2/11/13 Wonder Sweetheart Cruise

[Camilo]

Kelly,
Yes, you are cutting it close! With no flight delays you will be fine. If DCL booked your flights you will be fine since they will make sure you are on the ship. Are you taking DCL transportation to the ship? I have no idea how far the Port of Miami is from MIA. All that has to be factored in. It is winter, there are often weather delays - simply deicing a plane takes time. If you have connecting flights, waiting for luggage, getting a cab of rental car etc. all eats up time. If there is any way you can change your flight to earlier or even the night before it will be more comfortable getting to the ship on time. Best advice if you have to fly in the day of: get the first nonstop flight of the day.

On the other hand, it could all work together perfectly as it is. Personally, I would allow more wiggle room, especially in the winter.

Not trying to worry you - just wanting you onboard with us!!!

Karyn

Hi Kelly,

I am 100% with Karyn on this.

We are flying from Buffalo the afternoon before and I'm still concerned about cancellations, snow storms, etc.

Being winter, I think it's a big risk. Again, things can go well and you may be laughing at the end, but if there are delays, it may cost you a couple of thousand dollars (or more) to try to make arrangements and catch the ship in Grand Cayman (and have already missed 2 days on the cruise).

Camilo

 

[MNKelly]

Thanks for the feedback friends. We're on the 1st flight out of MSP direct to MIA. If we bring carry-on's only and grab a cab, I'm told it's about 30 minutes from the airport to the port. I have a feeling it's going to cost me more to change my tickets than it was to purchase them originally! (But I'll call to check and be sure.)

Does anyone have a child who wants a pen pal prior to boarding? Riley, my 10yo son would like to e-mail back & forth a couple times before boarding to get to know some other kids that will be cruising with us. He's kind of shy at first so this may help out in building a friendship. Let me know!

Dining & food ?'s for you veteran DIS cruisers:
1 - How does dining work? (Same place every night?)
2 - 1st or 2nd seating for dinner?
3 - Are there snacks available between dining times?
4 - Are fruits & veggies available for snacks?

Finally, my last question of the day (maybe...), how does tipping work. Is it a set amount per person as a base and then you add on if you choose? Do you tip wait staff seperately from housekeeping or do they split the amount you decide to leave?

So much to learn, so little time!

Thanks much.
Kelly

 

[ddavis860]

Hi and Welcome!!

I have some answers that work for us...

Dining is by rotation. Your servers follow you to the different restaurants. It will be on your cabin key what your rotation is.

We like 2nd seating, so we aren't rushed from an excursion. Maybe grab a nap before dinner, and a light snack around 5-6.

There are snacks around, like pizza and hot dogs. Maybe someone else can answer the fruits and veggies question. You can go to the buffet and get a selection for snacking if you have later dinner too.

Tipping is a set price, and yes you can add to it. We get vouchers from guest relations that you put in envelopes that are left on your bed the last night I think. We get them early in the cruise, as the lines are long that last night... Separate envelopes per person, like cabin steward, waiter, assistant waiter...

Thanks for the feedback friends. We're on the 1st flight out of MSP direct to MIA. If we bring carry-on's only and grab a cab, I'm told it's about 30 minutes from the airport to the port. I have a feeling it's going to cost me more to change my tickets than it was to purchase them originally! (But I'll call to check and be sure.)

Does anyone have a child who wants a pen pal prior to boarding? Riley, my 10yo son would like to e-mail back & forth a couple times before boarding to get to know some other kids that will be cruising with us. He's kind of shy at first so this may help out in building a friendship. Let me know!

Dining & food ?'s for you veteran DIS cruisers:
1 - How does dining work? (Same place every night?)
2 - 1st or 2nd seating for dinner?
3 - Are there snacks available between dining times?
4 - Are fruits & veggies available for snacks?

Finally, my last question of the day (maybe...), how does tipping work. Is it a set amount per person as a base and then you add on if you choose? Do you tip wait staff seperately from housekeeping or do they split the amount you decide to leave?

So much to learn, so little time!

Thanks much.
Kelly

 

[emtmom0104]

Thanks for the feedback friends. We're on the 1st flight out of MSP direct to MIA. If we bring carry-on's only and grab a cab, I'm told it's about 30 minutes from the airport to the port. I have a feeling it's going to cost me more to change my tickets than it was to purchase them originally! (But I'll call to check and be sure.)

Does anyone have a child who wants a pen pal prior to boarding? Riley, my 10yo son would like to e-mail back & forth a couple times before boarding to get to know some other kids that will be cruising with us. He's kind of shy at first so this may help out in building a friendship. Let me know!

Dining & food ?'s for you veteran DIS cruisers:
1 - How does dining work? (Same place every night?)
2 - 1st or 2nd seating for dinner?
3 - Are there snacks available between dining times?
4 - Are fruits & veggies available for snacks?

Finally, my last question of the day (maybe...), how does tipping work. Is it a set amount per person as a base and then you add on if you choose? Do you tip wait staff seperately from housekeeping or do they split the amount you decide to leave?

So much to learn, so little time!

Thanks much.
Kelly

Kelly,

I have an 8 year old son, Dylan, who has been looking for a pen pal. He would love to chat with your son.
The dinners are rotational, it will be printed on your KTTW card what your rotation is. There will be a ticket in your room with your table number. This table number will be the same at every restaurant. So if your at table 34 on arrival day it's 34 every night and for breakfast the final morning. The dinner venue you are at the night before disembarkation will be where you will eat breakfast the day of disembarkation.
We have done second seating but my kids don't make it until almost 8:30 or later waiting for food no matter how many meals we give them lol. There are plenty of options available for the in between times. They will go play at this time so we do early dinner and let them run all night in the clubs so they crash in bed, not at the dinner table. (Had this happen on our last cruise when we did late dining, my youngest fell asleep on the chair and they made a pillow out of linens for him lol)

Tipping is done in envelopes for each staff member. Your server should get $4 per person per day, assistant server $3 per person per day, head server $1 a day per person, stateroom host/hostess $4 per person per day and room service is at your discretion. We always give at Least these amounts and add more for exceptional service. So say the restaurant server gets $4 a day per person. It's a 5 day trip, so $20 a day per person in your party. So my family is 5 so it would be $100 for the server for the trip.

Hope this helps. If you need any clarification please feel free to ask, we were still learning until our last cruise and sometimes we still have questions

 

[Kabuli1]

Hi Kelly,

To add to to the answers you have gotten:

If you booked this late you will almost certainly have been assigned late seating at dinner. If you want early you will need to go to the designated dining change location as soon as you board the ship. The location will be in the navigator you receive in port. They can sometimes make this adjustment for you.

Tipping on our last cruise in September was automatically added to our onboard account on the Disney Dream which was very convenient. The tip envelopes were delivered to our room the last day. Any adjustments can be made at Guest Services. You can also prepay tips by calling DCL. Our tips for this trip were prepaid in our package.

Another option for snacks is Room Service. Most items are free but you will need to tip the server. If you look around on this site you can find menus for pretty much anything/anywhere on the ships.

Karyn

 

[Kabuli1]

Someone posted the Navigators for our itinerary a couple days ago! I am getting so excited!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3050641

 

[JBeanBunny]

By chance, does anybody know what the Restaurant rotation is? I know that everybody starts at a different location (indicated on your room key) but I would like to know what order they go in so we can request to eat at Triton's twice I know on the Dream it's Enchanted Garden > Royal Palace > Animator's Palate > Enchanted Garden, etc...

I need to call DCL soon for a BIG list of things *sigh* so it would be nice to have this piece of info when I call! (I have to have them change my last name, Add my Castaway Club #, make sure we get OBC for paying w/ Disney Visa, and requesting that dining rotation... am I missing anything Mom-Bird???)

 

[MNKelly]

Thanks everyone for the answers. It sure helps to have this board and people who are willing to share!

Hi Jessica! Thanks for offering up Dylan for a pen pal!

I can't send you an e-mail from the boards as I only have three posts & it says I have to have 15 to send an e-mail...feel free to send back to my e-mail directly...Kelly.Carlson@genmills.com

Here's a note from Riley to Dylan:

Hi Dylan, my name's Riley. I'm 10 and I go to Lincoln Elementary in Anoka, MN. (That's a suburb of Minneapolis.) What do you like to do? I play traveling basketball, baseball and football. I like to swim too, do you?

Have you been on a cruise before? This is my first one. Are they fun? What do you like to do on a cruise?

Hope to hear from you soon.
Riley

 

[Kabuli1]

A poster on another thread said that their dining rotation on this itin (B) a week or so ago was ATPAT with Pirate night on the 4th night (Cozumel). That would mean the other two rotations are TPATP and PATPA. Bean, I think you want ATPAT. Unless you can get Palo changed to another night once onboard then you would want the one that starts at Tritons.

For anyone looking to change Dining it looks like Palo and Dining change are 12:30 - 3 in Wavebands.

 

[emtmom0104]

Thanks everyone for the answers. It sure helps to have this board and people who are willing to share!

Hi Jessica! Thanks for offering up Dylan for a pen pal!

I can't send you an e-mail from the boards as I only have three posts & it says I have to have 15 to send an e-mail...feel free to send back to my e-mail directly...Kelly.Carlson@genmills.com

Here's a note from Riley to Dylan:

Hi Dylan, my name's Riley. I'm 10 and I go to Lincoln Elementary in Anoka, MN. (That's a suburb of Minneapolis.) What do you like to do? I play traveling basketball, baseball and football. I like to swim too, do you?

Have you been on a cruise before? This is my first one. Are they fun? What do you like to do on a cruise?

Hope to hear from you soon.
Riley

Dylan finished his email to Riley last night and sent it. He typed it himself so it took forever lol

 

[emtmom0104]

Would anyone be offended if we gave out small bottles of alcohol? If you would rather not have them, please don't be afraid to say so. If you wouldn't mind them what kind would you like? This is still up in the air so just let me know ASAP

 

[Kabuli1]

Jessica,
Thanks for asking that, I was wondering the same thing!

When do you leave? I wish we could be doing a back to back too!
Karyn

 

[Camilo]

Would anyone be offended if we gave out small bottles of alcohol? If you would rather not have them, please don't be afraid to say so. If you wouldn't mind them what kind would you like? This is still up in the air so just let me know ASAP

No issues at all with the Leites .
2 weeks to go, folks....

I'm thinking of flying out on Saturday 9th, instead of Sunday 10th. We could definitely use one extra day of vacation and it would only cost us 20.00 more on Southwest. Not to mention we have better chances in case our original flight is cancelled due to weather.

The other cost would be an extra hotel night. I will discuss with the other families flying with us tonight...

 

[mom2grant]

Would anyone be offended if we gave out small bottles of alcohol? If you would rather not have them, please don't be afraid to say so. If you wouldn't mind them what kind would you like? This is still up in the air so just let me know ASAP

No offense at all!! We prefer Malibu or any kind of coconut rum. What a fun idea. See you all soon.

 

[JBeanBunny]

Would anyone be offended if we gave out small bottles of alcohol? If you would rather not have them, please don't be afraid to say so. If you wouldn't mind them what kind would you like? This is still up in the air so just let me know ASAP

No offense here! When in the Caribbean, spiced RUM always works for me! (I figure there's always coke available for an easy mixed drink!) My DH says "I would prefer something of their choice... something interesting" So, you can decipher that cryptic message however you please! You'll have to ask DM, Kabuli1, what she prefers

 

[ddavis860]

We are leaving on 2/7 in the wee hours of the morning and headed to Vero Beach for a few days before the cruise. After this cold snap, I'll be so happy to get where it's warm, and Disney-fied.

No probs with alcohol here either...

 

[gopherlawyer]

We are leaving on 2/7 in the wee hours of the morning and headed to Vero Beach for a few days before the cruise. After this cold snap, I'll be so happy to get where it's warm, and Disney-fied.

No probs with alcohol here either...

No problem here either. Warm temps are right around the corner.

 

[Kabuli1]

I'm flying to Orlando 2/9. I wanted to have at least a day extra in case of weather. Guess I will have to see the new Fantasyland on Sunday while Jillian works. We will be driving down to POM on Monday morning early.

Anyone looking at the tastings? i want to do Mixology.

 

[emtmom0104]

Jessica,
Thanks for asking that, I was wondering the same thing!

When do you leave? I wish we could be doing a back to back too!
Karyn

We are driving down to Virginia on the auto train on 2/5. Getting excited...now if my kids get over these stir colds ill be even happier!

 

[emtmom0104]

I'm flying to Orlando 2/9. I wanted to have at least a day extra in case of weather. Guess I will have to see the new Fantasyland on Sunday while Jillian works. We will be driving down to POM on Monday morning early.

Anyone looking at the tastings? i want to do Mixology.

We were looking into them not sure how far DH got with that though lol. I've been spending a lot of time at my kids school so I've been busy