Christmas/Holiday 2011 on the Wonder: 8 night Mexican Riviera 12/18/2011

[courtnvm]

Does anyone know what the rotations could be for the 8 night? I know that once the Wonder leaves AK and heads down to start the MR itinerary, we will know what the rotations look like for a 7 night, but I'm curious about the 8 night could look like.

My DH and I will do Palo for probably brunch and I'm really looking forward to formal night. We didn't have a true formal night on our last cruise, so I'm starting to look forward to one this time around.

Now, how do I get formal clothes for my kids if they don't know about the cruise.......

 

[Tinkerbellll]

My husband is going to some conference at the D-land Hotel, and I am crashing his business trip! Super excited....gives me something to look forward to only one month away...sometimes I can be such a kid!

Anyway, I survived the first two weeks of school, and we are going camping this weekend. My family plus 4 of my son's friends. Looking forward to the great outdoors.

My daughter and I are excited about formal night....the guys in our family could care less! Oh well...they will wear what I put out, so I can't complain.

Happy weekend fellow cruisers!

 

[betsy918]

Hi All....Can somebody tell me the range of dress for formal nights for men and women? How different is formal from semi formal? Do I really need a long dress, or would a nice cocktail (LBD) suffice for both for me? Will my husband really need a tux? A suit? or would slacks, dress shirt, and tie do? I know what the disney cruise web site says, but I'd like to know from somebody who's been there.

thanks!

 

[SanDeeKath]

HI there,

A cocktail dress is plenty formal for a cruise. The MX Riviera cruises seem to always be extra dressed down. Men can be in suit and tie (with coat) and ladies in just about any dress. I usually have 1 dress and 1 black skirt with nice silk top for the 2 formal nights. We usually only take pix on the first night even though the photographers are everywhere.

Katherine

Did you all make final payment???

 

[Brooklyn]

We are finally back in San Diego after 6 weeks in FL! It was an amazing time!! I just completed our online check in for this cruise!

 

[courtnvm]

Katherine, we haven't made final payment yet. It's due Oct 5, and I will probably make it around the first. My DH owns his own business, and we just moved, so things are a little more tighter than they usually are. Once final payment is made, I will really start planning, though. I can't get my hopes up, just on the off chance a contractor doesn't pay this month......

Brooklyn, 6 weeks in FL sounds like fun! And online check in....there is nothing more fun than that!

I'm so frustrated, though! I can't find our passports anywhere. We've moved from TN to TX and I know that I saw them in TN. I remember thinking to myself that I needed to put them where they are supposed to go in the file cabinet, and they aren't there. UGH!!

I hope you guys had a great holiday weekend and didn't have to labor too much.

 

[Double Trouble]

Hi All....Can somebody tell me the range of dress for formal nights for men and women? How different is formal from semi formal? Do I really need a long dress, or would a nice cocktail (LBD) suffice for both for me? Will my husband really need a tux? A suit? or would slacks, dress shirt, and tie do? I know what the disney cruise web site says, but I'd like to know from somebody who's been there.

thanks!

HI there,

A cocktail dress is plenty formal for a cruise. The MX Riviera cruises seem to always be extra dressed down. Men can be in suit and tie (with coat) and ladies in just about any dress. I usually have 1 dress and 1 black skirt with nice silk top for the 2 formal nights. We usually only take pix on the first night even though the photographers are everywhere.

Katherine

Did you all make final payment???

Katherine is correct regarding the MR cruises being a bit more dressed down (to the dismay of some...but no big deal to others); however, with the holidays and all, maybe some more people will dress up(?). We always do early dining and I don't think I've seen more than a couple of tuxes in 4 cruises. Maybe the late seating people dress up more(?).

For men, we've seen the gambit from nice suits to slacks and an open collar shirt. The ladies always seem to dress up a bit more (at least to me anyway). Most people seem to make an effort to dress their kids up at least a little bit, but as a parent you know that doesn't always go over so well. I guess as long as it's reasonable, whatever you're comfortable in is fine...after all, it's your cruise!

The nice thing about formal night is the photo opportunities. If you're like us, we don't get the whole family dressed up (and happy about it) very often, so you might score that elusive "perfect" family photo.

Here's a photo hint for those with younger kids. The club and lab switched over recently to ridiculously bulky electronic wrist bands for the kids. You may want to carry a small set of scissors or clippers to cut them off for photos (and excursions). You can trash the band but don't lose the actual electronic device or they will charge you for it. The next time you take them to the club/lab, the CMs will print a new wrist band and put the device back on your child. Just takes a few seconds. If you elect to keep them on, the photographers will generally attempt to pose your kids so the bands are covered; however, I'm sitting here right now looking at an amazingly cute picture of my kids, except for that tacky wrist band sticking out on one of them (lesson learned the hard way!).

Paying this week!

 

[Double Trouble]

Does anyone know what the rotations could be for the 8 night? I know that once the Wonder leaves AK and heads down to start the MR itinerary, we will know what the rotations look like for a 7 night, but I'm curious about the 8 night could look like.

My DH and I will do Palo for probably brunch and I'm really looking forward to formal night. We didn't have a true formal night on our last cruise, so I'm starting to look forward to one this time around.

Now, how do I get formal clothes for my kids if they don't know about the cruise.......

On the April 10-day MR (similar to this cruise with 2 extra sea days), the rotation was a different dining room every night (e.g., PTAPTAPTAP) with no back-to-back nights. Regarding the menus it looked like this (Day/Port/Menu)...

Sunday / Depart / Let the Magic Begin
Monday / Sea / Golden Mickeys (Formal Night)
Tuesday / Sea / Rotational
Wednesday / PV / Rotational
Thursday / Sea / Rotational
Friday / Manzanillo / Pirates of the Caribbean (Pirate Night)
Saturday / Sea / Taste of California
Sunday / Cabo / Princes and Princesses
Monday / Cabo / Captain's Gala (Semi-Formal)
Tuesday / Sea / Til We Meet Again
Wednesday...Arrive (AM)...No More Free Food...Start the Diet at Home

I'm assuming ours will be similar to the normal 7-day, but with an oddball diinner thrown in. We should be able to get a pretty firm schedule about 30 days out for this cruise. I know we had some people requesting to be in Parrot Cay for Pirate Night, or a certain dining room for formal night. Not having been over Christmas before, I don't know if they have a special dinner for that. I do hear they decorate like at the parks.

Our last trip was over Easter & Passover and Disney had clergy onboard from Christian and Jewish faiths to conduct services (DCL also had some of the traditional Jewish Passover food available). With Christmas & Hanukkah this time, I'm assuming they would do something similar, but I'm not sure. I'll ask when I call about the dining rotations.

For those newbies interested, the character breakfasts are assigned (you go on one morning based on your dining rotation) and are almost always on the 3 sea days.

 

[courtnvm]

Thanks for the information, Double!

I'm hoping to dress up more than we did for our 4 night we took in 2010. I had the thought of ordering tuxes for the guys, and finding nice dresses for my daughter and me. I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb, but I'd love some nice memories. I'd really love to be dressed up for dinner on Christmas, but with it being the night before we disembark, I know that won't happen.

I forgot about the character breakfast! My DD4 will love it!

We did Parrot Bay for Pirate night on our 4 night, but I'm cool with whatever. We have late dinning booked right now, but I think that I'm gonna change it to early dining, especially since we are coming from CST, so an 8pm dinner, is more like 10pm to us. I want to book a Palo brunch, but am afraid that it will end up being booked on the same day we do the character breakfast. It was so much easier on our last cruise! We had a huge group of TGMers, and I let them make all the decisions!

 

[Tinkerbellll]

Great info on the dining situation. Thanks!

I ordered my FE and it arrived today. So adorable! I love it.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Thanks for the information, Double!

I'm hoping to dress up more than we did for our 4 night we took in 2010. I had the thought of ordering tuxes for the guys, and finding nice dresses for my daughter and me. I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb, but I'd love some nice memories. I'd really love to be dressed up for dinner on Christmas, but with it being the night before we disembark, I know that won't happen.

I forgot about the character breakfast! My DD4 will love it!

We did Parrot Bay for Pirate night on our 4 night, but I'm cool with whatever. We have late dinning booked right now, but I think that I'm gonna change it to early dining, especially since we are coming from CST, so an 8pm dinner, is more like 10pm to us. I want to book a Palo brunch, but am afraid that it will end up being booked on the same day we do the character breakfast. It was so much easier on our last cruise! We had a huge group of TGMers, and I let them make all the decisions!

My guys HATE to dress up, so they will do dress shirts/ties/slacks for both formal and semi-formal nights. I wish DH would wear a jacket but once he saw that other cruisers didn't, he quit bringing his. And DS has outgrown his suit...so shirt and tie it is. DD and I will probably shop for new dresses this time, I've gotten tired of wearing the ones we have used on the last few cruises. Maybe red dresses? That would make a great picture under the Christmas tree. Hoping that semi-formal night is night 7 (Christmas Eve). I have NO preferences as to what night we eat anywhere!

I booked the Palo brunch for Christmas Day- hoping that is not our character breakfast day. If it is, we just won't eat much at the breakfast. We love to go though and for sure won't miss it!

Christine

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

What is everyone booking?

I think at this point we are doing the Dolphin Swim in Cabo. DD wanted to do the Teen Surfing excursion, but it showed not available. I had my TA call DCL to see if more openings would come up later (I tried on the first day of Gold booking). They checked into it, and called her back today to say that the vendor canceled it for this cruise due to the holiday. Fooey!!!! It's what she really wanted to do, hmmmm.

Manzanillo I think we will do the beach on our own. PV...still thinking!

Christine

 

[SanDeeKath]

We booked Paulo for brunch one day too (a sea day I think, perhaps day 3?). We booked a dolphin swim in Cabo and one in PV. We'll probably cancel one of the two if they will allow my younger DD to zipline (she's only 7 but Disney's excursion says 10 minimum while booking direct with the company says age 6!).

Katherine

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

My husband is going to some conference at the D-land Hotel, and I am crashing his business trip! Super excited....gives me something to look forward to only one month away...sometimes I can be such a kid!

OOOH enjoy! The newly refurbished DL Hotel is really nice. We stayed there in June. AND all the Halloween decorations will be up, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Ghost Galaxy/Space Mountain, Small World Holiday...one of my very favorite times. Lucky girl!

 

[courtnvm]

Unfortunately, we have to cancel our cruise. I'm so upset about it. My husband was playing catch with our boys Monday night, jumped up to catch a ball, landed wrong, and it looks like he might have torn his ACL. Our cruise money will be detoured to hospital bills.

I'm just glad that I was at the beginning of the planning stage and not at the end.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Unfortunately, we have to cancel our cruise. I'm so upset about it. My husband was playing catch with our boys Monday night, jumped up to catch a ball, landed wrong, and it looks like he might have torn his ACL. Our cruise money will be detoured to hospital bills.

I'm just glad that I was at the beginning of the planning stage and not at the end.

Oh no!! I am so sorry. I hope he's okay. At least it was before final payment. Best wishes to your family.

Christine

 

[Double Trouble]

Unfortunately, we have to cancel our cruise. I'm so upset about it. My husband was playing catch with our boys Monday night, jumped up to catch a ball, landed wrong, and it looks like he might have torn his ACL. Our cruise money will be detoured to hospital bills.

I'm just glad that I was at the beginning of the planning stage and not at the end.

Very sorry to hear that. Give him our best!

 

[Tinkerbellll]

That's terrible ... I hope he heals quickly!

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Soooo... plans have changed a little for excursions. The Teen Surfing is now canceled, so DD decided she wanted to do the Sea Safari in PV instead. She loves horses and horseback riding, so riding to a waterfall, then going snorkeling sounds great to her. A friend of mine just did this excursion on Carnival and her family loved it. My DH however has zero interest in horseback riding, so he and DS will do the Sea Lion Encounter in PV together.

And then we will all do the Santa Maria Sail and Snorkel in Cabo. I am not sure how much DS will really snorkel... he got a little nervous with it in St. John, but that was a couple years ago. DH and DD LOVE to snorkel so I know they will have a blast. If I just swim around a bit with DS that will be fine. I am really hoping to see whales! Has anyone done this one? DH and I did the Chileno Bay Snorkel in Cabo (on the Tropicat) on our Princess cruise and had a great time.

Christine

 

[SanDeeKath]

Soooo... plans have changed a little for excursions. The Teen Surfing is now canceled, so DD decided she wanted to do the Sea Safari in PV instead. She loves horses and horseback riding, so riding to a waterfall, then going snorkeling sounds great to her. A friend of mine just did this excursion on Carnival and her family loved it. My DH however has zero interest in horseback riding, so he and DS will do the Sea Lion Encounter in PV together.

And then we will all do the Santa Maria Sail and Snorkel in Cabo. I am not sure how much DS will really snorkel... he got a little nervous with it in St. John, but that was a couple years ago. DH and DD LOVE to snorkel so I know they will have a blast. If I just swim around a bit with DS that will be fine. I am really hoping to see whales! Has anyone done this one? DH and I did the Chileno Bay Snorkel in Cabo (on the Tropicat) on our Princess cruise and had a great time.

Christine

Wow, these sound great! Are any of them for 6 year olds?? They sound perfect for my older DD but younger one is just turning 7 on the cruise so I am not sure if they would be too mature for her age! Katherine