May 6, 2006 - 7 nite Western - Anyone Crusing? [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

Sneezy63

04-13-2005, 09:31 AM

Count us in, too! Me, DH, DD-12, and DS-7. Looks like there will be quite a few 7 year old boys so far! My DD will have just turned 12 in March. I wanted to do a cruise while she was still a "kid" and not a "teen," you know what I mean? I think I would be too nervous with her in with older teens...yikes! But she is great with younger kids and will do well in the club. (Or lab. I never remember which is which!)

Mommy Poppins, I just PM'd you saying that I was going to start a thread next month if no one had started one yet, LOL! I'm glad you started one now so we can all get to know each other. :-)

Mommy Poppins

04-13-2005, 10:24 AM

Sneezy63

04-13-2005, 11:04 AM

yeah I was just going to PM you the link to the thread when I saw you had posted. My DD (Lauren) will have just turned 10 at the end of January, so she should be in the Lab with your daughter.

Yikes for all the 7 year old boys--or should I say Yikes for the Counselors of 7 year old boys!! My 7 year old is Jacob.

My other DS is Matthew and he will have just turned 4 year the week before the cruise.

Can't wait to meet all of you!!!! :cool1:

:bounce: 388 Days and Counting!!!! :Pinkbounc

Haha! Yeah, we should all bring the counselors something extra for sure. Man, the energy of my 7 year old boy is VERY different from my daughter at 7!

And I was just telling my DD on the way to school this morning about this "meets" board and that she could get to know some friends *before* the cruise. That will make it more fun for them to "know" someone when they get to the Lab.

I'm getting so excited, and I need to calm down....if I'm this excited *now* I might pop by the time next May gets here, LOL! :Pinkbounc

Mommy Poppins

04-13-2005, 08:28 PM

Yeah, my 7 year old can make me tired in the first hour he's awake! LOL

Let me know if your daughter is interested in a Pen Pal. Maybe the two girls could write back and forth until the cruise.

Sneezy63

04-13-2005, 08:45 PM

Yeah, my 7 year old can make me tired in the first hour he's awake! LOL

Let me know if your daughter is interested in a Pen Pal. Maybe the two girls could write back and forth until the cruise.

Great idea! I'm PM-ing you now....

Sneezy63

04-13-2005, 08:59 PM

Everyone plug in your dates!!!

http://www.majesticnetworks.net/whoisgoing.html

I tried to plug mine in but I kept getting an error message for some reason. I'll try again later.....

Sneezy63

04-13-2005, 09:14 PM

Anyone doing Disney after this cruise? I would love to do one of the Grand Gathering events - breakfast at Tony's or the Wishes Cruise/Peter Pan.

I doubt we'll do Disney World this trip. We've been to Disneyland 2 or 3 times since October, (so it won't kill the kids not to go to WDW) and I'm not quite sure how long we'll be in Florida. My mom still lives there (I grew up there) (in Sanford, which is about an hour-ish west of Port Canaveral, and about an hour-ish North of WDW) and we'll want to spend a couple days of "Grandma time" and "visiting old friends time"before we head back to California.

Um, that was my long way of saying, "No, probably no WDW this trip."

Mommy Poppins

04-13-2005, 09:19 PM

LOL! I'm still putting together a how can we afford the cruise budget! Don't know why I'm thinking of spending time at Disney as well!!! My husband is already getting headaches thinking of the money I'm going to blow!

apcall

04-30-2005, 01:48 PM

count us in....we were orginally scheduled to go on the 5/13/06 cruise but because my xwife (and husband) weren't orginally going...then were....and now not sure (but they booked anyways)....I thought it would be better if a changed the dates so we (me, and my two daughters [9.5 and 13.5 at the time of the cruise]) would not be away on mother's day (5/14)....regardless of what happened with my x-wfie, me and the 2 girls are going....

PS: I see it alot but what does the 'D' in dh, dd, etc mean?

Thanks
Alan

apcall

04-30-2005, 01:52 PM

oh...i forgot....me and the kids are in room #6064 and my x-wfie and her husband are (currently) booked in room #6020...what about the rest of you?

married2grumpy

05-10-2005, 11:05 AM

I just got off the phone with DCL and booked this cruise. Only 1 set of connecting rooms left on deck 2 and they are WAYYYY aft. Not too happy about the room location but have wait listed for other connecting cabins on deck 2.

Can't wait to get back on the ship!!!

pearlieq

05-14-2005, 06:29 PM

Just booked today! :cheer2:

DH and I (mid/late 20's, no kids) are thrilled to be going again. We tried to take the Western last September and wound up dodging hurricanes all week! It was an adventure! We wound up in San Juan and Nassau, so we haven't seen any of the Western ports--I'm really excited about Key West.

We're in 2564 (we'll always be able to get an elevator!) and coming in the Wednesday before. We're going to spend Wed/Thurs/Fri at WDW--probably OKW--and then leave late Friday night for the Cocoa Beach area--hoping to be able to trade in some Hilton Hhonors points for a free room.

Can't wait to meet everyone!

married2grumpy

05-22-2005, 10:17 PM

I'm bumping this up so we can all try to post on the same cruise meet thread. I think a few more people have joined our sailing! :sunny:

superbabysitter

05-23-2005, 09:19 AM

My mom and i are in room 2076. I will be almost 18 and she will be 50. We are going to WDW on the 3rd and staying at pop cent. :banana:

2timecruiser

05-24-2005, 05:58 AM

We just got back from our 3rd cruise-4 night on the Wonder. While onboard, we booked the 7 night western for May 6, 2006. We are excited! It will be myself, DH, DS-10, & DS-3. We are booked in a Cat 8, but we may change our minds. We have always been in a Cat. 6, so we may decide to go back to that. Who knows! Anyways, I will be on here alot to get ready for this next trip. Booking this trip is the only thing that made this last cruise enjoyable when we got off the ship, knowing that we will be coming back next year.
:banana: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :banana: :cool1:

slg

05-24-2005, 02:47 PM

We're on deck 7 middle somewhere (I don't have my registration here, but I will check) 2 cat.11 side by side.

My older boys (9, 6 now, 10 and 7 on the cruise) insisted that we didn't need to spend the money on adjoining cabins and we would be okay side by side. There weren't any cat.10 on deck 7 so we went with it. I'm not too fussed about being inside but there's a tiny part of me that is hoping we'll be upgraded! We booked really early (nov 04). I've heard that Disney sometimes upgrades, although I would think 2 side by sides would probably be hard to upgrade.

However, I can dream can't I?

We're spending loads of money already, as we're planning on going to DW first for 11 nights. We're staying at POR. We're flying from Victoria BC, so its a long haul?

Any other Canadians out there?

I have to pace myself, I may burn out before we get there. Actually next week we're going to Portugal for 5 weeks, but I'm more excited about the cruise next year.

Go figure...

Oo-de-lally Gal

06-03-2005, 06:37 PM

crzy4dsny

06-04-2005, 10:24 PM

Count us in! There are 28 of us on a family reunion cruise. 11 Staterooms worth! Sailed the Wonder last August and ran home to gather up the whole crew. We have already begun the big countdown and can hardly wait! :cool1:

Wow, that will be a great reunion! There were 18 of us on our last cruise and we had a blast. It was so much fun to just run into your family while at the pool or at the lunch buffet. You'll have a great time. This time around there is only 13 of us going back but I'm sure it will be just as much fun.

MommyMouse

06-06-2005, 09:35 PM

Hi....I'm Susie :wave2: We booked this cruise a few weeks ago. It will be me, Dh, dd14, dd13, ds11, and ds (identical twins) 7. I see that there are several 7 year olds and another set of twins.... I hope the counsellors aren't reading this thread! :rotfl2:
We just took the May 2005 Western 7 day as well. Would have preferred to have done the Eastern on this leg, but were trying to coincide school dates with the kids and possible FL resident rates. However, we had such a "Magical" :wizard: time, we're ready to do it again! So...any of you with questions, I'll be happy to answer! I didn't find these boards until a couple weeks prior to sailing, so I didn't get all the advantages it has to offer. It does become addicting though :rolleyes1 I am thrilled to be able to get to know all of you for the next 11 months :Pinkbounc :bounce:

2timecruiser

06-07-2005, 05:46 AM

This will be our 4th cruise for our entire family. It is myself, DH, DS10& DS3.

Any suggestions of things to see & do? We have been on the 4 night cruise 3 times, so this will be our first 7 night cruise. We are familiar with Disney cruising, but just not the 7 nighter. Would love to hear what some of the other families are planning for excursions!

jillane88

06-07-2005, 02:23 PM

Hi....I'm Susie :wave2: We booked this cruise a few weeks ago. It will be me, Dh, dd14, dd13, ds11, and ds (identical twins) 7. I see that there are several 7 year olds and another set of twins.... I hope the counsellors aren't reading this thread! :rotfl2:

Hi Susie, I'm thrilled that there will be another set of ID twin boys aboard. I love meeting other moms of twins - especially ID boys like mine. Hopefully you'll be easy to spot and so will I - mine will be 5 1/2 on the cruise. Welcome!

Heather :earsboy: :earsgirl: princess: :earboy2: :earboy2:

Oo-de-lally Gal

06-07-2005, 05:45 PM

Boy this is fun! Glad to see you have a DD 14 Mommy Mouse! My DD will be 15 when we cruise. We also have three dd 7's a dd 5 and a dd 3 and a ds 11. (not all mine... :eek:that's the whole fam's worth!) We are all so excited that we are already holding monthly pre-sail parties. This also includes the giant family weigh in. WE are hoping to gain back everything we manage to lose during 7 days and nights of fabulous food. The last cruise I do believe our server tried to kill us with kindness. Food just kept arriving with his urging of "You sure don't want to miss this..." It was like the Sorcerer's Apprentice!

Threehundred sixty four days until we're back on the ship!!! :banana: :cheer2: :cool1: :rockband: :boat:

MommyMouse

06-07-2005, 10:57 PM

I'm not sure which excursions we will do this time. Last trip, the only real excursion we took was the Stingray City/Snorkel Tour in Grand Cayman. It was awesome!!! The only downfall was the "roughness" of the water to snorkel in. My kids are great swimmers, but it really wore them out. Apparently, this is the norm from what we heard. Nonetheless, it was a great trip! The size of the stingrays freaked me out a bit though :crazy: In Cozumel, we just wanted to walk around the city and see it all. We wanted to see what the infamous "Carlos and Charlies" was about. (The food was fair, margarhita's not so good, but the atmosphere was no less than entertaining :rotfl: The entertainment on board was just great. I just hope the shows will change by then. Does anyone know how often they do that? We were on deck 6 AFT and LOVED it! Great proximity to the restaurants, kids club, pool etc. Booked 6 AFT again as well. Don't know the cabin numbers off the top of my head. Got my Passporter yesterday :Pinkbounc Not sure how informative it will be next to what you can read here, but it seems most everybody has one :confused3 This is so exciting to be able to plan another cruise....and getting to know you all so far in advance :grouphug:

2timecruiser

06-07-2005, 11:19 PM

I would love to know more about the stingray excursion. I have a really big fear of doing this, because I had an uncle that was stung by one of these creatures & was hurt very badly. He was in approximately waist high water & was fishing with a net & snagged it in the net. I guess it was defending itself, but I would hate to have an injury like that in a place I am so unfamiliar with. Could you give me more info on this? Do they have some type of training ( :rolleyes: for lack of a better word) on being with these creatures? Are they fairly calm?

If you could give more info, I would greatly appreciate it. :flower:

MommyMouse

06-08-2005, 08:56 AM

I would love to know more about the stingray excursion.
If you could give more info, I would greatly appreciate it. :flower:

We didn't book it through Disney, but through Capt Marvins (Can find the website if you want it) It was highly recommended by fellow Disers. The price is quite a bit less. The guides are highly trained and VERY comfortable with the stingrays! They pick them up and hold them....you can pet them if you wish :rotfl2: At this particular place, I guess the stingrays are used to the boats coming up, b/c they know the get fed! Some people choose to feed them, some don't (Like me!) Basically, you just stand there, and they come and brush up beside you. It really is quite an experience :sunny: One girl on our trip must have walked into one and got stung. She said it really wasn't a big deal at all....just stung a little bit, as the guides immediately pour vinegar over it. She had a little scrape, but she said no discomfort after it. Of all the people who went on this, she was the only one that I was aware of. I would imagine (and hope!) that it is very infrequent, or people wouldn't book it like they do. If I can do it...you can! :Pinkbounc :banana:

MommyMouse

06-08-2005, 09:02 AM

Hi Susie, I'm thrilled that there will be another set of ID twin boys aboard. I love meeting other moms of twins - especially ID boys like mine. Hopefully you'll be easy to spot and so will I - mine will be 5 1/2 on the cruise. Welcome!

Heather :earsboy: :earsgirl: princess: :earboy2: :earboy2:

Heather....My boys just turned 7 last week, so they will be almost 8 by sailing time. Half the time they tend to act like they are five, so we will be in good shape :rotfl2: Twins are so awesome....we are truly blessed! :love1:

2timecruiser

06-11-2005, 02:37 AM

MommyMouse: If you could get me that info, I would greatly appreciate it. I would like to look into it, because most excursions will not allow 3 year olds to attend. I'm hoping I can find some fun stuff to do with him along.

Thanks for you help! If anyone else has any more info, I would greatly appreciate it.

MommyMouse

06-11-2005, 09:22 PM

Here is the Captain Marvin link for Grand Cayman:)

http://www.captainmarvins.com/

We did the short 2 hour trip :sunny:

Belle2667

06-12-2005, 07:08 PM

Hi Everyone -

We just did the May 7, 2005 7nt Western and we loved it. However, we did not rebook on board. It was only after we got home and realized how much we miss the Magic and we rebooked now for the May 6, 2006 7nt Western.

Last time, there were 19 of us. This time, it'll only be my DH, DS21 and his DGF21, DS15 and DS10. I've noticed so far that most of the kids going are younger. Does anyone know of any other 15 year old boys on board yet? Hopefully this thread will pick up more people as time goes by and boy is it going to be a llllloooonnnngggg 10 months and 3 weeks (but who's counting)!!!! :wave2:

MommyMouse

06-12-2005, 10:29 PM

[QUOTE=Belle2667]Hi Everyone -

We just did the May 7, 2005 7nt Western and we loved it. However, we did not rebook on board. It was only after we got home and realized how much we miss the Magic and we rebooked now for the May 6, 2006 7nt Western.

Welcome!! I don't know if you noticed, but I was cruising with you on the May 7th Western :banana: We too wished we would have booked onboard, but didn't til 1 week after we got back home. Hopefully we gain more people in our group here, and we'll find someone your ds19's age :teeth: At the very least, my girls are close in age :rotfl2:

Belle2667

06-13-2005, 02:24 PM

Hi Mommymouse -

I did see from one of your posts that we were on the same cruise in May. Wasn't it awesome? First and foremost, it was Disney, so I don't expect anything less. The food was incredible (I hope to lose the weight I gained this year by next year's cruise) and the weather was great, too. We wondered if we should try the Eastern this time, but we were happy with the ports we stopped at and we have a habit of doing something once to get a "feel" for it, then doing it again to optimize the trip. What excursions did you do, and what do you plan to do on the next one?

We rented little electric cars in Key West. We'd probably just do a little shopping but hang out on board next time. We did the Disney Stingray City tour. It was fun, but we really don't need to see the turtle farm or Hell again. We may do Capt Marvin's this time. In Cozumel, we went to Paradise Beach. We will definitely do that again, and since we have late dinner this time, we'll stay longer. :love:

Does anyone else have any recommendations for excursions? Any other experienced Western cruisers with good/bad/other experiences?

I'm sure my DS15 will find friends and DS10 had a great time just riding the elevators! They are both fairly outgoing so I don't see them being solo the entire cruise. DS10 didn't like the kids club, though, so I don't think he'll be going back there.

MommyMouse

06-13-2005, 10:53 PM

Hi Mommymouse -

I did see from one of your posts that we were on the same cruise in May. Wasn't it awesome? First and foremost, it was Disney, so I don't expect anything less. The food was incredible (I hope to lose the weight I gained this year by next year's cruise) and the weather was great, too. We wondered if we should try the Eastern this time, but we were happy with the ports we stopped at and we have a habit of doing something once to get a "feel" for it, then doing it again to optimize the trip. What excursions did you do, and what do you plan to do on the next one? DS10 didn't like the kids club, though, so I don't think he'll be going back there.

Its funny...we feel the same way about repeating the Western again. I wouldn't change anything we did on this past cruise, but that was our first Disney cruise, so now we feel a bit more "seasoned" and will certainly optimize the upcoming trip :Pinkbounc If you read back a few posts, I talked about the Captain Marvin Stingray tour in Grand Cayman. We want to do something in Cozumel this time, but not sure what :confused3 We opted for early seating for the next cruise. We normally have preferred the late on other cruiselines, but having to see the shows before dinner (and we wanted to see the shows), we still had to come back in early to get ready, or it became a rat race to shower etc and make it to dinner if we waited til after the show. Our ds10 didn't care for the clubs either. The elevators must be the thing to do for boys that age :rotfl:

imheather

06-29-2005, 12:30 PM

It is going to be me, hubby, dd9 and ds3.....
My Mom and 21 year old brother are also coming.
I am a little nervous about my brother having a good time.
I need to find him a cute 21 year old girl.LOL

I can not wait.....
We are in Catogory 6 rooms
6604 and 6606.....

I look forward to getting to know you all and meeting on the cruise:)
Heather from NJ

Belle2667

06-30-2005, 09:34 AM

Hi Heather !

I brought my oldest son (then 20) on our last cruise and he was a little on the bored side. In May, he'll be 21 and going with us again, but he's bringing his own girl (unless of course they aren't a "thing" anymore). Then he'd need a bud to hang out with, too. We're in room 7607 and DS's (Tom) is in room (7625).

Where in NJ are you from? We're heading "down the shore" tomorrow for some camping for the holiday weekend. Can't wait.

Again, welcome to the thread and get ready for the vacation of a lifetime! :cool1:

imheather

06-30-2005, 01:38 PM

HI,
We are from Morris County. We love the Jersey Shore.
Where down the shore are you going?

So have you chosen any excursions?
We want to swim with the dolphins.

DO you have any other children?
I think it will be so fun to meet up on the cruise
with all the people on this thread.

Heather

pearlieq

09-04-2005, 11:19 AM

Hi!

It's been quiet in here so I thought I'd give us a bump!

What's everyone thinking for excursions?

I think we've got it narrowed down to this:

Key West: We're going to use the Bone Island Shuttle to get around. DH wants a picture at the Southernmost Point and I want to see the Hemmingway House (Actually I want to see the cats. But I'm sure the house is nice too... :teeth: ). Afterward we'll maybe to do a little shopping or head back on to the ship, depending on the heat. We'll come back off later for the Sunset Celebration--I really want to see the Cat Man at the Hilton. I'm hoping DCL will keep up the trend of staying in port late. We don't care about missing the Mouseketeer show (if they're still showing that when we sail) and we should be back on board for our late seating dinner in plenty of time.

Grand Cayman: We're going to take the Nautulis Tour hear as well as making a stop at the history museum. Afterwards we may do a bit of shopping, but that's pretty much it. We're both landlubbers, so we won't be doing any beach/snorkeling activities.

Cozumel: Again, we're just going to head to town, check out the history musuem, and do some shopping. I'm saving my pennies now so hopefully I'll have enough to get myself some cool souvenirs!

Castaway Cay: We're really not beach folks--I think we might get off early, take a quick dip (maybe?) and then go rent bikes. I'm thinking about surprising DH with a cabana massage--I bet he'd get a kick out of it. Other than that we might check out the game room and then have some lunch before heading back on to the ship.

I can't wait to hear what everyone else is going to try!

slg

09-06-2005, 03:32 PM

Well you are organized! So am I but I'm at work and I can't remember what I thought we'd do. Hmm Cozumel, my dh would like to see some ruins, and on the others a city tour, and then a submarine tour, (very important for my 10 year old son!) Castaway Cay, dh will snorkle, I will just relax, we're sending kids off the camp I think.

I don't have my heart set on any one thing, the cruise itself is just what I'm looking forward to.

I don't think we'll pre-book. We'll do it onboard and see how the kids are doing.

I may change my mind though

apcall

09-17-2005, 01:28 PM

Hello all,

Well...this is our first cruise and we are currently reseraching the excursions....as of right now we know we want to swim with the dolphins.

Hey what does the first 'D' in DD stand for? 'D'isney?

me, my DD9 and DD13 are definitely going and will be staying in #6064

my x-wife and her husband are booked into #6020 but may have to cancel

pearlieq

09-18-2005, 12:30 AM

Welcome aboard apcall!!!

The "D" usually stands for "dear" as in dear daughter, dear husband, etc. Disney does kind of seem appropriate too!

Good luck with finding a good dolphin excursion. I know there's lots to choose from! Make sure you find one that treats the dolphins well and keeps to high health/sanitiation standards. I do hear it's a very memorable experience!!!

ganurse

09-20-2005, 02:38 AM

Add me to your list.
My dad is taking all of us on another vacation and i could not be happier! It will be me (amy 30) and michael (34) no kids yet!~

my mom and dad tom and barbara
and my sister and her family
kelly (29) monte (33)
janie 5
seth 3
owen 10 months

just wanted to introduce ourselves and jump into your forum
amy from atlanta :bounce:

ganurse

09-20-2005, 02:54 PM

anyone else travelling without children?
amy :rotfl:

mickg7dyd

09-23-2005, 04:13 PM

Hi,
Mick and Lyn from Boston UK checking in. This will be our 3rd trip on the Magic and we can hardly wait. Just the two of us (that's the reason we ca afford to cruise :rotfl: ) and look forward to making new friends aboard.

Mick.

:smooth:

ganurse

09-24-2005, 09:54 AM

For being so many months out, im happy to see people on the thread..anyone know how to get a countdown?
amy

pearlieq

09-24-2005, 11:35 AM

Hi Amy & Michael and Mick and Lyn!!!

DH and I are traveling without kids--this will be our second time on the Magic!

I wish I knew how to do a countdown timer myself, but I've never gotten around to figuring it out. I'm sure if you check the How To board there would probably be instuctions.

I'm very excited! I'm hoping to use some reward points to book a room near the port soon. We're flying in the day before so we can relax and decompress a little before we set sail!

pearlieq

09-24-2005, 11:47 AM

Mick and Lyn from Boston UK checking in.

I'd never heard of Boston UK before! It looks like a lovely town with a very rich heritage. I was looking through a website for the town and I was amazed at all of the historical buildings. Living in the midwest US, with the exception of some Native American relics there's very little that pre-dates the 19th century, so it's amazing to think of a working building from the 13th century like the Blackfriars Arts Centre.

mickg7dyd

09-24-2005, 12:58 PM

Hi pearlieq,
Yes it's quite amusing when we visit the USA and tell people who ask us where we are from "Boston UK the original Boston "
There is a lot of history associated with our town and the surrounding area. The school I attended dates back to 1555 (some would say so do the teachers !! ) and the church on my avatar is known locally as the Stump and dates back to the 14th century. The Pilgrim Fathers set sail from here on their journey to your country. We do get a lot of Americans visiting our town and we have some close ties with Boston Ma. although I have never visited there it it is on my list..! Hope to catch you onboard.

Mick & Lyn.

:smooth:

ganurse

09-24-2005, 10:40 PM

I do believe it is 226 days and counting but I am still looking for a counter online...it will be here before we know it. anyone doing anything special on this cruise?
amy

apcall

09-27-2005, 06:16 AM

Hiya,

Yeah.....I have been wanting to add a counterdown to my post as well but have never gotten around to it....however I do have a counterdown as screensaver.....

Hope to see you all on the cruise

ganurse

09-27-2005, 08:49 PM

Each month brings us closer to May 6, 2006. How many of you guys have sailed before? Planning on doing anything different this time? :cool1:

jillane88

09-29-2005, 06:05 PM

Is anyone else getting passports? First they said we would need them, now the date has been changed and we wouldn't. DH and I already have ours, but we would need them for the 3 kids. I think I'm going to go ahead and get them anyways.
Anyone else?

ganurse: In answer to the question above - we have cruised before, w/o the kids, but not on Disney. So as to what we will do different? Unfortunately it probably won't be as relaxing, but hopefully it will be lots of fun! We are not planning on scheduling a whole lot, not knowing how the kiddos will do (ages 5, 5, and 8)

Heather :earsboy: :earsgirl: princess: :earboy2: :earboy2:

ganurse

09-29-2005, 07:45 PM

my sister is bringing her 5 year old girl, 2 year old boy and 10 month old boy. I have to get a new passport. My name has changed since I have gotten it and its a lot easier than trying to show my marriage license all the time..

pearlieq

09-30-2005, 09:01 AM

We'll keep watching the situation, but I'm not going to bother with passports for DH and I until we have to. We did fine with birth certificates and the marriage license (I travel with it becuase I did not change my name and want to be able to prove we're married if I need to.)

Frankly I was thrilled when I could subtract the $200 for passports from our budget!

As for what we're going to do different--we're going to hit our scheduled ports of call!!! We went last September and between Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne we didn't hit any of our ports but Castaway Cay. It was interesting seeing San Juan and Nassau and the capitain and crew were great, but I can't wait to do a "real" Western cruise!!!

ganurse

09-30-2005, 06:30 PM

we went last september as well..we were on the shortened cruise, were you on that one as well? i am getting a new passport in hopes that i can start getting better organized...
amy :cold:

pearlieq

10-02-2005, 10:52 AM

we went last september as well..we were on the shortened cruise, were you on that one as well? i am getting a new passport in hopes that i can start getting better organized...
amy :cold:

I think we were just after the shortened cruise--I hear they got a sweet deal, I was jealous! We departed on 9/11/04 and had a full 7 night cruise. We stopped at Nassau, San Juan, and Castaway Cay. It sure was an interesting experience!!!

ganurse

10-02-2005, 01:13 PM

i am glad you had a good time..we visited a different part of cozumel on that trip..it was truly fun. who are you bringing on your trip? :confused3

pearlieq

10-03-2005, 10:11 AM

It will be just DH and I. We're childfree and none of our family is too into Disney or cruising, so it will just be us having some fun couple time! Our 5th anniversary is May 5th, so the trip is definitely a celebration for us!

ganurse

10-03-2005, 03:34 PM

we are celebrating our 4th anniversary thursday. the disney cruise is just a big family vacation..planning a big trip for our 5th anniversary trip..hopefully where we had our honeymoon..
i hope to meeet some of yall on the trip
amy

mickg7dyd

10-08-2005, 05:03 PM

Hi Everyone,
Just realised 30 weeks and counting.... :banana:

Mick.

:smooth:

ganurse

10-08-2005, 10:07 PM

why doesnt everyone list who is coming with them and the ages and where you are from?
30 weeks and counting!

slg

10-08-2005, 11:54 PM

Hi! I'm from Victoria B.C. and I'll be travelling with my dh and my three sons, ages 10, 7 and 4.

Can't wait to meet you all... :hourglass

ganurse

10-09-2005, 12:34 AM

Amy from atlanta..
My husband and I (michael and amy 34,30)
Tom and Barbara (54 55)
Kelly and monte (32, 27)
Janie 5
Seth 3
Owen 10 months

slg

10-09-2005, 01:18 AM

Sorry, I forgot to give our names.

Sandra (42) and Charles (42)

Nicholas (10)
Aidan (7)
Jaren (4)

We're on the 7th deck, centre. Can't remember the cabin numbers, but we have two cat.11 side by side. Hoping for some Disney magic and an upgrade. It would be nice just to have adjoining rooms.

This will be our first Disney cruise, although we love Disney. We've been to DL 5 times: 1989, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 2004. Plus we were in WDW in 1999. Not bad for Canucks! Would have gone more but kept having kids which hampered some travelling! Now that they are older we'd like to go to DL at least every two years.

We leave in B.C. so its easier to get to DL although I loved WDW when we were there in 1999! (even with a 3 year old and an 8 month old!).

I look forward to meeting Disney fans, and a magical cruise.

We're also planning on going to WDW first for 10 days. I've booked a room in POR. Anyone else going to be there?

Happy planning. (and thanksgiving for all the Canadians out there! Are there any?)

mickg7dyd

10-09-2005, 05:15 PM

Hi,
Mick (46) & Lyn (45)

From Boston UK.

Our 3rd Disney Cruise. Staying a couple of nights at Saratoga Springs before and 5 nights at the Boardwalk after. All we have to do now is save some money...!!

Mick.

:smooth:

pearlieq

10-09-2005, 05:21 PM

It will be...

Me - Laura (26)
DH - David (29)

from the Chicago suburbs! This is our 2nd cruise, and our 2nd try at the Western Itinerary. As long as we hit Key West this time, the rest is gravy for me!

We're coming in the day before, and I'm hoping to trade some Marriott or Hilton points for a room near Cape Canaveral. After the cruise it's straight back home with us. Can't stay away from work (DH) or the cats (me) for too long!!!

ganurse

10-10-2005, 12:55 AM

Laura and david,
It will be nice to meet you. We love Key West as well. Our last cruise was only there from 9-1 so this will be a lot better...looking forward to sunshine and margarativillle
amy :smooth:

ganurse

10-12-2005, 06:52 AM

where are all of the may 6 people?

imheather

10-12-2005, 10:40 AM

Hi,
I am Heather 35
Hubby Bill 40
DD Morgan will be 9
DS Jake will be 3

My Mom and brother are also coming and we have CAt 5 adjoining cabins.
My brother is 21 so I am hoping there is some people his age.
My Mom is a young 60.
This is are first Disney Cruise and we are so excited.
We are planning on one of the dolphin excursions.
My husband and brother are planning on bar hopping in Key West while
my Mom and kids do some typical tourist stuff.
I can not wait to try the chocolate souflee everyone is writing about at Paolos.
We can't wait :)
and we are also not getting passports. It is a big savings for us.
Heather

MommyMouse

10-13-2005, 11:05 PM

Hi all :wave:

Glad to see everyone is posting again! Just a FYI for those who want the countdown clock.....the link is http://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/ticker_designer.php

This will be our second cruise on the Magic. We went this past May as well and can't wait til next May :banana:

Our crew...

DH and I (Eric and Susie)
Possibly DSD 14
DD13
DS11
DS 7,7 (Identical twins :love1: )

ganurse

10-14-2005, 01:54 AM

im trying to get to work, but i dont know what to do once i get to the end and i copy and paste it

jillane88

10-14-2005, 04:26 PM

Here is our crew:

Me (Heather) 35
DH Marc (37)
DD Sierra (8) princess:
Luke and Logan (5) Identical twins :earboy2: :earboy2:

BIL Darin (42)
SIL Shana (39)
Niece Sarah (9)
Nephew Julian (7)
Nephew Jeremy (4)

FIL Gil (60-something)
FIL's wife Sharon (50-something)

We are so looking forward to this vacation! I think now I've decided to save the money and not get passports - we'll have a limo pick us up at the airport instead. :cool1:

Heather

MommyMouse

10-14-2005, 10:37 PM

im trying to get to work, but i dont know what to do once i get to the end and i copy and paste it

On the top of this page go to "USER CP" then on the left, click on "EDIT SIGNATURE" Then.....just paste it in the white box to the right. Good luck :goodvibes

ganurse

10-22-2005, 06:59 AM

anyone staying at disney before the cruise? :cool1:

slg

10-22-2005, 11:12 PM

We'll be staying at WDW POR for about 10 days before the cruise! Are you? Where are you staying? How long?

It just occurred to me the other day that if we are at WDW for 10 days then I'm going to have to do major laundry before the cruise...sigh!

pearlieq

10-23-2005, 12:15 AM

No WDW on this trip for us--we tend to get vacation fatigue after about a week and wind up missing home and our cats too much!

We traded in some Marriott points for a room at the Courtyard Cocoa Beach for the night before. I'm hoping we have time either before or after to take a spin through the Kennedy Space Center.

ganurse

10-23-2005, 09:19 AM

We are staying at New Smyrna with family before the trip. I would love to do a day at DW before we head back to atlanta. I am going to try the ticker again. it has 3 different things I could copy and paste, but wheni copy and paste the only thing that stays on my signature are the typed words...we will see.
amy

ganurse

10-23-2005, 09:24 AM

any ideas about my signature? i promise not to keep bothering our group with this questions but i can not figure it out!
amy

ganurse

10-25-2005, 05:19 PM

my coworker helped me figure it out! woohoo :wave2:

pearlieq

10-30-2005, 11:44 AM

Glad you've got your sig figured out! I can't believe it's only 6 months away. We booked this almost 2 years out and it seemed like ages away at that point. Now it's almost here!

I've got the worst Jones today to get on our cruise! I think it's because it's starting to get cold here in Chicago--we've had frost in the mornings all last week! :cold:

So what's everyone looking forward to the most?

I personally can't wait to see all the shows! Twice Charmed will be brand new for us, and the rest of the stuff will be fun to repeat!

imheather

10-30-2005, 01:45 PM

I am really excited just to see the ship and experience
"The Disney Cruise"
I am looking forward to relaxing by the pool and the different ports.
Heather

imheather

10-30-2005, 01:47 PM

How do I have my ticker opened at all times?
I just have a highlighted URL????
Heather

pearlieq

10-30-2005, 05:18 PM

Do you have the tags around it? That's the only thing I can think of...

ganurse

10-31-2005, 09:10 PM

I cant wait for a lot of things..Spending 7 days with my husband, hopefully haveing a great time. Seeing my family and nieces and nephews. I cant wait to see the new show. We love late seating, the adult shows and midnight movies...Buffet breakfast is wonderful, getting a wakeup call from the mouse, excursions, formal pics, tanning. frufru drinks.... can you tell i am excited?
amy

jesset

11-06-2005, 02:39 PM

Hi

My mom(Barb) and I (Jesse) are coming on this cruise. I will be one month away from 18 and she will be 50 so that is why we are doing this. We are in room 6006. We will be in disney 3 day before the cruise staying at POR. :dog2: :dog: :pug:
I can't wait less that 6 months!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool1: :cool1: :banana: We are dancing here. Oh yeah we are from Philadelphia, PA

See you all soon,
Jesse

goiu

11-08-2005, 01:35 AM

Well, this will be me and my DH first cruise ever! We are soo excited! I hope we have as much fun as I've been reading everyone else does. Maybe we'll get to meet some of you on it!!

tulsamomof2

11-08-2005, 02:49 PM

This will be our first cruise as a family - and first Disney cruise. It will be my husband, daughter (10) and son (7). Yes -- another 7 year old boy on board!

I can't believe how booked this boat is -- more booked than the Spring Break boats!!! We are assigned room 1078 -- not too thrilled with it, but it is all they had left!

Can't wait! :earsboy:

ganurse

11-09-2005, 03:46 AM

we didnt get the best room but we are hardly in it.. dad is paying for it, so i am not going to complain.!!!

Less than 6 months to go.....
amy :cheer2:

pearlieq

11-09-2005, 10:18 AM

Glad to see all the new "faces"! This is going to be a great trip!

It's also nice to see some other couples/adults. We'll definitely have to meet up!

So has anyone been doing any cruise shopping? I was browsing around last weekend and found the cutest little cruise dress at Dress Barn. All of their spring/summer stuff is 60% off so I got it for all of $20. It's a knee length, A-line sundress type thing with a vaguely Lilly Pulitzer type tropical pattern. (Can you tell I'm into clothes?).

I'm thinking I'll have my formal from last year taken in and I'll rewear it this year. I'm going to treat myself to a new dress for semi-formal night and maybe another sundress or two for dinners! I can't wait to get shopping!

About rooms--we've got an OK one I think. We're on deck 2, slightly aft. It was a <great> room when it was across from the conference rooms, but now that those have been convereted to the "tween" club, we'll see. Hopefully the noise won't carry too much.

ganurse

11-10-2005, 11:47 AM

i will have to check out dress barn this weekend..thanks for the recommendation

jesset

11-10-2005, 03:52 PM

we had to change our dates so we are now on the Jan 14th Cruise

ganurse

11-14-2005, 10:51 PM

sorry your wont be with us! :bounce:

apcall

11-15-2005, 07:13 AM

I am looking forward to this trip as well (I have a trip counter as a screen saver) however it is our (me, DD [9], DD [13]) first cruise so I have many questions, but I will start off with these; how formal is formal? Do I need a three piece or just a suit jacket, tie and pants?

pearlieq

11-15-2005, 09:53 PM

Welcome apcall!!! :wave:

A regular church/job interview suit is fine for formal night, though we did see plenty of men break out the tuxes. On our last cruise it was about 30% tuxes, 60% regular suits, and 10% "other" (everything from a sportcoat and nice slacks to jeans).

ganurse

11-16-2005, 08:00 AM

I would totally agree on that last post..
PearlieQ, 45lbs? Congrats! How are you doing it?
I am enjoying trip reports and such..Totally getting me excited about our upcoming trip

pearlieq

11-16-2005, 09:47 AM

PearlieQ, 45lbs? Congrats! How are you doing it?

Thanks! Just doing it the old fashioned way--trying to eat better and working out. I spend a lot of time on the WISH boards--they're a great group. Very helpful and supportive!

I've got a long way to go, but the cruise definitley motivates me! I'm going to treat myself to a new dress, so I look forward to losing more so I look great in it!

I'm having fun with the trip reports as well! Barb's got new 7 night Western navigators up on her site--I had lots of fun going through those!

ganurse

11-16-2005, 12:22 PM

which website is that? i want to look! I am so proud of you. We are both trying to lose weight before babies start coming...Let me know how your dress shopping comes.!
Is barbs ************ or dcl tribute?
amy :umbrella:

pearlieq

11-16-2005, 06:20 PM

We are both trying to lose weight before babies start coming!

Us too! Though I'm just trying to make it through the holidays at this point without gaining anything back!

I think you've got Barb's site right. It get starred out because she's a TA. Since Dreams Unlimited sponsors the cruise boards they prefer not to have other TA websites listed. PM me if you have a problem finding it, but it sounds like you know where to go. The last time I looked she hadn't updated the front page to say that the navigators are new, but if you actually click on the "Navigators" section you'll see the ones from their cruse last week.

Everything looked like so much fun! I'm so stoked!!! :bounce:

ganurse

11-16-2005, 09:43 PM

[where are you guys from? have you been married long? glad we have something in common. i hope more people join this forum should be a great time! :rolleyes1

pearlieq

11-19-2005, 10:55 AM

[where are you guys from? have you been married long?

We're from Chicago (actually the far West suburbs) and we'll actually be celebrating our 5th anniversary on board!!!

Have you guys been married long?

Just an FYI - there's more new stuff up on Barb's site--menus and new pics!

I can't wait to see who else will join us. Cruise friends make the trip so nice!

ganurse

11-20-2005, 09:58 AM

We will be celebrating our fifth year in October. We will be going back to Williamsburg where we had our honeymoon. Should be really nice...I cant wait to get on the boat

goiu

11-21-2005, 08:02 AM

pearlieq,

what suburb are you from? we are going too and are from there!

pearlieq

11-22-2005, 09:08 AM

Hi Neighbor!!! :wave:

We live in Montgomery. It still feels like the sticks but we're pretty happy here.

How about you?

goiu

11-22-2005, 01:56 PM

We live in Wheaton. I love this area! We just moved here. So, not quite sure where Montgomery is.

pearlieq

11-22-2005, 08:44 PM

Hello Wheaton! Montgomery is about 20 minutes west of you, straight down I-88. We're just west of Aurora, if that helps. It's one of the newer areas of development, so most people aren't familiar with it.

Wheaton is very nice--very convenient to everything and plenty to do. I'm glad you're enjoying it here. Where did you move in from?

ganurse

11-24-2005, 12:47 PM

Happy turkey day May 6, 2006 cruisers!

ganurse

11-29-2005, 06:54 AM

have you seen the countdown? its really not that far away...... :sunny:

pearlieq

11-29-2005, 09:24 PM

It is close! I can't wait!

We're headed to the World next week. Once we get home from that and through the holidays I'll really be able to focus on the trip. It's almost here! :Pinkbounc

ganurse

12-06-2005, 07:34 AM

Its going to be a great trip!!!!! ITs finally cold here in Atlanta and we are loving it..May 6th is going to be a warm, no rainy week! :sunny: :rotfl2:

ganurse

12-12-2005, 06:27 PM

bump bump bumpety bump

less than 5 months..woohoo
can ya tell im excited

mazzarafe

12-19-2005, 10:41 PM

Add us to the list.

Me (Gina) 36
DH (Frank) 39
DD (Brittanie) 12
DD (Alexis) 7

We will be celebrating our 16th anniversary onboard and a belated b-day for oldest daughter.

We just booked over a week ago GTY cat.9. This is the girls first cruise and our 3rd. Cannot wait!!! :Pinkbounc

ganurse

12-21-2005, 06:49 PM

welcome....we are so excited to be going as well. you girls will love it...less than half a year..where are you guys from?

mazzarafe

12-21-2005, 06:57 PM

We are in East Haven, Connecticut, just 15 minutes from the shoreline. Before you know it we will be down to only 4 months. This time of year flies bye with the holidays. Hopefully it won't seem like forever until the cruise comes. :hourglass

ganurse

12-22-2005, 10:56 AM

we are cruising with my parents and my sister and her children, ages 4,3 10 months

mickg7dyd

12-23-2005, 04:01 PM

Hi,
Got a nice surprise in the mail today from DCL, a "my cruise travel kit". Not sure if you all got one too but just in case you haven't it's a nicely presented booklet listing excursions and lots of other useful information..
Best wishes and Happy Christmas to you all.

Mick.

:smooth:

ganurse

12-23-2005, 04:27 PM

i want mine i want mine..i bet its being mailed to myparents...i must be patient

mazzarafe

12-23-2005, 04:38 PM

I got mine the beginning of the week. It really is chock full of information!

It made me even more excited. :Pinkbounc

pearlieq

12-24-2005, 10:44 AM

Haven't seen ours yet. Maybe it goes to the TA? Did all of you book directly with DCL?

Merry Christmas!!!!

tulsamomof2

12-24-2005, 12:31 PM

We received ours about 2 weeks ago. This cruise is feeling more like a reality -- I just booked our hotel for the night before and our airfare. I just now need to decide on excursions!!! Everyone says to do the stingrays, but I'm afraid my 7yo son will freak out and not get in the water!!

Has anyone done any thinking on excursions? Do you think Disney will be going to Cozumel in May?

Have a Merry Christmas!! :)

pearlieq

12-26-2005, 09:30 AM

Barring any other disaster, I'm pretty sure we'll be heading to Cozumel in May. Other ships are already back, and I think DCL should be back early next year.

We're taking excursions pretty easy. We're going to explore Key West on our own. We're getting tickets on the Bone Island Shuttle to get around and we'll be stopping at the Southernmost Point to get a picture for DH, Hemingway House for me, and then some shopping. I'm hoping show timing works out so we can stay in Key West for the Sunset Celebration. I really want to see the Cat Man at the Hilton.

We were also planning on exploring Cozumel on our own. DH and I are both land-lubbers, so no beach or snorkeling for us. We're probably just going to go to the local history museum and then do some shopping.

We're going to take a semi-submarine ride in Grand Cayman, just to say we got a look the local wildlife. Other than that we've got the same plan as Grand Cayman--local museum and local shopping!

The Birnbaum's Disney Cruise Guide has really good explanations and reviews of the excursions. They're very honest about the pros and cons of each. I've seen it at my local Borders (but not Barnes & Noble so far) or you can order it online.

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!!!

ganurse

12-26-2005, 12:44 PM

it doesnt look like my last post made it..We did a wonderful cheap trip in cozumel on our last cruise. we took a taxi to an american run miniature gold place which was very tropical and only 5 bucks a personn and a 5 dollar taxi ride...email me or -pm if you want more info..looking forward to it again
amy

slg

01-03-2006, 01:48 PM

Excited now! Counting down every day which probably makes the time even slower.

As for excursions, haven't really decided. I'm not really fussed about them. I know my 10 year old would like to do a semi-submarine ride somewhere, but that's all I know for sure.

I'm nervous to book ahead, as the excursions are non-refundable, non-transferable. (Now, why non-transferable? If we can't make it why couldn't we sell it to someone else?)

We're going to be in WDW for 10 days prior to the cruise, so I don't know how my kids are going to be doing, (boys 10,7,4) so I hate to put all that money upfront and then find out we're too tired, or they want to stay in the clubs. I think we're just going to risk it and wait until we get on board.

If we don't get what we want, then I guess we'll just have to take our second choice, or venture forth on our own.

Can you hang out at the boat if you want to?

Anyone else going to be at POR before the cruise? We're staying in the Alligator Bayou because we need the room with the trundle bed.

I'm hoping for an upgrade. Does anyone know the stats on that? Or when you would find out if you actually did get upgraded?

Can we check how full the boat is somewhere?

Happy New Year!

imheather

01-03-2006, 02:38 PM

Wow Disney for 10 days and than a 7 day cruise! How did your kids manage to get off that much time from school???

Excursions....
My daughter wants to swim with the dolphins.
I want to check out 7 mile beach
My husband wants to bar hop with my brother in Key West
It is getting close I guess I better make some more concrete plans.
It is so snowy in NJ so I am really looking forward to it.

Heather

slg

01-03-2006, 03:11 PM

Heather:

My kids don't have any time off from school, I'm just taking them out.

I figure the trip will be more educational than school.

I can't wait to go, the weather is cold and damp here.

ganurse

01-03-2006, 11:34 PM

That sounds like a great trip. IM kind of jealous. We are heading down to florida next week to celebrate our birthdays at one of the parks. My husband and I have the same bday and we love disney.
What is everyone looking forward to the most about the cruise?> :flower:

married2grumpy

01-05-2006, 09:18 AM

Hi everyone! I am looking for a Pen Pal for my DD 8 and my DS 7. They will be in the clubs together but I think they would enjoy "knowing" some of the other kids they are cruising with. Maybe they will utilize the clubs more than the last trip if they have a friend or 2.

I also have a DD 5 who will be cruising with us but she is the most outgoing of the 3. She doesn't have any problems making friends on her own.

PM me if anyone is interested in the Pen Pal idea. Thanks! :)

ganurse

01-05-2006, 09:37 AM

We are travelling with no kids (because we have none yet) but my sister is bringing her DD5, DS,3 and DS who will be almost 10 months...

amy

slg

01-05-2006, 12:17 PM

Married to grumpy:(does he know his nickname?)

I have a boy 7 who may be interested. He also is a little shy to start off friendships. How do you see the penpal thing? Email, or snailmail? His name is Aidan. He likes Lego, games (really likes games), reading, playmobil, imaginative play. We were in DL in 2004 and he rocked! He went on every single ride he could go on (except haunted mansion, none of my 3 boys likes spooky stuff, way too sensitive). My entire family are disneyphiles, so we're very excited about this trip.

I see that you were in POR recently. We will be there 10 days prior to our cruise. Any pointers? How easy is it to do laundry? I will have to wash everything before our cruise (or I guess I could wait until our cruise. What do you suggest?) Also, dumb question but, where in the World can I buy nail polish remover. Apparently its something you can't fly with. (Nail polish is okay...go figure).

Any ideas?

I also have a boy 10, and another boy 4, almost 5. What room do you have? We're on deck 7, midship. I can't remember the room numbers right now. (We have two rooms). I'm hoping for an upgrade...

Let me know about the penpal idea.

:)

married2grumpy

01-05-2006, 12:38 PM

slg,

My kids are pretty computer savvy and do have their own e-mail accounts. I was thinking we could do it either of 2 ways: snail mail or e-mail through the Moms accounts. I will PM you with both addresses and you and your son could decide! :)

We like POR. It's unfortunate that as a family of 5 there aren't more moderates to choose from. Our last visit there was for a total of 15 nights. We did use the laundry facilities. I brought one of those collapsible hampers and once it was full I carried it right over to the laundry room (we were really close to it). The other time I went I just wheeled the suitcase with the dirty laundry right over. It is $2 a load to wash or dry. I found the dryers needed 2 cycles or just do small loads. I also had purchased trial size packets of laundry detergent ahead of time so I didn't have to buy it there. I brought my own Bounce sheets too.

As far as the nail polish remover, I don't know where on site you could get that. I wonder if the gift shops have it? I usually bring whatever color polich I have on with me and just touch up the spots that need it.

We are on deck 2, 2 connecting rooms. Not sure of the room #'s either off hand. We are thinking of doing WDW after the cruise since we will be in Orlando and have our AP's. We have to think about it some more though. DH doesn't want to stay at POR again because we are planning another 2 week stay in August. He doesn't want to get sick of POR. He wants to stay at a deluxe after the cruise but I think it will be way too much for us. I better get a job! LOL

imheather

01-05-2006, 12:53 PM

Hi,

My daughter Morgan just turned 9. She would love to have a penpal.
Have your daughter email through my account.

hjf33@optonline.net

It would be fun to have a friend on board.

Heather
NJ

jillane88

01-05-2006, 03:24 PM

Wow, so much has happened since I last checked this thread. I've missed out on a lot! Just got my packet a few weeks ago, very excited now and it doesn't seem SO far away - we booked last February! Just booked our airfare 2 weeks ago, booked the hotel, now I'm working on booking our transportation. Anyone else considering a limo to pick them up from the airport? I think the kids would just love it.

Still not sure about excursions, I'm afraid the kids might be wiped out from all the other stimuli. I myself would love to do some snorkeling in the Caymans. Have heard it's fabulous. I think my twin DS's (age 5) would freak out at the stingrays, DD (8) may also freak, but they all love the water and swim like fish. Just don't want to shell out the money to have screaming kids.

We are counting down the days and looking forward to some nice warm weather.

Heather :earsgirl: :earsboy: princess: :earboy2: :earboy2:

pearlieq

01-05-2006, 05:29 PM

I'm about 99% positive you can get nail polish remover at the gift shops at WDW resorts. It may be in a little plastic bottle or it may be in pre-soaked pads that look kind of like little handi-wipes.

I'm pretty sure you can travel with nail polish remover. I've checked it through my luggage a few times. Just put it in a Ziploc baggie in case of spills. Here's what Southwest says about it--I imagine other airlines have a similar policy:

From http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/toiletry.html
********************************************
Do’s

Toiletry items can be carried in checked or carryon baggage, but must be limited to 16 fluid ounces (18 ounces by mass). This includes hairspray, aerosol deodorants, shaving cream, perfumes/colognes, nail polish, nail polish remover, insect repellant (aerosol, pump or lotion) and other non-radioactive pharmaceuticals. The combined total of individual bottles of hazardous toiletries cannot exceed 68 fluid ounces.

Safety shaving razors (except for razor blades and straight edge razors) are allowed in checked or carryon baggage.

Nail files and nail clippers are also allowed in checked or carryon baggage.

A personal Mercury thermometer is allowed in checked or carryon baggage as long as it is in a protective case.

For information about carrying medications, see Medications and Medical Oxygen.
************************************************** **

Today makes 4 months until we leave!!! I can't wait! :Pinkbounc

tulsamomof2

01-05-2006, 07:18 PM

My 7 year old son would like to also have a penpal. He just turned 7 on 1/2 and he enjoys sports (flag football, basketball and his favorite -Baseball!), legos, cars, Cub Scouts, and just playing. He doesn't do nintento or watch alot of tv. He is quiet, doesn't like scary things, and is a "Dudley Do-Right" -- always follows the rules!

PM me if you have a boy with similar interest who would like to pen-pal.

slg

01-06-2006, 12:20 PM

Jillane88:

Thanks about the nail polish remover info. On the Canadian Airport Information site, nail polish remover is one of the banned items. However, thanks for the tip on the nail wipes. I didn't think of that. I'm sure those will be okay, there is so little explosive potential in those.

ganurse

01-08-2006, 04:29 PM

anyone have a packing list yet? :rotfl2:

slg

01-09-2006, 01:07 PM

I was reading through all the DCL stuff, and they say that if you have a cold or the flu you should cancel your trip. Well, considering I have 3 kids, the chances that one of them may have a cold are pretty high. I can understand the flu, but a mild cold? We've been waiting 18 months for this trip, and we're going to WDW for 10 days prior where the chances of catching a cold are pretty high. I certainly wouldn't cancel for a cold.

But I did get bummed out that even a mild runny nose will prohibit kids from going to the clubs. Sigh. I wanted to do the cruise to give dh and I a chance to have a little vacation time alone, and now I'm worried one of them will have a cold. I guess I can't do anything about it,and if they don't have colds, its nice to know that DCL tries to keep down the germs (although you can still catch a cold before there are any symptoms.)

But that's me always worrying. I'll try to less gloomy view on it. Its just tough booking so far in advance and then obsessing about this trip for so long. I just want everything to go well as its costing us a fortune!

Any other obsessive worriers out there?

Miss Jasmine

01-10-2006, 04:47 PM

Woo hoo. DH and I are on this cruise. We cannot wait. We have done the three and four day. This is our first seven day.

pearlieq

01-15-2006, 04:35 PM

Welcome Miss Jasmine! Where are you folks from? I'm guessing you'll have a very short trip to the port! :rotfl2:

I'm having fun checking out the updated Navigators and going over our trip budget. We should have enough reward dollars to cover our tips, excursions we're booking through DCL, and a little spending money on the ship. Gotta love that Disney Visa!!!

I haven't seen a welcome packet yet, but I'll keep looking for it.

Miss Jasmine

01-18-2006, 01:25 PM

Thanks for the welcome. It's less than 30 minutes from my front door to the "front door" of the Disney Cruise Line terminal. :teeth:

It's getting close to making the final payment and making our reservations. :cool1:

mazzarafe

01-21-2006, 11:05 AM

We got assigned our 9 gty cabin yesterday. We are on deck 1 by the mid ship elevators.

It is almost time to do a double digit dance though, we are almost under 100 days! :banana:

I went to pick up some information on our ports at AAA this past week. Didn't have as much as I thought, but the best thing I got was a map of Key West. It has a closeup with the street names which should come in handy.

I'm still holding out hope for Dolphin Discovery to be open in time for us. That is the one excursion that DD's are really excited about.

I think in Key West we are just going to ride the trolley around town and see what tickles us for the sights. I do want to go to the lighthouse, that is a must. I also want to check out Mallery Square for shopping. Maybe hit the Butterfly Farm, DD's would love that. We went in Niagara Falls without the kids about 6 years ago and it was really neat, they've been asking us to take them to the Falls so they could go see the butterflies. :rolleyes:

Not sure what to do in Grand Caymen, maybe one of the submarine trips. Also was thinking of going to see Hell so the kids could send a postcard to school from there.

Anyone else getting their plan together for the islands?

ganurse

01-22-2006, 10:43 PM

Lets see
Key west..walk to the end of key west..Wanted to go to Margaritaville for lunch but after our bad service and food last March, i think we are going to forget that!

Castaway;;dh wants to parasail..need to check out prices

Grand Cayman..shop, maybe do a stingray thing but probably not, purchase really cheap liquor for family...

cozumel...american run miniature golf..had a great time with that in march

mazzarafe

01-23-2006, 07:01 AM

I too was thinking of the minature golf as a back up for Cozumel if we can't do DD.

I'll have to check out the liquor in Grand Caymen to get something good for our new bar! :drinking1

I'm really looking forward to Key West though. I want to go to the Blond Giraffe to have Key Lime Pie, that is DH's favorite dessert.

DDF

01-23-2006, 10:29 AM

This will be our third Disney Cruise and we can't wait! We have not done the western Carribean yet, so we are looking forward to those ports. We will be travelling with our two sons (age 10 & 13) along with two other families who each have a boy and a girl. Ages are two 10 year old boys and an 8 and 9 year old girl. We all met through our 10 year olds...they've been on several sports teams together.

Not sure on shore excursions yet. We want to have dinner at Palo's...though they told me when I called DCL Saturday that there are no tables for 6...but on the reservation page...they list a table for 5 - 6 as an option. Have to look into that.

We will be doing the couples cabana massage on Castaway Cay...tried to book that on both of the last cruises but couldn't get a reservation...so this time it's done! :banana:

Key West, I hope to have a clear day to see that much-talked about sunset, and visit the southernmost point.

Have to research Cayman, and we plan to take the ferry to Playa Del Carmen for the day...as I have family there.

Looking forward to getting to know you all and especially to our cruise!!

Miss Jasmine

01-23-2006, 11:08 AM

Having visited Key West before...I think we may rent a scooter for a couple of hours and go down to Ft. Zachary, the Southernmost Point and the Truman House. Then we plan on watching the Sunset from Mallory Square and visiting some of our old favorties such as Sloppy Joes.

As for Grand Cayman and Cozumel, we will do some exploring on our own. We are not big into doing excursions.

CC we will do our normals snorkeling first thing, hanging out at the family beach, eating lunch at cookies and then heading over to Serenity Bay.

ganurse

01-23-2006, 08:03 PM

SO when can we start booking things? Feb 6? or have some of you started booking things now? I cant wait to go back to Palos..We will try to do brunch on a sea day as well. I wonder what will be playing in the theater..Perhaps Chicken LIttle?

Its just around the corner
amy :cool1:

DDF

01-24-2006, 11:13 AM

We are in a cat.3, so I was able to start booking things this past weekend.

Sneezy63

01-25-2006, 04:42 PM

Hi everyone! I haven't posted since the beginning of this thread....but I'm back because it's getting close!! Yipeee!! We have our air and hotel (staying at the Radisson the night before) and now just need to figure out transportation.

I just read through all the posts and oh my goodness...so many of us with 7 year old boys! They will have a blast!

apcall....I saw that you have daughters...9 and 13, right? My DD turns 12 in March, and......we are in the room right next door to you!

Are you putting your 13yo in the teen club or will you keep her with her sister?

They have a "tween" area now, I think, right? I wonder how that works...I believe it's for 10-14 yo's maybe? Is it open all the time or just special times? Anyone know?

Anyhoo, just wanted to say hi :wave: Looking forward to chatting more with you all.....

mazzarafe

01-26-2006, 07:15 AM

Anybody ready for a double digit dance?

:banana: :cheer2: :Pinkbounc :woohoo: :yay: :bounce: :cool1: :dancer:
party: :jumping1: :jumping3: :jumping2: :dumbo: :simba: :stitch: :figment: :goofy: :maleficen :sulley: :tigger: :ccat: :mickeyjum :donald:

I just booked my airfare yesterday, got a great Ding from SW. We have a flight back home for 7:40pm so we are going to rent a car for the day and go to Downtown Disney for the day.

I think we are going to stick to DCL for transportation so DH doesn't have to worry about the luggage and driving. Can't get him to use a towncar, we always have bad luck so he doesn't want to chance getting to the boat on time, well for me, early. We are staying at the Hyatt the night before, we get in just before 9:30pm.

Sneezy63, my DD turns 12 on May 1st and I have a DD7 who will be a few months shy of her 8th birthday. I'm going to see how she likes being with the kids 5-7 in the club and if she doesn't like it I will try to get her into the next age group.

Seeing how this is our first Disney cruise, we have to wait until I believe Feb.21st to make our ressies online.

Sneezy63

01-26-2006, 11:42 AM

Sneezy63, my DD turns 12 on May 1st and I have a DD7 who will be a few months shy of her 8th birthday. I'm going to see how she likes being with the kids 5-7 in the club and if she doesn't like it I will try to get her into the next age group.
------------------------------
Oh yay, our DD's will be together, then!

My DS will also be a few months shy of his 8th BD, and I thought about pushing him to the older age group, but the more I think about it, the more I think he'd do better in the younger group...since there will be so many other 7 y/o boys there, too! (Man, I'm glad I'm not workin' in the kid's clubs, LOL!)

My kids are starting to get really excited!

married2grumpy

01-26-2006, 01:01 PM

Sneezy63

01-26-2006, 02:17 PM

I'm going to put my DS who turned 7 in December into the 8-9 group with his DS 8. Last year when they were in the 5-7 group both of them said it was too babyish for them. I couldn't imagine him enjoying the same programs my DD 5 would be doing.

Lets hope they allow me to do so.

I bet they would allow it. I guess for my son it would depend on the activities that were going on, as well as how many other kids his age were in there. He is definitely more of a Batman/Starwars type guy than a Winnie The Pooh guy, so I was wondering if the younger programs would seem too babyish for him, too. It's a dilemma!

How many of you guys are putting your 7yo ds's in the younger program vs. the older program? Maybe that will help me decide what to do!

mazzarafe

01-26-2006, 04:54 PM

I was going to let DD7 try the 5-7 group the first day and see if she liked it or not. She has times where she likes being a kid and when she thinks she is 20!

Maybe the first night being a open house will help decide. I already told my DD's that we are just going to check out the clubs and not stay long, there is just too much to sink in the first night anyway.

jillane88

01-26-2006, 05:03 PM

I'm sure my SIL will be putting her DS7 in the 5 - 7 group because his cousins my twin DS's are 5 and they will be in there. My nephew is a pretty small boy and looks much younger than 7 so I think it will be a better fit for him in there. I am just hoping the kids like the clubs - my DD8 seems to think she can just be in the pool all day long - the whole trip. I guess we'll just have to play it all by ear!

Sneezy63: we are also staying at the Radisson the night before!

Still not sure what night to do Palo. Anyone else know what night they will be there?

Can't wait.....
Heather

ganurse

01-27-2006, 09:07 AM

we will do palo on one of the formal nights

Miss Jasmine

01-27-2006, 09:24 AM

We plan on eating at Palo on Friday.

slg

01-27-2006, 03:17 PM

We hail from Victoria B.C. and we will be at the POR for 10 days prior.

3 boys (10,7,4), 2 parents (42).

Just curious...if there are fellow POR patrons we can connect on the bus ride out there. Might be fun.

Let me know

mazzarafe

01-27-2006, 04:30 PM

I was thinking of doing Palo on Friday night also, its our anniversary. But, I thought that the last night was LOBSTER night?

So, I was thinking of Tuesday instead because we would have done all the restaurants in the rotation by then.

Miss Jasmine

01-27-2006, 04:49 PM

Thursday night is Lobster night. :teeth:

jillane88

01-27-2006, 05:24 PM

ganurse: That is what we were thinking too. I just didn't want us to miss out on Pirate Night or our first night in any of the restaurents. Maybe we'll just do a double dip on one of the nights.

Heather

married2grumpy

01-28-2006, 08:19 AM

Our last cruise we decided to skip Palo. This trip we will be there, I hope. I was planning a brunch and maybe a double dip. I don't want to miss any of the meals in the dining room so doing dinner then Palo would make the most sense.

They are going to have to roll me off the ship if I really eat as much as I think I will! :rotfl2:

mazzarafe

01-28-2006, 10:22 AM

Miss Jasmine,

Thanks for the info on Lobster night. I'm glad that we can do Palo on our anniversary.

So when are the formal nights?

And is brunch only on sea days? I originally thought of doing it on Friday while the kids were with the club on CC, but looks like they won't have it that day.

pearlieq

01-28-2006, 10:53 PM

Formal nights are on the sea days (Monday and Thursday). Brunch is on sea days and Key West day.

mazzarafe

01-29-2006, 06:24 AM

Thanks pearlieq!

Maybe I'll see if DH wants to do both dinner and brunch. I don't want to miss Key West so I'll have to do brunch on a sea day.

Now we have to figure out if we should celebrate our anniversary alone or with the girls.

ganurse

01-29-2006, 06:05 PM

anyone going without children? its almost 3 months away. That is really exciting? does anyone have a counter that says how many days it is away? has anyone had any problem booking things?
amy

jcfowler

01-29-2006, 06:44 PM

Greetings GANurse! My wife says she is going with one child - me! :rotfl: It is our second DC and our first 7 day experience.

Interestingly enough, I just spoke to a DCL representative who says there is still a chance Cozumel might not be ready for a ship the size of the Magic by May 6th. She says if that should be the case we would be most likely redirected to Costa Maya.

I also spoke to a friend today who just returned from a cruise (one of the other worthless cruise companies who shall remain nameless!LOL) that said they are working hard to repair the damage from Wilma, but it is a LONG WAY away from being back to normal. We live on the Alabama gulf coast and took a direct hit from Ivan and Katrina so we understand FULLY how long recovery takes.

As to booking excursions we will begin next week. It is going to be a blast and I can't wait!!!! (There's that kid my wife was talking about!!) :rotfl2:

MOMTOCUTESTDOGEVER

01-29-2006, 08:27 PM

DH and I are on this cruise. First cruise after many years of me convincing him that it will be a blast. It's pretty much on my mind ALL of the time!! Cant' wait!

pearlieq

01-29-2006, 09:34 PM

I don't want to miss Key West so I'll have to do brunch on a sea day.

You might still be able to get brunch on Key West day. We won't pull into port until noonish, so you could get a 10:00 - 11:00ish seating at Palo and be done in time to enjoy plenty of time on Key West.

Good luck with your planning!

mazzarafe

01-29-2006, 10:10 PM

Oh, maybe I will try for a early brunch before going to Key West, thanks for the tip!

Although, I will be very jealouse hearing all of you making your ressies next week, I have to wait until February 21st I believe. This is our first DCL cruise, with they counted the Big Red Boat, we did that for our honeymoon. :rolleyes:

Frankiesmom

01-30-2006, 06:52 PM

We are joining you also! This will be an anniversary cruise for myself and DH-our anniv. is 5/6. We have done the Wonder 2x-this will be our 1st 7 day cruise! We just bought into the DVC and we are using our points for this cruise. We just got back from WDW/wonder with the kids and extended family. We had a great time;can't wait to experience disney magic for a week!
It will be here before we know it! Angel

ganurse

02-02-2006, 03:33 PM

We are getting excited and are ready to book things, especially Palos. Still not sure on excursions though..

any more thoughts?

mazzarafe

02-03-2006, 07:00 AM

Anyone done any of the submarine tours?

Was thinking of doing that in Grand Caymen if we don't get to go to Cozumel. I have all fingers and toes crossed that we make it there and get to do our dolphin swim.

Any ideas on what to do in Costa Masa (sp?) if we don't go to Cozumel?

I've heard some people talking about the ruins there. DH would probably enjoy that and the kids would be bored silly. :rolleyes:

married2grumpy

02-03-2006, 09:07 AM

So for this cruise, what are the "hot" days for Palo. I would like to do a brunch and a dinner. Any idea what day would be suggested for brunch and how about a late Palo dinner?

We don't want to miss any of the dinners with the kids so we are thinking of going to Palo after dinner BUT I don't want to miss any of the big shows. I don't mind missing a juggler or other performers though. :)

Sneezy63

02-04-2006, 12:01 PM

So for this cruise, what are the "hot" days for Paolo. I would like to do a brunch and a dinner. Any idea what day would be suggested for brunch and how about a late Palo dinner?

We don't want to miss any of the dinners with the kids so we are thinking of going to Palo after dinner BUT I don't want to miss any of the big shows. I don't mind missing a juggler or other performers though. :)

I would love to know the answer to this, as well! I'm hoping that some recent Western navigators will be posted soon....

married2grumpy

02-04-2006, 02:08 PM

Is anyone getting up in the middle of the night tonight to make their reservations? I don't think I will. I'll just take my chances and hope that I get what I want first thing in the morning.

Edited to add: Still don't know what I want! LOL :teeth:

ganurse

02-04-2006, 04:07 PM

For those of you that can make you reservations, do you have a higher category? I thought my travel agent said that I could not book until Feb 20th although we have fully paid for our cruise

married2grumpy

02-04-2006, 05:46 PM

I received a Disney Cruise Line Planning Calendar (not a real calendar, just a list of dates) that states 2/05/06 is when I can make reservations. It also lists the date of 2/20 as the dates final payment is due.

We are a cat 9 but are Castaway Club members so maybe that's why we can book sooner.

pearlieq

02-04-2006, 06:09 PM

Castaway Club Members (previous cruisers) can make their reservations at the 90 day mark. Concierge guests can make them at the 105 day mark, and everyone else can make them at the 75 day mark.

Per the latest navigators, the shows go like this:

Sat (Pt. Canaveral) - Welcome Aboard Variety Show
Sun (Key West) - Magic/Variety Show
Mon (At Sea) - Golden Mickeys (Formal Night)
Tues (Grand Cayman) - Twice Charmed
Wed (Cozumel) - Movie (Pirate Night)
Thurs (At Sea) - Disney Dreams (Semi-Formal Night)
Fri (Castaway Cay) - Farewell Variety Show

Of course this is subject to change at any time, but I think it's been this way for a while.

imheather

02-04-2006, 06:14 PM

I am so excited!
I am dreaming about the cruise every night...
We are doing Palos Tuesday night.
The Brunch at Palos Sunday before we get off for Key West:)
Key West we are going to just walk around.
GC We are going to go to Sea Grape Beach
Cozumel.... hmmm We wanted to do the dolphin thing but I am hearing it is not going to be open until June:() If no dolphins we will just walk around town and than head to Paradise Beach. It is only $8 and has free chairs, umbrellas, Kayaks, water trampoline, iceburg slide. Very shallow for the kids.
CC couples massage heheheheh
I am going to burst before it is time to go..

Heather NJ
Morgan 9 JAke 3 Hubby Bill
my Mom and brother are coming too... :Pinkbounc

Miss Jasmine

02-05-2006, 08:17 AM

Woo hoo I started making my ressies this morning! :Pinkbounc

I am soooo excited now. :cool1:

married2grumpy

02-05-2006, 10:37 AM

I made our ressies this morning also. We have 2 connecting staterooms so I booked 2 brunches and 2 dinners at Palo. I think as it gets closer we may skip the dinners and just keep the brunches.

We aren't sure about excursions just yet. Key West I think we will either just walk around or do the trolley tour. I have to research the rest still. I don't thibk we will book any of the excursions offered through DCL.

ganurse

02-05-2006, 01:46 PM

I am a previous CC member as well and we have also payed..Can we start booking?

jcfowler

02-05-2006, 04:57 PM

Booked this AM!!! There are real advantages to be a Castaway Club member! :wizard:

Y-E-S!!!!!! :cheer2:

Palo Saturday night - high tea Monday at sea - Brunch Thursday! It's a hard life, but somebody has to do it!! Hahahahahha! :rolleyes1

Booked DW for nails and "stuff" Monday before the Captain's Gala and Thursday for foot massages and something to do with hot stones (?) after the two island stops. pirate:

Now that the important ressies are booked we can check out the excursions. Anybody been on the Mayan tours before in Cozumel? We're very interested in seeing them, but not too interested in paying a ton to see the ruins and spend half of the time on the beach. :yay:

Did I say we MADE OUR RESERVATIONS FOR PALOS YET???? Opps! Sorry about yelling!! Hehehehehehehehe! My wife just told me to step away from the PC so I'd better stop. The only thing better than Palos would be to push the "button" for the horn!!! Let's get ready to play boys and girls!!

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! :banana:

Miss Jasmine

02-06-2006, 10:18 AM

I am a previous CC member as well and we have also payed..Can we start booking?
Yes you can, now get busy!!!!! :teeth:

pearlieq

02-06-2006, 02:33 PM

I'm so excited today! I just can't wait!

I don't know if any of you have seen this thread, but if you follow the link, there's a very detailed album of pics from their DCL Western cruise last April. It's a great preview!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=810025

ganurse

02-06-2006, 05:23 PM

Is anyone worried that with the new online reservations, something will mess up? I have read threads that people book online, but get on the boat and find out the ressies were cancelled? Or have you heard only positive thoughts about this! :Pinkbounc

ganurse

02-07-2006, 02:41 AM

Can this be true, when i clicked on available times for palo, the only available brunch is the day in key west? everyone has taken slots already? wow, can this be true? :confused3

mazzarafe

02-07-2006, 06:33 AM

I guess by the time I can make my ressies on the 20th there won't be anything left.

I was going to try to do brunch on Key West day as early as possible and dinner for Friday, our anniversary. :sad2:

Miss Jasmine

02-07-2006, 10:20 AM

I admit to being a freak who was up at 3:00 AM Sunday morning. I got what we wanted, which was bruch at 10:30 on Monday and dinner at 8:00 on Friday.

ganurse

02-07-2006, 11:53 AM

I dont think you will have a problem. DOnt stress yet. We are going to take a key west brunch i think since we dont get into port until noon. i think there will be things left...They added some times on our last cruise in september of last year.

amy

loris10

02-07-2006, 06:46 PM

:cheer2:

Lori and Steve, no kids, so none are going.... We did the land/sea with the 4 night cruise for our honeymoon in 2004, but this is our 1st 7-night cruise.... So excited. :) Already salivating over Palo's on the Tuesday night and the brunch on Key West Day, which is also my birthday. :) And I love Key West, have been a ton of times, so excited about that too.. :) Heck, excited about it all.. We booked the Island tour for Grand Cayman and guess we will just wait and see what happens w/ Cozumel. Even though I've heard Costa Maya is great, so we shouldn't be disappointed..... We are in stateroom # 755something......
3 months from today is my birthday and we will be CRUISING!!!! Yippie.. :)

GaNurse, Amy, right??, we're from Atlanta too.. :)

Lori

ganurse

02-07-2006, 07:36 PM

LOri
email me at amyschristopher@comcast.net

would love to chat with you

everyone else, officially less than 3 months..are you guys excited or what? remember, prayers and happy thoughts for lots of sunshine!
:banana:

jillane88

02-08-2006, 11:50 AM

Man, I am chompin at the bit waiting until the 20th so I can book Palo reservations! I think I am going to go nuts waiting. I just hope the day/time is not taken when I want it. We'd love to go on Tuesday. Not sure what time to put though, I don't want to miss the show that night, nor do I want to have to leave Grand Cayman early. So much stuff to think about!!

Getting more excited by the day - and a little frantic too! So much to do, so little time...

Heather

ganurse

02-08-2006, 01:47 PM

Well, I think I have everything booked and hav scheduled family events so that babysitting will be covered for nieces and nephews.
my husband is going to do the parasailing. has anyone here done it or planning on doing it? :cool1: :rotfl2: :banana: :woohoo: :moped: :hippie:

married2grumpy

02-12-2006, 12:35 PM

We are expecting over 20" of snow by the time the storm ends today. Makes me wish I was on the cruise right now!!!

We watched the Magic leave the port yesterday on the port cam, radisson cam and two palms cam. It was so much fun to see it pull out of port and head out to sea. Can't wait until it is our turn!

mazzarafe

02-12-2006, 05:49 PM

Married2Grumpy,

I'm joining you in the "wishing I was on a cruise now" party. We got at least a foot and a half of snow today too.

I've made a batch of pina coladas that I'll share with you. :drinking1
I have mine in a Polynesian resort tiki glass to enhance the spirit!

I'm getting excited because this time next week I'll be getting ready to make my online ressies. :woohoo: Boy, it sure is the pits being a DCL newbie when it comes to making online ressies. But, it may be a good thing because I'm still trying to figure out if I should do Palo on Friday or Tuesday.

Is the farewell dinner anything special or should I not worry about skipping it?

ganurse

02-13-2006, 10:49 PM

I would like to share ina pitcher of pina colada...I cant wait to try one of those conch coolers I keep hearing about. :rotfl2:

mazzarafe

02-14-2006, 07:23 AM

I've been looking forward to trying a conch cooler too!

On our honeymoon on the Big Red Boat, I was drinking Goombay Mashes at 10:30am on the private island. :crazy:

I checked out the navigators for the drinks of the day and they sound so good.

ganurse, the pina coladas were very nummy. My DD was upset that I didn't make them virgins so I could share. I just gave her a cherry instead. :rolleyes1

Miss Jasmine

02-14-2006, 12:09 PM

It looks like we are scheduled for Costa Maya instead of Cozumel. Go to this site and type in 5/10/2006. Thank goodness it's not Nassau.
http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx

ganurse

02-14-2006, 01:55 PM

are there any excursions for costa maya?

Miss Jasmine

02-14-2006, 02:25 PM

Not yet since DCL has not officially announced the itinerary change. I guess it could change back, but for now it looks like Costa Maya.

imheather

02-14-2006, 02:44 PM

I have to admit I am a bit dissapointed if Casa Maya is the stop we make. Cozumel looked so nice and I wanted to go to Paradise Beach.
Well we will see.
I know we will have fun no matter what:)
I am going to start researching Casa Maya.

Heather

jillane88

02-14-2006, 05:09 PM

Oh man, I am a bit disappointed too. I had done all kinds of research on Cozumel and we had also planned to go to Paradise Beach! I hope by some miracle, we end up going to Coz. I did some research for Costa Maya yesterday, lots of mixed reviews but also some good ones. Better start getting together a plan "B".

Heather

mazzarafe

02-14-2006, 05:22 PM

Bummer on Costa Maya...really was hoping for Cozumel. Yesterday that ship calculator site had us at Cozumel.

Oh, well, guess I have more homework to do now. :sad2:

ganurse

02-14-2006, 08:25 PM

per my agent, the announcement has been made and we are not rearranging our schedule for those who have made plans on sea days..please tell me what your research says
amy

mazzarafe

02-15-2006, 06:58 AM

mazzarafe

02-15-2006, 07:28 AM

I just look at the excursions on DCL, I could have sworn that this was not there yesterday or the day before, but they have a dolphin swim in Costa Maya listed!!! :Pinkbounc

I wanted to see if any of you past cruisers who have been lucky enough to start booking online within the last week or two, what excursions are coming up to be booked for the 10th, our was Cozumel now CM day?

Don't even tell me that DCL is not going to let us book this yet because I think I will freak. :crazy2: :eek: :mad: :scared1:

The dolphin swim is the one thing my family wants to do and I need to be Disney Supermom ya know. :rolleyes:

Miss Jasmine

02-15-2006, 08:43 AM

DCL still has Cozumel listed for the May 6 cruise, it has not made an official announcement yet, so you can't book any Costa Maya stuff.

If we do go to Costa Maya the sailing schedule will be exactly the same, just it will be Costa Maya instead of Cozumel.

Sneezy63

02-15-2006, 05:43 PM

tulsamomof2

02-15-2006, 06:50 PM

We are doing the island tour & stingray snorkle with Nativeway. I too did research, and liked the responses written about Nativeway. The thing I liked the best -- they dont start the tour until after 10!!! That means we don't have to hurry and rush off the ship by 7:30!!!

Sneezy63

02-16-2006, 09:22 AM

Ok, so you need to help out this "Disney's first cruise for dummies" and help me get straight the sailing schedule. So what will our schedule be now for sea days?

I have seen some people on cruise critic talking about a dolphin swim at Uvero Beach in Costa Maya, but it seems to be a excursion that is booked with Carnival and I was going crazy the other night trying to find info on it. I know my DD's were still crossing their fingers and toes that Dolphin Discovery would open in time on Cozumel.

Has anyone found any information about swimming with dolphins in CM?

Hi Mazzarafe...

I found this....hope this helps some.

http://www.mayanbeachgarden.com/activies_dolphins.html

And I just checked yesterday on the Disney cruise page and it still has us for Cozumel but when I checked that cruise ship calendar site it does indeed show us at Costa Maya. (May 6th cruise) But if you want to book through Disney, you probably couldn't do it until they officially change it. (I'm assuming.) Good Luck! :-)

mazzarafe

02-16-2006, 04:25 PM

I was checking prices this morning for my last minute brother who is now looking forward to spending his tax refund and thought he would join us for our cruise. And I was on cruise411 and it lists Costa Maya as the stop for the May 6th Magic, not Cozumel.

Funny thing though, I had my DU agent check on this yesterday and she said that the DCL agent said that they only have sailings thru 3/25 showing Costa Maya and that the situation in Cozumel is still not good and they haven't officially been given word yet of anything beyond that date.

Sneezy63, thanks for the link. I found that site too! Even emailed them. They have nothing to do with the dolphin swim, it is thru Uvero Beach Club, they just sell passes to the club for their hotel guests.

The mystery continues.... :crazy2: :eek:

jillane88

02-16-2006, 04:48 PM

I'm thinking about booking the Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion with Native Way in Grand Cayman. Anyone else doing this? I'm a little nervous about a non-Disney excursion, but I've read really good things about this company and they haven't had anyone "miss the boat" yet, so I'm trying to not worry about that!

I had originally thought I'd book with Captain Marvin's but I liked the idea of going to Rum Point for lunch and I don't think that CM offers that.

What do you guys have planned for Grand Cayman?

I've heard great things about NativeWay and we were considering that same excursion. If we don't do that one, we definitly want to do Stingray City and snorkle excursion and we will most likely book with an outside vendor other than Disney.

Heather

ganurse

02-17-2006, 05:51 AM

We have not decided although you guys have given me a lot to think about. We may just walk around, shop and spend the rest of the day on the quiet boat! :rotfl2:

jcfowler

02-17-2006, 07:10 PM

I just spoke to the folks at Cruise(dot)com (who spoke to Disney!) about our cruise. As of today the "plans" are for the Western Cruises to include Costa Maya at least through March 25th. They even said depending upon the response (from all of us I guess!?!) it might be changed to a "regular" stop for the remainder of 2006. If you would like to give your opinion call Disney. As for me and my house, we plan to go wherever the ship goes!!! :sunny:

As to the Dolphin "experiences" the one listed in Cozumel is $135 per person as compared to $279 at Discovery Cove in Orlando. Sounds like a deal to me! I'm a big fan of Flipper!! :worship:

Good luck to all of you in the great frozen wastelands of the US - north of the Mason/Dixon! LOL! Now you know why I live at the Gulf Coast! Hope you all thaw out in time for the trip! :sick:

BTW - we are spending Friday night at the Radisson in Port Canaveral and leaving our car there free for the week. No plug. Just info. :thumbsup2

Later!

pearlieq

02-17-2006, 10:59 PM

We may just walk around, shop and spend the rest of the day on the quiet boat! :rotfl2:

That's exactly our plan if we do wind up heading to Costa Maya. I figure it will free up a little extra money for Key West, which we're really more interested in.

I figure we'll just look around the port, maybe take a cab into the fishing village, and then head back on board and take it easy. Works for me either way!

mazzarafe

02-18-2006, 08:16 AM

I just had a email back from the one I sent to Via Delphi which is the company who does the dolphin swim at Uvero Beach Club in Costa Maya.

They said that they do not have online or phone reservations so the only way to book it is to do so thru the cruiseline or to go directly there once in port. I know that you need to buy a pass into the club to get to the dolphins. You can buy passes into the club at the pier.

Just thought I would share.

jcfowler, I'm sitting at the computer with a nice fresh cup of java in my big 100 years of magic mug. :coffee: At least we have nothing but a chance of a snow flurries on Monday night for the next week.

Has anyone done any of the submarine tours in Grand Caymen? I want to book this as back up in case we don't get to do the dolphins and not sure which one to do. :confused3

new2cruise

02-18-2006, 12:35 PM

:wave: Hello Everyone -I am new to this board and we ( Hubby, son 10 and me) will be on this cruise. Our first one ever. Can not wait! :cool1: Cozumel or Costa Maya- either way everyone will enjoy. Anyone have a 10 or 11 year old boy?

not2blu

02-18-2006, 01:53 PM

Count us in! DH, Me, DS 6, DS 4. We rebooked on board on our November 2005 trip to February 2006, then I kept reading trip reports and everyone said it was cold in Febrouary so I changed the dates and now we are on the May 6-13 2006! Can't wait to be back on the Magic!!!!!!

We'll be on it- all 9 of us. It's our 1st cruise.
The D as in DH means what, Disney? Please forgive me- I'm a noobie on this forum. On other forums I would be flamed for asking such a question- so feel free.

Here's our itinerary (brief version) for excursions:

Sunday- Key West:
Thinking of taking it easy and just doing the Sunset Sail. If so, will I miss my 6pm dinner? I read that we can go to Topsiders if this is the case.

Tuesday- Grand Cayman:
Planning on Stingray City Snorkel Tour unless there are other stingray snorkeling excursions that are better. Read about Captain Marvins. Is it possible to do more than one thing per day? Like, could I do the snorkeling and the Grand Cayman Island tour? Are the times for these excursions posted somewhere?

Wednesday- Cozumel:
Dolphin Discovery. Any other recommendations for Cozumel?
I just read that it may be Costa Maya- when will we know for sure?!
Hard to make plans without knowing.

Friday: Castaway Cay:
Just thinking of an all-day equipment rental. That way I can go snorkeling w/ my 5-year-old daughter at leisure.

Again, this is our first cruise and there's a lot of info to digest here. Are we doing too much on shore? I know there are a ton of things to do on the ship and don't want to miss anything important there. Can we reserve theatre seats online? Any comments greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing you in May!

Thanks in advance!

jcfowler

02-18-2006, 03:29 PM

slg

02-18-2006, 05:30 PM

I have a 10 year old son (and a 7 and a 4).

We're definitely going to try for the semi-sub in Grand Cayman. Key West will be just a walk-around tour.

I would rather Cozumel as we were going to do Xcaret Ecological Park. It seems to have everything, and my friend went last year and said it was great. If its Costa Maya, then we'll do one of the ruins tours. Probably the easier one as we have a small son.

I'm a little concerned about the advice to bring bug spray. My DS10 reacts very severly to mosquito bites. Each bite initially swells up to the size of...get this a golf ball, turns black and blue, hot, and then spreads. Usually lasts two weeks. Once he had several on his ankles and we thought he had sprained his ankles they were so black! Anyway, how bad are the bugs? Does anyone know?

Can't wait for the trip. Really hoping for an upgrade, but will be okay if we don't get one. We had two 11's on mid deck 7.

jcfowler

02-18-2006, 11:02 PM

OK Folks, I have a question.....???? I just researched the possibility of booking an additional stateroom for two more family members and ran across something I find rather interesting - and a bit confusing. A cat 5 stateroom now is selling for an average of $200 LESS than a cat 9 at every booking agency I could find including Disney Cruiseline reservations.

As a Castaway Club members shouldn't we at least be eligible for some sort of an upgrade before they start selling higher cat rooms for a lower price? A discount to fill the ship is understandable, but to price staterooms this much lower is hard to understand. Anyone care to venture an opinion?

Have a great weekend all!

slg

02-18-2006, 11:39 PM

I think it has to do with how many rooms have already been sold. The first few rooms in each cat. are sold at a lower price, then the price goes up when a certain number of rooms have been sold, etc. I don't think they would drop the price of the cat. 5, it just hasn't gone up because there hasn't been the demand. Lower cats. always sell first so the price goes up quickly.

It would make sense for someone booking late to see what the lowest price was and not assume the lower cats were necessarily cheaper.

I know what I mean, but does it make sense to you?

jcfowler

02-19-2006, 12:25 AM

I didn't mean to come across with a "sour grapes" attitude. I just don't understand.

Perhaps what I don't understand is how an upgrade is determined if not by the demand for less expensive staterooms? I thought that when the lower cats sold out those who made reservations "early" would be considered as eligible to be "upgraded". Now, however, it would seem those booking higher cats later are the ones being rewarded by "upgrades" in lower booking costs.

Perhaps someone who has actually received an upgrade on a past cruise can explain the process to thick-headed people like me in simple terms. Oh, well.

Thanks for the kind response. Evidently I still have a lot to learn about booking cruises.

slg

02-19-2006, 01:39 AM

I'm not at all experienced, but what I've read on these boards is that upgrades don't happen as a reward but apparently randomly.

My guess is they have a random computer program that reassigns cabins in the event of empty cabins but I don't have any basis for that guess.

What I've read time and time again is not to count on upgrades, because they don't happen very often.

I agree with you however. I booked in Nov. 2004 and it would be nice if those who booked early had an edge on upgrades!

jcfowler

02-19-2006, 08:17 AM

WOW! You've been waiting for this cruise since Nov 2004! If anyone deserves the Walt Disney Suite it is YOU!! LOL! I booked in May of 2005 and thought I was early!

Again, please understand, I'm not pouting about this upgrade stuff. I am very sincerely appreciative just to be alive after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina. We're thankful to be going even if we had to sleep in a life boat! Any upgrades would simply be icing on the cake. Besides, I'm told the best location to avoid motion sickness is mid ship - and that is where we are now!

Again, thanks, and I'll get over this real soon!! If you don't ask, you'll never learn! Have a wonderful week!

mazzarafe

02-19-2006, 05:43 PM

jcfowler, I found the same thing a few days ago. I was looking at pricing to see if my brother could join us with his family and when I looked at the prices, the cat 5 was less than $20 more to upgrade from a inside stateroom!

Now if when I booked my cat 9, and the difference was only $20 to go to a 5 I would have in a heartbeat!

Right now the prices for a cat 9 are double what I paid for mine! :scared:

I have also seen someone post recently that they were upgraded for their cruise and they booked less than 2 months before the cruise. Seems to be no rhyme or reason to who gets a upgrade.

Maybe more of us have a chance for our cruise. :teeth:

mazzarafe

02-20-2006, 06:58 AM

married2grumpy

02-20-2006, 08:51 AM

Not sure if I'm going to keep my younger one in the 5-7 group, may try to get her into the 8-9, I think she would like the activities in that one better. Have to see what happens on board.

We will be putting DS 7 in the 8-9 group along with DD 8. Both kids were in the 5-7 last year and they thought it was too "babyish". They wanted more time doing older kid things like the computers and such. My DD 5 will be moving up to the 5-7 group and I think I will have the opposite problem with her. She loved the activities in the 3-4 group and I wonder how she will feel about the 5-7 activities.

We too will see what happens on board.

Sneezy63

02-20-2006, 11:36 AM

Was I the only one up at 3:00am this morning to make online ressies?

I got Palo for my anniversary on Friday. No more brunch available I guess, it didn't come up. Guess I'll try on board.

Booked the Atlantis Sub for Grand Caymen and couldn't figure out which island tour to do to go to Hell, so I didn't book any. Now this morning they are all gone! Guess I'm gonna taxi it there if we want to go.

Signed the girls up for the clubs. Not sure if I'm going to keep my younger one in the 5-7 group, may try to get her into the 8-9, I think she would like the activities in that one better. Have to see what happens on board.

Now to get thru today minus the hour or so sleep I lost. Had a hard time falling back asleep when I climbed back in bed about 3:20. :coffee:

I was up, too. Well, ok, only midnight for me, though, since I'm on the West Coast. I booked our massages first and got exactly the time that I wanted, but by the time I was done with that, there was no brunch for Palo, and nothing on Thursday night at all. (That's the night I wanted.) I went ahead and booked for Wednesday night but can hopefully change it when I get onboard. Is Wednesday Pirate Night? I don't want to miss that, so I may end up cancelling my Palo reservation even if I can't get one for Thursday.

It was interesting how fast the Palo stuff went. I tried to "go back" after I booked the Wednesday night slot and by that time it said that there was NOTHING available anymore!

And I am having the same dilemma with my son regarding the club. He will be 3 months shy of his 8th birthday, and may think that some of the stuff is babyish, but on the other hand, he is only in first grade (held him back) so he's used to playing with kids a bit younger than he is. I went ahead and put him in with the 5-7 year olds...figured I'd give that a shot first since you can only switch once.

I didn't book any excursions....I figured we can do Key West on our own, and I think I want to book through Native Way for Grand Cayman (I need to get going with that if I'm going to do it!). Since we're still not "official" regarding Costa Maya vs. Cozumel, I'm just leaving that one alone for now.

I'm getting excited....75 more days!!!

mazzarafe

02-20-2006, 04:12 PM

new2cruise

02-20-2006, 05:17 PM

Was I the only one up at 3:00am this morning to make online ressies?

I was up at 3am too. the only thing my son wanted to do was the dolphin encounter and there wasn't a single one :sad2: Is that normal ? I mean I was on at exactly 3 and there wasn't any left at all.

new2cruise

02-20-2006, 05:20 PM

Is there any where else to do a dolphin encounter? :confused3

jillane88

02-20-2006, 06:26 PM

Just registered the kids for the club/lab. Was able to make Palo for Tuesday - which is the day I wanted, however the only time available was 9:00pm, I reserved it but am hoping to change it once onboard. No brunch times or days showed up. I'll just have to do that once onboard too. Didn't reserve any excursions, are planning to do those all on our own.

Heather :cool1:

mazzarafe

02-21-2006, 07:00 AM

new2cruise, where in CT are you from? We are along the shore near New Haven.

I don't think that they have the dolphin encounter listed because they are not open yet on Cozumel. This is the one thing my 2 DDs want to do too. I have a ressie on hold with DD directly, they have not charged me for it because they still don't have a firm opening date. I'm waiting to hear back from them and take it from there. Not sure if we will be going to Cozumel though. There have been some on our cruise that have been told by their ta's that we are going to Costa Maya instead of Cozumel. There is a dolphin swim there in Uvero Beach but you can only make ressies thru cruiseline or once you get to port just show up at the beach club. The good news is is that DCL does have it as a excursion for Costa Maya, but it is just a waiting game now for DCL to officially announce our cruise going there so we can book the excursion. Don't give up hope yet, we just might be able to do it at Uvero Beach Club.

We were also the 3rd round to get to make ressies online. I think we got the bottom of the barrel. People who have cruised before and are booked in cats 1-3 got to book a few weeks before us. That is why everything else was gone.

new2cruise

02-21-2006, 07:17 AM

We are near New Haven on the shore also! Branford to be exact so it sounds like you are close by . That's kind of cool we'll be on the same cruise.

I was really disappointed when I got up at 3 am and could find nothing about the dolphin encounter - but it makes sense if all of Cozumel is not up and running yet and they are not sure we are going there at all . I think I will call Disney direct today and see if I can get any other info. Thanks for the info you gave also.

Sharon

Sneezy63

02-21-2006, 09:27 AM

Sneezy63,

Wednesday night is Pirate Night. But, when I was first able to get into booking I went straight to make Palo ressies. I don't recall seeing Thursday listed, but I may be wrong. I know that it was not available for the whole week and nothing for brunch at all.

I did not book anything for Key West either, I'm looking forward to doing my own thing there, maybe do the trolley ride around or rent a golf cartto get around. I have to say that this is the port I'm most excited about going to. Well, at least since it is looking gloomy to do the dolphin swim. :sad:

When I logged on I went straight for the spa ressies because that was more important to us than the Palo. I will try to change the Palo to Thursday night when we get onboard but if we don't get it, I'm not really that worried. Maybe we'll go to the bar one night and have a drink or something...

And I'm excited about Key West, too. I lived in Florida all my life (except the last 15 years) and I never made it there!

slg

02-21-2006, 12:42 PM

Just curious when and if any upgrades are going to start happening. I check my reservation almost every day to see if we have beem upgraded, but I'm wondering if that's where we would find out. Is it too early yet?

It was exciting to be able to book stuff yesterday. We booked the semi-sub in GC and the xcaret in Coz (just in case we go there. Nothing in Key West, because we want to do an trolley tour and I read that its best to book there because you can get on and off at your leisure.

CC will be a relaxing day. Nothing booked, may book an inner tube when we get there.

mazzarafe

02-21-2006, 04:46 PM

Sharon, we are in East Haven, right next door! I'm on the north end of town along the North Haven border. It is kinda neat having someone close by going too! We are leaving Friday night out of Bradley and staying at the Hyatt.

slg, I've been checking the DCL site pretty much every day hoping for a upgrade. I know that from seeing people posting about them on the boards that it will list the category you have booked but the room # will be different. Like for me I'm a cat 9, so it would say that category but room 6112 instead of 2112 (as a example).

Hoping that the upgrade fairy gets to some of us, seems like they have alot of better cat rooms still available. pixiedust: