DCL Party Planning Thread (combined threads)

[lillygator]

I ordered some stuff off ebay - DCL coozies, etc....and I have plenty of the soaps, etc!

 

[ibouncetoo]

I ordered some stuff off ebay - DCL coozies, etc....and I have plenty of the soaps, etc!

V, I guess this is one time when I shouldn't say "Get off ebay!"

I'm so glad Cheri got picked too....I'm driving the 85 miles to her party for sure! (and praying for no snow)

 

[lillygator]

Yes Jackie!! I actually found someone who has lots of surplus stuff in Jacksonville. Let's hope for no snow!!!

 

[InstImpres]

do you think the $50obc can be applied to a cruise you have currently booked? We sail May 2008, that would be very nice!!

I don't know anything for sure, but I am 95% sure the answer is no. Usually for the OBC they have to be stated up front and are valid on new bookings only. They could surprise me on this one though

 

[BelievesinMagic]

We ordered a poster size print of the welcome aboard sign from Costco and will be putting that on our front door, Before our guests leave DH will put the see you real soon sign on the door. We'll wave good bye with our mickey hands.

 

[Tigger1221]

Does anyone know any coupon codes for oriental trading company? Are they good about shipping things fast?

Thanks

 

[AKmickeymoose]

I am still excited to host our party & did not sign up expecting anything, BUT...

If DCL's goal is to get people to book cruises, I do wish there were at least 1 or 2 Onboard Credits to do as a raffle or special prize to one or two guests-- a $50 credit burning a hole in your pocket is a good incentive to book, and helps to offset the cost of a Disney Cruise vs other cruises. They could have made them VERY conditional, like first-timers only, or only for future bookings--even those that have already cruised could use an incentive to spend the money to cruise again.

Most of our friends have big families that have to save for several years to do just one cruise. AND there is the cost of flying from Alaska (Around $500/person on a good day)

I had not told anyone about the OBC for guests, so I am okay, but it has been a little weird for me trying to invite people that are not CLOSE friends to this party. They cannot figure out WHY I would have a party for DCL for NO reason--I can't blame them for being gun-shy. I think they feel like they are getting tricked into a pyramid scheme meeting or high pressure time-share thing. It would have been nice to say "Disney wants us to convince you to book a cruise, and here is a $50 carrot/credit!"

As I have said before, even though I like the cool extras of the h2O products and the special food, I do not think anyone I know would book a cruise for those reasons. They want to know:
-what it might cost for their family
-ways to save money (room selection, timing, etc.)
-clothing requirements, laundry availability
-the personal touches (housekeeping, waitstaff, etc)
-what there is to do for all ages (musicals, movies, etc)
-how the kid's clubs work (the pagers)
-the safety/health features
-character opportunities
-how MUCH food you can get and the variety (some worry that the cost of fancy food will be a waste on their kids because they do not know the options)
-Castaway Cay
-how to learn more (Passporters books, etc.)
-what their surly teenager can do so that he does not ruin your trip (did I say out loud?)
-passport questions
-are there extra/hidden costs (prof. photos, tips, bar tabs, excursions, etc)
-how everyone in your family can usually find a way to do what interests them most, then still come together as a family

That is what gets people past the sticker shock and helps them justify the costs. I guess I just have really frugal friends--I want to help them see that it really is a great investment!

I was even thinking of making a simple chart/flyer that calculates what a family would spend on a trip to an amusement park for a week (or 3 or 4 days) showing food costs, car rental, entry fees, hotel costs all added up to make it easier to compare. I think looking at the cost of a cruise as an all inclusive package makes the price seem more reasonable

I really admire all of you that have decided to see this thru, and hope that Disney realizes that if they ever want anyone to be willing to spend this much time, money (I would guess we will spend $200-$300) and effort to promote something for them, which shows our commitment, that they will reciprocate and be much more appreciative. (They could offer hosts a credit based on how many people from our guest list book and complete a cruise after our party! So what if it takes a year or two to get the credit--I'm not going anywhere, and I will be cruising again!!)

And I do not think Disney is financially strapped.

 

["Got Disney"]

This is the response I got baxk about the RSVP trouble.....O and the 10 even stuff for the bags. I hope that the OBC is not for a new booking. Seems that they should let you use it for our next cruise already booked. So is ebay safe to order from?????

Dear Robin,

Details of the Guest Sweepstakes will be available in the upcoming weeks (as the time period is later than the Host Sweepstakes. When the Guest Sweepstakes begin, guests will have the opportunity to enter--similar to the current host method.

Regarding your guests' RSVP problems, it would be helpful to have more information from them. What happens when they attempt to RSVP? Are they trying to RSVP using the link in their email invite, using your party url, by going to houseparty.com/RSVP and typing in a party code (mentioned on their printed invite or noted in the guest manager)or all of the above?

We would love to help your guests get up and running, and we would greatly appreciate it if you either could give more information or ask them to direct us at help@houseparty.com.

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions:

If the link in an email invite doesn't work, they can hover the mouse over the link which will reveal their guest code attached to the end of the url (you can also see their guest code in your guest manager). They can go to houseparty.com/RSVP and type in their code to access your party and RSVP.

If they are having trouble RSVP'ing using your Party URL, they will need to remember to click the link in the green box on your party page to RSVP. They will also need to type in their email address. If you have not created a guest record for them that includes an email address they cannot RSVP using your party URL.

Regarding emails not being delivered, you can be sure they were sent if the guest record appears in your Guest List. If it's there, the email went. I'd suggest that they check their spam filter first. If it's still not there, you may consider making sure you send invites to a personal account rather than an business or government account. Some ISP's--especially business have high firewalls which prevent delivery of some of our emails. If you could provide the emails of the guests who didn't receive them, it would be extremely helpful.

Again, if your guests are having issues, I'd strongly suggest that they contact us directly because collecting all their information can be very cumbersome for you. We would love to make sure they are all happy.

Finally, as mentioned in the email, all Disney Cruise Line Party Packages are standard for each host. It is not possible to send extra.

Thank you for your thoughtful input.

 

[Tikihula]

Does anyone know any coupon codes for oriental trading company? Are they good about shipping things fast?

Thanks

I didn't have a coupon code, but when I called Oriental Trading Company yesterday (Friday, the 11th) to place an order, they said I would have it by the 23rd of January, possibly earlier, and I live in northwest Florida. I suppose the order wouldn't go out until Monday, and they say 7-10 business days for delivery. You can also request express shipment (3-5 business days) for a higher price.

 

[BCVOwner2002]

DH and I spent the morning going to various stores to check out favors, decorations, etc. While in one of the stores, we overheard two women discussing items for a cruise party. Since we know there is a person in our hometown and someone else in the next town over hosting Disney Cruise HPs, we thought perhaps it was one of them. DH wanted to ask them if they were hosting a Disney Cruise HP but I said no and was shy about it. DH finally convinced me we should ask so we did. They weren't one of the other HPs in our area but we started talking about what we were doing and they said they'd love to come to our party! We laughed and then DH asked them for their email!! I couldn't believe it! The more the merrier!

We have used Oriental Trading Company in the past for our Pirate Party and received excellent customer service and fast delivery. I don't have a discount code but if someone does - please post!! Thanks!

I'm still having some problems with the HP website. I've sent two emails but haven't heard back yet. I'll try again on Monday, if I don't hear from them over the weekend.

Annmarie

 

[InstImpres]

Oriental trading 20% off code RETPY08B

 

[BethA]

Oh I wish I had asked here for the code!! I should have known someone on the dis had one.

If anyone does a price comparison for a theme park and the cruise that would be great to have!!

I think the onboard credits would have been a great incentive to book.

 

[InstImpres]

If anyone does a price comparison for a theme park and the cruise that would be great to have!!

I often list other more day to day costs for people to consider:
- a Broadway show for your family (don't forget the tolls & parking)

- breakfast at the diner, lunch at Wendy's & dinner at TGIFridays (3 less than stellar meals for about $200 a day for a family of 4 versus the amazing DCL food...don't forget the gratuities which are low on DCL compared to your diner & TGI bill)

- a nice dinner out and a baby sitter vs. PALOs and the kids club

- an afternoon at the movies vs. FREE at the theater

Our everyday costs add up so quickly that if you look at these numbers and add a standard hotel you can get a low season DCL cruise!

 

[BethA]

Looks like there were 2 different blogs running:
http://www.houseparty.com/partynation/blog/comments/view/1716

so were all the negative posts removed??

 

[Mi3stooges]

so were all the negative posts removed??

Yes.

 

[lillygator]

FYI, for codes in the future check out naughtycodes.com and flamingoworld.com - I try and visit them before I shop....and don't forget to log into My Points or Upromise as well!

 

[lillygator]

and what negative posts are you guys talking about?

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

help@houseparty.com[/email].

I hope you have better luck with their customer service - I tried to contact them to let them know I couldn't even invite guests via their site. They responded quickly but when they asked me additional questions about my computer, which version of IE I was using, etc, I never got a response. So I'm back to square one - I'm still inviting people but can't use their site so of course it looks like I don't have any guests

And for the record, I agree with the recent posts regarding the OBCs for guests. Disney frequently offers $50 OBCs for Disney Visa card holders - and before anyone says it - I understand they recoup that money in interest. I get that. But if our party guests are booking cruises and they are new to DCL, they are likely to become repeat DCL guests. Isn't that worth a $50 OBC? Surely Disney can see the big picture!

 

["Got Disney"]

WEll I also went a hunting...I went to Party City and they have Pirate Party plates and so on...they have table cloths with Treasure maps on them. And the colors are great. Also they have POYC party stuff.

We decided to go with the other pirate stuff. Also they have a little treasure chest and we are going to fill it with pennies (treasure) and the winner gets a prize. Also a pirate coloring book and we will color pirate pictures and my kids(who will be upstairs all night) will be the judges to pick the best one for a prize...also I asked my guests to bring only $2.00 each. We will have a Bingo game for a $25.oo treasure Pot. Than Disney Pictionary.

need your opinion...please read below and play each video one after the other and tell me what you think???


We start to board at 6:00 set sail at 6:30 ist 20 minutes will be sitting and watching theses videos having our first umbrella drink....we will be watching this on a 58" plasma TV with a great sound system...

play this before we board or as we board...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ929tlOrvY&feature=related

next is our life boat drill ...this as our life boat drill.....so funny....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svpSL5xKriE

play this for the horn and count down...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxJyLen22G0&feature=related



this as we sail....and as this starts I will put a lay(late cant think of how to spell it) around there heads....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z_BAdkyqJs

Than I will play this because I am also going to have my Mantra be....Why is the Rum gone.... I will tell my girl friends "Something hot to introduce my Mantra( we ladies know hoe much we like looking at these men....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JImcvtJzIK8&feature=related


than I will give my girl friends the words to this song ...Come sail away by STYX and we will all sing it together as we drink out cocktail....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_4QopvYFs

I will than put in the Disney music CD as we Begin our party and games...



will play this before my Martini tasting
.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvaAmn-tnEs&feature=related

I have some more videos that I want to link but have to continue my search. I will copy theses and edit a little so to fit one in right after the other......what do you think????

.

 

[InstImpres]

For anyone who's looking for a different video view, the DCL special will be on travel channel on Tuesday, Jan 22 from 7-8pm & 11pm-midnight EST.

I think they get some great coverage