03/01/2008 Eastern!!

[feiste]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!

Here's a photo from last years fun:

 

[ranidayz]

Those pics are awesome! By default, all of my kids are going at Pirates this year so I can double up on Costume usage (see, we all have our ways of affording this trip!) I went to Toys R Us this morning and their costumes are all 70 percent off - so I got the coolest costume for my DD - almost 4 - complete with hat and all -- she kind of looks like a beer wench at Medieval Times -- but it's called a pirate costume and a pirate costume it is! You'll all see it on the cruise.

Of course, my DS-9, decided that he just wants to be a skelton zombie for the school parade, but I've still got the pirate stuff for March -- yes I am so psyched!

Happy Halloween!

Rani

 

[atinkerbellmom]

Hey Rani-
We did the same thing. Both kids were pirates this year. Great minds think alike. Now if I could just shed 20 pounds prior to the cruise.

 

[ranidayz]

Yeah- shedding pounds around Halloween, the holidays and the winter?????when we need the extra insulation to survive in the wild? I did get some new swim suits to feel comfy on the beaches and at the pools, but I can't make bets....although I am back at the gym after a rough summer hiatus!

Rani

 

[MAD on Disney]

We were pirates, too. Same thinking. I may post a picture if I can figure out how.

 

[Johnna_Story]

I'm very sad to say that The Storys are not going to be joining you on March 1. Unfortunately, we are going to have to go back to our original plan of cruising again in 2009, instead of 2008.

Mark and I decided that rather than be on a tight budget until (and even after!) the cruise, that we would be able to relax a bit and just plan to change our reservation until 2009. I think I'm taking it the hardest, although DD doesn't know yet, and she will be just as sad when we finally tell her.

I know you will all have a wonderful time - even without the Storys. I'm still happy to share any further advice you need/want, or questions you have. I've never been one to keep my opinions to myself.

I'll still keep checking in on you all until March and can't wait to get a great trip report afterwards.

Ciao for now, Johnna

 

[ejkjmom]

I'm very sad to say that The Storys are not going to be joining you on March 1. Unfortunately, we are going to have to go back to our original plan of cruising again in 2009, instead of 2008.

Mark and I decided that rather than be on a tight budget until (and even after!) the cruise, that we would be able to relax a bit and just plan to change our reservation until 2009. I think I'm taking it the hardest, although DD doesn't know yet, and she will be just as sad when we finally tell her.

I know you will all have a wonderful time - even without the Storys. I'm still happy to share any further advice you need/want, or questions you have. I've never been one to keep my opinions to myself.
I'll still keep checking in on you all until March and can't wait to get a greattrip report afterwards.

Ciao for now, Johnna

it won't be the same without the Story's

 

[feiste]

We're sad to hear that you won't be with us, but certainly understand that you made the right decision for your family.

 

[feiste]

it won't be the same without the Story's

What is being booed?

 

[ranidayz]

Johnna,

Sorry I won't get to meet your family....but we're only an hour away during the whole year -- maybe sometime other than the first week of Mar 2008!

Rani

 

[ranidayz]

OK - need some expert advice. I went looking through that excursion catalog and here's the issue I'm having. I have a husband, 11 year old boy and nine year old boy who are crazy adventurous and some excursions look awesome for them. I also have chicken-little me and a three year old (who will be crazy adventurous) but for now is only going to be four years old at the cruise. Do we all pick an easy excursion or do we split up or what?

Thanks,
Rani

 

[feiste]

OK - need some expert advice. I went looking through that excursion catalog and here's the issue I'm having. I have a husband, 11 year old boy and nine year old boy who are crazy adventurous and some excursions look awesome for them. I also have chicken-little me and a three year old (who will be crazy adventurous) but for now is only going to be four years old at the cruise. Do we all pick an easy excursion or do we split up or what?

Thanks,
Rani

We have split up for excursions on every cruise thus-far. On our first Eastern the split went as follows:

St. Thomas:

My mom, myself, and DD 3 road the Tram up to Paradise Point , and did a little shopping.

My brother stayed on the ship with niece 2 1/2, got off to do a little shopping.

My husband, DD (6), SIL, and niece (7) went snorkeling .

St. Marteen:

My Mom, Husband, 2DD's, SIL, 2 nieces and myself went to the butterfly farm and met up at the beach for the afternoon.

My brother and father did the regatta race , and met us at the beach for the afternoon .

CC is more of a family day . We rent 2-4 beach packages (depending on the size of our group) and take turns snorkeling and using the floats, and then just rent extra bikes for whoever wants to go on the bike tour. My dad is usually off playing beach volleyball all afternoon, so I try to go get him a huge fruit plate at the beginning of the lunch feast and drop it by our beach chairs. He then hangs by all of our bags while we eat , and then he's off playing the rest of the day.

On our Western cruise we went as a group to tour the Mayan ruins in Costa Maya, but split up in Grand Cayman. My mom and I did the jeep island tour , while DH, 2 DD's and my dad went on the snorkeling with the sting rays. Kim and family were on this trip with my family when Grace got stung by a jellyfish , and refused to go back in the water!

Really it's up too you, but we feel that we have plenty of time as a family on this trip even when splitting up for our daytime excursions. This is more true on the Eastern with the extra day at sea.

I think that I have given more than my two cents...

 

[MAD on Disney]

First of all, let me say how sorry I am to here that the Story's will not be joining us. I'm glad to hear (for them) that it is more of a delay than a decision to not cruise at all.

Second, I'm so glad to see that feiste is also unaware of what it means to be booed. I see this mentioned from time to time and have no clue what it means.

- Mike

 

[atinkerbellmom]

Okay, I know sometrhing the rest of you do not know????? Lets talk BOOED, which is now over...... Someone started with this bouncing Mickey Pumpkin on the DIS. They sent it to another DISer and it says in a PM, "You've been BOOed" and by whom. It was done to celebrate Halloween in a fun little way. You were suppose to send it to some other DISer whom had not yet been BOOed. You have to cut and paste the jumping Mickey as a part of your signature or under the signature. Many started giving thanks to the BOOer in the signature line. Now I see others have started a "gobbled" for Thanksgiving in the form of a fat turkey. So now I just sit back and hope someone picks me. Just a fun little game. At DS school, they do the BOO game too for Halloween, but they leave candy and a big note pasted to the door that says "BOO". I hope this makes sense and explains it a little. I just jumped on the boards and wanted to check our meets. I have been at that darn hospital all day and night and I am I am going to bed and will catch you all tomorrow.

Oh, MOD (Mad on DIsney), DD was waiting to hear back from your DD. Tag you are it. We wrote last.

 

[feiste]

thanks for the reply on the "boo" thing. We do the same thing in this neighborhood, with the ghosts on the door, and little gift bags of goodies.

The board has been pretty quiet lately. Hope everyone is doing well. We just decided that we will be staying at the "Nick Hotel" in Orlando the night before the cruise. The girls having been bugging us to goo there forever. We also found a good price on a one way fare from here to Tampa, so I am going to take the girls down with me the Tuesday before the cruise and spend some time with family in the Tampa area before the cruise. I haven't told the girls yet, we are trying to keep it as a surprise for now.

We started to look at excursions this weekend. Has anyone decided what they are doing at any of the ports of call yet?

Anyway Happy Monday everyone!

Jennifer

 

[atinkerbellmom]

Our family does not take part in a lot of excursions, so we do not do a lot of looking. My DS is so into the clubs and we like the "local" aspect, we just do not care to do the excursions. We were thinking about "a little", one of the stingray ones, but we do not know if it would freak DD out. We go because we are in love with the ship and with beaches. My DH with the food. So, I can not help you much. I usually spend money in the ports of call but on things to bring back. This is the one time I can shop and do not have to hide the bags. We have not done the Eastern, so it will all be new to us.

COOL The Nick hotel...... That is HUGE. Wish we could come with you. I am already pulling the kids out of school for the week, DH would not have any extra days.

 

[feiste]

Our family does not take part in a lot of excursions, so we do not do a lot of looking. My DS is so into the clubs and we like the "local" aspect, we just do not care to do the excursions. We were thinking about "a little", one of the stingray ones, but we do not know if it would freak DD out. We go because we are in love with the ship and with beaches. My DH with the food. So, I can not help you much. I usually spend money in the ports of call but on things to bring back. This is the one time I can shop and do not have to hide the bags. We have not done the Eastern, so it will all be new to us.

COOL The Nick hotel...... That is HUGE. Wish we could come with you. I am already pulling the kids out of school for the week, DH would not have any extra days.

I am pulling the kids out of school the week of the cruise, but luckily the kids are on midwinter break the week before, so instead of staying here in Michigan, were going to spend some extra time in Florida!

Have you been at the Nick Hotel? I'm looking to get some information about the size of the rooms.

 

[ranidayz]

I am pulling the kids out of school the week of the cruise, but luckily the kids are on midwinter break the week before, so instead of staying here in Michigan, were going to spend some extra time in Florida!

Have you been at the Nick Hotel? I'm looking to get some information about the size of the rooms.

I'm pulling the kids out of school for the cruise for the first time ever. They are missing seven straight days! It's two weeks before spring break and we've already told the teachers to give them anything they need to to ahead of time and we'll get it turned in before we leave. Luckily, our standardized tests got moved to April this year - so that's good news.

A little more good news to share - after a long and wicked campaign at his school, my almost 11-year-old son was elected President of his Student Government Association! It was very exciting and exhausting at the same time -- but so far the year is looking good....and now with the cruise to look forward to.....like I haven't been obsessing about it since we booked it!

have a great night,
Rani

PS - I like this boo think now that I know what it is....I'm twisting it a little....with all the excitement about the cruise and planning -- I'm going to Zip-a-dee-doo-da you all

 

[feiste]

I'm pulling the kids out of school for the cruise for the first time ever. They are missing seven straight days! It's two weeks before spring break and we've already told the teachers to give them anything they need to to ahead of time and we'll get it turned in before we leave. Luckily, our standardized tests got moved to April this year - so that's good news.

A little more good news to share - after a long and wicked campaign at his school, my almost 11-year-old son was elected President of his Student Government Association! It was very exciting and exhausting at the same time -- but so far the year is looking good....and now with the cruise to look forward to.....like I haven't been obsessing about it since we booked it!

have a great night,
Rani

Tell your son congrats on his big election!


This is my two cents about pulling the kids out of school:


Between Midwinter Break, our cruise, conferences teacher work days, and the early Easter/Spring Break I think that my kids are only in school for 12 days all of March. I would feel bad about it but it seems to me a little too convenient that the "teacher work days" are always scheduled to accommodate four and five day weekends. During her time at this school my older daughter has had the following :

1st grade - No permanent principal from Dec. thru the end of the school year. A number of temps from Dec to March, and then finally a temporary fill in from March - June.

2nd grade - teacher out the last 6 weeks of school - maternity leave

3rd grade - My daughter was assigned a teacher that was pulled up from 1st grade to 3rd grade. 2 1/2 weeks into the school year the teacher announced that she had accepted a position moving her back to a newly opened 1st grade classroom in our school. My daughter had a permanent sub for the next 4 weeks while the school looked for a replacement 3rd grade teacher. The sub who had now bonded with these kids applied for the position and many parents voiced their support for her. Instead the school hired a 1st year teacher who had to make an 1hr and 15 minute drive each way everyday. Needless to say he wasn't ever available before or afterschool for anything.

4th grade - Finally a normal year.

5th grade - so far her teacher has been absent 9 days dealing with a complicated carpal tunnel issue. Now she will be leaving for surgery about two weeks before Christmas break (there will be a perm sub at least not rotating as we have had thus far for the 9 missed days), and possibly she will miss up to another two weeks after Christmas. Oh Yeah, did I mention that the Principal's last day was last Friday and we again with a substitute principal? From what I understand he is supposed to stay the year.

I understand that teachers and principals have lives outside of school, and that they need to do what is in their best interest for their families and careers. That being said I will never take any grief given to me by anyone at any school about my decision to pull my children out of school for a family vacation. Yes, my girls will be goofing off, swimming, and eating ton of ice cream. But, they will also be creating memories to last a lifetime, and by traveling off break week I can save enough money to make that happen twice as often. I take responsibility to make sure that my girls stay caught up with their school work, and on these trips they spend at least some time learning about something (the Mayan Ruins, or Sea Turtles for example) to a much greater degree then they could in school. The time spent with their grandparents is also priceless.

If I were you I wouldn't worry in the slightest about pulling my kids from school. Not only will they survive they will see and learn things that they would not get from the classroom. Furthermore now is the time to build the bond with our children that will get us thru those teenage years!

 

[feiste]

So do I go online at 12:01a.m. December 2nd to make reservations, or 3:01 a.m.


Thanks!