April 21, 2007 -- Western Magic -- anyone?

[mickymania]

I'm definitely no professional photographer, but I want GOOD photos just for display & scrapbooking, and this camera totally does that for me.

I love that -- I am a picture junkie and I love to scrapbook. Every room in my house has tons of pictures, not to mention the multiple scrapbooks. We even bought a bookshelf speciifically because it fit the scrapbooks.

I am slowing down a bit because my teenagers hate to have their picture taken!!!! Thanks for the info.

Wendy

 

[curlybop]

Same here Wendy! I pick out some of my favorite scrapbook pages (I scrap digitally) and there's one wall as you enter our house with 5 frames just for them. Of course they're all filled with scrapping of my daughter. When I got this camera a couple of weeks ago, I kept snapping photos, trying settings, and trying to capture Emily on her swings, running, playing. One of the dogs saw me trying to take her photo (the dog's), and she ran. Even now, if I walk outside with the camera, Cocoa hides. The other two could care less though!

Molli - where aaaarrrreeeee you? I've been impatiently waiting all day for your teaser photos.

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Sorry I'm not around much today. I finished working before the boys even came home from preschool so I'm trying to catch up on stuff around the house--you know, the things I've neglected because of my stalking addition!

I have a camera question. I know there was a discussion on a Nikon camera here. Do you know what model it is? I'm just too lazy to look back through pages. We are looking at a new camera and that one sounded great!!

Anyway, our camera is very similar to Amanda's but it's a Nikon D40. It's a newer model than the D50 and is a little less expensive. I can't remember what the differences are (DH did all the research), but you can search for reviews on the two and come up with some pretty helpful information. Good luck on your purchase!

Gotta go do more "stuff." It's too nice outside today to be stuck in here, and the boys want to play on their playground--its 71 degrees!

 

[ctc917]

So where is everyone? Are you guys packing?

So I was wondering if any of you are Pepsi drinkers? I am a big Diet Pepsi drinker and everytime I go to Disney I have withdrawals, Are any of you guys bring water, soda etc on board with you and what have you found to be the best way of getting it to your stateroom?

Cheryl

 

[Corryn]

Hi everyone,
The last time I posted was right before St. Patricks day - we had everyone over that Friday night (except for my MIL/FIL) and we talked all about the cruise.
I showed everyone your photos so we'll be a little familiar with your smiling faces
My girls have gone through their luggage and sorted out the clothes they're bringing. My husband and I have yet to get that done. The only thing I've gotten together are our dresses for dinner which I have to bring over to the dry cleaners.
Between work during the day and school at night I haven't had a chance. Tomorrow morning I have another anatomy/physiology test at 8:30 and it's supposed to rain here on Long Island, so I guess I'll finally get my chance to start packing!
Thank God the weather is getting better because I want all my basic lawn/gardening done before the cruise.

There are so many pages to this thread and I just don't have the time to scan through them all, so if someone can please update me with meets, etc. I would really appreciate it!
Thank you

 

[strega7]

Ok, now that we are at 4 weeks maybe I will stop lurking and stop posting more. I am soooo excited, and I hope to get some packing done this weekend to see what I need to buy.

Amanda - I have been trying to get started on digital scrapbooking, I love hand scrapbooking, but I spend more time on the computer than back in my scrap closet - anyway, what program do you use to digital scrapbook, and did you just learn on your own, or is there a book or anything that helped you out

I'll be talking to you soon.

Marci

 

[dvc2themax]

Corryn, go to page 65. half way down, Mollie (OHMOM) made a poster of the DISmeets.

Nice weather here to day. Can't do much yard work due to still LOTS of snow. I live in the woods, so we don't get much sun to help melt the stuff.

But going to start doing some spring cleaning and go to the recycling center and get rid of stuff I can't give to the garbage trucks.

DD wants to go shopiing for new clothes for the cruise.

See everyone later. Some of you haven't posted pics yet for us to see.

-Paula

 

[curlybop]

Good evening everyone!

Marci - I use Paint Shop Pro v. 9 for scrapbooking. There are lots of choices, but that one works for me. Guess it's because I love to edit the photos sometimes before scrapping, and it allows me to do both. I started at Scrapbook Bytes, and spent a lot of time in the forums.

Well, I didn't get the pre-packing done. We've been on the go the entire day today. Had to go out for a while, came home & spent the whole afternoon outside enjoying the weather. It was 75 outside, and gorgeous. Unusual for this time of year, but we just enjoy it!

4 more weeks, 4 more weeks!!! I can't believe it's getting so close. I dreamed last night we arrived at the port, and I kept looking around for familiar faces. But I didn't see anyone until we had checked in, and saw a group gathered. Guess I'm obsessed to dream about it.

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I dreamed last night we arrived at the port, and I kept looking around for familiar faces. But I didn't see anyone until we had checked in, and saw a group gathered. Guess I'm obsessed to dream about it.

OMG! I had a dream about it last night, too! Mine was a little different, but it was about arriving in Orlando on Friday and trying to get to the port on time.


I've spent my day trying to organize and pack, and now I have all these questions that will make it seem like I've never even been on the boards before! Hopefully some of you repeat cruisers can help me feel like I'm not loosing my mind!

So I've tried to do a trial pack. I don't know what the heck I'm doing. I need help from experienced cruisers. Do we really need two outfits for every day? Shorts/tanks during the day and dinner outfits? Seriously...18 sets of clothes for everyone! DH isn't too keen on "double dipping" his clothes, but I guess it's either do that or do laundry, right? I know I've read about packing what you think you'll need and then taking out half, but I don't even know what half I'd take out! I thought I was going to have fun with this today, but now I'm getting frustrated.

And what about "what if" clothes--what if it's cold--jeans? sweatshirt/sweater? I'm planning on a jacket but unsure about the others. (I get cold if its under 70 degrees.)

On casual nights, are capris with slip-on sandals going to be okay? They kind of look like flip-flops in a way, but they're Born so they're nice. Maybe I can find a picture.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat601815&hasJS=true
I have several capris that I was planning to wear, but now I'm wondering if they're too casual even for casual night.

Also I read in the PassPorter last night that if you are on deck 10 for the sailaway party, you get a better view of sailing away from PC and also it's not as loud from the music (Hudson has sensitive ears). I'm wondering if we would miss out on the "true sailaway party" if we go up there instead of deck 9. Has anyone experienced it from 10 instead of 9?

And lastly, I have Palo scheduled for Wed at 7:30 but want to change to Thurs (our anniversary). If I reschedule, don't I want 6-6:30ish or 8-8:30ish instead of 7:30? Wouldn't 7:30 make us miss the show? I really want to see Disney Dreams, and the 2 PM show would interfere with tastings (I think).

Ugh! I thought I was more organized/prepared, and now I am feeling overwhelmed.

Gotta go turn on the DCL planning DVD for the boys--its our (almost) nightly bedtime show!

 

[mickymania]

So I've tried to do a trial pack. I don't know what the heck I'm doing. I need help from experienced cruisers. Do we really need two outfits for every day? Shorts/tanks during the day and dinner outfits? Seriously...18 sets of clothes for everyone! DH isn't too keen on "double dipping" his clothes, but I guess it's either do that or do laundry, right? I know I've read about packing what you think you'll need and then taking out half, but I don't even know what half I'd take out! I thought I was going to have fun with this today, but now I'm getting frustrated.

And what about "what if" clothes--what if it's cold--jeans? sweatshirt/sweater? I'm planning on a jacket but unsure about the others. (I get cold if its under 70 degrees.)

On casual nights, are capris with slip-on sandals going to be okay? They kind of look like flip-flops in a way, but they're Born so they're nice. Maybe I can find a picture.
I have several capris that I was planning to wear, but now I'm wondering if they're too casual even for casual night.

I don't know if what we are doing is right or not, but based on our last cruise, I don't think you will need two outfits per day. For example, if you are doing a beach-type excursion, you will spend most of your time in your swimsuit anyway. I am planning on bringing 4-5 bottoms (capris/shorts) for each person, along with shirts for everyday. Besides formal and semi-formal night, the shirts they wear with shorts will work with a khaki pair of pants for dinner(like polos). I also bring some laundry detergent in ziploc bags and plan on doing one or two loads of laundry. My hope is that the kids will keep their shorts, etc. clean and be able to stretch them for one other day. That being said, they take after me, the ultimate klutz -- I am always spilling food.

The sandals look great and I think they would be appropriate. As to capris, I am bringing quite a few pair and will probably wear my khaki and white pairs to dinner -- probably not my denim. It has been four years since we last cruised and it seems to have gotten more casual. Someone who has been on more recently might have a better idea. I know that it will run to both extremes at all dinners. It is really up to ones own taste and comfort level.

I think that we will be buying another suitecase since our clothes for formal and semi-formal night don't fit in one garment bag -- this was a lot easier when our kids were younger.

Val -- I don't know if that was helpful or not, but it seems like you are on the right track. Just think -- four weeks from tonight and we will have boarded the ship and finished our first night on the cruise.

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Val -- I don't know if that was helpful or not, but it seems like you are on the right track. Just think -- four weeks from tonight and we will have boarded the ship and finished our first night on the cruise.

Thanks Wendy! Yes, you sure did help ease my mind. I think I'm just overthinking everything at this point. What's funny is that whenever I would read posts on the main board about "what to wear," I always thought, "What's all the fuss about?" Now that it's my turn to actually pack, I'm just as obsessed.

YAY! Four weeks--it doesn't seem real! It can't come fast enough!

 

[dvc2themax]

Yes, packing for the cruise is MORE work than packing for a trip to WDW.
Need a suitcase just for the special dinners (if you plan on dressing for) like Formal night, semi formal night and pirate night.

Don't think many will dress for pirate night, but myself and DH will. Casey, DD will ONLY if others at the table will.

Don't forget about the weight limit of the bags for the airlines. A few years ago, we bought the large suitcases, downsized from the Xlarge one as you can STUFF them full and they are under the weight limit.

But for the cruise, we have 4 suitcases - one duffle bag has SHOES in it . Sandals, dress shoes, water shoes, casual shoes, (plus wearing a pair).

I also bring some laundry detergent in ziploc bags and plan on doing one or two loads of laundry. My hope is that the kids will keep their shorts, etc. clean and be able to stretch them for one other day. That being said, they take after me, the ultimate klutz -- I am always spilling food.

I also plan on doing laundry once or twice. I usually do one load at the very end of the week so I have LESS to do when I get home. DON'AT FORGET TO BRING QUARTERS.

Besides formal and semi-formal night, the shirts they wear with shorts will work with a khaki pair of pants for dinner(like polos).

I agree to that.

DH isn't too keen on "double dipping" his clothes, but I guess it's either do that or do laundry, right?

Val - Don't stress over what to pack. Just might have to do a load of laundry in the middle so less to pack, but they are still clean. So you guys WILL see me wearing teh same outfit twic, but no more than twice.

New hams;hrie - SNOWED again last night. Just a little dusting, but it was NICE, very NICE, to see the grass. Thank goodness the roads were too warm to hold the stuff.

Have a great Sunday morning.


-Paula

 

[AlreadyexcitedGrammy]

good morning all -- this is ohMOm - Molli here

i'm at my folks and logged in under my Mom's username. too lazy to change it right now :O) actually don't have much time

amanda -- oooohhhhhh i'm leaving you hanging i'll see what i can find here maybe, but you may have to wait until Wednesday i didn't want to post right away incase anyone said NO! i want to be surprised but i'll have plenty of time to post when the girls and I get back home. we had a busy weekend and weren't home much, now we are 'back home' just an hour or so away from home but visiting family over break.

val -- those shoes are fine! i'm packing capris for the more casual dinners, and one brown 'jean' skirt i have. i haven't finalized my packing at all yet but that is my plan. honestly, i'm bringing more shirts that shorts/pants to reuse the bottoms. think about it, you are only wearing them for a few hours anyhow and honestly once you are on board you'll be like, whatever get me some clothes and let's go! we are on deck 2 and just down the hall from laundry. i'll pack according to doing two loads mid-week; one jeans shorts/capris and one unmentionables/whites. TMI? but yet you can most likely get by with less that you think. i way overpacked for our first 7 day and i'm determined not to. would it help you to figure out what everyone is wearing for dinner each night? we do that, take a pic of the outfit and then i print out each person's weekly dinner outfits then there is no squabbling and lost time. but i have teenage daugthers too! think comfy and casual for during the day.

we were on deck 10 for sailaway and liked it. we are not big dancers, we just hung out and talked with the other DIS folks, blew bubbles, drank a drink of the day and waved goodbye to the terminal. we'll most likely go up there again.

definately bring a light sweater and sweatshirt for the evenings, if nothing else but in the rest. and theatres.

for shoes for casual dinners you will see me in jazzy flip-flops some too you know like beaded ones. we will have lots of shoes in our stateroom!

 

[Poccio]

You don't need 2 outfits per day. You'll find out that you'll be living in your swimsuit most every day, I would recommend more than one swimsuit for each person though.

I used those space saver bags last year and they worked out great! All of the clothes stayed (somewhat) not wrinkled (? does that sound right) I just had to hang them and whatever wrinkles there were came out by the time we needed to wear them. I brought laundry detergent for emergencies but I didn't want to spend my time doing laundry so we did wear some things twice and I did have a boat load (hah!) of laundry to do when we got home!

We were up on deck 10 for the sailaway party- it was less crowded and just as loud and you'll still feel like you're in it. In fact now, I guess there are CM's up on deck 10 dancing with the kids. I don't know about characters but from what I remember they were just on the stage anyway. Everything is shown on the dumbotron also so you will not miss anything by being up on deck 10

 

[alikat99]

Hi everyone - I'm still out of town at my MILs house, but wanted to say HI!!

Val - don't worry about packing 2 sets of clothes for each day, it's not necessary. For us, I pack DH a couple of pairs of khakis, and he'll wear them for casual dinners. He will usually wear them twice, since he's really only wearing them for all of about 3 hours. Then, we bring a variety of polos for each night. And, sometimes he'll wear the polo or shirt from the night before, during the day with shorts. And, for me, I'll bring capris and casual tops for dinner. Your shoes will be fine. As for formal night, I have a really nice black skirt that I'll use for both semi & formal night with different tops.

During the day, we're in shorts/t-shirts or swimsuits/coverups. And, I'm sure that we'll do some laundry in the middle of the cruise somewhere.

Ok, I'm outta here. We're meeting up with some friends from our last cruise at a Detroit Tigers/NY Yankees spring training game.

I'll stalk more this week!!!

 

[Corryn]

Hi Everyone!!!!
I'm back on - the Next Pussycat Doll show is over and now I'm in the kitchen watching Extreme Home Makeover with Kyra. Tori is in her bedroom packing for her Washington D.C. trip this week. This is the first time my little Tori Bird is leaving the nest without momma bird

I have been so bogged down and busy, but in a good way. I love being back in school and I can't believe I've been doing it for over a year now. Time passes quickly. A few years ago my husband suggested I go for a new career. I said, are you kidding me?! I'm not "wasting" four more years of my life in college! Been there done that.....No way. Then right before Christmas in '05 I said, hey, these kids are getting bigger and I'm getting bored because they don't need me as much anymore. I had finished up being a Catechist and I was pondering whether or not the girls would continue with girl scouts. (forget about troop politics!) And one day I woke up and said, I'm going back to school!

I'm not saying this to brag, I am saying this to all you moms who might be thinking, should I?
On the other side of the coin, I'm also a teacher - I teach court reporting. 90% of my students are women like us who have full lives and are married or single with children. Watching my students walk in for the first time and then watching them leave three years later is so satisfying. It is wonderful to know these women's stories - some good, some bad - watching them evolve into professionals is wonderful.

So this is that push, if you needed one! You can do anything you set your mind to.

Anyway, back to the cruise. I'm so happy because yesterday I was able to pull out our luggage and go through our vacation clothes. It took us about three hours to get everyone's luggage ready. Personally, I can't believe I fit about ten pairs of shoes (flipflops included) AND my clothing into a large suitcase!!!!! It's not even the really big one, Ed has that. Last Easter I purchased two very large rolling duffle bags off QVC for each girl. They're great!

On our last cruise we wore our bathing suits during the day - on the ship, in the Bahama's and on Castaway Cay. Then we got back on board and got ready for dinner. That was a 4 day cruise, so I'm going to have to pack a little bit more than I did the last time.
Going through the girls' stuff I have it figured out that they're going to be wearing regular shorts and shirts to dinner on two of the nights. Nothing ugly or trashy, but they're teens and even for them there's a limit to wearing dresses, even for my girly girl Tori!
Ed has his sports coat he's wearing for Formal/Semi-Formal night. It's all black and it looks like a suit jacket, but what do I know? He said it's a Sports Coat! He has a couple of nice shirts and ties for dinner, and he's got a bunch of Hawaiian shirts. He's also purchased a Tommy Bahama shirt that he is all proud of. Today we took Tori to a huge dress shop here on Long Island to get a formal night dress (she also has an 8th grade formal after the cruise) and while there, I saw an awesome dress which I loved, so then he jumped in and said he's gonna treat himself to another new shirt and tie.
I can't believe how much cash we're spending. The only bright side is at least I won't have to buy anymore summer clothes for the kids!

I think on one of my posts I stated that I wouldn't be wearing lime green to the DIS meet......But going through my summer stuff, I have noticed that I have a couple of Lime Green clothing items - I forgot it's one of my favorite colors! So I guess I'll be wearing Lime Green on embarkation day.

We'll also be attending the wine and martini tasting sessions. I don't know which sting ray adventure we'll be doing - I think the catamaran sting ray excursion. We're definitely doing Xcaret while in Cozumel.

Anyone else doing XCaret?

Also, does anyone know when we'll find out our rotations? I know the last time we cruised it was when we boarded the ship.

 

[AlreadyexcitedGrammy]

oops -- molli here

corryn -- have you requested a rotation through DCL? otherwise i think we still have to wait to confirm once on board

in Cozumel we have a dolphin excursion booked through dolphin discovery! the girls are sooo excited

i'm still not sure if we'll have on lime green for embarktion. we were all set too, now Paige is refusing! HA! we had an agreement with Taylor, long story but she is going to wear whatever we hand her and say "wear this" she can't argue ahhhh power of parenting. it's the small things

amy i guess we have to wait for more questions? i'm leaving here today and off to visit my brother and no internet at his house so i'll return Wed --

 

[alikat99]

1. Do you have any pets? If so, what? how many? names?
2 cats, Bubbie and Butterscotch
2. What's the one place that you've never been, but want to go?
Ireland - my great-grandmother came here from Ireland, and I would love to go there someday.
3. What's your favorite sport to watch or play?
We're not a big sports family here, but my DH and oldest DD love hockey, and being originally from Chicago, I'll always be a Cubs fan!!!
4. If you were on a deserted island, what one thing would you want with you?
Besides my family, I would want my camera to document it all.
5. What kind of car do you drive? What color?
I have a 2001 White Ford Expedition, DH has a 2000 Maroon Toyota Corolla (because he totalled our 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible last year!!!)

 

[alikat99]

Ok, I missed a few days since I was out of town, but I'm back now!!!

Countdown to Cruising!!!
26 days & counting!!!
​

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

1. Do you have any pets? If so, what? how many? names?
Our beloved "first born" was a Dalmatian named Floyd. Unfortunately, he developed stomach cancer at age 11 and was put to sleep two years ago. We are thinking about getting a Great Dane after our return from DCL. (DH and boys are pushing it, I'm reluctant--more responsibility for me!)
2. What's the one place that you've never been, but want to go?
Australia! (Other than DCL, of course!)
3. What's your favorite sport to watch or play?
"ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!" Being from Nebraska, there's not much else to do but be a Huskers fan. Not just college, though--we enjoy NFL, too (no certain teams), but the closest teams are 5+ hours away (Denver & Kansas City).
4. If you were on a deserted island, what one thing would you want with you?
I've never really thought about it but probably my family.
After thinking about it more, I'd also have to say my TV and Tivo!
5. What kind of car do you drive? What color?
I have a dark green 2001 Suburban but am drooling over the new GMC Yukon XL Denali in black! (We may wait for the 2008 to come out to work out those "first-year bugs" that the new styles always have.) DH has a black 2006 Chevy crew cab 3/4 ton diesel, a cobalt blue 1999 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic, and is currently building a custom "ol' skool chopper" (color is yet to be determined). He also has his beloved 1969 Pontiac Firebird that he got for his 15th birthday. It needs restored, though--its color is "gray primer."