December 26, 2006, on the MAGIC!!!!

[videogal1]

It's wonderful that they remember the dog--I bet he can tell he's welcome! How does he like cruising? Did he ever have problems getting his "sea legs?" I saw in your block that you actually went on a Service Dog Training Cruise--was that specifically for training the dogs how to get around on the ship, or was it general training for them? It's SO great that they have programs like that--must be a Godsend. It's always nice when they get special attention, too. What a life! Does he enjoy Castaway Cay?

1. Actually, everyone remembers and greets HIM...I'm the invisible one.

2. He doesn't mind cruising... No "sea legs" problems...he's got 4 so I think he's self-leveling. It's the little kiddie pool full of grass on the verandah that he has to get used to going potty in every time...

3. No special programs..The training cruise was advanced training for Service Dogs. On this one some of the dogs learned pickup and deliver tasks, others general obedience. Some, like Cash, learned to read commands...On this upcoming cruise he'll be working on adding another word command to his list. I like to use cruises as training settings for him because there's a built-in audience that provides the important distraction element that makes him practice his concentration... We just hang out on deck 9 and set up school there amidst all the pedestrian traffic... He's such a ham and does really well with an audience... You should have seen him performing at the repo cruise talent show...so funny...I actually think he remembers those lessons better than the schooling he gets at home! Besides, the staff provides him with prime rib scraps as training incentives...

4. He has special favorite trees on Castaway Cay and in Nassau that he likes to visit each time. He goes crazy in the sand, after being cooped up on the ship for a few days...Heaven only knows what he'll be like after three weeks on board...!

 

[kimszath]

Jody--Take as many bottles as you like! Just don't put them in your "checked" luggage--you get one carryon--I'd make it a rollaboard, and carry them all in that. Again, do NOT put them in the luggage to be delivered to your room!!!

Lynda--I wanted to ask that question, but didn't have the nerve!!! Where does the kiddie pool full of grass come from??? I bet he does love the beach, though. What dog doesn't?

 

[videogal1]

Jody--Take as many bottles as you like! Just don't put them in your "checked" luggage--you get one carryon--I'd make it a rollaboard, and carry them all in that. Again, do NOT put them in the luggage to be delivered to your room!!!

Lynda--I wanted to ask that question, but didn't have the nerve!!! Where does the kiddie pool full of grass come from??? I bet he does love the beach, though. What dog doesn't?

Sand, not water...The moving water freaks him out..... and, DCL provides the sod and pool...Watch for all the sod on the pier waiting to be loaded...

 

[kimszath]

That is just amazing. I had no idea. Well, they say you learn something new every day!!! Who would've thought my coolest conversation all day would be about... well, you know.

 

[videogal1]

That is just amazing. I had no idea. Well, they say you learn something new every day!!! Who would've thought my coolest conversation all day would be about... well, you know.

Well, it's all in a day's work for him....poor guy. He started out watching big carts being banged around at SAM's Club to get him used to noise and by standing in long checkout lines over and over to learn how to inch forward as in a slowly moving line...like at WDW......at the mall, at grocery stores, wherever there was a line, we were in it. Stood for an hour watching people ride escalators, getting used to the feel of vibrating metal underfoot. Learning to go potty on command, fly on airplanes, load and ride elevators, not to eat food off the ground, how to pull a cart loaded and empty, how to carry a pack, how to help me walk, how to pick things up that I drop and give them to me...or someone else. No normal life for him. Going potty in a small container is a tough one and some dogs just won't do it...
I get asked about that a LOT on a cruise...Mostly I say on the poop deck
Great dog...

 

[kimszath]

I just told my son about the "poop deck!" He thinks it's hilarious! He'll be one of those thousand kids onboard who don't understand that Cash is working, and not there to play or be petted... I suppose he's been trained to be gracious about that, too! It'll be wonderful to meet you both. We still have friends we keep up with from our first cruise--the DIS boards are just the best!!!
How many cruises do you go on yearly? We hope to do a bit more of it ourselves... one day... I hope. Anybody got a lottery ticket???

 

[videogal1]

I just told my son about the "poop deck!" He thinks it's hilarious! He'll be one of those thousand kids onboard who don't understand that Cash is working, and not there to play or be petted... I suppose he's been trained to be gracious about that, too! It'll be wonderful to meet you both. We still have friends we keep up with from our first cruise--the DIS boards are just the best!!!
How many cruises do you go on yearly? We hope to do a bit more of it ourselves... one day... I hope. Anybody got a lottery ticket???

Cash always wears "clothing"...either a red vest or the full handle harness with red pack (my purse) when in public and,as a reminder, both of the outfits sport a big patch that says Please don't pet me, I'm working...That's not to say it works...I often tell adult transgressors that it's an adult literacy test...Men are the worst...Your son will remember, though, I'm sure. Many kids and adults, when discovering there's a service dog on board, remember the rule about strange dogs...always ask before petting...and a large number of them already know not to bother a service dog...In most states it's against the law to interfere with a dog while it's working. Eventually the word gets around and I hear choruses of "there's Cash...Don't touch him..." For those who get too close I have occasionally yelled NO to embarass them and have even quietly grabbed an outstretched hand or arm.

Cash is a rather aloof dog and lacks that wiggly "pet me 'cause I'm SO happy to see you" public persona. (In other words, he's pretty stuck up.) On our first cruise, years ago, I learned pretty quickly that after a day of little hands reaching out to touch him over and over, he's a little cranky. I do, however, if there's an interest, take him around the ship undressed for a while one day to give passengers and crew an opportunity to treat him like a dog...he needs a break from work, too...

So far we've managed several weeks of cruising or visiting DL or WDW each year...Don't ask me how...No lottery tickets here...too bad! I still keep in touch with lots of the DIS-ers we met through the meets boards. On special cruises we see many of the same people...one of the absolute BEST things about cruising with people you meet on these boards before the cruise...built-in friends and pre-arranged activities....YAYYYY!

One of these days our schedules will overlap once again and I'll be able to pair up with a DIS-ser and avoid that dreaded single supplement...

I can hardly wait to meet you and your family and the people who join this thread later in the year...It'll be SOOO fun!

 

[kimszath]

Yep, Luke understands not to pet working dogs, but I think with a lot of kids, it's just such a natural attraction, and so many of them (AND their parents) don't understand the concept. It's great that he gets some doggy time, though! Does he actually enjoy kids when he's "off duty?"

As for winning the lottery, we decided to just go ahead and move down here, since we love Disney so much--we feel like we've won it! We're so close to everything, and it's a blast (pun intended!) to watch the shuttle and the rockets launch from our back yard! We can see the fireball and smoke clearly from about 5 secondsd after launch--we're a good 30 miles as the crow flies. And we can be inside the gate at the Magic Kingdom in an hour. We bought into DVC on our last cruise, and we LOVE it! Now we can head over anytime. I am going to rent a couple hundred points here shortly to pay the balance on our cruise, though. Our Use Year starts TODAY! We would definitely like to cruise more often, though. Sure wish they'd drop the points required to go on a cruise...

 

[videogal1]

Yep, Luke understands not to pet working dogs, but I think with a lot of kids, it's just such a natural attraction, and so many of them (AND their parents) don't understand the concept. It's great that he gets some doggy time, though! Does he actually enjoy kids when he's "off duty?"

As for winning the lottery, we decided to just go ahead and move down here, since we love Disney so much--we feel like we've won it! We're so close to everything, and it's a blast (pun intended!) to watch the shuttle and the rockets launch from our back yard! We can see the fireball and smoke clearly from about 5 secondsd after launch--we're a good 30 miles as the crow flies. And we can be inside the gate at the Magic Kingdom in an hour. We bought into DVC on our last cruise, and we LOVE it! Now we can head over anytime. I am going to rent a couple hundred points here shortly to pay the balance on our cruise, though. Our Use Year starts TODAY! We would definitely like to cruise more often, though. Sure wish they'd drop the points required to go on a cruise...

Well, he likes kids as well as anyone else...I've got a little lab/Border Collie mix that absolutely goes nuts over kids. I got her as a rescue so I don't know her background but I'm sure there was a family of tumbling children in there somewhere...Cash, I think, because of his breeding (part black lab and part Chesapeake Bay Retriever) was undoubtedly meant be a hunting dog and not a pet. We initially got along only after I convinced him that I ran the show and would continue to run the show and that I would tolerate no pouting, sulking, or disobedience. He is now a loyal and dedicated worker-bee. Good thing I discovered his weakness (food in all shapes and forms) or he'd have taken over.


You lucky dog! I started the DVC purchase process on the May repo cruise but, a few months afterward I hit a bump in the 'ol financial road and had to bail out...I will, I swear, get back to it sometime...Lottery? As for residence location, I've been exiled to Central Texas from California for the past twenty years and consider myself just one lottery ticket away from permanent residency at the Beach Club Villas...There's that lottery again. In truth, I really hate the heat, bugs, and humidity here in Central Texas...couldn't imagine living in Florida full-time...I'd have to be a reverse snow-bird...

I'm waiting for a DCL cruiser to adopt me and get a BAV in the deal...

 

[kimszath]

Ah, but I grew up in the heat and humidity!!! I grew up in South Georgia, and I remember it being much worse than it is here--I think it's because we're about 20 miles from the beach, and I swear you can smell the salt air sometimes! We even get seagulls in my neighborhood occasionally. We're about to extend our screen-enclosed patio out another 12-15 feet so that we can really enjoy it. It was miserably hot last year when we were moving in (July), but I'm hoping it'll be easier on me this year, since I'm quite a few pounds lighter. I'll actually feel like wearing shorts this year!!!

Where 'bouts in mid-Texas? I just retired from the Air Force--was in Altus, OK. We went down to Boerne TX to visit friends and look for retirement property in the Hill Country--looked all around Austin and San Marcos. Seemed like everyone else in the world must have discovered it about the same time we did, since we couldn't really find exactly what we wanted--just couldn't find that view... Right after that, we came to FL for some DVC time, and realized this was exactly where we wanted to be. Close to the Magic!!! Have you read about it--there are some folks who practically live at DVC????

 

[videogal1]

Where 'bouts in mid-Texas? I just retired from the Air Force--was in Altus, OK. We went down to Boerne TX to visit friends and look for retirement property in the Hill Country--looked all around Austin and San Marcos. Seemed like everyone else in the world must have discovered it about the same time we did, since we couldn't really find exactly what we wanted--just couldn't find that view... Right after that, we came to FL for some DVC time, and realized this was exactly where we wanted to be. Close to the Magic!!! Have you read about it--there are some folks who practically live at DVC????

I moved to just North of Austin in 1982 when my job at Lockheed in Sunnyvale, CA came here as part of a new Lockheed facility that lasted only a few years.
I hadn't discovered the Magic yet...
When I sank all my money into three rental houses and designing and building a passive solar home here I figured I was stuck. The rental property has been sold off gradually but I've still got the house and just subdivided the lot it's on so I could sell it and pay down my mortgage to an affordable level. I retired early and, although it's nice to have all that time to do what I want...like travel...I can't say it pays very well... Thus the incomplete attempt to buy into DVC...I still have 10 years left on my RCI timeshare and have managed to turn lots of my cruisetime into land/sea cruises by staying before cruise weeks at WDW or offsite....Not perfect but there's still time to massage the situation. NOW there's the possibility of DCL doing a Repo cruise to the Mediterranean next May and my tongue is hanging out for that one...I might even cancel my RCCI transatlantic cruise in April and wait until next year to do it on DCL... One nice thing about being single is the flexibility...

 

[havencruiser]

Hi everybody,
I am glad to have found this thread. I booked this cruise before we while I was on the 12/24/05 Christmas Magic cruise. It's wonderful to be onboard the ship at Christmas. I was upset that the next holiday cruise was the 10-day one and didn't want to go on the Wonder so when I found a 4-day cruise on the Magic it was a no-brainer! I HAD to do it!
I can't wait to go back and read all your posts. The pre-cruise DIS-time is such an enjoyable part of the whole planning process.

 

[videogal1]

Hi everybody,
I am glad to have found this thread. I booked this cruise before we while I was on the 12/24/05 Christmas Magic cruise. It's wonderful to be onboard the ship at Christmas. I was upset that the next holiday cruise was the 10-day one and didn't want to go on the Wonder so when I found a 4-day cruise on the Magic it was a no-brainer! I HAD to do it!
I can't wait to go back and read all your posts. The pre-cruise DIS-time is such an enjoyable part of the whole planning process.

Hey, Sharon
Welcome to the post-Christmas party!
Cash and I booked in April of 2005...at the beginning of the first repo cruise...We had such a great time on the first Christmas cruise it was natural to take another, and another, and another....

 

[kimszath]

Welcome Sharon! Nice to have another DIS-er on our thread!

Wow Lynda--sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy! Can I ask what you did when you were working for Lockheed? I flew one of their airplanes for a few years! I flew the C-141B from 1990-1996. Lots of fun--reliable, dependable jet, but they really abused it during the first Gulf War. It got to the point where we, as pilots, were afraid to even look at the wings, as the wing cracks were SO huge. Very scary.

 

[videogal1]

Welcome Sharon! Nice to have another DIS-er on our thread!

Wow Lynda--sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy! Can I ask what you did when you were working for Lockheed? I flew one of their airplanes for a few years! I flew the C-141B from 1990-1996. Lots of fun--reliable, dependable jet, but they really abused it during the first Gulf War. It got to the point where we, as pilots, were afraid to even look at the wings, as the wing cracks were SO huge. Very scary.

Where is that shrieking smiley?....EEEEEK...cracks? Nooooooooo!

I was, ahem, senior technical writer and self-paced curriculum developer for the Tomahawk Weapon System...aka TWS, TFCC and others....including RPV systems and other bomb-type missile and spy drone stuff too esoteric and ancient to even mention... 1980 to 1984... Wing cracks?? EEEEK!

 

[Disney Rocks]

Hi everybody,

I am glad to have found this thread. I booked this cruise before we while I was on the 12/24/05 Christmas Magic cruise. It's wonderful to be onboard the ship at Christmas. I was upset that the next holiday cruise was the 10-day one and didn't want to go on the Wonder so when I found a 4-day cruise on the Magic it was a no-brainer! I HAD to do it!
I can't wait to go back and read all your posts. The pre-cruise DIS-time is such an enjoyable part of the whole planning process.

Welcome, Sharon:

We got off the Disney Magic on December 24, 2005. We had a great time so came home and added this four-day cruise to the end of the ten-day cruise. We are very excited to be doing a back-to-back cruise and just love the cruising life now that we have done it once. It was definitely love at first sight here.

Take care and see you soon.

 

[videogal1]

Welcome, Sharon:

We got off the Disney Magic on December 24, 2005. We had a great time so came home and added this four-day cruise to the end of the ten-day cruise. We are very excited to be doing a back-to-back cruise and just love the cruising life now that we have done it once. It was definitely love at first sight here.

YAYYYYY, another holiday back-to-backer....!

 

[kimszath]

Yes, Lynda... CRACKS!!! Great big cracks!!! I actually had a flight engineer get off a plane once and refuse to fly. We had all seen them, and they were checked every time we landed--guess they could measure up to a certain length and width, then they had to be repaired. I actually flew one of the planes to the Boneyard at Davis Monthan before I went to the C-17. We were being over-grossed flying out of Saudi during the first Gulf War, and it really put a lot of strain on the wings. Oh, well. That was my past life. Now I get to be a student and stay-home Mom, while teaching for Embry-Riddle Aeronuatical University's online program!!! Life is good. But I DO miss flying... a LOT...

 

[videogal1]

) But I DO miss flying... a LOT...

Yes, life does go on....next big adventure right around the corner...

 

[kimszath]

Yep, and I could use an adventure right about now. I must have been really spoiled flying around the world for my JOB! I've been watching the Olympics this week... wishing I could go back to Italy SO much. I hope to take my kiddo on a couple fo European jaunts maybe next summer and the following summer via Space A on military planes (when things calm down enough that you can actually get a seat and can count on getting back home!) I want him to see the world a bit while he's young. I never so much as got on a plane until I was in college. Never left the country until I was on active duty. I think he'll learn a lot. Of course, it's really just an excuse for ME to go!!!