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

[designertravels]

Hello, This will be my 9'th exchange. You can find threads just on FE to get all the info you want. The map and info from Silly Little Pixie, makes things very easy. The prices and types of gifts will vary. It is all up to the person. My daughters enjoy picking out gifts and making bags for each individualized stateroom from my stash of goodies. It is now a fun tradition that adds to the fun of getting ready for the cruise. So do what ever works for you.

We split up in pairs and hand the gifts out. Last year it took us 1 1/2 hours to hand out specific gifts to 63 staterooms. I was very organized. (I did think the group was way too big and should have been split)

And I agree with a previous post, there will be more people adding. But that is why there is a cut off date. If you have any questions let me know. Our organizer is doing a fantastic job.

Jill

 

[Woodrow]

any body have any idea as to how full the ship is for our sailing? or how to even tell.

I see on some of the discount travel sites some smoking deals for the weeks before our cruise (except american thanksgiving). Our cruise and the week after don't have nearly the deals so I would think our ship is fairly full, but since you can still get on board for 40% of rack rates I wonder how full.

I guess I am wondering how much potential pixie dust there may be when they start assigning the gaurantee cabins.

 

[Brooklyn]

any body have any idea as to how full the ship is for our sailing? or how to even tell.

I see on some of the discount travel sites some smoking deals for the weeks before our cruise (except american thanksgiving). Our cruise and the week after don't have nearly the deals so I would think our ship is fairly full, but since you can still get on board for 40% of rack rates I wonder how full.

I guess I am wondering how much potential pixie dust there may be when they start assigning the gaurantee cabins.

We are on the Oct 30th sailing and I do not think one person even jumped a CAT from GTY. The best upgrade was say a 9C to a 9B. That ship is totally empty! DCL has not been giving great upgrades recently but I have read of a few people here and there getting them.

This ship def seems empty when looking at inventory. I am assuming that deals have stoped for ours to give CM's a chance to bring their families on for the holidays. It will be interesting to see if they open up any more discounts on our sailing.

 

[Dchachos]

60 Days! /

That's all I have to say no new input just 60 days. For us 59 because we are flying in on Saturday afternoon.

 

[SanDeeKath]

60 Days! /

That's all I have to say no new input just 60 days. For us 59 because we are flying in on Saturday afternoon.

YAHOOOOOO!!!

Started shopping for FE gifts. Also still undecided about what sort of little tree I can bring along. I might be heading ot Michaels in the next few weeks...

Sounds like 1 suitcase will be full of gifts, decor and other holiday stuff. Thank goodness we are not flying!

 

[Tinkerbellll]

I am having a blast shopping for gifts, too! Never would I have thought that shopping and preparing gifts for people I had never even met could be so fun. Seriously getting into the spirit of it all. Can't thank all of you enough for the opportunity to participate in such a fun event. My kids are going to love this!

 

[Dchachos]

YAHOOOOOO!!!

Started shopping for FE gifts. Also still undecided about what sort of little tree I can bring along. I might be heading ot Michaels in the next few weeks...

Sounds like 1 suitcase will be full of gifts, decor and other holiday stuff. Thank goodness we are not flying!

I am having a blast shopping for gifts, too! Never would I have thought that shopping and preparing gifts for people I had never even met could be so fun. Seriously getting into the spirit of it all. Can't thank all of you enough for the opportunity to participate in such a fun event. My kids are going to love this!

I got the tree and decorations for our cabin in the mail today. I am so excited and the battery operated lights for the tree are fabulous.

I agree I am having a blast creating and putting together gifts for strangers. I like that we are going to meet the first day. It adds excitement and almost make it like the experience has already began.

I have 2 other trips before the cruise and I am doing gifts for them as well. In November I am taking my favorite sis to San Francisco with me to see a doctor. It is a long shot that he will be able to help me but worth it if it works. I have never been to San Fransisco and always wanted to go.

Then in two weeks after that I am taking my 3 sisters to Lake Las Vegas. It is a man made lake outside of Las Vegas. We are staying at the Loews and getting spa treatments all day Saturday. I am making t-shirts for us to wear on that trip and trying to do some memory gift for my sisters.

And then the most WONDERful trip of all. Getting to meet all of you and taking my guys on the most memorable Christmas they will ever have.

 

[betsy918]

Hi There...just checking in. I'm doing my report cards this weekend, and thinking about our cruise is getting me through! Just got an e mail form the person making my fish extender saying I should have it soon. I know when I see it, the cruise will become more "real". I ordered my FE gifts, and I know my DD and I will have a blast putting together each cabin's bags. Both her pirate costume and new cinderella wedding dress arrived this week, so she's good to go for the cruise. I think I'm going to run out and look at the luggage sales happening, since most of our luggage is completely falling apart, and I know we're all going to need extra space, needing dinner clothes and daytime clothes. I just booked a 10 day Princess cruise to Alaska sailing out of San Francisco for June, so I sure hope my husband enjoys our Disney cruise, or I'll never get him onto that one! Has anyone cruised on Princess? I splurged on a minisuite. I know Disney sails to Alaska, but I love the idea of sailing from San Francisco (we live close by) and going for 10 days. I'm sure I'll book another Disney cruise as well once we are on the ship. Hope everyone is well,
Betsy

 

[DisneyDadHere]

Hi everyone. Disney DAD here. 1st time cruise family. Family - DW (I think that is the correct initials, I have not run into many husbands who post) DD 8 and DD 4.I have Read the posts, thanks for all the info. Just wanted to let people know that we reserved the Las Caletas excursion in PV weeks ago and just got a call from DCL saying the excursion time has been changed to 730am! Dont think we r going to do it now. Which leads to my question - my kids LOVE the beach , looking to see what everyone else is doing for a beach visit. I wanted to do Kamina resort getaway in Manzanillo, but it's not selectable for our 8 day wonder cruise. Looking for a safe easy way to get me kids on a beach. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Dchachos]

Hi everyone. Disney DAD here. 1st time cruise family. Family - DW (I think that is the correct initials, I have not run into many husbands who post) DD 8 and DD 4.I have Read the posts, thanks for all the info. Just wanted to let people know that we reserved the Las Caletas excursion in PV weeks ago and just got a call from DCL saying the excursion time has been changed to 730am! Dont think we r going to do it now. Which leads to my question - my kids LOVE the beach , looking to see what everyone else is doing for a beach visit. I wanted to do Kamina resort getaway in Manzanillo, but it's not selectable for our 8 day wonder cruise. Looking for a safe easy way to get me kids on a beach. Any help is appreciated.

Hello and welcome Disney Dad.
I was also worried about a safe and easy beach experience. I booked the Paradise Beach Adventure in PV. I have heard negative and positives about it. I went ahead with it for a couple of reasons. I get lost in my living room, put me in a foreign country without a guide I may end up in Russia. Because it is an excursion booked through Disney and we get delayed the ship will wait for us. If its not a Disney excursion then we have to chase the boat. My last reason is for safety: there is saftey in numbers.

 

[Double Trouble]

Hi everyone. Disney DAD here. 1st time cruise family. Family - DW (I think that is the correct initials, I have not run into many husbands who post) DD 8 and DD 4.I have Read the posts, thanks for all the info. Just wanted to let people know that we reserved the Las Caletas excursion in PV weeks ago and just got a call from DCL saying the excursion time has been changed to 730am! Dont think we r going to do it now. Which leads to my question - my kids LOVE the beach , looking to see what everyone else is doing for a beach visit. I wanted to do Kamina resort getaway in Manzanillo, but it's not selectable for our 8 day wonder cruise. Looking for a safe easy way to get me kids on a beach. Any help is appreciated.

Hello and welcome Disney Dad.
I was also worried about a safe and easy beach experience. I booked the Paradise Beach Adventure in PV. I have heard negative and positives about it. I went ahead with it for a couple of reasons. I get lost in my living room, put me in a foreign country without a guide I may end up in Russia. Because it is an excursion booked through Disney and we get delayed the ship will wait for us. If its not a Disney excursion then we have to chase the boat. My last reason is for safety: there is saftey in numbers.

Welcome DisneyDadHere!

You are not alone. I'm more "Dad" than "Disney", but enjoy doing the travel planning and coordinating. That being said, regarding your beach question...although we've been to Manzanillo once and PV three times, we have not done any of the "beach excursions" there. In Manzanillo, you can book a tour or take a cab to one of the resorts. Same in PV, but you can also walk to the beach from the port if you want to do it on your own. The beach gets nicer the farther south you go, so you might also want to take a cab to/past the Malecon and go from there. The best beach option in my opinion (on your own) is Medano beach in Cabo, an easy and inexpensive water or land taxi ride away.

Check out my post (*130):

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42247025&postcount=130

from earlier in this thread for details, but basically about 15-20 dollars for a family round trip, 10 dollars for a beach umbrella, and whatever you want to spend on food/drink from any of the restaurants. The beach is very clean , the sea generally calm, and the views are spectacular.

Hope you join in the FE group. Lots of kids in the same age range as yours (including mine). Again, welcome aboard!

 

[CountryCharmer]

Still waiting to receive our FE Spreadsheet so we can start shopping!! Wait..... yes, it is in my inbox now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOORRRRAAAYYYY!!!

 

[SanDeeKath]

Still waiting to receive our FE Spreadsheet so we can start shopping!!

Its on a private google share document.

PM Silly Little Pixie and she will send you the link. We don't want it on a public board since it has all of our names, room numbers, kids' names, etc.

K

 

[DisneyDadHere]

Welcome DisneyDadHere!

You are not alone. I'm more "Dad" than "Disney", but enjoy doing the travel planning and coordinating. The best beach option in my opinion (on your own) is Medano beach in Cabo, an easy and inexpensive water or land taxi ride away.

Check out my post (*130):

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42247025&postcount=130

from earlier in this thread for details, but basically about 15-20 dollars for a family round trip, 10 dollars for a beach umbrella, and whatever you want to spend on food/drink from any of the restaurants. The beach is very clean , the sea generally calm, and the views are spectacular.

Hope you join in the FE group. Lots of kids in the same age range as yours (including mine). Again, welcome aboard!

Thanks for link, DoubleT. It was very helpful. Using your tips, looks like we will be trying to do a beach excursion on our own in Cabo. We did sign up the kids for the Dolphin Kids, thanks for the info on that as well. Glad to see another Dad on the boards (Especially one with all girls (like me) and a SIMPSONS! avatar.

 

[jzandmeplus3]

NICE! We will get our Secret Mickey assignment on Mickey's birthday.

BTW - thanks for organizing this. Sounds like fun!

Is this different from the fish extenders?

 

[Tinkerbellll]

Is this different from the fish extenders?

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42770628&postcount=266

I am pretty sure this is the right link....yes, the Secret Mickey is in addition to the FE stuff. On the FE list (the one Silly Little Pixie e-mailed privately) there is another column for Secret Mickey. I hope this helps, and I hope I attached link to the right place. Well, at least I tried, right!?!?

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Hi everyone. Disney DAD here. 1st time cruise family. Family - DW (I think that is the correct initials, I have not run into many husbands who post) DD 8 and DD 4.I have Read the posts, thanks for all the info. Just wanted to let people know that we reserved the Las Caletas excursion in PV weeks ago and just got a call from DCL saying the excursion time has been changed to 730am! Dont think we r going to do it now. Which leads to my question - my kids LOVE the beach , looking to see what everyone else is doing for a beach visit. I wanted to do Kamina resort getaway in Manzanillo, but it's not selectable for our 8 day wonder cruise. Looking for a safe easy way to get me kids on a beach. Any help is appreciated.

Welcome DisneyDadHere!!

We did the Las Caletas excursion last time, and really enjoyed it. It might have been better (for us) if we had the earlier time...the earlier slot apparently is the only one that has the cooking class and the yoga. Which were things we were looking forward to! We had the laster time slot on our previous cruise. We did enjoy the beach there and the kayaking. Las Caletas was a great place and I recommend it. I like the all-inclusive aspect- sure helps budgeting!

I did just get a call from DCL on Friday letting me know the time for our Sea Lion Encounter in PV had changed from 11:00 to 2:00. Not a problem really, it gives my DH and son the morning to do something together (probably WALMART hahaha) while DD and I leave on our excursion. Someone mentioned mani/pedis for teens? Will DCL really do that? Because if they do, then I know what DD and I will do with our late afternoon in PV!

For beach time, we plan to take a cab to Miramar Beach in Manzanillo. It looks very nice, plenty of restaurants, etc. There are a number of threads on CruiseCritic on the Mexican Riviera board about beaches in Manzanillo. I too looked at the DCL beach/hotel excursions there and they were just too much $$$ for what I thought I was getting in return. So a cab it is! It looks very easy to do.

We also plan to do Medano Beach in Cabo on the first Cabo day. We did that last time and had a lot of fun. The water taxi was very cheap, and we sat by the water, kids played, we rented jet skis, drank a few cervezas...it was nice. Maybe some other DISers want to join us?

Christine

 

[TheLeMasters]

Our family just signed up for the Holiday Cruise and we are looking forward to it. This is our third Disney cruise, second time in MR. We've done Thanksgiving but never Christmas; should be fun. Please add us to the list:

Chris - 45
Penni - 44
Charlie - 15
Maddie - 13

Really interested in more info on Edge and Vibe. Kids had a great time in the tween club on the Oasis this summer (a lot bigger, of course), but they were much younger on the last Disney cruise and we don't have any experience beyond the old "Labs". The tween club looks like it is in the old conference center, which seems a bit... staid. No windows, looks boxy. Anyone have any specific experience with the club? How about the teen club (the old "Stack")?

Looking forward to it!

 

[SanDeeKath]

Our family just signed up for the Holiday Cruise and we are looking forward to it. This is our third Disney cruise, second time in MR. We've done Thanksgiving but never Christmas; should be fun. Please add us to the list:

Chris - 45
Penni - 44
Charlie - 15
Maddie - 13

Really interested in more info on Edge and Vibe. Kids had a great time in the tween club on the Oasis this summer (a lot bigger, of course), but they were much younger on the last Disney cruise and we don't have any experience beyond the old "Labs". The tween club looks like it is in the old conference center, which seems a bit... staid. No windows, looks boxy. Anyone have any specific experience with the club? How about the teen club (the old "Stack")?

Looking forward to it!

Hi there and welcome! We live in San Diego too (Del Mar area so very close!). My daughter LOVED the tween club in January! It WAS in the old conference room but they had it set up really nicely and had lots of activities and a very good counselor/kid ratio. She did not want to leave! True there are no windows and getting the elevator up and down from there would sometimes take 20 min+, but she adored the activities and met some very nice girls.

I believe they redecorated the space during the drydock and now it looks more like a kids hangout than a conference room. I would not worry. Kids tend to focus on activities rather than how it "looks," from what I have experienced. I actually have a gripe about the activity areas for younger kids (which is visually very appealing but is a stupid setup). They now have kids 4-11 all in one HUGE room and it's basically a free for all for about 100 children and essentially only 2 counselors (the rest of the counselors are busy checking kids in and out). My younger DD did NOT like how the older kids (10+yo boys especially) would basically just shove her out of activities. I plan to let the counselors know this time to keep an eye on her because she is shy and gets intimidated easily. She just didn't speak up last time till after the cruise.

Anyway, welcome and we hope to meet you on board! Katherine and family

 

[TheLeMasters]

Hi there and welcome! We live in San Diego too (Del Mar area so very close!). My daughter LOVED the tween club in January! Anyway, welcome and we hope to meet you on board! Katherine and family

Thank you for the information! And I didn't even think about the impact on the younger kid's lab - that is a really wide age range. That's surprising, given how nice those clubs were in the past.

I'm afraid that I made the mistake of showing the tween club pictures from the Dream to my daughter. When I realized the mistake, she was a bit disappointed. Of course, she REALLY liked the pictures of the TEEN club on the Dream - very nice! But you are right, it is all about the activities - and maybe even more, about the other kids that they meet.

See you on board!