Okay, I arrived late and skimmed the thread the first time. I reread it and have a few comments (big surprise as the newest blabbermouth on the board).
TERRYE: Are you still booked on the 8:30 Capt Marv or did you switch to 11:15? I was also thinking about the longer trip, but the ship often didn't clear customs each port until 8:30-9:00. You would have to get off the ship by 7:45 to make an 8:30 reservation and might not be permitted to do so. (I am talking myself into the 11:15). I think that we should talk to him about picking us up at the ship if there are so many of us going. We also want to be sure we are on the same boat (does he have more than one?) Maybe you could get a roll call on that. I would be happy to email him and ask.
SAIL-AWAY PARTY: The deck above the Goofy pool is possible for a "private party" but is still really loud and crowded. We blew bubbles from the sports deck (deck 10) on our cruise. It is in the front of the ship, the view is perfect (open sea ahead), and it is less crowded and less noisy than midship. It is also a little easier to get a railing view. We could order a box of bubble necklaces (we use them for party favors all the time) from Oriental Trading ($5/dozen) and hand them out to our group.
http://www.oriental.com/webapp/comm...1&PREFIX=IN&CURRENCY=USD&KIT=I&GROUP=N&CASE=0
BABYJOSIE98: You mentioned about taking Josie to tea with you if you are unable to hook up with the rest of the group. The tea is in Palos's which is Adult's Only all the time. Sorry.
HIGH TEA: It seems from the posts that they are moving the Castaway reception around depending on the week. Maybe someone (TERRYE any volunteers?) can contact
DCL a couple of weeks before and try and get the advance schedule. BTW...I read on other message strings that many people sign up for tea and then don't go. It may be possible to go to tea even if you can't get a reservation just by showing up. No guarantees though.
T-SHIRTS: I did some quick checking and think that we could get some great custom designed T-Shirts with 2-3 color design for under $20 (less for less colors). I would be willing to put together a design and coordinate if there is any interest. T-Shirts are available (depending on the site) in youth XS-adult 3X. We would need about 24 orders for that price range. More might make it less--less might make it more. I don't think I would select lime green as a shirt color though--something we would not be embarrassed to wear after the cruise!
GINA: I love the color-coded packing. My DH thought I was anal because I listed the contents of each suitcase (all 6 of them). It came in REALLY handy. But color-coding would be even better.
PRE-PAYNG EXPENSES: Disney Dollars are okay, but you can't use them on the islands in non-disney locations. For cash, I have a little zipper pouch where I try to stash $20/week--sometime a few dollars here and there after breaking a larger bill. I also "over-payed" my American Express bill before we left. I hate coming back from vacation with credit card dept, but the credit card gives you the best protection on purchases should something go wrong. So I pre-pay the bill as much as I can. If I don't spend it on the trip (yeah..right) it will get used up the next month during our normal spending.
...I think I am now caught up with the earlier posts. Whew...