9/23/06 Let's go!!!! Who's with us???

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Howdy,
Who is going with us???
We just changed from 12/2/06 to 9/23/06, now I'm looking for lots of great people who will be going with us.
This will be DCL cruise #11 for us. We also have another 7 day booked for 11/25/06.
We are traveling as a couple, no family this time.
We are looking forward to getting aquainted with everyone, so drop me a line to say Howdy!!!!
Let's get this thread rolling!!!!!!

mom x4,grandma x4

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Just bumping this thread up!

Hey, someone has to be going with us. Is it you???
Let us hear from you soon, it's very lonely on this thread all by myself!

Don't be afraid to post because of all those rumors about us from our past cruises, we're not that crazy! Well maybe just a little crazy at times.

mom x4,grandma x4

 

[strawberryblonde]

Hello 4X4 (if that doesn't sound good, I won't call you that anymore, i'm just a lazy typist)

We were booked on the 9/17 11 day southern and just changed to this cruise. My family of 4 was all for the longer the better, but we have two other families comming along that haven't cruised ever. 11 days was ending up being too long for them.

My kids are so excited to be getting back on a Mickey cruise. They still have me pop in the video of our 1st one. They can't wait to share the experience with some of their cousins and one of their grandparents.

I'm sure we will be posting more in the months to come.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Heidi,
Welcome,
I am so happy to finally have someone else going with us!!!!!
The longer the better for us too.
Guess i should introduce myself a little better to you.
My name is Kathy, that is easier that my post name for you to remember and type. My dh is Greg.
We are middle aged and have 4 grown kids and 4 grandkids that range from age 4 to 14. They all love to cruise too. We just took part them last December on the western crusie and had a blast.
Ths will be our 11th DCL cruise and # 12 is booked in November.
We live in Poinciana Florida which is very close to Kissimmee where WDW is. We go there a few times a month and just love it. I guess we are just a couple of big kids or at least OLD kids!!! One of our sons works at WDW in guest relations so we know quite a bit about WDW through him. We can get answers to all our questions by asking him, which is great for us.
I am retired, but i use to cook for restaurants and I owned a pizza place before I retired. DH had his own construction business for 25 years in Oregon ( our home state) but now works for a well know builder here in Florida.
Well I'm sure i have bored you enough for now.
i am looking forward to getting to know you over the next few months and then meeting you after we board the ship. the cruise meets we have been to are always one of the highlights of our trips, we have met so many nice people from these boards.
Kathy

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I will give you a bump!

Take care of the ship as I will be in 5520 after you!!

 

[strawberryblonde]

Hi Kathy, glad to "meet" you . The cruise meets thread for my first DCL cruise was started by a Kathy as well. I take this as a good sign.

I think it is very interesting that you used to run your own pizza business. I love pizza . I worked in retail for 8 years and waited tables for just as many. I homeschool our two children now. It is a full time job!

We move often. Our last move was last June from Guam to Hawaii. We love it here. I really don't care which ports we end up at this comming Sept., just get me on the ship . Should be a great place for a family reunion.

My mother's family all live in OR, she grew up there. My husband and I have been married nearly 12 years. We got married in WA state.

Don't worry about folks not posting right now. Look how "late" we booked this cruise (this is late for me, I tend to book when the dates become available and then have to wait nearly two years, lol) and we are Disers, known for our planning. I have a feeling this cruise will fill up as we near our dates. My kids are looking forward to having the kid's clubs not be too crowded. We are hoping for lower numbers then cruise in the spring.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Good morning Heidi,
I was surprised you have family from Oregon. Since we moved almost 6 years ago I havnt found anyone from there accept once on our last cruise. DH and I were both born in Portland. He was raised there, I was raised in Milwaukie. After we were married we lived in Milwaukie, Bend and Silverton. I have 2 daughters and 4 grandkids that live in Salem Oregon still. All our relatives live in that area too. Gee, this feels like "back home" week.
You have got to experience some unusual places to live. Guam? You must be military.
I guess your much younger than me since you have only been married 12 years. We hit 32 years last December. But I'm not ready for a cane yet. Ha! Ha! Although there are some days I probably look like i should need it.
Do you think the rest of your group will do some posting to get aquainted with the rest of us as time goes on? I hope so, i love getting to meet all the nice people we have cruised with. I'm sorry I dont have small kids anymore or they could get to know your kids. Our grandkids arnt coming this time, but I'm sure others will have plenty of kids for making friends with.
September is usually less kids on the ship because most are just back in school and parents dont like to take them out at the beginning of the school year. It tends to have more preschool kids. The most crowded times we have ever seen in the kids clubs sre the weeks in March and first of April which is typically spring break time and of course the summer months.
I don't care which ports we go to either, I have been to all of them accept Cozumel. It was closed when we went on the western the last time. But since it will still be hurricane season, I dont count on any ports . They could have to change course for safety at anytime. I'm just happy to be going, so no complaints from me!!!!
It is so hard every weekend as we drive to or near WDW we see all the cruise line buses full of happy people headed for the port, there is even a siloutte of characters in the back window having a party!!!! But they wont let us come along.
Well enough rattling on for now, so happy to have all of you along.
Write when you have time, although with kids and homeschooling there really isnt such a thing as free time!!
mom x4,grandma x4
Kathy

 

[brerrabbit70]

Hello! My name is Cheri and I live in the Florida panhandle.
This will be our 3rd cruise but our first 7 day! I'm so excited!
We'll be bringing along our DS 14 and DD will be turning 12 on the cruise! Also my parents will be celebrating their 36th anniversary a little late (20th). This is their 1st cruise. I'm so happy they are coming with us.
Oh, this will be the kids 2nd cruise. DH and I went once without them and they still haven't quite gotten over it DD was very nervous on her first cruise and was taking Dramimine so she didn't enjoy it very much. This time, I'm not giving her any meds. She's been riding roller coasters and didn't get sick so I think she grew out of her motion sickness. (I will still be taking my Bonine!) DS is so excited about being able to go to the Teen Club!
I can't wait to meet y'all!!!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Cheri,
Welcome aboard!!!
I'm so excited too!! This will be our 11th DCL cruise but each one just keeps getting better and better.
We have one thing in common already, we both are from Florida. Hope you made it ok through all our hurricanes the past 2 years. We got a direct hit with Jeanne and close with 3 others, but no real damage. Just lost one small tree. But we had many neighbors who wernt so lucky with their houses.
We live in Poinciana, which is very close to Kissimmee. Close enough to enjoy WDW almost every weekend, unless we are ill or on a cruise.
Where in the panhandle are you from?
I'm sure your parents will have a blast ,there are so many things to choose from to do each day. We still havnt done them all, but I keep trying!!!
Well at least there are 3 of us going now, you, me and Heidi. I guess the ship wont be empty after all. Thank goodness for that!!!

Have you done the new Pirate deck party? It is a lot of fun. I have a pirate outfit already to wear from our last cruise in December.
Are you going to make door signs? I made 3 of them last trip and it was really fun to do, so I will do it again for this trip. I made one for our 32nd anniversary, one for pirate night and one for Christmas since we were sailing the week before Christmas. We took some of our spare time and walk up and down the hallways and we saw a lot of neat signs that other Diser's had
made. That made it easy to recognise other Diser's too.
I am looking forward to getting to know you during the next few months and then finally meeting when we get on board the ship.
mom x4,grandma x4
Kathy

 

[brerrabbit70]

Hi Kathy!
I live in Tallahassee. We just got a lot of wind from the hurricanes and had one tree fall. If it had fallen 1 foot to the right it would have knocked out the A/C unit that needs to be replaced! Oh well.
You're so lucky to live close to WDW! I would be there every weekend. I was actually planning on trying to get a job there after high school, but I met my husband. So, I didn't have to move to Orlando to find my Prince after all!
My mom is excited and my dad's scared he'll get bored. I told him we would find stuff to keep him occupied. He's not into sports or anything. He's happy with the fact that he can eat ALL day because that is his favorite thing to do!
DH and I were on the Wonder last March and saw a little of the Pirate deck party. We just saw the tail end of it. I collected a few things during Halloween, but don't know how dressed up we're gonna be.
I am planning on making door signs again. It's so much fun. I'll make some for our special occasions and maybe some for the ports. It helps the kids find our room! We barely saw our son on the last cruise. He only came to dinner because we made him!

 

[strawberryblonde]

Hi Cheri ! Now there are 3 Disers posting We drove to Tallahassee from Montgomery AL for a Tae Kwon Do tournament one summer. Nice weather.

It is neat that you both are from Florida. There is a good chance that this cruise will release FL resident rates that would save you both alittle $$. Last year military rates were released also. That would save us alittle $$ but I'm not counting on it. It would just be nice .

We plan to go to MNSSHP one night when we get off the ship. I'm thinking pirate costumes could work for both functions. I don't have one though, just a renaissance one. My DH has an all black pirate costume, really well done with nice fabric, leather lace up boots. He wanted to look like the "man in black" from Princess Bride and it is a really good match. He wore it to our first MNSSHP and got alot of attention for it. I may just have to sew my DD and I some matching pirate blouses or dresses. Hmmmmm

We are bringing along quite a few family members this cruise. I'm not talking about them because they aren't comfortable with being mentioned on the internet. I have had really good luck with meeting up with friendly cruisers that I have posted with online before my cruises. For my NCL and my Princess cruises, I posted on Cruise Critic and met folks as nice as Disers. There is something extra special about fellow Disers though, I think it is because we are kids at heart, our love for Disney and all .

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hello again,
For the past 6 years we have gone to WDW almost every weekend and have never tired of it. It seems each time we go it is a different experience for us.
I love going to Epcot in the spring for the flower power concerts. Oldie rock n roll groups. They were popular when I was a teen and it so great to go and see them in person.
I think you'll be amazed at how much more there is to do on a 7 day cruise a opposed to a 3 or 4 day. All are fun, but after doing a 7 day the others just seem too short.
We have an added bonus on this cruise. Unless their schedule gets changed the duo playing in the Promenade lounge will be firends of ours. Don and Tommie. They usually play on the Wonder, but this year they are going between both ships. We love to hear them play. They do a good variety of older songs. Lots of Jimmy Buffet, which is cruise appriate. Some Johnny Rivers, some Bob Seiger, just a bunch of stuff. they will do requests if they know it and it fits their voices. They are very friendly folks from Tennessee.
That makes our cruise even more special.
Tell your da dhe wont get bored unless he wants to because there is so much to do and he can eat 24/7 if your mom will let him!!! Ha! Ha!
Do your parents own a computer? I was hoping maybe your mom or dad would like to post too. The more the better. if not, please tell them Kathy says Howdy and I'm looking forward to meeting them in a few months.
If you have nay questions about the Magic, feel free to ask and I will try to answer them for you.
Take care,
mom x4,grandma x4
Kathy

 

[brerrabbit70]

My parents don't have the internet. Dad says, "Why spend that money when I can just come over to your house!" He's very THRIFTY!

Heidi...how old is your DD? Will there be any kids in your group close to my kid's ages? DD gets nervous about meeting new people and would feel better if I could "introduce" her to someone.
When we booked we took advantage of the "reduced rate" staterooms. It came out about the same as the Fl. resident rate. Of course, I will be keeping my eye out.
I would love to go to MNSSHP! I've never been. Actually, we may be going to WDW sometime before our cruise. DH said he was getting the urge to go the other night because we haven't been to the parks in 3 years. I'm tickled pink...just shocked. I'm usually the one begging to go!
Kathy...I'll call you if we go so you can maybe meet us there!!!!

 

[strawberryblonde]

Kathy - my Mom was born in Portland too , that is where all of her side of the family still lives. Yes, we are military. I'm surprised at the number of friends we make that move around alot, like us, and yet are NOT military. Once you get as old as me (late 30's), what is a decade or two of age difference? I'm quite a mellow mommy. I try to live as stressfree as possible. One thing I do while driving, that really helps to feel good, is always let in a car that has been waiting. At most, this adds a min. or two to my trip, and yet it makes everything seem brighter. In many ways, I behave like a retired person, stopping to smell the roses type of life. You are so right about those buses, looks like a party, makes me want to jump on!

Cheri - my DD just turned 6 and my DS isn't yet 9 but will be for the cruise. My DH's sister is 14 and should be coming, 8 and 10 year old neices are coming too. What was the reduced rate? (if you don't mind my asking ). We just recently booked and they had the magical rates, 849 pp cat. 12. Just a bit higher for cat. 11. The military rates they ran for last Sept. sailings made it nearly as cheap for higher cat.s, I don't recall cat. 11 even being mentioned. My thought was to bump up to a cat. 6 if they run a special, otherwise we will sit tight. It will be our first time in an inside and I think we will be fine. I would like some natural light, but I dont' want to be forward . That is where I can get icky tummy. I do better mid or aft ship. I encourage you to try MNSSHP. Not quite as fun as MVMCP but nearly so. The kids loved it last time and are excited to go again.

It is really nice to have both of you posting on this thread.

 

[brerrabbit70]

Let's see...we booked last September with Dreams Unlimited. They were running a special "reduced rate" staterooms and we got a Cat. 6 right by the mid ship elevators for 4178.72. That includes a $150 rebate, trip insurance and the fact that DS counts as an adult.
We did our 3 nighter in a cat. 10 and there was plenty of room. The split bathrooms are a MUST for us!
DD is worried that she'll be the oldest one in the kid's club. She wishes she could go to the Teen Club with her brother.

 

[strawberryblonde]

You were wise to book back last fall. Your exact booking would be about $350 more if you booked today. I wish I could remember what the florida res. and military rates were for last Sept. , I know they were good. The military rates offered for this Jan. were $3,238 for a family of 4 in a cat. 6 or $2,438 for a cat. 9. If that happens for this Sept. I could move to a cat. 6 for the same amount I'm paying for a cat. 11 now or move to a cat. 9, get some natural light and save some money. I guess I am kind of hoping . I'll be sure to post if I see Florida rates released so you ladies can get your rates adjusted.

I wonder if your DD could bump up. Usually they wouldn't allow someone so young but Kathy has mentioned that the cruise is mainly preschool kids. That means the club will be extra full. They might like bumping the 7 year olds up to the lab and the 12 year olds up to the teens. It is a possibility. I would ask at the clubs when you board. There is the new area for "tweens" (10-14) now as well. Perhaps she will like spending alot of time there.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Cheri and Heidi,
If your kids want to get aquainted, just sign them up for posting and then once they have their name they can use the private messaging to talk back and forth. That way they have privacy and will be able to get to know each other before the cruise. My oldest grandaughter did this the last time they came withus. She started with one teen fromt he thread, then 2, then three. She met them on the ship and by day 2 her 3 friends had grown to 15 kids she hung out with the rest of the cruise. This especially great for quieter kids or shy kids. It is just a thought but it might work for you guys.
I have met another lady on a different cruise site that is coming our our cruise and it seems to me she has a 12 and 17 year old, not sure if boy or girl. I have invited her to join us on this thread, but i dont know if she will. I hope so, the more people the better it will be.

Cheri, if you come to WDW please let me know!!!
I have gone there to meet Dis people before and then cruised with them. It was a lot of fun and we are there most weekends anyway.
I am meeting a former cruise friend from the Uk there around Christmas this year. They are doing another cruise and we are going to visit with them for a few minutes at WDW before they go. So please let me know when you come.

Heidi,
That is so cool your mom and us are from the same place. That is weird, what are the odds???

Well everyone, keep in touch so we can keep this thread bumped up for others to find.

Kathy

 

[APB513]

Hello all!!

I am so excited to be on this cruise. I am a single mom who will be traveling with my two sons - ages 17 & 12.

I am really excited about this cruise because it will be a birthday surprise for both of my sons!!! My oldest's 18th b-day is the day we will sail and my youngest's 13th b-day is the day we return to FL!

Neither of them knows that we are going yet. Originally I thought I couldn't afford it so I told them we weren't going. But the next day I kept thinking about it, so I booked the cruise!! I'll figure out some way to pay for it!

This is our dream cruise!! This will be our 3rd family cruise and our 1st Disney cruise. From everything I have read about DCL we are in for a real treat!!!!

Looking forward to meeting other people through this thread.

 

[brerrabbit70]

I'm so glad you found us! I love getting to know people before the cruise.

Wanna know how I'm collecting spending money for the kids? I have a BIG change jar that we put our coins in everyday. I only pay with bills so I collect alot of change. We've been doing this since Halloween and the kids have $150 each! That helps because they have a serious smoothie habit.
FYI-your 12 year old can probably bump up to the teen club because his birthday is so close. They usually let kids move up a level if their birthday is within 1 month. If not, he'll be in the same age group as my daughter. She turns 12 on the cruise! (27th) I also have a 14 year old son.
How are you gonna tell them they're going? I love surprises!!!!!!!!

Oh! Make sure you tell DCL that it's their birthday! They'll get a wonderful cake!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

APB513
I am glad you found us from the other thread.
People here are really friendly. I have found another family on a different site and invited them to join us here too, her name is Lisa and I sure hope she joins us, if not i will still keep the other cruise site active with her and invite her to the meet on board. They are 3 more couples so that would really give us quite a few people to chat with if she joins in.
I am so pleased we have grown from 0 to 4 in just about a week.
I was afraid nobody would join in.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!!! We are suppose to get some rain tomarrow, but today is sunny and only about 60 degrees, which is cold for us!!! Still a great weekend!!!
Lets keep this thread bumped up for others to find.
Anybody decided on excursions yet?
mom x4,grandma x4
Kathy