10/4/08-Buccaneers Take the West! Cruiser List in Post #1

[Grandma4ever]

We got our 10/4 documents. Came from DCL. Still have not seen the 9/27 because they went to the TA and then to us. I have e-mailed to ask. I have WDW documentation but I have a hole in the middle. But since I can cruise without them I am not too worried.

 

[mollygirl13]

The Wetzel's have seen no signs of cruise documents yet.
I'll be waiting for my mailman tomorrow.

BTW, Katie Wetzel is doing better. Still not walking but he seems to be getting some feeling in her legs back.

 

[JanDave]

Stay safe all DISers on the east coast this weekend.

Jan

 

[dvanhazel]

First let me say that my heart goes out to all of you in the path of these crazy hurricanes. Also, my condolences to those of you with family and pet health problems over the last couple of months since I last checked in. I have not had a chance to be on the boards for quite awhile, but know that I have read them and prayed for you all during your rough patches.

Now for my situation….I booked this cruise last July and have spend hours and hours on these boards (certainly more time than I will ever be on that ship I am sure of it!) compiling information…packing lists, what to put in the first aid kit, what to take ashore with you, directions to everywhere, tid bits and “must do’s” at each port…really the list goes on and on and on and on.

I had taken an excel spreadsheet that someone had posted…that was the first thing I found over a year ago and started from there compiling my lists. I had SO much information on there as all you OCD planners can imagine.

Now for my tragedy…our computer crashed 2 weeks ago and have not found anyone who can retrieve our info yet. It is a computer less than 2 years old and, no, we did not have anything backed up. Why did we need to learn this lesson ourselves and not from the countless others who have already taken this journey? My DH was trying to work it so I could dial into my home computer while we are away and somehow whatever he installed messed everything up. So, the over-planning of this Disney trip essentially did this to me.

Here is where I am hoping for a little pixie dust from my DIS friends…if there is anyone out there that would be willing to share “your lists” with me, I would be forever grateful. There is no way I have the time or energy at this point to do everything over that I had already done, but I think I could start with someone else’s list and narrow things down from there.

When this first happened, I made my DH feel better by saying that there was nothing on that computer that I could not re-create if I had to…but then I remembered my Disney File and the more time goes by, the more I realize how much I had on there! Please, for those of you who do not have a back-up system….do it now!

If anyone would like to share their packing lists with me, you can PM me what you have. Really, I am overwhelmed at the thought of packing because my hope was that I would just need to cross things off as I tossed them in…imagine packing without a list…urgh!

 

[karibritt01]

Dina... that is awful! My computer crashed 2 years ago. We had just gotten back from the kids 1st trip to WDW. I downloaded all my pics and erased the disc. Then the computer froze... never to be rebooted again! I was in tears begging the Geek Squad guy to get my pics off, but nothing could be retrieved. Wynn was able to find an "undelete" program to run on the memory stick in the camera, and I got 95% of my pics back.

I found the excel packing list for a start. http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=10249012&postcount=1 PM me your email and I will send you my notes. Hope they can be of some use. I bet you will remember more than you think when you go back and look at the different days/ports. I have most of my stuff committed to memory! For packing odds and ends... I have my suitcase open in my closet floor, and throw stuff in it whenever I think about it. When I get ready to really pack, everything is right there waiting to be organized.

 

[Grandma4ever]

My packing list is really very simple and I take many other items that are not on it.
Checked Bags
 PJ (2)
 Underwear (13)
 Socks (8)
 Shorts (8)
 Shirts (8)
 Dresses (6)
 Slips (1)
 Swimsuit (s) (1)
 Sandals (3)
 Tennis shoes (1)
 Swim Shoes (1)
 Laundry Soap
 Dryer Sheets
 Sewing kit
 Sanitary Pads (1pk)
 Tampons (1pk)
 Iron (1)

Carry on PJ’s
 Swimsuits
 One casual outfit
 Snacks
 Medications (All)
 Toothbrushes
 Comb & Brush
 Razor
 Passports
 Cruise paperwork
 Park Paperwork
 Camera (both)
 Tooth brush (1ea)
 Checked Bags
 Shampoo
 Deodorant (1)
 Tooth paste (1)
 Dental Floss (1)
 Medications (all)
 Med cups
 Triple antibiotic (1)
 Lotion
 Lint Roller
 Anti-itch cream
 Razors
 Rubber bands
 Sun Screen (1)
 Band Aids (1pk)
 Batteries (12)
 Tape
 Ziplock bags for wet items


Beth
 7 summer outfits
 3 to 5 dresses outfits (one dressier)
 10 underwear
 5 to 10 pair of socks
 Light weight PJ’s
 Swimsuit
 Sandals
 Dress shoes for evening wear
 Tennis shoes

 Swim shoes (optional)

 Shampoo
 Deodorant
 Tooth brush and tooth paste


Austin
 7 Shorts with coordinated tops
 3 to 5 pairs of slacks
 3 to 5 button down or polo shirts
 1 tie
 5 to 10 pair socks
 10 pair underwear
 Light weight PJ’s
 Swim Suit
 Tennis shoes
 Dress shoes
 Sandals

 Swim shoes (optional)

 Shampoo
 Deodorant
 Tooth brush and tooth paste
 Brace care kit

Hope this helps, Lois

 

[karibritt01]

Lois... that's a pretty good list! The only thing I see is the shampoo, toothpaste, razors can't be in a carry-on. Avery went to Chicago in July with her grandparents. Coming home, they put her princess toothpaste in the carry-on. Airport security made them throw it away! Avery was hysterical because they threw out her favorite toothpaste.

 

[dvanhazel]

Gals, that you SO much for that info. That already calms me more than you know. I am such a list person in everyday life that the thought of starting over or not using a list to pack at all was overwhelming me! Kari, I am getting the suitcases down now and will start doing what you suggested...tossing stuff in and crossing it off my list.

You guys rock! I can not believe in 4 weeks from tomorrow we'll all be there! Thanks again...really!

 

[Grandma4ever]

Lois... that's a pretty good list! The only thing I see is the shampoo, toothpaste, razors can't be in a carry-on. Avery went to Chicago in July with her grandparents. Coming home, they put her princess toothpaste in the carry-on. Airport security made them throw it away! Avery was hysterical because they threw out her favorite toothpaste.

I can't live without toothpaste and shampoo so I put my full bottles in the checkedbags and have small containter in my carry on just in case my bages get lost. Each carry on can have a quartsize baggie with liquids 3oz or less in it. It works real well. You might be surprised how my a quart will hold. Talk about OCD!!! Lois

 

[Grandma4ever]

Gals, that you SO much for that info. That already calms me more than you know. I am such a list person in everyday life that the thought of starting over or not using a list to pack at all was overwhelming me! Kari, I am getting the suitcases down now and will start doing what you suggested...tossing stuff in and crossing it off my list.

You guys rock! I can not believe in 4 weeks from tomorrow we'll all be there! Thanks again...really!

You are very welcome. I hope it helps. If you can find the cruise tip thread there are lots of ideas and list in it. Not sure where it is now and I do not know how to post a link. Good luck in recreating you data. You may find that it is easier and better the second time around. Lois

 

[Grandma4ever]

Your Countdown Date is: 09/20/08

Your Countdown Time is 0 years, 0 months and 14 days.

Your Countdown is also exactly 14 days.

Your Countdown is also approximately 336 hours.

Your Countdown is also approximately 20,160 minutes.

Your Countdown is also approximately 1,209,600 seconds.

Thought I would take a few minutes to brag about my countdown. Lois

 

[dvanhazel]

Oh my word Lois, if I was at the 14 day mark I would be in a fit! I never thought I would say this trip is sneaking up on me because I have planned it for so long, but ever since the kids went back to school at the end of July (yes, July) time has just flown by!

I know you gals are just going to have a ball on your back to back trip! Love your countdown you do ever do often!

 

[glindamood]

Hanna - blow away, blow away! I hope that all in the path are safe and dry. I see that it is now a TS - bad but at least not a hurricane. Ike just needs to give it up as well but probably not. Denise - you need to be on the lookout as well again by the looks of it. Mother Nature can be beautiful - and very evil!

Well, I am off to run some errands and hit the grocery store. Take care everyone. I can't believe that we leave three weeks from today!

 

[mollygirl13]

Dina,
I tried to PM you but it was way too long. This is not a packing list but some packing tips posted a while back. Hope this helps a bit:

Packing & Things to Bring


Bring an over-the-door shoe organizer - This was AWESOME for keeping all of our stuff off of horizontal surfaces which helped us stay organized and tidy. We used it for sunscreen, brushes/combs, sunglasses, batteries, makeup pouches, jewelry, etc.

Divide your family's clothes between bags in case one gets lost. I have underwear for everyone spread between bags, casual clothes, swimsuits, and dress up clothes spread between bags. If you see me in the same outfit for dinner all the time, one of the bags got lost, but at least I won't be wearing my husband's underwear.

Bring bathing suits and sunscreen for when you board the boat. You won't see your bags until about 4:30, at which point it is time to get ready for dinner.

I always pack my swimsuit in my carry on - it takes me forever to find suits that fit me and I feel comfortable in - I could never just buy off the rack on the ship - or at the hotel gift shop!

The door is metal so I took a couple of magnetic clips to hold navigators and other papers.

Get a water wallet for Castaway Cay. It'll hold your Key to the world, ID, plus a couple of bucks for stamps or small trinkets on the way back.


Pack a highlighter to highlight the Daily Navigator things you want to attend, also a pack of post-its or small dry erase board to leave notes for others in cabin

We bring a magnetic one to put on the inside of the cabin door to tell our two DS where we are, and so they can tell us where they will be.
Bring one or two of your favorite books.

There are many quiet, cozy places to read. You are on vacation - relax, unwind. Reading gives you an opportunity to NOT follow the Navigator every now and then.

Take earplugs just in case you get a noisy room or have family who want to watch TV when you want a nap.

Take Beano just in case the unfamiliar food disagrees with you. I love broccoli and always order it, but it causes some embarrassing moments, so Beano before eating helped me out.

If you have a veranda, bring about 15' of clothesline and clothespins, there are places high up near the ceiling to tie off the line to hang wet items. This is especially useful after Castaway Cay so you won't need to pack wet items (ours dried by the time we got back to Port Canaveral)

Bring Windex wipes to clean your glass on your veranda - the salt spray accumulates and obstructs the view.

Bring a small memo pad to plan your day - what activities at what times (makes it easier if you have to plan between multiple Navigators - we had 3 kids in different age brackets, plus the adult Navigators to contend with).
We like to make sure to bring a dry erase board...to leave messages for each other in passing. It helped us all meet up at diff times of day on our last cruise.

Bring an envelope to keep your Navigators organized.

If you bring a lot of clothes that need to be hung in the closet, bring extra hangers

Bring an address book, and meet new people! Exchange email addresses with people (especially tablemates) and you can stay in touch, swap pictures and stories!

Bring little flashlights and pass them out to your family. Also keep 1 in the bathroom.

Collapsible hamper – we found this to be very convenient for putting our dirty clothes in and carrying to the laundry room. Also ID holders, which can be found at Wal-Mart for 97¢.

Bring your old socks, underwear, swimsuits, etc., then don't bring them home – just toss them when they're dirty!

Large thick trash bags. Put the dirty clothes in them when you get ready to go home. Gather up the top and hold tight, then have partner roll or smooth from the other end to get the air out. The dirties take up much less room that way and no worry that they will soil your leftover clean clothes or new t-shirts. I have not been able to find one of those airless travel bags that are large enough to handle all our laundry. Also makes room for more new stuff!
We always bring a small pair of binoculars (especially if you have a verandah). It's great for looking at passing islands, dolphins, etc. Be sure that the kids keep the cord around their necks when they're using them so they don't drop them overboard.

Bottles of water. You can refill them with the filtered water available on deck 9.

I found a folder helpful to keep papers you want to take home with you.
We bring table-top fans to drown out the noise from deck 9 above so it doesn't wake us in the AM (sometimes as early as 5:00) when they put out all the chairs. If you bring fans, don't forget extension cords as outlets are not always where you want to place the fan.

Underwater cameras are fun too! We took one with us to Castaway Cay and to Stingray City (on the Western Cruise).

Bring a corkscrew if you bring wine for the romantic evenings on the verandah.

Ladies: bring a small bag/purse/clutch for use around the ship. My regular sized purse was too much and looked odd on formal night. A small camera case with extra pockets for cash/room card can also double for a purse.

Bring a power strip - There is only ONE outlet in the stateroom so it was great to be able to plug in our phones, camera charges, curling iron, etc. I did also bring an extension cord in hopes of plugging in to the desk and using my hairdryer in the bathroom but it was not long enough. It was a 15-foot cord and missed reaching the bathroom by a good 5 feet or more.

An extension cord with 4 outlets weighs less and is generally smaller than a power strip.

Ladies - Bring your own hairdryer. The ones in the stateroom look like they are from the 1960's or something, and barely blow any air.

Clothespins - I had originally read to bring these to help keep the curtains on the sliding door closed when the ship was rocking. We ended up using these to help close the privacy curtain between the bed and living area in our stateroom. This allowed us a way to change clothes with a bit more privacy.

Pillowcases & Sharpies - I bought 3 new white pillowcases (one for each kid). I placed them in a large ziploc bag with various colors of Sharpie markers and gave them to Guest Services the second day of our cruise. They were returned to us on the last day of the cruise signed by all of the characters!

Pop-up Laundry Hamper - This stored easily in the closet and was great to toss our dirty laundry in.

Lanyards for room key - These lanyards have a clear zip-loc type of holder for your Key-to-the-World card. We did not realize how handy this would be! We saw lots of folks with these on the first day of the cruise. We were going to buy some but ended up getting them as a gift from Disney Vacation Club! These were great to grab and put around your neck as we headed out and about.

Bring Address Labels - This made the last night so much easier! You receive luggage tags (one for each bag) on the last day of the cruise. You have to put your name, address and phone # on each of these as well as your stateroom and number each bag. We had pre-made return address labels with most of this info. All I had to do was place a label onto each tag, add our stateroom # and # each bag. We had 9 bags and this made the process much faster!

Seasickness - Bring Bonine and Ginger tablets. I got both at Wal-mart. I was very worried as I do get seasick. I started taking Bonine 2 days before the cruise. I took one tablet twice a day (morning and bedtime) and it worked great!!! One day at sea we were rocking quite a bit and I started feeling a bit queasy so I took a Ginger tablet and I felt much better! I did not feel tired at all and had no effects when I went off of the Bonine after the cruise. Our 11-year-old DS started feeling queasy on the first night so I started him on kids Bonine for the rest of the cruise and he was fine also.

Bring some Pirate gear - We brought some hats, eye patches, etc., from home to dress up in for Pirate Night. Lots of folks were dressed in pirate attire for this event! Pirate Night was a blast!

Digital clock - Ok, I did not bring one but wish that I had. There is a clock in the room but it is not a digital clock and cannot be seen at night.
I know some people mention bringing an alarm clock but I just set the TV to turn on as my wake up call and that worked wonderfully. I left the channel to see the forward camera and it was like our window to the outside world from our inside stateroom with no window!

One Dollar Bills - DH went to the bank before we left and got LOTS of $1 bills to use for tipping. This was VERY handy for the porters, room service, transportation, etc.

Bring walkie-talkies. The boat is big, and just after your spouse leaves to get your book from the room you realize you forgot sunscreen! It's also a great way to stay in touch with large traveling groups.

Underwater camera is a MUST if you going to snorkel...and if you never have....do!

Take collapsible suitcases. When empty, they can be stuffed in corners or under the beds.

Pack a collapsible duffel bag to use for day excursions. It can double as your extra bag for all those souvenirs you swore you weren't going to buy.

Bring twist-ties to keep the coat hangers from banging around in the closet when the ship rocks.

An underwater camera is a MUST if you are going to snorkel...and if you never have....do!

If you enjoy wine, you may bring it on board. There is a refrigerator in your room. We brought a case of wine for 4 adults. We just asked for glasses in our room and a bucket of ice. We then proceeded to dinner with our own glass of wine or enjoyed a glass on our deck before dinner. Yes you CAN bring alcohol on board to “enjoy” in your room - but we found no problem bringing it to dinner.


There can be occasional power outages, so packing a flashlight makes it much easier to cope – especially if you have an inside stateroom!
I suggest bringing a sweater for dinner and the shows. I don't normally get cold, but my friend suggested I bring a sweater on the cruise. I brought a light cardigan thinking I just needed something to cover my arms. Boy was I wrong! I was so cold at dinner and shivering during the shows. I've actually have been shopping for a sweater that I can use on my next cruise.

Take a magnetic stripped card, like a library or grocery store card, to use as your stateroom safe's “key”. Hide the card somewhere in the room. This eliminates the constraint of waiting for the KTTW cardholder to be with you if you need something from the safe.

I have also brought some of my own beverages and mixers and cups w/lids to mix the drinks.

Save the plastic bags that your dry-cleaning comes home in. I have a HUGE garment bag (holds 3 suits and about 20 dresses) and I packed everything in these bags (I doubled and tripled some items in the bags) and I unpacked virtually “wrinkle free” clothes!!!!

Bring thank you cards for the staff. Take it from a former cast member: it's the little things that keep the pixie dust in your heart alive!

Bring LOTS of extra batteries.

If you bring a lot of clothes that need to be hung in the closet, bring extra hangers

Don't bring so many carry-ons when boarding. We took a bag EACH because we were thinking “what if”. They were very much in the way and not-so-fun to carry around until our rooms opened up at 1:15 PM. Turns out we should have checked EVERYTHING and just ate, toured the ship, then gone to our room

Don't over pack! - I WAY overpacked. During the days at sea we were pretty much in our swimsuits/cover-ups.


Seriously...when you pack, take half of what you've packed out again. It's WAY too easy to over pack. Black slacks for dinner with different tops...you're good to go. During the day you'll probably be in your swim stuff with a cover-up...don't worry about tons of “day clothes”.

 

[mollygirl13]

I'm on the lookout for my mailman. He must think I'm nuts or a stalker. I'll let you know if I get anything good in the mail today!

 

[karibritt01]

Well, Hanna has moved on, and we had no issues. That was the oddest storm I have ever seen! We had really hard rain bands come through causing flash flooding, but hardly any wind, thunder and lightening... any of the normal stuff associated with TS bands. Then about 7:30 this AM the eye passed... all wind with NO RAIN! It was just very strange. But, at least she is gone!

 

[GGBacha]

Yea! Bye Hannah! I'm glad that you are doing well. I remember when Opal came through our area about 11 years ago. It came through around midnight if I remember correctly. It was such a strange sounding storm.

I'm also doing the luggage tag dance! I have a question though. On the last two cruises, I remember getting a special form to fill out for the Bahamas. I didn't see one with this. I have already registered online, but I don't remember seeing anything about it. I haven't printed though (didn't want to lose the forms ). Maybe it is in the forms that will print.

I'm off to swim with the kids. My dad might have us close the pool next weekend, so I'm trying to give them one last whirl.

Check back in later!
Ginger

 

[momm2four]

Hi guys! Got 1/2 of my docs yesterday. Still waiting on the ones for our second room.

I have a question. I went in and registered two of my kids for the clubs, but I've forgotten my safety word. I wanted to use the same word for each kid so does anyone know how I can get them to tell me what I put in the first time? I feel really stupid for doing that.

Only 4 weeks!!!!!!

 

[BuzzNutt]

I have a question. I went in and registered two of my kids for the clubs, but I've forgotten my safety word. I wanted to use the same word for each kid so does anyone know how I can get them to tell me what I put in the first time? I feel really stupid for doing that.

Only 4 weeks!!!!!!

This one I know! Just go back into the registration and edit the password. I have changed ours so that all kidsin my party have the same so all the adults remember it

We are almost there! I just wish my docs would get here.

 

[mousehse]

Hi Buccaneer Friends!
We have been watching the weather and were glad to see that Hanna was not so bad. Now for Ike...doesn't look so great, but we will continue to use prayer and pixie dust and hope for the best.
Today we went shopping and bought our outfits for formal night. I have a floor length chocolate brown gown and my mom got a "flowing" cream pant suit. I'm pretty sure we can manage to get Jordan into dress pants, button-down shirt and a tie with the promise of lobster...lol!

Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend.
Wendy