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

[SSinWYO]

Here is my "Top Ten" list of helpful things you can start doing now to prepare for our Dream cruise.


10. Start serving all breakfasts and lunches "buffet" or "food station" style.

9. In the mornings, make a 3-tone chime noise, then make the following announcement in your best British accent: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, in 2 minutes time the forward door will open for all guests to disembark for school. The weather today is going to be (insert your weather, i.e. cold) so be sure to take your (insert necessity, i.e. hat and mittens) when you debark the house. And remember, "all aboard" is at (whatever your curfew is). Have a magical day!

8. Set your children's artwork out on display in the living room, add a row of folding chairs for everyone to sit on, and then auction off each piece of artwork to the highest bidder.

7. Step outside and lean on a porch or deck railing, gaze wistfully out at your landscape, and comment on how amazing it is that the ocean is spread out before you for as far as you can see.

6. Start "checking" your children in and out of their playroom. If your children want to leave the playroom before you come to get them, tell them they must stand in the doorway and make beeper sounds until you arrive to get them.

5. Draw the DCL logo on tall plastic cups and drink your favorite (alcoholic) beverages out of them.

4. Every night, perform a turn-down service for everyone. Place a tiny chocolate bar on each pillow and leave a schedule of the next day's events and a towel animal at the end of each bed. Oh, and don't forget to set chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk on the nightstand (from Room Service, of course!).

3. Every evening, make your family line up outside the dining room to wait for dinner to begin. Before they are allowed to enter, make sure the table is set and their favorite drinks are poured and waiting for them. Hand each family member a hand wipe to use before they enter. Oh, and of course, have a 4-course dinner prepared and ready to serve.

2. Also every evening, gather everyone in front of the TV for the evening entertainment, a Disney movie, of course!

And the number one thing to do to help your family prepare for your cruise
1. Every Tuesday night, have everyone dress in full pirate gear for dinner. After dinner, dance around wildly while talking like a pirate. Arrrrrrrgh

Giggle....love these!

 

[Deb T.]

Giggle....love these!

Thanks

 

[ccbride412]

Deb T- cute! I've never been on a Disney cruise so this got me very excited to be going!

With all the mid-westerners on this ship I feel our group will be out of place! Everyone in my wedding party is from the southeast (with the exception of my sister who is a transplant to MO for the time-being). We've got FL, AL, MO, and NC represented! And one from PA too I think...

 

[ddeal1957]

RemoCat.....

We're from Akron...... the snow started falling around 5:30 just as rush hour was coming to an end. Hope the weather doesn't turn too bad down your way......

O - H - I - O

 

[guarn3md]

Deb T- cute! I've never been on a Disney cruise so this got me very excited to be going!

With all the mid-westerners on this ship I feel our group will be out of place! Everyone in my wedding party is from the southeast (with the exception of my sister who is a transplant to MO for the time-being). We've got FL, AL, MO, and NC represented! And one from PA too I think...

Don't worry my group is not from midwest either. We represent the northeast - I'm a Jersey girl living in Maryland. My parents & little sis still live in Jersey. My DH and I lived in Raleigh, NC for eight years after we got married.
I love that the NCAA tournament will be on while on the ship...that will be fun. DH went to Rutgers - never a part of the big tournament. I went to graduate school at NC State - always a possibility. My undergrad is small and relatively unheard of (Glassboro State now Rowan Univ in NJ). Having live in NC for eight years the tournament was a big part of our beginning married life. We lived in Chapel Hill our first two years of marriage - having just graduated from college and moving eight hours away from family - the college scene was what we felt comfortable in, even though we had adult jobs! After that we moved to Raleigh...

Deb T - love the list!!

Debbie

 

[guarn3md]

Did something very cool today and wanted to share...way off topic though!
DS (10) - Connor has wanted an iPod touch forever... Last year I got an iPhone when Verizon came out with it...so I gave him my iPod touch (1st gen)...He has been happy with it, till Asia (my little sis (7)) got the latest touch last summer. Since then he has been hinting and scheming to get an new one. DH has been adament that he doesn't need one - he has a 3DS, laptop, and my old iPod touch - why does he need more?? Anyway - Game Stop has started taking in iPod products for trade money. I know I could have probably sold it for more on craigslist or Ebay but this was too easy. So they gave us $75 for 1st gen iPod touch and put the money on our power up card. Then we came home and purchased a refurbished 4th gen iPod touch and applied the $75 to the purchase. The refurb cost $179.99 - a little bit cheaper than new. The guy at Game Stop told me that they are taking in the products then sending them to Apple. Apple wipes them clean and reinstalls all the software and then adds some apps. Then they send it to you with a new power cord, USB and headphones. I thought it was cool and a bit on the greener side. Connor doesn't need brand new and it recycles the older pieces of technology. They are selling all types of refurbished iPod products on Game Stop's website... My DH asked how much of trade value the original 2GB Nano had - it was $1!!!!!!! Connor also had a 6th generation iPod Classic - 80GB that traded for $70.
Just thought I would share...
Debbie

 

[mubriankoz]

We are getting into Port on Saturday afternoon, after we let the kids swim a bit, does anyone have any good recommendations for a resturant near the Residence Inn?

 

[guarn3md]

We are getting into Port on Saturday afternoon, after we let the kids swim a bit, does anyone have any good recommendations for a resturant near the Residence Inn?

Don't order a pizza...that was my Dad's brilliant idea last year! Ughh it was horrible. I have heard people talk about Fishlips, or something close to that!

 

[D73]

I am sure that nearly all of you are counting down to this Spring Break with lots of excitement and you probably have special ways that you are doing it. Whether marking off a calendar or tracking the days on your computer or mobile device. What else are you doing to get excited and count the days?

As we get closer and closer to this exciting SPRING BREAK FRENZY, I have decided I need to step up my countdown. So I have decided that I am going to try to watch a Disney film each night while working on my Peter Pan cross stitch. So I have 69 days before I depart so I need to choose 68 movies.

With 51 Disney Animated features and and 12 Pixar titles I have reached 63. Throw in 4 Pirates of the Caribbean adventures and I am almost there. So those I can start watching tomorrow I think I will watch the Pixar 12 first in order of release since there are sequels with Toy Story and Cars. Then I'll Watch the Pirates in order over 4 nights. That will leave the last 51 Animated features to watch in reverse order of release counting down from the most recent Winnie the Pooh to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A challenge but should be a fun one.

So to start tonight I just scoured iTunes movies and found a Disney Film I have not seen in ages. I could not help but purchase it. So as I write "The Apple Dumpling Gang" with Don Knotts and Tim Conway is downloading.

What are you doing to count down?

 

[RemoCat]

I love all the ways you guys are preparing/suggesting to prepare! Our only issue is that our kids still don't have (and will not have, until that morning) any idea that they're going on the ship!!

We are having fun planning for our "summer trip to Disney World" (what they think we're doing), with things like re-watching some of the classic movies, etc. My hubby and I are just having a blast keeping it all a secret!

ddeal1957 - we didn't get too much weather last night. Did get some sleet and freezing rain, but missed most of the snow, maybe just got an inch or so. Roads got slick, and neighborhood roads are still iced over, but main ones are fine. I am actually really wanting a couple of good snowstorms before spring arrives (though not when we're supposed to be flying to FL!). This mild winter is annoying me a little...

 

[peytoncolts]

My husband, my dd (Izzi 10), and I are sailing on this cruise! It will be our first DCL cruise!! We are from Las Vegas. We are SUPER excited!!

 

[peytoncolts]

Well, I did say that we are from Vegas, but I also am a Hoosier, born and raised!! I am so glad that the ship will be filled with teachers (I teach intermediate autism) and midwesterners!!

Also I would love to get into the fish extender pool, if it's not too late!!

 

[D73]

So I received a message from Delta thismorning that Air France has canceled their direct flight from Paris to Orlando on Saturdays. I had been rescheduled for the direct flight the following day, April 1. Please call if this was not acceptable and they would do their best to find me an alternative route.

UGH!!!! Of course I had to call.

So long story short, I will now be stoppingin Atlanta on my way to Orlando on the 31st.

Anyone scheduled on Delta Flight 11 from Atlanta to Orlando at 3:55PM? That would make the change worthwhile if I could say hellp to a fellow cruiser.

 

[VA_mouseman]

My husband, my dd (Izzi 10), and I are sailing on this cruise! It will be our first DCL cruise!! We are from Las Vegas. We are SUPER excited!!

Welcome aboard, to a fellow Hoosier! I see by your name that you're a Colts fan. I was there the day they arrived and have been a fan, in good years and bad. This past season reminded me of some of the uglier years, pre-Peyton.

 

[peytoncolts]

Thanks for the welcome!!! I am a super huge Colts fan, through thick and thin!!! This year was not pretty!! At least there will be a Manning in the superbowl!

Ordered my FE yesterday!! Cant wait until it gets here!!! Any suggestions on how many FE gifts I should plan to make??

 

[SSinWYO]

Well, I did say that we are from Vegas, but I also am a Hoosier, born and raised!! I am so glad that the ship will be filled with teachers (I teach intermediate autism) and midwesterners!!

Also I would love to get into the fish extender pool, if it's not too late!!

Finally, someone else from "out west"! I was beginning to feel all alone out here.

 

[SSinWYO]

So I received a message from Delta thismorning that Air France has canceled their direct flight from Paris to Orlando on Saturdays. I had been rescheduled for the direct flight the following day, April 1. Please call if this was not acceptable and they would do their best to find me an alternative route.

UGH!!!! Of course I had to call.

So long story short, I will now be stoppingin Atlanta on my way to Orlando on the 31st.

Anyone scheduled on Delta Flight 11 from Atlanta to Orlando at 3:55PM? That would make the change worthwhile if I could say hellp to a fellow cruiser.

How frustrating! I'm glad you got a flight earlier than the 1st~

I'm hoping for good weather on the 30th, springtime weather flying out of Denver can be iffy. So we're flying out extra early JUST in case of delay!

Nice earmuffs in the pic!

 

[honeypot13]

Hi Fellow Dis'ers...

My DS and DD will be coming with me on this cruise. Have never done a meetup before but this will be our 9th DCL cruise.

Excited to meet you all! We are coming from Utah. My friends family will be going, they have a group of about 25, and they were nice enough to let us tag along.

Heather

ps- we would also like to get into fish extenders pool if not too late.

 

[guarn3md]

Thanks for the welcome!!! I am a super huge Colts fan, through thick and thin!!! This year was not pretty!! At least there will be a Manning in the superbowl!

Ordered my FE yesterday!! Cant wait until it gets here!!! Any suggestions on how many FE gifts I should plan to make??

Welcome to the cruise!! I will get you on the FE list ASAP...
Not sure how many gifts you plan on but we currently have about 20 staterooms participating. I am in the process of getting a more detailed list together of # adults, children and ages in each stateroom. We have a cutoff date of 3/1 for joining the FE in order to give everyone time to get their gifts together.
Check post #301 for more FE info...

Debbie

 

[guarn3md]

Hi Fellow Dis'ers...

My DS and DD will be coming with me on this cruise. Have never done a meetup before but this will be our 9th DCL cruise.

Excited to meet you all! We are coming from Utah. My friends family will be going, they have a group of about 25, and they were nice enough to let us tag along.

Heather

ps- we would also like to get into fish extenders pool if not too late.

Welcome to the cruise!
I will add you to the list of FE participants...

Debbie