Anyone sailing on 6/21/03 Magic

[CBAGGS]

Deb Ohhh I wish it went through but i'll try one more time but then i'll give it 2 you and u can foward it to him
Kari

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Kari - that sounds good.

Everyone - not sure if you've read the other thread I posted on excursion info but it appears that DCL has changed the policy. Instead of final payment and 60 days out to start booking excursions you can do it as soon as the final payment is made.

Michelle & I sat down last night and decided what we want to do. Just need to get DH & DD to do the same - I hope tonight. Then we'll be making our reservations. At the moment it looks like the following if anyone is wondering.

Key West: Back to Nature Kayaking (am going to double check on this when I call to make sure it really goes out to the wildlife refuge.)

Grand Cayman: Stingray City - not sure if this will be just the Stingray City or the Stingray City and Discover Cayman tour until the boys give their input. Any thoughts?

Cozumel: Michelle & I will do the Mayan Horseback riding. Guys will be doing something else.

Deb

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Disappointment here... we tried booking our excursions Tuesday night and could not. The CM was wonderful and checked all sorts of things just in case the policy had changed. It hasn't....

April 22 is the day we can start booking excursions.

But we did make some decisions.

Looks like the following -
Key West: Back to Nature Kayaking

Grand Cayman: Stingray City - the early morning trip. Met with a DIS boarder this afternoon who just came back from a RCL western and they were told the stingrays are most lively before people from 20 cruise ships have spent the day feeding them.

Cozumel: Michelle & I are going on the Mayan Horseback riding. Guys are planning to do the advanced snorkeling to the two reefs.

Kari & Ryan: Andrew is wondering if you're thinking about the Teen Fury Catamaran in Cozumel and/or the Wild Side Adventure at CC? I have no idea if he has tried emailing you about this so thought I'd ask here.

Time really feels like it is flying now!

Deb

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Ok everyone,

Time to bump this thread up and get some excitement generated. Kari must be on vacation because she usually is posting something!

Anyway, we're at basically the 80 day mark - 2 1/2 months! So what is on your to do to get ready list for the next couple of weeks?

Mine:

Go through summer clothes - get rid of what doesn't fit (I'm jumping up and down with glee that most of mine don't they are TOO BIG!) and make lists of what we need to shop for.

Go Shopping!

Order film! I've been getting mine through an online supplier and it is significantly less expensive plus I can get speeds that aren't as readily available locally.

Call Shirley at Perfect Gift and figure out baskets, decide if I'm going to order any stateroom decorations (we'll be celebrating our 20th anniversary!)

Next?

Deb

 

[Chropistopy]

TO DO LIST:

-Get dresses fitted
-Finish shopping (film, shoes, bathing suit...)
-Stop looking at the countdown clock everyday, as it only makes the time go by even slower
-Stop having the dreams about forgeting my birth certificate at home
-Inform everyone that I come in contact with that I'm going on a cruise in 2 1/2 months (I think I can pretty much scratch this one off of the list as the whole world must know by now)
-Write Disney Cruising for Dummies as I'm surely an expert after all of the research I've done over the past year.


WooHoo! 2 1/2 months!!

PS: I'm debating which spa treatment to try...Anyone have one that they would recommend?

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

I'm not sure if we're going to do anything onboard. We keep debating on the surial bath - wink, wink, nudge, nudge! But are concerned about the heat level. I've had some incidences of high blood pressure and although it is well under control now don't want to end up in the infirmary!

I think I have Greg talked into doing a couples massage on CC. At the very least I will be doing a massage there!

Any thoughts you're having? Also are you coming in day of or night before?

Deb

 

[CBAGGS]

HI every one
Deb~hehe I'm not onvacation but homework so i need a vacation

Excursions
We are planning on doing the dolphin excursion in Cozumel so i won't be doing the Teen Fury Catamaran
What is the Wild Side Adventure at Castaway Cay? I wanted to go to the teen beach but i really don't kno what goes on

To DO List
-go shopping
-get disposible and underwater cameras
-make a list of what i'm bringing so far

We are planning on comming the nigh before we are trying to leave on the 19 but thats the day when we get out of school so we're gonna leave early, driving down that night staying over in North Carolina. Get up the 20th drive the rest of the way and stay over the 20th probably at the Raddison.

Kari

 

[Chropistopy]

I'm debating the spa taster...get a massage and facial without paying out the money for a hour massage. I've read the description of the other services but kind of hesitant to try something new. I've had a massage and facial before.

As for arrival time, we are driving down to Orlando the day before. We plan on catching one of the dinner shows and spending the night in Orlando. We'll drive to port the next morning.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Yes, we know that homework phenomenon at our house too. Coupled with tennis practice, drivers' training and the musical Andrew has been almost too busy to get on the computer except at school. I think he said he'd replied to your email.

I'll pass along the Fry info. Wild Side is basically a combination of sports oriented activities including snorkeling, biking and sea kayaking. I believe it also includes a raft building competition. But it starts "early" - meeting time is at Common Grounds around 8:15-8:30. Michelle is thinking of just hanging at the Teen Beach - which is supposed to havevolleyball, dancing, and other activities. I remember a big in the water jungle gym that was at the far end of the family beach/near end of the teen beach. And I have read that there are counselors there to "encourage activities" and I would presume some level of supervision!

Looks like a bunch are aiming at the Radison Friday night...(Correction: I just realized I mentioned the Radisson which of course is at the port - we'll be at the Airport Hyatt Friday night. So it looks like we'll have DISers in both places!)
Deb

 

[CBAGGS]

HEY
Deb the Wild Side sounds like fun but im so addictive to volleyball I may just stay on the teen beach I dont kno exactly yet but I'll let you and Andrew kno what I'll be doing

Kari

 

[okwmember92]

Hi everyone

I'm Kim, 17yo Ryan's & 12yo Nick's mom. I am happy to see that this thread is starting to get active since we are now under the 80day mark.

I need some good thoughts being fed to my brain since my life at work is so stressful and the thought that in the not so distant future I can be sitting on my verandah while cruising the western carribean just takes a bit of the edge off.

Deb, FantasticDISfam, I see you are a scrapbooker, so am I hopefully we can exchange ideas while on our trip. I have my book from our Wonder 2000 cruise pretty much done, just some digital pictures that I never got developed but want in my book to finish it off. I will be excited to start a new one for this cruise.

Kari, Ryan will possibly hang out with you at teen beach, he did the wild side at CC last cruise and thought it was okay but not interested in doing it again.

Anyways hope we can keep things going so we all can be ready for our trip. I think I'm going to try Neutrogenia sunless tanning before hand. I've used estee lauder most of the time but the recent thread on this subject seemed to lean toward Neutrogenia.

Well, seeya for now. Kim

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Kari - I'll let Andrew know what you're thinking and also Kim, let him know Ryan did it before. He may already know that as they have been emailing, or so I understand.

Kim-we are in a verandah room too -care to share what deck? We'll be on 6. It was our first DCL land/sea vacation back in 1998 that really got me started on scrapping and I always love swapping ideas.

I'm hoping that it is going to be warm enough around here that I can do my end of term grading on the deck and get a little natural sun before I go so I won't need the sunless tanning!

Deb

 

[okwmember92]

Deb,

We are on deck 7, I forget what room. I also plan on getting some natural sun but blonde hair blue eyes fair skin=skin cancer, so I try not to overdo it.

Are you hoping for early or late seating? We had late seating and want to have it this time. Our servers were so wonderful that we're afraid we'll compare too much thinking Fiona or Gorgie would never do that.

I'm thinking of the massage at CC but am afraid to spend time away from everyone since we don't have all that much on the island, wish we could stay overnite and do it a second day.

Well, gotta get to work. See ya Kim

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Kim,

Sorry about the work thing (oh, yea I should be doing that too!)

Fair skin too which is why I don't overdo the sun - never have - but if I can get a little of the natural exposure it will help prevent the burn I hope! Much of my color will be "enhanced" too I think. I looked in the basket of lotions and potions in the bathroom last night and the sunless tanning lotion I have there is Neutragena. I don't use it during the winter but it is what I used last year - I liked it. Although as with most I found that I have to be careful around knees and ankles so it doesn't get too dark.

We have early seating and plan to keep it. That is what we've had on previous cruises and it also works well for us in keeping things pretty consistent with non-vacation eating practice. We're on Eastern time and generally eat dinner around 6-6:30 anyway. When they were testing the 5:30 start we considered trying to switch to late because that was just too early! But when that trial flopped we stayed with early seating. For us that gives us evening time for other activities without staying up too late because we tend to be early risers anyway. Work and school just seem to work that way.

Deb

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

In the last couple of days I have checked several early items off my to do list and this weekend plan to insist that DD goes through clothes.

Shopping trip planned for following weekend as everyone is available!

Also bumping our thread up...

Deb

 

[CBAGGS]

Hi everyone
Unlike everyone so far we have an 2 indoor rooms (saved $$) and i think we're on the 2nd floor. I don't care becaue number one we're going and really how much time is there to spend in your room except for sleeping.

As for dinner we have second seating but we wanna change it to first because of bad waiters last time. We keep going back and forth deciding because it may give us more time at the ports instead of rushing back to eat

Tanning~~Our family, we have easily tanned skin, if you would call it, last cruise we turned so dark my friend was so mad since she spent her whole summer at the pool and didnt get tan so were lucky. Its funny cuz we're Polish and the sterotype is blond hair blue eyes and everything so my friends laugh at me an tell me I'm from the southern part of poland since were more tan that we look some what Italian
Well im babaling
O Deb and Kim let Andrew and Ryan know i'm gonna try to get back to them in the next few days because i don't have enogugh time I just have enough time to write here
Bye Bye
Kari

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Hey Kari,

This time of year does seem to get really busy doesn't it? Will pass your message to Andrew. He is on Spring Break this weekend and not going anywhere since I am not on Spring Break. One of the reasons we go on vacation in the summer.

When you and your family are making that seating decision remember that the same waiters are at both seatings. It really depends on other things like port time and eating scheduled.

BTW-it couldn't hurt right now for everyone to send some pixie dust this way. My mother has been in fragile health for many years now (one of the reasons we ALWAYS take out insurance) and took a fall over the week-end. They called in a spinal cord injury specialist which was a little strange at first. Turns out that she fractured the C1 and C2 vertebrae rings (translation for the non-medical: she broke her neck). She was incredibly lucky as apparently the majority of these type fractures are fatal. Not only is she alive but there is no indication of paralysis. Because of all her other health issues they do not want to do surgery so have put her in a halo brace for at least 3 months. In my own mind I am thinking that we will still go but am also crossing my fingers that nothing else happens right at the end of June!

Deb

 

[Amous]

Hi all! I haven't checked the board in a while and had lots of catching up to do!! LOL

As far as excursions, we plan to to kayak in Key West and swim with the dolphins in Cozumel (and play a round of mini-golf). We don't have anything planned for Grand Cayman.

My son will probably sign up for the teen activities on Castaway Cay (Wild Side Adventure?). Kari, keep me posted about what you all are doing.

What else? We're on Deck 6 and I'm getting into the scrapbooking thing too. Deb & Kim -- I hope you guys can offer some great tips!

We have early seating too. We've tried both and like the early one better!

Take care and look forward to meeting everyone!!

Amy

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Ok, glad to hear there are other brave souls planning to try the kayaking too. Amy, you do mean that back to nature not the sea kayaking right?

Andrew is still debating on the Wild Side, Michelle is going to hang (translation sleep til about noon! and then hit the beach) The reality of a female teenager in the house is becoming more of a reality every day!

Also check out the scrapping board - lots of good ideas there on what to collect on the trip!

Deb

 

[CBAGGS]

Hey everyone
Snow in April is not fun but June is comming quick

Deb~~sorry to hear about your mom hope she is better soon

Amy~~we were also planning on swmming with the dolphins where were u gonna go we want 2 go to discovery cove.

Kari