Christmas 2003 - Who's sailing (20-27 Dec 03)?

[belle&beastcrazy]

Hi all

Just got home and the doorbell rang. It was UPS with our travel
books. I had booked on the Wonder cruise in Aug. 02 and just left it with disney.

Jim- we are the early dinner too.

Packing is under way. Hope the weather is warm and sunny.


KIM

 

[LynnTarrant]

oh kim
That means you're the first... how long will they take to fly across the atlantic.
This is really exciting now....

 

[jgalecpa]

KIM IS THE WINNER!!!!

I gave you Royal blue 'cause your in Front Royal.


Congratulations 100 times over!

It's gonna be a BLAST!

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

YEAH!! Congratulations Kim!!

Jim -- If we can't get them to change dinner seatings, we can do lunch!

DD=13 told me this afternoon that while I was out of town over the weekend DH told her that we were going to have to bring a Christmas tree for our cabin -- little does he know....

 

[Ginny]

Yesterday was a DCL Day for me!!

Congrats, Kim, on your docs. It looks like Virginia wins the lottery for Docs (I have no problem being #2 or #3 depending on P3Guy):

We got ours at 7:30PM. I walked into the house from the garage and Chuck looked like someone had just handed him a million dollars. He looked at me and said "So, how much do you love me?" I knew something was behind his back (that huge smile was a dead giveaway) and I said, "It's our cruise docs isn't it?" He pointed out that they were "his" cruise docs at that moment but he might be willing to share!! He was so excited............so very excited!! Plus he had just driven 13 hours from Indiana so was probably a bit punchy as well.

Called DCL again yesterday as I had not heard anything from the previous call and had written it off to being too early. You leave a message and they call you back. Several of the processes have changed since our last cruise so here goes:

Great News!! We are booked for PALO for brunch on Monday 22 December at 1030. All pre-arrangments for a group brunch are limited to the private dining room which seats 14 (that is new). Additional folks can make their own ressie on 12/20 for the same time on Monday but Debbie cannot pre-position us (as a larger group) into the main dining room. So, once we fill the table for 14 which I think is already done, we can just pull together a second group of 6-8 and ask for a table near the private dining room. I hope everyone is okay with that plan! I will go back through the thread and just fill in the names of those who PM'd me or wanted to attend the brunch and will post it later today. If folks have changed their minds or don't want to attend, I understand and just ask that you let me know.

I confirmed that if you have the APLA (I always type that ALPO first), your character breakfast is on Sunday. So, if folks have that rotation, the brunch won't interfere with your character breakfast.

I also received some advice. If you link your seating with others, you will be in the same station/rotation with those with whom you have linked. There are several large groups on this sailing (120 people and 90 people just to name two). If you link too many people together (like 20 or 30), you may find some difficulty in getting what you would like for availability because you are competing with a group that booked as a group.

That is my update for now!!

P.S. Bonnie, I loved the fireworks!! And, no funky heart problems until I get my CPR renewed! "Bonnie, Bonnie, Are you alright??"

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

Ginny,

I am great ---- no documents ----

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Thank you so for the information on linking - we should probably get busy and get that taken care of.

And, many thanks for arranging for the brunch - it should be a highlight of our trip!

I will be staying home today -- waiting, waiting, waiting!!

Bonnie

 

[jgalecpa]

Congratualtions Ginny!!!!

Sitting here on the "I got no Dang Docs" front porch!

Brunch sounds great! You da bomb for doing the arranging.


Bonnie, Lunch sounds purrrfect!

Gotta get back to my front porch....

Jim

PS maybe we should alert the NC paramedics for when bonnie gets her docs.

"Come into the light..."

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

Just saw the UPS truck ... go by .....

 

[kyravw]

Well I guess Holland is still on the map in the US. I got my tickets today. Time to start packing....

Kyra

 

[jgalecpa]

Kyra Scores!


Holland -2-

Maryland -0-


Sing with me Bonnie!

Oh where, Oh where have my Disney Docs gone?
Oh where, Oh where can they be?
With my luggage tags and my boarding passes
Oh where, Oh where can they be?



Jim

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

Okay, Jim - let's try this one now --


Bonnie's Cruise Doc Lament
Two part harmony for alto and tenor?? bass??
(To the tune of "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean")

My cruise docs have no-ot arrived --
My cruise docs have no-ot arrived –
My cruise docs have no-ot arrived –
Oh, bring me my cruise docs today -

Bring me, bring me, oh bring me my docs today, today!
Bring me, bring me, oh bring me my docs today.

I know they are somewhere out there–
I know they are coming my way —
I am so tired of waiting –
And hope to receive them this day –

{Refrain}

I wait patiently by the door --
I hope they will be here today –
We can’t get too excited quite yet --
Because we don’t know where we will stay –

{Refrain}

UPS please get here in a hurry –
I know you can beat Silver Springs --
The docs will all arrive in a flurry –
And we will all begin to sing –

{Refrain}

The EMS truck is on standby –
The neighbor M.D.s are at home at play--
You’ll know if I get them later –
By the bright red fireworks display!!

{Refrain}


Bonnie

 

[hawkrn]

Ginny, what do you mean by "there are several large groups, 120 and 90 to name 2?" Do you mean they are together???? No docs here in Iowa either. FYI, my Disney Visa newsletter said that Golden Mickeys is now not going to be on the Magic till January. Darn! OK, roll call -I am all confused as to who has early seating. Me, Ginny, Jim...anyone else?

 

[kolakdaw]

I've been away for a week at a conference in Chicago and it looks like I missed a lot of excitement! We are in the late seating. Bonnie, we would love to link with you. I have no idea how to do the PM thing, so I'll email you.

No documents here in upstate New York either!

Dawn & girls

 

[Ginny]

To all - Additional info

Here is the list that I have culled from previous posts. If I have missed anyone or if I have added you and you would rather participate in other activities, please let me know:

Ginny & DH
Julie
Lynn & DH (pending Character Breakfast)
Milt & DW (though we haven't heard from them in a while)
Bonnie & DH
Jim and DW (in casual attire)
Kim & DW
Dawn
Greg & DW (Beer on order)

Kyra - I didn't know if you were interested, but didn't want to leave you out so please just let me know.

The above list has us right at 16 and if Kyra decides to participate that would be at 18. That is a great group!!

Please PM me with your room number and full name if you would like to participate in the brunch.

To answer Julie's question, when I inquired about the potential for linking reservations to secure a specific dining rotation, DCL does still link ressies if you request but the caveat was that whatever was assigned would be assigned for the group. Then, they explained that with large groups booked together for the big Christmas cruise, they would be seating them in groups which might would impact other "linkings" of cruisers. Though nothing was specific, these were not groups that were formed because a travel agency bought chunks of room but rather groups of people who booked together like family reunions or weddings etc. They would be doing functions together so when assigning seating, etc, have probably booked seating at the same time/rotation.

On our Halloween cruise (an Eastern) we had a religious group of about 700 people who, for the most part, did not participate in the usual activities (excursions, shows, family activities, parties) but had many meetings in the ballroom and did utilize the Rainforest Room extensively. They had early seating and half of our dining room rotation was composed of their members.

 

[kyravw]

Hello,
I don't know yet if we're going to join your brunch. I'll have to ask my friend ( my husband is not coming) Just let me know the where and when and we'll show up ( or not). Don't worry about us, we're just not the "meeting with the group" kind of people. But if anyone is interested in learning how to play "settlers of catan" during the cruise let me know, I'll bring my boardgame.

Bye Kyra

 

[hawkrn]

Ginny, I am skipping the brunch so I can spend time with my DS. I would love to go-but he doesn't understand why he can't go to the "adult" areas. He is upset he can't do some of the "enrichment" activities, like the tours of the galley, ship, etc. Thanks though! So sounds like we will fend for ourselves at the dining rotation and seating arrangements! I am amazed at the large groups!

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

Julie -- you get the A+ Mom award! I am sure this will be time well spent, that he will never forget --

What kind of decorations did the two of you pick out? I am having a time with this. The things I want to bring don't travel well. I am thinking I should be bringing plastic, wood, etc. and not glass.

DD-13 told me at Target yesterday that the 3 ft tree was too small -

Ginny - where do you anticipate putting your tree? I was thinking either on top of the dresser or a nightstand (is there one?). Is there any way to find out what the surface area is of either of those, or the distance from the surface of either of those to the ceiling? I had thought about the table, but everyone will bump it, and and that will be the end of it.

Will we need something to anchor the light cords to the porthole rims? I am not sure that duct tape would be the thing to put up there -- but I don't know what the wall surface or covering is.

Should I ask the folks on the Magic now to get a tape measure, and find out about the surface of the walls -- tell them that a bunch of nuts (maybe just one nut) want to decorate their cabins for Christmas and need help?

Bonnie

 

[hawkrn]

I am using those little suction cup with hook holders for the porthole lights. We are taking window clings too. My tree is just going to have garland and some cheap ornaments that we bought and intend on tossing when we're done. And I bought some magnet strips at Michaels but haven't figured out what to make to put on them!

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

Julie, somewhere on this board I saw something about magnets that Andy (Verandahman) had written - apparently you can get magnet "paper", pick out clip art, and print it on the magnet paper, cut it out and voila! I will try to find it tonight at 11:01 p.m., that seems to be the bewitching hour for the search mechanism.

Suction hooks are a great idea --

 

[hawkrn]

Bonnie, magnet paper that you can run through your printer? That sounds weird! I remember as a child we taped xmas cut-outs in the windows (pre-made, thin cardboard). Maybe they still make them at a card outlet or something. You are doing the Budget rental too, right? I'm getting confused now as to who's doing what. I'm wondering if I drive to the terminal if I can unload my luggage to a porter and then drive to Budget with my DS so we don't have to take our suitcases on the shuttle. I know your DH is dropping you off first. What time will you be at the terminal?