Welcome, everyone.
I haven't posted in awhile.
I will be glad to try and answer some of the questions, but please correct me if I am mistaken or leave something out.
!. What is MouseFest?
I think that you can get a lot of information from last years and previous years website at
www.MouseFest.org . But please feel free to ask me if you have any specific questions and I will try to answer them.
I have always gone to WDW in the first two weeks of December, so it was very easy for me go to these meets.
Several years ago, one of many unofficial Disney web sites decided to get together at the same time in December for a few days.
After all, these people had been talking about Disney online all year.
Then several other people from other unofficial Disney sites got together to meet in WDW, too.
I remember when the Disney Information Station (DIS) had a huge DISboards meet headed by the owner of the DIS, Pete Werner.
He and the moderators had planned special meets like renting a convention hall at the Beach and Yacht Club, and an Epcot Illuminations Dessert Party, and a private MGM Tower of Terror meet.
Plus their were many other separate meets by smaller DIS groups much like ourselves here.
Then Deb Wills of
www.AllEars.com and Dave and Jennifer Marx of
www.PassPorter.com started planning the first MouseFest meet that welcomed all of the unofficial online Disney communities to get together during one of the first two weeks of December every year for four nights on a Disney Wonder cruise followed with about four or five days on land at WDW.
Anyone and everyone is always welcome to any MouseFest meet.
Many went to land events and/or cruise events.
I think that MouseFest was a way to meet other unofficial Disney communities and their owners and members that we have only heard about or met online.
At the same time many of the members were also book writers about Disney and they came to these MouseFests, too.
Last year, at the MouseFest Mega Meet, many authors were their signing their books in person.
Everyone has one thing in common...the love of everything Disney.
As you look at the website at
www.MouseFest.org , you'll notice that almost all the meets are free and welcome anyone to any meet.
There may a few meets that may cost money.
For instance, the most common personal cost is WDW park entrance to get to a particular attraction ride meet.
Or another personal cost may be to have a meet to eat lunch or dinner at a restaurant.
These meets are usually first come first serve and usually require an RSVP so the the host of the meet can make Advanced Dinner Reservations (ADR's)
180 days in advance.
And sometimes if a table of 8 is full, another host will step in to volunteer to make an ADR for the same meet.
But most of the time if a meet is to ride an attraction or watch a parade or to see fireworks together the number of guests could be almost unlimited.
And on the Disney Wonder cruise, Deb Wills and Dave and Jennifer Marx will be onboard with their own meets open to everyone whether you signup for MouseFest or not.
Of Course, there may be one or two meets that may cost money.
I know that one that I went too was the Parasailing meet on
Castaway Cay Island and that was the cost that Disney charged.
Last year, at the sailaway party that Disney gives on deck 9, the DIS met on deck 10 and so did MouseFest.
But a lot of both just went down on the deck 9 where all of the action was to dance.
Deb held a meet at Cove Cafe, and Dave did a great walking tour of Nassau.
If I were to go to one cruise meet, I wish you all could go to Deb Wills' "Walk, Stroll, Roll around the deck for brest cancer. Last year, one of the MouseFest sponsors donated $5.00 to every person that came the meet. This is my number one meet to go to every year.
And if you sign up with the MouseFest sponsor
travel agent, thay actually have agents onboard to help you with anything that you need.
Like sitting you together with other MouseFesters at dinner, or having special welcoming gifts and going away parties. Just P.M. me if you would like any more information.
But anyone can sign up for free on the MouseFest cruise and they will be putting daily reminders at your stateroom doors of all of the meets each day.
2. I like using the porters on land and sea. It is so much easier for me.
On the cruise ship, before parking, you can drive right up to the entrance, drop off your family and drive about 30 feet further to drop off your luggage and then drive into the parking lot accross the street.
Or you can park first and carry your luggage to the same area without a porter.
I use a mobility scooter and I was very tired after putting my scooter together and I really wanted to use a porter to take my luggage in.
So I just asked someone walking by me in the parking lot if they could send a porter back to the parking lot.
It was easy to spot another MouseFester to ask because they were wearing a MouseFest yellow landyard around their neck.
Disney people are so friendly even if they are a stanger.
And as far as departing the cruise ship, as you exit the ship and enter the luggage area, you just ask any porter that you pass to please pick up your luggage and they walk out with you to the parking lot and your car.
3. Last year and I guess every year the Wonder always opens their parking lot around 10:30 to 11:00 A.M. and let you enter the Diseny terminal building.
Then you check in and they give you a number that they call out when it is your turn to check in, so that you don't have to stand in a long line. The number is for about 50 or more people at a time. Then they call the next number and so on until everyone has boarded.
The Sailaway party alway seems to be at 4:30 P.M after the mandatory Boat Drill.
And toward the end of the Sailaway party at 5:15 P.M. the ship departs the port.
I presume that they do the same thing on Thursday, December 11th per your question.
4. Oh, yes on Tuesday, after leaving Castaway Cay Island departure, the young pirates start appearing everywhere on the ship.
Every year, MouseFest sponsors a pirate contest with some wonderful prizes for anyone for free.
And at dinner all of the place settings include a pirate scarf to put on your head so everyone can be a pirate.
So to answer your question about the DIS and MouseFest, I would like to think that this thread is about both.
We could have our own meet onboard as DISboarders or we could even make an official DIS meet and invite other MouseFesters from other communities to join us.
Anyone interested.
One year I hosted a Christmas Tree Lighting meet onboard with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto singing and lighting the tree and making it snow on the first night in the atrium.
This meet would be free of course, just show up and say hello and maybe take a group photo.
That's the nice thing about getting to know everyone ahead of time on these forums.
You get to meet them in person on sea or land.
And a meet could be 3 or 4 people or a larger group of just DISboarders of 10 or 20, or an open MouseFest meet open to anyone that shows up.
Some meets might cost money and require a reservation like meeting for the
DCL Palo Brunch or Palo Dinner.
But it doesn't cost any thing to smile and watch the Mickey gang sing and light a christmas tree.
Or meet on Castway Cay for lunch, or sand castle building on the sand.
Sincerely, Ray
I look forward to getting to know you the next 10 months. 
). This will also be my moms first cruise and she too will be celebrating her bithday, which is Dec22. I have to go back and read thru this thread and play catch up. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I just booked 2 days ago and got and cat.6 room on deck 6. I saw only one room review and it was good. I will add my room review when I get back to help others decide if it's for them. I have so much to learn about cruises and have 9 months to do it in. Glad to have found this thread and hope to meet other Diser's on the cruise!
