10-21-12 Dream!!!

[D73]

Roll Call for October 21, 2012 Disney Dream


jcuzzort1026 DW, DH, DD (8), DS (5)
tricari Tricia, Jason, DD (9) Frances, DS (7) Jack, DS (4) Joe, DMom Fran
Anjelic Jennifer Jennifer, DH, DD (12), DD (10), DD (8)
huey578 Luis, DW Carol
Doodle Mom ??, DH, D? (14), D? (10)
Morganr6258 ??, D? (8), D? (6), D? (5)
D73 Christopher, DMom Jean, DDad Larry
thecruisemom ??, DH, DS (12), DS (9), DS (4), DMom, Extended Family (5 cabins)
diane648 Diane, DH, DD (8), DS (5), 2 Grandparents
Birdie23 with DH, DD, DS
poohbear926 Lindsay, DH (Honeymoon)
disneyholic family Beth, DMom, DSis
seirra79 Sarah, DH, DS (5)
kmeyerholtz ??
tiffyms02 with DH, DS (4), DD (2)
hmurra75 Heather, DBF, DS (14), DS (11)
MomofXandG DW, DH, DS (4), DS (2) in 1 cabin; Friends with DD (5), DD (3) next door
PAdisneycouple Sean and Christine
Mandzkrazy4Disney Mandy, DH, DS (7)
Elainehfc with DS
loricdietzel with DH, DD (4), DS (23 mos.)
Krichard2000 4 adults, 2 Kids (2 and 5)
imdht ???
mandarin with DH, DS (2), DD (10 mos)
traveling with
tink11 with DD (13), DD (9), DD (6), Father, and MIL
stingfancb with DBF Jerry
Berlioz70 Brenna and ?
alikat99 Amy, DH Chris, DD Emily (11), DD Madison (8), MIL Patti
LLBennett Lisa, DH,DS 5, DD 19 mos.
traveling with her Sister and 2 nephews 9 and 8
mustbedisney ???
kkbrian2 with DH, DD (3) and DMom
gretchen07 Carole and Kimberly
diesel2512 Brooke, Shane Payton (DD 11), Alex (DS 6), Nicky (DS 4), Mia Cate (DD 4)
msteffen wDH, DS (11), DD (4)
traveling with Sister, DD (13), DS, (8), Mom and Dad
holidayfun1 ???

Please feel free to send me a PM with corrections or just post them here on the thread and I will update the roll call as well as add new arrivals along the way.

 

[triciari]

Yeah, Christopher! You're the best!

 

[D73]

REGISTRATION FOR FE IS NOW CLOSED

For all of you "first timers", here's an explanation of a "Fish Extender Gift Exchange" that I have modified from a tablemate on my April 2012 cruise who is also a Platinum Castaway Club Member and active DIS-er. Thanks to DebT!


Beside every cabin door is a large metal silver fish (or starfish or seahorse) with an indentation in the back for cruise personnel to leave information, invitations, etc. Teenagers receive invitations to Teen Club activities and we've also received "rebooking onboard" price quotes tucked in our fish.

DISboarders have taken the silver fish (starfish, seahorse) one step further... by creating hanging pockets (much like cloth letter holders) to hang from the fish (or starfish, or seahorse) - thus the name, "Fish Extender". The Fish Extenders (FEs) can be made of practically anything (cloth, plastic, paper gift bags, etc.), as long as they have at least one pocket that can hold surprises. Many are personalized with the names of those in the cabin and there are even sellers on ebay who will create them for you.

On each "Cruise Meets" thread (such as this 10-21-12 one) someone usually organizes a little gift exchange during the cruise. So folks, this time areound that someon is me! People sign up by giving their cabin number, names of everyone in their cabin, and ages of the kids so that everyone will know how many goodies to bring and where to deliver them. Some people give one gift per family, some people give a little gift to each person. It's totally up to the giver to decide what to give and when to give it during the cruise.

There are several threads on the main cruise boards that discuss ideas for FE gifts. Some gifts are from Dollar Stores, some are handmade, and some are bought in bulk from websites that sell trinkets like the Oriental Trading Company. Often, they are stickers, candy, glow sticks, lanyards, etc., with themes such as pirates, beach, cruise, tropical, hometown, holiday, etc. The main idea is just to have fun finding little goodies in your FE throughout the cruise. Kids LOVE running back to their cabin to see if anything's been left in their FE. As an adult, I have to admit that I love it, too!!!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, this thread has tons of info and ideas about FE Gift Exchanges: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607

I speak from personal experience that it really is a LOT of fun to participate!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
So for our FE group I am opening up the sign up at this very moment!
To sign up, send me the following details via Private Message here on the DIS Boards or via email at disneydreamoctober21@yahoo.com

• DIS Board name
• Names of each person participating
• Ages of each person under 18 who is participating
• Stateroom #
• Contact email address

On the thread here I will maintain a list of participants only by DIS-Board name. The sensitive material such as stateroom number will only be shared with the participants.

Deadline for signing up for the FE Exchange is Friday September 21, 2012. This will allow a full 3 weeks for people to complete any personalization of gifts that they may be choosing to do and ensure that there is not last minute stress just before the vacation.

I will monitor the size of the group closely and if it begins to grow rather large, we will look at dividing it into smaller groups if that is what is desired.

The main point of this is to have some fun while on board as well as having some fun in the preparationa nd anticipation of the cruise ahead. So let's have fun!

Christopher
*******************************************************************************
Confirmed participants

D73
poohbear926
triciari (cabin 1)
triciari (cabin 2)
jcuzzort1026
MomofXandG (cabin 1)
MomofXandG (cabin 2)
MomofXand G (cabin 3)
hmurra 75
seirra79
hmurra75
Birdie23
Mandzkrazy4Disney
Krichard2000
imhdt

 

[poohbear926]

Congratulations!!

I'm wondering if we'll have any empty ship?!

That'll be fine by me, as long as there are enough of us so that we can do a FE share!

Thanks

Hmmm i wonder that too. it might just be but exactly that works for me. more pool time and all. I wonder if they're going to have anything for halloween i know one year they had a halloween thing throughout the month..... I love FE its so fun

 

[poohbear926]

For all of you "first timers", here's an explanation of a "Fish Extender Gift Exchange" that I have modified from a tablemate on my April 2012 cruise who is also a Platinum Castaway Club Member and active DIS-er. Thanks to DebT!


Beside every cabin door is a large metal silver fish (or starfish or seahorse) with an indentation in the back for cruise personnel to leave information, invitations, etc. Teenagers receive invitations to Teen Club activities and we've also received "rebooking onboard" price quotes tucked in our fish.

DISboarders have taken the silver fish (starfish, seahorse) one step further... by creating hanging pockets (much like cloth letter holders) to hang from the fish (or starfish, or seahorse) - thus the name, "Fish Extender". The Fish Extenders (FEs) can be made of practically anything (cloth, plastic, paper gift bags, etc.), as long as they have at least one pocket that can hold surprises. Many are personalized with the names of those in the cabin and there are even sellers on ebay who will create them for you.

On each "Cruise Meets" thread (such as this 10-21-12 one) someone usually organizes a little gift exchange during the cruise. So folks, this time areound that someon is me! People sign up by giving their cabin number, names of everyone in their cabin, and ages of the kids so that everyone will know how many goodies to bring and where to deliver them. Some people give one gift per family, some people give a little gift to each person. It's totally up to the giver to decide what to give and when to give it during the cruise.

There are several threads on the main cruise boards that discuss ideas for FE gifts. Some gifts are from Dollar Stores, some are handmade, and some are bought in bulk from websites that sell trinkets like the Oriental Trading Company. Often, they are stickers, candy, glow sticks, lanyards, etc., with themes such as pirates, beach, cruise, tropical, hometown, holiday, etc. The main idea is just to have fun finding little goodies in your FE throughout the cruise. Kids LOVE running back to their cabin to see if anything's been left in their FE. As an adult, I have to admit that I love it, too!!!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, this thread has tons of info and ideas about FE Gift Exchanges: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607

I speak from personal experience that it really is a LOT of fun to participate!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
So for our FE group I am opening up the sign up at this very moment!
To sign up, send me the following details via Private Message here on the DIS Boards or via email at disneydreamoctober21@yahoo.com

• DIS Board name
• Names of each person participating
• Ages of each person under 18 who is participating
• Stateroom #
• Contact email address

On the thread here I will maintain a list of participants only by DIS-Board name. The sensitive material such as stateroom number will only be shared with the participants.

Deadline for signing up for the FE Exchange is Saturday September 30, 2012. This will allow a full 3 weeks for people to complete any personalization of gifts that they may be choosing to do and ensure that there is not last minute stress just before the vacation.

I will monitor the size of the group closely and if it begins to grow rather large, we will look at dividing it into smaller groups if that is what is desired.

The main point of this is to have some fun while on board as well as having some fun in the preparationa nd anticipation of the cruise ahead. So let's have fun!

Christopher

I love FE's its sooo fun. Im definitely in.

 

[Birdie23]

what is roll call? i'm here and sooooo excited! my husband and i have been on 3 disney cruises and we took our kids with us once, but we've never done a fish extender group. how many people are in a group? how many gifts am i supposed to bring? i wanna start making my goodies soon! i also have to figure out how to make our fish extender.

 

[D73]

what is roll call? i'm here and sooooo excited! my husband and i have been on 3 disney cruises and we took our kids with us once, but we've never done a fish extender group. how many people are in a group? how many gifts am i supposed to bring? i wanna start making my goodies soon! i also have to figure out how to make our fish extender.

Roll call is the place where we list all of the DIS-ers who are going to be on this sailing. Usually there is a meet up on the first day of the cruise where everyone can meet the people that they have been chatting to on the boards and put real faces to the names.

Fish Extender groups vary from cruise to cruise, based on the number of people that show interest. My last 2 cruises were rather different. One had only 10 cabins participating where as the other had about 30 so the group was split into 2 smaller ones of 15 because people, understandably, did not want to have to create/bring items for such a a large group. As for number of people involved, it is hard to say because but on average you can expect 3 to 4 people per cabin. Again, this is a reason we will close the sign up 3 weeks ahead so that participants can plan and prepare.

The actual extender can be anything of your choosing. I have see some that are simply a large canvas tote bag that has been personalized for the trip where others have a pocket individualized for each person in the cabin. Mine, up to this point has been a simple two pocket type without may name on it since I have been traveling alone. But this time around I will probably upgrade to something with my parents and my name on it.

Check out the links in my earlier post for some great ideas about the FE.

And of course ask as many questions as you like.

 

[D73]

I love FE's its sooo fun. Im definitely in.

Great Lindsay!! Could you please send me your details either by PM or to the email listed in the earlier post? That would be great.

 

[poohbear926]

what is roll call? i'm here and sooooo excited! my husband and i have been on 3 disney cruises and we took our kids with us once, but we've never done a fish extender group. how many people are in a group? how many gifts am i supposed to bring? i wanna start making my goodies soon! i also have to figure out how to make our fish extender.

Roll Call just means the ones that on the boards who are going on this cruise... And im assuming since theres not that many people on this thread going theyll probably only be one group. on the longer cruises like the 14 and 15 days theres hundreds that sign up so theres usually about 25 cabins or so in each group. but im sure with this there will only be one. as far as how many gifts thats up to you. you can do per cabin or per person in cabin and if you only want to do one day you can or you can do for all four days. its totally up to you. also depending on if i know the person we gift a special extra or if theres a special occasion as well we'll gift extra for whatever the occasion is. I hope this helps any.... ive done 18 disney cruises so i know it all hahahah

 

[poohbear926]

Great Lindsay!! Could you please send me your details either by PM or to the email listed in the earlier post? That would be great.

sure thing. just sent you a PM. if you need anything else let me know

 

[D73]

21 weeks to go!!!!!

 

[triciari]

21 weeks to go!!!!!

That makes it sound like a breeze!

 

[triciari]

First of all, does anyone have a link to our itinerary A 4 day navigator?

Palo:

I'm guessing that our dining rotation is A, B, C, C. Pirate night is 3rd night? I'd love to get a Palo reservation. Is the earliest seating 6? I'm trying to decide whether to do it 3rd or 4th night?

We will be with 3 kids. Are the MDRs extra fun for them on pirate night, or would they be happy to go to their club and just be picked up in time for the 7:30 early pirate party? (doesn't seem like there'd be enough time to do this, though!)

Which regular MDRS would you prefer to miss in favor of dinner at Palo?

I'm also assuming that Palo brunch will only be offered on sea day (4th). I'd like to do this, too, but don't think I want to Palo meals in the same day. It seems like id be better off skipping the dinner and just trying for the brunch.

Nassau:

I know we should stay on the ship, but my DH might want to try his luck at Atlantis. Kids might be interested in checking out a souvenir shop or two. I'd only plan to bring them out for an hour or two. What is the best time to do that?

CC:

Should I pre-order the floats, or just wait until we get there? Might also try the water trike and/or 4 seater paddle boat. Any thoughts? My 9 year old daughter would live to try the parasailing! She only weighs about 60 lbs. Would we be allowed to go tandem?



Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Tricia

 

[disneyholic family]

hi everyone!! you can add me in!

i've been on two DCL cruises, both on the Wonder many years ago with my family (husband and kids), but on this Dream cruise i'm taking my mom and sister.
So it's just the girls on this one.

I won't be participating in the FE as both mom and sis are a bit mobility challenged so it would be way too much for them to run around the ship.
but i highly recommend it to everyone else. FE is LOTS of fun!!!

however, i would like to participate in the meet if there is one!

this is my mom's first cruise and my sister's second cruise, but first time on DCL - she went on RCCL with her family and HATED it, so i'm really hoping she'll enjoy DCL (to say i'm nervous is an understatement!!!)

looking forward to the cruise and meeting all of you!!!

 

[D73]

hi everyone!! you can add me in!

i've been on two DCL cruises, both on the Wonder many years ago with my family (husband and kids), but on this Dream cruise i'm taking my mom and sister.
So it's just the girls on this one.

I won't be participating in the FE as both mom and sis are a bit mobility challenged so it would be way too much for them to run around the ship.
but i highly recommend it to everyone else. FE is LOTS of fun!!!

however, i would like to participate in the meet if there is one!

this is my mom's first cruise and my sister's second cruise, but first time on DCL - she went on RCCL with her family and HATED it, so i'm really hoping she'll enjoy DCL (to say i'm nervous is an understatement!!!)

looking forward to the cruise and meeting all of you!!!

Welcome Beth.

So glad to have you as part of our sailing!

I have added you and your family to the roll call and will definitely look forward to meeting you on departure day as I am sure we will arrange a meet for that day.

No worries about the FE. If you decide you want to join later, there is still plenty of time to join. Your mom and sister might not be able to easily help with the delivery, but maybe they would enjoy the excitement of preparing the items as well as receiving them from others. Just a thought to maybe make the DCL trip more exciting than the RCCL.

Looking forward to getting to know you over the next 21 weeks and 4 days of sailing.

Christopher

 

[disneyholic family]

thanks Christopher!!

 

[D73]

First of all, does anyone have a link to our itinerary A 4 day navigator?

Palo:

I'm guessing that our dining rotation is A, B, C, C. Pirate night is 3rd night? I'd love to get a Palo reservation. Is the earliest seating 6? I'm trying to decide whether to do it 3rd or 4th night?

We will be with 3 kids. Are the MDRs extra fun for them on pirate night, or would they be happy to go to their club and just be picked up in time for the 7:30 early pirate party? (doesn't seem like there'd be enough time to do this, though!)

Which regular MDRS would you prefer to miss in favor of dinner at Palo?

I'm also assuming that Palo brunch will only be offered on sea day (4th). I'd like to do this, too, but don't think I want to Palo meals in the same day. It seems like id be better off skipping the dinner and just trying for the brunch.

Nassau:

I know we should stay on the ship, but my DH might want to try his luck at Atlantis. Kids might be interested in checking out a souvenir shop or two. I'd only plan to bring them out for an hour or two. What is the best time to do that?

CC:

Should I pre-order the floats, or just wait until we get there? Might also try the water trike and/or 4 seater paddle boat. Any thoughts? My 9 year old daughter would live to try the parasailing! She only weighs about 60 lbs. Would we be allowed to go tandem?



Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Tricia

Tricia, I love the fact that you are planning and asking questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions because there may be others who have them as well. I am happy to give my opinions. So here goes.....

Navigators:
Here is a link to the itinerary that was the same as our 4 night cruise: http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/DCL-Navigators/11-06-11/Navigator_Dream_20111106.pdf

It of course is subject to changes for our sailing. I have somewhere my Navigators from my 4 night sailing in April which was also the same itinerary. I will try to create a pdf and submit it for all DIS readers.

Our sailing is Day 1: Port Canaveral, Day 2 Nassau, Day 3 Castaway Cay and Pirate Night, Day 4 at Sea. And you are right the dining rotation is likely to be 1, 2, 3, 3 but there is also the possibility that tit could be 1, 2, 2, 3. This is one of the few things that you never find out until you arrive at the port and receive you Key to the World Card when it will be marked on it for you along with your table assignment.

Palo:
Palo is definitely a wonderful dining opportunity for the adults. And now on the Dream and Fantasy there is also the option of Rémy. Reservations for these restaurants tend to fill up quickly and those who have sailed previously have priority booking opportunity. This means that the highly sought after times often are taken by Platinum and Gold Castaway Club Members before Silver Castaway Club and first-time DCL sailers are able to reserve. And because Brunch is only served on the one Sea Day, it will definitely fill up.

That being said, I recommend that you try to book as soon as your booking window opens and if you are not able to get your choice, then check back every day because people cancel their reservations as they arrive closer to the sailing. I was able to book Palo at 6 PM on Pirate Night for my April sailing about 2 weeks ahead of the sailing though it had been full for weeks and weeks before.

Also, some reservations are held open for people to book once they are on board. So do call once you are on board. The phone number is usually prominently placed on the Navigator.

Because you do not know what MDR you will be in each evening, it makes it difficult to suggest which night to book if you are not able to get Pirate Night. I therefore make this suggestion, if you are booking Palo or Rémy for another night, choose a time that is opposite of you assigned dining time and then go to BOTH. You don't have to eat at the MDR (at least not a lot) but you can enjoy the time with your family in the unique setting and if there is something you want to taste, by all means order it. This way you will be sure not to miss the interaction with Crush while at Animator's Palette, or the changing flowers and sky in Enchanted Garden, or the sheer beauty and romance of Royal Palace.

I have to admit I have never been to an MDR for Pirate night because I have used this (and will again) for my Palo or Rémy night. I do see that a lot of people dress up but I am not familiar with what others have experienced. Anyone?? It looks like there is plenty of fun Pirate Themed stuff planned in the clubs for the kids if you choose this option.

Nassau:
Many people do choose to stay on the ship while in Nassau, especially if they have been to Nassau before. Most of the shopping is very close to the port so an hour or two for shopping is plenty. From what I can find online, there will be only one other ship in port with us that day. Of those that do choose to leave the ship, a majority disembark on excursions or shopping shortly after arriving in port. That leaves the ship rather empty for exploration and rides on the Aqua-Duck with shorter waits. Then after having a leisurely lunch you can head ashore for a little shopping trip when a lot of people are returning to the ship and packing the pools and quick service food areas.

There is a pirate museum in Nassau also that your children might enjoy visiting. It is just one block off of the main shopping are in town.

Your husband can get a water taxi over to Atlantis right from the pier up on arrival as well.

Castaway Cay:
There are plenty of floats available on the island. If you are sure you will use them go ahead and book because then you will have a voucher to go through a shorter line for pick-up. The lines however do not tend to be too bad so if you are not sure you will use them or if you are not sure how many you will actually want, don't worry about waiting.

The minimum weight listed for parasailing is 90 pounds. http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/shore-excursions/castaway-cay/parasailing/
I am not sure what they would say about tandems with someone else.

The trikes and paddle boats are rented first come first serve upon arrival at Boat Beach.

The Snorkeling and StingRay Adventure are also really great options for the day.


I hope that this helps Tricia, and others......

 

[triciari]

Great information, Christopher. Thanks for the link to the Navigators!

-Tricia

 

[ClaraBug]

For Nassua excursion, dh & I are either thinking the animal & Nassua tour or the private beach with included lunch. (not sure of names)
For CC...serenity bay!
Sea day...massage package for me! Dh doesnt care for spas so unsure what he might get into, beside trouble

 

[disneyholic family]

on nassau day we're thinking of going on our own to check out the graycliffe hotel and then doing some window shopping in the straw market (or wherever the shopping is down there)..
then back onto the ship.. (we've already been to atlantis - my sister and mom stayed there during easter break a number of years ago and i went there with my family when we were on the wonder - so no need to see it again)...

CC day - Serenity bay

sea day - we'll try for the palo brunch, manicures for all 3 of us (if i can snag a time), and then whatever else grabs our fancy