10/23/11 - Disney Dream

[TwinsFan]

Hi Everyone!!

We just booked our FIRST Disney Cruise for 10/23/2011 Cruise. It is an All Girls Trip for My Mom, Myself and My 3 year old Daughter!!

My mom is a Disney Fanatic and is absolutly escatcic.

Priate Costumes = Check
Pillow Cases For Signing = Check
Princess Attire = Check
Deck Plan = Check
Pixie Dust = Covered In It!

Welcome to the roll call, this is our first Disney cruise too!

 

[TwinsFan]

My heavens all this and before the life boat drill to boot...

The room is 5650

And please anyone who has a different room, unusual veranda, Cool window, please lead us to your room to show .. everyday I keep finding out that there are some neat unusual rooms on this ship. Has anyone seen the large Porthole cat 8 rooms.. They are to die for.. Heck 1 could spend 20 - 30 cruises seeing all the different rooms...

I will offer our aft balcony on deck 10, I've seen pictures and it looks big!

 

[Daffodils]

Thanks Beth!!

My DD can't stop talking about the Mickey Mouse Boat and how she is going to be a Sparkle Princess.

I think our room is pretty standard, but your welcome to come check it out.
We our Deck 6 MidShip--I have seen pictures of the Oceanviews with the Two Portholes and I think they look like mini-suites!!

 

[dsnydaddy]

We are toying around with an AK cruise in the future as well. Not sure about next year though (we currently have the 10/20 Dream cruise booked - DS has 2 days off school that week). We would take him if we go to AK.

I hear you DCL's prices though. You can get a balcony on the other lines for the price of a window room on DCL. And if we're going to AK, we're getting a balcony.

Princess seemed to have good pricing, but Celebrity out of Vancouver has a roundtrip cruise that only goes inside, thus staying off the ocean. I think that would be a more calm cruise.

But then I'm thinking maybe we should do a one-way and spend time going up to Danali (sp?). Not sure when we'd get back that way.

That's what I've found too. Usually I find that comparable cabins on DCL and other cruise lines really aren't much different in price (as long as you stay off peak season) but the price difference between the AK cruises on other lines and Disney are stark! It's too bad too. I'd rather cruise on the Wonder. I was thinking of an Inside passage cruise as well. My plan is to drive the 5th wheel up to Washington (leisurely) and then take the cruise and drive back home. Make it about a two week vacation. Laura likes the one way cruises too but that will mean that I'd have to spend the money flying back to Washington.

I would have loved to "turn" on the weekend. I like your way of doing a 3 and then a 4. You get to end the cruise with a sea day.

In hindsight, we could have done a 3-4 departing on the 27th and turning on the 30th. In fact, we could have done 3-4-3 based on DS's school schedule this year. We would have missed actually less school. Go figure.

My Kids would have missed less too, except that I decided to tack on a little WDW at the end. I'm not sure that I'll do a land/sea again. Overall, it's been pricey and I'm feeling a bit crammed with all there is to do.

 

[TwinsFan]

We are toying around with an AK cruise in the future as well. Not sure about next year though (we currently have the 10/20 Dream cruise booked - DS has 2 days off school that week). We would take him if we go to AK.

I hear you DCL's prices though. You can get a balcony on the other lines for the price of a window room on DCL. And if we're going to AK, we're getting a balcony.

Princess seemed to have good pricing, but Celebrity out of Vancouver has a roundtrip cruise that only goes inside, thus staying off the ocean. I think that would be a more calm cruise.

But then I'm thinking maybe we should do a one-way and spend time going up to Danali (sp?). Not sure when we'd get back that way.

I've been on a couple AK cruises, I will offer up my opinion.

A cruise to Alaska is about the destination, not the ship or cruiseline, so I think the itineray and time in ports should be your most important consideration. If you look at a map of Alaska and the itinerary of a Vancouver or Seattle round trip you actually experience very little of Alaska. I recommend a north or south bound. Of the available north and south bound itineraries Princess itineraries offer two glacier viewing options while others offer only one.

In August 2009 we did a southbound on the Diamond Princess in a corner aft balcony, I can recomment the itinerary and the balcony. We had originally booked a land tour prior but in an effort to save money we canceled and just spent a day in Anchorage before sailing. Before our time in Anchorage before the cruise I was some what intimidated by doing Alaska land on our own but have since gotten over that and now have a plan for a week on land before another south bound cruise that we will hopefully be able to do summer 2015. I know I'm a bit of an obsessive planner, I can admit to booking this cruise in February 2010

 

[INDY1919A4]

I would have loved to "turn" on the weekend. I like your way of doing a 3 and then a 4. You get to end the cruise with a sea day.

In hindsight, we could have done a 3-4 departing on the 27th and turning on the 30th. In fact, we could have done 3-4-3 based on DS's school schedule this year. We would have missed actually less school. Go figure.

I do agree 3 & 4 is the way to go

 

[INDY1919A4]

Not an official term that I'm aware of. I guess I was going back to my golf/caddy days when to the area between the 9th and 10th hole was referred to as the "turn" (going from the front 9 to the back 9). We're going from one to the next.

Well wherever it comes from it is awesome.. Mucho thanks for using it..

 

[shadowryter]

I am the middle of taking a break from making my FE gifts. I like the way they are turning out. I hope you all like them.

Only about 10 people requested the FE list in Excel and seems like likely only the same people are posting lately. And I still havent heard anything from our TBDs. So why don't we do a little roll call to let us know that you are still with us. Tell us what it is about the FE that you like.

I'll go first. I love going room to room and secretly passing my gift out. Kinda makes me feel like Santa

Hi Christina, I don't have Excel...thus the non-request. I love giving my FE gifts out also but I really love the creativity park of making them. I tried to do something totally different than our last cruise. Hope everyone likes everything. Leaving in 10 days.

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

so what do we do about the FE people whose room is TBA?

I still haven't heard from them. I think its safe to scratch them off the list. ???? I do have one last minute add. If there are no objections, I'll take the two off and add a replacement.

The TBD should have room numbers by now right??

 

[TwinsFan]

That's what I've found too. Usually I find that comparable cabins on DCL and other cruise lines really aren't much different in price (as long as you stay off peak season) but the price difference between the AK cruises on other lines and Disney are stark! It's too bad too. I'd rather cruise on the Wonder. I was thinking of an Inside passage cruise as well. My plan is to drive the 5th wheel up to Washington (leisurely) and then take the cruise and drive back home. Make it about a two week vacation. Laura likes the one way cruises too but that will mean that I'd have to spend the money flying back to Washington.

If I were you living in CA and having a 5th wheel, I would check into driving part way and then ferrying the whole rig up to Anchorage and then driving your own rig around up there.

 

[TwinsFan]

It's raining at Port Canaveral now, I hope it's dry the weekend we are there.

 

[dsnydaddy]

i know. I've been somewhat worried about the weather in FL this year. I'm really hoping for a Dry MNSSHP

 

[WhitGB]

We are still here, just been lurking lately. This is our first trip with FE gifts and so far putting them together with the kids has been a ton of fun. I am a little worried about getting them all handed out but that time with the family should allow us to get a feel for the ship.

I already made the labels for the bags about a week ago. So, who are we taking off and who are we adding?

I would love an updated excel spreadsheet, I had made one for myself but it looks like things have changed.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Emissary]

So, I'm very much considering jumping onboard this cruise. I've been hesitating, because none of my friends can come with, but it's the only time frame I've got for the rest of the year for vacation. Any other single travelers onboard?

 

[INDY1919A4]

If I were you living in CA and having a 5th wheel, I would check into driving part way and then ferrying the whole rig up to Anchorage and then driving your own rig around up there.

If I may be so bold as to make just an observation,,, When my Bride and I went on our Alaska cruise we landed in Anchorage and took the 3 hour bus drive to Seaward.. (Alaska is by the way Truly Gods country.... Beautiful)

Anyhoo as we drove this rather narrow road to seaward. We had a hour delay seems an rv went off the road and was burning, The driver told us that last week there was a 5th wheel off the road and delayed them 3 hours. Along the road we saw two other trailer towing trucks half off the road and stuck. The driver then shared with us how people come up to Alaska to camp and drive around and the roads are so tight that many of them get stuck and go off the road.

As we were in the ports you could see the roll on roll off cruise ships with cars and trucks driving on and off, And it looks like a lot of fun.. But caution needs to be used in driving around up there. The big shock for me was the lack of any Road signs up there. The bus driver told me that was because if you did not know where you were, you shouldn't be there.. Where as I thought it was a nice funny it did make me think twice about driving the Alaska Hiway one day..

 

[Shebbieal]

Where is the next cruise for everyone?

We have a February cruise on Liberty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), no kids.

I have a corner aft accessible booked on the Dream if someone wants to see it

Sherry

 

[dsnydaddy]

If I were you living in CA and having a 5th wheel, I would check into driving part way and then ferrying the whole rig up to Anchorage and then driving your own rig around up there.

I thought about it. And even looked into it a bit. Ferry's expensive and Long. And they DO NOT allow you into your 5th wheel once on board so you either book the more deluxe accommodations or sleep where ever you can. (My wife did this as a girl with her family.) It was an incredible time for them but she said very onerous. Most that I could get away from work is two weeks right now. I'd need about four. My 5th wheel is BIG and does not maneuver small roads well. I actually hate moving it about on anything other than an interstate. And small tight campgrounds... forget about it! I'd sell it in a heartbeat except I'm still upside down on the thing. Gas is another thing. At an average of 8-9 MPG it's often times cheaper and faster to fly!

If I may be so bold as to make just an observation,,, When my Bride and I went on our Alaska cruise we landed in Anchorage and took the 3 hour bus drive to Seaward.. (Alaska is by the way Truly Gods country.... Beautiful)

Anyhoo as we drove this rather narrow road to seaward. We had a hour delay seems an rv went off the road and was burning, The driver told us that last week there was a 5th wheel off the road and delayed them 3 hours. Along the road we saw two other trailer towing trucks half off the road and stuck. The driver then shared with us how people come up to Alaska to camp and drive around and the roads are so tight that many of them get stuck and go off the road.

As we were in the ports you could see the roll on roll off cruise ships with cars and trucks driving on and off, And it looks like a lot of fun.. But caution needs to be used in driving around up there. The big shock for me was the lack of any Road signs up there. The bus driver told me that was because if you did not know where you were, you shouldn't be there.. Where as I thought it was a nice funny it did make me think twice about driving the Alaska Hiway one day..

There you go. I'm decided!

Where is the next cruise for everyone?

We have a February cruise on Liberty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), no kids.

I have a corner aft accessible booked on the Dream if someone wants to see it

Sherry

We're on the Wonder for a MR cruise in February. Thinking about rebooking onboard for another cruise but just don't know which yet.

 

[INDY1919A4]

Where is the next cruise for everyone?

We have a February cruise on Liberty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), no kids.

I have a corner aft accessible booked on the Dream if someone wants to see it

Sherry

OHHH Sherry, I would love to, please come on down for the mickey Bar party at 3, we are going to kick everyone out by 3:15 or so go up and see twinsfan deck 10 aft, would love to see your room also..

And you will be helping me plan our next cruise.. It will be Fantasy and I am thinking an aft Balcany.. So this will be awesome ..

Will be looking at about this time of year next year.. Give or take..

Thanks all for offering to show rooms..

To be real honest here, was not real eager to leave Magic and go to a new ship like this. Have a lot of warm feelings for Magic. Heck I have photos of the kids growing up on the Magic... But as each day passes I really am starting to like some of the cool spaces on the Dream class ships..

 

[dsnydaddy]

OHHH Sherry, I would love to, please come on down for the mickey Bar party at 3, we are going to kick everyone out by 3:15 or so go up and see twinsfan deck 10 aft, would love to see your room also..

And you will be helping me plan our next cruise.. It will be Fantasy and I am thinking an aft Balcany.. So this will be awesome ..

Will be looking at about this time of year next year.. Give or take..

Thanks all for offering to show rooms..

To be real honest here, was not real eager to leave Magic and go to a new ship like this. Have a lot of warm feelings for Magic. Heck I have photos of the kids growing up on the Magic... But as each day passes I really am starting to like some of the cool spaces on the Dream class ships..

I kinda feel the same. Excited to see the new ship. But I really have a soft spot for the Magic. It was the first ship for the kids and the one that they always refer to. and we met so many good friends there that we still keep up with to this day. I thought that when we were on the Wonder it would feel familiar but it was different. Didn't feel like home.

 

[INDY1919A4]

We're on the Wonder for a MR cruise in February. Thinking about rebooking onboard for another cruise but just don't know which yet.

PLEase help MR??? Cruise


My mind wonders Mighty River???
Magical Review?????, Mystery cruise spelled badly?????

God I could go for a neat Mystery Cruise...