April 17, 2011 on the Dream

[scootch]

We actually live in Ohio, right on the border of Ohio/WestVirg/Pa... right on the river. About 30 min to Pittsburgh airport. More snow expected tomorrow.... the kids may not have school all week as it is so cold and there is nowhere to even put 22 inches of show!

Going to spend the day working on my shutterfly book of our November cruise! That will put a little warmth on the day.

 

[lildeb724]

We actually live in Ohio, right on the border of Ohio/WestVirg/Pa... right on the river. About 30 min to Pittsburgh airport. More snow expected tomorrow.... the kids may not have school all week as it is so cold and there is nowhere to even put 22 inches of show!

Going to spend the day working on my shutterfly book of our November cruise! That will put a little warmth on the day.

We are thinking about doing it the saturday before the cruise. My kids would be 10 and 7 both good swimmers for years already. is it worth $1200 for the day?

 

[scootch]

We are thinking about doing it the saturday before the cruise. My kids would be 10 and 7 both good swimmers for years already. is it worth $1200 for the day?

Discovery Cove.... ahhhh.... it was the best day we have ever had on vacation. Truly the highlight of our Nov trip, completely overshadowed the cruise. You get a pass for 14 days at Sea World(busch gardens or aquatica). We only went to Sea World for one day but that makes the cost a little easier to swallow. It is hard to describe, they really cater to you.... the dolphin swim is so fun, my kids loved the warm lazy river and learning to use the snorkel gear there. There is a stingray pool that you stand in and they are everywhere... and adjacent to it is an area of tropical fish and stingrays where you snorkel. The bird avairy was a hit for my youngest, Kenzey(she was 7 and my oldest 10 at the time). My 10 year old was freaked by the birds, but Kenzey loved the birds as much as the dolphin swim. We got a $50 discount for booking early, so cost me around $750. I splurged on the photo package too, but the photos are amazing and I got these huge high quality posters of the girls kissing the dolphins that are priceless. So yes, it is a huge splurge, but I am oh so happy we did it. The girls would like to go again next year, but we would have to really start saving to do it again so soon. Here are some pictures.

 

[castlegazer]

That is soooo neat!!!! Thanks for sharing those! Wow!

My girlfriend mentioned to me that in Nassau some people got the Sheraton? and get a day room for $25/per adult? Anyone heard of this? She wasn't too sure about the exact hotel it was at.

She said given the age of my daughter, it would be ridiculous to get the room at the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island because she can't use any of the Atlantis slides at 6 years old anyways, so we should look into the day room option at another resort.

 

[rdevine10]

That is soooo neat!!!! Thanks for sharing those! Wow!

My girlfriend mentioned to me that in Nassau some people got the Sheraton? and get a day room for $25/per adult? Anyone heard of this? She wasn't too sure about the exact hotel it was at.

She said given the age of my daughter, it would be ridiculous to get the room at the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island because she can't use any of the Atlantis slides at 6 years old anyways, so we should look into the day room option at another resort.

thats good to know about the Atlantis! I have been trying to swallow the price tag and wasnt sure it would be worth it with a 8 and 5 year old! Im thinking we opt for something else this trip and do Atlantis when they are bit older!

 

[scootch]

There are some other hotels.. i think the Hilton is one. We did Atlantis thru CS this past november and even though most of the big slides are not for young kids... they have a kid pool with a huge playground with kid slides. The beach was great... we loved our day there. I only paid $176, about 210 with taxes for the CS room and found some others here on dis to take a taxi over with. We came back on our own and that taxi ride was a bit scary as my hubby doesn't do our disney trips, so it was just myself and my 2 girla. The taxi driver was fine, just the streets of the Bahamas are so run down with boarded up shops. We will likely hit Atlantis again this cruise, although I have been thinking of trying the Blue Lagoon ??? decisions, decisions.

 

[MissMousey]

We will be joining you all as well. We have myself and DH as well as DD 14, and DS 11. And good friends of ours will also be cruising with us too

"Might" be joining you. We did a 3 night in Nov.09, and my girls are itching to go again. I would like to do a 5 day in 2010, but they are all in the summer

We also did a 3 night cruise in Nov 09, and are itching to go again!
We really wanted a 5 night cruise also, but found the same thing you did, they were all offered in the summer--what's that about???

Amazing thing is this... it is cheaper to book a 4 night April 2011 Dream than a November 2010 Wonder ???

I know, it's crazy. That's why we were quick to book this cruise before they could change the pricing. Funny a stay in WDW this week is considered "Peak", but cruising this week is "High-Value". Works for me

 

[outahere]

We will be joining you all as well. We have myself and DH as well as DD 14, and DS 11. And good friends of ours will also be cruising with us too

I know, it's crazy. That's why we were quick to book this cruise before they could change the pricing. Funny a stay in WDW this week is considered "Peak", but cruising this week is "High-Value". Works for me

Welcome to the group! When we booked, I thought the pricing was pretty good too - a lot less than what I expected.

 

[erinsmom03]

We are joining everyone on the Dream! It will be our first family cruise...the last one was our homeymoon ten years ago! DD will be 7...any more advice on staying post-cruise at WDW? I was wanting to try the Contemporary for a few days, but DH is worried that we will be too tired to enjoy ourselves after the cruise...since it is only a 4 night, I think we will be fine...any words of wisdom?
Thanks!

 

[scootch]

We are joining everyone on the Dream! It will be our first family cruise...the last one was our homeymoon ten years ago! DD will be 7...any more advice on staying post-cruise at WDW? I was wanting to try the Contemporary for a few days, but DH is worried that we will be too tired to enjoy ourselves after the cruise...since it is only a 4 night, I think we will be fine...any words of wisdom?
Thanks!

Welcome... we did WDW after the cruise in Nov and it was only a 3 night so even more hectic... but it was fine. The only obstacle you may encounter though is Easter.... it is going to be much more crowded than when we did it in November. The Contemporary is great, one of our favorites. The convenience of the monorail is so great!! Oh one more thing, I wish I would have packed separate bags... one for the cruise part and one for the noncruise part... that is something I will do differently this time. I was too unorganized and looking back, I could have put the outfits for after the cruise in a bag by themselves.

Well dh knows about our cruise My kids keep talking about it and the other night my oldest said, does daddy know you actually booked it? I said, I think so, you guys keep talking about it... so she asked him and he didn't know. but he said, Great!! We are getting a decent tax return back and he told me to cash it, put it in an envelope and put dream on it. I told him I didn't need that much as I already paid $600 deposit and he said, well take the girls back to Discovery Cove if they want. So now we have to decide whether to do disney before the cruise or Discovery Cove again. I always knew we would do it again, but figured with the cost we would wait several years. We will likely fly in the Thursday before the cruise(or maybe wednesday night).. just take the kids out of school thursday and friday that week. Will fly home after the cruise, to be home with daddy for Easter.

Finished my shutterfly photobook from our November cruise/trip if anyone wants to peek.
http://community.shutterfly.com/gal...postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDBg2aOW7Ny5YijuIyig

 

[erinsmom03]

Thanks for the advice! I think we will be changing to a February cruise. After reading some of the posts re pre vs post WDW stays, and looking at our school calendars, and thinking about the Easter week timing, we're thinking of cruising President's week (same price as this one!) and staying at the Contemporary for 3 nights the week before. Hopefully if Disney's holiday calendar holds true to form we will get two nights at value season pricing...then we are thinking of staying at Port Canaveral the Saturday night before the cruise...lots of good info on parking a car for free and using a shuttle at hotels in the area (we get free use of my in-laws car while we are at Disney!)on the disboards. So, I guess I will be looking at the cruise meet for feb 17 thread! Thanks again! Happy cruising to all!

 

[scootch]

Thanks for the advice! I think we will be changing to a February cruise. After reading some of the posts re pre vs post WDW stays, and looking at our school calendars, and thinking about the Easter week timing, we're thinking of cruising President's week (same price as this one!)

If you look at Presidents week at WDW sites now people are saying the crowds were like Christmas. If you really want to avert crowds, then go a week that is not attached to any extra days off(like don't go over Columbus Day, President's day, any major holiday) I always have taken the girls out a week of school in November for that reason. They have never had any problems making up the work. Good luck with whichever week you decide... I am sure it will be a DREAM come true cruise!!

 

[erinsmom03]

Thanks for the advice! It is really hard for us to work around school calendars because my DH and I are both teachers...we especially can't take a week off in the fall because of a nasty little state test here in MI called the MEAP...but, we've done Disney President's week before, and it wasn't that bad...we are hoping to take a few days off the week before and go the park then...hopefully it won't be too crowded...
Have an awesome cruise everyone!

 

[scootch]

It is really hard for us to work around school calendars because my DH and I are both teachers...we especially can't take a week off in the fall because of a nasty little state test here in MI called the MEAP...

ahh... my hubby is a teacher, that is why I have been taking my girls alone to disney(well that and he doesnt' like to fly, and isn't much of an amusement park person ) It is great having the whole summer off though, so the teaching profession does have its benefits. We always go to Virginia Beach for 8-10 days in the summer with family, but this year everyone has other things going on(wedding, ect).... so stumped where to go. Anyone have somewhere on the East Coast they love ??? Looking for any ideas.

 

[outahere]

Anyone have somewhere on the East Coast they love ??? Looking for any ideas.

Since you like Virginia Beach, you might want to consider going just a little further south to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We have rented a house there a couple of times and really enjoyed it. The area we like best is just north of the Wright Memorial Bridge (Rte. 158) in Southern Shores. It is a much quieter area than south of the bridge (the Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head area). If you want more piece and quiet you can go further north to the Corolla/Duck area.

 

[scootch]

We went to Nags head about 15 years ago... and that has been a thought of mine. I wasn't sure what area to try though. I would really like the kids to see that large Sand Dune and Cape Hatteras might be nice too. Will peek into the Southern Shores. Since it will just be the 4 of us, not sure what accomodations we might find ???? I know they have some beautiful huge houses that look great! tks

 

[Mom2Elliot]

Hi! I just booked our first ever cruise for April 17, 2011! Seems so far away?! I will be traveling with my DH and three kids who will be 13, 9 and 3. Seems as I had no idea what deck to be on, the DCL rep suggested a 4c category on deck 7. I was hoping to get one of those family rooms with the porthole, but they were all gone already - I am worried about my little one on a balcony! It is spring break for us that week as well here in Northern VA, so I am sure it will be a busy time! All the snow we have had this year has made me vacation planning happy!

 

[lildeb724]

ahh... my hubby is a teacher, that is why I have been taking my girls alone to disney(well that and he doesnt' like to fly, and isn't much of an amusement park person ) It is great having the whole summer off though, so the teaching profession does have its benefits. We always go to Virginia Beach for 8-10 days in the summer with family, but this year everyone has other things going on(wedding, ect).... so stumped where to go. Anyone have somewhere on the East Coast they love ??? Looking for any ideas.

WE stayed at Wild Dunes Resort right outside Charleston. Beautiful city nice resort, good beach. A variety of accomodations from hotel rooms to house/condo rentals

 

[outahere]

Hi! I just booked our first ever cruise for April 17, 2011! Seems so far away?! I will be traveling with my DH and three kids who will be 13, 9 and 3. Seems as I had no idea what deck to be on, the DCL rep suggested a 4c category on deck 7. I was hoping to get one of those family rooms with the porthole, but they were all gone already - I am worried about my little one on a balcony! It is spring break for us that week as well here in Northern VA, so I am sure it will be a busy time! All the snow we have had this year has made me vacation planning happy!

Welcome to the group!!

Since the Dream will be new, I think a lot of categories are selling out. However, I think we'll see cabins open up once we hit the final payment date. I wouldn't be terribly concerned about a little one on a verandah, but I would make sure that you are out there with them. You can ask your cabin attendant to remove the verandah furniture, if you think climbing on it would be an issue.

 

[outahere]

We went to Nags head about 15 years ago... and that has been a thought of mine. I wasn't sure what area to try though. I would really like the kids to see that large Sand Dune and Cape Hatteras might be nice too. Will peek into the Southern Shores. Since it will just be the 4 of us, not sure what accomodations we might find ???? I know they have some beautiful huge houses that look great! tks

Just fyi..... Southern Shores is only about a 10 - 15 minute ride from the Wright Brothers Memorial area (where the huge dune is). I think you'll find a pretty good variety of houses for rent, up and down the Outer Banks, but there really aren't any 3 star (or better) hotels/motels there though. There are some huge houses down there, but the one we rented was smaller, back a couple of blocks from the beach and had an inground pool. Unfortunately, it was sold a few years ago and the new owners do not rent it out.

Something you might want to keep in mind...... the Kill Devil Hills to Nags Head area has changed a lot in the last 15 years. A lot of new construction and traffic. They had to widen the main road to handle the load , and it still gets backed up at times.