09/13/09 SSMC09 S.S. Member Cruise 2009 - Part 2!

[wltdsnyfan]

alright, here's another question,
do the staterooms have electrical outlets by the beds?
I need one for medical reasons, so do I need to contact quest relations?

Ray,

I just ased my DH and he said use they are by the lights by the bed.

Hope this helps.

take cae
flo

 

[wltdsnyfan]

oh look at this can I steal a pirate?

Congrats Ray on the!

 

[Time4disneynow]

Good Morning, everyone.

I am a rookie at all of this but have been a Disney vet for ages. We're going on the 09 Member Cruise, our second member cruise,

Sue

Hi Sue

aboard. Looking forward to meeting you.
Take care

Welcome Sue. You will find a lot of useful information in this thread.

This has probably been asked already and if so I apologize I just can't remember. What are some things that people give as fish extender gifts? I know candy is one but what are some others?

Hi Marsha,
On the last members cruise (2008)...the fish extender gifts: candy, magnets (store bought and hand-made), post cards, temp. tattoos, beads, playing cards (small size), small note pads, pencils, pens, gold coins (some were chocolate), different color plastic gems...
Michael and I bought magnets and post card from Delaware, small decks of cards and salt water taffee that's made in Rehoboth Beach, De. We put the goodies in a small platic bag, tied it with ribbon and placed a card on the bag with our names on it.
I have to figure out what we're going to do. Like Flo said, Oriental Trading is a good place to look...so is Michaels.


Mary I am sorry to hear about the setback. Stay positive. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Sending you lots of PDand hoping everything works out for you on Monday. Take care.


I hope everyone is having a great day. It's cloudy, cool, windy and rain in the forecast--again!!

Take care....Monika

 

[rbcheek]

Ray,

I just ased my DH and he said use they are by the lights by the bed.

Hope this helps.

take cae
flo

Thanks Flo, it does help

 

[wltdsnyfan]

Here's a getting to know you question for everyone?

How do you prepare for your trip/cruise?

Are you a spreadsheet person, a journal person, just wing it? Let's share our planning styles.

Ok! I do plan but I think I am more of a wing it! I make a fold on my computer with all the info I need. Then before we leave I print it. I don't have any deadline for any thing.

take care
flo

 

[susieq55]

Flo,

Thanks for the link - wow, there is a wealth of info there! Silly me, I thought I knew alot about some of this stuff - guess I have more to learn. Still finding my way around with the lingo, so I'm sorry if I'm a little slow on the uptake! The email address that you sent before, what info should I send you?

Sue

 

[MarkRG]

alright, here's another question,
do the staterooms have electrical outlets by the beds?
I need one for medical reasons, so do I need to contact quest relations?

Ray,

I just ased my DH and he said use they are by the lights by the bed.

Hope this helps.

take cae
flo

The lamps by the bed are not 110V, you can't plug equipment there. There are two outlets, you'll need a short extension cord, overall distance is no more than 8ft. One is behind the tv, the other is on the small desk immediately next to the tv. The one on the desk is pretty close to the desktop and won't handle a cord with an extra bulky plug like the ones with a built in GFCI breaker or transformer.

 

[rbcheek]

Mark,
thanks for the info,
all I need is 110v for a c-pap machine, nothing big.

 

[wltdsnyfan]

Flo,

Thanks for the link - wow, there is a wealth of info there! Silly me, I thought I knew alot about some of this stuff - guess I have more to learn. Still finding my way around with the lingo, so I'm sorry if I'm a little slow on the uptake! The email address that you sent before, what info should I send you?

Sue

UserID

Sue,

Below is what I need.

How many adults
If you have children age and if it is a boy or girl
and most important Room number.

You are not slow you are learning.

Take care
flo

 

[Donald is #1]

Good Morning, everyone.

I am a rookie at all of this but have been a Disney vet for ages. We're going on the 09 Member Cruise, our second member cruise, but got really interested in the fish extender idea. Could I get some more info and can we still join in on the fun?

Sue

Welcome!

Here's a getting to know you question for everyone?

How do you prepare for your trip/cruise?

Are you a spreadsheet person, a journal person, just wing it? Let's share our planning styles.

I am between spreadsheet and "just wing it". For a WDW trip, I put a basic spread sheet together that has each day listed (which resort I am at if I am splitting my stay) and any reservations that I have for that day. I will also have my ADR #'s.

For a non-Disney trip, I tend to have the days listed with my location/hotel per day listed. Then I list "ideas" for each day but tend to be very flexible.

 

[Donald is #1]

Flo congrats on the .

Ray congrats on the

 

[wltdsnyfan]

Flo congrats on the .

Ray congrats on the

thanks

 

[FaithTrustnPixieDust]

Here's a getting to know you question for everyone?

How do you prepare for your trip/cruise?

Are you a spreadsheet person, a journal person, just wing it? Let's share our planning styles.

I am definitely a spreadsheet person. My spreadsheet has multiple tabs that I keep everything organized for everyone in our group. Since I have a laptop for work I always have my spreadsheet with me. So it is easy to update where ever I am.

I have a tab with all the park hours and days mapped out. I also list our general plans such as park, rides, shows, ADRs, etc for each day.

I have a tab with all the accomodations and transportation information for each guest. We had been doing annual family trips with anywhere from 10 - 15 people at a time. Well, annual until the kids started heading off to college and active with all their sports. People were arriving and departing on different days, airlines, etc so this was so helpful to have it all organized.

We also have tabs for the disney dining point calculator. You input how many counter and table service points to start and then as you add your ADRs it tracks how many points you have remaining. Love this one.

There are other tabs but I think you get the picture.

I do have to admit that this being my very first cruise and having really no idea how, what, and when to plan I am a little nervous, anxious, stressed. But, I know that we are going to have a great time whatever we do. That just means I will have to make sure we are on the SSMC10!!!

 

[bsusanmb]

Flo,

Thanks for the link - wow, there is a wealth of info there! Silly me, I thought I knew alot about some of this stuff - guess I have more to learn. Still finding my way around with the lingo, so I'm sorry if I'm a little slow on the uptake! The email address that you sent before, what info should I send you?

Sue

Welcome!!! You will find so much information from this group. I didn't even know what a fish extender was on my first cruise...second cruise I fretted over what to buy...and then I had too much stuff..it was so much fun buying stuff. I have a Disney outlet in Hershey and got the cutest stuff for the kids. I am anxious to meet eveyone just from reading all of the posts.
Glad to have you!

Blessings,
Susan

 

[bsusanmb]

I am definitely a spreadsheet person. My spreadsheet has multiple tabs that I keep everything organized for everyone in our group. Since I have a laptop for work I always have my spreadsheet with me. So it is easy to update where ever I am.

I have a tab with all the park hours and days mapped out. I also list our general plans such as park, rides, shows, ADRs, etc for each day.

I have a tab with all the accomodations and transportation information for each guest. We had been doing annual family trips with anywhere from 10 - 15 people at a time. Well, annual until the kids started heading off to college and active with all their sports. People were arriving and departing on different days, airlines, etc so this was so helpful to have it all organized.

We also have tabs for the disney dining point calculator. You input how many counter and table service points to start and then as you add your ADRs it tracks how many points you have remaining. Love this one.

There are other tabs but I think you get the picture.

I do have to admit that this being my very first cruise and having really no idea how, what, and when to plan I am a little nervous, anxious, stressed. But, I know that we are going to have a great time whatever we do. That just means I will have to make sure we are on the SSMC10!!!

I envy anyone who can do this on the computer! I write lists. I am a list person and I always use a mechanical pencil...my trademark LOL. I guess I need a one on one class on excel.

 

[FaithTrustnPixieDust]

Oh, and one more thing that I found was great for our last trip.

I use the calendar on my phone on a regular basis to organize all of our activities. That is the one thing I always have with me these days.

We have had a few (just a few) issues over the years with ADRs. I would always have a print out of our confirm #s so things got resolved. No big deal.

So, last year I made sure I added all of our ADRs and any other confirm #s on my phone calendar. It was great! So all the details were with me all the time.

This may not be necessary for the cruise but you might find it helpful for those staying at WDW before and after.

Have a great night!!

Heading to Walmart shortly to pick up a few things for the big cub scout camping trip. We leave Saturday.

Looks like we might have a rainy camping adventure. Last year it was dry all 5 days. I do not think we will be so lucky this year. Packing extra clothes just in case. I also have a feeling the evenings will be cooler than last year.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Marsha,

Just last week I was in the Dollar store and there were allot of things that caught my eye. Also if you go to oriential tradings web site you may get some ideas.

take care
flo

Hi Sue

aboard. Looking forward to meeting you.
Take care



Hi Marsha,
On the last members cruise (2008)...the fish extender gifts: candy, magnets (store bought and hand-made), post cards, temp. tattoos, beads, playing cards (small size), small note pads, pencils, pens, gold coins (some were chocolate), different color plastic gems...
Michael and I bought magnets and post card from Delaware, small decks of cards and salt water taffee that's made in Rehoboth Beach, De. We put the goodies in a small platic bag, tied it with ribbon and placed a card on the bag with our names on it.
I have to figure out what we're going to do. Like Flo said, Oriental Trading is a good place to look...so is Michaels.


Mary I am sorry to hear about the setback. Stay positive. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Sending you lots of PDand hoping everything works out for you on Monday. Take care.


I hope everyone is having a great day. It's cloudy, cool, windy and rain in the forecast--again!!

Take care....Monika

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about looking on Oriental Trading. Getting gifts and a fish extender will be my tasks for next month.

Flo congrats on the .

Ray congrats on the

Congrats from me too.

BTW, I finally received my DVC vacation planner yesterday. I like getting things from DVC.

 

[wltdsnyfan]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about looking on Oriental Trading. Getting gifts and a fish extender will be my tasks for next month.


Congrats from me too.

BTW, I finally received my DVC vacation planner yesterday. I like getting things from DVC.

Marsha,

I got mine yesterday to.

also thanks for the congrats

take care
flo

 

[ehagerty]

Multi-tab, multi-color; organized by calendar, lists at the bottom; perfected over the years.

I handed my xls to Jeremey at Guest Relations on May13th. My single page, complete coverage document included PAP #s - which I needed to replace, because, even though I have a great spreadsheet, I left my Blizzard Beach container with PAP's on the table at home. Duh. Anyway, I hand him the sheet - he starts laughing - nicely, of course - and says "This is THE most organized thing I have EVER seen." I took it as a compliment.

You never stop learning, though. I keep the worksheet in the zipper section of my camera waist pack (LLBean, 15 yrs old, still working well). We had the worst weather ever May 17-23 (then it followed us into the Caribean on the DCL May 23-30). The rain soaked through my trusty camera bag like never before. Soaked my precious - the list. No problem, I take it out and air dry it in the room. Fold it back up - without looking at it - and continue to use it throughout the trip for reference. Fast forward. Day before our flight home, we are walking through the MK. I say aloud to family - "I wonder if they would check us in to our SWA flights 24 hours from now here in the MK. Wouldn't that be great?". We walk over to City Hall, no line. I open my camera bag, unfold the worksheet, and discover that all the blue and red ink has been washed out. Unfortunately, I listed all our record locators in BLUE, because I continuously cancel/rebook whenever flights drop by $10 or more, and I indicate "rebooked" record locators with color. There I sat with the clock ticking (bye-bye "A" list, hope for "B" list). Realized I could call SWA - THAT phone number was printed in BLACK, request the record locators, and we were in business. Yea. Checked in AND printed boarding passes. Customer Service!! Just so you know. In case you fly SWA.

Moral of the story:
Worksheets - good.
Color ink - bleeds when wet
Black ink - not affected by rain, wet, soaking
===============================

Sidebar

Also worthy of note - for the first 4 cruises, I didn't plan anything. No need. Just show up, refer to your personal navigator, and pick where you want to go. Very different, and enjoyable, for me. I have no problem following a skilled leader, or being spontaneous when all the options are desirable!!

Then I tried Palo. Worth planning for - but still, that is only a dinner and brunch reservation. You make it, you show up for it. Doesn't take planning algorithms to accomplish.

Then we did shore excursions. Very nice, but you won't miss it the first couple of times. Just wandering around the ports is a small adventure and side trip. Unless you know for a fact your are never passing this way again.

One of the things I like most about DCL (cruising in general) is that it is true relaxation for the family care-taker (who is usually the vacation planner) - ME. I love the theme parks, but I feel like I have to motivate / manage people, optimize dining dollars, etc. On DCL, I don't have to do anything. It is the one vacation experience where I am cared for. There is so much great stuff for everyone to do, no one complains. Not about the heat, the cement, the noise - just kudos for the food, entertainment, beaches, etc. Ahhh.

 

[Time4disneynow]

Congrats Flo on
Congrats Ray on




Have a good night.
Take care....Monika