The Yours, Mine, and Ours HalloWonder Mystery Tour!!!

[CatDenver]

So here I am trying to think and plan about a wonderful tropical fall vacation and in the meantime, I'm looking out my home office window to falling snow! ARGH!!! I think this is the latest winter we've had in some time, at least it feels like it.

I am hearing through the FE grapevine that Joann's has a new Mickey print fabric so I'm hoping to go out on my lunch break to take a look. The wonderful thing about Joann's is they have those great little free tear aways with directions for various crafts to make. What a great marketing scheme to buy more of their stuff...........as if I need their help! I found one last week that will be great for the adults in the FE. My readers who are on my cruise are probably wondering, hmmmm, what could it be? How about Mickey print lederhosen? That would definitely fall into the what-was-the-weirdest-FE-gift-you-received category!

Well, it's time to start my work day. Jut thought I'd share some of my weather frustration. TTFN (Ta ta for now!)

 

[CatDenver]

It's hard to believe but here we are May 2nd, and I'm looking out the window at, yes, you guessed it, SNOW!!! Enough already! I packed away the sweaters after the last one hoping Mother Nature would take the hint! This had better be the last of it!

So the big day came last week when I made the final payment on the cruise. We're now PIF! That was such an awesome feeling, like no matter what happens to us financially, by golly we're going to be on the Wonder in October. Everything is covered....cruise, Friday night hotel, airfare, transportation. Now it's a matter of setting aside money for the stuff like drink of the day , spa , pirate costumes , port excursions , and on and on.

And speaking of pirate costumes, I was looking on a costume web site and it's amazing the names they come up with for the women's pirate costumes. There was Pleasure Pirate, Vixen Pirate Wench, South Seas Siren, Sexy Swashbuckler, and Buccaneer Beauty. Honestly between the names and the style of the costumes you could have a pirate themed brothel! (Hopefully I won't get an infraction for using the word brothel on the DIS. I know it's a family site!) I ended up not buying anything. Somehow I just couldn't see modeling it for my kids and asking, "Hey guys, what do you think of Mommy's Vixen Pirate Wench costume?" Besides the fact that some of those outfits require some serious cleavage and my figure is lacking a bit in that area. I think I'll play it safe and try to find a pirate shirt, vest, and make some striped pants to go with it. I'll be the Caribbean Androgynous pirate! Or I could wear a nightgown and go as Tired Overworked Pirate Mom! Actually, what I'd really love is to get my hands on a Seinfeld puffy shirt!!! Now THAT is a pirate shirt!

My brain has taken a break from thinking about port excursions although it was a nice escape daydreaming about snorkeling while big ole flakes of snow are dropping from the sky. But I'm tired of thinking about what to do in port and DH's head isn't there yet to start making decisions. Instead I've been focused on making my FE gifts. On the way home from DD's horse riding lessons last Saturday, I found another Joann's which not only had the classic Mickey fabric that my other Joann's ran out of but they had some new ones as well. I whipped up a lap quilt last weekend with the classic Mickey fabric and needed more to have enough to make gifts for all of our FE staterooms. So I am good to go! After seeing the Mickey lap quilt now DS wants one using Marvel fabric. Yes, nothing says cozy like snuggling up with a quilt that has a green guy with bulging muscles and a guy in red and blue shooting spider webs from his hand! LOL

Ahh, well, enough of my DIS time for this morning. Time to get my work day started. Cheers for now!

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

But I don't wannnnna be a pirate!!!!

Come on, ya saucy wench.... unleash your inner vixen! Hehe, I know what you mean. Why do we need sexy Alice, sexy Mad Hatter, and my personal fave, sexy Maleficent? When did Halloween become a stripper holiday, I ask you! Even the kid costumes as young as 7-8 are veering in this direction. I am no prude, but I find this to be a disturbing trend.

Am I hearing this correctly? Your FE gifts are a dadgum QUILT? I am now SO glad I opted not to participate in that. I could never stack up!!!

 

[CatDenver]

But I don't wannnnna be a pirate!!!!

Come on, ya saucy wench.... unleash your inner vixen! Hehe, I know what you mean. Why do we need sexy Alice, sexy Mad Hatter, and my personal fave, sexy Maleficent? When did Halloween become a stripper holiday, I ask you! Even the kid costumes as young as 7-8 are veering in this direction. I am no prude, but I find this to be a disturbing trend.

Am I hearing this correctly? Your FE gifts are a dadgum QUILT? I am now SO glad I opted not to participate in that. I could never stack up!!!

I totally agree with you!!!! We have a costume shop not far from where we live and I steer the kids away from the adult women's costume section because it's like a trashy version of Victoria's Secret. It is disturbing that some of the young girls costumes are going in that direction. Ick!

As for FE quilts, gosh, no! My FE gifts entail some sewing but rest assured I’m not making quilts! I made a lap quilt for DD using extra classic Mickey fabric from my FE and FE gifts. DS asked me to make one using Marvel comics fabric. So I decided I’ll make lap quilts for the family using Disney themed fabric as a memory gift for our family cruise. I say "trying" because I tend to be more ambitious than what I can actually complete.

I can see where I confused you. Sometimes my typing doesn't catch up with my brain and I'm not clear in what I'm saying.

 

[socaintexas]

I'm loviing this!!!

 

[CatDenver]

I'm loviing this!!!

You are too kind! Not sure my DH would agree with you! I think sometimes he wonders what planet I'm from!

 

[CatDenver]

Happiness is being PIF! I made the final payment two weeks ago and was so excited. It’s such a good feeling to have it all paid for, the flight, the Friday hotel and the cruise itself! Up until then I had fears of one of the dogs needing major surgery, one of the cars imploding, or me losing my job and having to make the decision to cancel the trip. Being paid in full, if I was to lose my job, we might be eating beanie weanies for dinner but, by golly, we’re cruising Disney in October!

As time passes, more and more people are joining the cruise meet group. It’s been a real hoot getting to meet my fellow travelers via the DIS board and Facebook! What a fun group! And nice people, too! Some have offered to bring in extra Halloween candy so those of us flying don’t have to worry about taking up space in our suitcases. How kind is that???

So planning is in full swing as the cruise date gets closer. The project manager in me is really kicking in and it’s taking all I’ve got to not geek out totally and create a Gantt chart for this trip. Google Ganntt chart to see what a PM dork I am! It actually crossed my mind as we have chatted the last few days about meets, Trick or Treating, mixology events, my own family activities on the ship and, of course, port excursions. It’s all just screaming to be put on a timeline with tasks, milestones, and due dates! Okay, enough of the PM geeking!

Honestly, though, I really do find planning half the fun. I just love it! However, it doesn't diminish my impatience and desire to be on the ship NOW! And it doesn't help matters that DD Catie chose the song “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid as her piano recital song. Those first few bars make me want to run and mix up a Mai Tai or some other fruity tropical drink. Actually, it doesn’t take much for me to want to make a fruity tropical drink! LOL!!!! Aw, just kidding! On the other hand, I chose “Edelweiss” as my piano recital piece so in our house the mood quickly goes from being under the sea to the sound of music in beautiful Austria. It makes me dream of cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudel. These are a few of my favorite things…hmm, wrong song.

So back to the cruise….wardrobe is becoming a consideration now, though I’m still trying to figure out how I get myself back in shape again. So I’ve been hesitant to do much shopping. I’d love to have the body I had at 25 but short of time travel through Sherman and Peabody's Wayback machine that's not happening!!!

The key seems to be to find clothes that pack well and can be easily mixed and matched. I’m notorious for over packing whereas DH will throw in a couple pairs of boxers, a pair of shorts, a pair of jeans, two shirts and call it done. He goes in with the idea that we can do laundry. I go in with the idea that if I wanted to do laundry on vacation I’d strap our washer and dryer to the car and bring them along. Otherwise nay nay on laundry. On vacation I am escaping having to wash clothes, dishes, floors, dogs, etc. However, this is the first trip in a long time where we’re not driving. My problem is that I bring half my closet because I tend to be a mood dresser. My clothing choices for the day are based on my mood and given how moody I can be (much to my husband’s delight…NOT ) that typically calls for numerous clothing options. That’s easy to do when driving. Since we’re flying to Houston it’s a different story. Now I've got Frontier Airlines limiting my baggage and charging me for what I do bring! So, I’m determined to find that happy medium between not having to do laundry and packing half my closet. I just don't want to do laundry on vacation!!!!

Well, my carpal tunnel has flared up so I’m calling it a night on the computer. Until next time, fellow cruisers!

 

[gunka]

Great Pre-Trip Report so far! I totally agree about the planning part...it's what keeps us going (And the Dis Boards too). Although I have not created a Gantt chart, I do have several spreadsheets I use. They of course have several tabs.

I am looking forward to planning our excursions as well and try not to get discouraged by the negative reviews of the stops. We heard bad things about our ports in Mexico, but still planned our own excursions and had a great time - without fear.

Gary

 

[CatDenver]

Great Pre-Trip Report so far! I totally agree about the planning part...it's what keeps us going (And the Dis Boards too). Although I have not created a Gantt chart, I do have several spreadsheets I use. They of course have several tabs.

I am looking forward to planning our excursions as well and try not to get discouraged by the negative reviews of the stops. We heard bad things about our ports in Mexico, but still planned our own excursions and had a great time - without fear.

Gary

Thanks Gary. You're right about reading negative reviews with caution. I've learned that so much on the DIS is subjective. The food reviews are all over the place so I plan on just enjoying the whole experience and not expecting perfection.

 

[CatDenver]

It seems like just yesterday I posted the Die, Winter, Die picture. Today we hit 97 degrees. So winter did die but I’ve got the paddles out to revive it! Ha! Yes, I’m so fickle.

So much has progressed since my last report. The FE group has grown so much we’re getting ready to spin up our 3rd group! We have 25 people per FE so it doesn’t become too unwieldy for folks to make/buy gifts. When I joined the DIS group in early January of this year it was so quiet through February that I thought I had picked a dud of a cruise as far as people to cruise with. I had convinced myself that all the cool things I had read about with other groups was not to be. However it started to pick up in March. Now, I can’t keep up with the conversations in our Facebook group! What a wonderful group of people!! We have nearly 70 in the Facebook group and have set dates for our Meet and Greet (with a backup date/time in case we leave the port late), Mixology class, Trick or Treat, and a Happy Hour.


Excursion planning continues to move along and we’re pretty set for Key West and Castaway Cay excursions. We’ll get an electric car to tool around Key West and see the sights. Hopefully there won’t be too many naked people lying about, leftover from the Fantasy Fest the days prior. I figure the car will enable us to drive around them versus walking and having to step over them. For Castaway Cay, I finally got off the fence on the cabana. DCL shoreside concierge is going to grab a cabana for us on June 28th when our booking calendar opens up. I’m so looking forward to some serious R&R on the Cay. We’re using our OBC to fund the cabana. It’s pricey, yes, but with someone else’s money, it’s doable.

I’m going to take a quick rabbit trail…..I’ve read people question whether their first cruise should be concierge if they have the opportunity because it could ruin it down the road for future cruises when they may not be able to afford it. That could happen but from my perspective, if the opportunity presents itself, go for it. It’s unlikely we’ll get to cruise concierge again and I can live with that. I’m thankful for the opportunity this time and will savor the moment. I’m not going to pass on the opportunity simply because later down the road I worry I won’t be satisfied. Like the old saying goes, a bad day cruising is far better than a good day at work!

Back to excursions…. The topic that I see posted more frequently than whether to bring your own booze poolside is whether to get off the boat at Nassau or not. Opinions are all over the place. I’ve read in some posts where Nassau is made out to be a real den of thieves, a mugger or drug dealer around every corner, kind of like the bad guys sneaking around Ralphie’s house in “A Christmas Story”.

For others, it’s a real tropical paradise a la “Fantasy Island”.

At the end of the day, whatever we decide it will probably be relatively low key because I anticipate Castaway Cay being amazing to the point of wearing us out!


We’re still 137 days away and I feel a bit like I’m in limbo. The 2013 DCL Passporter was supposed to be out by now but they’ve already missed at least 3 projected release dates and I just saw it’s now delayed to July. The 2013 cruising season is half over so they need to just forget it and start on 2014. I really wanted their lists!!!! I’m itching to make lists and pack. Okay, yes, the packing is a bit premature. After all, I’m guessing the family will need their clothes for the summer. But the lists…….look out because I’m ready to start making them, even this far out.The FE gifts are coming along well but I like to work under pressure and this leisurely pace is killing me! I need to feel like I’m under the gun with a tight timeline and I’m just not there yet. To make sure I get that feeling I’ve set a date to have my FE gifts packaged and ready to go.

Well, I’m sweating like a preacher in a crap game, to quote my dad, God rest his soul. Time to go cool off with a nice cold beer. I also need to go write a speech for a speaking engagement. Okay, not really but I've been wanting to use that emoticon and I couldn't work it into this report. So that wraps up this pre-trip report. Until next time, DISers!

 

[CatDenver]

I titled this thread the HalloWonder Mystery tour but no one has ever asked and I've never offered up what the mystery is. More to come on that!

 

[minniescout]

So..... what is the myster!?

 

[disneyfreakliveshere]

Great report. I love your thoughts on reading the boards. I too have thought the same things. We are going on our first Cruise in Aug and I am trying to figure out if we should even get off the boat in Nassau.

 

[Great Scott]

We never get off at Nassau anymore. We saw it once, that was enough. More to do and safer on the ship.

 

[dreamcat78]

Well I'm in since I'm cruising with you lol I love how active our FB group is because I am on there most of the day !!! This is such a joy to read because of all the crazy things we do to per-plan for out trip!! I'm happy group 2 closed so I can get to work on my crafting for our FE!!! Hope all is well with you Cat

 

[hurleysweety]

Hi Catherine! It's Julie from the FB group. I meant to go to bed like 30 mins ago but then I went to the DIS and it was all downhill from there. I remembered that I "needed" to read your PTR, so here I am!

My DH is actually from Denver - Arvada to be more specific - and having spent some holidays up there, I know all to well how weather can be! I remember DH, who's birthday is in early May, recalling how it snowed on his birthday once. Yikes!

Also, I love all your emoticons!

 

[RockinMama]

Love your pre-trip reports!

 

[CatDenver]

Hi Catherine! It's Julie from the FB group. I meant to go to bed like 30 mins ago but then I went to the DIS and it was all downhill from there. I remembered that I "needed" to read your PTR, so here I am!

My DH is actually from Denver - Arvada to be more specific - and having spent some holidays up there, I know all to well how weather can be! I remember DH, who's birthday is in early May, recalling how it snowed on his birthday once. Yikes!

Also, I love all your emoticons!

Hey Julie! I've been so caught up in all the activity in our FB group that I've neglected the DIS.

Yes, our weather is something else here. Most of the time I like it but the snow thing can get a bit annoying when the rest of the country is experiencing spring.

 

[CatDenver]

Love your pre-trip reports!

Glad you're enjoying it, RockinMama! I like your DIS name! It's far more creative than mine. I'm overdue for an update so I'm going to try to work on that tonight. So much has happened since the last update!

 

[gunka]

I titled this thread the HalloWonder Mystery tour but no one has ever asked and I've never offered up what the mystery is. More to come on that!

Wondering what the "Mystery" is.....