12/19/2009 - 12/26/2009 Magical Christmas Cruise! It's not that far Away?

[Downrivermama]

Kimberly and Tina-
I agree that this group probably won't grow so big that we'll need 2 groups. We'll need a pretty big increase in participants pretty fast for that to happen! I think we can wait to discuss this more if we get a lot more people.

I like the idea of leaving the day flexible, for all the reasons Kimberly mentioned. Does anyone have any objection to that?

It sounds like we're all having the same thought about a cut-off date. What about 11/19 . . . its one month from sailing, so it seems easy to remember.


Tina - On a completely unrelated note, I LOVE the "good example" quote in your signature!!

Take Care!
Leslie

Thanks Leslie! I loved that quote the first time I saw it!

11/19 is a good cut off. That was what was so frustrating about the repo cruise last year. Our coordinator was afraid to exclude anyone, but at the same time it made it hard if you had already planned and bought stuff. What I ended up doing was, with some of the people who came late to the thread, I just skipped. They weren't going to know if I skipped them or not.

I'll have to look at my FE stuff tonight and maybe I can take a pic to give everyone an idea of what was handed out. I really like getting the Mickey ears for the door! I had left them at home. Another idea is some things could be Christmas stuff.

 

[lovesDCL]

I agree with the cutoff date as well. Will make planning much easier!

 

[robynchic]

When we make something, could it be like, one larger thing, then get a bunch of little things otherwise? I have an idea for what I want to make, but I'll have to see how long it takes to make one before deciding whether I should make one for everyone or every family.

 

[itutorfortravel]

It sounds like the November 19th deadline for the FE exchange was pretty well-liked according to a few replies here, so I put a note at the bottom of the roll call regarding that date as the deadline to join the FE exchange...if we decide we want to change it, we can, but I thought while it was a fresh topic I'd go ahead and make that note...

 

[owensamo]

On the past FE we did, we got a mix of both stuff in everyone's pocket, and one "package" for the room (typically with a few things in it). I kind of liked that everyone did something different!

Some other suggestions I've read were things from your hometown/state, things themed to the theme of the day (pirate, formal, etc), obviously pirate stuff and beachy/tropical themed stuff, etc. We've gotten everything from pencils to rubber duckies to candy to stickers and tattoos. I just hope it doesn't go like last time, when the bulk of what we were bringing home far exceeded what we'd brought - which made packing quite fun! (not!)

Amanda

 

[owensamo]

As I add people to the roll call, I am starting an Excel spreadsheet as well with all the same information.

I have never done an FE exchange before, so I'm not sure how this data would be best organized. In other words, when you guys do FE exchanges, do you typically do something for the adults separate from the kids and if so do you choose things for the kids based on gender and age? If so, I was thinking of how I could organize the info to make it easy for us to select and purchase items? Like, should I group them by "Girls / under age 3" , "Boys / 3-5 years old", etc.?

Kimberly,

Just for fun on our last cruise (January of this year) I went through all of the pages and pulled together a roll call list from that. It was mostly because I was curious! Anyway, in my spreadsheet I broke the kids down by kids club age groups. That way everyone could see how many DIS kids would be in their child's group. We had 25 5-7 year olds (where Hannah was)!

For the FEs, it's nice to know if there are under 3s in the cabin so that you can make sure that if there's a toy, it's something they can play with.

Amanda

 

[itutorfortravel]

Kimberly,

Just for fun on our last cruise (January of this year) I went through all of the pages and pulled together a roll call list from that. It was mostly because I was curious! Anyway, in my spreadsheet I broke the kids down by kids club age groups. That way everyone could see how many DIS kids would be in their child's group. We had 25 5-7 year olds (where Hannah was)!

For the FEs, it's nice to know if there are under 3s in the cabin so that you can make sure that if there's a toy, it's something they can play with.

Amanda

Hey Amanda! That is an awesome idea to break down the kids groups by kids club ages...you're right, that would make it easy to see who is in the clubs together Thanks for the suggestion!

Kimberly

P.S. to everyone...I LOVE how this thread is starting to take off!!! I think we've added four pages in just the past week!!!

 

[robynchic]

Ok, I think I'm suckered in to it. Sign us up for FE! If I order or buy a bunch of stuff and it's primarily for my students (but I tuck a few things in there for the cruise), it's tax deductible, right?

 

[itutorfortravel]

Ok, I think I'm suckered in to it. Sign us up for FE! If I order or buy a bunch of stuff and it's primarily for my students (but I tuck a few things in there for the cruise), it's tax deductible, right?

I like your thinking!

 

[Downrivermama]

Ok, I think I'm suckered in to it. Sign us up for FE! If I order or buy a bunch of stuff and it's primarily for my students (but I tuck a few things in there for the cruise), it's tax deductible, right?

 

[itutorfortravel]

Okay, I've figured out something to do for an FE gift that won't take much packing space, so we're in!!!

 

[WDWKOOK]

This is my first time posting to the CL forum. I read/skimmed all of this thread tonight as we are considering booking this cruise. This would be our first DCL cruise, and my DD10's first-ever cruise.

We are also considering the 12/23 4-night Bahamian cruise. We would love to sail over Christmas, and these two sailings are eligible for the Military/DoD promotion which we could use. This is equal to 52% off rack rate for a cat. 7 12/19 sailing or 44% off rack rate for a cat.7 12/23 (4-nt) sailing.

Does this sound like a deal we can't pass-up? Or will this promotion likely be available in 2010, too?

Would the two ships be docking simultaneously at CC on Christmas?

If you have to cancel and you lose your deposit, does DCL ever take your deposit and let you apply it toward a future cruise or do you completely lose it? Sometimes the WDTC will apply your deposit toward a future visit.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, as most of you have already booked this cruise, but did you consider the 12/23 cruise, too? Why or why not? Which would you recommend for our first DCL cruise? Would you recommend cruising in the summer instead? This would be the only other time we could book and there might not be as great a discount.

I apologize if my long post has replaced your Ambien for this evening.Thanks for helping a potential DCL first-timer.

 

[itutorfortravel]

This is my first time posting to the CL forum. I read/skimmed all of this thread tonight as we are considering booking this cruise. This would be our first DCL cruise, and my DD10's first-ever cruise.

Hello, and welcome to our thread!

We are also considering the 12/23 4-night Bahamian cruise. We would love to sail over Christmas, and these two sailings are eligible for the Military/DoD promotion which we could use. This is equal to 52% off rack rate for a cat. 7 12/19 sailing or 44% off rack rate for a cat.7 12/23 (4-nt) sailing.

Does this sound like a deal we can't pass-up? Or will this promotion likely be available in 2010, too?

Unfortunately, there is no way to predict the discounts that DCL will offer in the future. This year has been unusual with all the offers and discounts they have done, which are simply a result of the economy and the fact that DCL is having a harder time filling its ships. I think the discount you can get is fabulous and if you can do the cruise this year, I would definitely go for it! Our family has wanted to cruise on DCL for a long time but just couldn't justify the outrageously high prices. This cruise will actually be our second one this year because of some wonderful rates out there!

Would the two ships be docking simultaneously at CC on Christmas?

I seriously doubt it, even though that is what both itineraries show. This question has been asked on the boards before and most people think that one of the itineraries will deviate from the norm so that both ships are not at CC on the same day. I'm not even sure if it is possible for both ships to dock there on the same day. I sure hope not, as that would be a very crowded place on Christmas day!

If you have to cancel and you lose your deposit, does DCL ever take your deposit and let you apply it toward a future cruise or do you completely lose it? Sometimes the WDTC will apply your deposit toward a future visit.

DCL has a set cancellation policy in effect. If you cancel at least 75 days in advance (for cat 4-12), you would get all your money back. Beyond that time, there would be some penalties for cancelling. You can see the exact details of that on the DCL website and it may even be posted on the DCL FAQ thread anchored at the top of the main cruise thread. Many people get travel insurance to help with things like possible cancellations.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, as most of you have already booked this cruise, but did you consider the 12/23 cruise, too? Why or why not? Which would you recommend for our first DCL cruise? Would you recommend cruising in the summer instead? This would be the only other time we could book and there might not be as great a discount.


The low rates for Christmas time this year are out of the ordinary discounts. Christmas, New Year's, spring break, and the summer are the most expensive times to sail from what I have observed. So getting a good deal at Christmas is something I couldn't pass up as I always wanted to sail at the holiday. If you want to do the 3 or 4 night over a 7 night, I would probably recommend going in the spring or summer. The Bahamas will be much cooler than the lower Caribbean islands. For our first cruise in April, we went on this exact same itinerary as the 7 night Christmas cruise. We love the additional sea days and there are some additional activities on the 7 night cruises that aren't on the 4 night ones. We found it much more relaxing to go for a longer period of time. You won't get bored! We weren't able to possibly do all we wanted to do...but whichever one you choose, it's Disney, so I am sure it be be wonderful!


I apologize if my long post has replaced your Ambien for this evening.Thanks for helping a potential DCL first-timer.

Good luck in your decision, and if you happen to choose this cruise, we hope you'll come join our thread!

 

[riggins]

This is my first time posting to the CL forum. I read/skimmed all of this thread tonight as we are considering booking this cruise. This would be our first DCL cruise, and my DD10's first-ever cruise.

We are also considering the 12/23 4-night Bahamian cruise. We would love to sail over Christmas, and these two sailings are eligible for the Military/DoD promotion which we could use. This is equal to 52% off rack rate for a cat. 7 12/19 sailing or 44% off rack rate for a cat.7 12/23 (4-nt) sailing.

Does this sound like a deal we can't pass-up? Or will this promotion likely be available in 2010, too?

Would the two ships be docking simultaneously at CC on Christmas?

If you have to cancel and you lose your deposit, does DCL ever take your deposit and let you apply it toward a future cruise or do you completely lose it? Sometimes the WDTC will apply your deposit toward a future visit.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, as most of you have already booked this cruise, but did you consider the 12/23 cruise, too? Why or why not? Which would you recommend for our first DCL cruise? Would you recommend cruising in the summer instead? This would be the only other time we could book and there might not be as great a discount.

I apologize if my long post has replaced your Ambien for this evening.Thanks for helping a potential DCL first-timer.

Welcome!! Kimberly has answered most of your questions, but I thought I'd share my two cents on a couple of items too.

Like Kimberly suggested, I wouldn't count on these kind of discounts next year. Its possible that they'll be there, but a lot will be different next year that will impact supply/demand. I'd like to think the overall economy will be in a better place, but even if it isn't, the DCL schedules will likely impact demand. The Magic is going to be in Europe for nearly 6 months, leaving only one ship to support the demand for Bahamas/Carribbean cruises through the spring and summer. Also, next Christmas, the Magic is doing special 10/11 night cruises and the Wonder will be doing two 7-night cruises. So, the 4-night won't be an option. If you want to cruise next Christmas, you'll have to choose one of the longer and more expensive cruises.

We didn't consider the 12/23 cruise. We've sailed to the Bahamas twice in mid-January and thought it was too cold. It was in the 70's which was certainly pleasant, but way too cold for swimming and to fully enjoy the beach. Last year we sailed the Bahamas in November, and while the air temperatures were pretty warm, the water had already gotten a little too cold for comfort. So we only considered the cruises that went further south. We were originally booked on the 12/26 Magic sailing, but we recently changed to 12/19 when DCL offered the great Cat 12 deals. We saved $3000 by switching!!


Good Luck on your choice!
Leslie

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you both for your responses.

 

[robynchic]

With the FE exchange, are we doing anything special since it's the holidays?

 

[stichlover87]

*

 

[itutorfortravel]

Hello everyone!! My mother and I (DD 22) have just decided to book this cruise today It will be our seventh Disney Cruise (5 on the wonder, and 1 Western on the Magic). We are very excited to go on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary! We are going to do a category 12 (maybe upgrade, but doubt it ) and save our money for shore excursions or my favorite...bingo We are doing the late seating for dinner and will probably try and get Palo for dinner or a brunch one day. (SO MUCH TO PLAN )

We have never done the fish extenders before, but being Christmas we think it would be a good time to try them...so could you add us to the fish extender gift exchange?

Hello and welcome to the group! You're going to love the Eastern itinerary!!! We just did it in April and loved it...can't wait to do this cruise to see the islands again and experience Christmas on the Magic...I'll put you on the roll call and make a note that you and your mom want to do the FE exchange. downrivermama is our official FE coordinator, but I'll just make the note on the roll call since I'm keeping up with that. If you want me to include yours and your mom's names and hometown on the roll call, just PM me and I'll add that too!

Kimberly

 

[lovesDCL]

Hello everyone!! My mother and I (DD 22) have just decided to book this cruise today It will be our seventh Disney Cruise (5 on the wonder, and 1 Western on the Magic). We are very excited to go on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary! We are going to do a category 12 (maybe upgrade, but doubt it ) and save our money for shore excursions or my favorite...bingo We are doing the late seating for dinner and will probably try and get Palo for dinner or a brunch one day. (SO MUCH TO PLAN )

We have never done the fish extenders before, but being Christmas we think it would be a good time to try them...so could you add us to the fish extender gift exchange?

stichlover87!!!

 

[itutorfortravel]

With the FE exchange, are we doing anything special since it's the holidays?

Hi Robyn,

I'm sure some people will do holiday themed items for the FE since we are sailing at Christmas. But it is totally up to you as to what you want to do...island inspired items, pirate stuff, etc. would all be great! I think everyone will just have fun finding little goodies throughout the week, no matter what they are!

Kimberly