11/28/09 - 12/5/2009 The Nana's Ride the Seas Again #5

[DisneyCrunch]

I'm gathering that you're getting married on the ship Nessa? (I'm a noob so I can't help but I'm curious )

Alright Jeff, don't lose patience with me here....So you're saying we can do all those things (see the model, take care of kids club business, visit with characters etc) BEFORE boarding the ship? OR are you just saying we want to board early and do those things once on board? I know this must sound so dense to someone versed in these things but I just have no clue what embarkation is going to look like/what's at port/etc etc...

Thanks for the suggestions for dh. He's not so active as to be a runner or one to work out But he would love foosball and stuff like that--as well as some of the more "exciting" excursions...He'll totally dig the tastings (me too!)

And I agree with Steph--more action people!!! (I know, most of you guys have been here for awhile and we're all fresh and brimming with excitement--but you guys should play along now )

 

[shellfish_mickfish]

I'm gathering that you're getting married on the ship Nessa? (I'm a noob so I can't help but I'm curious )

Alright Jeff, don't lose patience with me here....So you're saying we can do all those things (see the model, take care of kids club business, visit with characters etc) BEFORE boarding the ship? OR are you just saying we want to board early and do those things once on board? I know this must sound so dense to someone versed in these things but I just have no clue what embarkation is going to look like/what's at port/etc etc...

Thanks for the suggestions for dh. He's not so active as to be a runner or one to work out But he would love foosball and stuff like that--as well as some of the more "exciting" excursions...He'll totally dig the tastings (me too!)

Yep..Nessa is getting married on the ship! How exciting! They screwed up her plans and she almost didn't have a reception! The show thing sounds like a good idea Nessa. You might want to stop by one of the eat anytime places though and have a snack. I would be starving by 9 p.m. Couldn't do 2 meals either!

Crunch, my husband sounds a lot like yours. In fact, my DH will challenge your DH to a foosball tournament! He's not into any form of exercising so any of those kinds of things would be good.

Jeff, is there skeet shooting on the ship or don't they do that on DCL?

Shelley

 

[DisneyMommaSteph]

Suzanne~ You should try RC if you get a chance. They've had some great deals lately, and you're right there. I've loved, loved, loved every cruise I've been on.


That solidifies it Jeff....you've sold us on getting to the port early.... I'm going to call the Rad and see if we can schedule an early shuttle now. With 10 of us, I don't want to take any chances....
What's the family of the day?

WOW! Nessa is getting married on the ship!
That IS exciting....a Disney Cruise ship wedding, huh? What happened with the reception?? That's not cool. I'm sure it'll be fantastic though...you're on a cruise ship, what more could you ask for? Are there lots of guests attending the wedding? How large is the wedding party?

Shelly,
Have you been on a DC before? You have a little one almost the same age as our ("our" meaning my sis's daughter who is 5, and mine who is 6...) girls, right? (I just checked the first page...5 and 8 right?) Are they getting excited? Are they into princesses?

Jen...you got the top again....hehe

I'm in a colorful mood today...

 

[DisneyMommaSteph]

DOh--I just saw on your siggy that this is your first Shelly....

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Okay, I'll try to answer some of the questions but our resident expert Jeff is sitting in the corner for a week (maybe he'll explain when he returns). Not to fear, all is well and he is still cruising. So bear with me.

At the terminal, there is a really cool model of the ship that you can check out. One side of it is "clothed" like you are looking at the outside of the ship. The other side is a cut-away type model where you can see little staterooms, theater, etc. Really kind of neat.

You can sign up for the kids club on line and when you get to the terminal, after you check in and do your pictures, go to the kid's club table (across from the snack bar area) to sign in, pick up your pager and get the wrist band for each kid. The kid will need to be there as they put it directly on them. Try not to forget your password that you signed up with. But don't worry, they will help you if you forget.

Yes, Nessa is getting married on the ship on secret deck 7 - that isn't really secret. As there is a limit for the number of people that can attend, we plan on peeking over our divider as our stateroom is smack next to secret deck 7.

There are also characters that come out into the lobby of the terminal and pose for pictures. Our last cruise was Mickey and Minnie (separately). And of course there is a ship photographer there already racking up all the photos that you know you're going to want to buy!!!

There is no skeet shooting on board. However we do get fireworks!!!

Also, there is a galley tour that we're going to do this time. I believe its 18 or older. Okay, off to feed the kiddo. Be back later!

 

[shellfish_mickfish]

Shelly,
Have you been on a DC before? You have a little one almost the same age as our ("our" meaning my sis's daughter who is 5, and mine who is 6...) girls, right? (I just checked the first page...5 and 8 right?) Are they getting excited? Are they into princesses?[/COLOR]

I'm in a colorful mood today...[/B]

Hey Steph,

Yep this is our 1st DCL. The girls - 5 & 8 are SUPER excited. We signed up on the Pay It Forward Postcard thread and someone sent them a postcard that read: "Dear (insert names), The Princesses just told us the great news - that you will be joining us for a cruise real soon! We can't wait to meet you! Your friends, Mickey, Minnie, and all the Gang"

OMG!! They got the mail and came running and screaming into the house to show it to me! I had all I could do to stop them from packing that very minute and the rest of the weekend. We had to go to the calendar to see how many days before we leave! I can tell you it was really special. I would recommend signing up - you just post on the thread that you would like a postcard and someone sends you a PM to let you know they will. Here is the link to make it easier. I would definitely recommend it. Their faces were priceless!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2205646&page=9

They didn't book a reception for Nessa. Luckily, she was creative and was able to get reservations at Palo for everyone - only it's a 9 p.m.

Allison - how cute is that picture! Priceless! Where was that taken?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

They didn't book a reception for Nessa. Luckily, she was creative and was able to get reservations at Palo for everyone - only it's a 9 p.m.

Allison - how cute is that picture! Priceless! Where was that taken?

I can't believe they didn't book a reception for Nessa!! This was running through their wedding coordinator. How could they not do that????? Poor Nessa. Holy crap!!!

Thanks about the picture. It was taken at Coral World in St. Thomas. We did the Sea Lion Swim. There is also a picture of the Sea Lion kissing her. I love the pictures. She is obviously at that age where everything is "Moooommmmm!" with the eye roll.

That's a cute story about the postcards. I've offered to send them out to some kids. I think I have one where they are cruising in January. I'll go and post on the thread to see if someone else wants one. It was 50 cents to mail from CC. So as long as the post office is open, all is well.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Just a morning bump up from page 2. Good morning all!!

 

[DisneyMommaSteph]

Goooooud mornin'. Freeeezey here CT. I'm imagining that blue water to keep me warm.



I'm dense. Not only does your siggy say it's your first cruise Shelley, but a few posts back you mentioned that too. Anywho--I saw that postcard thing, and I've been meaning to sign up. Thanks for the link that will help!

Jeff is in the corner?? lol...Interesting. Hopefully we get the full story when he returns...hehe...

I'm hoping we get to the port early. I still have to call the hotel...I'm going to do that Monday. Do you know the earliest people using the Disney transportation get there? I'm hoping to beat the crowds, but is that a lost cause?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Goooooud mornin'. Freeeezey here CT. I'm imagining that blue water to keep me warm.



I'm dense. Not only does your siggy say it's your first cruise Shelley, but a few posts back you mentioned that too. Anywho--I saw that postcard thing, and I've been meaning to sign up. Thanks for the link that will help!

Jeff is in the corner?? lol...Interesting. Hopefully we get the full story when he returns...hehe...

I'm hoping we get to the port early. I still have to call the hotel...I'm going to do that Monday. Do you know the earliest people using the Disney transportation get there? I'm hoping to beat the crowds, but is that a lost cause?

The people coming from the resorts, using DCL transportation, I don't believe get there until after 1 p.m. so we are already on the ship. We got there last cruise around 10:30 and boarding number 7. We were on the ship 15 minutes after they started calling numbers.

 

[DisneyCrunch]

Funny Steph I was just thinking the same thing. It feels like winter here in VT today and I was thinking "hmmmm, I guess it's not SO bad when I have two disney vacations to look forward to this winter!!!!"

That's awesome Allison! I hope we can get there early! Keep your fingers crossed for us


Gonna check out the postcard thread...


And I too am wondering how Jeff got himself stuck in that corner

Hey, what's that little pool out on the bow of the ship?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

The little pool in the front of the ship is for crew members only. You can see if from Deck 10. I've only looked at it once but I really don't believe they have time to use it.

And maybe I shouldn't have said that Jeff got stuck in the corner but it really is funny to me.

 

[shellfish_mickfish]

That's a cute story about the postcards. I've offered to send them out to some kids. I think I have one where they are cruising in January. I'll go and post on the thread to see if someone else wants one. It was 50 cents to mail from CC. So as long as the post office is open, all is well.

The one we got was from New Jersey but the girls aren't old enough to notice. The person that sent it asked 1st to see if they would. So, you don't have to wait to send it from CC necessarily.

We awoke to snow here in MN yesterday. Way too early for that! Blue Waters....ahhhh (keep thinking that!)

I had enough hotel points to stay free the night before we leave at the Hilton - Cocoa Beach. We rented a car so we plan to be at port early to start our vacation right away! We should have a banana sticker or something so we can find each other in the port waiting area. The kids could keep each other busy. I heard they don't start boarding until 11:30 a.m. If we get there at 10 a.m. could be an hour of me yelling at my kids to settle down! Luckily, there will be characters there.

Shelley

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

As with everything Disney there are things to do while waiting.

1) Check out the ship model.
2) Check in at the kid's club desk.
3) Check out the snack bar.
4) Wait in line for the characters!
5) Watch Disney cartoons at conveniently placed televisions.
6) Check out the ship itself at the back of the lobby.

You'll be fine and before you know it you will be as anxious as the kids. DD brought her DS so she played with that for awhile too. And yes, it would be fun to find each other before we go in.

 

[DisneyMommaSteph]

My kids won't notice the postage....just yet...so I could potentially send some myself...lol...I don't think that would be as fun though, huh?

Yeah, we should have something to show we're the DISers. I like the banana sticker, but I'm not sure where I'd get one...hehe....We should decide on something. I saw in trip reports sometimes ppl wear a bracelet a certain color or something.

I just called the Radisson and booked our shuttle (I tried to call you Jen, but you didn't pick up...call me...) for 10am! Woooooot! I was going to wait until tomorrow to call....but you guys got me excited talking about getting to the port early, and I didn't want to miss out. That'll be awesome if the bulk of ppl don't get there til 1 (well...I'm assuming it's still crazy busy, but maybe not as crazy? Or am I delusional??)....

What do you guys who've cruised usually do once you're on? I was thinking eating (of course!) and milling around and exploring. If we want to swim are there areas to change and stuff? Are they pretty good about getting your luggage to the rooms by early afternoon?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Here's what you do:

If you want to get Palo reservations or change dining times, you go to Rockin' Bar D (I think - this is where Jeff comes in handy).

Then you can eat either at Parrot Cay or Topsiders. Food is the same buffet only difference is at Parrot Cay you go to a table, put your stuff down and the waiter gets your drinks while you go through the buffet. At Topsiders you carry your stuff through the line (or a family member saves a table for you), carry your tray and your own drinks. But while you're sitting on the deck the kids can be swimming in the pools. So don't forget to bring your suits in your carry ons. Some people wear the suits to board under their clothes.

Then we have a meet at 2:45 p.m. in the Promenade lounge.

Oh yeah, and you can get in your stateroom at 1:30. We headed down there at 1:30 last time just to get settled. The luggage was there and I was able to unpack and store the luggage.

By 4 p.m. you NEED to be at the life boat drill with your life vests on that are in your stateroom. They will hold up the drill if your entire family is not in attendance.

After that, drop the vests off in your room and head to the Anchors Away party on Deck 9.

Phew, now depending on when your dinner is scheduled you either head back to your room to change for dinner or get ready to see the show and then go to dinner. If you have early dinner you can see the show after dinner

And at some point during the day, you will probably want to check out the kids clubs. They are open for viewing but not dropping off.

Hope that helped!!

And for identifying people, it usually just grabbing lime green mickey head paint chips from Home Depot and attaching them to your carry on. Lime green is the appointed Dis board color. So when you see the abbreviation LGMH, you know what it stands for. For the longest time I thought it stood for something with gays and lesbians and was too embarassed to ask.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Okay, I typed one reply and had computer problems.

Here are the answers to the rest of your questions.

Yes, there are bathrooms near Topsiders where the kids can change swim suits.

Our luggage was at our stateroom by 1:30 last time. However there have been reports of them not showing up until later in the evening. They tend to be more lax with dinner wardrobe the first night.

Did I get them all?

 

[Disneyholic]

Our luggage was at our stateroom by 1:30 last time. However there have been reports of them not showing up until later in the evening. They tend to be more lax with dinner wardrobe the first night.

Last year our luggage was in our stateroom when we were allowed in at 1:30. This year, because we are going to Palo at 6:30 the 1st night, we are packing our dress clothes in our carry-ons to make sure we have them. This was suggested by someone on another thread when I said we were eating there the 1st night.

 

[DisneyCrunch]

Bumpin' our quiet little group up!

I love the LGMH idea! How cute We'll definitely do that. Anything else we can do though to identify ourselves the rest of the trip? I'm thinking something not too LOUD or crazy...

Reading the accounts of the first day makes me soooooooooooo excited!!!!!!

 

[DisneyMommaSteph]

Thanks for the bump Jenaroo. I get depressed when I see us on page two. HA! I made a rhyme....lol....

Hmmm....let's see....

I think it will be a good idea to have the suits on the kidlets, that way they can hit the pools and stuff. Jen discovered that my 3 year old (he'll be 4... 3 months after the cruise...holy crows toes!) won't be able to go on the slide. I hope he's not too upset by that....;( Also learned that we can bring coast guard approved floatation devices. While I'm bummed that they will take up suitcase space...I'm stoked because that means the kids can have more fun independently in the water....

I'll pick up some lime green Mikey tags next time I go to the Depot. The kids always get one or two every time we go there anyway...

But like Jen said...are we going to "wear" anything for the rest of the cruise? I think it'll be nice to be able to identify DISers during everyday activities....

We need to get this meet thred pumping!!!! Maybe we should do a GTKY post. I know they can be cheesy....but since we're so late to the party...it'd be nice to learn a little but about everyone...I can look for one. Anyone have a good GTYK post?

AND...
Any lurkers reading this that are going on our cruise??? Come out, come out...wherever you are....Don't make me pester you daily...

Post people!

Happy Monday everyone! The kids are off today so we're hitting the park this afternoon with some friends. Chilly crisp fall day. What are you up to?