**April 6, 2013** - Fantasy Eastern Caribbean to San Juan!

[Docklobster]

Is there a last minute second FE group? We couldn't commit to the big group but would be interested in joining a few families. DD 7 and celebrating DD turning 5. Can't wait for the trip.

 

[Mommynurseof2]

I accomplished a huge task today by going through the kid's closets and having them try on clothes. Now is the fun part...packing!!!

On a separate note, we had Mickey Mouse call the other night as scheduled. When the call first comes in, you have to press 1 when you are ready for your "message." I am super bummed to say that it didn't work. I continued to press 1 as it prompted to. The call was then disconnected. The automated call even called back again and it still didn't work. I'm going to set up another call with the hopes that it'll work this time.

Have a great week everyone!

 

[KrisannB]

We have just booked this cruise and there will be 8 of us in our group! My daughter is in tears right now though about the cruise because she is a senior in high school and we did not know they changed the rules and once you are 18, even if you are in high school, you cannot be in Vibe (she just turned 18 2 weeks ago). I am hoping there will be some other 18 year olds in the same boat that she can find to be friends with otherwise she will have to hang with us all week.

Here who is coming:
Me(Krisann) 12th cruise
Ashlyn (DD18) 12th Cruise
Aaron (DS15) 12th Cruise
Ashley (DH) 10th Cruise

Jeanette (MIL) 4th Cruise

Susan (friend of family) 1st cruise
Adam (7)
Jenna (9)

We are looking at a relaxing time and time to disconnect with things before we open a retail shop where we live the week after the cruise!

 

[MissLiz]

MissLiz - DH, DD10, DD3 - Marietta, GA
mjruane - DH, DS13, DS10 - Marietta, GA
mummy lee - DS15, DD12 - England
Katie81 - DH, DD6, DS2(3), parents - Orlando area
hoppin62 - DW, DD13(14), DD9, DD9 - Los Angeles, CA
smootenloopers - Maryland
jmb910 - DH, DD5, DD2.5 - Littleton, CO
HillBre11 - DH, DD5.5, DD2.5 - Oregon
ALBA - DH, DD6, DS3 - Hampshire, UK
lafa - DH, DS9, DD7, inlaws - Rochester, NY
PirateJ - DW, DD9, DD6 - New Jersey
emmamc252 - DH, DD21months - Southport, England
disdell555
disneywwrjb - DW, DS17, DS12, DD9 - Aiken, SC
SandraLee - DH?, DS17, DD14
tink19782009 -- DH, DD3 - UK
TeeVeeTD -- DD15 - Orange, CA
SurfBug79 -- DH, DS7, DS2 - Oregon
WildernessWendy -- DH, DD8, DS6 - Marietta, GA
aamsmom -- DD15 - Marietta, GA
SusieQ -- DD15 - Marietta, GA
Mommynurseof2 -- DH, DS6, DD4 - Canton, GA
Myfriendminnie -- DH - Michigan
HappyPeach -- DH, DS7 - Atlanta
HappyPeach's inlaws
KEichman -- DH, DD11
JulieA -- DH, DD10, DD8 - Dacula, GA
OrcaPorkka -- DH, DD8, DD5 - Seattle area
bdogan -- DH, DS7, DD7 - Toronto, ON
MissLiz FIL - Michigan
Moose Mom -- DH, DD7, DS4
pupong -- DH, DD16, DD11 + extended family- Berlin, CT
ColoradoMomof5 -- DH, DS10, DS8, DS7, DS7, DD1 - Grand County, CO
Wdw in 30 - Central Florida
lv2gowu -- DH
gillylax
Justacruiser
jakey vaj -- DW, DS23mos - Minnesota
Docklobster -- DD7, DD5
KrisannB -- DH, DD18, DS15 - Tennessee
Jeanette
Susan -- DD9, DS7


************************************************** ****
MEET AND GREET INFO
************************************************** ****
Thanks to Lisa for organizing!!

Saturday, April 6th Embarkation Day!!!!!
We will meet at 3pm at Currents bar on deck 13!
This is normally adults only, but on embarkation day, it is open to everyone!

Don't forget to wear your lime green leis!!

Hope to see everyone there!
************************************************** ****

 

[MissLiz]

Welcome to all those who have joined our party! I think I got everyone added to the roll call. Please let me know if I made any mistakes. I do that sometimes.

The suitcases are officially in the house. LOL! I haven't officially started putting things in them yet, but I do have some piles of stuff on top of them.

For those of you who are last minute planners, I don't think I should tell you that we are already planning our 2014 vacations right now. We are not happy if we don't have at least one vacation in the planning stages.

 

[hoppin62]

Is there a last minute second FE group? We couldn't commit to the big group but would be interested in joining a few families. DD 7 and celebrating DD turning 5. Can't wait for the trip.

Welcome!

I accomplished a huge task today by going through the kid's closets and having them try on clothes. Now is the fun part...packing!!!

On a separate note, we had Mickey Mouse call the other night as scheduled. When the call first comes in, you have to press 1 when you are ready for your "message." I am super bummed to say that it didn't work. I continued to press 1 as it prompted to. The call was then disconnected. The automated call even called back again and it still didn't work. I'm going to set up another call with the hopes that it'll work this time.

Have a great week everyone!

The call didn't work for us the first time either, but it did work the second time!

We have just booked this cruise and there will be 8 of us in our group! My daughter is in tears right now though about the cruise because she is a senior in high school and we did not know they changed the rules and once you are 18, even if you are in high school, you cannot be in Vibe (she just turned 18 2 weeks ago). I am hoping there will be some other 18 year olds in the same boat that she can find to be friends with otherwise she will have to hang with us all week.

Here who is coming:
Me(Krisann) 12th cruise
Ashlyn (DD18) 12th Cruise
Aaron (DS15) 12th Cruise
Ashley (DH) 10th Cruise

Jeanette (MIL) 4th Cruise

Susan (friend of family) 1st cruise
Adam (7)
Jenna (9)

We are looking at a relaxing time and time to disconnect with things before we open a retail shop where we live the week after the cruise!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to all those who have joined our party! I think I got everyone added to the roll call. Please let me know if I made any mistakes. I do that sometimes.

The suitcases are officially in the house. LOL! I haven't officially started putting things in them yet, but I do have some piles of stuff on top of them.

For those of you who are last minute planners, I don't think I should tell you that we are already planning our 2014 vacations right now. We are not happy if we don't have at least one vacation in the planning stages.

 

[PirateJ]

Today is the first time I've been on here in awhile. Looks like a great group of people. Can't wait!

PirateJ, DW, DD(9), DD(6) with friends: DH, DW, DD(9), DD(5)

 

[jakey vaj]

Anybody been to the ports of call before? Being we are late to the party the excursions we want are full. And we understand often it maybe cheaper to do it on our own anyways.


In St. John's we want to go to Magen's bay. The excursion is booked. But I'm sure we can take a taxi there on our own? Sounds like there is plenty of food options there to spend the day there.

San Juan, wed like to do the old city tour. Is it right off the port dock and we can walk around ourselves or is it spread out in area?

 

[PirateJ]

Anybody been to the ports of call before? Being we are late to the party the excursions we want are full. And we understand often it maybe cheaper to do it on our own anyways.


In St. John's we want to go to Magen's bay. The excursion is booked. But I'm sure we can take a taxi there on our own? Sounds like there is plenty of food options there to spend the day there.

San Juan, wed like to do the old city tour. Is it right off the port dock and we can walk around ourselves or is it spread out in area?

In San Juan, you are correct, the ship docks right in Old Town. It's easy to walk around and see the the entire old town on your own. Lot's of food and shopping options too. We did not book an excursion that day either. If you do an online search for "San Juan old town walking tour" you will get a few self-guided tour options. El Morro being a highlight.

I've been to St. Thomas many times but only twice on DCL. We are going to Magen's Bay on the excursion. I do not know how far or how much it may cost outside the excursion, but I would assume transport to/from would not be a problem.

 

[OrcaPorkka]

Hi there!

I am just curious which of you guys are signed up for late dining. I am good with it, coming as we are from the West Coast, and my kids are good sports about staying up late.

Also, I was wondering from those of you who have cruised before with your families, have you usually had just your family at the table, or have you been paired with a similar family? We will be fine either way, but just curious what your experiences have been. I have only cruised two other times - once with my extended family (11 people at one table) and once with a friend (two adults and our two girls).

Getting excited, and now a little anxious! Need to start packing (and printing my magnets!)

 

[disneywwjrb]

We have never cruised before. All of the documents state that we can have copies of our birth certificates and not the originals. Is this correct? Also, do they really check to see if all meds are in the original containers. I'll need an extra suitcase for that!! Getting excited and making lists like crazy - I don't want to forget anything!!

 

[jakey vaj]

I believe it has to be original or certified copies. Can't be a photocopy.

 

[jakey vaj]

We have late dining again. Last time, which was our first cruise, we were paired with a similar family with a similar aged toddler. Being its later time, not all the tables are filled, or full to capacity.

 

[hoppin62]

Today is the first time I've been on here in awhile. Looks like a great group of people. Can't wait!

PirateJ, DW, DD(9), DD(6) with friends: DH, DW, DD(9), DD(5)

Welcome aboard!

Hi there!

I am just curious which of you guys are signed up for late dining. I am good with it, coming as we are from the West Coast, and my kids are good sports about staying up late.

Also, I was wondering from those of you who have cruised before with your families, have you usually had just your family at the table, or have you been paired with a similar family? We will be fine either way, but just curious what your experiences have been. I have only cruised two other times - once with my extended family (11 people at one table) and once with a friend (two adults and our two girls).

Getting excited, and now a little anxious! Need to start packing (and printing my magnets!)

We have late dining also. We choose the second seating because we didn't want to feel rushed. It worked out well on our previous cruises.
On our first cruise, we were paired with a single mom and her 2 year old son. They were only there for the first dinner and never came back again?
On our second cruise, we were paired with a family of 5. They wanted a table of there own and complained. They got moved to a table on the first night... again we had a table to ourselves the whole cruise!

Wait!..... maybe nobody likes us?

We have never cruised before. All of the documents state that we can have copies of our birth certificates and not the originals. Is this correct? Also, do they really check to see if all meds are in the original containers. I'll need an extra suitcase for that!! Getting excited and making lists like crazy - I don't want to forget anything!!

I don't know about the medications, but like jakey vaj said... original or certified copies of birth certificates or passports.

 

[Mommynurseof2]

We have never cruised before. All of the documents state that we can have copies of our birth certificates and not the originals. Is this correct? Also, do they really check to see if all meds are in the original containers. I'll need an extra suitcase for that!! Getting excited and making lists like crazy - I don't want to forget anything!![/

I have never cruised DCL before but, I have been on many other cruises on different cruise lines. My medications are always in a daily "pill box". I keep it in my carry-on bag just in case my checked luggage gets lost. No one has ever questioned me or looked at it.

 

[MissLiz]

Checking in!

I'm going to wait a day or so to update the roll call again...I don't want to fill up the whole thread with updates.


While this is our first DCL cruise, we've been on many other cruises. The only time I've shared a table was my very first cruise and that was mostly because I didn't know that you could make requests. We always request a table by ourselves. There's really one reason: I am incredibly shy when it comes to meeting new people and I can have a hard time with small talk. I WANT to talk, I just freeze up sometimes, so we request a table for ourselves to save the awkwardness. We've always gotten our request, but now I've probably jinxed that.

We have early seating. We had late seating until after my DD's first cruise. I felt so bad because she was falling asleep at the table most nights, so we have moved to early dining. We usually eat between 5:30 and 6pm every day anyway, so it keeps us on a fairly normal schedule.

I'm going to try to finish shopping for the trip this weekend. I don't think I have much left to buy, but who knows? I have a shopping problem sometimes.

 

[jmb910]

We leave 2 weeks from today and I can't wait. We just moved into a new house last weekend, so I have the dreaded task of unpacking, but also still needing to pack for the trip .

Luckily I kept all of my FE items in one place, so they are all ready to go. It's almost here!

 

[aamsmom]

Hi Everyone!! It's been a while and our group has grown!! We are so excited to meet everyone and hope that you'll come to our DISMeet at Currents on Deck 13 @ 3:00pm. Be sure to wear your lime green leis and come and say hello!!

I know we are all busy getting ready!! After this return to cold weather, we are looking forward to the Caribbean where winter can't get to us!!

As soon as Liz posts one more Roll Call ... I'll add new names to our Green Mickey Ears and post for you to print and use as a magnet, if you'd like, for your stateroom door, or just to have as a souvenir!

See 'ya real soon!
~Lisa and Mallory

Hi there!

I am just curious which of you guys are signed up for late dining. I am good with it, coming as we are from the West Coast, and my kids are good sports about staying up late.

Also, I was wondering from those of you who have cruised before with your families, have you usually had just your family at the table, or have you been paired with a similar family? We will be fine either way, but just curious what your experiences have been. I have only cruised two other times - once with my extended family (11 people at one table) and once with a friend (two adults and our two girls).

Getting excited, and now a little anxious! Need to start packing (and printing my magnets!)

Our family of five (three teens) were seated with a mom and her 30+ year old son on our first cruise ... they were very nice, and we enjoyed getting to know them, but I noticed my kids were very quiet and didn't participate much in the conversation. Since dinner was about the only time we saw them ... I decided to request our own table for our second cruise. It was FABULOUS! We were in the Med, so no cell phones, even for our week in Barcelona prior to sailing! I LOVED the family time together and the conversation!! Two years later, I still think of it as favorite family vacation! This cruise is with our friends, but we also requested to be seated alone for the same reasons!

Anybody been to the ports of call before? Being we are late to the party the excursions we want are full. And we understand often it maybe cheaper to do it on our own anyways.


In St. John's we want to go to Magen's bay. The excursion is booked. But I'm sure we can take a taxi there on our own? Sounds like there is plenty of food options there to spend the day there.

San Juan, wed like to do the old city tour. Is it right off the port dock and we can walk around ourselves or is it spread out in area?

As others have already mentioned, San Juan is easy to do on your own ... we did not book any excursion there. St. Thomas, if you've seen a Disney excursion you think you might like ... check within the 3 days prior to sailing to see if any spots have opened up in some of the ones you'd consider. DCL will charge your CC three days prior, so folks who may have double booked until they could make a definite decision, will drop spa appointments, dinner reservations, and port adventures. You may not be able to book online, but a call to DCL would work. As soon as we boarded in the Med ... we went straight to the Port Adventures desk, and found three different port adventures that were previously booked full! Adding a family of five could have been difficult, but we were able to get every excursion we wanted!! Good luck!

We have just booked this cruise and there will be 8 of us in our group! My daughter is in tears right now though about the cruise because she is a senior in high school and we did not know they changed the rules and once you are 18, even if you are in high school, you cannot be in Vibe (she just turned 18 2 weeks ago). I am hoping there will be some other 18 year olds in the same boat that she can find to be friends with otherwise she will have to hang with us all week.

Here who is coming:
Me(Krisann) 12th cruise
Ashlyn (DD18) 12th Cruise
Aaron (DS15) 12th Cruise
Ashley (DH) 10th Cruise

Jeanette (MIL) 4th Cruise

Susan (friend of family) 1st cruise
Adam (7)
Jenna (9)

We are looking at a relaxing time and time to disconnect with things before we open a retail shop where we live the week after the cruise!

I would go visit Vibe during open house on embarkation day and talk to them ... I find they are quite reasonable about most issues, such as those ages that are right in between the stated groups. It says no one under 18 is allowed in the gym ... but we discovered as long as one of us was with our 17 year old son, they allowed him to come in. Also (in the Med, where the drinking age is 18) our then 19 year old was allowed to have an alcoholic drink ... as long as we bought it for him. Tell her not to lose heart and definitely go ask!! They also have a few gatherings for the 18-21 year olds ... Called Club 18*21. I saw a Navigator from a recent 7 day cruise and they scheduled a lunch, a Giant Jenga game in the afternoon, and a mixer at 10pm all on the first sea day. Our oldest was 19 on our last cruise ... he found 'his people'!!

 

[MissLiz]

MissLiz - DH, DD10, DD3 - Marietta, GA
mjruane - DH, DS13, DS10 - Marietta, GA
mummy lee - DS15, DD12 - England
Katie81 - DH, DD6, DS2(3), parents - Orlando area
hoppin62 - DW, DD13(14), DD9, DD9 - Los Angeles, CA
smootenloopers - Maryland
jmb910 - DH, DD5, DD2.5 - Littleton, CO
HillBre11 - DH, DD5.5, DD2.5 - Oregon
ALBA - DH, DD6, DS3 - Hampshire, UK
lafa - DH, DS9, DD7, inlaws - Rochester, NY
PirateJ - DW, DD9, DD6 - New Jersey
Friends - DH, DW, DD9, DD5
emmamc252 - DH, DD21months - Southport, England
disdell555
disneywwrjb - DW, DS17, DS12, DD9 - Aiken, SC
SandraLee - DH?, DS17, DD14
tink19782009 -- DH, DD3 - UK
TeeVeeTD -- DD15 - Orange, CA
SurfBug79 -- DH, DS7, DS2 - Oregon
WildernessWendy -- DH, DD8, DS6 - Marietta, GA
aamsmom -- DD15 - Marietta, GA
SusieQ -- DD15 - Marietta, GA
Mommynurseof2 -- DH, DS6, DD4 - Canton, GA
Myfriendminnie -- DH - Michigan
HappyPeach -- DH, DS7 - Atlanta
HappyPeach's inlaws
KEichman -- DH, DD11
JulieA -- DH, DD10, DD8 - Dacula, GA
OrcaPorkka -- DH, DD8, DD5 - Seattle area
bdogan -- DH, DS7, DD7 - Toronto, ON
MissLiz FIL - Michigan
Moose Mom -- DH, DD7, DS4
pupong -- DH, DD16, DD11 + extended family- Berlin, CT
ColoradoMomof5 -- DH, DS10, DS8, DS7, DS7, DD1 - Grand County, CO
Wdw in 30 - Central Florida
lv2gowu -- DH
gillylax
Justacruiser
jakey vaj -- DW, DS23mos - Minnesota
Docklobster -- DD7, DD5
KrisannB -- DH, DD18, DS15 - Tennessee
Jeanette
Susan -- DD9, DS7


************************************************** ****
MEET AND GREET INFO
************************************************** ****
Thanks to Lisa for organizing!!

Saturday, April 6th Embarkation Day!!!!!
We will meet at 3pm at Currents bar on deck 13!
This is normally adults only, but on embarkation day, it is open to everyone!

Don't forget to wear your lime green leis!!

Hope to see everyone there!
************************************************** ****

 

[MissLiz]

Okay, I updated the roll call and I hope I caught everyone. If I missed you, please let me know and I'll get an update.


I am so ready for vacation. I just looked out of my office window and it's snowing. Just flurries, but still. It's not supposed to be snowing!

Our countdown chain is getting so short!