2007 DVC Member Cruise - SSMC07 - October 21, 2007

[cherylp3]

Just a note that you can pull up your reservations on disneycruise.com

 

[WDWLVR]

Good morning Member Cruisers! ​

We sail in 43 weeks!​

 

[WDWLVR]

Mark and I used the DIS downtime to finish up some things on the website and to do some updates to the member gallery (welcome Jaypd's family).

2007 DIS Member Cruise Web Page

2007 DIS Member Cruise Gallery

Mark & Mary's 2006 Member Cruise Trip Report

The main web page is where we try and keep track of all the things going on like e-mails received from DVC etc. You can get to the Member Gallery from the main page or from the link above. Also from the main page you can see our trip reports from the 2003, 2005, and 2006 cruises. We just updated the 2006 one and you can get to it directely from the link above.

Ursula if you can add the links to the 2007 DIS Member Cruise Web Page and 2007 DIS Member Cruise Gallery to your first post it would be greatly appreciated (you should be able to just cut and paste the links).

Thanks everyone!

 

[seaulater]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Santa brought us a 7 day cruise on the Disney Magic for Thanksgiving Week 2007! Yipee! Another cruise on the horizon.

 

[WDWLVR]

Nice present Linda! Santa was very good to you. Be sure and get me your info so we can add all your cruises into the count!

Also I'm giving us a bump up from page 2.

 

[cherylp3]

Mary ( or someone else) when can repeat (castaway club) cruisers add palo excursions etc..? Also when do new cruisers add palo and excursions?

Thanks Cheryl

 

[IWantMyDVC]

Mary,

Thanks for the links to the cruise pages - it was nice to see who some of Dis'rs we will be traveling with are.

 

[WDWLVR]

Mary ( or someone else) when can repeat (castaway club) cruisers add palo excursions etc..? Also when do new cruisers add palo and excursions?

Thanks Cheryl

Those in concierge (cats 1, 2, and 3) can do all that 105 days out.

Repeat cruisers (Castaway Club members) can do all that 90 days out.

First time cruisers can do it 75 days out.

Booking starts online at Midnight PACIFIC time. So 1 am Moutain, 2 am Central and 3 am Eastern.


Jim & April - thanks! It is fun getting to know each other before cruising!

 

[COACHSTING]

Hi all.... Hope all had a great holiday and best wishes for 2007. We anticipate that a lot of information will be forthcoming on this board concerning the 2007 cruise. One thing we may want information on early concerns Trip Insurance. Can anyone advise if this option is worth it given the short duration of the cruise? Can anyone advise on cost and how it works? Thanks very much in advance..... Bill O'Leary

 

[WDWLVR]

Good morning Bill! We take out travel insurance for all our cruises. For one thing this one will still be in Hurricane season. We've traveled in hurricane season before without any problems but you never know if the trip could be changed due to it. For example on the 2005 Member Cruise we ended up disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale instead of Port Canaveral.

We have never had to use our travel insurance but know that when it comes to cruising it can be used for more than just a cancelled cruise. On our May '06 cruise one of our travel mates got sick and was quarantined to their room for a full day and missed Castaway Cay. She was able to file that with travel insurance and get reimbursement for that day.

We use Travel Guard which is the brochure that DVC sent with our confirmations. I know last year there was talk about other insurance companies, but honestly I can't remember who was suggested.

Hopefully others will chime in and give you their experience as well.

 

[JOANNEL]

Good Morning all, I hope every one had a great Christmas. I could use some sleep. I have been cooking for days it feels like. Now it's back to the diet, and back to work. It was nice to be off for four days.

We use USAA for our trip insurance.

have a great Wednesday.

 

[cherylp3]

Try Travelex or insuremytrip.com not sure how points are handled.

Also just so that you are aware the Travel guard does not reimburse 100%.

David from the 2006 cruise called travelguard
Here is how they compute the cost..
Take the number of points, multiply it by $5 a point. Take 5.15% of this value and that is the basic premium. For the Medical, add $3.65 per person per day.

So, for example a cat 5 room for 2 is 400 points. The insured value is $2000. The premium would be like $103. without the medical.

Here is a link to a post on the Disboards
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=882735

 

[BEACHCLUBVILLAS]

I hope we can represent the newcomers with our questions as I am sure this has all been done before by the pros. Thank you for the info on trip insurance. It is very helpful.

Now, on to our next question. We are thinking of visiting the Vero Beach Resort for a few days before we depart on the cruise. With that being said, we are really not sure where the boat sails from. I think it's Port Canaveral, but I thought that was right next to Ft. Lauderdale. Then we found info that says it is near Cape Canaveral, which is near the launch facility. Does anyone have the EXACT address for the departure point?

We are thinking of flying into Orlando, renting a car at MCO, then leaving it at the cruise departure point, then either taking the Disney bus back to WDW or renting a car again for the return so we can purchase groceries, etc.

Or, we can search for a weekly rate and then park the car at the port and bring it back to WDW on the weekly rate. Any idea of cost for parking at the port?

Are these ideas logistical?


I hope these questions help other first-timers. Thnanks in advance for any help.

 

[MarkRG]

I hope we can represent the newcomers with our questions as I am sure this has all been done before by the pros. Thank you for the info on trip insurance. It is very helpful.

Now, on to our next question. We are thinking of visiting the Vero Beach Resort for a few days before we depart on the cruise. With that being said, we are really not sure where the boat sails from. I think it's Port Canaveral, but I thought that was right next to Ft. Lauderdale. Then we found info that says it is near Cape Canaveral, which is near the launch facility. Does anyone have the EXACT address for the departure point?

We are thinking of flying into Orlando, renting a car at MCO, then leaving it at the cruise departure point, then either taking the Disney bus back to WDW or renting a car again for the return so we can purchase groceries, etc.

Or, we can search for a weekly rate and then park the car at the port and bring it back to WDW on the weekly rate. Any idea of cost for parking at the port?

Are these ideas logistical?


I hope these questions help other first-timers. Thnanks in advance for any help.

We've done this before, and it is not too hard.
Port Canaveral is just north of Cocoa beach, and it's right at the east end of the Beeline, now Beachline/528. Here's a MapQuest link: click here

A few car rental places offer shuttles to/from the cruise terminals, Avis, Budget, and one other I can't think of right now. We've done a one way where we drive to the port drop off party with luggage, then one person returns the car and shuttles back, very easy DCL has a very nice dropoff area where porters will take all your dcl tagged luggage for delivery to your stateroom.

I'm not sure of the rate, but it used to be $10 a day to park a car at the port.

 

[WDWLVR]

I hope we can represent the newcomers with our questions as I am sure this has all been done before by the pros. Thank you for the info on trip insurance. It is very helpful.

Now, on to our next question. We are thinking of visiting the Vero Beach Resort for a few days before we depart on the cruise. With that being said, we are really not sure where the boat sails from. I think it's Port Canaveral, but I thought that was right next to Ft. Lauderdale. Then we found info that says it is near Cape Canaveral, which is near the launch facility. Does anyone have the EXACT address for the departure point?

We are thinking of flying into Orlando, renting a car at MCO, then leaving it at the cruise departure point, then either taking the Disney bus back to WDW or renting a car again for the return so we can purchase groceries, etc.

Or, we can search for a weekly rate and then park the car at the port and bring it back to WDW on the weekly rate. Any idea of cost for parking at the port?

Are these ideas logistical?


I hope these questions help other first-timers. Thnanks in advance for any help.

The following is taken from the DIS DCL FAQ (link in my signature). It is a source of lots of great info for first timers. Of course we love answering questions here too so no worries.


Directions to the Port:

Disney Cruise Line
9150 Charles M Rowland Drive
Port Canaveral, FL 32920

From Orlando & WDW:

Take I-75 south to Florida's Turnpike. Take the turnpike south to exit 254. Take the Bee Line Expressway 528 east 50 miles to Cape Canaveral. You will cross two bridges on 528. If you look to the left you should be able to see the ship. At this point follow the route 401 exit for the Disney Terminal.

From MCO:

Follow the airport signs to the North Exit and take the Bee Line Expressway 528 east 43 miles to Cape Canaveral. You will cross two bridges on 528. If you look to the left you should be able to see the ship. At this point follow the route 401 exit for the Disney Terminal.


We stayed at Vero one night before our December 2004 cruise and really enjoyed it. Vero is located about 1 hour south of Port Canaveral (which is by Cape Canaveral where Kennedy Space Center is located).

If you rent a car some of the locations have shuttles to and from their offices to the port. I know we've used Avis in the past and this is the case. I think Budget might offer a shuttle as well.

If you park at the port you will be charged a daily fee of I believe $12 per day which needs to be paid up front either with cash or a credit card.

We have in the past done a one way rental from MCO to the port and then taken the bus back to WDW. Very easy to do and you don't even have to book the bus ahead of time. If you are doing it this way you can go to guest services on the ship and let them know you want the bus back to WDW. They will then charge it to your shipboard account and put a sticker on your KTTW card.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask away with any questions!

 

[MarkRG]

I can't seem to fix my previous post.

Here's as near as an exact map link as I can make: New Mapquest link

 

[seaulater]

The following is taken from the DIS DCL FAQ (link in my signature). It is a source of lots of great info for first timers. Of course we love answering questions here too so no worries.


Directions to the Port:

Disney Cruise Line
9150 Charles M Rowland Drive
Port Canaveral, FL 32920

From Orlando & WDW:

Take I-75 south to Florida's Turnpike. Take the turnpike south to exit 254. Take the Bee Line Expressway 528 east 50 miles to Cape Canaveral. You will cross two bridges on 528. If you look to the left you should be able to see the ship. At this point follow the route 401 exit for the Disney Terminal.

From MCO:

Follow the airport signs to the North Exit and take the Bee Line Expressway 528 east 43 miles to Cape Canaveral. You will cross two bridges on 528. If you look to the left you should be able to see the ship. At this point follow the route 401 exit for the Disney Terminal.


We stayed at Vero one night before our December 2004 cruise and really enjoyed it. Vero is located about 1 hour south of Port Canaveral (which is by Cape Canaveral where Kennedy Space Center is located).

If you rent a car some of the locations have shuttles to and from their offices to the port. I know we've used Avis in the past and this is the case. I think Budget might offer a shuttle as well.

If you park at the port you will be charged a daily fee of I believe $12 per day which needs to be paid up front either with cash or a credit card.

We have in the past done a one way rental from MCO to the port and then taken the bus back to WDW. Very easy to do and you don't even have to book the bus ahead of time. If you are doing it this way you can go to guest services on the ship and let them know you want the bus back to WDW. They will then charge it to your shipboard account and put a sticker on your KTTW card.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask away with any questions!

We've done the same thing. Since we are always "renting" a car. We rent at MCO and then drop everyone off at the port and then DH or myself drives the car over to the car rental place and then catches the free shuttle to the ship (about 5-10 minutes max). Then when we return, we do the same, one of us gets off the ship, heads on the free shuttle to the car rental and then the rest of us get the luggage and wait at the curb. DH calls when he is ready to pull in on our cell phone so we know he is coming and what kind of car he is in!

It is alot cheaper that way then parking the car at the port AND paying rental fees and parking fees.

In addition, when the SSMC05 had to port in Ft. Lauderdale unexpectantly, all I did from Castaway Cay when we got the word was go online via the internet on the ship and change my car pickup point to Ft. Lauderdale instead of Cape Canaveral. It worked out great and actually was a little cheaper than picking up at the port. Figure that one out!

Okay, that's what we have done.

 

[WDWLVR]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]FIRST EDITION[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]We're excited to be delivering the first edition of S.S. Member Cruise 2007 Cruise News, your exclusive source for information about next year's magical Member voyage.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Congratulations! You're among the hundreds of lucky Disney Vacation Club Members sailing aboard the S.S. Member Cruise 2007. Before you know it, we'll be welcoming you onto the Disney Wonder® in Port Canaveral for an incredible 4-night journey. From October 21-25, 2007, you'll enjoy two stops on Disney's private island paradise, Castaway Cay, plus a fun-filled day at sea and plenty of Caribbean sunshine. We're planning a whole new roster of special events, Guest Speakers, and Member surprises, so it's never too early to start dreaming of what might happen onboard the S.S. Member Cruise 2007!

You're probably already counting down the time until the cruise begins—and so are we! To help you keep track, visit [FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]dvcmember.com[/FONT] today to download your own Vacation Countdown (an option available on the homepage). Then you'll know exactly how many days remain until October 21, 2007, when the S.S. Member Cruise 2007 sets sail.

In the coming months, watch your inbox for more editions of Cruise News. In future dispatches, we'll reveal more about our special itinerary and share the details of the unique daily themes, Guest Speakers, and special events that will make our voyage unforgettable.
"Sea" you real soon,

[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]© Disney[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DVC-MBR-48-E1[/FONT]

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[WDWLVR]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1307002

Just saw this thread over on the CB. Kay (krdisneybound) and her DH are both in the hospital and needing some prayers.

 

[seaulater]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1307002

Just saw this thread over on the CB. Kay (krdisneybound) and her DH are both in the hospital and needing some prayers.

Thanks Mary for posting.

I called Kay today to find out how she and Harry are doing. As many of you know, Kay had surgery earlier this month. She was home from the hospital, however, she was unable to even hardly get to her front door and couldn't walk. She was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale and the doctor had to open her back up from her surgery because she now has an infection from the surgery. She is in isolation and has an open wound on her stomach which she thinks is going to be open for 3-4 weeks. She was very positive on the phone and said she is going to beat this thing!

As many of you know, her husband, Harry, has been battling cancer, and he had developed some blood clots in his lung so he was in the hospital and the doctors were thinning out his blood. She expected that he was going to go back home (maybe today from the way it sounded.)

That's the latest. Please send pixie dust their way! I know our family will keep them in our prayers.