April 17, 2011 on the Dream

[hubwriter]

Well I struck out with the dining reservations - no dinner, no brunch, no high tea for Palo and also checked Remy - nothing! It's a little disappointing that there was nothing available. I know I can check onboard...just a little frustrated.
On the positive side I did reserve the Dolphin encounter at Blue lagoon island for 9:30am - happy about that!!!
Good night all!!
Hope we have a delay tomorrow...
Debbie

Yep, I ran into the same thing ... no Palo, no Remy. I booked the Blue Lagoon beach day, and that was about it! Maybe we'll luck into Palo onboard, but even if not, it's going to be a great time.

Also, I suppose if anybody is looking for a different room that this week might be the time to check, right? I think final payment is due today, and maybe some people won't follow through and things will open up?

 

[jilljill]

I would think the Stingrays may book ahead of time. There's no need to prebook snorkeling, since they have tons of snorkel equipment to rent. Not sure about the bike rentals, never did it and have no desire to.

 

[Karen from VA]

Done!

So I dropped the FE Extender list in excel and added columns for adults, children and total in the party. I calculate 208 people to date (line 43 is missing info). Does that sound correct?

Wow, that is a lot of people and we are 70+ days out so more are expected to join. We are driving from Virginia but I wonder how those of you who are flying will get 200 FE gifts in your luggage (both bringing and taking back).

How exciting!

 

[Karen from VA]

We paid this week and I logged on to find lots of reservations not available (Atlantis, Palo, Remy, etc). I also found out that my 2001 cruise was in my profile and I am a Silver CC member, yippee. I could have reserved 90 days out but I didn't want to pay earlier and wasn't thinking I needed to. If I am a Silver CC member does that mean I get some goodies?

I think it worked out for the better since I think we want to relax and explore and don't want to be tied to a schedule more than we already are with scheduled ports stops, shows and dinners. I was thinking about booking the Atlantis explore excursion so that we can go on a guided tour and my daughter can see all the marine life, afterwards we could head back to the ship while my hubby gambles in the casino. Is there a thread on excursions? I would be interested to learn if anyone has gone on that one and if it was worth the $52A and $35C. Seems high for transportation and a tour but then again the the Atlantis waterpark is almost $200 and people are jumping through hoops to rent a hotel room there for the discounted park access.

For CC, I think we get a raft rental with AAA and I will pack our snorkel gear. Don't mean to seem like a cheapskate, I don't mind spending money but I want to it to be worth it and to have a really memorable vacation.

 

[momtoleasawav]

Good Morning,
1/2 day of school here today and I am betting on a snow day tomorrow. That would be #4 for us. I slightly fear they will have school on April vacation to make up for it. I don't mind the kids missing school but I work for the schools so that might be a problem.
We went skiing yesterday and when I got back I fell into the trap of reading negative reports. I am not reading anymore trip reports! I don't want to worry about every little detail! I am sure alot of the bugs will be worked out by April.

 

[outahere]

Good Morning,
1/2 day of school here today and I am betting on a snow day tomorrow. That would be #4 for us. I slightly fear they will have school on April vacation to make up for it.

Same for us here - about 35 miles west of Boston. It started snowing around 7:30 and we already have almost an inch at 8:45. If they cancel school tomorrow, it will be our 5th snow day. We haven't heard yet how they will make up the time, but I'm hoping for 1/2 days on a few Saturdays. If they try to cancel some of April vacation, the schools will be half empty because a lot of parents are just like us - vacations booked and paid for, months ago.

 

[rdevine10]

7th snow day here in Western CT. We can have 3 more days till we get out on June 30th (legal cut off). Part of our school has no a/c though, so it will be brutal on the kids.

Any past cruisers know where to pre-book a rainforeset pass? I was hoping to get it for the Nassau day. (if we get off the ship it will only be for a short time). Nassau day will be my birthday.... it would be nice to try it out!

 

[jilljill]

No school here either, because of ice. Supposed to get more ice later today and again overnight. This makes 4 snow days so far.
I'm very grateful that DD got a job the first of the year. No school for her means she can go to work 9-6 and make her own money. She likes working all day, a change of pace from her normal 4-6pm after school. She's working at a daycare and this is giving her great experience and now she'll really know if she wants to stay with daycare/preschool or go into elementary ed.

 

[jilljill]

7th snow day here in Western CT. We can have 3 more days till we get out on June 30th (legal cut off). Part of our school has no a/c though, so it will be brutal on the kids.

Any past cruisers know where to pre-book a rainforeset pass? I was hoping to get it for the Nassau day. (if we get off the ship it will only be for a short time). Nassau day will be my birthday.... it would be nice to try it out!

You can find the rainforest pass on DCL's website under the Gifts section. You can either fax in the order or call them with your order. Otherwise you can wait until you board the ship and go to the spa to buy a pass there.

 

[rdevine10]

thanks!!!!!

 

[rdevine10]

Ok another question from a cruise newbie.

Do I really need to prebook the snorkel equipment on castaway cay? Or will there be enough there if we want to do it we can?

Also, does anyone know what the cancel policy is for the excursions? (I thought it was 3 days before the sail?????)

And last question.... if I booked the stingray and later that day we decided to snorkel can you "upgrade" to the extreme getaway package on castaway cay? Its a little cheaper.

Ok. thanks for helping this newbie will all of this excursion stuff! Need something to obsess about while snowed in!

 

[outahere]

Ok another question from a cruise newbie.

Do I really need to prebook the snorkel equipment on castaway cay? Or will there be enough there if we want to do it we can?

They have plenty of equipment - no real need to book ahead of time.

Also, does anyone know what the cancel policy is for the excursions? (I thought it was 3 days before the sail?????)

Correct..... 3 days prior to sailing (not the excursion date)

And last question.... if I booked the stingray and later that day we decided to snorkel can you "upgrade" to the extreme getaway package on castaway cay? Its a little cheaper.

Not sure about this one, as we've never tried. However, my guess would be no.

Ok. thanks for helping this newbie will all of this excursion stuff! Need something to obsess about while snowed in!

Hope that helps.

 

[rdevine10]

Hope that helps.

Yes, it does thank you!!!!! This is a surprise cruise for the kids. I am worried DD #2 will be sad if she cant do the stingrays. We plan on telling the kids a week or so before the trip, so I can still cancel her if she decides its not for her!

THANKS!

 

[alenushka]

To our big surprise - no snow ( or should I say, ice) day for us.
I have been driving 5-15 mph until now under ice, then rain, then ice, and now I am parked in front of DD school ready to pick her up about an hr before regular dismissal. It rains again but who knows what would be falling on us next minute
Robin - I think both of your daughters will enjoy stingray exursion; last yr on our HAL cruise we did it, and children of all ages had lots of fun.

 

[disneycruisegal]

I hear ya and I agree! Sometimes, I just don't understand some people. I guess there will always be unhappy people who can never be pleased and are focused on infecting everyone else with their unhappiness. Right after the first horn songs were posted several weeks ago, I was in complete disbelief that someone posted that they were upset with the tone (sound) of the horn! I just had to shake my head and roll my eyes at the complete and total lunacy of it!

Deb's Fact #1: The Dream is brand new and naturally still working out minor bugs. After all, who or what is absolutely perfect 24/7? Certainly not me, or any ship, or every crew member. But that, in no way, could ever make for an entirely bad cruise as those posters would have you believe.

Deb's Fact #2: Disney customer service is bar none. That's why we only do Disney. You will be completely amazed at the lengths the crew will go to in order to make your experience wonderful while on the ship!

Deb's Fact #3: The Dream is a beautiful and amazing ship! I, personally, cannot wait to experience the Aqua Duck, Goofy's Putt-Putt, the Enchanted (interactive) Art, the Midship Detective Agency, the revamped Golden Mickey's show, the brand new Believe show, the new Animator's Palette, the Enchanted Garden, and also explore every inch of the ship! There is no where else in the WORLD where we can do these magical things. That's why we booked TWO Dream cruises in a row!! For those of you with young children, you will also have special character encounters and the outstanding Kid's Clubs experiences to look forward to!

Deb's Fact #4: YOU WILL HAVE A VERY MAGICAL CRUISE EXPERIENCE!

I don't blame you from wanting to stay off the main boards. Feel free to ask questions here anytime and we will give you the true story!

I love it!...Deb's facts...that's just awesome. I agree with you, you just can't make some people happy. My DH and I only cruise Disney as well. the service cannot be beat. I read on the boards somewhere "truly exceptional service can make or break a vacation" that's why we cruise Disney. the smile is on my face as I enter the ship and only leaves when we leave the ship.

 

[svcutler]

Right after the first horn songs were posted several weeks ago, I was in complete disbelief that someone posted that they were upset with the tone (sound) of the horn! I just had to shake my head and roll my eyes at the complete and total lunacy of it!

Where are you guys reading anyway??

PS - Snow day count - today is 7 and tomorrow will be 8.

 

[lildeb724]

I am sick of the snow (and ice)!

 

[disneycruisegal]

Looks like the snow is turning to rain here, about 40 minutes south of Boston. DH is working in Woonsocket RI and it looks like his commute home is goona be nasty! He keeps saying he wants us to move to GA where it doesn't snow like this and where the family can stop on the way down to the World.

 

[jilljill]

I am sick of the snow (and ice)!

Totally agree!

 

[jilljill]

Where are you guys reading anyway??

PS - Snow day count - today is 7 and tomorrow will be 8.

I read about the horn sound too and shook my head in disbelief as well. It was in a thread from when the Dream was floated out of docking bay when it was being built. I just figured the sound was a bit off since it was barely out of the building and the sound was resonating within the building and not to mention the low cloud cover since it was such a rainy day. Some people just like to complain about EVERYTHING.