DISers stalking DISers...continuing our friendship!

[jjohnson]

Yeah DM stop being a ZZUB

 

[Disneyolic]

Yeah DM stop being a ZZUB

The famous Zzub? I've never even read her/his? CK is way worse than me tho! She like posts 2 pics and ends it for the day....

 

[sunlver]

Hi Andrea! Are you planning to post on the TR thread? I hope so... I really want to see how your trip went!

DM... I checked out yout TR yesterday. Good start! I hope you get those pics in and quit dragging it out!

Courtney... I am going to try to get to your today, time permitting. I have to clean my house today, as I have a babysitter coming over tonight. Can't have her see my house nasty, since she lives in my neighborhood! First babysitter for Avery, 2nd for Tucker... so I am anxious!

I would be anxious too having a babysitter come over. My kids have never had any "real" babysitters.The only people who have ever watched them our friends of mine,and thats very rarely.Is your babysitter a teenager or an adult?
Are you going anywhere fun? I hope you have a great time

 

[karibritt01]

Hey DM... We would be happy to vacation with you... if we end up in Cape Canaveral, that is! I am still hoping I can persuede/work out the cruise. I don't plan to give up that dream until at least January! Of course... chances are worse than they were yesterday, since Wynn watched a show on history channel about rogue waves last night. They were discussing how a rogue wave capsized 2 cruise ships.... GREAT!

 

[Disneyolic]

Hey DM... We would be happy to vacation with you... if we end up in Cape Canaveral, that is! I am still hoping I can persuede/work out the cruise. I don't plan to give up that dream until at least January! Of course... chances are worse than they were yesterday, since Wynn watched a show on history channel about rogue waves last night. They were discussing how a rogue wave capsized 2 cruise ships.... GREAT!

I think a cruise would be out of our budget, especially with a family of 5. I really look forward to doing a beach vacation next year. We try to throw in 1 day of action tho. I absolutely love the ocean!!!! Did you see my pics of Cape Canaveral? I know I sent them to someone here but I can't remember.

 

[karibritt01]

She is 14, but her parents will be home, and she lives 2 doors down, so I am not worried about that. Wynn doesn't get home from work until 8, and I have a dinner meeting at 6:30. I am on the council at church, and we are interviewing a new preacher... so not fun!

Tucker was in home daycare from 6 months to 2 yrs, but I knew his caregivers well, and never worried about him being there. At 2, I started doing home daycare, and he has been with me ever since. We have only used grandparents for sitters at this point, as they all live within 5 miles from us. But Wynn's mom will not be home from work in time, I don't want to leave them with just his dad, and my mom is in California on vacation.

Joyce and DM... I don't get the ZZUB joke...

 

[Disneyolic]

Joyce and DM... I don't get the ZZUB joke...

There is a DISer named ZZUB who dragged their TR out for over a year. I never read the TR tho. CK is a huge fan of ZZUB too.

 

[sunlver]

I think a cruise would be out of our budget, especially with a family of 5. I really look forward to doing a beach vacation next year. We try to throw in 1 day of action tho. I absolutely love the ocean!!!! Did you see my pics of Cape Canaveral? I know I sent them to someone here but I can't remember.

Now that would depend what cruise line you are looking at. Do you think all cruises are out of your budget or just the DIsney cruise??
We are going on a cruise Aug 2008, and that RCCL cruise will be more money then our past Disney vacation. The difference, my husband loves to cruise and is willing to pay the extra money to cruise then to go to Disney...Go figure
When we go to Disney, I have to save up my money to go , when we cruise, he does all the savings and paying

After adding up EVERYTHING from our Disney vacation, gas,hotels,food,souveneris, tickets, I came up with a total of $2100. When we cruise it will be close to $5000 As long as I dont have to worry about the money this time, everything is AOK

 

[sunlver]

When I lived in the Chicago area, I always wanted to go on beach vacations. I mean, sure we had Lake Michigan there, but thats not a real beach.

Then I moved to Va Beach almost 14 yrs ago...to say the least I no longer have the desire to do a beach vacation anymore We live about 12 miles from the beach/boardwalk. I love going down there, Everytime we go, It feels like we are on vacation.It is so incredibly busy down there now, so we try not to go on the weekends. I never realized how popular Va beach was in the summer, until we moved here. I guess there is tons of stuff to do around here, I just never thought about Va Beach for a vacation until I moved here.

 

[karibritt01]

I haven't seen them, but would like to! If we do Cape Canaveral, we will go to Kennedy Space Center 1 day, and Sea World 1 day. We like to rent a house for the privacy and space, and a private pool is a bonus! We like to let our kids swim after dinner (before bed) to tire them out real good! Condos have set pool hours, and that doesn't fit my schedule too great.

You might be surprised at the prices of some of the cruise lines. My quote for a verandah room on Carnival for 7 nights was less than Disney for 6 nights! I am planning this far ahead so that I can pay it off slowly... if I get to go, that is!

 

[Crazy Kanga]

There is a DISer named ZZUB who dragged their TR out for over a year. I never read the TR tho. CK is a huge fan of ZZUB too.

ZZUB is the KING of trip reports. You really must become familiar with his work. It's sort of like reading the classics except way more fun!

 

[karibritt01]

I have never been to "VA beach" but to Cheasapeake and the northern NC beaches a few times. I do not care for beaches that far north. I love Atlantic, Myrtle, Hilton Head, and Tybee Island. The southern beaches are much warmer. It's almost as if the warm water can't get in past the outer banks! Also, the times I have gone, I noticed the waves up north were small and rough, as opposed to large and rolling. Does that make sense? We went to Hilton Head 2 yrs ago in Sept, and the water was so calm that it had a reflection. Avery swam all day in the ocean on a swim ring!! We were digging for sand dollars, and found one 5 inches across! Of course, the next day the surf was back... but that was just SO COOL!

Our Disney package was $2750 for moderate resort, 7 days hopper tickets, and dining. We spent another $1200 on gas, food, 2 nights hotel on the road, and spending money. Carnival balcony room was $2673 for 7 nights for 4.

 

[karibritt01]

DM... I looked at your family for a cruise for fun. You could do a balcony cruise (7 day western Caribbean from Miami) for $2185 before taxes. You could probably find the same cruise for less through AAA or a travel website. Just a thought...

I really want to do the Disney cruise, but may end up going with a cheaper one. I am planning to wait to make those kinds of decisions until closer to time... and after I save up the deposit!

 

[Disneyolic]

When I lived in the Chicago area, I always wanted to go on beach vacations. I mean, sure we had Lake Michigan there, but thats not a real beach.

Then I moved to Va Beach almost 14 yrs ago...to say the least I no longer have the desire to do a beach vacation anymore We live about 12 miles from the beach/boardwalk. I love going down there, Everytime we go, It feels like we are on vacation.It is so incredibly busy down there now, so we try not to go on the weekends. I never realized how popular Va beach was in the summer, until we moved here. I guess there is tons of stuff to do around here, I just never thought about Va Beach for a vacation until I moved here.

I have been to Virginia Beach twice on vacation. I don't remember too much as I was a teenager at the time. My family used to go to Ocean City, MD, every year and I like that just fine but the prices there are expensive. I have never been to Myrtle Beach but I compared the prices and you can get way more at Myrtle than in MD. Where else? Pacific Ocean is fah-fah-fah-reezing cold! Ft Myers, FL, was very nice but very shelly. We loved Cape Canaveral the best.

I haven't seen them, but would like to! If we do Cape Canaveral, we will go to Kennedy Space Center 1 day, and Sea World 1 day. We like to rent a house for the privacy and space, and a private pool is a bonus! We like to let our kids swim after dinner (before bed) to tire them out real good! Condos have set pool hours, and that doesn't fit my schedule too great.

That's the same thing we were thinking with KSC and Sea World maybe. I don't remember the set hours so much at the condos we stayed in but I'm sure they did have it. It was off season in October so it was very very quiet there. We had the whole beach to ourselves and the pool to ourselves almost all the time. It was a 2-BR condo on the first floor and there was a putting green right in front of our patio that the kids liked to putt on.

PM me with your email Kari and I will send you a link to view our Cape Canaveral pics. There are few Disney pics thrown in the lot too.

ZZUB is the KING of trip reports. You really must become familiar with his work. It's sort of like reading the classics except way more fun!

Maybe I'll make it over to his TR when all our TRs calm down. There is sooo much to read right now!

Our Disney package was $2750 for moderate resort, 7 days hopper tickets, and dining. We spent another $1200 on gas, food, 2 nights hotel on the road, and spending money. Carnival balcony room was $2673 for 7 nights for 4.

Not including a couple extra meals for Brooke and other little things, our Disney package was about $2900 for 8 nites at POR and 7 days base tickets, plus DDP. We spent another $1500 or so on airfare.

DM... I looked at your family for a cruise for fun. You could do a balcony cruise (7 day western Caribbean from Miami) for $2185 before taxes. You could probably find the same cruise for less through AAA or a travel website. Just a thought...

I really want to do the Disney cruise, but may end up going with a cheaper one. I am planning to wait to make those kinds of decisions until closer to time... and after I save up the deposit!

What cruise line and what time of year? One of the big disadvantages to a cruise is the dates of travel. There is no lee-way with Rob's vacation time. He has 3 weeks a year but they are requested at the end of each year for the following year. Plus he doesn't always get what he wants as it goes on a seniority basis. We got very lucky to get the weeks we wanted this year!

 

[karibritt01]

Sorry... I thought I included that info. I looked at Carnival for Oct 5-12, 2008. Go to www.carnival.com under Find a Cruise to price out different cruises. I have found some deals at www.vacationstogo.com and www.affordabletours.com as well, but you have to check as some charge full price for the kids.

Jackie... $5000 for RCCL... is that a suite? My quote for them was just over $3000 for the balcony. I can't decide if I want to try them or not. Did you use the kids clubs any last time you cruised with them?

 

[sunlver]

I have never been to "VA beach" but to Cheasapeake and the northern NC beaches a few times. I do not care for beaches that far north. I love Atlantic, Myrtle, Hilton Head, and Tybee Island. The southern beaches are much warmer. It's almost as if the warm water can't get in past the outer banks! Also, the times I have gone, I noticed the waves up north were small and rough, as opposed to large and rolling. Does that make sense? We went to Hilton Head 2 yrs ago in Sept, and the water was so calm that it had a reflection. Avery swam all day in the ocean on a swim ring!! We were digging for sand dollars, and found one 5 inches across! Of course, the next day the surf was back... but that was just SO COOL!

Our Disney package was $2750 for moderate resort, 7 days hopper tickets, and dining. We spent another $1200 on gas, food, 2 nights hotel on the road, and spending money. Carnival balcony room was $2673 for 7 nights for 4.

On Carnival you can get some great prices. They are one of the most reasonable cruise lines around . If you can travel at the last minute, its even cheaper. Our cruise is 9 nights, and for some reasonRCCL is more expensive I know we went on Carnival last yr, and RCCl 4 yrs ago. The service on RCCL was much better then the Carnival. BUT..with that said...it could be just individual ship thing.

Have you ever been to the cruisecritic message board. Ive learned a lot from them.

 

[sunlver]

Sorry... I thought I included that info. I looked at Carnival for Oct 5-12, 2008. Go to www.carnival.com under Find a Cruise to price out different cruises. I have found some deals at www.vacationstogo.com and www.affordabletours.com as well, but you have to check as some charge full price for the kids.

Jackie... $5000 for RCCL... is that a suite? My quote for them was just over $3000 for the balcony. I can't decide if I want to try them or not. Did you use the kids clubs any last time you cruised with them?

That is for 2 connecting rooms. We are a family of 5. So the suites were like riduculosly over priced, even the TA said it. And, hes the one who is suppose to making some money LOL...Ok, it might of been a little less then 5000$. Our cruise is 9 nights on the Gradeur, and right now its 999$ aperson. We have two rooms a 3 person room and a 2 person room connecting(Inside), The 3rd person rate is cheaper, I cant find my paperwork now, I will have to find it.

Plus we can only go in August...which IS HIGH travel season and much more money then going in Oct or later. Our cruise is Aug 21st for 9 nights leaving from Norfolk, VA

 

[karibritt01]

I haven't done the message board there, but I have been browsing their site, and educating myself a little. I am the type who likes to find out everything I can, and plan everything thoroughly (doh! or I wouldn't be HERE!) I like to get all the info on ports, excursions, menus, etc before I commit to anything. That being said... Disney and Carnival websites SUCK!! They like to sum everything up in a paragraph, when I want to see a page! I have looked at DIS cruise chat room, but they seem to cover the same topics over and over and over...

I remember Steve (is that right? I'm terrible at names!) saying he thought the service was better on RCCL. Its hard to know if that was typical or not, though.

 

[karibritt01]

Are they charging full price for the kids? I know some quotes did, others didn't... but wasn't sure if it was the TA or cruise line. I had one quote for Disney cruise that was almost $7000, as opposed to $4500 from other agencies. Disney gives a 1/2 price discount for the kids, but I guess they were palnning to pocket the difference? Was it cheaper to go with 2 rooms instead of a larger room? Or did you just want the extra privacy and space? I hope your itenerary works out for you. Did you go with travel insurance? My brother and his family were supposed to cruise out of Miami last year when a hurricane hit. The cruise ship sailed out (day before the storm) but airports and roads were closed due to evacuations. They had the insurance, so they were able to reschedule. Of course, that is not much of a problem for you, since you are 45 minutes from the port!

 

[sunlver]

I haven't done the message board there, but I have been browsing their site, and educating myself a little. I am the type who likes to find out everything I can, and plan everything thoroughly (doh! or I wouldn't be HERE!) I like to get all the info on ports, excursions, menus, etc before I commit to anything. That being said... Disney and Carnival websites SUCK!! They like to sum everything up in a paragraph, when I want to see a page! I have looked at DIS cruise chat room, but they seem to cover the same topics over and over and over...

I remember Steve (is that right? I'm terrible at names!) saying he thought the service was better on RCCL. Its hard to know if that was typical or not, though.

The message board is great over there Its kinda like the DIS boards over here. If you have a question, somebody has an answer.

Yes, Steve is his name LOL...Like I said in my early post, I think it could also be an individual ship thing and who is working that week. I had one couple explain to me that Carnival is like the Kmart of cruising.
I had a lot of fun on the Carnvial Valor last year..Fun was not the problem. I just expected more...like our cabin to be fully cleaned and stocked when we were allowed in I wasnt expecting to see dishes stacked up on dirty tables in the buffet area either. It may sound like petty stuff,but when you are paying all that money for a cruise I expected better service? There were other little things as well. Our first cruise on RCCL 4 yrs ago, well that was our first and that is what we compared Carnival too. Also there was mold on the tablecloth of the dinner table , then they argued with us that it was not, but it was...my guess it was washed and not completely dried and put back on the table.