Aug. 21, 2004 Eastern Magic check in list

[Reignman]

Happy Trails to all.:wave:

Looking forward to meeting everyone next Saturday.

:chat:

One Week To Go!!:Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :hyper: :hyper:

[Verandah Man]

I am now "officially" on vacation for the next two weeks, for those traveling this weekend, BE SAFE!!!!! See everyone next week!!!!!

[Colestat]

Safe Travels to All.

Wish us luck - after 2 cancelled flights, we are now scheduled to fly out tomorrow morning at 7:50am. Car is picking us up at 5:00am.

See you all next week.

[bmattessich]

Leaving Sunday! Disney for a week! Crusing the 21st!

[Shygirl]

Colestat


good luck with your flights:wave2:

See ya all in a week. I wish i was traveling today, but next friday will come very soon, i hope :tongue:

[dannyb]

Ok - can somebody please confirm that my understanding re dressing is accurate - there is one formal night, where coat & tie or tux is appropriate; one semi-formal night, where a coat and tie is appropriate, and all the rest are casual, where dockers and polo shirts would be appropriate. Do I have that right?

Also, what theme parties might we want to pack appropriate things for? Did I read something about a 70's night? I remember a sock-hop on the cruise I was on a couple years ago?

Thanks

Dan

[disney3144]

You are correct dannyb. There will also be a tropical night in the dining rooms. The 70's night is in one of the clubs. Also don't forget, if you plan to go to Palo's one night, that is also semi-formal.

Jennifer

[dannyb]

Originally posted by disney3144
You are correct dannyb. There will also be a tropical night in the dining rooms. The 70's night is in one of the clubs. Also don't forget, if you plan to go to Palo's one night, that is also semi-formal.

Jennifer

Many thanks, Jennifer. Linda (DW) has been after me for a while to confirm this.

Dan

[Verandah Man]

Getting last minute things done before heading to the Philly airport.

I read something the other day that the Tropical Night (Eastern) and Mexicali Night (Western) are now going to be "Pirates of the Caribbean Night" on the Magic. It is something that just started this past week from what I read. Can anyone confirm this? We already have our Tropical attire packed in our suitcases, so we are going with that!!!

[Mary Anne]

VM - are you landing in Orldando? Is the airport open? I would check before you leave your house.

Good luck to you, enjoy your trip.

[Verandah Man]

I've been checking the USAir website, so far my flight is still scheduled to take off on time later this evening. I was told that MCO was to open to arriving flights and departing flights at noon today.

[goingbacksoon]

Andy -

Safe travels to you! From the MCO website and Orlando Sentinel, flights arriving seem to be okay. If you're leaving MCO, that may be another issue.

And you won't be the only one in tropical gear if anything changes. :teeth: I don't plan on finding an eyepatch before we leave Friday.

[Verandah Man]

We just got a call from USAir our flight was cancelled and we could not get a flight now to Orlando until Tuesday. We will now be driving to Florida leaving after Charley passes us by later this evening. Looking forward to meeting y'all next week.

[Mary Anne]

Good luck Andy! You are the poster child for leaving the week before. Could you imagine if you had planned on flying out early today for today sailing?

Sorry for the bump in your plans but have a safe trip.

[Verandah Man]

I read that the Magic will be leaving today with only about 1/2 of the ticketed passengers due to flights being cancelled. At least we have a week before we are scheduled to sail. I feel so bad for those who won't be able to make their cruise today.

[dannyb]

Originally posted by Verandah Man
We just got a call from USAir our flight was cancelled and we could not get a flight now to Orlando until Tuesday. We will now be driving to Florida leaving after Charley passes us by later this evening. Looking forward to meeting y'all next week.

Have a safe trip down.

I'm feeling rather glad that I planned to fly down a day early, now.

Dan

[dannyb]

Here's an interesting post about the late arrival of last week's Magic sailing and the resulting late departure of this week's sailing:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=625272

[moinab]

Hi Andy,

I thought I would check in here (rather than pestering you with an email ;), ) to see if everything was progressing with your vacation plans. I'm so sorry to hear about your flight being cancelled. I hope your drive goes smoothly. Let me know if I can be of any help.

Maureen

[Gayle17]

Andy I am so sorry your flight was cancelled. That is a long drive to make. Did you try and get a flight closer down south to cut down on your driving?

I am getting a little nervous about not flying in until next Sat morning. We are staying out by Kennedy Friday night since we have a 7 AM flight out. We are debating whether to fly in on Friday now just in case. Since I am off all summer it wasn't a problem for me but my daughter and sister would have had to take an extra day from their jobs.

I will be watching the 2 new storm activities forming and see at the beginning of the week if we need to change things around.

I feel so bad for those people that aren't able to get down for this weekend's cruise.

Have a safe drive Andy, sending you some pixie dust.

Gayle

[pixie_luver03]

sweet im gonna be on this cruise

[goingbacksoon]

Andy -

Sorry about your cancelled flight, although it's good to be close enough (relatively) to be able to drive. Hope your new road trip is a fun one.

Alan

[pixie_luver03]

aww sorry to hear about that

[Verandah Man]

We just arrived home from Friendly's at our local mall. The rain is really starting to pick up in our area, when we left to go to the mall, it was a very light drizzle. We are turning the weather channel back on to check for updates on the track of Charley. We are just rolling with the punches on this trip, LOL!!!

We have to do some repacking as well. Oh, the joys of travel, LOL!!! :eek:

[Credit Man]

Have a safe drive down, Andy. Seems like your travel plans have come full circle.

[Verandah Man]

Originally posted by Credit Man
Have a safe drive down, Andy. Seems like your travel plans have come full circle.


We were talking about that at dinner tonight. At first, we were going to drive down leaving this coming Wednesday (8/18). I guess it was meant for us to drive this trip!!!

[Disneycrazymom]

Drive carefully, you may run into some left over rain. We will look forward to seeing you on Sat.

Welcome to the Dis and our cruise Pixie luver03. We have a pretty lage group going, and we are going to meet up right after the Safty Drill next Sat. Hope to meet you there.:D

[DuncanLL]

Andy-


Have a safe trip down. I hope the drive doesn't seem to long. What a coincidence we were just down the street from Friendly's we could of came and had sundes with you all. Safe travels. See you next Sat.:chat:

This was written by DuncanLL's DD

[Hygiene99]

Andy Do have a Great trip and we look Forward to hearing from u
WHEN u Board the Ship...

Im SURE u Will Be Treated Like A King ..

Peter

[goingbacksoon]

Any other CAers worried about the flight next week? :confused:

Alan

[buzzdad100]

Andy,

A year ago tomorrow, we were plunged into darkness while packing for our cruise. Our 4pm flight (thanks Delta) was cancelled. We made the port from NYC in 20 hours (kids, grandpa, grab a pillow - ROADTRIP). Try to turn it into an adventure. Since you have time, I would suggest thinking about getting back. The drive down was not so long. On the other hand, getting off the ship Saturday and knowing that the car was in the parking lot rather than a bus to the airplane, well, anyhow.

We are set to fly down on Tuesday. We learned our lesson from last year. Isn't it amazing how this has happened to our little band two years in a row!

Have a safe drive and see you on board.

[Disneycrazymom]

I am concerned about our flight on Friday. I really DO NOT wan to go back to our original plan to drive! I was so excited about flying. I read somewhere that Southwest gates were damaged. How would I check on that?:eek:

[Verandah Man]

Hi All,

The car is packed and we are getting ready to head out. We have very light rain falling and I did get a nap in this evening. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we hit the roadways.

See you all soon!!! :hyper: :wave2:

[jweiss]

We're due to fly out of CA (Oakland) early Friday morning. I hadn't yet found out enough about the conditions of the airport/runways to know if I needed to worry. So, Alan, do I need to worry??? Needless to say, Driving is NOT an option for us. ~Jennifer

[goingbacksoon]

Jennifer -

Maybe I should stop reading about Charley (although there is a rather humorous thread about a guy named Charlie getting ribbed while staying at WDW on the community board).

Weather looks good for Friday morning here too, just a little jitters. Indeed, driving is NOT an option for us either. I think if we left Friday from L.A., when the Magic was leaving we'd be in Alabama or so.

I figure as long as we land SOMEWHERE in Florida, we could find a way to Port Canaveral. I spoke to SWA asking if we could move it up to Thursday (we still have a WDW park hopper day left), but we'd lose our special fare so that's out.

Oh well, safe (and delay-free) travel to all us CAers, not to mention everyone else.

Alan

[disney3144]

OK everyone....I'm off to go get married! Wish me luck!

Andy, I hope you are having a safe drive.

Jennifer

[Gayle17]

Congratulations Jennifer -
Gayle

[Gayle17]

From what I read on another board MCO sustained considerable damage - hopefully by the end of the week the airport will be more or less back to normal.

Driving wont be much of an option for us from NYC either if there is another storm - I have never driven more than 3 or 4 hours at a clip and even with switching off with my sister I don't think itis an option.

I guess we will keep an eye on Earl and see what they predict as the path for the next few days and decide what to do.

My friends daughter is flying into MCO on Wed from CA so I will let you know if her flight is delayed or cancelled.

Gayle

[dannyb]

I just checked the Weather Channel site; Hurricane Danielle is expected to stay out in the Atlantic and should not impact anything.

Tropical Storm Earl is another matter. It is expected to be upgraded to a hurricane; current projections have it out of our way but a possibly serious problem for Jamaica and Western Cuba.

Even if that does happen, it will likely impact us - some ships planning a Western Itinerary may go East instead, making for very crowded ports. That is, of course, quite a minor inconvenience, particularly when you consider that Charley's death toll in Fla. was measured (last I checked) at 13, with hundreds missing and thousands homeless.

It looks like it is going to be a very busy storm season.

Dan

[Disneycrazymom]

I checked Southwest's site and they listed most flights as a go today into MCO. There were a few that could not go because the plane was at the wrong location. So hopefully that means all is or will be soon back to normal. As for Earl he needs to GO AWAY and NOT come again another day!::yes::

Someone on the transportation board was saying they would be allowed to fly out early IF the weather looked bad for their later flight. So I guess I will watch and be ready in case that is offered.

Our trip is THIS WEEK!!!:bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc

[Disney/Cheer Mom]

ifotobonz - I sent you a PM

[jweiss]

Gayle....thanks. I'll look forward to your input on Wednesday.
Alan...you think you'd be in Alabama by Saturday am??? With three kids, I probably wouldn't make it farther than Nevada!!! Do you So. Ca. people get a direct flight on SWA to MCO??? We have to transfer in Phoenix, then land in New Orleans..... at least that is where we visited last time. It's a VERY long day.... Still, I can't wait for Saturday to come. It's amazing how we get no less excited with each additional cruise.

[dannyb]

Latest projection is that TS Earl is going to hit Yucatan peninsula south of Cozumel Wednesday night/Thursday morning; this is a somewhat southward adjustment to the projected course from this morning.

[Maleficent59]

I just got a call from Andy who asked me to post for him. They're in South Carolina and will be at his mother's house early tomorrow morning. So far, he has had a very smooth drive.

Congrats Jennifer & Joe! Wow - was it only last year at this time when Joe proposed in Palo?!

Time to call the airlines to see if they are worried about flying to Orlando Friday and if DH needs to make alternate travel plans. See you all in a few days!

[goingbacksoon]

Jennifer -

We are stopping in Albuquerque both ways. Crossing the fingers over here!

Alan

[Shygirl]

Thanks for the update.

I am so thankful that we are traveling next week instead of this past week.

My prayers are out to all that were struck by the huricane.

Good luck to all of you with your travels as well

[Verandah Man]

Congrats Jennifer and Joe!!!

We arrived safe and sound at my mom's house at 5:25am today. This drive seemed longer than any of our previous drives down here. It must be the "old age" setting in!!! LOL!!!

It's now time to get some sleep. I think I've had about four hours sleep since Saturday night. See you all in a few days.

Safe Travels,

Andy

[Credit Man]

Congratulations, Jennifer and Joe!!!

Andy, glad you made it down safe. Get some rest, and enjoy your week.

[denise5374]

Congrats Joe and Jennifer!!

Andy, glad you made it to FL safe and sound.

Mike, Any word on the train? I thought I heard that AMtrak suspended service....have you heard??

[Credit Man]

Denise, I think they started back up yesterday. I will check the web site and see if I can get any details.

[buzzdad100]

Originally posted by denise5374
Congrats Joe and Jennifer!!

Andy, glad you made it to FL safe and sound.

Mike, Any word on the train? I thought I heard that AMtrak suspended service....have you heard??

I know that AMtrak ran the auto-train from Virginia yesterday. They seem to be getting things back on line. My friends son was on the train on his way back to school in Orlando. From what I heard, everything has been smooth so far.

Good luck

[Shygirl]

Congrats Joe and Jennifer :bride: :flower3:

Andy,
glad you made it safe. :wave2:

[denise5374]

Thanks for the info.....

Only 3 days of work this week!!!

Guess I should start packing soon, huh???:rolleyes:

[Gayle17]

Andy glad you and your family made it safe and sound. Relax and enjoy the rest of the week.
Gayle

[disney3144]

We're back. Thanks everyone. It was perfect, and everything went off without a hitch.

Andy, glad to made it to Florida. We will all be seeing you soon.

Just a few more days everyone!!!!!:hyper: ::yes:: :hyper:

Jennifer

[buzzdad100]

000
WTNT35 KNHC 161420
TCPAT5
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM EARL ADVISORY NUMBER 12
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 AM AST MON AUG 16 2004

...EARL DEGENERATES INTO AN OPEN TROPICAL WAVE...

AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE TROPICAL WAVE WAS LOCATED OVER THE
CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA.

THE WAVE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 25 MPH...41 KM/HR.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH... 65 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA.

THIS IS THE LAST PUBLIC ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER ON EARL UNLESS REGENERATION OCCURS.

FORECASTER LAWRENCE

[Shygirl]

thank you for the update. :Pinkbounc

[ifotobonz]

Hi everyone. Good luck and safe travel to all. Finally saw the sun here in Virginia. :Pinkbounc :sunny:

[Marcotta]

Hi All sorry for disappearing for a while.

Joe and Jennifer, our biggest congrats! Seems like just a month ago we were (supposed to) have brunch with you and you were winning BINGO! We're so happy to hear it went so well and amazed it's only been a year since we last met.

Sorry everyone that I've been away from the boards. Sadly, Don won't be joining us this cruise - he is currently going through a medical condition that won't allow him to travel. We've been through a lot (don't worry, it's nothing terminal or anything, but a very difficult situation) and at his persuasion, and his family's insistence that I should "take a vacation to get away from it all" he has insisted that at least I take some time to get away, relax, and be with Mickey and friends, so I will be travelling solo, and maybe he is right.

Looking forward to seeing you all - not so thrilled to be cruising alone but hey, it's a Disney cruise so what can be all bad.

Actually was not gonna post this and I'm not looking for any sad feelings, we are gonna have a GREAT time but I knew the questions may be asked so here we go. Also looking forward to meeting the rest of our CA friends as well as all that has been posting here for months - see you in the Promenade Lounge!!!

Scott

P.S. OH my! Next time the Olympics are on, will someone PLEASE remind me NOT to schedule a vacation!!!!! LOL

[disney3144]

Glad to see you back Scott. I've been wondering where you have been. I hope everythings OK with Don. We will send lots of pixie dust his way. And Scott...you won't be traveling alone....you'll be with your DIS family. And we are going to have a BLAST!!!


Jennifer

[Credit Man]

Hey Scott! Welcome back. Sorry to hear about Don. Hope all goes well on that front. Looking forward to meeting you. Have a safe journey.

Mike

[Verandah Man]

Hi All,

Having a nice time here in Florida so far, but have already started spending to many $$, LOL!!!

We will be meeting a fellow DIS'er and her family for dinner tonight at Dixie Crossroads.

It won't be long now, and the rest of you at home will be joining us, in Florida, for a glorious week upon the Magic!!!

Sorry Don won't be able to make the cruise Scott.

Andy :wave2:

[denise5374]

Hi Scott...nice to see you back Hope all is going OK for Don. Sending some PD his way!

2 more days until we leave!!! Actually got the suitcases out last night and starting "thinking about" what to pack into them.

Our living room and DS bedroom furniture get delieverd today so the new house is almost ready. While we ar on the Magic, a contractor friend is coming in to do some minor kitchen renovations and then we will be all set. Now if I only I can get rid of all those boxes!!!
:rolleyes:

[jweiss]

Was up late last night packing. So much I want to bring, knowing we'll never use half of it!!! Looking forward to meeting Scott..... sorry Don won't be there as well. When do you fly out???

~Jennifer (A fellow "Concordian")

[Shygirl]

Sorry Don wont be there but as someone already said you will be with friends. I know how it feels. I went on a cruise a year and 1/2 ago without DH at the last min but i met lots of people on the ship and had a great time.

[Marcotta]

Thank you everybody for the support!! Don's touched by all the pixie dust too.

Yes, I will be there with my DIS family and will make the best of it!

jweiss: I am flying out on Thursday morning. Had planned on doing Universal but now I won't be. I'm going to spend part of the day with Maleficent and her daughter at one of the REAL parks. We met last year on this cruise (with our newlyweds) and have stayed in contact ever since so that will be, I'm sure, a very nice day.

Looking forward to meeting everyone and catching up with friends. See you soon and thanks again!

[Gayle17]

jweiss - My friends daughter's flight from California hasn't been affected so you should be fine.
Gayle

[jweiss]

We're packed and ready to FLY, and of course, to SAIL!!!!!

[DuncanLL]

Can anybody refresh me on any meeting times/places on Friday night? I'm not sure what our Friday night plans are, but we'd stop by the Radisson or Ron Jon's if we're nearby. We are staying at the Courtyard in Cocoa Beach...

See everyone this weekend!

Linda

[goingbacksoon]

I'm starting to feel better about all the flight stuff now, although I still have a contingency plan made in case we land at any other Florida airport. This is aside from emails and text messages sent to update flight status, hehe. (This is the 3rd straight day the flight we are on has made it on time, and early.) How about you Jennifer (jweiss)?

Probably will do a lot of packing tolietries and stuff tonight, and do some laundry too. Hopefully we won't be packing Thursday night, lol.

Hey Andy - question? Do they have donation boxes set up around to help out with those affected by Charley? We were thinking of bringing toys or something.

See you all soon!

Alan

[Verandah Man]

Hey Andy - question? Do they have donation boxes set up around to help out with those affected by Charley? We were thinking of bringing toys or something.


Hi Alan,

I haven't seen any donation boxes in any of the stores that we have been in the past few days.

My family just arrived home after having a lovely meet and greet dinner at Dixie Crossroads in Mount Dora, Florida with fellow DIS'er Caril (dclwdwlover) and her DH Ned and DS Frasier. We had such a good time meeting them. They are not on our cruise, they had just moved to Florida in June and they live about 45 minutes from Dixie Crossroads, my mom lives about 30 minutes from Dixie Crossroads, so we decided that would be a good place to meet. We are planning to meet with them the next time we are in Florida, they are a very nice family.

We will be heading to the WDW area on Wednesday. We are having a very relaxing time so far.

See you all very soon!!!

Andy

[steverog]

Hello everyone I guess a little late than never. I've been so busy of late and haven't been on the boards much. Just reading through the thread and it seem's like we got some great people going. My DS is so excited about getting his picture with Mr. Andy, can you blame him I'm pretty excited too. This trip we are celebrating my beautiful wife's 40th birthday. She's pretty fortunate no one has ever guessed her to be over 35.

I have posted a picture below to let everyone know what is the first moment of excitement. That kind of excitement we adults don't have too often anymore. The kind of excitement that makes goose bumps pop out. When that big luxury vessel comes plainly into view as your traveling down the highway almost there and you know that is your new home for the next week. And most rewarding is the kid's reaction.

I went to Disney in my early 20's and was sad to realize the level of excitement I had as a kid was gone, however this past year I've been fortunate enough to see Disney through my kid's eyes and the level of excitement is more than I ever imagined.

http://www.westcobbpinestraw.com/dclboat3.jpg

[Credit Man]

Great pic, Steverog! I think that is the moment the hairs on the back of my neck stand up a little straighter.
Today is my last day at work, and tomorrow we head south to meet up with the Autotrain. God willing we will be in Fla. on Fri. morning.
Hope to meet up with some folks at the Raddison pool at 8:00. We will be having dinner at Grills before that.
Once again, I wish all of you safe travels and a hearty BON VOYAGE.

Mike

[Shygirl]

Great pic. Thanks for sharing. Im getting more excited. :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

[Disneycrazymom]

Wishing you a pleasent trip on the autotrain Creditman.

Congratulations to you Jennifer and Joe too!

I am so sorry that Don won't be joining us.

I also started to pack but honestly don't know how I am going to get all this in! I think I may have over shopped.;) Maybe I'll go and get another suitcase today. I bet we don't wear half of it. Especially DD, maybe I'll get her one of those hugh old steamer trunks! It might all fit in that.

See everyone very very soon!!!!!!!! Happy and safe travels to you all!:teeth:

[denise5374]

Thanks for that beautiful picture...my heart leapt when I saw it. As I am unpacking my moving boxes I cam across the picture we had taken on the Wonder in 2002...it was the first "decoration" in the living room!!!

Today is also my last day of work....also heading on the Autotrain (See ya tomorrow, Mike) Need to go home tonight and pack. Heading off the the Grocery store at lunch today to pick up some snacks for the car and train ride.

We are looking forward to meeting all of you! I can't believe that it is only 2 days away now........
:jumping1: :jumping1: :cool1: :thewave:

Steve, I will be celebrating my 35th birthday on board...and I don't look a day over 21 LOL

[denise5374]

What time is the meet set for on Saturday?

I know this has been covered before but I don't remember......

We are having one at the radisson at 8:00pm by the pool, Saturday ??????

Thanks......

[goingbacksoon]

Denise -

I believe the Sat. meet is after the safety drill in the Promenade Lounge. Hopefully you will be there with us and not at the Radisson :p Sorry, that was too easy, lol.

As for Friday, I think they had said the Radisson at 8PM or something. I'm sure someone else will fill you in.

How does it feel to be in a new house by the way? Excitement on two fronts!

Alan

[denise5374]

See what happens when you try to do too many things at once...your typing suffers.

Yes, Friday night at 8pm at the Radisson pool. Saturday after the Safety Drill at the Promenade Lounge...I think I got it!!!

The house is coming together. We now have living room furniture and all the bedroom furniture. The kitchen is getting a minor renovation while we are away and then we will be all sewt. Thanks for asking!! It is very exciting!!!

[Credit Man]

Hey, Denise. What is your ETA in Lorton tomorrow? We are leaving the house at 8:00 and hope to get there around 12:30.

[denise5374]

Hey Mike,
We are leaving about 9am and should be there about 1pm....I think.
Will probably have to get lunch then. No room in the car for a cooler.....

[lynr]

Jennifer:

I just wanted to stop by and say congratulations! My family and I were on your engagement cruise last year. We will miss you by one week. We are on the 28th cruise. Have a great cruise.

Lyn:sunny:

[DuncanLL]

We might check out Grills for dinner on Friday night too. Did you see they have a 10% off coupon on their website???? Every bit helps...

Linda

[dannyb]

Originally posted by steverog
Hello everyone I guess a little late than never. I've been so busy of late and haven't been on the boards much. Just reading through the thread and it seem's like we got some great people going. My DS is so excited about getting his picture with Mr. Andy, can you blame him I'm pretty excited too. This trip we are celebrating my beautiful wife's 40th birthday. She's pretty fortunate no one has ever guessed her to be over 35.

I have posted a picture below to let everyone know what is the first moment of excitement. That kind of excitement we adults don't have too often anymore. The kind of excitement that makes goose bumps pop out. When that big luxury vessel comes plainly into view as your traveling down the highway almost there and you know that is your new home for the next week. And most rewarding is the kid's reaction.

I went to Disney in my early 20's and was sad to realize the level of excitement I had as a kid was gone, however this past year I've been fortunate enough to see Disney through my kid's eyes and the level of excitement is more than I ever imagined.

http://www.westcobbpinestraw.com/dclboat3.jpg

Steve: thanks for that post - it brought back very strong memories of our first DVC cruise 2 years ago and how we all felt coming up that road and seeing the ship docked and knowing we would be aboard it in a few hours.

Well, we're (finally) going to start packing tonight. Most of it will be tomorrow night, though -- we leave early Friday morning. See you real soon.

[disney3144]

Well we are about 90% packed. Just need a few odds and ends tomorrow night.
Thanks for the picture of the ship steverog. She is a beautiful sight.
Everyone have safe travels. See you at the meet on Friday,

Jennifer

[Disney/Cheer Mom]

Denise - sent you a PM

[Disney/Cheer Mom]

Steverog - Thanks for the great picture. What a beautiful site!!!

Safe traveling to everyone. See ya on Saturday.

[Marcotta]

OK all packed (frantically!!) and ready to go. Leaving EARLY tomorrow.

Will see you all real soon!!:hyper:

[Shygirl]

Last night my son said to me that he had to go to bed, I said why, he said because he has a big day tommrow. I said what is your big day. He said " it is the day before our trip" :p

It was so cute.

Safe travels to all. See ya saturday. I can't beleive we are down to days now.:Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :thewave:

[Disney/Cheer Mom]

Shygirl - My son also made a comment last night about having to go to bed early. When I asked him why he said " The sooner I go to bed the sooner it'll be time to leave for the cruise."

See everyone soon!

[Shygirl]

Disney/Cheer Mom


Too cute. LOL

:earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

[goingbacksoon]

Hmm... I think we have everything in there now. *Sits on suitcases to close them* Hopefully so.... :cool:

Nah, not as bad as I thought actually. Just a few last essentials in the morning before we head off for a 5AM car pickup. Hopefully the Friday morning rush won't be terrible, nor will our bags be selected for thorough search.

Safe travels for all! See you all soon!

Alan

[Gayle17]

Alan if we don't cross paths in the rainforest we will certainly see you at the Promenade Deck Lounge

Have a safe trip.

Gayle (who still has not packed yet)

[DuncanLL]

Ok. It's 1:30 this morning and I think we're finally packed and ready to go. Just have to change the voice mail at work and we're all set. We'll leave for the airport @7am.

See everyone down there!

Linda

PS: These were the kids today - :bounce: :Pinkbounc

[Shygirl]

I can't beleive the day it today. Well to travel. Im so excited. Just a few last things to pack and we are ready. The dreadful thing is making sure the fridge is cleaned out and all garbage is gone. Oh well at least I dont' have to clean up for a week. That will be a nice break.

Happy and safe travels to everyone. See ya after the drill


:Pinkbounc :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
:earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

:thewave:

[Shygirl]

ok we are all packed. What am i going to do for the rest of the day

:)

see ya soon :wave2:

[Verandah Man]

My family and I will be at the Radisson tonight (Friday) afterall. For those who we don't meet at the Radisson, we will be looking for you at the terminal or on the ship!!!

[Hygiene99]

8/21/04 Cruisers

HAVE A GREAT TRIP ...

WITH THE V MAN

[disney3144]

Well we just got home about 45 minutes ago. WOW....what a trip! It was awesome. I hope everyone makes it home safely. Talk to everyone tomorrow, I've got to get some sleep.

Jennifer

[goingbacksoon]

We just got back tonight. Now we have souvenirs and luggage strewn all about the living room.... the sign of a good trip! We had a blast, and I hope everyone else did too. My sentiments exactly Jennifer, WOW!

It was so nice meeting everyone, the Monday brunch group, Linda, Jennifer [(jweiss) and the ultra cute baby to boot], Andy and Hazel and Angelina. There are others I met too, but I can't think right now. It feels like 1:30 AM because we're still on FL time.

Had a rum cake for dessert, and it made me want to go right back to the airport and head on another cruise!

More tomorrow!

Alan

[disney3144]

Ok, now that I have gotton some sleep and unpacked most of our suitcases, I want to tell everyone what a wonderful trip that was. I really enjoyed meeting everyone....Andy & Hazel, Denise & Rex, Mike & Vicki and everyone else. Andy, I want to thank you for setting up the meet at the Radisson, and the brunch at Palo. You are so great!
I have to say that St. Thomas was my favorite (besides Castaway Cay). It was such a beautiful island...beyond words.
We had wonderful tablemates. Carl, Dawn, and thier girls Sophie, and Kirsten. They were from England. I can't say enough good things about them. Our servers were Subhash from India...he was great and Baiyok...she was not. Actually, halfway through the cruise, they removed her, and a different guy took her place. Not sure what his name was. He was SO much better than her.
Well, that's it for now. My kids want to go to the pool.

Jennifer

[Verandah Man]

We just walked in the door about 45 minutes ago. We woke up this morning in Santee, SC with Tropical Storm Gaston knocking on our motel room door. The parking lot at our motel was nearly completely under water. We jumped in the car and headed north. We ran into some heavy rain bands and strong winds, but we made it home safe and sound!!!!!

Now, it's time to unpack the suitcases, and get back to reality.


We had a MAGICal time, and it was "GREAT" meeting "EVERYONE," I even met a fellow DIS'er in the DCL Terminal as we were gathering our suitcases to leave.

Let's see, this time last Sunday, my family was having our Formal Night dinner in Animator's Palate. Oh, the memories!!!!!

[goingbacksoon]

Wow, at least you only hit the bad weather in your transit to/from Florida, Andy For the cruise though, we had smooth and silky seas.

And yes, at this time, Shelby and I were enjoying dinner in Parrot Cay in our formal attire.

Good meeting Angelina, Hazel, and you Andy.

Alan

[Verandah Man]

Same here Alan, it was fun meeting and bumping into you and Shelby in the hallway!!!

It was sad leaving the ship, but it sure is nice to be home again!!!

:wave2:

[Gayle17]

Andy I am so glad you made it home in one piece. It was fun meeting everyone.

The cruise was awesome - I am now trying to figure out how to swing another one in the near future.

It is hard to get back to the real world - no one was putting my napkin on my lap and serving me today lol

St. Thomas was my favorite - St. John was beautiful as well.

We sat with a very nice family from Long Island and our servers were Liam and Nos and they were wonderful.


Gayle

[Shygirl]

We got home last night around 9:30. It was a nice trip. It was nice meeting all of you. Thanks Gayle for setting up the brunch at Palo's Mike and enjoyed it.

Dinner at Palo's was great. Our best dinner. We feel that the dinners were the best and the buffet was not very good. The pizza and hamburgers were good. So was room service. The kids had a blast. I am glad that they had the lab for them.

We loved the St. Thomas stop. We are going to vacation there next. Puerto Rico stop wasn't to great for us. Castaway Cay was the best snorkeling that we every saw. We were very pleased with Serenity Bay. The family beach wasn't that great. We didn't appreciate the life guards yelling at us (Me and DH) to put a life vest on when we snorkeled on that beach. We could swim without the vest. Didn't make sence to us. Because of the storm we didn't have very much time there. As soon as we got off the boat we took the kids to the club and then we went to Serenity Bay. We snorkeled so long that I missed Cookies bbq. :rolleyes: oh well the snorkeling was well worth it. That is one of the highlight of our trip. We didn't like that the pools closed@ 12. We also didn't like all the kids running around after 12. Would have been nice if there was a curfew for the kids. Other than that we had a great time. The weather was great. :bounce: :bounce:

Hope all of you had a great trip

[Gayle17]

Sarah is the one to thank for setting up the brunch. I had nothing to do with setting it up.

We enjoyed our dinner at Palo's also, the chocolate souffle was to die for. I wasn't crazy about the buffet and we never ate dinner there only lunch a few times.

We didn't get to snorkle because of the storm but Disney refunded our equipment rental money so we will have to save that activity for another trip. That is too bad that you missed out on the BBQ - it was delicious.

I agree with you about Puerto Rico - I don't need to go there again. I would love to try out a resort on St. Thomas, though.

I noticed those kids running around at all hours also, I agree there should be better supervision of them late at night.

Gayle

[goingbacksoon]

San Juan was nice, but it wasn't as tourist friendly as Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas. It looked as metropolitan as any other U.S. city. On the plus side though, the rainforest was beautilful (albeit with chilly water in the falls) and good prices on rum. :drinking1:

Palo brunch was probably the best meal we had the whole trip, but not far behind was Palo dinner, captain's gala, and the pirate menu.

[Shygirl]

Sarah thank you for making the reservations for the brunch. It was great. :D

Was looking at the pictures last night. I want to go back. We took over a thousand pictures. Lots to go thru for the scrapbook. I am starting on that today.

Have a great day, and welcome home.:wave2:

[denise5374]

Just wanted to say that it was really great to meet fellow DISers on board! We had a fabulous brunch on Sunday (Thanks Andy!!). It was nice to walk around the ship and see people that you know!

We are planning on going again in 2006 probably the same week. ANybody else??

I hope everyone had a safe journey home and you are all getting back into routine....since school is starting soon.......:earseek:

[goingbacksoon]

More like started already Denise, lol. Another year, another set of classes to conquer. Now I just need to get those darn books!

I miss having gourmet meals... pizza hut just doesn't cut it, hehe.

Alan

[Gayle17]

I am thinking about the summer of 06 as well but was thinking of doing a week in July to avoid stressing over hurricane season.

It seems like such a long time to wait lol

Getting ready to return to work next Tuesday and just dropped $60 at the teacher's store today. The summer vacation is just never long enough.

Gayle

[Verandah Man]

I am thinking about the summer of 06 as well but was thinking of doing a week in July to avoid stressing over hurricane season.


That's why DW and I decided that the two of us will take a cruise sometime next Spring.

[Gayle17]

I saw there is a Western on the week I am off in April - that is very tempting lol

Gayle

[denise5374]

We would love to do 2005 but with just buying the house I don't know that we can swing it...I was seriously contemplating doing a 4 day however...a nice long weekend.....

[Disneycrazymom]

Glad everyone is getting home and back to "real life". We also are back at school and sports.:teeth: I am sorry that we missed the meet but did get to see Cheer Mom and Verandah Man! I would have liked to get to know everyone. We also are looking at 2006 summer, but maybe June as I found it hard to be ready for school with going in Aug. We all had a wonderful time and can not wait to return!:teeth:

[disney3144]

We are also looking at doing another cruise in August of 06. DH is trying to talk his brother & his family to come with us. However, his brother doesn't like Disney:earseek: :earseek:
But his wife really wants to go. We'll see.

Jennifer

[goingbacksoon]

Reading the "Amazing Rescues at sea" thread somehow reminded me of this...

Does anyone know what the deal was with the person who had be flown back to the mainland for medical reasons? Or for that matter, if they made it okay.

Alan

[Verandah Man]

Originally posted by goingbacksoon
Reading the "Amazing Rescues at sea" thread somehow reminded me of this...

Does anyone know what the deal was with the person who had be flown back to the mainland for medical reasons? Or for that matter, if they made it okay.

Alan




Our tablemates told us that it was a woman that might have been suffering through an etopic(sp) pregnancy. That was the latest that I heard.

[Shygirl]

My DH seams to think that the person was dead because the person was covered with a tarp and no one was tending to the person. I don't know I wasn't there to see. I would like to know what did happen.

[Mulljac]

We also are waiting to book for either late June, early July 2006. My kids start school tomorrow and we don't like coming off vacation mode right into school mode. This is the first time we have ever taken a late vacation during the summer. We like to go away as soon as the kids finish with school. It gives us all a break! Hope to see some of you again.

[Gayle17]

We also heard it was a pregnancy related problem.
Gayle

[disney3144]

I also heard it was pregnancy related. I saw her get into the life boat. She was sitting in a wheelchair with an IV hooked up to her. She looked good to me. Her husband and small son got in the lifeboat with her.

Jennifer

[goingbacksoon]

Well everyone, it certainly looks like we got out just in time to avoid facing Frances' wrath. While I'm sure they are enjoying their cruise, it must be tough to be waiting out the storm in Galveston knowing the impending damage it will cause to the Florida coast. I had joked to Shelby before that maybe being stuck out at sea wouldn't be so bad, but when you think of the circumstances that cause you to potentially stay out at sea, it doesn't seem so rosy.

Andy, how's your mother holding up?

Prayers to her, and to everyone in Frances' path.

Alan

[Verandah Man]

Originally posted by goingbacksoon
Well everyone, it certainly looks like we got out just in time to avoid facing Frances' wrath. While I'm sure they are enjoying their cruise, it must be tough to be waiting out the storm in Galveston knowing the impending damage it will cause to the Florida coast. I had joked to Shelby before that maybe being stuck out at sea wouldn't be so bad, but when you think of the circumstances that cause you to potentially stay out at sea, it doesn't seem so rosy.

Andy, how's your mother holding up?

Prayers to her, and to everyone in Frances' path.

Alan


I just this minute got off the phone with my mom. My mom will be heading to her friend's house about 11 miles away to the city of Deland on Friday afternoon. My mom lives in a mobile home, so it will be safer for her to go in town. My mom has been in Florida, all of six weeks, and is getting ready to go through her second hurricane. I told my mom to call us once Frances passes her area so that we know she is safe and sound. I know she, and all those in the path of Frances, appreciate your prayers!!!

Andy

[Gayle17]

Andy I am glad your mom is going some place safe. A mobile home is not a good place to ride out a storm.

Gayle

[denise5374]

Our prayers also go out to Andy and his mom. Please let us know when you hear from her.....

[Credit Man]

Hi guys! Just got home today, after a wonderful week at WDW. We had so much fun on the cruise. and enjoyed meeting all of you. I would like to add my thanks to Andy for setting up the brunch.
Andy, hope all is well with your mom.
Kristin had a great time meeting so many new friends and hopes to keep in touch with them.
Back to reality on Tues.
Thanks again to everyone.

[Verandah Man]

We just called my mom at her friend's house which is about a 45 minute drive north of Orlando. They are getting lots of rain and strong winds. The way Frances is moving so slow, it could be a few days before my mom is allowed back to her home.

[DuncanLL]

We've been so swamped since we got home last Sunday night I haven't had a chance to post, but just wanted to say our family had one our best vacations EVER!

Even after 6 cruises, they just keep getting better.

Emily & Alex had a blast and loved meeting so many new friends. I'm sure you'll be hearing from them soon.

Ironically, as our beloved Castaway Cay was being pounded by Frances, we were out today getting a new car to replace the one we had totaled by Hurricane Alex last month.

It's back to school, soccer, and life on the proverbial hamster wheel come Tuesday.

Everyone enjoy the weekend!

Linda:wave2:

[Verandah Man]

I was just talking with my mom. The house that she is staying in is about 25-30 miles west of New Smyrna Beach, FL.

My mom said that they lost their electric about 7am this morning and are getting hit with 60-70 mph winds and very heavy rains. I'm just hoping that when my mom gets back to her mobile home community her home is still standing.

Please continue to pray for all those effected by Frances.

[Disneycrazymom]

Andy I hope your Mom got good news as she went back home! It looks like Frances was just awful.:( Please keep us posted about how she is doing.

Best wishes to all the kids headed back to school this morning. DS started last week and DD goes for her "playtime with the teacher" at Pre-K this morning then really starts tomorrow. I miss summer already!!!!

Is anyone else starting a post cruise diet? I gained 4 pounds!:eek: (It sure was fun though)

My kids are begging for a trip to the world, I think we are all suffering from a big case of vacation let down!::yes::

[denise5374]

Mike and family,Glad you made it back safe and sound...was thinking about you trying to get home.

We also had a great time on the cruise. I can't believe that it has only been a week since we got home...have been so busy since we got home that I feel like I never left!!

Looks like it will be August 19, 2006 when we get back on board........Ohhhhhh don't think I can wait that long......

Andy, I hope you Mom is doing Ok and can get back home soon.

[Verandah Man]

My mom was able to get back to her community on Monday afternoon. There was minimal damage done to her mobile home, she also lost a few trees, and her yard was underwater. Her area still doesn't have any power so she went back to her friends house for a few more days. Hopefully, Ivan will stay away from Florida. I think Florida has suffered enough!!!

Post cruise diet started here last Wednesday, LOL, oh those desserts, I just couldn't resist them!!!

[goingbacksoon]

Good to hear about your Mom Andy, glad it was only mostly cosmetic damage.
I can't help but wonder what Floridians did to have two (and potentially three) devastating hurricanes within a month of each other.

It does feel like a long time since we got off Denise. Shelby and I should have stowed away. I could have stayed in the Galley after the tour. I can see the dessert chef asking "where did all the creme brulee cheesecake go??" while I snicker in the corner, scraping the plates clean with a fork and savoring the evidence.

It's been baking here - 101 on Sunday and burning up yesterday at DL. Hopefully the weather will be good enough for everyone else too.

Alan

[jweiss]

Wow. Home and finally catching up on e-mail. Me and the kids.... Chelsea, Karli, and Emilie.... were to be at WDW after the cruise until 9/3. Being on vacation, I wasn't really paying attentio to the news, and being from CA, I had no experience with hurricanes. So, by the time Wednesday rolled around, it was already too late to get an earlier flight out. We were supposed to leave on Friday. We FINALLY got a flight back home late Tuesday 9/7/04. It was a LONG week-end. Emilie got a cold the last day of the cruise, then chelsea and karli got it. I am still wiped out from trying to hole it all together during those LONG days. Will write more later. ~Jennifer

[Verandah Man]

Glad to hear that you made it back home safe and sound Jennifer. It sure was nice meeting you in the terminal and on the Magic, that Emilie sure is a sweetie!!!

[Credit Man]

Jennifer,
Sounds like quite and end to your trip. Hope everyone is feeling better.
It was a pleasure running into you and the girls here and there.

[jweiss]

Verandah Man......can i have the link to your website.....I can't find it, and now want to look at the pics of the people cruising.... Thanks!!!

[Verandah Man]

Originally posted by jweiss
Verandah Man......can i have the link to your website.....I can't find it, and now want to look at the pics of the people cruising.... Thanks!!!



It's www.verandahman.com if you click on 8-21-04 Cruise List, you we see some of those who we sailed with.

[Marcotta]

Wow Jennifer!!

Glad you finally made it back! It was a pleasure meeting you on the cruise!

Scott

[Colestat]

Hi All,
I got home from work today and found a wonderful postcard from Mickey and the Gang. (Thankyou Andy).

I can't believe we have been home a month already. We had such a fabulous time.

Our top 5:

1 - Snorkeling at Coki Beach in St. Thomas
2 - Seeing Ducky Williams draw
3 - Winning a Pluto drawing (it is now framed and hanging in our living room next to "Pals Playing Pirates at Castaway Cay")
4 - Total relaxation
5 - Meeting Disers - seeing familiar faces throughout the ship.


Sarah - Thankyou for the lightup pens. My boys love them.

Andy - Thankyou for planning the bunch, my husband and I really enjoyed it.

We rebooked while on board :tongue: - (currently a Sept 05 date) - We will switch to an 06 date when they open up. Did anyone else rebook? If so, when are you headed back?

Hope everyone is adjusting well to life in the real world.

Sue

[Disneycrazymom]

We also rebooked and want to move to 06. I think the new dates will open up this week, maybe Wed.;)

My son won a drawing also (he took the Minnie for DD) but I have not framed it yet. Actually I had sort of forgotten, I need to do that this week! Mr. Williams was so talented, we went to watch both times!

[goingbacksoon]

Wow, the Disboards were certainly lucky at the Ducky Williams sessions. We won a Simba drawing which we still need to get framed. We were at the same one you were at Susan, and while I know we didn't meet formally I thought to myself "Hey she looks familiar, she was on Andy's website as Colestat."

By the way Andy-Mickey, it's amazing how with all the worrying you must be doing with your mother that you can still remember to send relative strangers postcards. That's truly remarkable and a testament to your big heart. We got ours this afternoon, and like Susan, it seems like we were just there. Thanks so much, Shelby and I appreciate the thought.

We are on for July 17th '05, although with it being six days and all, we may convince ourselves to take a seven-day from Orlando instead during December '05. Christmas is suuuure nice on board (and that time is less-expensive too), although I don't know if we could bear the Magic being next door and us not on it.

Decisions, decisions... oh well, time to get back to studying microbiology. :rolleyes:

Alan

[Verandah Man]

Hazel and I rebooked while onboard for October 2005 to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary. It will just be the two of us. This past Saturday, we booked ourselves for the special 4 day sailing of the Magic on January 4, 2005. We usually don't book vacations during the winter months, but we said, what the heck, let's go for it. This will be our first vacation, for the two of us by ourselves, since Angelina came into our lives. We met a great DIS'er family, that lives near my mom in Florida this past August, and we will be cruising with them in January.

It was great getting to meet all of you in August.

BTW, my mom is doing well, she did evacuate again for Hurricane Jeanne, and when she arrived back home yesterday, her yard was under water and she didn't have any power. We have started calling my mom "Hurricane Vi." I even told her she should change her e-mail address from "floridamomma318" to "Hurricane_Vi" she didn't think that was very funny though!!!

We have the Ducky Williams painting that I won during the silent auction on our living room wall as well. The litho that we were given on the ship is being framed, and once we pick that up from the store, it will be joining Ducky's other painting on our wall.

Well, it's time to get ready for work.

Andy

[denise5374]

Hi all..

I can't believe it has been a month since we disembarked.....what a month it has been.

We got our postcard that we mailed to ourselves from CC in yesterdays mail.

We are also planning on going back in 2006 probably the same week we did this year, it should be the 3rd week of August.

Andy, I am glad you mom is making out OK with her rash of hurricaines.

Hope everyone is doing well and getting back into the "school routine"!!!

[lalapodip]

Wow, thanks for the postcard! What a nice surprise to remind us of our MAGICal holiday. My girls wish that they could live on the Magic :) and boy do I sure wish that I could say that we'd rebooked, but someday, maybe, who knows......

[Mulljac]

Colestat,
I sent you a pm.

[jweiss]

What a FUN surprise to get another post card from Mickey!!! It will go in the scrapbook with all the others. I hope that Mickey always knows how much these "little" touches mean to the recipients!!!

p.s. Parental rights on Emilie's bio parents were terminated last week.........A huge step in our lives.....

[Verandah Man]

Parental rights on Emilie's bio parents were terminated last week.........A huge step in our lives.....



Congratulations, we know that feeling all too well!!!!!!!!!

Andy :wave2:

[Gayle17]

I loved the postcard Andy - it really made my day. That is great that you and your wife will get a trip alone. You certainly deserve it.

It is so hard to believe that it was only a month ago that we were on the ship. It doesn't look like we will do another Disney cruise until 2006 and definitely not in August lol

I will, however, get my Mickey fix this Jan with a long weekend trip to WDW and in Feb. we are going to California for a week and will spend part of that time at Disneyland.

Regards.
Gayle