August 12, 2011 Disney Dream Meet Link Here

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

We would love to take advantage of free dining but the kids' school starts the very next week so we need to get back. As it is, we are doing the CS dining on the 4 days we stay before the cruise.

 

[lexandme]

I am hoping they offer free dining or some kind of discount the days prior to the cruise as well. I know they have in the past but the dates are so iffy because it's still "high time".We are locked in to doing WDW before because DH is a teacher and has to be back. DS will be starting college but I have no idea when that starts. He hasn't decided where to apply yet. All he knows is they MUST have a rugby team. That's his non-negotiable for choosing a school. Not the academic record or course of study!

We have participated in the FE in the past and will do it again but I was never involved in any of the pre-planning so I am pretty much useless. I can help if given specific instructions!!

 

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

Oh, I would love it if they offered the free dining b4 the cruise!! We currently have the counter service, but would love to upgrade for free!

Good luck with DS college decision... Mine are only 7 and 9 so I can't even begin to imagine sending them off to college!!

I have no experience or time to organize the FE but would happily participate if someone takes that on!

 

[lexandme]

Happy New Year to all

We're getting closer - We're at least in the same year we sail

 

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

YAY! Happy New Year. We are so excited for this year and our exciting vacay! Kids were thrilled to find out about it on xmas eve.

Can't wait to hear all about the upcoming Dream sailings.

Also, wish this thread would get more visitors so we could get a FE organized. Target has had some GREAT items in their dollar area that would be perfect gifts.

 

[Momtotwogirls]

Happy New Year, everyone! My family is interested in the FE if we end up doing one for our cruise. It helped on our last Magic cruise to make the cruise that much more magical for my girls.

I have never done the pre-planning, but if nobody steps up, I will do it. It can't be that hard, right?!

 

[jgperkin]

Hi everyone! My name is jen and this is our very first Disney cruise! We will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary! We are very excited! I will be traveling with DH and DD (7). She is our only miracle due to several miscarriages, so of course, she has to come with us!!! I am nervous for her one the ship only because she is our only child, but I am hoping she will meet some friends onboard! I have read that many of you are teachers. I am a teacher too in western new york! We will be heading to akl kidani villas after our cruise for 4 nights. We are very excited for this trip!!!!!

 

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

Welcome Jen - I have a 7 yr old dd too! She will be lookng for friends to play with at the pool and in the kids clubs. This is our first cruise too. We are staying at POFQ before the cruise for 4 nights. We told our kids about the trip on Christmas Eve. We are all having fun with the planning. Seven months is a long time for a kids to wait (for me too!).

 

[3smithboys]

Happy New Year! Welcome Jen!!! We have twins boys who will be 8 at the time of the cruise. (as well as a 13 year old boy...) DH and I are also teachers. He was also very nervous at first when we began cruising with the kids, but after taking them on cruises, he has come to realize that cruising is perfectly safe and a great family vacation!!! She will be fine!!! When she is in the club, she will always be with a staff member...otherwise, she will be with you or DH! On our last cruise, we felt comfortable enough to let our eldest DS check himself out of the club and go around the ship (with rules of course!)

After the cruise, we decided to spend 4 nights at Port Orleans Riverside, but we are not going to the parks!!! We are going to make this a Sea World and Aquatica trip. (We are getting the unlimited park ticket) My mom's only request this trip was to go to Sea World, and with the room only discount the price for the room was too good to pass up! It was actually cheaper for 2 rooms at POR than to stay off site (and we love it there! ) It is going to be a bit strange, I think, not to go to the parks...but we are also going to try to fill our time doing things that we have always wanted to do but never get around to doing because we are always going full speed during our WDW trips.

 

[jgperkin]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! My daugher (reanna) is VERY excited about the cruise. We are too! I am hoping we will meet some of you! Right now I am looking for some room discounts for aug. 9. 10 and 11.... I would love to be at Disney world for our actual 10 year anniversary on the 10th! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I am now in teacher planning mode: reading everything I can about Disney Cruises!

 

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

3smithboys - I love that you are cruising on the dream in a few months - you can fill us all in on the goings on and hopefully bring back some Navigators!

I am in planning mode too - I love these boards. I got the Disney World Passporter for xmas and have been planning our trip there pre-cruise. We have 3 day park hoppers and we plan to go to Universal IOA for one day to do Harry Potter - ds CJ (9) is a huge fan so we couldn't go to Orlando without checking it out. I am a little worried about heat and crowds, but hopefully some of the butter beers will help us stay cool. Actually, we could use a little FL August heat around here right now, it is so cold!!!

 

[3smithboys]

We will definitely bring back navigators for everyone to see! We are getting excited to go...and waiting for our cabin assignment. We had to switch the dates for the cruise to a week later because when DH (Nick) booked the cruise for my birthday he booked it for the beginning of his Spring Break. (It is not Spring Break for public schools in PA then....he works in a private school.)

We did not realize that it was the end of State testing for my students at that time, and I didn't want to leave them with a substitute then...This is the first time (I can remember) that we are having testing in March - it's usually in April, that's why we didn't even think about it!!!

So, we took a GTY cabin and are now waiting to see what we get! Maybe we will be lucky and the upgrade fairy will visit! Either way, we will be happy to be on the ship!!!

I would love to go to US/IOA to see Harry! We are all huge Harry Potter fans. I am just so nervous about the crowds. Is it supposed to be less crowded in the summer? One of our friends was there over winter break and she said it was NUTS... (but that was winter break!!!)

 

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

Oh - I think the crowds will be outrageous! But, we really can't not go - the plan is to get there at opening (even though those who stay at a Universal hotel can get in an hour early) and hit Ollivander's first to get a wand and then do Forbidden Journey. Also have to try butter beer! I am just going to prepare the family for the craziness and hopefully we can see everything we want to see and it won't be too bad... I might have to run out with DD to Suessical World for a bit if it gets too hot/crowded...

Our kids go to Catholic school and Spring Break is very late this year in mid
April but it also coincides with the local public schools for the first time - too bad yours didn't sync up better.

I hope you get a great upgrade!! Keep us posted. What a great time you will have without kids!!

 

[lexandme]

Welcome Jen and family! There are a lot of teachers on the cruise.


I really could use some sunshine and am ready to sail now. We have had a very cold and snowy winter. I went to my home town of Erie, Pa beginning of Dec and was stuck for 2 days due to snow. I'm sure Buffalo has had it's share of snow, as usual!

 

[jgperkin]

It is very cold here now! In the 20's and it snowed most of the day yesterday! I need warmth!

 

[3smithboys]

It's cold here in Philly too, and snowed here yesterday. We are supposed to get more on Tuesday/Wednesday...maybe a decent amount (they are not saying right now!) Our house gets excited for snow because it means a SNOW DAY....for everyone!!!

DH and the rest of us very rarely get spring break at the same time. His private school always has spring break in March and I teach in public (and the kids go to public) so our schedule goes along with whenever Easter falls... so each year it just depends... This year we are WAY off since Easter is so late. I am taking 2 Personal Days to go on the Dream for my b-day cruise, and I can't think of a better way to use them!!!!

 

[Momtotwogirls]

Hi everyone and welcome to our new members! I am going to go ahead and set up the FE Group for our group. I spoke to another member on the board and it does not seem to hard to do, so I will be up to the challenge.

If you are interested in this, please let me know your name and all the names in your cabin and ages for the children, cabin number (if you know) or just say guarantee and once you know, let me know and I will correct it when we get closer to our cruise. We will set up a cut off about two months prior to the cruise so we have time to finish our FE gifts.

Have you all seen the pictures on the main board? The ship looks beautiful! Can't wait until we are all on it!

FE Group

Dave (zuperdaave), Chylynn (Momtotwogirls), Rebecca (6) and Emily (3)
GTY

Lori (Mom2CJ&Kitty), Chris, CJ (9), and Kitty (7)
Room #6538

 

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

Thank you for taking this on! We are interested in participating.

Room #6538
Lori
Chris
CJ (9)
Kitty (7)

 

[Momtotwogirls]

Thank you for taking this on! We are interested in participating.

Room #6538
Lori
Chris
CJ (9)
Kitty (7)

Just added you!!

 

[Momtotwogirls]

Bumping us up to page 1! Anyone else interested in doing the Fish Extender?