Dec. 7, 2008 4 nite Mousefest Cruise - who's all going?

[Hanover]

They do have plenty of sand pails and beach items you can buy at CC too. I know they are a good $15++. We felt like we really got our money's worth with the snacks, drinks and of course the look on the boy's faces when they found the baskets. I realized how much they meant to them when the last 2 cruises they couldn't wait to open the door to see if they had something in there for them. They are thrilled to be on the cruise in the 1st place, but they love getting the baskets too from "Mickey and the gang." The baskets have a good 8-10 little sand toys & shovels in them.

One trip we did not get the baskets we asked at CC if our boys could borrow sand buckets from the kid's club and they had tons of them they were lending.

 

[J_LO]

Hanover & WeLuvDCL- Thanks for the great info! The kids will be thrilled to hear that they can be together! I've been prepping the kids for the possibility that they will be split up, so this is great news, they are best buddies!

We are doing the land/sea trip so we will be staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort beforehand. After the cruise we will stay at the Clarion for a couple of extra days before heading home.

I keep reading about FISH EXTENDERS… I read that you pack presents to leave for others while on the cruise… is that right? You can buy or make one to hang outside your door??

Also, on CC we are going to do the stingray encounter, has anyone done this before and is it pretty cool? Are there any good places to snorkel off shore by chance as well or is it best to book an add on package for this?

I bought the passporters books and have read them cover to cover but i keep learning these new things here on the boards as well!

Thanks so much!!

 

[Hanover]

J-lo, we've done the sting rays twice. Once last December and it was great. The boys seemed to really like it. It was a bit churned up so we couldn't see much there snorkeling. In August I took DS7 to the sting ray feeding again on CC when my husband and ds11 went on a jet ski tour (which they said was AWESOME). This time DS7 did not care for it and literally clung to my neck. He was freaked out by some of the big fish around the sting ray feeding areas and when the sting rays came by and rubbed against his legs he literally jumped out of the water on to my back & neck. He couldn't wait to get out of there that time.

As far as snorkeling goes, the snorkel lagoon is a must do for us. We bring our own stuff we've had a few years we bought at Sam's club or Costco. You have to wear a yellow life vest (but it doesn't have to be blown up all the way) they will provide at lifeguard stand or the snorkel gear rental shop. We love going out and finding all of the treasures hidden in the lagoon. If you see buoys in the water, there's always something good to find near them. It was a tad cold in the water last December, but you get used to it and the weather quickly warmed us up once we got out. DS7 has a little short sleeved wet suit I'm going to try and remember to pack becuase he turned a shade of blue he was so cold last December in the water. It had rained earlier that day so I think it was colder than the December water the year before we were at CC.

The fish extender is a small gift exchange. If you look up fish extenders on Ebay you can see what they are. I will try and find my picture of ours. You hang it outside the stateroom door and the individuals in a fish extender group share little gifts, leaving them as a surprise for the recipients to find. We did this for the first time in August and the boys loved it. They got all kinds of neat little treats. Some groups do a gift per each person, some do a family gift per cabin. It can be something like a post card or a bag of little stuff, it's up to the giver what they'd like to give.

 

[J_LO]

GREAT INFO!! Thanks so much!

Now I have heard a lot of people talking about booking their next cruise while they are still on the cruise...do you get a really good deal or something??

Thanks so much!!

Jennifer

 

[mvlimmex]

GREAT INFO!! Thanks so much!

Now I have heard a lot of people talking about booking their next cruise while they are still on the cruise...do you get a really good deal or something??

Thanks so much!!

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,

Welcome to this cruise thread. It is hard to believe that this cruise is just over 3 weeks away

Yes, you can get a great deal booking another cruise while on aboard. With 7 night cruises you can get 10% off, plus on board credit. With 3/4 night cruises, I think you get OBC.

I think somebody told me once thay you especially get great deals if you book on board the same time of year you are sailing. Either way the OBC is nice and if you take a longer cruise the 10% off is nice too.

Vicki

 

[memobrien]

Hi Jennifer,

Welcome to this cruise thread. It is hard to believe that this cruise is just over 3 weeks away

Yes, you can get a great deal booking another cruise while on aboard. With 7 night cruises you can get 10% off, plus on board credit. With 3/4 night cruises, I think you get OBC.

I think somebody told me once thay you especially get great deals if you book on board the same time of year you are sailing. Either way the OBC is nice and if you take a longer cruise the 10% off is nice too.

Vicki

With all the econmic issues and other big promos going on for WDW, I wonder if they will offer better deals online. Not that isn't a good deal. But I think in general place are offering more and more deals.

Maura

 

[Hanover]

With all the econmic issues and other big promos going on for WDW, I wonder if they will offer better deals online. Not that isn't a good deal. But I think in general place are offering more and more deals.

Maura

I think DCL will offer some decent deals in the next year. They just recently extended the military discount to include FBI, CIA, secret service and NASA employees plus the National Guard, Coast Guard and Reserves.

The fall bounceback deal I thought was exceptional and we took advantage of it with booking a 4 day on 2/1/09. I was afraid they wouldn't have any staterooms available for the $99 rate we wanted on 8/13 and went ahead and booked it. We're hoping to cancel/rebook the same cabin with the $99 code once we can start booking in April. There were only 8 staterooms in category 6 left in August so they are still booking them up----we'll see if they remain at that capacity once final payments are due.

They are really offering some great land perks right now and into mid 2009 too.

 

[goofy4tink]

Anyone else excited about it being down to just about 3 weeks??? I leave for WDW 3 weeks from tomorrow!!!!

 

[TiggerTails57]

Anyone else excited about it being down to just about 3 weeks??? I leave for WDW 3 weeks from tomorrow!!!!

Me!!!

 

[mkmommy]

I am starting to get in the panic mode. No one does my work at work or home when I am gone, so I run around like a chicken with my head cut off to work ahead before I leave. It is going to be hectic the next 3 weeks. I leave 3 weeks tomorrow also.

I am starting on the packing list and last night I glued the string on my fish extender, but now my husband tells me that there is a problem with the camera and we should get a new one, so I guess I will need to add camera shopping in.

My youngest daughter is most concerned that I am travelling alone and she thinks it would be best if she came to make sure I am ok

Lisa

 

[Jazmine8]

Well I'm sort of excited but am really glad my bone spur problem is much better. With the help of the Dr. Scholl's corn pad remover I was able to do a little cutting of mine own and removed it myself. It was dead skin so no blood or pain. Now after I get back from the crusie I will have the foot surgery to remove the bone spur from the side of my toe altogether. My job wants me to fly out to Tucson AZ the week before the cruise for 4 days and I really don't want to. I'de be gome from Dec 1-4 and I then I'll be back on a plane again Dec 6. That's alot of flying in a very short amount of time. I'm trying to get out of it but it doesn't look that way right now.

I think I'll be more excited when I'm actually exiting the plane in Orlando and riding the shuttle across to board ME to the resort...........and even more excited when I see the DCL terminal for the first time

 

[the2princessesmom]

I leave three weeks from tomorrow too

Hi Jennifer, Welcome!

I ordered beach totes for my girls from Shirley. What a great Lady she was just so nice to talk to. I can't wait to see them.

I know what you mean about being hectic Lisa. I started my Christmas baking last night. Today I'm wraping Christmas gifts. I've also started to pack some of our things while the girls are at school and hope they don't notice the missing things. I've decided to do a scavenger hunt to surprise them. So I'm trying to think up clues and get that ready.

Lill

 

[memobrien]

Anyone else excited about it being down to just about 3 weeks??? I leave for WDW 3 weeks from tomorrow!!!!

Excited? ... hmmm OH MY GOD - yes we are excited!!! Actually 3 weeks nore now we would be jsut about touching down in orlando.

I need to get my packing list going and get organized. Thatsgoing tobe a goal this weekend. Because i need to get some holiday stuff done now too before it gets too late.

I'm going to call Shirley later today and place an order. Iknow my DD will get a big kick out of it.

maura

 

[mkmommy]

Ok so being the mean mother I am, I never ordered a gift basket for the girls last March. They of course made a friend and were invited into her room to see some special towel creatures that their cabin host had made. Well this girl's parents had ordered a basket and my girls were so disappointed that they did not get one. Every once in a while they still ask about why they did not get one, so I am scared to do something like this as they would want it all the time.

I see lots of you are celebrating Birthday on the cruise, what a great way to celebrate.

Lisa

 

[Jazmine8]

Ya know there was this guy on another thread making up clues for his wife to discover where he was taking her. He use disneylike clues in an way and got up to clue #4 before his wife googled some of his lines and came up with the disboards whuch she had no knowledge of at the time. He said she was delighted at the trouble he went through to suprise her. Here's the link Wickedly Creative people NEEDED to help for surprise for the Wife! CLUE 3 POSTED!

I leave three weeks from tomorrow too

Hi Jennifer, Welcome!

I ordered beach totes for my girls from Shirley. What a great Lady she was just so nice to talk to. I can't wait to see them.

I know what you mean about being hectic Lisa. I started my Christmas baking last night. Today I'm wraping Christmas gifts. I've also started to pack some of our things while the girls are at school and hope they don't notice the missing things. I've decided to do a scavenger hunt to surprise them. So I'm trying to think up clues and get that ready.

Lill

 

[memobrien]

Ok so being the mean mother I am, I never ordered a gift basket for the girls last March. They of course made a friend and were invited into her room to see some special towel creatures that their cabin host had made. Well this girl's parents had ordered a basket and my girls were so disappointed that they did not get one. Every once in a while they still ask about why they did not get one, so I am scared to do something like this as they would want it all the time.

I see lots of you are celebrating Birthday on the cruise, what a great way to celebrate.

Lisa

yeah i do know what you mean... and i worry that it would set the trend too. But where this is suppose tobe a birthday celebration too, i think i'm going for it.

My daughters and my birthdays are either on a holiday or really close to it, so we can't ever go away on the actual dates. (Family would kill us) So we end up celelbrating it NEAR the actual date. Actually my daughter is insisting that this cruise for both our birthdays. hehe The cruise is technically SMACK in the middle of the two of them.

 

[Jazmine8]

Okay so who's all celebrtaing birthday on this cruise? I know me Dec 8th, my mom Dec 22, memobrien and daughter, tiggerstail or hanover (correct if I'm wrong pls).............who else?

 

[WonderlandsMostWantd]

Hi! Long time lurker, first time poster!

I'm SOOO excited for my first cruise!

Has anyone gotten their documents, luggage tags, Magical Express tags yet? We're doing the land and sea for this cruise, and I'm getting anxious!

Also, I'll be celebrating my 30th Birthday ON the 7th!

I can't wait!!

 

[LoveMickey]

We leave 3 weeks from today.

This is our 4th MF cruise. Can't wait to see the Florida sunshine, it's been so gloomy here in Western Mass.

 

[Jazmine8]

Same here so who ya cruisin with? BTW Saggies rock!

Hi! Long time lurker, first time poster!

I'm SOOO excited for my first cruise!

Has anyone gotten their documents, luggage tags, Magical Express tags yet? We're doing the land and sea for this cruise, and I'm getting anxious!

Also, I'll be celebrating my 30th Birthday ON the 7th!

I can't wait!!