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

[KATIESMOMMY]

Oh what a handsome young man marcy!! You have a nice looking family..yall are all so much younger than me!!

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Wow, I ran you all off, I am the official thread killer lol
I did get my cruise passporter today to tide me over though!!

 

[PenskeSth1]

I bought the passporter In 2002 for our first cruise. It is a wealth of Information. Once in a while I pop over to their community page. I haven't bought one since though.

We have been on spring break here all week so we have been busy. Wednesday we went to Sea World and last night we went to the drive in with my sons cub scout buddies (there were about 30 of us). You can't beat 2 movies for $4.00 and kids under 10 are free!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

 

[Stinasmom]

Thread killer? Nah! we just took a breather...
Now, one time I responded to a thread and they had to lock it down!!!

I just spent over 2 hours with a good friend of mine who is planning her first WDW trip for this June. She had done some research, but, boy! was I able to give her direction! Armed with DIS dining reviews, podcast and website info, she and her family are on their way!

Yesterday I had a friend over and gave similar direction about booking and going to Disneyland! Yep, they all think I should become a TA. I know, however, that I am just a well informed DISser and Disney fan, maybe a stand out in my community but nothing unusual in this online community!

At least my friend this evening brought over a bottle of wine to share while we talked and planned WDW!!!

Marcy

 

[PenskeSth1]

Marcy,
There first trip to WDW, How exciting for them! At least you got your friend pointed in the right direction. I am sure they will have a fabulous time.

DH and I always seem to go by the seat of our pants. We just aren't intense planners. Seems to have worked for us so far.

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

They had to lock the thread? Oh my Marcy lol

Katie is on spring break this week. We had gorgeous weather ( for us) and had a big bbq out on the deck for about 14 ppl in his family yesterday. It was lots of fun and the girls are really enjoying our new huge yard. Unfortunately by evening both me and my youngest were sick and throwing up, took her to the peds afterhours and its a stomach bug. Katie woke up with it this morning then too....

Well I read my passporter completely in one day and have read it at least once more now. I wish I would have gotten the deluxe version, I had thought it would be like my WDW one with the pockets and the ring binding but its not....
Big news on the Katie front though that I just have to share. They thought she was ppd-nos ( autism) with possible developmental delays, well her IEP and testing results came back last week and WOW is all I can say! They said she has now achieved all her milestones and some that she wasnt set to hit for a few years, testing at 1st grade level with her vocabulary and math skills!! At this point there are just a few emtional areas she needs to work on and of course her speech. They cant get over the progress in the last year and I was so proud!! Her birthday (4) is next Monday, am trying to plan a nice party yet for her.
Carrie has adjusted to her glasses and now gets upset to take them off. Its funny all the comments we get from ppl because she is so petite and tiny and has glasses.

So is anyone doing door signs?? I havent a clue how to do them but would love to learn!

 

[SILLYANDI]

We are on spring break this week, we're leaving to beach camp tomorrow. I can't wait. Ive got my new passporter stashed in the motorhome. I didn't want to cheat and read it before I'm sitting on the beach with my mai tai!
\Marcy-all my friends joke that I should be a TA too. I have friends of friends calling me now for planning advice.

Lucinda- Great news for Katie! My son was a micro preemie (12 weeks early)and we went through all the OT, PT, Speech, sensory integration, etc with him from the day he came home from the NICU. He's 6 now and attends regular 1st grade with speech being his only therapy. I know all too well the feeling you have walking into those IEP's- and how wonderful it is to hear your child is doing something well!The programs they have today are incredible.

I haven't had much to add lately, and haven't had much time to post. But I check in every few days!
Do you all think they will keep the weird dining rotations by the time we are cruising. It's really messing with my Palo plans & everything!

 

[SILLYANDI]

Lucinda, I am doing door signs. I did them last time too.
Here are our doors from the last trip...

 

[PenskeSth1]

Andrea, I love your door! The Mickey wreath is cute! You could hardly see our door on our 2006 cruise. I have started on designs for this cruise but don't know if I will go crazy this time. I had Kristine do a couple for DH and the kids(She is so talented and I am so NOT talented) and Tom did the name tags for us. I am hoping to surprise our friends with some for their door too!

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Andrea I just LOVE the door and the wreath!!! I am so not talented with that stuff, am hoping to win a laptop sometime soon so I can sit on the deck outside with the kids and work on learning how to do graphics and such, with this desktop not alot of time to do that stuff.

I also agree about the schools and the programs, they are just wonderful. I remember last year I was soooo depressed when Katies testing results came in, they were so very hard to digest because she was right there at the edge of the autism dxs, and for her to have done such a 180 is just a miracle...am praying for the same type of miracle for Carrie now...

Anyway........


Funny story, kinda. My wallpaper for my desktop is a pic of the Magic that I borrowed from somewhere. Anyway,16 yo neice looked over at my desktop when she was here the other night for dinner and ask, matter of factly, "Is that the Titanic??"
My DH Casey dropped his fork and said NOOOO thats the ship we WERE going to go on,but thank you for scaring me off of it

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

we were like 4 pages back so I bumped us up!!
hope everyone is doing well!!

 

[Stinasmom]

Doing well here!
Still waiting for the weather to warm up, but at least the snow is gone and over. That is not the case about 40 miles from here.... and for a good portion of the upper midwest according to the news! Brrrr!

Kids are busy with baseball and play practice. Of course that means mommy-taxi service is in full swing. DH is out of town but coming back today. Sure is easier when he's home!

I teach Jazzercise classes here and taught 7 classes in 5 days last week! Covered for someone on vacation. Teaching 4 this week.... that's more normal. Luckily we live in town... in a small town, so getting from home to all the places everyone needs to be---(often at the same time!) is possible.

Anyone else addicted to Disney podcasts? It's how I keep Disney and vacation planning in the forefront of my mind. I listen to about 10 different ones each week as well as a couple others unrelated to Disney. Of course my favorite is the DIS Unplugged! They are so funny and informative, very honest and well prepared.

Did anyone else catch the Samantha Brown special last Friday on Travel Channel? It was really great! Except she let out some secrets about being prepared, leaving the parks in the afternoon, and about fast passes that I'd just assume the whole public didn't know! Now these tips might not be as effective! Well, maybe EVERYONE doesn't watch travel channel just like when we have to remind ourselves that not EVERYONE is on the DIS!

OK, there... I contributed some "chit chat." How is everyone else? What's up? We should talk excursions sometime....


Marcy

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Wow Marcy you have been busy!!!

I am sooo up in the air about excursions, with having the little one so much we cannot do... looks like just beach breaks for us

 

[SILLYANDI]

Wow, we must be a busy group! I just checked back to see what everyone was up to and it's a bit lonely here!
It seems like I've been run ragged with life, I assume the same for everyone else.


Anyone else concerned about the new dining rotations? I'm not sure if I should plan around this rotation or the old one (or maybe both?!) What do you all think?

 

[Stinasmom]

Anyone else concerned about the new dining rotations? I'm not sure if I should plan around this rotation or the old one (or maybe both?!) What do you all think?

Yep, busy... I try to keep up with WDW and DCL on podcasts and forums every other day or so...

What dining rotations... Do you mean the 15 minute interval ones for both main and late dining?
We like late dining. If the kids are up to joining us, great, or they can eat earlier and go to their club. We love not feeling rushed to get back to the ship from a port, we like the shows either earlier or at a matinee time, and really love the later breakfast on the last day.
Now, that said, I am afraid of having the 8:30pm for late... if they are still staggering everyone by 15 minutes... that is late...

Other than that... is anyone else catching the shows on Travel Channel about Disney? It is great to see new stuff... although it all seems familiar, having been there a few times and all... I love getting to reimmerse myself in the Disney magic and spirit.. even if just for an hour in my living room!

Marcy

 

[SILLYANDI]

What dining rotations... Do you mean the 15 minute interval ones for both main and late dining?
Marcy

They switched the dining rotations from APLAPLA to something weird like APPLALP. So you repeat the 2nd restuarant for night 3 and have formal and semi formal dining in the same restaurant (which would really stink if you are in Parrot Cay in my opinion).

I think late dining would work for us being west coasters, but I like having the shows after dinner and the dining room is the highlight of family time for us so we went with early dining. It does stink having to come back in from port early to get ready, but I think we would have to come back early anyway to get ready for the shows (we missed most of them on our last cruise and I really want to catch them all this time).

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Hey everyone!!! Just saying hi, not alot going on here. Carrie starting speech therapy today and DH celebrated his 47th birthday last thursday.


We are on the early dining I guess,maybe some of us will be having dinner at the same time!!

 

[PenskeSth1]

Hey everyone! We have been busy here too. DS and I are on the road with DH.
We have late dinner also, but we are late eaters so that works for us. Our friends picked early seating, so I don't know how that is going to work. I told her if they wanted to eat with us they would have to change to late seating. She got our ressie # so that our reservations could be linked. It kind of defeats the purpose though if they pick one dinner time and we picked another.
It would really stink if Formal night is in PC. We really like AP and Lumiers. PC just doesn't seem like a formal kind of restaurant. (at least to us)

I am working on one of those Fish extender things, although I don't know how it's going to work. I'm not the most crafty person.

 

[Stinasmom]

Hello~~
Still here too.
This week has been weird... on the DIS that is. I am a huge DIS podcast fan, have listened every week for well over a year. On Monday one of the 6 people who make up the "roundtable" died unexpectedly. You can read all about it on the podcast forum. I haven't posted since... I have no idea what to say. I feel like I lost a close friend... albiet, one I'd never actually met.
Well, anyway, I sure hope the rest of the podcast team is OK. They all seem like VERY close friends, not just colleagues.

About the dining rotation... only 1/3 of the ship will be at PC for formal night... since it is the same night for everyone. So you have a 2/3's chance that you will NOT be in PC that night.
There is also Palo. It is a good idea to make ressies ahead of time based on your plans like excursions at certain ports, special day celebrations, etc. But when you check in and get your KTTW (key card) it will have your dining rotation on it (at the bottom... LAAPLAP or something). When you get on the ship there will still be ressies available and you can change to a night when you have already been to say "A" twice, or if we know formal night is typically Cozumel (just a guess), and you are in PC for that night, then go with Palo. Although this doesn't include kids. In which case, I would dress them up for pictures with the captain and characters but feed them otherwise and hit Palo later.
Just 2 cents worth...
Marcy

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

popping us back up, its been a while! and say hiya to all!!