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

[Whisker]

We were up making reservations for my MIL online. High Tea was on the list so it does show up online if its available.

There were no brunches available when we were there... but we did book an excursion before Palo since we wanted to be sure they got on same one as we had already booked. We did get her the excursion and a Palo dinner.

 

[yazee1]

Thanks for the info. I tried to search high tea but it kept timing out on me. That's good to hear you're getting your MIL set up with her reservations.

 

[cmallett]

Hello!

memickee: Yup all alone! Otherwise, I would still be home. I like travelling by myself because I'm kind of a solitairy person. But I enjoy people too This is why I really enjoy WDW, it's so easy to have a conversation with someone.

Monica : That wasn't me, but I'll look into it! BTW, not only different states, but different countries too.

I didn't get a reservation for Palo, cause I find it weird to go by myself. And since this is my first cruise, I'll keep that for the next one. So there is one spot available, any takers ?

I got the Tulum excursion in COZ and looking into a Stingray City excursion in GC. Hopefully everyone will at least get the excursions they want if they can't get Palo Brunch.

74 days to go!

David

 

[chalex]

I didn't get a Palo ressie either. There was one available for brunch when I logged on last week but I could not book it-tried several different days but it wouldn't go through. I wondered if it was because I was trying to book for just 1 person. Oh well. I will try when I get on board.

We are counting down the days here until school starts again- just 1 week!
Went to Walmart yesterday to buy school supplies and was shocked at just how much we spent. Of course the sales haven't started yet as most other schools in this area don't go back until the end of August.

We are trying to sell our house. I was wondering how the market is in other areas. Last summer homes were getting snapped up as soon as they hit the market but right now we have 15 homes for sale in our neighborhood and nothings moving. I did sell our lot down the street so that is some consolation but now I have to pay short term capital gains as we only held it for 9 months.

Any CPA's out there, know if I can put $15,000 of the profit into an IRA to shelter it from taxes? Otherwise I could be paying 25%.30%.35% on the profit and all I can think of is how many cruises I could take with that money I'm giving to the government

Angie

 

[vpalmer]

Well I managed to get two out of three of the excursions I wanted. We got the Nautilus on Grand Cayman and the Schooner in Key West. We did not get the Dolphin Encounter in Cozumel. Of course my DD is already talking about kissing the dolphin because her crazy mom showed her the pictures for booking the excursion. I seriously didn't think the dolphins would be harder to book than Cinderella's Royal Table and I managed to get that last December. I just assumed (wrongly) that DCL did the same as WDW and held a certain number of sports for people making reservations and 75 days. Nope. I got up at 2 am and still missed out on the excursion. :

I really hate to book excursions on my own because the uncertainty makes me nervous but I am willing to take the risk for the dolphins. I spoke to Miguel at Dolphin Discovery yesterday and he assured me (and it is on their site) that if the ship was diverted or late for any reason I would be given a 100% refund. The only time they have is 3:30 which is not ideal but oh well. I am going to call back today to book it.

 

[sftnslky]

Hope everyone is having a nice week. As you can tell I am back from my spa trip... it was......ok, but made me long for traveling either all alone or with my family.. trying to please 5 VERY diffrent women is not for the faint of heart.

I wanted to thank all of the well wishes.... or at least I think the wishes were for me. I saw three post saying "have a nice trip/weekend and congrats on the up-coming grandparent status...but everyone who posted called me "Cheri"

We haven't made any Palo reservations yet...will wait till we get on the boat... But will make excursions later this week after I talk to all the other family members who are going and hope we can all agree on something

Well, I have a ton to do... in addition to getting everything ready for my daughters 10th Birthday party this Sunday Have a nice Wednesday all....many and lots of & love.

 

[vpalmer]

Hope everyone is having a nice week. As you can tell I am back from my spa trip... it was......ok, but made me long for traveling either all alone or with my family.. trying to please 5 VERY diffrent women is not for the faint of heart.

I wanted to thank all of the well wishes.... or at least I think the wishes were for me. I saw three post saying "have a nice trip/weekend and congrats on the up-coming grandparent status...but everyone who posted called me "Cheri"

We haven't made any Palo reservations yet...will wait till we get on the boat... But will make excursions later this week after I talk to all the other family members who are going and hope we can all agree on something

Well, I have a ton to do... in addition to getting everything ready for my daughters 10th Birthday party this Sunday Have a nice Wednesday all....many and lots of & love.

You may want to go ahead and book those excursions ASAP. Last time I checked there were only three excursions showing up for the entire week!

 

[jaycns]

Hello *peeks in shyly*. We are sailing with you all this coming September. We will have three little beasties (boys) ages 10, 7 (who will celebrate his 7th birthday on the cruise...as he did his first birthday) and a 5 year old. We are also dragging (okay, maybe not dragging but took some fast talking) another family of dear friends with us and they have three kids as well.

I am so looking forward to getting back on the ship. I hate that it has been so long since we last were on the Magic. I am looking forward to seeing the new islands and I cannot wait to leave!!

What is the yahoo group?

THANK YOU VPALMER for finding me over on the cruise boards and directing me here!!

 

[yazee1]

Welcome back, Becca. That was me who called you Cheri. Oops!

Veronica - What is the price difference making your Dolphin Discovery reservations directly as apposed to going through DCL?

Welcome to our latest thread members and yahoo group members. If you're going to join (or have joined) the yahoo group, please add some information about yourself to the database a.ka. cheat sheat. If you're not sure how to do this, let me know. I'll add it. We have 13 members (and 2 pending). Ten people have added their information to the database.

On the topic of excursions, I don't really understand why, but I don't feel at all compelled to book our excursions yet. We leave in about 10 weeks, I know.

There was a thread on the main forum about losing weight for the cruise. Anyone here pursuing that goal? I thought it was brought up early on but I'm too lazy to go back and read this entire thread. The search function keeps timing out on me.

 

[memickee]

Hey Monica,

Yes, I posted a few messages on the weight loss thread. I want (crosses fingers) to lose 30lbs in 10 weeks. Three lbs a week is a bit aggressive....but we will see! I am getting very excited about going on Vacation!!!!!

I don't think there are any specific excurisions that I NEED to book. We are actually going to stay on board Coz... Any suggestions...low cost suggestions?

Tata,
M

 

[yazee1]

Okay, I remember your posts on that thread now. When you said 3lbs a week, it rang a bell. I'll be honest with you. I could probably stand to lose a couple pounds but I'd be happier just firming up what I have. I've been slacking with my weight training and aerobic exercise. Unfortunately, what I really lack bodywise, a woman just can't attain by dieting or lifting weights, if you know what I mean. My goal is to hit the treadmill 3 times a week and continue with my weight training 2 times a week.

As for excursions, I wonder what it's like to just get off the ship and see what the locals at the pier have to offer. Maybe, I'll post that question on the regular forum. So far, we agree that we'll skip Key West. Been there, done that, not interested in going back. I booked our brunch for that day. If we change our minds sometime after brunch, so be it. In Grand Cayman, dh and I really enjoyed the Stingray City excursion but the kids had a hard time with it. They had never been in the open ocean or used snorkeling equipment. Nevertheless, they want to go back. They've been practicing using their snorkeling equipment in the pool. The dune buggy excursion in Cozumel was a blast, but we're not interested in doing it again. It was a good value and a wonderful memory but not cheap for a family of five. Maybe, we'll see the ruins? Last year, we didn't book anything at Castaway Cay and still had a full and fun day. I never got to see Serenity Beach. I stayed with the kids on the family beach. Dh took a trip over there to snorkel but it was way too windy. He didn't stay long. In fact, now that I remember it, some of the activities were cancelled because of the wind. This time around, I'd like us to try a bike ride or a banana boat ride.

One thing we didn't do last time that we will this year is have our pictures taken in our dress clothes.

Well, I'm off to look at the navigators.

 

[vpalmer]

Hello *peeks in shyly*. We are sailing with you all this coming September. We will have three little beasties (boys) ages 10, 7 (who will celebrate his 7th birthday on the cruise...as he did his first birthday) and a 5 year old. We are also dragging (okay, maybe not dragging but took some fast talking) another family of dear friends with us and they have three kids as well.

I am so looking forward to getting back on the ship. I hate that it has been so long since we last were on the Magic. I am looking forward to seeing the new islands and I cannot wait to leave!!

What is the yahoo group?

THANK YOU VPALMER for finding me over on the cruise boards and directing me here!!

Hi Jaycns,

I am so glad you found us! To join the yahoo group, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sailinginseptember/ and click the "join this group" button at the top of the page on the right side. Monica approves the new members. Welcome to our group!

 

[vpalmer]

Welcome back, Becca. That was me who called you Cheri. Oops!

Veronica - What is the price difference making your Dolphin Discovery reservations directly as apposed to going through DCL?

Welcome to our latest thread members and yahoo group members. If you're going to join (or have joined) the yahoo group, please add some information about yourself to the database a.ka. cheat sheat. If you're not sure how to do this, let me know. I'll add it. We have 13 members (and 2 pending). Ten people have added their information to the database.

On the topic of excursions, I don't really understand why, but I don't feel at all compelled to book our excursions yet. We leave in about 10 weeks, I know.

There was a thread on the main forum about losing weight for the cruise. Anyone here pursuing that goal? I thought it was brought up early on but I'm too lazy to go back and read this entire thread. The search function keeps timing out on me.

Monica,

There was a huge price difference booking directly with Dolphin Discovery, it really is quite obscene how much Disney charges. I paid $158 for the three of us because they gave us a "kids are free" promotion. Add the $20 for the cab and out total is $180. The same excursion through Disney would have cost $370 for the three of us. To be fair, I think it may cost an additional$30 or so to get into the park, so that brings our total to about $210 which is still $160 cheaper than Disney.

In a perfect world, I would lose 15 pounds. That was my lowest weight as an adult and it really was the perfect weight for me, but I am way too busy with a three year old, working full time, cooking dinner every night, scrapbooking, and planning vacations to commit to regular exercise and that is the only way I can lose the weight. We are active and walk and hike somewhat regularly but that is not enough to do it unfortunately. Oh well!

 

[memickee]

Monica,

Have been to the ruins while in Coz, but the only thing I did not do well was the tendering to the main land - the water was rough and I got a bit ill

Am really looking forward to showing DD the Caymans....it's so beautiful! In Key West we will probably do the butterfly conservatory - I hear that it's one place we shouldn't miss.

 

[strawberryblonde]

David - my extended family is booked through a private vender for Stingray City and two reefs to snorkel. Capt. Bryan's I think it is. You can do a search on the boards to find out more about it if you are interested. He charges $35 an adult and only takes out a small number compared to DCL excursion. You could be a part of our big family if you wanted to

Angie - I don't know about any tax shelters, wish I could help you there. Houses in our area are selling at a slower pace this summer than last summer. They did not lose value, may have gained alittle. Buyers are able to be abit choosey instead of taking things as is. We bought last summer and had to wait to move in and they didn't repaint or even take out the nails from the walls. Lazy me, I just went ahead and hung my pictures up on the old nails. The next move is always right around the corner so I can't be too picky or I will wear myself out.

Veronica - I think you will be just fine booking direct. The money savings sure can't hurt. I personally would not spend any of my precious cruise time to do swim with the dolphins. I do love dolphins but there are many places you can do this now, it doesn't have to be on a trip to the caribbean. We did a swim with dolphins thing here in HI when my sister's family visited. The kids did enjoy it, they did kiss and love their dolphins, but they don't ever talk about it or think it was the end all be all. Dolphins make it seem so natural to be with them, like a dog. It feels so normal that you forget it is costing $$ for the experience. My kids talk about the cruise all of the time, they just can't wait to do it again. We hung their photos kissing their dolphins up and they are happy to have done it once, they don't beg to do it again however. I wouldn't knock myself out to make it happen on the cruise. Sea World in Orlando has a great program if you had a day to spare on either end of the cruise. This is just my two cents. The dolphin thing seems to be the most booked up excursion on cruises.

Becca - sorry about the name mix-up. I just looked a post ahead and used the name Monica used . You don't have your own name at the end of your posts, in my defense. We are all getting on in years, you have to help us out!

jaycns- glad you were directed here to this thread

memickee- 30 lbs in 10 weeks, wowie !! There is no way I could do that. If your body allows you to do that, more power to you . If I lose fast, it comes back on even faster. Slow is the only way it stays gone for good for me. Take care of yourself and try to be happy with your body if it only lets you lose 2 lbs a week instead of 3 some weeks. You will look great no matter what size you end up with come Sept. All the activity you will be doing to lose weight this summer will have your skin glowing and you will have such energy. My goal is to maintain my fitness level on vacation. this is the first cruise I plan to workout on. Wish me luck, I tend to go into sloth mode once I get on vacation

Monica - Good luck on getting your formal pictures taken this time. We still like ours from 2004. We didn't get one of my DS in his tux with Mickey in his though. Some private party had Mickey during the time he normally poses for photos with the public in his tux. So even with my best laid plans, it didn't happen. Every cruise is different so character appearance times are always changing. I don't even know if DS will fit into his tux this cruise.

 

[jaycns]

Has anyone ever been to Paradise Beach? There is no cover charge and it looks like they have a lot of fun stuff to do (or I could just lay on the beach ). Any feedback would be much appreciated!

 

[brerrabbit70]

Goodness, I come back from vacation and read that I went to a spa and will be a grandmother!!!!! Y'all sure know how to get a gal's heart started in the morning. Congratulations, Becca!!!!!

We went to the beach house for the 4th. We came home for 2 days and repacked so we could go to Louisiana. My grandmother is hardheaded and putting off her knee surgery till we visit. We had a great time. It's always weird to go back home. Some places have changed so much. We went to the casino and my cousin turned $5 into $560!!!! The rest of us just donated our money. But, they have the BEST buffett there!

So, needless to say, my diet is shot! DH and I have been doing the Body For Life plan but I may have to change my eating. It's nice to eat 6 times a day, but I think that works better for you fellas. I'm sticking with my Weight Watchers.

Let me tell you how nice Tammy at Dreams Unlimited is. We left town Saturday after making our final payment Friday morning. The payment didn't post for some reason! I was in Louisiana with no internet and they were closed on the weekend. I called her Monday morning and was freaking out a little because we still weren't able to book our excursions. She figured out the problem (the Fl resident rate was throwing it off) and offered to book my excursions for me! How sweet is that!!!!! I tell you I have had nothing but wonderful service from them and will use them every time!!!

Welcome to all our new friends. I'm heading over to the yahoo group.

 

[majeda]

Hi Mom X 4 and Grandma X 4,

I am bringing my Mom with me and my sister (my Mom is 70) my sister -in- law and my twin neices (13) and my nephew 9 along with my children 9 (Abi) and 12(Adam)
Oh yeah I am bringing my husband also who can't wait ----

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Howdy everyone,
just though I would stop by and say howdy!
It seems your group has been growing quite a bit since I left. That is great.
My cruise will be here shortly, 8/5.
I still wish in some ways I was going with all of you.
I know you'll have an awesome time and I will be looking for trip reports when you return.

Your X cruisin buddy,
Kathy

 

[princesslondon]

Just jumping onboard. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do.
We will be cruising with a DD who is 5 and she is SOOOO excited!!