Disney Wonder August 22 2016 California Coast Cruise!

[xlxo]

Is there a liquor store or beer and wine close to the port

Which port? If you are referring to Vancouver.... there's one by Harbour Centre Lookout, but the Signature store at Alberni & Bute offers better selection.

 

[Heather Ratzlaff]

Hey guys!

We are joining this very very very quiet cruise! It will be myself, DH, my daughter (9) and son (6). This will be our 8th Disney Cruise.

I am organizing an FE group, although the new rules of the board are making it very difficult to do so! If you would like to be part of the FE group, please PM me and we will add you to the group!

Hi. We are new to cruising and will be coming on this cruise. I want to join the FE group, but I don't know how to pm?! Sorry

 

[deanimal]

Hi everyone! I couldn't resist a non-Alaska cruise leaving from my home port while the kids are out of school. It will likely just be myself and my daughter aged seven and son aged six. My husband would love to come but it's not looking good for time off work for him. It will be our 4th Disney cruise and 3rd on the Wonder.

For the person who asked about alcohol in port, I would like to mention that prices are way higher in Canada than in the US; I'm talking about double for many things. And British Columbia has some strange liquor laws, you can't just buy beer and wine at every convenience store. I'm sure you could find places to buy in Vancouver and Victoria, but San Diego might be a better bet.

Looking forward to August on the Wonder!

 

[xlxo]

I would like to mention that prices are way higher in Canada than in the US; I'm talking about double for many things.

Is it still an issue with the collapsing currency?

 

[Karlzmom]

The Canadian dollar is running about .70 cents per US dollar. Good for American tourists heading north not so good for Canadians trying to pay US companies.

I wanted to post that I just released a duplicate booking on a Navigator Verandah, cabin #7626 on the off chance someone might prefer that cabin number you might be able to snag it.

 

[xlxo]

Click on this link to watch the USD surge against the loonie oil ruble.
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=USDCAD=X&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=

 

[spacecanada]

The US dollar will get you close to $1.40 Canadian right now, which makes it very appealing for Americans to come visit Canada. Unfortunately, it makes it very difficult for us Canadians to go on Disney Cruises as the fares are in American dollars.

Anyway, I am not on your cruise (see above Canadian dollar woes) but we do live in Victoria and can offer advice or answer questions from anyone who is lucky enough to catch the Mickey boat to our town. We'll be there to see the ship, for sure. It looks like you will be the only ship in port that day - a huge bonus for you!

 

[Tinkdisneygirl07*]

Hey guys!

We are joining this very very very quiet cruise! It will be myself, DH, my daughter (9) and son (6). This will be our 8th Disney Cruise.

I am organizing an FE group, although the new rules of the board are making it very difficult to do so! If you would like to be part of the FE group, please PM me and we will add you to the group!

How do you PM sorry new to this and I did my 10 test posts and still can't figure it out

 

[westcoastminnie]

We used to live in ladysmith, up island from you. Is there a liquor store or beer and wine close to the port, so we can start stock piling for the Panama part, since there are only a few stops

I think the closest cold beer and wine is the Swiftsure Liquor Beer and Wine on Belleville. It's right near the Inner Harbour, probably a 15 minute walk from the cruise ship terminal. We plan to have family or friends meet us at the terminal with our quota. Then they can ooh and aah at the ship while we wave from the deck

 

[PrincessShmoo]

How do you PM sorry new to this and I did my 10 test posts and still can't figure it out

In case you haven't figured it out yet - to start a private conversation (what PMs are called) you can click on the person't avatar or username and then the "Start a conversation" link there.

 

[Tinkdisneygirl07*]

In case you haven't figured it out yet - to start a private conversation (what PMs are called) you can click on the person't avatar or username and then the "Start a conversation" link there.

yay thank you so much it worked

 

[Tinkdisneygirl07*]

I sent a private message a couple of weeks ago about the FE group and no response is anyone else having any problems, don't know what to do

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I sent a private message a couple of weeks ago about the FE group and no response is anyone else having any problems, don't know what to do

Who did you send the message to?

 

[Tinkdisneygirl07*]

Who did you send the message to?

I sent the message to Keurigirl. We have done FE group before but through Facebook not Disboards this will be our first this way

 

[time for travel]

Hi! We sent a message to Keurigirl. We want to join the FE too!!

 

[Augus]

Hi all,
Our first Disney cruise. Stumple to this site while searching for information. We are from Los Angles California will fly up to Vancouver for the trip. The girls are excited and can't wait for summer. Lots to learn and what to do, especially find out what Fish Extender is.

Jonathan

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Lots to learn and what to do, especially find out what Fish Extender is.

Quick course in Fish Extenders:

HOW DID THIS FISH EXTENDER IDEA GET STARTED?
The idea was the brainstorm of a woman named Debbie For the first Magical sailing through the Panama Canal back in 2005. Debbie thought it would be a fun way for others to exchange gifts.

WHAT IS A FISH EXTENDER? (FE)
Outside your room onboard is a message holder, in most cases it's shaped like a fish:

The fish is there for Disney to place important communications to you such as excursion tickets and notes from the Cruise staff. It is like a mailbox for your room. A Fish Extender (FE) it is something that you hang off the fish. By hanging the Fish Extender off of the fish, the Cast Members can still use it for its original purpose.THIS IS NOT A ONE ON ONE EXCHANGE, YOU ARE PART OF A GROUP. All the people in the exchange buy or make little items and place them in each other's fish extenders. It is great fun to come back and check the items you have received.

Once a cruise meet thread is up and running, someone in the group will (should?) step up and say "I'll maintain the Fish Extender exchange list". That person is the center point for all those who want to participate in the exchange. The list can be as simple as DISnames/room number/number of guests or as involved as full names/room number/ages of guests/like & dislikes/allergies/favorite characters/whatever is deemed necessary to know assemble the gifts.

Then each room on the FE list (note this will not be everyone on the Cruise Meet thread for your specific cruise), makes a Fish Extender holder. This is basically an organizer-type hanging bag with separate pockets for each person in the room:

The most common Fish Extenders are ones that have a pocket for each person in that stateroom. Some are very fancy, some are very plain. Some are store bought, some are homemade. Search "Disney fish extender" and you will get options that range in price. You should make sure your Fish Extender is between 8" & 12"" wide. Otherwise it starts to get in the way of your stateroom door. It should not exceed 5 feet; otherwise it will hit the floor. If you are creating your own it is suggested you make the pockets a little deeper than normal too. It will keep items from falling out and keep curious hands from reaching in (average depth is 5-6 inches)but 8-11 is a better way to go if you are making it yourself

They also make up gifts (either individual gifts or room gifts - whatever is decided by your group) to be delivered during the cruise).

One note about the gifts, some groups set up specific delivery dates, and specify "each person gets a gift" or "only one gift per room" or (even) maximum/minimum price ranges for gifts. Other groups just say "whatever", so people can choose what/how many gifts to give. Some give individual gifts, others only one gift per room, while others might do one for the adults and separate gifts for kids. Or only gift the kids.

HOW MANY CABINS WILL BE IN MY FE GROUP and WHO PARTICIPATES???
That depends on your cruise meet group. They range in average from 10-15 sometimes even 25 and up. Most do the smaller groups with the option to join more than one. It makes it more manageable.

This is typically a whole cabin event. You usually may not just sign up the kids. There are some cruise meet groups that have Adult Only groups. But not Kids only.

If you are signing up more than one cabin to participate, you should not combine them. It’s not fair for people to make items for 2 cabins and receive from 1 of them. They should be counted as 2 separate cabins.

DO I HAVE TO BUY FOR EVERYONE? DO I NEED TO GIVE PER CABIN?
Sort of…You have to do something for EVERY CABIN PARTICIPATING, You choose whether its adult gifts or kids gifts or cabin gifts or a combination.YOU CAN NOT LEAVE A CABIN OUT IF THEY HAVE SIGNED UP. At the very least, 1 cabin gift, per cabin. Some do a cabin gift, and then do a few items for the kids. Some do individual for each member of the cabin. Some people are crafty and make gifts, and some are store bought. Some gifts are to be used on board and some are to be used at home.

WHEN LEAVING A GIFT, DO WE IDENTIFY WHO IT IS FROM?
Some people do put some kind of to/from tag on their items. Most want to know who it came from. Some do it because they don't want people to think they got shorted a gift or assumed theft of an item. Others go with the original intent and deliver anonymous gifts.

WHO CAN JOIN?
Anyone and everyone! Even if your stateroom is 2 adults, you can join and have just as much fun! The only rule I would say is to HAVE FUN!! It's not about the gift it's about the thoughtfulness behind it.

DO WE PUT GIFTS IN EVERY DAY OF THE CRUISE? WILL I HAVE TO WALK ALL OVER THE SHIP TO DELIVER?
That's up to you. Most deliver ONCE. Most do one gift, some do multiple gifts.You don’t want to spend your whole cruise delivering gifts. It can be time consuming. Most deliver over the whole length of the cruise. One morning you do all the cabins on decks 4-6 that are Forward. Another time you do all the mid cabins on decks 1-4. And so on. It’s suggested you break up your list by location: Forward, Mid and Aft before leaving home. Large zip locks are good for this. Start from your highest deck and work your way to your lowest.

*If you are on a longer cruise, consider delivering later in the week. Most deliver in the beginning and then there is nothing towards the end (and the kids like to find stuff in the holder)You don’t have to deliver all on the first day, especially on the longer cruises. On the reverse – don’t deliver the last night, as people will be packing up and putting ther bags out for pick up.


Don’t deliver in the middle of the night, when no one is around, or when people are off the ship when sticky fingers are more likely.

I’M IN A CONCIERGE SUITE, HAVE A GTY RESERVATION OR SOMEONE IN MY FE GROUP IS. WOULD THERE BE A PROBLEM BEING PART OF THE FE?
No, there are fish message holders outside all rooms on board. Once a GTY reservation has a room assigned, it can be reported to the group.

MY GIFTS ARE TO BIG TO FIT IN THE POCKET, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?
1. You can lean it against the door
2. You can hang on door knob
3. You can leave it at guest services, marked for each stateroom and then notify each stateroom to go pick up.
4. You could try to ask the stateroom host out in the hallway to place it inside the cabin.
5. You can just hang it on the "fish.

DO PEOPLE CARRY ALL THEIR GIFTS IN THEIR SUITCASES?
Most do, however, you can ship your items down. They must arrive by the day before you sail and contain no food items (they will get snagged by the dogs and get held up). Make sure your package is addressed exactly how your name is in your reservation and it will be in your stateroom when you get there (even before your luggage!). You can also send to your hotel if you are staying at one before you sail. KEEP IN MIND... you can not ship home from the ships.

I HAVE TO DROP OUT.. HOW DO I DO THAT.
It’s very important that if you have to drop out for any reason you notify the person running your FE. (They can be found on the cruise page you signed up on)

It’s important so that others who are participating don’t count you in, when you won’t be there. Everyone’s time is valuable. It’s courteous to let someone know.People put a lot of time and effort into FE gifts, and are expecting something in return. It’s not fair to the group if you bow out without letting anyone know

ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?

• It has been pointed out that some TAs are giving wrong info. They are saying you can hang a FE holder outside your door and expect gifts.
• Cast members are not walking around like Tinkerbelle handing out gifts.
• You cannot just show up on a cruise with gifts to randomly pass out (well you could but that would be “pixie dusting” not participating in a FE).
• You have to find your Cruise Meet group and join a FE group to know how many people are participating, how large your group will be and all other info.
• This is a voluntary program and is not sanctioned by Disney.

 

[spacecanada]

That is the best and most comprehensive description of Fish Extenders I have ever seen - well done!! Perfect for those new to the whole concept.

 

[Keurigirl]

Hey guys! So sorry - I forget to check this as there is another group for our cruise in a not to be named part of the internet that has a bit more activity than here. I just got to my PMs though and there was just one - I've added that person to the FE so please send me a new PM if you want to be added.

 

[Shermans]

Hey guys! So sorry - I forget to check this as there is another group for our cruise in a not to be named part of the internet that has a bit more activity than here. I just got to my PMs though and there was just one - I've added that person to the FE so please send me a new PM if you want to be added.

Hi Keurigirl, sorry, im new to this, how do we PM you??
Thanks