Magic ~ October 22, 2016 ~ 7 nights NYC/Bahamas/WDW/NYC

[SeaSpray]

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Welcome Aboard the October 22, 2016 sailing of the Disney Magic!​

List of Cruisers!​

amystevekai&bump Amy, Steve (DH), and our two sons, Kai (aged 12) and Lucas (aged 9).

SeaSpray Terry, John (DH).

Mrsz08 dh, myself and dd 4 yrs old.

Mrsz08 (2nd cabin) 1 adult female.

Mrsz08 (3rd cabin) grandma and grandpa.

hostetterse Jeff, Stacey, Gavin (6), Blake (3).

Ebbi07 My husband and myself.

canisixpaku My husband, my soon to be 3 year old.​

FoxFMX22 3rd Disney cruise. First with our little girl will be 18 months at cruise time.

lajspeech and DH, and kids (3 and 5).

JillL

Mrs. M Myself, My Husband and daughters (will be 4&5).

nhgirl DH, DD (12) and I.

Rachieiom myself, my husband, and 5 Yr old boy.

i'm.all.ears myself, my husband, 3year old boy and 2year old girl.

Carol Buchanan myself, my Mom, my sister, my brother-in-law and my nephew.

NeverSayNever and DH, DS, DD.

chipscinderelly and DH.

CherylA and Tony (DH) and Izzy (DD14) and Lily (DD11).

Bay Max and wife.

Charm Maine Family of 7, including 5 kids.

Lgomez28 and family, including 2 DDs (both 7).

Grumpy SHA Shanequa and Scherisse.

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******FE LIST IS NOW CLOSED******
Official DIS Boards Fish Extender (FE) exchange list
There are several forms of Social Media out there, so I want to emphasize that while there are a few other FE groups for this cruise on the internet, (and there is no reason why you can't participate in more than one), we will only plan and discuss the DIS BOARDS FE list here.
The DIS BOARDS is the original home and birth place of FEs!

Anyone who is interested in participating in a Fish Extender (FE) gift exchange please post with any of the following info; you can include more or less info, depending on what you wish to share:

*Your DIS Board user name
*Your first name
*Names and number of people in your cabin (and ages of any children if wish to include that)
*Favorite characters
*Favorite Colors
*Any food allergies.

For information about what an FE Group is and how it works, please see Post #15, below, that PrincessShmoo so kindly posted. ​

******FE LIST IS NOW CLOSED******​

(1)SeaSpray - (CABIN 6550) Terry and John (2 adults, no kids). No food allergies. Favorite characters are Minnie & Mickey Mouse.

(2)Mrsz08 - (CABIN 5637) Cathy, Jon, and Carly (4yr old DD). No allergies , daughters favorite character is Ariel. My daughter's 1st Disney cruise!!

(3)Mrsz08 - (CABIN 5001) Annmaire (1 Adult). Minnie favorite character. No allergies.

(4)Mrsz08 - (CABIN 5635) Dennis and Cindy (Grandpa and Ga ga) grandma and grandpa. No allergies, no preference. 1st Disney cruise.

(5)Ebbi07 - (CABIN 6639) My husband and myself. We have no allergies, not big into alcohol gifts, and love all things Disney! We're in cabin 6639.

(6)CherylA - (CABIN 7518) Cheryl and Tony (DH) and Izzy (DD14) and Lily (DD11).

(7)Lgomez28 - (CABIN 2014) Lgomez and her sister aged 20 who loves Pocahontas; and two 7-year old girls: Camila and Lailah . No allergies. characters Vanellope and Malificient. Colors Aqua and purple.

(8 & 9)Charm Maine - (CABINS 2143 and 2145) and husband, plus three boys: 15 yrs old, 5 yrs old, and 1yr old, and two girls: 11 yrs old and 8 yrs old. No known food allergies.

(10)NeverSayNever - (CABIN 2144) and husband, also: (son age 13) Edward's favorite character is Stitch, and (daughter age 13) Gabby's favorite character is Pluto. We have nut allergies, so no nuts please.

(11)Grumpy SHA - (CABIN 7132) Shanequa Favorite Character: Grumpy, Favorite Colors: Purple or Black AND Scherisse Birthday Cruise Favorite Characters: Tink, Belle, Pooh, Elsa Favorite Color: Purple
Allergies: Pineapples and Oranges

On September 15th I will close the list so that everyone will know how many gifts they are exchanging with others. At that time I will ask everyone to give their cabin numbers if you haven't done so yet!

******FE LIST IS NOW CLOSED******​

 

[canisixpaku]

My husband, my soon to be 3 year old and I will be on this cruise. I am on the FB group, so I saw your link.

 

[SeaSpray]

My husband, my soon to be 3 year old and I will be on this cruise. I am on the FB group, so I saw your link.

Welcome aboard here! Is this your first cruise? This will be our 4th Disney cruise, all of them on the Magic. Our sons are grown now, so this cruise is just my husband and I. We love the adults areas on the ships, especially the Quiet Cove pool.

I like this itinerary because we are taking Amtrak to NYC instead of having to fly. And the day at WDW is so much fun. We did this itinerary in 2012.

 

[FoxFMX22]

Following. This will be our 3rd Disney cruise. 2nd on the Magic and first with our little girl that will be 18 months at cruise time.

 

[FoxFMX22]

Since the moderator likes to delete posts and control what people talk about on the other site, I will be frequenting this site for cruise information.

 

[lajspeech]

Yeah odd moderation on the other site. We're on board! This is the first cruise for my husband and kids (3 and 5). Ive been on 1 prior cruise, The Big Red Boat in 1992 when I was 12!

 

[SeaSpray]

Following. This will be our 3rd Disney cruise. 2nd on the Magic and first with our little girl that will be 18 months at cruise time.

Since the moderator likes to delete posts and control what people talk about on the other site, I will be frequenting this site for cruise information.

Yeah odd moderation on the other site. We're on board! This is the first cruise for my husband and kids (3 and 5). Ive been on 1 prior cruise, The Big Red Boat in 1992 when I was 12!

Welcome aboard!

Fox, hopefully I can answer some of your questions about our cruise because I did this itinerary in 2012. It was such a fun cruise, and we loved the relaxing sea days, the stop in Castaway Cay, and the Port Canaveral/WDW day. It was pretty cool to be at WDW in the middle of a Disney cruise.

laj, I remember advertisements for the Big Red Boat! That must've fun to sail with the Disney characters before DCL even existed.

 

[lajspeech]

laj, I remember advertisements for the Big Red Boat! That must've fun to sail with the Disney characters before DCL even existed.

It was awesome, to the best of my memory. But I wa 12 so really ANY cruise is awesome when you are 12!

 

[JillL]

I will be on, did it in 2012 too! Is there a Facebook page for this cruise?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I will be on, did it in 2012 too! Is there a Facebook page for this cruise?

If there is it can't be linked here.

 

[Mrs. M]

Hello All! We are going on this cruise too! Myself, My Husband and daughters (will be 4&5) We can't wait. This is my 3rd Disney Cruise (1st one on the Big Red Boat, 2nd on the Wonder), my husband's 2nd cruise and my kids first cruise and first experience at Disney! We haven't told the kids yet but my husband and I are so excited!!!

 

[SeaSpray]

I will be on, did it in 2012 too! Is there a Facebook page for this cruise?

Welcome aboard JillL!!!

Hello All! We are going on this cruise too! Myself, My Husband and daughters (will be 4&5) We can't wait. This is my 3rd Disney Cruise (1st one on the Big Red Boat, 2nd on the Wonder), my husband's 2nd cruise and my kids first cruise and first experience at Disney! We haven't told the kids yet but my husband and I are so excited!!!

Welcome aboard Mrs. M!!



We booked this cruise last summer, and now that it's finally *this* year, the real countdown begins!!

Is anyone staying in NYC before or after? We'll be arriving in NYC the day before the cruise, and going back to the hotel (Marriott Marquis Times Square) for a day or two after we debark the ship.

 

[Ann marie lombardo]

I will be on, did it in 2012 too! Is there a Facebook page for this cruise?

Hi jill did u have fun? Marie

 

[hostetterse]

This is our first Disney cruise with children. Can someone explain fish extenders? Will the sign ups for it be posted here? Thanks.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This is our first Disney cruise with children. Can someone explain fish extenders? Will the sign ups for it be posted here? Thanks.

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.

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.


HOW MANY CABINS WILL BE IN MY FE GROUP and WHO PARTICIPATES???
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.


How many rooms you give to 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. Some groups say “every room gets/gives gifts” (even if two rooms are really just one family). Others say that rooms that are a nuclear family can give together. While other groups say: 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. It’s up to each Fish Extender group/organizer to decide on the “rules”.

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.

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 their 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 Travel Agents 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.

Now that you have a Cruise Meet thread started, and some people who have expressed an interest in participating in a Fish Extender exchange, it's up to one of you to be the contact point, if you want to have a Fish Extender group here on DISboards. Apparently there are FE groups on other sites, but they are not DISboards connected, and links to those site cannot be posted here.

 

[hostetterse]

Will there be Halloween celebrations on this cruise?

 

[FoxFMX22]

Will there be Halloween celebrations on this cruise?

Yes, it will be the Halloween on the High Seas. The ship will be decorated and many Halloween activities throughout the cruise.

 

[nhgirl]

We will be on this cruise. There are three of us, DH, DD (12) and I. This will be our 2nd Disney Cruise. We did the Magic NYC - Bahamas in July 2012. We loved it! We are really looking forward to this cruise.

 

[SeaSpray]

We will be on this cruise. There are three of us, DH, DD (12) and I. This will be our 2nd Disney Cruise. We did the Magic NYC - Bahamas in July 2012. We loved it! We are really looking forward to this cruise.

Welcome aboard nhgirl!

We did this itinerary in 2012, too. We were on the very first sailing. It was so much fun. We had the best wait staff on that cruise, out of all of our cruises, including other cruise lines.

 

[Ann marie lombardo]

I will be on, did it in 2012 too! Is there a Facebook page for this cruise?