8/17/2008 Double Dip 4-day Wonder

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Did anyone like my idea of getting together this summer?
I would love to meet before the cruise.

Oh- and I have a secret porthole room, too. The kids and I are in 5020 and my mom is across the hall in 5013. I would have loved connecting porthole rooms but they are not available.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Me again. I am looking for anyone travelling on our cruise who has a boy that is around my son's age. He is 9 now and will be 10 this November. In August 2008, he will be 10 3/4. (His birthday is Nov. 1997).

He LOVES to play with other kids. When we went on our last Disney cruise, we hooked up with a family that had a boy his age and the boys still talk. As a matter of fact, we vacationed in Virginia with the whole family this past summer (about 6 months after the cruise).

My two little ones are only a year apart and they get along great. They will be in the kids club together and have each other, but my oldest doesn't.

Soooooo, please PM me and I'd love to hook our kids up. And if you live in the northeast, I can travel to meet you (when the snow/ice melts! )

How many more days until we cruise?

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

LoveMYLAP-BAND, I sent you a pm.

Hope everyone's long weekend was a great one! We are beginning to thaw out from our frozen block of ice we lived in for the past week. Anyone hear about the motorists stranded in PA???? Oh, yea, it's been great around here!
The kids finally went back to school today after a 6 1/2 day break. Heck, I could have been cruising with all that time off!!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Funny you should mention stranded motorists in PA. I was just floored at that news. I mean, its not like PA is some remotely located state in the US.

We were at Elk Mountain over the weekend. They got 20 inches of snow and the skiing was EPIC!!!!

We headed out Friday night to stay at a hotel near Scranton and Route 80 was still closed. Unbelievable.

Boy, did we way overdo it on the skiing. By Monday morning I couldn't move. Went to the chiropractor this morning and I think every single vertebrae in my back was out of alignment.

Yes, we're up for getting together.

Oh, as you can see from my siggie, I've been playing around with a photo of Castaway Cay to make some signs for our cruise.

Here's the double dip version....

Here's the triple dip version.....

Wow - temps in the 40s today. Positively balmy.

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

I like your signs! I wanted to make a door sign for our cruise last month, but never got around to it. I guess with 18 months to go I could find some time for this trip!

I would be up for getting together; however, my kids are competitive swimmers and our summer Saturdays until the end of July are full with swim meets. We'd have to see how the schedule is.

Sea & Ski - glad to hear you had great skiing weather!

 

[rileysmommy]

Bumpin' us back up!!!!

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

So who's up for cruising on the new ship in '11 or '12????

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Since yours truly cannot spell.....I fixed the triple dip picture....here it is....

Yes, how exciting with the new ships.......

I'll be brutally honest here.......I just want the 7-day summer Carribean cruises back. I'll be on whatever ship is doing it.

Personally, I think both new ships will go to Los Angeles since they will be Alaska-ready. That is unless the Magic/Wonder undergoes a drydock renovation that covers the pools on deck 9.

As for an Alaskan cruise.......its not a high priority with us.

I will also say that I prefer a smaller ship than a larger ship and the new ships will have that many more passengers on them.

But, never say never.

I just can't wait to read the reactions of those DIS posters who continually disputed the rumors of new ships.

On our August cruise, we heard from the cruise director on down that DCL would be announcing 2 new ships with 2 more decks that would be Alaska ready. The only thing they said that was not true was that the annoucement would come when the Magic sets sail to the Med.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Oh Oh Oh. I'll go. I'll go.

We celebrate our 20th aniversary in 2012 so a trip on a new boat would be fine with me!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

I am actually a little stunned here....we've been waiting for soooooo long.

Now people are speculating that one of the new ships might stay in Florida. So maybe we might go on one of the new ships if that's the one that does the Carribean cruises.

Our 20th wedding anniversary is in 2009 so we're planning on a DCL cruise then. The only issue is where the Magic will be in that summer. There are rumors that the Magic won't do summer Carribean cruises until the new ships are ready.

Let's hope the designs for the new ships fix some of the glaring problems that the Magic/Wonder have. Soundproofing the ceilings of the staterooms that are under the pools is #1.

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

I really hope both new ships don't go to LA. Hopefully they put one old and one new on both sides of the states. Alaska doesn't really impress me either. I can't see Mickey in a parka!

I wonder if the price for the cruises on the 2 smaller ships will be less than the 2 new ones. Also, maybe the Wonder and Magic will do the shorter cruises while the 2 new ships will take on the longer runs. It will be interesting to see where the new ships go! Hope they get names soon, too!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Yes, ideally one new ship goes to LA and the other to FL. One issue is whether or not the new ships can fit through the Panama Canal as the ships will be ready before the Canal is widened.

Did you see the price tag for the new ships....

I don't even want to think what the cost of cruises on the new ships will be.

I don't think the cost of cruises on the "older" ships will go down once the new ships are online. I think we will see new Carribean itineraries. I was pleasantly surprised to see Costa Maya come back as a port stop in 2008. There are so many islands DCL hasn't even visited yet. A Southern Western itinerary would be great (Belize, Costa Rica).

Wow - that's a whole heck of a lot of new employees DCL has to hire.

 

[Shelebeen]

Hi everyone!

We just plunked down our deposit today for this cruise. We will be in cabin 8540!

Along with my husband and I, will be my daughter who will be 8 and my son who will be 5.

Looks to be a fun way to introduce the kids to cruising and a great way to relax after spending some time at WDW...

 

[rileysmommy]

Welcome Shelebeen!!! Glad you found us!!!! I see that your kids have never cruised before but have you or your dh? The Disney cruise is awesome!!!! We went this past January and had such a good time that we're going back.

 

[Shelebeen]

Welcome Shelebeen!!! Glad you found us!!!! I see that your kids have never cruised before but have you or your dh? The Disney cruise is awesome!!!! We went this past January and had such a good time that we're going back.

Thanks for the welcome! We haven't as of yet, but are scheduled to cruise Tahiti and the Cook Islands this summer without the kids. We are sooo excited about it!

We will also be spending around 10 days (we think) at WDW prior to the Disney Cruise... am now starting to wade through and decide which hotels to stay at... haven't the foggiest other then we think we want to stay in a Savana View Room at AK.. but want to try a couple of the hotels... any thoughts?

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Welcome Shelebeen,

A double dip cruise is a great way to try DCL. There is so much to do on Castaway Cay that one visit per trip is not enough. And your kids are the perfect age to try cruising. My kids were 5 & 7 when they first cruised.

We're up on deck 8, too. Very convenient to the pools, food, drink station. You can hear some of noise through your ceiling when you are in the mid-ship section of deck 8, that is the only negative.

As for WDW....I recommend the Passporter Guide to WDW. I'll be ordering one soon as we're heading to WDW in August. Great reviews of all the lodging.

Ahhhh....to cruise Tahiti.....wow......

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

Welcome Shelebeen! Glad to have you aboard! Are you planning your first trip to WDW, or have you been there before? We were just there last month after our cruise, which made trip #8 for me. I just can't get enough Disney!

Anyone have exciting weekend plans? I'm glad to say we have a relaxing weekend planned. A little shopping this morning, then nothing! I'm keeping any eye on the weather here. Could get some wintery mix tomorrow!

 

[Shelebeen]

THanks everyone!

Yes, we are planning our first trip to WDW - well I was there as a kid in 76, but I don't think that counts.

Right now, trying to figure out hotels.... any suggestions?

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Wow, I just read we've got a winter storm watch for tomorrow. Hey, maybe the kids get a snow day on Monday.

We were supposed to ski today but DS woke up not feeling well. I think we're still recovering from overdoing it last weekend. Besides, we need a "do nothing" weekend.

Sherebeen......in terms of picking a hotel at WDW......I hear good things about the Animal Kingdom Lodge (though its far from the other parks within WDW), Port Orleans, and the hotels close to Epcot (Beach Club & others). Some people pick their hotels based on the proximity to which park they will spend the most time at. I have also heard good things about the All Sports hotel as well.

A lot depends on your budget and how close to which park you want to stay.

We went to WDW in August 2005 for the first time ever and having the Passporter Guide to WDW was priceless.

 

[Shelebeen]

Ski and Sea - I know what you mean about having a do nothing weekend.. thats what we are aiming for this weekend.

I ordered Birnbaums books on both WDW and the DCL, so hopefully they will shed some light along with the Dis boards...

I have been to DL a number of times but the size and scope of WDW is scaring me! I don't want to make the wrong choice! I think we will stay at 2 different resorts during our stay. Do you know which ones are on the monorail line? and does the monorail go to each park?

Also, if we wanted to do things like Seaworld, etc, would it be better to stay off site for part of the trip?

So many questions... but at least I have a lot of time to think about them! .

Carole