1/15/2005

[mickeymom30]

Did anyone who just sailed on the 1/17/04 rebook for the same thing in 2005?princess:

[jkovick]

DH and I didn't sail in January this year, but we will be on 1-15-04 Western!

[mark & sandra]

Yep, we did. Were you on the "According to Jim" cruise also? We booked a Cat.# 6 rm on Deck 6 just forward of the Aft elevators. It was our 1st cruise and it was great!

[mickeymom30]

We were also on the According to Jim cruise. What a blast. We booked for the same week next year. I remember reading your posts before the cruise about being nervous. I am glad to hear you had fun. That was our 3rd cruise with Disney and they have been great every time! Did you meet any of the other people that posted on this site? We will have to keep in touch throughout the year to make time go by faster! We are from CT also enjoying this lovely weather!! My e-mail is dsitler90@msn.com. Talk to you later.

[mark & sandra]

Yer we met MNMom at the Radisson and kept bumping in to her group throughout the cruise. We found out that out tablemates were also a Dis family, FabFam4. They had cruised before and were a great help and helped make our 1st cruise that much better. Did you get in any shots? During the sail away party we happened to be the 1st group off the stage next to the handrails and the shot where Jim knocked Goofy off happened right in front of us. I'm wearing a yellow shirt (same color as Jim was wearing) and the only way we are out of the shot is if they mask us out.

[mickeymom30]

I will be looking for you on According to Jim. I don't think we got in any of the shots. I thought there would of been much more opportunity. I noticed they used alot of the abc staff as extras! Have you notice how much the price of the 1/15/05 has gone up since we booked!! Glad I booked when I did.

[mark & sandra]

We had booked through All Seasons Travel for our Cat.#6 cabin and they had a price of 3575.00 for our group of 4. They beat the best of all the others by 610.00. The on board price for our next cruise for the same cat.#6 and deck was 3995.00 (that was with the 10% disc. included) and an add. 200.00 cabin credit brings the actual costs to 3795.00, a 200.00 increase from this years costs. Not too terrible of an increase. Did you book with AllSeasons too? Their web site lists their prices www.*************.com

[mickeymom30]

We have always booked through DCL. We did this time as well and I have looked at other web sites for prices and so far I haven't found anything to beat what I have.
We always get a Cat 11. Our price for 2005 is actually less then 2004 with the 10% off! But I just checked the price again for 2005 and it has gone up by about 400. I wish I was there now we are getting a big storm today! :(

[mark & sandra]

bump

[mickeymom30]

what does "bump" mean?

[mark & sandra]

It's an easy way to bring a post that has slipped back a page or two back to the top of the first page. It is bumping the thread back to the top.

[FlynnStone]

Just booked our first ever Disney Cruise for the week of 15JAN05. Can't wait! We have a Cat 3, and are travelling with our 11 (12 by then) and 3 (4 by then) year old sons. If anyone wants to stay in touch, possibly introduce our kids, let me know! We have so much to read/learn about before we go!

[mickeymom30]

Originally posted by FlynnStone
Just booked our first ever Disney Cruise for the week of 15JAN05. Can't wait! We have a Cat 3, and are travelling with our 11 (12 by then) and 3 (4 by then) year old sons. If anyone wants to stay in touch, possibly introduce our kids, let me know! We have so much to read/learn about before we go!

Congrats on booking your first cruise. You are going to have a great time. We just went 1/17/04 and as you know we are going again 1/15/05. The only problem being is that it is too long of a wait!! I could leave tomorrow if given the chance. Well we will be in touch via the thread.

[kellimomo3]

We are also on board for the 1/15/05 Western cruise. This is our first Disney cruise. My husband and I cruised RCCL on our honeymoon but have not cruised since!! We have three sons ages 8, 6, & 4. We welcome any suggestions from experienced Disney cruisers and would love to hear from others on our cruise with children the same ages as ours!!::MickeyMo

[mickeymom30]

Hi fellow cruisers,
Question for Mark and Sandra. If I remember correctly you stayed at the Radisson this past Jan. the night before the cruise. I am thinking of doing that in 2005. Did you like it and did it work out well for you. Where did you book it through and how was the rate. I looked at their web site and they don't have the rates for 2005 yet. Thanks for any info.

[karebear1]

My DH and are are taking our first ever cruise on this date as well. We will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary and we are both very excited. We have 3 grown children 2 girls- 20 and 23 and a boy 22. While they ARE old, we ARE NOT- DH is 48 and I am 44- We jsut started and ended early (and it's a good thing we did as I would have absolutley NO energy to keep up with kids right now - although I do love them!) We would love to get some suggestions or hear your stories from previous cruises. Any good tips? I have this fear that I'm gonna miss getting ressies for Palo's and all that other good stuff!

[big jack 2002]

We are going to be on the Jan 15, 2005 cruise, too. My husband, myself, 3 grown children and their familes, 4 girls--9, 7, 7, and 3 and a boy 3....My daughter in law's parents and her sister....and another couple our age!! Our grandchildren's second cruise. The older ones are already looking at excusions to plan for.

[mark & sandra]

hey mickeymom30- We enjoyed the Radisson alot. We booked it using the tips on www.mousesaver.com and we got a 2 king bed room with a jacuzzi in the bedroom for 109.00 using AAA rate. The hotel is great. Food is easy to get, either the restaurant or next door is a pizza place, and a short drive to everything else. We booked a car from Budget, 1 way from MCO for 26.00 and the drop off was a 3 minute walk from the Radisson. It was rather cold the night of 1/16 so we didn't let the kids swim at the pool, but they made up for it in the bedroom Jacuzzi. All in all we liked it enough to want to book it again. Why don't we both keep our eyes out for deals and let each other know if either finds any?

[mickeymom30]

Mark and Sandra, Thanks for the tips on the Radisson. We are definetly going to stay there the night of the 14th. I hope their buses head over to the port early in the a.m. I would like to be on the boat by 11:00. I will definetly let you know if I find a good deal. Thanks.

[mark & sandra]

Once you have a ressie you can call and ask to reserve space on the 1st shuttle over to the port. You need to bring all your luggage to the front door area and when your group is called to board you must bring your luggage to the rear of the shuttle to be put on and then board. I saw many people looking for their luggage when we got to the pier and discover that their luggage was not put on. They thought someone else would do it for them since their name was called.

[mark & sandra]

bump

[MommyTo5]

Our family is on the 1/15/05 cruise as well! :wave: Our kids will be 14 (girl), 8 (boy), 7/7 (boy/girl twins), and 4 (boy) at the time of the cruise! We are VERY excited!!!

~ Angie
MommyTo5

[kellimomo3]

Hi Angie,
I just emailed you to introduce my family. We will be on the cruise as well with boys the same ages as yours!! Stay in touch!!
:earsboy: :earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

[mark & sandra]

For anyone not yet sure of where to stay. We decided to skip the Radisson and try the new resort Ron Jon's. We used a code found on these boards (102) and we were able to book a 1 bedroom for 108.00. The studio's are available for 75.00. the sites are:
http://www.ronjonresort.com/default.shtml
http://www.ronjonresort.com/suites.shtml

Hope to meet up with some of you before the cruise.

[karebear1]

Thnaks for the tip! We will be staying at the BCV's the week before the cruise and driving down that Saturday morning. Do you think that's ok?

[mark & sandra]

karebear1- Are you keeping the car during your cruise? Do you plan on parking at the pier? If you came to the Port 1 day earlier and stayed at a hotel like the Radisson (maybe Ron Jon's too) you could save the 70.00 you'll pay for parking because parking is free at some hotels while you are cruising.

[karebear1]

we've decided against renting a car this time. Because we are coming in on the 7th and will be in FL until the 22nd we've decided that we would just get a towncar to transfer us from the airport to the BCV's then from BCV's to Pt Canaveral then form Pt Canaveral to the airport. I looked on FL tours and it would cost about 235.00 to do this- which I think would be more cost efficient then renting at this point. So- i think we could come down anytime. Have you ever done a towncar drop off at the port? I'm just wondering how smooth they are. We've never used a towncar service and I'm a little nervous about it.

[Phyllisi]

Our family will also be on the 1/15/05 cruise. We booked while on board the 2/21/04. This will be our 4th 7 night Magic cruise. Sad to say, but this will be the most we ever paid for a DLC cruise because Disney did away with the military discount.

[kellimomo3]

Welcome Phyllis!!
Are you traveling with children?? If so, what are their ages?? We are on that cruise as well. We have three boys 8,6 & 4.
:earsboy: :earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

[Imsproutingears]

We've booked our first Disney cruise on October 2nd.----SOOOOO EXCITED. Do you save much by booking while on board for future cruises?
:Pinkbounc

[karebear1]

I have a friend that may book on this cruise that has 2 boys. When they sail they will be 15 and almost 12. Anyone out there have kids in these age ranges? She's partuicularly worried because they would be in 2 different kid groups on the ship. Will they let the 12 yo go with the 15 yo?

[FlynnStone]

My then-12 y.o. boy will be on the cruise. You can PM me if they decide to go, and we can make sure they meet.

[karebear1]

Thta'd be great! I'll let her know that a connection- maybe that'll help her make her decision. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

[mark & sandra]

Hey karebear1- You could tell her about this site, If this doesn't hook her nothing will.
The only way for them to be together is if the 12 year old can move up to the older group. How close to 13 is he and how mature does he act?

[karebear1]

She knows about this site- I've been talking her ear off about the cruise thread and she's visited it before when she plans trips- actually, she's the one that showed me the site! Anyway- Her son will just be truning 12 the month after the cruise- but he's a big kid- almost as tall as his 15 year old brother. Maturity? I don't know. I don't really have daily or even yearly contact with the kids as they live in Wi, and I live here in Or. But they're both pretty good kids- honor roll- gifted and talented etc.

[mickeymom30]

Yeah!! We are out of the 300's. Only 298 days left!:Pinkbounc :bounce: princess:

[karebear1]

I KNOW!!! It's exciting isn't it??? Gee.... if I lose a pound a day for the next 298 days.... I'll disappear! Better re-work my weight loss expectations! ;)

[ErinColette]

Hi everyone! I thought I would introduce myself to my fellow passengers! My fiance (Robbie) and I will also be on the cruise celebrating our honeymoon!!! We will get married on a Carnival Cruise ship that sails January 8, 2005 and then hop on a Disney Cruise for our honeymoon the day the Carnival "Glory" gets back in port!

I cant wait.. I think about it all day long at work, dont get anything done, my boss yells at me... I dont know if I can wait for another 9 months! But then again I have a whole lotta planning to do for this whole wedding "thing" ;) so maybe I should wait! haha

-Erin

[big jack 2002]

Congratulations!!
What a wonderful honeymoon!! We are excited about our cruise, too. We'll see you in about nine more months.

[karebear1]

Congratualtions indeed!

Big Jack- In my teen yeras, I grew up in a small town not too far from Akron- , it's actually between Cleveland and Akron, called Chardon. Ever heard of it?

[big jack 2002]

Yes, It is only about 50 miles from here.

[karebear1]

Is anyone staying at Ron Jon's the night before we leave?
If not, where are you staying?

[mark & sandra]

Hello again karebear1- We decided to skip the Radisson and booked a room at Ron Jon's for the 14th. We used code 102 and got a 1 bedroom for 119.00 w/ tax. Where are you staying the night before

Sandra

[karebear1]

Sandra-
We were going to stay at BWV the night before, but I was reading about Ron Jons and I'm thinking about driving down the day before now and staying there. How are you getting from the resort to the port? And.... after the cruise is over, how are you getting back to the airport? I might change my mind back though because I was reading that check in time for Ron Jons is 4pm! Doesn't leave a lot of time to do too much there! THere are just so many decisions to make, that I just don't know what to do! SOOOOOOOOO FUN!!!!

[mark & sandra]

Don't let check-in time worry you. If a room is available they usually allow you to check-in as early as you get there. If not they allow you to use all the facilities on the premises until your room is ready. We were thinking of doing the one way rentals again from Budget like last year. We liked the flexibility it gave us for the evening before the cruise, even though we are at the resort we can still do some last minute running around to get whatever we forgot to bring. If Ron Jon's shuttle is a problem then we'll have Budget drop us off at the ship. Have you started to think about any excursions that your family may do? We did the Sting-ray and snorkle tour on Grand Cayman, and the royal swim with the dolphins in Cozumel.

[karebear1]

We are definetly looking at the sting ray swin. Did you book your tours through DCL or independantly? We'd also like to do some snorkeling- any suggestions? The rate for a studio unit at Ron Jons looks great. I was wondering if that 102 code was sill good for our check in dates- I think I read you used it. Why did you decide to take a 1 bedroom instead of a studio?
I also meant to as how the weather was for you on your cruise this January? Was it warm enough to swim?

[mark & sandra]

We booked our excursions directly. It is cheaper and we were in control. In Grand Cayman, the seas were very rough and they cancelled the tenders and ALL disney booked excursions. When we finally got off the boat, after moving to the other side of the island, we were already over 1 hour late for our excursion, we were met by the tour bus and told that we could go on the next boat out for the sting-ray swim, no problems at all. In Cozumel, I'd suggest you take a cab to Chananaab Park. Thats where the dolphin and sea lion excursion go. They have a great beach, plenty of area to snorkle, a calm sheltered kids beachfront, and a beachside restaurant. The cab costs 10.00 each way and the park is 10.00 per person. It's very clean and safe. I guess we switched to the 1 bedroom because of the extra area. Sometimes I can't get to sleep the night before a vacation and having the extra room to sit back and watch t.v. and not disturb everyone else is a good thing and it's only 20.00 more then the studio. I have also heard that the 1 bedroom comes with a washer/dryer in the room, if you're coming from a mini-vacation like you say, you can do laundry without leaving the room, as late as you'd like.

Sandra

[karebear1]

I think not being able to sleep the night before a Disney Vacation is a common phenomenom! And I say....... if the 1 br is only 20.00 /night- go for it! I'm gonna talk to DH about this tonite and I'll let ya know if we decide to saty at Ron Jons on Friday night. Are you bringing children along with you?

[mark & sandra]

Yes, we're bringing our DD12, and our DS10 ( that will be their ages by the time we cruise). We might even get to see them this time during dinner.

[karebear1]

From what I read on these boards- I don;t think you'll have any better chance at seeing your kids for dinner then you did last time!
I do have another question-
How did you get to the port the last time? What time did you get there? Did you eat at Palo's and if so- what was your experience in trying to sign up for that dinner? I just hatea confusion and the anxiety I feel while in line is just not worth it to me sometimes. I hate the thought of me getting there, standing in line nad then not getting into the restaurant!

[mark & sandra]

karebear1- We came in a day early and started out at Universal for the day. We headed to the port about 5pm. We checked into the Radisson a little after 6pm. We kept the rental until Sat. morning , and I brought it back about 9am and walked the 2 blocks back to the Radisson to wait for the shuttle to the ship.
We didn't do Palo on that trip, but hope to do it this time. After you check-in at the port, a line starts to form to enter the ship. Only 1 person needs to be there and I suggest you have someone stay there. People in the concierge level staterooms board first, and they usually book their spa and palo times before us regular folks. It would be wise to go straight to the area, wherever that is, and book Palo. If we find out where, we'll let you know. If your staying at Ron Jon's the night before, maybe you and Sandy can make plans to team-up for Palo and Spa ressies. ...Mark

[karebear1]

Would they let me make ressies for another couple as well as myself do you know?
I'm a little conerned about the waiting inline to get into the the check in area at the ship. You arrived pretty early- and had to wait to get in! Did you wait outside under the infamous white tent? When you finally did get in, where were you in the line to get on the ship?

[mark & sandra]

We got to the port at about 10:30am, we got off the shuttle and moved our luggage under a tented area. A DCL rep asked us to wait until our luggage was put into container for transfer over to the ship. They brought out, by forklift, a huge cargo box and we watched as everyones luggage was put on. We then walked across the street and had to wait about 5 minutes for the line to go through the metal detectors. Then it was up the escalators into the main room. They have a desk for those who are unsure of how to finish their documents. The line for check in is alot like a check-in line at Disney resorts. When a rep is free they call the next person over. You give them your completed documents, show proof for all passengers, register a credit card, and after you receive your kttw card( similar to the card you get at the resorts) , your done. I decided to get on the line for entry to the ship. We were there about 45 minutes and by then the line snaked clear across the room and then some. We were on within 10 minutes of when they finally allowed boarding. The concierge level people went on first, and since they were filming a sitcom on our cruise, about 100 crew members , and family of crew members went on with the first group. We boarded and went up to the top deck to explore. Sandy heard from a few people that the large group that pre-boarded had snatched up alot of the preferred times for Palo's. I think you'll need to post the question if someone can reserve for another person at Palo's or Spa....Mark

[kellimomo3]

Mark & Sandra,
I just saw your post that you did the dolphin swim in Cozumel. We are thinking of doing the dolphin encounter, we just can't decide whether or not to bring the boys. My oldest (8) would probably love it, bu the younger two (7 & 4) would probably be scared. I'm curious if you brought your kids, did they like it? Did you see anyone else's kids backing out from nerves?? If so, do you have any idea if those families were charged full price??

Are you guys going to Universal before your cruise this year too?? We are doing a week at Universal & Disney prior to the cruise and I just can't wait!! We have reservations at the Holiday Inn Family Suites for the week, but it will be the Nickolodeon Kid Suites Hotel by the time we go. We have reserved the Jimmy Neutron suite for $116 a night! The kids all eat free and it's convenient to both parks. What time do you suggest arriving at port on Saturday? We are doing REAS so I'm not concerned with making Palos/spa ressies. Thanks!!

January seems so far away!!

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[mark & sandra]

kellimomo3- I would suggest that you book directly with www.dolphidiscovery.com . We did and they offered to let our group in even though DCL and Shoretrips said it was booked full. I would also suggest you book the Royal Swim instead. For both excursions you start off doing the same thing, kiss the dolphin(photo op) shake hands with the dolphin(photo op), but in the Royal Swim they allow you and your child to swim out into the water, an instructor is already out there, and the dolphins push you by the feet so you rise out of the water. Then you both swim out again and the dolphins let you hold their top fin and they pull to the platform that you started at. Then they jump over poles that you two hold up in the air and then swim around the whole group. Your other 2 can walk around on the platform above and watch the whole thing and enjoy the show. I'd ask how young they allow, maybe one or two of the younger ones can join in.
We'll be doing Universal from Friday morning till we head to the Port, probably around 4pm-5pm. We've stayed at the HIFS before and it was great, you'll wonder why anyone ever stays on site when there are great resorts like this off site. They are undergoing MAJOR renovations, I'd call and see what part they have planned to be under construction during your visit. It could make a big difference.
Are you renting a car? If so it might pay to spend Friday night at the port instead of HIFS. You can then park the car for the whole cruise for free instead of paying 70.00 to park at the pier....Mark

[karebear1]

Mark&Sandra- how was the weather when you cruised this year? What about the water temp? Was it too cool to enjoy a verandah or the ships outside decks in the evening? Did it rain alot?

[kellimomo3]

Mark & Sandra,

We are renting a car at MCO from Budget. We are staying at HIFS for 6 nights, then driving to port in our rental Sat. AM, returning the car to Budget and heading to the port. We are planning to get there by 11am. How does that sound??
Thanks for the info on the Dolphin Swim. Did you see any kids that were scared?? My boys will be 8, 6 & 4. I think we will leave the younger two on the ship for this one!
As far as the renovations at HIFS, I called and they expect to be done by the end of the year so we should be okay. They are not closing for any part of their renovation so even if it's not done we still have a place to stay whether it's Nickolodeon Family Suites or HIFS!
Also wanted to ask the same question as Karebear, how's the weather in January?? Did you do REAS last time? We are thinking about trying it. We were planning on Palo and spa services anyway and it's a nice way to beat that embarktion stress.
Kelli


:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[mark & sandra]

karebear1- Temps were a bit chilly in Port Canaveral ( if 70 with wind) We only had 1 evening of rain and that only ruined activities on deck 9 & 10. There's plenty to do around the ship without going on top deck. It was never too cool to be on our verandah. It was too windy some of the time to enjoy some activities on decks 9 & 10. (ping-pong, and sunbathing). The pools are fresh water and heated, I don't think the kids really care how cold it was. Castaway Cay was very windy in the morning, water was even too cold for the kids to enjoy it until mid-afternoon.

kellimomo3- 11am sound o.k. The shuttle will drop you off by a tented area where you'll wait for them to load your bags onto containers for delivery to the ship. Afterwards you walk across the street to the DCL entrance. You'll line up to go through security (like at the airport) and then go up the escalator to check-in. After you check-in and get your kttw cards, you can line up for entry to the boat. If getting on early is important to you for Palo ressies, you might want to leave your husband after Budget drops you off and get across the street to line up. You can check-in for him upstairs while he saves a place on the line to go aboard. People in staterooms 1-3 get to board early and they take prime Palo and Spa times. Getting onboard early will really help.

[karebear1]

On My Gosh- it took me 30 minutes to find this thread! We gotta keep it bumped up to the front you guys!
Does anyone know if you can still sue the code for Ron Jon's - also- is Ron Jon's within walking distance of the port or do they have a shuttle tthat will take you to the port? I think we're goinna stay there Friday night.

[pershing]

Hi!

We are also on Jan. 15.

I am a single Mom with 3 sons, DS10, 8, 6. However DS8 has Autism, which may mean another counselor will be added to the kids area if available. (That's what they said last time anyway!)

We've done Wonder and they loved it so much they wanted to do a full week.

I've been to all the Eastern Islands when I was young and single so I 'm looking forward to seeing the Western side.

We won't be staying near the port the night before as I got really rates at the Swan for 3 days before.

I'm still deciding whether to drive or do towncar. I'm not sure how I would get from the car rental office to the port if I rented so I will probably towncar it just for convenience. I did that last time and it was so easy.

[mark & sandra]

I'll do my part to keep the thread alive. We just booked the Ca. to Fla. cruise for August 20th 2005. I knew this cruising thing was gonna get out of hand. Mark

[karebear1]

Mark & Sandra- Are you still sailing on the 1/15 ?

[mark & sandra]

Yes we are. When we rebooked last Jan., I reserved 2 staterooms instead of 1. When I saw that the Ca. to Fla. cruise looked so good I called AllSeasons and switched my extra room from Jan. 15th 2004, to Aug. 20th 2005. Now we're going both in Jan. and the following Aug. I was able to keep my stateroom credit of 200.00 and keep my 10% disc. when I switched the extra room. It certainly helped. I waited until 5:30 eastern time to book, and by then the price had spiked over 1000.00 more. Mark

[big jack 2002]

We were able to book the CA to FL trip, too. Almost all of our vacation time next year will be with Disney!!

[karebear1]

Does anyone have the phone number for Ron Jon's? I think I'm gonna call and make a ressie for Friday night.

[mark & sandra]

O.K. for all those on our 1/15/05 Western Cruise. We're just 8 months away today. Anyone start thinking of excursions yet? Has anyone decided on a place for the night before? We have a ressie for Ron Jon's. Mark

[karebear1]

8 months!!!! HOLY COW! It'll be here before we know it!

I'm thinking we're gonna stay at Ron Jon's - at least that's what I think for now! As for excursions.... we really want to do the sting ray thing and maybe some snorkeling- but I don't know anything about the snorkeling- do you??

[Houzer]

:bounce: Hi everyone we are booked for the January 15, 2005 cruise and there are eight of us. Four adults, two 12 year olds 1M/1F and 2 six year olds both M's. This is our first cruise and we are soooooo excited about it. Just wondering when people booked and if there were any deals. We booked though DCL since we are from Canada and found that the travel agents couldn't get us anything better then the DCL. We found when we called DCL's prices were better then the travel agents. I also have been reading that the Wonder is not accepting pillow cases anymore for signing is this the same for The Magic? Hope we can run into each other some time. Houzer:Pinkbounc


PS Can't figure out how to get the counter on here sorry



.:jumping1:

[mark & sandra]

Hello Houzer, and Welcome Aboard, pardon the pun. The best deals are had by rebooking onboard. Last year we received a 10% discount and a 200.00 on board credit. We booked with AllSeasons. They post the rates right on their web site for you to compare. It's www.*************.com . If you find better rates there is no penalty to cancel and rebook until 60 days out. Since you booked through DCL you can transfer your ressie to another TA without any problems. Some like this boards sponsor, DreamsUnlimited or AllSeasons will give you a rebate for switching over. Are you arriving before the cruise? Some people are staying at the new resort Ron Jon's the night before the cruise. Being January, we aren't taking any chances by waiting until the last minute to fly into Florida...Mark

[kellimomo3]

Hi Houzer!
Welcome to our thread! I also have a six year old son who will be cruising with us along with my husband and our other children DS (4) and DS (8). We booked through Dreams Unlimited, at the time they were the best price quote we received.

As to the other question about where we are staying the night before, we are actually flying in on the 9th and spending the week at the HI Family Suites. We are doing Disney and Universal before the cruise.

I'm going to dance a jig when our counters get under 200 days!!
Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Phyllisi]

We are also booked on the Aug 05 Ca to FL repo cruise. We will only be able to spend 2 days in CA and no extra days in Fl or the Jan 15 cruise. My husband only gets 18 days off a year. Anyway, we already booked our Grand Cayman excursion with Caption Bryon's sting ray excursion, 9-11:30. We used this company in 2003 and were pleased. My husband likes the fact that the boat is a big catamaran. Last time my daughter was 5 and unable to snorkel. This summer she said she will practice snorkeling in our pool so she can snorkel on vacation. In Cozumel we decided to go to Paradise beach. Our daughter will be in first grade, please PM me if you have a girl around my daughters age so they can meet. We already booked our plane reservations, the price was only $500.00 for 3 r/t our of Chicago.

[Houzer]

:flower:Thanks everyone! I am so excited to be going on this cruise you wouldn't believe it, or would you!! LOL Any suggestions for the new gal on the block? I have been looking at excursions but haven't even though about where to start. Are you starting to book them now? If so I need help people! I emailed this site to our friend who are also going on the cruise with us with their children. I am a little nervous about motion sickness and getting reservations for Palo I think its called. From what I keep hearing it is not too easy to get in there. I also am a little worried about the room we have....lets just put it this way I am so excited but a nervous reck about all of it! Any advise is very much appreciated. Houzer:fish:



:thewave:

[kellimomo3]

Houzer,
You can't book the excursions until 60 days out so get yourself a DCL Passporter and you'll be prepared!
Why are you worried about your room?? What deck is it on and what cat? I'm sure it's fine!!
What are the ages of your friends children? As I said before , I have three boys ages 8, 6 & 4.

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Houzer]

:bounce: Ok here is my first question where do you get a DLC Passporter and remember we live in Ontario Canada so we don't get everything you do. Can I order one from somewhere??? We put in for Category 9 since we had to deal with exchange and that took us up quite a notch for prices. So what you pay multiply it by 1.36 or so. I guess I will start with that question for you. Her kids are the same as mine we both have two I have the boys and she has girl and boy. We should have a blast I am sure. :sunny:



:jumping1:

[kellimomo3]

You can get the DCL Passporter from amazon.com or directly from the Passporter website. I believe that any bookstore can also order one for you if they do not stock it. Be sure to get the new 2nd edition. It is FULL of info and had a lot of information regarding the excursions. I guarantee that you will feel more prepared once you read one and hang out on DIS boards!!
Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

There were a bunch of cabins sold this week for our cruise. I have a 'Standard Inside Guarentee' so I've been watching the bookings on Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz.

Cat. 12 was GTY for awhile now, but now Cat. 11 and Cat. 10 went GTY this week. All the other Cat.'s are fine except Cat. 6 which has 1 Cabin (6122).

Not sure why I'm babbling on about this just thought it was interesting to note.

I'm still trying to figure out which excusions to take my kids on and how many total.

I was thinking that I had plenty of time to decide except now I'm thinking I should at least pick some that I know we want to do.

[Houzer]

:bounce: Thanks everyone for all your information! I love reading about all the little tidbits that you have sent along. I am getting very excited about this trip! It just doesn't seem possible that my husband and I are actually taking time off together.

I received my Passporter on Friday in the mail and I haven't been able to put it down since. That book is wonderful and full of great ideas. I definetly won't leave home without it!

Well I have to go and get some things done around the house. Houzer:boat: :boat:



:thewave: :thewave: :thewave:

[Houzer]

Bump!:Pinkbounc

This post is getting left behind everyone. I think this is how to get it back. Houzer:bounce:




:thewave: :thewave: :thewave:

[FlynnStone]

Welcome Houzer, We are travelling with a 12yo, too - (son) and he would love to meet others his age on board. We are from NC, but he has been to Canada many times for hockey. :)

I also need to hook up my 4yo son with kellimomo3's son!

Can't wait for the trip - its hard to believe its only 8 months away...

If anyone wants to arrange a "meet" later for our kids, feel free to PM me.

[big jack 2002]

Has anyone booked their excursions yet for the Jan 15 Magic cruise? We have been reading the trip reports and are having our family meeting next week to try to narrow down what we want to do.
Our granddaughters definitely want to do the dolphin swim for the older one and the dolphin excursion for the younger ones.
We should have more decided next week!!!

[kellimomo3]

Hello everyone!
I thought we had to wait until 60 days out to book excursions. Is that correct??

We are giving our kids the cruise for Christmas so unfortunalty we will miss out on having the kids communicate with fellow DIS kids before hand. But...there will be a couple weeks between Christmas and the cruise so we can hook them up then. Remeber, I have three boys who will be: 8, 6 1/2, 4 1/2.

FlynnStone,
Jason would love having a little buddy in the club!

Bye guys.....

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[FlynnStone]

Likewise... this trip is a Christmas present for my kid (DS ages 12 and 4).

And we are waiting until 60 days out for the excursions.

[Houzer]

:bounce: Hello everyone! Just a thought I want to pass on for you to think about. My friend and I have been talking with our friends and family who cruise quite often and it was suggested that if we are not fussy not to book our excursions until we disembark the ship. We have been told that there is always people waiting to take you on excursions on the dock you just need to know what you want to do and what company. It was suggested because you may not want to do something that day or your kids many not want to. Also pending what the weather is like you may chose not to. You can only do this if it doesn't matter what you do and you have a few ideas. You can't have your heart set on one things is basically what I am trying to say. Has anyone else ever done this before. I would love to hear some feed back other then from friend and family. Houzer
:Pinkbounc
:jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1:

[mark & sandra]

I'm not sure if you have to wait until the 60 day mark to book excursions directly. If you want to do the dolphin swim in Cozumel, you can book directly at www.dolphindiscovery.com .(Disney only offers the dolphin encounter, they costs about the same and the swim is much better). If you want to book a snorkle and stingray swim directly in Grand Cayman, you can book directly with Captain Marvins www.captainmarvins.com . I waited until 1 week out and was able to book both directly with no problems.

[Houzer]

:bounce:
Bump!
:Pinkbounc

:crazy:

[mark & sandra]

People, People, we're slipping up here. Yesterday was our 7 month mark. Only 7 more months till we'll be cruising. Have you all heard that soda is now free onboard?...Mark

[karebear1]

How could we ALL miss this date?!?!?! Shame on us!!

I've heard about the soda- too bad they don't have diet soda that is caffiene free!

[kellimomo3]

I did notice we had passed the 7 month mark. EXCITING!! I just can't wait until Christmas when we tell our kids so I can talk about the trip with them!

I love that the soda is now free. I am a Diet Coke lover and was thinking about purchasing the soda sticker for myself but now I don't have to.

Does anyone know how to go about putting money in your shipboard account before you make your final payment on the cruise? Have most of you paid in full or are you waiting? Is there any advantage to paying before the November date? We already have the money set aside in a separate bank account so it would be simple to just pay now, but is there any advantage to us for doing that? Otherwise, I might as well leave it in the bank and accumulate a little more interest.

Let me know what you think.....

Thanks guys!
Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Houzer]

:bounce: I just have to tell you all that my secretary reminded me yesterday about the cruise date and I got so excited I had a hard time working the rest of the day! She thought it was pretty funny...she got her work done!
We haven't paid in full as of yet we have been watching the exchange rates so that we can get the best rate for our money so we have to pay as little exchange as possible.
I also was wondering about putting money on our account just to make life easier for us? Any suggestions?
We have also been told ( there are two families going) that starting in October we should call in every once in a while and see if there are any deals on the cruise. We were told by one of the DLC staff that they offered a deal for Canadians last year. The deal was if you payed it right then they gave it to you almost at par, great for those of you who are headed from Canada. Well I better check out the rest of the thread. I am going to try to be on my toes next time around! Houzer:Pinkbounc ::yes::
:thewave:

[mark & sandra]

Houzer check out AllSeasons site. They are a good place to start checking for rates since they list them right there. Last year they saved me 600.00 from all the other companys. Their site is www.*************.com . I usually wait till due date at 60 days out to pay my bill in full. I have a rewards credit card and every dollar spent goes towards a free airplane ticket. I keep the exact money I spend on the card in a checking account and pay the bill each month completely, so no finance charges. I even time my purchases, using the card just after the month closes so that I get 60 days of free time. I haven't paid for a flight for my family in 4 years...Mark

[pershing]

I was wondering if there are going to be any other single Moms like me with kids, out there, going with just their kids. If there are, I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in a 'girls night out' at Palo's.

I skipped it on our Wonder Cruise 'cause I wasn't going to make a reservation for 1 (and I had a seasick child!) So, I'm just throwing it out there, 'cause I don't want to miss out on Palo's this time! (Is it called Palo's on Magic?) Anyway- I WILL make a res for one this time if I have to.

----

I, myself, am booked through All Seas and have found them to be very professional. I did pay it all in advance, but I have a Standard Inside and the rumors are too strong about advance payers getting upgraded for me to ignore. If we don't get an upgrade, oh well. However considering cat. 12 and 11 are GTY already (for family of 4), the probability is rising. :Pinkbounc

I haven't booked any excursions yet. I'm not sure if I will, 'cause last time my kids didn't want to leave the ship.

By the way, Jet Blue just came out with their prices for our part of January. No real deals yet that I can see, but everyone whose flown with them have glowing reviews about their service: No first class so everyone has expanded leg room, TV screens on the back of every chair with free headphones, no snack cart clogging the aisle as they serve you as if you were in a restaurant. Really, people just go on and on. ::MickeyMo

[kellimomo3]

Don't forget to log on tomorrow so you can see your timer break the 100's mark instead of the 200's. Okay, so the little milestones thrill me a little!!!!!


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Houzer]

:wave: Well everyone we are out of the 200 and on our way downon the counter!!!!!!!!!! Yahoooo!!



HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!
:earsgirl: :earsboy: pirate: pirate:

[mark & sandra]

For anyone keeping count. It's only 28 more weeks till we sail !!!


Mark

[Houzer]

:sunny: + :umbrella: = :flower1: :flower:


:eek: 28 WEEKS YIKES! We're falling behind on our thread everyone! Here is a great big BUMP!
Pauline

:cloud9:

[big jack 2002]

We're still discussing excursions. The DGD's want the Royal Dolphin Swim or Excursion. I think it will depend on the age limit. One will be 6, one 7, and one 9!!

[Phyllisi]

I paid the remaining balance of this cruise two days ago! We have $200.00 shipboard credit which will cover most of the tips. It is time for me to save for the extras during the trip.

Does anyone know if Limner's still does brunch on Key West day? We ate there on our last Western cruise and the crêpes were yummy.

[pershing]

It will be our first time at Key West, so I can't help you with that question. Sorry!

I've been reading up on the Beaches in Cozumel. I'm not sure if I could handle a snorkel excusion with 3 young DSes so I'm planning a day at the Beach.

The three beaches talked about the most are: Playa Sol, Mr. Sanchos', and Paradise Beach.

So far, I've gleened that you pay for Playa Sol and there's a pool, playground, petting zoo?, etc. Mr. Sanchos' is free and I'm unclear about activities so far and Paradise Beach has a Water Trampoline and a floating Iceberg the kids can play on, but people disagree on free or cost there. So I'm still working on it but we may just start at Paradise Beach as I think my oldest would love the Iceberg and the two youngest would love the trampoline.

Any one else thinking about a beach day on Cozumel?

[kellimomo3]

Hi Pershing,
We are also planning to spend the day at Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Everything I have read has led me to believe that this is the best choice for us. We also have 3 young Dsers. I'm sorry I know I should remember, but what are the ages/sexes of your kids??? We have threee boys 4 1/2, 6 1/2 & 8.

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

Yeah! The more I think about it, the more I'm settled on Paradise Beach myself. Now to work on what to do at Grand Cayman!

My boys are: 6, 8, and 9 however the 8 year old has Autism. Most kids his age don't notice anything different about him until they realize he doesn't talk much. Today, a boy at the beach played with him for 2 hours, chatting away until he finally said to me, 'he doesn't talk much, does he?'

My youngest more than makes up for it. He, on the other hand, never stops talking! Everybody teases me that he's gonna be the future president 'cause he 'works' the beach and by the time we leave everybody says goodbye to him by name. I can never get the concept of not talking to strangers across to him.


kellimomo3-

Are you signing up for an excursion in Key West? I'm thinking no on that one. Although a Butterfly Farm was mentioned. Still, we have one of those here in Mass. in Westford. Amazing how we don't do things in our own backyard that we'd do on vacation.


:Pinkbounc

[kellimomo3]

Pershing,
Are you talking about the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservation Center in Ma?? We live near there in CT and have visited a few times! Small world!

It is funny to hear you speak of your 6 year old working the beach, one of my sons is just like that.

My husband and I are planning to explore the pier at Key West ourselves while the kids stay on the ship.

As far as Grand Cayman I am trying to get a feel on the good beached there. My boys love to play at the beach so instead of paying for an excursion I think we will just go off on our own as long as I can narrow it down to a good beach!


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

Wow, didn't even know about that Butterfly place! The one I was talking about used to be off of 495 in Westford, but it may have closed one of my friends said.

Actually, we live on the Cape. Always feel funny about saying that 'cause people assume you don't need a vacation if you're five minutes to Ocean on both sides of you. Sure, the summers are great (minus the onslaught of traffic in our small town) but winters can be downright bleak and gray. We don't always get the snow to play in, just the freezing weather.

Anyway- I'm going to print up more trip reports and take them to the beach today. Its hard to sit and read trip reports on the computer without- 'Mom, can you....mom, mom, mom!'

I hear you on not paying for excursions. When I tried to talk to the kids about it, they all said they didn't even want to leave the ship! We did a 3 day wonder in November and they just remember there being SO much to do! I've tried telling them this will be TWICE the cruising time, but they're afraid I'm going to keep dragging them out of the kid's clubs.

My youngest is like 'but there are Sharks in that Ocean!' I almost said it was the same Ocean as ours, but ....um...thought better of it. Instead I told them there are nets up to keep the sharks out.
He seemed satisfied with that.

We are doing a couple days of WDW before the cruise and a couple of days at Universal after. I'm waiting for January airfares to drop. Seems like they drop first in Hartford or Providence. I've gleened from my online reading that the cheapest days to fly to Orlando are Tues. and Weds, so I'm trying to arrive and depart on those days. The kids have Fri. the 14th as a Staff Dev. day which is nice with MLK day off. Less school missed. I would really like to try Jetblue Airlines. I heard great things about their price and service.

Well, enough gabbing. I've got to print up those reports and get the bathing suits out of the dryer!

Talk soon!
:wave2:

[mickeymom30]

Hi everyone,

I can't believe that our vacation is approaching so quickly. Kellimomo3 we are also from CT (the Hartford area) I have two daughters age 5 and 7. Are you also from the Hartford County? I would love to meet and talk Disney sometime if you are in the area.

Danaprincess:

[kellimomo3]

Wow!!! It really is a small world.....

Pershing, I was born and raised on the Cape in Eastham, lived there until I graduated high school at Nauset. My entire family still lives there as a matter of fact we just returned from a weeks vacation in Eastham!!!

Dana, yes we are from the Hartford area, a bit more east actually. I don't know if it is smart to give the exact town on line but PM me if you want...

Pershing, we are doing a week at Disney & Universal before the cruise. We are flying Song Airlines out of Hartford. I got a pretty good rate and have heard good things about them.

I feel like I already know you DISers! It makes cruising that much more fun!!

Kelli

:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

kellimomo3-


Definately, the world is small! I agree with you on not naming hometowns. Suffice to say, you probably went to middle school in my town. I've only lived here permanently for the last almost decade though. The schools are wonderful although I bet you didn't think so at the time.

I did some trip reading at the pond today and only one beach was mentioned for Grand Cayman-Holiday Inn Beach. I only read about 5 trip reports.

Seems like everybody does the Stingray City and snorkel in Coral Gardens. And you know, they've had such glowing experiences that I think we're gonna try it! I was comforted by the comments that the kids who were scared could stay in the boat-both at the Rays and Coral Gardens. (I still have this picture in my head of me standing in the water with the Stingrays.With all 3 of my sons climbed on top of me, scared to death! Makes me laugh every time I picture it.) I don't think the snorkeling is that deep at Coral Gardens 'cause one trip report talked about his 5 year old loving that snorkel and being exhausted and scared in Cozumel's cause there was no way to exit and the water was 25 ft deep for the most part.

Anyway, what confuses me is the duplicate trips mentioned in the excursions brochure. I guess those represent the two companies; Nativeway and Captain Marvins. For all that everyone talks about Capt. Marvins, there are actually more glowing less troubling trip reports re: nativeway. My major concern is being able to handle all three boys. I may just call and see if it really is a case of one or two of the kids being able to stay in the boat while I go with the third.

What else did I learn about Grand Cayman from trip reading? There's a really cool store called Del Sol downtown and you can buy stuffed toy Stingrays at a store called British Outpost.

If I bump into any beach reviews, I'll let ya' know. I'm printing out more now.

Hey, mickeymom30! :wave: We'll all be praying for no New England snowstorms this January! Which reminds me, I have to get the trip insurance squared away!


:eek:

[mark & sandra]

pershing- We did the snorkling and sting ray tour in Grand Cayman last trip with Capt. Marvins. The boat ride out to the sandbar took about 1/2 hour. You arrive at the sand bar and there are many other boats coming and going the whole time you're there. The boats back into about 5+ feet of water and drops anchor. Everyonr who wants to exit boat get into water and walks about 15 or so feet and the water is 3-4 feet in some area. Once you start feeding the rays, it's like pigeons in the park. My kids, DD10, DS8, freaked out. My daughter went right back onto the boat and my son crawled up onto my head. It was hilarious, a funniest video winner for sure. The rays only want food and leave to other areas if they don't get it. The only weird part is when a ray practically climbed up my back. I thought another adult was pushing me until I turned around and saw a ray there. Everyone was laughing except my son who screamed and squealed. He kept grabbing my face and I couldn't see where I was moving or who I was banging into, It probably was other parents with kids up on their heads. The snorkling was in water about 15 feet deep. You must wear a life vest so you just skim the surface and the fish and rays are down on the bottom...Mark

[mark & sandra]

Well another milestone passed. We have only 6 more months to go.

[pershing]

Thanks Mark & Sandra for the info.

I did make a res. with Nativeway though and they sent me back a very nice email confirmation. I know Capt. Marvin's a fav. on this board, but I think I'll stick with NW. Gut instinct and all that!

kellimomo3- Nativeway said they will drop us off at 7 Mile Beach (Cayman) after our excursion around 11 am. So, that's the beach we'll probably start with. I'm gonna read up on it. Nativeway had a link to Cayman Island Info site :

www.caymanislands.ky/vacation_essentials/flash_map.asp

Its about a 4 dollar per person taxi ride back to the boat. Mark & Sandra have you been to this beach? Is it nice?

I can't believe it's only 6 months left. I'm more anxious than excited about that. There's alot more SPENDING MONEY I need to earn between now and Jan. for the trip! And I'm waiting for a better airfare deal. Gotta DO the travel insurance thing. Nevermind all the 'what am I gonna bring' lists! :eek:

Think I'll go read more trip reports, so I don't have to think about all that stressful stuff.

:rockband:

[mark & sandra]

When we sailed last January, the seas were too rough for the tender boats. Some passengers were already ashore and we had a film crew filming an episode of According to Jim onboard. They had planned to take over alot of deck 9 and 10 for filming, hoping that most people would go ashore. I guess that's why the captain decided to to move the ship and try the other side of the island. It messed up everyone's morning and by the time our excursion was over we rushed back to the boat. We hope to see Grand Cayman this trip. We haven't thought of which beach to visit yet...Mark

[Phyllisi]

We booked a room at the Hyatt by MCO the night before the cruise. Does anyone know how the luggage transfer work and the time we board the Disney transfer bus?

[Houzer]

:D Phyllisi: Hi there Meshee's family and my family have also booked the Hyatt the night before the cruise. We were told NOT to put the DCL tags on our luggage before the flight unless we want to wear what we flew to the MCO in. LOL We were told to put the tags on while at the Hyatt and then in the morning you place your luggage outside the door of your room and the DCL staff would pick up our luggage. I plan on asking the Hyatt staff to confirm this for me. We were also told by the DCL that when we check into the Hyatt let them know that you are cruising and they will tell you where to meet for the cruise bus. I believe they said the boarding starts around 9:30 for the buses. Hope this helps! :wave: Do you have any children coming with you on your cruise? Where are you coming from? Talk soon Pauline:wave2:

[Phyllisi]

Yes, we will be traveling with our 6 year old daughter (1st grader). We live in the suburbs of Chicago. I originally booked a Sat flight. Then I rescheduled to Friday because last year our plane was deployed for two hours due to bad weather in Las Vegas (where the plane we were taking was coming from). To make a long story short, we did not board the Magic until 2 PM, got up at 3:45 am and were very tired the first day of thr cruise. My spouse only gets 18 days off a year and we are going on the Aug repo cruise too. We want to spend some time in LA prior to that cruise. He worked it out with his boss and will work either 8 hours on Sunday or 10 hours Mon - Thru so he will not have to take a day off the day prior to the Jan cruise. I get five weeks off a year plus earn plenty of comp time. My daughter and I may fly to LA a few days before my husband in Aug.

[Houzer]

Phyllisi: We also have six years olds but boys, they will all be in club together. Meshee also has a 12 year old DD and I have a 12 year old DS. We are flying in from Ontario and we also were booked for the Saturday but after looking at the boards and talking with co-workers decided that we better come in on Friday just to be safe. We all get five weeks plus holidays so we don't have to worry too much about our time off. I can't imagine trying to nigotiate with a boss, best of luck with that part.

This is our first cruise for all of us so the kids and parents included are very excited about this trip. I know the week is going to go by way too fast and the weeks to pass are going by way too slow.

Have you thought of any excursions as of yet? We are looking at the sting ray swim and the catimaran beach party. Not absolute on these ideas yet but definetly voting for these two. Talk soon Pauline:boat:

[pershing]

I gather our cruise will be pretty full. I'm guessing of course, but for a family of four: Cat. 12, 11, 7, 6 are no longer available (not even GTY). Cat. 10 and 8 are GTY.

Not counting 1-3 (online doesn't really detail those), that leaves Cat. 4, 5, and 9.

I didn't run through what was left for a family of 3. When we went on the Wonder in November, the lower Cat's were still open the week we sailed!

I know none of this is relevant if you've already been assigned a cabin and stuff.

Think of it as an imaginative way to bump the thread back to the first page.

:boat:

[kellimomo3]

Pershing,
Does that mean the kids clubs are full for the ages you put in??
I know we've done this before but could you all refresh my memory and list the ages of the kids your cruising with.

I have boy 8, boy 7, and boy 4 1/2. I am keeping the 8 year old in the Club as he will turn 8 only a couple weeks before we sail, and that way he can be with his brothers!!

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Houzer]

kellimomo3: I am sailing with two DS's one 12 the other 7 at the time. Our friends have a DD 12 and a DS 6. I also checked the reservation board after seeing your post and it does look like the cruise is filling up. Glad we booked when we did that is for sure. We had only decided to take this cruise in May and booked it half way through the month if I am not mistaken, good timing. Pauline
:wave2: :wave2:

[Sydneli]

Hi!
Just wanted to say that we'll be sailing with you all too! We have 2 boys who will be ages 4 and 6 when we sail. We live in Virginia, outside the DC suburbs. Looking forward to chatting with you all, and seeing you in January!

Sydne

[kellimomo3]

Welcome Sydne!!!
We have boys the same age. We are giving the cruise to our boys for Christmas. Maybe after that we can exchange email addresses so the boys can meet on line?? Glad you're on board!!

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Houzer]

Sydneli: Welcome....wonderful to hear you are also cruising! Is this your first cruise? Sounds like our boys may be together on this cruise. Pauline

[pershing]

Originally posted by kellimomo3
Pershing,
Does that mean the kids clubs are full for the ages you put in??


I read somewhere else in the forum that the Club and Lab has a limit and when they reach that they no longer accept reservations with children of that age.

Kinda hard to believe that! Wouldn't they just add more counselors if they could?

My boys ages again: 10, 8, 5. My eldest bonded with the lab totally. He loved the full screen nintendo. My youngest was king of beeping me every half hour and then changing his mind when I got there.

This time I plan on letting them eat more meals with the club/lab. Especially dinner for the two youngest. Its so hard for them to sit still for that long a time.

[mark & sandra]

Mickeymom30- I read your other post, are you not going on this cruise anymore?...Mark

[pershing]

But MickeyMom30 started this thread! :(

That would be a real shame!

(Only 3 more cat. 9's left for a family of 4 and that cat. goes GTY. Then only cat. 5 and cat. 4 left!)

[pershing]

For a family of four:

Cat. 9 just went to GTY and Cat. 10 is no longer being offered at all.

THe run down then is: cat.'s 12, 11, 10, and 7 are no longer offered even at GTY. Cat's 9, 8, and they brought back 6 to offer it at GTY. (Wouldn't you risk it and book Cat. 8 at GTY instead of 6 if you were paying attention?). So the last two Cat's offered on the internet, with cabins listed are Cat. 5 and Cat. 4. 3 thru 1 are not shown on travelocity and stuff.

Considering there's still six months to go, I find it fascinating that this cruise is filling the 4 people capacity cabins at such a fast rate.

I should go back and check for family of 3's to see the difference. Either way, I'm warning my kids that the Mickey Pool will probably be busy most of the time and we should plan on making time for pool swimming during the night or early morning.

Does anyone know what the pool hours are? I know they close the Mickey Slide at specific times, but this was on the Wonder. I 'wonder' if its different for Magic? (Sorry! :( )

:cat:

[kellimomo3]

We are booked in a cat. 8 with a cat. 11 across the hall on deck 5. We have paid in full. I wonder if they'll upgrade us to adjoining cat. 4's. Since they need the lower category rooms, I guess I wouldn't mind!!! Wishful thinking!!!!


Anyway....is this week always a popular one because of the MLK holiday???

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

Originally posted by kellimomo3
We are booked in a cat. 8 with a cat. 11 across the hall on deck 5. We have paid in full. I wonder if they'll upgrade us to adjoining cat. 4's.

I don't know. They'll probably upgrade the SIG people like me to Cat. 9's and then upgrade those Cat. 9 people higher.

Deck 5 is nice to be on when you have kids going to the clubs. I remember thinking that on my last cruise, that I would like to be on Deck 5 the next time so I didn't need to stairs between the clubs and the cabin.

Regarding MLK day, there was a small spike in Passporter's to indicate a rise in people (and price) around MLK day. The prices rise as the catagories run out, but not by much. I think its to encourage the people looking at a GTY catagory to look at the next higher Cat. with cabins still listed.

On another note, I just realized my license expires while we're on the cruise. I'm going to have to renew it early in December. Then, I remembered someone said to make sure none of your credit cards expire or AAA membership and all that. What a hassle that would be if I couldn't use my credit cards. :eek: :earseek:

161 days today to go! :Pinkbounc :bounce: Seems like yesterday we were hitting the 200 mark!

[kellimomo3]

I was only joking. I actually spent so much time deciding on the exact rooms to book, that I would probably not even want another spot!! What does SIG mean Pershing???

Kelli.:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

I booked with Allseas and on their price list, below Cat. 12, they offer this catagory at a lower or equal rate to Cat.12. When the ship starts to fill, they quickly delete it as an option.

As Cat. 12's only hold 3 people, I'm at least guaranteed a Cat. 11.

Now you can understand my interest in watching the Cabins sell. However, the most any of the smaller Cat.s get upgraded to is Cat. 9, which is still fantastic-don't get me wrong! I just like to dream. :sunny:

I won't find out until within 60 days of sailing what Cat. and Cabin we have. It's a gamble really. My whole life seems to be a gamble, 'cause I'm involved in an 'affordable housing lottery' to be drawn the beginning of Sept. right now. It all about chance and luck! I guess the question is: do I feel lucky?

I had to go for a mortgage preapproval and you should have seen the woman's face when I told her I had this money paid for the cruise! She was like: Can you get it back? Umm... No, we still want to do the cruise and I got the pre-approval w/o the cruise money. I'm not going to cash in the cruise just to make a mortgage application look better! Jeez!:earseek: Some people just don't get it!

[mark & sandra]

We've reached the 5 month countdown...Mark

[Sydneli]

Wow-it's really getting closer, isn't it? Sorry I dropped out of sight, lots of stuff going on here. Kelli, I think it would be great for the boys to meet online after Christmas! Although I don't think my boys have a clue about what's going to happen!

Has everyone booked excursions already? This is our first cruise, and I'm not sure what excursions to do with the kids. The 4 year old does NOT like to walk far. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Sydne

[kellimomo3]

Sydne,

My boys don't have a clue either. They will be shocked Christmas morning!! At least the wait won't seem that long for them. We are leaving January 9th to do a week at the parks first. This waiting over a year stuff is too much for me, I don't know how they would do it. They know what the Disney cruise is because we have friends that went and I took advantage of the opportunity a lot by showing them the DVD and talking about what our friends were doing!

As far as excusions, I don't think we are going to do any DCL ones. We are going to go to 7 mile beach on our own in Grand Cayman and to Paradise Beach in Cozumel on our own. My husband and I are going to go shopping in Key West while the kids are in the club.

I can't believe it's 5 months away!!!!

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[big jack 2002]

We will be on the 1/15 Magic. My 9 year old (to be by then) granddaughter would like to e-mail another girl that will be going on the same cruise to get to know someone ahead of time. Will there be any other 9 year old girls?

[Meshee]

We will be cruising on our first Disney Cruise on January 15, 2005. It will be my DH and I and our DD (12) and DS (6). We are also cruising with another family who have a DS (12) and a DS (6). We are all so excited and are counting down the days.

[Sydneli]

Welcome Meshee!

Looks like there are going to be quite a few 6 year old boys on this trip! I counted 7 just from this group...

[Houzer]

Hi everyone! I just can't believe how fast the time is flying. Meshee its about time you found this page! LOL For anyone who doesn't know Meshee's family and ours are traveling together. It should be a blast!

[kellimomo3]

Wow, there are a lot of 6 year old boys!! I have a six year old boy, aseven year old boy and a four year old boy. All will be in the club. I am trying to decide if I should move Jason, my four year old, up to the 5-7 group with his brothers since he will be almost five and likes to do what his big brothers do. I hesitate though because having them all together could be a problem. Does anyone know if the 3-4 grouping is really babyish?? I know they have a quiet time which Jason won't like. Any advice is welcome.....


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

Hey meshee. Welcome! :wave2:

Well, all the GTY's are gone from cat. 10,9,8,6. The only 2 cat.s left online for a fam. of four is cat. 5 and 4. I would say this cruise is pretty packed! I'm glad I already booked that Stingray excursion outside of DCL, 'cause I wonder what kind of availability there will be.

kellimomo- Go with your gut instinct! If he's the talkative one, he probably would be happier with the older kids. The youngest tends to be older than his age 'cause he runs after the older ones. Also, you may have a harder time getting DCL to switch him to the upper group if he's unhappy than vice-a-versa, if you know what I mean. My gut tells me they won't let you switch after you register him in the younger group BUT if you registered him in the older group and it was too much for him they would agree to lower him. JMYOP.

Oh- if you happen to be renting a car from Budget and have a Shaw's card, you should try the code on Mousesaver's. I just booked and the Shaws code beat ENtertainment Book, and all the rest I tried by alot! :earsboy:

That's what I've been working on lately, the rental car. Pretty time consuming going thru the Avis, Hertz, and Budget web sites sticking in diff. codes and stuff. I think I did pretty well though.

I still have airfare and Travel Insurance to do. And after reading all the Hurricane postings, I know I need an insurance that covers inclement weather. (Dare I say January Snowstorm outloud? No! No! Ugh!)

Anyway, I just got some great boy bathingsuit deals on the JC Penney website under the outlet section. $6 and $8 kinda deals. My boys are growing and wearing out theirs right now. I didn't want to be stuck in Jan.

I have a question for Mark and Sandra . I read in a trip report for a $50 fee you can have access to the Rainforest room in the Spa for the entire week. I was wondering if you've been there and would it be worth it for the entire week. You know, what's the likelihood of wanting to go back again after you've been there once?

:flower2:

[mark & sandra]

pershing- Although we haven't done the spa on our last trip, here's a site for more info. Go to the first site listed at top of page. They click on link to the Spa. I'd give you a direct link but the moderators have disabled it from working. http://allearsnet.com/cruise/Wcruise.shtml .

This is an excerpt from the site:

THE TROPICAL RAINFOREST: This is just a large area with various aromatherapy showers, saunas, and steamrooms. Everyone wears swimwear (well, most people...one time I actually did meet a naked woman!), and robes are also provided. It is relatively inexpensive and does not need to be sheduled in advance. This is a co-ed area.

With your kids and all the other things to do on the cruise; Do you really think you'll have any mommy time anyway??...Mark

[Meshee]

Just curious how early everyone booked their January 2005 cruise? We booked ours in May 2004. :wave:

[mark & sandra]

We rebooked while onboard 1/17/04. Got a 200.00 stateroom credit 10% off too, then we switched to a TA that offered an additional 150.00 rebate for booking or switching to them...Mark

[Houzer]

Does anyone have suggestion for excursions in Grand Cayman or Cozumel? I am really stumped on these two places? Houzer:confused:

[big jack 2002]

We are planning on taking our granddaughters swimming with the dolphins in Cozumel. So far, we haven't decided what to do at Grand Cayman.

[mark & sandra]

We did the swim with the stingrays and snorkle tour through Capt. Marvins last year in Grand Cayman. We'll probably do it again. Bring your camcorders!! My son was freaking out. He climbed onto my head and squealed the whole time. My wife had bait dropped around me so about 20 rays swarmed me. It was hilarious. There are usually many other boats in the area and each has about 20+ people in the water. The rays are like pigeons they swarm to wherever the food is.

big jack 2002- Which excursion company are you planning on using? Did you decide on which program you're going to do? Here's a link to what's offered. Disney only does the encounter and it's about the same price as the swim when booked directly.

http://www.dolphindiscovery.com/cozumel.asp

Mark

[pershing]

Wow! This thread got buried on the third page! Time to bump it up! That' for sure.

Meshee- we booked in April after months of trying to decide which week would be best. We went in Nov. (Wonder Trip) last year and CC was chilly, but then so was WDW.

People said the week we were there was unusually chilly for that time of year, but I don't know. I plan on bringing the kids shorty wet suits just in case. Blizzard Beach was closed the last time we went and the kids are determined to do that this time. I've warned them swimming may be out, but they swim early and late in the season here so they think they can handle it.

Originally posted by mark & sandra

With your kids and all the other things to do on the cruise; Do you really think you'll have any mommy time anyway??...Mark

Who knows? :rolleyes:

Thanks for the link. I thought if by some miracle I did have some free time, having a week's pass to the Rainforest would be the best chance of some personal pampering. Last time I did try a massage treatment.......and yeah, didn't get through it w/o the ole' kids club beeper going off.

I know there are all these activities to do, but I want to schedule some down time to just relax and breathe. Here, I see people rushing around to enjoy their vacation all the time! I don't want to make the same mistake.

Last Nov., we also did WDW and I was amazed at how many married couples were arguing with each other in Magic Kingdom while the kids looked on. Yikes!

[karebear1]

Mark- did you reserve Capt. Marvins on your own or through Disney? And if on your own- how did you do it?

[mark & sandra]

We booked all our excursions on our own. Unfortunately we just waited to the last minute, and decided to see if any excursions were available directly. You can contact Capt. Marvins at www.captainmarvins.com . I liked the idea of only holding your spot with a credit card. You're not charged until you arrive and you're not charged if for some unforseen reason you're unable to make the excursion. If you run late they even allow you to take a later tour...Mark

[big jack 2002]

We are planning on booking the Royal Swim for our daughter, son-in-law, and oldest granddaughter--the Dolphin Excursion for myself and son and two 7 year old granddaughters. Our son wants to try fishing at CC again. We can't book that yet. I am planning on booking the dophin excursions thru Dolphin Discovery, but I just hate to pay when I book it, so I am planning on booking probably in October. Do you think that is to long to wait? Thanks for the link.
We haven't planned anything yet for Grand Cayman.

Big Jack

[kellimomo3]

We are planning to hit Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman and Paradise Beach in Cozumel. We are doing both via taxi on our own.

Almost at the four month mark guys!!!!!


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[mark & sandra]

Big Jack- We booked the Royal Swim about 2 weeks before we sailed. They said they only had 2 slots left but they added extra room for our group. They have something of a tourist trap there, at 100+ for the dolphin excursion you and about 10 others go through the moves all the while they're taking pictures and video and then they offer you the pics and video at ridiculous prices. That said we did buy them too...Mark

[kellimomo3]

Meshee,
We booked our cruise in the fall of 2003! When I think of it like that, I guess it's gone by pretty fast. When I first found the DIS, my countdown was like 380 days!!!

Kelli:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Meshee]

We are having a hard time deciding on excursions.... :confused: So far we are thinking of booking the Fury Catamaran Sail, Snorkel & Beach Party in Cozumel thru DCL. And booking the stingray swim with Captain Marvins in Grand Cayman. We have decided to relax on the beach at Castaway Cay. Does anyone have any suggestions or advise?

[mark & sandra]

I found this shot online. It shows how you are in the water for both the encounter and the swim (the lower platform in the water). During your swim, 2 people at a time swim out to a guide in the water and do stunts with the dolphins. During the encounter you don't leave the platform. The shot is deceiving, the areas are not as big as they seem. There are about 8 corrals. Each group is in a separate corral and the dolphins can not move to the other ones...Mark

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/tg/lp/49/500x500_495b9e5e6d141b7aae08fda267bd3f22.jpg

[pershing]

WHew! Finally booked the airfare! :Pinkbounc :bounce:

After all the waiting for JetBlue and Southwest to come thru with, first selling tickets for all of Jan. which Southwest has yet to do (stops at Jan. 12) and second, holding one of their system wide sales, it ended up being Delta Song that was the first to drop to a low price. Go figure! My friend says they've been in trouble lately, but I can't see Delta going anywhere so I plunged- Song dropped from $211 to $142.20 RT BOS to MCO. Almost $300 in savings from the last time we flew! I'm thrilled!

So only Travel Insurance left! :earsboy:

I'm so tempted to book another excursion besides the stingrays, but I think I'll invest in wetsuits (short) for the boys instead.

I can't believe it's September! I work at a place that specializes in chocolates (and cafe coffees) so all of fall is a mad rush to prep for Christmas! Yet I find myself thinking about Jan. and what to pack, and what's left to do. The paperwork comes within 60 days for the cruise so that's.............Nov......(still trying to focus)...........15th? That's before Thanksgiving. Then mid-October is priority seatings for WDW-the boys want to do Crystal Palace again and the Fantasmic Dinner Package. And then there's those 3 pesky holidays to deal with. But what I really want to say now that this thread ended up on the third page is:

BUMP! :flower2:

[mark & sandra]

Well everyone on our 1/15/05 cruise.

It's now just 18 weeks till we cruise

Are you getting excited yet???

[Meshee]

Only 18 weeks!!!!! That sounds closer than 4 months. Let's hope all the hurricanes are done by then....

[pershing]

Originally posted by Meshee
Only 18 weeks!!!!! That sounds closer than 4 months. Let's hope all the hurricanes are done by then....

Just think of it :eek:

......"Hurricane Zelda is here in January to end the longest hurricane season in history and for the first time we've gone thru the entire alphabet!".....

Poor Jamaica! And Castaway Cay! And Port Canaveral!

[cruiser]

We will be cruising on Jan 15, it will be our 3rd cruise. The first was a 4 day (land & sea), the second a 7 day eastern. Looking forward to the western. We have a 3 year son and a 9 year old daughter. We are staying at Pop Century a couple of nights before the cruise and then driving to the port (budget rental). I got an amazing rate of $77 per night at Pop Century!

We are really looking forward to our trip!

Lee

[cruiser]

Originally posted by big jack 2002
We will be on the 1/15 Magic. My 9 year old (to be by then) granddaughter would like to e-mail another girl that will be going on the same cruise to get to know someone ahead of time. Will there be any other 9 year old girls?

Yes, my daughter will be cruising. She is really looking forward to it!

[pershing]

Welcome cruiser! One of my 3 DS's will be with your daughter in the clubs. He's 10!

Glad you got a great rate at the new POP Century. We stayed at All Star Sports last time. This time I'm springing for the Swan as I couldn't handle that food court at the end of the day anymore! But I, too got a great rate and am looking forward to WDW again.

I guess rental cars are the way to go! Ditto on Budget.


:bounce: :Pinkbounc

[cruiser]

Originally posted by pershing
Welcome cruiser! One of my 3 DS's will be with your daughter in the clubs. He's 10!

Glad you got a great rate at the new POP Century. We stayed at All Star Sports last time. This time I'm springing for the Swan as I couldn't handle that food court at the end of the day anymore! But I, too got a great rate and am looking forward to WDW again.

I guess rental cars are the way to go! Ditto on Budget.


:bounce: :Pinkbounc

Just curious, if you are willing to share, what kind of rate you got at the Swan. I hear you about food courts, we are planning to hit Downtown Disney the first night, and not sure what we will do the second night. Oh by the way on Budget, I got a discount code from costco.com (I think you need to be a costco member) and received a free weekend day rental. This means that I am paying $26 for a mid size car for two days (picking up at MCO and returning at PC)

[pershing]

Originally posted by cruiser
Just curious, if you are willing to share, what kind of rate you got at the Swan.

Sure! It was 162.50. Yikes! I know, but I'm not a teacher or any of those other discount people, so there were some tricky conditions. I booked it in Feb. and you had to be both a AAA member and a SPG dot com member-that's not right- you had to be JOINING AAA on the SPG site-kinda like a promotion for AAA. It had to be for at least 3 nights with 2 of the nights non weekend nites. Pretty detailed!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it as my big splurge! I'm sure other people did the Entertainment Book thing but by the time I got my book, there were no rooms left and I'm shy when it comes to asking for my reservation to be re-rated and stuff like that.

I think the Dolphin is having a convention during that time 'cause they were booked the very first day the Swan was taking 2005 reservations. That might mean rooms will open up as the date gets closer and they figure out who's not coming to the convention. Just guessing!

Anyway- that's a great rate for Budget! Congrats! I'm not a Costco member:( but I used my Shaws discount. We are keeping the car from MCO/3 days WDW/ Port/then Port back to Swan/2 nites Universal/ MCO for $~180 total. I want to be able to drive to downtown, stop at Grocery store so I can save money in those areas.

We've done the priority seatings at Chef Mickey, Boma, Fantastmic Dinner package, the Castle, and Crystal Palace last time. Yeah, it was alot but the kids still talk about it. We may repeat Crystal Palace but that's it this time!

[cruiser]

Thanks for the great info. Perhaps we will bump into each other on the cruise. I am sure as it gets closer this thread will get more and more active (well from me anyway)..

Counting the days until the cruise...

Lee

[karebear1]

Lee- just wondering if you've booked airfare from OR. yet? If so where was it from in Oregon and how much did you pay, if you don't mind me asking. We live in just south west of Portland by 20 minutes or so in the Clackamas area. Still looking for those good airfare rates out of PDX!

[Meshee]

Cruiser - You will like Pop Century. We stayed there for 3 nights in April and had a great time.

[Houzer]

:wave2: Hey everyone we're falling behind on the board we were at the very bottom of page two. One more post and we would have been on three for sure.
Is anyone starting to get excited??? Just looked at our counter and almost to double digits!!! Yahoo! I don't know who is more excited myself, DH or the Dkids?? My DH hasn't said too much about this trip from the start other then "you take care of the arrangements" but he has been talking about doing this and doing that and even sitting and reading a book! I can't tell you the last time I saw my husband just sit!!! EH MESHEE you know what I'm talking about!!
I read on the other board about GC, I wonder if all will be up and going when it's our turn? What do you think? Anyone had this experience with distruction, does it take a long time to get things up and going?
Pauline
:jumping1: :jumping1:

[big jack 2002]

We're getting excited!! We are going to try to book our Disney Excursions at the 90 day mark. One of our sons really wants to try to fish at Castaway Cay!

Are we having a meet on ship?

[mark & sandra]

Not sure if anyone is waiting, but Southwest Airlines has expanded their schedule to now include our timeframe. I booked airfare tonight and they still have 74.00 (one way) tickets available.

big jack 2002- O.K. Jack, you're incharge of the meet. Where and when?? When are you arriving at the port, the day of or before the cruise? We decided to arrive a day early. We don't want any bad weather to ruin the chances of making the ship. We're staying at Ron Jon's the night before. We got a rate of 108.75 for a 1 bedroom...Mark

[big jack 2002]

We are staying at POFQ before the cruise. We are coming down on Wednesday and spending a couple of days at WDW. We got $ 143.50 round trip air flights on Northwest. We were looking at about $240 round trip on Air Tran. We will have to change planes in Detroit but there are 9 of us flying together so that was quite a savings. Our son-in-law found the flight at about 2 a.m. on the computer. It wasn't there 15 minutes earlier! The plane from here to Detroit is small - only 30 seats - so we have almost 1/3 of it! I think we saved enough to plan another excursion!

[cruiser]

Originally posted by karebear1
Lee- just wondering if you've booked airfare from OR. yet? If so where was it from in Oregon and how much did you pay, if you don't mind me asking. We live in just south west of Portland by 20 minutes or so in the Clackamas area. Still looking for those good airfare rates out of PDX!

I just booked last night on Southwest. We are going to fly out a couple days early, leaving on the 12th. I was able to get a great rate $198 roundtrip per person from PDX. There is one stop in Kansas City (I think) but only for 20 minutes and you do not have to get off the plane. We leave at 9:45 AM and arrive 6:30 PM or so.. This is about the best rate I have found, the other airlines are currently better $285 to $350 round trip, this is about $100+ more than we paid. My guess is that prices will drop, but I doubt that they will get lower than what SWA is offering now. The only problem with the SWA rates is that they are only good on certain days of the week. We had originally planned to leave on a Thursday, but it would have cost an extra $80 per person, so we changed our plans to spend two days before the cruise in Orlando instead of one day before and one day after.

I am not all that excited about flying SW. I travel a lot for work, and I prefer just about any other airline, but I just could not beat the price. Also, we are going to stay the night before we leave at the Portland airport Hampton Inn, they offer 14 day free parking if you stay the night at their hotel, and provide a shuttle to/from. We use them often, it is a great deal.

By the way, we are in Monmouth, about 20 minutes southwest of Salem. Hope this helps!

Lee

[pershing]

Delta Song is still the cheapest from BOS. In fact , I never would have thought when I booked at 142.20 that they would drop again! Now, its 129.20.

This is with taxes! It's still not enough to cover the re-booking fee for me, but maybe somebody who booked at 211, which is what it was like a month ago could save money by re-booking.

:bounce: :Pinkbounc

[kellimomo3]

Pershing,
We just re-booked on Song. I had booked when the rates first came out at $189. Not only did we add another day (we are now leaving on 1/8, instead of 1/9) but our rate is now $89. It covered the rebooking fee and we got a Delta credit!!

I can't believe our trip is a little over three months away. I'm so excited!! It's a little scary to think that Christmas is that close too!!!

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[karebear1]

Thanks to your info Lee, I was able to find a great rate on Travelocity for a Delta flight. RT (txs and all fees included) for $234.00. I thought that was a great rate becasue the ticket prices were 189.00 and we get to fly into and out of on the days we wanted to. It took me a few hours of hard looking to find this fare- but I'm really happy about it. Thanks for the heads up on the fare change.

Why is this thread always so hard to find???

[pershing]

Originally posted by kellimomo3
Pershing,
We just re-booked on Song. I had booked when the rates first came out at $189. Not only did we add another day (we are now leaving on 1/8, instead of 1/9) but our rate is now $89. It covered the rebooking fee and we got a Delta credit!!

I can't believe our trip is a little over three months away. I'm so excited!! It's a little scary to think that Christmas is that close too!!!

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

99 days! :eek:

I'm organizing my WDW priority seatings in my mind while I'm at work! 90 days is almost here for me. (WDW 1/12-1/15)

Kellimomo3- I'm so glad you got to re-book!!!!!! That $50 bucks difference eats at me, but it could have easily have swung the other way had I not booked. Let's just pray Delta stays afloat. :rolleyes:

I can't wait for the 60 day window to see if we get our documents and what cabin we get.

Did you see in 2006, the Western itinerary drops Caymen and adds 2 CC's and Costa Maya. I wonder if that means no stingray excursions in the future?

Well- back to work!

[mark & sandra]

Not sure if this helps but with DCL's new policy, (they want final payment at 90 days out, but I think we are still under the old system) DCL is allowing people to book excursions at 90 days out also. For us that Nov. 15th...Mark

[karebear1]

Thanks for that info- I was just gonna sit down to figure all that out! So- On Nov. 15th we can start making cruise excursion ressies- right??? Or do you mean October 15th?

[pershing]

October 15th! And if you're doing WDW before, you need to call and book priority seatings before the 15th.

Weird question here! Does anyone know if you can buy milk at the airport? I'm bringing some cereal with me and we arrive at 10PM.

Otherwise, does anyone know a good grocery store to stop at that time of night outside of WDW but on the way?

[big jack 2002]

You can probably buy a glass of milk, but I don't think there is anywhere that sells it by the half gallon in the airport.

[mark & sandra]

If you're coming into MCO, McDonalds sells milk in the small pint size...Mark

[kellimomo3]

Check out my countdown clock guys!!!!!
Finally double digits!!!
I know I'm leaving a week before some of you but I was so excited I had to share!!!!

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[Houzer]

:teeth: That is WONDERFUL!! We are just behind you by a few days! LOL We have our counter set for when we fly out instead of by the cruise...makes it look better at least that is what we think !!!!! .:hyper:

Pauline:earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

[mark & sandra]

Found some coupons for either Ron Jons or the Radisson, good for when we'll be in Cape Canaveral. The site is www.roomsaver.com

The links are:

http://www.roomsaver.com/expandedcoupon.php?establishment_id=592&coupon_id=4405&state_id=10

http://www.roomsaver.com/expandedcoupon.php?establishment_id=13231&coupon_id=14164&state_id

[Houzer]

:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: Double Digit Dance!!!!!! Double Digit Dance!!!!! Yaaaahoooo come on every one sing along....Double Digit Dance ohhhyaaa...Double Digit Dance ohhhyaaaa!!!


:jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1:

I called and made my final payment this a.m. and found out that we can make our excursion reservations now if we choose. I also found out that we are stopping at Grand Cayman for January. DCL doesn't plan on being away from their normal schedule for too much longer. That is according to the DCL staff I spoke with.
Double Digit Dance Everyone!!!

Pauline:boat:

[mark & sandra]

Pauline- Why so glum, I thought you'd be a little more excited about reaching double digits!!;)

Have you decided on any excursions yet??...Mark

[allears]

We just booked today! We're waiting for our refund to come in from our abreviated 9/25 (27) voyage as well as our discount voucher. Between the two my wife and I have booked a cat 11 just for the two of us and we don't have to pay any money out of pocket. So for the price of our original cruise we'll end up cruising an extra 7 nights!

We were hoping to squeak it out for all five of us, but couldn't get the numbers to work. However, the realization that we can have 7 whole days alone for the first time in 17 years is pretty awesome! Second honeymoon!

Can't wait to be back on the Magic and have all 7 nights!

[mark & sandra]

Only 14 more weeks to go. Can you feel the excitement rising yet???...Mark

[pershing]

Originally posted by allears
We just booked today! !

Welcome Allears!!

Congrats on your extended Honeymoon! No hurricanes gonna stop you from having fun in the end! Huh!

How many DC's do you have in your history?

:Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce:

[allears]

"Welcome Allears!!

Congrats on your extended Honeymoon! No hurricanes gonna stop you from having fun in the end! Huh!

How many DC's do you have in your history?"


Nope, we certainly weren't going to let a hurricane mess with our fun. I sincerely wish that the people of Florida and the carribean islands had been spared so much trouble though. As for us, we always try to make the best out of a situation and this last trip was no exception.

After this next cruise in January our total will be five cruises. 1 on the Wonder and 4 on the Magic. We have a long way to go to catch up many other repeat cruisers.

[pershing]

Originally posted by allears


After this next cruise in January our total will be five cruises. 1 on the Wonder and 4 on the Magic. We have a long way to go to catch up many other repeat cruisers.

Wow! :earseek:

Were any of them Western like us? Would you have some tidbits of advice and tips to pass on? We would love to hear!

It sounds like you had good travel insurance. I'm just about to get some of that myself. Any 'not to do' suggestions? I've already messed up the part about buying 10 days within the time you book part! :(

kellimomo3- would you believe I called for Priority Seating at Hoop De doo Revue this late in the game and they STILL had seatings available for the night of the 22nd!!! I thought they would have been sold out as they book so far ahead!

I thought we'd do some different Priority Seatings this time. Like Character Breakfast at the Beach Club instead of the Castle and Character Dinner at Garden Grill instead of Chef Mickey.

A neighbor just told me that for Universal Studios, they took their daughter to Margaritaville (early) for dinner and it was the best time they had!!!

By the way, did you see that ticket deal on Universals web site? If you print your own tickets, you can get 5 days for the price of 2 to everything!! Not that we need five days but we might need three or four. (It has to be 5 days in a row and they expire and can't be saved for next year and you have to have adobe acrobat. But there's a chance to turn them into an annual pass once your in the parks.) ::yes::

[Houzer]

Welcome Allears!!

We're getting into the final stretch of our excursions!! We are trying to make the final decission, anyone make their ressies for excursions? What are you doing?

Pauline
PS Sorry if there are any spelling mistakes I don't have my glasses on and I can't see very well. Gotta go get them! LOL

[karebear1]

My DH and I are definetly going to do the Stingray Swim- we're just not sure if we want to reserve through DCL or on our own. If we reserve on our own, it's less expensive then through DCL. I think we might also parasail on CC. My DB has done a cruise going to the same Islands we are going to and he says that the Jeep Jungle tour is hysterical- although- he did say you should have a good back to do that one!

[bigcat2000]

first of all let me tell you all who i am. i am bigjack son. he asked me to see if we all wanted to get together on the ship, i would need to know how many people would like to come. so we can get a room if needed. feel free to email me at bigcat2002@yahoo.com, if you would like to meet.

thank you

bill "bigcat" smith

[karebear1]

That sounds like a great idea! My DH and I would love to meet everyone!

[pershing]

Originally posted by Houzer
Welcome Allears!!

....anyone make their ressies for excursions? What are you doing?

LOL

Stingray/Coral Reef Snorkel tour booked on our own with Native Way AM Tour.

That's the only excursion we're doing. On Cozumel and CC, we are just gonna do the beach thing.

bigcat2000- Count us in too! It would be nice to get together! :wave2: :wave2:

[Meshee]

We are going to book the Fury Catamaran Sail, Snorkel & Beach Party excursion at Cozumel with the DCL. At Grand Cayman, I think we decided on the Stingray snorkel excursion. However, we are undecided whether to book this one with DCL or Captain Marvin's. And at Castaway Cay. we are planning on relaxing on the beach.

[kellimomo3]

We should definatley plan a DIS meet. I have read a lot on these boards about people missing their Dis meet because it was on boarding day and they were running around and lost track of time. My suggestion would be that maybe we do it on Sunday morning before Key West or on Monday while we are at sea. Just a thought, I'll be there whenever it is!!!


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[bigcat2000]

helllllloooooo every one, and a good mickey to every one,
ok lets see, i do have some questions to ask if we are going to get this thing going, (a meeting i mean).

ok big jack how many of your people want to come to the meeting?
karebear will it be you and your husband?

and pershing how many in your group?

kelli how about yours?

and kelli i think that is a great idea to have it the when we are out at sea. that way no one will miss anything. just a few more weeks and it will be here.

[karebear1]

Yep! Just DH (Jim) and me (Karen)! Please count us in. It's very nice of you to organize this. THANK you!

[big jack 2002]

I think probably 10 or 11 of our group will be coming. Some will be grandkids!!

[kellimomo3]

It will be myself, DH (41), DS (8), DS (6 1/2), DS (4 1/2). If everyone is bringing their kids to the meet, I will, otherwise I'll probably come with just my husband while the kids play in the club!!! Then, I can actually carry on a conversation with all of you!!!


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[mark & sandra]

We'll be there too. If we have one early enough in the cruise I'd bring my kids.

Where is everyone staying the night before? We're staying at Ron Jon's Resort the night before the cruise...Mark

[Meshee]

We are staying at the Hyatt the night before along with Houzer and her family.

[big jack 2002]

We're staying at Disney--the Pop Century. POFQ was completely booked for the 3 days before we go!!

[Meshee]

Big Jack 2002, we stayed at Pop Century last April for 4 days with our 2 kids and loved it. It was our first time at a disney resort and we would definitely go back.

[karebear1]

My DH (Jim) and I are staying at Wilderness Lodge nad catching a town car down. Anyone done that before?

[Holly&Joesmommy]

Hey BigCat thanks for putting this together!

We'll be there.:earsboy: :earsgirl: princess: pirate:

[big jack 2002]

I was looking at the ship's deck plans and there are three conference rooms on deck 2. I wonder if we could get one of these for a short time--or do we want it outside, maybe on deck 7's secret verandah?

[mark & sandra]

Just a heads up folks-

Disney has changed their excursion and deposit criteria. Although most of us have booked before the changeover and are not required to finalize their bookings by today, one advantage to paying in full, by today, is that Disney is allowing all excursions to be booked 90 days out instead of 60 days as long as final payment are made...Mark

[Houzer]

Mark: Yes that is what Meshee and I found out last week when we payed our trips off. The DCL staff told us we could now book our excursions. Great news for those who have it payed before the November 15 deadline. Houzer

[pershing]

Ditto on what kellimomo said. If everyone is bringing their little ones, then I will bring mine too. So, it'll either be just me, or me and 3 DS's 10,8,6.

Yes, thank you for organizing this cruise meet.
::yes:: ::yes:: ::yes:: ::yes::

[mark & sandra]

One of the things we plan on doing while in Key West is renting an electric golf cart to explore the island. We did it last year and it was great. These are samples of their cars from their web page...Mark

http://www.keywest.com/keywestcruisers/90miles.jpghttp://www.keywest.com/keywestcruisers/images/hulksitting.jpg

[karebear1]

Mark- can you give us a website please?

[mark & sandra]

Sure, I don't think I rented from this place though. There are quite a few to rent from. ALL have coupons that you pick up from street venders that peddle companies that throw them commissions. You get a voucher for 2 free hours and they get credit. The one I rented from was across the street from Sloppy Joe's. I even think that Shirley from The perfect Gift has some coupons. She frequents these boards and is the resident expert on Key West. Her site is www.theperfectgift.com and the rental company is http://www.keywest.com/keywestcruisers/ I would use this site for info only and find the best rates through Shirley...Mark

[kellimomo3]

We are staying at the Holiday Inn Family Suites for the week before the cruise and doing Universal/IOA and Disney. We are planning to get to the port by 11:00 am.

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

Originally posted by karebear1
My DH (Jim) and I are staying at Wilderness Lodge nad catching a town car down. Anyone done that before?

Last November, we stayed not at Wilderness but All Star Sports. We had Tiffany Town car pick us at 10am and we were checking in at 11:15 with absolutely no one in front of us. The kids were actually bummed that they didn't have time to sit and watch cartoons in the waiting area at the Port. When we had our 'what are the three things you really want to do on this trip', getting to the port earlier for the cartoons was one of my eldest's requests. GO FIGURE!

So we're leaving early this time, from the Swan. Which is good 'cause I'm driving a rental car this time and we have to do the whole drop off and shuttle deal. Little nervous about that but hoping for the best.

[karebear1]

So- are you saying that everyone else had already checked in by the time yu got there? Or do they allow those that come via limo to check in first? I thought check in wasn't until 12:00. I KNOW NOTHING!! Please educate me! thanks!

[pershing]

Originally posted by karebear1
So- are you saying that everyone else had already checked in by the time yu got there? Or do they allow those that come via limo to check in first? I thought check in wasn't until 12:00. I KNOW NOTHING!! Please educate me! thanks!

Yeah! I do need to clarify.

Everyone else who had arrived ahead of us had already done the checking in where they look over your documents. THEN you get in one of those swirly attraction type lines to go on the ship.

I waited in that line alone for a little while as the kids began to watch cartoons, but before they even got into it, they were letting people on the ship! The kids were bummed until they realized they could jump in the pools right away (arrived w/bathing suits on.) My kids weren't going to touch that buffet until they had done some quality swimming! And then they opened the slide-food was not the priority.

Some waiter came by with these beautiful mixed drinks of which I eagerly took one and sat there totally relaxed for the first time in years.

Any wonder I'm heading back! :sunny:

[karebear1]

Sorry to ask so many questions- but I just plain don't know the answers!

Were you able to get Palo ressies arriving at that time? What time do they allow people in and start checking their paper work?
I hayte lines! I'd rather be the first then the last - and especially in this case because of the anxiety I feel about wanting a Palo ressie!

Can I ask everyone's first names and just a little bit about them please???? It will make it easier to place names and faces for me. My name is Karen (45), and my husband is Jim (48). We live in Portland, OR. I'm a SAHM- but all our kids are grown! I have been training for the past 6 months to walk in the WDW Half Marathon on January 9th- the week before the cruise. The Cruise is a reward celebration for doing the half and a 25th Anniversary Celebration for my DH and I. My DH is the Head Engineer for a Construction Company. His company is working here on the Willamette River clean up. If you have any interest in underground construction- deep tunnel work- he's the man to see! We have 2 daughters and one son- ages 23, 22, and 21.

Anyone else?

[kellimomo3]

My name is Kelli (34), my husband's name is Ron (41). I am a stay at home mom to our three sons ages at cruise 8, 6 1/2, 4 1/2. I am really into scrapbooking and enjoy being a mom. My husband works in computer ergonomic equipment sales. We live in Tolland, CT but I am originally from Cape Cod, MA.
My father passed away at age 54 last year from esphageal cancer, he was a heavy smoker. Anyway...he left myself and my four siblings some money and we are using part of it for this great vacation. We have been to Disney & Universal twice with our kids but never cruised with them.
We are planning to surprise them Christmas morning with a treasure hunt for puzzle pieces. When they put the puzzle together, it is a picture of the Magic. The boys have wanted to do the Disney cruise ever since our neighbors went last year. I keep it alive by talking about it a lot. They always ask, Mommy, do you think we can ever go too?! Little do they know, this has got to be the hardest secret I have ever kept and for soooo long. We booked about a year ago! I am looking forward to the week at the parks beforehand and I know by the time we get to the ship we will be so ready to relax and be taken care of!!

Random question for you all....Have any of you added the REAS package. We did and our travel agent (DU) says the ressies are not in the system yet but should be soon. I can't wait for Palo and massages!!!


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[bigcat2000]

hi all again,
helllllo evvvvvvery one.

its me again, just want to double check the list, and maybe add a few things if nessary.

well let me tell you all about my self first b4 we get to the buss. i am from akron ohio. but moved away about 4 yrs agos, i was in the rent to own industary for about 10yrs. and then operated my own carwash, then went to that to owning a auto auction that we just opened, here in durham north carolina.

that was a quick history lesson of myself.

let me see if i got all the names and numbers right. if not just holler at me.

karebear1 which is jim and karen which = 2
pershing sorry i dont know your name. = yourself and 3 kids=4
kellimom which is kelli and ron and 3 sons=5
bigjack other people dont know you but you.=10
mark and sandra i hope that is your real names=2
holly and joesmommy, i think holly and joe =2
and not least myself bill smith =1

so if my math is right we have a total of 26 so far, if others would like to join please feel free to do so.


__________________
you always pack to many clothes, but never bring enough money.

[mark & sandra]

bigcat2000
We will have 2 kids in tow also (daughter age12, son age10) and Father-in-law...Mark

[Holly&Joesmommy]

Bigcat,

This is your sister- inlaw and brother!!
There are four of us remember? :wave2:
Kelly, Ben, Holly(7) and Joe(3)

I'm not sure if mom counted us or not? You can add my parents and sister also.

Kelly

[bigcat2000]

ha ha ha ha ha ha

i didnt know that was you.

now thats funny

[pershing]

Originally posted by karebear1

Were you able to get Palo ressies arriving at that time? What time do they allow people in and start checking their paper work?

Can I ask everyone's first names and just a little bit about them please????


My name is Sue. :Pinkbounc

Opposite from Kelli- Not from Cape Cod but I live here now and love it! I'm a single mom of 3 boys-my middle one has Autism. So, I have to plan everything down to the last detail so I can then prepare him for what's coming next.

Right now, I'm working on the Stingray excursion with pretending to snorkel and petting a stuffed Stingray. -Not going so well. He keeps dropping the Stingray and saying, 'Ahhhhhh! Monster!!' :rolleyes:

I've read that some people checked in around ten-ish in the morning at the Port. But I can't remember when you could make Palo reservations. Seems to me it wasn't until later in the afternoon--2 or 3. I returned my passporter to the Library. Does anyone else have one they can look it up? :earsboy:

[kellimomo3]

Hi Sue,

I believe you can make the Palo reservations at 1:00. Your boys are the same ages as my boys right?? (8, 6, 4)

I am keeping my 8 year old in the club with his brothers. He will have just turned 8 in December and is in 2nd grade so I figured that's the better placement for him anyways.


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[pershing]

My guys run a little older- 10 (Dec.) , 8 and 6.


My DS 8 will hopefully stay with his older brother in the lab. They may want to put him back in the club because of his Autism, but I think he would enjoy the computer programs and less group-ish activities of the Lab. He's in 3rd grade, but only because we want to keep him with the same group of kids who've known him since they were all in pre-school. They are so great with him-get right in his face to talk to him and are always trying to get him to participate-invite him to their B-days. They are def. a large part of his successes!

So Palo was 1:00 huh. I was way more concerned with booking that massage then booking a table for one at Palo's. I ended up getting both, though.

[bigcat2000]

hello all, is everyone getting happy.
just to update everyone one, on the group get 2gether.

jim and karen = 2
sue and 3 kids =4
ron and kelli 3 kids =5
bob which is big jack and grand kids = 7
ben and kelli (my sweet sister in law) =7
mark and sandra = 5
and my self bill"bigcat"smith = 1
and now the total is

31

i was wondering if any one would like to volunteer to make name badges for all of us?
i think that would be a great idea and a keep sake to remember this week out of our lives.

thanks bill

[karebear1]

Me ! Me! I will!!! I'll make the name tags!

I just need EVERYONE's name.... even kids!

[kellimomo3]

I have a suggestion for the name tags:

Kelli
(kellimomo3)

That way we can associate the screen name we know everybody as with their actual name!!!

Our group would be:

Kelli
(kellimomo3)

Ron
(kellimomo3)

Griffin
(kellimomo3)

Ryan
(kellimomo3)

Jason
(kellimomo3)

Thanks for volunteering KareBear!!!
Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[karebear1]

That's a good idea Kelly! I'll be sure to put everyone DIS name on the name tags too. :teeth: ::yes::

[pershing]

Wow! We are really gonna have a cruise meet. Fantastic!


Our group is:

Sue
(pershing)

Colton
(pershing)

Dale
(pershing)

Mitchell
(pershing)

It will be nice to meet everyone.

[kellimomo3]

Hey guys,

I have a question for you all.......

What deck are your cabins on???

We have a cat. 8 with a cat. 11 across the hall on deck 5.

Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[mark & sandra]

We're 6112 and 6113. A Cat #6 and 11 on Deck 6...Mark

[Steve & Shirley]

Hi all this is our very first cruise am glad that I found this thread will kinda make it enjoyable to read the posts untill the big day (thanks for the directions kelli). Have had people ask us why we took our first cruise on disney with all the kids that are going to be there...........well we trust disney and we enjoy watching kids...more enjoyable when there not ours....:D . well have all kinds of questions but will keep reading the post to see if I can get some answered first see you all real soon.

[kellimomo3]

Hey Steve & Shirley,

Glad you found us!!! I look forward to hearing more from you. Welcome!!


Kelli
:earsboy: :earsgirl: pirate: pirate: pirate:

[mark & sandra]

Originally posted by Steve & Shirley
Have had people ask us why we took our first cruise on disney with all the kids that are going to be there...........well we trust disney and we enjoy watching kids...more enjoyable when there not ours....:D .

We're here to make you happy, Steve & Shirley, so just what time do you want to watch my kids??? Finally a chance to get away, thanks in advance, Mark ;)

[karebear1]

Welcome Steve and Shirley ! Are you planning on joining us when we all meet together?

My DH and I are in a Category 6 too- room # 6596-

It's getting so close! We can hardly wait!

[pershing]

Originally posted by mark & sandra
We're here to make you happy, Steve & Shirley, so just what time do you want to watch my kids??? Finally a chance to get away, thanks in advance, Mark ;)

Ha Ha! My word, you're gonna scare them away!

Go ahead and list your questions, Steve & Shirley. I, for one, would love to see how much I know!
:crazy:

As for the cabin number, we are GTY and will find out within the 60 period. (In other words, when the docs. come!)

[big jack 2002]

Hi Steve and Shirley,
Welcome!
We have 6 cabins on Deck 2, Cat 9. We like it there. You'll have a great time with or without kids!

[Houzer]

::yes:: We are also on deck 2 cat 9....Houzer

[karebear1]

Has anyone made their ressies for the Stingray swim yet? If so, who did you go with? If not.... are you interested in booking so we can do this together?

[Steve & Shirley]

when I said we like to watch kids I meant from a distance:D
but whos knows this is disney and it will be the first time we have ever done anything disney related by ourselves so maybe we will be having grandchildren withdrawls:D :D :D :D

[Steve & Shirley]

Originally posted by pershing
Ha Ha! My word, you're gonna scare them away!

Go ahead and list your questions, Steve & Shirley. I, for one, would love to see how much I know!
:crazy:

As for the cabin number, we are GTY and will find out within the 60 period. (In other words, when the docs. come!)

Thats where we stand also waiting on the docs .....when we find out we will surely let you all know

[Meshee]

karebear1:

We just recently booked "Stingray City Snorkel Tour" (3 - 3.5 hours) with DCL. Houzer booked as well. There are two different stingray excursions with DCL. There is also "Stingray City Reef Sail & Snorkel" (3 hours). Two different CMs could not tell us the difference between the two excursion, however, one thought the size of the boat might be the only difference. Has anyone else experience these two excursions? Does anyone know the difference between the two excursion?

[Holly&Joesmommy]

Hi Karebare,

We are Ben, Kelly, Holly, and Joe. I thought my parents would come with us , but looks like they are not now, so that is all we'll need. They have not been on here so they are missing out on all of this pre-vacation FUN :hyper: Thanks so much for making the tags, it will be nice.

[cruiser]

Originally posted by big jack 2002
We're staying at Disney--the Pop Century. POFQ was completely booked for the 3 days before we go!!

We are staying at POP a couple of days before the cruise as well, perhaps we will see you there!

[karebear1]

Cruiser- where are you from in Oregon?

[Houzer]

:wave2: Anyone else from Canada on this post other then Meshee and her family? Just wondering if anyone else is flying out of Toronto of any other provice other then the U.S.??? Houzer

[karebear1]

Sorry Houzer- we're NOT from Canada.

BUT- I was wondering when everyone's dinner seating is scheduled for? Our is the late seating. Anyone else?

[Houzer]

We are also late seating and so is Meshee's family. We are dining together for the cruise. Thanks Houzer

[cruiser]

Originally posted by karebear1
Cruiser- where are you from in Oregon?

I think we may have traded posts a few weeks ago. We are in Monmouth, just east of Salem. I seem to remember you guys are in Portland right? We are flying out of PDX on Jan 12, staying that night near MCO airport, then the following few days at Pop Century.

This will be our 3rd cruise on DCL, the first was a land/sea, the second an Eastern. Here are our details:

Lee - (me) - Software Engineer @ HP
Catherine - (wife) - Mary Kay / HP
Andrew "AJ" - will be 3 years old on 12/30
Elizabeth - 9 years old

Also I think I read something about a meet & greet on the ship, count us in (well at least me and the wife, the kids will probably be in the clubs) .

Counting the days!

Lee

[cruiser]

Originally posted by Houzer
We are also late seating and so is Meshee's family. We are dining together for the cruise. Thanks Houzer

Same here, late seating...