2/9/2013 - Fantasy Mardi Gras Cruise *****

[MUGGS329]

We will be cruising with you!

Love you...

 

[Scillycruisers]

Just checking in and saying Hi as haven't been on in a while. Just returning our house to normal after DS's 6th birthday party - 27 kids aged 5 or 6, so very, very loud! He had a great time and the 2 hours went surprisingly quickly. I expected it to feel more like 2 days!

Now back to holiday planning and trying to sort out 6 days after the cruise in Florida, looking for a villa or apartment and planning an itinerary to keep us busy. Less than 4 months until we set out from home, it's finally starting to seem closer.

 

[Lsugirl2508]

Been a while since I've posted but I am getting VERY excited, when I first booked our cruise we had well over a year to wait, now we have 4 months to go. Our cruise is getting close and can't wait.

 

[skylynx]

Ouch. Just paid off the rest of our cruise so we could begin online booking of dining and shore excursions Friday morning. We're on mountain time, so I'll be up before first light! Hoping to get Palo for Valentine's Day...we got a reservation for Palo last year on Valentine's Day but changed it because it fell on pirate night, and we won't miss a chance to dress up as pirates! Didn't really want to wear my pirate costume to Palo, plus there's the question of what to do with those swords!

It's starting to feel really real now.

 

[GrumpyBelle]

Ouch. Just paid off the rest of our cruise so we could begin online booking of dining and shore excursions Friday morning. We're on mountain time, so I'll be up before first light! Hoping to get Palo for Valentine's Day...we got a reservation for Palo last year on Valentine's Day but changed it because it fell on pirate night, and we won't miss a chance to dress up as pirates! Didn't really want to wear my pirate costume to Palo, plus there's the question of what to do with those swords!

It's starting to feel really real now.

I am sooooo jealous. Since we are silver, we have to wait until November until we can do our online booking....I have been studying the excursions for months trying to figure out how to make everyone in our group happy. I wish I could just book and be done with it.
Well, happy booking and let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Paid my cruise off yesterday and bought half our airfare - got seattle to orlando for $128 taxes in one way - waiting to book flights home- looking for a price drop.
We are spending 2 nights at animal kingdom villas pre-cruise now

Any single moms on this cruise that want to pair up for Palo brunch with me????

 

[skylynx]

So, woke up around 2:30 with a bit of a sore throat and stuffy head. Took a cold tablet, couldn't fall back asleep, then decided I might as well go see if I could start booking yet. Got all my wishes, including the Remy brunch and Palo dinner on Valentine's Day. I'm so glad Remy offers a brunch option. In the past the activity "calendar" view used to show which night was pirate night, but it has not been noted yet.

That's it. Going to listen to BBC radio now and try to go back to sleep!

 

[allears]

Booked our reservations this afternoon, all our first picks!!!!

 

[jp2gen]

Checking in from Alberta. This is our first cruise.

My husband and I, 9 year old girl, 8 year old boy & 3 year old girl will be going.

I totally didn't realize that this was going to fall on mardi gras or valentines day for that matter!

 

[Scillycruisers]

Checking in from Alberta. This is our first cruise.

My husband and I, 9 year old girl, 8 year old boy & 3 year old girl will be going.

I totally didn't realize that this was going to fall on mardi gras or valentines day for that matter!

Welcome onboard. You will all love it!

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Checking in from Alberta. This is our first cruise.

My husband and I, 9 year old girl, 8 year old boy & 3 year old girl will be going.

I totally didn't realize that this was going to fall on mardi gras or valentines day for that matter!

Hi Welcome!
We are from BC! Howdy neighbour!

 

[jelliott04]

Can we talk a little about fish extenders? I'm inclined to agree to do it but it'll be our first time cruising and therefore FE'ing.

Do we do something for each individual person (69 so far) or families? What's the norm for spending? Also, is a daily gift preferred?

I've read the thread that explains it but I just wanted to know what is normal.

Jen

 

[Scillycruisers]

Can we talk a little about fish extenders? I'm inclined to agree to do it but it'll be our first time cruising and therefore FE'ing.

Do we do something for each individual person (69 so far) or families? What's the norm for spending? Also, is a daily gift preferred?

I've read the thread that explains it but I just wanted to know what is normal.

Jen

We did the FE last cruise and as far as we could make out, it was really down to each family to decide. We received some gifts on an individual basis and some put together for the family. We did a bit of both with a little something for each child, plus a family gift. Most gave one gift for the cruise, though I think a couple split the gift with part on the first day and a bit more towards the end. It was not possible to tell exactly as most we given anonymously, though some could be guessed at. I think ours were obvious as we were the only ones from the UK! As for spend, some gifts were homemade and probably cost very littler in money terms (but lots in time and effort) others were bought. Again it is totally down to each family what they want to give, there is no need to spend a fortune. It is all about a bit of fun and sharing with your fellow cruisers!

 

[Mog's Mom]

Can we talk a little about fish extenders? I'm inclined to agree to do it but it'll be our first time cruising and therefore FE'ing.

Do we do something for each individual person (69 so far) or families? What's the norm for spending? Also, is a daily gift preferred?

Hi Jen!

The Scillycruisers have it in a nutshell - it's really a casual activity, with boundaries set by you. So rule number 1: there are no rules. Rule number 2: see rule number 1.

Just do what works for you, as a fun way to build in some pre-trip anticipation, daily surprise and excitement, and post-trip memories.

You won't need to worry about getting something for everyone. I'd planned to start aligning the FE Exchange into a number of separate lists by now, each of about 12 staterooms. I'm holding off on that for a bit, expecting some more participants to sign up. But it should help with everyone's planning to know that you're not going to be dealing with a long and expanding list of staterooms as we approach sail date. (Unless you want to, that is. On our last cruise, we were on multiple FE lists, and had fun with it, although the extra shopping just before flying out was a little stressful!)

So - plan for 12 or so staterooms. That will be about 36 people, if you're doing individualized gifts - but to know for sure, you'll have to wait until the list starts getting split.

We've been keeping our eyes open for small crafts, snacks, and trinkets for months already. (OK, so we never stop looking...) We don't have a set spending amount in mind - but I'm pretty sure we've stayed under $10 a stateroom every time.

I wouldn't recommend planning daily delivery for your first FE Exchange experience - even a dozen staterooms will probably take you around most of the ship, and it might seem less fun the more you do it. On this 7-day cruise, a couple of separate circuits would be very do-able, but even one is enough!

We tend to do things for staterooms rather than individuals, making identical goodie bags at home before we go. For staterooms with children, we have added special things for the kids. We've received individually personalized gifts, so clearly our way of doing things isn't the only one!

If it starts to feel like too much pressure, then you should back off a bit until it's fun again. It's the Caribbean, and you're there to relax!

See you soon!
David (DH of Mog's Mom)

 

[HuskerMouseketeers]

Hi!

We'll be joining on the Mardi Gras / Valentine Cruise! This is our 3rd Disney cruise and we are really looking forward to it!

We're not sure if we will be participating in the FE. I like the idea of only ~12 cabins per group. Last cruise, we had at least double that! My DD really enjoyed it though!

Excited to cruise on the Fantasy!
Cathy

 

[jelliott04]

Hi Jen!
Just do what works for you, as a fun way to build in some pre-trip anticipation, daily surprise and excitement, and post-trip memories.

You won't need to worry about getting something for everyone. I'd planned to start aligning the FE Exchange into a number of separate lists by now, each of about 12 staterooms.
David (DH of Mog's Mom)

12 seems much more manageable for our first time out and for what I had in mind!

Can you put us down for participation?

Thanks!

Jen

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

I am not 100% sure on FE. I found it stressful trying to get around and do them all. I also had brought smaller things due to traveling quite far and felt like our gifts didn't live up to what others brought. The first time I did FE it was cute little things like pencils, hand sanitizer, book marks, etc.... The 2nd time it was a bit more than that, but on my last cruise people had GIFTS- like stuff that had to have cost a small fortune - and I felt we didn't measure up and was a bit embarrassed Its almost turned into a competition it feels like - at least on my last cruise it did.

 

[robinpgma]

I am not 100% sure on FE. I found it stressful trying to get around and do them all. I also had brought smaller things due to traveling quite far and felt like our gifts didn't live up to what others brought. The first time I did FE it was cute little things like pencils, hand sanitizer, book marks, etc.... The 2nd time it was a bit more than that, but on my last cruise people had GIFTS- like stuff that had to have cost a small fortune - and I felt we didn't measure up and was a bit embarrassed Its almost turned into a competition it feels like - at least on my last cruise it did.

I like the FE...my hubby thinks I'm crazy....I can tell you....I have fun little things that I created...it will NOT be a small fortune....I will give from the heart....It's the fun in giving...I don't stress out over it... (well maybe a little....)

Robin

 

[Mog's Mom]

I like the FE...my hubby thinks I'm crazy....I can tell you....I have fun little things that I created...it will NOT be a small fortune....I will give from the heart....It's the fun in giving...I don't stress out over it... (well maybe a little....)

Hear, hear! We get the whole family involved - talking about ideas, reminiscing about past treasures we've received, and looking forward to the little surprises ahead of us.

... and in our opinion, everyone needs a little more Canadiana! Bring on the Maple Leaf pencils!!!

 

[GrumpyBelle]

I am not 100% sure on FE. I found it stressful trying to get around and do them all. I also had brought smaller things due to traveling quite far and felt like our gifts didn't live up to what others brought. The first time I did FE it was cute little things like pencils, hand sanitizer, book marks, etc.... The 2nd time it was a bit more than that, but on my last cruise people had GIFTS- like stuff that had to have cost a small fortune - and I felt we didn't measure up and was a bit embarrassed Its almost turned into a competition it feels like - at least on my last cruise it did.

I have also received stuff that seemed it cost like a small fortune. However, it wasn't about how much was spent, it was about coming back to the cabin and finding something in the pockets that was the fun. We appreciated the purchased more expensive gifts, the home-made gifts, as well as the less expensive gifts. We just liked finding something in our pockets. We loved coming back to the room and finding our surprises.