on the already!

[gometros]

I was thinking of buying a bunch and making them out for everyone. But, by the time I get to Home depot, who knows if there will be any left?

You guys are too funny about taking things that you can leave behind to make more room. That's the advantage of driving. We never worry about having enough room. Maybe I ought to offer a delivery service to you Staten Islanders. Heck, it's just a slight detour for me on the way home :teeth:

[gometros]

Btw, does anyone have any idea of how full our cruise is at this point?

[wendym]

Do you fancy a detour to Scotland?! We always take too much stuff and then buy even more!
Oh and don't worry about towels - they tell you to take them from the pool area and then leave big trolleys before you board the ship to put them in. Even we don't bother packing towels although we will get another one as our Castaway Club gift.
Wendy

[gometros]

I'd love a detour to Scotland. I've always wnated to visit there, especially during football season. If you pay the fare, I'm there :)

[sbennett]

what is this I hear about the sonic green mickey's from Home Depot? Is this a code ....for everyone to wear one who's been on these boards? I think I missed something. Please explain..... I don't want to be left out of fun stuff ...we're first timers remember.
:confused:

[wendym]

My goodness an American calling "soccer" football - very impressed!!! Actually I am more into rugby and a very close friend's team won a final today so I am delighted!
Today is also Mother's Day in the UK so my sister and I have given my Mum an IOU for a Rainforest pass on the cruise.
Wendy

[gometros]

I am a big football fan. My screen name is derived from our local football club the Metrostars. I also support Tottenham and of course the US National team. I just recently got digital cable, which means I get Fox Sports World, which is mostly dedicated to football coverage and some rugby.

The lime green ribbons are worn as a way for DIS board denizons to recognize one another. Someone recently discovered that Home Depot sells these Mouse head stickers and thought it would be a great idea in lieu of the ribbons.

[sbennett]

thanks for the information, guess I'll be making a trip to Home Depot......are the stickers in the paint department or where?
I thought I saw paint chips for the disney paint in the shape of mickey heads...is that what you mean or are they actual stickers that you have to purchase?:rolleyes: :Pinkbounc

[AOPI57]

Hi! Love the idea fo the stickers from Home Depot. What department has them? Re packing- we brought way too many clothes on our last Disney cruise- could've used half of what we packed. I always promise my DH that I will be bringing less but somehow that never works. I have been picking up some new things here and there, however my DS has grown about three inches taller and 2 sizes bigger so he'll need a whole new wardrobe!

[jeanneg]

You can find them in the paint dept. with all the other color cards. There's a new Disney paint display, so you'll see them right away. They are very cute die-cut Mickey heads that look like stickers but don't function that way. If you're careful, you can pull them off in one piece and use them as name tag thingies. I'm thinking you could use a double sided tape or better yet, insert them into a plastic name tag case. Both the sonic and alien green are close enough to lime green. I managed to get about a dozen of them and try to pickup some more next time. I don't want to be greedy and take them all, as some poor person who genuinely needs the color sample will be left high and dry. If anybody has trouble finding them, let me know. I think it would be neat if at least all the adults had little nametags to wear at the sailaway party. I am definitely not a Martha Stewart-type, so if someone comes up with a clever design, please enlighten me.
Hey Sandy, you're so right....now that we're driving, I don't have to worry so much about traveling light. It must be an ingrained habit because I still want to take as little as possible. I love the freedom of not being weighed down with alot of "stuff". I'm one of those people who never packs the "what if" items. It's been my experience that if "what if" happens, you can always buy what you need. And the higher cost of purchasing something away from home is justified by the ease and comfort of traveling light.

[sbennett]

Don't want to get too "crafty" but how about laminating the green mickey heads and putting a craft pin back on them?
We should probably put our names and where we're from on them right?:earsgirl:

[jeanneg]

Even though I'm all thumbs, I can do that! Don't forget to include your screen name also. The last time I laminated anything, I used clear contact paper.....is that still the way to go, or have they come up with some new-fangeled way to do it? (short of buying a laminating machine, of course!)

New Question: Should we wear our nametags at the port and meet people in dribs and drabs, or should we save them for the sailaway party and have everyone meet everybody else all at the same time? Just something to consider....

[sbennett]

I have a laminating machine at work, so that's how I'm going to do it. But contact paper will work just fine.

We're coming down the day before and staying at the Radisson, I was going to wear the pin staring then. :D

[eye R.N.]

What's the deal! Just because I left you and siblings at home and went off to Disney without you, your calling me weird.;)

Actually, for as little as I've seen of you, I am starting to wonder if you really live in the house.

Love ya sweetie

[MinnieMart]

well, its been a very stressful few weeks. our band trip was pulled out from underneath us on tues march 18th we were supossed to leav on the 20th. the word is really supposed to be postponed. but... because of being so last minute continental , as still as of tday is not fefunding any of 150 tickets from the band trip. it is so awful. the kids turned in their luggage on monday night, the night the president spoke and we were going as of 9pm the the superintendant changed his mind tues. so it was quite a depressing week. the kids had been so busy with band,concert, parade and bandfront competions ect and packing and getting organized that this was so devastating. and to boot this was the 2nd time this trip was taken away, except for last year the band did not put any deposits down. it was mentioned that they would try a bus trip end of may but the school board has cancelled everthing out of state. sooooo it has been too painful to listen to disney music or go on the boads for a while but i'm back now!!! so sunday brunch is soooo relaxing. meeting at the deck party is fine with me and i';ll make sure we have green ribbon! yes we do have a veranda 6548 i think that is so relaxing too. since i was looking forward to going shopping inwdw i guess i'll have to settle for kmart! there is nothing at the disney store for us adults to buy. they did just get in mickey graduation beanies and they are really cute. my girls are looking forward to meeting everyone. my dd disnygirl has been talking to gometros daughter! my 18 yr old is busy being a senoir! she is going to go to muhlenberg, she did ealy decision ans we took a ride to allentown pa just to get away when we should have been in disney. please x your fingers everyone that we don't lose 900$ for 4 plane fairs. on a happy note it is 3 months today that we will be sailing on dcl!!! tanks for listening lisa

[jeanneg]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune with the band trip.....it's so disappointing to lose something that you worked for so hard to achieve. Whoever made the decision to cancel the trip should be big enough to cover the cost of any lost deposits.....it's the honorable thing to do since it was not your choice. That would make me very mad. Maybe if everyone exerts pressure, they'll come around. In any event, I hope you get a favorable outcome.
Does your DD have a screen name? Jen's is "jswim84". She's 18 now, but will be 19 when we cruise and I'm trying to get her a little bit more excited about the trip. Since they're too old for the Common Grounds crowd, where do they hang out? Is Muhlenberg in Allentown, PA? Jen goes to Lehigh which is in their sister city of Bethlehem. Congrats on getting accepted early decision....that's definitely a load off your mind. We'll be doing the college thing again next year for the 4th (and final) time. I can't tell you how happy I'll be when all that's over with!

[luv2boys]

Lisa,

We will be in 6555. Will that be pretty close to you?

Amy

[wendym]

Lisa
So sorry to hear your trip had to be cancelled. We are fortunate over here that nothing has been cancelled so far. I did spend a very stressful few days at the start of the week. Two of my friend's brothers are Royal Engineer's in Iraq, a news report stated that a Royal engineer had ben killed but of course no name was released. I didn't want to phone just in case so you can imagine my relief when it wasn't one of them - however you then remember that it is still somebody's brother, son, husband. How families are coping I do not know.
On a lighter note, my school is on vacation for the next 2 weeks so I can start thinking about our summer trip.
Wendy

[gometros]

So sorry about the band trip being cancelled. I can imagine how disappointing that was.

Funny that you should mention Muhlenberg . We were just talking to a young man who we know at services yesterdaya and he told us he was going there too. I'd heard of the school, but never knew anyone who went.

From the sounds of it, the terminal side of deck 10 may be the place to meet for the deck party. There was a discussion on the board about places to meet and one person mentioned the sitting area near the basketball courts might be a good place, because it's a little quieter. If I recall, there is a section by the forward elevators on the terminal side that doesn't get as crowded and is still near the sail away party that might be the best place to meet.

[AnnaS]

Just wanted to bump and say we picked up the gree mickey stickers at home depot today - does it matter which color we wear? We will put our name and screen name on it, yes? Last cruise we missed the sail away party, don't remember where or what we were doing exactly. I do not want to miss it again.

[sbennett]

We picked up our green (Sonic Boom) got them yesterday before the snow!!! :mad:
Can you book massages ahead of time or do you have to wait until you get onboard?

Anybody else in a catagory 4 on Deck 8? We're in 8528 and can't WAIT!!!!
:Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[MinnieMart]

hi all !just checking in. how bout this snow today,crazy...thanks for your responses about the wdw band trip tomorrow night is the meeting so i'll keep you posted. jeanneg my dd 18yrs ols screen name is Ali12584 the girls both read this post . do they sign in at common grouds i hope so ,can they go to the 411 meeting on the first day? deck 10 sounds great. can't wait to hear that horn! talk soon

[jeanneg]

I thought Common Grounds was for 17 and under. That's the one down side of DCL....there doesn't seem to be any organized activities for the 18 to 20 age group.
I was thinking of you earlier, MinnieMart....our local TV station just aired a story similar to your situation. Unfortunately, in this case the students were not reimbursed by the school which was the entity that made the decision to cancel. It was a summer excursion to Europe and since the tour company was still having the trip, they wouldn't reimburse the kids either. I really think that stinks. If the school made the call, they should find a way to come up with the money. I certainly hope you get better results.

NEW QUESTION: are any of the older teenage boys planning to bring in-line skates. Unlike another cruise ship, I know DCL doesn't have any place to skate on the ship (heaven forbid!), but I was wondering if there was anywhere at Castaway Cay or Key West where skating was allowed.

[AnnaS]

Jeanneg, - My sons will not be taking in-line skates. I don't even know if they still have any and if they do, don't think they would fit.

Talking about cancelling trips this year. My son was supposed to go to Italy last year. After 9/11, I cancelled and soon thereafter his school cancelled as well as all the schools on the island. It was a shame. Glad we cancelled - even though nothng happened, Thank God - Rome and other cities did get terror threats that Easter. We lost about $500 - they did give us credit one or two hundred dollars which of course had no intention of using.

Can you guys believe this weather? I wanted to cry yesterday. Can't wait til Sun. - will be in Jupiter, Fl. for 10 days.

[MinnieMart]

dd 18 remembers that the older kids are considered the " other kids" in the common grounds at the 411 mtg. something like 13 14 over here, 15 16 over here 17 and the " other kkids" like that. she happen to meet a 19 yr old boy ! to our suprise! that was july 2001 june 30th eastern . she's hoping to dance at beart street i guess we'll let her! cause we'll be there too! well got to ger ready to go the this band meeting now. !

[jeanneg]

I know my kids went the last time, but I can't remember when it was. And what the heck does 411 stand for?!?

[eye R.N.]

Decisions change weekly around here. EpcotGirl got to go to some of her competions others were no go. The band trip so far is a go, but all we need is another sniper or some other threat and I can see the whole thing falling apart.

Needless to say we haven't seen a field trip to Washington DC since 9/11.

[AOPI57]

we just picked up our green sonic boom Mickey stickers at home depot. Are we putting our screen names on each one? We also have a laminating machine. Ann S, we can laminate yours, too if you like.

[MickeyMouse418]

My School had a trip to Washington D.C last year, and after 9/11 they did consider cancelling it, but they didn't because most of the parents didn't object to letting their kids go. I'm glad they didn't because we had an amazing time. I had so much fun that I'm dragging my mom there next week over spring break. Of course she's more scared about threats then I am!

[gometros]

Okay, I picked up my green Mickey head stickers at Home Depot on Sunday. Now what are we all doing with them? My wife wanted to put in on our luggage, until I explained to her what we intendd to use them for.

I have question for you all. How do you get the rest of your family, who is not into either the Disney boards, or the planning part of the trip, to get involved in the planning? I want to start making excursion plans, but cannot do it without their buyoff. I'm still waiting for my PassPorter, which I ordered through Amazon to come, so I think that will help a bit. But what else do you guys do to further your planning. Do you just go ahead and make what ever plans are necesary and the rest of your guop abides by it, or do you shove pages and pages of DIS boards print outs under their noses? :)

[wendym]

Hi all
As far as the planning goes I keep Mum up to date with what is happening on these boards but I really make all the decisions - she is happy to go along with whatever as long as she gets to go!
Wendy

[jeanneg]

Hubby will go along with whatever I decide we should do, but quite honestly, he'd be just as happy doing nothing. At work, he's constantly making really important decisions all the time and I think when he's away from the job, he just likes to have someone else call the shots. I really think he needs a rest, so I'm purposely not overbooking events. I'm the one who needs to take it easy cuz I always want to go, go....it comes partially from being cheap and always wanting to get my money's worth! But I'm getting better and hope that this trip will be alittle more sedate. Besides, owning DVC ensures that we'll most likely be back on DCL again even if it's just the two of us. If we do it all now, there won't be anything new to look forward to. I'm always showing him things or telling him about stuff we write on this board, but I think he just humors me about it. So, do I put his name on the little green Mickey or write "husband of"....!!!
My kids WILL come to sailaway (they have no choice), but after that they're free to do as they please, so I don't see that being an issue. I don't think I'll be able to get them to wear a nametag, though! Does anyone have a nonposting spouse that's just as involved with the planning as the poster? (That was probably your original question, Sandy) Guess we can't all be Barb and Tony, eh?! Does anyone have a spouse that won't come to the sailaway? There's still time to work on him/her!

[gometros]

Did anyone catch the Disney Cruise lIne show on the travel Channel?

Are you excited yet???? :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc

[jeanneg]

I see that each of you is the parent of an "older" boy.....are any of them planning to take along in-line skates? My son would love to find someone to skate with on the days we're at port, but I don't feel like lugging those size-14 monsters if he's not going to use them!

[gometros]

Right now, it's very iffy if my son joins us. He may get an internship at a local pharmaceutical company or do summer school to make up for lost time when he switched majors. We've got until May 6th to decide, so I'm holding out until the last minute hoping he can join us. If not, we'll drop 6131 and move the girls in with us.

[DaveP]

Just paid our balance for the July 5th 7 night cruise. We are first timers and really looking forward to this vacation.

We are arriving on July 4 and staying at the Airport Marriott overnight. Do they schedule people for a particular shuttle or is it "show up anytime and get on"?

Dave, Carla
Daughter 7 (Victoria)
Son 4 (Anthony)
Room 2112

[jeanneg]

Glad to have you join the party! We're growing into quite a sizable group and the more the merrier. You've got a lot of reading to catch up on.....16 pages worth I think! Don't worry about being a first timer...this board can answer all your questions and turn you into a pro. I look forward to meeting you. Don't forget to pick up your green mickeys from Home Depot!

[gometros]

Shoot, I went to the first page to update the cruise list with dave's name and found out there is a limitation on how long you can edit the post after you've last updated it. I'll have to ask the admins how to get around this.

And welcome to the party, Dave.

[gometros]

Btw, Michelle helped me make the update, but I realized I made a goof. I know you don't have a 21-year old. I've asked Michelle to fix that for me when she gets a chance.

[jeanneg]

Wow, it's been very quiet out here for awhile. I just took a count and saw there are now 14 families that have signed in.....it's going to be an awesome group!
I don't know if the men would object, but since high tea at Palo is usually considered a "female" thing, I was thinking it might be nice to make a group ressie for any of the ladies that were interested in having tea together. I don't know if the same age restrictions apply for high tea, but some of our daughters are definitely old enough to attend and it would be nice to bring them along. We could decide on a mutually agreeable day and time and then whoever gets closest to the front of the ressie line can make it. Since there's no charge for high tea, nobody stands to get burned if some people decide not to show at the last minute.
Let me know what you think about it.

[gometros]

That's an intriguing idea, Jeanne. Once I can get my wife to focus on thr trip :), I'll mention it to her.

Speaking of which, I just spoke to her a few minutes ago and she was on the other phone with Amtrak, making our plans to get down there. Now it's starting to feel like we're in the home stretch!

[wendym]

Mum and I would love to join everybody for High Tea - we always go and enjoy it. It is the only time in the year that I drink tea!
Wendy

[luv2boys]

I'd be up to it too. :bounce:


Amy

[eye R.N.]

I never done a High Tea. This should be fun.

[carlfrank1]

We are taking our first Disney Cruise. Family of 5: Mom, Dad and 3 daughters 15, 11, 9. We love the water and love Disney.

[jeanneg]

We're growing, we're growing! Welcome to this board, and as you can see, you've got some work to do......namely, 17 pages of reading! Let us know all the particulars and Sandy will add your info to our list. Some of the things you can tell us are where you're from, cabin# if you know it already, early or late seating, how you're arriving at the port and what excursions you're interested in. Next, you'll need to stop by a Home Depot and get some lime green Mickey heads so you'll be easy to spot. We're planning a big get-together at sail-away and we look forward to meeting you and your family.
Jeanne

[DisneyGirl421]

Hey i havent posted in a while but...

CarlFrank-- does ur 15 yr old daughter have an email/sn? cuz I am 15 too and going on this cruise! There alot of people my age doing too!

[MickeyMouse418]

CarlFrank Hi, I'm one of the other teens going too. If your daughter has a SN I'd love to talk to her. Disneygirl and I are already friends through the disboards ;)