Feb. 21, 2004 Eastern Cruise

[av01bps]

Hey everybody.
I feel like I "know" Gayl, Bruce, Tresha, Gina... etc. Big fun...
Question for you "experienced" folks-

Tuxedo or no tuxedo?


We go to enough (I know, poor Amy, sigh, sigh) dressy things- does DH (dear husband, right?) really need to wear a tux to the formal nights? Is it disney Formal- tie and jacket ok? We don't want to look schleppy...


Still searching for tropicana wear on the net-
amy

[av01bps]

Or... as I may put on MY nametag...


Amy
Mother of Hannah and Katie
Wife of Jeff
Grey Goose Martini Gal

[woody64]

Grey Goose martini gal:I am not wearing a tux. Most everybody is in suit/sportcoat/blazer and tie but there will be some people in tuxes. We were nly dressed up long enough for some pics and dinner then back to the cabin to change for shows etc.

I also think you forgot your most embarrassing moment on your name tag.

Bruce Winter Lager

[Gina]

Bruce Winter Lager


Mmmmm..... winter lager.....


Gina Shiner Bock

[christinou]

Amy, no tux for my husband either.
Christine Champagne.......

[bassoongirl]

It should be a fun cruise with all the alcohol flowing! I talked with my husband about what to put on the name tags and he wasn't opposed to having "Mr. bassoongirl" on his tag. Surprising! He liked the beer references too! He thought it might help to have screen names on the tags so we can find each other better. However, if our group does start signing their real names on their posts and posts pictures on the Yahoo site, we won't need the screen names!

My husband will not be wearing a tuxedo either. I just hope his suit still fits him!

Gayl Brador (I'm a Canadian beer kind of girl!)

[av01bps]

I am glad to hear that we are a tux free group of cruisers... just makes traveling that much easier. Most offices are casual dress- the world is just becomming more Gap-i-fied, I guess. We will still bring a suit (jacket and tie) and I'll bring dresses.

Katie likes EVERYTHING in the children's wear Daily catalog...
lots of floral stuff.


grrr must write final exams

Amy
Grey Goose Martini Gal
embarrassing momment? hmmmm...I'll get back with you

[Gina]

Yay, I got Tyler Dean's suit!! *cheers once again for eBay* I was starting to sweat... I've been looking for months, but bids kept going higher than I could really spend for the few I found in his size... and he already totally outgrew his suit from last year.

This one is sooooo perfect!! The jacket is like a Wedgwood blue, maybe a tad deeper, with white buttons, and the pants are micro-pinstriped in the same blue and white. It's dressy enough, but also very nautical looking! And I got it for $8!! :bounce:

Now just a white shirt, and the dark blue Mickey tie I had already found on eBay, and he's set for formal night! *cheers again*

Just had to share... I'm way relieved now. :)

-gina-

[christinou]

It is 5 degree here this morning, the cruise is really starting to look good..........
We are leaving for our cruise in 6 weeks today YEAH...........

My girls do love to wear pretty dresses, so dressing up for them is a lot of fun, on the other hand, Bill and I are much more casual people, but son't mind being dressed up once in a while.....
But no long gown and tuxes....

[bassoongirl]

Congratulations Gina on getting Tyler Dean's suit! I don't think I could ever get my son, Ryan into a suit. It was hard enough getting him to wear a tie to my parents' 50th Anniversary party last summer. Luckily, he can wear that same tie (and complain just as much!) on the cruise. My daughter wants to make a dress for formal night and she has never sewn before. Unforunately, I don't sew either. I nearly failed home economics in junior high because the things I sewed turned out so badly! We bought a "See and Sew" pattern which looks simple enough. But the fabric Katie picked out is some kind of special fabric that has to be "cut on the bias". I had to do a Google search on what "cutting on the bias" is! We tried to lay out the pattern on the fabric over the holdiays but I'm afraid we might not have enough fabric. So, if you see Katie wearing a cockeyed dress on formal night, you'll know it was our collaboration!

Christine, here in Michigan we are actually warming up to 27 degrees today. It has been bitterly cold here too.

Gayl

[PhotoLisa]

I came across this site this morning and wanted to share it here for those who stated they were having problems getting the paint chips they needed!

Hope this helps anyone in need!

Disney Paintchip (http://www.escrappers.com/disney.html)

I didn't check it out thoroughly to see the download.

Lisa


I've uploaded a customized paint chip with DIS in the left ear. If someone can go to the link above and tell me which is the correct color green -- I can customize one for the board and repost the new one.

Here's my temporary customized one -- its pretty "neon" to me.

Disney Paint Chip Zip file (http://lisanealphotography.com/Disney.zip)

[woody64]

Hey Lisa,

Looks great. Good job getting it and it looks good enough to me.

Now how about a photo of you and your family on the yahoo site?pirate:

Bruce Winter Lager

[bassoongirl]

Lisa,

I wasn't able to look at your DIS name tag example. Darn! However, I do know the color of Mickey paint chip that most people use for their DIS name tag. It is Alien Green. It is very bright! I hope I can figure out how to look at your example.

Gayl

[Gina]

Hmmm... the Mickey paint chips I found at Home Depot, what I thought was lime green, is called Sonic Boom on mine... I didn't see an Alien green. If I find another Home Depot, I'll have to go check there!

Only 6 more Saturdays, can you believe it?! Only 6 more Saturdays to get all that Walmart-ing done for last-minute shopping. *grin* Tyler Dean and I played "what are you most looking forward to" over dinner last night. His top five were the Mickey Slide, finally being in the Oceaneer Lab instead of the Club, Castaway Cay, seeing Mickey, and getting to see the new stuff on the ship. :)

Mine were lounging on deck 4 just watching the water go by, spending every night closing down Rockin' Bar D, meeting new DIS friends, seeing Diversions and Cove Cafe, and just plain being on that beautiful ship again!!!

So what are you most looking forward to, whether you have sailed on the Magic yet or not? :)

-gina-

[christinou]

I would have to stay right now my answer is being warm.....
It is 0 here and was -15 during the night.
My girls would answer "free" ice cream......
For me it is the feeling of being pampered, as a general rule vacation for us is camping, so a cruise is just incredible luxury;)
Christine

[woody64]

Castaway Cay, Scoops, 3 sea days, shows, food, new friends, and warm weather. It is snowing but hot here in Chicago, upper 20's to low 30's.::yes::

Bruce

[bassoongirl]

I am most looking forward to finally seeing the ship! After all the anticipation and dreaming, I can't wait to finally walk down the gangplank and be on the Magic. Second, is probably going to beaches in warm, sunny weather in the middle of February. Of course, I can't wait to meet all of you either!

Gina, I think the Sonic Boom color will work fine for the name tags. I read a debate a while back on the boards about Alien Green vs. Sonic Boom. I don't think it matters too much!

Bruce, we are having a heat wave here too. The high is going to be 22! I finally washed my car today. I couldn't stand the salt coating anymore. We are supposed to get more snow this afternoon, so my car won't stay clean for long.

Gayl

[Ms. Linda]

Hi everyone,

I'm most looking forward to standing at the rail and watching the ocean.

I hope its not too cold on the ship. It only got up to the 50's here today and I'm so cold.

Home Depot is on my list of things to do.

Linda
Joe's Mama
V.O & Diet coke . . . Or. . . What's that pretty frozen drink?

[kmk45]

boy I have had more trouble logging on ...ich...
I just was at Home Depot yesterday, and this year it is Sonic Boom.. last year the chip was called Alien Green... sorry... I could't open the paint chip file also.. darn...
It has been sooo cold here... it was -15 the last two nites... and this am is a balmy 2... I even tried going to the tanning salon the other day to warm up...and start some base..as not to be the great white one... and I never even warmed up....
Any way... Woody... the shoe caddy for the beer made me chuckle, my husband liked that one... he and another friend on the cruise are thinking of doing the beer mug deal...
Another thing no one has mentioned bringing along is post it notes...we used these last year and it worked good for husband and kid communication. Peter is 12... and once we are on the ship... except for meals ... and bed time...we don't see much of him.. Since this is our third Disney Cruise..He has his agenda all planned out. I haven't seen much of 12 year old boys on this board... Did you guys go to passporter and read about the changes made to the Magic during dry dock??? I am looking forward to that.... and Bingo!!!

[PhotoLisa]

For those of you having problems opening the paint chip zip file, are you using a zip program to unzip the file? Here's a link to the paint chip that is not zipped -- it is a straight jpg file. It can be opened in Paint, Photoshop, Painter, Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Publisher or any other graphical type program. It can even be inserted as a picture into Microsoft Word.

Lisa

Disney Paint Chip (http://lisanealphotography.com/Magic/disneychip1.jpg)

Here is a small example of the file.
http://lisanealphotography.com/Magic/disneychip172dpi.jpg

The small version will not look good if you print it but the larger linked version above is suitable for printing on your printer and laminating for use on the cruise.

[bassoongirl]

kmk,

My 12-year-old daughter is also looking forward to doing her own thing on the ship! Last night, when I asked her what she was most looking forward to she said getting lost on the ship. She has made it her mission to explore every inch of the ship. I said that was fine as long as she did it with a friend!

It is warming up here in Michigan. It is 28 degrees today. We are getting ready to go sledding.

Lisa,

I was able to see your name tag on the Yahoo site thanks to Woody. I am not very computer savvy! Thanks for posting it here too. Thank you also for your suggestions for printing the name tag.

Gayl

[PhotoLisa]

Gayl:

My 13 year old is looking forward to the ship too. She was 11 on her last Disney cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it. She'll celebrate her 14th birthday on disembarkation day.

She was born the day after Mardi Gras in 2000 and doesn't mind being on the cruise during Mardi Gras this year, however, her 16th birthday falls on Mardi Gras Day, 2006. She forbids me to book a vacation for her 16th birthday!

I'm looking forward to the cruise as well!

Lisa

[kmk45]

:jester: That is what Peter loves best is exploring...last year when we ported in Key West, he stayed on the ship... and had more fun... same thing happened when we were in Freeport the year before... I felt like a rotten mom leaving him..but he was happy..and we enjoyed the port. He also likes the fact he can sign him self in and out of the Lab. It seems like the really cool stuff to do happens late...like making flubber is at 11:00 pm...
He also discovered room service at midnite... one nite I woke up to a man walking in with a tray and setting him up... the next morning we found out he tipped the guy a ten spot...and after that...he had sandwiches , soup and cookies everynite..and they were there fast...!! Had to teach him quick on Tipping !!! Karen

[woody64]

Hey peoples,

Couldn't let this stay on the 2nd page. We are starting to look for our packing list. I am preparing for the cruise by working on my cruise videos from last year. I got a DVD writer for Christmas so I'm trying to make my first DVD of the video I shot last year.

FYI:At Great Bay Beach in St. Maarten, there is a water trampoline. I saw it in the video! I know someone was looking for one.

Have a great day.

Bruce

[bassoongirl]

Hey Bruce,

My family is definately interested in that water trampoline at Great Bay Beach! It sounds like a lot of fun!

I, too, am starting to compile a packing list. I also started to gather things for the cruise in our basement. Just like Gina!

We aren't planning to bring our video camera. My husband hates to video tape things. He prefers to watch and enjoy things as they happen. That leaves me to video tape all birthdays, recitals, Christmas, etc. I don't want to lug our camera around on the cruise. I will just have to be happy with my digital camera.

You have a great day too!
Gayl

P.S. We have less than 40 days now until the cruise. I am looking at the time left to go kind of like getting through Lent! I hope it passes quickly!

[woody64]

Hey everybody, we're also doing the doc dance as ours arrived today. We booked on board and transfered to DU.:jumping4:

woody

[Gina]

That's so awesome!! I can't believe it's already doc time!!!!!!
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

I want mine! I want mine! :hyper:

-gina-

[av01bps]

Are the documents more than a confirmation of our excursion registration? We have that (it's one sheet of paper) but should we be waiting for more? If it's a group reservation will my mom get it? Hmmm.


We are having a SNOW day!! :Pinkbounc


The bouncy should show kids bouncing off the walls!

Amy

[PhotoLisa]

Amy:

Yes -- it is more than a confirmation piece of paper. It is a booklet of stuff. It will be enclosed in brown box.

Lisa

[bassoongirl]

Amy,

You are lucky to have a snow day! My kids are so jealous. They were really hoping for one today. My daughter even wore her pajamas inside-out, because she heard that doing that will insure a snow day. It didn't work for her! I, on the other hand, am grateful that my kids didn't get a snow day! I can't afford to lose any days at work right now since I am CPA and this is tax season.

Maybe we will get our documents on the same day since we live near each other. I can hardly wait to get home tonight to check my front porch. I even made sure our driveway and the walkway to our front porch were snow-free so the UPS driver can deliver our documents without slipping!

Gayl

[av01bps]

WHEN... when when we get the documents, are they the ones we "fill out in advance?"- so that the lines move faster, etc.

There's pinkeye in my house. AGH! I need a vacation... soon, soon soon...

Has anyone had spa-ing experience on the cruise? What about late night women's nights- I have heard about facial packages... do tell!
Thanks
Amy-in-the-pink

[bassoongirl]

Amy,

We didn't get our documents either.:mad: I hope they come on Tuesday. That's too bad about pink eye in your family. That is no fun!

I can use some time at the spa on the ship too!

Hopefully we will both be doing the doc dance soon!

Gayl

[jerseygirlinvt]

Hi everyone...

We ALMOST have our documents...Costco Travel called on Thursday and said they have them there and checked them over and will send them right out...the guy said I should get them in about A WEEK AND A HALF????I asked him how they were mailing them and he said by priority mail...he obviously didn't realize I work for the post office...so I politely told him that priority usually takes 2-3days...so with a little luck I'm hoping for early next week.Only 5 more weeks...I can't believe it. I just can't wait to see that ship for the first time! Kathy:Pinkbounc

[woody64]

OK, I don't want to make anyone mad but checking our docs I found great news. Our 2(ours and IL's) connecting cat. 8's were upgraded to 2 connecting cat 5's. We have a veranda(sp?). We are very excited and thought there is no way we would get upgraded with connecting rooms but it happened.

As point of reference we booked while on last years cruise. Don't know if that made a difference or not. I knew something was different because we picked our rooms and the docs had different room #'s.

Anyone else get an upgrade?

woody

[bassoongirl]

Woody,

Congratulations on the upgrade! You are so lucky to have a veranda! My husband's other theory as to why we haven't received our documents (besides not booking the cruise) is that we are also getting an upgrade. I wish! I was going to ask if anyone got an upgrade, but I was afraid to. :scared: I didn't want to upset anyone who was really wishing for an upgrade. I think being on the ship at all will be wonderful!

Gayl

[christinou]

I came back home from a week away (again) and we had received our documents, this is so exiting, we got a small upgrade from a cat 11 to a 10, but that is great, as I was really anxious about space, by the time we booked the 10 was $550 more than the 11, so for us it is a great deal.......
Woody thanks for the update about the trampoline in St. Martin, i had asked about it a while back, I know that my girls will be so excited.....
We still have not told the girls and it is killing me.....
We will be sailing away exactly 5 weeks from NOW.:Pinkbounc

[bassoongirl]

I did cruise shopping today! I found a Wal-Mart store sort of near my house and bought sunscreen, disposable underwater cameras, regular disposable cameras (for my kids to use), batteries, pins for our DIS nametags and phone cards for tips. There was a Sam's Club store next to the Wal-Mart, but I couldn't convince myself to stand in line over there for a half hour just to buy phone cards. The phone cards I bought were AT&T phone cards that have 60 minutes for $5.00. That's not too bad a deal, is it?

Gayl

[PhotoLisa]

Congrats to all the lucky upgraders!

I'm still praying that we'll be upgraded at the dock. If not, I'm considering a requested upgrade from 11 to 10. I would really prefer the 10 but when we originally booked, we booked for 3 rooms and 10 people. Because of my daughter's pregnancy and the timing of our cruise, we had to cancel her room (3 people). Had we known, we probably would have booked the better class at that time.

The cost to upgrade right now is too great.

*crossing my fingers that the upgrade fairy will smile down upon my reservation*

Lisa

[bassoongirl]

Lisa,

What kind of outfits did your DD-13 wear to dinner? I am taking stock of our clothes for the cruise and am having trouble getting outfits together for my DD-12. She has dresses for formal and semi-formal nights and will buy a tropical outfit in St. Maarten, but I don't know how she should dress on the other nights. Are khaki pants okay to wear in the dining rooms? Thanks for your help.

Gayl

[PhotoLisa]

Gayl:

On her past two cruises (11 and 12 yrs old at the times), she wore simple dresses at dinner.

We haven't done our shopping yet for this cruise -- its on our to do list for today and tomorrow since she is out of school. We'll look for only a few dresses and/or capris or black pants and shirts. Casual, church-like attire is fine.

In prior years on formal night, she wore a black and white dress but not a true formal gown. Guidelines for the children are not as stringent as you would think. While there are some families that go all out in their choice of attire, there are others that do not.

We do have her tropical dress already since their 7th grade graduation party was tropical themed. We'll have to be sure it still fits before we go shopping.

Our two granddaughters that are cruising with us are recycling all of the dresses Courtney wore on the last two cruises. At least someone else will help us get the wear out of them!

When Court and I talked about clothes she would need for the cruise, she commented that she wasn't packing a ton of clothes for this cruise - that it would basically be American Eagle shirts, plastics (windshorts), and cute pajama bottoms (all of which she already has). Those will be her daytime attire. She did purchase 2 new swimsuits.

Lisa

[bassoongirl]

Lisa,

Thanks for the information about how to dress. You've helped a lot! My daughter, Katie, doesn't wear dresses if she can help it. So, getting her to wear a dress for formal and semi-formal night is an accomplishment. I think on the other nights she should be okay in capris, which thankfully she already has (I hope they fit!). I read that during the day, people spend most of the time in swimsuits, so I am not packing a lot of clothes for the daytime. I have never heard of "plastics" or "windshorts". Is that a Louisiana kind of thing?

Gayl

[whytcrystal]

Congrats for all of those who were upgraded! I can't believe it is only 1 month away. Ten of us are leaving early on Thursday AM (didn't want to have snow hold us up) and the remaining 4 will leave Thursday PM. My 'cubemate' leaves this Friday for her Eastern Carribean Cruise on Princess Cruise Lines. People are wanting her to bring back the warmth but I politely informed her to leave it where she finds it, so we can have it.

[Gina]

I always pack way too much, at least by other people's standards, but I usually wear all of it. :) True, a lot of time is spent in bathing suits and cover-ups, but then I go change for the singles' lunch.. then back to bathing suits.. then back to something else for whatever afternoon activity... then dinner attire... then party-in-Rockin'-Bar-D attire... and well, you get the picture. :)

Formal/semi-formal nights, if you can get the family to dress up, make for *such* wonderful pictures... and it's just for a few hours -- tell them they can change right back after dinner. :)

-gina-

[Ms. Linda]

About a year and a half ago I read about a woman who traveled all over the world, throwing away her old worn-out clothes along the way.

So if there is something that has arguably only one more wear in it, it gets tossed in the travel drawer.

My 25 year old DD disapproves. This is unusable if there are picture-takers along. Also not for wearing around those members of the family that will make fun of you.

But when we went to Legoland last New Year's there was room in the suitcase to bring back not one--but two of the largest box sets of legos.

So if I look a little ratty one day-its not the pretty frozen drinks that are the cause--it's my packing philosophy.

[woody64]

I like that travel philosophy MGDM(mardi Gras Disney Mama! Having gone to Legoland this past Sept. I also understand the importance of having room in your suitcase for purchases.

Just want to share a sense of relief we had today. DS(5) Cam has a hard growth on his hand just behind pinky finger. Went to Ped. who sent us to xray and Orthopedics. While at orthopedic guy on Fri. he immediately refers DW to specialist in downtown Chicago with appt. today. Time to get nervous. Then we find out this new doc is Ped. Oncologist. Very scary. Luckily it appears Cam has a benign bone tumor. He needs surgery to scrape it out but can wait until after cruise so he can swim during cruise. HUGE RELIEF!!!

We are truly thankful for this news and just wanted to share why I have been quiet here lately. I now consider all of you my friends and cannot wait to meet you.

Also, word to the wise-if you notice something doesn't look or feel right with yourselves or your children have it checked out as soon as you can. We first discovered this around Tgiving and waited until his physical to have it looked at. Shame on us but believe me we have learned.

Thanks for letting me vent or whatever this was. Now on with this cruise. Gina, we are finally sorting out kid clothes. They grow way too fast!

FYI for beer lovers, at the new pub they have beer tasting sesssions. I think I might have to try this!!!

woody

[PhotoLisa]

Woody:

Glad to know your little one will be alright!

Do you have any info you can share on the beer tastings? I think that is right up my dh and dss's alley! I'm a straight up Bud Lite kinda girl -- that or Merlot and Chardonnay . . . and Chocolate Martinis lol!

Hey -- Mardi Gras Disney Mama -- are you bringing beads with you on the cruise? I think I'll get my 13 yo ds some to give as friendship tokens to the friends she makes onboard.

Lisa
:jester:

[Gina]

Originally posted by woody64
We are truly thankful for this news and just wanted to share why I have been quiet here lately. I now consider all of you my friends and cannot wait to meet you.


Oh Bruce, what a relief!! You must feel like a million pounds has been lifted from your shoulders... {{hugs}}



Gina, we are finally sorting out kid clothes. They grow way too fast!


*PANICPANIC* I am really getting nervous... I had him try on two more of his "wardrobe staples" pairs of shorts this weekend, and they are too small. I did manage to find him some denim and some khaki shorts last week at Target, but I don't like them very much. His others were all Garanimals-types, and so easy and cute to match up to other stuff. They are starting to clear out everything winter here, and slowly get in more springtime stuff (since our "winter" doesn't last very long here,) so I'm hoping I get lucky over the next few weeks.

WEEKS!! We only have weeks left, not months, can you believe it??


FYI for beer lovers, at the new pub they have beer tasting sesssions. I think I might have to try this!!!


You know, I saw that, and it did sound pretty interesting! I was contemplating trying that, but the only beers I really like are dark bock beers or stouts, usually. Or a nice Corona with lime on the beach. :)

Still, could be fun... DIS beer meet... now those would be some pictures to share!! LOL

-gina-

[av01bps]

OHHH WOODY- glad to hear your 5 year old will be ok! Kate and Hannah (6 and 8) are looking forward to playing without their parents. Hannah was stuck inside for the entire 3 day weekend with pinkeye and a virus-that-looked-like-strep-but-was-not-strep. None of that compares to being sent to a ped. oncologist. So phew! Glad it's ok.

Here are some online summer shopping stops I have been making:

www.oldnavy.com, www.hannahandersson.com (this week the spring play dress/day dress comes out. Matching shorts and dresses for the girls who won't wear one- Gayl's daughter?? Great stuff at that site and they last forever!)

www.landsend.com has dull but wearable stuff.

My girls will be in swimwear/playwear most of the time... mee too!
Amy

[christinou]

Woody, I am so glad your little guy is fine, (I also have a 6 year old Cam, but she is a girl).
It is hard to believe that it is coming up so quicly, I just got 2 "formal" dresses at Target for my girls, for $5 each, Boy what that exciting, (I love a good bargain), I am pretty sure that we still have plenty of sundresses and short, and I got them some bathing suit on clearance, in September......
I am really ready, it has been 2 straight weeks of sub zero temperature and blowing windds, we all need some sunshine.
Christine

[bassoongirl]

Bruce,

That is wonderful news about your son! Medical problems with your kids can be very scary! You feel so helpless. It is good the surgery can wait until after the cruise. Not being able to swim would be a bummer!

Amy,

Thanks for posting the Old Navy and Lands End websites. I am having trouble finding any kind of summer clothes at the stores. I was really hoping that my kids' summer clothes would still fit them. Some will, some won't. I wasn't planning to buy Katie and Ryan new wardrobes for the cruise!

That beer tasting sounds interesting! I much prefer beer to wine. Wine gives me a headache. Just one question--at the beer tasting are you supposed to spit out the beer after you taste it? We were supposed to do that when we went to a wine tasting, but we couldn't bring ourselves to do it! I am sure I won't spit out the beer either!:crazy:

Gayl

[woody64]

I found the beer tasting listed on the Navigator's listed on Barb and Tony's site. It says taste 4 British Beers for $8. That's all I know but will start thread on big board to see if anyone knows about this. I think it was listed on the 2nd sea day and also later in the cruise.

And thanks for the kind words. We are sooo realived.

woody

[whytcrystal]

Woody-
I am glad the little one is okay. I will say extra prayers for him. BTW- Rec'd a call from a friend in St. Thomas, it is 80 and dry.

[bassoongirl]

I forgot to say two things in my earlier post:

1. No documents yet - even though I did see a UPS truck in our neighborhood yesterday. I am trying to be patient!!

2. WE LEAVE ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!! YAY!

I realized this weekend that I have a lot to accomplish in the next month. My husband graciously worked on a door sign for our stateroom yesterday. It looks great! He is quite talented on the computer! I will post a picture of it on our Yahoo site once I figure out how to do it. I have our cruise clothes pretty well assembled now. After my shopping spree at Wal-Mart this weekend, I think I have all the essential supplies for our trip. The next thing on my list of cruise preparations is to make our DIS name tags. I am still deciding how I want them to look.

Have a nice day,
Gayl

P.S. The weather in St. Thomas sounds great!

[woody64]

whytcrystal-thanks. Have you checked out the St. Thomas web cam at the link below so you can see your friends? What ship are they on and just think soon we'll see this in person!

St. Thomas web cam (http://www.caribline.com/islands/vi/forum/cam.shtml)

woody

[Ms. Linda]

What a relief for you Woody. Nothing can affect you like something that can happen to your little one.

IF my suitcases have room and I won't have to pay the airline extra on overweight baggage, I hope to pack beads.

Most of the boxes of beads that I had were thrown by DS at his elementary school last year. They had a kids' Mardi Gras parade in the gym. The kids were encouraged to make a "float". Most decorated their remote control cars, some had decorated wagons, some just dressed up. The 6th graders paraded around the gym, the little ones were lined up for them to march by. I got DS a crown and scepter and decorated a wagon. We filled it to overflowing and had backup boxes at the halfway mark. I gave him and one of his friends thousands of beads to throw. Everyone had a great time.

No documents yet(whine, whine)

[DisneyDmbNut]

Have any of y'all "experienced" the Suriel Bath...My sister swears by it and I was trying to explain it to my friend..

[bassoongirl]

Ms. Linda,

We don't have our documents yet either. The ship sails one month from today, so I hope they come soon.

I didn't realize until recently that Lent starts while we are on our cruise. This gives me a moral dilemma. Every year, I give up chocolate for Lent. I don't know how I can do that with all the wonderful chocolate desserts I've been reading about on the cruise!

Gayl

[christinou]

Gayl, I think that this is the year, where you need to give up something else for lent, like sleeping....;)

[jerseygirlinvt]

Our documents all arrived yesterday from Costco!I guess we're really going!:bounce:

Kathy

[bassoongirl]

christinou,

That is a great idea! I can give up something like brussel sprouts (yuck!) or paying bills. I guess there are other things to give up for Lent besides chocolate! I do like to sleep though.

Gayl

[christinou]

Kathy, that is great..........
I am jumping with you....
Gayl, I figured that we have too much to do on the cruise to have time to sleep...

[Gina]

I can't believe we sail a month from today!!! :bounce: :bounce:

I hope everyone who is waiting gets their docs soon! And congrats again to those who have gotten upgrades... that's so awesome. :) Lisa, I really hope you get one -- here's some extra ~*pixie dust*~ for you!

Okay, I had so much I wanted to say, but work is nuts right now... I just can't believe we sail in a month!! :hyper:

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

:cool1: We got our documents!!:cool1:

Yay!! I just got home from work and they were waiting on our front porch! I am so excited!

We didn't get an upgrade, but that is okay with me! Now, I must do the "Doc Dance" !

**dancing around the room**:Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce:

Gayl
:earseek:

[christinou]

YEAH.....
And remember you can get updated up until the last minute. The cabins are really all great on Disney, they really are all the same size (exept for CAT 11), the difference is really the location, and the view, and verandah....

[woody64]

Gayl:Congrats on the docs. We are sending you some cold weather probably Fri as we expect a high of 10 tommorrow. We can't wait until 2/20 is here.

By the way, the thread I started on the big board has lots of info on the beer tasting.

woody

[Gina]

10?? What kind of high temp is 10??!

That's just insane... I feel for you guys...

-gina-

[woody64]

Gina:

Right now its about 15 with I'm guessing 20-30 mph wind gusts. I don't know what that makes the wind chill temp other than garn cold. Do they have wind chills in TX?;)

woody

[PhotoLisa]

Gayl:

Can you see me boogie-*** down with you! Woohooo -- doing the doc dance with you!!
:jumping1: :jumping1:


Hey Woody --

What kinda temp is that! T E N == our thermometer doesn't go that low down here! Its unusually cold but for us that is a slight freeze tonight with highs in the 60's tomorrow! Sending you some warm vibes.:goodvibes

Lisa

[woody64]

You people down south really know how to make a guy feel good. My dad winters in FL and complains when its in the 60's.

Lisa:at this point I'll take anything with warm in it. It's blowing so hard out of the north that pictures are shaking on the walls. Now I know why Chicago is the windy city

woody:tilt:

[PhotoLisa]

I just checked our windchill - its 39 degrees right now and feels like 39! hehe -- no wind

;)
Lisa

[woody64]

Lisa, you're killing me! If it were 39 here we'd be in shorts. Oh well, soon enough we'll all be on the Magic.

You southerners had better watch out. I think there are more of us from up north in the cold. That means we're first in the drink line...gotta keep the anti-freeze level high!

woody

[av01bps]

Woody
you are so right about us northerners needing anti-freeze. Today the temp was nine (9) as I drove to school at 6:40 a.m.

SIX-FORTY A.M.

yeeks

It's still DARK here.

I guess we get "seasons" and that's why we like it here.

What can you tell me about Saphire Beach on St Thomas?
We are thinking of canceling the snorkel trip that day as too much scheduling sometimes makes us a bit overwhelmed... maybe a beach day is better...
Amy

[woody64]

Amy-it is currently 0 here in Chicago with windchills of -20. But hey, it is winter.

On to warmer subjects, the only thing I know about Saphire Beach is that it has sand and is by the water. If we weren't going on the St. John Beach & Snorkle excursion we would be going to Megan's Bay. It is gorgeous! They have restrooms, snack bar($$$), and the water is calm and clear. They also rent chairs and floats. I have a couple of pics up on the yahoo site of Megans's Bay. Which excursion are you on?

Let me know if you have any other questions and stay warm.

woody

[bassoongirl]

We are enjoying the cold weather too! My poor son hasn't been outside for recess at school for couple weeks! He is a kid who NEEDS recess!

Being a Northerner, I can safely say that no matter how "cool" it is on the cruise, we will be out there swimming and enjoying the weather! Anything above 60 degrees is shorts weather at this point!

Lisa,
Thanks for boogying with me! It is always more fun to dance with someone else! My family thinks I am nuts, especially when I was dancing around our family room yesterday!

Woody,
I have been following the beer tasting thread on the big board. I am not of fan of ales and Guiness (too strong for me!), but my husband is. One of his favorite drinks is a Black and Tan.

Gayl (Still doing the doc dance!:cool1: )

[christinou]

It is "nice and warm " this morning 20 degrees, but it is rapidly dropping to 0 with some nasty wind chill.
Sae thing with our school, the kids have not had recess since we came back from break, it is really hard on them.....

We also will be swimming no matter what, I think that at this point 60 will be hot......

We are leaving from home to go on the cruise 4wekks from today...

I am going to start counting minutes to the cruise pretty soon.

[Gina]

Woody, we don't have wind chill -- we have heat index. So while I can gloat and crow about our very comfortable low of 45 tonight, you will have the last laugh in August when it is 110 here with a heat index of 115-120. That is when we start praying for a hurricane just to cool things off with some rain. :eek: Did you know that a seat belt buckle can actually be a branding iron?

**dances with everyone doing the doc dance**

Now be honest... who else has completely filled their docs out already?? :teeth:


And I just realized that I never heard back from any pin traders, this whole time! Surely there are other pin nuts sailing with me?? :)

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

Gina,

I filled out our documents yesterday afternoon right after I received them. Can you tell I am anxious? The only thing on our documents that isn't completed is my husband's signature on his cruise contract. He wants to read it first! Imagine!

Gayl

[Ms. Linda]

It is 10:30 p.m. and I am sitting here in shorts.
THe seat belt as braning iron in the summer is one of my excuses for not wearing one. Don't fuss. I know I should wear it.

No docs yet, durn it.

[bassoongirl]

Sitting in shorts at 10:30 at night? Unbelieveable! Last night, I wore my flannel pajamas and socks and I was covered in a fleece blanket. The wind chill made the air feel like less than zero degrees last night. Brrrrr! Our poor dog hasn't been for a walk in a couple nights because of the cold and is getting very ansy!

Isn't it funny how our group is divided between people living in the North and people living in the South? There doesn't seem to be anybody from the middle states. How odd!

Gayl

[woody64]

To all you people down south: This weekend I will be with my 2 DS's playing in a pool all weekend as we have a father-son weekend getaway with 6 other F-S's. So I will be in a swimsuit all weekend long. Ha, take that!http://emoticons4u.informationalot.com/cool/049.gif

OK, so it's an indoor waterpark at the Hilton in Wilwaukee... busted! But we may take the boys on a very educational tour of the Miller Brewery, if we don't freeze getting there. Jealous yet?

Gina, we northerners(yes I'm speaking for all of us) are concerned about you being branded BUT you can stick your tongue on a flag pole or playground equipment anytime you want. If we do that up north we are stuck to it. And yes I remember somebody in grade school getting stuck to the playground equipment, and no it was not me but a "friend".;)

Not too much longer til we're on the Magic,

woody

[Gina]

Originally posted by woody64
OK, so it's an indoor waterpark at the Hilton in Wilwaukee... busted! But we may take the boys on a very educational tour of the Miller Brewery, if we don't freeze getting there. Jealous yet?


An indoor waterpark?? How cool!! Wow, what a neat idea...
And yes, as a matter of fact, I AM jealous over the brewery tour.


[quote]Gina, we northerners(yes I'm speaking for all of us) are concerned about you being branded BUT you can stick your tongue on a flag pole or playground equipment anytime you want. If we do that up north we are stuck to it. And yes I remember somebody in grade school getting stuck to the playground equipment, and no it was not me but a "friend".;)


Wow, your "friend" wasn't the brightest bunny in the forest, huh? ;)

And I kinda like my Toyota emblem brand I have...

Okay, getting back to cruise stuff, I decided that TD and I are going to also do the Paradise Point Tramway this time in St. Thomas. I wanted to do it last Eastern, but he was 2 years younger and kinda scared of how it looked. Now it looks "cool" to him. :) So now I'm thinking that we'll do that first, then take a taxi to Coral World, then goof off on Coki Beach for a little while if we're not worn out.

And YAY, Walmart is slowly but surely getting the warmer-weather stuff in... I found him a normal pair of khaki shorts (I HATE that hideous cargo shorts trend) and a pair of dark blue knit shorts. The khaki shorts were critical, since he has so many tropical shirts. Between those, the denim shorts, the knit ones, and the new ones I'll get in St. Maarten, I think we'll be set. Whew!!

He is just over the moon about being in the Lab this time... it's so funny. :) I was telling another parent at his school about the cruise, and how much he loves the kids' club, and he had to correct me with "I'll be in the LAB this time, Mom... the LAB!" :p The one thing he really hated in the Club was late in the evening when they make all the kids lie down and watch a movie, and the younger kids are all falling asleep. He can't wait to be in the Lab, where he can play on the computers or video games or whatever as late as he wants.

Oh, and Bruce -- Tyler Dean is all ready to duel now... he got some of the new Dark Crisis Yu-Gi-Oh cards last night, and apparently they were very exciting ones, because he kept following me around breathlessly telling me about them. Then he worked to sort all his cards and put his dueling deck into his box, and the traders and such into the binder. He's very excited about meeting Alex. :)

Okay, back to work for me... have a great Friday, all!

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

Woody,

Have fun this weekend! Try not to get a sunburn!:teeth:

Gayl

[Gina]

I'm sure glad I locked in my $89 rate at the Radisson way back when I made my ressie, all that time ago! The cheapest rate there now for that date is $104!!

Plus, when I just checked the DCL site, the price for 2 people in a cat. 11 on our cruise is listed at $2390! *faints* My price was $1700. Pretty big difference!! Even at All Seas Travel, usually the cheapest, they show a rate now of $2095.

AND... when I booked my rental car with Budget all those months ago, the base rate I got was $24.99. Now, when I check, it's over $60 for the same exact everything!!

So, I'm feeling pretty happy right now. :hyper:


-gina-

[christinou]

Gina, we also have that rate at the Radison which we thought was just terrific......
Especially considering that we can leave our car there, it would have cost us $70 to park at the port.....
4 weeks to go........

[bassoongirl]

Gina,

Nice going! I love a good deal, and it sounds like you got a lot of them! We got a good deal on our room at the MCO Hyatt too. It does pay to book early!

Gayl

[Ms. Linda]

I am willing to bet the "educational brewery tour" includes samples. Waterpark sure sounds good, indoor or out. I like waterparks.

I got a good rate on the avis rental, but still need to find a good rate on an airport hotel. I tried priceline, but they aren't biting.
Also on my list of things to do is call the agent about my no-show docs.

OK I confess; maybe I was wearing shorts, but I did have the fireplace going.

[woody64]

I just realized I spelled Milwaukee wrong. Ya'll probably think I started the brewery tour early.http://techhelpers.net/e4u/drink/trink39.gif

I think we are still checking on a car for Fri. We usually do a van at MCO from National as it is on airport property with decent rates. We will be back at MCO early for one of the first DCL buses like last year. We were within the very short ropes to board. TGFGB(Thank Goodness for Game Boy)! Yes these will be making this trip also.

We had more snow today. Gina, Linda, anybody need any?http://e4u.deltait.com.au/dressed/bek124.gif

woody

[PhotoLisa]

Woody:

Have you ever seen what happens to Cajuns when it snows? Its not a pretty sight! While it is nice to have a little, we don't know how to act in it. Even when it rains, people go nuts! LOL

I think I'll keep our expected high for tomorrow of 71 instead of trading with you!

Enjoy your outing!

Lisa

[bassoongirl]

We had more snow yesterday too. I love snow, but my husband is getting tired of it. It took him three hours to drive home from work last night. Ugh! Last week, when we had another big snow storm, it took him 3 1/2 hours to get home. It usually takes him about an hour to drive home. Cajuns might have trouble driving in snow, but some Michiganders have trouble too! You'd think with all the snow we've had, people around here would be used to driving in it!

Woody,

I like your new smilies. They are cool! I agree with your TGFGB sentiments. Game Boys were the best things invented to entertain kids on car or plane rides or while waiting in line! I even bought Katie and Ryan new Game Boy games for the trip. We plan to get to the terminal around 10:00 am, so we will be on the lookout for your family.

Ms. Linda,

Have you tried Hotwire for a good rate at the MCO Hyatt? If you go for a room on that site with 3 1/2 stars and no shuttle icon by the airport, most of the time you get the Hyatt. I almost used Hotwire to book our room there, but chickened out. I didn't want to take a chance on not getting the Hyatt. Sometimes you get a room at a hotel nearby that doesn't show that it has a shuttle from the airport. Good luck! I hope you get your documents soon!

Gayl

[Ms. Linda]

I have lived in south louisiana for over 25 years, and in that time it has only really snowed one time. Everything, and I mean everything, was shut down for over 24 hours. And did we have fun!

Even the threat of an ice storm shuts down schools. We all know we can't drive in it. Any ice on the road means doing accidental doughnuts inside of the intersection. We wouldn't recognize a snow plow or a snow tire. Friends coming back from trips up north tell amazing tales of what people living in snow areas do to their car batteries.

We just deal with the easy things--like the neverending humidity and hurricanes. Oh and yes there are three alligators on the farm. Well, there were a few years ago. I haven't seen them in a while.

[woody64]

Hello again,

Survived the big WI "campout", ya hey der. It was cold but warm in the water park. I forgot how noisy 8 boys from K- 3rd grade could be. Thank goodness I'm home and hiding in the den.

Did some Outlet shopping for Alex. Boy is it hard to find dress pants for tall skinny almost 9 yr olds. His 8's are to short and the 10's he looks like a rapper with his pants hanging down around his knees. Think I found some though. Had to explain we are "dad" shopping not "mom" shopping. That means look only at things on the list. We hit Nike, Polo, Gap, and Tommy Hilfiger in an hour. Not bad and that includes driving between 2 of the stops. *pats self on back*

Only a few more Sat.'s and we're boarding. When is everyone going to arrive at PC? Gayl, are you taking the DCL shuttle? Anyone else?

woody

[christinou]

Bruce, glad that you survived the week-end.

We will be at the port the night before staying at the Radison, so we will be at the port at soon as it opens, already there in my mind.

Christine

[bassoongirl]

Ms. Linda,

Alligators on your farm sounds interesting! The most exotic animals we have in our yard are raccoons and rabbits! Watch your step!

Woody,

Nice job shopping! We are taking Happy Limo to the port instead of the DCL bus. Our flight home is at 11:45 am on the Saturday we return, so we wanted to be sure we could get to the airport in time to get through security and catch our flight. We didn't want have to wait for a DCL bus to fill up. Also, by my calculations, we will save about $50! I love a good deal!

Gayl

[PhotoLisa]

Gayl:

We're using Happy Limo for our group of 7 also. Our return flight isn't until late in the afternoon though. We haven't decided what we'll do with the extra time we have on our hands.

Lisa

[bassoongirl]

Hi everybody!

I worked on our DIS name tags yesterday and ran into a few problems. I printed our names, etc. directly on the Home Depot paint chips. They looked good until the ink smeared on them. Ugh! I stopped at Home Depot this morning to get more paint chips, and out of feeling guilty for stealing their paint chips, I bought a new snow shovel and windshield washer! Anyway, my new idea is to try printing the name tag information on clear labels that I can stick to the paint chips. Meanwhile, my husband worked on DIS name tags using Lisa's example. The only problem with those is they didn't look that great when he printed them. Our printer didn't fill in all the areas that well. We will keep trying!

My family is worried that I expect them to wear the name tags the whole time we are on the cruise! I assured them that I don't want them to do that! I really only want you guys to to know who we are - not anybody else! So, we will only wear them at the port and at the DIS meets.

Have a good day!
Gayl

[woody64]

Hello All,

I will be working on name tags soon and was going to use clear labels and then laminate with the sheet stuff you can buy at Office Depot or whatever. I also will only wear them at PC and the meets. My DW still thinks I'm nuts but likes all the info I've learned. In fact after watching the Christmas Parade at WDW on tv we noticed the trees in front of the castle by the statue were missing. She had me ask on another board what happened(they were blocking the new fireworks and have now been replaced with small magnolias) as she knows the wealth of info on these boards. It must be her IT background(Gayl, Lisa am I right?).http://www.techhelpers.net/e4u/comp/comp26.gif

Anyway, more snow today and tommorrow so be ready those east of me.

whytcrysatl:Have you met any candidates yet and are you ready for them to move on?

woody

[bassoongirl]

Woody,

I know what you mean about your wife's IT background! My husband will be glad when our cruise is over so my obsession with the DIS boards might diminish. However, I am surprised that my husband has remembered so many of the facts and details I have spewing! In fact, he joined a discussion forum for hikers because of all the useful information I have learned from the DIS boards!

Here is another example of my husband's IT background - he spent about two hours playing around with our door sign after we agreed on how I wanted it to look, trying to "improve it". He downloaded all kinds of clipart and played with fonts and colors. In addition, he spent about an hour last night making four different versions of our DIS name tags. This time, he added clipart to Mickey's ears and changed fonts. He just can't leave well enough alone! It must be the CPA in me, but I like things kept simple. Luckily, our kids agreed with the versions I liked the best. I tried to explain to my husband that just because he has the capablity to use all those artsy, designing features on his computer programs, it doesn't mean he has to! ::yes::
Good luck with your name tags!

Gayl

[Gina]

Okay, you guys are going to have all these professional-looking nametags, and all I did was affix the cut-out paint chip to green foam backing and take to it with a Sharpie. LOL Oh well, it still says DIS and our names and is lime green -- that's the important part. :)

-gina-

[christinou]

Gina, your name tags sound great, that is what I was planning on doing.....

Gayl, my husband is also an IT guy, and sounds just like my husband, I ask him to just print pictures for me, 4 hours later I might have something, as he would have to update the entire system, print it a cerain way, you get the idea;)
We are supposed a big snow storm again...
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE CRUISE.....:sunny:

[PhotoLisa]

All you IT people sound as bad as me!

Since I photograph everything digitally for my studio, I am always on the computer using Photoshop to edit all the images. I have to stop myself from spending tons of time on perfecting images. Time is money when you're doing it for a living.

What is worse is the perfectionist in me attempting to work on images of my grandbaby. I could do that all day! More isn't always better -- most times less is best!

I'll be cramming all those fun things ya'll are all doing in preparation into my schedule the week before we leave.

I'm up to my ears in work for the time being. I love reading what everyone else is up to though! Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be using my degree and working as an IT professional for someone else . . . . nah . . . on secong thought . . . I love what I'm doing!

Lisa

[whytcrystal]

Hi All-

Can you believe only a bit more than 3 weeks??

My name tags won't be perfect. I am going to copy the image from the site and then put it on a foam backing with a pin. Then I am using our label make for the names. My writting is terrible.

Woody- Yes. I have met Dean, Clark and Edwards and the Lieberman campaign calls me twice EVERY Sunday. I decided early in the campaign that I would vote for the candidate who called me the least. I guess you now know one who didn't get my vote! It will be nice to see them go. My only fear is we have a storm coming and they may be hear another day. Being the first in the nation isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Last weekend 12 families were burned out of their homes (no lives lost thankfully) and there was no space in the hotels to put them up. The radio stations were asking canidates to have staff double up and give up some rooms. Nothing was said if it happened or not.

[woody64]

whytcrystal:you should do like we do in Chicago, vote early and often. That way you can vote for a few of your favorites.

I'm warning those east of me that more snow and cold is on its way. It's snowed all day but is a balmy 28. By Sat. the high is supposed to be 8.http://e4u.deltait.com.au/dressed/bek124.gif
ms. Linda, do you need help finding that alligator this weekend?

woody

[whytcrystal]

Well - it's finally over. Kerry got 39% of the vote with Dean getting just over 25%. Clark and Edwards are tied for 3rd. I guess it's still anybody's game. Bush ran uncontested but 15% of the voting republicans voted against him.

We were supposed to get 5-10 inches of snow starting last night and into today. When I woke up this AM there was nothing. Hurray!! DH is in Atlantic City at a Hot Tub convention so if it snowed I would have to figure out how to plaw. (That could have been interesting!)

Just a few short weeks and we will be together. My friend Missy that is going with us talked to her Dad in Daytona yesterday. It was 83 at sunset. In St.Thomas it is averaging in the low 80's. Just think, For what some of us have been going through lately that is a 60-100 degree difference!!

Christy

[christinou]

Christy, I think that we got your snow, the roads were really poor this morning, and I even got stuck in the driveway...
83 sounds just wonderful.
Christine

[woody64]

Christy:sounds like I need a job like your husbands...I think I could go to a hot tub convention,especially in Jan.

The weather should be nice on the cruise. We went this same week last year. It was warm on Sat. but rained during the sailaway so it was moved to the atrium. Sunday was warm(80's) but overcast so you had to watch sunscreen. Monday thru the rest of the week was great, 80's and sunny. We did luck out at CC as storms split and went around us and it was a perfect sunny day. The good thing about tropical showers are they only last a little while and then it clears up.

It's nice thinking about warm weather when the wind chill is -18.

woody

[Gina]

24 more days!!!! :hyper:

And would you believe it is cold here?? HERE. It was 31 this morning, which I know is a heat wave for some of you, but I'm pretty sure we're all about to die here. LOL Luckily it will be in the 70's again by the weekend. Brrrrr...

I decided that we're going to also go on the Paradise Point Tramway in St. Thomas. Did I post that already?? I swear I can't remember if I did or not, and I am too sleepy yet this morning to go search through posts. :)

Anyways, we didn't do that last time, because Ty was a lot younger and I was afraid it would scare him, but I showed him the photos on their website and he pronounced it "Cool, Mom!!" So we're going to do that first so I can get some pretty morning pictures of the harbor, then we'll head off to Coral World and maybe Coki Beach if we're not wore out.

I have packed a lot now at this point... now I'm just waiting on my tax refund so I can finish shopping. :) And it looks like no upgrade for me, so it looks like we will have no excuse this time to not get out and have real breakfast this cruise. :)

The dog now has her shots updated for her stay at the kennel, I have checked and rechecked all my reservations for everything, the maps and driving directions from MCO to the port are all printed out (no, I cannot remember from one time to the next how to get someplace LOL)... I just need to finish shopping. :)

Hope everyone warms up a bit!!

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

Hi Everybody!

I finished our DIS name tags this morning. Yesterday, I printed out our names on clear labels and stuck them to the Home Depot paint chips. Today, I got the paint chips laminated at Kinko's. I have to say the name tags look pretty good! I showed them to my husband last night and he was a little disappointed that I went ahead and did them myself. Oh well!

I filed our income taxes today, so we should be getting our refund shortly. I like to file early and be the guinea pig for changes in the tax code each year before I start working on my clients' taxes. I suggested to my husband that we use our tax refund on the cruise to pay for fun stuff like drinks and souvenirs. He thought we should spend the refund on bills we owe. What a spoil-sport!

Whytcrystal,

I like your thinking! Going to places where the temperature is 60 to 80 degrees warmer than we are dealing with now sounds wonderful! :sunny:

Gina,

Try to stay warm! Did you read on the big board about a woman who is going on our cruise and got an upgrade from Category 10 to Category 9 for $40? She then got a free upgrade to Category 7! I thought upgrades cost a lot of money! What do you think about that?

Edit: Oops! The woman who posted about the upgrade did mention that she gets a military discount. That might explain the cheap upgrade.

Gayl

[whytcrystal]

Hi All-
You are making me jealous talking about refunds. I am still waiting for 2 W'2. I thought I had heard that they now have to be 'In hand" by Feb 1st. Gayl?
I finished Timothy's on Sat. and I wouldn't be surprised if it already in his account. I did mine on my last paychecks so am just waiting to verify the figures to hit transmit.
We are going to buy me a piece of jewlery on the cruise with a small bit of it.

Bruce- My husband's company is hiring. :0)

Oh, I got an email from someone the other day, he says he is going on the cruise with us and he lives in the same town as me! He saw my name on the boards. I know I sound a bit excited but I just marvel over what a 'small world' this really is. We live in a TOWN, not a city. Our population is a bit more than 10K and the town is only 35 sq. miles.

[bassoongirl]

Christy,

You are correct - your employer should have your W-2 to you by January 31. Technically, there are penalties that can be assessed against employers who don't comply with that rule, but I have never heard of the IRS ever inforcing it. What a great idea to buy some jewelry with part of your tax refund! My mother always says that if you come into some unexpected money, you should spend it on something that will last.

It is a small world, isn't it? (Que the music!!) What are the chances of someone from your town going on our cruise? Pretty small, I would guess! It never fails that when we are at WDW, we always run into someone we know!

Note to all the Northerners: Stay warm!!

Gayl

[christinou]

Re: It is a small world.
There are also 2 families from Ithaca NY, which is not exactly a big metropolis......
It really is amazing...

[whytcrystal]

Hi all-
Life is getting full of small miracles. Up until now only the women going on the cruise have been excited. Yesterday the men have started. My DS (18) is starting to ask for the countdown almost hourly. We did argue last night about clothes. He wants to pack himself because "I'm not a kid anymore mom!" I pretty much told him isince he is giving me a hard time I am cancelling. AS IF!! He gave in. I explained to him that it would be a great disappointment to me if I had to worry about his appearance. (He loves wearing suits though). I want to say for the record I am not being mean but he has to get used to women in his life playing him like a fiddle. :0)

I am hosting a get together next week to go over cruise docs and plan who wants dinner at Palo's, High tea and that stuff. I am even scanning the documents onto a CD so I can put them on the computer and am then going to use a laser pointer. Control Freak???? Maybe just a bit!!!

[woody64]

whytcrystal: Tell DS the sooner he learns who makes the rules/has all the control http://e4u.deltait.com.au/dressed/bek013.gif(except the remote!) the easier his life will be. My FIL is always amazed at the things I ahve learned after 15 years of marriage that he kids took him much longer to learn.

Maybe you can also do a nice PowerPoint presentation for the docs. Then you can email it to all of us(except Gina and Gayl who have the docs already filled out;) ) to use as a guide.

Currently 1 air temp(Yes you southerners, 1 :earseek: ) and light snow so watch out those of you east of here. Boy are those umbrella drinks going to taste good.

By the way, who is up for one of the beer tastings?http://techhelpers.net/e4u/drink/trink38.gif Maybe we can get a group together to do this.

woody

[whytcrystal]

Bruce-

I am contimplating that one but am doing the Wine Tasting. DH (David) is anxious to do a bridge tour now that they are having them again.

Well I better get back to work, HEY! I only have 11 more work days! I work 4 10 hr days.

[christinou]

I want to do both wine and beer tasting.......
I like the idea of a group doing the tasting together that should be fun.....
Christine

[bassoongirl]

Bruce,

You can probably count my husband in on the beer tasting. He is a fan of British beers. I only like lagers, but I will be happy to come along and watch!

Christy,

Your cruise presentation sounds like a lot of fun! My family is finally getting excited about the cruise too! My kids had a snow day on Tuesday, and my daughter and son watched the DCL video twice! Now they ask me everyday how many days are left until the cruise. Can you believe it is only three weeks away!

What do all you experienced cruisers think is the best evening to make a reservation for dinner at Palo? As I understand it, Sunday is formal night, Tuesday is Tropical night, Thursday is semi-formal night. Would it be better to go for Monday or Wednesday? Thanks for your help!

Gayl

[christinou]

The Palo question is such a tough one to answer, I would look at the menu and decide which one is the least appealing to me.
During pur 3 night cruise we went to Palo instead of Animator's Palette, so I know I want to try AP this time.
Christine

[whytcrystal]

Gayl-
I am going to wait to see what our ratation is before I choose. I want to go during a Parrot Cay night, although I like doing the first rotation of resturaunts. I am hoping for a LAP rotation. If that is the case I will go to Palo's Thursday. I think I am going to take someone's advice and Make a late Palo ressie and Go to dinner for just appetizers at 6.

[woody64]

Gayl-I think the others are right in that you want to see what your rotation is before you decide. You shouldn't miss your first rotation thru AP as they have the color changing show. We also will wait and see once we know our rotation.

Last year was great as we did an early 6:00 ressie. This way we still were able to go to shows with the kids. It was also sunset which was great because we had a nice window table. We also liked it because they were not full and we received a lot of attention.

We had Marco as our server. He was AWESOME! He brought us more than we ordered and had us try different things. After the souffle(sp?) he shows up with a giant(2' tall) creation out of aluminum foil. It is done up as a swan. Inside were 2 souffles for our 2 DS's. He knew we had 2 kids so he had this done up. We didn't ask for it or anything. Everybody stared at us as we left thinking we must be special for this creation. That happened all the way back to the cabin. It was a great feeling and topped a great dinner for just my wife and I(plus we had 2 more souffle's).

I have heard Marco is back on board so we will definately ask for him this time as well.

woody

[whytcrystal]

Hi have dreams about that souffle (sp?) AND the chocolate lava cake. Do you think they have a cookbook with these recipes? I LOVE to cook (as you will see by my size :0) )

I never thought about 6pm being sunset. The last cruise we went on was 9/2002 so sunset was a bit later.

[bassoongirl]

Thanks for the advice about Palo reservations! We will wait to see what our dining rotation is before we decide on a night for Palo. I definitely want to try that chocolate souffle! I have heard so many good things about it!

Christy,

A while ago, I saw the recipe for the chocolate lava cake posted on the big board. I don't know if you want to try to search for it or just ask on the board again. That's another dessert I am looking forward to trying!

Gayl

[woody64]

Christy-the recipe was also in an issue of Disney magazine. We have it somewhere and I will try to find it. It is a dessert to die for.

My kids can't wait for Scoops and Mickey ice cream bars after dinner.

woody

[whytcrystal]

On our last cruise my BIL couldn't find a dessert on the menu that he liked ( Imagine that!!!), so Elle 'slipped him a Mickey". That's what he is waiting for this time around too.

[whytcrystal]

On our last cruise my BIL couldn't find a dessert on the menu that he liked ( Imagine that!!!), so Elle 'slipped him a Mickey". That's what he is waiting for this time around too.


Woody-
Don't go out of your way looking for that recipe but I appreciate it.

[woody64]

whytcrystal-I'll find it I just don't know how quickly. It gives me something warm to think about.

High today is supposed to be 2 which would be the lowest high temperature on this date in 133 years of weather tracking. Come on 2 or lower, if its going to be this cold it may as well set a record. That's saying something for Chicago!

On a positive note, the beer in the garage is really cold(but the Diet Coke is starting to freeze).

Have a warm one,

woody

[bassoongirl]

Hello!

Today, I finally looked at my friend's pictures from her November cruise on the Magic. It looked like a wonderful trip! Her family stayed in the Walt Disney Suite. The suite looked very roomy and classy. My friend said they enjoyed the suite, especially the grand piano. She did say that they did not spend a lot of time in their suite, so I don't know if it would be worth all that money. Although, I would love to try it once! I also enjoyed looking at her pictures of St. Thomas and Castaway Cay. It looked so sunny and warm there! Just think, four weeks from today we will be at Castaway Cay! I need to keep thinking warm thoughts to get through all this cold weather!:sunny:

Gayl

[whytcrystal]

Gayl-
What a why to whet the appetite (or tease) for our cruise. I bet the sky looked bluer the clouds looked whiter and the water was a deep tourquiose. AHHHH. I just received a message from my friend who lives in St. Thomas. She is visiting here. I'll ask her to see a shrink when I talk with her. The temp tomorrow and Monday is going to hit 32 and sometime next week we are going to reach 36. Tomorrow we will be getting together with friends to watch the superbowl. Go Pats!! Well, I am doing some extra-deep cleaning before we leave and today is the yucky one, the baths and kitchen so ta-ta for now.

[woody64]

whytcrystal-send me some of your heat. We are expecting a high in the single digits again!

Just think, 3 weeks from now we will we be on board at Scoops having ice cream and a fruity umbrella drink.

Bring on the sun!

woody

[bassoongirl]

Hello!

My friend who went on the DCL cruise in November asked me to buy her a DCL sweatshirt jacket ($75!!) when we are on the ship. She said she debated about buying the jacket on her cruise and decided against it and is now sorry that she didn't buy it. I have no problem spending other people's money!:teeth:

She also asked my to give a small gift to her serving team - Putu and Adrienne (I think). I am happy to do that for her! My husband cannot fathom that people can form such a bond in one week with their waiters and waitresses. From what I read on the boards, I can see that happening. I just hope that our dinner group gets a good serving team! If we don't, I think it will be a little disappointing! But I know we will have fun together!

Gayl

[av01bps]

I am up for the wine tasting for sure! I feel like I have been lurking on the boards- it's hard to write at work- and "miss" you all.

A few questions-

How late in the evening can we make a Palo reservation? We don't mind eating appetizers with the gals and dinner at 9 p.m. (or later)?

Do we go to St Thomas or St Marteen first?

Has anyone given Bonine to a 77 lb and a 47 lb person (hannah and Kate's weights?)

I am reading some cranky reports about the spa- say it isn't so!
Amy

[PhotoLisa]

You may want to consider purchasing Sea-bands at Walgreens or similar before you get to the port. Don't purchase onship as they are much more expensive there.

On our first cruise in 7/2001, we passed through Tropical Storm Barry and we were rocking and rolling for a bit. The sea-bands did the trick!

I've cruised another time since then and had no problems with seasickness but we didn't go through a storm either.

It is an alternative to medication and I can vouch for its effectiveness.

Lisa

Here's a link in case you've never heard of Sea-bands.
Sea-bands (http://www.morningsicknesshelp.com/seabands.html)

found this one too -- neat designs for children!
Children's sea-bands (http://www.momentum98.com/seaband.html#child)

[whytcrystal]

Amy-
I just pulled out my Bonine. It states "Adults and Children over 12". Check with your pharmacist but the Seabands would be a good choice also. I tried the band but it works through accupresure and it was hitting against a place where my Arthritis bothers me. I used the Bonine my last cruise and it worked like a charm, there are 8 chewable tablets so I had one for everyday of the cruise and the flight home. Since it was a Sept cruise I took it if I thought it was necessary or not. Good thing because a few nights while drinking libations in the clubs we hit some waves. :)

Christy

[bassoongirl]

Christy,

Did the Bonine make you drowsy? My kids and I took some this past summer and it knocked my kids out! Okay, so my son was only eight! I probably shouldn't have given it to him! But my daughter was 12 and is the size of a small adult. I was surprised how the Bonine affected them. I felt a little drowsy, but figured I was just tired from traveling. I am planning to take the rest of our box of Bonine on the cruise but probably won't give it to my kids unless it is absolutely necessary! Luckily, my family isn't prone to motion sickness!:boat:

Gayl

[christinou]

Gayl, I also hope that we will have great servers, but if we don't with 12 of us at the table we certainly will make our own fun.
Amy, my girls never got sick on the 3 day, I did feel queazy the first evening, then was fine, of course the water was very calm.

[Gina]

I agree with Christine -- we will make our own fun!! :teeth: But on our two trips so far, we have had amazing serving teams. Just really wonderful! You get to feeling soooo spoiled when as soon as you sit down, they already have your iced tea and you child's custom-made cherry-Sprite set in front of you without having to say a word. :)

And Tyler Dean is all excited about birthday-dinner night on Tropical Night. :)

Re: Bonine... I swear by the stuff!! I start taking it a day or two before we leave, so it's in my system, and just chew one up every morning. On our first Eastern, we hit some pretty high surf one night, and half the dining room was empty. I had no problem at all! I love the motion of the ship so, so much... it rocks you to sleep like you're in a giant cradle. That was one reason I will never do Western again -- the ship never felt like it was moving! It's course just doesn't take it very far out to sea. Oh, and Tyler Dean never had a problem -- but kids usually don't.

Bruce -- You really need to move down South. *smile* Although we are actually having winter right now -- highs only in the 60's this next week, which is near-polar for us. Another week and we'll be able to start looking at the 15-day forecast at Accuweather.com and get an idea of what sailaway is looking like it'll be for us, weather-wise.

3 weeks from now, I'll be at the first singles' get-together in Diversions! :teeth:

-gina-

[woody64]

Amy:

We go to St. Maarten first on Tuesday.

I think Palo is available at least until 9 but I'm not sure how late it goes.

Never tried Bonine.

Just finished our door magnet for Alex's bday. Now will have to do one for Cam so he doesn't feel left out.

As far as servers we had problems last cruise. Zoltan(asst. server) hurt his back prior to us cruising. He worked with us for only the first night. For the next few nights someone tried to help cover us from their regular tables. Finally, by the 4th night we had a new asst server. Beatta, the Head waiter helped a lot and Glenn our server worked very hard. We understood and never let it bother us that we had to wait a little longer for refills. I say no matter who you get, don't let it ruin your trip. Just my $.02.:D

Not too much longer!
woody

[whytcrystal]

Hi All-

Gayl- No, it didn't make me drowsy and like Gina I just chewed it up in the AM as part of my routine. If I had gotten drowsy I probably would have just taken it at night instead since it is a 24 hour dose.

Have to go to Walmart to make some goodies for the superbowl.

ALL -- Oh! BTW, I went to Christmas Tree Shoppe yesterday and I found an item called "Expandables" by Totes. It folds flat enough for a pocket or purse but when opened it is 20x15x11 and has two handles. They are on clearance for 50 cents. If any of you want one I can pick them up next Sat. Just let me know. They only come in black, sorry.

[bassoongirl]

Hello!

I am glad the DIS boards are back up! I couldn't get on them all afternoon and I was getting a little panicky! I needed my DIS fix!! Well, we are offically into our cruise month. Yay! As you can see, I am counting down the time any way I can!

Gina,

How are things in Houston with the Super Bowl there? I am currently watching the game (or at least the ads!) and am keeping an eye out for you! :earseek:

Gayl:magnify:

[Gina]

Originally posted by bassoongirl
Gina,

How are things in Houston with the Super Bowl there? I am currently watching the game (or at least the ads!) and am keeping an eye out for you! :earseek:

Gayl:magnify:


Luckily, I only work in Houston and get the heck out of there and back to my own town as soon as I can at the end of the workday. :) So it might as well be on the moon for as much as it affects me here, which is fine with me. :)

Tyler Dean suddenly has the sniffles and has been sneezing all day... I immediately stuffed Zicam swabs up his nose. LOL Wonder if I can just tape them there? ;) Now I'm off to Lysol all the doorknobs and faucet handles!

-gina-

[christinou]

Gina, ZICAM is the best, I am nearly thinking of doing a preventive round of it, for all of us, the week before we leave.
We are getting so close to the cruise, I can feel it. I started getting out summer clothes this week-end, and bought some new sand toys, amazingly enough Target had some, but no luck finding any suscreen lotion, we might have to wait to get to Florida to get it.....
With the lack of sun, we have around here, we really will need to be careful not to get burn.

Christine

[woody64]

Christine-I found sunscreen in Target and also saw sand toys. Finally found swim shoes for the boys so now we just need to start gathering(yes Gina, start gathering:D ).

We have some busy weeks ahead with the last 2 swim meets for Alex, a bday sleepeover for him also plus lots of work for Chris and I to do before we leave:crazy: . Boy the cruise will feel great!

Heatwave in Chicago-30's but 3"-4" of snow expected by tommorrow. Gonna be a fun drive tonight!

See you real soon(it's great to say that!)

woody

[bassoongirl]

Christine,

I managed to find some sunscreen at Walmart. There wasn't a very big selection, but I did find some SPH 30 sunscreen that you spray on. I hope it works okay! I like the idea of spraying on the sunscreen, because there has been more than one time that my husband has not covered my back completely and I have had an odd-looking sunburn! Hopefully that won't happen on this cruise! This just isn't the season to buy sunscreen up north! Although lately, I have seen more summer clothing in the stores and even some sand toys at the dollar store.

Gina,

I hope Tyler Dean doesn't get a cold. My daughter, Katie, is just getting over one. I want everyone to be healthy for our trip! I was telling Katie about people being asked when they check in about throwing up or having diarrhea in the last 24 hours. Boy, you seem to get into big trouble if you answer yes! I hope none of us eats anything that disagrees with us the day before the cruise! I wouldn't want to spread the Norwalk Virus, but I also wouldn't want to be quarantined or not allowed on the ship because of an upset stomach! Yikes!

Gayl

[Ms. Linda]

I am planning to bring a number of the little bottles of purell. I'm going to have DS hold out his hands every time I see him on the ship. So if you want your hands --or the kids hands degermed--I'll probably have some with me.

I like the sunscreen spray. I can get several shots on DS before he runs the other way. Its good for a moving target.

[whytcrystal]

Gayl-

I picked up the 30SPF sunscreen foam. It goes on purple and then turns clear. I bought it to put on DH as I turned HIM into a zebra on the last cruise. what a sight! I have been tanning a bit but nor as faithfully as I should have so I will be using the 30 alternating with 15.

I hope all the kids stay healthy. As Bruce said.. See you all REAL soon.


Gina- What time do you get in on Friday? We will be spending the day in the Daytona area but will see you at 8pm at the pool!

[3 things]

Hey, from Northville... Was just browsing other cruise dates around ours (Feb. 28th) and came across yours from Plymouth. Too bad we aren't on the same cruise, but we are jealous - because you get to go 7 days before us!!!!

Can you tell we are tired of this cold and cloudy Michigan weather? Take care and enjoy!

:sunny:

[bassoongirl]

Hey 3 things!

I work in Northville! There are people going on our cruise who live in Ann Arbor and Bloomfield too. It is a small world, isn't it! I can't wait to get out of this dreary, cold weather and into some sunshine! I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise!

Gayl

[Gina]

Originally posted by whytcrystal
Gina- What time do you get in on Friday? We will be spending the day in the Daytona area but will see you at 8pm at the pool!


Hi Christy! We get into Orlando a bit before noon, then we'll meander our way down to Port Canaveral, stopping for lunch and a visit to Ron Jon's along the way. Then the rest of the day we'll be at the Radisson, resting and playing by the pool. :)

Can't wait to see you and the others that night to get the party started! :hyper:

-gina-

[whytcrystal]

Gayl-
Cayla emailed Katie last night. Short but sweet.

Gina-
We will be stopping by Ron-Jon's too. I rented a car for Friday, only. I think we are going to also hit a liquor store to 'subsidize' our cruise drinks. I will be buying Absolute with Citron and Blue Caraco (sp). The mix well with lemonade (from deck 9). It's called a Carribean Vacation. Fitting or what?

[bassoongirl]

Christy,

I am glad that Cayla sent Katie an e-mail. Katie was asking me last night about her and the other kids on the cruise. I will have her read it when we get home tonight. Katie and Ryan checked out the pictures of the other kids on the Yahoo site last night. Now they know who to look for at the port and on the ship!

Gayl

[woody64]

Sounds like the party will be in Christy's cabin! ::yes:: Those sound good. I am planning a beer/pop(or do you call it soda?) stop in Orlando on Fri.

Anybody else spending time in Orlando? We arrive around noon on Friday. We are thinking about going to the entrance to MK to see the 75 painted Mickey statues, Downtown Disney and staying at Old Key West.

woody

[bassoongirl]

Woody,

That sounds like so much fun to go to MK (even just the entrance!) and Downtown Disney! I love those places! Unfortunately, we won't be arriving until about 7:00 pm, so we will just stay at the airport and not venture out into Orlando.

Christy,

That Caribbean Vacation drink sounds yummy! I would love to try one!

We weren't planning to stop and buy pop (soda) or beer only because I was under the impression the refrigerators in the room were really only coolers. Do the fridges work that well? My husband would love to have some Mountain Dew on the trip! He has a tough time at WDW with only Coke products available!

Gayl

[Gina]

Gayl --

While the mini-fridges don't really keep things super-cold, there is a little card you fill out in your stateroom to tell your host how often you'd like your ice refreshed. I chose the three times a day option, and had my own plastic cups, and my own Dr. Pepper as cold as I wanted it. :) I don't really like Coke products.

On a totally different topic, the nightmares have begun... LOL. Last night, I dreamt that I had forgotten to bring my checkbook, all my credit cards, everything. :rolleyes: And you wonder why I'm so obsessive-compulsive about my packing lists?? :teeth:

-gina-

[christinou]

We are arriving friday morning, and will drive to Cocoa Beach, we might go to Kennedy Space Center that day. It will just depend on how we feel.
We are not planning to take any drinks on-board, the drink place on Deck 9 was fine for us, and we are planning to order a wine package, and keep one of the bottle in our room.....
Christine

[whytcrystal]

I will definatley share my drinks. I can't wait to meet you all. My scanner is broke or I would scan some pictures in the Yahoo site. Maybe I will resurect my old one. It will take a while to scan one but it's beter than nothing.


Woody - It's soda. I remember being a kid in Maine when they called it "Tonic" On the other hand they call BINGO "BEANO".

:0)

[woody64]

Christy: I thought Beano was something you put on food to prevent...*kids in background start laughing*... never mind!

The drinks will be flowing soon.

woody

[bassoongirl]

Christy,

My sister lives in Maine, and according to her, it has a whole different culture than the rest of the country! She has gotten used to red hot dogs, bean suppers and lobster stands everywhere, but still hangs on to her Michigan roots. Whenever she comes home, she loves to have Vernors ginger ale!

Gayl

[whytcrystal]

Gayl-

My dad's family s from Maine. Red Hotdogs are actually one of my favorites. Also, When we were kids my aunt used to have us pick fresh greenbeans from the garden and she would steam them then put salt and homemade butter on them. Ummm.

[woody64]

Christy-oh yeah, growing up in South Dakota we used to eat mud and loved it. My family was also so poor we could only afford one pair of shoes so we had to take turns carrying each other to school, and there were 4 of us and I am the youngest...sorry, thought I was telling stories to the kids:crazy: !

Seriously(no really) I did grow up in SD and miss the garden at our house with fresh green beans, cabbage, etc. and I really miss the homemade pickles and pickled beets. Thankfully, living 40 mi. west of Chicago we have some great farm srands and can still get fresh sweet corn late summer.

OK, now I'm hungry. I'll just call room service...in 3 weeks.

woody

[woody64]

As you all can see from my spelling on the last post my schooling wasn't very good, maybe because I was so tired from carrying my brothers and my sister to school, up hill, thru the snow.

woody

[Ms. Linda]

Where I live we have plate lunches, gumbo when it is cold, cochon de lait, crawfish boils, and boudin.
And it's pop. Abbeville used to have a plant that made pop rouge.

My lists now have sublists. And I found beads from last Mardi Gras to bring! Should have enough for all of us.

I plan to pick up V.O. and some root beer for DS.

It's almost Mardi Gras. The parade lists are already in the local papers.

[PhotoLisa]

Mardi Gras season means crawfish are available!

Our first parades are next weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - in Houma (my hometown, 20 miles down the road). I'm glad that we'll have a few to attend before we leave for the cruise but I'm not sorry that I'll be missing the five big days of Mardi Gras.

The most fun part of the parades for me next weekend is seeing my 3 year old granddaughter's delight while she's at the "harade," as she calls it! She is coming in from North Carolina on Tuesday morning and returns the morning after we get back from the cruise.

Linda -- at lunch, we call around to the restaurants to see who has the best plate lunch for the day! My son (stationed in Okinawa) is seriously missing gumbo and chicken stew!

;)

Lisa

[woody64]

"gumbo when it is cold, cochon de lait, crawfish boils, and boudin"

Alright you 2, what is all this. Being a life long Midwesterner we have steak and steak and now in Chicago pizza. It sounds good but what is it?

I need to bring the wife to NO I think!

palate challenged,
woody

[PhotoLisa]

Bruce:

Spending a weekend in New Orleans is worse for your waistline than cruising for seven days!

Gumbo is the equivalent of cajun soup - usually made by browning onions in phase 1 of the preparation and contains chicken and sausage or seafood (such as shrimp & okra or as many different kinds of seafood as you can gather). It has rice in it!

Boudin is cajun sausage -- VERY GOOD!!

Lisa


BTW -- everyone raves about the shrimp on the buffet on the cruise . . . . YUCK!!!!! You haven't had boiled shrimp until you come to Louisiana and have them properly seasoned!

[Gina]

*goes for the bottle of Pepto Bismol*

The cruise and all the food is such a waste on me... I have steak and baked potato nearly every night, except for that awesome garlic-somethinged tenderloin one night. Our first cruise, DS and I headed to the "awesome buffet" at Topsiders. We took one look at that weird food, made what was I'm sure two terrible faces, and headed straight for pizza at Pinocchio's. ::yes::

And I was told that gumbo is actually Cajun for "Yeah, throw that in there, too." :teeth:

Well, it is starting to look pretty chilly for when we leave! (Chilly by Florida/Texas/likely Louisiana standards) The forecast at accuweather.com goes up to that Wednesday now, and the highs that week are only in the low 60's so far. Tyler Dean will be SO disappointed if he can't swim... he loves that pool. We were on the cruise this week last year, and it was so warm when we left! The high for that Wednesday is forecast to be 63. It would have to warm up quite a bit from that in two days! Darn Florida is as screwy as here -- you never know what the weather is going to be like.

Oh well... it'll be warm in the Caribbean. :)

-gina-

[whytcrystal]

Well, it was bound to happen..I woke at 4:30 this AM with a stuffy nose, headache and my voice was hoarse. I was 10 min late for work because I had to dig through my packed luggage for the Zicam. I think I am going to buy a face mask since the rest of the cruise group is over this Sat and I don't want to be passing this around.

Food, food everywhere. Where did this start? Oh yeah, we were talking about bringing alchol so now we all have the munchies.

[bassoongirl]

Isn't it interesting how there are so many dfferent types of food in the same country? Some day, we will get to New Orleans to try all the unique foods. We have been to a Cajun restaurant in Detroit and at Disneyland, but I don't know how authentic the food is. As for the red hot dogs in New England, they just don't look appetizing! What makes them so red?

Gina, you and my husband share the same tastes in foods. He is a carnivore! Steak and potatoes are his favorites too. And don't put any gourmet sauce on his meat - he likes it plain! I will probably be the only one in my family that will enjoy the embarkation buffet!

I do hope we have warmer weather than the 60's in Florida! However, I don't think the cool weather will keep my kids out of the pools! My son can't wait to try the Mickey slide.

Lisa and Ms. Linda, I had no idea there were so many Mardi Gras parades down there! I thought there were parades only on Fat Tuesday. It sounds like a wild time!

Christy, I hope you get over your cold quickly! I have been monitoring my family's health lately. I've been pushing vitamins and plenty of sleep. I walk my dog nearly every night, and the past few nights it has been very icy. I tread carefully because I am clumsy and do not want to sprain my ankle or break my leg before the cruise! That would be awful! We are supposed to get more snow and freezing rain tonight. I hope my dog appreciates what I do for him!
My daughter received your niece, Cayla's e-mail. It took us awhile to find it because the message went into our Spamblocker. Katie is planning write back tonight. She is looking forward to hanging out at the Goofy pool with Cayla!

Gayl

[whytcrystal]

Gayl-

I also am watching the ice. I have placed a moritorium (sp) on Timothy going snowboarding from now until then. He is scheduled to go parasailing in CC. I made it worth his while because I thought I read somewhere there may be jetskis at Greatbay. I told him if he makes it there healthy I will spring for a ride for him.

I am sure Cayla will be excited that Katie is going to write. I'l let Doreen know incase Cay has the same problem. I know she hadn't even received my email with Katie's address. I was over on Tuesday night doing Doreen's taxes so I logged her on and put it on her address book.

[christinou]

Well we just came back from the doctor and Emilie has Strep:( , the only good thing is that we have 2 weeks to make sure that we are all healthy. She is enjoying a great day at home with me, and I have been busy, the documents are ready and I am nearly done packing.....
I did find sunscreen lotion at Rite Aid, the pharmacist looked at me funny as I paid for sunscreen lotion and antibiotic ;)
Gina 60 will be so hot for us, I am sure my girls will be swimming we have not had temperature above 30 in 4 weeks, and at this point 30 feels balmy.
We do like different kind of food, I am the one who loves escargot, boudin (the french kind which is blood sausage) and everything else that is funky.
:jester:

[woody64]

Christy-there are jet skis at Great Bay Beach. They are real close to the dock that the water taxi drops you off at.

Gayl-we are also expecting a storm tonight, of course starting before the evening commute. Maybe another 3"-5" of snow.

Don't know about the red hot dogs but I love a good Chicago style hot dog-steamed sesame bun, mustard, tomato, onion, pickle spear, jalepeno's with a sprinkling of celery salt. Must be time for lunch.

Christine-sorry to hear about the strep but now is better than later.

Still haven't packed or gathered anymore, maybe this weekend.

woody

[bassoongirl]

Christine,

I am sorry that Emilie has strep throat. At least with the antibiotics she should be better soon. My daughter is also on antibiotics right now. Hopefully, by the time we cruise she will be back to 100%. Boudin sounds gross! And I am not a fan of escargot either! Isn't it sad when 30 degrees feels balmy?

Woody,

I love Chicago-style hot dogs! I have been to Chicago few times and always try to have one for lunch. I think you are making Gina nervous by your lack of packing!::yes:: Good luck getting home tonight in the snow storm. The snow isn't starting here until 10:00 pm and then turning into freezing rain overnight, so tomorrow morning's commute should be interesting!

Gayl

[Gina]

Christine -- hope Emilie feels better soon!! Kids usually bounce back so quickly from stuff, unlike us old people. :rolleyes:

I have been busy, the documents are ready and I am nearly done packing.....


Okay, Bruce, everyone is getting packed now... Peer pressure! Peer pressure! :tongue:


And as for the forecast, it looks better today! Now the high for that Thursday is 71 -- much better than 63! *crosses her fingers*

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

Ahhhh, Gina!

That's more like it! 71 degrees sounds much nicer than 63 degrees!:sunny:
Where do you go to look up the extended forecast?

Gayl

[whytcrystal]

We are expecting the same storm system tomorrow that many of you are getting tonight. Glad I am staying home tomorrow! I think it calls for a Beef Stew in the crock pot, Tropical music on the TV radio station and packing.

Christine - Sorry about Emilie. I am agreeing with Gayl on the blood sausage but do like Escargot.

Gina- Send that weather our way!

Woody - Thanks for the info on the jet skis. I think we will be heading over that way after our two flags tour.

[Gina]

Just go to www.accuweather.com and type in "Cape Canaveral, FL" in the search box on the left where it says "15 day forecast." That's it! :)

-gina-

[woody64]

Gina-We like the challenge of gathering that last week. Plus if we pack too early we always end up tearing everything apart checking to see if everythings packed.:confused:

Gayl-if you go to Daves Tribute site he has weather forecast site(s) for every port including PC.

Gina-you have a lot more confidence in the weather forecaster than I do. Their lucky to get tommorrow's weather right let alone 10 days out-although I will start watching soonhttp://users.pandora.be/eforum/emoticons4u/happy/1417.gif

woody

[whytcrystal]

Gina-
I am hoping Woody is right on this one because it says it is supposed to be Ice on the day we fly out.


Have to go tanning, talk to ya'll later.

[christinou]

we have another storm warning for tonight, snow then turning to ice, it might be a good thing after all if Emilie is sick again tomorow, I don't know if I want to go to work in that kind of mess..
Bruce, I know exactly what you mean about paclking, I am packed and probably will repack at least twice before we actually go, no I am not obsessed......
2 weeks from today we will be on the auto-train.

:Pinkbounc

[Ms. Linda]

I have truly started packing. Using 2 gallon ziploc bags. I've never been this organized before for a trip. I consider it to be an experiment to see if it relieves the stress or makes it worse.

There are 2 types of boudin. White-which is mixed with a rice filler and is very good. And there is black-which is the French blood sausage.
Lisa, we don't call around for the best plate lunch, we go to the same restaurant every day. It is quite like a cruise in that the waitresses know every thing about us and we know everything about them, the tea is on the table as we arrive, most of the time they just check to see if we really want the usual item of the day. There is a seafood buffet every Friday with the very best gumbo and shrimp so fresh it was swimming that morning. I am quite spoiled. Everyone in town goes too, so I can get a lot of business done.

[PhotoLisa]

Hearing you describe the Friday meal as "seafood buffet" makes me think of Landry's! I think the name of the other restaurant we stop at in your general direction is the Boiling Pot or something like that. yummmmmm

The shrimp on the cruise cannot compare to what we're used to!

Isn't it wonderful how everyone in our communities know each other?

Life as a cajun is grand!

Lisa

[Gina]

Okay, y'all are making me nauseous... LOL You can have my shrimp or lobster or anything else weird. :)

I cannot believe that two weeks from right now, Tyler Dean and I will be enroute to Orlando... :hyper:

And another little bit of perfect timing -- speaking of Christy's tanning. I had looked into Mystic Tan after other DIS folks had talked about it. I usually go tan a couple of weeks before we go, just to cut down on the whiter-than-thou glow, but it's hard to go every day with all the other stuff we have to do every day. The Mystic Tan would be one session, a couple of minutes, and I'd be done.

I just called a local salon yesterday to make sure they still did that and to see how much, and then when I came home from work yesterday I had a coupon out of the blue from Mystic Tan in my mailbox! $10 off your first-time session! :teeth: I love it when things happen like that.

Next weekend is Valentine's Day (not that means a %$@# thing to me.. and not that I'm bitter.. LOL) and also my grandmother's birthday, and we've got family stuff to do... so I'm going to try and finalize a lot of stuff this weekend.

And now I'm debating about Coral World because I read a really unflattering report about it... and TD isn't even that excited about it. Maybe we'll just go to the beach after we ride the tramway, but I have no idea what beach. I should have been paying more attention. :p

-gina-

[woody64]

Gina-I would recommend Magens Bay in St. Thomas. We have been there twice and loved it. The kids really enjoyed it last year. It's nice and peaceful with all facilities there, but food is $$$$$. I would bring lunch from room service the night before. The waves are gentle, great soft sand and fairly shallow. Saving that money from the tanning can't get you closer to the Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkle excursion with some of us?http://e4u.deltait.com.au/sport/sport17.gif

All you cajuns-if you think it is grand being a cajun then being an upper Midwesterner is...bland:D Can't beat a good steak, baked potato with sour cream, Texas toast, nice salad and an even nicer cold beer or glass of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon(I now sound sophisticated don't I?)http://emoticons4u.informationalot.com/cool/049.gif

Gina-haven't given in to peer pressure yet, still haven't done anything further.

woody

[TBullipoo]

My husband and I will be on this cruise. Last year we went on the shorter cruise and he fell in love and booked this one. The first was a test to determine if he liked to do cruises! It didn't take long for him to love it. We're looking forward to some warm, sunny weather. It's been nothing by snow and ice and rain for a few weeks here, so we're just counting the days.

[whytcrystal]

Gina-
Be careful with the Mystic Tan. I did it before our last cruise and the color was not orange but it was kind of unnatural. Also, you are instructed to lotion you hands and feet before you step into the booth. MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS! Pay attention to your cuticles. Then do not use excess pressure anywhere when you come out and wipe yourself off or you will look 'steaked'.

Woody-
One of my favorite wines after the cruise was Pinot Grigio. We have something here called Luna De Luna which has blended wines. One blend is a Pinot Grigio and Chadoney mix. Yummy.

Welcome to our group TBullipoo!!

[Gina]

TBullipoo --

Welcome!! Please feel free to come visit our private Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/febdiscruise/ and enter your info into our database. And add a pic or two, and see ours, so you know who to look for! :) Also be sure to check the calendar for DIS Meet info!!

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

Hi Everyone!

Well, I did it... Last night I took my dog for a walk and slipped on the ice and FELL!! I only hurt my pride and my elbow, though! It was treacherous out last night! Today, my kids have a snow day because of all the ice.

If someone was even remotely thinking about booking another cruise while on board, are they committed to cruising again? I got to thinking last night that with the deals I hear about rebooking while on the cruise, it might make sense to do it. My kids' Mid-Winter Break is from February 12-20 next year, so I checked prices on that cruise (a Western cruise). I doubt we can even do it between my job, our finances and my husband's vacation allowance. But if my family really enjoys the cruise, it might make sense to rebook and take advantage of the discounts as long as we can cancel later. What are your opinions?

TBullipoo,

Welcome to our group! We seem to be a fun bunch!


Gayl

[Gina]

Hi Gayl -- It can't hurt to rebook onboard, because that is pretty much the best discount you can get aside from being a Florida resident. The base fare for TD and I, rebooking onboard, was only $799 -- and it has just gone way up from there since then. Plus, I got a $200 shipboard credit this cruise for rebooking onboard.

The only drawback is you have to put the $250/per person deposit down right then... but you can cancel anytime up to 60 days with no penalty.

Bruce -- TD hates snorkeling, and I don't want an all-day excursion thing. :) Magen's Bay sounds pretty -- maybe we will just do that.

Now GO PACK. ;)

-gina-

[woody64]

Welcome TBullipoo! I think I am the token male here on this thread so I catch all the flack, right Gina(just kidding;) ). Please do join our group on yahoo and see what's planned and who we are.

Gina-my wife hates snorkling also which is why we are doing the beach and snorkle plus you get back to the ship around 1ish. I think on the yahoo site I have posted several pics of Megans Bay.

Gayl-whats the saying, do as I say not as I do. Be careful walking the dog. How about a really long rope out the back door. With our dog, she and I play chase and hide n' seek in the house. She's a beagle with energy and I am the only one she does this with. Maybe this is because my wife keeps putting a bone around my neck(a nice steak bone, not gumbo leftovers:teeth: )

Gina-wiping the spray stuff off gives new meaning to the phrase "streaking". Is it comments like this that get my name in bold?

Gayl(2)-If you can handle the down payment I agree with Gina. That's what we did last year as the $200 credit tipped it over the top for us. I then transfered ressie to DU and they gave me another $100. You can always cancel prior to 60 days and get a full refund on deposit.

woody

[whytcrystal]

Gayl- Be careful! It started snowing here around 6 this AM but will soon be turning to rain as the temp is rising.

As for rebooking, I have decided we will be doing it on the cruise. I can't beat the offer. Our next cruise will be in Sept of 05 though. So not only will we get the discount and the onboard credit but it is cheaper to sail in Sept. I think we will forego the Cat 6 for a Cat 11 the next time too.

[christinou]

I also want to rebook on the ship, I just am not sure when we will be able to go next year....
We can always change the dates if what we pick is not right.
Isn't it amazing, we did not cruise yet, and we are already talking about the nex one:D

[woody64]

I would recommend rebooking early in the cruise as a line forms later and you spend a lot of time waiting to spend more money. Debbie was the agent last year and she was great. If you know what dates you want you can even pick which cabin you want.

woody

[Gina]

I agree with Bruce -- go early! There is only the one re-booking agent with certain desk hours, and the line does get awful long at the end of the cruise.

Oh, and Bruce! I have a present I'm bringing you! *grin* You can best appreciate it, I think. :)

-gina-

[whytcrystal]

Gina-

Congrats on your 1000th post!

[woody64]

Gina-hope its not another steak bone necklace so the dog will play with me.::yes::

I'm afraid, very afraid!

woody, bruce or whatever my name is.

[av01bps]

I love that we haven't left yet, and everyone is planning the next trip. My family does that but it's meal to meal- at lunch we discuss dinner- esp. on vacations!

Getting a bit nervous about those 8-12 foot swells on the first night. Bonnine here I come- will it interfere with Martini's? Or fruity drinks?

[Ms. Linda]

Gina, I'm considering ordering boiled crawfish just so that I can chase you around the dining room with one.

I was reading a report this week that talked about 8 cruise ships being in St. Thomas the same day and that Magaen's Beach was crowded that day. So I got to wondering, how many will be there when we are there. So I found a list of ships in St. Thomas that Wed. The list was at a St. Thomas site at www.vinow.com. It said 5 ships and it listed where they are scheduled to be moored. Makes sense to be a planned thing. The local boat captains sure take ther moorings serious, and those are little boats. Anyway we are listed as docking at Havensight. Not as anchorage and not at subbase.

So now I'm wondering if I'm really brave enough to try to do St. John on my own. I'm such a worrier that I might spend the whole time worrying about the boat ride back to the ship. But then I've taken that same chance on a scooter in Martinique. Oh well, if that was the only type of decisions that I had to make.

Oh and what shall we decide to eat tomorrow?

[PhotoLisa]

Gina:

Congratulations on your 1000th post!


Cheers!!!!
Lisa

[Gina]

Originally posted by Ms. Linda Gina, I'm considering ordering boiled crawfish just so that I can chase you around the dining room with one.



LOL!!!! No birthday cake for you, then, Ms. Meanie!! :teeth



Oh and what shall we decide to eat tomorrow?


Can we please have something normal like pizza? :)


Lisa -- Thanks! But I wasn't kidding... the boards have crashed every time I got just past 1000 posts! Last time it happened, it plummeted me all the way back down to the 300's. :( And then there was the Great Board Crash of '99, where we all lost ALL of our posts... that stunk.

Bruce -- no, I think you'll like this little present. Straight from Texas to you!

Amy -- I am one of the weirdos praying for 8-12 ft. swells... I missed that SO much on the Western. I like to feel like I'm actually on a ship. :) Now without the Bonine, no way! *grins*

-gina-

[woody64]

Gina-really you don't have to bring me a new pair of shark skin Tony Lama cowboy boots(size 11) or a new 10 gallon hat.http://e4u.deltait.com.au/dressed/bek173.gif

Just think what happens in 2 weeks.

Gina-now I know, a new pet armadillo. Just what I always wanted. Maybe I can bring you something from Chicago like...wind, snow, or maybe a crooked politician.

woody

[whytcrystal]

We were getting up and I said, Two weeks from now we will be having breakfast at the Radisson and getting ready for the port!"

His response was that three weeks from now we will be on our way to our plane and vacation will be over!

I think we have Ms. Meanie and MR. Meanie.

[bassoongirl]

Christy,

Your husband is being mean! Sadly, though I thought the same thing this morning. I can't believe our cruise is two weeks away!

Gayl

[av01bps]

Tonight's big Saturday night event is a trial run of Bonine on dry land! Do I know how to live it up or what??

Lisa- you could bring me a George Rodrigue from New Orleans! We love all that food!

Bruce- whatever YOU have in Chicago we get in Detroit a day later anyways!

[bassoongirl]

Amy,

I could think of a lot more fun things to do on a Saturday night, but have fun! Maybe you could get your husband to swing you around a little so you can see if the Bonine works! :crazy:

Gayl

[woody64]

Just saw the pics of the Magic in port and going by 2 palms on the 2-7 thread. That's us in a couple of weeks.

Because of this, and Gina's peer pressure, I have started... a packing list of things to bring. Still have a sleepover tonight and other activities to get thru.

Oh yeah, for some reason our "little" suburb of 120,000 people is without water since yesterday evening. They have found something that may indicate E Coli so we have to boil water etc. It is a pain to be without water! Guess that means we have to eat out so we won't have dishes to wash::yes:: .

For those in MI, snow flurries but warmer(30) today.

woody

[PhotoLisa]

The original "Blue Dog" Cafe (or do they call it restaurant) is in Lafayette. It burned down and another location was assumed. I LOVE the food there!!!

Well . . . I've been dieting for 10 days to get into better shape than I am now (dont think it'll be great shape before the cruise) and am feeling much better because of it! I've lost 10 pounds in 10 days on Atkins and have another week to go in the "induction" phase. I'll just have to be cautious not to undo all the hard work I've done in dieting on the cruise!

I'm beginning to get excited! Still haven't started packing however!

Lisa

[woody64]

Lisa,

Nice to know someone else likes the pressure of last week packing;)

Have you found Atkins tough to do. I might be dieting as we just found out it could be mid-week before we don't have to boil water to brush ur teeth with. Seems the water treatment plant isn't working properly. Arghhhhh! It's gonna be a long week!

woody

[Gina]

What a pain, Bruce!! Yuck!! Hopfully they'll get it fixed before mid-week.

And I'm so proud of you for at least taking a stab at a packing list! *cheers*

Stupid forecast... now the high is back to being 69 that Friday. But at least it says "abundant sunshine."

Here's wishing you cold folks some abundant sunshine to melt all that snow!

-gina-

[PhotoLisa]

Bruce:

The induction phase (first 2 weeks) on Atkins is really simple. Limit of 20 grams of carbs (I don't count mine). Nothing to eat that has flour (gravies included), grains, sugar, margarine (real butter is okay), milk (cream is okay).

My daily routine looks like this:

Omelette with cheese and ham, mushrooms, turkey bacon, sausage, or other meats. Salsa is a great topper.
Decaf coffee with cream and Splenda to sweeten.

Lunch - any type meat (coldcuts are okay) and 1 cup of salad with ranch dressing.

Snacking . . . raw broccoli dipped in ranch, jerky, string cheese

Dinner - any type meat and another cup of salad.

No regular coffee, sugary drinks to drink -- tea and water are okay.

Eat until you are full and satisified - not stuffed.

This is extremely easy for me right now because Ed is offshore and I fix something for Courtney to eat and I tend to myself - although, Ed has started Atkins too.

There are many more things of variety that I could eat but I keep mine this simple.

Visit atkins.com to get information on the diet and recipes that are okay. I think I can even eat decent on the cruise without breaking the diet. I'll just have to pass on the desserts that have sugar in them.

I'll slowly be adding carbs back into my diet - some fruits, more variety of vegetables - in the 3rd and 4th weeks.

Hope this helps a bit.

Your water situation truly is a pain! We always fear water contamination with hurricanes but at least we have time to stock up beforehand just in case!

Lisa

[woody64]

Thanks Lisa,

I have a friend who did Atkins and he lost abut 30 lbs. We traveled together with his wife and if we stopped while driving at McDinalds he would only get a cheeseburger, hold the bun, and a glass of water. That's willpower!:D He would snack on peanuts and string cheese. Continued good luck but I can't imagine skipping desserts on the cruise-souffle at Palo.:earseek:

It's nice it looks like verandah man will get pics for us also.

woody

[bassoongirl]

Lisa,

Way to go on the Atkins diet! Losing 10 pounds in 10 days is great! My husband and I have been dieting too. I am on the South Beach diet, which is going very well. My husband is on the "Steve Parr Eat Less and Exercise More" diet! He is doing pretty well too. He is keeping track of his calories on his Palm Pilot.

Woody,

That is a bummer that you still don't have safe water. During the "Great Blackout" this summer, our water wasn't safe for several days. It was a pain! I still took a shower everyday because I can't survive a day without one. My husband thought I was crazy, but I just kept my mouth and eyes shut during the shower. I survived with no ill effects! :crazy2:

That is so nice of Verandah Man to get pictures of the Magic as we sail away. I was hoping he would! He is such a nice man!

Gayl

[christinou]

Gayl, we can have a south beach diet support group, I have been trying to follow it for a while, but I decided not to use the word diet, but instead a new way of eating, I am not depriving myself at all, and did loose 15 lbs. Of course, if I had really followed it, I should probably have lost 30 by now. I am planning to enjoy the food while on the cruise.....

Bruce, I hope that you get your water back, soon.

LIsa great job on Atkins.....

Christine

[bassoongirl]

Christine,

Congratulations on losing 15 pounds! We can compare notes on the cruise about the South Beach "way of eating"! I agree that calling it a diet isn't really accurate - it is a new way of eating. I am also planning to enjoy the food on the cruise. I am a little worried about eating the desserts, though. Since I haven't had anything with real sugar in it for awhile, I am hoping my body can handle it! I really want to try the chocolate lava cake, the chocolate souffle at Palo, maybe the creme brulee, and I'd like to have a Mickey ice cream bar (I love those!). I better stop talking about food!

Gayl

[woody64]

I am currently on the "eat everything in sight" diet so that I will be ready for all those great meals. I am trying to stretch out my stomach so I will not fill up too soon.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well, no injuries(Gayl) and kids on the mend.

woody

[Jupiter]

Just found your thread and browsed a little. I was surprised to see so many neighbors posting. We live in Canton, MI.

Our family of five will be joining you. I have 2DD (9 and 10) and 1 DS(8). It's great to see others about the same age.

I will read through all the posts tomorrow to catch up, but right now it's off to bed

Jupiter

[whytcrystal]

Welcome Jupiter!

[Gina]

Welcome, Jupiter! Wait'll my DS hears there is yet another 8 year old DIS kid sailing... he'll be so excited!

Glad you joined us here, and at our Yahoo group! All the DIS meet info is in the calendar -- please feel free to add your details to the database, and post some pics of you and your family!

Getting so close now!!! :hyper:

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

Jupiter,

Welcome to our group! We are almost neighbors! You also must be going on the cruise during your kids' Mid-Winter Break. I have a daughter who is 12 and a son who is 9.

Gayl

[woody64]

Jupiter,

Welcome and don't believe ererything you read about me:D

I also have a son who will be 8 part of the week and 9 the other part of the week.

Last year our cruise seemed to be 60% MI people. Looks like there will be many of you again.

Welcome again.

woody

[whytcrystal]

Hi all-
I want to wish everyone a safe trip, not sure how many times I will get to log on this last week. I wrote what I have left to do and the list is still rather long.

[Gina]

I didn't realize you were leaving so much sooner than the rest of us, Christy! I know what you mean about your to-do list being so long... I feel like I'm in the calm before the storm right now. I have tons left to do, but nothing I can really do now. I just can't believe we're going so soon!

The forecast now for next Friday (NEXT Friday!!!! :hyper: ) is for it to be 75 degrees and gorgeous sun... let's hope that sticks!!

Gotta get to work, talk to y'all later!

-gina-

[av01bps]

We are traveling with you (we're in Bloomfield) with two girls ages 6 and 8. We are looking forward to big fun with all our DIS friends. Are you traveling on Saturday the 21st or before? We are flying out of Metro on the 21st... no snow is good snow!
Amy

[woody64]

Christy-have a good trip and we'll see you on board.

Gina-I'm getting closer to packing. Took some stuff to the cleaners, does that count?

woody

[Gina]

Originally posted by woody64
Gina-I'm getting closer to packing. Took some stuff to the cleaners, does that count?


*laughs*

Well, it's a step in the right direction! :p

I had to laugh at the packing discussion... I am so not one to pack light. I have two pretty good-size suitcases to check, a smaller rolling pilot case to carry on, and my stuffed Mickey bag. I like to be prepared for anything, and I don't do laundry on vacation. :)

-gina-

[PhotoLisa]

Bruce --

We are kindred spirits! I'm heading to the cleaners in just a few minutes. Ed asked me to take his suit to the cleaners last week. He's coming home today - so I better hurry and get it there!

LOL

Lisa

[woody64]

Lisa(and anyone else not packed-Gina's been out since 6/03),

Lets see who packs the latest. Should the last one buy a round or be bought a round(due to stress)?http://techhelpers.net/e4u/drink/trink39.gif

woody

[Gina]

Your stress is self-induced -- I definitely think the last should have to buy the first a drink :teeth:

-gina-

[PhotoLisa]

I will definitely be the last to be completely packed. Its just how I am. I usually pack the morning I leave - even if my flight is at 6 AM!

Maybe I'll change because of the significance of this trip . . . nah, probably not!

Lisa

[bassoongirl]

I am in the same boat (get it?) as Lisa and Woody. Nothing will go in our suitcases until the night before our trip. I just can't bring myself to pack suitcases any earlier. Since I am such a worrier, I would have to unpack everything just to make sure I didn't miss anything! I am usually doing laundry up until the last minute too! I don't plan to do any laundry during the trip either. I like the idea of packing old underwear and socks that can be thrown away after wearing them! Unfortunately, our socks and underwear aren't in bad enough shape yet to be thrown out. It would be nice to buy all new socks and underwear when we get home though! Hmm....

Christy,

Have a safe trip down to Florida. Enjoy the warmer weather down there!:sunny:

Gayl

[bassoongirl]

Hey Everyone,

Did you realize that we are almost ready to do the "Single Digit Dance"? Depending on how many days you have on your countdown clock, you could be dancing tomorrow!:cool1:
We seem to be dancing a lot lately (which is a good thing)! It has taken so long to get to this point!

Gayl

[av01bps]

I am starting to realize that the trip is coming- gotta get the spring summer collection out and stuff myself into shorts! AGH.

My six year old grew an entire size since summer... the eight yera old grows constantly... old navy here I come!

I have been thinking about drink's with umbrellas... and fruit at the bottom- Planter's Punch....

Do the kids have to wear club bracelets all week- are they like the hospital admittance ones?
Do we get matching ones (as their parents?) Can my parents/sister sign the girls in and out? Or just us?
SO many questions so little time! YAYYAYAYAYAY

[christinou]

Amy, the kids do have to wear bracelets all week, my girls were not happy with that. The parents do not wear any, you set up a code work when you first check them in, and anyone who knows the word can check them out.

So who is leaving first, is it Christy??
We are supposed to leave from home very early next Thursday but might leave Wednesday night if the weather is nasty, so YEAH I am in single digits:Pinkbounc

[Jupiter]

Hello everyone,

I am slowing working through all the messages, here and at yahoo groups, looking for good advice. I've learned many new ways to get smashed and the ins-and-outs of digital cameras. :)

I feel a little behind the game. We just booked our cruise New Years Eve. My husband played "Let's Make a Deal" at Xmas and behind Door #2 was the Disney Cruise.

We will be flying out Friday afternoon and staying at the Orlando Embassy Suites.

Gayl, I truly am your neighbor. I just help my Girl Scout meeting this afternoon at the Plymouth Library and my husband works in Plymouth.

I am going to keep reading. I have another 200 message to read at yahoo.

Judy

[bassoongirl]

Jupiter,

You've discovered the interests of this group - taking pictures and drinking (and the weather)! I've lost track of how many different types of drinks I am supposed to try while on the cruise!

We are also flying out on Friday afternoon. We are on the 4:05 flight with Spirit Airlines. What flight are you on?


Your husband sounds like a great guy to give you such a cool Christmas present! My husband thinks I am slightly nuts to be so anxious about this cruise! He will be glad when my DIS obsession is over!

Have fun reading all our posts!

Gayl

[woody64]

Judy,

Here is the short story of our group.
1. We all have kids
2. We all like tropical drinks and to have fun.
3. Some of us pack early(Gina:D ) and some of us don't
4.We all can't wait until the cruise begins.

Here is one for me. Your husband is giving all other husbands a bad name because of this. Someone hear in Chicago on the radio says you set the bar really low and keep barely going over it;) . Just kidding! I am shopping in St. Maarten for my wife's 40th bday on 3/3. She wants something sparkly and has been checking out Diamonds International on the web already.

Thanks for checking in and how lame do we all sound?

woody

ps-does beer seem sparkly to you?:duck:

[Jupiter]

Gayl -

I'm on Continental leaving at 5:01 getting into Orlando at 9:31pm.
Then on the the Embassy Suites.


Woody -

Don't worry, he just likes to raise the bar every once in a while.
Then he can than go smashing through it over and over and I won't complain too much.

Last weeks birthday, smashola #1. :)

And no, no one sounded lame.

Have a good night everyone.

Judy

[whytcrystal]

Hey All-

It sounds as though Christine and I leave about the same time. 10 of us are flying out on Thursday AM and the other 4 on Thursday PM.

Christine- Sounds like a change of plans to Wed. will make you first!

A week from now will be the last time I have to get up at 4:30 for 12 days! Now keep in mind that 'sleeping late' on the cruise will still allow me to view the sunrises. :0)

[TBullipoo]

My husband and I will be on this cruise, our second Disney Cruise. Last year we did the 3 day. He fell in love and we booked this one while we were cruising last year. He had always been afraid of cruises because he thought he would eat too much and they would have to air lift him off! Well, that didn't happen, thank goodness. We even opted for a verandah this time. I hope it's worth the price difference. Hope to meet some of you. Can't wait!!!!!

[bassoongirl]

Hi Everybody!

This will be us in two weeks!! :sunny:

I can't wait!! :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc

www.caribline.com/islands/vi/forum/cam.shtml (http://www.caribline.com/islands/vi/forum/cam.shtml)

Gayl

P.S. I tried to post the picture itself here but I couldn't figure out how to do it. As you know, I am not very good with computers!

[woody64]

Arghhhhh! Still without water until tommorrow afternoon at the earliest. Why couldn't this have happened during the cruise? They think it's coming from goose poop washing into the water supply. Who's got a shotgun?

Sorry, had to vent. Time to put some Bob Marley in the CD player and get back to work.

Ya mon!http://emoticons4u.informationalot.com/cool/804.gif

woody

[av01bps]

WHY I HATE MI WINTER...

Unlike the joy of the hidden Mickey-

How much do I hate the hidden tire puncture thingy which found its way to my tire on the way home from school....

2 hours of time!

Fortunately:bounce:
only $21 to fix.

Had to buy some Starbucks and Beauty stuff nearby to assuage the cranky demons!
Must feed kids.
Grrrrr. Need to get WARM:sunny:
amy

[bassoongirl]

Woody and Amy,

You both sound like you need a vacation! I hope things get better for you soon. It seems like bad or annoying things happen to me just when I want everything to go smoothly. I am waiting for my turn for bad things to happen next week!

Gayl

[whytcrystal]

Next Thursday at this time I will be leaving for the airport!

[woody64]

One week from today I'll say to my wife "we need to pack":earseek: .

woody

[Gina]

Originally posted by woody64
One week from today I'll say to my wife "we need to pack":earseek: .

woody


We'll be able to find Bruce and his family easily enough... they'll be the ones in Treasure Ketch trying buy all the things like toothpaste and contact lens solution that they forget from packing 5 minutes before they had to leave for the airport... ;)

j/k :)

-gina-

[bassoongirl]

Hello Everybody!

Today we can do the "Single Digit Dance"!:jumping1:

I set my countdown clock for 5:00 pm on February 21st. As of today, my clock is officially at single digits! Yay!!

I know most of us are leaving a day or two before we sail, so our vacations start earlier.

Let the dancing begin!

:cool1: Gayl :cool1:

[av01bps]

Are we on the ship for the last "sex and the city?" I know they have TV channels- but probably not HBO (although if comcast buys them... will they HAVE to show all the channels?)

Everyone (but me) has colds... good thing we have a week off- then the trip!

I am starting to get seasickness nervousness...

Bonine worked on dry land... Has anyone taken it and had success where without it- bleh!

I have not yet packed!
Amy

[woody64]

Amy,

Cam(5) is starting in with a cold so we are trying to get him rest. We were just told boil water until at least Sat pm. And its not even Fri. the 13th yet.:scared1:

Will try and do some gathering this weekend. Alex has a swim meet Sat & Sun so there shoots the middle of both days.

Checked Accuweather earlier and forecasts for St. Thomas and St. Maarten were sunny, humid and mid to upper 80's. Boy does that(and some umbrella drinks) sound good.

Gina, my family will be the ones wearing swimsuits to dinner every night because that's all we packed.:wave:

Have a safe Fr. the 13th everyone!

woody

[Gina]

Gina, my family will be the ones wearing swimsuits to dinner every night because that's all we packed.:wave:


ROFL!!!!

*runs off to buy extra film, knowing all the DIS will want to see that*


;)


-gina-

[woody64]

Gina-

If the Dis sees this then family must buy flame retardent clothes for "ruining" hundreds if not thusands of vacations.;)

woody

[christinou]

Well we officially have 75% of the family sick. But I know that the promise of sunshine and 80 degree will make us all feel better.

Bruce, you entire family in bathing suit, will just make it easy to find you on the ship, go for it.....

[Gina]

I can't believe that one week from now, Tyler Dean and I will already be winging our way towards Florida.... :hyper:

I thought I'd go ahead and recap the meet info:

The Party Begins: Friday night, Radisson, poolside, 8pm. I'll wear my DIS nametag!

Saturday, Promenade Lounge, just after the lifeboat drill. This will be a short meet, so we can get to sailaway, but hopefully will give us all a chance to meet!

Sunday, secret deck, 7 aft, 10am. I'll order some donuts and danishes for everyone -- bring your coffee to enjoy out on deck with us!

I think that's it... but I am using my psychic powers to see many impromptu spa/bingo/Rockin' Bar D mini-meets after that. :D

If you were on category guarantee status and now have a stateroom number, and wish to share it, please update your details on our Yahoo database... that way we can all print new copies of it to take with us.

I can't wait to meet you guys!!!!

-gina-

[woody64]

Here's an update for all you Mardi Gras people. This is from my FIL and relates to Downtown Disney.

Mardi Gras comes to Pleasure Island

Join a New Orleans-style street party at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island during the annual Mardi Gras celebration, February 20, 21, and 24. Costumed stilt walkers, jugglers, and magicians offer entertainment, while beads and other trinkets are tossed to partygoers throughout Pleasure Island in true Mardi Gras style! Crawdaddio and Funky Blues Messiah will keep the party going with live musical performances at the West End Stage and Pleasure Island Jazz Company.

The Mardi Gras celebration is included with regular Pleasure Island admission of $19.95 plus tax per person. After 7:00 pm, you must be 18 or older to enter, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. You must be 21 or older to enter Mannequins Dance Palace and BET SoundStage™ Club. You must provide valid photo ID that includes one of the following: U.S. or foreign driver's license, original Passport, or U.S. Military ID.

Entertainment subject to change.

I think we may check some of this out but expect it to be very busy.

Do I have to lift my shirt up to get beads?:jester: Never mind, its Disney.

woody