3/21/2010 -- 4 Night Disney Wonder Spring Break Cruise

[KSDisneyDad]

We were originally booked on the 5/30/2010 5-night double dip on the Disney Wonder.

However, I could not pass up over $2,000 in savings for the kids sail free offer. And that savings is above and beyond our on-board discount savings and booking on the first day the 5-night Double Dip cruise was available!!

We are looking forward to our family's first Spring Break vacation on a Disney Cruise and our first cruise on the Wonder. This will be our fourth Disney Cruise -- the last one was a 15-night cruise through the Panama Canal.

We will be joined by my DMIL, DSIL, DBIL and two nieces. This is their first Disney cruise (and for my nieces and DBIL their first cruise ever!).

Are there any other DISers out there who will be joining us?

UPDATE 3/10/2010: Here's a current roster of those who have said they'll be joining us. Please PM me if you have any updates, changes or would like to be removed from the list. I won't list kids names, but will note their ages if they're available.

1. * KSDisneyDad (Christopher), and Junesgoofy (June), DS14, DS12 and DS8 Stateroom 8038
(turns 8 in March before the cruise). We will also have my BIL, SIL and
MIL and two nieces joining us, ages 12 and almost 9.
2. * mommyofthreeboys (Christina), DH, DS16, DS11, DS8 Stateroom 8536
3. Oregon Traveler, DW, DS13, DD10, DD9
4. NatMomto2, DH, DD4, DS2
5. rkwells (Gina), DH, Two teens 13 and 16
6. tonyvinci, DW, DD5
7. seven2go, DH, DD19, DD16, DS15, DS7
8. jlindermer (Jennifer), DH (Jeremy), DS8, DS6
9. mfortune, Spouse, DD8, DD3
10. * 5CruisersCruising (Kami), DH (Dustin), DS11, DD8 and DD5 Staterooms 6585 and 6587
11. ginger3son, DH, DS6, DS4
12. * twins-and-1 (Melanie), DH (Ted), DD10, DD10, DD6 Stateroom 8036
13. * alwaysabuckeye (Karen), DH, DD5, DD3 Stateroom 7596
14. debmomof2, DH, DS14, DS10
15. jephmom, DH, DS14, DS10, DD9
16. * WPoohgirl (Wendy), DH, DD13, DS11 Stateroom 7506
17. * EOppegarrd, DW Stateroom 6003
18. debgorman, DH, DD15, DD10
19. * captainscapegirl (Lori), DD11 and DBest Friend and DBF's DD Stateroom 2126
20. * pintail (Ken), DW & DD10 Stateroom 5522
21. * AwtreyCalifornia (Christine), DH, DD11, DD10, DS6 Stateroom 8076



* Participating in fish extender gift exchange. If interested, let me know your stateroom #.

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

We'll join you!!!....well...maybe!

We originally booked the 3/20/10 seven night cruise on the magic but when the "kids sail free" promotion came out, we decided we would be stupid not to take advantage of it. So I say "maybe" because if a 7 night promotion comes out, we may be switching again.

This will be our first cruise!!!! Oh-- we have 3 boys too!!!

I can't wait!!!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

We'll join you!!!....well...maybe!

We originally booked the 3/20/10 seven night cruise on the magic but when the "kids sail free" promotion came out, we decided we would be stupid not to take advantage of it. So I say "maybe" because if a 7 night promotion comes out, we may be switching again.

This will be our first cruise!!!! Oh-- we have 3 boys too!!!

I can't wait!!!

If a 7-night promotion came out, we might have to join you!

Have you considered a back-to-back 4-night and 3-night cruise to still get 7 days? I'm not sure if it's any cost savings for a family of 5 as I haven't checked out the prices for a 7-night cruise during this timeframe.

You'll love a Disney cruise. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[junesgoofy]

If a 7-night promotion came out, we might have to join you!

Hey honey, you didn't mention this to me I say we go with it!

 

[Oregon Traveler]

Hello All
We couldn't pass on the kids sailing for free so we threw out our plans of waiting for the Wonder to hit the West Coast and are packing our bags for spring break. It will be the first cruise for all of us (me, the mrs, son <13> and daughters <10 and 9>). Any advice for the newbies? thanks.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Hello All
We couldn't pass on the kids sailing for free so we threw out our plans of waiting for the Wonder to hit the West Coast and are packing our bags for spring break. It will be the first cruise for all of us (me, the mrs, son <13> and daughters <10 and 9>). Any advice for the newbies? thanks.

Welcome to a fellow family of 5! Are you in a Cat 4 stateroom as well? This will be our first cruise with a verandah.

Here are some things we've learned.

1. Get to the port early on embarkation day. We like to arrive around 10:30 am to be one of the first groups on the ship to make the most of our cruise. You can still get quite a bit of exploring done while the ship is in port that first day, as well as enjoy a nice lunch. I know a lot of people enjoy swimming on that first day in port and just eat something quick at Goofy's Galley (paninis or wraps), Pinocchio's Pizza or just a hot dog/hamburger at Pluto's Dog House. If you want a dinner or brunch at Palo, you can also make a reservation that first day. Just send one person in your party to make a reservation as soon as you board.

2. Carry-on drinks. Disney lets you carryon drinks. We take some bottled water, as well as some adult beverages on board with us. Our favorite is Bailey's so that we can mix it with ice cream from Goofy's.

3. Store your luggage under your bed. Just lift up the bed a little and most luggage pieces will fit under the bed.

4. Signed Pillow Cases/Picture Frames/etc. If your family wants something signed by a lot of the characters, just take it to guest services that first day along with some sharpies. They even have a form just for this. If you want even more signatures, take it with you on the last night on board to get those last minute autographs.

5. Take something to leave each other notes. Our kids like to explore the ship on their own. They will go watch a movie, go to the kids club, swim, etc. We try to keep track of each other by leaving notes back at the room. It's a big ship and sometimes hard to find each other. If one of your kids has a pager from the kids club, the others can also utilize it by asking a youth counselor to page you.

6. Pressing Clothes. Disney will press clothes for 1/2 of the dry cleaning cost. It's not too expensive and saves you quite a bit of vacation time.

7. Don't forget to budget for pictures. The staff at Shutters do a good job and their are lots of opportunities for some great pictures on-board and at Castaway Cay.

8. Decorate your Door. The stateroom doors are metal and a lot of guests like to decorate their stateroom doors with magnets. Disney won't let you use tape. You can get a template for Mickey Ears around your stateroom number, as well as add some personality to your stateroom door. It may sound tacky at first, but it's fun to see everyone's creativity. Here are our two doors from our last cruise:

9. Pirates Night. I believe for us, this is our Castaway Cay night. A lot of people dress up for this. Don't feel obligated, but it is a fun evening. They have a buffet on the Top Deck, a party and fireworks (Disney is the only crusie line granted permission to shoot fireworks from ship.).

10. If your kids do the kid's clubs, have them attend the graduation on the last night for a free t-shirt.

11. Don't forget you can pin trade on-board.

12. Free room service. Two items not on the menu, but that you can order are Mickey Head Ice Cream Bars and Mickey Head Rice Krispy Treats.

13. Get to Castaway Cay early. The day goes by way too quickly.

14. Be sure to be on the top Deck to hear the Ship's horn!!! It will sound at Sailaway and at noon on the Sea Day. They will also play it a few other times and there's a warning just before it goes off as it's quite loud.

15. Slow down and enjoy. We find the cruises so much more relaxing than trips to WDW. Our kids love them as well.

I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of things.

Looking forward to our first Spring Break vacation!!!

 

[Oregon Traveler]

Excellent advice, thanks. We're really looking forward to the trip. We're going to surprise the kids at Christmas. We booked a catagory 4 (8028) to get the freebie for all three kids, so I think we'll see you on deck 8. I'm not the creative one in the family, so I'll leave the door decoration to my dw and kids. Check back every once and a while and I'll probably post more questions, being a rookie has its disadvantages. Thanks again.

 

[NatMomto2]

Another one for the March 21st 4 day Wonder cruise!

Never considered ourselves cruise people but we love Disney so when the kids free promotion came out we figured why not and the more I read about the Disney cruises the more excited I get!

We are a family of 4...DH, myself, DD5 and DS3. We like our 2 week March break vacations so we'll be arriving in Orlando (from COLD COLD Montreal) on March 13th, staying at Windsor Hills for the week and visiting the parks. One night at the Port and onto the Wonder , after the cruise we'll be headed back to Orlando for 2 nights, probably staying at the Dolphin although that is tbd.

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

 

[rkwells]

Hi to all and thanks KSDisneyDad for the great tips! We are taking our first cruise as well. Our kids are teens (will be 13 and 16 by March). I am hoping they get a chance to meet some other DISboard teens on this cruise. We have always wanted to do a cruise but usually the prices are highest during the times when the kids are off school. I was really surprised they ran the kids sail free over Spring Break!! Can't wait til March!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Excellent advice, thanks. We're really looking forward to the trip. We're going to surprise the kids at Christmas. We booked a catagory 4 (8028) to get the freebie for all three kids, so I think we'll see you on deck 8. I'm not the creative one in the family, so I'll leave the door decoration to my dw and kids. Check back every once and a while and I'll probably post more questions, being a rookie has its disadvantages. Thanks again.

You'll be right next door to the Walt Disney Suite! You should try to get to know your neighbors and ask them for a peek into their Stateroom. We got to see a Cat 3 suite on our last cruise and the Suites are very nice.

FYI -- we're just down the hall from you in 8038!

Another one for the March 21st 4 day Wonder cruise!

Never considered ourselves cruise people but we love Disney so when the kids free promotion came out we figured why not and the more I read about the Disney cruises the more excited I get!

We are a family of 4...DH, myself, DD5 and DS3. We like our 2 week March break vacations so we'll be arriving in Orlando (from COLD COLD Montreal) on March 13th, staying at Windsor Hills for the week and visiting the parks. One night at the Port and onto the Wonder , after the cruise we'll be headed back to Orlando for 2 nights, probably staying at the Dolphin although that is tbd.

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

What a nice long Spring Break!!! After those busy Spring Break crowds in the parks, you'll enjoy the nice relaxing pace of the cruise. Even with a full boat, the cruises don't seem that crowded.

Hi to all and thanks KSDisneyDad for the great tips! We are taking our first cruise as well. Our kids are teens (will be 13 and 16 by March). I am hoping they get a chance to meet some other DISboard teens on this cruise. We have always wanted to do a cruise but usually the prices are highest during the times when the kids are off school. I was really surprised they ran the kids sail free over Spring Break!! Can't wait til March!

It's great to have more people joining us. I was nervous when I booked the cruise and there wasn't a thread started already. We really liked getting to know our fellow cruises on our last cruise. We still correspond with many of them and even saw a few of them on our recent trip to WDW!

I agree with you regarding the prices of the Spring Break cruises. This is our first cruise outside of hurricane season as we never could afford one during this time frame before. We're saving over $2,000 for the five us!!

With respect to your teens. Our oldest son will be 14 (almost 15) on this cruise. If the Wonder gets Ocean Quest during Drydock in October, they will probably split up the teens like they do on the Magic. Ocean Quest will be for the 11-13 year olds, and the Stack will be 14 and up. However, your kids can also socialize outside the clubs. Our older kids were in different groups on the last cruise, but just made a few friends and hung out with them versus being in the clubs most of the time.

If the Wonder doesn't get Ocean Quest, all teens will be at the Stack. This is my son's first time to be there as he was 13 on our last cruise and was at Ocean Quest. He didn't like it there as much as a lot of the kids monopolized the Wii and other games. Fortunately, the friends he made were nice kids as there can be some very rude kids on the cruise and I don't think the Disney counselors do a great job of keeping discipline. The clubs for the younger kids are great, but with the tweens and teens you have to really stay on top of your kids' and their friends to make sure they are behaving. We even had our DIS friends keep an eye out for our kids to let us know if they every saw our kids misbehaving and fortunately we only had positive reports!

 

[tonyvinci]

Just booked our cruise for March 21 for my DW, DD (5) and myself. Since both my DW and DD's birthdays are in March it is sort of a birthday present to them. Really can't wait.

 

[seven2go]

While we are not new to Disney by any means, lol, this will be our very first cruise, and I am excited that it is a Disney Cruise.....since we love Disney!

YIKES...I am new to the DIS boards too, but hopefully I will catch on, and learn lots about the whole DCL adventure!

We'll be sailiing on the 21rst with three of our five children. /16,/15, and /7, (as of sail date!) The older two will be sad to miss out, I know for sure! Oh well, college calls.....

Hooray for our first Disney Cruise! I will be full of questions for sure!

Exciting

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Just booked our cruise for March 21 for my DW, DD (5) and myself. Since both my DW and DD's birthdays are in March it is sort of a birthday present to them. Really can't wait.

What a great birthday present!

Enough people are joining the thread that we might be able to start talking about Fish Extenders for this cruise.

While we are not new to Disney by any means, lol, this will be our very first cruise, and I am excited that it is a Disney Cruise.....since we love Disney!

YIKES...I am new to the DIS boards too, but hopefully I will catch on, and learn lots about the whole DCL adventure!

We'll be sailiing on the 21rst with three of our five children. /16,/15, and /7, (as of sail date!) The older two will be sad to miss out, I know for sure! Oh well, college calls.....

Hooray for our first Disney Cruise! I will be full of questions for sure!

Exciting

to the Disboards fellow Disney fans from Colorado! I see that you're from Castle Rock. We're on the other side of Denver up in Thornton. On last year's Panama Canal cruise, there were two other Denver families (Parker and Denver).

One of my coworkers is from Castle Rock and is a huge Disney fan as well. She is a DVC member and visits WDW 3 to 4 times a year. She has been on one DCL cruise when she was a CM at the Disney Store, but they prefer land based vacations.

Since there are 5 of you, are you also taking advantage of Kids Sail Free with a Family Stateroom on Deck 8? We're in 8038 and Oregon Traveler above is in 8028.

 

[seven2go]

It will be nice to head somewhere warm in March!

YES, we are also in a deluxe family stateroom on 8!

Let the countdown begin.....

(Have you booked your flight yet??)

 

[jlindemer]

Hi there! I just booked this morning! I can't decide if I want to tell the kids or wait. Decisions decisions....we are going to the World Dec. 23-Jan 3 & then decided to go on a cruise for Spring Break. DH said he didn't want to go back to Disney World for Spring Break but would really enjoy a cruise. So, I checked Disney this morning & saw the 1/2 price deposit along with the kids sail free deal! So, I hurried and booked!

Yahoo!

And double yahoo for the mickey bars on board! I never thought about that!

And, just to confirm---is it unlimited food & soft drinks on board? Dh was asking and I told him I would find out.

It will be myself, DH, and 2 sons--6 and 8. We were going to leave them at home with grandma while we took a grown-up vacation, but with free kids & the kids club it seemed like a no-brainer!

I'm so excited I've been dancing and singing and bouncing around all day!

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

Hi there!
And, just to confirm---is it unlimited food & soft drinks on board? Dh was asking and I told him I would find out.

It will be myself, DH, and 2 sons--6 and 8. We were going to leave them at home with grandma while we took a grown-up vacation, but with free kids & the kids club it seemed like a no-brainer!

I'm so excited I've been dancing and singing and bouncing around all day!

WELCOME!!!

Yes, unlimited food and drinks!!!

I have an 8 year old too!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

It will be nice to head somewhere warm in March!

YES, we are also in a deluxe family stateroom on 8!

Let the countdown begin.....

(Have you booked your flight yet??)

ITA....especially with this cold weather already here! Did you get any snow in Castle Rock yesterday or today? It just spit a little snow here, but it's way too cold for September!

We haven't booked airfare yet. Southwest is only booking through March 10th. We like flying SW as we tend to overpack for the cruises.

Hi there! I just booked this morning! I can't decide if I want to tell the kids or wait. Decisions decisions....we are going to the World Dec. 23-Jan 3 & then decided to go on a cruise for Spring Break. DH said he didn't want to go back to Disney World for Spring Break but would really enjoy a cruise. So, I checked Disney this morning & saw the 1/2 price deposit along with the kids sail free deal! So, I hurried and booked!

Yahoo!

And double yahoo for the mickey bars on board! I never thought about that!

And, just to confirm---is it unlimited food & soft drinks on board? Dh was asking and I told him I would find out.

It will be myself, DH, and 2 sons--6 and 8. We were going to leave them at home with grandma while we took a grown-up vacation, but with free kids & the kids club it seemed like a no-brainer!

I'm so excited I've been dancing and singing and bouncing around all day!

The kids will love the clubs! There have been times where we have to drag our youngest out of the club to join us for dinner. The cruises are awesome in that you can spend as much time with the kids as you want, or have some free time sans kids!

Yes, you can get mostly unlimited food and soft drinks from the moment you walk on-board. There are some exceptions -- you will be charged for soft drinks if you order one from the bars, nightclubs or from room service. There is a soft drink station on Deck 9 aft where you can get a free refill 24 hours a day. They have cups next to the machine, so no need to bring your own. There is also coffee, hot tea and hot cocoa here.

The exceptions for free food include Palo (although you get an awesome meal for a $15 service fee per person), and the concessions stands in front of the theater. The concessions stand sell packages of snacks similar to what you would see in the theme parks. For example, they will sell you a box of 4 Mickey head rice krispy treats for $11, but you can order them for free from room service. (FYI -- room service is free, but you should tip $1 or $2 when they bring you the food)

Disney will also try to sell you a case of bottled water (around $35) when you board. We carry our own bottled water on board.

WELCOME!!!

Yes, unlimited food and drinks!!!

I have an 8 year old too!

We have an 8 year old boy as well. I should start a roster on the first page.

 

[Oregon Traveler]

Just a reminder to everyone that Southwest opens their fares tomorrow for the dates of our travel. So snag the cheap tickets before they're gone.

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

How's everyone doing? It's been quiet here lately!!!

I hope we get enough people to participate in the FE exchange because I FINALLY got my idea together for my gift.

Have we talked about dining rotations yet? We have the second/late seating.

Hope all is well!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I agree. Way too quiet on here.

148 days to go until Spring Break.

We have the second dining rotation as well. We've done both in the past and prefer late seating as you're not so rushed getting back for dinner.

We have our fish extender from the last cruise, so would participate if we can get enough interest.

What is everyone looking forward to the most about the cruise?