April 9, 2009 Wonder 3-night Bahamas Cruise!

[Disney On A Dime!]

We're definitely counting down! Well...I guess between the kids schoolwork and projects - that's a countdown...baseball season getting ready to start - another countdown...my DH finally ending his out of town work (sometime in March) - that's another countdown...however...the Disney Cruise is #1 in everyone's countdown. Everything right now relates to getting to Spring Break and cruising!


On another note...I have been having a great time making magnets for our stateroom door! The wonderful DISigners over on the DISign board are awesome! Each time I check over on that board...I get new ideas!

 

[Deb T.]

Will anyhting be done for Easter? I am thinking of getting baskets from Shirley with an Easter theme from the Easter bunny, saying he wouldn't be able to reach us on the water. But don't want that ruined by a Disney Easter surprise on Easter morning.

We sailed on this exact cruise last year (3-night Wonder that ended the morning of Easter) and nothing special was done Easter morning. I sort of expected maybe a little bag of candy or something hanging from our door handle, but nope, nada. Nothing special was left on the beds during turn-down the night before, either. Now, that's not saying that the DCL bunny won't end up doing something this year... but I doubt it. And, keep in mind that Shirley's stuff is always delivered to staterooms upon embarkation.

That last morning is a bit of a downer, and rushed... getting up early, packing up the rest of your things, eating breakfast, and then disembarking. It's so sad knowing you have to leave that awesome ship.

I've heard that the Easter Bunny doesn't have the proper kind of passport or birth certificate to board cruise ships. So, the Easter Bunny would have to do something crazy like mail his baskets to the ship or sneak them into your luggage when you aren't looking! If you're headed straight home Sunday, maybe the Easter Bunny would have already left surprises at your house for your return?

I would be more than happy to assist the Easter Bunny in any way possible. He's been visiting us for years so we are very good friends now. Feel free to send me a PM if you'd like me to contact him to set something special up.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Will anyhting be done for Easter? I am thinking of getting baskets from Shirley with an Easter theme from the Easter bunny, saying he wouldn't be able to reach us on the water. But don't want that ruined by a Disney Easter surprise on Easter morning.

I have been thinking about the same thing. I did read somewhere that nothing special goes on on Easter morning or to celebrate Easter. We have had Easter morning in many, many hotel rooms though. From Vegas to Phoenix to Disney...you know that bunny has a way of finding those kids! It's just that right now the bunny has to figure out all the logistics of a cruise ship stateroom.

The baskets from Shirley sounds like a good idea. In the past our bunny has brought a basket in a fancy gift bag, a basket in a plastic bucket, a basket in a fancy box, and a basket...as a basket. It all really just depended on our luggage space. Right now...I have no idea what the bunny is going to do this year.

 

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I have had the same "what about the Easter' question. I think he will visit our house since we wont be telling him we're anywhere different. I'll be ordering a basket from Shirley and may ask her if she has any of the Disney characters in the bunny outfits or something like that to throw in to have an Easter touch.

Do any of you veterens have any advice for us newbies? I read a lot of the boards and have digested all the advice that I feel most applies to us. I know it might seem over-kill....but I'm a planner and this is how I will keep myselft relaxed and capable of enjoying the cruise when it finally gets here But if you have some secret advice to pass on - then let us have it..... I have our resi at the Radisson and have booked our shuttle - so I think I'm covered on that. I'm running out of things to plan at this point which is making it seem like FOREVER until April 9th gets here!!

I am jealous of those of you who are going to WDW prior to our cruise I tried to talk DH into us going prior (and even have a res at POR on the 4/3 deal) but we just went for a week last October and plan to go again this October and he thinks that is enough - so it looks like I will be cancelling the POR resi. It's just so hard to get that close to WDW and not go visit the happiest place on earth!! I hope that you all will understand my obsession better than he does I would be happy to come with you Deb so you don't have to go alone

 

[Deb T.]

Do any of you veterens have any advice for us newbies? I read a lot of the boards and have digested all the advice that I feel most applies to us. I know it might seem over-kill....but I'm a planner and this is how I will keep myselft relaxed and capable of enjoying the cruise when it finally gets here But if you have some secret advice to pass on - then let us have it..... I have our resi at the Radisson and have booked our shuttle - so I think I'm covered on that. I'm running out of things to plan at this point which is making it seem like FOREVER until April 9th gets here!!

I'm an extreme planner, too, so I totally understand! The best advice I have is to keep up with the main cruise boards because the most up-to-date info is always posted there. Also, take some time to look over and become familiar with the Navigators for the 3-night cruises because they will give you an excellent idea of what activities to expect, although the days and times do vary from sailing to sailing. And, don't hesitate to ask lots of questions!

Here are some tips:
Embarkation Day-
*Arrive Early! The cruise is short, so you'll want to have as much time on the ship as possible.
*Upon boarding, stop by the Guest Services desk FIRST and pick up that day's Navigator. Otherwise, you won't see one until after 1:30pm when you go in your cabin. Grab a map of the ship, too.
*Dress the kids in their swimsuits so they can enjoy the pools while they are the least crowded of the day. You and your DH can take turns going through Beach Blanket Buffet's embarkation buffet and carry your trays outside to the pool area while the kids swim!
*Once the kids are done swimming, take some time to become familiar with the layout of the ship on each deck.
*Come to our DIS meet. It's really fun to bump into each other throughout the rest of the cruise!
*Do NOT miss the evening shows each night! Arrive at least 15 minutes early.
*Call room service and set up milk and cookies to be delivered each night at bedtime. The kids will LOVE the special treat! After all, they're on vacation, too!
*Get your souvenir shopping done this evening. The shops are CrAzY busy the next two nights!

Nassau/Pirate Day-
*If you are even remotely thinking about booking another cruise onboard, stop by the DCL booking desk and fill out an interest card. They will have a quote to you by the next day. Then, you can decide if you want to put a deposit down on it or not. I recommend putting down a deposit while onboard and then deciding whether or not to keep the reservation after you're back home. You can always cancel it without penalty later, but you can never book it with the OBC and discount after you're off the ship.
*Go to Guest Services and charge your tips to your room. There are LONG lines to do this the next afternoon/evening.
*Check your Navigator for when Captain Jack Sparrow will be available for photographs!
*Avoid Shutters directly before and after meal times - that's when that tiny little space is the most packed!
*The Pirate Dessert Buffet is only open for about 30 minutes after the end of the Pirate Show. Be sure to go and look at all the decorations and food carvings even if you're not planning to eat anything. You have to get your drinks from the 24-hour drink station, so we like to do that first before getting in the buffet line.

Castaway Cay Day -
*Pick up a Pirate Scavenger Hunt map before you leave the ship. Try to read the directions before you leave the ship, as well, otherwise you'll have to backtrack on the island to find all the clues.
*Check the Navigator for all the fun activities offered on the island.
*Be sure to bathe the kids as soon as you're back on the ship to was any traces of sea lice off before they get itchy.
*Pack before dinner so you don't have to miss the Til We Meet Again show.

*Take time to enjoy just being onboard that beautiful ship!

 

[Deb T.]

I am jealous of those of you who are going to WDW prior to our cruise I tried to talk DH into us going prior (and even have a res at POR on the 4/3 deal) but we just went for a week last October and plan to go again this October and he thinks that is enough - so it looks like I will be cancelling the POR resi. It's just so hard to get that close to WDW and not go visit the happiest place on earth!! I hope that you all will understand my obsession better than he does I would be happy to come with you Deb so you don't have to go alone

Come on down! Leave your DH at home! I'd love to have someone to hang out with!

Seriously, though, I'm sorry your DH doesn't want to go back down in April.

 

[Brandy C]

Hi,

I love all the activity on here today. I just returned from a school fundraiser that took us to the Nevada Stateline for a turnaround trip. (1/2 hour before Vegas) I'm exhausted and although I did not win any money, I had a great time.

I'm counting the days until April 3 since that's when we're headed to WDW.
Only 59 days until we board to the Wonder.

It would be nice to receive a little something from Mickey for Easter. Too bad we will have to be rushed off the ship.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Thanks for the information but we are cruising April 9th-12th not August 9-13.

sorry for the mistake, everyone!

I did a search for August 9 - this came up and I didn't do a "second look"!!!

Have an awesome cruise!!!!!

 

[Deb T.]

Hi All!

Exactly 8 weeks from now (6:30pm EST as I write this), those of you with Main Dining will be getting to know your tablemates and servers while looking over the dinner menu and ordering scrumptous appetizers! If you are new to DCL, you can't yet even imagine how much you will come to love your servers in these three short nights... and how much you will miss their pampering once you return home. Remember: if you can't decide between two entrees (or appetizers, or salad/soups, or desserts), it's perfectly all right to order them all!!!

Those of us with Late Dining will be sitting comfortably in the Walt Disney Theatre enjoying The Golden Mickeys stage show! Don't worry about grabbing "the perfect seat" because they're all good seats! We actually prefer the top half of the theater because you have a broader view of the stage and all the action!

Then in a couple of hours, we'll all switch places. Main diners will be in the theatre while late diners will be starting their meals.

As you can probably tell, I'm already counting down the days until we're onboard! Since we've cruised DCL several times already, it's easy for me to visualize what I'll be doing on any particular day and time. DH and I definitely have a nice little onboard routine.

 

[Deb T.]

Exactly 8 weeks from now, we will have just spent the day enjoying all that Nassau has to offer! Some of us will be a little sunburnt. The first thing my family likes to do after spending a day on shore is head to Pluto's for some piping hot french fries and the 24-hour drink station for something iced cold to drink. We eat our snack at a table near the pool and talk about all the fun we had that day. Then, if there's enough time before the "Toy Story the Musical" show (or dinner if you have main dining), we indulge on some ice cream, too! But, we do keep in mind that we need to save enough room for a four-course dinner and then the Pirate Dessert Buffet!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I just LOVE being on vacation!!! Especially when it's on a Disney ship!

 

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

I am loving the 8 week countdowns!!!!

THANK YOU Deb T.!!!!

 

[Deb T.]

I am loving the 8 week countdowns!!!!

THANK YOU Deb T.!!!!

You're welcome! It's helping me pass the time before we're finally onboard! As you can tell, in my mind I'm already there!

 

[Deb T.]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

 

[Deb T.]

It's Saturday, around 11:30 a.m. EST, and exactly 8 weeks from now we'll all be basking in the bright sunlight and cool tropical breezes of what we like to call our little piece of heaven on earth, Castaway Cay! Cookies' BBQ is just opening and the Crab Derbies start in another fifteen minutes!

Inarguably, Castaway Cay is paradise at it's best! There is something for every personality... family fun in the sun on the Family Beach, a quiet adult retreat on Serenity Bay, a walking/biking trail, lots of planned activities, the teen-only beach, the kid's club area, characters, music, shopping, food, fruit, beverages, and ice cream!

DH and I like to stroll all the way from the ship to Serenity Bay - no trams for us! Yes, it's a long walk, but it's peaceful and pretty. We've even seen a few hermit crabs along the way. We usually spend an hour or so relaxing on the beach, and then walk back to the Family Beach area to watch the Crab Derbies and eat lunch at Cookies' BBQ. We take a few pieces of fruit to nibble on while walking back toward Serenity Bay. We always take a little detour on the walking/bike path so we can climb the tower and look out over most of the island. You see, we're actually working up our appetite again because we'll also be stopping at the Air Bar on our way back to Serenity Beach for lunch part deux! In our defense, sometimes the two locations offer different lunch options... for example, Cookies' has corn-on-the-cob whereas Air Bar usually doesn't, and sometimes Air Bar has nice steaks! And hey, we're on vacation, so calories don't count, right???

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love the 8 week countdown! I can't wait to see what today's events will be! UPDATE: They are awesome!!!

By the way...that DCL cruise tips that you put together DebT was wonderful! Even though we have cruised before with DCL it is so good to refresh my memory of those special tips and such! I had been wanting to thank you for a couple of days now, but my computer got attacked with a virus. The virus took out everything! Anyhow...most of our important info. is on an external hard drive...it's just that I have been unable to get on-line! Yikes!

Well our excitement continues to build! Only 8 more weeks!

 

[Deb T.]

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love the 8 week countdown! I can't wait to see what today's events will be!

By the way...that DCL cruise tips that you put together DebT was wonderful! Even though we have cruised before with DCL it is so good to refresh my memory of those special tips and such! I had been wanting to thank you for a couple of days now, but my computer got attacked with a virus. The virus took out everything! Anyhow...most of our important info. is on an external hard drive...it's just that I have been unable to get on-line! Yikes!

Well our excitement continues to build! Only 8 more weeks!

Thanks! You're sweet!

We must have posted at the same time, so be sure to scroll up for this morning's instalment of the 8 week countdown! I'll post "Saturday, Part II" later this afternoon.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Thanks! You're sweet!

We must have posted at the same time, so be sure to scroll up for this morning's instalment of the 8 week countdown! I'll post "Saturday, Part II" later this afternoon.

Yes...as soon as I posted I saw your new installment...so I went ahead and edited my post. Gotta keep things up to date!


Oh to be at Castaway Cay! Can we go now???

 

[Deb T.]

Saturday, exactly 8 weeks from now, continued...

It's around 7:30 p.m. EST and we've just spent the most wonderful time on Castaway Cay. If you decided to do the Scavenger Hunt, you were drawn to areas of the island that you might not have ordinarily visited, and you are now aware of several previously unnoticed details. You were very sad 2-1/2 hours ago as you watched us pulling away from that beautiful island and, as it faded smaller and smaller into the horizon, you were already busy plotting how to afford another Disney cruise soon!!!

You'll see a LOT of sunburnt people at dinner tonight!!!! Main diners are finishing up, handing out tips, and maybe exchanging email addresses with tablemates. One particular Late Diner is trying very hard to disguise the fact that she's crying at this exact moment - near the finale of Disney Dreams. (It gets me EVERY time... and I've seen it 7 times!!! )

The rest of the evening will be very busy - trying to fit in every last moment of this magical vacation. It will be difficult to narrow down which photographs to purchase... You'll want one last souvenir shopping spree... Maybe one more trip to Scoops... Oh - and don't forget the Captain will be signing autographs tonight in Treasure Ketch! And, in 2-1/2 hours, you'll see all the characters gathered together in the atrium for a final goodbye... 'Til We Meet Again. If you haven't already, quickly give room service a call and order milk and cookies for a special treat for the kids tonight before they go to bed!

 

[Deb T.]

Exactly 8 weeks from now (Sunday, noon, EST)....

Each of us will be caught off guard at one time or another with the slightly off-balanced feeling of a "rocking motion" - as if you were still on the ship!! For some, like me, this subtle reminder of being onboard will last a few days. If it becomes problematic though, I usually take ginger supplements for a couple of days, and for more persistant cases half a Bonine tablet every 12-hours helps. Don't worry, though, eventually your land legs take over.

It's Easter morning, and you've probably eaten your first sit-down breakfast of the cruise - in the exact same spot you ate dinner last night! (The other mornings my family routinely eats breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet.) Then, you've lingered... stalled, actually... as you slowly and reluctanly made your way toward the exit in the atrium. This large opening in the wall on Deck 3 has been concealed and largely unnoticed during the duration of the cruise, and you take a moment to marvel at how clever Disney engineering is! After all, it's the same opening that you entered through with great anticipation just 3 days prior!

Well, fellow sailors, this concludes the 8 Week Countdown. I might try to come up with a different installment next week!

 

[disneychic]

HI EVERYONE

For this cruise we have 3 staterooms full of people! Me and my DH, my Mom and my adorable 3 year old nephew, and my BFF & her Hubby and we all cannot wait! We're gonna have a great cruise