DDC XXXIV: The Original Home Of The DISDads!!!

[AirGoofy]

I've heard of these trip reports before. Some seem to take years to complete.

The LIVE trip report rocks. Being back on Disney property in April, I'll have to fire it up. Usually, I get done before anyone can post something about sparky, get off my lawn, or a nut drop.

Top O the Morning Dads! Still trying to get back to reality after the cruise, man this is tough. DW and I sat on the patio most of Sunday afternoon trying to keep the vaca buz going as we did not want to be inside despite the heat index of 100+. Had a few cocktails, nice cigar and some Caribbean / beach music playing. I am not a trip report guy, though Rob has a great one going about his Fantasy sailing which was just a few weeks before ours. Rather, if it is o.k. with you guys I will post a little something each day for a few right here to give those that have not cruised some insight - overall review is we loved it even with the kids at 20 & 18. I say even with the kids at 20 & 18 as many think you have to be parents with kids 13 and under to enjoy DCL - I say nay nay.

You can do better than three pictures. Cigars and cocktails sound like a great plan.

Whoa! Slow down there, sparky. I need to take notes.

Is. This. Slow. Enough. ?

Nice. I wouldn't mind a cruise some day but there are a lot of other things I would like to do as well. If I quit working today and do nothing but what I want I still will run out of time. Unfortunately, if I quit working today, I would run out of money loonnnggg before I run out of things I want to do.
.

DW pulled up a Carnival Cruise, and the price was really cheap. It was a last minute booking thing. But, once you added a hotel for an extra night lodging and passports X 4, it wasn't as cheap.

So many things could be said about this post.

At least he said nut drop and not tea bag.

 

[wasnotafan]

So many things could be said about this post.

I worded it carefully even though the tag fairy is MIA.

 

[RodBelding]

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Back to normal 'round here I see.

 

[cj9200]

Partially my fault, been busy here. I'll be able to post more soon. That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

 

[budamacdvcr]

Afternoon gents! Thought I would continue to share info from out recent DCL sailing today with ya's. Today I figured I'd cover the characters on the ship. There are character meet & greets on a regular basis with communicated times for which character and where. Pretty cool as you can meet the basic characters but then also characters tied more to a cruise like Captain Mickey, Pirate Stitch, Chip & Dale is Hawaiian Shirts, etc. If you & the family like the character meets, you can get a lot more done in less time than when at the parks IMO. Something the ships do that not many know about is issue tickets for some of the more crowded character meets, Anna & Elsa and the Princesses. You have to go to Guest Services first day on the ship and request tickets for these as these are not communicated or listed anywhere, done kinda of secretly. All the character meets are done in the main lobby area (3 decks) with the exception of one, you got it, Anna & Elsa. Their meet and greet was in one of the diner restaurants, Animators Pallet, in the morning where nothing was going on. This was done to avoid "the craziness" for these characters as this area was not traveled much at this time of the day and you could not see into the restaurant to see what was going on. Only one way in, with a ticket if you knew how to get the tickets. Luckily we got tickets as we sailed concierge and the concierge team falls over themselves to take care of everything for you.

So............. kids with the phenoms


Kids with a couple of the Princesses




Family with Cruise Line Minnie

I wore those colors so the family would not loose me Note the Dole Whip shirt and medals / ribbons around me and DS. We won a Disney Music trivia contest held on the ship. They played a small bit of a tune and you had to know the song title and movie and then a bonus question about the movie so 3 points possible per question with 13 questions. We hit 36 of 39 in a landslide victory

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Partially my fault, been busy here. I'll be able to post more soon. That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

It takes more that one person to ignore something.
You take care of yourself first, then worry about dropping in over here latter on.

Afternoon gents! Thought I would continue to share info from out recent DCL sailing today with ya's.

Cool!

the concierge team falls over themselves to take care of everything for you.

I've heard such stories about the magical land that is Deck-12

Family with Cruise Line Minnie

I wore those colors so the family would not loose me Note the Dole Whip shirt and medals / ribbons around me and DS. We won a Disney Music trivia contest held on the ship.

Nice pics.
God job of reverse-camouflage in that last one.

The trivia games are fun diversions (and good excuses to sit and have a beer). We didn't win the particular Dis-Music one like y'all (there was one group that ran the table on that one) but we did earn three sets of of those "trivial medals" in other contests across the week.

 

[AirGoofy]

Happy Wednesday. It is beautiful day here in KY - blue skies and low heat. I almost wondered if I had moved overnight. I've moved my schedule around and I've been able to play tennis twice a day a few times a week. DW still wants me to undergo the knee surgery, but I'm back to having reservations again.

Afternoon gents! Thought I would continue to share info from out recent DCL sailing today with ya's. Today I figured I'd cover the characters on the ship. There are character meet & greets on a regular basis with communicated times for which character and where. Pretty cool as you can meet the basic characters but then also characters tied more to a cruise like Captain Mickey, Pirate Stitch, Chip & Dale is Hawaiian Shirts, etc. If you & the family like the character meets, you can get a lot more done in less time than when at the parks IMO. Something the ships do that not many know about is issue tickets for some of the more crowded character meets, Anna & Elsa and the Princesses. You have to go to Guest Services first day on the ship and request tickets for these as these are not communicated or listed anywhere, done kinda of secretly. All the character meets are done in the main lobby area (3 decks) with the exception of one, you got it, Anna & Elsa. Their meet and greet was in one of the diner restaurants, Animators Pallet, in the morning where nothing was going on. This was done to avoid "the craziness" for these characters as this area was not traveled much at this time of the day and you could not see into the restaurant to see what was going on. Only one way in, with a ticket if you knew how to get the tickets. Luckily we got tickets as we sailed concierge and the concierge team falls over themselves to take care of everything for you.

. We hit 36 of 39 in a landslide victory

That's better. I guess we'll have to settle for 3 pictures a day. I like the green clothes and shoes to match. Thanks for the cruise info. I still can't believe Elsa and Anna are so popular. Thankfully, neither dd has expressed an interest in a photo. My oldest dd wanted a Rapunzel picture, and she was a 1 hour wait outside the castle (old Belle show) and youngest wanted Tiana picture which we got at Liberty Square Pavilion. They sing the Frozen songs and have the movie, but no desire to wait for pictures. I got lucky there.

 

[budamacdvcr]

I still can't believe Elsa and Anna are so popular. Thankfully, neither dd has expressed an interest in a photo. My oldest dd wanted a Rapunzel picture, and she was a 1 hour wait outside the castle (old Belle show) and youngest wanted Tiana picture which we got at Liberty Square Pavilion. They sing the Frozen songs and have the movie, but no desire to wait for pictures. I got lucky there.

The only way to get these pics was with tickets which is why we went ahead and did it. We waited all about 10 minutes as they issued tickets for like 5 families for every 15 minutes so it was a piece of cake.

 

[declansdad]

Back to normal 'round here I see.

 

[pkondz]

Boy kids sure are hardy these days. Well... at least yours are.
Both wearing shorts in a snow filled clearing! Impressive.

I wore those colors so the family would not loose me

I can't see how that would be possible.

 

[budamacdvcr]

Top O the Morning Dads! What's going on around here, or rather what's not going on around here? Do I need to get a Facebook page to keep up with everyone now?

Well I have touched on 18+ pool and lounge areas and character meets on DCL and will touch briefly on the food part of the cruise. You have a set dinner time each night, 5:45 or 8:15. We had 8:15 as we found that the 5:45 cuts too much into the day with having to shower and such to get ready for dinner. Most may know that you rotate through the 3 different restaurants for dinner throughout the cruise and you serving staff rotate with you so you get know them and they get to know you, your likes, food & drink preferences, etc. Another tip is that if someone is not sure which menu item or appetizer they want to order, order both and share with the table - they have no problem accommodating you and actually go out of their way to do so. There is also a buffet and quick service type of places and multiple drinking establishments as well as room service around the clock (no extra charge other than tip). We used room service just about every night to order either Mickey Bars or warmed chocolate chip cookies and milk along with a carafe of coffee. DW gets up before most and rather than having to get dressed to go get a cup of coffee, the coffee stays hot in the carafe over night and she can have her cup of joe right a way. Overall food is good, not great, but a wide variety and Disney items like Mickey waffles. Here are links that cover the details for those that may be interested in the eating and drinking establishments on the Fantasy:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/fantasy/dining/
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/fantasy/nightclubs-lounges/

Family at dinner - Royal Court


Me and my better half


Kids - Animators Pallet

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Do I need to get a Facebook page to keep up with everyone now?

There are more folks over there than here. That is certain.
A lot of 'em say it's much easier to follow and post.
I find the reverse to be true, but then again... it ain't about me now is it?


Thanks for the posts from the cruise.
Lovely family and a nice concise write up.

 

[pkondz]

We used room service just about every night to order either Mickey Bars or warmed chocolate chip cookies and milk along with a carafe of coffee.

Good to know! Is that included or do you pay OOP for that?

 

[AirGoofy]

Happy Thursday. Swim season is over until August. Soccer starts back next Wed. I get to enjoy a few vacation days.

The only way to get these pics was with tickets which is why we went ahead and did it. We waited all about 10 minutes as they issued tickets for like 5 families for every 15 minutes so it was a piece of cake.

Thanks for the info.

Top O the Morning Dads! What's going on around here, or rather what's not going on around here? Do I need to get a Facebook page to keep up with everyone now?
]

Yeah, it seems many have abandoned this site for elsewhere. There is a lot more traffic on FB, although there are still times or certain posts that get more conversation than others. There isn't much traffic in the Pub on Aaron's site, but maybe they stay in the chat room there.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Good to know! Is that included or do you pay OOP for that?

I can answer that one.

The room service is included except for packaged items (caned drinks, nuts/crackers). Coffee would also be included and ordering a carafe the night before is a common choice. It will generally still be quite warm the next morning. There is a room service menu in every cabin listing what's available and you can always call and ask if you don't see something. The concierge cabins can also order dinner from the main dining rooms delivered to the cabin (I believe that's true). There are also cards for ordering breakfast items in the staterooms. you check-off the items you want (mostly muffins, rolls and the like), check a delivery time and hang the card outside on the door handle before going to bed. we did this on the port days this past trip and they were delivered promptly at our marked time both days. you should tip the CM that delivers the trays a couple of bucks but other than that, you've already paid for it.

(just remember to go get your own soft drinks; drinks order via room service will be in cans and will be an extra charge).

Happy Thursday. Swim season is over until August. Soccer starts back next Wed. I get to enjoy a few vacation days.

Enjoy the reprieve.
Good luck to them on the season ahead.

 

[budamacdvcr]

Thanks for the posts from the cruise.
Lovely family and a nice concise write up.

Thanks and hopefully I ain't boring anyone - kinda of a nice way to remember the trip.

Good to know! Is that included or do you pay OOP for that?

Rob already covered but I just wanted to add that in addition to making sure you get soda, tea, coffee from the stations so you don't have to pay extra from the bars or room service, DCL allows you to bring on your own adult beverages as long as it is in a carry on bag that you bring on ship and not in your checked luggage. I brought a small bottle of Makers Mark, a couple of bottles of wine and some flavored vodka for DW.

 

[declansdad]

Morning Guys.

Off to get DS's cast off and the K-wire removed today. Hopefully all will be good and he can start playing again as soon as tomorrow. He's been going a little batty and is getting a bit cranky.

I agree with the comments about Facebook, many more people over there but I still think things are easier to follow over here. Over at the Pub there are some of us but most discussion does seem to happen in the chat room.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

There are more folks over there than here. That is certain.
A lot of 'em say it's much easier to follow and post.
I find the reverse to be true, but then again... it ain't about me now is it?

Yeah, it seems many have abandoned this site for elsewhere. There is a lot more traffic on FB, although there are still times or certain posts that get more conversation than others. There isn't much traffic in the Pub on Aaron's site, but maybe they stay in the chat room there.

I agree with the comments about Facebook, many more people over there but I still think things are easier to follow over here.

I gave up on being able to keep track of everything. I mostly hang out here because it's a slower pace, I have other friends doing TR's who are not DIS Dads, and most of the guys here have been here for years and I've gotten to know them.

 

[cj9200]

Morning guys. There seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, although I might be on Toad and it is an oncoming train. We all know how that ends.

Happy Friday!