August 2, 2011 disney dream

[Deb in IA]

I am concerned that DCL is starting to price my family out of being able to go. Looked at cruise for dec 2012 and coachycp got an offer from another line 2000 bucks cheaper. We have only done dcl (2) and don't have anything to compare it to. I know I know it is disney and we have had great times on our two cruises but starting to wonder if worth the price. Of course my dinner at PALO makes me never to go anywhere else but dcl. In addition to price if dcl does not get their act together with their servers they are gonna start to get hammered. Has anyone split cruise with dvc points. Not sure how to do that but have not looked into it either. Speaking of dvc looks like Aulani is a mess financially. 3 people lost their jobs including dvc president. I met him, nice guy but he evidently underestimated dues big time!

We are getting rain but from track of storm that is probably all we are getting. Wishing those east of us the best as I have been watching the beach cams and it is starting to get bad. Sound like nj and ny are gonna get hammered. Stay safe my friends. I am a little upset because our channels are in full hurricane mode vs LL world series.

A school delay would be nice on first day. Don't want to use any snow days yet lol.

I totally agree about DCL pricing. I think the concensus is that it is significantly more than "comparable" cruise lines - RCL, Princess, Carnival, Norwegian, etc.

But it IS Disney, I suppose.

I am planning to look at shorter cruises or inside staterooms to cut some costs.

That is interesting about Jim Lewis. I remember reading a terse little statement about him no longer being with the company, and thinking that sounded odd. But since you posted this, I looked online and found all kinds of stuff about how he and 2 others were canned because of they underestimated the costs of Aulani. Too bad; I think he had been with them for a quite a while.

Ironic that today was supposed to be their Grand Opening. Does anyone know if it is still happening?

Scott, I saw the LL World Series! Hope Irene was gone by then and you were able to watch. The final, against Japan was a great game!
That last run for the US, bases loaded, 2 outs, and I think it was either a full count or 2-2 . . . I had to close my eyes; I couldn't watch!!!

 

[JMTStone]

I am concerned that DCL is starting to price my family out of being able to go. Looked at cruise for dec 2012 and coachycp got an offer from another line 2000 bucks cheaper. We have only done dcl (2) and don't have anything to compare it to. I know I know it is disney and we have had great times on our two cruises but starting to wonder if worth the price. Of course my dinner at PALO makes me never to go anywhere else but dcl. In addition to price if dcl does not get their act together with their servers they are gonna start to get hammered. Has anyone split cruise with dvc points. Not sure how to do that but have not looked into it either. Speaking of dvc looks like Aulani is a mess financially. 3 people lost their jobs including dvc president. I met him, nice guy but he evidently underestimated dues big time!

We are getting rain but from track of storm that is probably all we are getting. Wishing those east of us the best as I have been watching the beach cams and it is starting to get bad. Sound like nj and ny are gonna get hammered. Stay safe my friends. I am a little upset because our channels are in full hurricane mode vs LL world series.

A school delay would be nice on first day. Don't want to use any snow days yet lol.

1. I hope you're still ok. I had plenty of outages at my sites in MD and thought of you guys.
2. I have experience splitting points and cash. The only real pain point is being forced to pay the entire cruise costs with reserving the trip
3. I have cruised with Princess. Would never do it again. The kids club (if that is what you want to call it) was small and not very fun for Mackenzie. Now she was MUCH younger (4 years ago) but still..... If I remember the boys right, they would have NO use for it, and you would have to entertain them. The other cruise lines have casinos... ehh... The other cruise lines don't do rotational dining. Try keeping young Taylor (then 13) and Mackenzie (then 4) still through a 6 course meal. The entertainment? Once a night and if you didn't get a seat - oh well. Their beach was nice but the food there was in a taco-style stand and you took it back to picnic tables that were dirty. Do I sound too bitter? WASTE of my bonus money that year! Jon and I have even discussed this recently. It was put to us... if you got a free Carnival cruise, what would you do? We answered, sell it and put money twords DCL

Sorry.

 

[JMTStone]

At BCV (notice matching shirts)

Love the matching shirts. You guys are great and your wives and kids were sweet. I got a GREAT deal on the May 18th Magic 5 night (with Key West, not Castaway Cay) if you guys are interested! The DIS people aren't my 8/2 DIS people and I'm sad.

Tell Doug (if he isn't lurking and working) that I have great photos and video of Paige and Mack. Even some with him and his wife floating at Castaway Cay.

 

[scooter7487]

That is interesting about Jim Lewis. I remember reading a terse little statement about him no longer being with the company, and thinking that sounded odd. But since you posted this, I looked online and found all kinds of stuff about how he and 2 others were canned because of they underestimated the costs of Aulani. Too bad; I think he had been with them for a quite a while.

Ironic that today was supposed to be their Grand Opening. Does anyone know if it is still happening?

Scott, I saw the LL World Series! Hope Irene was gone by then and you were able to watch. The final, against Japan was a great game!
That last run for the US, bases loaded, 2 outs, and I think it was either a full count or 2-2 . . . I had to close my eyes; I couldn't watch!!! [/QUOTE]

I thought he was a very nice guy. He must have really screwed up to be let go but money is money I guess. I need to jump on one of the members cruise threads and see how it was without him. He did bring a lot of energy.

I did get to see LL finals. Exciting for sure. Kids can play! While I hate to see kids make errors it is a great coaching tool to use with my kids as I can say see it is not the end of the world even the kids on espn make mistakes lol

I did feel bad for PA team as they ran out of gas. Playing in front of 35,000 people had to be an awesome experience.

No damage here in central md which is great. Needed the rain. My inlaws condo in Ocean city is fine but a lot of beach errosion.

Have a great week everyone and hopefully more will jump back on and share some pics.

Scott

 

[Dizzyworld]

My DD is off from school again tomorrow. We had to get new soccer cleats today. I couldn't believe how many lights were still out. Made driving difficult and scary. DH came hom from work early since nothing worked at the office. Dh and DS went sailing. Great day for it. Carry on.............

 

[Deb in IA]

Love the matching shirts. You guys are great and your wives and kids were sweet. I got a GREAT deal on the May 18th Magic 5 night (with Key West, not Castaway Cay) if you guys are interested! The DIS people aren't my 8/2 DIS people and I'm sad. Tell Doug (if he isn't lurking and working) that I have great photos and video of Paige and Mack. Even some with him and his wife floating at Castaway Cay.

Melissa, we'd LOVE to cruise with you and your family again, or with Shirley and her group.

5/18 won't work for us. Mark is still in school, and will probably be running track and doing a lot with the choir for baccalaureate and graduation.

I'm still trying for a short summer 2012 cruise, maybe tacked on to a WDW trip, but we may have to wait for 2013.

Hey, still want to see Jon's Village People act!!!

 

[Dizzyworld]

Melissa, we'd LOVE to cruise with you and your family again, or with Shirley and her group.

We are scheduled for June 23 on the Fantasy, but the kids would also like to go on the NY to Bahamas cruise too with some of the friends they met on this cruise. It would be nice, but won't be happening. my wish after doing the B2B on the Dream for 5 nights is a B2B on a 7 night. I can dream.........

 

[scooter7487]

We are scheduled for June 23 on the Fantasy, but the kids would also like to go on the NY to Bahamas cruise too with some of the friends they met on this cruise. It would be nice, but won't be happening. my wish after doing the B2B on the Dream for 5 nights is a B2B on a 7 night. I can dream.........

Um are you planning on robbing a bank b2b 7 day cruise on fantasy cruise I am thinking close to 15-20,000 bucks. Start playing the lottery I have.

Have a great weekend.

Scott

 

[Rob_Misses_Fla]

Um are you planning on robbing a bank b2b 7 day cruise on fantasy cruise I am thinking close to 15-20,000 bucks. Start playing the lottery I have.

Have a great weekend.

Scott

I got a GREAT deal on the May 18th Magic 5 night (with Key West, not Castaway Cay) if you guys are interested! The DIS people aren't my 8/2 DIS people and I'm sad.

We have officially turned our dummy booking into a 7 night Western on the Magic on Mar 3, 2012. It's not a school break for DD Emily, but winter and spring break dates had a premium.
Hopefully, if the discussion that I have started with my employer works in my favor by then, my user name here will come true, and we will be back in Florida for good! Wish me luck in that battle!

The DIS group for the 3/3/12 is small, so having friends from 8/2 would be great!

 

[Deb in IA]

Yes, I think we will have to win the lottery to go again.

Or maybe bingo, like kathleena!!

 

[Dizzyworld]

Um are you planning on robbing a bank b2b 7 day cruise on fantasy cruise I am thinking close to 15-20,000 bucks. Start playing the lottery I have.

Have a great weekend.

Scott

A 7 night B2B on any Disney ship. Or win the lottery. It could happen, and it usually does.........to someone else. You are right that the prices are outrageous for some of DCL cruises next year. I'm glad we reserved the Fantasy on the first day it came out. With our first born starting college, and the other one right after that, we travel cheap. We have another inside stateroom reserved (Cat. 10). I was going to bump it up after this cruise, but the family didn't want to bump up. (Save the money for a future cruise was the idea. Plus a verandah has never worked out for us. Each time we had a cigar smoker in the area and didn't get to use it at all.) Anyway, we spent 9 nights in a Cat. 10 without any problems. We still liked each other at the end of the cruise. We spend most of our tiem laughing at each other anyway. And we had learned how to do the multiple door ballet at the entrance way to the stateroom. The virtual porthole hadn't gotten old even after 9 nights. We still all stopped and stared at when the pixie dust appeared.

To the people who can afford to do a B2B on the Fantasy, I am available for adoption.

 

[rjpete]

if you received Mardi Gras beads in your FE it was from me. a little gift from our home here in New Orleans.

 

[Deb in IA]

We have officially turned our dummy booking into a 7 night Western on the Magic on Mar 3, 2012. It's not a school break for DD Emily, but winter and spring break dates had a premium.
Hopefully, if the discussion that I have started with my employer works in my favor by then, my user name here will come true, and we will be back in Florida for good! Wish me luck in that battle!

The DIS group for the 3/3/12 is small, so having friends from 8/2 would be great!

Hope you all make it back to the Sunshine State soon, Rob!

We would LOVE to sail wtih you, Kristy, and Emily again, but 3/3 will be a very busy time for Mark, and since he is in high school, it is hard to get away. He will be in the school musical around then as well as juggling track practices. You are right, sailing at "off" times makes a big difference in pricing! Disney knows what they are doing, don't they?

A 7 night B2B on any Disney ship. Or win the lottery. It could happen, and it usually does.........to someone else. You are right that the prices are outrageous for some of DCL cruises next year. I'm glad we reserved the Fantasy on the first day it came out. With our first born starting college, and the other one right after that, we travel cheap. We have another inside stateroom reserved (Cat. 10). I was going to bump it up after this cruise, but the family didn't want to bump up. (Save the money for a future cruise was the idea. Plus a verandah has never worked out for us. Each time we had a cigar smoker in the area and didn't get to use it at all.) Anyway, we spent 9 nights in a Cat. 10 without any problems. We still liked each other at the end of the cruise. We spend most of our tiem laughing at each other anyway. And we had learned how to do the multiple door ballet at the entrance way to the stateroom. The virtual porthole hadn't gotten old even after 9 nights. We still all stopped and stared at when the pixie dust appeared.

To the people who can afford to do a B2B on the Fantasy, I am available for adoption.

Us too! I know people look at us as if we were crazy when we tell them that we don't really care for the verandahs, but on our first cruise on the Wonder, we got a verandah, and it was a HUGE waste of money. The kids never went out there, and when DH and I tried to use it at night, after the kids had gone to bed, there was either too much smoke from nearby, or rather iniebriated neighbors, talking way too loud and way too much.

Still trying to see if I can book an inside room for a short cruise next summer, then maybe do a longer one in 2013. Unfortunately, looks like there are no 3 day cruises at all between May and September next year, and the 4 day ones are only during the peak season.

if you received Mardi Gras beads in your FE it was from me. a little gift from our home here in New Orleans.

Great to run into you, Pete Family and thanks for the Mardi Gras beads!

Are you all OK with Tropical Storm Lee? Last I heard, they said that New Orleans got a lot of rain, but since there was no storm surge, the pumps were working well and the levees were holding up. Hope you are all OK!

 

[Dizzyworld]

Deb, I wish I would have had more of an opportunity to get to talk to you and your family. You seem like neat people.
I hope you find a cruise for you.

 

[JMTStone]

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[JMTStone]

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No... I don't know who the lady is. He wanted me to dance but I hadn't had enough to drink and I had to keep the camera going.

 

[Deb in IA]

Deb, I wish I would have had more of an opportunity to get to talk to you and your family. You seem like neat people.
I hope you find a cruise for you.

Awww, you are so sweet!!

I wish we had gotten more time together too.

I especially wish Mark had gotten to know your teens more. They seem like really great kids!! I thought they hit it off pretty well at the first DIS meet before the lifeboat drill. Mark went to the Vibe later that evening for the ice breaker, but the next day, he vegged out at our cabana after running the 5K, and didn't spend much time with the teens. Since our itinerary was changed, he went on the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter with us the next day in Nassau, and again, didn't get to the Vibe much. He went to the Vibe for a bit on our sea day, but didn't want to do the pool party. By our last day, he went up there to watch the video the teens had made, but kind of felt they had all bonded already and he felt left out. Maybe it was my fault, and I booked too many things for us.

Anyway, maybe we will meet again for another future cruise! Once Mark is in college, our schedules are more flexible. For example, the college students here get from December 16 to January 17 off for their semester break! I'm thinking that would be a great time to cruise in the future!

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Great pic!!

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No... I don't know who the lady is. He wanted me to dance but I hadn't had enough to drink and I had to keep the camera going.

 

[Dizzyworld]

Awww, you are so sweet!!

I wish we had gotten more time together too.

I especially wish Mark had gotten to know your teens more. They seem like really great kids!! I thought they hit it off pretty well at the first DIS meet before the lifeboat drill. Mark went to the Vibe later that evening for the ice breaker, but the next day, he vegged out at our cabana after running the 5K, and didn't spend much time with the teens. Since our itinerary was changed, he went on the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter with us the next day in Nassau, and again, didn't get to the Vibe much. He went to the Vibe for a bit on our sea day, but didn't want to do the pool party. By our last day, he went up there to watch the video the teens had made, but kind of felt they had all bonded already and he felt left out. Maybe it was my fault, and I booked too many things for us.

Anyway, maybe we will meet again for another future cruise! Once Mark is in college, our schedules are more flexible. For example, the college students here get from December 16 to January 17 off for their semester break! I'm thinking that would be a great time to cruise in the future!

My children didn't do the Vibe for the first leg and regretted it. For some reason they went the second leg and really hit it off with a few of the other teens. Both of my children have been on ooVoo almost every day since the cruise with their cruise friends. I thought school would slow it down. It hasn't.

When Alex heads to MA for college next year, the college does it's term at sea between New Year's Day and the start of the spring semester. He gets to go on a working cruise for 5 weeks each year but his parents don't. Sadly he will miss this year when they are going through the Panama Canal.

With all the rain we've had here in MD, I think I need to biuld an ark. Ahhhhh, my own cruise ship.

 

[scooter7487]

Rain rain go away! All I have to say is thank god it isn't winter we would be under a ton of snow! The rain has really messed up athletic schedules. Heck we are trying to move our football game to another school that has turf. Sign of the times I guess. Whatever happened to having a good ole mud bowl game. School does not want field messed up. Soccer would complain that football messed up field, football would complain wet muddy field hurt ournspeed advantage. Ugh just play! Can anyone tell i am ready to go jack to wdw.

Have a great weekend!

Scott

 

[Deb in IA]

Hope all you Maryland'ers get some dry weather soon.

DS Mark's first cross country meet last week was postponed due to excessive heat! We had a heat index of 100 - 105, and school was dismissed early.

Four days later, we had a near record low at night of about 40 degrees.

That's Iowa weather!

But for the last week, while the southeast and the east coast have gotten it bad, we have enjoyed near perfect weather - high pressure, sunny skies, low humidity, lows in the 50's and highs in the 70's.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!