Sept 25, 2004 - someone's gotta be coming!

[Angellelopez]

What time is everyone meeting for the tea? What time for the embarkation meeting? And lastly when is the Palo Brunch?



I am so excited I cannot stand it. Everynight I am up until 1am reading about DCL and all there is to do.

[Angellelopez]

Originally posted by two-foxes
We did this for the land/sea package.....I don't think they'll do a room pickup at a WDW resort unless you are on the package. I will say it was the easiest, least stressed trip ever doing that package.....and we did it in Oct with perfect weather!

We are short a luggage tag anyway as we have 5 suitcases for the 2 of us (1 big, 1 carryon for each of us and 1 just for our snorkle/dive gear. Those darn fins are huge!) Going past the 2 suitcase limit.....I simply refuse to rent a wet suit though (yuck!), and I love my fins!


You mean that on DCL we can only have two pieces of luggage each? I have not gotten my papers yet and did not read that anywhere on the posts.


I personally will have two suitcase one carry on and one larger one. My husband will have one carryon and one large suitcase and another bag with his medication and apnea machine. My daughter will need a suitcase and a bag for her diapers and medicine for asthma. Not to mention I was going to pack a bag with my snorkel gear and fins. So that would put me at 8 bags for a family of three. My mother is also coming and she will have one large and one small suitcase. Not to mention we will have my daughters small umbrella stroller and her carseat as we will be in FLorida two days before the cruise.

[wnissen]

Originally posted by Angellelopez
You mean that on DCL we can only have two pieces of luggage each? I have not gotten my papers yet and did not read that anywhere on the posts.

If you don't have your "docs" within two weeks before the cruise, you should probably give your travel agent a call. But yes, you only get two pieces of "checked" luggage that they will take at the port. Anything else you will have to put through the xray machine and carry on the ship. When your room is available (sometime in the afternoon) then you can drop off the carryons. Sometime in the evening, your checked luggage will show up. Hope someone will correct me if I got something wrong.

Walt

[kcashner]

Rooms are available about 1:30 to drop your carry ons. Checked luggage can arrive any time, but we usually have it before 3. We usually arrive at the port about 11. They start delivering luggage essentially right away, and really try to have it all delivered to your cabin before the safety drill. However, the official line is that it will be delivered by 7 (or something like that). We've always (10 Magic cruises) had it before 5, no matter what time we got to the port.

You can have 2 checked pieces of luggage per person. Your husband's medical equipment will not count as a piece, whether you check it or carry it on. You can carry on as many pieces as you like, but remember that you will have to drag them around till the cabins are available--thus, it is smart to pack only what you really want/need in the carry ons. Then add swim suits. One of the best times to swim is between boarding and the safety drill--the pools are empty.

Label your carry ons with your name on some sort of luggage tag--just for safety in case you leave it somewhere. Put the cruise tags on the checked pieces.

So...you can have 6 checked pieces for a family of 3, PLUS your carry ons.

To answer another question--you put your cruise tags on when you are leaving WDW for the cruise (since none of us are on the land/sea). DO NOT put them on when you leave home if you are going to WDW first. You will need to claim them at baggage claim, take them to your transportation to WDW....and then put the cruise tags on when you leave WDW.

We have been able to put them outside our room at the resort and call the bellman, then not see them till we were on the cruise. Of course, that only works if you are taking the WDW bus to the port. However, again since we are not on a land/sea combo, DO check with the bellman at your resort. Simply ask the bell captain whether your bags will be held at the bell station for you to give to the DCL transportation people or whether they will get them to the bus for you. You want to be clear on this point as you don't want to get to the port and find that your bags are in the luggage storage area at the resort!

[kcashner]

Another thought...as I re-read these posts.....Yes, it is helpful to know everyone's room numbers when you make the Palo ressies, but they can and will deal with the billing at the brunch. You just need to make the server aware of which billings go together (if husb and wife) or that everyone is separate. They will bring a "bill" at the end of the meal which you will sign and will be charged to your KTTW card. This will include the $10 for the brunch plus any alcohol anyone may have ordered, and has a place for you to add any additional tip. Of course, they will accept any additional tip in cash also. Of course, that leaves the issue of anyone who doesn't show up--in that case, you do need a name and cabin number on the ressie!

Are we still coordinating a group for tea on Thursday? I'm getting anxious to be on the ship!

The best news I've heard is that they think the 9/19 Wonder will be going to Castaway. I'm planning to call DCL on 9/17 (before we leave home) to ask what status is...will try to post then. I don't want to bug them now, but if they know we won't be going to CC, there are things I'll leave at home (like snorkel gear.)
Kathryn

[MickeyzGirl]

Angelle-Each person gets two pieces of luggage. Carry-ons don't count. Call DCL reservations & let them know you have two people with medical conditions. They will make a note of it. It is my understanding, bags for medical supplies don't count. Check & make sure. FYI-The rooms are small, not a lot of space for empty suitcases. Try under the bed. If they don't fit you should be able to contact your room stewart & they will store them for you. Contact them again when you are ready to pack & they will bring them to you. Since this is our first cruise, I'm passing on what I've been told. Someone please verify or clarify.:wave2:

[dinnysuw]

KCASNER-Kathryn-have you recieved your docs yet? I hadn't seen a post saying you had and I was wondering if you got your upgrade? That hurricane Ivan is making me soooo nervous for poor florida! I am all for palo tea on thursday-just name a time and how we go about reserving and i am there!
darcy

[LimeyAngel]

ooooooooooooh .... high tea <perk>. I wanna come - LOL Please let me know what I need to do to join the Thursday tea party. Thanks:D

[MickeyzGirl]

Who is reserving the Tea party? I would love to go, just not sure who to tell.

:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:

:sunny: GOD BLESS AMERICA TODAY :cheer2:
Please watch over our troops.

[mmouse37]

Jill.....we would love to do brunch on Mon....only problem is that I do not have my stateroom yet as I am now on a Cat 6 GTY....but I can follow you to make the ressies as by then I will know what cabin we have.

Are the guys going to the Tea on Thursday??? I would also like to do that but I don't think hubby would be into high tea!!!! He would rather snooze by the pool or on Deck 4!!! Out of 10 DCL cruises I have never done the wine tasting or the high Tea.....!

I am sure some of us will bumb into each other in the terminal....not sure what I am wearing yet but I will have a DCL visor and/or DCL pins on.

Mickyzgirl......nice to meet you!!! Glad you found these boards.....I'll send you a PM!!!

Are you guys going to have embarkation lunch in Parrot Cay or Topsiders...or does it depend on the weather??? We ususally eat in PC because it is so much cooler....

MJ

[MickeyzGirl]

MJ-Don't worry, mine won't be doing tea either. But DD would love to. Too bad for her. Just for the grown ups. We are planning on doing the wine tasting as well. Was told to do early in the cruise--They serve & discuss wines that are available at dinner. That way you can look like a big shot smarty pants when you order. :tongue: I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to be able to do ALLLLLL the things I'm planning. I think I need a 25 days @ sea. Has anyone done the dolphin experience? Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait to see::MickeyMo & you all. :hyper2: Just to let you all know, I'm computer stupid & just learned how to use these cute little smileys. I hope no one minds. Here's to us all & praying for great weather. :umbrella:

[dinnysuw]

We will be wearing our official Disney store printed tshirts-"crusin on the Magic September 25-october 2,2004" family thinks i am nuts-looking forward to hight tea-although i don't drink tea- it is a good excuse to get away for some ME time! have we all been doing our chant?
ivan ivan go away come back....NEVER!
darcy

[two-foxes]

You guys should be able to pick me out...I'll be the one with the Mickey ears and Mickey Hands! Okay, so I won't pull those out until sailaway, and until I've had a drink, to, well, loosen up a bit!

If someone want to do the high tea ressies, that would be great! Tim will probably make the brunch ressies while I run to the spa to make sure I get signed up for some of those $10 :rolleyes: fitness classes. (I must, however, do it or two weeks of cruising food will kill me!)

[dinnysuw]

I run to the spa to make sure I get signed up for some of those $10 fitness classes.
jill-i thought the fitness classes were free? i plan on a early morning jog and a trip to the gym (of course if a buffet gets in my way i'll have to postpone the run!)
darcy

[kcashner]

The use of the fitness center is free, the classes cost.

OK, if no one else is volunteering to do the tea reservations, I'll do it. The tea is at 3 pm on sea days--I'll do it for Thursday. The only kicker is that we are leaving on 9/17 (doing a week at WDW first), so I'll need names and stateroom numbers for anyone who wants me to make ressie for high tea at Palo on 9/30 by WEDNESDAY please. That way, all you late people will be sure to have it in by Thursday (hee hee). I can't promise to be on line on Friday, so really need to have it early.

If this is not acceptable (the early notice) and someone else wants to volunteer to do the ressie, you will not hurt my feelings at all.

And, for anyone who cares, 9/30 is my 50th birthday, so I'm officially designating the tea party as part of my celebration....see, you didn't know what you were getting in to.

Yes, I got my docs, and so far, no upgrade (bummer, but that's ok). We're listed in 6303...which still could change, but I'm not counting on it. DD cares more than I do--we don't spend any time in the cabin.

[two-foxes]

Darcy-

Yeah, they have made the cardio kickbox, yoga and pilates classes $10....I believe the step classes are still free, although I am not sure. I haven't checked the most recent navs.....It was nice when we did cruise DCL on our HM that the classes were free, although there was a wait list on them. I will still lift and run (arrrghhh! my LEAST favorite activity!) but I will not survive if I can't have someone barking at me telling me what to do when I work out!

Tim and I will most likely pass on tea. We have ressies set up on the 10/02 already through the REAS, he wasn't all that thrilled about doing it once, so twice would be just too much to ask!

Katherine-
We are headed to WDW on Saturday as well. I am looking foward to it....going to do DiveQuest at Epcot on the 20th...stop by and gawk at the divers!

[two-foxes]

One last thing....and I hope I did the right thing! We ended up deciding to rent a car from MCO to WDW (drop off at the Double Tree), then pick up a car again on the 24th at the Double Tree and head out to port. All through Budget. We had been booked through Happy Limo, but after reading some not so positive reviews and realizing we'd save over $100 (more wine!!!!) it was kinda a no brainer. We will still probably keep Happy Limo for the ride to MCO though.

A penny saved is a penny earned, right?

[dinnysuw]

Jill, I know what you mean about running-I just started up again after a 20 year hiatus. I am doing a 5K on Sunday-"race for the cure" for breast cancer.
Kathryn, thanks for taking the reins for high tea-I'll PM you with my info.
Looks like Ivan the terrible may leave the Keys alone! Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather for our cruise and for everyone's visits to th park before!
Darcy

[MarcyIn Florida]

I know it's early to wonder about this, but did anyone hear anything about the ports at Grand Cayman post Ivan?

Marcy

P.S. I had a good laugh at all of our timers -- they're all a bit different by a few hours. :D

[missyoh8]

:jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1:

We read on these boards last night ...........live from the magic........they are going to CC this week!!!!!!! Life is good....

missyoh8

[MarcyIn Florida]

Oh yay! We were just talking about CC last night. For me, Cozumel and CC are the only ports that we really care about visiting. (I obviously know that others want to stop elsewhere, so I mean no offense.)

Marcy

[mmorizio]

Originally posted by MarcyIn Florida
did anyone hear anything about the ports at Grand Cayman post Ivan?

Nothing from DCL as yet. All the Caymans took a pretty large hit, but I guess that how it affects our cruise will depend on where and how severe the damage is. It is one of the wealthier of the western Caribbean islands, so the structures would probably fare better than most.

Grand Cayman is probably my least favorite port, but of course I don't want to see anyone lose their homes or businesses.

[MickeyzGirl]

By th looks of things-No one is doing anything at work except thinking about our upcoming trip. We're home today-sick. Dumb allergies. Have fun. Almost there.:Pinkbounc :bounce: :wave: :tongue: :hyper: ::yes::

[MickeyzGirl]

:confused: Has anyone heard from "Four Foxes in PA"? We live in southern PA & wanted to contact them to see if we're in the same area. I didn't notice them on our list. Just curious. Thanks:earsgirl:
Soon I get to see my boyfriend::MickeyMo ::MickeyMo ::MickeyMo ::MickeyMo ::MickeyMo

[allears]

One thing to keep in mind with these ports of call is how dependent they are on tourism. They may suffer a lot of damage, but if they can accomodate cruise ships they will open the ports up as quickly as possible, even if their homes are laying in ruble.

It will be interesting to see how our two ports of call fair and when we will know exactly where we're going.

I know we'll all be watching the Atlantic this week, hoping nothing else forms. If not we may be in the clear, at least for departure, since it takes so long for the storms to come accross. I think I will on start to relax this weekend and only completely relax when I'm sipping my drink of the day at the sail away celebration.

[MarcyIn Florida]

Originally posted by MickeyzGirl
By th looks of things-No one is doing anything at work except thinking about our upcoming trip.


I only get to take one vacation a year, so I get excited very early . . . and often. :)

[allears]

Holy cyclon boatmen! TD #11:mad:

I can't believe another one just popped up. It needs to not ever become oranized and blow away! The computer model has it passing over the Bahamas or darn close. Hopefully it won't have enough time to gain too much stregnth before it gets there.

[fourfoxesinpa]

Hi Tawnya -

We're in Lancaster County...Not too far from you!

We're very excited and have already started to pack!

11 days until we leave for Orlando!!!

Jamie

[kcashner]

I called DCL today to ask about CC (it makes a difference in how I pack). The CM was very sweet, but said that they really don't know when the first guests will visit the island. She said that there is a repair crew there now, and that they are certainly hoping to be up and functional by our cruise, but she can't give any assurances at this point.

Also, I have 3 ladies for the high tea on Thursday--I'll post a list on Wed. Anyone else want to join us?

[MickeyzGirl]

Jaime- I had to post because you don't have your PM activated. That is really neat you are so close to us. My DD (10) was curious how old your DD was? You can use my PM to respond if you'd like. See you soon. Are you flying out of Harrisburg or Baltimore?

[MickeyzGirl]

I was reading two threads earlier tonight & thought they went together. The first was about tipping the CMs. FYI-I read Disney pays them $50 TOTAL PER CRUISE :earseek: (not per passenger they take care of). Their salaries are based on the tips they receive from us. So if they treat you well, treat them well.
The second was to pray for the CMs & their families. Many of the CMs have families in the areas that were recently affected by the hurricanes. Many CMs have not been able to contact their families (phone lines down) to know how they are doing. :sad1: How horrible for them. Most people who just got off cruises were amazed at how the CMs continued to take care of them despite their own personal situations. Let's try & make it a really special cruise for them....because from what I can tell, they always do that for all their guests. I'm amazed at how many people's trip reports mention their CMs & how many photos people post of them. I haven't experienced them first hand, but anm so excitted to meet these remarkable people who make our experience remarkable. Please just keep them in your prayers. :sunny:

[NCRedding]

Kathryn: Please add my sister and I to the High Tea on Thursday. I'm in 5138, she's in 5133. Thanks

[mmouse37]

Kathryn....

Please also add me (not hubby) to high tea on Thursday. I do not have a cabin # yet but I am calling DCL now to see I can find out..Thanks.

Edited to add......we are in cabin 6644.....just found out!!!

Mary Jane

[missyoh8]

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

the Ron Jon called us this a.m. to say they are cancelling our resie due to the hurricane!! Where is everyone staying the night before the trip ... I need a great deal!!! I knew it was too good to be true that we were paying 130ish for a 2bdm 2ba condo!!!

Just a minor setback.................wondering what everyones thoughts were

missyoh8

:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate:

[MickeyzGirl]

:drinking1
:thewave:
:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:
:p

[wnissen]

I was shocked to read this post from the 9/11 Magic:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=644558

They are going to Castaway Cay on Friday! Wow. I really thought that there was going to be no island left. Yippee!

Walt

[MarcyIn Florida]

Originally posted by MickeyzGirl
I was reading two threads earlier tonight & thought they went together. The first was about tipping the CMs. FYI-I read Disney pays them $50 TOTAL PER CRUISE :earseek: (not per passenger they take care of). Their salaries are based on the tips they receive from us. So if they treat you well, treat them well.



I think this may apply to the servers and housekeeping staff, but it does not apply to the people in the Kids' Club and other salaried employees. The only people that rely on tips as their main source of income are the people they list on the "who to tip" list.

Marcy

[disneysooz]

Originally posted by missyoh8
:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

the Ron Jon called us this a.m. to say they are cancelling our resie due to the hurricane!! Where is everyone staying the night before the trip ... I need a great deal!!! I knew it was too good to be true that we were paying 130ish for a 2bdm 2ba condo!!!

Just a minor setback.................wondering what everyones thoughts were

missyoh8

:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate:


Hi there-
We are staying at the Radison the night of the 24th. Not sure if they still have availability or not, but would give them a call. Direct number 321-784-0000 or toll free (national office I think) 800-333-3333.

Also, I notice you are from Westerville; we (myself, DH and DD age 5) are neighbors, from Miamisburg, Ohio and are on the 25th Western cruise. Maybe we can meet up?
Take care and good luck on the ressie!
Susie princess:

[kcashner]

We are staying at a 3* in the MCO area that I got on Priceline for $28 for the night. Total cost with tax and priceline fee was something like $36. The 3*s all have a free shuttle to and from the airport.

You can do the same thing in the Cocoa Beach area if you'd rather stay there. There is a shuttle that serves all the Cocoa hotels for $3 per person.

I was really nervous about priceline the first time I did it, but we've always had a nice place at a great price. You can get a lot of info at www.biddingfortravel.com.
Kathryn

The $50 per week post referred only to people in "tipped" positions. I don't know if this figure is accurate or not, but I do know that the serving staff and room stewards are paid very minimally and totally depend on tips.

Others (kid counsellors, guest services, theatre crew, etc.) who are in positions that are not normally tipped are paid "living" type of wages.

[two-foxes]

My, goodness, what is up with all the dang Ohioans???? As a transplanted one, I can say that!

Well, we finally got our docs for the 10/02....we take off on Sat. I will definately try to keep up on where we may be sailing while at WDW, as Grand Cayman sounds like it will not be ready for tourists (but who knows, alot can change in over a week.) I wonder what other alternatives have been in the past.

Don't forget, if you want to do a group Palo Brunch on the 27th at about 1030, be sure to PM me by Thursday!!!! I will post the list of who I have by Friday, then that list will be final!!

I have just gotten done with my 12 hour Tuesday, so I am off to bed!!

[missyoh8]

Thanks for the priceline details. We have used them before, but only for airfare. We might just try that...........it's kind of like the lottery, in that you never know what you will get. Now I know where to start for a 3* as well. We need two rooms if we stay at a hotel so this is a valid inexpensive option for us. We had called another timeshare resort on the beach and they were as well closed until November 1st due to the hurricane! :eek: Thank you for the quick replies, hopefully we will figure out where to stay by this time tomorrow.

disneysooz
welcome to yet another Buckeye on this voyage! Are you flying out of Cincinati, Dayton, Columbus??? Wouldn't it be a hoot if we were on the same flights?????????::yes::

Have a great week everyone....................see ya real soon

Missyoh8
:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate:

[two-foxes]

I used Hotwire.....

Got the MCO Crowne Plaza for $60 a nite.....not a great rate, but it is better than what I would have paid not using them....

[dinnysuw]

missyoh8-ron jon's is cancelling due to damage from Frances? or is there another hurricane that i am unaware of?! Jacob was so excited to meet Bo at RJ's-maybe they can meet now at the Radisson instead! here is their thread-so close to the date looks like the cheapest is 135.00-let me know where you end up
http://www.radisson.com/reservation/rateSearch.do?&hotelCode=FLCOCOA&viewAll=Y&dno=09240409250422

[missyoh8]

:cool:

Yes closed because of Frances! Both of the large newer condo type resorts in the Cocoa Beach area are closed for 6 weeks for repairs........must have been a mess down there! I have made a temporary resie at the Raddison (don't want them to sell out) while we make our decision. We were maybe thinking of MK on Friday if the grandparents want to go. I figure at $50 a ticket, including food and pixie dust..............it should only add about $600 to our trip LOL. :earseek: Who knows when the next time my in laws will be able to be in Disney with the kids, chances are never. We will let them make the decission. My mother in law loves "It's a small World" however, and it is closed for repair, so that could be my way to the beach for the day.

I will keep you posted on our where-a-bouts Darcy so we can get the boys together!

I can almost hear the ocean!!!!!!!!

missyoh8

:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate:

[MickeyzGirl]

:wave2: Some had posted questions concerning the dining rotation & the dates of certain things. I was going through my PassPorter www.passporter.com & found the following "GUIDELINE". They are pretty accurate. But they suggest you check the code on your Key to the World card (LAPLAPL)-Lumieres (L), Animator's Palate (A), Parrot Cay (P)...etc). Also, check your Navigator @ check in time. It lists where to go to get Palo ressies & what time, etc. The following is their anticipated dinner rotation: If all the members of your party include:
All adults: day 1: Lumiere's, day 2: Animator's Palate, day 3: Parrot Cay, next 4 days L, A, P, L - character meal will be on Monday
Young kids: A, P, L, A, P, L, A - character meal will be on Sunday
Older kids (8-12): P, L, A, P, L, A, P - character meal will be on Thursday
If your not happy with your rotation, once onboard you can go to guest relations & ask it to be changed.

Day 1-normal meal***
Day 2-normal meal***
Day 3-normal meal*** Semi-Formal attire
***Animator's Palate only does the color show on days 1, 2, 3- days 4-7 the resturant stays black & white.
Day 4-Around the World Menu
Day 5-Mexicali (Pirates) Tropical attire
Day 6-Cap'n's Gala Formal attire
Day 7-The Best of..

Also: Palo brunch: day 2, 3, 6, 7
High Tea : day 3, 6
Tea with Wendy: nothing listed-check Navigator

I hope this is helpful, but please remember this is only a guideline. If you have any questions, please PM me.
:hyper:

[SINK]

Tea with Wendy should occur on the second sea day. You have to pick up the tickets morning of the first sea day.

By the way, don't forget that Disney is offering bridge tours when in port. You must first obtain tickets on Sunday (or push your luck the day in port).

[disneysooz]

disneysooz
welcome to yet another Buckeye on this voyage! Are you flying out of Cincinati, Dayton, Columbus??? Wouldn't it be a hoot if we were on the same flights?????????::yes::

Have a great week everyone....................see ya real soon

Missyoh8
:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate: [/B][/QUOTE]



H Missyoh8-
Yes it would be a hoot! We are flying out early Friday morning, out of Dayton. When/where is your flight? We are so excited, despite the current weather... we hope it will be pleasant for our cruise!
Take care! Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Susie :sunny:

[kcashner]

Ok--the good news...I called DCL today. They are going to Castaway this week! Yeah!!

They did confirm that I can make tea reservations at Palo for the group. However, they ask that each of you go to Palo ressies and "confirm" your reservation--otherwise, they will call me and ask if I want to be responsible for the charges if you don't show up (and I don't!) There is no rush in doing this as you will have a ressie. You just have to agree with them (and me) that your stateroom will be billed if you don't show up. Sounded fair to me.

If anyone else wants to join us, feel free to go to Palo ressies and be added to our group.

The list I have for tea is as follows:

Tawnya 2068 (need last name, please)
Angelle Lopez (need stateroom)
Loretta Buckner (need stateroom)
NC Redding 5138
sister (need name, please) 5133
Mary Jane 6644 (need last name)
Margaret Davis 6514
Darcy Suwanski 6060
me

PLEASE get me the needed info today if possible...tomorrow at the latest. I don't know if I can do the ressies without it. We leave on Sat,(9/18) and I don't want to promise to check e-mail on Fri.
Kathryn

[BigAl]

While I'm excited to be leaving on 9/25/04 Magic, my emotions are mixed with extreme anxiety in light of the massive storm bearing down on my precious condo in perdido key Florida located between Gulf Shore, Al and Pensacola, Fl. Most news reports indicate that the worst winds may be focused on this area.

The extent of potential damage from this storm could very well drawf anything we've seen in the last 25 years with propterty loss from New Orleans to Panama City, absolutel unbelievable.

[dinnysuw]

While I'm excited to be leaving on 9/25/04 Magic, my emotions are mixed with extreme anxiety in light of the massive storm bearing down on my precious condo in perdido key Florida located between Gulf Shore, Al and Pensacola, Fl. Most news reports indicate that the worst winds may be focused on this area.
Big Al,
So sorry to hear about your condo in Ivan's path-I hope all fairs well for you! Looks like Ivan has some other siblings on the way-here's hoping they stay out at sea!
Darcy

[DMFender]

Well, it appears that we have little chance of going to Grand Cayman, so where do you think we may go instead? I was checking out the Costa Maya website and it seems like a very nice port. So, do you think that maybe where were end of up. Only nine day!! Yeah!:Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce:

[dinnysuw]

I am a little disappointed with no GC-snorkeling with the stingrays-but i have heard Costa Maya is nice. I just hope TS Jean STAY AWAY!!!!!
Darcy

[MickeyzGirl]

We should all feel very blessed, not to live there. A gentleman that lives there posted on another thread. It looks like a nuclear bomb went off. The turtle farm is completely gone. The butterfly house is intacked. All the windows were blown out of the glass house. They will need a chain saw, just to get back into their homes. There are boats still tied to docks that are now in the street. There is water in the fields that is 5ft heigh.Don't even want to imagine what they are going through. :confused:

[allears]

I wouldn't rule out Grand Cayman too quickly. It has two big factors going for it, they are already a weathy island, giving them more of an ability to get the resources they need to start cleaning up and secondly, they are dependent on the tourist dollars. The sad but true fact is that the population may end up living in cardboard houses now, but they would probably welcome cruise ships and tourists as if very little happened.

Frankly, I'm all for going to another port. I've read here that Costa Maya is really beautiful. I think the population of the Caymans should have time to get their lives put back together a bit before we all disembark from our luxurious cruise ships to decend on the battered island.

It will be kind of fun to see where we end up!

[AprilN]

Originally posted by MickeyzGirl
Day 1-normal meal***
Day 2-normal meal***
Day 3-normal meal*** Semi-Formal attire
***Animator's Palate only does the color show on days 1, 2, 3- days 4-7 the resturant stays black & white.
Day 4-Around the World Menu
Day 5-Mexicali (Pirates) Tropical attire
Day 6-Cap'n's Gala Formal attire
Day 7-The Best of.. Just as a note - based on the most recent Navigators (6/5/04) posted on www.dcltribute.com for the Western Cruise, Day 3 (Monday) is actually Formal Night (with the "Captain's Gala" reception before dinner), while Day 6 (Thursday) is Semi-Formal Night (featuring the "Captain's Gala" dinner). If anyone else is as obsessive about their wardrobe planning for the cruise as I am, I was sure you'd want to know... :crazy:

9 days to go!!! I can't believe it's almost here!!:hyper:

[dinnysuw]

Kathryn, when do we confirm our high tea time-anytime before thursday?
Also-I can't be the only one who is FREAKING out about TS Jeanne's path up the eastern?
Allears-are you there? you always seem to have such wonderful reassuring words-how but sharing some now!! I read your other posts and your so positive-what is your take on Jeanne?
Darcy

[Zitofamily]

Hi all you 9/25 cruisers!

Can you believe we still have not received our documents yet? I'll be calling Disney tomorrow to see what is up.

We booked our Stingray excursion through Capt Marvins. I know some of you did as well. It looks like we won't make it to Grand Cayman (according to some other threads I've been reading). What are you all doing about your reservations or are you not doing anything yet?

[MarcyIn Florida]

Originally posted by BigAl
While I'm excited to be leaving on 9/25/04 Magic, my emotions are mixed with extreme anxiety in light of the massive storm bearing down on my precious condo in perdido key Florida


Oh no! We were just talking about Perdido Key today (and every day this week) -- we vacationed there last Thanksgiving and almost bought a condo on the spot because we loved it so much. I'd hate to see anything get damaged there -- esp. your condo.

Fingers and toes are crossed!

Marcy

[MarcyIn Florida]

Originally posted by allears
Frankly, I'm all for going to another port. I've read here that Costa Maya is really beautiful. I think the population of the Caymans should have time to get their lives put back together a bit before we all disembark from our luxurious cruise ships to decend on the battered island.



I couldn't have said it more perfectly. :D

[MickeyzGirl]

Just making sure I have this correct. This is for those who signed up only! We are doing brunch on Monday 27th @ 10:30am & high tea on Thursday 30th @ what time? I'm sure it was posted, but I'm just a :crazy: lately. Insomonia, insomnia please go away. I'd like to sleep one of these days. I just have tooooo much to do before we go.:hyper:

[bobbiwoz]

We are not on this cruise, we are going on the Veteran's Day 3 night cruise when we'll be celebrating DH's 60th birthday. I would like to surprise DH with a basket that includes a golf type shirt with the DCL cruise logo, and it seems that getting one on board is the best bet fo us. If there's anyone who will accept either a personal check or a money order to buy one for me while you are on the cruise, please PM me.

The gift basket will be from my sister. She called The Perfect Gift and Shirley asked her to send the "extra" items like these to her.
My sister suggested that I ask here to find a shopper.

Thanks for your consideration.

Bobbi:D

PS We've been to Costa Maya and loved the Beach Break day there. This was a shore excursion when we were on Princess Cruise Line. There is a lovely public beach right at the port, we didn't use it, but we know people who did.

[bobbiwoz]

Someone is helping me out! THANK YOU!

Bobbi:D

[mmouse37]

I would love to try Costa Maya....the pool and beach right there look great and so did the pictures of the Mexican dancers.....I am up for anything....as long as I am that ship I do not care where it goes!!!

We just bought a new digital camcorder!!! Now I have to figure out how it works before the cruise...the other one we had was so large and bulky...this one is nice and compact!!!

Can you believe that out of 10 DCL cruises I have NO VIDEO OF THE SHIP AT ALL!!! I have tons of stills but no video....can't wait to use it!!!

MJ

[MarcyIn Florida]

Yes, we are quietly hoping for Costa Maya as well. That, and hoping that Jeanne comes and goes quickly and quietly. I referred to Jeanne as a five letter word the other day, and my co-worker thought I was badmouthing a person. :eek:

[kcashner]

Ok, I am closing out the tea list as of now. High Tea (that I will be making the ressies for) is on Thursday, September 30 at 3. Please do not freak if it is 3:30 instead--you will learn this when you go to the Palo ressie place to confirm your ressie. The confusion is because I was told by DCL that it is at 3, but read a post that said 3:30.

Re previous post, yes, you need to confirm with them any time before 2 on Wednesday. They require a 24 hour cancellation or else I become responsible for the charges...so I will cancel anyone who has not confirmed by 3.

Anyone else who wished to join us is more than welcome. You will just have to make your own ressies.

Angelle and Loretta--I don't have your cabin number. I will make your ressie IF they will allow me to do it without a cabin number. Everyone else, I got the info I needed.

See you all at the Disboard meet (3:15 outside Studio Sea, right?) I'll show up at 3 just in case I got the time wrong. Can you tell it's one of those days......can't wait for Florida!
Kathryn

[kcashner]

Ok, I've got to get off the internet before I go nuts. Last night, our cruise was showing as totally sold out. Today (I just checked), they are showing 2 category 5 cabins and one cat 7 available (complete with cabin numbers). Very interesting.

See you all in a week....I'm off line till after the trip (maybe)...might have time to check in tomorrow, but don't count on it.
Kathryn

[two-foxes]

Okay---

Posting the list to make sure I didn't forget anyone for Brunch on 9/27 at 1030!

Mary Jane and Mike

Angelle, Bill and Loretta

Margaret

Darcy and Tony

Tawnya and Chris

I will check again tomorrow to see if any one else has posted! Thanks for getting me the info!

[mmouse37]

Jill...don't forget you and Tim!!!

Kathryn....I just checked DCL site (I do this all the time) and as of midnight on Thursday it is sold out again!!!

Have a great time in WDW and see you on the cruise....hope your DD cleans her room!!!

Mine surprised me today and gutted her room...even bagged up clothes and marked them for donation!!!

MJ

[dinnysuw]

Originally posted by Zitofamily
Hi all you 9/25 cruisers!

Can you believe we still have not received our documents yet? I'll be calling Disney tomorrow to see what is up.

We booked our Stingray excursion through Capt Marvins. I know some of you did as well. It looks like we won't make it to Grand Cayman (according to some other threads I've been reading). What are you all doing about your reservations or are you not doing anything yet?
Hi Carlotta! Capt. Marvin's only charges you when you arrive for you excursion-if you are unable to due to notable to tender you are not charged-i did email them and have heard nothing (Not suprising). emailed DCL to see change in itinerary heard nothing from them either.
darcy

[mmorizio]

It is 3:00p.m. on a Friday afternoon here in Newark, New Jersey, and my body is in my office. My mind, however, is on a certain ship in the middle of the Caribbean.

My cameras are charged, my suitcase sits in my study, partially packed.

GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!

[missyoh8]

Good News Mike.......

The next time it is Friday at 3:00p.m. you hopefully will not be in your office, your suitcases will be fully packed, and you will be using those fully charged cameras at some holding hotel in the state of Florida...........awaiting your cruise that lies ahead of you in less than 24 hours.............

Life is good,
missyoh8


:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[two-foxes]

Ok, folks....

We are nearly finished packing....now I am just get the last minute details put together.....like cleaning the house so our neighbors who will watch the cat will not freak out upon entering. It looks like, shall I say "a tropical depression" came through here!

Looks like Grand Cayman will not happen at all. Just got an email from the dive tour we are using in Cozumel and she said most the cruise lines have lost their tender boats in Cayman....sunk, at sea, no one knows.

I may try to call DCL during the week to see if there are any snorkling, eco tour type excursions for where ever we may go! (Darcy, keep your eyes open::yes:: )

Hopefully the weather will be clear for our days at WDW! Everyone one have safe travels, we'll see some of you at the Radisson (I'll be in the laundry room at night, ready for the 8:15 meet in the morning!), the rest of you at Studio Sea!

[dinnysuw]

Jill, Have fun at WDW! Be careful. We'll see you at the Radisson!
Hopefully we'll have a uneventful flight in and an exciting cruise at sea!
Darcy

[dinnysuw]

yipee!!! Jeanne is heading out to sea it looks like! keeping my fingers and toes crossed.
http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm11/projectedpath_large.html?from=home

[mmorizio]

OK, I'm happy now. I'm not in my office in Newark, I'm in my study, packing my suitcase while watching the Travel Channel's DCL special on my Mac (I burned it onto a DVD). I still don't understand how the two halves of the Magic fit together perfectly. Which cabins got the seam?

[MickeyzGirl]

Darcy-Would you be posting an updated list of all the DISers who've responded to you. I want to print one out before we leave. If yes, when should I check for that? I can't wait to see everyone face to face. Yummy food, just waiting for us. :teeth:

[disneysooz]

two-foxes

Probably a dumb question...but

We are alos on the 9-25 Western and I see where you mentioned people meeting at Studio Sea. Where is this and what time are you meeting? And...is this an open invitation to all on this cruise? We can't wait to go!

Thanks!
Susie :sunny:

[dinnysuw]

Originally posted by disneysooz
two-foxes

Probably a dumb question...but

We are alos on the 9-25 Western and I see where you mentioned people meeting at Studio Sea. Where is this and what time are you meeting? And...is this an open invitation to all on this cruise? We can't wait to go!

Thanks!
Susie :sunny:
DISboard meet is outside stuido sea at 3:15 welcome to all DISboard members! if staying at the Radisson the nite before-breakfast meet at 8:15-8:30 in lobby.
anyone interestedin updated list-please email me-i do not want to post all the info on the board.
darcy

[Dragonlord9191]

I'm happy to say that i will also be on the 9/25 cruise :jumping1: my mom (Lxnme2) is Disney crazy she worships all things Mickey:worship: its so annoying :crazy: i look forward to seeing everyone on board
lol bye :wave:

Dragonlord9191

[kskirk]

Hi all,

I am really looking forward to going on the Magic this Saturday. This is our first Disney Cruise. Although I have no idea where we are going to port, it really doesn't matter. Does anyone have any info. on the itinerary? My daughter is 2 and I would love any input from people with little ones that have gone on this cruise. How is Flounders Reef and what is the best times to make reservations there? I hopefully won't need it much, as my mother is coming with us as well so she will probably watch her. Can I bring my daughter in the Oceaneers Club or is that only for children over 3? How is the pool with a little one? Do they allow kids w/ the swim diapers in it? Are there any other recommendations that are "must sees" with my daughter? Lastly, when do you recommend going to make reservations for the restaurants? Especially Palo - I hear it is a must see.

Thanks for all info!!!!

Kim
::MickeyMo ::MinnieMo

[HeidiHo]

Hi Kim- We are on the 9/25 Magic as well.

My husband and I will also be travelling with a 2 1/2 year old. --And my mom will be with us. Weird.
Anyway, This is our first Disney Cruise, too. I think it best to make reservations at Flounder Reef as soon as you can. I believe you can start around 12:30 or 1pm on Embarkation Day.
Flounder's will not "feed" your child, per say. They will give apple juice and crackers appropriate to age.
I have been told that unless your child is 3 AND potty trained they will not be allowed in the Oceaneer's Club. My daughter is almost there, but not quite. Also, children with swim diapers can play in the "ears" of the Mickey pool, but not the rest of the pool. It has something to do with health regulations.
The actual depth of the Mickey pool is 18 inches at its deepest.

Get your Palo's reservations as soon as you can on board. We bought the Romance at Sea package so we already made ours.

If you are travelling with young children chances are you will start your dinner rotation at Animator's Palate then Parrot Cay then Lumiere's,etc. You could plan your Palo's reservations around that.

Anyway, if you want to PM me you can. We are really excited about this trip. We have been waiting a long time. Only days to go.
Hope this helps

Heidi

[missyoh8]

:thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave:

OMG we are almost there!!!!!!!! Shopped all weekend and bought more stuff for the trip that we really don't need!LOL We had a hoot. DH got 2 new suits and all the accessories........it is so unfair that a man can walk into a store with 3 kids and purchase 2 full suits, shirts, ties, suspenders, shoes as well as another casual outfit and 45 minutes later walk out and still make it home in time to watch the Buckeyes win!!! I am still in awe! Granted he has to go back and pick up on Tuesday after alterations, but 45 minutes!:hyper:

The things are now all over the bed room! Awaiting packing later in the week.............

Fired up in Ohio:cloud9: :cloud9:

missyoh8

[fourfoxesinpa]

Spent Friday night getting everything packed up and made a small list of last minute things. Thought I was ready to go see Mickey! But then, thankfully, MickeyzGirl reminded me of the weight restrictions. I went to US Air's website and saw that their bag limit is 50 lbs. each rather than the 70 lbs. that we had last year. Well, out came the snorkel fins and masks (that was probably 10 pounds right there!) and many items are now on hangers in the garment bag that were previously folded. Poor 8 year old DS is now pulling the extra weight. A lot of switching around but I think we are now good-to-go!

Hope to see everyone at Studio Sea at 3:15 on Saturday (which is only 5 days away!!!!)

Jamie

P.S. Did Titanic HAVE to be on TV last night?????

[missyoh8]

Very Funny about the Titanic last night..........I started watching the very end when the boat was going down before I realized I should turn the channel!!!!!!LOL

Don't feel bad, we have always had our 3 kids (and all other kids we travel with) pull there own suitcases! They have toted them through large cities and subways in Chicago! My husband goes first and we are like ducks in a line! I take up the end, they all pull there own small bag on and off the plane and through the terminals wherever we are! I think we might have to check a bag or two for this trip! They will all have there own to roll though. They have done this since they were very small (maybe 3ish). It is very cute to see............

Is everyone planning on Costa Maya?? What do you all think?

missyoh8

:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate:

[mmouse37]

Well, last night I got back from a weekend away with 7 of my friends....we celebrated one of their birthdays and had a great girls weekend away!!

But...that took away from my packing time....I thought I had all day Tuesday as that is my day off but now found out that we have to go to hubby's dad's house and help them sort through his stuff as he is selling the house. That was going to my "me" day!!! Manicure/Pedicure, laundry, leisurely packing...well that is out the window!!! Oh, well...I will have to fit in time to pack somewhere!! We are flying down Thursday to visit his elderly aunt in Clearwater and then head to the Port Friday sometime.

I would love to go to Costa Maya!!! Hope it is one of the ports on the plan.....we have no excursions planned this time and are just going to wing it...

Hubby says he is going to be reliving the DCL commercial where the hubby naps in every possible place onboard!!! He has been working killer hours for months and really wants to just veg out!!!

Getting closer and closer now!!!! The dog knows somethig is up...brought up the suitcases from the basement and she knows what that means!!!

MJ

[MarcyIn Florida]

Anyone have any news on Grand Cayman?

[dinnysuw]

I was packing my garmet bag-going to the closet and bringing tclothes back and forth..and the last time through my clothes started to move in my garment bag! my dog was laying there on the floor so i knew it wasn't her-had to be......Gary-my kitty-snuggled up right in between the dresses and pants-too cute. if my kids could figure out a way to bring him and the dog (Beauty) they would-i would too for that matter-or at least my dog-it is so hard to leave her!
Missyoh8-"GOTTA LOVE THE BUCKS!!!!" Have you seen all the shirts? "Woody is back and his name is...Tressel!" I absolutely lovethis time of year! We are going to try a weekend game next month-Jacob has yet to see them play in person-I have never seen a little boy so in love with a team. He was in tears after the Fiesta bowl win-he would kill me if he knew i just typed that!
I'm packed, kids are packed, DH is the only one not-he's got till Thursday nite or we're leaving without him! LOL. anyone else have a "late packer"? i used to pack for him until i forgot something and never heard the end of it, so...he now packs for himself! Looks like the Man In Charge-has blown away those hurricanes and given Florida a rest and us a great cruise!
I Dream In Disney!
darcy

[missyoh8]

:rolleyes:

Darcy............late packer, why do you think he just went shopping last weekend? We had the same issue with me packing for him and he complained one too many times. He now has to pack his own! I do me and three kids (all done), he does his own (not started). Same for everything..........I get me and 3 kids ready for church, parties, going out to dinner, etc.........he gets himself ready, we are usually waiting in the car for him to finish LOL... I suppose I wouldn't change it though, it's just the way our family operates!:crazy:

From what I have read I can't imagine GC in our cruise. I am pretty sure I don't want to go there anymore anyway! Sounds very chaotic and that they need time to rebuild their lives.

Only three more days of work...............

See ya Friday night at the Radisson,
Missy

:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate:

[MarcyIn Florida]

New 9/25 itinerary, from DCL's 800 number:

Sunday: Key West
Monday: sea
Tuesday: Costa Maya
Wednesday: Cozumel
Thursday: sea
Friday: Castaway Cay

[mmouse37]

Here is a link in case anyone wants some info on Costa Maya

http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/ports/costamaya.cfm

MJ

[AprilN]

Thanks for the update, Marcy. I just emailed Captain Marvin's to cancel our reservation. I'm sure they have more important things to deal with right now, but it seemed like the polite thing to do, nonetheless...

Now on to Costa Maya! Does anyone know what port the Magic docks at? Since the decision has been made a few days in advance, hopefully any Disney excursions will be all set up and ready to go for our cruise.

eta: Thanks for the great link, mmouse! Since Costa Maya and Cozumel are so close together, maybe we'll either have a late night at Mahahual, or arrive early at Cozumel. Either sounds good to me. :)

I'm just excited to be on the boat - after searching for a new job (current one about to end on 9/30) for a few months now, I just accepted an offer! Hooray! Now I can cruise with my mind completely at ease - and I am totally ready to party. :teeth:

Less than five days to go!!! :hyper:

[missyoh8]

Thanks everyone for the updates..........I called and was told there will only be excursion information on the ship. :earboy2:

missyoh8

[NCRedding]

I have barely even starting packing, although I do have a list made. went shopping and bought some new tropical wear. Sis and I were plotting what to wear, when, etc. Costa Maya looks very pretty and the ruins appear to be easier to get to than the Cozumel ones. Only 4 more nights at home!!

[missyoh8]

Found this information on another thread................for anyone who may not have seen it here are the movies showing this week on the ship


Raising Helen
The Village
Brother Bear
King Arthur
America's Heart and Soul
Pirates of the Caribbean
Princess Diaries 2
The Alamo
Junge Book 2
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Around the Worled in 80 days
Miracle
Finding Nemo
Home on the Range
Mr. 3000

Myself, don't think I will take in any movies. However all my kids loved knowing and are planning on a few each! Maybe a massage or facial could occupy me while they are at the theatre!

missyoh8:earsgirl:

[HeidiHo]

Hi Everyone. I got some interesting news this morning. First of all let me tell you that yesterday when I called DCL the 800 number said that we would substitute Costa Maya for Grand Cayman. But have all read that by now.

Now for the interesting news. This morning I spoke with Debbie (the Palo's and Vista Spa ressie girl) for DCL and said that I already knew we were going to Costa Maya. Well, she stopped me and said that it is very possible that we are in for a change. I asked her to PLEEEEASE tell what the change was, but she wouldn't!! She said it wasn't for sure, but we would be happy with the different port, too.

Sounds interesting and fun. She stressed it wasn't definite but from her view, it looked like we were in for a change.

Take that for what it's worth.
Just get me on the boat and let's go around in circles!

Only 4 more sleeps till the Magic begins!

Heidi

[MarcyIn Florida]

Oh, the tease, the tease!!!

In exactly 3 days, 23 hours, and 15 minutes, I will be standing in line for Palo reservations, followed by eating a huge plate of shrimp at lunch in Parrot Cay (I sure hope they still do that!).

Drool.

[dinnysuw]

Just got my birnbaum's dcl guide 2005 today! it is much more compact than passsporter-will be taking both along with me this saturday! yipeee-are we there yet???????????:bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :hyper: :wave2: :yo-yo: :earseek: :wave: (this is how i feel right now!)

[missyoh8]

O.K. Heidi...................

:wave2:Nice to meet you, I don't think I have seen you here before.

That is so fun and adventurous! I am going to hope that means CC two times! Here's to hoping! ;)

missyoh8
:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo pirate: pirate:

[MarcyIn Florida]

Does anyone have any teenagers gong on the cruise?

See:

Teen thread (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=648956)

[mmouse37]

Sorry...no teens this time...just hubby and me!!!!

I stayed up until 1:00 am packing last night....still have not finished hubby's bag (he works midnights so he will have to go over his clothes today).

Have to work all day today, tonight we finish up the packing and then 5:00 am we head to airport tomorrow!! Spend two days in FL before the cruise and then be at Radisson on Friday night!!!

Hope to see some of you by the pool!!!

As you can see in my Avatar I love surprises....so a new itinerary change is OK with me!!!

MJ

[MarcyIn Florida]

Will anyone be attending the Castaway Club reception? We notmally skip those type of watered-down drinks soirees, but if others here are going, it would be fun. :)

Marcy

[allears]

We always go and are planning on it this time. Free drinks, even if watered down (which works fine for us, we're light weights) are still Free! We always enjoy the finger foods and the opportunity to meet some of the officers and crew. We try to take advantage of any "freebees".

So you'll see us there.

[missyoh8]

Free is Free...........:drinking1

We'll be there!

Missyoh8

[MarcyIn Florida]

Great!

I drink about 2 drinks a year, so I like them full strength when I do get them. :D Now, had i realized before that there are finger foods, I'd have been first in line . . . we never turn down food! :wave:

Is the reception adults only?

[socks68]

Originally posted by MarcyIn Florida
Will anyone be attending the Castaway Club reception? We notmally skip those type of watered-down drinks soirees, but if others here are going, it would be fun. :)

Marcy

My sister and I will be there, too. Since we have late dinner seating I figure it's a good excuse for a snack. And as they say: Free is for me.

Rose

[allears]

we are on late seating as well, and this party subsitutes for our afternoon call to room service. It always tides us over well, not that we're ever really hungry after the embarkation lunch!

Man, I can't wait for those shrimp!:earseek:

[mmouse37]

Marcy....kids are welcome to the reception as well!!!

MJ

[MarcyIn Florida]

Thanks for the info! I didn't realize it was on embarkation day. We may need to put green mickey heads on our pin lanyards to identify ourselves. :)

I'll be the one with the 2 little princess: princess: , both of whom will be eating a lot of shrimp, to the surprise of all onlookers.

[AprilN]

Originally posted by MarcyIn Florida
Thanks for the info! I didn't realize it was on embarkation day. We may need to put green mickey heads on our pin lanyards to identify ourselves. :) I didn't realize the Castaway Club reception was on embarkation day, either... my notes have it on Monday afternoon, but I was checking the recent Western navigators on Barb's and Dave's sites, and I can't find it on the schedule. Would it be on the Navigator - or, since the reception is by invitation only, would it be unadvertised?

In less than two days we'll be on the plane, Florida-bound!! I'M SO EXCITED!! :tongue:

[fourfoxesinpa]

I just got a call from our airline. We had a flight home out of MCO at 3:00. The airline offered to put us on a 12:45 flight and upgrade us to first class. I happily said yes but am now questioning whether I made the right decision - will we have time to get from the port to MCO and make the flight?

Thanks!
Jamie

[MickeyzGirl]

I read in PassPorter that the last guest should be off the boat by 9:45. We are 45min. from the airport. I hope this helps.

[allears]

Wait, wait, sorry for the confusion. The Cast Away Club reception is not on embarkation day. I meant by my comment that the last time I'm really hungry on the crusie is before the first lunch. After that there is so much food, we never really get totally hungry.

[MarcyIn Florida]

Oops, sorry for the misinterpretation!

[missyoh8]

Jamie...........catching your flight should be no problem. Last year we had the 3:00 flight booked and changed it at the port to 12:45. We still sat at the airport for what seemed like forever! Although Nick Carter was on our flight so the kids were thrilled! The early dinner seating eats breakfast first so they are off the boat first. We booked a 1:00 flight this time, and did not give it a second thought.

Hope that let's you rest easy that you made the right decision

Missyoh8
:firefight :earsgirl: ::MinnieMo ::MickeyMo ::MickeyMo

[missyoh8]

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

I can not find our CClub card...do I need it for anything? When we booked our travel agent gave DCL the number. Should I keep searching? Is there anything we could possibly need it for?

thanks,
missyoh8

[allears]

You do not need you Castaway club card for anything. As long as Disney got your number from your TA you're good to go. They deliver an invitation to your stateroom for the reception. Plus your returning cruiser gift should be waiting for you as well.

[DMFender]

Has anyone seen the forecast for Jeanne? Do you think this could affect our ability to board the ship?

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT11/refresh/AL1104W+GIF/222313W.gif

[DMFender]

Has anyone seen the forecast for Jeanne? Do you think this could affect our ability to board the ship?

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT11/refresh/AL1104W+GIF/222313W.gif

[MarcyIn Florida]

I, for one, am very nervous about Jeanne right now. :(

[kskirk]

I am very worried about what Jeanne is going to do to our departure, as well. Is it possible we would leave out of another port? And if we do leave as scheduled, I'm sure we should be ready for some rough seas the 1st night.

[socks68]

My feeling is that we will be able to leave ok but I worry that they will have us skip Key West to get away from Jeanne as quick as possible. I have, however, loaded up on Bonine, Dramamine, and Sea Bands expecting rough seas. I don't really care where we go as long as I get on the ship. I just saw on GMA that Ivan is headed back towards the Gulf. I can't believe the number of huricanes this year.

Rose

[missyoh8]

Funny.............I just put all these things on the pick up list for my last minute things (bonine, sea bands, etc.) I feel the same way, I think we will get on, however that first night could be the killer!

missyoh8

[kskirk]

I don't know if I can take anything, as I am pregnant. I go the doctor today, though, so I will ask her if there is anything that may ease the rough seas.

I'm really excited anyway...its almost here!!!!

[allears]

This morning's forecast has Jeanne getting near FL on Sunday, not great news for the Wonder. It also looks like we might have a soggy sail away celebration. I don't care as long as we all sail away.

I was thinking we might miss Key West as well, but it is way too early to tell. I know many of the posters from the previous hurricane cruises now complain that Disney should have made decisions sooner. We have to realize that they won't make changes to our trip until they know they need to. A lot can happen in the next couple of days.

We fly out tomorrow, so we should be okay. We have two family members joining us Saturday. That could be a little trickier. Hopefull Jeanne stays slow and they don't close the air ports on Saturday or Sunday. Our best friends sail on the Wonder Sunday, so we're praying for the storm to turn or wait until after they are off. This is a trip from a wish foundation for their middle daughter who just finished survived a year of cancer treatment.

And most of all, I pray that this stupid storm turns away from Florida, this state and it's people do not deserve another hurricane.

[MarcyIn Florida]

Kskirk, you may want to buy some raw almonds for your trip -- that made a huge difference for my cruise-related queasiness.

Does anyone know when they contacted people on the Magic that turned into a 5 day (or was it a 4 day?) as a result of Ivan? I'm not too concerned about where we stop -- I just want to be on the ship and leave out of Canaveral on Saturday!

I'm going to keep an eye on the "Live from the 9/18 Magic" thread -- the guy posting from the ship may have info before we do because he'll know if they're redirecting the ship or skipping ports.

[mmorizio]

My wife just got off the phone with a Disney CM who said that they are, of course, tracking the storm very closely and right now it doesn't look like it will interfere with Port Canaveral, at least on Saturday. and that's where they planning on. He also said that he's pretty positive that it's Costa Maya for Tuesday (he had the excursions in front of him).

See you on the Big Boat!

[JaniceD]

Finally I got into the board- I am going on the Magic on Sat. too!
This is my 3rd Disney cruise. Not too worried about hurricanes- went thru one on my first cruise. Can't wait for Sat.:wave:
JaniceD

[HeidiHo]

Just a thanks to everyone who has posted for the 9/25 cruise. It has made us feel a little less stressed about the storms. We have stocked up on all of the sea sickness stuff so we should be oK. I will just think of it as being rocked to sleep the first night. This is the 1st cruise for my family and me. We are so excited. We fly out tomorrow morning.

Thanks for all of the great info!!

Heidi

[MarcyIn Florida]

Well, the new storm track has it hitting near West Palm on Sunday monring. I can live without a stop in Key West as long as we get on that ship!

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT11/refresh/AL1104W5+GIF/132053W5.gif

I wonder if the 9/18 Mahgic will skip CC on Friday?

Marcy (still nauseous and trying to get a lot of work done but having bad concentration issues)

[missyoh8]

Hello all........

We got a call about an hour ago from All Seas stating that our cruise would be pulling out of port early! We are to be there by 11-11:30. Did anyone else get this call yet? Great for us we're flying out Friday. Thought I would give a heads up to anyone who did not get this information yet.

See you all soon,
missyoh8

[MarcyIn Florida]

Urg. Two CMs told me there has been no change and that the ship is not leaving any earlier.

I guess it doesn't really matter since we will be there early, but the control freak in me likes to know these things. :)

[missyoh8]

Ugh!!!!!!!

The control freak in me had to call DCL personally and ask. She said DCL had not made any decissions to leave early. Possibly, the CM thought, All Seas is worried about traffic in the area. It actually makes no difference to us either as we will be at the port Friday.

(((((((Just get us on that Mickey Boat)))))))

missyoh8

[AprilN]

I just called DCL as well, to see if the CM I reached had any different info. :p According to her, the only planned change to the itinerary was the GC/Costa Maya switch. She didn't even know about the 9/26 Wonder sailing from Ft. Lauderdale.

At least I was able to give her my contact info (cell phone, hotel for Friday night, etc.) so DCL can contact us with any changes. Thank goodness we're flying in tomorrow!

Just get us all on the ship... I don't care (too much) about the rest. :teeth:

[allears]

DON'T PANIC!!!

First keep in mind that there are a lot of people who work for DCL and information doesn't always flow they way it should. Think about situations at your own jobs when somebody heard something and the next thing you know it's policy.

Second, there is a lot of time between now and Saturday, a least in terms of the changes the hurricane can make. We can only play it one weather advisory at a time.

Third, keep in touch with DCL, there is no way they will be able to stay on top of calling everyone and handle all of the work they have to do keeping up with two in bound and two out bound ships.

Stay calm, stay in touch and all will be well! We'll have a great time toasting the beginning of our trip at the sail away celebration!

[dinnysuw]

Allears-i have said it many times-I think you are the most optimistic person on earth and I feel so comforted by your posts! can't wait to meet you in person! :)

FYI for anyone who hasn't already..call DCL and give them as many phone numbers as possible to get ahold of you. we gave cell phones as well as radisson number. how about a that chant again..."Jeanne Jeanne go away come back in another 40 years!" doesn't rhyme but what the heck! keep praying!
darcy

[MickeyzGirl]

Through all of this I've been being very positive. Now I need to vent. The last couple of days have gotten a little stressful. No one seems to want to pack. I've dyed my hair twice & now it is ORANGE. Not bright red....ORANGE....really, really, orange. I will be bringing a picture, just in case someone wants proof. If I was going to WDW, I would probably just leave it & happily be mistaken for a character. I just don't think this color goes with my dress for formal night. We were watching TV & I see the hurricanes. So, I decided to get on here & get an up date. Then, I read we might or might not be leaving @ 11-11:15. If this happens, it will give us exactly 10 minutes to get to the boat from the time we are supposed to land. YIPPIE. Okay deep breath. I will just put it in God's hands. Stressing about it won't do any good. Everything will be fine. I'm going to go pack now. Goodnight to all. Good luck to those who are leaving Saturday. Will be thrilled to see all of you on the ship. :wave2:

[Zitofamily]

Mickyezgirl: Take a deep breath, and do leave it in God's very capable hands. He'll get us all through this exciting time. I am looking forward to meeting you. I hope you got my PM.

[MickeyzGirl]

Thank you. I am doing better now. I did get your PM & wrote all info down & can't wait either.

[fourfoxesinpa]

Hi Tawnya,

Take a deep breath...ummmm.....ummmmm.....ummmm.

OK, as for your hair color. Just come over to our cabin. You'll fit in fine with us other red heads. Come be a Weasley with us. Tee-Hee. :grouphug:

As for freaking out, I think we all have to just let this go where it will go. We could be on a shorter cruise, a longer cruise, one out of a different port, one just as planned, or none at all. Subconsciously, we've prepared ourselves by reading all the posts by DISsers who were on the mystery cruises earlier in the month. We knew this was a possibility. I would be lying if I said that I'm not freaking out right now. Wondering if I should get on my 5:00 p.m. flight to Orlando or not. I'm afraid we'll get to Florida, not be able to get on the boat and spend time hunkered down in a shelter in the path of a hurricane with 2 small children! Not the best parenting technique! But, to spend hours speculating isn't going to do any of us any good. We need to explain to our kids that perhaps, PERHAPS, the plan may change because of weather. Disney would never do anything to put us in harm's way and they know a lot more about the sea than we do so we must trust them. TThey have no control over the weather and they will make it right for us. My kids do much better when they are prepared for alternatives so I've already told them we could be in for a mystery cruise. Well, now they think Scooby Doo and the Gang will be onboard now to solve it! Ah, out of the mouth of babes.

Hold tight, all! I hope to see everyone at Studio Sea tomorrow at 3:15!

Jamie

[allears]

Just got a call from my TA, as of this 9 am this morning (9/24) DCL is planning business as usual for tomorrow. They said the port acutally has to be cleared by first thing Sunday morning. They did say they are going to try an off load and re-load passengers as quickly as possible and may pull out of port early. They did say if the storm track looks like it is goning to change (right now it's looking toward PC) they may move to Port Evergaldes.

[MickeyzGirl]

My only concern is that we'll miss the boat becasue of it leaving early. If we don't make it, we WILL be going to WDW for our vacation. That wouldn't be so bad. I just spoke with reservation & she said the storm isn't supposed to hit until Sunday. So, we should be fine....I think I'll exhale when we walk on the ship. Four foxes, as for the hair, :crazy: This little guys color is mild compared to mine. Think 80's, think punk rock, think rainbow brite. I've decided to leave work extremely early today ( I'm working 2 hours) & go work out. I'll feel better & then I can pack. Yes, that's right ladies & gentleman. NO ONE in our household is packed. I was up until 3am repacking my daughter. So sorry, my positive attitude decided to go to bed around 11:30 & is refusing to come back to me. :teeth: I wasn't planning on drinking on the plane, but I think I might just start before we even get to the airport.:drinking1 Can't wait until tomorrow.:sunny:

[MarcyIn Florida]

Don't feel bad -- I went into work an hour late so I could pack everyone's clothes. The rest of my 5 page list isn't packed yet, but at least we'll all be dressed!

[fourfoxesinpa]

Tawnya, I wish you the best of luck tomorrow morning. This is something that we have no control over so just try to relax. (that's what I keep telling myself) Going to exercise is a great idea to help work out some of the stress. And so is having a drinkie for that matter!

I'm sure you will be able to give your boyfriend a big hug tomorrw afternoon!!!

Safe, happy trails.
Jamie
:wave:

[kskirk]

Latest News...

I just got off the phone 5 minutes ago with DCL and it is official that the 9/25 Magic is not leaving until 5:00pm MONDAY!!:sad1:
We will be getting 40% off the cruise, $200.00 onboard credit and 25% off your next Disney cruise. They are still in the process of rescheduling all flights that were booked through Disney. She said they will probably have us fly into Fort Lauderdale or Miami on Monday. We will definately not be leaving out of Port Canaveral. I am really sad!!!!!:sad:

I guess the countdown clock at the bottom of my message needs to be changed...

Stay positive everyone. As much as this stinks we will still be cruising in a couple of days, just instead of 7 days of Magic we will have 5 days of Magic. She also said the itinerary will be Costa Maya and Cozumel. Castaway Cay is still in the air!!

Good luck everyone...hope to see you on Monday!!!!!!

[MarcyIn Florida]

In case anyone is only checking this thread, here is what DCL has said, as of noon EST:

We're leaving on Monday out of Port Everglades. You NEED to get in touch with DCL about transfers to Fort Lauderdale because you may not be able to park at PE.

We are only stopping at Costa Maya and Cozumel.

They will give 40% off of the base price of the cruise, a $200 onboard credit per cabin, and 25% off a future cruise.

I hope to see you all there!

Marcy

[MickeyzGirl]

Just wanted to update you all. Called SWA - airlines are offering changes in flights at no cost. This will be in affect through Sunday. So, if you need to make changes....do so now. SWA has space available. We are still flying in tomorrow-landing @ 10:50. We are taking Mears ($16pp) to Celebration (THEY STILL HAVE ROOMS www.celebrationhotel.com-I found the website from allears-I didn't even know they had a hotel over there. This company has other hotels also. They are closer to Universal-WDW IS SOLD OUT & so are the ones near downtown disney). They offer free shuttle so, we will enjoy two glorious days @ WDW (even if we are in the middle of a hurricane it will be glorious to be in WDW :teeth: with ::MickeyMo ) On Monday, we will take a cab ($20) to one of the WDW hotels that are included in DCL packages. We will be picked up there & taken to the new port. I am posting my cell phone, but please only call if you have an emergency or have updates for us. 410-382-9491 Thanks, Tawnya

[MickeyzGirl]

BIG FYI-If you have travel insurance, DO NOT CALL them until you are in Florida. If you were given advanced warning (before you left home) by DCL that we we were being postponed. They will not cover any of your expenses. If however, you found out about the delay after you had left your home (causing you to be stranded & in distress), you will be granted the benefits of your insurance. Because I called tonight & we are leaving tomorrow, we missed out on $300 pp per day.:crazy: I will just say what a bunch of crap I think that is. Anyway, tomorrow I will be hugging on my sweetie::MickeyMo. And let's all remember.....It ALL started with a mouse.

[MarcyIn Florida]

Should we change the 3:15 outside Studio Sea meet since the buses don't leave WDW until after 1 pm?

Of course, I hope you are all already in FL, so you probably won't get this, but I can't go to sleep with the winds outside, so I thought I'd do something that feels productive. :)

[socks68]

Well we're waiting out the storm in OKW. Allseas called us at 4 on Friday afternoon to tell us of the delay. We were told to find our own accomadations for Saturday and Sunday nights. Thanks to my sister we were able to call member services and DVC found us a room and let her borrow points to pay for it. I need to call the travel insurance company and find out if anything can be reimbursed. I'll have to call DCL and tell them were we are today if they are open and check on the busses after reading Marcy's post about transfers and the busses tomorrrow. Good luck to everyone trying to say safe in the storm and to those trying to get down here tomorrow.

Rose

[two-foxes]

hey, don't know if any one is going to be on the boards for a bit, but I do hope all goes as planned from this point on....we are now at the Wyndham in DD, as CRO said "no rooms are available on site at all" (so not true) and we checked out of WL when DCL said everything would go as planned. Crap. Anyway, we will be taking a cab to PORFQ at 1:00 to take DCL busses to Port Everglades tomorrow. Heck, we are getting ready to drink that $200 stateroom credit away!!!

[kskirk]

Once again, not going as planned!!!!:sad: We are in NY and were rescheduled on a flight to arrive in Orlando tomorrow morning at 9:05am, but we just found out the flight is cancelled. I just got off the phone with DCL and they said they will not know what is going on for a few hours as all flights arriving to Orlando before 12:00pm tomorrow have been cancelled. There is a meeting going on as we speak with the management of DCL deciding what they are going to do with the Magic. They obviously cannot leave at 5:00 tomorrow if the flights are not getting in until after 12:00 and there is still a 3.5-4 hour ride to Port Everglades.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that things start to work out!!!:confused:

DCL said to call back in a few hours and they would have a better answer as to what is going on and what flight we will be on.

:earsboy: :earsgirl: :earsgirl:

[MarcyIn Florida]

Important Info About 9/27 Magic Cruise

If you were scheduled for the 9/25 (now 9/27) Magic:

I spoke with DCL at 3:30 eastern and they told me the following:

DCL will now bus everyone to the Sheraton at the Ft. Lauderdale airport and NOT the port. If you are driving, you MUST go to the Sheraton. They will check everyone in at the Sheraton because Port Everglades does not have the room or facilities to do check in.

Check in will begin at 5 PM. They will not be boarding the ship at 1. They expect the ship to leave at 8 pm.

The address for the Sheraton is 1825 Griffin Road in the FLL airport.

I encourage you to call DCL yourselves to conform this information. I know that those who get this news will be disappointed in not being able to board the ship early; this effectively means that we lose about 6 hours on the ship on embarkation day.

[two-foxes]

Just called DCL and on the first recording, it now says midnight for a depature time! Keep calling for updates everyone!

[Cruise04]

I know your cruise hasn't started, and I have no clue why I even checked this thread (nosey I guess just as people were with our cruise), and I don't want to get you down but once you get finished with your cruise, make sure you make contact with Disney about WHAT excatly they mean by their 40% refund. There had been some varied different responses to those who got the 50% refund for the 9/4 cruise. Stay on top of it with DCL because many of you MIGHT get many different responses from them. We also learned they credited 2 different credit cards of my husbands (because he used one to book and do the deposit and another to pay the final) and it came in 9 (I think that was the number) different refund amounts that totaled the amount (full because we cancelled) refund amount. Some of the 50% off people started out being told it wasn't going to included taxes, port fees, etc. but in the end we think they did end up getting those back.

Hope you all have a good trip once you get on the ship.

[dinnysuw]

sitting in a hotel after "riding the storm out" anxiously waiting to get on the damn boat. quite a story to tell-will have to wait as i do not have the energy right now!
darcy

[mickey squared]

Same here! We flew in Friday from NY. Went to MK on Sat. and woke up to no electricity in our hotel today. We're travelling with our four kids and two grandmas! We just got power again after about 12 hours under curfew. We're over ready for the start of this trip. We decided to drive down to Fll in our rental car in the morning. Let's see what adventure we can get ourselves into tomorrow!

[dinnysuw]

mickey squared
did you see that we are not leaving until midnite now! here is summary-wonder comes in disembarks-gets cleaned, they board new guest then leaves at 8 pm-when wonder is gone then magic can come in-seems as if they only have one "slip" so they can have only on ship in at a time! a multi billion dollar corp. and they can't get their stories straight-6 different info tosix different people-this has been a nightmare. just wanting to be on the boat at this point. no flaming please-we have spent the last 3 days running from Jeanne across the state of Fla. and no i am not being insensitive to the floridians who have lost much-but this is not a hurricane post-this is a disney magic 9/25 post-so don't even flame me people-i am not in the mood! :tongue:

[MarcyIn Florida]

My dh said he saw this posted somewhere -- could that actually be true thatthe Magic and Wonder can't dock at the same time?

And if so, why didn't they let us know this days ago when they knew both would go out of Everglades on Monday??

And yes, I know this is a logistical problem for Disney, but this midnight thing has me a bit crazy since (1) we're travelling with little kids; (2) we rented a van so we could get there early and not on the buses; and (3) when we said we were going to take the bus from WDW (since we oculdn't board early), they told us that we CANNOT park at a WDW resort. Huh? You're bussing us from the resort, what do we do with our cars? "Either have someone drop you off or you'll have to park at the airport and take the bus from the airport."

Great.

[dinnysuw]

Marcy-this is what myself and missyoh8 were both told. they only get one "slip" to dock since this isn't their port-they are using some other cruise lines port-norwegian i believe, since the wonder has people one it they want them off first. now i have aked them why we weren't told of this earlier and they blame it on the higher ups just making the decision-oh please! also IMHO it seems that it would make more sense to get passengers onto the boat that is already empty-boarding would be much easier and less confusing with the on/off thing! i was also told that we would be able to go to the sheraton as early as 1pm d/t checking out of hotel. then the same person told me an hour later that i had to go to the port and he thinks they will ck my luggage, shuttle me to the sheraton and then shuttle us back huh???? why i asked he said because those people that disney are bussing in won't be here until 4 or 5. so those of us who have been stuck here since friday and told to go to Ft. Lauderdale are now been shoved aside once again! the CM also told me there are only 6 of them answering phones and they have been there since friday-i then told him how i have been shuttling my family across the friggin state d/t mandatory evacuations and my sympathy is a little low right now! anyway- i digress.....it is now 3 am and i am still up-just wondering what else will happen-my positive thinking got blown away with the hurricane winds we endured in ft myers after evacuating ft lauderdale!

[missyoh8]

ok...........

who's home and what are your thoughts in hind sight???? Just curious?

We had a great time and I guess we all drink too much because we are booking the same week next year! I am still upset with the way DCL handled Monday. I think we should have just boarded Tuesday at the crack of dawn and pulled out at some ungodly time like 6 or 7. We were just very frustrated and tired and hungry by the time we were permitted to line up (although NO ONE would be getting in front of us if we just were patient..........NOT) I think my Disney satisfaction would have been much higher had they have been ready and waited. I have drafted my letter on the plane yesterday and will send tomorrow, I just don't want to have to go through that mess again. I suppose if that is the worst of my year...........I have got a pretty good life :teeth: .
What were your thoughts on DCL handing out 5 night tip sheets? We tipped based on these figures, however I thought the company should absorb the first night. I would never want our people to suffer the consequences however.......they did their job and did it quite well (all-be-it for 4 nights, not 5). Actually we gave the host quite a good tip, as he went way above and beyond!
So post your thoughts, I am just wondering what you all think about the way things were handled:confused3

missyoh8

[fourfoxesinpa]

Even though we're home, my DS just asked me "Mom, can I go to the Oceaneer's Club today??" I'd just like to know when the boat stops rocking! It still feels like I get a little "whooo" in my belly every now and then.

I think everyone will agree. Monday was H-E-DOUBLEHOCKEY STICKS! I could NOT believe the "adults" yelling at castmembers at the Sheraton. One woman in particular was sitting on the bus waiting to be taken to the boat. It was sitting for a long time and she climbed off the bus and approached, wait...I'd like to change that to...stomped off the bus WITH her small son. She came over to the doorman and SCREAMED "I'm P_$$_D!" WITH HER SON, I REPEAT! Unbelievable. Like that guy had ANYTHING to do with when her bus would pull out. Then another guy came up to the same cast member demanding answers that the castmember obviously had no ability to respond to. I loudly told my husband so these idiots could hear me...."EVERYONE at this hotel had the opportunity to cancel and chose not to...they should have anticipated the chaos." When we were still standing in the Sheraton at 8:00 p.m. we too were very seriously questioning our decision to take the cruise but I wasn't about to take it out on someone who couldn't do anything about it. After riding out a hurricane in the Orlando Airport Renaissance, we just wanted to get things underway and were exhausted, stressed, and anxious.

That being said, once we had a good night sleep (and several Pina Coladas), things started to change for us. It was a fantastic 5 days and we will go back. As a matter of fact, I'm going to start researching prices and rooms today. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet anyone but Tawnya. It would have been nice to put names to faces. I'm sure I passed many of you during our trip.

Disappointments: No Palo, No spa. All spots were reserved by the time we got to the makeshift reservation tables at the Sheraton. No Castaway Cay or cabana massage. I talked to a person at the shore excursion table and she said an expedition team was going to CC on Tuesday to assess the damage. Not getting the complete show at Animator's Palate but a combo pirate night/animator's show. Not having a proper sail away party.

Highlights: Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya and sipping a Sol beer in Mahahual (did that place look like a movie set or what?) Kids LOVED the clubs. AND HOW HOT WAS COZUMEL??? My DS loved Gos and Mary in the Lab. My daughter LOVED Tea with Wendy although I thought it was the lamest Disney presentation I've ever attended. We thought the comedian Rich Purpura was hilarious. Revolution ended...big big finish! My kids loved being in the pre-show for the 6:00 p.m. Golden Mickeys show. The kids show brought tears to my eyes on Friday! My daughter's new favorite song is "Hey....Hey Baby (OOOH, AAAH)...I want to know if you'll be my girl" from the deck parties. Anyone know who sings it so I can find it for her on CD? We enjoyed program directors Karen and Cue and got a kick out of Cue's "Yeah, baby" at bingo. We had Sanjeev and Kendell as our servers and the kids adored them. Myhusband said that it better be really good to make up for Monday. And it was...he's ready to go back tomorrow! He said that it was pure, true Disney magic and wouldn't even consider another boat.

I WANT TO GO BACK....FOR 7 NIGHTS!!! When will we get our coupon. Will it go to our T.A. or straight to us?

Jamie

[missyoh8]

Darn I wish we would have toured the ruins with you.......I suppose that would be a smart decision when going to an area which is untouched! A historical view might have left us with a better taste, and a bit of culture as well for the kids. Instead they now have a negative vibe on the area and the people. Hopefully I will never go there again, if so I will consider the ruins. Thanks for sharing my sister is going on Saturday so I can share the information with her.

I am not on the ship but I a still rocking as well.........just a little Disney Magic at home:earseek:

Missy

[allears]

We're home as well, long, long trip report coming with our observations etc. We had a most incredible time. Yes, we were sad to have 2 1/2 less days on the ship, but we were on the ship. And in our opinion Disney did a great job under totally extraordinary circumstances. Flame away, but for those who posted from the previous cruises and told those of us defending Disney that we couldn't speak on the topic until we went through it. Well we went through it. Disney obviously learned some things from the previous weeks, but were still faced with unique and still quite fluid circumstances.

And for those who have read the thread about our God-daughter, maybe that just keeps our lives in perspective. I know, I know, we have all be chastised for telling people to get a grip in the face of real tradgety, but the truth is, we got to spend 4 days and five nights on the ship with Annie and her family. A year ago, almost to the day she started her battle against cancer. There were many times when it was very possible that we would never spend time with Annie on this earth again! So I'm going to complain that it took too long to get on the ship, no way!

Our only complaints stem from the behavior of many of the guests. Some of the situations have already been mentioned. It would be very nice if DCL could look into the magic mirror and know exactly when a storm is going to hit, how long it is going to last, what track it is going to take, which ports will be effected and the numbe of ships that need to off load and re-load passengers. Since they don't they have to make decisions on ever changing circumstances and try to keep things running while being staffed with people. People who don't always hear things right, don't always have the latest information and may have been stressed because they dealt with their fourth hurricane in 6 weeks. I also think we should take a look at the places we work, does everything go smoothly, is communication always optimal or do we always agree with the decisions that are made. If so, please let me know which company it is, I'd like a job there.

Finally, I think those guests who were down right rude and ignorant with the cast memebers should be ashamed of themselves. I saw several wonderful (please add the edge of sarcasim to this) examples for their children! There is almost never an excuse for some of the close to abusive behavior we saw. The customer may always think they are right, but it doesn't give them license to be as rude as they were. Many of them were probably in church today, hm, is that what we're taught there?

Any how, it was very memorable and we can't wait to go back. We're hoping that we might be able to use our refund and discount t to squeak out another cruise this winter, in two cat 12s for very little additional cash. We'll see.

[wnissen]

It's interesting to read the perspectives of folks who made it on the shortened cruise. Anyone miss their flights and not make it at all? We found out by calling DCL (they had our cell number, but the only message we got was from TA Costco, at home, long after we left). A recorded message detailing the changes could be quickly sent out to *everyone*. Frankly, the only unexcusable aspect of the entire situation was the response when I asked the DCL CM about getting a room at a Disney World resort. They did not say, "Certainly, we can reserve a room for two nights, which category would you like?" They did not say, "Sorry, we can't do that, but I'm transferring you to the reservations line, and here's a discount code you can use to help make up for the inconvenience." No, the response was, "Oh, we can't do do that. You'll have to call the main reservations number." In other words, there is a huge hurricane coming, but you are ****ed, find your own damn place to stay. That is ridiculous. I'm a big boy, and had a calling card and cell phone handy to call reservations (not a local call), but they basically left us high and dry. Thank god that WDW took pity on us for DCL's poor treatment and got us a room at the gorgeous Wilderness Lodge for those nights, even when all the reasonably priced rooms appeared to be sold out.

We used one of our delay days to have a fantastic time at Epcot. During the tail-end of the hurricane on Sunday, we found out that the sailing was being pushed back again. All this, combined with what we knew would be a horrific time boarding on Monday, as well as the fact that the shortened, chaotic cruise could never live up to our expectations, made it obvious to me that the only sensible thing to do was send DCL back the big screw you they had sent us, and cancel the cruise in favor of what we knew would be a world-class vacation at Disney World. No expectations, and we could start having fun the next morning. This ranks up there with one of the best decisions I feel we have ever made. It was a lot more expensive, and we didn't really have a plan for the parks, but this past week has probably been the most fun of my life. Just goes to show that even people who have never been to WDW and have no guidebook and no DIS can still have a great time. I'm very happy that some people managed to have a great time once the cruise started.

OK, I should go to bed (we got up at 6AM ET), but cheers to you all.

Walt

[JaniceD]

Hi All!
After reading all your reports, I am glad that I finally made it to the ship at 10:30pm. I missed all the fun. We boarded right away- no lines. I think we were the last bus out of Orlando. The seats were filled with all kinds of snacks- my son went crazy eating all the candy. I have to say that all and all the cruise was a success. This being my 3rd Disney cruise, I kind of felt sorry for the cast members with all the garbage they had to put up with and still try to keep those smiles on.

I agree about the tips- it should of been a 4 nite tipping system.

I really didn't enjoy Costa Maya- I don't enjoy the natives getting into your face to sell you something.

I think that Disney could of given us more characters- my grandaughters face-she's two) is what keep my happy all the time when she met them. My servers were the best and My steward was great(even if he had to work around my teenage son)

All and all- it was a cruise to remember again. Disney always puts their best foot forward.

Does anyone know any details about that repositioning cruise in 2005? I could use 14 days on the Magic- Who couldn't?:wave2:
Thanks for all your updates.

[MarcyIn Florida]

Walt, I'm sorry you didn't make it on the ship, although it sounds like you had a great vacation.

As I posted in my original "Live" post, the embarkation day was difficult for us, but we stayed cheerful and calm (except for one moment, which I'll describe in a minute) and put it all behind us once we boarded. Even though we did not make it to the Sheraton (we were told we couldn't go until 5, but thenm were turned away at 5), we were able to get Palo ressies for brunch and dinner, thanks to my newfound ability to sprint when needed.

We had a fabulous cruise. Ad I know this will be an unpopular statement, but i think DCL went above and beyond what they needed to do with respect to credits and refunds -- the 40% off, $300, and $25% off a future cruise made this vacation almost embarrassingly inexpensive for us. We calculated that it would almost cost us less to cruise on the 9/27 Magic with all of the "incentives" if we booked a future cruise than it would to have stayed home.

My husband said yesterday that this was the best vacation he's ever taken. Coming from a man who I dragged around the world with me for 10 years before we had kids, that's a pretty amazing statement. I thought DCL outdid themselves. As soon as we walked up the gangway to the ship, everything that had happened for the past 6 plus weeks disappeared for us -- the CMs onboard the ship were very, very "on".

The highlights for us:
-- Palo's, Palo's, Palo's. I can't believe I've never eaten there before. I'm also 5 pounds heavier than I was last week, and I blame it all on our waiter, Sasha.
-- The Oceaneer's Club. What an amazing, amazing place. IMO, the DCL cruise is worth every extra penny if you have kids over the age of 3, because no one can beat those kids' programs.
-- The Golden Mickeys show at 2:15. I LOVED going to a matinee show, and I hope DCL does this more often for days at sea. I spent the first 25 years of my life in New York City, and I love matinees. My kids loved it, too, and the timing was perfect.
-- Pirate Night. I thought this was fabulous, and loved how everyone kept their bandanas on during dinner and through the deck party.

I saw that someone has already written a letter to DCL; I will be writing one, too. But I decided that my letter will be positive and will compliment those CMs who really made our trip magical, and complimenting DCL on the changes we noticed since our last sailing in 10/02. I've addressed my compaints about embrakation day here, but I want to make sure that DCL knows what a wonderful vacation we had and how wonderful many of their CMS are.

Marcy

P.S. I had one moment where, as my husband described it, he saw a blood vessel burst in my head. When we were on the bus and finally made it to the Sheraton (after being at the port and airport for 3 hours, and on the bus for about an hour and a half, waiting to go to the Sheraton for "5 o'clock check in"), a bucnh of CMs came on board and told us they had closed the Sheraton check-in. One of the CMs, named Kim, sat across from me and explained what had happened. I said to her, "Please, Kim, please tel me that you're kidding." She saw the tears well up in my eyes (which was from exhaustion, disappointment, and holding my breath to try to calm down -- thus my husband's comment), and she was very sympathetic. After that, the CMs were very open with us about THEIR horrific day, including people holding their babies while they cursed at the CMs. Ugh. Kim said, "Well, part of our job is to take that type of behavior." I told her that no, no one's job is to be treated like that; I think that's when the CMs became our buddies. :earsgirl: Bless them for sharing their snacks with my girls, though -- I'm not sure how much longer the kids would have lasted sans food.

[HeidiHo]

We, too, made it on the ship. We had a lovely time, this being our first cruise ever. Yes, things were OUT OF CONTROL on Monday, we didn't board the ship until 9pm after sitting at the Sheraton since 3:30. We did feel that DCL kept telling us the "best case scenario" and wasn't exactly upfront with us about things on Monday. But I guess that's water under the bridge. We had a wonderful time and are trying to decide when to book again and how to swing a 7 nighter with the available dates.

My question--Being that the Magic will be in California for the summer and those cruises are basically sold out, what do you all think our chances are of Disney letting us extend our 25% off discount past the October 31, 2005 deadline? I hate to take our kids out of school again this year and I'm a little aprehensive to book in September again. I did notice that this week there is no tropical storm activity in the Atlantic. How ironic.

Anyway, give me some ideas!

Thanks, Heidi

[fourfoxesinpa]

I just sent my TA an email. We want to rebook for the same week next year. Call us crazy! With the 25% off, it's a deal!

Jamie

[Angellelopez]

I too am home and still feel some rocking :) We would like to write a letter to DCL also. Can someone help me with the address to mail the letter?

[dinnysuw]

Hello all!
To those of you wonderful people we had the pleasure of meeting-Zitofamily-Calvin,Carlotta, Caitlyn and Cameron; Missyoh8-Missy, Big Bo and Little BO, Alex, Luke, Nana and Papa, Mickeyzgirl-Tawnya, Chris and Mishayla, Kcashner-Kathryn; Twofoxes-Jill and Tim and LXNME2-Margaret and Alex. Hello again and hope all is well! I am truly certifiable as i just booked not one, but 2 more cruises-sans DH, he will not be joining us-cruising just wasn't his thing-I am hoping to change his mind before the 9/16/2006 cruise-did you see the itinerary? 2 stops at castaway cay-i just booked a cat7 for 3 for 2919.34-that was 300.00 less than the 2005 cruise!! the first cruise is for 9/24/2005. This time I will be a little more wiser-still get there on friday-but not such and early flight-had we had an afternoon flight things might have been a little different for our little hurrican adventure. All in All it was agreat vacation. I agree with the miscommunication-had it not been for these boards, Calvin and Carlotta for caring enough to call us (thanks again guys!) and hooking up with Missyoh8 we would have been lost! I loved our stateroom-the dolphins on drill day were unreal! we also saw them from our verandah-and i was able to get a picture of them mid jump! servers Arvind and Cynthia were good. i liked cynthia alot-although she forgot drinks and things quite often, Arvind was distant but tried hard. we left them both excellent comments as i saw how hard they all work. steward was Carl-never really saw him too much-but definitely knew he was there-room was always clean with great towel animals, the monkey was the best! the shows were exceptional! Hercules was absolutely hilarious and the comedians rich purpura, the ventriloquist (forgot his name) and david dimunzio the juggler were extrodinary! the last day i went to see ladder 49 at 1pm and stayed for bingo at 3:30-i was getting a little sea sick after that length of time in there, but that was the only time i felt anything! DH spent the last day and the following sicker than a dog-poor guy. 24 hour bug we think. he is fine now.
In hindsight-if I knew before we left for Florida that the crusie was delayed would i still have gone-yes! I will write my letter and it will inlcude the good, the bad and the ugly. Yes, DCL tried and did more than any other cruise line out there i am sure. As i said in another post, this is where i vent. Not once did i raise my voice or share my disgust with the CM's. I was in line waiting to speak with guest services at the Sheraton when i overheard a feww men telling the lady they wanted more money or else they wouldn't tip-and i told them that was ridiculous it wasn't the wait staffs fault, but i am sure that they felt the sting of the cruisers come tip day! i am upset that we weren't told that the discount needed to be used by 10/1/2005. they snuck that little tid bit in later. another observation was the goofy pool-my kids didn't really use the pools-but when they did they both slipped and hurt themselves. i saw so many kids and adults slip on the blue deck around that pool-something really needs to be done to fix that. my DD really hurt her hand (and pride). if anyone else is cruising the same times (9/24/2005 or 9/16/2006) let me know! take care.
darcy:wave:

[MickeyzGirl]

I would love to book for the same time, same cruise...next year, but will be checking the Farmer's Almanac before we do. Marcy, sorry to say, but the FA is calling for 1 more hurricane to hit Florida before the end of the year. I'll write more later, just wanted to say hello to everyone & so sorry those of you I missed. I'm sure we all passed each other & didn't know it. Maybe we can post pictures of ourselves on the cruise & have a good laugh @ how many we actually saw on the ship & didn't know it. My DD "forgot" to bring her homework on vacation. She spent all day Sat & Sun doing it & still has more. I think she'll remember next time.

[kcashner]

To all the 9 gals who planned on the High Tea on Thursday--I'm really sorry, but I needed to make a judgement call. Since tea was moved to Friday AND I had no way to know who was sailing and who might have cancelled, I just decided that I could only make my own reservation. I did tell the guy doing ressies that we had started as a group of 9 and that if anyone asked, I'd love to have you join me.

I did meet some of you on the ship and everyone seemed understanding about the situation. I just didn't see any other solution. Thanks,
Kathryn

[allears]

Hi Kathryn, it was nice talking with you in the rain forrest room! It is so cool when we get to meet each other face to face!

[dinnysuw]

Alright, so I am nuts! just rebooked for the 9/17/2005 eastern (was going to do western the following week but wasn't real impressed with the itinerary) MissyOh8 will be there any other nut bags??:tongue: :hyper: :earseek: I will make it to Castaway Cay. By the way any word on how she held up during Jeanne?
darcy

[allears]

Not us, hopefully never again during huricane season! However, my DW and I are going to use our refund and discount to book a cruise just for the two of us this winter, mid-January through February some time. We're getting very excited about the prospect of the full seven nights on board and being alone together for a whole week for the first time in 17 years! WoooHooo!

[MarcyIn Florida]

We're unlikely to do another hurricane cruise, either, unless it's very early in the season.

We're looking at a 3 night for this winter with the 25% voucher (since we live so close to Canaveral, it's just a long weekend for us), and then a 7 night eastern in February 2006, when my youngest will be old enough for the Club.

Marcy

[allears]

We are planning on going in February 2006 also. Not sure which trip, but I think we're looking at the sailing of the 11th. We have friends from Canada that we met on the ship and have sailed with twice who are also planning on that week. We're trying to do a family cruise every year as our big vacation. It means very cheap trips any where else, but it's worth it.

[mmouse37]

Gosh....how did this thread get all the way to the bottom of page 2!!!

Did anyone on our cruise get their refund or voucher yet??

Jill and Tim....how was the second week of back to back!!! Miss you guys!!!! Post when you get home and settled!!

MJ

[kcashner]

No vouchers, no refund yet. Did get a postcard to review the resort we stayed at before the cruise. That just came today.

They've marked down the next 4 cruises......I'd like to go again, but I haven't recovered from last time yet!

[allears]

Well we've only been back a week, so we didn't expect to see a refund or voucher this soon. Our TA was told last weekend that the refunds are in process and they should be out within 4 weeks. She also had the totals we're due back. We'll be patient, as I can only begin to imagine the vast amount of work DCL has to do to get these last couple of hurricane cruises cleaned up. Stuff takes time.

We've already booked a trip for January 2005, just my wife and I! The discount and refund will more than cover the cat 11 we've booked. They should also cover air fare and maybe some shipboard spending. We're very excited about the prospects of being back on board for 7 nights, plus the chance to be alone with each other for a whole week. That's something we haven't done since our oldest was born 17 years ago!

[missyoh8]

wow alone without kids for a week.........wow..........good for you, you deserve it! Sometimes I think we forget to take care of eachother when we get so wrapped up in what is best for the kids, taking care of the marriage is what is most important to the kids!

we actually have received some credits to our Disney Visa (we paid our whole trip on it). Not done yet, I called to get refund amounts and we were pleased with the verbal refund offer we received. She said it could take some time..............

do you mean the next two cruises are marked down for this month??? I don't think I could take the kids out of school again? But you know taking care of the marriage is what is most important to the kids! wonder what grandma and grandpa are doing the next couple weeks? lol

have a good one,
missy

[allears]

wow alone without kids for a week

I know, this is so cool. We weren't sure we could do this without feeling quilty, but hey our kids have been on 4 cruises, so I think they've been spoiled enough! We're really getting excited about this concept, though it will be a different experience without the kids, we always have a great time with them.


"do you mean the next two cruises are marked down for this month??? I don't think I could take the kids out of school again? But you know taking care of the marriage is what is most important to the kids! wonder what grandma and grandpa are doing the next couple weeks? lol"

Not sure about this question. We have the January 15th 2005 booked, and we'll be using the refund and voucher. We're hoping some time after that to book a 7 night trip for February of 2006 with the whole family. We talked about trying to squeak one out this winter, but we couldn't get the numbers down far enough to have the refund pay for all of us. And we were also a bit concerned about taking them out of school again. We've acutally done this in the past, taken them out twice in a year, but we've come to like the idea of going alone even better. Grandma and grandpa unfortuneatley live in South Carolina, but my sister in law has already volunteered to keep our children. She said, happy parents make happy kids!

Our best friends, Annie's parents, were already booked on a Carnival Cruise for February. We briefly toyed with the idea of sailing with them. Our DCL refund would have been enough to cover an inside cabin, but we'd loose the discount. The thought of being on another ship and seeing the Magic across the port was too much to take, so we're sticking with the Magic.

This will be a whole different experience for us and one we're really looking forward to!

[kcashner]

What I meant was that I checked on the internet and saw that the cruises thru the first week in November are reduced in price. THey were starting at $799 per person for a cat 12 gty. Of course, that can change at any time as the ship fills.

There's no way I can do another one so soon, even though I'd love to.....we're already booked for next August, so don't know if I'll do another before that.

Yes, we really love cruising....the easiest way for Mom to travel!!!

[fourfoxesinpa]

We received our refund very promptly. It was on our Disney Visa when we got home. Was in several different parts. I think it was a refund on 1) on our $1K deposit 2) On the balance due 3) another refund for not going to Key West or Grand Cayman and possibly Castaway Cay since it's a Bahamian island? Now if I get reimbursed by the Travel Insurance Co. as quickly, I'll be one happy camper.

[MarcyIn Florida]

Originally posted by allears
I know, this is so cool. We weren't sure we could do this without feeling quilty, but hey our kids have been on 4 cruises, so I think they've been spoiled enough! We're really getting excited about this concept, though it will be a different experience without the kids, we always have a great time with them.



How old is your youngest? About 9 or 10? (and please forgive me if I've made him younger than he is . . . I'm really bad at guessing the age of anyone between 8 and 25 nowadays). We're counting down the years to a child-free guilt-free vacation! :)

As an aside, I looked at my Visa statement today and we've been refunded money from DCL on three separate transactions -- it totals about 30% of the gross vacation fare, which is probably about 40% of the net cruise fare. Much of that was refunded before the cruise was even over. I know that a lot of people are unhappy with the hurricane cruises, but in the end that cruise cost us $290 per person if you include the discount and the $300 onboard credit!

[allears]

Our youngest is 8. And I'm pretty dismal about age guessing as well. We haven't really given much thought to being empty nesters, but what a treat this will be. Though I think it will be a little weird and we'll miss the joy they bring to our times together on the ship. But we'll suffer through it ;) We just can't believe how obsessed we already are with the idea of being back on the ship, I'm almost ready to pack.

[two-foxes]

Hey, all....
back from the back to backs....the 40% that we got back from the 9/25 allowed us a little more wiggle room for spending on #2, so we (or should I say Tim) went all out on the spa! It was a treat! Cruise #2 went off with out a hitch....other than me having to toss the patch after my eyes got all weird. Just took the sea calm all was just fine. CC was beautiful, despite the damage, but the crew there had to have worked their tails off getting it ready for us.

As far as booking in hurricane season again....we rebooked for 10/14/06 on board with the same group of Dis'ers that we met on the 10/02. I'll take the chance. We may utilize our 25% voucher to sneak in a 4 night cruise for 2005, the 9/25/05 cruise to be exact:eek: , because we were trying to ease up on our vacation expenses for 2005 (no more repo cruise!)

I am disappointed we didn't get to meet up as planned, but it was so good running into some of you!

[MarcyIn Florida]

Okay -- we've taken the plunge and booked the February 4, 2006 Eastern. It seems like such a long way off, but most of the cat 9s were already taken.

Anyone want to join us? :smooth:

We'll probably wait for a FL resident rate on a 3 day thi winter. ::crossing fingers::