Christmas cruise 2010

[amystevekai&bump]

Hi Shannon!! I haven't really got anything in particular to say at the moment - but felt sorry for you having two posts in a row with no replies!!

My work has taken over for the last few weeks, so planning has had to wait, although on May 30th it will be my 7mth window, to see if I can book an ocean view room at Vero Beach for the 2 nights after the cruise, and then it won't be too long until my 180 day window for my WDW dining adrs!! - so then I will be planning in earnest!! (i have actually known my ADRs for this trip since June 2008, but I just know that in the few days before I can actually book them, I will be frantically changing my mind and fiddling with my itinerary) - I just LOVE it!!!

Have a wonderful Easter everyone!!

 

[ShannonR]

HAPPY EASTER to all of you!!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone has a great holiday! It is the first time in YYYYEEEEAAARRRSS
that I have not had to work on Easter and I don't know what to do with myself hahahaha. I am making a nice Easter meal and it was fun to watch DD5 hunt for eggs this morning.

I went shopping yesterday and got quite a few things for the cruise for DD5 I bought her a hand made formal dress with hand painted snow white on it that is BEAUTIFUL. It must have taken someone hours to paint those characters on that dress.

Shannon

 

[kaceyisme]

Sorry to say that we will not be on this cruise after all as it does not fit well with my DS college schedule.

I hope you all have a wonderful time!!

 

[pendare]

Hi Shannon I have never been to texas but my oldest son is stationed at Ft Hood. He has been in the army now for two years. He has served one term in Iraq. He likes the army and Texas but he didn't like Iraq. He will not be with us on the cruise since he can not get any leave. So I would really appreciate it if you have any tips on how to manuver on this site and any info we would need to know for this cruise.

 

[ShannonR]

Hi Penny!! I just sent you a PM and hopefully you will get it soon

Do you have 3 sons and just the youngest 2 are cruising with you? They are about the same ages as my older two, DD16 and DS13.

I am glad your army son likes Texas...I LOVE IT!! We are originally from the north and we were cold all the time so it's nice to have warmth and sunshine the majority of the year!!

Shannon

 

[amystevekai&bump]

just wondered what everyone was thinking about the magic nye cancellation and the cheaper rates for the magic christmas cruise??

I couldn't resist pricing the 11 night southern christmas cruise up again, as I had originally been booked on that one, before I jumped ship over to you guys

Well, my original stateroom is still available and I reckon it would only cost me an extra $900 for all of us to trf to the 11 nighter from this week long cruise - so a bargain!!

I must admit, if the ports had been different (I really want to see St Lucia and Antigua) then I would have been sorely tempted, but I think 11 nights might be too long for my two little boys, plus it would mean cutting down on park days, which again suits DH & I, but isn't such a good idea for them.

Oh well, guess I am stuck with this cruise!!

 

[ShannonR]

Good morning everyone!! I can't believe how long it has been since anyone has posted on here! Has everyone jumped ship????
It's only a 7 months away!!

We are going to WDW for 4 days prior to the cruise and I have been looking into buying 2 tickets to MVMCP. I have always wanted to go, but missed the party dates by one day on our last Christmas cruise of 2008. This time around, the last party date is on the very first day we are there. Now as much as I would love to take DD5, and I think she would LOVE IT, is it really worth giving up one of my park days??? It's from 7pm to 12am, so it's an entire night I would have to give up and I don't know if it's really worth it? Has anyone ever been to this party and can give me some advice?

We are going to South Padre Island today for DD5 birthday which is on the 26th. We are taking her to the water park. She loves all the water rides and it's in the mid to upper 90's every day now here in the south of Texas!

Thanks,
Shannon

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Good morning everyone!! I can't believe how long it has been since anyone has posted on here! Has everyone jumped ship????
It's only a 7 months away!!

We are going to WDW for 4 days prior to the cruise and I have been looking into buying 2 tickets to MVMCP. I have always wanted to go, but missed the party dates by one day on our last Christmas cruise of 2008. This time around, the last party date is on the very first day we are there. Now as much as I would love to take DD5, and I think she would LOVE IT, is it really worth giving up one of my park days??? It's from 7pm to 12am, so it's an entire night I would have to give up and I don't know if it's really worth it? Has anyone ever been to this party and can give me some advice?

We are going to South Padre Island today for DD5 birthday which is on the 26th. We are taking her to the water park. She loves all the water rides and it's in the mid to upper 90's every day now here in the south of Texas!

Thanks,
Shannon

Hi Shannon - we are still here, although I think it might just be the two of us!!

We are definitely going to a MVMCP - I am going to book ours next week, probably for 14th Dec. The main reason we are going is because we want to see all of the Christmas stuff and although we will still be in WDW during Christmas week (before the cruise), we are leaving BLT for AKV on Sat 18th, and I thought it would be nicer to do MK while we are at BLT to take advantage of being able to walk back to the hotel, so we won't be doing MK during Christmas week when all the shows etc are on.

From what I have read, it doesn't sound as though MVMCP's are as good as the MNSSHP, but as this will probably be our one and only time to experience Christmas in the World, then I want to do it ALL!!! Are you planning to go to MK other than for the MVMCP? As others have said that you will get to see all the Christmas stuff for free once the partes have finished(other than the hot chocolate and cookies) - so perhaps it isn't worth it for you?? - I am no help am I!!!

Hope you had a great day at the water park and I hope your daughter enjoys her birthday on Tuesday!! We are experiencing a mini heat wave over here in the UK - although it is only going to last a couple more days, so we are making the most of it!

 

[ShannonR]

Hi Amy!! I just KNEW it would be you who responded to me!
It does seem to be only you and me that are on this thread! I think everyone else jumped ship!

I had heard the same thing regarding the two parties....MVMCP is so-so and MNSSHP is WOW!!! We had originally booked the Halloween cruise for this year and I was so excited to go to MNSSHP, but unfortunately, Texas has strict truancy laws and we couldn't take the kids out of school for that long in October. I think in the end, we will end up NOT going simply because it takes an entire night away form park rides and we will be back again next year for the 12/29/11 New Year's Eve cruise on the Dream so we will be going to WDW before the cruise.

Thanks,
Shannon

 

[RatherBeWithMickey]

Good morning everyone!! I can't believe how long it has been since anyone has posted on here! Has everyone jumped ship????
It's only a 7 months away!!

We are going to WDW for 4 days prior to the cruise and I have been looking into buying 2 tickets to MVMCP. I have always wanted to go, but missed the party dates by one day on our last Christmas cruise of 2008. This time around, the last party date is on the very first day we are there. Now as much as I would love to take DD5, and I think she would LOVE IT, is it really worth giving up one of my park days??? It's from 7pm to 12am, so it's an entire night I would have to give up and I don't know if it's really worth it? Has anyone ever been to this party and can give me some advice?

We are going to South Padre Island today for DD5 birthday which is on the 26th. We are taking her to the water park. She loves all the water rides and it's in the mid to upper 90's every day now here in the south of Texas!

Thanks,
Shannon

Hi Shannon - My family and I are going on the cruise, but so far I've just been lurking on this thread. Just wanted to say that we've been to MVMCP several times and love it. We're arriving at WDW a day too late this year, and DS is not too happy with me. My DH and I attended MNSSHP for the first time this past year, and were disappointed with it compared to MVMCP. It was nice, but we probably won't bother doing it again. To be fair, we were at one of the earlier parties (in September), so maybe going closer to Halloween makes a difference. It's great to have a much less crowded park (especially during Christmas), and we were able to walk on a lot of rides with no wait. We love the special parade and the snow on Main Street. The free cocoa and cookies are a nice plus, too. There are several special shows going on in the park, special fireworks, special pins (if you're into that), special merchandise, etc. We just think it's a lot of fun. With respect to giving up an entire night, you would only lose a couple hours (unless extended holiday hours are in effect - I haven't had a chance to check on that yet), and the shorter lines for rides enables you to do more than usual at MK. That being said, every family is different. My DS is 21 now (have to change my signature), so he's not exactly a little kid (except when at Disney, but aren't we all?). Hope this helps!
Mindy

 

[ljcrochet]

I'm still here! We are going to spend a couple of nights after the cruise in WDW. I have never done MVMCP, but i did MNSSHP and thought it was okay. Don't know if I would do it again.

I'm trying to decide if DH and I should do Palo on our anniversary or not.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Hi Amy!! I just KNEW it would be you who responded to me!
It does seem to be only you and me that are on this thread! I think everyone else jumped ship!

I had heard the same thing regarding the two parties....MVMCP is so-so and MNSSHP is WOW!!! We had originally booked the Halloween cruise for this year and I was so excited to go to MNSSHP, but unfortunately, Texas has strict truancy laws and we couldn't take the kids out of school for that long in October. I think in the end, we will end up NOT going simply because it takes an entire night away form park rides and we will be back again next year for the 12/29/11 New Year's Eve cruise on the Dream so we will be going to WDW before the cruise.

Thanks,
Shannon

Its ok - it looks as though there are others!!

I think if I was you, I probably wouldn't bother with the party either - especially as you can catch all the christmas stuff for free if you want to, and as you say, theres always next year for you!!

Hi Shannon - My family and I are going on the cruise, but so far I've just been lurking on this thread. Just wanted to say that we've been to MVMCP several times and love it. We're arriving at WDW a day too late this year, and DS is not too happy with me. My DH and I attended MNSSHP for the first time this past year, and were disappointed with it compared to MVMCP. It was nice, but we probably won't bother doing it again. To be fair, we were at one of the earlier parties (in September), so maybe going closer to Halloween makes a difference. It's great to have a much less crowded park (especially during Christmas), and we were able to walk on a lot of rides with no wait. We love the special parade and the snow on Main Street. The free cocoa and cookies are a nice plus, too. There are several special shows going on in the park, special fireworks, special pins (if you're into that), special merchandise, etc. We just think it's a lot of fun. With respect to giving up an entire night, you would only lose a couple hours (unless extended holiday hours are in effect - I haven't had a chance to check on that yet), and the shorter lines for rides enables you to do more than usual at MK. That being said, every family is different. My DS is 21 now (have to change my signature), so he's not exactly a little kid (except when at Disney, but aren't we all?). Hope this helps!
Mindy

Hi Mindy!! - Welcome to the thread, I'm hoping that we will all get a bit more lively the closer we get to the cruise Glad you enjoyed the party - we are really looking forward to experiencing all things christmassy!!

I'm still here! We are going to spend a couple of nights after the cruise in WDW. I have never done MVMCP, but i did MNSSHP and thought it was okay. Don't know if I would do it again.

I'm trying to decide if DH and I should do Palo on our anniversary or not.

Hi I would thoroughly recommend Palo's on your anniversary. We went for our 5th anniversary and it was amazing - We are skipping it this trip, as we want to eat with the boys, but certainly when they are a bit older we will definitely schedule in another Palos dinner - yummy!!

 

[ShannonR]

Hi everybody!! I can't believe it......We have chatting going on!!!!! I am so excited YYYYYYAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the advice about the MVMCP! I think we have decided not to go. Our older two wouldn't have gone anyway... they are "too old for that baby stuff" and since we only have 4 days, I think we will wait until next year's trip! If we had more time, I would buy the tickets in a heartbeat because it is something I have always wanted to do!

Thanks,
Shannon

 

[MorganR]

TODAYS MY BIRTHDAY...IM 17...YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RatherBeWithMickey]

Wow, where did everybody go? Guess we're all busy with summer plans. I'm starting to get excited about the trip, as I was just able to book all our ADR's for the WDW portion. Have been spending time on all the FE threads, and am hoping we will be doing this for this cruise. Have never been part of one before, but have gotten a lot of great ideas from everyone who has posted here on the DIS. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and come back soon!
Mindy

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Wow, where did everybody go? Guess we're all busy with summer plans. I'm starting to get excited about the trip, as I was just able to book all our ADR's for the WDW portion. Have been spending time on all the FE threads, and am hoping we will be doing this for this cruise. Have never been part of one before, but have gotten a lot of great ideas from everyone who has posted here on the DIS. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and come back soon!
Mindy

Hi Mindy

I was only thinking yesterday that I haven't heard anyone post on our thead for a while - I must admit, that whist I am on the Dis everyday, I don't spend very much time on the cruise boards - mainly because, like you, I have been booking my adrs (thus spending A LOT of time on the restaurant threads) and I also spend a lot of time on the DVC boards as I am new to DVC and there seems to be so much to learn

I do check in to the cruise boards evey few days, but to be honest I am just waiting on the actual prices of the cabanas at Castaway Cay at the moment - to see if it is really going to be out of our price range!!rotfl:

I'm guessing this board will pick up once the window opens where we can book our excursions (although I think the only things I will be booking is possibly the cabana and a beach day at Grand Cayman - we will book a hop on/hop off trolley pass directly for Key West & I plan to stay on the ship in Mexico)

I am definitely up for the FE exchange - this will be our first time of doing anything like that, and I think my two boys will love it

Anyway, I'm sure others will 'pop' in to chat before we all disappear again for another few weeks - hope you are all enjoying the summer and speak soon!!

 

[RatherBeWithMickey]

Hi Mindy

I was only thinking yesterday that I haven't heard anyone post on our thead for a while - I must admit, that whist I am on the Dis everyday, I don't spend very much time on the cruise boards - mainly because, like you, I have been booking my adrs (thus spending A LOT of time on the restaurant threads) and I also spend a lot of time on the DVC boards as I am new to DVC and there seems to be so much to learn

I do check in to the cruise boards evey few days, but to be honest I am just waiting on the actual prices of the cabanas at Castaway Cay at the moment - to see if it is really going to be out of our price range!!rotfl:

I'm guessing this board will pick up once the window opens where we can book our excursions (although I think the only things I will be booking is possibly the cabana and a beach day at Grand Cayman - we will book a hop on/hop off trolley pass directly for Key West & I plan to stay on the ship in Mexico)

I am definitely up for the FE exchange - this will be our first time of doing anything like that, and I think my two boys will love it

Anyway, I'm sure others will 'pop' in to chat before we all disappear again for another few weeks - hope you are all enjoying the summer and speak soon!!

Hi Amy -

Glad to see I'm not alone on here! I tend to be on the boards a lot, too, but as you can tell by my total posts, I mainly lurk. Glad to hear from a fellow DVC member. We've been members since 2002, I think, and really feel it's one of the best decisions we have ever made. Of course, we're a bit closer to Florida than you are! While I'm not an expert by any means, I am always willing to try to answer any questions about DVC that you might have. I seem to spread the word a lot at WDW - I'm often on the buses with new members who have questions. I just love to talk Disney.

If you like cruising, you should try to go on a member cruise sometime. We were on last year, and are booked for this year again since we had such a good time. My son is older and away at college, so we have no school issues and can go in September. Not nearly so easy when you have young ones like you!

We've done this itinerary before, so I don't know how many excursions we will do, either. My DH and DS might do the ruins, but that's not my cup of tea. I will probably stay on board and enjoy the ship that day. We enjoyed Key West (took a tour last time) and will probably just explore on foot this time. We're not big beach people, so we will probably pass on that. I too am interested to see the price on the cabanas. I usually just spend a few hours on CC, getting in a good walking workout and exploring a bit, then head back to the ship. Now if I had a cabana to sit in and read a book, drink Konk Koolers, etc., I think I might be convinced to stay a little longer.

As I am woefully ignorant of my UK geography, I was wondering how close you might be to London. We took a wonderful Adventures by Disney trip a few years back that visited London and Paris. Absolutely fantastic trip, and we just loved our time in London. Would go back there in a heartbeat.

Well, I've rambled on long enough. Enjoy your summer, and talk again soon!
Mindy

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Hi Amy -

Glad to see I'm not alone on here! I tend to be on the boards a lot, too, but as you can tell by my total posts, I mainly lurk. Glad to hear from a fellow DVC member. We've been members since 2002, I think, and really feel it's one of the best decisions we have ever made. Of course, we're a bit closer to Florida than you are! While I'm not an expert by any means, I am always willing to try to answer any questions about DVC that you might have. I seem to spread the word a lot at WDW - I'm often on the buses with new members who have questions. I just love to talk Disney.

If you like cruising, you should try to go on a member cruise sometime. We were on last year, and are booked for this year again since we had such a good time. My son is older and away at college, so we have no school issues and can go in September. Not nearly so easy when you have young ones like you!

We've done this itinerary before, so I don't know how many excursions we will do, either. My DH and DS might do the ruins, but that's not my cup of tea. I will probably stay on board and enjoy the ship that day. We enjoyed Key West (took a tour last time) and will probably just explore on foot this time. We're not big beach people, so we will probably pass on that. I too am interested to see the price on the cabanas. I usually just spend a few hours on CC, getting in a good walking workout and exploring a bit, then head back to the ship. Now if I had a cabana to sit in and read a book, drink Konk Koolers, etc., I think I might be convinced to stay a little longer.

As I am woefully ignorant of my UK geography, I was wondering how close you might be to London. We took a wonderful Adventures by Disney trip a few years back that visited London and Paris. Absolutely fantastic trip, and we just loved our time in London. Would go back there in a heartbeat.

Well, I've rambled on long enough. Enjoy your summer, and talk again soon!
Mindy

Hi Mindy!!

We only joined DVC last Summer, so this will be our first stay!! I think I have finally got my head around the basics, I am just trying to choose where I want to add on - addonitis has hit me really badly already!!! I think I will probably add on at one of our current homes - AKV, as then I would have enough points to take relatives with us, but I still keep being drawn to BCV - I will take a proper look around at Christmas to make my decision I think - where do you own??

We have also done a western cruise as well - before we had our children. We really enjoyed the ruins at Tulum, although I think it is a bit much for Kai and Lucas, as they will still only be 6 and 3 years old. We also did a tour of Grand Cayman last time (my dad and grandparents lived on the island for a short period, so I was interested to see some of it) but we didn't get to the beach - so I am heading for 7 mile beach that day.

You sound just like me, I don't normally spend that long at Castaway Cay as I am not really a beach person and like to have a base to wander off - so I thought a cabana would be ideal for me to sit and read a book, while the others explore - just hoping the price isn't out of my league!!

I would love to do the members cruise at some point - although I think we will be waiting 15 years or so, when the boys are off at university I expect!!!

We are about 3 hours away from London, in the South West of England - Exeter is the Capital of Devon, and a beautiful city - very close to Cornwall, if you have heard of that?? I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the UK - but London is fantastic to visit, with some amazing sightseeing - although I could be persuaded to move to the States, we love it over there!!

 

[RatherBeWithMickey]

Good morning Amy!

Just stopped in for a quick look and saw your reply. Welcome to DVC ownership, you're gonna love it! We originally purchased at Wilderness Lodge Villas (love it), and have since added on twice (yes, that dreaded "Addonitis" ). Our other two homes are Saratoga and Grand Californian. We bought all our points directly from Disney, wasn't even aware of re-sale purchasing then. So we purchased what Disney was selling at the time. Don't care much for SSR, mainly due to the size and lack of good eateries on site, although my DS loves to do his running there. We stay there if we need the 11 month window and have the points available. Once we hit the 7 month window, we usually try to switch the reservation to somewhere else. We purchased GC first for the price (points were really cheap there at the time) and second because we'd like to go see Disneyland once all the renos are complete. We love to stay at BCV, because Epcot and HS are both in walking distance, and Epcot is the park we spend the most time in. Right now our new favorite is OKW. Just love the atmosphere and laid back feel to it. And DS can run from there to SSR and back, so he's thrilled. We resisted going there for the longest time, but once we did, boy ... We'll be staying there again in December before the cruise.

Have you had the your boys to WDW before this trip? It's so much fun when they are small . I've been really lucky, in that DS loves Disney as much as my DH and I do. At 21, he's still as eager as ever to do WDW and cruising, even though we do it a lot. He's still into enjoying the characters and the Disney flair. And while we don't stand in line for autographs, we usually have at least one character ADR each trip!

Well, guess I'd better go get some work done. I was going to say "go do something constructive", but the DIS can be considered constructive, too (or at least instructive!). Have a great day!

Mindy

 

[Vanvmom]

Hi all-

Haven't been on in a few months...things have been crazy here since this past Christmas. Sad news is that we'll have to back out on this cruise and post-pone to future date. Great news is that we are adopting identical twin 1 year old girls. Adoption will not be final in time to get passports for the girls to be able to cruise. One of the sweeties has some special needs due to some severe injuries shortly after birth, so we'll have to due some checking into if and how the Disney nursery can handle her needs. Have a fun trip everyone, and enjoy your Christmas at sea!!!