09/08/07 Early Check in September 8, 2007 Western

[Grandma4ever]

Just booked this week! Me, DH (we will have just celebrated our 10th anniversary) and DD who will be 4 when we cruise. First time on the Magic. Can't wait!

Welcome. Congrates on the anniverary. Looking forward to getting to know you over the next few months.

 

[Grandma4ever]

I am Becky 24 and will be celebrating my 25th birthday, and my brother Stephen (Nacho1337) 22, will be 23 on the cruise, he's the one who started this thread will be on the cruise and the one one the 15th. We talked about going on the returning repo from Europe but wasn't sure if I could get off the whole time. Still not sure about these two, hopefully we can go on both, I handed in my vacation request this past week and am waiting to see if I can actually do both, he already has the time off.

If not we will definitely do the one, but I could use some pixie dust that I can do both. My manager was like, why so early? I then proceeded to tell her I was booked since last April. She didn't have a problem with the two weeks+ but I must wait to see if headquarters approves it.

It will be our first time on the Magic, but we did a 4 day Wonder cruise in September 2005 with our parents and sailed with Hurricane Rita, I sure hope we do not have any hurricanes or tropical storms in the ocean. Despite the weather and altered cruise itinerary, we both had an incredible time. We have early dinner for one cruise and late for the other, but I can't recall which is which right now.

Another Thank you to your brother for getting us started. I am sending all the pixie dust I can spare your way. Hope you can get the time off so you can take the B2B. I don't have an issue taking the time. I just can't take any time off in the next eight months or I will have to go without pay. Now that would not be a good thing. In 4 cruises (one 3 day and 3 seven day) we have only had one rough day at sea. We have been very lucky since I like the prices in September.

 

[stina]

Good morning DISers! Welcome to McCourtney and welcome back Becky!

McCourtney... if you are interested in doing the crawl I'm sure we can work in Hog's Breath! I'll have to find a map of all the bars in Key West so I can plot a route making sure the last bar we visit is closest to the ship so that we don't have that far to walk (or be carried!)

We (hannacanna and I) definitely don't have a room assignment yet since we purchased Cat 12. But my inlaws (SwimTeacher) who we are sailing with purchased a Cat 9 so they have a specific number assigned. Hopefully we will be near them and if we are graced by any magic we will get a free upgrade to a Cat. 9! Now THAT would be wonderful! But either way we'll be happy.

stina

 

[PrettyInTink]

Hi everyone! I have internet today! Yipee!!!!
About the Mickey's Mafia Meet and Greet on the 7th, the more the merrier! We will be checking in on the 1st and I will post the room number as soon as we check in! Feel free to bring the whole family. We will have snacks and beverages (non alcoholic) but feel free to bring the alcoholic ones if you wish. Kevin even suggested picking up pizza. We'll figure it out!

 

[Twin Princesses]

Mine will be 4 in Sept! She doesn't know she is going for an entire week on the "Mickey Mouse Boat" yet, however....

She looks like a cute princess Mine ask how long now till we go?...... now how long? So it is a good idea not to tell her now! We went to DL A lot But we have not been to WDW or DCL before.

 

[PrettyInTink]

Hi everyone! I will PM my cell # to whoever wants it about a month before the cruise so if anyone wants to call us to find out room #'s for the meet and greet that will be fine. I'm thinking we will start around 4pm??? It's just going to be a drop in, stay as long as you like type thing. This will be our first time at SSR since buying DVC so it should be much fun. Have a great week everyone!

 

[Bareacuda]

Sounds great PIT... But we'll be flying in that (long )day!
Now... if you held the meet at the airport... you just might get more attendance

Ann

 

[Grandma4ever]

She looks like a cute princess Mine ask how long now till we go?...... now how long? So it is a good idea not to tell her now! We went to DL A lot But we have not been to WDW or DCL before.

You know the closer it get the more they are going to ask. And I as there aunt am responsible for making sure they explode with excitement before it is time to leave. I have a couple of things in the works for you guys that I'm not telling. All three of you have to wait. Lois

 

[TinkerbellTris]

WHOOOO HHOOOOOO I just made my deposit 2 minutes ago with Dreams Unlimited. I am so excited first ever cruise!!!!! Me, DH, and DS 8. We are just checkin in! ANy tips would be great, plus who all is going with us? Can't wait!

 

[stina]

Welcome TinkerbellTris!

What kind of tips would you like? The most important thing I learned from my last cruise was don't pack as much as you think you'll need! I WAY overpacked last time and those staterooms have limited storage.

I've done the Western once before so if you have any specific questions feel free to ask! I'm fairly (ok very) opinionated when it comes to all things Disney.

That reminds me folks, last night I had one of those Dis-aholic moments when I was at my gym and a woman there told me she'd just booked a week at WDW. She asked for tips and so of course I jumped in! I started in on my favorite restaurants, etc. She looked positively overwhelmed and the other folks at the gym were like "she's talking about Disney again!" They all laugh because I am the resident Disney expert. They say I am like a travel agent! The point was I was so excited for this woman & her vacation and her not as enthusiastic response made me feel like a FREAK because I love WDW & DCL so much! I just had to confess among "my kind" here at the DISboards. Being super enthusiastic about Disney is a good thing right?


stina

 

[Twin Princesses]

WHOOOO HHOOOOOO I just made my deposit 2 minutes ago with Dreams Unlimited. I am so excited first ever cruise!!!!! Me, DH, and DS 8. We are just checkin in! ANy tips would be great, plus who all is going with us? Can't wait!

This will be our first cruise also I have 2 DD 9 Lois said there is alot of thing for the kids

 

[MCourtney]

You know the closer it get the more they are going to ask. And I as there aunt am responsible for making sure they explode with excitement before it is time to leave. I have a couple of things in the works for you guys that I'm not telling. All three of you have to wait. Lois

 

[Bareacuda]

Welcome TinkerbellTris
On this cruise I think I have a head count of 70 from the Dis!!! What a group!!!
Is this your first cruise?? If you have any questions... just ask... we all will be more then happy to answer them.
And once again...

Ann

 

[TinkerbellTris]

Sorry for the late reply, had a long day at work. Thank you for the welcome: Bareacuda, twin princesses, and Stina. It is so nice to get to know people before we set sail. Well yes this is our first cruise. It will be a little (late) celebration for me and DH 10 year anniversary (actual is July), and we are bringing along our DS8, wouldn't dream of leaving him behind. I wanted to know if we are required to have a passport for each of us, or what documents can we bring in a passports place? How do I go about ressies for Palo? How safe is the Oceaneer lab? How late is the oceaneer lab open? In case we want to go to one of the night clubs on board. I am confused about room service does it cost? Or just certain items cost? Are the buffets open all hours or how does it work? I'm so sorry for all the questions. We are not familiar at all with any cruise. BUT we did make our deposit this morning, and we are very excited. Thank you so much.

 

[Bareacuda]

Sorry for the late reply, had a long day at work. Thank you for the welcome: Bareacuda, twin princesses, and Stina. It is so nice to get to know people before we set sail. Well yes this is our first cruise. It will be a little (late) celebration for me and DH 10 year anniversary (actual is July), and we are bringing along our DS8, wouldn't dream of leaving him behind. I wanted to know if we are required to have a passport for each of us, or what documents can we bring in a passports place? How do I go about ressies for Palo? How safe is the Oceaneer lab? How late is the oceaneer lab open? In case we want to go to one of the night clubs on board. I am confused about room service does it cost? Or just certain items cost? Are the buffets open all hours or how does it work? I'm so sorry for all the questions. We are not familiar at all with any cruise. BUT we did make our deposit this morning, and we are very excited. Thank you so much.

Passports are a very good idea for your family...it's not required at this time... but I would get them for that"what if " happened. I'd rather be safe! You are required to bring certified copies of birth certificates.
Making ressies at Palos is on a time of our cruise ... I think you have 60 days before we sail(anyone ... is that correct?). And you can make ressies the first thing you do when you get on the ship!!!
Someone with kids can answer that one about Oceaneeres Club..
This cruise has alot of kids going... Instant friends
Top Siders has hours... and I'll have to dig for the times. Make sure you visit there before we leave port.
Room service is ... FREE !!! You have to get the chocolate chip cookies!
And for a good reading session go to the cruise site.. take your time and read alot and take notes.
Any more questions... we are all here to help another Diser enjoy a wonderful cruise!

Ann

 

[TinkerbellTris]

Thank you so much for all the info. I bought the birnbaums disney cruise line book, and i've had my nose in it all night. Lot's of great info, but I enjoy the insider info from all of you. We have requested deck 6. We have a cat. 6 room. Not sure what room will get, we booked thru Dreams unlimited. They were very quick to help me book the cruise, and very fast responses. So what are some good shore excursions? My son wants to do the Dolphin thing on Cozumel, not sure it's worth the $150 though. Have you done any shore excursions? What would you recommend with us having DS8 along? All this stuff is so new to me. I will have to get more info on passports, we have never had one before.

 

[Kborn]

I have good news and bad news...Bad news first. We have to cancel this cruise, I will explain later, GOOD NEWS....we have rebooked for Oct. 2007 and we have booked for the 15 Panama Canal crossing!

OK, as some know, we have a six year old. He will be starting 1 grade in August, after much debate with his principle, she suggested we not take him out of school. He would only be there 2 weeks and she is afraid he would miss the classmate bonding times and disrupt the class not learning the schedule, but she did give us premission to take him out the last 2 weeks of school to go on the 15 PC cruise. The last 2 weeks of first grade are more parties and turning in books etc...we were on a wait list for the Walt or Roy Suite along with PrettyinTink, but got word this morning, that someone had been waitlisted for over 2 years. We could have gotten a 1 br. but booked a cat 6. As for the Oct. Cruise, our son has what they call a fall break, he will only miss 1 day of school. My wife and I are going to renew our wedding vows on CASTAWAY CAY. It will be our 10 year ann. We were going to renew on the Sept. cruise and have Cyndi & Kevin be the best man & matron of honor. We are still working on them to join us on the OCT. Cruise. I promise, they will not cancel on you guys, they have their family joining them.

I wonder if it's possible to fly down to Key West and join in on the pub crawl? I bet it would not take my twisting my wife's arm to much...

I hope everyone has a great time, if you get to know Kevin and Cyndi (PrettyinTink) I know everyone will have a great time.

 

[stina]

First off I will say, I am so disappointed that Kborn won't be on our cruise! Ok, temper tantrum over! Sorry you can't be with us, but I'm so happy for you that you are going in October. You are cruising one way or another and that's what's important! We sure will miss you though. If you did fly down to hang out in Key West that would totally rock! But if you can't we understand.

Now on to answer TinkerbellTris's questions:

1. Yes, you need passports. I am pretty sure that passports are now absolutely required (even for kids) to travel outside the US, even to Canada and Mexico. You could probably check the homeland security web site for confirmation.

2. Ressies for Palo: You can book online 60 days out (I believe) once your cruise is paid in full. Or you can sign up when you get on the ship the first day. That usually entails a mad rush to the designated sign up spot. Last cruise I booked what I was able to ahead of time and then got some additional spots and better times by joining the mad rush to Rockin' Bar D as soon as I boarded.

3. Room service is FREE! Meaning included in the base price of your cruise. Choices are limited but it's always nice to have the option. I've ordered the All Hands On Deck cheese platter and breakfast before. We had other friends who ordered lasagna and pizza every night after coming back from the clubs (at 2 and 3am!) so we know they will always serve you! I don't know about the buffet times. I think the hours are flexible but to be honest I only ate at Topsiders once (breakfast) on my last cruise. There is also free food all around the pool, hot dogs, burgers, chicken fingers, fries, soft serve as well as cookies (at the coffee cafe) and tons of delicious fruit, oh and of course unlimited soft drinks. There is a way to always find food no matter what! Believe me you won't fit it all!

4. Excursion advice: I absolutely LOVE the Snorkel with Stingrays on Grand Cayman. Some little kids get spooked, but let me tell you, stingrays are the kitty cats of the ocean! They just come up and rub on you like a cat would. It's an incredible experience. I really loved it. I think stingrays have gotten a bad rap because of the Steve Irwin incident, but I think overall if you use caution, remembering that these are animals and respect them that they are very safe. The rays don't want to hurt you, they just want attention and food. The snorkel guides we had last time were fabulous and all about education and safety. I myself would like to try the dolphin swim at Cozumel. Last time we were in Cozumel we didn't do it and I stood on the beach and watched a bunch of folks who were and it looked amazing! So I'm hoping to save enough to do that. One excursion we did last time that proved to be too difficult was the Back to Nature Kayak tour. It's for adults and kids but man, it is so physically demanding! Way more than I expected. We nearly didn't make it back and were absolutely wrecked afterwards! I wouldn't recommend it unless you are in top physical shape or a really good rower!

Oh, I also wanted to add that I really love the Passporter Guide to Disney Cruise Line, as well as the Magical Cruise guide at allears.net and the Castaway Club website.

http://www.allearsnet.com/cruise/cruise.htm

http://www.castawayclub.com/

stina

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Just a little FYI for all of you cruising with PIT, Cyndi and Kevin.....


You're going to have a blast!!


Happy cruising to you all. Steve and I will be getting on the morning you get off!

 

[Bareacuda]

Oh Man Kborn.... I know you'll leave a gap in out group! Kids come first!

And from what I have read... many Disers here are a hoot to know! Im so looking foward in meeting all of you

Ann