Christmas Cruise 2005!!!

[Aisling]

Is anybody out there?



I got my ressie confirmaton papers from Costco, and it said my family has the late dinner seating.

Do any of you know which seatinf you have?

 

[Franco56]

Hello Aisling, we just got back from WDW this past Saturday. Spent five days at the SOG. It was another excellent trip! We do have the first seating and like it that way I think. DW and two stepsons 14&12 at time of cruise and myself would be asleep by the time our dinner was done!! Have you cruised before? I have loads of questions about cruising. But I guess we have plenty of time (to much) I will be reading yours and our other cruisers comments daily!!

 

[Aisling]

Franco56,

We've never cruised before, and I have tons of questions, too! Lately, I've been reading all I can about excursions. I don't want to spend too much money on them, but want to see a bit of the islands. We've never been to the Caribbean before.

My son Jesse will be 13 on the trip, so he's looking forward to the teen club. Hi from Jesse to your 2 boys!

 

[grimgrinnin]

We have the late seating.

I also booked at Costco - they were at least $100 cheaper than the other 4 quotes I received.

My Costco docs say that I my final payment is due October 4, 2004, which has to be a mistake. Do your docs say that Aisling?


grim

 

[Aisling]

Grim, my Costco docs say payment due Oct. 4, 2004, too!! I didn't notice that bfore! It also says we leave Port Canaveral on 24 Dec 05 and return to PC on 31 Dec 04! What's up with these mistakes!?

Tomorrow, I'm going to call and straighten this out right away. Maybe I'll try now. It's 8 PM here, but the office is in Seattle, so maybe I can make it before they close at 5 their time!


UPDATE: I called Costco Travel, and was told the 04 dates have to do with their computer calendar only going up to a certain date, that the final payment is indeed 4 Oct 05, and that we're not going on a trip back in time with a 31 Dec 04 return!

I requested a new invoice, just to be on the safe side and have the correction in writing, and she said to call back in a few months when their calendar reaches to the end of 05.

If I were the worrying, neurotic, analytical perfectionist type, I'd question why the Costco computer system reaches 24 Dec 05, but not 4 Oct 05. But I'll just put my mind at ease and trust them.

 

[Franco56]

Aisling, I did the same thing a few days ago, had a water cooler bottle and wrote on it FEED ME!!!! dimes, nickles, pennies, and I will put in a dollar bill everyday!! Our cat, who does not like us going away, pulled the sign off, had to secure it better! We do have a catsitter. Great idea, thanks!!!

 

[Aisling]

I just ordered our "dry boxes" to carry our KTTW cards when we're swimming. Since they're so small/lightweight, my kids can wear them around their necks for the whole cruise to keep their cards on them.

I know the cruise it so far away, but I just have to do something!

 

[dannyb]

We booked this cruise when on board the Magic last week (8/21 Eastern sailing - San Juan itinerary). They offered 10% off DCL rates plus $200 shipboard credit (total, not per person). How do Costco rates stack up to that?

Our daughter will be 13 (2 weeks shy of 14) at time of sailing and my son will be almost 11 (a month shy of 12).

We're in a category 9 (outside cabin on deck 2 w/ porthole) - same as last week. We usually book a verandah, but didn't this past trip due to having parents and inlaws with us. And, we didn't for upcoming trip due to extreme holiday pricing.

I really wish that the cruise included New Year's eve - that would have been a blast! Too bad that it isn't a 10 day itinerary like this coming year.

We may be rebooking for something in the winter of '05 depending upon cost and kids' school vacation schedules.

Dan

 

[Aisling]

Hi Dan,

Costco saved me $700. DCL quoted me $7800, as did three travel agents. So of course I booked with Costco! This is for a cat. 6 deluxe verandah stateroom.

This will be our first cruise, and we're so excited. It would've been great to be on board for NYE, but we've made plans to be at WDW for that night, also a first for us.

Also, I'm using my Disney Visa and I know there's currently a $50 stateroom credit for using the card, but it expires this December. The word is that it may be extended, or at least a similar ofeer made, which Costco sayd can be applied to my booking. Hey, every penny helps!

 

[dannyb]

Thanks, Aisling

Sounds like booking on board is a better deal than other discounts that are available. It was amazing watching how long people waited in line to meet w/ the DCL booking representative.

Stay at WDW for NYE . . . . HHHMMM. That's a definite option.

 

[Franco56]

We are thinking the same way, New Years at WDW! We will see! To early to book SOG!

 

[Ginny]

Good Morning, all!!

I am so glad to see this Christmas, 2005 thread started. JGALECPA started one back in January, 2004 so I bumped it up last night to see if there were other Merry Christmas 2005 cruisers. I happened to do a search this AM and found this one, too.

There was a very large and lovely group of DIS'ers on the 2003 Christmas cruise and we all had such a great time..................that we all rebooked for Christmas 2005 (with that wonderful on-board savings!)
As we always use Dreams Unlimited, we received their rebate as well!

There is so much fun in the planning! I can't believe it is only 15 more months until we sail......I'm ready now!!

Here is our family:

I am Ginny (47)

DH is Chuck (47)

DS is Zach (17)

DD is Erin (9)

The Christmas cruise was wonderful and we have so many special memories. The ship was so lovely and there were many special activities. If we can answer any questions, please let me know!

 

[belle&beastcrazy]

Hello To All. Ginny this is Kim Belle&Beastcrazy. We to are going on the Christmas 2005 cruise. Since we had so much fun on the Christmas 2003 one. Who else is going from 2003. This time we are bringing my partents. So that brings us to 6 people from ages 72 to 15. To all the new friends on this post you are going to have a great time. The ship was beautiful and the cast members were great. If you have any questions just ask. We already have plans to stay at WDW for NYE. We have done it twice and it is a blast. Talk to you soon Kim.

 

[Franco56]

Hello Belle, this is Franco56. Listen I started a tread about making ressies and the need to hustle around for them, is that the way it is? Or am I making too much of it? Your last Christmas cruise did you have to run around for them or could you do it calmly? It will be myself Frank (55) DW Helena (41) Leonardo (15) Daniel (12). I will be asking alot of questions, I hope I won't be a pain! Thank you kindly!!

 

[Aisling]

Hi Ginny and Kim!

Just to re-introduce my family:

Aisling 43 (me)
DH Mel (43)
DS Chad (20)
DS Jesse (13)
These will be our ages when we cruise.

This is our very first cruise, and we're so excited. It was a spur-of-the moment thing that I booked this cruise. We had just returned home from WDW in July, and we were all feeling the post-WDW blues. In my mind, I began planning our next trip, which we usually take every 2 years. But then I thought "hey, why not a cuise!!" It always seemed too big of a thing, too expensive, etc, but I decided if I plan early enough, I can budget it over the 18 months.

I chose Christmas only because I didn't want to pull my younger son out of school, and we didn't want to cruise in the summer with the heat. Also, my oldest son has just started Officer Training for the Air Force as well as being a full-time political science college student, so when he graduates and is comissioned, who knows when we'll be able to take a family vacation together. So I have to make those memories while I can! Both of my kids are Disney junkies and are thrilled to pieces about this cruise.

I'm sure I'm going to have tons of questions as we get closer. Right now I'm wondering if they have any kind of religious service onboard for Christmas, as I'm hoping to feel the real spirit of Christmas as well as all the fun!

One more question, I hope you don't mind answering LOL, is there already a set schedule for when the formal nights are. For example, since it's a Christmas cruise, will formal or semi-formal night be on Christmas Eve?

 

[Ginny]

Kim -

How great you are going again, as well. It is so good to see a post from you. How is your husband and his leg? "The group" was wondering how you were doing. Those going back are: JGalecpa, Grumpy's Mom, Lynn Tarrant, Kolakdaw, P3Guy, me and all our families.

Aisling and Frank -

It is always nice to meet new friends. You (and your families) will both have a wonderful time on the cruise..............it was all we could have hoped for when we booked it! I'm happy to help with any questions. This will be our 5th DCL cruise (I think we like them). Our first one was the famous Hurricane Floyd mystery cruise in September, 1999!

The Ressie Rush -

First of all, there are a couple of things you can do to minimize the craziness. First, pre-schedule your excursions. You can call in or fax your request up to 60 days prior to the cruise, once your balance is paid. For 2003, I warned all to get right in there and make those ressies but, in the end, everyone seemed to get everything they wanted even if they didn't call or fax immediately. You never know!

Interest on the cruises is fluid - it really does depend on whom you are cruising with...............on our '01 Halloween Cruise, we had a religious group of 700 who didn't participate in anything except the spa. You just never know.

As for Palo and the Spa. Please remember that you will be on the Eastern cruise so you have three days at sea (of course, that is always subject to change) LOL. If you have someone else to split the "ressie rush" with, one can take the spa and one can book Palo's. Now, with that said, as the week goes on, folks cancel their Palo ressies or just don't show and you can get in a second or (as the case with the 2003 crowd) a third time!! Also, with the spa, just recognize that some of the more popular times are set aside for those in CAT 1-3. My husband swears by the "Rainforest" and goes everyday while we cruise so we always get him a weekly pass. We have done the Surial Bath twice and always get a couples massage. Chuck gets two or three massages!

We had a pre-scheduled DIS brunch the first morning at sea for 17 in 2003 and it was so wonderful to meet everyone. Of course, many of our spouses were a bit "concerned" about a group of people that you met on the internet BUT we were all laughing about our concerns by the time our meal was done. Kim, jump right in here, okay?? We weren't too weird, were we???

I always make up an Excel spreadsheet for the week so I can track what we want to do, etc. I am happy to share the sheet from the last trip so you have an idea. I always have back-up times, too, just in case my first choice is gone! If you are interested, send me a Private Message with your e-mail address and I will get it off to you.

Church Services -

There were definitely Church Services on board Christmas Eve and Morning. They had a retired Priest and a Protestant Minister sailing with them. They may have had other denominations but I would have to pull out the navigator to check.

Formal Nights

The Formal Nights can change around but there is one Formal Night and one Semi-Formal night. You can dress up every night if you wish or not. It is completely up to you. I will say that everyone looked lovely in the Dining Room for both Formal Night and Christmas. It was a sea of handsome men and lovely ladies. My husband and son wore Tuxes and my daughter and I had full length evening gowns but we enjoy dressing up and the "boys" rented their tuxes through DCL so they were hanging in our closet when we embarked.

I hope this helps a little bit. Just keep those questions coming and we will learn a bit more about each other!! It is so much fun to walk into different family activities at Studio Sea or the nightclubs and have built in friends!! But, please know that no one will impose themselves on you. You can be as involved with other DIS'ers as you like or distance yourself. No one will take offense! This is your cruise so you make the rules.

Kim - is Hurricane Frances bringing back memories of Isabelle??? Wow, has it been a year since we were sitting in the dark with our flashlights??

Take care, all.

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

HI KIM!! Glad to hear you guys are returning with us!

Oh, Ginny, I just can't resist................

We had a pre-scheduled DIS brunch the first morning at sea for 17 in 2003 and it was so wonderful to meet everyone. Of course, many of our spouses were a bit "concerned" about a group of people that you met on the internet BUT we were all laughing about our concerns by the time our meal was done. Kim, jump right in here, okay?? We weren't too weird, were we???

Kim, you haven't jumped in yet, so allow me...............

"Weird" doesn't begin to describe this group!

They are GREAT!!

Allow me to introduce my family:

I am Grumpy's Mom, Bonnie, and so on (see signature) (39)
DH Jamie (50)
DD Megan (18) as of cruise
DD Mackenzie (14) as of cruise

Hi to Aisling, Franco, dannyb, grimgrinnin, and domiii! You will be hard pressed to find anyone who is as knowledgeable (and willing to share her knowledge) about DCL than Ginny! All of the rest of us were first timers, I believe, and Ginny was so very helpful. Her thoughts and suggestions made a big difference in our preparations and the convenience and ease in which we lived on board (even though we all did end up "schlepping" at least one additional suitcase down to WDW and then onto the Magic).

Here are two lists that Jgalecpa put together while we were in the preparation stage for our 2003 cruise:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=468132
and
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=468132&highlight=+packing++list

There are a lot of good tips and packing suggestions - and as I found out (read my trip report), it is never too early to start getting ready!

Jim is the accountant in the bunch, and responsible for such things as duct tape, WD-40, and a calculator!

As for brunch, and meeting everyone....

Of course, many of our spouses were a bit "concerned" about a group of people that you met on the internet, BUT we were all laughing about our concerns by the time our meal was done.

Let me just say that both mine and Ginny's DH's have both worked very hard to accomplish their goals in their professions, and have earned the respect and admiration of their peers. Meeting people online on a message board or chat room was definitely not on the list of criteria my DH had in mind when looking for a bride. You can only imagine my trepidation in telling him that we were going to brunch "with some people I met on the internet." LOL!!!

DH did comment, however, several times during the cruise and has many, many times since, that the cruise was wonderful (he didn't want to go - thought he would be bored), but that it was the people (YES! those very same people I met on the internet!) that really made it an exceptional vacation! I know that he is looking forward to the 2005 cruise.

I am looking forward to getting to know all of you and enjoying the Magic at Christmas with you. We had a gang of 7 girls ages 12-17 at our dinner seating 12/03. They will be thrilled to know there will be more boys on this cruise!!

PS: Aisling, my DD-18 (in 20 more days she has informed me for the zillionth time) LOVES politics, and we have a jar by our kitchen door, too!! (I tried to buy a Disney cookie jar for this purpose, thinking it would get everyone into the spirit of things, but Ginny convinced me not to, helping me to realize that a nice cookie jar would probably chip, nick, and crack with people throwing money at it!) If we put a dollar a day in it, we will have an extra $475.00!!

Bonnie

 

[Ginny]

Bonnie (Grumpy's Mom)-

There may be a problem with your computer.............for some reason, it noted your age at 39! Imagine that! Funny, how those glitches appear. I specifically elected to put my current age vice when we cruise as..............I will be too close to 49!!

Aisling,

We, too, are on the two year vacation cycle so we can budget for each one. Dreams Unlimited is great about letting us pay off a bit at a time so that no huge chunks are required. Also, if you are interested, you can pre-buy account credits in increments of $50.00 (I think), through DCL so you will have additional funds set aside.

Also, I think your older DS will be happy to know that he may have military aviation in common with a couple of other folks in our group.

Frank,

I forgot to ask in my last post.............I'm guessing that your August trip to WDW/SOG was after the renovations were complete? If so, I would love to hear how you liked the expansion as we will probably book (if possible) to stay there after the cruise. We have never stayed there before but have always taken the "roll over" rates to other WDW resorts. Last time, we stayed at Wilderness Lodge and have also stayed at the Beach Club, Contemporary and Dixie Landings through SOG. It has been so awesome to "try" other resorts on the property but are thrilled that SOG expanded.

Take care -

 

[Franco56]

Ginny, first of all thanks for the information about the ressies, would the romantic escape package help me with my being nervous about the hustle of the whole thing? SOG is excellent! We have stayed three times with them, once at the Contempary and twice at the real one. Second time was in the old section, and the last time in August was in the new section. I requested a third floor golf course view and that was what we got. All four of us love WDW but we do not need any theaming at our resort to keep the "magic" The new section was excellent, room was oversized and clean, with a great balcony. Most of all it was quiet, and even if some of us are having trouble with our computers my age is 55 and after a dash to whatever park we a going to, I need a break!! I think that will be something I will love about a Disney Cruise, I don't want to be rushing about the ship. We are thinking of a few days at SOG for NYE after the cruise, we all can't wait!

 

[Ginny]

Frank -

First, thanks for the update on SOG. With their new expanded capacity, I am guessing there will be "more room at the Inn for everyone." We have had brunch there before and it was great! Plus, I am a big "Quiet" person as well.

I did a search for "REAS" and "Romance" and found several posts. From what I've now read, lots of folks are excited about the opportunity to pre-book Palo's and the Couples Massage BUT my search didn't find reviews of how it went on-board: Were the massages worth the money, were your reservations correct, etc. Also, it seems that REAS is not confirmed for 2005 cruises and won't be until Dec/Jan timeframe.

Just know that with REAS or with concierge service, while you are able to pre-book certain activities, there are specific timeframes (to ensure fairness to all passengers) especially on "At Sea" days. So, if you are planning specific timeframes to request, just know that you might need back-up times.

On two posts, I read that folks had been allowed to pre-book their dining rotation. I don't know if that is true or if once they embarked if it ended up being their rotation, but, for me, that would be a huge plus. I like being in Lumiere's for Formal night - again, that is just me.

Folks mentioned having costed things out and saving about $50-75.00 although I don't know if their figures are correct (where is JGALECPA when I need him). But, from what I've read, if you plan on having the massages and the lovely champagne breakfast and Palo's <fontcolor=darkread>AND </font>you save yourself the headache of the "Ressie Rush" then I would definitely contact my travel agent or DCL to confirm the info and go for it.