A Disney Start to 2015 - What a Dream! :-) Disney dream 12/29/2014

[BobbiK]

Excited about the cruise - still need to make final payment, but this is going to be fun. We booked a cabin for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, so I added them to the list. MIL doesn't use a computer, so I'll take care of the information. Already thinking about FE ideas..........and overwhelmingly glad that it appears we have actually seen Spring here in Central Illinois. The snow last Monday night was not a welcome sight!

 

[TheBanksFam]

Hi all!
We just booked last week. While we do have a NCL Breakaway cruise booked for August, I'm excited about the NYE Dream that I will not have the stress about NYE this year and what we are doing, what my dd is doing (she will be 2 months shy of 21 and away at college) keeping my ds-16 happy, etc.

Welcome JS and family! Sorry it has taken a little while for me to respond. Soccer and now the overlapping of baseball is kicking our butts! I'm so glad you will be a part of us. We have a Facebook Group if you would like to join there. Also, provide us with this info for each cabin:

Your Dis name: JS
In stateroom (ages of kids too):
Cabin Number:
Early/Late dining: Early
FE? (Yes/No)
Celebrating:

We also have a spreadsheet with similar information and it would be helpful if you update if with your information as well. I would encourage you to join us in the Fish Extender exchange. You do not have to be crafty. I have had plenty of folks come up with something that they could purchase that was equally nice. For example, we have received ink pens with the cruise ship, destination, and date on them or dog tags with similar information. Take a look at some of the boards dealing with FE Gifts before you count it out. You will be glad you did. It is such a wonderful part of the experience.

Anyway, we look forward to meeting you. Our children are too young for yours to hang out with but I know WDWCathy has teenager with her and I am sure there will be more as we get closer to final payment day. It looks like Jenifair does too. That is one of the greatest things about the meet & greet boards because the kids can make friends with others prior to going so they can have pals when they get there.

You will find that DCL isn't like any other cruise lines in many respects. The FE & Meet n Greets being some examples of this. Disney just does things right in my opinion. I'm sure all will love it. Let us know if you have any questions and again, welcome aboard!

Shawn

 

[TheBanksFam]

Happy to have found this group! My husband and I took our first (non-Disney) cruise last year and loved it so much we decided our next family trip had to be a Disney cruise. And with NYE being my favorite holiday, we chose the 4-day Bahama cruise on the Dream 12/29/14....CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Welcome jenifair and family! Some of this will be some duplication with the post prior but we need similar info. We have a Facebook Group if you would like to join there. Also, provide us with this info for each cabin:

Your Dis name: jenifair
In stateroom (ages of kids too):
Cabin Number:
Early/Late dining: Early
FE? (Yes/No)
Celebrating:

We also have a spreadsheet with similar information and it would be helpful if you update if with your information as well.

I would encourage you to join us in the Fish Extender exchange. If you don't know what a Fish Extender is, you can find out here. It's lots of fun and really adds to the experience in my humble opinion.

Our Meet n Greet is set for Dec 29 at 5pm at the Vista Cafe (Deck 4 Midship.) I hope you join us it normally doesn't take too long.

You will find that DCL isn't like any other cruise lines in many respects. The FE & Meet n Greets being some examples of this. Disney just does things right in my opinion. I'm sure all will love it. Let us know if you have any questions my wife and I have also created a primer for people new to DCL if you want to look at it, it can answer a lot and let you know about some things you may not have known. It can be found on the Facebook Group if you are interested. Again, welcome aboard!

Shawn

 

[TheBanksFam]

Excited about the cruise - still need to make final payment, but this is going to be fun. We booked a cabin for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, so I added them to the list. MIL doesn't use a computer, so I'll take care of the information. Already thinking about FE ideas..........and overwhelmingly glad that it appears we have actually seen Spring here in Central Illinois. The snow last Monday night was not a welcome sight!

Fantastic BobbiK! Spring has finally sprung here as well We are still needing some info from you. Even if you update the spreadsheet, we need this info here as post #41 is the official list for those that don't Google or Facebook. That list has to be accurate. So we need the following info:

Your Dis name: BobbiK
In stateroom (ages of kids too):
Cabin Number:
Early/Late dining: Early
FE? (Yes/No)
Celebrating:

Just post it in a reply and I will update the info. Thanks.

Shawn

 

[dhelin]

Well, as I look ahead to my 7 month DVC booking window opening in a week, I'm back on the boards and getting excited for the winter holidays! DD15 and I will be spending a few days at Vero Beach over Xmas then joining you on the NYE Dream Cruise!
We are looking forward to our second DCL excursion--same itinerary as our first in Feb 2013. But the added excitement of NYE is what will really be special. Not usually a big fan of that holiday party, but we know Mickey will throw a great one!
Trying out FE for the first time, and looking forward to making new friends!
DD15 will be spending her time hanging out in the teen club until the wee hours, and I'll be soaking up the sun on the quiet deck.
Happy spring!

 

[jenifair]

224 days, but who's counting?? =)

 

[TheBanksFam]

I'm so ready for the cruise too! Well at least a vacation. Bobbie and I are both teachers and the kids are absolutely wild right now. They are ready to be out of school and that makes us extra ready. This year's summer break will be a little more challenging. I will be teaching a graduate course and creating an undergrad course. At least I can do that in my pjs! My DW and I are avid motorcyclists and just bought a pull behind pop up motorcycle camper. Hopefully we can get some good use out of that this summer, before the kids go back to school.

 

[kglynnk]

We would like to sign up for the fish extender list, on the Dream Dec 29-Jan 2, 2015. Not sure how to do that. I made a request to join the fb page yesterday. We have a 14 year old son, 11 year old son, and an 8 year old daughter. FE for kids only.
Thanks!!!

 

[nicoleallee]

Hi, all,

We're excited to be attending our first Disney cruise this December.

I was wondering if we could add a few columns to the FE spreadsheet? One for allergies (so I know not to give everyone peanut butter snacks, for example ) and one for alcohol for adults (Y/N)? Actually, general question - do people give food snacks or homemade soaps/sprays, or does everything need to be store bought?

 

[Llackey1]

Hello fellow cruisers, my family will be on this cruise leaving on the 29th. It's our first cruise ever!!! We are doing 2 days in the parks and then getting on the cruise. It's a huge surprise for the kids. We are not telling them until we head to the airport on the 26th. We might not even tell them until we land in Florida?!?! My kids are 9 (daughter) and 5 (son). We want to participate in the first extender activity that we have hear so much about. How do I get on the list? Also, we are meeting up with all of our family who will be on the cruise with us... So as soon as I make sure I'm on the right forum I will let the other members of our family know so they can sign up foe the fish extender activity too! We can not wait and keeping this huge event a secret is HARD. To be honest, this is our first real big family vacation. We done the beach and watermarks and such but my son is just old enough that we felt like investing in a big get-away. We had been waiting until he did not need naps and such! I think that makes us even more excited about this big fun cruise... We need a get-away!!!

 

[TheBanksFam]

We would like to sign up for the fish extender list, on the Dream Dec 29-Jan 2, 2015. Not sure how to do that. I made a request to join the fb page yesterday. We have a 14 year old son, 11 year old son, and an 8 year old daughter. FE for kids only.
Thanks!!!

Fantastic! Welcome! I should have added you by now to the FB list if you joined it. There, you will find the link to the Google Spreadsheet. We also need your information in the following format to include on Post #41, the "official FE List" for the group.

*Your Dis name: TheBanksFam
In stateroom (ages of kids too): DH(me), DW, DS(7) and DS(4)
Cabin Number: 6040
Early/Late dining: Early
FE? (Yes/No) Yes
Celebrating: Shawn's birthday

Please add your info to the spreadsheet as well to save us time later on. It will help organize all of us. Post #41 is the official list because some do not have Facebook so we must post the info here first. If you have any questions, let me know. It's great to have you aboard. Also, we will have a Meet & Greet on Embarkation Day Dec 29, at 5pm at the Vista Cafe on-board. We hope to see you there.

 

[TheBanksFam]

Hi, all,

We're excited to be attending our first Disney cruise this December.

I was wondering if we could add a few columns to the FE spreadsheet? One for allergies (so I know not to give everyone peanut butter snacks, for example ) and one for alcohol for adults (Y/N)? Actually, general question - do people give food snacks or homemade soaps/sprays, or does everything need to be store bought?

Welcome! Great idea. I have added the columns to the spreadsheet but, you could have done that. So if there is something I have missed, feel free to add it. What information are you wanting to know in the Alcohol column?

Also, yes people can and do make all kinds of homemade items. Food items are generally store bought but many will add special wrappers to them to customize it for the cruise. You can see all kinds of crafts and clever ideas on this link. There are 100 pages of fantastic FE gift ideas.

 

[TheBanksFam]

Hello fellow cruisers, my family will be on this cruise leaving on the 29th. It's our first cruise ever!!! We are doing 2 days in the parks and then getting on the cruise. It's a huge surprise for the kids. We are not telling them until we head to the airport on the 26th. We might not even tell them until we land in Florida?!?! My kids are 9 (daughter) and 5 (son). We want to participate in the first extender activity that we have hear so much about. How do I get on the list? Also, we are meeting up with all of our family who will be on the cruise with us... So as soon as I make sure I'm on the right forum I will let the other members of our family know so they can sign up foe the fish extender activity too! We can not wait and keeping this huge event a secret is HARD. To be honest, this is our first real big family vacation. We done the beach and watermarks and such but my son is just old enough that we felt like investing in a big get-away. We had been waiting until he did not need naps and such! I think that makes us even more excited about this big fun cruise... We need a get-away!!!

I cannot explain how much fun you and your family are getting ready to have. My godparents have always been big cruisers and had told us all about it. No one could have truly prepared us for what out first DCL experience was like. ALL of you are about to have the time of your life.

So here is what you have to do to join:

1. We need your info in this format:
*Your Dis name: TheBanksFam
In stateroom (ages of kids too): DH(me), DW, DS(7) and DS(4)
Cabin Number: 6040
Early/Late dining: Early
FE? (Yes/No) Yes
Celebrating: Shawn's birthday

If will be added to Post #41, the official FE list for our cruise.

2. Join our Facebook Group if your on FB.

3. Finally, add your information to the Google Docs Spreadsheet.

You may also want to read the Cruise Primer that I have created, since it is your first Disney cruise. It is available on the FB group site. Feel free to ask any questions and join in our discussions on FB and here on DIS Boards. Your family is also quite welcome to join is. FE isn't just for the kids. It really adds a lot to the whole DCL experience. If you have friends in the Castaway Club (DCL veterans), they are a great resource too.

Finally, we will have a Meet & Greet on board for a few minutes at 5pm at the Vista Cafe on Dec 29. We look forward to meeting you. Welcome to the adventure.

 

[TheBanksFam]

Whew! I don't know about you but TheBanksFam's summer has been CRAZY!!!! We have been to Cub Scout camp and soccer camp. We have played baseball and taken swim lessons. I have had a summer graduate course I have been teaching and they also wanted me to write another. There has been no rest for the weary! This course I am designing is for the Fall semester and they informed me that I will be teaching it and it is full! I am going to be SOOOOO ready for this cruise. I hope I haven't pulled all my hair out by then.

I hope everyone is have a great summer. It is quickly approaching the final payment date. The final payment date also marks the deadline for the FE list. No additions will be accepted after that date. I also hope that we can start adding more discussion to the forum from here on. We would like to get to know one another better.

Well, I have to go. I have two DS's that are hungry, wanting breakfast. Take care and God bless.

Shawn of TheBanksFam

 

[TheBanksFam]

Well still need stateroom numbers for the following people:
2015Cruiser
soxfam04
billandangie
WDWCathy
Disneynutt4
Kglynnk
Tracynscott

Please let us know so we can get in on the list.
Thanks!

 

[Mistletoe Ranch Kids]

Hi all, I will celebrating my 50th Birthday on this cruise with my family. I would like to join the facebook group and FE list please
Thanks,
Caroline

 

[GrumpyVader]

Hi folks - we are very excited about joining you all, arriving in Florida following about 22 hours of flying. This will be our third US/ Disney trip, and our first cruise. We are really looking forward to NYE!!

*Your Dis name: GrumpyVader
In stateroom (ages of kids too): DH(me), DW, DD Helen (13) and DS Alex (11)
Cabin Number: 9578
Early/Late dining: Late
FE? (Yes/No) Yes
Celebrating: Our first Disney Cruise and Alex's 12th birthday

I will add us to the spreadsheet, and also join the FB site.

Not long now...

 

[Victoria1974]

I was reading your post and we are on the same cruise and want to join the FE what do I need to do?

 

[dhelin]

I was reading your post and we are on the same cruise and want to join the FE what do I need to do?

go to the bottom of this thread and follow the instructions

 

[The Mouse Marvels]

I have been working hard on those FE gifts!! I can't believe the summer is almost over and our cruise is just 4 months away. It will come fast! I'm hoping all of the blanks on the spreadsheet are filled in soon. I want to make sure I make enough of everything. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!