April 17, 2011 on the Dream

[pershing]

Hi Pershing! Could you please tell me whether you'd prefer to be in the Big Group or Small Group FE? Thanks!

Yes, I've been avoiding you Deb! I liked it better when we didn't have to make another decision!

ummmmm.........ya know, I already got the items for the big group when I was feeling stressed and they are all in a box ready to send down ahead of time. So, it would actually be more work to switch to the small group.

Therefore, it makes sense to stick with the big group! Decision made.

 

[Deb T.]

Yes, I've been avoiding you Deb! I liked it better when we didn't have to make another decision!

ummmmm.........ya know, I already got the items for the big group when I was feeling stressed and they are all in a box ready to send down ahead of time. So, it would actually be more work to switch to the small group.

Therefore, it makes sense to stick with the big group! Decision made.

Thanks!

Here's the latest...

Small FE Group limited to 15-20 Participants:
Mom_3_mouseketeers & DH, DS11, DD9, DS7 (new!)
hbg4, DM, DD14
Plus 13-18 participants from the "Both Groups" category

Large FE Group:
Deb T. & DH
Ness2289 & DD12
jeni37 & DH, DS14, DS10, DD6
lindafish & DH
caronjn & DW, DS11, DD7
pkmingo & DH
FinsFans & DW, DS2
Jamaican Jammers & DW, DD5mo
ydrj & DH, DS16, DD14
alenushka & DH, DD10
svcutler & DH, DD15, DD11
momtoleasawav & DH, DD15, DS13, DD9
disneycruisegal & DH
golfnsuch & DH, DS11, DS7
goofy4tink & DH, DD17
Donnaksmj & DH, DS9
Z’sDisneyMom, DD12
princessdaisy & DH, DD18, DS8
sianrob & DH, DD10
castlegazer & DH, DS9, DD6 (new!)
pershing & DS16, DS14, DS13
Tigger1313 & DGD17 –up to 48
guarn3md, DS9 - up to 40
DW & DH, DD7 – up to 40
bdink921& DH, DS12 – up to 40
WPoohgirl & DH, DD14, DS12 – up to 40

Both groups:
goofy4tink & DH, DD17
alenushka & DH, DD10
Deb T. & DH
Ness2289 & DD12
golfnsuch & DH, DS11, DS7
jeni37 & DH, DS14, DS10, DD6
lindafish & DH
caronjn & DW, DS11, DD7
pkmingo & DH
FinsFans & DW, DS2
Jamaican Jammers & DW, DD5mo
momtoleasawav & DH, DD15, DS13, DD9
Donnaksmj & DH, DS9
Z’sDisneyMom, DD12
princessdaisy & DH, DD18, DS8
sianrob & DH, DD10
castlegazer & DH, DS9, DD6
bdink921& DH, DS12 –up to 40
ydrj & DH, DS16, DD14

Not Confirmed yet:
allaboutdisney1967 & DH, DD13
Karen from VA & DBF, DD6
Downrivermama & DD12
kim5678 & DH, DD13
MissMousey & DH, DD14, DS11
mommybean & DH, DD14
riggins & DH, DD9, DD8

 

[svcutler]

Thanks for the welcome!
we booked way long ago, when it first opened
I saw a few 16 yr old boys on the roster. I just know he's going to be a pain after our friends leave so I hope he meets some kids on the 4/14 that are staying on the 17th to make it easier! he always meets a group, it's just htat first day!
Looks like lots of people from MA! We're in NJ but are going with our friends from MA on the 14th. DH is a sox fan, originally from ME

Sheree

Sheree, meet us at 2:00 for our DIS meet and he'll get to meet all our kids. My DD will be 16 in May and she is on the tween board as well.

 

[pkmingo]

I just hate throwing anything into a landfill. I waited until AT&T had a recycle program before I would upgrade our iphones. They just started a co-operation with 'Flip/Flop' on Feb 13th. I traded in the 3G I paid $49 for an AT&T gift card worth $148! Sometimes it pays to be green.

We are looking to upgrade with AT&T soon but have never heard of this program. Can you tell me how I could find out more about it? Thanks!

Carol

 

[pershing]

We are looking to upgrade with AT&T soon but have never heard of this program. Can you tell me how I could find out more about it? Thanks!

Carol

Sure, you have to upgrade at your local AT&T store in order to trade in your phone. What I did was click the upgrade button online to see my options but then closed the page.

I took my 3G to my local AT&T store and told them I wanted to trade in and upgrade using flip flop. (make sure to back up your iPhone in iTunes before doing this.

They wipe your old phone in front of you (pretty scary) and mail it in. You pay for the upgrade and your trade in gift card by mail.

 

[castlegazer]

Speaking of being Red Sox fans or Not...mostly not in this case. My boss emptied out the lost in found from last year. (You wouldn't believe the things tourists leave behind when they are delirious from the beach!) In it, is a seemingly brand new Yankee ball cap. If anyone wants it, pm me. I'll mail it to you for free. My boss was gonna just throw it away, cause ya know.....ummm...it would just rot here until it turns to dust. (Too much honesty??)

It's a size 6 7/8 54.9cm and it says 'Authentic official on-field cap' inside. Oh, not too new. It says 'Inaugural Season 2009' on the back.

A good hat for protection against the Florida sun.

Hi there! Do NOT take my interest in this hat as a viloation to my allegiance to the Sox, but I have a friend who's son would just die for this hat!! If you are willing to send it on, I will send you the address via PM. Thank you so much!!! Oh and they are in Florida!

 

[outahere]

Hey gang.....

We're just back from a FANTASTIC spur-of-the-moment western on the Magic and now we are REALLY ready to go on the DREAM!!

For anyone who is interested..... the terminal is pretty much the same upstairs, except that they moved the Concierge/Platinum check in/waiting area over where they used to do the check in for the kid's programming. Since they moved that, there are a couple more check in stations, which they probably need for the larger ships. The downstairs/luggage claim area is much larger and the Customs stations have moved over to one side, and there are a lot more of them. They weren't all in use when we disembarked, but with 1500 more guests on the Dream they will need them.

We didn't notice much in the way of a deterioration of service levels, from any of the CMs. However, our server (Sylvester from India) has been with DCL for 11+ years, and his assistant (Adrian from Romania) has been with DCL for 5 years, in several different positions. Sylvester is normally a Palo server, but he just got back from vacation a couple of weeks ago and there weren't any openings in Palo. Our Head Server (Godwin from India) has been there almost as long as Sylvester - so I think we had one of the topnotch serving teams. We had Godwin as our server on two prior cruises and he took very good care of us throughout the week. Our stateroom host (Efron from the Philippines) has been with DCL for 12 years and was very good and made several towel animals we had not seen before.

All in all, it was a GREAT week and we are counting the days until we get on the Dream.

If anyone has any questions - fire away.

Ed

 

[Deb T.]

Hey gang.....

We're just back from a FANTASTIC spur-of-the-moment western on the Magic and now we are REALLY ready to go on the DREAM!!

For anyone who is interested..... the terminal is pretty much the same upstairs, except that they moved the Concierge/Platinum check in/waiting area over where they used to do the check in for the kid's programming. Since they moved that, there are a couple more check in stations, which they probably need for the larger ships. The downstairs/luggage claim area is much larger and the Customs stations have moved over to one side, and there are a lot more of them. They weren't all in use when we disembarked, but with 1500 more guests on the Dream they will need them.

We didn't notice much in the way of a deterioration of service levels, from any of the CMs. However, our server (Sylvester from India) has been with DCL for 11+ years, and his assistant (Adrian from Romania) has been with DCL for 5 years, in several different positions. Sylvester is normally a Palo server, but he just got back from vacation a couple of weeks ago and there weren't any openings in Palo. Our Head Server (Godwin from India) has been there almost as long as Sylvester - so I think we had one of the topnotch serving teams. We had Godwin as our server on two prior cruises and he took very good care of us throughout the week. Our stateroom host (Efron from the Philippines) has been with DCL for 12 years and was very good and made several towel animals we had not seen before.

All in all, it was a GREAT week and we are counting the days until we get on the Dream.

If anyone has any questions - fire away.

Ed

Well, color us DIS green with envy!

So glad to hear you had a great time! I have a couple of questions since this will be our first time sailing as platinum and I'm eager for whatever perks might be available to us. Were the platinums allowed to wait in the area with concierge guests, or is that area reserved solely for concierge? Was there a Platinum Experience offered for CC, and if so, what was it? Anything else that might be helpful for us to know? TIA

 

[svcutler]

Pershing (SUE), I am PM'ing you about CapeCod. We want to go there this summer and I cannot figure out if Brewster is nicer than Dennis, Falmouth, etc. I'm confused...

Can you check your PM and maybe help me out please?

The reason I'm even sending you this little note is because it sometimes takes me 3 days to see that I even had a private notification!

THANKS!!

Sandy

 

[bdink921]

What time does everyone plan on getting to the terminal? I've been reading on the main boards about long lines and hours waiting to get on the ship. Is everyone going at their 'assigned' time, earlier, or later on? All of you lucky ones who get priority boarding don't count . We have 11am assigned time but have to return the rental car by 10am so we really just planned on going to the terminal from there. Just curious....

 

[outahere]

Well, color us DIS green with envy!

So glad to hear you had a great time! I have a couple of questions since this will be our first time sailing as platinum and I'm eager for whatever perks might be available to us. Were the platinums allowed to wait in the area with concierge guests, or is that area reserved solely for concierge? Was there a Platinum Experience offered for CC, and if so, what was it? Anything else that might be helpful for us to know? TIA

We just turned Platinum with the cruise last week, so this Dream cruise will be our first as Platinum as well. However...... the waiting area near the Concierge/Platinum check in is pretty small, so I'm guessing only Concierge guests can wait there. Last week we didn't get to the port until about 1:30, and they were already doing open boarding, so we did not see where everyone was waiting. I asked about Platinum experiences on the 4 night cruises and the only ones available were a galley tour (not the full blown one down to the storage/refrigerators area) and a sting-ray experience at CC. Not exactly anything really special Also, from what I've been told (by two different Concierge managers), the only Platinum experience (on any of the ships) that is not adults only is the sting-ray experience at CC.

 

[outahere]

What time does everyone plan on getting to the terminal? I've been reading on the main boards about long lines and hours waiting to get on the ship. Is everyone going at their 'assigned' time, earlier, or later on? All of you lucky ones who get priority boarding don't count . We have 11am assigned time but have to return the rental car by 10am so we really just planned on going to the terminal from there. Just curious....

Well...... we're in the "don't count" group, but we're staying at the Residence Inn Saturday night and plan on being at the port by 10:30 or so. We're getting a car from Budget, so as soon as we return that we'll take the shuttle to the port.

 

[Sheree]

sue,
at 17 I know even less than I did when he was 16. he's also into music, xbox, facebook, his droid, ipod, soccer, you name it!
we also don't usually see him for the week
my concern was after spending the first part with his friend, he'll be miserable on embarkation day!
he went to camp in NH and is in touch with them as well.
only dh is a sox fan, i'm mets and ds is dodgers
deb: where is the meet?
sheree

 

[Deb T.]

sue,
deb: where is the meet?

Suggestions from the first Dream cruisers have said that the "Family Zone" on Deck 13 forward is a good spot to meet. How does that sound to everyone? It'll be a quick meet, starting at 2:00pm. Then, the Cabin Crawl will commence at 2:30pm for everyone who's interested.

 

[pershing]

Hi there! Do NOT take my interest in this hat as a viloation to my allegiance to the Sox, but I have a friend who's son would just die for this hat!! If you are willing to send it on, I will send you the address via PM. Thank you so much!!! Oh and they are in Florida!

I promise NOT to question your allegiance as mine was questioned when I wouldn't let them throw away the hat in the first place! It's in the mail!

Pershing (SUE), I am PM'ing you about CapeCod. We want to go there this summer and I cannot figure out if Brewster is nicer than Dennis, Falmouth, etc. I'm confused...

Can you check your PM and maybe help me out please?

The reason I'm even sending you this little note is because it sometimes takes me 3 days to see that I even had a private notification!

THANKS!!

I pm'd you.

I'm also gonna check with some friends who are more tuned into the rentals area and ask them about beaches in Dennis and Falmouth. Honestly, we are surrounded by so many here that I haven't been to any in Falmouth and only one in Dennis that has a beautiful walkway that extended far out into the bay. Can I remember the name? No.

 

[pershing]

sue,
at 17 I know even less than I did when he was 16. he's also into music, xbox, facebook, his droid, ipod, soccer, you name it!
we also don't usually see him for the week
my concern was after spending the first part with his friend, he'll be miserable on embarkation day!
he went to camp in NH and is in touch with them as well.
only dh is a sox fan, i'm mets and ds is dodgers
deb: where is the meet?
sheree

Well if I can drag my DS 16 to the dismeet, maybe they could meet ahead of time.

Family zone forward sounds like a plan.

Tomorrow is the 45 day. Maybe a cabin number will appear on my ressie.

 

[Z'sDisneyMom]

What time does everyone plan on getting to the terminal? I've been reading on the main boards about long lines and hours waiting to get on the ship. Is everyone going at their 'assigned' time, earlier, or later on? All of you lucky ones who get priority boarding don't count . We have 11am assigned time but have to return the rental car by 10am so we really just planned on going to the terminal from there. Just curious....

I've been thinking about this too.

I'm normally in the get me on the boat as soon as possible mindset, but I don't want to be stuck in the terminal for 3 hours waiting to board the ship

We are at POFQ pre-cruise so we could stay until check out time and plan to get to the port closer to 12 or 1...

What do you guys think? Is earlier or a little later better?

 

[Donnaksmj]

Dennis that has a beautiful walkway that extended far out into the bay. Can I remember the name? No.[/QUOTE]

are you thinking of Mayflower Beach?

 

[pkmingo]

I've been thinking about this too.

I'm normally in the get me on the boat as soon as possible mindset, but I don't want to be stuck in the terminal for 3 hours waiting to board the ship

We are at POFQ pre-cruise so we could stay until check out time and plan to get to the port closer to 12 or 1...

What do you guys think? Is earlier or a little later better?

I am in the same boat (literally!) as you. We are coming from Beach Club Villas and are thinking the same - maybe waiting to check out time and then heading over. I am a TA and have heard stories of all the early lines. I don't want to be in those with a pregnant DIL, a 2 year old GS and 5 month old GD. I would much rather enjoy out villa till maybe the crowds have cleared. But then my alter ego says it wants to get there early!!! So we will see.

 

[Deb T.]

I am in the same boat (literally!) as you. We are coming from Beach Club Villas and are thinking the same - maybe waiting to check out time and then heading over. I am a TA and have heard stories of all the early lines. I don't want to be in those with a pregnant DIL, a 2 year old GS and 5 month old GD. I would much rather enjoy out villa till maybe the crowds have cleared. But then my alter ego says it wants to get there early!!! So we will see.

We're staying at BCV pre-cruise, too! It's our favorite resort!

We're in the "doesn't matter" category (platinum), but will still probably arrive at the port early. We'll drop off our rental car at Budget and then take the shuttle to the port. You'll probably be able to find us standing on the balcony, watching all the cruise prep activity.