A little Texas Christmas Magic - 12/21/2012

[skypixy]

Our cabin will participate in the FE! And I am signing my parents up too, so they don't miss out on the fun. On our last cruise we had 65 cabins and it was a lot to plan for, our group is much more manageable.

Has anyone found out the "schedule" for our sailing? As in, cruise casual the first night, formal will probably be Christmas, which night will be pirate night?
I have already booked Palo, but I don't want to miss the pirate dinner/party with my kids, so I can re-book if necessary. Anyone got the scoop yet?

Hmorale & I were thinking about putting together an ornament exchange. We did this on our 2010 cruise and it was a lot of fun. You can bring an ornament representing your town/part of the country, Santa, Disney or whatever! We all chose numbers, picked a package & had a great time! Any takers?

 

[Zyla2000]

I really like the ornament exchange idea! I've already picked up some stuff for the FE exchange. This could get really expensive. How is it organized?

 

[cheesehead3]

Do you have any good tips on Key West for those of us just planning to walk around?

As most of my trip to Key West were "working ports" for the US Navy, I can tell you which bars offer discounts for Military, and can tell you that I didn't think that the price of admission to the shipwreck museum was worth it. Other than that the sunsets are awesome no matter where you see it from.

HTH

Charles

 

[skypixy]

I really like the ornament exchange idea! I've already picked up some stuff for the FE exchange. This could get really expensive. How is it organized?

Well, we have only done it once since we were not Disers the previous cruises. Basically, the person in charge of the FE list will close it to new "members" by a certain date so we can have a final # of cabins participating.
Then there will be a "master list" or spreadsheet of all participants & their stateroom #s. Most people put their FE's out the first afternoon, and during the cruise you go to the cabins & distribute your treats. Easy!
There are other cruiseboards that do FE's, so it is always good to bring your list for "our" group. It is great fun to return to find treats outside your cabin after your day at a port/pool/eating dinner...
It never has to be about the $$! Don't stress, it's all about fun.

The ornament exchange is just about fun too! No stress, choose one, get one!

 

[rsschneck]

I just booked our family for this cruise. We are sailing on the 12/29/12 cruise too so now we will be sailing B2B for Christmas and New Year's.

Hubby and I are celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary and I was lucky enough to get a Palo's Dinner reservation for our Anniversary night. Very excited!

We have sailed during Christmas a few years ago and loved all the holiday decorations. We are excited to be enjoying the entire holiday season on the Disney Magic.

There are three of us and would love to join another family for dining that might have a teenage daughter. My DD is 15 and will be a month away from 16 at the time of the cruise. DH and I are in our early 40's. PM me if you are interested in dining with my family. We are confirmed for late dining at this time and are wait listed for early dining.

Now we need to look at excursions and see what looks good!

 

[theeighthdwarf]

I just booked our family for this cruise. We are sailing on the 12/29/12 cruise too so now we will be sailing B2B for Christmas and New Year's.

Hubby and I are celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary and I was lucky enough to get a Palo's Dinner reservation for our Anniversary night.

Now we need to look at excursions and see what looks good!

How exciting to be able to do both cruises! I wanted to do the same, but the prices seem so high for the new years cruise and with six of us, I decided to wait.
That's great you got Palo for your anniversary! What a memorable vacation you will have.

Welcome aboard,

Lauri

 

[kimwhitt93]

I'm trying to figure out how I want to do our FE. This is our first time participating. When you have 2 staterooms do you recommend doing one or two FE's?

Only 59 more days!!

 

[kimwhitt93]

Hi Everyone! My family DH- DS(10) and DS(8) just booked the Cruise.
We are so excited! We are traveling with Skypixy and another family - petdoc (I'm sure she will be posting shortly)
This is our second Disney Cruise. Last Cruise was the 11nt Holiday Cruise 2010 and it was one of the best vacays EVER
I definetly want to get on the FE list - on the last cruise it was about 50 families maybe - that was a lot of work but tons of fun. Please let me know who I need to get intouch with to get the ball rolling.
If anyone has ideas about which airport, hotel, and transportation out of Galveston please share as I have never gone in and out of the port.

Thanks - Morale Family

What did you do for Christmas presents for the kids?

 

[skypixy]

OK, I am beyond frustrated. Our travel costs to Houston/Galveston are outrageous! I called the Castaway Club yesterday & was told by them that transfers were available from HOU to the port. This contradicted some info I had read on these boards. Sure enough, call my TA & she says DCL transfers possible from HOU. Purchase airline tickets last night.
As I was entering the flight info, SUPRISE! The DCL site will NOT accept HOU as a departure airport on Sat. 29th, only IAH!
AARRRGG! BTW, the price of airfare from Chicago to either HOU or IAH was about the same, but I chose HOU because it was closer to Galvaston & we could have the ease of DCL transfers.
Now I have to look at a rental car or shuttle service.
I am NOT having a magical day...

 

[theeighthdwarf]

We are renting a minivan from Galveston after the cruise - Enterprise is the only car rental agency with an office in Galveston. Price was about $100 to IAH, it might be cheaper to HOU ( it was much cheaper from HOU on the way to the port).

It was definitely easier to get to Port Canavral!

Good luck with your planning!

Lauri

 

[rsschneck]

We are flying in and out of Houston Hobby.

We are using DCL transfers because for the 3
of us it was a cheaper option.

No problems putting in our flight information.

Try again or call DCL and have them add the
information to your reservation.

Good luck!

 

[dfsc]

I'm trying to figure out how I want to do our FE. This is our first time participating. When you have 2 staterooms do you recommend doing one or two FE's?

Only 59 more days!!

Post in the thread or PM me and I will add your rooms to the list. View post #64-65. These posts may help you decided how you want to set-up your staterooms for the exchange.

I've always had a FE on each of my rooms, but my rooms have been seperate families.

dfsc

 

[dfsc]

I have added skypixie to the FE exchange - post 65.

I think the ornament exchange sounds like a fun idea. We exchange wrapped ornaments at my December Ladies Bunco group.

Ornaments are always unique so there is never a bad one in the bunch.

 

[skypixy]

Okay, it took ALL day & 3 seperate CMs working with my TA (one time I was conferenced in) to get our pre-cruise stay with transfers from HOB.
Apparently there is a "glitch" in the system with HOB. I have received an invoice for confirmation, but I hope they can send me something more concrete before we leave.
I wish everyone better luck with their arrangements, but if you hit a "glitch" just remember a supervisor can fix it! No stress, no stress at all...

 

[skypixy]

I have added skypixie to the FE exchange - post 65.

I think the ornament exchange sounds like a fun idea. We exchange wrapped ornaments at my December Ladies Bunco group.

Ornaments are always unique so there is never a bad one in the bunch.

So are you in? We can start a list! I agree with you, each ornament is as individual as the person that chooses it!

 

[skypixy]

What did you do for Christmas presents for the kids?

You mean for our own kids? We were on the same cruise as Hmorale.
Our dis group arranged a "Secret Santa" gift exchange, so the kids received gifts from children the same age. The parents pm'd eachother & brought special things that the kids liked.
Also, I purchased Mickey stockings & hung them up. Christmas Eve Santa left stocking stuffers (DS games, books, small legos, DCL vinylmation). Not a lot of gifts since they received FE gifts throughout the trip.
The kids wanted to know if there were more presents when we got home and I said "not from Santa, but from gma & gpa". They were fine with that.

 

[Hmorale]

What did you do for Christmas presents for the kids?

I brought way too many gifts last time..this year I am sticking to stocking stuffers only and maybe a shirt bought onboard. We have a mini tree lit with battery operated led lights along with other battery operated lights that I put up in the room with those 3M temporary hooks. I also brought a cheap Christmas bath mat, which was fun. And, of course, along with our FE, our door was filled with Christmas magnets. I think I even had a countdown magnet, or was it a dry erase board? I need to go searching in my storage boxes. I asked my husband to take the kids out of the cabin and had a duffel bag with the gifts and hid them under the bed. Christmas Eve I set an alarm by my bed to wake me around 3am and got the gifts out.

 

[Hmorale]

I have added skypixie to the FE exchange - post 65.

I think the ornament exchange sounds like a fun idea. We exchange wrapped ornaments at my December Ladies Bunco group.

Ornaments are always unique so there is never a bad one in the bunch.

Hi - please add Morale family DW (44) DH (44) DS (10) DS (8) to the FE exchange list. We are on Cabin 7016 - Thanks

 

[grlzmom]

We are joining this group and would love to participate in the FE exchange.

Me, dh, dd21, dd16, dd11, dd10 and ds10. No room numbers yet.

I was reading through thread and saw some are also on Halloween cruises? I'm taking a couple of my girls on the Halloween Magic cruise who are too busy to come with us on the Christmas one.

Looking forward to Christmas on the Magic!!!

 

[Hmorale]

We are joining this group and would love to participate in the FE exchange.

Me, dh, dd21, dd16, dd11, dd10 and ds10. No room numbers yet.

I was reading through thread and saw some are also on Halloween cruises? I'm taking a couple of my girls on the Halloween Magic cruise who are too busy to come with us on the Christmas one.

Looking forward to Christmas on the Magic!!!

Wow! Sounds like you have a big family! 38 cruises? I would love to hear what you have to say about Galvenston Port, or is it Port Galvenston. How many Christmas cruises have you been on? Your experience will be so helpful