Fantasy Mar 14 2015 Eastern Caribbean (St Maarten, San Juan)

[danielmorgan03]

Thanks, my back up is a taxi... We like to get on the ship early after all we paid for it!

 

[Kbrush]

Hi!
My daughter (11 by cruising time) will be on this cruise along with several other families with daughters the same age. It will be our fourth March 14/15 Spring Break cruise and third on Fantasy. Can't wait.

If no one has stepped up yet, I would be happy to start and organize FE group(s). We have participated for the past 3 trips and I have helped set up last minute FE subset groups for latecomers so I have a bit of organizing experience.

Heading over to FB now to find your page and join up.

Cheers,

Karen B

 

[DMMom]

Here are 2 more ideas for the group. One is the Group Meet before the boat drill. It would be great to meet others before the cruise starts: put names with faces to see who we have been chatting with.
The second would be a private group tasting class like mixology. The cruise looks like it is full, so these fill up quickly. It is usually limited to 30 people, so on my last cruise we had enough people to fill 2 groups.

Summer is fast approaching. My kids are done with school this Thursday.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.

 

[Mogsdad]

Here are 2 more ideas for the group. One is the Group Meet before the boat drill. It would be great to meet others before the cruise starts: put names with faces to see who we have been chatting with.

Definitely! I've been looking for a volunteer for the "Meet & Greet"... is that your hand in the air?!

We've done it on a couple of cruises, and it's been great for breaking the ice.

The second would be a private group tasting class like mixology. The cruise looks like it is full, so these fill up quickly. It is usually limited to 30 people, so on my last cruise we had enough people to fill 2 groups.

That sounds *awesome*! I've only tried beer sampling & a wine-and-chocolate pairing class, both were great but would have been better with a few more familiar faces.

 

[DMMom]

I would be willing to throw out an idea for meet and greet. How about Vista Cove on deck 4 around 3: just before the boat drill on the first day. And definitely if there is enough interest I will coordinate the mixology class.

 

[Mogsdad]

I would be willing to throw out an idea for meet and greet. How about Vista Cove on deck 4 around 3: just before the boat drill on the first day. And definitely if there is enough interest I will coordinate the mixology class.

Sounds good to me! I like both ideas.

 

[JSelph]

We are considering booking this cruise for next March. We have never cruised with DCL and never cruised with our children. Could someone explain what all the acronyms like 'DD' or 'DH' mean? How bad is sea sickness for kids who have gotten car sick before? I have ordered some Psi bands to test, but river/lake boating is way different than open seas. Any suggestions from experienced cruisers would be greatly appreciated. Do most people know each other beforehand? And if you try to sign up for FEs (I know that one at least), how are you notified which group and how many people you need to bring little gifts for? TIA!

 

[Mogsdad]

We are considering booking this cruise for next March.

Welcome!

We have never cruised with DCL and never cruised with our children. Could someone explain what all the acronyms like 'DD' or 'DH' mean?

Dear (Darling, Disney) Daughter, Dear (Darling, Disney) Husband, etc. These are common Disboard Acronyms, see sticky here.

How bad is sea sickness for kids who have gotten car sick before? I have ordered some Psi bands to test, but river/lake boating is way different than open seas. Any suggestions from experienced cruisers would be greatly appreciated.

Typically motion is not bad on the Fantasy - it's a big ship. Inside cabins on lower decks experience the least motion - on smaller ships we've appreciated that, but it's not been a problem on this ship. We've spent several days and nights in rough seas (on the smaller, yet still large, Magic), and did rely on the Bonine that's available (free!) from Guest Services. Excursions in rough seas are another story - again, Bonine to the rescue!

The only times we had problems with "motion sickness" on cruises with the kids had more to do with the bottomless sodas than motion.

We bought the bands years ago, but didn't find them helpful. YMMV.

Do most people know each other beforehand? And if you try to sign up for FEs (I know that one at least), how are you notified which group and how many people you need to bring little gifts for? TIA!

I can't speak for "most people", but we've really seen benefits from building some relationships before a cruise. When they were younger, our kids were more comfortable in kids' clubs and on their own when they'd met some "friends" through parent introductions & email. (On our Med cruise, our then-10-year-old had arranged to meet several other girls for their first lunch, at a particular table... and away they went! They were inseparable for the duration!)

There's never enough time to do everything, so it's nice to have the chance to live vicariously through our new friends, and learn about experiences we'd like to have (or avoid) in future.

As for the FEs... in due time, the organizer sets all that up and communicates with participants. For a March cruise, it's still quite early to start, so no worries yet. At some point, we'll be asked to "sign up", providing contact info and other details to the organizer. For now, expressing interest is enough.

 

[JSelph]

Thank you! We are still pricing and looking at our budget for spring and next summer. Are the Family staterooms with Verandah room enough for 2 adults and three kids or does it feel cramped? Are the rooms quiet enough for daytime naps? Sorry for so many beginners questions! TIA

 

[Mogsdad]

Thank you! We are still pricing and looking at our budget for spring and next summer. Are the Family staterooms with Verandah room enough for 2 adults and three kids or does it feel cramped? Are the rooms quiet enough for daytime naps? Sorry for so many beginners questions! TIA

We've stayed with 3 adults and two kids, and there's enough room. It's not a hotel room, of course, but everyone will have room to sleep. As far as quiet, the day is pretty good in most staterooms, just arrange things with your room steward and they'll schedule their work to leave you alone.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Hi all,

Sounds like we're joining in the fun. On the cruise will be: DH, me, DS (age 16) and DN (niece -- age 20).

Can't wait to join the fun. First trip on the Fantasy, though DS and I have been on the Magic several times (including a transatlantic).

Karen

 

[NvlBrat2]

Hello we just booled and was wondering if you all were doing Fish extenders and can we join in? I am from Nj but live in Fl seasonal CM workin a hospital full time my son is 8 turning 9 march 17th so while I n cruise and the other person joing us is my mom.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Hi All! For those interested in participating in the FISH EXTENDER, I've agreed to coordinate. Here's how we're going to do it: Message me and....

1. Give me your Disboard name (if you have one)
2. Give me your family last name
3. Give me your stateroom number (if guarantee, then just put GTY)
4. Give me sex and ages of those in each cabin (i.e., F14, M12) or list Adult


I'll put together a list and, as we get closer to the cruise, post it periodically (not exactly sure how, but I'll figure out something). Message me with any questions!

Thanks,

Karen

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Hi All!

Two additions to our list for FE questions in bold, below....

1. Give me your Disboard name (if you have one)
2. Give me your family last name
3. Give me your stateroom number (if guarantee, then just put GTY)
4. Give me sex and ages of those in each cabin (i.e., F14, M12) or list Adult
5. Any special celebrations?
6. Any allergies?


Thanks,

Karen

 

[Chrisey]

Hello!

Just booked this cruise and sooooo excited!

It will be me, (mom) and my two boys (6 and 7) and grandma (who we call Gigi)

We just cruised last week on the Dream and had to book again for Gigi to get a chance to cruise.

The boys don't know yet, saving it for a Christmas surprise.

Looking forward to getting to know each other and participating in the FE!

 

[CHECHT75]

Hi all! We will be taking our second cruise on the Fantasy with you all. Our group consists of myself, my DH Dustin, our DD Gracie (12), our DD Faith (10), my mom Phyllis and friend John. We are so excited to set sail and participate in the FE!!! March can't come soon enough!!

 

[j2bmickey]

Running a little slow joining the party, better late than never.

There will be three of us this time around: DH, DW, and DD (12 on cruise).

Looking forward to FE, private mixology, toes in the sand, ....

 

[Sir William]

DW and I will be onboard. She has a business conference in Orlando, so we're tacking a cruise on to the end of that. It'll be our 5th Disney cruise.

 

[AshleighDCL]

Hi Everyone!!

My family and I are so excited to go on out 7th cruise with you guys!! It will be my mom, my dad, my sister (16), my grandmother (who is turing 80 during the cruise!), and me (24). This will also be my grandmother's first cruise!! We are excited and we hope we are still able to join the fish extender group!! See you all aboard!!

 

[KennedyDCL]

Hello All!

My family, consisting of myself, DW, DS (8 on cruise) & DS (6 on cruise) will be on this upcoming Disney Cruise. It's our first cruise ever we are all very excited and looking forward to it.

There will be 13 of us in total on the cruise, all family, which has been in the planning stages since 2011 to ensure everyone's availability. Since it's our first cruise I've been madly reading everything I can in attempts to maximize our experiences while on the cruise. One of the only slightly frustrating things I've noticed is the lack of ability to book anything until 75 days before cruise since we are all DCL first timers. We had considered upgrading one family (my DF and MIL) to a concierge room so they could book activities 150 out and then we could change things around once on the ship. Unfortunately it would mean that our rooms wouldn't be together, as it is we have 4 adjacent 6A rooms.

I'm interested in this Fish Extender idea, I think it might be great for the kids. Not sure what it all entails but I have some ideas based on some of the things I've seen so far.

I'm also interested in the mixology, as I was planning on checking out as many of those out as possible anyway. Also, I like the local craft brew swap idea. I'm from Toronto, Ontario as I'm sure many other cruisers will be but there are a few breweries here to choose from.

We've got the cruise booked and the flights booked, we just have to figure out hotel room accommodations for the Friday night including transport to and from the port. Work in progress!

I've got millions of questions but these boards have been extremely helpful so far. See you all onboard!