December 16, 2012 Disney Dream 3-night

[SueTGGR]

Hi, everyone! We just switched over to this cruise and hopefully this will be our last switch. It will be myself-Sue, DH-Jeff and our 12 yr old son-Alec! We booked on board in June and Jeff wants to be Gold before the Mediterranean we have set for next June so we thought about Christmas with Disney would be something different, so here we are. We will cruise with all of you then head over to WDW and a short trip to see Harry Potter, too.
I think I will jump into the FE but I will think on it for a week or two more. I have so much stuff this Summer I don't want to disappoint anyone. I hope to get to know you guys on here and if anyone wants to set up a Facebook page just for our cruise, that will be fine by me. We did that with both our last cruises and the conversation flows a little easier there. But I'm up for whatever you choose.
Off to bed as we are headed down to So Cal tomorrow afternoon to get a quick visit in to MIL then off to Disneyland! Not sure if Alec will hang with Grandma and give us adult time in Disneyland or if he will be joining us. I'm sure it will get worked out on the drive down.
Later,
Sue

 

[SueTGGR]

Ohhh...if for some reason we get upgraded or our room assignment changes at the time of boarding, how will we let everyone know?

I saw another group organize their participants and it was brilliant! It's towards the beginning of the thread. http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2860557&highlight=fish+extender+gifts

Wow talk about talented and organized but then it looked like it was for a Podcast Cruise, too!!
Typically in the other cruises, whoever is the organizer or keeper of the list, will get all updates on cabin numbers as we get closer to the sail away. The one cruise I did FE's for was crazy. We had a lot of people (35+ cabins) and some signed up and said they were participating and then did nothing. Some changed and didn't let anyone know. I think 10+ cabins added in the last few weeks. It was really frustrating. But the ones I have seen that ran smoothly had a FIRM cut off day, the organizer was at the meet up on the 1st day of the cruise and had any changes and also let everyone know that they would post changes on their stateroom door if they didn't make it to the meet-up.
Personally I printed out maps and had all the rooms marked. We passed out the gifts over the course of our cruise but with only being on board for 3 nights it will be interesting. If it is a small group it will be a piece of cake!
Talk to you next week!
Sue

 

[Ward On Board]

I'm glad you and your family are joining us! I hope you all are having a great time at Disneyland. Thanks for the answers to my previous questions. I am also fine communicating with whatever suits the masses--here or Facebook are both great for me.

I hope you plan on participating in the FE. I've already got so many ideas!!!

 

[maidenfairy]

5 months from today we will be setting sail! I'm so excited I can't wait!

Now what are some gift ideas out there? I'm thinking 1 per state room, but I'm not sure what.

 

[SueTGGR]

5 months from today we will be setting sail! I'm so excited I can't wait!

Now what are some gift ideas out there? I'm thinking 1 per state room, but I'm not sure what.

Last one we did I made magnets (not going to tell much more because I may use the same idea for this cruise). We did one for each person in the cabin and then a little goody bag for the cabin with candy and a deck of small cards with Disney themed games to play. We have been given all kinds of things. Some people will have things from where they are from (we got a bag of chips with Old Bay seasoning from people in MD) or have the kids help make something (cute foam cozies? for your soda or beer) and lots of stuff with a pirate theme like stickers or tattoos or travel coloring books. One cruise was in January, so I got a magnet made from Vista Print with a calendar on it for the year. Anyone else want to share?
Night all!
Sue

 

[Ward On Board]

I have several ideas in mind, but cannot decide! Here are some of the ideas I have so far:

• Disney themed Christmas ornament (I have seen several and LOVE them and hope others would love them as much as I do!)
• Castaway Cay sand bottles
• Handmade earrings
• Bear necessitites kit (cute, but seems popular and don't want to repeat!!)
• Scrapbook
• Altered paint cans (SO Cute) to store gift in, but wondering if it will fit in the FE?
• Personalized tote bags (hoping someone is talented enough to create these! )
• Sewn crayon kits for the kids
• Mickey morsels for the kids (baggie of M&M's with a cute topper)

I've got so many more ideas...I could go on and on and on!! I'm SO excited!!!

 

[Ward On Board]

Does anyone know if the massages and pedicures on ship are worth the cost?

 

[Elaine Dragonlady]

Hi Everybody - Sorry we've been away from the forum for such a long time, firstly vacation I have to say that if the cruise is as good as our 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy we are all in for a great time. Then we had loads of computer problems

First can I say Hi and Welcome from the Crowleys and the Lanzers to all those who have joined us recently.

We will definitely be doing the FE, we enjoyed it last time, even though I did 116 hand made gifts. I'm not saying what I did as I will be doing something similar this time. On that cruise they said it was up to you, you had to do at least one gift per cabin, but were free to do more if you wished to. They also split the list as it became clear what a big group it was going to be, but I had been making the gifts as people signed up, and as they were specifically for that cruise, we gave them out anyway. Quite alot of others did the same, we certainly received gifts from folk who weren't on our half of the list. I think the list was closed about 60 days before sailing.

That group also had a name - 'Fantasy becomes Reality'. It gives the group an identity and a talking point. So can I suggest we do the same. My idea would be 'The Dream Before Christmas'. Maybe you could all let me know if you like this idea, or any alternative suggestions you may have.

As for the FEs themselves, there were so many different ones on the Fantasy cruise. From the very simple - one family had just got four little zip up bags, wrote their names on with fabric pens, and attached them to a ribbon with a loop at the top to go over the fish - to the very complicated - ours. The pockets were hand embroidered with our names and a couple of little designs that told a bit about us. Bryan is a fanatical Manchester United supporter (Football or Soccer to our USA friends) and he had a player in MU strip and a club badge. You'll probably guess that I had a dragon, and also a lady in 13th Century costume, as I love Mediaeval history. Our younger daughter, Hannah, who won't be travelling this time, had the butterflies and rabbits she loves. I sewed the pockets onto a piece of Union Jack fabric. The one mistake I did make was making it a bit too wide - the space between the two doors is only about 9 inches.

My next job is making Elisa and Terry's (our daughter and son in law - Tink UK) I'm trying to find a piece of Stars and Stripes fabric to put with the Union Jack fabric I have left for the backing - she's English, he's American. They too may not be on the forum for a while - theyr'e both Cast Members at Disneyworld and of course are working alot of hours at the moment.

We'll it's just after 5am here in the UK, and tiredness is at last overcoming my insomnia, so I'll say goodnight to you all and look forward from hearing more from you.

Elaine XX

 

[smittledoggies]

Hi there! We are sailing these dates too. Very excited for our first cruise! Also excited that we are cruising to watch my sister get married on the island!!! I'd like to get in on the FE fun if I may It's me (Nissa-27) and my hubby (Johnathon 28). We have quite a large group going for the wedding but we are the only ones so far to sign on for the FE group. Very nice to meet you all and I CANNOT wait until december!!!

 

[maidenfairy]

Welcome! A wedding sounds like a great reason to cruise. Wish I had thought I that 11 years ago

What excursions are everyone doing? I haven't decided if we will do any in Nassau. Last cruise we went to the Blue Lagoon. It was very peaceful and calm, but we are thinking of just staying on ship this go around. I'd like to go to Atlantis but I don't think I can justify the cost for 2 adults and 2 kids.

 

[Elaine Dragonlady]

Hi there! We are sailing these dates too. Very excited for our first cruise! Also excited that we are cruising to watch my sister get married on the island!!! I'd like to get in on the FE fun if I may It's me (Nissa-27) and my hubby (Johnathon 28). We have quite a large group going for the wedding but we are the only ones so far to sign on for the FE group. Very nice to meet you all and I CANNOT wait until december!!!

Welcome to our group, we are looking forward to meeting you all in December. You must all be so excited about the wedding. My daughter and son in law got married at the Wedding Pavilion at WDW nearly four years ago, and we had the Reception at the Sonoma Room at the Contemporary. It really was a perfect wedding and I'm sure the one you are attending will be just the same. Elisa and Terry will be on the cruise with us, I'm sure they will be hoping for a glance of another Disney romance - they met when Elisa was on International College programme at WDW!

Looking forward to hearing more about you and your party,

Elaine

 

[Ward On Board]

Nice to "meet" you all. A wedding on the island sounds absolutely beautiful! I've been super busy this week trying to find things to make for my boys to play with in the car. So, I decided on a felt Mr. Potato Head. He's coming along great...... Complete with a Mickey, Minnie and Buzz costume! Oh, and a pirate

We're not doing any excursions for our first cruise. We're going to take in everything and save excursions for another trip.

 

[Elaine Dragonlady]

The Prototype is finished but still a bit unsure of some details. . At least it's a start.

 

[Elaine Dragonlady]

We will definitely be visiting this before and/or after our cruise - our daughter has been chosen to sing in the Cast Member's choir. So excited for her.
Also, my weight loss has reached 16 pounds
Great day.

 

[smittledoggies]

Thanks for the welcomes! I am SUPER excited for my sisters wedding on Castaway Cay I know my husband and I will not be doing any excursions...the wedding will take up the day on the island, and I think the other days we just kind of want to explore the ship and what have you...We have both never been on a cruise so we're not sure what to expect. I've been trying to sift through these boards and suck out as much info as I can...although I have to say I spent a majority of the time going through the cruise food photo thread

 

[maidenfairy]

I love looking at all the pics of food from the ship. I'm trying to lose weight for the cruise, so I've curtailed looking cause the pics make me hungry.

 

[smittledoggies]

hehehe...I know. My sister and I are both trying to lose too...she's doing better than me...I seem to be stuck in the 'I'm starting tomorrow' phase... Does anyone know if there is good stuff to do on board the ship the day we stop in Nassau? As odd as it is I'm looking for things to do indoors. I have a severe sun sensitivity (lame right?) and I'm not looking to break out in hives the day before the wedding

 

[Elaine Dragonlady]

Don't worry about being bored if you can't go out in the sun, there's just so much to do. Cinema with a selection of films, quizzes, wine, cocktail, and beer tasting, the spa, the Midship Detective agency, just browsing around and looking at the wonderful artwork, including interactive. And all your new friends to chat to over a coffee or cocktail .....and lots more I can't bring to mind right now. There was so much we hadn't done at the end of our 7 day in May.

Elaine

 

[maidenfairy]

15.5 weeks to go! How is everyone's planning going? I'm busy making fe gifts and at some point I should make the FE!

If you are losing weight for the cruise, how's your progress? What is your workout plan? I've lost a couple pounds. I'm going to the gym 3-4 classes a week. Lots of yoga, pilates and the elliptical. Trying a spin class this weekend. I'm hoping my short legs can work the bike.

 

[Keggy]

Hello! My husband and I will be sailing on this cruise with you all.
Robert - both mid 30s
Kelly

We are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. We were married on Castaway Cay exactly 10 years to the day that we will be here on this sailing. So, we thought it was meant to be that this sailing will
Actually put us back there on the exact date!!

We are sailing without our daughter, first trip without her but we are on the fantasy at the end of this month, so I feel a little less guilty!

This will be our 9th Disney cruise and third on the Dream. If any new cruisers have any questions, I'm happy to help.

Kelly aka Keggy