April 9, 2009 Wonder 3-night Bahamas Cruise!

[phythomp]

My son will be 7 years old by the time we cruise. My mother had the nerve to tell me today that my son will not enjoy himself. Of course, I think she is bonkers.....LOL!!!!

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

My 7 year old and I will be cruising and I can't want!!

You all are going to have a great time! My boys DS11 and DS8 love Disney cruising!
Crystal

 

[Deb T.]

My son will be 7 years old by the time we cruise. My mother had the nerve to tell me today that my son will not enjoy himself. Of course, I think she is bonkers.....LOL!!!!

I would have to agree that she's bonkers!

Your son will have the time of his life on this cruise! It is SO MUCH FUN!

 

[Deb T.]

Hi All!

We're down to just 3 months before we set sail!

Now that the holidays are behind us, we can start focusing on our cruise! (I LOVE having something to look forward to!!!) We should probably get started on setting up our Fish Extender Exchange and also make specific plans for a DIS Meet onboard.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would be more than happy to coordinate the FE Exchange. If you'd like to participate, I'll need your cabin number, names of everyone in your party, and the ages of the kids. (You can send the info to me through a PM or post it here on this thread.) I will keep all participants up-to-date as we add families to the exchange. Then, a week before the cruise, I'll send out the final list so that you can print a copy to bring onboard so you'll know where to deliver your surprises.

If you've never participated in a FE Exchange before, let me tell you that it's a LOT of fun! I was a little nervous the first time I joined in on a FE Exchange because I knew I wasn't going to be able to produce a fancy Fish Extender to hang beside my cabin door and I wasn't sure what to give out to everyone. But, I read through some of the FE Exchange threads on the DIS Boards and that gave me a lot of good ideas on what to do. Most importantly, I learnd that "anything goes!" I ended up using a canvas bag for my FE and made little baggies of goodies for each of the kids and a gift for each couple. That gift was even mentioned on one of the "favorite FE gifts" thread... so I've already come up with another surprise to add to it.

Soooo, start sending me your info and let's get our FE Exchange up and running!

 

[momtomari]

Hi Amanda!
I was just wondering if you went on that December cruise? Were you able to get the OBC for the next two cruises?

i did go on my december cruise and we had a great time. i did not book onboard as i have an awesome deal for a 7 night western june 13th for the same price as i was going to go on a 4 night in march. right now im not sure if i will be going on this cruise we have never been to universal and seaworld and it would be about half the price to do that instead and save my money for some shore excursions on the western. i was not able to book the 7 night on board because category 12 was not available all cruise which was fine $1600 for 2 of us on a 7 night western in june is great. im still tetering on this cruise though.

 

[Deb T.]

i did go on my december cruise and we had a great time. i did not book onboard as i have an awesome deal for a 7 night western june 13th for the same price as i was going to go on a 4 night in march. right now im not sure if i will be going on this cruise we have never been to universal and seaworld and it would be about half the price to do that instead and save my money for some shore excursions on the western. i was not able to book the 7 night on board because category 12 was not available all cruise which was fine $1600 for 2 of us on a 7 night western in june is great. im still tetering on this cruise though.

Hi Amanda!
Thanks for updating us. I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful time on your December cruise! I'm soooo envious that you got to cruise last month!! Wow - sure sounds like you have an incredible fare for the 7-night Western! Way to go! Please keep us posted on what you decide for our April cruise. Final payments are due on January 24th, so I guess you'll have to decide pretty soon.

Speaking of deciding soon... we're considering transferring our reservation to Dreams Unlimited for this cruise. It will all depend on whether or not we qualify for their $100 OBC special. We had a really bad TA experience (with AAA - not DU) on our first cruise so we've never, ever used a TA again. I'm nervous about transferring this reservation, but a $100 OBC would cover tips for the two of us. If anyone else has used DU, I'd love to hear some feedback! We also have a 2010 Baltic cruise booked and aren't sure what to do... DU is offering a $600 OBC if we transfer by January 29th... but right now we have a Cat4 GTY (even though I booked on the day reservations opened up for that cruise) and we really want to be sure we get a mid-ship cabin with a plexiglas verandah. If I turn that reservation over to DU, I won't have any control over trying to get that type of cabin assigned to us. Makes me very nervous, so we're still trying to decide what to do.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hi Amanda!
Thanks for updating us. I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful time on your December cruise! I'm soooo envious that you got to cruise last month!! Wow - sure sounds like you have an incredible fare for the 7-night Western! Way to go! Please keep us posted on what you decide for our April cruise. Final payments are due on January 24th, so I guess you'll have to decide pretty soon.

Speaking of deciding soon... we're considering transferring our reservation to Dreams Unlimited for this cruise. It will all depend on whether or not we qualify for their $100 OBC special. We had a really bad TA experience (with AAA - not DU) on our first cruise so we've never, ever used a TA again. I'm nervous about transferring this reservation, but a $100 OBC would cover tips for the two of us. If anyone else has used DU, I'd love to hear some feedback! We also have a 2010 Baltic cruise booked and aren't sure what to do... DU is offering a $600 OBC if we transfer by January 29th... but right now we have a Cat4 GTY (even though I booked on the day reservations opened up for that cruise) and we really want to be sure we get a mid-ship cabin with a plexiglas verandah. If I turn that reservation over to DU, I won't have any control over trying to get that type of cabin assigned to us. Makes me very nervous, so we're still trying to decide what to do.

We love DU! I have used them for all our Disney vacation packages and was going to use them for our canceled August cruise. I did not go with DU for this April cruise because another TA was offering a better OBC, and on our last cruise in April of 08 we used Small World Vacations again because of better OBC. DU is very easy to work with...I am not sure about the cabin assignment, but I would think that DU would attempt to get you the assignment that you want. They are very good at personalizing your vacations. Send them an e-mail or call them inquiring about the cabin assignment and see what they say...they are very accessible!

I hope that this helps!

 

[Deb T.]

We love DU! I have used them for all our Disney vacation packages and was going to use them for our canceled August cruise. I did not go with DU for this April cruise because another TA was offering a better OBC, and on our last cruise in April of 08 we used Small World Vacations again because of better OBC. DU is very easy to work with...I am not sure about the cabin assignment, but I would think that DU would attempt to get you the assignment that you want. They are very good at personalizing your vacations. Send them an e-mail or call them inquiring about the cabin assignment and see what they say...they are very accessible! I hope that this helps!

Wow - yes, this certainly does help! So, based on your glowing report, I went ahead and switched this cruise (the April 9th 3-night) today!

I wish I had more time to decide whether or not to switch the Baltic cruise because I'd like to see how this one turns out first. But, I'd have to transfer that ressie by January 29th in order to qualify for their $600 OBC special. I will take your advice and email them to see what they say about staying on top of our cabin assignment. We would be very unhappy with a Navigator's verandah after paying full price for a Cat4!

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Wow - yes, this certainly does help! So, based on your glowing report, I went ahead and switched this cruise (the April 9th 3-night) today!

I wish I had more time to decide whether or not to switch the Baltic cruise because I'd like to see how this one turns out first. But, I'd have to transfer that ressie by January 29th in order to qualify for their $600 OBC special. I will take your advice and email them to see what they say about staying on top of our cabin assignment. We would be very unhappy with a Navigator's verandah after paying full price for a Cat4!

Glad that I could help!

By the way...have you all ever taken a cab from a Disney Resort to the Airport? My husband has come into a snag for our upcoming trip and needs to leave early (real early in the morning to catch his flight) however; he does not want to take the Magical Express. I have already put in for Florida Tours Towncar and they quoted $65 plus tip and I believe that I saw somewhere here on the DIS that a cab ride would be $60 plus tip...Any thoughts? I am not opposed to the $60, but just wanted to make sure that this might be the going rate.

 

[Deb T.]

By the way...have you all ever taken a cab from a Disney Resort to the Airport? My husband has come into a snag for our upcoming trip and needs to leave early (real early in the morning to catch his flight) however; he does not want to take the Magical Express. I have already put in for Florida Tours Towncar and they quoted $65 plus tip and I believe that I saw somewhere here on the DIS that a cab ride would be $60 plus tip...Any thoughts? I am not opposed to the $60, but just wanted to make sure that this might be the going rate.

I don't know, but I'll bet if you post this question on the Transportation Board they'll be able to tell you.

 

[Deb T.]

For those of us who are Castaway Club members, we were able to start booking excursions, spa treatments, and Palo's as of last Friday, January 9th. However, DH and I ended up deciding not to book anything this time. We've been to Nassau and Castaway Cay several times and have already done all the excursions we were interested in. We did Palo on our first cruise ten years ago and have really never felt the need to go back. I usually book a massage... maybe I'll end up booking another one after we're onboard.

What we'd like to end up doing in Nassau is find a beach within walking distance of the port. I posted this question on the main cruise page. So far, I've learned that there's a beach nearby but you have to pay to use it.

Has anyone else booked anything?

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

For those of us who are Castaway Club members, we were able to start booking excursions, spa treatments, and Palo's as of last Friday, January 9th. However, DH and I ended up deciding not to book anything this time. We've been to Nassau and Castaway Cay several times and have already done all the excursions we were interested in. We did Palo on our first cruise ten years ago and have really never felt the need to go back. I usually book a massage... maybe I'll end up booking another one after we're onboard.

What we'd like to end up doing in Nassau is find a beach within walking distance of the port. I posted this question on the main cruise page. So far, I've learned that there's a beach nearby but you have to pay to use it.

Has anyone else booked anything?

Haven't booked anything yet...just went into the system and updated all of the cruise documents. This will be our first time to Nassau...so our kids want to do Atlantis however; the Comfort Suites price right now is $332 with a AAA discount I have my TA working on getting us a better rate...so we shall see! So with our little experience on Nassau...I have no idea about a good beach...hope that someone else might have some info. for you!


On the downside my husband is not going to be able to go on our Disney trip planned for next week! Usually this trip is for mom's and their kids, however; this year my husband wanted to go...so we got him tickets and room...and now...this trip is not going to fit into his work schedule! Granted we live in VA and he has been working in TX and he has spent a great deal of time recently back here in VA and in DC...so now he feels like he needs to take the time to work back in TX. My boys were so sad! And I am down too...he is a total clown and provides for lots of fun and comic relief!

Oh well! Sorry to bring my story to the boards...he will definitely be on the boat headed to fun in the sun!

 

[Deb T.]

Haven't booked anything yet...just went into the system and updated all of the cruise documents. This will be our first time to Nassau...so our kids want to do Atlantis however; the Comfort Suites price right now is $332 with a AAA discount I have my TA working on getting us a better rate...so we shall see!

Yikes - $322!?!?! I sure hope your TA can come through for you!

I updated all our cruise documents last week and then printed them out and tucked them in my "Spring Break Cruise" folder. All I have left to do is pack!

 

[Deb T.]

On the downside my husband is not going to be able to go on our Disney trip planned for next week! Usually this trip is for mom's and their kids, however; this year my husband wanted to go...so we got him tickets and room...and now...this trip is not going to fit into his work schedule! Granted we live in VA and he has been working in TX and he has spent a great deal of time recently back here in VA and in DC...so now he feels like he needs to take the time to work back in TX. My boys were so sad! And I am down too...he is a total clown and provides for lots of fun and comic relief! Oh well! Sorry to bring my story to the boards...he will definitely be on the boat headed to fun in the sun!

So sorry to hear that your DH won't be able to go to WDW next week. I can definitely empathize with you! My DH had something come up at work right before our spring break last year and wasn't able to go on that cruise! I thought about it long and hard, and decided to go ahead without him. It felt weird to cruise alone, but I met some DISers onboard and still had a good time. I hope you and your boys will still be able to have a fun time at WDW.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

So sorry to hear that your DH won't be able to go to WDW next week. I can definitely empathize with you! My DH had something come up at work right before our spring break last year and wasn't able to go on that cruise! I thought about it long and hard, and decided to go ahead without him. It felt weird to cruise alone, but I met some DISers onboard and still had a good time. I hope you and your boys will still be able to have a fun time at WDW.

Yes - we should be able to whip up some fun!Now it is only going to be 3 moms and 6 kids. Two of our families are huge Disney fans - the last mom and 2 kids are almost anti-Disney...they have never been on our winter getaway before...so we are going to show them how to have a great time at Disney! Now all I have to do is pack and figure out how to get winter clothes into three carry-ons...plus pack all the kid essential plane items...I might need some major pixie dust on this one!

 

[Deb T.]

Yes - we should be able to whip up some fun!Now it is only going to be 3 moms and 6 kids. Two of our families are huge Disney fans - the last mom and 2 kids are almost anti-Disney...they have never been on our winter getaway before...so we are going to show them how to have a great time at Disney! Now all I have to do is pack and figure out how to get winter clothes into three carry-ons...plus pack all the kid essential plane items...I might need some major pixie dust on this one!

I did a similar trip several years ago - 3 moms and 4 kids - and we had a BLAST! I was the "tour guide" and master planner. We went in July, so we definitely didn't have to worry about packing winter clothing. I'm sending lots of pixie dust your way to help with packing!!!

 

[Brandy C]

Hello,

I finally booked this cruise. I will be traveling with my DFi and DD 16.
This will be our second trip to the world but our first time on the Wonder.

 

[Deb T.]

Hello,

I finally booked this cruise. I will be traveling with my DFi and DD 16.
This will be our second trip to the world but our first time on the Wonder.

Welcome Aboard Brandy! You are going to have SO MUCH FUN on this cruise!!! If we can answer any of your questions or be of any help, please don't hesitate to ask!

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

I did a similar trip several years ago - 3 moms and 4 kids - and we had a BLAST! I was the "tour guide" and master planner. We went in July, so we definitely didn't have to worry about packing winter clothing. I'm sending lots of pixie dust your way to help with packing!!!

We are packing! Thanks for the pixiedust! We are all very excited...the neighborhood is buzzing with the thought of being at the World in just a few days! We will let you know all about it when we return...then it is off to the cruise!

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Hello,

I finally booked this cruise. I will be traveling with my DFi and DD 16.
This will be our second trip to the world but our first time on the Wonder.

Welcome to the April 9th cruise!