3/14/09 Spring Break Aboard the Magic

[redmomof4]

So I couldn't edit the title of my one I messed up and put 2008, so I am reposting it correctly. If any moderator could delete the other thread that would be great.

"I didn't see a thread for this cruise yet so I thought I'd start one. It is less than a year away and I am already getting excited. The kids don't know about this trip yet. I don't know how long I can keep it quiet. I'm aiming for at least Christmas time.

This will be our fourth Disney cruise, but our first trip aboard the Magic. We will be in connecting rooms 7505 and 7507. We've never been on the seventh deck so we are excited for a new ship, new deck! We'll probably try to tack on a day or two at the World but it depends on school schedules for all of us.

We are a family of six and at the time of the cruise we will be Jamey (37), Shawna (35), Christian (17), Conor(11), Blake (8), and Isabelle (6). All the kids' birthdays are in the Spring so they will be very close to turning the next age. I will be on Spring Break from my first year in Grad School so it will be much needed I am sure. I am going to school to be a Nurse Anesthetist starting in the fall. We are currently trying to get our house ready to sell so we can move closer to the University.

I know this thread won't see a lot of business for a bit, but I wanted to get one started. Please let me know if I am missing one somewhere."

 

[pop5]

You know what?? On the one I started I didnt even put the year. We will get it together soon.

 

[redmomof4]

So you are on spring break too! Do you have kids that will be on the ship, if so how old.

 

[pop5]

Hey. Yes, it will be our spring break. I have 5 boys ages:16,14,10,7, and 6. We have been on this cruise the past 2 spring breaks and just love it. I dont even want to think about going elsewhere. Where do you live??

 

[redmomof4]

Where do you live??

We live in West Des Moines, Iowa. HOw about you?

 

[pop5]

We are in Alabama. This will be our 4th DCL cruise too. We will be on deck 2 this time. A few weeks ago we were on deck 8 and loved it.

 

[redmomof4]

We've been on deck 2, deck 1, and deck 2 again (your choices are limited when you want connecting rooms). We really like deck 2 because there is a lot less noise and foot traffic, you are close to the gangplank, and unless we were going clear up, we took the stairs almost all the time. No waiting for the elevator. I'm excited to try a different deck this time though. Historically we've went during off season just to save money but we went to Arizona this year for spring break and the kids really loved going away, so we are going to cruise next year. And we really can't take them out of school anymore as it was very hard for them to get caught up last year. Plus I'll be in grad school so I can't take much time off either.

 

[pop5]

Hey. We have been at the ballpark all afternoon!! What is your favorite thing to do on the cruise?? Mine is to sit in the rainforest room. I just love that place. Do your kids play spring sports?

 

[garytam]

Hello everyone, it will be me, DW, DD(12) and DS(11). This is our third Magic cruise but the first Eastern. Looking forward to the extra sea day.

 

[pop5]

Glad to have you!!

 

[mkmommy]

We will be here also, spring break for us. We did the Western this March so it will be nice to do the Eastern. Almost every day the girls ask when the can go on a cruise again, it was such a great vacation.

Lisa

 

[emma'smom]

Just booked today! It's our first cruise ever!

They'll be four of us (me, DH, dd6 by then and dd4 by then). It is our Spring Break (from the college where I teach)!

We're from Ohio...and March is the best time to really escape the winter weather!

 

[pop5]

More people, great!! This thread will really get going before you know it. We are doing a RCCL in a few weeks and have mostly done DCL. Have any of you done the Mariner of the seas? If so, any comparisions to DCl? It also leaves from Port Canaveral.

 

[garytam]

Hi mkmommy

I was late for the DIS meet this year, didn't see anyone by the time I shown up at 3:20. Let's try again next March.

Glad that you had a great time. We will try to book into AKV for the pre-cruise.

I guess it is too early to start thinking about excursion yet. Anyone have plans ?

Cheers

 

[mkmommy]

Welcome to everyone, it will be a great cruise, I hate for time to go so fast but it is great to have something to look forward too.


Garytam

Hope to catch up with you this time. I don't think we will do the parks before the cruise this time, but things can always change. Wish I was on Castaway Cay today, as I drove through the pouring rain.

Are you planning on flying from Buffalo? I can't remember when I booked last year, but it must have been end of April or May, and I know the fares never went down, so I will need to keep an eye out for AirTran to release March 09 flights.


Lisa

 

[garytam]

Hi Lisa

We will be flying out from Buffalo or Rochester depending on price. Plan to head down on Wed evening if we can get the AKV CL otherwise it will be Thur.

It was good that we flew down early this year, there were a lot of snow on Sat that caused a large number of flight delay. I believe that's the reason Magic didn't leaving PC until 6:00 pm.

Cheers

 

[mkmommy]

Hi Lisa

We will be flying out from Buffalo or Rochester depending on price. Plan to head down on Wed evening if we can get the AKV CL otherwise it will be Thur.

It was good that we flew down early this year, there were a lot of snow on Sat that caused a large number of flight delay. I believe that's the reason Magic didn't leaving PC until 6:00 pm.

Cheers

I have decided to book DCL airfare. Airtran's Christmas fares are crazy, nothing less than $199 each way from Buffalo, and I know last year that Christmas and Spring break were about the same price, (might not be so bad with Easter in April though) I also think I will not be able to take time off before the cruise, so I think DCL airfare is a pretty good idea.

If you can do the Sunrise Safari through AKV CL do it, it is amazing, and I think it is on Thursday mornings.

Lisa

Lisa

 

[garytam]

I have decided to book DCL airfare. Airtran's Christmas fares are crazy, nothing less than $199 each way from Buffalo, and I know last year that Christmas and Spring break were about the same price, (might not be so bad with Easter in April though) I also think I will not be able to take time off before the cruise, so I think DCL airfare is a pretty good idea.

If you can do the Sunrise Safari through AKV CL do it, it is amazing, and I think it is on Thursday mornings.

Lisa

Lisa

It would be a good choice to go with DCL transportation if you cannot get into Orlando day or two before the cruise. BTW, how much is the flight from DCL if you don't mind me asking.

Will do the day by day booking for AKV CL starting this Sat morning. We stayed AKV CL this March, and DW was so impress that she okay the add on to AKV DVC.

Cheers
Gary

 

[mkmommy]

The DCL airfare from Buffalo on the Saturday is $400 per person, from Toronto it was less than $500 which is a great price. If it was not spring break I would have gone from Toronto but I hate going through customs at Pearson, and I can just imagine what it would be like at spring break. I had read that if you take DCL airfares other dates there are is an additional $50 deviation fee but I am not sure if this is true.

I am sure if you are flying on a weekday that you will be able to get better fares from Buffalo than $400.

Lisa

 

[redmomof4]

Wow, I haven't even thought about airfare yet. Yikes with six of us, I better start looking. ONly thing is we live in West Des Moines right now and if our house sells, we'll be in Iowa City by next Spring, If it doesn't sell (yikes a whole nother subject) we'll still be in Dsm. Hmmm, if we move we'll only be 3 hours from Chicago, which could cut our airfare in half. Hmmmm. Drive or not. I hate that decision.

We will probably try to head down on Thurs or Fri. I'll be in grad school but on spring break and that semester I only have class M,W,F.

Our sixteen year old wants to bring a friend. What is proper etiquitte for that. I'd love to let him but don't want to have to pay the whole amount. Would you invite a friend and make them pay half or not?

Pop5, I have no input for you as I have only been on DCL for now. I think when the kids are a bit older we'll try something else too. My younger ones saw a carnival commercial and thought it was a "dolphin" ship (because of the fin like projection at the back of the ship) like the "dolphin" bars at seaworld so think they want to try that. LOL. About your last quesiton, yes my kids love sports. Conor loved the Sports Deck last year. Your ball season must have started way before ours. We had games last weekend and then this weekend was opening weekend tournament and four hours were delayed d/t cold weather. This weather is crazy. I got sunburned working in the yard on Wednesday and had to wear my winter jacket to the ball field this weekend. ARGH! IOWA! I am not sure what my fave place to be is. I love lounging by the pool. I didn't try the rainforest room last time. That isn't really dh's thing, he doesn't like to sit still long. But I might enjoy it myself.

Emma'smom~Welcome congrats on your first cruise. My dd will be six almost seven, we'll have to hook them up to play! Where and what do you teach? I just got a TA position at the University of Iowa in Informatics in Nursing and Healthcare for next year. I am very excited as it is a 25% tuition reduction and waived computer fee for my own grad school, an $800/mo stipend, reduction in GradCare health insurance. Woo-hoo! That will be less hours I have to work at a job next year. And it is only a 1/4 time position (approx 10 hours a week and an online class) I'm thrilled.

mkmommy~my kids ask about cruising again also, we haven't told them about the spring break trip yet. I almost let it slip this am talking to my dd about the other children on this thread.

Garytam~ds #2 will also be 11 on this coming up cruise. Conor is always looking for friends. Maybe the boys can share email addresses (if I tell them about the cruise ahead of time-there I went again I'm going to blow the suprise!)

One thing I am excited about and have a lack of knowledge of is the ports of call and excursions as we haven't done a carribean yet, only a bahamian. So if anyone who has been has dos or don'ts on the Eastern itineary, I'd love to hear them!

Alright, off to check out airfares! I found cheapest $311 out of Chicago, $450 out of Cedar Rapids (close to where we will be moving to in Iowa City), and $502 out of Des Moines (close to where we live now in West Des Moines). It so depends on whether or not our house sells and if it does, I think for $150/pp difference we will possibly drive to Chicago, thats a big difference.