Fantasy 02/02/13

[heyshanny]

Has anyone cruised this itinerary before? I've been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman but not Costa Maya. That's the problem. Because I've already been to a couple of the ports and because my husband is so in love with Disney Cruise Line, he doesn't want to get off the ship when we're in port! He'd much rather hit the pool when it's less crowded. I understand his logic to an extent. But he's never been to any of the ports and I'd hate for him to miss out! If you've been to these ports can you tell me some of your favorite parts so I can convince my husband to get off the ship and explore??

By the way, we are SO excited we talk about it all the time and are already planning FE gifts!

 

[dorito6778]

Has anyone cruised this itinerary before? I've been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman but not Costa Maya. That's the problem. Because I've already been to a couple of the ports and because my husband is so in love with Disney Cruise Line, he doesn't want to get off the ship when we're in port! He'd much rather hit the pool when it's less crowded. I understand his logic to an extent. But he's never been to any of the ports and I'd hate for him to miss out! If you've been to these ports can you tell me some of your favorite parts so I can convince my husband to get off the ship and explore??

By the way, we are SO excited we talk about it all the time and are already planning FE gifts!

Personally, I think Costa Maya is a waste of a stop. Its a total tourist trap. We stopped there on our RCCL cruise last year, had lunch in the port, walked around and saw nothing my souvenir junk, and finally I left my family to get back on the boat by myself. We do not plan on getting off the ship, except maybe for lunch, but who knows? We've been to CM twice before. I dont think I'll miss much if we skip it all together.

 

[reimero]

I'm kind of torn about Costa Maya. It was somewhat built up until 2007, when they took the full force of a Category 5 hurricane. That said, we're not really interested in a tourist trap. We were sort of hoping to find a nearby inexpensive beach and just do that.

 

[reimero]

Roll Call time!

Name: mimmi
Stateroom: 5534/5536
Number traveling: 4 adults, 1 child
FE participants: yes (2 staterooms)
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: aqmom
Stateroom (or category): 8C
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 children
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation: Early
Special event? Birthday
Other: Celiac disease: please be careful with FEs and other foods!

Name: Mom24GRLS
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 4 children
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: gstroop28
Stateroom (or category): Cat 4D (or C)
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 1 kid, 1 teen
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation: early
Special event? Birthday

Name: twarpula
Stateroom (or category): Deck 9 verandah
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 children
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: only8daycruise
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 teenagers
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: helloirishkitty
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 children
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: heyshanny
Stateroom (or category): 5546
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation:
Special event? Anniversary

Name: dorito6778
Stateroom (or category): 4C
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 1 child
FE participants: no
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: DizMagic
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: DLPYOW
Stateroom (or category): 3 cabins on deck 10
Number traveling (adults/children): 6 adults, 3 children
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: beccadoby
Stateroom (or category): 2 staterooms
Number traveling (adults/children): 4 adults, 3 children
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation:
Special event? Birthdays

Name: gissy
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 3 children
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: reimero and Pirategrrrl
Stateroom (or category): 8A
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation: late
Special event? Birthday

Name: Brancaneve
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 children
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: KristineMN
Stateroom (or category): 10164
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 children
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation: Late
Special event? Anniversary

Name: DiaLady
Stateroom (or category): Cat 9 (Deck 2)
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 1 teen
FE participants:
Dining rotation: Late
Special event?

Name: cruising2013
Stateroom (or category): Deck 7 (3 staterooms)
Number traveling (adults/children): 5 adults, 3 kids
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: kgionet
Stateroom (or category): 12004 (wooo!)
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 kids
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation: Late
Special event?

Name: chr157y
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 kids
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation: Late (looking to move to early)
Special event?

Name: DisneySilver
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: BarbInFl
Stateroom (or category): Deck 10
Number traveling (adults/children): 1 adult, 3 boys (10, 16, 19)
FE participants: yes
Dining rotation: late
Special event?

Name: Tiggersisimtheonly1
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 1 kid (girl, 7)
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: Manateegirl
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): ? adults, 1 kid (girl, 3)
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: hoosthatmouse
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 kids (girls, 5 and 3)
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: eeyoresbestfriend
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 teens (girl 16, boy 14)
FE participants:
Dining rotation:
Special event? End of deployment

Name: Crosslink3690
Stateroom (or category): 7A
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 1 teens (girl 13)
FE participants:
Dining rotation: late (waitlisted for early)
Special event? Birthday and Anniversary

Name: SG101
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 21 adults, 9 kids
FE participants:
Dining rotation: early
Special event?

Name: EyeDisneyCruise
Stateroom (or category): 6190
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 kids
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: UncleAndy
Stateroom (or category): 12006
Number traveling (adults/children): 3 adults, 2 kids
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation:
Special event? Anniversary

Name: Three At Sea
Stateroom (or category): 5E
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 1 kid (F11)
FE participants: No
Dining rotation: Late (early waitlist)
Special event?

Name: Dreamcruise
Stateroom (or category): 9007/9014
Number traveling (adults/children): 3 adults, 4 kids (F15, F7, M3, F1)
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

Name: ajohn2005
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 2 kids (F9, M4)
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation: Late
Special event?

Name: twinsandagirl
Stateroom (or category):
Number traveling (adults/children): 2 adults, 3 kids (M10, M10, F4)
FE participants: Yes
Dining rotation:
Special event?

 

[reimero]

If you want your info updated or added, you can either PM me or just post it in the thread and I'll update it here. Eventually I'd like to replace all the categories with stateroom #s (as they come available) to make it easier to plan for FEs. I'll also need to go back and break down kids by age and gender (also for FE purposes.) But for now, having an approximate count is a good start.

 

[heyshanny]

If you want your info updated or added, you can either PM me or just post it in the thread and I'll update it here. Eventually I'd like to replace all the categories with stateroom #s (as they come available) to make it easier to plan for FEs. I'll also need to go back and break down kids by age and gender (also for FE purposes.) But for now, having an approximate count is a good start.

This is so awesome! Thank you for doing this!

 

[dorito6778]

i'm going to take a chance and join the FE. i know my daughter will love it .... and my die-hard DCL friends in real life are egging me on! sign us up.
and we are in Cat 4C.

 

[mimmi]

If you want your info updated or added, you can either PM me or just post it in the thread and I'll update it here. Eventually I'd like to replace all the categories with stateroom #s (as they come available) to make it easier to plan for FEs. I'll also need to go back and break down kids by age and gender (also for FE purposes.) But for now, having an approximate count is a good start.

Wow, this looks really good, thank you for doing it .

 

[twarpula]

Has anyone cruised this itinerary before? I've been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman but not Costa Maya. That's the problem. Because I've already been to a couple of the ports and because my husband is so in love with Disney Cruise Line, he doesn't want to get off the ship when we're in port! He'd much rather hit the pool when it's less crowded. I understand his logic to an extent. But he's never been to any of the ports and I'd hate for him to miss out! If you've been to these ports can you tell me some of your favorite parts so I can convince my husband to get off the ship and explore??

By the way, we are SO excited we talk about it all the time and are already planning FE gifts!

We have cruised this route several times, all but Costa Maya, that one is a first for us.
Grand Cayman is my most favorite port ever. It's a tender, which is a bummer, but it's such a beautiful island with so much to do. We took a private jet ski tour to Sting Ray city and Rum Point in feb. while on the Carnival Magic. It was wonderful. I'm not sure what we'll do this time since we'll have the kids with us.
We've been to Cozumel a few time as well and enjoy that port too. I think we are planning to go to Chankanaab national park. You can google it to e all that it has to offer, perfect for kids of all ages. You can even print coupons from the site.
Castaway Cay is by far the best private island EVER, but you all aready know that!
Almost 6 months away!

 

[Disneytracy]

We have decided to fly in to MCO the day before and stay in a hotel. Can't decide if we should stay at the port or near the airport. Does anyone have any advice or experience to share?

 

[Brancaneve]

We loved the Hilton in Cocoa Beach. The kids loved playing on the beach before boarding the ship.

 

[heyshanny]

We loved the Hilton in Cocoa Beach. The kids loved playing on the beach before boarding the ship.

I second this. Nice rooms, we parked our car there and took a shuttle to the ship.

 

[Disneytracy]

Happy July 2nd, only 7 Months left!

When did your count down start? By the time we board the ship, I would have been waiting over 380 days. My girls still don't know about the cruise. We plan to tell them Christmas morning, so their count down will be much shorter than mine

 

[reimero]

Happy July 2nd, only 7 Months left!

When did your count down start? By the time we board the ship, I would have been waiting over 380 days. My girls still don't know about the cruise. We plan to tell them Christmas morning, so their count down will be much shorter than mine

In our case, it's been rather bizarre. We sailed on the Fantasy's May 19th itinerary and rebooked a dummy date while on board. When we got back, we began discussing options for when to sail again. She wanted to sail the Fantasy again while she (the ship) was still new, but part of us was talking about holding out till they announce the 2014 itineraries. Anyway, after a bit of investigating and talking, we found we could get a decent deal for my birthday (whee!) and opted to go with that. So, in a sense, our countdown started on our previous Fantasy cruise

 

[DiaLady]

Hi All,

We're in the process of moving our ressie to this cruise on the Fantasy. I miss cruising in the winter. This trip will be myself, DH, and DS16. Glad to see there are a few other teens scheduled to be on board. I think this is our 6th cruise on DCL . . .we haven't tried anyone else so DCL is all we know.

DH is keen on trying one of the new ships. We've been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman and are looking forward to returning to both. On the last trip, DH planned the excursions there and they were duds. He's agreed to accept my input this time . . .LOL.

Let's see . . . we'll be in a Cat 9 cabin somewhere on deck 2 (hopefully) and we'll be doing a late seating for dinner.

Thanks for sharing about the recent trips on the Fantasy. Really glad to hear DCL has resolved some of the issues with the adult areas. We are in the same boat as others with our teens only joining us for dinner (wait! I only have one teen on this trip because the other will be at college - it's going to be so weird). Anyway, my favorite time is lounging by the Cove and reading many, many books (this from a social girl . . gads!!). DH likes it that I can't use my computer on board .. ha, ha.

Looking forward to meeting y'all soon!

Theresa

 

[heyshanny]

Hi All,

We're in the process of moving our ressie to this cruise on the Fantasy. I miss cruising in the winter. This trip will be myself, DH, and DS16. Glad to see there are a few other teens scheduled to be on board. I think this is our 6th cruise on DCL . . .we haven't tried anyone else so DCL is all we know.

Let's see . . . we'll be in a Cat 9 cabin somewhere on deck 2 (hopefully) and we'll be doing a late seating for dinner.

Looking forward to meeting y'all soon!

Theresa

Welcome! We are on the late seating for dinner too. You guys should sign up for the Fish Extender exchange. SO fun! It's not just for kids.

 

[reimero]

Welcome to the group, DiaLady!!!

 

[DiaLady]

Welcome! We are on the late seating for dinner too. You guys should sign up for the Fish Extender exchange. SO fun! It's not just for kids.

Thanks for the welcome . . . I was thinking about the FE. I will have to consult DS16 as he would have to help out. He is creative and could probably come up with something very cool. Every cruise we consider it (the last two just didn't have any room in the luggage . . .LOL). Put us down for the FE for now. It does sound like fun!!

My favorite event has been the scrapbook exchanges we have setup. I normally scrapbook our trips when I get home so it helped to have everything ready to go. I must admit I still haven't gotten the European trip scrapbook done though . . .too much getting ready for my eldest to graduate from high school this year.

Did I mention we homeschool .. part of the reason why I didn't have time to do the scrapbook . . .LOL

Looking forward to getting to know more of you

Theresa

 

[heyshanny]

Anyone else on Facebook? It's fun to see other cruisers' pics, a different point of view and all. Find me www.facebook.com/shannon.redwing

 

[cruising2013]

Hello everyone! My name is Nicole. My family and I will be joining all of you on the Fantasy on 02/02/13. This will be our first cruise - and actually, our first vacation as a family. Joining me is my husband and two sons (ages 5 and almost 2 at the time of travel). Other members traveling with us include my sister, brother in law, their infant daughter, and my mother. We will be staying in 3 cabins on deck 7. I'm thinking that I would like to have the kids (including my baby niece) participate in the FE, as it sounds like a lot of fun!! Looking forward to planning with you all and learning any tips and tricks from you experienced cruisers