April 17, 2011 on the Dream

[Deb T.]

Here is the list of FE Participants so far. Hopefully, the GTY peeps will get their cabin numbers soon. You all definitely get an A for Patience!

Participants, look for a private message with the updated "full disclosure" list.

Just a reminder that the last day to join is 4-1-11!

Deb T. & DH
Ness2289 & DD12
alenushka & DH, DD10, (and maybe DS in college)
bdink921& DH, DS12 – waiting for GTY cabin number
guarn3md, DS9
DW & DH, DD7
ydrj & DH, DS16, DD14
svcutler & DH, DD15, DD11
jeni37 & DH, DS14, DS10, DD6
disneycruisegal & DH
allaboutdisney1967 & DH, DD13
goofy4tink & DH, DD17
Donnaksmj & DH, DS9
WPoohgirl & DH, DD14, DS12
Karen from VA & DBF, DD6
Tigger1313 & DGD17
lindafish & DH
caronjn & DW, DS11, DD7
golfnsuch & DH, DS11, DS7
princessdaisy & DH, DD18, DS8
Downrivermama & DD12 – waiting for GTY cabin number
Z’sDisneyMom, DD12 – waiting for GTY cabin number
kim5678 & DH, DD13
pershing & DS16, DS14, DS13 – waiting for GTY cabin number
momtoleasawav & DH, DD15, DS13, DD9
MissMousey & DH, DD14, DS11
mommybean & DH, DD14
riggins & DH, DD9, DD8
hbg4, DM, DD14
pkmingo & DH
FinsFans & DW, DS2
Jamaican Jammers & DW, DD5mo
sianrob & DH, DD10 – I need everyone’s names

 

[Deb T.]

Oh, and to my little enablers here, I did purchase the Day and Night Disney Dream LE Vinylmation on ebay and actually did alright, not as good as I would have done had I gotten off my waffling but about it when they first were put up for sale after the MV, but OK and my son is so excited to be one of only 1,000 people in the world to own them. Sooooo, our purchasing power on the ship just got a lot lower for anything else on there, but these are really great for us!

Congrats! Glad we could be... ummm... encouraging.

 

[goofy4tink]

Here is the list of FE Participants so far. Hopefully, the GTY peeps will get their cabin numbers soon. You all definitely get an A for Patience!

Participants, look for a private message with the updated "full disclosure" list.

Just a reminder that the last day to join is 4-1-11!

Deb T. & DH
Ness2289 & DD12
alenushka & DH, DD10, (and maybe DS in college)
bdink921& DH, DS12 – waiting for GTY cabin number
guarn3md, DS9
DW & DH, DD7
ydrj & DH, DS16, DD14
svcutler & DH, DD15, DD11
jeni37 & DH, DS14, DS10, DD6
disneycruisegal & DH
allaboutdisney1967 & DH, DD13
goofy4tink & DH, DD17
Donnaksmj & DH, DS9
WPoohgirl & DH, DD14, DS12
Karen from VA & DBF, DD6
Tigger1313 & DGD17
lindafish & DH
caronjn & DW, DS11, DD7
golfnsuch & DH, DS11, DS7
princessdaisy & DH, DD18, DS8
Downrivermama & DD12 – waiting for GTY cabin number
Z’sDisneyMom, DD12 – waiting for GTY cabin number
kim5678 & DH, DD13
pershing & DS16, DS14, DS13 – waiting for GTY cabin number
momtoleasawav & DH, DD15, DS13, DD9
MissMousey & DH, DD14, DS11
mommybean & DH, DD14
riggins & DH, DD9, DD8
hbg4, DM, DD14
pkmingo & DH
FinsFans & DW, DS2
Jamaican Jammers & DW, DD5mo
sianrob & DH, DD10 – I need everyone’s names

Dear God!!! I'm going to need an entire suitcase for FE stuff!! That's quite a list!! I wonder if we have people choose a particular day to deliver their stuff??? If half the group deliveres on the same day, our FE's will collapse!!!! Or maybe two groups....just split the list in half??? A group of over 30 is pretty big.

 

[sianrob]

Hi!

Thanks for all the welcome messages! What a great group.

My daughter won't be 11 until about 6 weeks after the cruise, so she will still be 10, does anyone think I can get her into the Tweens club? She's worried that she will be too big for the kids club...

Her name is Robynn, my name is Sian (pronounced like Sean, but Welsh feminine), and my husband is Russ.

We have been to DisneyWorld many, many times. When I was a kid my Dad worked for Eastern Airlines (the official airline of Disney when it opened) so we went all the time! Now we go at least once (sometimes twice or three times) each year. This is our second cruise and I'm hooked!

Thanks again. Now to come up with FE gift ideas...

Sian

 

[rdevine10]

thank you for the kind thoughts everyone. We all seem to be on the mend. At least we will still be able to see Mary Poppins, and we will do so when we are all healthy. And to the poster (Im sorry I forgot your screen name.. .need more caffeine this morning!), you are totally right. Id rather miss a Broadway show than be sick for our Dream sailing!

Also, totally unrelated, but it was so nice here yesterday (weather wise). My 4 feet of snow on my yard has dwindled to much less (yes, I still have some!). Is that spring thats coming? It cant get here fast enough!

 

[rdevine10]

I almost forgot to tell you all some important news! We told the kids about the cruise finally! They are SO excited! We have never surprised them before! I wanted to wait until it was closer, but a few things prompted us to spill the beans now. They feel like the luckiest kids in the world!

And now I dont have to feel like everytime Im on the disboards I have to look over my shoulder and make sure they arent looking at all the cruise stuff I have been trying to learn!

 

[jeni37]

Hi!

Thanks for all the welcome messages! What a great group.

My daughter won't be 11 until about 6 weeks after the cruise, so she will still be 10, does anyone think I can get her into the Tweens club? She's worried that she will be too big for the kids club...

Her name is Robynn, my name is Sian (pronounced like Sean, but Welsh feminine), and my husband is Russ.

We have been to DisneyWorld many, many times. When I was a kid my Dad worked for Eastern Airlines (the official airline of Disney when it opened) so we went all the time! Now we go at least once (sometimes twice or three times) each year. This is our second cruise and I'm hooked!

Thanks again. Now to come up with FE gift ideas...

Sian

Welcome! It is great to have you here. We are looking forward to the cruise (our first) and meeting everyone!

 

[jel0511]

Sian, DCL's official line is that a child has to be within 30 days of their birthday to move up groups. There is the out and about program that is available for 10 and up and most of the over 10's do those activities. They take place at various activities around the ship, most of those kids in the tween programing do those as there really isn't much planned activitivies in the actual tween club. My DD who is going to be almost 13, so she's been in the tween programing for a couple of years, mainly does the out and about activities, as there isn't much going on in the actual club most of the time. Also to let you know to partipate in out and about AND the tween programming, your child has to have sign out privileges, meaning they're free to roam the ship.

 

[alenushka]

Hi,

I'm new to these boards, so I hope I'm posting in the right place!
my crew consists of me, 47; my husband, 47; and our daughter (10, nearly 11).
Sianrob

Welcome!
Our DD is 10 too. Did u see Tween board for our cruise? I can not post link bs I am typing on iPad, but u will find it at the same place where u located this one. May be your DD will join the chatting too.

thank you for the kind thoughts everyone. We all seem to be on the mend. At least we will still be able to see Mary Poppins, and we will do so when we are all healthy. And to the poster (Im sorry I forgot your screen name.. .need more caffeine this morning!), you are totally right. Id rather miss a Broadway show than be sick for our Dream sailing!

Also, totally unrelated, but it was so nice here yesterday (weather wise). My 4 feet of snow on my yard has dwindled to much less (yes, I still have some!).
Is that spring thats coming? It cant get here fast enough!

I think, this theater is so good - no matter where u sit, u will have great view. Yes, snow started melting, and we started seeing two- way streets again

I was trying to stay away from posting: did not want to whine
K. is STILL running low grade fever accompanied by severe congestions and nasty cough. DH is slowly recovering from his cold ( no fever, thanks God!), but guess who is in bed with iPad and slowly rising fever.....Sucks!
On the positive note - we spent a lot of time making our magnets, learned how to personalize them, and started printing them. I also learned that that magnetic paper is super expensive, and here come my question:
those who laminate - do u print on photo paper or any other type;
do you laminate individually or the entire page of designs and then cut out?
I have to keep myself busy Dreaming, I might not have enough space on our door by the time I finish

 

[Deb T.]

Dear God!!! I'm going to need an entire suitcase for FE stuff!! That's quite a list!! I wonder if we have people choose a particular day to deliver their stuff??? If half the group deliveres on the same day, our FE's will collapse!!!! Or maybe two groups....just split the list in half??? A group of over 30 is pretty big.

Diane, if you look back through this thread, I have offered several times to create a smaller sub-group of FE Participants. Each time, everyone else opts to be in the larger group. However, I want you to know that I am aware of your repeated concerns and have given this a lot of thought over the last few months. As I've offered before, it would be very easy for me to create a smaller group for you to participate in (by creating a sub-group within the whole group). I would be more than happy to do this if you would just give me the go-ahead to do so. You can even name the number of participants you'd like to have in your group. I really, really, really want this FE Exchange to be a fun and positive experience for everyone, and most definitely not something stressful.

Everyone, please be aware that based on my experience, I still anticipate a few more families will join our FE Exchange by the 4-1-11 deadline. If you share Diane's concerns and want to be in a smaller group, please let me know. I have formulated a plan where I can leave the large group intact and still create a smaller sub-group within the larger group. I just want everyone to be happy.

I agree that the FEs could be overflowing much of the time. There are several strategies we could employ to help with this:
1. We could hang an "overflow" bag behind or below our FEs.
2. We could give our stateroom hosts permission to bring some of our FE surprises inside our cabins whenever he/she notices an overflow situation brewing.
3. We could plan to check our FEs frequently throughout each day.

I truly hope that you all will get as much joy out of participating in the FE Exchange as I do.

 

[Deb T.]

Hi!

Thanks for all the welcome messages! What a great group.

My daughter won't be 11 until about 6 weeks after the cruise, so she will still be 10, does anyone think I can get her into the Tweens club? She's worried that she will be too big for the kids club...

Her name is Robynn, my name is Sian (pronounced like Sean, but Welsh feminine), and my husband is Russ.

We have been to DisneyWorld many, many times. When I was a kid my Dad worked for Eastern Airlines (the official airline of Disney when it opened) so we went all the time! Now we go at least once (sometimes twice or three times) each year. This is our second cruise and I'm hooked!

Thanks again. Now to come up with FE gift ideas...

Sian

Thanks for the update! I've added your names to the FE list.

Small world... my Dad also worked for Eastern Airlines when I was very small and we lived in Maryland! Maybe our dads knew each other? My Dad left Eastern before they became WDW's official airline. He moved over to Northwest Orient Airlines, which then became just Northwest Airlines and is now Delta. (Funny that Eastern also became Delta!) He passed away a few years ago but he was certainly quite a character - very outgoing and personable.

 

[jeni37]

I just signed my group up for the Stingray excursion on Castaway Cay at 9am (it was the only one available for our large group). Will there be any problem getting to the excursion on time, since the all ashore is at 9am? I am assuming Disney has this all worked out, but I thought I would ask anyway.

Thanks!

The kids and I are working away on our FE gifts. My DD6 even made a gift for Cinderella! Too cute!

 

[goofy4tink]

Diane, if you look back through this thread, I have offered several times to create a smaller sub-group of FE Participants. Each time, everyone else opts to be in the larger group. However, I want you to know that I am aware of your repeated concerns and have given this a lot of thought over the last few months. As I've offered before, it would be very easy for me to create a smaller group for you to participate in (by creating a sub-group within the whole group). I would be more than happy to do this if you would just give me the go-ahead to do so. You can even name the number of participants you'd like to have in your group. I really, really, really want this FE Exchange to be a fun and positive experience for everyone, and most definitely not something stressful.

Everyone, please be aware that based on my experience, I still anticipate a few more families will join our FE Exchange by the 4-1-11 deadline. If you share Diane's concerns and want to be in a smaller group, please let me know. I have formulated a plan where I can leave the large group intact and still create a smaller sub-group within the larger group. I just want everyone to be happy.

I agree that the FEs could be overflowing much of the time. There are several strategies we could employ to help with this:
1. We could hang an "overflow" bag behind or below our FEs.
2. We could give our stateroom hosts permission to bring some of our FE surprises inside our cabins whenever he/she notices an overflow situation brewing.
3. We could plan to check our FEs frequently throughout each day.

I truly hope that you all will get as much joy out of participating in the FE Exchange as I do.

Yep, I know it's been addressed before. I was just afraid that there might be some that feel a bit overwhelmed with the numbers we have at the moment but might have felt odd about mentioning any concerns. If everyone is fine with that number, that's fine with me. But...they need to remember this is a huge ship. It's going to take people a fair amount of time to deliver these.
I agree....this should be fun and stress-free. Just trying to play 'devils advocate' I guess. I know that other FE groups I've been in, some people felt very overwhelmed but never said anything. I was just trying to be obliging by being the first to say something...that way, if others felt the same way, they could jump on my coattails, so to speak. That's all..not trying to cause any problems here.

 

[pkmingo]

Yep, I know it's been addressed before. I was just afraid that there might be some that feel a bit overwhelmed with the numbers we have at the moment but might have felt odd about mentioning any concerns. If everyone is fine with that number, that's fine with me. But...they need to remember this is a huge ship. It's going to take people a fair amount of time to deliver these.
I agree....this should be fun and stress-free. Just trying to play 'devils advocate' I guess. I know that other FE groups I've been in, some people felt very overwhelmed but never said anything. I was just trying to be obliging by being the first to say something...that way, if others felt the same way, they could jump on my coattails, so to speak. That's all..not trying to cause any problems here.

I am good planning on the large group. I had a blast delivering to a large group on the Magic and am planning on using all this exercise on this big beautiful ship to justify the extra desserts!: Besides, I really enjoyed the exploring but these are just my thoughts.
Carol

 

[Tigger1313]

Welcome!
Our DD is 10 too. Did u see Tween board for our cruise? I can not post link bs I am typing on iPad, but u will find it at the same place where u located this one. May be your DD will join the chatting too.



I think, this theater is so good - no matter where u sit, u will have great view. Yes, snow started melting, and we started seeing two- way streets again

I was trying to stay away from posting: did not want to whine
K. is STILL running low grade fever accompanied by severe congestions and nasty cough. DH is slowly recovering from his cold ( no fever, thanks God!), but guess who is in bed with iPad and slowly rising fever.....Sucks!
On the positive note - we spent a lot of time making our magnets, learned how to personalize them, and started printing them. I also learned that that magnetic paper is super expensive, and here come my question:
those who laminate - do u print on photo paper or any other type;
do you laminate individually or the entire page of designs and then cut out?
I have to keep myself busy Dreaming, I might not have enough space on our door by the time I finish

I print on photo paper and laminate them, if they are small I do put them all on the same sheet.

 

[alenushka]

I am good planning on the large group. I had a blast delivering to a large group on the Magic and am planning on using all this exercise on this big beautiful ship to justify the extra desserts!: Besides, I really enjoyed the exploring but these are just my thoughts.
Carol

I agree, and Deb puts her list by decks, which should make it much easier.

I print on photo paper and laminate them, if they are small I do put them all on the same sheet.

Thank you!

 

[Deb T.]

Yep, I know it's been addressed before. I was just afraid that there might be some that feel a bit overwhelmed with the numbers we have at the moment but might have felt odd about mentioning any concerns. If everyone is fine with that number, that's fine with me. But...they need to remember this is a huge ship. It's going to take people a fair amount of time to deliver these.
I agree....this should be fun and stress-free. Just trying to play 'devils advocate' I guess. I know that other FE groups I've been in, some people felt very overwhelmed but never said anything. I was just trying to be obliging by being the first to say something...that way, if others felt the same way, they could jump on my coattails, so to speak. That's all..not trying to cause any problems here.

So my question still is, would you like to be in a smaller group? I truly am more than happy to create a smaller sub-group to accommodate you and anyone else who would prefer to be in a FE exchange that is much smaller than our "33-and-growing" group. Perhaps if you are the first to join in a smaller group, then others who might also feel overwhelmed will follow your lead and request to be in the smaller group, too.

As I've said before, I really want to ensure that this FE Exchange is a fun experience for everyone. So please, if anyone would prefer to be in a smaller group, let me know and I will make it happen!

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm good...I'll stay with the group. No sense breaking into a smaller group for just one person. If there are those who prefer a smaller goup, then fine. I just wanted to be sure that everyone was happy. I think I'll keep my nose out of your job.....you're doing just fine without my meddling!!

 

[pershing]

I'm good...I'll stay with the group. No sense breaking into a smaller group for just one person. If there are those who prefer a smaller goup, then fine. I just wanted to be sure that everyone was happy. I think I'll keep my nose out of your job.....you're doing just fine without my meddling!!

For the record, I was seriously thinking about it!

I'm feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden with the kids, school meetings, doctor appointments-tons lately. The house needs a good scrubbing from head to toe-literally! blah, blah, blah, on and on..

And I usually put a bill folder together for a WDW trip (ya know, flight out tickets/rental car paperwork/Universal Tix/Hotwire Hyatt Place Ressie/ DVC Rental Confirm/Disney Tix/Radisson Confirm/DCL paperwork etc, etc, etc and I haven't even started it yet.

I should hand in my Obsessive Vacation Planner Badge honestly!

Not to mention the fact that I haven't even read much of the Dream Trip reports. I would love anyone's synopsis of tips picked up from reading them. Um, Deb "Top 10 Tips Learned from Reading Dream Trip Reports"

I mean I'm envious of our kitten right now, who's only stress is that as she sits looking out the sliding glass door, a squirrel is torturing her by running around in front of her on the back porch daring to drink rain water from our flower pots.

I guess stress is relative, she's beside herself that this squirrel is still on her property.

How does this all relate to FE???? Oh, yeah! I decided to stay with the big group and do a singular gift per stateroom. And I'm gonna put it together ahead of time and mail it down to the ship.

Then it's done and I don't have to think about it as we're traveling around. Obsessive Planner is back!

Oh, and I have my own tip from listening to the podcast. They are saying Guest Services is a nightmare maybe because of the new people. So, instead of paying my tips there like I always do, I'm gonna use the envelopes this time and avoid GS altogether!

 

[bdink921]

OK, so 8 weeks from now we'll be on the beautiful Dream . In fact, I'll be in one of the dining rooms for late seating. I have terrible cruising fever right now!!! FE gifts are well underway and close to finished finally. All pre and post plans are made. All I have to do is pick up a few things for DH, DS, and me and pack!!!! Oh yeah, there's that little thing about not having a cabin number yet . Still waiting .

I've been checking around -- there are no more rooms left at Comfort Suites for 4/18 and all aquaventure passes through DCL are sold out. A couple of the other Atlantis excursions are sold out too. Has everyone been able to get their Palo/Remy reservations?

I feel like I'm on pins and needles, beyond excited for this vacation to start!! My family thinks I've gone off the deep end, but I can't help it. Anyone else feel like February is d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g ??

Deb T, someone on another thread suggested deck 13 forward in the family zone as a good place for a cruise meet -- there is seating and a bar nearby too. Any thoughts about this??