Countdown Cruisers - Ringing in the New Year on the Disney Wonder - 12/31/2013

[cyntex1]

*****please update my info---

We have two cabins cabin 1---myself and son
Cabin 2 -- husband and his brother

I also will agree with majority vote on when to split -- if majority voted 20 cabins than I agree and let it be up to the individual if they want to do 1 Cabin gift or for everyone in the cabin to each their own no limits placed -- makes it harder and more stress. Just my opinion.
Can't wait for this cruise so ready

 

[cyntex1]

Forgot to mention my son will be 15 at time of cruise. He probably will spend all his time at the vibe. He really enjoyed on the last one

 

[JJ Max n Mickey]

I also will agree with majority vote on when to split -- if majority voted 20 cabins than I agree and let it be up to the individual if they want to do 1 Cabin gift or for everyone in the cabin to each their own no limits placed -- makes it harder and more stress. Just my opinion.
Can't wait for this cruise so ready

I agree with Cyn, that everyone be allowed to decide how many gifts to buy for each family. It's easier, more flexible and more manageable if there are as many as 20 families. Just my 2 cents

 

[dgreen72]

Fish Extender Group

1. 2pirates - only 2 sons participating - ds 10 & ds15
2. BraveCruiser - me, DH, dd18, dd21
3. cyntex1 -
4. cyntex1 -
5. damorales - me, my husband, dd9, dd13
6. disneyham2014 - me, my Mom, Dad, and dd2
7. farfalla818 - me, ds9
8. hulatapper - Lynnanne, Kym, dd (Jessica) 12, ds (Nathaniel) 9
9. hulatapper- Sean, Liz, grandson (Tyriel) 4
10. JJ Max n Mickey - Me (Elana), DH (Steven), DD (Jamie - 14) and DS (Max - 10)
11. ksloane - me(Kimberly), dd13
12. madelyn - DS (15), DS (12) and DD(7)
13. momo1211 - me, brother, sister and nephew (13)
14. Stephandy03 - Steph, Andy, DS Tyler (7) and DD Isabella (4)
15. TexasGirl - me, dd14, ds8
16. WomanRN - myself (Lynette) and dd18 (Rachel)

[/QUOTE]

Hey All! I hope I'm in the right place??? We are in the process of booking the December 31st cruise on the Wonder that sails out of Galveston, and I'm looking to join the FE group for that sailing. Any luck that I have found the correct place? If so, it sure hasn't been easy. Thanks "y'all!"

 

[Racheliz]

Hi! My family will also be on the cruise! 7 (maybe 8) adults,1 2 year old, 1 2.5 year old. We can't wait! For most of us it's our first cruise so we are happy it's a Disney one!

 

[texasgirl29]

Hi there,
Will Rachel be 13 or 14 when we cruise? My daughter, Jamie, will just have turned 14 (she begins 9th grade next week) and isn't sure if she is better suited for Edge or Vibe. Personally, I think being the oldest in Edge is better than being with much older teenagers, but that's a mom's opinion.

Rachel will still be 13 -- just started 7th grade. She LOVES LOVES LOVES the Edge. Stephanie tried Vibe because I insisted but she didn't go back.

I'm starting to think of what to do for FE gifts. I'm leaning toward individual gifts but everyone gets the same. And with a New Year's Theme.

 

[dgreen72]

Hi there,
Will Rachel be 13 or 14 when we cruise? My daughter, Jamie, will just have turned 14 (she begins 9th grade next week) and isn't sure if she is better suited for Edge or Vibe. Personally, I think being the oldest in Edge is better than being with much older teenagers, but that's a mom's opinion.

Hey there...I have one that is 14, and she prefers Vibe to Edge...and always has. She felt like Edge was just a babysitter group for some reason, but that was just her opinion. For her first cruise, she went into Edge once and never returned. Since she wasn't old enough for Vibe yet, she spent the entire duration of that cruise with us. Then again, she has 2 older brothers and one younger brother, so that may have something to do with it. Anyway, she will be spending her "club" time in Vibe...maybe she will see your daughter there?

 

[dgreen72]

Fish Extender Group

1. 2pirates - only 2 sons participating - ds 10 & ds15
2. BraveCruiser - me, DH, dd18, dd21
3. cyntex1 -
4. cyntex1 -
5. damorales - me, my husband, dd9, dd13
6. disneyham2014 - me, my Mom, Dad, and dd2
7. farfalla818 - me, ds9
8. hulatapper - Lynnanne, Kym, dd (Jessica) 12, ds (Nathaniel) 9
9. hulatapper- Sean, Liz, grandson (Tyriel) 4
10. JJ Max n Mickey - Me (Elana), DH (Steven), DD (Jamie - 14) and DS (Max - 10)
11. ksloane - me(Kimberly), dd13
12. madelyn - DS (15), DS (12) and DD(7)
13. momo1211 - me, brother, sister and nephew (13)
14. Stephandy03 - Steph, Andy, DS Tyler (7) and DD Isabella (4)
15. TexasGirl - me, dd14, ds8
16. WomanRN - myself (Lynette) and dd18 (Rachel)

[/QUOTE]


DISboards: dgreen72
6052
Dad- Todd- Mickey
M/19 Justin- Simba
M/17 Jacob- Mickey
6054
Mom- Dawn- Minnie, but LOVES the movie ALADDIN!
F/14 Lauren- Minnie
M/12 Lucas- Chip 'n Dale

 

[ksloane]

DISboards: dgreen72
6052
Dad- Todd- Mickey
M/19 Justin- Simba
M/17 Jacob- Mickey
6054
Mom- Dawn- Minnie, but LOVES the movie ALADDIN!
F/14 Lauren- Minnie
M/12 Lucas- Chip 'n Dale[/QUOTE]

great. I'll start a sign up sheet for specifics very soon.

 

[dgreen72]

DISboards: dgreen72
6052
Dad- Todd- Mickey
M/19 Justin- Simba
M/17 Jacob- Mickey
6054
Mom- Dawn- Minnie, but LOVES the movie ALADDIN!
F/14 Lauren- Minnie
M/12 Lucas- Chip 'n Dale

great. I'll start a sign up sheet for specifics very soon.[/QUOTE]

Sounds Great! And exciting!

 

[phillips5]

This is our first Disney Cruise, we would like to enjoy the FE group. How do I do this?

 

[ukintheus]

This is our first Disney Cruise, we would like to enjoy the FE group. How do I do this?

Hi there! I think there is a list started and Ksloane is coordinating it. Take a look at the first page of this thread and you will see the information there (I think ).

I got a rude awakening when I flipped the calendar to September and saw that our check in date is fast approaching! Anyone a platinum member and checking in already?? We can check in at 11 pm on 9/16.

 

[ukintheus]

Rachel will still be 13 -- just started 7th grade. She LOVES LOVES LOVES the Edge. Stephanie tried Vibe because I insisted but she didn't go back.

I'm starting to think of what to do for FE gifts. I'm leaning toward individual gifts but everyone gets the same. And with a New Year's Theme.

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your TR to the Med. We would love to do a Med cruise one year, although they do seem to be fairly exhausting from reading all the TRs. I've really enjoyed reading about everyone's adventures.

 

[texasgirl29]

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your TR to the Med. We would love to do a Med cruise one year, although they do seem to be fairly exhausting from reading all the TRs. I've really enjoyed reading about everyone's adventures.

Thank you very much! It's great to relive it while I'm writing it. I'm jealous my husband and I are not going on the NYE cruise. I have to live vicariously through the girls. Doing their FE gifts will help!

 

[ukintheus]

Thank you very much! It's great to relive it while I'm writing it. I'm jealous my husband and I are not going on the NYE cruise. I have to live vicariously through the girls. Doing their FE gifts will help!

That would be really hard for me to miss out on! Too bad you can't stow away in their luggage.

 

[BraveCruiser]

I got a rude awakening when I flipped the calendar to September and saw that our check in date is fast approaching! Anyone a platinum member and checking in already?? We can check in at 11 pm on 9/16.

We are platinum and have checked in for our cruises (we are on B2B).

I got a bit frustrated with the web site. It seemed to be down in the early morning hours. We kept getting the dreaded "Internal Server Error". I just kept trying throughout the day and it eventually worked. Have fun selecting shore excursions!

 

[ukintheus]

We are platinum and have checked in for our cruises (we are on B2B).

I got a bit frustrated with the web site. It seemed to be down in the early morning hours. We kept getting the dreaded "Internal Server Error". I just kept trying throughout the day and it eventually worked. Have fun selecting shore excursions!

Glad that you finally got it working for you. It is so frustrating to stay up late and then get that dreaded message! I will check us in on Monday night, but we aren't doing any excursions this time around. We rented a driver for the day when we were there in February and it was great, we are going to do that again this time.

 

[JJ Max n Mickey]

We rented a driver for the day when we were there in February and it was great, we are going to do that again this time.

Hi ukintheus, I was just wondering where the driver took you/what did you do for the day in February. How did you find him, and was it expensive? Thanks!

 

[ukintheus]

Hi ukintheus, I was just wondering where the driver took you/what did you do for the day in February. How did you find him, and was it expensive? Thanks!

We used tours plaza. They were rated well on Trip Advisor and we had a good experience with them. I think it cost us about $130 for a 4 hour tour (car) and I tipped on top of that but I don't remember how much. The only thing I wish I had done differently was to have a plan of places we wanted to see. We asked the driver to take us around to the "highlights" (not the ruins) and we pretty much left it up to him. We did get taken to some places where it was obvious he was getting a kickback for taking us there, despite the fact that he went above and beyond to explain that he didn't, but I have to also add that we had the same experience with Bernards Tours on St. Maarten, so we recognize it's a part of how they earn their money.

He first took us to see the grounds of the Country Club and pointed out the airport, then we stopped to see some type of monument to the Mayans. It was also a good photo op to get some of the Magic docked in the distance. We asked to go to the chocolate factory, but because I hadn't booked ahead of time there for a tour, he just knocked on the door and they gave us a free tasting session and sold us some chocolate (which was delicious). Then we went to a "tequila factory" where they explained how they make tequila (although no tequila is actually made on Cozumel) and then you did a tasting and of course get the sales pitch to buy, which we did (and I think it was an OK price, but definitely not a bargain). This place was very busy, so I had to think that it was a stop on one of the tours from the cruise ships but we went in through a side entrance & I have no clue what it was called. Then we asked to see one of their churches and he took us to their largest church, which was beautiful and interestingly had no glass, just open air windows. We did a tour through the areas where people live and saw a couple of schools. We asked to see the "real" side of Cozumel rather than just tourist stuff, so that was at our request. Then we stopped at some "park" that was really raggedy, and very hokey. He said the the "guides" were students and the project was there to help them learn english -no charge for the park, but you tipped them at at the end. That was 10 minutes of our lives lost that we'll never get back. We drove around to the east side of the island and stopped at Senior Iguanas for some lunch - it was great and we want to go back there and also to Coconuts. Then stopped at El Mirador and took some photos. Then we made another "wasted" stop at Mr. Sanchos, just to look at their beach and facilities basically. I think that was the last stop and we then went back to the cruise pier. We really got to see a lot of Cozumel, it was a great way to get an overview of the island. We had my 85 year old Mum with us, and it was a really good way to get her out and around the island, without overdoing anything.

They were very easy to book with, good communication via email and when I had to cancel the van booking that we had originally booked a week before our cruise, (some of our party had to miss the cruise) they happily switched me to a car with no issues at all. The driver was courteous and the car was clean, it was actually nicer than I had anticipated it being. He also was happy to do things as I thought of them, like the church and the chocolate factory.

This time we are going to have a plan, and only book for 3 hours ($107 plus tip). If you can speak spanish, and/or are a bit more adventurous, you can also negotiate with a taxi driver at the pier and could probably get a way better deal. We just would prefer to know for sure that the car is still going to be sitting there when we get done with our drinks or whatever we are doing. You can find them on Trip Advisor, or just google driver for a day cozumel and you'll find them. Their website has a lot of information.

Edited to add: Having spent 30 mins doing some reviews on Trip Advisor we are considering doing the Cozumel Bar Hop Tour. Price will be about the same for the two of us, we just have to decide if we want to do any sight seeing to other locations or not to make our decision.

 

[ksloane]

I created a Google Form for all FE participants.

If you would, please fill out the form at this link:


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_w-En-lXiSpbHmHCm_ir4fF3CBTX3AXCznxM5hSyzbs/viewform

If I did it correctly, it will give you a link to save for the results after you input your data. If not, I'll send everyone the link in a private message.

This allows us to share information that we might not want the entire world and keep it private amongst ourselves.