April 17, 2011 on the Dream

[mommybean]

That happened to me, as well. I tried using a different computer, and it worked. Not sure if it was a coincidence, but it's worth a shot!

The same thing happened to my mom too - she restarted her laptop and was able to sign back in.

 

[mommybean]

ok I stink at quoting so I'm not even going to try. You can do online check in and get a boarding time? I had no idea. About country suites, I have heard you need to make shuttle reservations on the day you check in. I think I'll check disney prices just in case. Does anyone know what it costs to park at the port?

As far as Bahamas goes, My DH and I have been and neither of us is too excited to get off the ship. We may just do a quick walk around the straw market and then be done. We think the kids will want to get off the ship to say they have been to the Bahamas!
Oh and the last time we cruised we couldn't go to Castaway becasue of weather. so disappointing! I am so nervous that will happen again and so excited to finally get to go there!

Parking at the port is $15 / day. What we love about it is that it's across the street and the whole disembarkation process with Disney is a piece of cake! For the ones that haven't cruised with DCL before - if you send your luggage down the night before, when you get off the ship, find a porter. They will ask your room number and take you straight to your bags! The bags are all in order by deck/cabin number - amazing that other cruise lines have not picked up on this They will get your bags and pretty much breeze through customs and take you to your car. It makes the pain and suffering of leaving the ship a little easier.

We're only getting of the ship in Nassau for maybe 30 minutes - I want to see if the guy that does the painting is there again - an amazing artist - he paints on the back of paneling and charges btwn $ 2 - $15. I think last time we were there (Nov) we ended up getting 12 different sized paintings and spent less than $50. And if your daughter is anything like mine (I think they're talking on the teen boards - lol) she will want to check out the pocketbooks at the market

 

[Deb T.]

For those having trouble with the DCL website, you just need to clear your history cache after logging out of a reservation and before logging into the next reservation. The problems are stemming from a recent upgrade that DCL implemented. Everyone is having issues and their help desk has been swamped with callers. I learned this first hand when I was trying to check in our three cabins (DH and me on this cruise, DH and me on the next cruise, DD and her DFiance on the next cruise). Imagine my panic when I checked in the "kids" first, and then wasn't able to pull up EITHER of DH's and my ressies!!!

 

[jilljill]

It's been reported that parking at the port may be going up to $20/day, so this cruise it's going to either be $60 or $80 for parking. If it does go up to the $20/day we may look into the satellite parking which for us would be $8.50/day, FL resident rate. The regular rate is $9.50/day.

 

[pershing]

It's been reported that parking at the port may be going up to $20/day, so this cruise it's going to either be $60 or $80 for parking. If it does go up to the $20/day we may look into the satellite parking which for us would be $8.50/day, FL resident rate. The regular rate is $9.50/day.

Where is the satellite parking? Is it like off-site airport parking where they shuttle you?

 

[alenushka]

Imagine my panic when I checked in the "kids" first, and then wasn't able to pull up EITHER of DH's and my ressies!!!

Panicking does not describe it! My hands were shaking as I was dialing their number....I was afraid they didn't have a record that we paid in full or something due to some kind of confusion and cancelled our cruise...I was on hold for longer than 25 min (which was surprising to me), but now I understand - I was not the only one calling them with that problem

I am still researching different pre-cruise options. I love DoubleTree hotel/reviews and they offer parking package (trying to convince DH and justify extra costs to him and to myself ). Thank you all posting your pre-cruise plans, it helps a lot directing my "search engine"

 

[Deb T.]

Panicking does not describe it! My hands were shaking as I was dialing their number....I was afraid they didn't have a record that we paid in full or something due to some kind of confusion and cancelled our cruise...I was on hold for longer than 25 min (which was surprising to me), but now I understand - I was not the only one calling them with that problem

Honestly, I had a full out panic attack! I had completely lost all common sense of reasoning and was already sure our carefully planned B2B reservation (with the same cabin on both cruises) had been somehow deleted from DCL's system and we weren't going to be able to reserve another cabin on this sold-out cruise! I was on hold for a long, long, long time, too. But, I am proud to say that I was able to sound calm, cool, and collected when the DCL tech guy answered.

I am still researching different pre-cruise options. I love DoubleTree hotel/reviews and they offer parking package (trying to convince DH and justify extra costs to him and to myself ). Thank you all posting your pre-cruise plans, it helps a lot directing my "search engine"

Have you checked out Shirley's sticky yet? She has every hotel/motel in the port area listed, with info and little comments about each one.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520273

 

[jel0511]

Our pre-cruise plans are: We are stayin gat the Holiday Inn Express at MCO. Our flight lands at 7:45, so it's easier for us to just grab some dinner around the airport and head to bed, then drive out to the port. We'll get up early and head out then. I got the 10:30 check-in time, so we'll probably leave around 9:30 or so, then drop off us and then DH can return the car.

 

[alenushka]

Honestly, I had a full out panic attack! I had completely lost all common sense of reasoning and was already sure our carefully planned B2B reservation (with the same cabin on both cruises) had been somehow deleted from DCL's system and we weren't going to be able to reserve another cabin on this sold-out cruise! I was on hold for a long, long, long time, too. But, I am proud to say that I was able to sound calm, cool, and collected when the DCL tech guy answered.

I know EXACTLY what you were going through Thank's god we are still on board!

Have you checked out Shirley's sticky yet? She has every hotel/motel in the port area listed, with info and little comments about each one.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520273

I am on it now! A lot of interesting possibilities with transportation to the port. Thank you!

 

[guarn3md]

Uggghhh! The strep bug has landed in our house - he is definitely worse than the stink bugs I keep finding! After a two hour Taekwondo practice last night, Connor says to us "I have a pounding headache and my throat hurts when I swallow!" After a restless night I took him to pediatrician who confirmed strep! He is on the couch with movies from Redbox. I love Redbox for kids movies!! I feel horrible about all the kids he may have infected last night!
Is anyone planning on going to Universal on Friday 4/15? We are planning to go that day but won't be there till probably noon! We are leaving MD on Thursday morning, early (5am) and I hope to drive about 12 hours. Then finish up early Friday morning so that we can be to Universal by noon on Friday. I am really concerned that it is going be really crowded and all Connor wants to do is Harry Potter. I really don't want to go on Saturday. We are stayng at the Hyatt Place across from Universal, friday night, and wanted to head to Port Canaveral Saturday morning. IOA closes at 5pm for Grad night on 4/15. What do you all think??
Debbie

 

[Deb T.]

Uggghhh! The strep bug has landed in our house - he is definitely worse than the stink bugs I keep finding! After a two hour Taekwondo practice last night, Connor says to us "I have a pounding headache and my throat hurts when I swallow!" After a restless night I took him to pediatrician who confirmed strep! He is on the couch with movies from Redbox. I love Redbox for kids movies!! I feel horrible about all the kids he may have infected last night!
Is anyone planning on going to Universal on Friday 4/15? We are planning to go that day but won't be there till probably noon! We are leaving MD on Thursday morning, early (5am) and I hope to drive about 12 hours. Then finish up early Friday morning so that we can be to Universal by noon on Friday. I am really concerned that it is going be really crowded and all Connor wants to do is Harry Potter. I really don't want to go on Saturday. We are stayng at the Hyatt Place across from Universal, friday night, and wanted to head to Port Canaveral Saturday morning. IOA closes at 5pm for Grad night on 4/15. What do you all think??
Debbie

Everything I've heard about Harry Potter is that it is very, very, very crowded all day long. Universal Studios was brilliant to put that into their theme park! Have you tried reading through the US/IOA DIS thread and their TR for hints yet?
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=30

 

[alenushka]

Uggghhh! The strep bug has landed in our house - he is definitely worse than the stink bugs I keep finding! After a two hour Taekwondo practice last night, Connor says to us "I have a pounding headache and my throat hurts when I swallow!" After a restless night I took him to pediatrician who confirmed strep! He is on the couch with movies from Redbox. I love Redbox for kids movies!! I feel horrible about all the kids he may have infected last night!
Is anyone planning on going to Universal on Friday 4/15? We are planning to go that day but won't be there till probably noon! We are leaving MD on Thursday morning, early (5am) and I hope to drive about 12 hours. Then finish up early Friday morning so that we can be to Universal by noon on Friday. I am really concerned that it is going be really crowded and all Connor wants to do is Harry Potter. I really don't want to go on Saturday. We are stayng at the Hyatt Place across from Universal, friday night, and wanted to head to Port Canaveral Saturday morning. IOA closes at 5pm for Grad night on 4/15. What do you all think??
Debbie

Debbie - I hope Connor feels better soon! Strep is a nasty thing, I think, we missed it with K a few years ago trusting instant strep test (not doing 24 hr test) and now we paying very high price..... Don't worry about C getting other kids sick - unless they shared water bottles/cups or kissed , it should not be the case.

About HP world - we decided to add an extra day to our trip to have 2 days (or to be more correct one afternoon and one morning) for IOA and then drive to port and stay overnight there pre-cruise (still not decided where...).
We have similar driving plans but leaving a few days earlier. On our way to FL. we usually stop at Holiday Inn (does not incl. breakfast) as soon as we enter GA. On the way back, we usually stop at VA, Emporia, Holiday Inn Express or in Marriott in NC if we leave Fl too late and not able to push it to VA (both incl breakfast for all family). These hotels are highly recommended and I advise to make reservations ASAP as they tend to book quickly (bs they are known for good price and quality).
We will most likely be driving from Miami this year and I am not sure what would be the best time for us to leave it. If anyone knows other nice hotel choices along I-95 where you stayed and liked it, please post

Also, those who are driving - when do you think is the best time/day to head back? If we were driving from Orlando area, I would say 6 am and no later, either day. Orlando is about 4 hours from Miami, and if we leave Miami at 6 am, we will hit biggest car "volume". Another option is to start around 1-2 pm from Miami. Is it a good idea? Did anybody try to leave Orlando area around 5-6 pm? How is car-volume at that time?

 

[jilljill]

Where is the satellite parking? Is it like off-site airport parking where they shuttle you?

Here's the thread on Park 'n SAil: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2621255

I bumped it back up to the first page so feel free to ask questions on there to keep it current.

 

[jilljill]

We will be driving back Sat. night unless DH is able to get his hand surgery scheduled for next month.
We usually leave the WDW area anywhere from noon until 9pm, depending on what time we need to be back the next day. If DH has to work Easter Sunday night we'll probably leave around 5 or 6pm and that would get us home Easter morning around 10am at the latest. If he doesn't have to work Easter night then we'll leave late Sunday afternoon to get us home around 8am or so. That will give us time to get home before DD has to be to work at 4pm since she's off from school that day.

 

[guarn3md]

Debbie - I hope Connor feels better soon! Strep is a nasty thing, I think, we missed it with K a few years ago trusting instant strep test (not doing 24 hr test) and now we paying very high price..... Don't worry about C getting other kids sick - unless they shared water bottles/cups or kissed , it should not be the case.

OK first I want to know who he kissed to get it??? AND there is a girl on his competitive team that he has had a crush on for a year - is her mother going to tell me next week she has strep. He barely talks to her but they do a lot of sparring together - same height. She is fiesty and typically kicks his ... I asked him last night if he was still crushing and he just said "Mooommm please... I don't want to talk about it!" His team holds a boot camp twice a year and this past fall he was old enough to go for the weekend. We dropped him off and as we were leaving I saw this girl arriving - they have to run with their gear up the hilly driveway and back to the campsite - I thought "Uh Oh" how is this going to go... Again after the weekend he said he barely talked to her.
Thanks for the information about the drive down. I have to figure out how far into Georgia we can get from from Annapolis on that Thursday. I figure we have to leave my house by 5am in order to avoid DC traffic on the beltway to 95 South. Plus with my Dad and me driving, I figure we can get some good miles in...
Debbie

 

[jilljill]

Debbie, if you can I recommend you just continue driving until you get to FL. Last year DD & I left Springfield, VA about 8am and got to the WDW area at 10pm, and that was just me driving on a rainy Monday. If you don't take long food breaks, we never do, with you leaving at 5am you could easily make it to the WDW area by 9pm if not before.
From everything that I've heard about HP, you really need to get there as close to park opening as possible. If IOA is closing at 5pm that day I would think it will be even crazier with everyone to do HP in the morning and afternoon.

 

[WPoohgirl]

So excited because I finally got my daughter Kayla on the teen thread

She is already chatting and very excited. I could not be more thrilled!!!! I just put her under my name until I can set up an account for her. Thank you to whomever posted that recently. I have been trying to do a multiple quote to more than one person but keep messing it up. I will figure it out eventually!

Debbie I hope Connor feels better soon, don't you hate it when they are sick?
Again with the quote problem!!!

We are staying at the Doubletree. There was not a lot left when I went hunting in January. We rent a car, stay overnight, then turn it in and they shuttle you to the port. When we return we just take the shuttle back and rent a car to drive to the airport. We are leaving out of Tampa this time so we are going to have to book it off the boat!

Thank goodness I read about the port arrival time on everyone's posts. I had never had to do that before, nor had I heard about it. Luckily I got into the 11:00am. I had the same panic situation because I could not log in. I just can't wait to meet all of you!

We got a nibble on our house in NY and I am hoping for an offer tomorrow, please keep your fingers crossed for me friends! Wendy

 

[Deb T.]

We are staying at Disney's Carribean Beach Resort on the 16th. They were running a special in the Fall for 30% off rooms. We got a pirate room. I think it was a little over $200 total (I think it was 189 plus taxes and fees). The deal was good for the moderate and value resorts from what I remember so I could have gone cheaper. I picked the DCBR for the theme tie in to our Carribean cruise and the nice pool. I am hoping that the weather is good and we can enjoy the pool which is usually my daughter's favorite part of the vacation. While our room is already paid for it would be good to know if someone else got a better deal for next time.

Very cool about booking a pirate room! Please be sure to let us know how it was! I'd love to see pics! I think you got a great rate because Pop Century is currently running right at $189 for the night of April 16th.

Are their any restrictions on what you carry off the ship when you disembark? Most of what we are bringing on are consumables so I don't anticipate having lots to carry but it would be good to know what the process is for disembarking.

For the ones that haven't cruised with DCL before - if you send your luggage down the night before, when you get off the ship, find a porter. They will ask your room number and take you straight to your bags! The bags are all in order by deck/cabin number - amazing that other cruise lines have not picked up on this They will get your bags and pretty much breeze through customs and take you to your car. It makes the pain and suffering of leaving the ship a little easier.

We've always had very smooth debarkation... if you don't count the tiny little detail that I have to be dragged off the ship kicking and screaming and crying each time. We always travel with just carry-on luggage so we keep our bags with us instead of setting them outside the cabin on the last night. As, mommybean said, there are plenty of porters with carts in the luggage area ready to assist. You'll receive a U.S. Customs Declaration form to fill out the night before (1 per family)
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/sample_declaration_form.xml
and will have to show it to the customs agent (along with your passports/ID) on the way out. I've yet to see someone stopped so their luggage could be searched, but I'm sure it could happen.

ok I stink at quoting so I'm not even going to try.

Let me help... If you want to quote just one person's post, all you need to do is click the little bubble at the bottom right hand of the post that says QUOTE.

If you want to quote multiple posts, just click on the " " bubble at the bottom right hand side (to the immediate right of the QUOTE bubble) for each post you want to quote and then click the QUOTE bubble on the last post you want to quote.

I checked in and got 11:00 AM.

Does that REALLY mean we can't show up at 10???? Say it ain't so!

This is from that Fire Marshall incident at the christening! Isn't it?

According to the long check-in thread on the main boards, DCL isn't going to stop anyone from coming in earlier (or later). It's just an attempt on their part to try to spread out the influx of eager cruisers.

I looked for a room at disney I got 269.00 at port orleans. That isnt much more than we are paying at country suites but then we'd have to pay for parking at the port, not sure how much that is

You can try searching the Disney World website for a value resort for a less expensive room that's just as nice. Last night, Pop Century was coming up at $189, including all taxes.

Good Morning!

Went onto the southwest website this am and my return flight home went down $10 pp.

However, I did loose some of that excitement when I realized I cant use my credit for early boarding passes! (what the heck?)

If you're planning to do Early Bird Check-In on Southwest, you might want to sign up for it soon. I've been told that the boarding numbers are issued based on the dates on which people signed up for it. The earlier you sign up, the better your boarding number.

 

[Deb T.]

We got a nibble on our house in NY and I am hoping for an offer tomorrow, please keep your fingers crossed for me friends!

Fingers are crossed. Toes are crossed. A little prayer has gone up to the powers that be.
And here's some pixie dust that you receive an offer tomorrow!!!!!!!

 

[bdink921]

Is anyone planning on going to Universal on Friday 4/15? We are planning to go that day but won't be there till probably noon! We are leaving MD on Thursday morning, early (5am) and I hope to drive about 12 hours. Then finish up early Friday morning so that we can be to Universal by noon on Friday. I am really concerned that it is going be really crowded and all Connor wants to do is Harry Potter. I really don't want to go on Saturday. We are stayng at the Hyatt Place across from Universal, friday night, and wanted to head to Port Canaveral Saturday morning. IOA closes at 5pm for Grad night on 4/15. What do you all think??
Debbie

Poor Connor . Hope he gets well soon!!

We'll be at Universal 4/15 -- plan on doing the studios that day since both parks close at 5p. We'll be near MCO (coming in 930p on 4/14) so we'll be able to get to US early-ish. Probably around 10 by the time we check in. We're going to IOA on Saturday but get the early entry due to staying on site so we'll be going straight to WWoHP. Parks are open til 10p that night so we'll have plenty of time to get to the rest of the park and hopefully back to WWoHP in the evening -- I heard it looks very cool at night . The onsite hotels are sold out for 4/15 so the parks will be BUSY I imagine. Is Hyatt Place a partner hotel that will get you early entry to IOA? If so, I would go early Saturday for Harry Potter. I think you might hit some pretty big crowds by noon at IOA (unless some people stay away due to the shortened hours). Maybe make Friday a pool/rest day and get up early on Saturday for the parks then leave around 11am to head to the port. I know you said that you didn't want to do that but would hate to see you go on Friday and not be able to get near the area due to crowds.