November 25th, 2016 - Black Friday on the Wonder

[Huskiesrule]

Has anyone done the family portraits on the cruise? If so, how expensive was it and how was your experience?

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/photography-service/#!
The my cruise photos doesn't list out to our cruise yet. I think the posing for the pictures is free, it is how many pics you want to buy from that. You can buy 1 photo(want to say $20-$25 for each) or all the photos taken on the cruise for one price http://www.magicalkingdoms.com/cruise/onboard/shutters.html (not sure this link is acceptable, but someone will delete it if not.

 

[hamm1207]

In my spare moments I keep thinking I would rather be on a Disney cruise right now - and then reality kicks in and I remember I'm not rich!

I'm right there with you! One way to cruise all the time is to become a CM...but something tells me that's not the same as cruising as a passenger.

 

[Huskiesrule]

Yeah, I don't think the customer service part of the job would be fun I am so ready for a Disney cruise that I looked up the price of a last minute Dream 4th of July and I can only say DCL does not have cheap rates I'll give them that!

 

[Huskiesrule]

Happy 4th of July

 

[hamm1207]

Good morning! Only 142 days to go until we set sail! As the preparations are underway...do you dress up for formal night or not? We enjoy dressing up for formal night on the cruise--it's a time to put on your fancy clothes and look sharp for a night. By the time semi-formal night comes around, sometimes we go for it and sometimes we just do cruise casual.

 

[Huskiesrule]

We used to go all out, now it's casual. Less space taken up in my luggage and we're on vacation, so over the dressing up stage. Been there, done that and bought the pictures Maybe next year on the PC cruise I'll do the black dress thing again but since we have no interest in places like Palo, maybe not. It's kind of like dressing up for Pirate night, love seeing the people that do but not for me.

 

[Discruisin]

Welcome to the cruise!! We've never sailed HA, but it sounds wonderful, as do the destinations that you've visited! We're hoping to do a Europe vacation next year. We've cruised out of Galveston once before, and we used to live in Houston so we stop by and see friends (sometimes stay with them before the cruise). We decided not to stay with friends this time around, as we're arriving Thanksgiving Day and we didn't want to impose on their family time.

If you don't mind me asking, do you remember the price for the photo package? Also, are you talking about the photographers that are standing around with the portrait signs by them? We've done our pictures with the standard cruise backgrounds (ship, sunset, etc), but we've never used the family portrait people, because I figured that we had to pay extra for those.

We love HAL. We have taken about 10 HAL cruises all before we had children, HAL is not the best for kids. Mostly in Europe but also South America. As far as Europe goes I would recommend the Mediterranean or the Norway. We have done just about all the areas you can sail and those are my two favorite. The Baltics are nice also. If you do a Mediterranean I would recommend spending some time pre or post cruise in Oslo, Copenhagen or Amsterdam. We would also do 5-7 day prior in one or two cities then take the cruise then another 5-7 days after in one city. South America is amazing. We spent 4 days in Iguazu Falls (a must see) and then 3 days in Buenes Aires. We then took a 16 day cruise around South America with 3 days in Rio at the end. I would highly recommend that trip it was amazing. The fjords in South American or some of the most beautiful in the world. If you have any questions about Europe please feel free to ask.

As far as the price of the photo package it is $500. Yes, we just do the photo sessions with the photographers that are standing around before dinner.

 

[hamm1207]

We used to go all out, now it's casual. Less space taken up in my luggage and we're on vacation, so over the dressing up stage. Been there, done that and bought the pictures Maybe next year on the PC cruise I'll do the black dress thing again but since we have no interest in places like Palo, maybe not. It's kind of like dressing up for Pirate night, love seeing the people that do but not for me.

We used to dress up for pirate night too, but not anymore (maybe a DCL pirates tshirt). It's fun watching everyone else dress up though. That's also usually the night we hit Palo, as it's our least favorite menu. Now...once our daughter is older we might have to dress up again

 

[Delrea]

Good morning! Only 142 days to go until we set sail! As the preparations are underway...do you dress up for formal night or not? We enjoy dressing up for formal night on the cruise--it's a time to put on your fancy clothes and look sharp for a night. By the time semi-formal night comes around, sometimes we go for it and sometimes we just do cruise casual.

I Love it, my husband not so much but he does it We've dressed up for pirate night for 2 cruises now we just wear the bandanas, but our kids will be dressed up

 

[hamm1207]

I Love it, my husband not so much but he does it We've dressed up for pirate night for 2 cruises now we just wear the bandanas, but our kids will be dressed up

I'll probably dress up out little one...it is her first cruise and all. Etsy is a dangerous site (for my wallet)!

 

[Huskiesrule]

I agree with Etsy being bad for the wallet, but in my case it is for FE's. I am not very crafty and I lose interest in making things after doing 2 or 3. I'll pay someone else to keep supporting my DCL FE habit

 

[bedgraynexl]

Hi All! Glad I found this thread as I haven't been on DIS in a while, just on here recently to pick up to cruise tips. This will be our first cruise. Me, DW, DS16, DD14, DD7 plus a ton of extended family on the trip.

For those of you with teens what do they typically do to keep themselves entertained? I doubt they'll get bored but maybe some ideas to spark some interest.

Also... anything that we should try and do in Nassau. I think we have Key West figured out.

We may also be interested in doing FE. My mother (a certified Disney Cruise Fanatic) says they are a great thing to do

140 days according to my DCL app. Disney Excitement is building!

 

[hamm1207]

Hi All! Glad I found this thread as I haven't been on DIS in a while, just on here recently to pick up to cruise tips. This will be our first cruise. Me, DW, DS16, DD14, DD7 plus a ton of extended family on the trip.

For those of you with teens what do they typically do to keep themselves entertained? I doubt they'll get bored but maybe some ideas to spark some interest.

Also... anything that we should try and do in Nassau. I think we have Key West figured out.

We may also be interested in doing FE. My mother (a certified Disney Cruise Fanatic) says they are a great thing to do

140 days according to my DCL app. Disney Excitement is building!

Welcome to the cruise!! We're glad you found us! My husband and I are doing the Graycliff Chocolate excursion in Nassau and our daughter will be in the nursery. We honestly, don't usually get off the ship in Nassau--we just stay on board and enjoy all of the stuff to do. As our daughter gets older we'll probably do an Atlantis excursion, as it looks fun. We'd love to have more people join the FE! We've done it on all cruises except one (we didn't know about it on our very first cruise).

 

[bedgraynexl]

Welcome to the cruise!! We're glad you found us! My husband and I are doing the Graycliff Chocolate excursion in Nassau and our daughter will be in the nursery. We honestly, don't usually get off the ship in Nassau--we just stay on board and enjoy all of the stuff to do. As our daughter gets older we'll probably do an Atlantis excursion, as it looks fun. We'd love to have more people join the FE! We've done it on all cruises except one (we didn't know about it on our very first cruise).

Thanks Hamm,

I will put Graycliff on the list to consider. I have a feeling that no matter what we choose we will end up having a great time.
I'll let you know about the FE. I expect we will join in the fun!

 

[Huskiesrule]

Hi All! Glad I found this thread as I haven't been on DIS in a while, just on here recently to pick up to cruise tips. This will be our first cruise. Me, DW, DS16, DD14, DD7 plus a ton of extended family on the trip.

For those of you with teens what do they typically do to keep themselves entertained? I doubt they'll get bored but maybe some ideas to spark some interest.

Also... anything that we should try and do in Nassau. I think we have Key West figured out.

We may also be interested in doing FE. My mother (a certified Disney Cruise Fanatic) says they are a great thing to do

140 days according to my DCL app. Disney Excitement is building!

You found us! Some of us are chatty here, others not so much. Is this your first cruise ever or first DCL cruise? Either way, what a way to start.
I know they have a teen "club" on the ship, but if they aren't interested in that there is always the pool, movies to see and trivia to answer.
The most popular thing at Nassau is Atlantis, whether you do the water park or just visit and walk around.
If you decide to join the FE, my very easy "rules" are on page 16, post # 315.

 

[bedgraynexl]

Hi Huskiesrule,

It is our first cruise ever. I am really looking forward to it. It is going to be quite an experience. I figured there would be more than enough to keep them engaged but with teens you never know 100%
I'll look more into Atlantis too. Just like with any Disney Vacation it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices.
I just need to relax about it and remember there can always be another cruise...

 

[Huskiesrule]

Yeah, you don't want to plan that you will do/see it all. It's a vacation and your hardest decision should be what you will order for dinner You are right, there can always be another cruise. Enjoy what you can cause its all about the memories you make.

 

[Huskiesrule]

No new info - I am just moving/updating it for a new page for the newcomers who don't feel like reading the whole thread. Hopefully, all the info to follow will help answer some questions and not scare anyone away from joining the DISboards only FE group.

For those that are interested in joining the FE, here are my rules and guidelines. The last group will be closed one month before the cruise and I will then start a latecomer’s group or a pixie dust group. Each group will stop at max of 10 cabins. If someone drops before the cruise, I will not replace them in a group(unless the group agrees). If the group had hit 10, it will stay closed.

Real names are not required – it is DW(Darling Wife), DH(Darling Husband), DD(Darling Daughter) and DS(Darling Son). For anyone who wants to make personalized gifts, let me know and I will see what I can do about getting real names.

Info required to join the FE is room #, who is in the room, ages of any kids and an email to send the final list to. Optional info is any allergies and favorite characters. The only person that will have your email is me and I will delete it from my contacts once we are back from the cruise. I will not share your email address unless you request it. I will send an email to all participants in each group as it closes. I will put directions in the email, but please look at the FE info and make sure it is correct. I will have everyone email me back to assure me they have received their email and everything is correct. After that, the only email you will get from me is if there are any changes in your FE group.

There is no spending limit(spend what you are comfortable with). Gifts can be per person or per cabin, your choice. There is no set day to deliver, just have everything delivered before Thursday(Dec. 1st) night. Please make sure to hang your extender as soon as possible for those who want to deliver early(or daily - it does happen). If there is no extender, please do not leave anything as the participants may have changed rooms.

I will let everyone know of any room changes up to 48 hrs. before the cruise, then I will be traveling to Texas and have limited access to the internet. After that you will either have to go door to door and drop off a note of any changes or I will have a whiteboard at my room to write any messages. Be aware that since I am not going to be in every FE group, most people will have no reason to check the board at my room. I will make sure everyone has my room # so they can check the whiteboard or call if they have any issues.

Closer to the cruise we can maybe plan an onboard meet up on day 1 for anyone interested. If anyone is interested in being in charge of starting groups for mixology classes, an ornament exchange(organized elsewhere), a postcard exchange, a recipe exchange etc… feel free as I am only doing the FE.

As always, I will try to check this thread daily so feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Huskiesrule]

The first group for the DISboards only FE is closed and it is as following:
Huskiesrule - 3 adults (2 female, 1 male)
SJ14 - DW, DH, DD 12, DD 6
bgetter - DH, DW, DD 8, DD 5
Sarah Beddingfield - DW, DH, DD 11, DD 10
bmccarthy422 - DW, DH, DS 8, DD 4
upinparis - 2 adults (female)
SilverLantern - DW, DH, DD 6, DD 3
Gohawks - DW, DH, DD 7, DD 2
suazoshinee - DW, DH, DS 14, DS 7

Group 2 is still at 3:
Tzbwilsonfam - DH, DW, MIL, DS 2.5
hamm1207/N365PA - DW, DH, DD 1
zimzim4 - DW, DH, DS 11, DS 6

For those that don't have a room assignment yet(probably September or October is when you will get it), please let me know asap so I can update the list with correct info. Yes you can sign up for the FE without a room #, I just require you to get it to me as soon as you can.

 

[hamm1207]

Happy Saturday everyone! We're another day closer to our cruise!

I'm trying to figure out what to do with my daughter's car seat on the cruise... She has her own seat on the flight and we'll be meeting up with friends, so taking her car seat is a must (it weighs about 27lb). Here's what I'm trying to decide and any input/opinions would be great!
-Do I put it in a bag and leave it with the other luggage for DCL to deliver to my room? Yes, I know they toss the luggage around and it ends up in big piles.
-Do I lug it around the port and onto the ship all morning? We'll be getting to the port early and boarding with group 1, so we'll have lots of time aboard before staterooms open.
-I'm considering purchasing a cheaper seat for traveling (one that weighs about 10lb and only costs $50)--should I buy it?