December 13, 2008 Western Caribbean!! Let's get acquainted!

[SILLYANDI]

Hey Everyone. Just wanted to let you all know. My mom changed the cruise to the 6th of December. So we're going a week early. I'm happy, but also sad because It would have been fun to meet you all. Hope you all have a great time.

-Cassie

Have fun! Sorry you are leaving our group

 

[Mom2grlys]

Hi everyone,

So great to find this wonderful dis board. I am new to this kind of thing and cruises, so please bear with me. We booked our cruise in November and can't wait until we finally get to board that boat!! I will be 36, DH 39, DD 12, and DD 10. We have our extended family going also, my DM and DD, his DM and DD, my BIL, SIL and their DD 12 and DS 3. Should be fun for all. I am learning all of the in's & out's and do's & dont's. After reading all of the suggestions on the different discussion boards, i am a bit overwhelmed that I will miss something or totally miss signing up for a dinner or excursion. Glad to meet everyone and I can't wait to learn more from you! Hope you don't mind me picking your brains a bit!

 

[Stinasmom]

You are going to LOVE your DCL experience and be spoiled for any other cruiseline! Just a warning!

We took our first ever cruise in 6/07 on DCL, I will never forget how it felt to see the ship and experience it all for the first time! I, too, found these boards and was hooked. Read every trip report I could find, read through all the hints and advise, took notes, asked questions, THIS IS THE PLACE!

I am also excited to see that you will have three girls between 10-12 traveling with you... are they close or would they be open to meeting my DD11? There are other DDs around that age other posters have mentioned too.

Well, again welcome to the DIS boards! Let us know if you have any questions!! Chatting here helps make the next several months go by faster!

Marcy

 

[SILLYANDI]

Welcome! I am so happy to see our cruise family growing (for a while there it kept shrinking!) I also have a DD10 who will be on the ship and one that will be days shy of 9. Our last cruise she met and e-mailed a couple of girls before the cruise and loved that she wasn't "alone". If your DD (and Marcy yours too!) are interested, maybe we could set that up for all of them too!

 

[PenskeSth1]

Welcome to our group Mom2grlys! We went on our first Disney Cruise Nov. of 2003 and we were hooked. You can get your best advice and tips right here on the Dis...These folks are a wealth of information.

SILLYANDI---I am glad to hear your house party went well even with any screw ups.

Stinasmom-- I figure we won't have any problems booking our Palo night. I would really like to try brunch once. Can you book that at the same time? We have never done the brunch. The only excursions we book are all on CC. At the other ports we go off on our own. So I don't think we will have any problems their either. I guess if we want to do the stingray excursion we should try to book that ASAP. I don't know how busy that excursion gets.

We paid our cruise off the beginning of Dec.. YEA US!!! It is soo nice to know we don't have to worry about that anymore.

Michele

 

[SILLYANDI]

Wow Michele that is so cool that you're paid off. I haven't even made any additional payments beyond the deposit. I found flights for $300 a person today so I think I'm going to book those. That's about the same we paid 2 years ago, so I think it's the best I will get.

 

[pogopossum]

hi all, i just wanted to pop in and give michelle, (and anybody else interested) the thread for the daytona nascar picks: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=22989841

good luck to anybody that wants to join in on the nascar fun. and have a good cruise.

 

[Stinasmom]

Stinasmom-- I figure we won't have any problems booking our Palo night. I would really like to try brunch once. Can you book that at the same time? We have never done the brunch. The only excursions we book are all on CC. At the other ports we go off on our own. So I don't think we will have any problems there either. I guess if we want to do the stingray excursion we should try to book that ASAP. I don't know how busy that excursion gets.

Michele

You can book it all online at the appropriate date depending on your status. (102? days out or something like that for those in Suites, 90 days for CC members, and 75 for newbies). And yes, you can book Palo dinner and brunch, but only one of each. Once on board you can request to be notified if you want another night at Palo. They will fill in open times with repeaters. You can book spa stuff and all excursions too. Also book you kids into the kids clubs. It saves some time at the port...less paperwork to get your pager.
This is all contingent upon being paid up... which we all have to be by 90 days, but it is a good idea to get it done a week or so before that 90 day mark so you know it all went through and DCL has you as PAID so you can book right at 90 days. If you have a TA, I believe they can book all of this for you... I am such a do-it-yourselfer

Great job already having the cruise paid off! Interest rates are low enough right now that that money wouldn't have earned much in 9 months. Besides, it probably feels so good to be paid up that it is worth it!
I just made the final payment for our Disneyland/San Diego trip (for March) today... I'll start paying down the DCL stuff after that trip!

We did get our timeshare booked... We'll be at the Horizons by Marriott from the 12/6- 12/13. We stayed there 12/06 too and really liked the "kid" friendly but still luxuriousness of the resort. It is near Sea World, Discovery Cove, and the new Aquatica.... Hmmm....

Marcy

 

[PenskeSth1]

My DH had a convention at the Holiday Inn on International Drive all last week and we went by the new water park at Sea World (Aquatica) it wasn't open yet but looks ready. It really is HUGE and looks like alot of fun.

The only way we could pay off our cruise was because DH received a hefty bonus from his boss... I know alot of people would rather incure the interest, but for us it was one less thing to worry about.

 

[SILLYANDI]

We need a name for our trip. All the other meets have funny names like ship of thieves and sailing with the caballeros. We need a name!

Any ideas?

So far I can't come up with anything clever.

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Well I GUESS and HOPE we are cruising with you all! We were confirmed that we won the trip and she asked when we wanted to go, well now because it "so far off" they are in no hurry to book us and its killing me!! We are in the process of buying our very first home, we close March 17th so with all going on I am so stressed lol and wish she would just hurry up and book our trip!! She said it will be in the next couple of weeks and that there was plenty of availibility so not to worry....easy for her lol
Well, let me introduce myself, I am Lucinda (40) my DH Casey (46) DD Katie (almost 4) and DD Carrie ( will be 2 in July). We have been to WDW once in 2006 and have been addicted since! We actually already had a trip booked for WDW in December 2008 which now we are just waiting to adjust it to fit with the cruise, dont think we can afford it all, but may at least do WDW for a few days before! Is anyone else??
We are really excited and scared about the cruise at the same time lol. Will definately need some support from you all!! Hope we can get this thread moving a little bit more like everyone elses!

 

[Skallywag]

So glad I have found this thread - we have booked to sail and our two grown up daughters and their boyfriends are coming as well.

There will be six of us and we are so looking forward to it. My husband and I did the 11 night Med Cruise last year, are booked on the E/B Panama and did the 2005 cruise which should have been Wesbound but had to be diverted E/B because of hurricane Wilma. Our two daughters were with us then and we had a great time.

Brenda

 

[SILLYANDI]

I get so excited everytime our little group grows!

Lucinda- I am so glad to hear you have definitely picked our cruise-I'm sure there won't be any problems booking!

Skallywag- Wow, all the eay from Englad how exciting! Have you ever been to the US before? What a trip! I am bugging my Dh to take me on a whirlwind trip to Europe but I have a feeling it won't happen until the kids are grown up!

 

[SILLYANDI]

Marcy I just PM'd you about meeting up in March...

 

[Skallywag]

Hi Everyone,

We have been to your lovely country many times and always enjoy it inspite of the long flight. That is why we enjoyed th Med cruise only 2 hour flight maximum and no jet lag.

Looking forward t meeting everyone in december.

We are flying over on the 10th (daughters joining us on the 12th) and staying at OKW our home resort. When we finish the cruise (sad) will go straight to our Westgate Vacation Villa timeshare where the start date is the 20th which is so good and that is why we chose the 13th December cruise works out good for us.
Brenda

 

[Stinasmom]

Hey everyone! Time to check in...

Lucinda-(Katiesmommy), sure hope you get this cruise booked! I can't wait to meet someone so lucky as to WIN a Disney cruise! Isn't it funny how others don't quite get the urgency that can be required to get one's family onto a particular Disney Cruise?

Which leads me to Welcoming Skallywag!
Great to hear you (Brenda) and your crew will be joining us on this cruise too! I remember you from the few weeks (last January, 2007) that I conversed on the EB Panama Canal cruise meets thread that grew to such enormous proportions even before any of us were actually booked! I, unfortunately, was a victim of DCL's computer glitches that faithful day and my EB Panama booking was kicked out of the system. My TA couldn't get us back in even pleading with DCL people... unless we wanted to wait out cancellations and pay at top tier. After some tears, I realized it wasn't meant to be and chose this cruise. I do hope you and all those crazy DISsers like DisneyVegas1, Sk8ingmom, and Justmestace have a great cruise, and yes, I will look forward to hearing all about it!!

SillyandI-- I PMed you back!

Everyone having a great Valentine's Day? Good here... well 'cept that I am on the computer and not in the arms of my Valentine! Guess that's what happens after 2 kids and 18 years of marriage!

Marcy

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Hello and welcome Skally!!
Well still havent booked us, but I am proceeding as we are already booked lol. My DD (will be 4 in april) Katie is soooo excited, her sister had to go in to the ped for vaccines yesterday and she had to tell the Dr all about her "Disney Cruise" she won lol. Dr said its unbelieveable, she is a Disney nut also and I am the only one she has ever heard to have actually won two trips to Disney lol. We are just really blessed.

Well can I start asking questions now?? lol My first, anyone have an opinion of Flounders or experience, has anyone ever went off the ship with a child in Flounders?? My kids have never seen a sitter outside of my Dad or sister, and thats only been like 3 times in their whole lives. Things is, this is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity and I really want to see the mayan ruins...but scared to leave my kids onboard...any opinions??

Also I agree we need to get a cute name for ourselves!! and maybe a running list of who all is going?? We need to breath some life in our thread!!

 

[SILLYANDI]

We used Flounder's with our youngest DD and she LOVED it! She would get really upset when we came to get her (and up to that point we had only had family babysit her too). She was just shy of her 2nd birthday.
We didn't leave her when we went off the ship, but that was only because we didn't do anything that wasn't kid friendly. I would have full faith in the staff, the only thing that would worry me is what if something happened to me in a foreign country and my kid is on a ship sailing off with Disney without me?
I'm sure there is some protocol for this situation, but that would be my only concern as a parent.

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Andrea
ty for your response!! The reason I am asking is because Katie ( our almost 4 yr) is autistic and we really really want to take her to the dolphin encounter and according to the DCL site Carrie will be too young ( 2.5).So we were just going to skip the dolphins and do the ruins...
But I went to the website direct for info and saw that we could take Carrie, they only have to be a year! But, the drawback is the only booking time available it at 3:30 and the boat leaves at 6:30 so I dont know if we could do the encounter and get back to the boat on time....arghhhhhhh lol

 

[SILLYANDI]

If you book through Disney you should be able to get a better time AND I think they would wait for you if necessary. It may be a bit more expensive but that extra money would be like "insurance".