1/17/09 Magic anyone???

[Georji]

Originally Posted by JenKatt

It's hard for me to post regularly with an 8 month old and working. We haven't even started planning since we're not sure who's coming still. Right now with have a Cat 3 booked for the 4 of us, but my brother and grandmother may be joining us. This will be the first cruise with our son (who will be 15-16 months at sailing) so things will be very different for us. No diving this time and more family activities. We'll still do high tea, brunch and a Palo's dinner (can't give those up), but our shore excursions will be very different.
Speaking of which, I need to get said son's passport done soon!

We did ours this spring giving us plenty of time to get them ... plus we live about 3 hours from Canada and we like heading up there. Anyway, we sent in their passports on a Friday and got them back on the Monday after the following week ... 10 freaking days! We were shocked! Not cheap though! Oh well ... but thanks for the reminder ... I need to get mine renewed this week!

[Georji]

Anyone doing a pre-stay?? I'm trying to find out where's the best place to book it!? We're so very excited!! We're going to take the boys to the Magic Kingdom and then to Hollywood Studios! Anyone know where to get cheaper tickets to the parks?? Geez, they're so expensive!!!

[fltink]

As someone who used to work with tickets quite often when I worked in WDW, be CAREFUL of buying cheaper tickets! Generally they do not exist. If someone is selling you a cheaper ticket, it usually means that either there is some sort of time share speech involved OR they could be selling you a bad ticket. Keep in mind that Disney tickets are all done with a magnetized strip now. There is no way of telling if a ticket is used or not. How terrible would it be to buy "discounted" tickets, show up at the parks and they don't work?! I've seen it happen though! Also, most Disney tickets are coded with the biometrics system, making them only usable by the original ticket holder. This can also prevent them from working for you. Just be careful. Personally, I'd say better safe than sorry. Buy them legit, through Disney and dont have to worry about it.

As for pre-cruise plans, we'll be coming in on the 16th and staying over night at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Sea World. (We got an awesome hook up through a friend who works there!) We'll get dinner at Bahama Breeze that night and then head to teh port in the morning. After the cruise, we are possibly staying one more night as well. If we do, we will most likely go to Sea World that day, as we will have annual passes.

[Bytor01]

Some of the best ticket discounted places are undercovertourist.com or mapleleaftickets.com. Both are respectable and authorized ticket brokers. They are the two that are recommended by allears.net. I always buy my park tickets from them and have never ever had any problems. I have even been able to put the paper ticket and have the concierge convert it and put it on my KTW card.

Tim

[Bytor01]

We are going to be staying a the Hyatt beforehand. I don't know if we are going to fly in on Thursday or on Friday. We are thinking Thursday so we can rent a car on Friday and visit some family near the Tampa area. In '07 we flew in on Friday and stayed at the Hyatt. It was extremely convenient especailly when it comes to your luggage. All we did was leave it out in the morning and the next thing we knew it was in our cabin that afternoon. Very hassle free morning also. Check in and hope on the bus with no worries.

Tim

[Bytor01]

JennKatt,

We are also staying in a cat 3 room. We will be in cabin 8548. Have you ever been in a cabin within the concierge? This will be our second cruise but we were in a cat 6 the last time. We can not wait for this cruise. My two 6 year olds, will be 7 on the cruise, talk about it everyday. Especially my son, James. All he does is bring it up all the time. We will be out to dinner and he will all of a sudden say, "Let's talk about the cruise. Let's go around the table and tell each other what we are going to do on it." My daughter, Moira, just says she is going to play, swim and relax. Boy, does she have the idea.

Tim

[JenKatt]

We were in a cat 3 one other time. To be honest, it's

really

nice to have the concierge, but most of what they can do for you, you can do for yourself really easily.

However

, having more room and priority for things is a really nice perk. Probably the thing I like the most is check in on the boat. There's no rush, you can do it before everyone else.
Most of all, there's a bathtub. That is worth it alone!

[Georji]

205 days!!! I don't have a category 3 but I'm still super excited!!!

[fltink]

I don't know about anyone else, but I'd sleep up in a deck chair...as long as I can cruise!

[fltink]

Happy 200 Days Until We Sail, Everyone!!!!

[hgon76]

Originally Posted by fltink

Happy 200 Days Until We Sail, Everyone!!!!

I just noticed that you are a fellow New Englander on the same cruise as us. We are from MA, about an hour southeast of boston. We are flying out of Logan the day before the cruise with another family. It'll be the 1st cruise for all of us. YIPPEE!!!

[fltink]

Originally Posted by hgon76

I just noticed that you are a fellow New Englander on the same cruise as us. We are from MA, about an hour southeast of boston. We are flying out of Logan the day before the cruise with another family. It'll be the 1st cruise for all of us. YIPPEE!!!

Where in Mass. are you originally from? I am from Watertown and my husband is from Quincy! We are flying down the day before as well, out of Logan. We're on Spirit Airlines. Congrats on the 1st cruise! If you have any questions, we're pretty much pros at this by now! Feel free to ask! Good to meet you too!

[Bytor01]

Wow I can't believe the countdown is at 200 days. Soon, it will be here. We better start thinking about and researching some excursions. When we went on the Western cruise we really liked the day at the beach in Cozumel. It was a lot of fun. If anyone has been on the Eastern cruise fill us in on some of the good excursions if you will.

Tim

[hgon76]

Originally Posted by fltink

Where in Mass. are you originally from? I am from Watertown and my husband is from Quincy! We are flying down the day before as well, out of Logan. We're on Spirit Airlines. Congrats on the 1st cruise! If you have any questions, we're pretty much pros at this by now! Feel free to ask! Good to meet you too!

We live in Acushnet. I am from here, my husband grew up in Assonet and then lived on Cape cod for a while. We are flying out on Delta. It's the only late flight we could find so that the kids can go to school that day. We're staying at the bestwestern cocoa beach the night b 4 cruise.

[fltink]

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy 4th! I know that when we were watching the fireworks, we kept thinking...in not too long we will be watching these from the deck of the Magic on Pirate Night! Yay!!!!!!!!!!