1/16/05 Wonder, anyone going

[soleglo]

Anyone going on this cruise with sons in the 9-13 yr age group?

[logan1_2000]

DS will be 8, two months shy of 9, time in Oceaneer Lab will be in the 8-9 group. It will be his third DCL cruise (underprivileged child, I know)

[soleglo]

How well did he like Oceaneer? DS was 8 on the last cruise, but he did not want to spend alot of time there. It didn't help that his brother was 12 and could sign himself out. :hyper:

After reading your post, I don't feel bad about taking them again in less than a year. :teeth:

[Kiadon]

Hi!

We are on the Jan. 16 Wonder too. DD is 9 1/2. This is her first cruise and our first Disney cruise.

We, too, are curious about the Lab, but then we're curious about the weather in Jan. whether we can swim comfortably, if the swim with Dolphins is a good idea in January, and just about everything! LOL

Good to know there will be other kids around her age on board.

[soleglo]

From what I read if you are a Northerner (like us) you will appreciate the weather, but if you are from a Southern state it is NOT so warm to you. Your DD should enjoy the cruise and meet new friends beginning the first night.:p

[sanddune]

We are ! Family of 5. DH,DS-13,DS-10,DS-7 & Me. Can't wait!:wave:

[Kiadon]

Thanks for the weather info, Soleglo. I'm praying for a warm spell since we would really like to do the Dolphin thing.

It looks like there are going to be lots of boys DD's age.....hoping to find some girls too, but then she's cool with the guys.

How DO you guys get those count down clocks?

[soleglo]

Thanks 4 asking that ?, I want to add one of those also. I hope we have good weather, although anything will be better than Chicago in January brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :teeth:

[eeyoresmom]

Kiadon,I'll be onboard with my 9 1/2 yo DD,so there's at least one! I also have an 8 yo DS(there seems to be a large #of them.That can't be good;) )How about teens.Anyone got 'em?

[soleglo]

DS 9 DS 13

[Kiadon]

This is a trial to see if my countdown clock works.

We can't wait!

[soleglo]

Hey how do u add the countdown clock?

[Kiadon]

Go to:

http://psiklops.brinkster.net/CDTimers/CDTimerGen.htm

and follow the instructions. My clock is an hour later than another one for this cruise because I guessed that we would be on board about an hour later than the time they used.

[sanddune]

Is anyone packing yet? I feel like I have to start soon. The Holidays will be here soon! I don't think I have much time to pack around the Holidays. We are going on a 11 Day cruise for Christmas. So it will be drop a bag and take another!Hope everyones Holidays are Merry!:wave:

[luvsTink]

We are coming too!
Me, Dh, DD- 17, DD- 7, DD-5

It is the first cruise for all of us. I am getting soooooo excited! :Pinkbounc

Anne

[sanddune]

Iluvstinks, Welcome aboard! We are getting pretty close now! :wave:

[afr117]

We are supposed to be on this cruise also (me, DH,and DD 4 1/2). However, my husband is having surgery on Dec. 6th to remove a benign tumor at the base of his brain called an Acoustic Neuroma. His vestibular nerve (balance control) has to be sacrificed on that side, so depending on how quickly he is able to begin compensating with the other side depends on if we are going or not :confused3
He says we will go even if he has to ride in a wheelchair. :rolleyes: We'll see what happens, but just in case we have to cancel, DD won't know about it until we are in the car on the way.

[luvsTink]

afr17...
your family will be in our prayers (if that is ok)

Let us know how it goes.

Anne

[sanddune]

afr117, I hope all goes well for your husband! Full recovery pixie dust sent to you! :wizard:

[little_susan]

Hey guys - was booked for 5/15 but just can't wait! Had to cancel a 12/2003 right before 60-day mark (when there was such a thing!) that was booked since 2002 so I figure 3 years is long enough to wait! Tis probably a good thing as DD is almost 5 (in Feb - going to see if we can get her in the 5-7 group) and is much more 'removable' than she was a year ago... Also have DS 8, I'm going to try to keep him in 5-7's also, he was held back a year in school so his maturity level and current friends are in the 7's anyway - and it will help with DD's stick-to-me-itis if she has bro with her... We'll see - if they stay with us the whole time- that's ok too - was just hoping for a couple of dinners with the hubby, we don't get that much at home and I don't know how they would handle the long dinners..
We're going on a land-and-sea staying at POFQ... :wave:

[afr117]

Thank you for your prayers and pixie dust. My husband's surgery went very well, he is home now and on the road to recovery. The worst part for him now is dizziness (when he closes his eyes, he feels like he is on a boat). I still don't know if we will have to cancel - will probably have to get medical clearance closer to time. He jokes that maybe if he actually WAS on a boat, he might feel normal. :rolleyes:

[luvsTink]

afr...glad to hear it all went well!

Is anyone packing yet?

Anne

[soleglo]

I have started putting together my "don't forget items"...............over door shoe organizer, post its etc..............

[sanddune]

Afr117, I'm glad your husband's surgery went well!! :cool1:
Luvs Tink' We are going on a 11 day cruise next monday. So we won't pack untill this one is done. But I will be packing as soon as I come back home!!Nothing like rush packing!! Happy Holidays everyone!! :wave:

[luvsTink]

Hey you all...are you all out Christams shopping?

We are getting oh so close!

What excursions have you all booked?
We have
Dolphin Encounter
Parasailing
and we will snorkel and float at CC!

Anne

[soleglo]

I have not booked any excursions, because I am afraid it will be too chilly to get in water. I get cold fast, and besides we didn't do any excursions b4 and had a blast. We are going to check out Cable Beach in Nassau.

[tinkertraci]

We will be there! DH, me, DS turning 10 on cruise, DD 13, DD 8. This willl be our first cruise and we are all very excited. We are from St. Louis and we're looking forward to warm weather.

We are flying down on the 15th and staying at RonJon's. Will anyone else be at RonJon's the night of the 15th? Maybe we could meet beforehand?

[luvsTink]

We will be staying at the Radisson the night before. I am beginning to panic a little bit since my work schedule is pretty packed before the trip...I feel like I should be packing.....

[little_susan]

If you believe in crystal balls...
Weather looks good... temps up and precip down!
http://hurricane.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/headlines.asp?iws=5

[Kiadon]

We are staying at the Raddison at the Port on Saturday also!!! Flying in from DFW (Dallas/Ft.Worth) around noon. Using Tiffany Towncars to the Raddison.

We are stopping at the grocery on the way out to pick up any odds and ends. Can we or can we not bring on bottled water and sodas? The brochure seems to say no, but others have posted that they brought stuff on board. This is rather confusing.

I really want to do the Dolphin Swim/Encounter, but have been afraid it would be too cold and haven't booked it yet. They have wet-suits there, so maybe it would be okay.?? Gosh I want to do that, can you tell?

DD has out-grown everything so we are having to "try-on" and cross our fingers that she has enough summer-type clothing! LOL

Getting very excited now!!!!

[rlouden]

Anyone going on this cruise with sons in the 9-13 yr age group?We're on the cruise with a DS 11 (almost) and a DD 9 and, possibly another DD 11 (mom is afraid and seems to be backing out) :bitelip:
We also have my spouse and I celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and 3 of our 4 kids with their spouses.

[luvsTink]

We did the whole "trying on" thing only to find DD7 has outgrown all of her stuff! I hit ebay and target online and have everything covered.....as long as it all gets here in time~ :earboy2:

We are getting into MCO at 11 am on Saturday and going over to AK for the day and then CM's for supper.

Anne

[DisneyWorld Delight]

My DH and I will be on the big red boat!! ( I posted on another thread already) This is my first cruise and am very excited, nervous... I am leaving my children at home with DMIL. We are staying in Orlando before the cruise for a convention.

[Kiadon]

We will be arriving an hour later than you at MCO.
What's an "AK" and a "CM for supper"

Just wondering.....

Kiadon

[luvsTink]

Sorry Kiadon... I got carried away with my "dis" speak.

AK = Disney's Animal Kingdom. We will be going there for a few hours in the afternoon to show my mom the highlilghts

CM = often stands for cast member, but in this case stands for Chef Mickey's . Chef Mickey's is a buffet restaurant at the Contemporary Resort and the evening buffet has the characters come around and greet at the tables.

Anne

[Grandmaof3]

Anyone going on this cruise with sons in the 9-13 yr age group?
I will be bring my 3 DGS ages 8, 11 and 13 with me for our first cruise. They won't know they're going until we arrive at the airport on January 15th ! :Pinkbounc I've been to WDW with the older 2, but this is a first for the 8 year old. Jan. 16th is my 60th birthday :cake: so I decided to share it with the grandkids. Any suggestions for shore excursions ?

[sonney]

There's another thread I think for this cruise but I don't think i've posted here. Going w/DW, DD 15 (her friend...is that DF??), DS 13, DD10. This our 2nd cruise, except for DD15 (12 at the time) who saw the movie Titanic too close to our first cruise!! That worked out well anyways because this way we were 4 & fit into a stateroom.

We're from Baltimore & probably coming down Friday...

How do we know who anyone is here when we get on board? Perhaps it's more fun to guess!!

Still waiting for docs....but I know they'll get here...eventually.

Sonney

[sanddune]

Hi!Just got back! We will be staying the night before at the Raddison too!! The kids like to sleep a little longer!(DS-13,DS-10 & DS-6 1/2) I'm going to start packing this weekend. :wave:

[sonney]

Still no docs for the 1/16 cruise. Anyone else still waiting? So how about setting up a meet!?? Any ideas?

Sonney

[sanddune]

Sonney, We called DCL today to check on our DOC's. They said we would get them by Friday. Hope that helps! :wave:

[sonney]

Thanks. It makes me feel a little better. We're taking a friend of DD so we need time for the parents to sign & notorize the permission slip!

They must be doing this much later than before. We went the same week 2 years ago & received our docs before Christmas. On another cruise they came about a month earlier. Times change!!

Sonney

[luvsTink]

tinkertraci...I sent an email...did you get it? I can't pm you for some reason!

Anne

[luvsTink]

I usually tie a lime green ribbon on my bag or somewhere to indicate I am a diser....I will also have a lime green mickey head on our cabin door.

Will you all do the same?

Anne

[sonney]

Well, I don't know that we'll search the ship for it but it sounds like a plan!! Perhaps there's a better one somewhere but I can't think of it!! Maybe we can wear something in the terminal (a green carnation? A mickey sticker? mickey ears?) that will identify us. I'll be the one with the three kids fighting with each other (and the DW who is joining in) while I try to referee!!

By the way, in case anyone is still waiting for docs (like me), I called Disney today and found out that they are, indeed, having some problems with the new printing process and, in my case, at least, they send the docs to the TA instead of to us (I'll have words with our TA). Luckily the TA got it today and is shipping it to us also so today (we'll get it Friday??)!! On my two previous cruises, I had the docs in hand at least 3 weeks in advance.
Sonney

[tinkertraci]

I'm not that great with figuring out computer glitches. I tried to check and see if my correct email was listed on file but I couldn't figure it out. I couldn't see why a pm didn't go through.

My e-mail is mcree-5@charter.net. Please try that.

I'll try to pm you and maybe that will work.

[tinkertraci]

Some might get our families mixed up because I'm sure that I'll be the family with the 3 kids fighting.

I'll find a lime green ribbon and put it on somewhere. This could get personal....looking for lime green ribbons on strangers.:tilt:

What the heck...by the end of the cruise, we'll all be "good friends";)

I still have not received documents...and am past getting nervous. I'm pretty sure they won't let a hysterical woman on the boat becuase she "claims" she's really supposed to be on the ship. Yeah right. We'll be the family crying in the corner:sad:

[sanddune]

We are doing back to back cruises. With that said ,half of my family has Docs for the Jan 16 th cruise. Half has Docs for our Jan 20th cruise ! I hope we get the other halves soon! I will have lime green on our suitcases. I'll have to think of something to wear that is green.

[luvsTink]

Is anyone going from Wisconsin?? Maybe you could get us all those ridiculous "cheese head" hats (just kidding!!!) I should be careful, Wisconsin-ites might take offense to me making fun of cheese-heads. :D

I can see it now, everytime I see someone with a green shirt on I will make a fool of myself ---- Hey! are you a diser???? (security guard approaches) Ma'am, please stop bothering the other passengers.

I too will have three children fighting but to top it off my mother will be along as well. Below is a picture so you know who to look for (or avoid, which ever you prefer!)
http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL602/2857741/5756805/73859660.jpg

[luvsTink]

Let's see if I can list all who have responded to this thread so far:

Soleglo: DS 9, DS 13

Logan1_2000: DS 8

Kiadon: DD 9 1/2

Sanddune: DS 13, DS 10, DS 7

eeyoresmom: DD 9 1/2, DS 8

LuvsTink: DD 17, DD 7, DD 5 and DGM 61, DH 40

afr117: DD 4 1/2

Little_Susan: DD 5ish, DS 8 and DH

tinkertraci: DD 13, DS 10, DD 8

rlouden: DS 11, DD 9, ?DD 11

DisneyWorldDelight: No kids (I predict a couple's spa session!)

Grandmaof3: (AKA grandma of the year) DGS's 8, 11 and 13

Sonney: DD 15, DGF ?, DS 13, DD 10

Marshmellow86: DD 7 1/2, DD 16 months

If I missed you or if I got something incorrect PM me and I'll do an update. Also, if you want, PM me with where you are staying the night before (if anywhere) and I'll list that too!

Anne

[sonney]

We should wear nametags with our Screen names! Mine is easy because it is my first name! If someone can tell me how to insert a pic (from my hard drive), I can add one to this thread (clicking on "Insert image" doesn't seem to allow me to attach an image from my hard drive). Thanks.

Sonney

[luvsTink]

Good idea Sonney! Although my family already thinks I am crazy!

About inserting pics...it is harder than it looks :rolleyes: You must first upload the pics to an online service (I use picturetrail) and then right click the pic, highlight and copy the properties and then insert the address after clicking the image button. It took me awhile, but once I got it, it became easy.

Anne

[sonney]

Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a try now. Here's a picture of us...well, mostly....you may figure out that the guy in the picture is not really me but the rest of family is real. The easy one to spot is the red-head so if you find us, I'm the one not in the photo so come up to me and introduce yourself!! I'm 6' about 190 lbs w/glasses and wavy brownish hair probably wearing stuff that only marginally matches (hey, I'm a guy)!!

Sonney
http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL512/3061461/6211304/79745461.jpg

[little_susan]

Yep - you got us right - DD will actually be 5 on 2/18. Do any of you Castaway Club members think they will let her in the 5-7 age group? She is (too) mature for her age so I'd be willing to give it a no-going-back shot...

DS(8) is terrified of flying in next week. He flew when he was 5 with no problems, not sure what is going on this time. Any suggestions for this? Should I give him drugs or just make him deal with it? Boy, this parenting thing throws you for a loop sometimes...

We arrive at POFQ 1/13 and just got docs yesterday 1/5.....

Susan
Edit: Also, DH is coming along for the ride too (kinda like our wedding - just tell him where to show up and what to wear! LOL). I noticed you weren't listing the 'insignificant' others. J/K!!!!!

[Grandmaof3]

Also, if you want, PM me with where you are staying the night before (if anywhere) and I'll list that too!

Anne

:wave: We'll be at a little hotel in Kissimmee the night before the trip.

By the way, I also have not received any paperwork. I e-mailed the travel agent and she said it should be coming soon. I saw the Disney Cruise special on the Travel Channel and now I really can't wait to go ! (The kids still don't know they're going ! I send them an invitation to my birthday party and said that I had arranged for all of us to sleep over on a boat. Told them that it took about 2 1/2 hours to get there, so they should bring something to keep them busy.) By the time we get on the ship, I'll be the one having the asthma attack. Look for the woman with an inhaler !!! :Pinkbounc

[luvsTink]

Susan,
As I obsessed over the material I received with my docs I believe I read that any child within 30 days of there next birthday could move up no problem!

I'll add your husband. Your description of him "coming along for the ride" sounded very familiar to me. Brian (DH) asked me last night "when will you be done with the planning" My answer: when we leave for the plane. He looked like this: :earseek: I didn't want to remind him that I was working on touring plans each night of our trip to WDW last year. :blush:

[sonney]

I also don't think you'll have a problem. They don't ask to see birth certificates so as long as she is age-appropriate for a 5 yo group, there should be no problem.

Sonney

[little_susan]

Speaking of plans, I read on another board a while back you were planning on going to Ohana's? We have a PS for the 14th... Are you still doing dinner there or did that change to CM's?
It sounds yummy and I can't believe I got a 6:50 PS (just yesterday!). Hopefully we'll time it right for Wishes at 8....

[luvsTink]

We will be dining at Chef Mickeys on the 15th. I wanted to change the time and they are now completley BOOKED for the whole night. geez. Animal Kingdom is now going to be open until 7 that night. but our ps is for 5:40. drat!

We will be eating at ohanas onthe 21st after we get back. I asked for a window seat because we are hoping to see wishes from there as well.

[afr117]

Well, if anyone is looking for us, we are a family of three: DH is 6'5" tall so he is usually easy to spot, and all of us wear glasses. I'll be looking stressed, but I don't think that will make me stand out in this crowd. We will be dining at Chef Mickey's on the 20th when we get back. We are staying two nights at Pop Century and doing the MK on Friday. :Pinkbounc

[Grandmaof3]

We are staying two nights at Pop Century and doing the MK on Friday. :Pinkbounc

We'll be at the Pop Century after the cruise also. My DD will be flying down to help with the DGSs since 2 of them are hers. I love Chef Mickey's for breakfast. :cool1:

[luvsTink]

afr....If I may be so bold as to suggest...

MK has its emh on friday. we will be going but only for a couple hours as I would anticipate it to become VERY busy and then we are changing parks. We are also doing MK thrusday after we check in. I think it will be very slow that day. Just wanted to give you a heads up as to the EMH thing.

Also, if you are interested in Spectro, it is on Thursday but not Friday (we intend to use Spectro as a way to ride without lines for awhile :D )

[sanddune]

The other half of our DOCs came today!! Doing the Happpy Dance!! :cool1: When is everyone leaving for FL? We are driving . So we will leave friday night. I hope the weather holds out .

[afr117]

I appreciate the suggestion, but with only one full day to spend in a park, MK is the only way to go with DD4. Thursday is already booked up. We are doing the Perfectly Princess Tea Party and then dinner at Chef Mickey's with a friend I have not seen since college who is now a UCF professor.

[logan1_2000]

My DH and I will be on the big red boat!! ( I posted on another thread already) This is my first cruise and am very excited, nervous... I am leaving my children at home with DMIL. We are staying in Orlando before the cruise for a convention.


I hope this poster was kidding when writing "Big Red Boat". Those were old ships run by now bankrupt and defunct PRemiere Cruise Lines with whom Disney had a marketing contract and so characters were on board.

You will love these ships so much more than the older ships--I saw one once sitting in an industry port in Freeport, Bahamas, when the Wonder used to go there.

[luvsTink]

We are driving to Des Moines Friday evening, our flight leaves Saturday at 5:55 am :earseek:

We were going to stay at the Radisson at the port but today I switched to Port Orleans Riverside. Also switched our Chef Mickey PS to a Sunday morning breakfast PS. I want to stay at Animal Kingdom until closing. If there was ever any doubt about my planning compulsion, today's changes should confirm the diagnosis!

Anne

[sanddune]

LuvsTink,LOL! Hope you have fun! That sure is a early flight. I hope you can take a nap on the flight. Safe travels to you and your family!
We are staying at the Raddison at the port the night before.The boys will be realy tired after the drive. Sleep in time is needed!

[luvsTink]

You are driving from Michigan! How long does it take?

Anne

[soleglo]

Finally received our docs on Friday, we are flying in on Sunday morning. Flight arrives at 10:00 a.m.

[luvsTink]

Glad you got your docs!
I hope us midwesterners get good travel weather. We switich planes in Milwaukee and I told my husband if any bad weather is forcast for Iowa we are DRIVING to Milwaukee :flower1:

The weather is starting to look icky, but not much we can do about that.

Anne

[tinkertraci]

What is emh? Is it early morning hours? We are planning on doing MK on Friday too. why do you think it will be so crowded?

[luvsTink]

Extra magic hours tend to make the parks busier and Friday the 21st is Early Entry into the Magic Kingdom. Resort guests get to enter the park one hour earlier than the general public. We will do the early entry and then leave by noon as that seems to be when the crowds are the heaviest. Also, I think the Thursday we get in will be slower.

Anne

[Kiadon]

Hi Everyone!

We are getting so excited. Sister-in-law (DD will call her Grandma since I didn't get around to hatching this chick til I was way-40 something :blush: and the other cousins her age called her Grandma so naturally so does DD) says she just keeps pinching herself!

:flower1: Speaking of DD, she wants to know if there are any other kids old enough to type since she'd love to "talk" to them. She's 9 1/2 and this is her first cruise.

Disney's Dolphin Encounter was booked by the time we finally got around to deciding to jump in the water whether it was toooo cold or not, so I called Nassau yesterday and booked the Dolphin Swim independently of Disney. Now we're REALLY praying for warm weather! :goodvibes :

We'll be at the Raddison Sat and then see you guys on the Wonder Sunday!

[eeyoresmom]

Kiadon,my daughter is also 9 1/2 and this is her first cruise also :flower1: I'm sure she'd like to be her pen pal.

[marshmellow86]

First Disney cruise. Go to WDW about 5-6 times a year. Decided to stop by after the cruise and finish out the week.
I have a DD 7 1/2 & DD 16 months going. My 7 yr old is very excited about the kids area and pool slide with no adults!

[sanddune]

The drive time from Michigan is 18-20 HRs. Husband drives OH & KY. I drive the rest! The kids sleep though the night . It's pretty painless! Hope your flights are the same!(painless) :wave:

[DisneyWorld Delight]

logan1_2000:

Sorry about the "Big Red Boat" faux pas. I didn't realize. I am sure I will love the boat. Just excited to be boarding!!!! :Pinkbounc



As far as the other info:

Pre-cruise: Sheraton Safari

Post-cruise: Wilderness Lodge

Excursions: Parasailing and Jet Ski tour on CC.

My plan is Cable Beach at Nassau, but nothing in concrete.

[soleglo]

Hey guys, FYI if anyone DOES NOT get PALO ressies, remember u can "add" someone to a friends ressie. Just a thought :boat:

[luvsTink]

I am getting so excited I am afraid I might have a stroke!! :Pinkbounc

Anyone else as hyper as I am. I ordered a pin and tshirt today, so at some point in the cruise I am sure we will see each other. Any veterens have a better idea for how to have a mini dis-meet?

Anne

[afr117]

I am very excited! I don't think I will have a stroke though - just a massive anxiety attack. If I could only get all of the things piled around the suitcases to jump inside of them in a nice orderly manner I think I would be doing better.
We are driving down from the upstate of SC on Friday. We are going about halfway (Brunswick, GA) and then on to the Hampton Inn in Cocoa Beach for Saturday. :Pinkbounc

[sanddune]

We can't wait!! The packing is about done. The kids schools have been told.Mail stopped ,newspaper stopped.Let the fun begin!! :cool1:

[little_susan]

Thanks for the reminder about the mail and the paper! I haven't been on a vacation in so long I didn't even think about that.

And, yes, I'm going to have a stroke. We're leaving Thursday for a 7 am flight and when I planned all this I actually thought I would work Wednesday. Well, I hope the boss is ok with me adding another day as I haven't even started packing, I guess he'll have to be - I'm already in 'vacation' mode anyway! ACCKKKK!

Good luck to all arriving this week! :teleport:

Susan

[sonney]

We'll be drving from Maryland on Thursday night...six of us in a van (w/a dvd player). It's about a 13 hour trip and I do all the driving. We've done it many times before and it's no big deal. I listen to books on tape or music while everyone else sleeps or watches movies.

We've been on the same crusie (that is, the same week) two years ago and it was great. Everyone is excited. Oh, we did get all our Docs on Friday and we should be good to go. We were lucky enough to reserve 2 secret portal rooms (it helps to reserve over a year ago!) so we'll have some sunlight!!

Gotta run...so much to do so little time before we leave. Looking forward to "seeing" everyone even if I don't know who anyone is!! Check out our picture earlier!

Sonney

[luvsTink]

CPM has posted "live" from the Wonder and she says the CM's told her pirate night would start on the next 4 day Wonder! You know what that means if it is true!!!!!!

Anne

[soleglo]

Ok, fill me in..........What is Pirate Night?????????

[tinkertraci]

Oh yippee! How wonderful! I sure hope that it is true. :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

I'd love to be "1st" at something. Then we'll all have to write a trip report about it.

[sanddune]

I'm glad I could help! Last trip to WDW I forgot the newspaper stop!
Pirate night I think they dress up at dinner.Maybe a pirate theme deck party? I know the 7 day cruisers have alot of posts about it.

[luvsTink]

From another dis-er:

On the seven-day cruise, on the Magic, they have a Pirates night.

"Jack Sparrow" repels down on the ship's smokestacks....and--this is just a brief synopsis--the "pirates" capture the men in the audience. (This is part of a Pirates' deck party.) Eventually, in the end Captain Mickey rushes in to rescue the "captives" and set them free! On the Magic, I believe they have fireworks in addition to the party.

(Anyone out there who has been to the party, please add to my very limited details above!!!)

Disney Cruise Lines has said they are adding this Pirates' night to the 3- and 4-day Wonder in "early 2005." So....all of us sailing in "early 2005" are anxiously awaiting news to hear if it's been added yet! We are keeping are fingers crossed!!!!



No one knows how it will work on the Wonder. We shall see pirate:

Logan1 .... We promise not to laugh at you if you wear your tropical shirt to the pirate party. :D

Anne

[ellyzma]

Hi Everyone -

Me and my DH and DD (7) will be on board the 16th too...

We are driving over from Tampa on Saturday and staying at the Quality Suites in Cocoa Beach... We get to park at the Radisson in the Cruise Parking for free... Nice Perk...

We booked in Oct (gotta love that FL resident rate) and still haven't told the daughter... I can't wait to see her face when we shuttle over to the ship!

This is Disney cruise #2 and I think I am even more excited this time~

Beth

[luvsTink]

Welcome aboard Beth! We have a DD7 as well. See you on Sunday....

[luvsTink]

The most up to date list:

Soleglo: DS 9, DS 13

Logan1_2000: DS 8

Kiadon: DD 9 1/2

Sanddune: DS 13, DS 10, DS 7

eeyoresmom: DD 9 1/2, DS 8

LuvsTink: DD 17, DD 7, DD 5 and DGM 61, DH 40

afr117: DD 4 1/2

Little_Susan: DD 5ish, DS 8 and DH

tinkertraci: DD 13, DS 10, DD 8

rlouden: DS 11, DD 9, ?DD 11

DisneyWorldDelight: No kids (I predict a couple's spa session!)

Grandmaof3: (AKA grandma of the year) DGS's 8, 11 and 13

Sonney: DD 15, DGF 14, DS 13, DD 10

Marshmellow86: DD 7 1/2, DD 16 months

ellyzma: DD 7

[sonney]

It would be interesting to figure out a way to meet each other...any ideas? Small update: Daughter's girl friend is 14.

Pirate night, if the first, would be very cool. We'll see. If no one has posted this on the main Cruise board, I will ask & see if anyone has any definitive info.

Sonney

[tinkertraci]

I will be wearing a lime green ribbon probably in my hair or around my wrist. It won't be too small that you couldn't see it. I'll have it on the day we board and anyone who see me-please approach and I'll tell you our room number. It would be fun to meet you all. If I don't see anyone on boarding day, I'll just keep wearing it around the boat. My son drew a Mickey Mouse head on a piece of 81/2 x 11 paper and I had my DD8 color the outside lime green. I'm going to laminate it and put a couple magnet on the back and hang it on our door too. It says Mickey in one ear and Mouse in the other. Then in the head circle it says "The McRee Family". Very cute and a nice memento for the scrapbook.

I do have a stupid question though. How do you pronounce DIS? Is it DISH or like someone's diss'in ya (like kids used to say)? As in disrespect?

Please let me know so I don't make a fool of myself during introductions!

I'm also open to anyone who has a better idea on how we could meet. Since this is our first cruise, I'm not exactly sure what would work.

[luvsTink]

I always pronounce it dis as in "dis-ney". I will be wearing a dis pin/button.

We are planning at arriving at the terminal at about 11:00. How about everyone else?

Anne

[ellyzma]

I am hoping to be on the first shuttle from the Radisson to the Terminal..

Just follow the loud screaming you will hear when we pull up to the ship and our DD (7) gets the SURPRISE!

Can't wait to see her reaction... We've (DH and I) have kept the secret since October.

Beth

[soleglo]

Hope 2 b there by 12, but I am flying in that morning, and doing the one way Budget rental.

[DisneyWorld Delight]

I am shuttling over from Budget also around 11:00. Will be looking for all fellow DIS ers.

Right now just worried about getting on a plane tomorrow. Our road keeps flooding and I don't want to miss my flight!!!

[Grandmaof3]

:jumping1: Our docs arrived yesterday ! I was beginning to wonder if we really were going. Now I'm trying to get all the signatures (and notary signatures) for the DGSs.

We'll be driving over from Kissimmee on Sunday morning. Hope to arrive around noon. I'll try to get some green ribbon for our carry-ons (fat chance that the DGSs will have anything to do with wearing ribbons !!!).

Haven't packed anything yet - still trying to finish up last minute things at work.

See everyone on Sunday! :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :bounce:

[eeyoresmom]

Hi everyone! Has anyone been following the weather forecasts? (the computer I'm using is rapidly failing and it takes me 20 minutes to get most of the weather sites loaded) Last i heard it was suppossed to be cool and showery. I'm still trying to get the packing done! TIA, see you all on Sunday :cool1:

[tinkertraci]

I was getting a little worried for you! Glad you received your doc's.

I'm starting to pack today and have a coffee question. My husband and I drink a lot of coffee. We are on deck 8 and won't mind walking up 1 level to the drink station or just order from room service the night before.

My question is- should we pack a large insulated coffee mugs (the kind that fits in your van cup holders and has a lid). I just don't want little dinky styrofoam cups that hold 1/2 cup.

But I also don't want to take up precious luggage room. Oh my gosh I am getting sooooo excited.

Luvstink-We'll be getting to the terminal around 11:00 too. I'll meet you there ::MickeyMo

I can't believe it's almost here.

[sonney]

The coffee station cups are pretty standard stuff. I would estmate as 8-10 ounces. There is a new adult lounge/coffee shop area that replaced the Common Grounds teen place neer the adult pool that has specialty coffees but that's for pay. However, you might be able to finagle a larger cup or something from there or somewhere.

So it's probably still a toss-up, depending on how important that large mug of coffee is to you!! Youc an always get room service to send you up a fresh pot!

Getting close.....see you all in a few days!!

Sonney

[luvsTink]

Great question about the mugs...Maybe i'll pick up a couple at the hotel the night before.

I'll be looking for your Traci....bows in your hair, right??

About the weather, I am trying not to get too focused on it. I have 4 online weather pages I check and they range (on Sunday) from partly cloudy (0% chance of showers) to mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. The forcast for Nassau seems to fluctuate wildly...from 80 degrees down to 71 degrees. I guess I will just pack everything!

Anne

[tinkertraci]

I know what you mean about the weather. My kids were thinking it would be 85-90 in the Bahamas. They were disappointed this morning when I told them it was forcasted to be 71. My DD13 said, "I'm not swimming".:sad1:

[Kiadon]

I am hoping to be on the first shuttle from the Radisson to the Terminal..
Beth

We hope to be on that one too! We are staying at the Raddison Sat. night.
I can't believe some of you guys are PACKED!!! We have clothes all over the place...LOL

See you guys soon.

[Kiadon]

Just checked they Yahoo site. Says partly cloudy, 79 degrees....but the day before was showing showers, sooooo..........who knows whether it will shower of our Dolphin Day or not!

[sanddune]

My husband and I are going to wear our Disney Cruise Line shirt of the Magic.So if you see a cruise line shirt with just the Magic ship on it come say Hi!We will be with 3 boys. I hope everyone travels safe to the port!We will be leaving tomarrow around 3:00 PM. So I should be at the Raddison in the late afternoon.Hope to see you all at the port! :wave:
PS. I forgot the mug? We are bringing our travel mugs. The mugs come in handy with the kids.We would be running for drinks too often without them!Also family radios for the ship.Hope this helps with your ?.

[soleglo]

*****

[soleglo]

We have not packed one thing, but I did start organizing piles of what I want to take. I also went to the dollar store and found a five load package of tide just in case I want to wash..........YEA RIGHT :earboy2: I will also try and find a green ribbon, string or something. I am concerned about the weather and don't know what to pack. I also get cold quick. See ya soon.

We are surprising DS's with limo ride to the airport, but I am thinking about leaviing my poor underpriviledged DS 9 at home since he told me he wants to go somewhere NEW............forget the fact that this is our 4th vacation in one year!!!!!!!!!!!

[logan1_2000]

Found an AK water bottle strap, two of those drybox things you hang around your neck that seal shut with KTTW, cash, ID, etc. inside, a lanyard with clip for DS to use with KTTW, some disposable cameras we had laying around, and the "stuffed" DCL ship w/ characters that was a promotion from some company over a year ago. that is the start of the pile to pack. And matching tropical shirts for myself and DS, and DS has a disney tropical shirt, and some soft side collapsable cooler packs, goggle for swimming, what was left of the sunscreen at the end of the summer. Laundry going on as we speak. We plan to wear our Castaway Cay t-shirts on board for embarkation on Sunday.

[Grandmaof3]

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :jumping3:

Because the DGSs don't know they're going, my daughters have been "stealing" clothes from their drawers and closets to pack their suitcases. I've spent the week at nightly meetings at work and have one small bag packed. Spent my lunch hour at the dollar store getting last minute items.

Since Sunday is my :bday: , I'll be the one wearing the tee shirt that says "It took me 60 years to look this good". (I'm still looking for green ribbon - maybe I'll have better luck when we fly down to Orlando !)

Hope everyone has a safe trip ! See you soon ! :wave:

[soleglo]

WE WILL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING FOR THE BIRTHDAY LADY. :cheer2:

[Grandmaof3]

:jumping2:

Didn't find any green ribbon, but found a store with leftover Christmas-type garland. There are green stars on what appears to be green wire. I figure that I can put that on the handles of our luggage. I also found a lime green luggage strap.

Am now waiting for midnight so I can print our boarding passes on Southwest. Maybe then I can finish packing (since I'm still at work !)

:thewave: Chow for now !

[tinkertraci]

I didn't realize that you could print boarding passes from Southwest! Thanks for the tip.

It's 7:22am and mine are currently printing out and I'm in group A. Yippee! :cheer2:

[sonney]

I'm here on board at the Internet Cafe (2:48pm). Haven't met anyone yet but then again...there's alot of people here!! Awful weather, isn't it!! We're at table 55 in Triton's tonight & tomorrow & then ... oops, I left theinfo in the room so I'm not sure after that!!

I hope everyone made it on board okay & are having fun!!

Sonney

[sonney]

So what did everyone think? Did you have a good time?? We didn't get to meet anyone except luvsTink (nice meeting you & yours!) but a few quick comments:

1) Of course we all had a great time & the staff were excellent has always (our oldest daughter & friend was on her 1st, other kids on 2nd, rst on our 3rd). We saw some movies; did most of the shows, drank a bit, pin-traded, etc.

2) Seemed more crowded that my previous cruises. Many more kids....

3) 1st night was really bad, motion wise. I was in bad shape!! But medicine kicked in & helped. Last night was also bad but by then I tolerated it better.

4) Castaway Cay was great as always. Nassua was okay. Day at sea was the best weather...appreciate Captain John finding a calm, relatively clear, warm area!!

More another time!!

Sonney

[soleglo]

The weather except for the day at sea sucked to us. Overall we had a good time. I will not do another cruise in January. We had a couple of problems in our stateroom, mainly it was freezing!!!!!!!!! Maintenance came and discovered the heat was totally off. In addition a cabinet was broken, and the bathroom had a bad odor. We also received our Castaway Club gift, and the towel was DIRTY! They provided us with another one. My DS 9 had the best time, he spent it either in the pool or Oceaneer's. The rocky waters did not make any of us sick, but I did notice during those times the ship was deserted. It was scary!!!!!!!!!!!1

[little_susan]

The weather was bad, family was seasick (don't think the captain was using the stabilizers at all that first night), daughter wouldn't go to the club (they booked too many kids in the 5-7 age group and the counselors were not able to give any one-on-one transition attention), stateroom was also freezing and I didn't get my Disney Visa stateroom credit and I'm not too happy with how guest services (didn't) handle it... Also, I just quit 'rocking' from the motion today. I thought the food in the dining rooms relied too heavily on instant mashed potatoes. But we did try to make the best of it. I'm not blaming DCL for all of our problems, but we will not be cruising again, DCL or otherwise.

[Kiadon]

Logan2000 and I are both doing a cruise report on that board. We had a really wonderful time except for some really terrible things!

We enjoyed the shows and loved the food. Our stateroom was incredible (just redone, they said) and I especially loved the huge port hole window! Too cool. Especially watching the majesty of the ocean on Sun. night.

Our room, too, was cool, but we grabbed bankets in the cabinet and were fine. DD (9) got quesy and had to leave the dining room Sun. night. Dramamine and sleep had her all better in the morning.

I decided that I should have, perhaps cruised with her at an earlier age....she may have been a bit too old to really care about a picture with Snow White. LOL

The Dolphin Swim was incredible; they provided wet-suits and the Lagoon was sheltered from that biting wind.

The Oceaneer's Lab lost my daughter and informed me that she had not been there for hours----well, that was just the worst time of my life....please see the trip report for details. I just can't live that over again...not even to type it here.

Overall, we were very sad about the weather (no more January cruises for me either) and more than a bit disappointed with the Club on Mon., but DD (9) went back and seemed to enjoy it on some of the other days.....though I think she was kind of expecting to make some good friends and hang together with them and that didn't happen. So, she was sort of disappointed too.

We did have a great time, though, in spite of all that was stacking the deck for us not to. We loved cruising, the shows, the friendliness of the staff, the wonderful food, the food available on Deck 9 that catered to the kids, and the FREE SODA! Yea!

We came home thinking that we had learned a lot and would like to get Kayla's Aunt and her cousin's to do a Disney cruise now, while her little one (1st grade) is still at the age to really be enchanted by all the characters.

[luvsTink]

Hi all! We just got back because we spent a few days at WDW. I'll do a full report on the report board as well.

I was most disappointed not to meet very many of you! I did meet one..as Sonney mentioned. We arrived at the terminal pretty late (2 ish).

I thought Castaway Cay was the best part. I didn't get seasick (my 17 year old did) but, the movement combined with my lack of sleep has made it so I STILL feel a bit dizzy.

Anne

[tinkertraci]

I too was disappointed to not have met you all. I did meet one family (Sanddune) but that was because my husband and I were lost wandering around on the 2nd floor (I think). She was going into their room with her family and saw us walk one way past her room and then back again. She asked me if I was a DISer because I was wearing lime green ribbon in my hair and she had read in this thread that I would be wearing it there.

Anyway, I looked and looked for other DISer's and asked several people with lime green bags, shirts, etc. Since they all looked at me like I was a stalker I stopped asking and my husband said that it's probably a joke...."hey lets make tinkertraci look like an idiot and watch ask everyone wearing lime green!)

My family wished that it was warmer too but we had a wonderful time. I kept a journal and will post a trip report tomorrow. I'm back working today taking care of my two sick neices!

I'll post again soon.

[DisneyWorld Delight]

I also didn't meet up with any fellow dissers. Lime green was a popular color and everyone was wearing it. I never found the courage to look like an idiot and ask. We should have set up a meeting time and place. Oh well, next time.

I enjoyed the cruise, but it would have been better if I hadn't brought my husband. He Loathed it!! I thought he was going to jump ship. There are many complaints on his end, but the one I do agree with is "Why can't we watch tv?" I cannot believe we were given 24/7 coverage of 14 Disney channels, ESPN and CNN. And nothing else. I know there is So-o-o-o much to do, but our goal was to lay around.

Enough of that, next time I am going with the girls and having a simply lovely time! Not in January. Too cold for my blood.