10/23/11 - Disney Dream

[Sinderelly's Prince]

Adding to the trivia, the Dream's godmother is singer Jennifer Hudson. She began her singing career on the Wonder. The photos from the christening show a giant bottle of Taittinger champagne.

 

[Mandersons04]

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief as all of my travel arrangements have finally been completed! We had everything booked for after the cruise but nothing booked before the cruise (airfare and hotel). We booked our return airfare months ago due to travel vouchers we had from the airline and we were going to take the train down (we live in Northern VA).

Well I wasn't really crazy about the 17+ hour trip but I refused to pay over $600 for one way airfare for 4. So I did the waiting game. As the cruise began to get closer and closer I was beginning to panic a little because we didn't have anything booked.

Well last night something magical happened. Airfare dropped! And dropped by over $300 Needless to say, we bought those tickets ASAP! We're flying in the day before (leaving in the afternoon after our son's soccer game) and staying at the Hyatt MCO. We're using DCL transportation to get to the port.

After the cruise we're renting a car and heading to WDW/MNSSHP and then flying home the next evening. We're so excited and DD is going to have the BEST 5th birthday ever!!! She turns 5 on the day we disembark and she'll spend her special day at Magic Kingdom

But I do have one question for you guys: right now we're staying at Star Island Resort after the cruise. We wanted to stay on Disney property at one of the value resorts. How are the rooms? Which value resort would you recommend? I can't wait til we cruise

 

[shadowryter]

Adding to the trivia, the Dream's godmother is singer Jennifer Hudson. She began her singing career on the Wonder. The photos from the christening show a giant bottle of Taittinger champagne.

Actually Jennifer Hudson's singing career began with American Idol, but sky-rocketed when she got the lead role in the movie Dreamgirls. It's cool that she is the godmother of the Dream.

 

[ppartekim]

Adding to the trivia, the Dream's godmother is singer Jennifer Hudson. She began her singing career on the Wonder. The photos from the christening show a giant bottle of Taittinger champagne.

We saw one those first shows (after she won Idol), She had a great voice but not much in the stage presence (we wondered who let on stage wearing that).

She has come along since then and now looks as great on stage as she sounds.

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

Actually Jennifer Hudson's singing career began with American Idol, but sky-rocketed when she got the lead role in the movie Dreamgirls. It's cool that she is the godmother of the Dream.

I heard she worked on the Wonder before AI. And she was some type of singer. Was that a rumor?

 

[INDY1919A4]

Adding to the trivia, the Dream's godmother is singer Jennifer Hudson. She began her singing career on the Wonder. The photos from the christening show a giant bottle of Taittinger champagne.

Wow, Neat.. Does Dream have a Godfather???

 

[shadowryter]

Well I humbly stand corrected. I found this...I never knew...sorry about that Sinderelly's Prince.
From Church to Disney

South Side of Chicago native Jennifer Hudson, 7, gets her start singing in the Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church choir. As a teen, she works at her local Burger King before starring as the muse Calliope in Hercules – A Muse-ical Comedy aboard the Disney Wonder cruise. She considers her six months on the cruise her test for American Idol. "I said, 'If I can get through the ship, that means I'm cut out for Idol,'"she tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

 

[INDY1919A4]

OK OK .. So It is starting to sink in here

How many people on this are coming from the Sovereign State of Indiana

Obviously I am one from Central Indiana ???

Who else...???

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

OK OK .. So It is starting to sink in here

How many people on this are coming from the Sovereign State of Indiana

Obviously I am one from Central Indiana ???

Who else...???

Me! (And my sister and Aunt who will be with me)
We live in Southeast Indiana

Go Hoosiers!

 

[Garrica]

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief as all of my travel arrangements have finally been completed! We had everything booked for after the cruise but nothing booked before the cruise (airfare and hotel). We booked our return airfare months ago due to travel vouchers we had from the airline and we were going to take the train down (we live in Northern VA).

Well I wasn't really crazy about the 17+ hour trip but I refused to pay over $600 for one way airfare for 4. So I did the waiting game. As the cruise began to get closer and closer I was beginning to panic a little because we didn't have anything booked.

Well last night something magical happened. Airfare dropped! And dropped by over $300 Needless to say, we bought those tickets ASAP! We're flying in the day before (leaving in the afternoon after our son's soccer game) and staying at the Hyatt MCO. We're using DCL transportation to get to the port.

After the cruise we're renting a car and heading to WDW/MNSSHP and then flying home the next evening. We're so excited and DD is going to have the BEST 5th birthday ever!!! She turns 5 on the day we disembark and she'll spend her special day at Magic Kingdom

But I do have one question for you guys: right now we're staying at Star Island Resort after the cruise. We wanted to stay on Disney property at one of the value resorts. How are the rooms? Which value resort would you recommend? I can't wait til we cruise

I'm glad you got that all worked out...and got a great deal to boot, gotta love it when that happens. We played the same game, ended up booking on SW at a higher fare than I would have liked, then watched the fares like a hawk, the minute they dropped, I exchanged the fares and received a credit for our next trip. I was too worried the fares would go up and not down, these days you just can't predict what will come next!

Anyhow, to answer your question about the WDW Value Resorts...
I have only stayed at Music, but I'm told they are all very comparable with the decor being the biggest difference.

We are a family of 6, four kids aged 7-16. We stayed in a 1 bedroom suite at Music and L-O-V-E-D it! I heard a lot of mixed reviews, some people even comparing the Value Resorts to a Motel 6, I couldn't disagree more. The room was not fancy, but it was nice and had everything we needed and more. It was clean, had 2 bathrooms, a kitchenette and a playground right outside our door. We were actually considering other onsite hotels, but none could accommodate all 6 of us in 1 room as nicely as the Value Resorts could. My husband and I had our own bedroom, the kids had a pull out queen bed, a convertible twin bed and a roll-away bed. We were very comfortable and well taken care of.

The resort had many amenities not found at off site hotels and of course, the kind of customer service that only Disney can provide.

Hope that helps!

 

[Sinderelly]

OK OK .. So It is starting to sink in here

How many people on this are coming from the Sovereign State of Indiana

Obviously I am one from Central Indiana ???

Who else...???

< Raising hand. We are from Greensburg Indiana and DS and family from Nashville Indiana.

 

[Sinderelly]

Me! (And my sister and Aunt who will be with me)
We live in Southeast Indiana

Go Hoosiers!

We are also IN Southeastern Indiana (Greensburg) and DS lives between Nashville and Columbus. Now why is that soundtrack playing in my head <It's a small small world>

 

[Sinderelly]

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief as all of my travel arrangements have finally been completed! We had everything booked for after the cruise but nothing booked before the cruise (airfare and hotel). We booked our return airfare months ago due to travel vouchers we had from the airline and we were going to take the train down (we live in Northern VA).

Well I wasn't really crazy about the 17+ hour trip but I refused to pay over $600 for one way airfare for 4. So I did the waiting game. As the cruise began to get closer and closer I was beginning to panic a little because we didn't have anything booked.

Well last night something magical happened. Airfare dropped! And dropped by over $300 Needless to say, we bought those tickets ASAP! We're flying in the day before (leaving in the afternoon after our son's soccer game) and staying at the Hyatt MCO. We're using DCL transportation to get to the port.

After the cruise we're renting a car and heading to WDW/MNSSHP and then flying home the next evening. We're so excited and DD is going to have the BEST 5th birthday ever!!! She turns 5 on the day we disembark and she'll spend her special day at Magic Kingdom

But I do have one question for you guys: right now we're staying at Star Island Resort after the cruise. We wanted to stay on Disney property at one of the value resorts. How are the rooms? Which value resort would you recommend? I can't wait til we cruise

We LOVE the Pop. We did a split stay last May 3 nights at Pop and 4 nights BC CL. We preferred the Pop over a deluxe We were close to the food court and close to the bus stop. The Pop CMs were great. We loved the food court, music and theming. We are trying BLT for 4 nights after the cruise but I wouldn't hesitate to book Pop again! Good luck with your planning.

 

[winesis]

OK OK .. So It is starting to sink in here

How many people on this are coming from the Sovereign State of Indiana

Obviously I am one from Central Indiana ???

Who else...???

We are from Fishers, Indiana. Boiler Up!!!

We also have early dining.

 

[Sinderelly]

We are from Fishers, Indiana. Boiler Up!!!

We also have early dining.

Maybe we should have a pre-cruise Indiana DIS meet

 

[Sinderelly]

Wake up everyone! It's almost October (12 minutes). It's time to get excited. 3 weeks from tomorrow we will be flying to Orlando then driving to Cape Canaveral

 

[WDisneyMom]

Woohoo!! It's almost October!!

I started a WDW/DREAM/Back to WDW PTR.....link in my signature if anyone is interested!

 

[INDY1919A4]

A Fun game to bring along is Jenga, its a wood block game that you pull out pieces of a wood tower making the tower unstable till it falls over, But its is a real blast on the cruise because the ship is so stable that you can play the game but you have that added element of the ships movement. And its cool visual with the ocean moving in the background.. Also it is cheap and small enough to bring along..

 

[WDisneyMom]

Happy October fellow cruisers and Happy 40th Anniversary to Walt Disney World!

 

[MissFitt]

I forgot about that!!!! Happy Anniversary WDW

OK...3 more weeks until we leave for Florida--can't wait