April 18, 2010 - 4 night Wonder

[Verandah Man]

Is April EVER going to get here?!?!?

I'm beginning to think the same thing.

 

[outahere]

Keep steering it here, my friends. We'll take it.

Somehow, I don't think we were able to get it over your way. We got about 8 - 9 inches of heavy wet snow and school was canceled for today. Plus - we're supposed to get another storm starting tomorrow! According to what I've seen though, you may get some snow in the Finger Lakes region from this next storm.

Come on April!!

 

[Verandah Man]

Somehow, I don't think we were able to get it over your way. We got about 8 - 9 inches of heavy wet snow and school was canceled for today. Plus - we're supposed to get another storm starting tomorrow! According to what I've seen though, you may get some snow in the Finger Lakes region from this next storm.

Come on April!!

We're looking at possibly another foot of snow starting after mightnight tonight and lasting into Friday morning. I already scheduled off for Thursday and Friday!!! I'm so sick on this winter!!!

Yes indeed, come on April!!!

 

[outahere]

We're looking at possibly another foot of snow starting after mightnight tonight and lasting into Friday morning. I already scheduled off for Thursday and Friday!!! I'm so sick on this winter!!!

Yes indeed, come on April!!!

I saw the snow forecast a little while ago and did see that you may get hit again! Not good. Since you already scheduled the next two days off, at least you won't have to worry about tromping through the snow. It's a shame that you end up taking vacation days to avoid it though. The area just west of us is also forecasted to get a foot or more, but if the storm tracks a little further east we'll get it here instead.

DS and I went out for about an hour and managed to clear about 15 feet in front of the garage doors, but the snowblower just couldn't move it any further. Thankfully our plow guy showed up and cleared the rest of the driveway. Not only do we have the snow, but it started raining about 9:00am so the snow is just sucking up all that water and now is the consistency of thick cement! It is going to be a solid block of ice when it drops below freezing again.

I wonder if I could just hibernate for a few weeks, until it warms up?

 

[*disgal*]

Somehow, I don't think we were able to get it over your way. We got about 8 - 9 inches of heavy wet snow and school was canceled for today. Plus - we're supposed to get another storm starting tomorrow! According to what I've seen though, you may get some snow in the Finger Lakes region from this next storm.

Come on April!!

Yea, this next storm is the one that is supposed to give us some. But we might be too far west for most of it. Some areas will get a foot but I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[outahere]

Yea, this next storm is the one that is supposed to give us some. But we might be too far west for most of it. Some areas will get a foot but I'll believe it when I see it.

Where are you in the Finger Lakes region? I lived just north of Canandaigua for a few years, about 20 years ago.

 

[Verandah Man]

I saw the snow forecast a little while ago and did see that you may get hit again! Not good. Since you already scheduled the next two days off, at least you won't have to worry about tromping through the snow. It's a shame that you end up taking vacation days to avoid it though. The area just west of us is also forecasted to get a foot or more, but if the storm tracks a little further east we'll get it here instead.

DS and I went out for about an hour and managed to clear about 15 feet in front of the garage doors, but the snowblower just couldn't move it any further. Thankfully our plow guy showed up and cleared the rest of the driveway. Not only do we have the snow, but it started raining about 9:00am so the snow is just sucking up all that water and now is the consistency of thick cement! It is going to be a solid block of ice when it drops below freezing again.

I wonder if I could just hibernate for a few weeks, until it warms up?

I said the same thing to my wife earlier, LOL!!!

I worked until 5pm today and got the next 3 meter books done. I then came home and moved the last mound of snow from the front of our house to the side of our house. The latest I hear is 10-15 inches, good lord will it ever end?

I get 28 vacation days a year, so I don't mind using a few of them as snow days. The past couple of years I didn't need to take snow days, so I guess it's catching up with me now.

Oh well, what are you going to do, we surely can't stop the storms from coming. We just have to deal with it.

I need to go get a shower, then take a little nap while my DW and DD are out for a few hours!!!

 

[Verandah Man]

Guess what I'll be watching at noon today: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2406254

 

[outahere]

Guess what I'll be watching at noon today: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2406254

I saw that as well Andy, but probably won't be able to watch it. Please post back and let us know what they had to say, or show.

I hope everyone made it through this last Northeastern storm ok.

After it snowed Tuesday night, it changed over to all rain here, until late last night. We got about 3 - 4 inches of rain, and had it been snow they're saying we would have gotten at least 3 feet! We had some very high winds last night and the wind is still gusting pretty strong. Our house is bordered on three sides by tall trees, and I was awake for quite a while last night just waiting for a tree to come down. Thankfully it didn't happen.

 

[*disgal*]

Where are you in the Finger Lakes region? I lived just north of Canandaigua for a few years, about 20 years ago.

I'm in the Corning area. Well, we got about 11-12 inches total. Not too much wind, thank goodness and no rain. It's actually snowing a little bit here now and I think it's supposed to do that for the next few days. Not really accumulating though, maybe an inch or two?

Everything is now white and beautiful and I'm happy.

School was closed Thurs. and Friday although it really was a waste on Thurs. It didn't start really snowing until 3 or 4.

 

[sassysocks]

I am not sure if I am posting this correctly.

We are booked to go on the 4 night Bahamas Disney Cruise on April 18th 2010. Does anyone have suggestions as what we need
to see and do? We booked it so late that we are on deck 2 and eat during the
second shift, Ugh. I am trying to decide what excursions we should try (if we
can even get on one this late) to go on when we get to Nassau and Castaway Cay.
Does anyone know how much it cost for a drink on the boat? Are we allowed to
bring our own alcohol? We were told to call in and pay our gratuities prior to
going on the cruise. So, I am also trying to figure out how much more money I
should take with us. Oh, and does anyone have any suggestions on where to stay
the night before at Port Canaveral? I have never been on a cruise before
(clueless).

 

[outahere]

Welcome to the DISboards and our little group!!

I'll take a shot at your questions below.

I am not sure if I am posting this correctly.

We are booked to go on the 4 night Bahamas Disney Cruise on April 18th 2010. Does anyone have suggestions as what we need
to see and do?

The ship is pretty much a destination on its own, so be sure to take the time to wander around and see all the special touches that DCL has done (hidden Mickeys, artwork, ship info, etc). We've never done any excursions in Nassau, but we have gone to the Pirate Museum, shopped at the Straw Market and gone to Atlantis on our own (via taxi) and toured their aquarium and grounds.


We booked it so late that we are on deck 2 and eat during the
second shift, Ugh.

You can request to be put on the waitlist for first seating. You may not know for certain which seating you have until you check in. If they switch you to first, it should show up on your reservation on the DCL web site. If you don't get first seating, you can meet with the dining manager once you're on board, and they may be able to switch you. The time and location will be in the paperwork you receive at check in.

I am trying to decide what excursions we should try (if we
can even get on one this late) to go on when we get to Nassau and Castaway Cay.

We don't usually reserve anything at Castaway Cay ahead of time. We wait until we get there and see what we feel like doing. There are plenty of floats/tubes, bikes, snorkeling equipment, etc. to rent once you're on the island. If you want to do an excursion there, you should reserve it in advance. If you change your mind, you must cancel it 3 days prior to sailing, or you will be charged (unless they have a waitlist and resell it to someone else).

Does anyone know how much it cost for a drink on the boat?

Depends on what you're drinking. The drinks of the day run about $5- $6, or a couple dollars more for the DCL souvenir glass. I'm not a beer drinker, so I'm no help there.

Are we allowed to bring our own alcohol?

Yes, you can bring alcohol on board with you (unlike just about every other cruise line). You do have to carry it on, and not put it in your checked luggage.


We were told to call in and pay our gratuities prior to going on the cruise. So, I am also trying to figure out how much more money I should take with us.

You can call ahead and pre-pay, but you don't need to. Your stateroom attendant will leave tip envelopes for you and you can either pay cash, or stop by Guest Services and charge them to your onboard account. If you do that, they will give a slip to put in each envelope with the person's position, name and your tip amount. The recommended amounts work out to $12 per person/per day. The per person/per day amounts - Dining room server: $4, Assistant Sever - $3, Head server - $1, stateroom attendant - $4.

Oh, and does anyone have any suggestions on where to stay the night before at Port Canaveral?

There are several places to stay near the port - Residence Inn, Country Inn and Suites, Radisson, etc. You can check this thread for tons of info put together by one of the locals there:

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



I have never been on a cruise before(clueless).

Ok...... take deep breath and relax now. I would suggest you read through the FAQ sticky at the top of the main cruise forum. There is a lot of very good info there.

I hope that helps. If you have any other questions, please ask away.

 

[*disgal*]

Per the post above..................I didn't know you could prepay your tips. Where do you do this, when you're checking in at the port? I think I like that idea being that this is the first time we are cruising and I would appreciate being able to think about one less thing.
Is there a disadvantage to this? I mean, I'm thinking that if someone is going out of their way in service, I can always tip more.

Seating, we are a family of 5 and are very happy with the second seating. They won't change that on us, will they? And.........will we be seated with someone or have our own table? I can go either way on this. We don't mind meeting people and don't have problems talking but I can see an advantage to having our own table.

48 days!!

 

[outahere]

Per the post above..................I didn't know you could prepay your tips. Where do you do this, when you're checking in at the port? I think I like that idea being that this is the first time we are cruising and I would appreciate being able to think about one less thing.
Is there a disadvantage to this? I mean, I'm thinking that if someone is going out of their way in service, I can always tip more.

Seating, we are a family of 5 and are very happy with the second seating. They won't change that on us, will they? And.........will we be seated with someone or have our own table? I can go either way on this. We don't mind meeting people and don't have problems talking but I can see an advantage to having our own table.

48 days!!

You can call DCL and pre-pay your tips by charging it to a credit card. I've never done it, so I'm not sure if they just add that as a credit to your onboard account, or specifically target the amount to tips. We have never tipped less than the recommended amount, but I guess one disadvantage would be if you happen to have really sub-par service from one of the staff and wanted to reduce their tip accordingly, you probably wouldn't be able to do it. Yes, you could always tip more either by going to Guest Services and charging it to your onboard account, or just add cash in the tip envelope.

As for dining..... unless you are waitlisted for first seating, they won't change it on you. You (or your TA) could always call DCL and request a table for just your family - it is not guaranteed, just a request. We have done it several times and they have always honored our request.

Do you have your snow all cleaned up? With all the rain we had, all of the snow we got last week has been washed away. We got another inch or so last night, but it has already melted.

 

[*disgal*]

You can call DCL and pre-pay your tips by charging it to a credit card. I've never done it, so I'm not sure if they just add that as a credit to your onboard account, or specifically target the amount to tips. We have never tipped less than the recommended amount, but I guess one disadvantage would be if you happen to have really sub-par service from one of the staff and wanted to reduce their tip accordingly, you probably wouldn't be able to do it. Yes, you could always tip more either by going to Guest Services and charging it to your onboard account, or just add cash in the tip envelope.

As for dining..... unless you are waitlisted for first seating, they won't change it on you. You (or your TA) could always call DCL and request a table for just your family - it is not guaranteed, just a request. We have done it several times and they have always honored our request.

Do you have your snow all cleaned up? With all the rain we had, all of the snow we got last week has been washed away. We got another inch or so last night, but it has already melted.

thank you so much for the info.

Our snow is still here. It did get compacted some due to warmer weather. And this morning we probably got an inch. I'm glad it didn't rain here........if it's going to be winter and drab, I'd rather it be white.

 

[CherylA]

45 days!!! Woo hoo. I can't wait!

All this talk of dining times makes me think about ours. We have the later seating which I thought might be hard because my kids are 5 and 7 but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of the late seating since we can do the show 1st. My kids are really into Broadway style shows so I think they won't want to miss them. I figuring if they can't hold out until a late dinner we can get them hot dogs or chicken fingers before the show and then put them in the kids club with a pillow and blanket while my husband and I go to our sit down dinner. I'm thinking we'll just play it by ear. Do any of you have any thoughts on this? I'm not waitlisted for the early dinner, do you think I should be?

 

[outahere]

45 days!!! Woo hoo. I can't wait!

All this talk of dining times makes me think about ours. We have the later seating which I thought might be hard because my kids are 5 and 7 but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of the late seating since we can do the show 1st. My kids are really into Broadway style shows so I think they won't want to miss them. I figuring if they can't hold out until a late dinner we can get them hot dogs or chicken fingers before the show and then put them in the kids club with a pillow and blanket while my husband and I go to our sit down dinner. I'm thinking we'll just play it by ear. Do any of you have any thoughts on this? I'm not waitlisted for the early dinner, do you think I should be?

Our only issue with late dining is how late it would be by the end of the meal. Since second seating is at 8:15, I'm guessing that it would be between 9:15 and 9:45 by the time you're finished (gotta stick around for dessert - right?) Even when we are on the ships, we're usually in bed no later than 11:00 and I would probably have problems getting to sleep that close to eating.

It's really a personal decision, but that's my $.02 worth.

 

[Verandah Man]

I haven't been receiving any e-mail norices about this thread in the past few days. I was surprised to see so many posts from when I was last on.

It's so nice to say we will be cruising next month!!!

Bryan(our DD's fiance) is really getting excited about his first cruise. I hope he doesn't see the news about the ship that was hit by a rouge wave yesterday, it might make him a bit nervous.

Thankfully, the temps will be into the 50's this weekend, most of our snow is gone!!!!!

 

[outahere]

I haven't been receiving any e-mail norices about this thread in the past few days. I was surprised to see so many posts from when I was last on.

It's so nice to say we will be cruising next month!!!

Bryan(our DD's fiance) is really getting excited about his first cruise. I hope he doesn't see the news about the ship that was hit by a rouge wave yesterday, it might make him a bit nervous.

Thankfully, the temps will be into the 50's this weekend, most of our snow is gone!!!!!

It's supposed to be around 50 up here tomorrow and Sunday too! We still have some snow in the yard and on the back deck, which doesn't get much sun. One of these days I'll actually be able to get to the grill again!

Our DS is down in your area right now Andy. His class trip this year is to Washington, DC and they left about 6:00am Wednesday morning, due back Saturday evening. It's eerily quiet around here with him not home.

Definitely try to keep Bryan away from the news. That ship is much smaller than the Wonder and we've been through waves bigger than what hit it, on the Magic with no problems.

We leave for FL 6 weeks from tomorrow!! Yippee......

 

[CherylA]

Our only issue with late dining is how late it would be by the end of the meal. Since second seating is at 8:15, I'm guessing that it would be between 9:15 and 9:45 by the time you're finished (gotta stick around for dessert - right?) Even when we are on the ships, we're usually in bed no later than 11:00 and I would probably have problems getting to sleep that close to eating.

It's really a personal decision, but that's my $.02 worth.

Yeah thats certainly something to think about. My kids won't be napping either... I'm okay with going to bed with a full tummy though, actually when I eat too much thats about all I want to do! Maybe I will waitlist...

Edited to add:

I went ahead and asked to be waitlisted for the earlier dining time. I don't want my kids falling asleep in their ice cream! We'll make due if we don't get the earlier time, the late time has it's benefits too. I think at the late time though our kids most likely won't be eating with us, they'll eat earlier and be in the kids club at dinner I think...