2/28/08 Wonder 3-night

[jamielynn]

Ok... Who else has started "packing" ? We leave in 34 days... and I mentioned to DH2B that I wanted to start packing items that there is NO way we will be using anytime soon, in Jan/Feb., here in N. VA. He gave me a look like I had finally flipped my lid. PLEASE tell me others have started packing and I am not nuts.

 

[krdisneybound]

Hi Jamielynn:

nope, I haven't started packing. I have another cruise before this one on Feb. 10th. Maybe I'll just keep my luggage onboard. ha ha

I am at Linda's house rightnow in Salt Lake City.

She is ready to cruise now, though. I fly back home on Sunday.

 

[mjsagain]

I don think anyone in my family has really started packing yet, Jamielynn. The only possible exception to that is my oldest DD who just went back to school in Virginia and won't be back home before the cruise. She kind of pre-packed some stuff that we're going to bring down with us when we meet her at MCO.

My DW is a chronic early packer, so she may be doing some secret packing without my knowledge to avoid ridicule (now that I think about it, I may have seen a few telltale signs.....). In your defense, you're really taking a 7-day cruise versus the rest of us taking a 3-day. Plus, there's that little matter of your wedding perhaps adding a bit of to your level of anticipation! Perfectly understandable.

 

[pouncingpluto]

Yeah, I started packing long before my wedding too! There's a lot to think about.

For me with this trip, not so much. I probably won't pack until the day before. Normally I would start further in advance than that, but these days I have very little time (second semester of law school). Which is why I need this trip!

 

[jamielynn]

You definately deserve this break! Keep up with the studies and ENJOY the cruise.. 32 more days

 

[elmo2200]

Hi! This will be our first family vacation not spent at my in-laws. We are a homeschool family from the Dallas area. My kids 9 &13 are So excited! We plan to cruise first then spend 3 days at Universal and Islands of Adventure. My husband says I spent more time choosing a hotel than a husband!!! How are you guys getting to the port from MCO? I think I want a town car... TIA, Tracey

 

[pouncingpluto]

Welcome, Elmo!

We're spending 5 nights at WDW before the trip, so we're renting a car for the whole week. It's only a little more expensive than using DCL transfers, and we get the use of the car the whole time.

 

[jamielynn]

Hi Elmo!

Because we are booking everything through Disney this time, we are using their transport <bus> from the airport and back.

For the Disney Marathon next year though, we have already decided to just rent a car. It will be a lot cheaper.

-J

 

[mjsagain]

Hi Tracey,

We've decided to just rent a car at MCO and park at the port. The 5 of us are arriving from two different places late wednesday night, so co-ordinating that complicates things a little. The cost of DCL transfers would be $345, so I ruled that out pretty quickly. A towncar is not an option because of the number in our party, so we would need to hire a private van.

The cost of renting a full-sized car from Dollar for 4 days (Wednesday night to Sunday morning) plus gas and parking is going to be about $225. This is comparable to the cost of hiring a van to drive the 5 of us to and from MCO, plus we'll have the convenience of having the transporation at our discretion and not dealing with any shuttles. As first-time cruisers, this makes us feel a little more comfortable about things.

That said, if we were taking a 7-day cruise, I would have gone with the van. If we only had 4 in our party, I might have opted for a towncar because it would be a little less expensive but still more flexible than DCL transfers or one of the Port Canaveral hotel shuttles.

 

[krdisneybound]

just FYI, and maybe you know already, that parking at the Port is $15.00 per day now.

 

[krdisneybound]

26 days and counting.............................​

 

[mjsagain]

Thanks for the heads-up on the parking increase, Kay. I did know about it already thanks to all the helpful folks on the DIS boards.

It seems like the parking rates have gone up pretty dramatically in a short period of time. When I first started researching DCL info a couple of months ago, everthing I read said the rate was $10. I don't know when it went up to $12/day, but the increase to $15/day certainly caused me to consider all of our options. If it wasn't our first cruise and only a 3-day, I doubt we would have opted for parking at the port.

 

[jamielynn]

26 days and counting.............................​

Yes, KAY! BUT I expect a report on Weather and Water Tempature from you before that since you are going later this week.

Have a BLAST!!!

 

[krdisneybound]

well, Jamielynn - it is supposed to get up to 85 today......

guess that is why I live in FL - no snow plowing for me.

I'll let you know how things are when I return from my cruise next week.

Then Linda and I will be ready for this one - so that we can meet up with everyone

Have a wonderful day, everyone

 

[krdisneybound]

is there anyone that will be on this cruise??

perhaps all Cats are open at this time.

Jamielynn and others that have posted: hey guys, we have the whole ship to ourselves

 

[pouncingpluto]

Two weeks from today we'll be arriving at WDW!!! Five days in the parks before the cruise. I'm trying to balance fun with relaxation... we'll see how I do!

Right now, the weather looks good, at least for the days leading up to the trip... high 70s and low 80s.

 

[amys37]

Hi Everyone!

We'll be there filling up at least one more cabin. We just booked about 5 days ago and are so excited!

We live in Pennsylvania and will be bringing our two kids ages 4.5 and 3. Our biggest problem is that our 3 year old is not yet potty trained. We didn't realize until after we booked what a problem this will be. He won't be allowed in the kids club with his sister and can't swim. So now we're trying to potty train but boy is he stubborn!!

We are leaving Philadelphia at 6:45AM on the 28th, arriving in Orlando by 9:30. We are also renting a car and parking at the pier just to save time and hassle. We got a great deal on it too. Then after the cruise we are staying at the Holiday Inn in Cocoa beach until Tuesday.

 

[elmo2200]

We are leaving Philadelphia at 6:45AM on the 28th, arriving in Orlando by 9:30. We are also renting a car and parking at the pier just to save time and hassle. We got a great deal on it too. Then after the cruise we are staying at the Holiday Inn in Cocoa beach until Tuesday.

Can I ask what deal you got on car rental?

 

[SoDakMinnie]

I know it kind of late to join in the group, but my DD13 and I will be there as well. The reason it will be just us two is a story of what a wonderful husband I have.

For the past several years, we have been taking a trip to Florida in Feb or March to try to break up the winter (we live in blustery SD). We had started with the idea of going every 2 to 3 years, but this will now be 4 years in a row. Last year, we took our first Disney Cruise--a
4 day with DH, DS (15 at the time) DD (1 week shy of 13) and myself. IT WAS A BLAST!! However, we decided that DS missing 3-4 days of school was much harder now, especially since he is in several sports and misses quite a few classes when they travel. So, we decided we would have to put the trips on hold. Unfortunately, our school does not take a week long spring break, but has a few weeks in the spring where they have 1-2 day of vacation.

About a month ago, DH and I were snatching a rare moment from our busy schedules and went out for supper by ourselves (actually, McDonald's before a wrestling match but, hey, we take what we can get). He told me he did not think DS could miss school and that it would be difficult for him to miss work this year. I said, yeah, I know we can't go to Florida this year. He says he's been thinking. He knows I've been very stressed at work and putting in alot of overtime, so there would be no reason why I couldn't go and take DD with me (she is in 8th grade so missing school is still not a big problem). I was shocked--would never have considered it until he planted the idea in my head. Needless to say, within a few days I was planning what we would do...a 3 day cruise and a few days in Orlando fit the bill!

Anyway, I know my introduction was long winded, but DD and I will be there, too. CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

 

[amys37]

Rental car - we used hotwire.com. you put in your info, they give you a quote but don't tell you which company until you buy - like priceline. Ours came to just under $200. considering this is the price of the disney transfer for four, it's worth it to us. We were hoping to get a hotel where we could park the car there but that didn't work out.