4 Nights of Sweet DREAMS! 10/20/13

[D73]

THE FE GROUP 2 IS NOW CLOSED



For all of you "first timers", here's an explanation of a "Fish Extender Gift Exchange" that I have modified from a tablemate on my April 2012 cruise who is also a Platinum Castaway Club Member and active DIS-er. Thanks to DebT!

Beside every cabin door is a large metal silver fish (or starfish or seahorse) with an indentation in the back for cruise personnel to leave information, invitations, etc. Teenagers receive invitations to Teen Club activities and we've also received "rebooking onboard" price quotes tucked in our fish.

DISboarders have taken the silver fish (starfish, seahorse) one step further... by creating hanging pockets (much like cloth letter holders) to hang from the fish (or starfish, or seahorse) - thus the name, "Fish Extender". The Fish Extenders (FEs) can be made of practically anything (cloth, plastic, paper gift bags, etc.), as long as they have at least one pocket that can hold surprises. Many are personalized with the names of those in the cabin and there are even sellers on ebay who will create them for you.

On each "Cruise Meets" thread (such as this 10-20-13 one) someone usually organizes a little gift exchange during the cruise. So folks, this time around that someone is me! People sign up by giving their cabin number, names of everyone in their cabin, and ages of the kids so that everyone will know how many goodies to bring and where to deliver them. Some people give one gift per family, some people give a little gift to each person. It's totally up to the giver to decide what to give and when to give it during the cruise.

There are several threads on the main cruise boards that discuss ideas for FE gifts. Some gifts are from Dollar Stores, some are handmade, and some are bought in bulk from websites that sell trinkets like the Oriental Trading Company. Often, they are stickers, candy, glow sticks, lanyards, etc., with themes such as pirates, beach, cruise, tropical, hometown, holiday, etc. The main idea is just to have fun finding little goodies in your FE throughout the cruise. Kids LOVE running back to their cabin to see if anything's been left in their FE. As an adult, I have to admit that I love it, too!!!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, this thread has tons of info and ideas about FE Gift Exchanges: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607

I speak from personal experience that it really is a LOT of fun to participate!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
So for our FE group I am opening up the sign up at this very moment!
To sign up, send me the following details via Private Message here on the DIS Boards

DIS Board name
Names of each person participating
Ages of each person under 18 who is participating
Stateroom #
Contact email address

On the thread here I will maintain a list of participants only by DIS-Board name. The sensitive material such as stateroom number will only be shared with the participants.

The main point of this is to have some fun while on board as well as having some fun in the preparation and anticipation of the cruise ahead. So let's have fun!

Christopher

CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS As of 23 September 2013

Full details to be sent soon, but to further aid your planning until then here is a summary:

15 Cabins with 28 adults and 11 children

4 Girls: 7, 7, 5, 20 mos
7 Boys: 10, 6, 5, 5, 4, 2.5, 2


katieg999
1 adult

Tinker4093
2 adults, 1 child

goodseed
Cabin 1: 2 adults, dd (7)
Cabin 2: 2 adults

Miss Chris
Cabin 2: 1 adult

mom3girls2000
2 adults

4sandoras
2 adults, DD (7), DS (5)

cmountz
Cabin 1: 2 adults, DS (2.5)
Cabin 2: 2 adults

Oktoberfest
2 adults, 1 child

chansgirl
Cabin 1: 2 adults, 2 children
Cabin 2: 2 adults 1 child

slm1221
2 adults, 1 child

lilladyles
2 adults, 1 child (20 mos)

D73 (1)
2 adults


Still waiting for further details from lilladyles

 

[D73]

It's Monday, and exactly 4 weeks from today it is our Nassau port day! Some wake up at the crack of dawn and watch the sunrise (scheduled for 7:11 AM) in complete and total awe as the captain skillfully steers our massive ship into the tiny Nassau harbor and gently nestles it up against the dock. Amazing! Some of us, on the other hand, are still sleeping soundly and don’t even realize the ship has stopped moving!

Our first decision of our first morning onboard is where to eat breakfast. A large assortment of American and European breakfast delicacies are waiting for us at both Cabana’s and Enchanted Garden. Flo’s Café has a variety of grab and go pastries, and a fancy sit-down breakfast is available at Royal Palace. Espresso lovers head straight to the adults-only Cove Cafe for made-to-order specialty coffee. (Note that you will be charged for any beverage ordered from a bar, be it coffee, alcohol, or soda. Self-serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and soda at the 24-hour Beverage Station are complimentary, as are non-alcoholic beverages served in restaurants during mealtimes. Another fee-based item to be aware of is the special kid’s drink that can be ordered at dinner that comes with a cute light-up character on the rim.)

A few families with early rising children are enjoying the Mickey pool all to themselves! Those who like to work out have already hit the gym or are walking/jogging laps around the Deck 4 promenade where 2-1/2 laps equals one mile! The Aqua Duck opens around 9am, which is a great time to try it without a wait.

Quite a few of us are planning to stay on the ship all day but many others are preparing to debark for their Nassau port excursions. Sunscreen, check. Hats, check. Sunglasses, check. Souvenir money, check. Camera, check. KTTW card, check. ID, check. (Every time we leave or return to the ship, our KTTW card will be scanned and we must show a photo ID.) We’re ready to go! As we step off the Dream’s gangway, we realize we are actually standing right next to the ship! You can almost reach out and touch her! And again, we marvel at how large she is! We pause to take photos with our ship in the background. We can’t help but compare her to the other cruise ships that are docked nearby in port. Is it our imagination, or is the Disney Dream clearly the most beautiful ship in the world?

Walking toward a row of brightly tropical-painted buildings, we stop again for photos at the “Welcome to Nassau” backdrop while becoming faintly aware of live Jamaican music in the distance. Ahhh yes, here in da Bahamas we be jammin’, mon! Soon, we step out into the hustle and bustle of the tiny island. We’ll be asked, cajoled, pleaded with, flattered, sweet-talked, and begged to take a taxi, guided tour, buy some trinkets, or get our hair braided. Women will be called “Pretty Lady” dozens of times by almost every local resident. It is an experience like no other!

On the ship, there are plenty of activities to keep us busy throughout the day. First-run movies are playing in the Buena Vista Theatre and on the huge Funnel View screen by the Donald Pool. Maybe we’ve decided to play shuffleboard, ping-pong, foosball, basketball, putt-putt, Wii games, board games, bingo, the Midship Detective Agency adventure, find all the interactive art, or take a guided ship tour. The Navigator is full of so many options of things to do that we sometimes have to choose between two or more enticing activities. The kids aren’t the only ones enjoying their age-specific areas… we adults can partake in beer/wine tastings, relax in the spa, work out in the gym, read, relax, snack, sample delicious treats in Cove Café, etc., etc., etc. Characters will be out and about in various locations for photos and autographs. Hey, isn’t it time to eat again? Lunch awaits!

As evening approaches, those with Main Dining will head to restaurant #2 on their dining rotation. What was that table number? Some servers will greet you by name as you enter the dining room! How in the world do they remember us when their guests change every 3-4 nights?!? We, in turn, greet our tablemates again, asking how their day was and comparing notes. We’ll also notice that our servers wear different outfits for each restaurant, reminding us that everything Disney does is a “show” and the entire crew is part of the “cast”. The rest of us with late dining will soon be entering the Walt Disney Theatre for Villians Tonight! Or amybe it is something even more spook-tacular for the halloween season. Isn't Jack Skellington supposed to make an appearance during our cruise? But first, maybe we’ll stop by Tow Mater’s Grill and pick up some piping hot french fries as an "appetizer" to tide us over until dinner… or better yet, get some ice-cream from Eye Scream!

Nassau’s all-aboard time is usually 6:00 p.m. (although occasionally DCL will extend the time to 11pm as a special treat for the hard-working crew). Will everyone make it back on board in time? We’ll know some guests are AWOL if we start hearing names being paged over the sound system! As the ship pulls away from the dock, keep an eye out for the Pilot Boat. It is a small tug that has a very thick black rubber bumper all the way around it. Once we’ve cleared the channel and are heading out to sea, watch as the pilot boat speeds closer and closer to one side of our ship, carefully matching our speed. When it gets within inches of The Dream, you’ll see a person jump (yes, JUMP!) from our ship onto the Pilot Boat! You have to watch carefully… blink and you’ll miss it! And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, was the Nassau Port Pilot whose job is to help guide large ships safely out of the tiny harbor.

Soon, late diners are headed to dinner and main diners will have their turn to watch Villians Tonight! And after everyone has had a full day of fun, it’s time to head back to our cabins for a good night’s sleep before docking at what many refer to as "paradise on earth" in the morning! Another check in our FEs yields more bounty! We’re so glad we signed up for this! And, another towel animal patiently awaits our arrival inside our cabin, along with little chocolates and the Castaway Cay Navigator! We fall asleep thinking about what a great time we've had so far and how happy we are that we brought our families on this wonderful cruise!

 

[lilladyles]

THE FE GROUP 2 IS NOW CLOSED


Still waiting for further details from lilladyles

Thanks so much for including my family and I! I apologize for the delay in my response. I'm still new to Disboards and didn't notice the message. We are very excited to participate!

 

[lilladyles]

Has been a trickier organization this time compared to past times since we have many that are first timers on the boards so communication by private message has been hindered. But I am glad to have so many getting involved and hopefully everyone will have a great time.

I have been updating the list as I get the final details in from those who expressed desire to join. I am still waiting for one more. I have tied to communicate via private message, email, and reminder here but I have not received their details yet. I will give them until Wednesday and then Thursday midday (which is AM for most of you) I will send the list of Group 2 to all the participants.

As my spreadsheet is at home, I do not have the ages of the other children in front of me. But when I arrive home, I will compile a list of ages and post them so that you can get started before receiving the final on Thursday.

I hope this is all right for everyone.

Christopher

Christopher, you have been so great to try to reach me every way you could. Being new on Disboards and not having "private message" access is rough! Thank you so much for your efforts. I promise to check this site every day until the cruise! My husband and I are very excited about the FE gifts we have in store and can't wait to share them with everyone! Thank you again for all the work you've put into getting all of us together!

 

[D73]

Christopher, you have been so great to try to reach me every way you could. Being new on Disboards and not having "private message" access is rough! Thank you so much for your efforts. I promise to check this site every day until the cruise! My husband and I are very excited about the FE gifts we have in store and can't wait to share them with everyone! Thank you again for all the work you've put into getting all of us together!

No worries. I understand it is a bit confusing if you are not used to the boards at first to get things going.

I got your info via email and will be able to send out a detailed list to all participants in Group 2 later today. So all is shaping up nicely.

Christopher

 

[D73]

It's Tuesday, and exactly 4 weeks from today we'll be looking forward to enjoying a full day on a little piece of heaven on earth called Castaway Cay! As the captain docks the ship, we gaze longingly at the pristine white sand beach dotted with colorful umbrellas and lounge chairs that are beckoning us ashore. We eagerly don bathing suits, sunscreen and cover-ups and then head to breakfast to indulge in another wonderful meal onboard. It is so nice to not have to cook! Beginning around 8:30am, we’ll make our way down to Deck 1 to debark directly onto the island – no tenders for us here!

As we make our way past the tiny little post office on the right, some of us will stop in to purchase Bahamian stamps to adhere to postcards destined for the family and friends who aren’t enjoying pure paradise with us today. “Wish you were here!” Sometimes, Donald Duck is standing outside for photos! We’ll also run into Mickey, Minnie, and even Captain Jack Sparrow throughout the day for fun photo ops! This is the second time (and the last) that we can get "up close and personal" photos right next to our beautiful ship!

We’ll make our way to one of several beaches... families will settle on the first beach on the left, arriving by tram or by walking. Seasoned castaways who prefer fewer crowds will continue on down to the far end of the family beach. Adults sans children will continue on to Serenity Bay. Everyone will marvel at the crystal clear pale blue ocean water! Wow! Look closely, and you’ll see tiny little fish darting around in the water, reminding us that we really are on a teeny tiny natural tropical island in the middle of the ocean! Wade farther out so that the water is up to your neck and you can still look down and see your feet through the water! Amazing!

Now that we have staked out our little piece of paradise for the next several hours, it’s time to relax! With any luck, the sun is shining brightly, there is a gentle tropical breeze, and the ocean water is warm. We sit back in our beach chair (or hammock or lounge chair) and enjoy the gorgeous view! The ocean stretches out in front of us for as far as we can see! Those on the family beach have a fabulous view of The Dream docked to the left. Laughter and squeals fill the air as children of all ages begin to frolic in the water. We can’t help but smile as our picture perfect vacation plays out before our very eyes.

There is almost as much to do on the family beach as there has been onboard the ship! Building sandcastles, swimming, sunning, and smiling. Beach volleyball, basketball free-throw challenge, and Crab Races are all starting soon. A DJ is playing popular beach music. Have any requests? Yes, this beach area is alive with energy! Some have already ventured off on rented bicycles or are floating lazily in rented inner tubes. Is anyone signed up to pet and feed stingrays today?

Working up an appetite? Cookies' BBQ and Cookies’ BBQ2 have been busy all morning preparing barbecue feasts for us and the aroma wafting toward us now is making our stomachs rumble! We gather the family and migrate toward the buffet lines that are filled to the brim with hamburgers and barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, pasta salad, potato salad, potato chips, fruit, and cookies. After filling our plates, we sit down at a picnic table in the shade of the shelter and proceed to stuff our bellies, being careful to save some room for ice cream! Oh yes, there is soft-serve ice cream on the island, too!

After lunch, some will check the younger children into Scuttle's Cove so parents can have a little bit of “couple” time. The kids will enjoy fun activities (including a whale dig!) while parents explore the island on their own and possibly even decide to see what the adults-only beach is all about. Serenity Bay can be found at the far side of the island, at the end of a long tram ride down an abandoned air strip and what seems like worlds away from the family beach. Peaceful and serene, this beach is bliss for those wanting true rest and relaxation. Some are reading, some are dozing, some are floating in the pale blue water, and some are sitting in beach chairs at the edge of the ocean with their feet in the water. The Air Bar is nearby, and servers pass by frequently to make sure we all stay properly “hydrated”. Next to the Air Bar is Serenity Bay’s very own private barbecue lunch spot. And just like at Cookies’ and Cookies’2, they even have ice cream and cookies! We're on vacation, so calories don't count, right??? Those of you who have young children might wish they were older so you, too, could spend the entire day here at Serenity Bay, but those who’s children are grown may feel that those days passed all too quickly and you secretly wish your children were still young and enjoying Castaway Cay with you.

A fun spot to walk off lunch (and get a little exercise) is the walking/bike path half-way down the runway between the family and adult beaches. Our reward for venturing inside this maze-like trail is coming across the little observation tower where you can look out over most of the island! It’s a fairly long walk, so be sure to grab some cold water before heading in if the day is hot.

All too soon, we realize it’s getting closer and closer to the 4:30pm all-aboard time. Wait! Have we taken time to check out the little souvenir shops yet? Although there are a few Castaway Cay items in the onboard gift shops, a much larger variety of exclusive CC merchandise is for sale only on the island! Don’t worry about not having cash, though, because only our Key to the World cards are accepted here. Very convenient… too convenient!

We hear the ship’s horn and that is our cue that all aboard time is approaching. Reluctantly, we start gathering our belongings. Did you know that a sprinkle of baby powder makes brushing off the fine white sand a very easy task? With a heavy heart, we begin trudging back toward the ship. Do we REALLY have to leave this beautiful island? Say it isn’t so. If we hadn’t thought about rebooking onboard yet, we are certainly thinking about it now!

Back on the Dream we can hear our final sail away party already underway on the pool deck. The upbeat music helps us feel a little better about having to leave Castaway Cay behind. We make a quick trip to the 24-hour Drink Station to rehydrate before watching our vessel slowly pull away from the beautiful tiny island. As Castaway Cay fades into a tiny far-off speck in the distance, we head to our cabins to shower and get ready for tonight’s activities. It is truly mind boggling that 4,000 people are showering at practically the same time and we all still have plenty of hot water to wash the remnants of Castaway Cay off of us! Gosh, the water heater in my house barely makes it through two people showering!

At our 3rd dinner rotation restaurant tonight, we’ll greet our servers and tablemates by name, having become very familiar with them over the last two nights. We’ll also realize that many of the servers who we saw working hard at Cookies BBQ and BBQ2 today are now busy making our dinner experience as perfect as possible for us tonight! Do they ever get a day off? (The answer is: rarely – all DCL crew work a minimum of 70+ hours each week! ) As we look around the restaurant, we observe that a few guests failed to apply enough sunscreen during the day ouch! We also can’t help but notice that the servers and quite a few guests are dressed up like pirates! Hooray! It’s the long awaited “Pirate Night”! Did you pack some pirate wear? Will we see you dressed in a pirate t-shirt or head-to-toe authentic outfit? Did you find some pirate-themed items in your FE? Thanks, DCL, for our pirate bandanas! Love the pirate-themed menu!

Between dinner and Pirate Night festivities, there are plenty of activities listed in the Navigator! Keep an eye out for Captain Jack Sparrow and other characters available for photos and autographs! Feel lucky? Try Pirate Bingo! Like game shows? Play “A Pirate’s Life for Me”! Instead of a stage show in the Walt Disney Theatre, a special guest performer has been brought onboard to amaze and entertain us. Who will it be tonight? A comic? A juggler? A ventriloquist? A combination of all three? Let’s go see!

As darkness descends, sailors beware - the pool deck has been transformed into a pirate’s lair! Aye mateys, there be not one, but two pirate parties awaitin’ ye brave souls: the Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean family-oriented show and then the livelier Buccaneer Blast as darkness descends. Arrrrrrrrgh! Aye, there be Pirates IN the Caribbean! Let’s get this party started! Did you know that DCL is the only cruise line in the entire world that has been granted permission to set off fireworks at sea? We can hardly wait to experience this! Savvy sailors (read: cost conscious) have brought their own booty (read: glow stick necklaces and bracelets from the Dollar Store) to wear tonight.

As the pirate party winds down, the Pirate Dessert Buffet is being readied for us in Cabana’s! Oh yeah, it’s time to eat again! Definitely check out all of the spectacular food sculptures on display! But, go soon because it’s usually only open from 10:30pm to 11:15pm! Afterward, pull up a lounge chair on the pool deck and experience watching “Pirates in the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” on the huge Funnel View movie screen outside on deck 11. Really, how many people can say they have watched one of the Pirates’ movies with the amazing built-in special effects of actually being onboard a real live moving ship?!? Shiver me timbers!

Soon, our sugar high begins to wear off and the now familiar gentle rocking of the ship has relaxed us. We realize we are weary from a full-day of amazing adventures. Time to make our way back to our cabins, empty our FE’s, check out our newest towel animal, glance at tomorrow’s Navigator, and ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……………….

 

[D73]

FE Group 2 details have been sent via Private Message and via email.

There are still 2 cabins that are in the state of GTY who will inform me when they have been assigned a cabin number. I will then place them on the FE delivery map so you can find them.

Have fun with all your preparations.

Christopher

 

[D73]

Exactly 4 weeks from today, the sun rises early on the Dream as we slowly cruise at sea! For some, this will be the first day ever of not stepping foot on solid land!!! It is the perfect day for exploring all the nooks and crannies of our beautiful ship! Outta bed, sleepy head! Let’s see what the Dream has in store for us! And who knows, this might be the day that Disney unleashes all kinds of Halloween magic. The first sailing of this year's Halloween enhanced Dream is happening right now, so I imagine if we watch closely some details will surface online from those who are sailing this voyage.

But first, it’s time to eat… again! Maybe you're planning to pamper yourselves with a sit-down breakfast in the Royal Palace or Enchanted Garden this morning? Or maybe you’d rather sit outside on Cabana’s deck, looking out into vast expanse of ocean, occasionally glimpsing another ship on the horizon. The Aqua Duck is opening early! So is the Midship Detective Agency - have you solved a mystery yet? How about watching Jack-Jack’s Incredible Diaper Dash – the cutest race ever seen! The princesses are gathering this morning for autographs and photographs. There are usually two bingo sessions offered today – are you feeling lucky? Maybe you are in the mood for a movie? Trivia contests? Spa treatments? Quite a few of us will head to the pools and hot tubs. And almost all the kids will want to spend time with their new friends in the Kids’ Clubs. Characters will be out and about all day, too! It's really not possible to have a moment of boredom on a Disney ship! So much to do, so much to see, so much to eat… is it lunchtime yet???

The afternoon is also full of activity choices! How about a round of Goofy Golf? Have you ever wondered how to make towel animals? Well, now’s your chance! Have you ever raced a car that your family made out of vegetables? How about a cooking class? There are also several Family Craft sessions! More trivia games. The information session about DVC will give you a chance to win a raffle!!! Wine tasting for the adults! Another stop at Eye Scream. Maybe we'd better do a few laps around Deck 4 to burn off all those extra calories we’ve been indulging in… or better yet - take a nap on one of those comfy lounge chairs on Deck 4 instead!

The last full day aboard the ship also means we need to begin preparations for our dreaded departure. First on the list is gratuities. If you have not paid in advance, the standard amount will be applied to your stateroom or you can stop by Guest Services to pay in cash or alter this arrangement at your discretion. Tickets will be delivered to your stateroom that you can place in the envelopes that were delivered the night before. We’ll be sure to leave our cabin host’s tip envelope on the bed before we head to dinner – sort of a reversal of roles since he/she is the one who has been leaving us little surprises there each night. (We’ll hand our other three tip envelopes out at the end of dinner.) We also need to pack – a most unpleasant task since we have now decided that we never want to leave the ship – ever! Suitcases need to be outside our cabin door (ironically pretty much in the same spots we found them just three short afternoons ago!) by 10:30pm so they can be whisked away and waiting for us in customs in the port terminal tomorrow morning. Don’t forget to set out a full set of clothes for the trip home though, including shoes! DCL crew have lots and lots of stories about people disembarking in their pjs!

A gorgeous orange sunset comes all too soon, but there is still plenty to do as we try to fit in every last moment of this magical vacation! There’s a dance party, another game show, and karaoke just to name a few. It will be difficult to narrow down which photographs to purchase from Shutters – they reflections of treasured memories, captured and frozen forever! It’s time for one last souvenir shopping spree in the gift shops! Oh - and don't forget that the Captain will be signing autographs tonight in Whitecaps!

Main diners are headed to the last restaurant in their rotation, now with their table number ingrained in their memory. No need, though, as your server recognizes you as you approach the entrance and happily escorts you to your table. Some will exchange email addresses with tablemates, planning to keep in touch. We’ll say our goodbyes to our new friends and servers, but we will see most of them again in the morning during our quick sit-down breakfast before having to leave the ship. Late diners are enjoying tonight’s stage show, Disney’s Believe! It is a sweet, well-performed, sentimental Disney story.

Eventually, those with young children will have to retrieve them from the Kids’ Clubs one final time. Wouldn't it be great to have those wonderful Counselors at home with us!? Then, we all head to the atrium for a final farewell from all the characters at 10:15pm. They have gathered together in the atrium for a little goodbye show, and we really do hope to see them again real soon!!!!

We head back to our cabins and peek in our FE’s one last time before unhooking them from our fish/starfish/seahorse. We check out our last towel animal. We set an all-too-early wake-up call. And then we snuggle into bed one final time, a little bit sad that our cruise is coming to an end. And finally, after a very full day, the gentle rocking motion lulls us to sleep one... last... time.......

 

[Toria]

We received our documents today yay!
Who will be dressing up for the pirate and halloween party? I am thinking about dressing up myself and I knw that DD will want to.

 

[Tianna05]

Hello Fellow cruisers! It's my family's first cruise and we are so so so excited!
(although I am a little stressed at the moment knowing we go in just over a week and I have so much reading/planning/preparing and packing still left to do! FE gifts are done though!)

 

[lilladyles]

We received our documents today yay!
Who will be dressing up for the pirate and halloween party? I am thinking about dressing up myself and I knw that DD will want to.

My DH, DD, and I will be dressing up for both the Halloween party and for pirate night. I'm not sure how far we'll go with the pirate costumes, but I'll at least wear an eye patch or something. Haha!

 

[lasinda]

Hello! I am SO totally late to the party! We just booked our trip for Oct 20 Dream cruise. I would love to participate in an FE exchange. I realize this thread/group is closed....but am wondering if it is too late to start a new FE exchange group? I am a first time cruiser and new to the board so any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[pepe3penelope]

D73: I absolutely LOVED reading your post. Lived reliving a cruise experience. Can't wait to show to my DH.

 

[D73]

Hello! I am SO totally late to the party! We just booked our trip for Oct 20 Dream cruise. I would love to participate in an FE exchange. I realize this thread/group is closed....but am wondering if it is too late to start a new FE exchange group? I am a first time cruiser and new to the board so any advice would be greatly appreciated

glad you will be joining us for the cruise. I am fairly sure that you will not be the last to join the thread and we are happy to add you to the roll call and hope to meet you on board.

It is rather late however to try and organize a third FE group, however shortly after you posted here, I received an email from a participant from Group 1 who has asked to withdraw from the group. It may be possible to substitute you and your family into this space however some members of the group may have completed their personalization of exchange items and it may mean incorrect names etc.

I am sending you a private message with my email address where you can send your details but as the sail date is arriving soon, I need that info by midday Saturday September 28 so I can communicate it on Sunday. Once the 3 week to sailing point passes I am afraid it is really too late.

Since you are new here, you can acess your private messages via a bold link under your username in the right of the screen.

Hope you see this in time.
Christopher

 

[D73]

Hello Fellow cruisers! It's my family's first cruise and we are so so so excited!
(although I am a little stressed at the moment knowing we go in just over a week and I have so much reading/planning/preparing and packing still left to do! FE gifts are done though!)

Wow just over a week? Are you going to have an extended vacation ?

D73: I absolutely LOVED reading your post. Lived reliving a cruise experience. Can't wait to show to my DH.

Thanks. Again though I wish to give credit where it is due. A bulk of this was compiled by my table mate from a sailing in April 2012. THANKS DebT

 

[Chansgirl]

My DH, DD, and I will be dressing up for both the Halloween party and for pirate night. I'm not sure how far we'll go with the pirate costumes, but I'll at least wear an eye patch or something. Haha!

My two cabins are all dressing up for the pirate party and at least some of us will be dressed up for the Mouse-querade party. I think I am way too excited to dance under the stars in a pirate costume on a grande ol ship like this, I may just have to dress up all 4 nights!

 

[D73]

Here is the update for September 28, 2013. Please send me any corrections.

This is the list of disboarders who are sailing and who will likely come together for a meet and greet during the cruise. This is based upon those who have posted on the thread. Please do not confuse this with the FE participants list which is a smaller number of cabins based upon their desire to participate.

Roll call for Disney Dream October 20, 2013

alcooper3 with dh, dd (6)
crazyzeus1 Heather, dh Jeff, ds (10) Reese
d73
(cabin 1) Christopher and Guilherme
(cabin 2) Larry and Jean
cookingqueen Sharon, dh Steve, ds (10)
rshagelberger with dh Ronnie, ds (5) Holden
marks4483 with dh, ds (8), ds (3), dd (3)
weswife with dh, dd (20), ds (14)
chefbart with dw
bbqmommy with dh, dd(8)
mullinsfam4him
(cabin 1) with dh, ds (9), ds (4)
(cabin 2) mil, fil
crmls with dh, dd (7), dd (6), ds (2)
networktek with dw
jedijill Jill
dctootall honeymoon couple
trparsons with dh, mil and 3 dds
ladyfan55 Amber with dh and 3 dss
tianna05 with dh, dd (8), dd (6)
kerrymommy with dh
bigvig1130 with dh, dd (11), ds (1)
katie999 with dh, dd (15) and 2 friends of dd
carolejm with dh, ds (6), dd (4)
Mouserrificmommy with dh, dd(?), dd (?) and extended party including:
goodseed 2 cabins: 1 with 2 adults and dd (7) and the other with 2 adults
Indianband 4 adults
Oktoberfest with dw and ds (5)
Clemsonbishop Paul, Jerri, ds Bradley (9), ds Jacob (6)
Miss Chris Chris, Josh, dd Maggie(7), ds Sam (3)
milehightodd Todd, Bobby, ds Brandon (17), ds Jayden (6), ds Jeremy (4)
traveling with Bobby's Parents, DSis and BIL
bakergirlebe 1 adult
katieg999 with DH and 3 teens
3under3 ?????
Tinker4093 3 people
mom3girls2000 2 adults
4sandoras 2 adults, DD (7), DS (5)
Toria 2 adults, DS (13), DD (9), DN (13)
lilladyles 2 adults, DD (infant)
marinewifelife 2 adults, child (2)
slm1221 2 adults, 1 child
cmountz 4 adults, 1 child in 2 cabins
chansgirl 4 adults and 3 children in 2 cabins
lasinda 2 adults, 3 children
cantmann 2 adults

last update: 2 October 2013

 

[D73]

Below please find the final (I believe and hope) list of FE Participants. Please note Group 1 members that there has been a change. The number of cabins and people remains the same but someone dropped out and I have replaced them with someone who was on the waiting list. I have highlighted chanes by putting in red with bold and underline For those with email addresses on file, you should have received an email. The rest I have sent by PM.


GROUP 1

Confirmed participants: 20 cabins with 68 people
42 Adults, 15 girls, 11 boys

ALCooper3
2 adults and DD (6)

D73 (Cabin 1)
2 adults

D73 (Cabin 2)
2 adults

networktek
2 adults

bigvig1130
2 adults, DD (11), DS (1)

trparsons
2 cabins with 3 adults, DD(12), DD (10), DD (6)

Crmls
2 adults, DD (7), DD (6), DS (2.5)

rshagelberger (Cabin 1)
2 adults, DS (5)

Marks4483 (Cabin 2)
2 adults, DS (8), DS (3), DD (3)

mullinsfam4him
4 adults, DS (9), DS (4)

Kerrymommy
2 adults

tianna05
2 adults, DD (8), DD (6)

cookingqueen
2 adults, DS (10)

Mouserrificmommy (Cabin 1)
2 adults, DD (9), DD (7)

Mouserrifcmommy (Cabin 2)
2 adults, DS (3)

Indianband
4 adults

Miss Chris
2 adults, DD (7), DS (3)

lasinda
2 adults, DD (12), DD (9), DS (8)

bakergirlebe
1 adult




GROUP 2

15 Cabins with 28 adults and 11 children

4 Girls: 7, 7, 5, 20 mos
7 Boys: 10, 6, 5, 5, 4, 2.5, 2


katieg999
1 adult

Tinker4093
2 adults, 1 child

goodseed
Cabin 1: 2 adults, dd (7)
Cabin 2: 2 adults

Miss Chris
Cabin 2: 1 adult

mom3girls2000
2 adults

4sandoras
2 adults, DD (7), DS (5)

cmountz
Cabin 1: 2 adults, DS (2.5)
Cabin 2: 2 adults

Oktoberfest
2 adults, 1 child

chansgirl
Cabin 1: 2 adults, 2 children
Cabin 2: 2 adults 1 child

slm1221
2 adults, 1 child

lilladyles
2 adults, 1 child (20 mos)

D73 (1)
2 adults

 

[Cantmann]

Hello!! I have just discovered this dis board and after searching for what seems like hours, I have finally found this thread for our upcoming cruise in October. Is there any way possible to be added to FE activity? My husband and I are celebrating our 10th year anniversary with our four kiddies. Please let me know if we can be squeezed in.. Thank so much for organizing all of this!!

 

[D73]

Hello!! I have just discovered this dis board and after searching for what seems like hours, I have finally found this thread for our upcoming cruise in October. Is there any way possible to be added to FE activity? My husband and I are celebrating our 10th year anniversary with our four kiddies. Please let me know if we can be squeezed in.. Thank so much for organizing all of this!!

HI there and to the board.

We are happy to add you to the roll call and hope that you will join many of us for a meet and greet on the sail away day, 3 PM at the Wave Bar on Deck 12 Aft.

Unfortunately as we are so close to sailing, the FE lists are closed to additional participants. Group 1 closed on 1 September when reaching capacity and Group 2 closed on 21 September in order to allow accurate numbers and personalizing of the exchange items. I am sorry we can not get you involved this time around.

Looking forward to seeing you on board soon.

Christopher