2 for 1: You're halfway done! January '19 PTR *mini Update 1/22*

[Lupine Aura]

Hope you got the excursions you wanted!

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Hope you got the excursions you wanted!

It was well worth (in my opinion) staying up until midnight! Hoping to get a proper update up today

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Update 9/23

Double Digits Day (And Cruise Plans!)​

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WOOHOO!!! Today marks 99 days until we leave for our vacation! I just love doing the double digits dance

So now the countdowns stand as follows:

• 38 days until FastPass+ Selection Day
• 99 days until we head to WDW
• 103 days until we board the Disney Fantasy

Now that we’ve gotten that excitement out of the way, on to a real update! (Also, the very wordy no picture-y update...)

Friday at midnight marked the day for online check-in, and I am SO glad I stayed up to book all the things! I thought I might have to set an alarm, but I was so jazzed to check-in, I had no problem staying up. (TL;DR: I got everything I wanted!)

SO, here is what I booked!

1/5 Day 1: Embarkation Day

• 10:30 A.M. Port Arrival Time

I was happy to get the first available PAT. I wanna get on that boat ASAP!!!

1/6 Day 2: Day at Sea

Got some great things booked for our first full day on the cruise!

• 11:30 Palo Brunch. Super excited about this, and I got exactly the time I wanted!
• 1:30 Princess Gathering. We don’t make a lot of time for characters in WDW, so going to a ticket meet and greet will be great! I don’t know if DH has ever met the princesses?
• 2:00 Frozen Gathering. Again, more royalty to meet with less lines

I am glad I was able to book the events sort of “back to back,” especially since we’ll be dressed up after brunching at Palo. I feel like we’ll get some great photos with the princesses this way, too! In the parks, I often am a sweaty mess in photos, so I’m pretty excited to have some classy photos!

1/7 Day 3: Cozumel

• 9:15-2:45 Cozumel Ruins, Chocolate and Beach Break excursion. This is the excursion Donnie and I both thought looked the most interesting and was within our budget. I like the 9:15 starting time as well. We are scheduled to be back before 3:00, giving us plenty of time to relax and refresh before dinner!

Day 3 is also Pirate Night, and although we have nothing booked in relation to that, I'm excited for night 1 of fireworks off the ship!

1/8 Day 4: Grand Cayman

• 9:00 Disney Junior Character Breakfast. I’m really happy they offered this on GC day! We don’t get in to port until 10:30, which is why I assume they offer it on this day. I originally booked this for our 1st sea day, but with Palo at 11:30 I wasn’t too keen on the timing. When I saw it available for GC day, I switched it!
• 4:00 Mixology! I have heard great things about Mixology, so I was pumped there was a session available that worked with our schedule (a few others offered on the sea days were already “sold out,” but this one works for us!).

We don’t have any Disney excursions booked for Grand Cayman. The options were kind of meh, and I am confident we can find something fun to do on our own; I’m thinking taking a taxi to the turtle farm and then perhaps to Seven Mile Beach for a bit.

1/9 Day 5: Jamaica

• 9:30 Adventure Falls and River Tubing Excursion. Again, this is the excursion we both wanted to do in Jamaica. 2 departure times were offered, 7:30 or 9:30, so I went with the 9:30. 7:30 just seemed way too early! We'll also be back with plenty of time to get showered and ready for dinner.

1/10 Day 6: Star Wars Day at Sea

• 9:00 Character experience: Chewbacca
• 9:30 Character experience: Darth Vadar
• 10:00 Character experience: R2-D2 and C-3PO

All we have booked are character meets on this day, and I was glad I could get them early-ish: not too early so we can sleep, but not so late that they’ll interfere with the rest of our day. I’m also glad I was able to book them “back to back.” I didn't schedule any beverage tastings because I wanted to leave the day open for anything Star Wars related we wanted to do!

Super excited for night 2 of fireworks off the ship!

1/11 Day 7: Castaway Cay

• 4:30 Beer Tasting. I think it’ll be a fun way to spend some time after a day on Castaway Cay!

No other excursions booked this day, as I don’t think you need to in order to have a great day on CC!

1/12 Day 8: Disembarkation Day



SO! There are the cruise plans, as they stand, for now. It's a little frustrating that there is no modify option for DCL planning: if you want to check if something is available after you have booked it, your only option is to cancel and see if something else is available. I am NOT taking any chances on losing what I've got, so these bookings will probably go unchanged.

I am, however, debating about downgrading our stateroom.

I hadn't really told Donnie about the Magical Portholes that the inside cabins have available. I have never been on the Dream Class ships and have never seen them, so it's kind of intriguing to me. I mentioned downgrading to an inside and, since he has never cruised, he doesn't really any any opinion either way. We'd be saving about $125, which isn't a ton, but would cover Palo brunch and a beverage tasting session. They have a couple of non connection 11A rooms on deck 8 that good good reviews, so I am SO torn on what to do!!!!

Any opinions?

• Stay in 2010. 9B, Deck 2, Porthole, Split Bath
• Move to 8559. 11A, Deck 8, Magic Porthole (no outside view), no split bath, save money

HELP!

 

[cadien]

I can't believe I'm only just now noticing this PTR. It's like a deluxe version of ours with both the parks and a cruise. And practically the same time!

Thank you. It's been 2.5 years; sometimes it seems like forever ago, sometimes like just yesterday.

We lost my father about the same amount of time ago and you describe it perfectly. I'm sorry.

The same night as my cousin was telling me all about their upcoming cruise, I started looking at the DCL website. I knew January '19 would be the best option for us. Donnie would be between semesters on Winter Break. I could get off work in January, too. There was one 7 night option that work: January 5-12 on the Disney Fantasy. Disney was still offering the 10% booking, so I went ahead and booked it! I'm really glad I booked in January, because the prices have only gone up up up since then.

One problem: hadn't told DH yet!

If it makes you feel better, I put an offer on our house before DH had even seen it. That worked out fine as well!

After much deliberation, I decided on cat 9B, deck 2 mid: room 2010!

View attachment 343710
image: disneycruise.com​

We were on Deck 2 on the Magic this spring and thought it was a great location.

Update 8/20
Cruise planning (excursions)
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January 8, 2019 Tue (Georgetown, Grand Cayman)
I feel confident that we can explore Grand Cayman on our own. I know that Stingray City is SUPER popular, but that doesn't appeal to either of us at all. DCL doesn't really offer any interesting port adventures here that struck our fancy. We aren't completely sure what we'll do yet, but the general plan involves taking a taxi somewhere, most probably just to the Royal Palms Resort and spending a few hours on the beach. Chair/umbrella rental is super reasonable and the beach and amenities look lovely here.

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On Our Own: taxi royal palms resort ($40+ taxi ride)

We ended up at Royal Palms on our Grand Cayman day and absolutely loved it. We followed the advice to get a cabana and that was well worth it too.

Since this is Donnie's first cruise, I don't want to miss any of the main dinging rooms, so Palo dinner is out. I'm on the fence about whether or not we should do a Palo brunch or not. I would really like to go to brunch, but I'm not sure if it would be wasted on Donnie. Again, since this will be his first cruise, he doesn't really have any expectations for the cruise. He also has been really good this summer about starting to run and eat healthier, so I'm not sure if stuffing himself silly at brunch is on his "to-do" list (I am ALL about eating all the things!). I suppose if I am able, I will book us brunch during check in just in case! I haven't cruised since '08 and I miss brunch!

I was really impressed by all the healthy(ish) options at brunch. I ate a lot of veggies and seafood. And we ended up too full for dessert.

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I am, however, debating about downgrading our stateroom.

I hadn't really told Donnie about the Magical Portholes that the inside cabins have available. I have never been on the Dream Class ships and have never seen them, so it's kind of intriguing to me. I mentioned downgrading to an inside and, since he has never cruised, he doesn't really any any opinion either way. We'd be saving about $125, which isn't a ton, but would cover Palo brunch and a beverage tasting session. They have a couple of non connection 11A rooms on deck 8 that good good reviews, so I am SO torn on what to do!!!!

Any opinions?

• Stay in 2010. 9B, Deck 2, Porthole, Split Bath
• Move to 8559. 11A, Deck 8, Magic Porthole (no outside view), no split bath, save money

HELP!

I would do it, just because I think the Magical Portholes sound like a hoot. We didn't have that option on the Magic, or on our Wonder cruise in Feb '19, or I'd have done that instead of an oceanview. We're really not picky about bathroom layouts, though, so I can't help there.


I've really loved reading about people's Star Wars cruises. We did a Marvel one and it was a blast. Star Wars is a longer cruise and on a larger ship, so I'd still like to try that as well. It would be such a different experience. On the other hand, by 2020 we can just do Galaxy's Edge. Maybe. If the crowds aren't insane.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

It's like a deluxe version of ours with both the parks and a cruise. And practically the same time!

Our trips are SO similar! I read through your PTR and it sounds like a blast!

We ended up at Royal Palms on our Grand Cayman day and absolutely loved it.

Royal Palms is definitely high on the possibility list for CG

I was really impressed by all the healthy(ish) options at brunch. I ate a lot of veggies and seafood

I'm glad I was able to book it for our first sea day. Healthy(ish) works for me!

I think the Magical Portholes sound like a hoot

Right?! I'm just so torn...

We're really not picky about bathroom layouts

Same here. Donnie doesn't know about split baths since he's never cruised, and the cruises I've taken have been Cat 11.

 

[cadien]

SO! There are the cruise plans, as they stand, for now. It's a little frustrating that there is no modify option for DCL planning: if you want to check if something is available after you have booked it, your only option is to cancel and see if something else is available. I am NOT taking any chances on losing what I've got, so these bookings will probably go unchanged.

I found a workaround for this during our last cruise! If you use the customer service number or the chat (I used the chat because it was faster and I was doing other computer things in the meantime), they will look up whether the alternate time you want is available.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

I found a workaround for this during our last cruise!

Good to know there IS a way! Although I feel pretty good about my choices, I just like to futz around with plans... for fun? Haha

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Mini Update!
9/24​

I've been waiting to purchase our park tickets until the remainder of our money comes in from renting DVC points, since it will cover the cost of the tickets. The stay isn't until the end of October, however, and with Disney's announcement about the new pricing structure for ticketing that is rolling out Mid October, I said to heck with it and decided to buy them today! Our dates are at such a peak time, so I didn't want to risk paying any more than I have to!

I checked a bunch of different sites: I usually go with UndercoverTourist, but switched it up this time and was able to save some extra bucks. I decided to go with BoardwalkTicketing; their prices for a 3 day park hopper were nearly $30 less than UT!

I will be very happy once the e-mail with our ticket info comes and I can link it to MDE. I hate seeing that spot blank, and now I won't have to worry about it when FP+ day rolls around.

I also decided to count up our loose change today! The totally came to just over $50, so I will be purchasing a $50 Disney Gift Card with that for the trip!

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Mini Update
10/8
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As is tradition when Disney planning, one can just never leave well enough alone! I’ve been continuing to look at available staterooms for our cruise, and had thought about downgrading to an cat 11.

Well, the complete opposite happened!

As I was perusing the DCL website tonight, I noticed an available cat 7A on deck 9. I had debated about upgrading to a verandah for awhile, but didn’t want to spend too much extra money; I also didn’t want the ones that had been available on deck 5 (too much happening on deck 5 with the kids clubs, as well as being above the theatre).

I didn’t spend too much debating, as I didn’t want to lose out on this particular stateroom SO, we have upgraded!! The cost to upgrade wasn’t too bad, about $200 for the week. I know I could use that money elsewhere on the cruise, but I decided we deserved the splurge. I’m going to try to keep it a secret and surprise DH- we’ll see how long I can last!

We are now staying in stateroom 9512, a cat 7A obstructed verandah!


I have never sailed with a verandah, so I am super pumped about it. It gets really good reviews online, has a minimal obstruction, and is still a non-connecting room.

Oh- and here are where the official countdowns stand:

24 days until FP selection day
84 days until we leave for WDW
88 days until we set sail on the Fantasy

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Update 10/29
We're staying where?!

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I should have a good update coming up soon, since our FP selection day is this coming Friday. I'm a bit nervous, as I really want to get everything I want, lol!

Our park days haven't changed:
1/1: Arrival, Disney Springs
1/2: Morning Magic Kingdom/ Evening Epcot
1/3: Morning Hollywood Studios/ Evening Magic Kingdom
1/4: Morning Animal Kingdom/ Evening Hollywood Studios
1/5: Embark on the Disney Fantasy

SO, the hopeful plan is still:
1/2: FP's MK early: 7DMT, Space Mountain, BTMRR? We'll try to ride Peter Pan's Flight near rope drop
1/3: FP's HS early: SDD, ToT, RnRC
1/4: FP's AK early: FoP, Safari, Everest

I'll start at the end and work my way backwards, so AK, HS, MK, since technically my AK day is 60+4 and I definitely want a FoP FP!

I'll definitely be up early Friday. Just a few more days until this stressful part is complete!

*Exciting Resort News!*

This is the real reason for the update, and I am SUPER excited about it! I got a a "We Can't Wait to Welcome You Home" email yesterday around 11, and I was so confused. Our hotel ressie was set: AKL Jambo House.

I had sort of forgotten about the DVC wait list I had set up, since it seemed like such a long shot.

We are now staying at Bay Lake Tower!!!

I am truly floored that this waitlist came through. We will be in a BLT standard studio the duration of the WDW portion of our trip, and the points are exactly the same as our AKL ressie (which is partially why I set it up in the first place).

I am SO excited that we will be staying in a monorail resort (a new experience for DH), and I am even more thrilled that we can now walk to MK! I know we will be able to stay at AKL in the future, since the availability is usually pretty high, whereas the availability (esp in a standard studio) is quite low at BLT.

This is now the 4th (and FINAL) iteration of our resort reservation:
We went Saratoga Springs --> AKL Kidani --> AKL Jambo --> Bay Lake Tower

OH, I also (via touring plans reservation finder) was able to move our Beaches & Cream ressie on January 2nd up from 3:30 to 2:20! An hour might not seem like a lot of time, but since we will only be spending one evening in Epcot, I'm happy we'll now have an extra hour in the park. Hoorah!

It feels like over the past couples of weeks our trip has gotten some major upgrades, and I'm so excited to feel a bit "spoiled" and like we splurged on this trip. Bay Lake Tower for 4 nights and then 7 nights on the Disney Fantasy in a verandah cabin?! EEEP!

And the countdowns:

• FP Selection: 4 days
• WDW: 63 days
• DCL: 67 days

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Update 11/2
FastPass Day!
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Today was FP selection day! I woke up early and had coffee in hand by 6:50, anxiously waiting for what I hoped would be a relatively painless and productive experience.

It was relatively painless, and I didn't get the dreaded Olaf or any other cheerful character telling me something ate the page. Phew!

I also didn't get everything I wanted, which is kind of a bummer, but I also kind of expected it. I know Slinky Dog is new and was on our FP+3 day, so our chances were basically non-existent. I will keep checking throughout the next 2 months, however, so maybe I'll score one, one of these days. I also didn't get my preferred time for Flight of Passage, but again, I'll keep checking to try modify it, as well.

Here is what I DID get, however. I am 100% these will change over the next 60 days, and I've already modified most of them to make the times closer together.

1/2 Magic Kingdom (I initially wanted an early 7DMT, but the earliest time available was after 2, which won't work with our plans, so rope drop it is!)

• 9:20-10:20 Peter Pan's Flight
• 10:20-11:20 Space Mountain
• 11:25-12:25 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

1/3 Hollywood Studios (No SDD, alas. I will keep trying! And rope drop it if all else fails.)

• 9:45-10:45 Alien Swirling Saucers
• 10:45-11:45 Tower of Terror
• 11:45-12:45 Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

1/4 Animal Kingdom (Once again, I'll try to get us an earlier FoP time (GOT IT!), but we'll probably rope drop it to try to ride it twice! And squeeze Na'vi in if there's time.)

• 10:10-11:10 Kilimanjaro Safari 8:50-9:50 Flight of Passage
• 11:20-12:20 Expedition Everest 9:50-10:10 Kilimanjaro Safari
• 1:20-2:20 Flight of Passage 10:50-11:50 Expedition Everest

I really hope I can modify our FoP time, since we currently have a Mama Melrose Fantasmic! dinner package booked for 3:00. It will be verrrry tight getting there on time/near impossible. I also have a 50's Prime Time ressie for 4:45, so if I can't get it modified earlier, I'll probably cancel the F! package.

It's crazy to me that our countdown is at 60 days!!! (Or 59 days, 22 hours, 45 minutes according to MY official countdown)

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Mini Update 11/20
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Hooray! Disney recently extended the hours for both MK and AK for our trip dates! MK is now open 9-11, and AK now opens at 8 a.m. on our AK day.

Because of these added hours, I was able to modify our FoP FP! This was the one I wanted to change the most, so I'm SUPER stoked they added an extra hour to the start of the day! We now have an 8:50-9:50 a.m. FP for Flight of Passage. Woohoo!!! We will now have no trouble making it to our Mama Melrose ressie, so I think I will end up cancelling the Prime Time one.

I'm still holding out a bit of hope that DHS will be open later than 8:00 p.m., but it won't be the biggest deal if it's not. I'm sure after a 10 hour drive and 3 very busy park days, heading home to Bay Lake Tower before 9:00 the night before our cruise will actually be a good thing! (I'm also still in shock we are staying at BLT!) Perhaps we can visit the Top of the World lounge this night, now?

I also still keep checking for a Slinky Dog FP, but no such luck yet. Guess we will just stick to the plan of rope dropping it

Official Countdowns:

• 41 days until we head to WDW
• 45 days until we board the Disney Fantasy

OH, we put up our Christmas decorations last week in our home!

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[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Well, friends, we're back! We had the most wonderful vacation, both at WDW and on our cruise.

I have started our cruise TR, and hopefully will get to starting the WDW portion soon.

Read all about our cruise:
"Can I get a Light Saber?" January '19 SWDAS Fantasy Cruise TR

 

[cadien]

I've been reading and commenting on your cruise report and just now made the connection with this PTR!

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

I've been reading and commenting on your cruise report and just now made the connection with this PTR!

Too funny. Thanks for reading!!!