12/20/07 Christmas Cruise 2007 (Updated DIS cruisers list)

[rsschneck]

Updated the DIS cruisers on page one.

I am excited for this cruise but we have planned a few other trips between now and then.

August Maui
September Napa/Sonoma
October Weekend in WDW (had to hit MNSSHP and the Food & Wine)

We have a limo reserved to take us to Port Canaveral on the 22nd of December so while we are in Orlando in October we are going to purchase our Champagne and store it in our Owner's Locker for the ride to Port Canaveral. The Limo ride and Champagne is a surprise for our DD and my parents. We are celebrating our 20th Anniversary while sailing and my parents reached their 45th Anniversary this past April so I wanted to make the ride down to Port Canaveral very special.

Anyone else have any "special" plans? I was thinking about a tree or pointsetta in our room for the week.

 

[Dreamsoftravel]

We do not have anything special planned...yet. Because we booked so late, we are not able to get affordable airfare. We are going to make the drive from MD. Rather spend the $1400 in airfare on mouse gear.

I have a small tree with lights and ornaments I put up at work. I think that is coming with me.

I am interested in some input. What is everyone's plan for Christmas and Santa? Is Santa visiting on the boat or will he leave presents at home for after the trip?

 

[lllpath]

My husband and I (Lynda and Scott) will be on the Christmas cruise too! Looking forward to ideas from everyone on decorating, etc! We were on the first Medi cruise and it was wonderful to have other Dis'ers on board. We had little 'gifts' on our stateroom door every day I think!

 

[lllpath]

Please add us to the 'list' for the cruise...forgot to give our stateroom number...7074.

 

[PoohJen]

Hi Bode Family, welcome! And welcome Lynda and Scott!

I don't think we can book excursions now - have they changed the ressie dates?

Your family will have great fun on this cruise! We did this itinerary in Nov '04 and were hooked! In St Martaan, our excursion (snorkeling) was cancelled due to rough seas. We didn't miss a beat - based on all the info I got on these boards, I was quickly able to throw together a Plan B on the spot, and we had a great day at the beach!

Many of my DIS friends from that cruise are sailing in August on the repo back from Europe - I am so jealous! 2 week Disney cruise!!! alas, DS14 would've missed a week of school, and DH is a teacher just getting back to school, so couldn't make it work.

Any cruise questions, just ask away!

 

[Kailey's Mom]

Hi! Just joined after I have been lurking since we went on our first cruise last April with good friends of ours. I got so much good advise, we are going on the December 22nd cruise with the same good friends! It will be myself, DH, DD9 and DD4 along with our 2 good friends!

Please add us to the list of cruisers. We are staying in Room 7076.

Any ideas as to how to play Santa for a 9 year old and a 4 year old will be most helpful!

 

[Dreamsoftravel]

Thanks Jen. After further research, I did see that I can not make ressies yet. Still time to think about what i want to do. I have no idea! But, that is why there are places like this - I can learn from others.

Having a hard time not slipping up in front of the kids about this trip. It is all I think about. I feel like a kid when I am on the computer, the kids walk by and I minimize the screen so they do not see me looking at Disney.

 

[flexsmom]

On the countdown to final payment and on-board reservations! I cannot believe we are FINALLY to that point!

RSSCHNECK - we did Maui in April and it was fabulous. Haven't been to Hawaii in the past 10 years and I definitely do not want that long to pass between visits again, so we're planning on a March 09 trip this time with the kids. We stayed at the Grand Wailea and discovered when we returned home that it is part of the Concierge Collection through DVC, so we'll probably use some points for our next stay.

We just returned from a week at Myrtle Beach for DD's dance competition and a little family beach time, so now there is nothing between us and this Christmas trip!

We are going to order a tree from Shirley - a possibly a couple of poinsettia's as gifts for our parents and in-laws who are also cruising with us.

Kailey's Mom - we have two kids going, and plan on having them sleep in grandma and grandpa's stateroom on Christmas Eve. They were OK with taking this trip as long as Santa knew that they would not be home. I plan to do stockings and then wrap a few small gifts for them - we are giving DD an "allowance" card affilliated with our USAA account so I can have a weekly stipend loaded on the card, and then I can monitor her spending. I figure that's small enough! Any "large" toys or gifts - I'm going to download pictures or cut them out of magazines and will wrap those - and they will be set up at the house waiting for them when we return. Finally - instead of just buying souvenir stuff on the ship and handing it to them, I'm going to buy that stuff early and wrap it up and give it as gifts! That should at least give them a few more things to unwrap, without me having to haul it all there.

We are doing a 3-way van trip using FL Tours from MCO - WDW - PC - MCO, so will do a grocery stop from WDW to PC for a little bit of wine. I'm also thinking of shipping a box ahead to Beach Club with some of the Christmas stuff, then when we're done at WDW, repack the box with some of the warmer clothes we took for the parks (not much, but when we were there in Dec last time it was downright nippy) and ship it back home before we get on the cruise. I'm still debating how to do all of that, but we are definitely going to take a collapsable rolling duffle, too.

Wish we knew more about any changes of formal night, pirate night, etc., based on the day of the week of Christmas - booking Palo etc is going to be kind of a crap-shoot, isn't it?

 

[Dreamsoftravel]

How/when would we find out about dinners so Palo can be reserved?

Tell me more about formal/semi-formal nights. I think my husband thought that a disney cruise was pretty casual, until we read somewhere about the individual nights. How formal is it? What is acceptable and what would be "over the top"?

 

[rsschneck]

RSSCHNECK - we did Maui in April and it was fabulous. Haven't been to Hawaii in the past 10 years and I definitely do not want that long to pass between visits again, so we're planning on a March 09 trip this time with the kids. We stayed at the Grand Wailea and discovered when we returned home that it is part of the Concierge Collection through DVC, so we'll probably use some points for our next stay.


We are going to order a tree from Shirley - a possibly a couple of poinsettia's as gifts for our parents and in-laws who are also cruising with us.


Wish we knew more about any changes of formal night, pirate night, etc., based on the day of the week of Christmas - booking Palo etc is going to be kind of a crap-shoot, isn't it?

We are staying 4 nights @ the Hyatt Regency and 2 nights at The Grand Wailea. In fact I am watching the travel channel right now and Samantha Brown is at The Grand Wailea. 1 more month!

I was going to order a tree for us and a pointsettia for my parents cabin from Shirley. Not sure what the cost will be and probably don't want to know

I just took our pirate costumes to the dry cleaners. DD was in a wedding a few months ago and so I took in her bridesmaids dress that she will wear for one of the formal nights. I purchased new suitcases and toiletry bags as well. A few more months and we will be on the ship once again!

 

[flexsmom]

Definitely spend a day by the Hibiscus Pool - the "adult pool", and order the Maui Onion Rings! They are to die for!

And spend a day at the activity pool, too - the swim-up bar is awesome to have lunch and a drink.

The hydrotherapy pools prior to a spa treatment were also amazing - it was a totally different spa experience compared to other places.

We loved the whole place - the grounds are beautiful and we did not have a bad meal. We were fortunate in that our company threw a ton of events and parties so we didn't have to pay for much food, but what we did pay for was worth it.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[Kailey's Mom]

Thanks, flexsmom! We haven't told the girls we are going..... They know we have been thinking about going to WDW at Christmas time, so we should be good when we get on the plane. We figure when we are in the car on the way to the port the oldest will figure it out! I am going to order a basket from Shirley and have it signed "Love, Santa". I am also planning on getting little gifts for them to open on Christmas and like you, have the big presents waiting at home for them. Will bring on a small tree and some Disney ornaments from home.

 

[rsschneck]

Definitely spend a day by the Hibiscus Pool - the "adult pool", and order the Maui Onion Rings! They are to die for!

And spend a day at the activity pool, too - the swim-up bar is awesome to have lunch and a drink.

The hydrotherapy pools prior to a spa treatment were also amazing - it was a totally different spa experience compared to other places.

We loved the whole place - the grounds are beautiful and we did not have a bad meal. We were fortunate in that our company threw a ton of events and parties so we didn't have to pay for much food, but what we did pay for was worth it.

Enjoy your stay!

Sounds good!

 

[flexsmom]

Sounds good!

Oh - one more thing - don't be scared off by the $13.50 price on the specialty drinks. The first one is hard to take....but it becomes much easier after the second, and third.....and fourth a few hours later!

We had an evening sunset cruise cancel and my girlfriend and I decided to work our way through the specialty drink menu for the afternoon. We didn't quite make it all the way....but it was worth it! Love those Lava Flows!

 

[MarcyIn Florida]

Hi all -- I just booked the 12/22/07 Xmas cruise, and wanted to pop on and say hi. I've had a great time in the past meeting all of the DISers on our cruises, and can't wait to meet some of you! It looks like the cruise is just about full -- depending on when you search, it sometimes shows up as no availability now.

 

[PoohJen]

How/when would we find out about dinners so Palo can be reserved?

Tell me more about formal/semi-formal nights. I think my husband thought that a disney cruise was pretty casual, until we read somewhere about the individual nights. How formal is it? What is acceptable and what would be "over the top"?

Sorry, I don't have the Palo ressie countdown info on hand - anyone know when our dates are for Palo's/excursion ressies? Generally, previous cruisers ("Castaway Club Members") can book earlier than the new cruisers. I want to say 75/60 days out, but please don't quote me there!

re: formal/semiformal. I don't really recall much of a difference between the two. You will see some families completely decked out, including formal gowns for the women, and matching tuxes for dads and boys. Others be less formal (and some, no attempt at all!). Lots of families use these nights for formal family pictures to be taken.


It's a nice excuse to dress up, but don't feel pressured or out of place. I really don't love to dress up. DH did have a suit with him, and my sons each wore a suit coat (2d hand) with dark 'khakis' on our last formal night. When my sons were 12 and 7 on our first cruise, the 12 yo had a jacket, the 7 year olds wore...I don't recall! Probably neat khakis and polo shirt. Most nights they wore khaki shorts and polos to dinner. Me, on our cruises I have worn my "little black dress" and also a silk sun dress with a silk shawl (it's freezing in there!).

Now, there's a lot of folks who say "it's my vacation and I'll wear what I want". Fine, I can understand that, to a point. But if you wear an undershirt and cutoffs, you may feel out of place, and you may miss out on some of the fun of making it a "special night out".

p.s. Hi Marcy! Welcome Aboard!!!

 

[lllpath]

Just checked with DCL rep and asked the question if the itinerary would be changed given that the usual day at St. Maarten is Tuesday (which in our case is Christmas Day) and the answer was that the itinerary would not be changed. Of course, this person could be incorrect but she put me on hold and supposedly asked her manager so it may be reliable info...

 

[The Disney Fanatic]

"The Disney Fanatic" and family are going to be on the Dec 20th Christmas cruise! I think about it everyday! Are the Christmas decorations as beautiful as I keep hearing? I would love to hear some more from Disney Cruising vets as this will be the first Disney Cruise for my DW, DS, and I.

 

[rsschneck]

"The Disney Fanatic" and family are going to be on the Dec 20th Christmas cruise! I think about it everyday! Are the Christmas decorations as beautiful as I keep hearing? I would love to hear some more from Disney Cruising vets as this will be the first Disney Cruise for my DW, DS, and I.

You guys are lucky to be cruising 2 days earlier than the rest of us! Just kidding! I can't wait! DH has been putting money aside in a "cookie jar" so we can go shopping for our Christmas/Anniversary presents on Christmas day and the day after. I hear Tanzanite in my future!

 

[The Disney Fanatic]

You guys are lucky to be cruising 2 days earlier than the rest of us! Just kidding! I can't wait! DH has been putting money aside in a "cookie jar" so we can go shopping for our Christmas/Anniversary presents on Christmas day and the day after. I hear Tanzanite in my future!

Hey rsschneck,

Since I am banned from putting cookies in the "cookie jar" I believe that I will adopt your DH's idea for putting money inside of it. Great idea! This will be my DS's birthday celebration as well as the family Christmas celebration. I might as well spend up the money too!