8/17/2008 Double Dip 4-day Wonder

[disneymama]

Hi all,

I haven't visited this board in so long.... now I'm getting excited again. I saw the list of everyone going on pg 27 - WOW!! 141! It should be a great cruise!

I'm glad to see there are going to be some other kids my daughter's age. She's looking forward to lots of fun in the kids club.

Karen

Karen(45), Pete (44), Rebecca (7), Heinz (FIL, will turn 87 on the cruise) - late seating

 

[Coach Rick]

Just thought I would update, and move this list up...

addicted_to-WDW -- Jennifer, Peter, Storm (he's a boy - 14),Jennifer's Dad Craig, Stepmother Sarah, and Stepsister Hannah (14)- Early
Augiedaugie -- Me (Dawn), DH(Carr), DD7(Gabrielle) my best friend (Joyce), Dsis (Bette) and her twinDDs4(Alyssa & Brooke)
cepmom -- DH and I and our three kids, ages 8,11 and 18
CoachRick -- Rick (50), Rose (50), Amy (24), RJ (18), Brittney (14), Rick Sr. (my dad) (73), Marie (my mom) (69), Elaine (Sis) (43), Mike (BIL) (44), Anthony (Nephew) (9), Nick (Nephew) (9), Tom (BIL) (56), Lee (SIL) (??), Ilene (niece) (12) Late seating, Rhode Island
cortegro-- Dan, Colleen, Steven(16), Bryan(15), Craig(13)-Late-CT
Cyndisun--Cyndi & DH Scott (both celebrating our 40th bdays ) and DS Ben (11)--late seating, CA
Delauzons --Stephanie(42), Chris(42), Allison(Alli) (13), Amanda(almost 10),Alyvia(4),Anna and Jim, Laura(42) her DH (45), Andrew(12),Matt(9), Cydney(4) -Early
disneymama -- me (40ish?), DH (44), DD(7) and FIL(87)
Disneypartyof4 -- Lisa : Kenny Zachary 11 Joshua 8 (Pa)
Disnutz -- Darnelle (40) Mike (43) Patrick (9) Rachel (14)
Dizzyworld--Shirley, Ron, Alex/Ace (14), Allison (13) -MD- Early
Dulce-- (36), dh (36) dd (15) her friend (15) ds (13), also my sister-in-law, her husband and 2 daughters (8 & 6), my parents, and my grandfather (89)
guzwoman -- and my DD (will be 7yrs)
Kewlteacher -- Me (41) DH (43) DD (11) DD (6)From NJ!
LoveMyLap-band -- (40) DM67, DS10, DS7 and DD6
Lynda Silk--(50) DD (14) and my DS (16)
ginamaddog -- me(42)....ds(5)....dd(19) and her boyfriend (19)
MarkLyndaJakeChloe -- myself (39) dh (38) ds (13) and dd (10) we are on the late seating
Mickey'sfriend -- me, kids will be 15, 12, and 9
nittany89 -- me, dh, dd (17), ds(12)
nluvwithmickey -- me, 2 DD's 12 and 16, and DH
Rasberrybubbles -- Sara-Jayne and H2B is Gavin...Proud Newlyweds on this very special Cruise!!!
RedFamilyLuvDisney -- DH, DS12, DS10 and meeeeeee
rileysmommy -- me (34), dh (36), dd (6) and ds (2)
Shelebeen -- my husband and I, daughter(8), son(5)
Stewy -- me (Cheryl), DH, DS (10) and lovely little DS (terrific uh, no, terrible 3) Late Seating (Md.)
tinkfairy --Group of 13, ages 5-61..
Ski-and-Sea -- Roger, KC, Robbie (13) and Kristine (12) Late seating, NJ
Virginiamama -- DH, Me, DS(8) and DS(4)
Willem -- Steven (28) and Willem (27) - Late seating - Belgium
Wisconsinmom -- me (31), DH(33), DS(6), DD(3)

Total to date 151!! (otherwise known as 6% of the total ship capacity!)

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Wow - what a list of cruisers!!!!!!

Okay - we are going to have to make up name tags for people for the DIS meet.

(yikes, I've got to get working on my door signs)

 

[disneymama]

Door signs??? I don't remember about these????

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Door signs??? I don't remember about these????

Its an optional thing. People create pictures and print them out on 8 1/2 x 11 inch magnetic paper and hang them on the outside of your stateroom door.

Its just a fun way of personalizing your door to distinguish it from all the other staterooms.

Some people create pictures of the Disney characters, other use a pirate theme, I had a skiing one once. Last cruise I copied a great photo of the New York Mets baseball team and made that into a door sign. I even had a Harry Potter door sign because the last book had just been published before the cruise.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Coach Rick, congratulations re the mini corps competition! I am looking forward to looking at your video but I have to wait until my DD is back home (she's with her dad this weekend) because my computer doesn't have any sound.

Such a nice story re DCL accommodating your dad! And part time travel agent? Where do you find the time to do everything? Family, mini corps, hockey, teacher, t shirt maker, DIS passenger list compiler and now part time travel agent....you are incredible!

Sea-and-Ski, sorry to hear that your ankle is giving you trouble. But I think you'll have enough time to recover from the surgery to be dancing away on Deck 9!

Willem, I booked my trip to France and DLP! I'm staying at the Kyriad at Disney (thanks to your recommendation) and I've squeezed in another day to spend at DLP. I'm coming in on Oct 14 and then I have to fly home Oct 17. Not a lot of time but at least I'll be able to get more familiar with the park. And then I can bring my kids another time and we can spend a lot more time there together. I'm so excited!

Disnutz, my DD will be 14 and I'll ask her about emailing your DD. My DD is kind of shy re emailing but I'll see if I can change her mind.

It's a beautiful day here; 23 degrees C (I think that's 73 degrees F) and so sunny!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

[disnutz]

That would be great if she would! My DD is very, very shy in person and that's why she would like to make friends beforehand.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Both my kids are very, very shy too so I totally understand!

 

[Willem]

Wow that list is long!
Lynda, great you're coming to see "our" Disneyland. You made a good choice for the hotel. We've stayed there quite a lot. I guess you're arriving at Disney by TGV? The bus stop for the free shuttle to the hotels is right outside the train station so very convienent.
I see you're coming on weekdays. You won't regret that, parks will be almost empty so two days should be enough to see and do everything. Don't hestitate if you've any questions.
Saw some videos of the Toy Story musical this week. It looks great!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Hi everyone,

DS (13) is extremely outgoing but has zero interest in girls (for now). But he does enjoy video games and online games and has no problems playing those with girls.

Had a great weekend with my Girl Scout troop. We stayed at a dude ranch in New York state. I had 25 people in my group. It was absolutely fantastic.

Weather was outstanding.

DD rode four hours on Saturday and three hours on Sunday. She rode in the advance class. I rode two hours on Saturday and one on Sunday. My sprained ankle hurt too much to do more. I rode in the beginner class.

My moms had a great time. The resort booked us all in connecting rooms so the girls could stay together while us moms were in the connecting rooms.

We moms were pretty sore by Saturday night. Sore bums. We weren't sure we would be able to ride on Sunday. One mom said she'd play it by ear. I said I'd play it by "rear".

The food was great. Very much like DCL - you showed up at the dining room at the assigned time. That was heavenly.

Lots of lifetime memories.

We're already planning our next "big" trip. The girls want to do a cruise but can only go in the middle of June and that is just too expensive a time of year for our budget. So I placed a call to the Smugglers Notch resort and am awaiting a price quote. June is a "cheap" month for them.

We've got little league in full swing (no pun intended). DS is playing in the 13-15 age group which means high school rules. 90 feet to the bases and 60 feet to pitch. That's a huge adjustment.

And a more restrictive bat rule so we had to go out and buy a new bat. Yikes - the bats that are legally allowed are waaaaaaay expensive. Gosh I hope he doesn't grow too much and can use the bat next year.

 

[guzwoman]

Hi all...

I am hoping you can help me out. As some of you know, I am a law student getting ready to graduate and take the bar and a single mom. The studying for the bar is going to take me away from home for hours and hours on end. I am trying to figure out what I can do to help DD get through my absence. I will see her mornings and that is about it. After I am done studying, we will go to WDW and our cruise. So anythoughts on how to help her cope without me. I know time will fly, but I need/want her to be stable and happy without me.

Any help would be great.

thanks so much,

mg

 

[Lynda Silk]

So glad to hear that you had such a wonderful time on the weekend, Sea-and-Ski! My DD loves horseback riding and has been taking lessons for about 5 years now. She's training a horse called Bold Riot to compete in 2 shows in the summer (no more than 2 because they're so expensive to enter!). She'll have to have a good chat with your DD about the horses at the dude ranch. My DD has had 2 vacations at a dude ranch in British Columbia with her dad. I've only ridden a horse 2 or 3 times so I was glad he took her on a 'horsey' vacation and then I can take the kids to Disney! We went horseback riding when we were on the last Disney Cruise in St. Maarten; it was so nice riding on the beach and with the mountains in the background.

Disnutz, my DD said that she would be very happy to email your DD! I'll send you a PM later today with her email info.

Willem, saw some of the videos on YouTube re DLP; they were great! Thanks for letting me know about that; it makes DLP seem more real to me. I still can't believe I'm going to be there in the fall!

Guzwoman, I'm trying to think of things to help your DD. Is it possible to have her spend some time at her friends' homes or to get her into activities like overnight camps in the summer that appeal to her special interests (e.g. my DD would love to go to an overnight horseback riding camp) and where she will feel comfortable? Maybe she can go with some friends? It's tough because I know it's important that you're able to study, but you don't want her to feel like she's being pushed out of the way. I'll keep working on it and will let you know if I come up with anything.

 

[Coach Rick]

Hi all...

I am hoping you can help me out. As some of you know, I am a law student getting ready to graduate and take the bar and a single mom. The studying for the bar is going to take me away from home for hours and hours on end. I am trying to figure out what I can do to help DD get through my absence. I will see her mornings and that is about it. After I am done studying, we will go to WDW and our cruise. So anythoughts on how to help her cope without me. I know time will fly, but I need/want her to be stable and happy without me.
mg

Kids are funny people, they understand WAY more than we adults think they do. She has got to know what this "test" means to both of you. Not knowing you or your daughter, except from what I have gathered right here, it would seem to me that you have nothing to worry about. If you sit down with her, and talk about the upcoming events you will have to endure, I am certain she will not only understand but support you. Worthwhile life is not without sacrifices, and it generally includes sacrifices of all those around you. Ultimately you are making and have always made THE biggest sacrifices to put you in the position you are presently in, a life altering one for certain. We all go through it, trust me. It is more likely your guilt that is haunting you for not being able to be there for a few months. So to answer your question, love her very much when you do get to spend those precious moments with her. Let her know how much you love her, and how much it does pain you to not be able to spend more time with her right now. Assure her of how much more time you will be able to spend with her in the future, and how much those 4 nights on the ship with her will mean to you. Speak from your heart that is aching because of the impending lack of time coming up. If you do those things, I am certain she will get it. Most of all don't loose focus on your ultimate goal, and don't feel guilty. Remember you are doing this for both of you, and she IS going to be getting a lesson from all of this. Perseverance, over coming adversity, and sheer will power pays off...Go for it!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

MG......here's my suggestions.....have DD start a Disney journal and every day she write/draw pictures of what she hopes to do at WDW/DCL. She can also draw pictures to hang up on your stateroom door (just attach with magnets)

Have her draw pictures of all the Disney characters doing things on the cruise like playing in the water on the beach, building sandcastles, snorkeling with the fish. At Castaway Cay they have the same fish as Dori so she can draw pictures of Dori.

She can also draw pictures of pirates since she'll be seeing the Flying Dutchman on CC and dancing during the pirate night party.

She can draw pictures of all the rides she wants to do at WDW.

And she can draw her own countdown calendar and each day note how many days are left until the Disney trip.

So everyday she can focus on all the fun you two will be having together once you finish with school/exams.

 

[Coach Rick]

YoWzA..have you seen the airfares lately?? Am I glad I booked when they first came out...only sad part is, I had originally planned on coming home Sunday the 24th, but when the airfares came out, I booked return on the 22nd, since that was the close of Southwests schedule. I went to change the return date when it opened to October, and it would cost me $350 more for the simple change of one flight for 3 tickets. So, forget it, we will just come home on the 22nd, happy in knowing I got 3 r/t tickets for $198 and using 2 rapid rewards vouchers for two feebies. Mind you, I paid $198 for r/t, the one return flight would have cost $176...yep 1 way! Just two years ago we were getting Ding fares for $45 each way! I am afraid those days are gone forever!

In the past we would just jump on a plane and head out, now it will definitely take early planning, and most likely longer stays (like 12 nights) for single trips instead of a couple of short stays (2 six nighters). Geesh, all these DVC points, and transportation is going to be the issue...guess Disney should look into running it's own airline..hmm...Wouldy you fly "Goofy Airlines"?

 

[Lynda Silk]

The airfares were the reason why we decided to lengthen our Disney vacation. We're staying at WDW until the 25th because it cost so much to get down to Florida that I figured we might as well stay down for a few days. We have a 10 day non-expiry pass so it's just the hotel cost to consider so it was kind of a no-brainer. We could have flown out of Buffalo and saved a lot of money on the taxes (our taxes here are a killer; I had to pay $379 in taxes alone for my round trip flights to France!). But I'm not familiar with Buffalo and I'd heard of long lineups at the border because our dollar is almost at par with the US$ (although not as good as it was a few months ago!) so I really preferred to fly out of Toronto. Thank goodness, the kids' dad picked up the tab for the airfares, which was really good of him.

But I like the idea of Goofy Airlines! Just make sure they come to Canada too because there's a lot of Disney fans up here!

 

[Coach Rick]

The airfares were the reason why we decided to lengthen our Disney vacation. We're staying at WDW until the 25th because it cost so much to get down to Florida that I figured we might as well stay down for a few days. We have a 10 day non-expiry pass so it's just the hotel cost to consider so it was kind of a no-brainer. We could have flown out of Buffalo and saved a lot of money on the taxes (our taxes here are a killer; I had to pay $379 in taxes alone for my round trip flights to France!). But I'm not familiar with Buffalo and I'd heard of long lineups at the border because our dollar is almost at par with the US$ (although not as good as it was a few months ago!) so I really preferred to fly out of Toronto. Thank goodness, the kids' dad picked up the tab for the airfares, which was really good of him.

WOW, and I am complaining....$379 in taxes... I can vouch for the traffic at Niagra Falls! Last Labor Day weekend, and the lines of cars trying to cross both ways were ridiculous.

I hear you on the longer stays, and for me it's even less expensive since we have AP's, and DVC, but I just can't justify dumping another $350 for airfare I already had booked. Plus I am going to Rochester the very next weekend for a drum corps competition, and we are flying again.

But I like the idea of Goofy Airlines! Just make sure they come to Canada too because there's a lot of Disney fans up here!

I heard there are allot of Goofy people...err...Disney fans up there.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Yes, $350 would be enough to deter me from rebooking too. We really are hostages to these airline prices!

Re the Goofy people, some people refer to them as Leaf fans but as I am one of them, I can't say that it's a bad thing!!!! LOL!

 

[Coach Rick]

Yes, $350 would be enough to deter me from rebooking too. We really are hostages to these airline prices!

Re the Goofy people, some people refer to them as Leaf fans but as I am one of them, I can't say that it's a bad thing!!!! LOL!

Yes we sure are, but we know it all starts with that four letter word that starts with F......Fuel

Leaf fans are not a bad thing, not like those nasty Habs fans that torch cars because their "division" leading team beats the 8th place team in a quarter final game! I mean if they would have lost to MY Bruins, then I could see them torching cars, and maybe burning down the arena...but geesh... Don't mean to generalize, but those people need a reality adjustment!

 

[Lynda Silk]

I"m with you re the F word! Our gas prices were around 99 cents a litre about a month and a half ago, and now they're up around $1.20!

The Habs fans are very passionate about their hockey. Leaf fans are known for their loyalty to their team even though we haven't won the Stanley Cup in 41 years. The Montreal fans are known for their extreme emotional reaction to anything affecting their hockey team. Having said that, yes, it really did get out of hand. I'm sure Montreal will have lots and lots of policemenm out at the end of the next series! And too bad about your Bruins! I'm kind of routing for Pittsburgh at this point; young team with a lot of talent.