April 18, 2014 - 5-Night Western Caribbean Cruise on Disney Wonder - Itinerary B

[lts862]

Hi!
Add us to the list. We will be traveling with our children DS 13 1/2 (gotta have that half, LOL) and DD 11yo.

First DCL cruise and first cruise for the kids. DH and I have cruised before.

We are hoping to go to Stingray City in Grand Cayman and maybe Playa Mia beach day in Cozumel.

So help a newbie out.....what is FE?

Thank you!

 

[lts862]

Hi Missy
Is this your first cruise on the Wonder? We sailed the Wonder last April on the 4-day Bahamas cruise. That was our first time cruising ever and we are hooked! Our family is me, my husband, and our 11 year old daughter. She is a social butterfly so loves to meet new friends. Are you sailing with children?
~Shannon

Great!! My daughter is 11 and is shy at first but then really opens up. Her brother will be in Edge but being the social guy that he is, she may get left on the sidelines until she meets some friends!

 

[Goofy Lover]

My daughter is the opposite of shy! If you'd like to set up an email between our two girls it might help your daughter if she has a 'friend' before the cruise. My daughter loved making friends before our last cruise.

 

[Goofy Lover]

Let me figure out the best way to organize an FE group and we can get started! Who has done FE before??

 

[scd]

We did FE on our last Disney Dream cruise in June 2013. They set up a FB page, which worked well since it was easier to stay in touch and up to date. It was a closed group so not just anyone could access it. We had an excel file loaded on the FB page which listed everyone who wanted to do FE, cabin number, names, ages of kids, and special celebrations, and allergies. We also noted if it was their first cruise, if they were doing early/late dining, if they were forward/mid/aft, favorite character, etc.

The nice thing about FB was that everyone got to know each other a little better before arriving on the ship. There were a few people we immediately recognized at lunch just from pictures on FB.

Also - a very highly recommended suggestion is that you state a cut off date for the FE signup which is usually about a month prior. That way everyone knows how many gifts to make and gives you time to finalize the plans

I'm so ready !!

 

[lts862]

HI!

Stopping back to check in....

Goofy Lover, my daughter would love to set up and email meeting with your daughter. Her name is Stephanie and I will message her email to you.

Can someone please let me know what an FE is? Newbie here!

Thank you!

 

[Goofy Lover]

scd: you seem to know what you're talking about, would you be interested in organizing? If not, I can figure it out.

lts: I forwarded your message to my daughter Em & she's excited to email your daughter soon. A FE (Fish Extender) is a gift exchange. Here's a link to a good explanation: http://www.allergyfreemouse.com/dining/disney-cruise-food-allergy/disney-cruise-fish-extender/

 

[scd]

Sure - I don't mind getting it started. I added a Facebook group. The group is closed, but if you ask to join, then I should be able to add you. This is my first time to create a group, so I'll learn as we go.

Unfortunately, I haven't posted enough on disboards for it to allow me to add a link. So, if you search for Disney Wonder - there is a closed group for Disney wonder - April 18, 2014.

Please - anyone- let me know if you don't Facebook, and we'll keep a list going here too.

I added a file on the Facebook where we can add the names, kids/ages, allergies, cabin number, special celebrations etc. I added a column for "multiple households". This was really nice to know as some people like to give a cabin gift. If there is a daughter and a grandmother in the same cabin - then it's nice to leave 2 so that each can have one. You should be able to download the file, add your information and then re-upload it. Again, if you don't use Facebook, then just post the information here, and I'll be sure to add you to the list.

Hope this helps.

 

[Goofy Lover]

Awesome! Thanks so much for organizing our FE. My family is in!!! I can't access FB at work so will find our group tonight.

 

[lts862]

Thanks Goofy Lover. I will make sure that Steph looks for it!

I have looked around FB for the group but can find it. If anyone can post a link, I would appreciate it.

Off to read about FE!

Thank you everyone!

 

[scd]

Just a couple more days before online checkin and I don't have a clue what excursions that we'll be doing !!!

 

[scd]

Here's the link to the closed group that we have set up. Please let me know if this link doesn't work.

April 18, 2014 on the Wonder

https://www.facebook.com/groups/666536146731627/

 

[missyp]

Does anyone know if we will have an optional formal night on the 5 night cruise or just optional dress up? Disney cruise website does not list 5 night cruises in the section that lists attire

 

[scd]

I found this reply on cruisecritic.com. It's dated 1-1/2 years ago, so it may not be accurate anymore.

Below is the recommended attire for your cruise itinerary and is subject to change:

On 5-night Bahamian cruises departing Friday:
*Night 1, 2 and 5: cruise casual
*Night 3: "dress-up night" (optional attire) - jacket or a dress shirt for men; dress or pantsuit for women *Night 4: pirate night with deck party - cruise casual or bring your best pirate outfit!


Maybe someone else knows for sure. I've only been on 3 & 4 night cruises.

 

[Ashalinaballerina]

Hey there!

We are a family of 4 sailing the wonder for the second time! We did the Easter cruise to the Caribbean on the Wonder last year and it was just wonderful!

I have requested to join the facebook group for the FE too!

Ashley (23), Tori (6), Kim (Mom), Mike (Dad)

 

[lts862]

Thank you for adding us to the FE!

Question for those who have cruised Disney before, have you taken excursions (specifically Cozumel and Grand Cayman) or remained on the ship? Any suggestions? We are considering the Sting Ray City/Island Tour in GC and Playa Mia beach excursion in Cozumel.

We won't be cruising for a while again as our son is going to an all-boys college prep high school in September and our funds will be quite limited so we wanted to be sure to explore and do some fun things.

I appreciate all responses as we are still trying to decide what to do. Info for the ship while in port is also welcomed.

We are in our mid 50s with a 14 and 11 year old, and the kids have helped to select the excursions. Thanks!

 

[scd]

Kim/Ashley -
Since you guys have cruised over a holiday before, do you remember if they have special events for Easter? Also, are there Easter baskets available on the ship?
Thanks !!

 

[scd]

lts862 -
Unfortunately, I can't advise on any of the ports... We've cruised Disney many times, but they have all been Port Canaveral/Castaway/Nassau. On that itinerary, there are no "at sea" days. A couple times, we stayed on the ship at Nassau and just enjoyed the things to do on the boat. However, on this trip, we'll have 2 at sea days, so it probably will be nice to do an excursion.

Thanks !!

 

[Ashalinaballerina]

scd: Through the Disney Flower and Gifts company on the Disney page, there were Easter Baskets for purchase however we chose not to because we didn't see the value. We heard that others brought stuff instead of purchasing too. We left our baskets hidden at home for our 6 year old and just told her that the Easter bunny was going to come to our house instead of the ship. The White Rabbit was out for photos and autographs on Easter Morning on the 4th floor across from the main elevator. Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot going on specifically for Easter that I remember. There were Easter Brunch type foods at the restaurants too.

 

[Ashalinaballerina]

Last year on this cruise we did the following excursions and enjoyed them very much!

Cozumel - Swimming with Dolphins. We had a 30-45 minute session with the dolphins. They had showers and lockers for us to use too. It was like a small small sea animal park because we were able to catch a cute little show with sea lions too. It was nice to walk around the park and they had a snack stand if you wanted something little to eat.

Grand Caymans turtle farm is wonderful! It's very educational and very cool! We didn't go here on the cruise last time but when we went to GC on a different trip we went and really liked it so we are going back this time. It has a beach and snorkeling available too!

This time in Cozumel we are not doing an excursion. We are going to get off and shop a little in the morning but we are always careful about the safety in Mexico so some of the further off the path places we are avoiding this time.