ª"˜˜ª¤.¸Official Team August 2013 Thread!¸.¤ª˜˜"ª&#9733

[squirrel4569]

I'm having cruise/Disney withdrawl I just had to unsubscribe from the "How many days until your next Disney cruise" thread because I was getting bummed out every time I saw it pop up in my CP. I had thoughts of doing an OBB, which financially makes sense if we were really going to do another DCL cruise in the next year or so, but I couldn't really justify it because we have way too many vacations (Disney and non-Disney) on the horizon carrying us through the next year.

I know in just three months or so we will all be there and it will be an awesome vacation, and I have no business complaining, but I'm still a little bummed.

Oh well, maybe I'll go organize my pictures so I can scrapbook them before our August trip! Thanks for letting me throw a pity party for myself

Since I'm considering doing a cruise next year for the first time I'm curious about a couple of things. How many have you done? If you've done park/cruise together which did you prefer to do first? What's the ideal length of a cruise for you?

We're looking at going June next year when school lets out. If all goes as planned we can hit the last weekend of SWW and have 5 days at the park before moving to a 3 day cruise which would get us back on Sunday morning in time to catch a flight home. Since a 3 day cruise is as much as a week at the park we'll have to start saving for it soon, but I think it would be a fun way to relax/wind down after 5 days at the parks. Plus with the kid area we can get a little break from the kids after being tied to them for a week.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

We're looking at going June next year when school lets out.

The only thing I would say about June is that it is very expensive. For our family of four, it's about $1000 more than cruising in January or September or other cheaper months. I totally understand planning around school schedules, but for us, saving that much money is worth taking them out of school! Granted, we opt for extended weekend vacations to minimize missed days, but it's something to consider. Also, the longer you wait to book (especially for the summer months), the higher the price is going to go as cheaper cabins get sold out. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[momto3gr8boys]

Since I'm considering doing a cruise next year for the first time I'm curious about a couple of things. How many have you done? If you've done park/cruise together which did you prefer to do first? What's the ideal length of a cruise for you?

We're looking at going June next year when school lets out. If all goes as planned we can hit the last weekend of SWW and have 5 days at the park before moving to a 3 day cruise which would get us back on Sunday morning in time to catch a flight home. Since a 3 day cruise is as much as a week at the park we'll have to start saving for it soon, but I think it would be a fun way to relax/wind down after 5 days at the parks. Plus with the kid area we can get a little break from the kids after being tied to them for a week.

I have done 7 cruises altogether, but only 4 of them with Disney, and without setting out to, have done the exact same cruise all four times - the three night Bahamian - once on Magic, twice on Wonder and now once on Dream. The other three I did were a Princess 7 night Alaskan, a RCCL 7 night Mediterranean and a 4 night Celebrity Western Caribbean - all itineraries that Disney does as well. In fact the Magic followed us around the Mediterranean .

Only once did we do parks with the cruise, and that was just because of the circumstances - the first one we could only get away three days, the second we did a week at Disney then a three night and then one last day at MK before a late flight home (we had APs that year so that last day was easy), then a whole family (mom, sisters, brother, etc.) Easter trip which we just did to get away because it was the year after my dad has passed away suddenly, and we just wanted to be away. My kids had to go back to school right after so there was no time for parks. And then this past trip which only came about because the kids had off last Thursday and Friday. All three times without parks though we were going to Disney within that year so we didn't feel we were missing out - only would have been cheaper to pay airfare once.

I think ideally an extra night would be better, but the 4 night itineraries are always during the week. But then again, the ship can get very crowded on a day at sea. Even still, you are just getting the hang of things when a three night ends. I think I felt it most this past time because the Dream is twice the size of the Wonder and Magic. I didn't even get to see the whole ship!

I think doing the cruise second does give you that break - although you will be busy on the boat! But winding down your trip with your last full day on Castaway Cay will be great!

If your dates can be flexible, keep an eye out for deals. The cruise won't be discounted through a TA (although you can get an onboard credit that way), but sometimes they do have kids sail free offers, and our particular cruise last week was significantly cheaper than the spring break times. Play around with dates a bit and you may find something less expensive.

The other thing to look at, I see you are in Texas. How far are you from Galveston? They do some 4 and 5 nighters out of there, and if you could drive to save on air, I don't think they are all that much more expensive than the 3 nights. It might be a way to work in two Disney vacations next year .

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

I'm having cruise/Disney withdrawl I just had to unsubscribe from the "How many days until your next Disney cruise" thread because I was getting bummed out every time I saw it pop up in my CP. I had thoughts of doing an OBB, which financially makes sense if we were really going to do another DCL cruise in the next year or so, but I couldn't really justify it because we have way too many vacations (Disney and non-Disney) on the horizon carrying us through the next year.

I hear ya. On our first cruise, we thought it would be a one-time thing, so we didn't book the bounceback. Then, when we got home, the more we thought about the cruise and looked through pictures, the more we wanted to go back. Luckily, we received a PIN in the mail for 10% off our next cruise, but we missed out on the additional $100 onboard credit offer. We learned our lesson though, and booked a bounceback cruise the next time. I love that you can push your dates into another year with no problem. But I totally understand that when you have other vacations on your plate, it makes it hard to commit to yet another Disney cruise!

 

[squirrel4569]

I have done 7 cruises altogether, but only 4 of them with Disney, and without setting out to, have done the exact same cruise all four times - the three night Bahamian - once on Magic, twice on Wonder and now once on Dream. The other three I did were a Princess 7 night Alaskan, a RCCL 7 night Mediterranean and a 4 night Celebrity Western Caribbean - all itineraries that Disney does as well. In fact the Magic followed us around the Mediterranean .

Only once did we do parks with the cruise, and that was just because of the circumstances - the first one we could only get away three days, the second we did a week at Disney then a three night and then one last day at MK before a late flight home (we had APs that year so that last day was easy), then a whole family (mom, sisters, brother, etc.) Easter trip which we just did to get away because it was the year after my dad has passed away suddenly, and we just wanted to be away. My kids had to go back to school right after so there was no time for parks. And then this past trip which only came about because the kids had off last Thursday and Friday. All three times without parks though we were going to Disney within that year so we didn't feel we were missing out - only would have been cheaper to pay airfare once.

I think ideally an extra night would be better, but the 4 night itineraries are always during the week. But then again, the ship can get very crowded on a day at sea. Even still, you are just getting the hang of things when a three night ends. I think I felt it most this past time because the Dream is twice the size of the Wonder and Magic. I didn't even get to see the whole ship!

I think doing the cruise second does give you that break - although you will be busy on the boat! But winding down your trip with your last full day on Castaway Cay will be great!

If your dates can be flexible, keep an eye out for deals. The cruise won't be discounted through a TA (although you can get an onboard credit that way), but sometimes they do have kids sail free offers, and our particular cruise last week was significantly cheaper than the spring break times. Play around with dates a bit and you may find something less expensive.

The other thing to look at, I see you are in Texas. How far are you from Galveston? They do some 4 and 5 nighters out of there, and if you could drive to save on air, I don't think they are all that much more expensive than the 3 nights. It might be a way to work in two Disney vacations next year .

We had looked into sailing out of Galveston this year before deciding on the Florida vacation but Disney is pulling out of Galveston due to lack of demand. They had some odd schedules too because they try to include Castaway Cay in the schedule. That results in 7 day cruises that had two stops and the rest of the time at sea. I love being on the water so I don't think I'd mind that so much but I know a lot of cruisers want to do the shore experiences too.

Another option might be to skip the parks altogether and just do a 7 day cruise. That would mean skipping out on SWW but it would give us some more flexibility with our dates and traveling options (driving vs flying). To do the park/cruise/SWW combo would require flying, which I'm not opposed to at all, it just costs more.

Texas is unfortunately very strict about attendance so we're limited in our times. With the standardized testing requirements they have (and I think most states have) there is a huge focus on attendance. Michigan wasn't so strict when we were there and I used to pull my kids out of school and arrange it with the teachers that they got their assignments ahead of time and they were able to still learn something while they were traveling. We are somewhat fortunate to get a lot of time off that other schools don't get since we don't have as many bad weather days to make up. For example we get the entire week of Thanksgiving off instead of just the day of and day after. That was what allowed us to go to Disney last year the week of Thanksgiving and still enjoy a not so crowded park at the beginning of that week.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

Texas is unfortunately very strict about attendance so we're limited in our times. With the standardized testing requirements they have (and I think most states have) there is a huge focus on attendance.

Totally understand. Not sure when school starts up again, but the price drops again in late August. Other than that, we like to compare our known days off from school (breaks, holidays, teacher workdays, etc.) and build around that. Anytime we can get one less day counted against us, we try to make it happen!

 

[DisMom1981]

Since I'm considering doing a cruise next year for the first time I'm curious about a couple of things. How many have you done? If you've done park/cruise together which did you prefer to do first? What's the ideal length of a cruise for you?

We're looking at going June next year when school lets out. If all goes as planned we can hit the last weekend of SWW and have 5 days at the park before moving to a 3 day cruise which would get us back on Sunday morning in time to catch a flight home. Since a 3 day cruise is as much as a week at the park we'll have to start saving for it soon, but I think it would be a fun way to relax/wind down after 5 days at the parks. Plus with the kid area we can get a little break from the kids after being tied to them for a week.

I can't imagine getting to experience DCL fully without 7 days. With small children I have a hard time choosing between DCL and WDW, but unfortunately we can't do both at once the way I would want to......would have to be a short cruise and a short WDW stay. So, we pushed our bounce back cruise to next year since we cruised last year and are visiting the world this year. We can only travel in the summer and for a family of 4 for a 7 day Fantasy cruise you are looking at 5k......crazy expensive, but no regrets here!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

I can't imagine getting to experience DCL fully without 7 days. With small children I have a hard time choosing between DCL and WDW, but unfortunately we can't do both at once the way I would want to......would have to be a short cruise and a short WDW stay. So, we pushed our bounce back cruise to next year since we cruised last year and are visiting the world this year. We can only travel in the summer and for a family of 4 for a 7 day Fantasy cruise you are looking at 5k......crazy expensive, but no regrets here!

We've had good experiences with the 3-day cruises. For us, we like short vacations and cruises because it fits into our schedule and budget better. Even if there are things we miss, it gives us something to look forward to the next time we visit. To ensure we keep coming back year after year, short and sweet is our vacation motto!

 

[cinnderly]

It's American Airlines, which I am not happy about. But, even with the baggage fees, the tickets were cheaper than JetBlue, which is what we normally fly to Orlando. I'll probably regret it, although our JetBlue flight to Orlando was 4 hours delayed last week and they did nothing to make up for it (usually they at least throw in a free movie), so I'm not feeling too bad at the moment.

Hey, but the price is right! I am partial to JetBlue, but I fly whatever is cheapest. That sucks that JetBlue didn't do anything to make up for your delayed flight, though.

 

[pigletto]

I tried and tried and tried to make a Disney cruise work but we are limited with our dates. Either it was an astronomically expensive 7 day or it was just the 3 day. Everyone has different vacation preferences but a 3 day isn't enough for me. We've cruised 10 days with Celebrity several times and a 14 day and those are more my style. So 7 would be the minimum. Then when you start comparing, I could do an Alaskan cruise or Europe with Celebrity for much less than Disney and it would be longer. Celebrity is a beautiful line and absolutely top notch service so it's hard for me to pay more for less time with Disney.

Bottom line is we decided to wait on the cruise. We did have Royal Caribbean booked, but it was islands we've done twice before, the excursions were really adding to the cost, and once everything was tallied it was more expensive than another Disney trip. I don't mind paying more, but I want to plan for it and have it be somewhere that I've never seen. So I think cruising again will have to wait awhile. I do very much want to try Disney but it will need to wait for when we have the kind of vacation time where we can pick the destination and then book the time off. Right now we have 3 specific weeks and that's it.

Speaking of time off.. Happy Victoria Day to my Canadian friends
The 3 day weekend starts now. And you guys have Memorial Day soon don't you? Is your long weekend this weekend or next? Do you have any special plans?

 

[pigletto]

There is a 4:15 BOG for August 27th available right now.. party of four. Someone grab it!!!!!!

There is also a 9:15 BOG on August 29th!!!!

 

[zabache]

We have never cruised before. That being said we have never had a real vacation ever. So $ and time were a factor. I tried looking for a land/sea Disney deal but it was too expensive for the dates we could go. We wanted to go this year so it made things a bit more expensive. I know if I were to plan ahead of time it will bring the cost down a little. This time a 3 day cruise would cost us the same as our whole week at WDW. So we opted to put it on the back burner for a while longer. Maybe when my toddler is a few years older, then again it will make it a bit more expensive because he'll be older. What matters is that someday we'll go.

 

[lovingeire]

Speaking of time off.. Happy Victoria Day to my Canadian friends
The 3 day weekend starts now. And you guys have Memorial Day soon don't you? Is your long weekend this weekend or next? Do you have any special plans?

I will be at Disney next week! Yay! I will be working mostly but working at Disney is fun, right?!?! Our long weekend is next weekend so ill fly home on Sunday to spend the second half of the weekend with my family since they are not joining me on my business trip! It will be my first time away from my almost 3 year old!

 

[squirrel4569]

Speaking of time off.. Happy Victoria Day to my Canadian friends
The 3 day weekend starts now. And you guys have Memorial Day soon don't you? Is your long weekend this weekend or next? Do you have any special plans?

I'm looking forward to Memorial Day weekend because my brother is coming to visit me in Texas for the first time ever. He lives in Dubai and works for Emirates Airlines and the last time I saw him was 2 years ago when he still lived in Italy with my dad. Exciting stuff. He's only here for two days so we are going to make the most of it.

 

[pigletto]

I'm looking forward to Memorial Day weekend because my brother is coming to visit me in Texas for the first time ever. He lives in Dubai and works for Emirates Airlines and the last time I saw him was 2 years ago when he still lived in Italy with my dad. Exciting stuff. He's only here for two days so we are going to make the most of it.

Have a wonderful time with your brother!! My dad goes to Dubai for business all the time. The pictures are incredible!

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

QOTD??

I just wrote a nice QOTD about packing and then I realized we had already discussed it....

Which rides would you like to see re-habilitated or closed all together?

None of my family is a fan of Stitch, so that can go.

This may not be popular, but I wish they made another track that does not go backwards on Expedition Everest. The ride was great until we went backwards. I felt awful into the next afternoon. Another thing I'd love to ride, but know it wouldn't be so wise is Tower of Terror. If it wasn't random and I could know exactly how many times it goes up and down, I think I could actually ride it.

 

[DMGeurts]

I will be at Disney next week! Yay! I will be working mostly but working at Disney is fun, right?!?! Our long weekend is next weekend so ill fly home on Sunday to spend the second half of the weekend with my family since they are not joining me on my business trip! It will be my first time away from my almost 3 year old!

You will have so much fun - I just know it! And I know it will be hard to be away - but Moms do need that sometimes.

I'm looking forward to Memorial Day weekend because my brother is coming to visit me in Texas for the first time ever. He lives in Dubai and works for Emirates Airlines and the last time I saw him was 2 years ago when he still lived in Italy with my dad. Exciting stuff. He's only here for two days so we are going to make the most of it.

Have a great time!

D~

 

[Loreli]

I'm looking forward to Memorial Day weekend because my brother is coming to visit me in Texas for the first time ever. He lives in Dubai and works for Emirates Airlines and the last time I saw him was 2 years ago when he still lived in Italy with my dad. Exciting stuff. He's only here for two days so we are going to make the most of it.

My brother-in law and sister-in law are coming for Memorial Day weekend from Pittsburgh. They are leaving their 7 children with friends and are coming to "bed and breakfast" with us celebrating their 20th anniversary. We are a cheap B&B, LOL.
Hope you have a blast with your brother. Having family over is a great time way to spend the holiday weekend. Especially when you don't regularly see them.

 

[kristenm514]

I'm supposed to run the Color Run 5k on Memorial Day weekend, but I am down with achilles tendonitis right now. Really hoping I can be healed up enough to run in a week!

 

[HPCrazy]

So who's gonna be in the World during the week of Aug 17-23? I'm gonna be there with my family staying at POR. Anyone who's planning to be there, feel free to let me know if you'd like to connect at some point while there!