September 29,2013 - DVC Member Cruise

[DaveH]

2 for OKW before and SSR after the cruise. Thanks for setting this up.

 

[Henlady]

Hello Fellow cruisers.
Just got back from our 7 night Western on the Fantasy, and it was FANTASTIC!!
Now we can get into actual planning mode for this cruise.

We stayed at the Hyatt at the Orlando airport on Friday night before the cruise and thought it was perfect. I was hesitant to do the hotel check in of our luggage (I'm a bit OC about stuff like that), but it went smoothly. We had Garden Grocer deliver beer, etc... for the cruise and it worked out perfectly. We have a collapsable rolling 21" suitcase that we packed inside our larger piece of luggage to use to transport the beer onto the ship. Whenever we fly in for a cruise, we'd definately use Garden Grocer services.

 

[Johnny Quest]

Hello Fellow cruisers.
Just got back from our 7 night Western on the Fantasy, and it was FANTASTIC!!
Now we can get into actual planning mode for this cruise.

We stayed at the Hyatt at the Orlando airport on Friday night before the cruise and thought it was perfect. I was hesitant to do the hotel check in of our luggage (I'm a bit OC about stuff like that), but it went smoothly. We had Garden Grocer deliver beer, etc... for the cruise and it worked out perfectly. We have a collapsable rolling 21" suitcase that we packed inside our larger piece of luggage to use to transport the beer onto the ship. Whenever we fly in for a cruise, we'd definately use Garden Grocer services.

Welcome back Kris,
The Hyatt was very convenient for us also. It worked perfectly. I read the auto train is starting a no smoking policy. Have you heard anything? We are taking Ironman to the College Program on the Auto train in 2 weeks. I hope it works out. Glad you had a good time.

How did the Fantasy feel? Was there any vibration or roughness. Did you hear any creaking?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Johnny Quest]

My DH and I are joining you all for our first Member cruise. I am extremely excited to be traveling with a ship full of people who love Disney as much as me! My name is Robin and DH is Jason. This is our 3rd cruise. We did the Dream and WDW last summer with DS12. We loved it enough to do an adult only cruise out of Galveston last September on the Magic. We are excited to be "home" on the Dream. We were super nervous cruising the first time, but we fell in love with it of course! Looking forward to seeing you at the port!

Welcome Robin and Jason! I've added you to the roll call. Check out page 1 of this meet thread and let me know if you'd like to participate in anything.

We still have 4 seats remaining on our bus charter from the port with stops at MCO and WDW.

 

[Henlady]

Welcome back Kris,
The Hyatt was very convenient for us also. It worked perfectly. I read the auto train is starting a no smoking policy. Have you heard anything? We are taking Ironman to the College Program on the Auto train in 2 weeks. I hope it works out. Glad you had a good time.

How did the Fantasy feel? Was there any vibration or roughness. Did you hear any creaking?

Thanks,
Jim

We actually flew for this trip. Flights down were Southwest, back were Airtran. We are doing the AutoTrain for the Sept Trip. Yes, I was notified that they are stopping smoking on the AutoTrain - Don will just have to deal with it. Evidently, they will let you get off for a few minutes during their quick stop in Florence SC to do their crew change. I'm sure there will be more than a few people on walkway frantically puffing away .

With the AutoTrain you just have to realize that it is not a completely "smooth" quiet ride. You will notice vibrations/rumblings, but after a bit it becomes part of the background noise. If you are in coach, just be sure to take pillow(s) and a throw (their blanket is very small), and anything that will make you comfortable (not necessary if in roomettes). I always take a bag with a washcloth/hand towel/small bar of soap, basic toiletries to use to clean up in the morning, and a set of basic clothing to change into.
The food is good, snacks are available. Meals/snacks/Coffee/tea/hot chocolate are free. Be sure to spend some time in the lounge car. If you are able to get lower level seats as it is much quieter since no one can walk thru your car, only the people assigned to your car's lower level will be there, and it is closer to the bathrooms. You can only walk "thru" to other cars/lounge on the upper level.

The Fantasy was great. Don loved the Satallite Falls area and DGS thoroughly enjoyed the Aqua Lab. I like the design of the Adult district a little better on the Fantasy compared to the Dream. We had 3 nights of storms, two were a bit rocky, but not terrible. The last night coming back to Port Canaveral was pretty bad. We were rocking and rolling all over the place. Had to take the hangers off the rack in the closed because they were banging so much. Don slept thru it all. Other than those 3 nighttime storms the weather was beautiful.
Did not notice any more vibration/roughness than what is noticible on the Dream.

 

[jnweinmann]

My Wife and I will once again be on the Member Cruise. Last year was our first and we had loads of fun so we booked it again. We met some of the greatest people last year and look foreward to sailing with them again this year. Can't wait to see the two of you again Cindy.

 

[poison ivy]

Hi everyone,

A quick update: the road trip in Sept is off!! We are now flying Spirit Airlines out of AC. Scored a 59.00 fare each way + 20.00 bag fee. (this is for the $9 club members)

So the Hilton head 2 bdrm needs to be cancelled as well. Too bad. That DVC rate of 220.00 was awesome and we were really looking forward to checking the place out.

We now arrive at Disney early am Fri 9/27. Planning MNSSHP that night - maybe.

Right now we're getting ready to take Iron Man down to WDW. He checks in to the CP on 5/27.

jnweinmann and sager1969 welcome!!! Glad you guys are joining us!!

Homeymo78 - I have no idea when Pirate night is. Hopefully someone else does.

[

Getting into Be Our Guest is like winning The Powerball! I hope you bought a ticket after you secured your reservation!:

I should have played the lottery. We have two separate reservations since i couldn't get a table for all of us. One is for 4 the other is for 2. we're actually a party of 7 or 8 so this is going to get interesting. Truthfully, after looking at pictures and reading reviews I have mixed feelings about the place for dinner.

I learned about the 10 day problem at midnight on my 180 day mark!!!! I was so aggravated! Hoping DVC will get us front of the line once the entire magic plus system is up!

same here. What a mess. Wish I had known about that 10
day window. It would have made a difference.

henlady: Welcome Back! Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise. We're anxious about the autotrain having never done it. We booked 1 roomette for us plus 1 coach seat for Mark. I don't know how that will work but I hope we're not locked away from one another. We were thinking we'd swap out if possible. We'll see.


On another note: We're getting close to the 120 day check in for this cruise! I can hardly believe it.

 

[DisneyBelle99]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3073966

Do you guys know about this thread? Sometimes you can luck out if people post that they are letting an ADR go. There should be an October one soon, too, but some people are starting to post October dates on this thread.

Can't wait to meet you all! Deb

 

[Henlady]

Hi everyone,

We're anxious about the autotrain having never done it. We booked 1 roomette for us plus 1 coach seat for Mark. I don't know how that will work but I hope we're not locked away from one another. We were thinking we'd swap out if possible. We'll see.
On another note: We're getting close to the 120 day check in for this cruise! I can hardly believe it.

Just a FYI: You may be able to go back and forth to visit, but not sure on that you'll have to check. At meal time though, you and JQ will be eating in the "first Class" dining car and IronMan will be eating in the Coach dining car. No switching back and forth there. The menu is different in "first Class" and Coach - difference being you'll be choosing frome things like NY strip steak, Chicken Marsala, grilled salmon, he will get to choose from pot roast, chicken parm, and baked cod. You get the picture. But all of the food is pretty decent. Once you board the train, they will have available for "first class"(thats you) in the lounge car, a complimentary selection of cheese, veggies, crackers and wine (local Virginia) so make sure you hit it early. If you like, you can fill up a plate and take it back to your roomette.
Since you have a roomette, you will have use of the shower on the first level. Its an experience showering on a moving train , but it is nice to be able to arrive fresh and clean. They provide towels, wash cloths & soap. I don't believe that you can use a hairdryer due to electrical constraints.

 

[poison ivy]

We're in different classes? Oh no. i told iron man and he's already balking at the prospect. JQ's having a lot of fun with it. this is going to be quite a trip. We leave on May 22. That's two years to the day from our 5/22 4-nt cruise on the Dream.

Can't believe it's been two years. Maybe I'll post some inspirational pics from that trip to get us in the mood.


Disneybelle99 i'll keep an eye on that thread. thanks. I was hoping to take the group to Ohana possibly on 9/27 but reservations seem to be gone except for late times.

 

[poison ivy]

Here are some photos from our May 2011 Dream cruise



All guests must walk thru either of two main points of entry when not using Disney transport. The upper overpass walkway from garage level 3 or street level entry point between the two guard booths.



here's a far shot of it with the parking garage.



Iron Man and our friend Maryann 2nd in line to enter the terminal street level. (Back when you could line up super early). Iron Man is sporting a backpack rolling cooler you used to be able to bring. I don't believe these are allowed anymore. Too Bad!! That thing was perfect!



A view of where we are headed once the gates open up. We passed thru the guard booth checkpoint and walked to where you see the escalator. We took this up to the 3rd floor security. This is the same level the Disney Terminal is on.





luggage everywhere



crew entry



deck 3 guest entry - promenade deck 4 - and cabins decks 6 thru 10






deck 11 seating by the pool areas/fast food counters. You can see deck 10 cabins below



Our adjoining cabins 8650 and 8648 - cat 6B deck 8 near aft elevators





Deck 5 extended balcony. Looking down from our cabins 8648/8650

 

[HadawayDVC]

Welcome Robin and Jason! I've added you to the roll call. Check out page 1 of this meet thread and let me know if you'd like to participate in anything.

We still have 4 seats remaining on our bus charter from the port with stops at MCO and WDW.

Hello all!

We are interested in the four seats on the bus, returning to WDW after the cruise.

My Mother, Wife and Six yr old Daughter will be attending this cruise. We are DVC members for the past ten years and visit WDW about every other year.

Please sign us four up if you can and let me know what I need to do from here!
Thank you!

Josh

 

[Johnny Quest]

Hello all!

We are interested in the four seats on the bus, returning to WDW after the cruise.

My Mother, Wife and Six yr old Daughter will be attending this cruise. We are DVC members for the past ten years and visit WDW about every other year.

Please sign us four up if you can and let me know what I need to do from here!
Thank you!

Josh

Hi Josh,
Welcome to the cruise meet. I will certainly sign you up for the bus to WDW. I'm sure there will be plenty of cruise experiences to share on the ride. Looking forward to meeting you all. If you could, please let me know at which resort you will be staying.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Johnny Quest]

That's it!
The charter bus is completely sold out for both directions. Thanks to everyone for signing up.

 

[HadawayDVC]

Johnny Quest-
Thanks for the welcome! We are so excited! This is our first disney cruise! We are staying at old key west. When it gets closer to the cruise will we get more info about the bus transportation?

 

[DisneyBelle99]

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/...vents-and-more/comment-page-1/#comment-729156

Latest info on Epcot Food and Wine Festival and Eat to the Beat Concerts!

 

[Maryrn11168]

137 days and counting!! I need to get over my addiction to Candy Crush Saga and spend more time obsessing on DIS!!

My oldest son is graduating from grammar school in 3 1/2 weeks, so that is going to keep me busy with getting everything ready for his party. I know 8th grade or middle school, doesn't seem like a 'big deal' graduation, but he attends a catholic school, and he has been in the same school since nursery (2002). So for him and his friends, It is a big deal! After the party, It is all Disney vacation planning for me.

I was happy that my vacation was approved, so at least I know I have the time off from work.

I hope the board chatting starts to pick up a bit more as we get closer. I know a whole bunch of you can start to book things at 120 days out, then 105 days, but since I am still silver, I have to wait until 90 days. I have a feeling Palo will be out of the question! I just want a massage!!

 

[jmcdonnell04]

We had some extra points when I cancelled our June WDW trip and decided to try the infamous Member cruise. We didn't have enough points for a Cat 4 so we wait listed and 2 weeks later a Cat 11B became available. It will be just me and DW. Our DD's (17) & (13) will make us feel guilty. But as Ursula says, "life is full of tough choices, isn't it."

I have a lot of reading to catch up.

John

 

[Henlady]

Greetings everyone - especially the "newly booked" - Welcome aboard.
Trying to decide wether to join the FE group. If I can come up with something acceptable for the FE gift over the next couple of days I'll be adding my name to the list.

It's only been 11 days since we left the Fantasy, and I'm ready to go back again. DGS wondered why he can't just live on the ship all of the time.

 

[Henlady]

I decided I really didn't want to pass up a day at EPCOT for the Food & Wine festival, sooooo, changed our AutoTrain ressie to return on Oct 4th instead of the 3rd, booked a night at POP (since we'll only be sleeping there) and now we're headed to EPCOT right after we disembark for the day!!
Who knows what other changes I'll end up making over the next couple of months . Luckily DH just goes with the flow whenever I make trip plans.