DECEMBER 6, 2009 Winter WONDERland sailing!!!

[taswira]

Please read alisonslp's first post on this thread. She was on the 4-night. I'm going to list her "Don't Bring" items here, but with my own view of them.

1. Reading Material - I don't sail to do what I can do at home. I don't pay the price of a cruise to sit and read OR to use my computer. It stays home. I DO, however, take either a notebook or PDA to WRITE my "journal."

2. Toys for the Kids - I've never had kids, but I have observed the kids on the cruises and none seemed interested in any toys they brought. Only exception would be a small plush if you aren't buying any.

3. Blankets/Sheets for the Beach - Don't need. There are plenty of lounge chairs on Castaway Cay, plus a lot of activities.

4. Snack, Candy: Why bother? Get a little something from Deck 9 (free food plus the drink station) BEFORE heading to the shows if you feel you must snack during performances.

5. Drink Bottles - An insulated mug on a lanyard works nicely at the drink stations. Don't have one? Buy a DCL one as a souvenir and USE IT! I don't like seeing guests put the top of their sports bottle against the drink spout. Eeeew! Germs!

6. Extra Swimsuits - One per person should be enough!

7. Nightlights: Please do NOT leave the bathroom light or the closet light on. Bring a small flashlight to keep bedside instead! Also comes in handy if the power/generator goes, and that DID happen on one of my cruises for awhile.

8. Bubbles for sendoff - FORBIDDEN! See my previous post.

9. Overabundance of Medicines for "just in case" - Bring vitamins, imodium, benadryl, Tylenol or aspirin, a few BandAids, throat lozenges, antihistamine, Bonine, and only the ESSENTIAL medications you know you need. Keep it all "tiny first aid kit" sized if possible.

10. Shampoo/Conditioner: Their new stuff IS good, but you may want to bring MINI-sized containers of your favorites.

 

[taswira]

I WOULD like to emphasize that I am NOT trying to tell everyone what to do regarding what NOT to bring (except the bubbles - LOL), but am giving my own "views" because maybe some here have heard about all this "stuff" you should bring and have not questioned "why?"

I question EVERYTHING . . but you all knew that already, right?

Moving on down that thread to Francisca64's list (my view of those items - ha-ha):

Multi cord outlets - never needed them
Room Scents - The "solids" are a "do" for me because it REALLY helps!
Hairdryer - I can take or leave, depending on if I have room.
1/2 the clothes you packed - BEST, BEST advice ever!!!
Beach toys - Ummm - Does Pal Mickey count?
Umbrella - If it's the season, I take a small Totes Pocket Umbrella and HAVE used it!
Two-Way Radios - too bulky, easy to lose - and MY view is that yakking on them all over the ship really spoils the atmosphere for other guests.
Laundry Detergents - You're on VACATION - No way!
Alarm clocks - Get a wake-up call . . unless it's still Stitch instead of Mickey!
ID Holders for adults - I wear my WDW AP holder - a small wallet on a lanyard that they no longer seem to sell

Post-It Notes - for FAMILIES, yes, but not for me!
Highlighters - One will do nicely for marking on the Personal Navigator what I really want to do, but I can live without it.
Envelope of $1 Bills for tips - DEFINITELY!
Pre-calculated tips inside thank you notes - Nice but not a necessity.
Large wide-mouth drink bottle - I use a DCL mug on a lanyard.
Pre-printed address labels for end-of cruise luggage tags - No - I fill them out as DCL specifies, then all I do is drive the hour home!
Personal fan for white noise - Not for me!

You may be sick of my rambling, but it's bumping us up, right?

 

[ThePhantomsGirl]

I think lists like those and yours DO help. I've laughed at posts of people who said they brought duct tape and bungee cords and had no idea why and of course never used them.

Multi outlets/power strips: I still think I'll bring one.

Hair Dryer: A MUST for me. That and my Chi Flat Iron. In humidity, flat irons are my friends...

1/2 The clothes. Layer, mix-and match, and fewer clothes can seem like more! Having cruised once, I think I'll pack better this time as I know what I tended to wear.

Air Fresheners: A MUST

Light-up Clock: Yes, I will bring one. I like to easily see what time it is, and since I'll be in a Cat 11, it will be dark.

Highlighter: Maybe, doesn't seem that important to me, but then again I am not organizing a whole family.

Laundry detergent. I have ONE little sample of Liquid Hand-Wash Tide that I took on my last cruise and didn't use. I'll bring it this one. It's vacation and I have no intention of doing laundry. It's only there for any little clothing disaster.

Beach Toys No kids, don't need 'em. (sunblock YES)

Post It Notes Like Shari, I don't think I'd need them. A family...maybe a good idea.

ID Holder I've got a wallet lanyard and it was perfect. Who wants to carry a bunch of stuff? On the other hand, who wants a ton of stuff hanging around their neck? Basically the KTTW is enough and it fit in the wallet lanyard nicely.

Umbrella If I bring one, it will be a TINY one that collapses to near nothing.

Envelope with $1 bills A total must - it makes taking care of the room service personnel very easy.

Personal Fan Maybe, but probably not necessary. It's doubtful I will bring one.

Pre-printed address labels DCL gives you ones that work well. What I DID like was that Shari got the small laminated pouches to put the tags in. She gave me some - but this cruise I'll get some.

My own little additions:

Big Wine Bottle With my adventures trying to get the cork out and the LOVELY and oh-so useful and easy to use ) corkscrew that DCL gave me - nope! I am going to bring the little bottles that they sell in 4-packs. No corks. Now lest this sound like I'm a wino - I brought a bottle last time and we still didn't drink more than half of it. But I wanted it - and I want it this time. Its the THOUGHT of being able to sit on the verandah (okay, Shari's verandah since I don't have one...) with a glass of wine and a cheese platter that I must have the option of doing.

Smiles,

Holly

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I WOULD like to emphasize that I am NOT trying to tell everyone what to do regarding what NOT to bring (except the bubbles - LOL), but am giving my own "views" because maybe some here have heard about all this "stuff" you should bring and have not questioned "why?"

I question EVERYTHING . . but you all knew that already, right?

Moving on down that thread to Francisca64's list (my view of those items - ha-ha):

Multi cord outlets - never needed them
Room Scents - The "solids" are a "do" for me because it REALLY helps!
Hairdryer - I can take or leave, depending on if I have room.
1/2 the clothes you packed - BEST, BEST advice ever!!!
Beach toys - Ummm - Does Pal Mickey count?
Umbrella - If it's the season, I take a small Totes Pocket Umbrella and HAVE used it!
Two-Way Radios - too bulky, easy to lose - and MY view is that yakking on them all over the ship really spoils the atmosphere for other guests.
Laundry Detergents - You're on VACATION - No way!
Alarm clocks - Get a wake-up call . . unless it's still Stitch instead of Mickey!
ID Holders for adults - I wear my WDW AP holder - a small wallet on a lanyard that they no longer seem to sell

Post-It Notes - for FAMILIES, yes, but not for me!
Highlighters - One will do nicely for marking on the Personal Navigator what I really want to do, but I can live without it.
Envelope of $1 Bills for tips - DEFINITELY!
Pre-calculated tips inside thank you notes - Nice but not a necessity.
Large wide-mouth drink bottle - I use a DCL mug on a lanyard.
Pre-printed address labels for end-of cruise luggage tags - No - I fill them out as DCL specifies, then all I do is drive the hour home!
Personal fan for white noise - Not for me!

You may be sick of my rambling, but it's bumping us up, right?

good tips shari...so let me tell you what Ive researched and what I want to bring and you can review that lol...

1. wrinkle release spray

2. pop up hamper for dirty clothes in closet..using this at wdw as well

3. Glade Flameless candle

4. Stain stick (MAJORLY IMPORTANT FOR ME)...i spill stuff on me all the time

I was also thinking about possibly bringing a few international phone cards for those CM's that are exceptionally good...what do you think??

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Please read alisonslp's first post on this thread. She was on the 4-night. I'm going to list her "Don't Bring" items here, but with my own view of them.

4. Snack, Candy: Why bother? Get a little something from Deck 9 (free food plus the drink station) BEFORE heading to the shows if you feel you must snack during performances. I agree 100%

5. Drink Bottles - An insulated mug on a lanyard works nicely at the drink stations. Don't have one? Buy a DCL one as a souvenir and USE IT! I don't like seeing guests put the top of their sports bottle against the drink spout. Eeeew! Germs! I read somewhere somebody said if you want to use your own cup to get one of their paper cups first to get ice and the drink and then pour it into your own cup...I think thats a smart idea..
6. Extra Swimsuits - One per person should be enough!

7. Nightlights: Please do NOT leave the bathroom light or the closet light on. Bring a small flashlight to keep bedside instead! Also comes in handy if the power/generator goes, and that DID happen on one of my cruises for awhile.

8. Bubbles for sendoff - FORBIDDEN! See my previous post.

9. Overabundance of Medicines for "just in case" - Bring vitamins, imodium, benadryl, Tylenol or aspirin, a few BandAids, throat lozenges, antihistamine, Bonine, and only the ESSENTIAL medications you know you need. Keep it all "tiny first aid kit" sized if possible.

Yeah the ones you have listed above are usually what I take anyway...

10. Shampoo/Conditioner: Their new stuff IS good, but you may want to bring MINI-sized containers of your favorites.

Im not going to bring a clock for the same reason you gave...I will get a wakeup call...I will bring a nightlight though for sure...

 

[taswira]

Now lest this sound like I'm a wino - I brought a bottle last time and we still didn't drink more than half of it. But I wanted it - and I want it this time. Its the THOUGHT of being able to sit on the verandah (okay, Shari's verandah since I don't have one...) with a glass of wine and a cheese platter that I must have the option of doing.

Ha-ha - - Ummm . . You forgot to mention that we didn't drink even half of that bottle of wine on a SEVEN NIGHT CRUISE! This one beng 4 nights, yes, I think mini-bottles will do nicely! OK - The glass in that smiley is HUGE, but I didn't see one with a wine glass!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Ha-ha - - Ummm . . You forgot to mention that we didn't drink even half of that bottle of wine on a SEVEN NIGHT CRUISE! This one beng 4 nights, yes, I think mini-bottles will do nicely! OK - The glass in that smiley is HUGE, but I didn't see one with a wine glass!

do they sell little mini bottles of champagne?

 

[disneegrl4eva]

wanted to show you guys my name tag that Im using for my stateroom door...well we all will have the same design but this is mine...what do you think?

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n252/lynnarro/DCL art/christmasname2lynn.jpg

 

[taswira]

Im not going to bring a clock for the same reason you gave...I will get a wakeup call...I will bring a nightlight though for sure...

A nightlight is good. I mentioned the small flashlight only because of that onboard power outage I experienced once.

I love it when it's a Mickey wake up call, but on my last cruise it was Stitch. Stitch is okay, but NOT to hear that voice first thing in the morning!

As for seeing the time in the dark - My wristwatch lights up, as does my cell phone (Blackberry Curve) which usually acts as my alarm clock.

 

[taswira]

do they sell little mini bottles of champagne?

Not sure. I don't care much for champagne myself. I'm actually not much of a drinker at all, but when cruising an occasional glass of wine is nice on the verandah, as Holly pointed out. However, she will tell you that my "preferred evening beverage" is an Apple Black Martini.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Not sure. I don't care much for champagne myself. I'm actually not much of a drinker at all, but when cruising an occasional glass of wine is nice on the verandah, as Holly pointed out. However, she will tell you that my "preferred evening beverage" is an Apple Black Martini.

speaking of apples....have either one of you tried the apple ice wine??? please tell me now it is...Im not a big drinker at all...actually at home I rarely drink at all and if I do its foofoo drinks...when I go to disneyland I always get bellinis (love them) and I tried this apple martini in vegas a couple of months ago that was good...when I saw the menus for the wonder I noticed this apple ice wine and was wondering how it was...I love sweet stuff but I dont like when the alcohol in it overtakes the drink itself you know what i mean?

 

[taswira]

wanted to show you guys my name tag that Im using for my stateroom door...well we all will have the same design but this is mine...what do you think?

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n252/lynnarro/DCL art/christmasname2lynn.jpg

Ooooh - That's NICE! Is that from the DIS thread where they have the names, or did you design it yourself? Looks good!

As for me - I keep forgetting that it will be Christmas-time. Wow! I'd better get THINKING!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Ooooh - That's NICE! Is that from the DIS thread where they have the names, or did you design it yourself? Looks good!

As for me - I keep forgetting that it will be Christmas-time. Wow! I'd better get THINKING!

it is from the DIS and I asked a particular person to do the design for me...i told you im not creative I know what looks good and usually get good stuff but its never my design

 

[taswira]

good tips shari...so let me tell you what Ive researched and what I want to bring and you can review that lol...

1. wrinkle release spray

2. pop up hamper for dirty clothes in closet..using this at wdw as well

3. Glade Flameless candle

4. Stain stick (MAJORLY IMPORTANT FOR ME)...i spill stuff on me all the time

I was also thinking about possibly bringing a few international phone cards for those CM's that are exceptionally good...what do you think??

1. YES! I usually just go wrinkled - LOL. No - I hang my dress or whatever in the bathroom while I shower, and it helps release the wrinkles. Wrinkle release spray is better and quicker!
2. If you need it at WDW, then okay. Otherwise, why not save packing it and simply use the provided big plastic laundry bag(s)? They'll gladly give you more. That's what I do. One less thing to pack/carry.
3. Not for me. I'll stick to the solid air fresheners (Renuzit, etc.).
4. Yes on the Stain Remover Stick! I've never brought one, but they take little space and are well worth it I know.

 

[taswira]

speaking of apples....have either one of you tried the apple ice wine??? please tell me now it is...Im not a big drinker at all...actually at home I rarely drink at all and if I do its foofoo drinks...when I go to disneyland I always get bellinis (love them) and I tried this apple martini in vegas a couple of months ago that was good...when I saw the menus for the wonder I noticed this apple ice wine and was wondering how it was...I love sweet stuff but I dont like when the alcohol in it overtakes the drink itself you know what i mean?

No, I have not had apple ice wine. Well, to show you how RARELY I drink, I think the LAST alcohol I had was an Apple Black Martini (one of a few that night - LOL) on my last night on my last cruise! That was, uh, end of January 2007!

I was in Las Vegas with my husband for a fighter pilot reunion a couple of months later, and could not find anyone who knew what an Apple Black Martini was . . Apple, but not Apple Black (with cassis).

 

[disneegrl4eva]

well do you know what was in it?

 

[taswira]

well do you know what was in it?

Their drink menu shows it as "A tangy mix of absolut vodka, cassis, and apple." Not sure what, if anything, else.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

girl all you have to do is tell a bartender that and they will make one for you

 

[taswira]

I might try that in the spring when I am back in Vegas for the same reunion. Last time I didn't know the ingredients. Now, we'll see.

I can wait. I REALLY like that drink, so I wouldn't want it to be too accessible since I'm not much of a drinker and don't WANT to become one.

 

[ThePhantomsGirl]

Now I LOVE champagne! And yes, you can get the small bottles of champagne. I get them as once in awhile I like to have a mimosa (OJ + champagne) and I don't ruin a whole bottle.

Pop-up hamper. I got one at the Dollar store, but I found it was too big to fit in the closet. I just put my dirty clothes in large plastic bags in one of the drawers.

Wrinkle release. I don't know - It might be good since you are sharing a closet and are packing for a lot longer with your visit to WDW first.

Smiles,

Holly