>> April 1, 2012 - Disney Dream Spring Break Frenzy! <<

[guarn3md]

Debbie - Thanks for the response. We're going to drive up late on 11/2 and leave mid-morning on 11/6. We're staying in Crystal City so I guess we'll just park the car for the duration and use the Metro.

I have a tour of the Capitol and trip to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing set up through my congressman's office. They still haven't heard back about the White House. I really, really wanted to go to the top of the Washington Monument but that's obviously not going to happen. The Spy Museum sounds great. Also, DH grew up near KSC in Merritt Island so he's psyched about going to the Air and Space Museum. DS (13) doesn't know about the trip yet but he and I went to the Johnson Space Center in Houston in June and he loved it. Hope it will hold over for the Smithsonian.

We're leaving in just a few weeks but oddly I haven't done any "real" planning for this trip. I keep going back to the disboards instead thinking about April.

Nancy

If I remember correctly there are two Air & Space Museums. One is in the Smithsonian area and is good. We have taken DS there and he liked it. But the really good one is near Dulles Airport. We really want to take our son to that one. Apparently that is where are the big "stuff" is...
Sounds like fun!
I hear you about planning for "other" trips. We went to Turks & Caicos over the summer and my DH was so mad that all I want to plan was our coming Disney trips! Oh well...
Debbie

 

[VA_mouseman]

I live here in the DC area. It's a great place to visit!

All the Smithsonian museums on the Mall are a great place to visit. The larger air and space museum is the Udvar Hazy Museum, out near Dulles Airport. It's "free" but costs about $12 to park, FYI. If you're an aviation junkie, it's a very impressive museum. But for kids, it's a "look but don't touch" place which may bore them after awhile.

Spy Museum, Newseum, National Zoo (pandas) are great places to visit. Consider side trips to Old Town Alexandria, Arlington National Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, all within the area.

Funny .. I've lived in the DC area for over 20 years now, but 1) I don't think of it as home, and 2) there's so much here I haven't yet seen.

Debbie - Thanks for the response. We're going to drive up late on 11/2 and leave mid-morning on 11/6. We're staying in Crystal City so I guess we'll just park the car for the duration and use the Metro.

I have a tour of the Capitol and trip to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing set up through my congressman's office. They still haven't heard back about the White House. I really, really wanted to go to the top of the Washington Monument but that's obviously not going to happen. The Spy Museum sounds great. Also, DH grew up near KSC in Merritt Island so he's psyched about going to the Air and Space Museum. DS (13) doesn't know about the trip yet but he and I went to the Johnson Space Center in Houston in June and he loved it. Hope it will hold over for the Smithsonian.

We're leaving in just a few weeks but oddly I haven't done any "real" planning for this trip. I keep going back to the disboards instead thinking about April.

Nancy

 

[RemoCat]

Just had to post a quick story to a group of folks who will understand. I was teaching one of my Jazzercise classes this afternoon, and went to make an announcement about our Halloween night schedule. I end up announcing that "we will not have any 6:00 or 7:00 classes on MARCH 31"....the class looked at me funny and started laughing, then I realized what I had actually said. I apologized, and told them I clearly had my cruise on the brain, as that's the day we fly to Orlando!! Geez...I'm soooo ready for this trip!!!

Erin

 

[VA_mouseman]

We just booked flights! This cruise is starting to feel a bit more real now.

 

[RemoCat]

For those of you visiting the World before or after the cruise, and those who haven't made dining ressies yet, be aware of their new policy. Starting this Wednesday, the 26th, a bunch of restaurants will require a credit card guarantee to make a reservation, with a $10 per person charge for cancellations not made more than a day in advance. Here are the restaurants:

• 1900 Park Fare
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Artist Point
• California Grill
• Cape May Cafe
• Chef Mickey's
• Cítricos
• The Crystal Palace
• Flying Fish Cafe
• Garden Grill
• Hollywood and Vine
• Jiko – The Cooking Place
• Le Cellier Steakhouse
• Narcoossee's
• 'Ohana
• Tusker House Restaurant
• Hollywood Brown Derby
• Victoria and Albert's (cancellation policy is $25/per person)
• Yachtsman Steakhouse

Just wanted to offer an FYI. Hope all is well with everyone! Glad you got your tix, VA Mouseman! We just got plane tix for marathon weekend (my hubby does the 1/2 and we stay with friends who live there/work for Disney), and were so excited that they were only $65 each way!!! Our kids aren't happy that we're going without them before we all go next "summer" (which is when they think we're going). I'll actually also be there for a long weekend in December with just my parents, maybe aunt and sis-in-law (no hubby or kids), while we watch my foster brother sing with his high school choir at Disney. But...I'm most excited about this cruise for sure!!!

 

[clc053103]

I have a FE question. If you join the FE group, how many cabins will you end up having to prepare gifts for, the entire group, or is it split into smaller groups.

I am just trying to determine if I can fit the gifts in the luggage, but I think DS will be bummed if we don't participate!

 

[guarn3md]

I have a FE question. If you join the FE group, how many cabins will you end up having to prepare gifts for, the entire group, or is it split into smaller groups.

I am just trying to determine if I can fit the gifts in the luggage, but I think DS will be bummed if we don't participate!

It will depend on how many people we have participating. When I did the FE on my last cruise we had 36 staterooms participating. Some people wanted to do all the staterooms and some wanted a smaller number (10-15). So we ended up having three groups. Two small groups and one group that wanted to do everyone. Right I can't remember how many I have on our list but I think it is under 10. We can see how it goes the closer we get to the cruise.
You can always do something small or flat. My Mom did magnetic picture frames for all the staterooms. She got them from Michael's and then cut a piece of Mickey themed scrapbooking paper and then decorated the outside with Mickey style ribbon and a crystal stick on Mickey.
There is a thread for FE ideas...I went there before my last cruise in order to get ideas.
Debbie

 

[ccbride412]

Did anyone's stateroom category get changed? DF and I got an "upgrade" as he called it (same room-they changed the category) and FSIL's room got changed too. Thank goodness we had already booked because our room's price went up $1000 overnight because of the re-categorization!

The countdown is down to about 5 months and change I think!

 

[RemoCat]

Did anyone's stateroom category get changed? DF and I got an "upgrade" as he called it (same room-they changed the category) and FSIL's room got changed too. Thank goodness we had already booked because our room's price went up $1000 overnight because of the re-categorization!

Don't believe so...how did you find out? We're already in a verandah room, so I'm not too concerned about being upgraded...what were you in originally? Maybe they did it as a wedding gift!

Erin

 

[VA_mouseman]

We booked a category 11 (11A), and our status was "guaranteed." I've been crossing my fingers for an upgrade ...

I just now checked, and we're still 11A but our cabin number has been assigned (deck 8). Oh well, so much for an upgrade. We'll still have a great cruise!

 

[guarn3md]

They changed the categories of rooms to reflect some of the obstructed views. Consequently some rooms were upgraded and some were downgraded. If your room was upgraded the change in price was a gift and if the rooms was downgraded you would get a refund or credit depending on if you were paid in full. There is a thread on the cruise board with the changes and the stateroom numbers are listed. I checked and our two staterooms weren't on there. I fiigured as much since I stayed in the stateroom in April and it is a category 4A and there was nothing that would have downgraded and the next category up is concierge...
Hope this helps!
I just have to say that we are at 23 days and counting until we leave for WDW! I CAN'T WAIT!!! I am so ready for this trip and feel like it has been forever since we've been there, in fact it was only 5 months ago!
Good Night all...
Deb

 

[ccbride412]

We've been in a verandah room since we booked but apparently our room is on deck 5 right where the ship starts to move in toward the bow so we have an exceptionally large verandah. That was enough for them to change the room from a 5E to a 4E. DF told me about it before I saw the thread on another board. Same room just would have cost us more after Oct 16! They sent him an email letting him know about the upgrade.

 

[Brookie1972]

Yes, I am #11 Brooke, there was a ? mark next to my name, I believe we are on deck 6, our cabin starts with a 6. Well if it hasn't changed, I can't log on to see the res, rerequested my login and password.

I know its a family suite with no verandah (dd9 sleepwalks!!) Hope there is a chair we can stick in front of the door like we normally do, but def do not want to mess with going overboard, lol!

We would like to the FE if you want to put us down. I hadn't received any notifications, so I thought there wasn't much activity here glad I checked. School has been busy for me this fall, this is the first time I have checked back....something to keep me going

My two boys were both pirates for Halloween, actually my youngest was Jake the neverland pirate. Anyway, I was happy with this idea....totally can use for the cruise!

Like I mentioned before we ended up having to cancel the post Disney because the airfare prices were $800 pp if we did post. Anyway, we are doing a few days pre, but not booking any advance dining. I am really regretting it, but at the same time we will barely have 1 1/2 day in the park, so making the most of it. We have always did at least one character meal a day, so hoping the characters on the cruise make up for this.

But the good news is we get at least a few nights at Disney before the cruise and we have told the kids we aren't going to Disney at all, so just being at Disney is a bonus!!! I just don't know if I can keep it a secret til then. Okay....off to see what the fish extenders look like, maybe I will make or see if there is something I want to buy.

 

[RemoCat]

5 months from today we'll be sailing away!!!

 

[ddeal1957]

The countdown begins!!!!!

 

[VA_mouseman]

We're under five months. Does everyone have their passports in hand?

 

[RemoCat]

We already had our passports, but are planning to send off for the kids' next week (we're just telling the kids we want to have them in case we make a trek to Canada sometime soon, which _is_ possible...). Of course, the kids don't know which kind we need for that, so they'll be clueless. I also know they aren't _required_ to have them, but for my "security gland", we need to get them. What do you other parents do? Passports for the minors? Just curious. We have their true "official" birth certificates. Again, I'm getting them regardless...just curious.

 

[Deb T.]

We're under five months. Does everyone have their passports in hand?

Just sent mine in last week for renewal since it was set to expire in April 2012. I'm hoping to get the old one back because I have a lot of really special stamps in it, such as China, Russia, Great Britain, Sweden, France, Austria, and Germany to name a few! I've been a very lucky girl!

 

[VA_mouseman]

I also know they aren't _required_ to have them, but for my "security gland", we need to get them. What do you other parents do? Passports for the minors? Just curious. We have their true "official" birth certificates. Again, I'm getting them regardless...just curious.

From my perspective, having a passport in hand for all = peace of mind. Worst case, we have to return stateside (medical, family emergency), a passport will be required for air travel to return to the States.

 

[Deb T.]

From my perspective, having a passport in hand for all = peace of mind. Worst case, we have to return stateside (medical, family emergency), a passport will be required for air travel to return to the States.

Ditto VA_mouseman's thoughts. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Our kids have had passports since they were in grade school.