April 18, 2010 - 4 night Wonder

[Verandah Man]

I can be packed and ready to go in 30 minutes, but DW and DS..... that's a different story!

Sounds like this house Ed, I'll be packed and ready to go before DW and DD even have one thing in their suitcases.........

 

[outahere]

Sounds like this house Ed, I'll be packed and ready to go before DW and DD even have one thing in their suitcases.........

Unfortunately, for me, DW lays out everything she and DS want to take on the bed in the guest room, and then leaves it up to me to figure out how to pack it, along with adding my stuff into the mix. And then..... I have to try to get it all into as few suitcases as possible without going over the airline's weight limit!

 

[sassysocks]

Hi all,

We wanted to book the Blue Lagoon Beach Day excursion and now it is sold out up with DCL. Has anyone booked the day with another tour group? I am kind of scared that it won't drop us back off at the ship on time. Are they trustworthy?

Also, are you able to spend some time on the beach if you book the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Swim or Encounter through DCL?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Verandah Man]

14 Days and Counting!!!

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

 

[outahere]

Hi all,

We wanted to book the Blue Lagoon Beach Day excursion and now it is sold out up with DCL. Has anyone booked the day with another tour group? I am kind of scared that it won't drop us back off at the ship on time. Are they trustworthy?

Also, are you able to spend some time on the beach if you book the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Swim or Encounter through DCL?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We have never booked any non-DCL excursions in Nassau, so I can't really help. However, I recall reading on another thread that if the tour company, that does the dolphin excursions, knows you are coming in on a DCL ship, they will not allow you to book directly with them.

If you are able to book directly, I would suggest you do it in the morning. Since we won't know for certain what time the ship will leave Nassau until we get the Navigator the night before, you would be sure to make it back in time if you do it in the morning.


sassysocks - I just realized that I never received any info about your group. If you want me to include your info on the sheet I'll pass out at our little DISmeet, please send me first names, cabin #, kid's ages and anything else you would like us all to know (ersimpson@charter.net). If you don't want the info on the list, no problem - that's fine too!

 

[CherylA]

If you are planning on parking at the port, the lot doesn't open until 10:00, give or take a few minutes, so I'm not sure that getting there at 9:30 would get you much. I have not driven to the port since they started all the construction for the new ships, but I've read a couple different versions of what to expect - 1) some people have reported that they won't let you drive up next to the terminal building, and they make you drop off passengers and luggage at the shuttle drop point at the street 2) others have reported that they do let you drive up to the building and then direct you to the parking lot. When we went last Thanksgiving, they were doing #2, so I'm not sure what to expect this time. I guess I'll find out when I drive over there......

As for upgrades..... I looked the other day, and you are right, that our cruise doesn't even show up anymore, so it might be sold out. The only way to know for certain would be to call DCL, but I'm betting on a sold out cruise. Since a lot of schools are on break that week, I wouldn't be surprised.

Not sure what movies will be playing, but if you call the DCL reservations #, they can usually tell you.

Thanks, I'm thinking of getting to the port as early as we can but not killing ourselves. I'll be happy if we are there by 11:00 since I don't think there will be upgrades available. We're renting a car one way so hubby will be dropping me and the kids off with the luggage and then going to return the car. I'll have to call and see what movies are playing, I think it would be fun to know. Is anyone thinking of booking their next cruise while onboard this time? We're considering booking a 7 day Eastern Carribean for Oct or Nov of 2011. Not sure how that time of year will be though, but the price is right.

 

[CherylA]

Called about the movies. They will be showing G Force, Old Dogs, Princess and Frog, When in Rome, Alice in 3D and the Last Song.

 

[Verandah Man]

Called about the movies. They will be showing G Force, Old Dogs, Princess and Frog, When in Rome, Alice in 3D and the Last Song.

Thanks Cheryl, my DD was wondering what movies were going to be playing during the cruise. I will give her this list!!!

 

[outahere]

Called about the movies. They will be showing G Force, Old Dogs, Princess and Frog, When in Rome, Alice in 3D and the Last Song.

Thanks Cheryl.

 

[sassysocks]

We have never booked any non-DCL excursions in Nassau, so I can't really help. However, I recall reading on another thread that if the tour company, that does the dolphin excursions, knows you are coming in on a DCL ship, they will not allow you to book directly with them.

If you are able to book directly, I would suggest you do it in the morning. Since we won't know for certain what time the ship will leave Nassau until we get the Navigator the night before, you would be sure to make it back in time if you do it in the morning.


sassysocks - I just realized that I never received any info about your group. If you want me to include your info on the sheet I'll pass out at our little DISmeet, please send me first names, cabin #, kid's ages and anything else you would like us all to know (ersimpson@charter.net). If you don't want the info on the list, no problem - that's fine too!

I was afraid of that. I can see us booking it with another tour company and then for some reason running late or the ship doesn't dock. Thank you for your advise. I am think we will just pay the extra cost and book it with DCL. I am bummed because my daughter (7 years old) doesn't want to do the dolphin swim or encounter any longer. UGH.

 

[Nightowl78]

Called about the movies. They will be showing G Force, Old Dogs, Princess and Frog, When in Rome, Alice in 3D and the Last Song.

ooh, thanks cheryl! I was going to go see Last Song this weekend, now I will just wait! The kids will be excited to see Alice (especially since it's in 3D!)

 

[KarenFL]

Hi all!

I'm late joining the group but I've been lurking on the DCL forum since booking. What a wealth of information!! It's been a lifesaver or at least a sanity-saver.

My hubby and I will be cruising with our DD (11) and DS (8).

I'm beginning to slightly panic. I guess I'm beyond the planning stage and into the "gathering" stage of pre-trip. Does that make sense? I'm definitely not packing yet but just gathering the stuff we'll need to bring. And I'm afraid that this is the point that I'll forget something. Ah! The joys of stress!

 

[KarenFL]

Called about the movies. They will be showing G Force, Old Dogs, Princess and Frog, When in Rome, Alice in 3D and the Last Song.

This is great info. Thanks for calling!

 

[outahere]

Hi all!

I'm late joining the group but I've been lurking on the DCL forum since booking. What a wealth of information!! It's been a lifesaver or at least a sanity-saver.

My hubby and I will be cruising with our DD (11) and DS (8).

I'm beginning to slightly panic. I guess I'm beyond the planning stage and into the "gathering" stage of pre-trip. Does that make sense? I'm definitely not packing yet but just gathering the stuff we'll need to bring. And I'm afraid that this is the point that I'll forget something. Ah! The joys of stress!

Hi and Welcome Aboard!!

No need to panic (at least not yet ), so take a deep breath and relax.....

Please let us know if you have any questions or anything we can help out with.

Ed

 

[rsbeacon]

For those of us who were late joining, can you remind us again what the "DIS meet" time and location are? Never done this before, but it sounds fun! Do kids come? I noticed there is at least one 7 yr old girl represented on the Board and my 7 yr old DD would love to have a special friend!

 

[outahere]

For those of us who were late joining, can you remind us again what the "DIS meet" time and location are? Never done this before, but it sounds fun! Do kids come? I noticed there is at least one 7 yr old girl represented on the Board and my 7 yr old DD would love to have a special friend!

The current plan for the DISmeet is to meet at 3:00pm at the Promenade Lounge, located on deck 3 mid-ship on the port (left) side, just forward of the aft elevators. Everyone is welcome, especially kids so they have a chance to meet some new friends. It will not last very long, maybe 15 - 30 minutes, so that we all have time to get ready for the mandatory safety drill at 4:00.

If anyone has a suggestion for a better place or time, we're certainly open for ideas.

 

[CherylA]

For those of us who were late joining, can you remind us again what the "DIS meet" time and location are? Never done this before, but it sounds fun! Do kids come? I noticed there is at least one 7 yr old girl represented on the Board and my 7 yr old DD would love to have a special friend!

My DD is 7 too! Her name is Isabelle and she will love having a special friend too! I also have a 5 year old DD. Do you have any others?

-Cheryl

 

[lilypinkpaws]

We wanted to rent a car at the airport and drop it off in Cape Canaveral but we could not find any rental company that will do that. Is anyone else renting a car? Also, where are people staying before the cruise (ok, I know I should of done this weeks ago).

 

[outahere]

We wanted to rent a car at the airport and drop it off in Cape Canaveral but we could not find any rental company that will do that. Is anyone else renting a car? Also, where are people staying before the cruise (ok, I know I should of done this weeks ago).

Thrifty/Dollar, Hertz and Budget (I think Avis does as well) all have offices in Cape Canaveral, or Cocoa Beach. We have used Budget several times, but none of the others. I would suggest you check mousesavers.com for rental car discount codes. We usually use the Wal Mart code for Budget.

As for where to stay - if you want to stay near the port there are several hotels in the area - Radisson, Residence Inn, Country Inn and Suites, Courtyard, Hampton Inn, etc. You can take a look at the thread below for a TON of info about the Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach area:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520273

 

[CherylA]

We wanted to rent a car at the airport and drop it off in Cape Canaveral but we could not find any rental company that will do that. Is anyone else renting a car? Also, where are people staying before the cruise (ok, I know I should of done this weeks ago).

Budget has a location in the Orlando airport and at the port so I am renting one way. Then Budget has a shuttle that takes you from their location to the Disney terminal at the port. We are staying in Disney at AS Movies for 3 nights before the cruise so we will have the car for that length of time. If you are a Costco member make the reservations through there site. I got a rate of 113.00 including taxes/fees for the 3 night rental of an 'intermediate' car. I was very happy with the rate!