April 1 2010 cruise meet

[Deb T.]

It’s Friday (TGIF!!), and just six weeks from now some of us will have just spent the day enjoying all that Nassau has to offer! The first thing my family likes to do after spending a day on shore is head to the 24-hour drink station for something iced cold to drink and then stop at Pluto's for some piping hot french fries, then gather at a table near a pool to talk about all the fun we had that day. It’s great bonding time.

Others will have spent most of the day hanging out on the ship – - - there are soooo many activities offered that we had trouble deciding what to do! We might have watched a movie, lounged by the pool, had a spa treatment, exercised, jogged, played games, played bingo, read a book, snacked, relaxed, napped, etc., etc., etc. The great thing about a cruise is that you control the pace. You can be as busy, or as restful, as you please!

A few of us will be a little sunburnt from this southern locale. But the warm air and tropical breezes have definitely been a welcome change from our home climates.

So, now we head to our cabins to start getting ready for tonight’s festivities! Very soon, Captain Jack Sparrow will be available for photos and autographs! Arrrrrrrrgh!

More of Friday to come at the 5 week mark…

 

[Panther]

Welcome Aboard! Thanks for posting on our thread! Would you like to join in on our Fish Extender Gift Exchange?

Thanks Deb for the invitation. I'll get back to you on that.

Do any of the Spring Break repeat cruisers know if there will be any Easter masses offered onboard? If not, I may have to look at churches around Port Canaveral for when we disembark.

 

[Deb T.]

Do any of the Spring Break repeat cruisers know if there will be any Easter masses offered onboard? If not, I may have to look at churches around Port Canaveral for when we disembark.

I just dug up all my past Navigators to answer your question. (Yes, I'm a sentimental pack rat!) Last year, they had an 8am Easter Mass in the Walt Disney Theater. They also offered a 7am Easter Sunrise Interdenominational Service at the Goofy Pool Stage. "Father John" officiated both services. However, two years ago DCL did not offer any Easter services. So, we can only hope for the best this year. (As usual, I feel I need to issue a disclaimer that Disney always reserves the right to change activities without notice.)

 

[MNBrooke]

Wow, wish we had found this forum sooner. We have been looking for tips since we booked in November.
Charlie & Joni
Brooke (7) on April 2nd.
Would like to try the FE. Room #2586

I'll look at the FE threads to get some good ideas that will pack light. We are spending the week before at DisneyWorld despite warnings that it will be too crowded for the Easter Holiday.

 

[Deb T.]

Wow, wish we had found this forum sooner. We have been looking for tips since we booked in November.
Charlie & Joni
Brooke (7) on April 2nd.
Would like to try the FE. Room #2586

I'll look at the FE threads to get some good ideas that will pack light. We are spending the week before at DisneyWorld despite warnings that it will be too crowded for the Easter Holiday.

Welcome Aboard!! I'm so glad you found us! I'll add you to our FE list!

Several of us on this thread have cruised DCL before, so please feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like!

As for WDW, we've always found that the best strategy when it's crowded is to get up early, arrive at the Magic Morning park before the rope drop, and then do the most popular attractions first before the lines get long.

 

[Deb T.]

We just had another family join the FE Exchange! That's 15 cabins! I think that's a record for a 3-night cruise! Here's the updated list, in numerical number by cabin:

Cabin 2104 – Mozart: Kevin & Holli, nephew Jake (6), niece Chloe (5)
Cabin 2105 – Mouseskis: Kristi & Brian, Matthew (7), Andrew (4)
Cabin 2512 – TDWZ: Trisha & Kurt, Adam (11), Hailey (9)
Cabin 2586 – MNBrooke: Charlie & Joni, Brooke (7 on April 2nd!)
Cabin 2580 – Deweysgirl’s parents: Betty Sue & Austin (celebrating 38th anniversary on 4/1)
Cabin 2582 – Deweysgirl: Liz & Dewey, Tabby (15), Brianna (turning 12 on the cruise!)
Cabin 2592 – CarolinaBlue: Karen & Steve, Kelley (19), Caroline (almost 16)
Cabin 5024 – Kdlong: Kari & Russell, Bryson (7), Austin (5)
Cabin 6051 – Isi: Isabel & Jose, Bryan (8), Brianna (8)
Cabin 6566 – Deb T.: Deb & Jeff
Cabin 7123 – eastonsmom: Melissa and Easton (6)
Cabin 7127 – Bobo_UK: Deano & Katie, Jessica (5)
Cabin 7562 – mmmears: Michelle & Hans, Danielle (12)
Cabin GTY – Aye-Landers: Ron & Beth, Emily (13)
Cabin 8530 – ppiew: Gert & Jack, Lori & Rob, Sophia (13), Olivia (8), (Gert is celebrating her April 1st birthday onboard!)

Aye-Landers - any update on a cabin assignment yet?

 

[mmmears]

Wow, wish we had found this forum sooner. We have been looking for tips since we booked in November.
Charlie & Joni
Brooke (7) on April 2nd.
Would like to try the FE. Room #2586

I'll look at the FE threads to get some good ideas that will pack light. We are spending the week before at DisneyWorld despite warnings that it will be too crowded for the Easter Holiday.

Welcome!

I just want to let you know that we've spent 10 days of Spring Break twice now at WDW (both coinciding with Easter). We'll be there this year a few days before and a few days after the cruise.

Deb's advice is really good about getting to the parks at rope drop and riding the most popular rides first thing. Also, make sure you have dining reservations if you want to eat in a sit-down restaurant.

The weeks before and after Easter are super-crowded, but the parks are open really early and close really late, so you can still get lots done. We still have a fantastic time, even thought it is crowded. Let me know if you want any touring advice for this time of year.

 

[Deb T.]

It's Saturday, and six weeks from today we've just spent the most wonderful time on Castaway Cay. Those of us who did the Scavenger Hunt were drawn to areas of the island that we might not have ordinarily visited, and we are now aware of several previously unnoticed, but very cool details on the island.

About 5:30pm, we are all very, very sad as we watch our vessel slowly pulling away from the beautiful island and, as it fades smaller and smaller into the horizon, we are already busy plotting how to afford another Disney cruise soon!!!

We all find our way back to our cabins and begin getting ready for tonight’s activities. It’s mind boggling that over 3,000 people are showering at practically the same time, and we all still have plenty of hot water to wash all the sand off! The water heater in our house barely makes it through three people showering! Haha

With heavy heart, we try to get a little packing done before our busy evening. Our luggage has to be outside our cabin doors between 9-11pm, but there’s hardly any time to pack since we still have lots of fun things to do on our last night of our cruise. One thing for sure is we want to make another visit to the onboard shops for last-minute souvenirs!

More to follow at the 5-week mark…

 

[mmmears]

I asked this question on the general thread, but thought I should ask it here since there are so many DCL vets here:

What is served for breakfast in the snack areas up by the pool on Deck 9?

Anything at all? Just trying to find a place to grab a quick bite in the mornings if we're in a hurry. I saw the Triton's menu and it looked great, but don't know what my other options are.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mozart]

I asked this question on the general thread, but thought I should ask it here since there are so many DCL vets here:

What is served for breakfast in the snack areas up by the pool on Deck 9?

Anything at all? Just trying to find a place to grab a quick bite in the mornings if we're in a hurry. I saw the Triton's menu and it looked great, but don't know what my other options are.

Thanks in advance!

Only thing I've ever seen open early in the day by the pools is Goofy's Galley, which has fresh fruit. The Quiet Cove Cafe has a few things down there like pastry type breakfast items. That's all I've ever seen though.

 

[Deb T.]

I asked this question on the general thread, but thought I should ask it here since there are so many DCL vets here:

What is served for breakfast in the snack areas up by the pool on Deck 9?

Anything at all? Just trying to find a place to grab a quick bite in the mornings if we're in a hurry. I saw the Triton's menu and it looked great, but don't know what my other options are.

Thanks in advance!

Beach Blanket Buffet, on Deck 9, is typically open for breakfast pretty early in the morning:
Friday 7:30-10:30am
Saturday 7:30-10:45am
Sunday - not open on the 3-night cruises
I've noticed that the buffet does seem to change a little each morning, but generally you can find scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, ham steaks, McDonald's type hash brown patties, pancakes, Mickey-shaped waffles, assorted danishes, assorted donuts, assorted muffins, bagels & cream cheese, toast, fruit, a cereal station, and a made-to-order omelette station.

Parrot Cay, on Deck 3, is open slightly different hours:
Friday 8am-11am
Saturday 7:45am-10:30am
I always thought they had the same breakfast buffet offerings, but according to DCL's website, they have:
* Lighter Fare:
o Hot Oatmeal
o Selection of Toasts
o Cereal
o Fresh Fruit
* Main Courses:
o Buttermilk Pancakes
o French Toast
o Omelets
o Over-roasted Potatoes (I think they mean OVEN-roasted and just sent them an email.)
o Sausage
o Scrambled Eggs

Goofy's Galley, on Deck 9, is typically open for "early bird" breakfasts on mornings when there are early port excursions. So, for the 3-night cruises, that means it's only open on Nassau day. My Navigator from last year listed their hours as 7am-9am on Friday only. I cannot speak from personal experience about the menu there, but believe they offer basic Continental-style breakfast items such as danishes, bagels, muffins, donuts, and fruit.

Cove Cafe, also on Deck 9, has very limited snacks throughout the day, but they might have a few pastries in the morning.

 

[ppiew]

Last year the Cove had muffins, danish pastrys, etc when I went for my 6AM Latte!!!!

 

[Deb T.]

Last year the Cove had muffins, danish pastrys, etc when I went for my 6AM Latte!!!!

6am?!?! You mean there's a 6am on the cruise? This cruiser likes to sleep in on vacation!

 

[Mozart]

6am?!?! You mean there's a 6am on the cruise? This cruiser likes to sleep in on vacation!

Anybody else doing the doc dance today?

 

[Deb T.]

Anybody else doing the doc dance today?

Wow! You received your cruise documents today?? That's fantastic! Last year, they didn't arrive until March! Nothing in my mailbox today.

 

[mmmears]

Thanks for the great breakfast information! You are all so very helpful!!!

Anybody else doing the doc dance today?

Not me... just went out and checked, too.

 

[Mozart]

Wow! You received your cruise documents today?? That's fantastic! Last year, they didn't arrive until March! Nothing in my mailbox today.

Just read through them. They say the information is current as of Feb 16th, and had a Feb 18th date on the envelope stamp. If you're not in the Southeast or are using a TA, then you're probably still a few days away from getting them.

If you're in the SE and not using a TA, then your mailman went home early today.

 

[Deb T.]

Just read through them. They say the information is current as of Feb 16th, and had a Feb 18th date on the envelope stamp. If you're not in the Southeast or are using a TA, then you're probably still a few days away from getting them.

If you're in the SE and not using a TA, then your mailman went home early today.

Thanks for the document update. We're in the SE, but transferred our reservation to DU for the additional OBC, so hopefully we'll get our docs next week. Unfortunately, we do seem to always have bad luck when it comes to receiving our mail in a timely manner, so who knows when we'll really get our docs. At least I have something to look forward to!

 

[CarolinaBlue]

Anybody else doing the doc dance today?

We got ours, too!

 

[Deb T.]

We got ours, too!

Hooray! The cruise is getting closer!!! Only 39 days to go!