7/13/13 ~~ Eastern Mediterranean Mouseketeers!

[LovesToRun]

We are Windows phone people (DH) too...given your location I can guess why. Wish that there were a few other apps...like My Disney Experience for WP. There aren't many apps that I wish for...but there are a couple that would be nice to have.

Its our first Disney cruise (DS's first cruise period) and our second. Already thinking about whether I should book a Southern Caribbean one with DS in 2014. LOL!

Right now I am dying to know if they are really going to do 24 hours of MK on May 24th. DS and I are headed down on the 23rd for a long weekend. We got seasonal APs in Oct so I'm trying to get an extra trip in before summer! And DS has started getting in to Star Wars so very excited to go to Star Wars weekend.

We also finally get to book our excursions this weekend. We have private in Rome, DH & DS are trying to do a DCL for Pisa while I head on my own to Cinque Terre, on our own in France, and DH and I are doing DCL for Ephesus while DS stays on the ship more than likely. Others we are still debating what to do...guess we should decide at least preliminarily.

In the meantime we are dealing with house stuff...so ready to be done with them. Stucco leaks that have rotted the framing and have to be repaired by cutting holes in our house And the latest was found by the flooring guys who were supposed to be refinishing the hardwood floors as the last step in repairing a different leak. So no furniture on the main level of the house (its all in the garage), sanded floors and no sure time table for finishing the job. When we get back it from the cruise it will likely be more construction as we get to deal with the project that we originally set out to do...finish the other half of the basement before we have a house full of people for the holidays!

I am definitely looking forward to this vacation! I'm going to need it!!

Wow, a Windows Phone person... seems like everyone has the iPhone. Yes, a large international high tech company in our area is a major part of our lives. LOL!! Let's just say that there are zero Apple products in our home.

I'm really not an App person (probably because I don't think Apps are a "forte" for the Windows phone, BUT I would like to have the countdown App!!! That would be fun....

Oh, you will love the Disney Cruise!! I still remember our first Disney Cruise... we weren't even on the ship for an hour before we said to each other that we're for SURE booking a second cruise here while on board. We've been hooked ever since.

MK is going to be open for 24 hours (or at least rumored to be)?? Wow.... my kids would love that, but I don't think my DH and I could do it... we would be falling asleep by 11PM! HA! But, I guess adrenaline could kick in.... you should let us know if you do this and give us a report on being up all night at MK!

Good luck with all the house stuff.... hope it all gets sorted out and fixed without any setbacks! Well, hopefully you can not think about your house at all while on the Med cruise!

 

[LovesToRun]

I just noticed the post above this I wrote, not sure why the text in the yellow box says it was originally written by me. ha! That whole post looks like I'm having a conversation with myself.... Too funny!! It must have been user error on my part somehow when I went to quote "drlaurfsu's" post.... LOL!!

 

[Amy Fran]

we weren't even on the ship for an hour before we said to each other that we're for SURE booking a second cruise here while on board. We've been hooked ever since.

Us, too! I tell people who haven't cruised that it's "dangerous"! You go broke trying to go as often as you possibly can! We added points to our DVC membership while onboard our first cruise because the incentives allowed us to cruise Alaska for free only 5 months later.

I'm always so excited for the first-time cruisers! They have no idea how incredibly amazing their trip is really going to be!!!

 

[happy_momma]

I'm always so excited for the first-time cruisers! They have no idea how incredibly amazing their trip is really going to be!!!

Well, that certainly helps me get even more excited...as if I need to be more excited.

Oh, how cool you have a countdown app on your phone!! I am guessing you have an Iphone... I have a Windows Phone... not sure it has an app like that. I'll have to look! What a fun thing! I would probably look at it several times a day, too.

I do have an iphone...I love it, but to be honest, I don't use a lot of the apps. I probably could use it for a lot more, but I'm one of those old-fashioned types that actually prefers to write things down than track them on my phone. I would think Windows would have a similar app - I just searched countdown apps, and this one was free. Right now it's telling me that in 75d 20h 4m and 43s I'll be at the airport, LOL.

That is so great this is your first cruise!! Like first cruise ever, or first Disney Cruise? Regardless, I KNOW you will love it.... I've been on other cruise lines, and in my opinion, no cruise line I've been on yet compares to Disney!

Yes, first cruise ever! I'm not sure why we've never done it before...I've never really had the desire to cruise, or really looked into it. We wanted to do Europe, and love Disney...so thought we'd check into the Disney cruise because it seemed like a much easier way to see Europe with kids, and gives us the best of both worlds. The more homework I do, and the more I learn, the more I think we are really going to love it. We'll probably be booking a second one before we get back home.

 

[happy_momma]

Right now I am dying to know if they are really going to do 24 hours of MK on May 24th. DS and I are headed down on the 23rd for a long weekend. We got seasonal APs in Oct so I'm trying to get an extra trip in before summer! And DS has started getting in to Star Wars so very excited to go to Star Wars weekend.

We were at Disney the last time they opened MK for 24 hours...for leap year last year on February 29th. We were there during the day, but didn't make it into the night. We have the souvenir pins though. My son was only 4 at the time, so wasn't quite up for it. It was cool to say we were there though, since it was the first time they had done it. Weren't they supposed to be announcing that today?

 

[happy_momma]

Ok, there seems to be something weird going on with the postings...why does it say that the post above was originally posted by Loves to Run?

 

[drlaurafsu]

They are supposed to make an announcement tonight. If they are doing the 24hrs it will likely be announced then. We are planning to go to SWW that day but I'm thinking we might leave mid afternoon and then head back to the hotel for a while...then get up super early (middle of the night really) and head back around 3am. I'll have a car and we are staying on site so it would be easy to pop over for a while.

I'm thinking if we did that a quick breakfast at a monorail resort than back to MK for Sat am RD might be a good option. Then back to the hotel around noon for a nap and pool.

DS has said only MK and HS this trip and since its only 4 days plan was HS/MK/HS/MK half day Monday and home. So this would really throw a kink into my plans. I don't really want to be in the heavy crowds at MK and hoping it would draw some from HS plus make Sat really light.

Hmmm...Ohana has a 7:30 breakfast ressie. Think I'll grab that just in case. We haven't done breakfast there and we have TIW card.

 

[happy_momma]

That sounds like it would be a lot of fun...I would love to do SWW one of these years while DS is still into Star Wars. He did the Jedi Training last year and it was the highlight of his trip (or maybe his life, LOL). How old is your DS?

The 24-hour day definitely threw a wrench into our plans when we went. We were there for the Princess 1/2 Marathon, and 2 other families came with us who had never been to DIsney before. Everyone was relying on me to be the master planner, and of course the day we were at MK, they decided to do the 24 hour day. Talk about pressure, LOL. We went anyway, and it worked out fine...we were there early, and out of there by mid-afternoon. Things were definitely getting crazy by the time we left though. The morning was fine though, and I'm sure it would be fine later at night.

 

[drlaurafsu]

DS is 6 1/2. He has seen Episodes 4 & 5 (the original and Empire Strikes Back). He's done JTA twice now - last Oct and back in Jan. Loved it. Both times got to play one of the "extra" roles. One he was last and the other he got to "use the force" on DV.

This is a special Mami/Son trip...DH is staying home. I think it will be a blast.

 

[drlaurafsu]

So they did just announce the 24 hours on the 24th. So now I have to figure it out. Glad I pulled the trigger on the 7:30 breakfast ressie at Ohanas. Gives me a little flexibility.

 

[LovesToRun]

So they did just announce the 24 hours on the 24th. So now I have to figure it out. Glad I pulled the trigger on the 7:30 breakfast ressie at Ohanas. Gives me a little flexibility.

This sounds like so much fun!! I wish we lived closer to WDW so we could do stuff like this. What a fun mom/son experience this will be! (oh, and I love Ohanas!! We've only had dinner there, but loved it).

You'll have to give a report on how the time was.

Oh, and what is SWW? I figured out (I think) it has to do with Star Wars, but can't figure it out much past that.

 

[drlaurafsu]

It is Star Wars Weekend at HS. They have 4 weekends across May and June where they have all this extra SW's stuff. Fab 4 as SW characters, extra m&G with SW characters. Autograph sessions with actual SWs actors. Special parade and show opening. Special merchandise tent full of SW related stuff, some Disney related and some just SW.

 

[LovesToRun]

Ok, thanks to Happy_Mama for mentioning a countdown app on her phone, today I searched my apps (which I really am not an app person) and I found a countdown app!! I just installed it and it is very cool!! Counts down not only number of days, but how many hours, minutes & seconds till we leave! :-D It was a free app, too.


So now, on looking days where I can't wait even more for our Europe trip, that app will remind me not too much longer!! Woo hoo!

Thanks for the idea, Happy_Mama!!

 

[drlaurafsu]

Which app? Can you do multiple countdowns? I have a 6 year old who is constantly asking me how many days until...

 

[LovesToRun]

Which app? Can you do multiple countdowns? I have a 6 year old who is constantly asking me how many days until...

It is just called "Countdown".

On the Windows Phone, I just selected the search button and typed in "countdown", and this was the first app that appeared, and it was free, and had 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars ... 831 ratings, so that is why I chose this one.

It says it is created by someone named "Thomas Tsopanakis". The icon is a dark red box with a calendar in it.

That is about all I can tell you about it. Just do a search on the search button for countdown apps, and if for some reason your phone doesn't show it, there are quite a few others. But, this one is pretty cool!! Just constantly counts down.

I just installed the exact same app on my son's phone, and had no trouble finding it on his phone. So you should find it, if you search for "countdown".

If you do find it, once it's installed, you just click on the app, then click on the little (+) at the bottom, and that will bring you to the screen where you type in all the info for your countdown. Then, you have to label your event (Disney Cruise/Europe) select the date of your event (ie, day you leave for your trip), and the time you leave, and then click OK, and it'll create the countdown. And, anytime you want to see it, you just click on that app and it brings you right to your countdown! It's really cool!!

Makes me even more excited to see how close it is until we leave!

 

[Eleblanc]

Hello everyone. I have just finished sending PMs to everyone to confirm participation in both the Fish Extender and Secret Mickey exchanges. If you signed up for either of these on the spreadsheet and have not received a PM from me for some reason, please send me a message to confirm.

Between the chaos here in Boston and me losing my internet for a few days I have fallen behind.

I will do the Secret Mickey draw and notify everyone involved once I have received confirmation from all those that have signed up that they are still in.

 

[Stimpy]

Thank you to everyone doing the extra planning for this trip with bands, meets, FE, SM etc!!


Whew..just got caught up with about 20 pages of posts. This trip is coming up fast.

My DD 9, as of last week , always complains on the excursions and trips we take them on. But for St Patricks day they had to write a list of things they were lucky for. She wrote the usuals first..friends, pets...#3 was the chance to go places & cities most other people don't get to go to. So I was happy to see that....kind of made up for the fact she left off her family LOL

I also think they stopped the Palo tea. I forgot until I tried to book it and it wasn't listed. (We're gold cc). I like that more than the brunch.

My DS was able to more up to Edge on the Baltic when he was 2 months shy of 11. They had no problem. He actually didn't like it there though. He's hoping he has no problem this time moving up to Vibe this time but we will see...again he's only 2 months too young but he's starting HS in the fall so I think he would prefer to be w HS aged kids. Like someone else said, it really depends on how many kids are on board in each age group.

 

[drlaurafsu]

Can someone post for us newbies who get to book our excursions this weekend what is currently sold out?

DH and I are trying to get an idea of what options we have at the moment. We are planning a mix of DCL, private and on your own excursions but wondering if we are going to be forced into going OYO in a couple of places because there are limited options.

TIA!!

 

[Newfoundland Sailor]

Can someone post for us newbies who get to book our excursions this weekend what is currently sold out?
TIA!!

I promised an update earlier this week.... But we had some out-of-towners show up and the house and throw my week off. I'm at my son's music class at the moment but I'll update this afternoon, if that's not too late for you?

 

[drlaurafsu]

Heather - that would be great! We book tomorrow night. Much appreciated.