2/02/2013 5 - Night Bahamian Cruise, Miami FL on Wonder

[kelemvor]

Anyone know if they do anything special for the Super Bowl? It's a day at sea and I'd sure hate if I couldn't watch it.

 

[Nannylisad]

New to Dis-- not sure I know what I'm doing. We are on the wonder 2/2, it's our first DCL.... We love WDW, DLR, DParis... This should be fun. We have cruised before but never with Mickey... What are some if the major difference ?
We are so excieted :0)

 

[Nannylisad]

I just read 4 pages of post. I'm in total panic !! We just booked 4 days ago. When do I check in. What is FE. I need help !!!! I'm an uber planner for WdW but this is all to much lol ...... Help me. What is the top 5 things I need to do. How do I bookmark this page on my iPhone ?

PS. We travel all the time but I'm felling out of sorts

 

[Realfoodie]

I just read 4 pages of post. I'm in total panic !! We just booked 4 days ago. When do I check in. What is FE. I need help !!!! I'm an uber planner for WdW but this is all to much lol ...... Help me. What is the top 5 things I need to do. How do I bookmark this page on my iPhone ?

PS. We travel all the time but I'm felling out of sorts

Don't panic! We just booked a few weeks ago so you are not alone! The good part about quick planning is that you don't have to wait for months in anticipation!!! We have never cruised DCL before and thankfully, there doesn't seem to be nearly as much to plan as at WDW (since I like to do a touring plan). Once you know when/how you are getting to the ship and where you are staying before and/or after, if you are, you get on and have fun! Or, at least that is what I am hoping.

FE is a Fish Extender. There is a fish hook outside the rooms (for the crew to leave you notes) and people on the Dis Boards sometimes make fish extenders (pockets that extend the fish hook!) to leave each other little notes and, if you want, little gifts. We have about 24 ppl (I think) in a FE Exchange. There is still time to get in if you want. You can look back thru this post and see who is in so far (for ages of kids). You pick what kind of fun little gift you would like to leave for each family/person and leave it sometime during the cruise . You can search the boards and/or google for some amazing ideas. I think we picked next Friday as the deadline to sign up so we all have enough time to get/make our gifts.

You can check in as soon as you have your cruise documents. We checked in today. When you check in you can pick your embarkation time so do it as soon as you can. We got noon (the first two times were full) when we checked in. After that you can book your on-ship things like adult dining and/or spa services and your shore excursions.

We are working on our FE gifts, decorations for our door, researching the shore excursions, figuring out costumes and clothes, and figuring what is fun to do in Miami for a couple days before the cruise.

OK, since this is the newbie talking...what else am I forgetting??

Relax...enjoy planning! And just think...in less than 3 weeks we will be basking in the sun (thank God, cuz it is only 30 something degrees right now...we need SUN!).

Colleen

 

[Nannylisad]

Ok well let's see
We land and will take a taxi to port
Our TA got us Palo for brunch on a sea day
But I'm with you I have no clue on what to do at Coz. Has anybody gone before.
I'm not sure I can get it together for FE lol but it sounds FUN
As for room I know we have a verandah.
I know our TA sent me a link to check stuff online / when do I check in. I was assuming I would get paperwork here in the next few days.
And again I'm a planner but this is so quick / and I guess I need to get on it.

BTW= it just DH and I we are 38/40 it's for our anniversary. We live in Missouri and its cold here as well... We love OU football
We have dd14, dd11, dd10 and ds9 ( we cruised as a family three weeks ago for Christmas :0)

 

[dzfitch]

I just read 4 pages of post. I'm in total panic !! We just booked 4 days ago. When do I check in. What is FE. I need help !!!! I'm an uber planner for WdW but this is all to much lol ...... Help me. What is the top 5 things I need to do. How do I bookmark this page on my iPhone ?

PS. We travel all the time but I'm felling out of sorts

Welcome to the group! My name is Molly and this will be my 3rd Disney cruise (my 5th cruise total) and as a veteran I can tell you that the number 1 most important thing to do for this trip is to take a deep breath - and relax! The best part about cruising is that there is time for everything and room for everyone so nobody has to miss anything they don't want to!

Colleen really covered all your questions pretty well - especially since she is also a fist time! WTG Colleen! I can give you a few more tips and pointers and details

First, we have also created a facebook group for this cruise, is you would like to join this is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/446943338706710/

We have also organized a little meet and greet for our group, which will take place at 3PM on the first day of the cruise in the Promenade Lounge (which is family friendly). This is a great opportunity to put some faces with some names and make some friends!

And here are my top 5 things to know about DCL/cruising (in no particluar order)

1. Pack smart! Cruise ship staterooms are small and there never seems to be enough room! Pick one pair of "dress" shoes that you can wear interchangeably to Palo (the adult only restaurant on the ship), formal night and even Pirate night! Many people bring those over-the-door shoe organizers to hang in their rooms for extra storage of small things (toiletries, etc). When you get to your room, stow your empty suitcases under the bed so they dont take up space!

2. Disney has one of the most relaxed policies of all the cruise lines regarding bringing your own booze onto the ship. You are allowed to bring as much alcohol that will fit into a standard carry-on bag onto the ship. This can save SO MUCH money, as drinks onboard start at about $5 each. There is also a soda station on the 9th floor, so if you bring your own alcohol, you can easily make your own cocktails for much less than what the ship will charge you. If you enjoy wine, then bring a corkscrew as Disney charges a corking fee (I think around $15).

3. When you are onboard the ship, there will be photographers everywhere - I recomend taking as many pictures as possible!!! They will display the pictures and it is your choice to buy them if you want. The pictures arent cheap (around $20 each?) but they are FUN to look at and the more you take, the more options you have to choose from! On our first cruise I think we only took 3 or 4 pictures (over 7 days, sheesh! Camera shy!) and we really regretted not taking more.

4. When you get on the boat, you have the option to check your bags with a steward or carry them on. I recommend checking the big bags but keeping anything with alcohol with you (you have to carry the alcohol onboard) and also packing a day pack for everyone. When you get on the boat it is likely that you room will not be ready yet (rooms are ready by 1:30PM) and the luggage probably wont have been delivered yet either. Put bathing suits and sunscreen in the day pack so that you can swim while you are waiting for the rooms to be ready! If you dont want to swim, then at least keep your camera/phone with you so you can take pictures

5. Take advantage of the movies on board the ship! Disney has a full-size theater and they show first-run movies in it (free, of course)! They sell candy and popcorn just outside of it, but I suggest bringing your own candy, as it will be MUCH cheaper!

6. Go see the stage shows! They are amazing!!!

7. If it is in the budget, then go to Palo Brunch! They are having brunch on our cruise, but they dont do it on all the cruises so take advantage while you can! The brunch is AMAZING and totally worth the cost! However, they enforce a STRICT dress code there - NO JEANS AND NO TENNIS SHOES. period. They sent us back to change - twice! Whoops....

8. The other dining rooms also have a dress code for dinner, but they are more lenient, so dont stress too much for them!

Ok ok ok, I know that is 8 things, but I couldnt help myself

Any more questions?!

 

[dzfitch]

Anyone know if they do anything special for the Super Bowl? It's a day at sea and I'd sure hate if I couldn't watch it.

We actually take a trip every year for Super Bowl (Vegas usually) and this year we planned this cruise around the big game! None of our teams are playing but we are thrilled anyway! I have read that they show the game in all the bars and lounges, as well as on the Jumbo Screen above the family pool and also you have the option to watch in your stateroom Should we maybe plan a Super Bowl party in Diversions?

 

[Nannylisad]

Molly and Colleen thanks so so much!!
Relaxing now :0)
I joined the FB group. This will be fun. Everybody can use more friends.

Anybody going with no kids as well ? We are going to miss ours ( ok maybe not but still he he )

 

[dzfitch]

Molly and Colleen thanks so so much!!
Relaxing now :0)
I joined the FB group. This will be fun. Everybody can use more friends.

Anybody going with no kids as well ? We are going to miss ours ( ok maybe not but still he he )

We wont be sailing with any kids either! (We don't have any - yet!) We are also sailing with another couple (David and Melody) who also dont have kids

 

[donaldseeyore]

Getting closer and closer!!!!! We plan on the gathering and starting to pack tonight LOL Have one idea for total stateroom FE waiting to see our ages of kids for individual. You would think being in the DC area I could come up with all kinds of stuff but I can't. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nannylisad]

Three weeks until we start the VACAY !!

 

[Nannylisad]

ok I got us all checked in . We have a boarding of 1:30 and found out what room we are in .
What is the pirate night ?

one more ? is there a shopping district right off the boat in Cozy . ?

 

[Nannylisad]

Wow it seems like this is a first DC for many of us,,,,, Good we will be happy to explore

 

[dzfitch]

ok I got us all checked in . We have a boarding of 1:30 and found out what room we are in .
What is the pirate night ?

one more ? is there a shopping district right off the boat in Cozy . ?

Great! How exciting!!! What floor are you on? We are on the 8th floor - we had a discount and decided to splurge and book a 1-bedroom suite, and we ended up getting assigned to one of the suites at the back of the ship with the HUGE verandah!! Yeah! We are so excited!

Ok, Pirate Night - well first, the characters come out for pictures and meet and greets, and they are all wearing pirate costumes! Dinner in each restaurant that night has a special pirate-themed menu. The official Pirate Party takes place at/near the family pool. They do a show and dance and then there are fireworks! I have heard that Disney is the only cruise line in the world that does their own fireworks, but I may be wrong. Anyway after the show is over, there is a special late night pirate themed buffet with turkey legs and everything, including an AMAZING dessert bar! Best desserts of the whole cruise, in my opinion! There are also cocktail servers serving pirate themed cocktail, for a cost of course But the cocktail glass is a light-up souvenir glass! Its very fun and a lot of people dress up!

 

[dzfitch]

Is anyone interested in doing a super bowl pool? We have organized it on past cruises and it was awesome - it is the kind where there are squares for scores at the end of each quarter and participants "buy" squares - very easy and no football knowledge needed! I know we will be doing it for sure with David and Melody, so there will at least be 4 people playing Anyone who wants to join is welcome!

 

[Nannylisad]

We are in with the football pool, what's the details :0).. We are in room 7634 I think, it's on a corner with a veranda. I'll double check. How do I check my dinner time.

You all have been so helpfull thank you.
3 weeks to go.

Where is the meet up at 3 right. :0)

 

[dzfitch]

We are in with the football pool, what's the details :0)..

The Super Bowl pool will be set up like this: there will be 100 squares on a 10x10 grid. Each box will be "sold" for $2. When all the boxes have been sold, We will flip a coin to designate which team is on the top of the grid and which team is on the left of the grid (for example, heads might be AFC and so if it lands on heads then the AFC will be on the top of the grid, which would put the NFC team on the left of the grid). Then we will draw numbers to label the top of the grid and then we will draw numbers again to label the left of the grid. This will be done AFTER everyone has chosen their boxes. This ensures that everyone will have a fair chance to win, even if they cant tell a touchdown from a home run OK so now to the important part - HOW DO WE WIN? The last digit from each teams score will designate the winning box! So for example, lets say the Saints played the Raiders in the Super Bowl, and the score was 14 - 7. The box in the "4" column under the saints and the "7" column under the raiders would be the winner.

The best part is that there will be 4 winners! The winners will be chosen from the scores at the end of the 1, 2, and 3 quarters and also for the final score. The payouts will be as follows:

1st quarter = $25
2nd quarter = $75
3rd quarter = $25
Final = $75

If this sounds complicated, dont worry! Just buy your box/es for $2 each and the winners will get paid!! Anyone can play and no knowledge of football is necessary, everyone has an equal chance to win!

We are in room 7634 I think, it's on a corner with a veranda.

Awesome! We love having a verandah!

How do I check my dinner time.

Go to the DCL website and in the "Planning Center" will be an option to click "My Reservation." Click that and put in your information. When your reservation is on the screen, click on the "Reservation Summary." Your dining time will be listed next to "Dining Preference."

I have read that many couples without children like to have the late dining because there are fewer children, but we have always had the main dining time and have never experienced a problem with other children. In fact, we have only been seated with other couples. Disney is REALLY good at seating people (at least in our experience). On our honeymoon in October, we were seated with another couple (a couple years younger) that was getting married the day after the cruise, and a third couple who ended up getting engaged while we were on the ship! We loved our group and it was awesome that we were all in the different stages of the wedding process

Where is the meet up at 3 right. :0)

We will meet in the Promenade Lounge at 3pm on embarkation day. It is located on Deck 3 Aft Which is literally almost exactly 3 weeks away from now (3 weeks, 1 hour and 46 minutes ) YAYAYAY!!

 

[Nannylisad]

DH wants to know how many peeps are in the pool. Should I just bring our $ to the give our $ to you at the meet up :0)

 

[Nannylisad]

Ok Sooo the door decorations ? How can one get cute magnets. Is this a few and far between activity or is it -- must do lol..

 

[dzfitch]

DH wants to know how many peeps are in the pool. Should I just bring our $ to the give our $ to you at the meet up :0)

so far there are 6 people in the pool, but we always pick people up when we get there and people can buy more than one box And ye, bring $ to meet up, that will be perfect!