December 4,2004 !!!

[lbgraves]

Hope that you are feeling better in the morning, Anne! That is some rough stuff they gave you so it should work relatively fast. Take care of yourself so that you can enjoy this cruise!

 

[LindaBabe]

I'm getting so excited! Hope everything goes smoothly over the next two months for everyone here - there certainly have been trials for almost all of us. Hope you feel better, Ann, and the family in the hotel is back in a house they can call home by then! And hope the folks on chemo are responding well and feeling better soon.

Had our pretrip planning meeting with our old friends - didn't plan any excursions, but sure planned the heck out of our stay at Disneyworld.

Are we making bets as to whether we hit Caymen Islands? I've lived the last month at help.stormcarib.com. The pictures are quite horrific.

 

[AnnMorin]

well I would love one more shot, it is called roceprian or something like that and I felt GREAT for two days now the croup is settling back in and of course I dan't stop "peeing out of my butt" Today was nice though as I could sleep until 11, when I see the doctor on thursday I am going to ask for one more shot, that r stuff is really strong!

 

[lbgraves]

Well, since I just started planning the WDW part of our precruise vacation I am having to change plans. I am disappointed that the MVMC thing is going on since the parks close at 6 unless you have the extra tickets, which I don't feel like buying. I think that we will find out how to get to the Poly beach and watch the fireworks from there Thursday night. We are just relaxing at the pool and enjoying DTD on Friday. Maybe we can find the big Disney Outlet then too. We are driving to the port on Saturday morning. Who knows, we may even take the shuttle to the Poly on Wednesday night after we get settled in at the hotel to watch the fireworks then too.

Is anyone else going to be in WDW Friday?

 

[AnnMorin]

we will be close, at the sheraton safari, I didn't even think of getting tickets as we don't get in until 3pm

 

[lbgraves]

Well, if anyone is in the area Friday late afternoon/early evening maybe we can get together for a quick hello.

 

[TChrist05]

Hello fellow cruisers....anyone getting pumped up? We are like 6 weeks out from our cruise.....should be just around the corner when everyone posts about getting there documents.....ofcourse mine will come to the hotel where we are staying....but heck, we will have them.....anyone with a GTY status get a stateroom yet? Looking forward to those chairs on deck 4....watching the sun come up......
It will be here in no time....
Tom

 

[lbgraves]

Oh, yes! The excitement is definantly building here. We watched the travel channel DCL show this weekend and last week watched the DCL DVD. LOL! My tummy has butterflies just like last time when we got to this point. Our reservations are all set too. The kids are excused from school and I will probably start packing up their summer outfits in zip lock bags in a couple weeks since I switched out their closets this past weekend. That was so much easier for us last time. Since we will be at WDW for 3 days before the cruise I will be packing a suitcase for us with warmer clothes in it. We had 3 sets of clothes last time...WDW, cruise, & FL. We stayed with family the week before and just left the suitcases with them while we did Disney and went back for a wedding the day we got off the ship. WHEW!!!! I am SO glad that we will have a much more relaxed Saturday this time.

 

[flexsmom]

Lisa, what's up with the ziplock bags? Do you just use them to pre-package outfits so the kids just yank them out and they're ready to go? I usually take a bunch of empty ziplocks which I always use, but I'd never thought of filling them this way!
We're doing the multiple suitcase/sets of clothes thing, too, for 5 days at WDW after the cruise. Trying to determine how cold it really might be!

So what is everyone's opinion on Costa Maya vice Grand Cayman? Do you think it will happen? We were planning on the beach at Cozumel and the submarine at Grand Cayman, but if we go to Costa Maya we'll probably do the beach there and try to do the sub in Cozumel. Hope DCL will let me change that at no cost on the ship if they don't "officially" give us the itinerary change before we go.....

 

[AnnMorin]

I would like to go to Costa Maya, after seeing the pictures of the destruction in GC I don't think it will be half as inviting as it was last time we were there, even if they get things back on track I think it will be a very long time before it is restored to the port it was. If we go to costa maya I will go the the ruins, they look nice with temples, something educational, in cozumel we are doing the fury catamerans, I wish disney would let us prebook for GC and CM and whichever one we go to that is the excursion we are reserved for.

 

[wdw1972]

I hope we get Costa Maya - just because I've never been there. I've been to Grand Cayman on cruises several times, including twice in the past year - that would have been a "ship" day for us, but I think we'd go ashore if it was someplace new.

In other news - my training for the Disney half-Marathon has been interrupted. I took a nasty fall after tripping in the dark on a speed bump last Friday morning. The xrays didn't show any broken bones, but my leg is securely bundled into a leg immobilizer (from ankle to mid-thigh) to keep the knee from bending. I see the ortho doc this Friday morning - coming back early from a business trip for that appt, then turning around and driving to WDW for a week's vacation with my sweetheart coming in from out of state. We'll see if the half-marathon will still be possible!

 

[lbgraves]

Yes, I just fold up their clothes in quarters for the most part & stick a pair of underware & a pair of socks in with each one. I sit on them...or just put them under my leg to get the air out of them to zip them up. I do this when I send out clothes that I have sold on Ebay to make them fit in the envies better. LOL! My concern was more for DH than the kids actually. If he just pulled out loose items I would be left with mismatched outfits for both kids...especially DD...half way thru the cruise. This also ended up working out well for us with storage on the ship. I just took all the small quart sized bags out for the kids & put them on end in the drawers. It was really easy to see what there was to choose from. I pack 2 outfits for them each day just in case one gets too wet or dirty. I used the 1 and 2 gallon bags to pack my things. DH just packs his own stuff. LOL!

This time the kids will both probably pick out their own clothes so this will definantly make it easier for them to get themselves dressed and match.

I would like to go to Costa Maya this time so that we can go to GC next time. This is our first Western so we don't have any expectations about the ports. We aren't doing any excursions so at least that will be less stressful for us. The kids may put up with being off the ship for an hour ... or two tops... before they will want to get back to the pool or club. We really do go for the relaxation on the ship.

 

[flexsmom]

My concern was more for DH than the kids actually.

Oh my gosh - I was cracking up reading this thinking you were packing matching outfits for DH, too! That said, sometimes I think I have to that with mine.....! It's a good idea - think it would greatly simplify things for the kids, at least.

I'm kind of thinking CM might be cool, too. We're doing a few excursions - or planning on 1 1/2 hours at GC and the beach at Cozumel, but my heart wouldn't break if I was ship-bound for essentially the whole thing! If I "have time" to take a nap for a change, I'd be satisfied! Seems ridiculous to spend all that $$ just to nap, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!

I did decide to bite the bullet and do a basket from Shirley for DD and our friend's DS to provide some sand toys for them along with some snacks and maybe a coloring book. I think they'll be ecstatic to have something like that and it reduces packing. Fortunately the 18 month-old won't care one way or the other!

So, are we still up for a DIS Meet? We haven't really nailed down any plans on that, although I'm still game to offer up our room for an hour or so wine/cheese meet?

 

[lbgraves]

The last time that was talked about not very many people were interested in any meets. I for one would like to meet some people on the ship since that made it alot of fun for us on our last cruise. We still have time to make plans. The sail away worked as a place to meet some DISers last time. We made up name tags and I even ran into a fellow DISer outside the terminal in line because of the name tag.

 

[AnnMorin]

I have some people I know from previous cruises (one right accross the hall from me) but I don't know I am feeling a bit vain/vulnerable ,most of my hair has grown back nicely except a patch on the back of my head that just is not cooperaterating. I am embarressed to be part of a group when I still look like this- we have six weeks and I am hoping things will change but I hope you understand I am kinda ashamed to be seen in a group

 

[lbgraves]

(((HUGS))) Ann, I think that you should be happy and proud of what you have accomplished this year!! This is a time for you to celebrate and enjoy life. I told you at the beginning of our wait for this cruise that I was excited to finally get the chance to meet you & it is still going to be an honor.

I understand you wanting to celebrate and relax with your family after the past year's events too. I think that the last time we talked about meets it was very stressful for everyone on the thread at the time too. I hate that the site with all our info was messed up but I can put together a simple listing to keep track of everything.

 

[NAT&MAGSMOM]

Ann honey...don't you worry about your hair...you are beautiful
anyway...with or without hair....I just let people stare at me all they want to......remember..

I have a big ole' red scar running from between my eyes down my nose..across the bridge of my nose..and down between my cheek and nose....with a big bump on the left side that won't go away. I don't put make up on it to hide it(I'm afraid it will get infected..which it has twice)..and some days my eye is swollen and I look like I have a black eye. SO, LOOK OUT PEOPLE...HERE I COME....SCAR, BLACK EYE AND ALL!!!!!! lol

Lisa, Flexsmom, Sue, Tom...let's do make arrangements to meet somewhere and those who show up great and those who choose not too....that's great too.

Lisa just wait...soon Kaitlin will NOT LIKE the clothes you put together for her....so you better enjoy those plastic bags while you can....!!!!

Sue..maybe you need to just watch the run from the sidelines this year...

Need to run...they actually expect me to do some work around here....

later y'all...
Phyllis

 

[TChrist05]

Hello all....the cruise is coming...the cruise is coming....OK...so I am not Paul Revere...but, I have to admit I would like to meet as many of you guys as I can...as I stated before, we had the house fire and lost our pets, possessions....basically everything we had...but not our lives....we got a second chance....so my wife and I have decided we will take advantage at our second chance at life....and live each day to the fullest.....lets just get together duing the cruise...at the sail away or some other time....put it down here and hopefully everyone will show.....and I truly am looking forward to having a great cruise.....with all you great people!

Tom & Marilou Christian

 

[AnnMorin]

post them, and we shall see,
I do want to see all of you
but I just can't promice

 

[lbgraves]

Hey, Ann! I have an extra Santa hat if you would like it.