Disney Dream April 18-21, 2013

[Disneyholic]

I looked into the auto train. But it cost 2600 for my family of 6 plus car. When my airfare, parking and rental car is 1600.
Im there in 5 hours including drive to and from airport verses 19.

Was that for coach or were you looking at a sleeper car? What days were you planning to travel? Is that 2 adults & 4 kids or are some kids over 15? Regular size car or extra size vehicle? Just curious.

This time of year the snowbirds are coming home so it is cheaper going down than coming back. That is why we are taking the train down & driving back. Round trip with a Deluxe sleeper car both ways for 2 adults and a large vehicle would have been over $2000. Going down it will only be $662 with a AAA discount.

The train isn't for everyone. We like riding it and enjoy the time it takes to get there. We count it as part of our vacation. I hate airports. I don't mind flying, just the airports. Driving both ways at our age is getting tiring and I want to be fresh when we get to Disney. Driving home is less stressful and we make stops on the way. When we drive down, we tend to drive straight through & are very exhausted when we get there. We can have wine with dinner & not have to worry about driving drunk. The engineer is doing the driving for us, just like taking the busses at Disney. We can drink or go to the parks and be really tired & not have to drive ourselves back to the hotel & we can doze along the way.

 

[Amunet]

When does the FE sign up close?

 

[matthew517]

Was that for coach or were you looking at a sleeper car? What days were you planning to travel? Is that 2 adults & 4 kids or are some kids over 15? Regular size car or extra size vehicle? Just curious.

This time of year the snowbirds are coming home so it is cheaper going down than coming back. That is why we are taking the train down & driving back. Round trip with a Deluxe sleeper car both ways for 2 adults and a large vehicle would have been over $2000. Going down it will only be $662 with a AAA discount.

The train isn't for everyone. We like riding it and enjoy the time it takes to get there. We count it as part of our vacation. I hate airports. I don't mind flying, just the airports. Driving both ways at our age is getting tiring and I want to be fresh when we get to Disney. Driving home is less stressful and we make stops on the way. When we drive down, we tend to drive straight through & are very exhausted when we get there. We can have wine with dinner & not have to worry about driving drunk. The engineer is doing the driving for us, just like taking the busses at Disney. We can drink or go to the parks and be really tired & not have to drive ourselves back to the hotel & we can doze along the way.

That was with two family sleepers cars since I have 6 in my party and a traverse.

 

[gotdbltrbl]

When does the FE sign up close?

Hi, the FE closes on Monday, March 25th, you can sign up anytime up until then. You will see on the first post, some information needed, like names/ages/cabin number. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[reagansmom]

Popping in to say hello...

We *may* be joining you. DH & I will decide tonight.

 

[TJDisneymama]

got our cruise docs yesterday!

Thank GOD I called the town hall........we don't have passports so are just using our birth certificates. For the heck of it I decided to call and ask about DH's because it was on a card instead of paper (still had the seal and everything though so I totally assumed it was ok) and they said those aren't good for travel any more, you need to come in and get the long form with the seal. I do'nt know if we (he) actually would have had a problem getting on the ship with it, but that would have sucked if he did!

 

[Danamichael44]

This is our first cruise and I am trying to figure this all out. Can someone explain to me exactly what the process is for the FE and what kinds of things we exchange?

Cabin 8670
Adults in cabin and relationship to each other: Me (Dana) & DH (Brian)
Children in cabin and also their relationship to you: DD 8 (Elianna), DD 6 (Cailyn), DD 4 (Ashtyn)
Interested in participating in an FE: Yes
Where are you from? Massachusetts
Early or Late dining: Early
First cruise? : yes
Excursions: gardens in Nassau and sting rays and parasailing in CC

 

[reagansmom]

We are in!!

Cabin GTY
Adults in cabin and relationship to each other: Me (Heather) & DH (Chris)
Children in cabin and also their relationship to you: DD 6 (Reagan)
Interested in participating in an FE: Maybe...
Where are you from? Western NY
Early or Late dining: Late, but waitlisted for early
First cruise? : No, 6th
Excursions: None

Celebrating DH's b-day!!!

 

[TJDisneymama]

I am soooo freaked out about this whole cruise thing. I'm just so out of my comfort zone....I'm a WDW expert and know it like the back of my hand, but I don't hardly know WHAT to expect on the cruise!

 

[gotdbltrbl]

This is our first cruise and I am trying to figure this all out. Can someone explain to me exactly what the process is for the FE and what kinds of things we exchange?

Cabin 8670
Adults in cabin and relationship to each other: Me (Dana) & DH (Brian)
Children in cabin and also their relationship to you: DD 8 (Elianna), DD 6 (Cailyn), DD 4 (Ashtyn)
Interested in participating in an FE: Yes
Where are you from? Massachusetts
Early or Late dining: Early
First cruise? : yes
Excursions: gardens in Nassau and sting rays and parasailing in CC

WELCOME

If you read a lot of post on these boards, the FE is done in different ways. I think it to be short, sweet, and stress free! This is what I do with the FE, there are no rules, just do what you want. Mine are homemade (I am not extremely crafty but I have fun trying, my kids on the other hand say I'm a dork when it comes to my crafting, and I admit, I am!) but there are some that buy things and embellish them or just give them as is. I once got chapstick from someones home state, I gave candy from our home state (all foods have to be from the store and in packaging, not homemade). Again, it is whatever you feel comfortable doing. You can get ideas on Etsy, Facebook (they have FE facebook pages) or even google. We try to deliver ours either the first night or the next morning before everyone is up and off the ship. I'm an early riser so we deliver when I get my coffee. I think the most important thing is to just have fun with it and not to stress. It is to add fun surprise and a little extra pixidust. I hope this helps. This is just a fun thing to do, so just have fun with it

 

[gotdbltrbl]

We are in!!

Cabin GTY
Adults in cabin and relationship to each other: Me (Heather) & DH (Chris)
Children in cabin and also their relationship to you: DD 6 (Reagan)
Interested in participating in an FE: Maybe...
Where are you from? Western NY
Early or Late dining: Late, but waitlisted for early
First cruise? : No, 6th
Excursions: None

Celebrating DH's b-day!!!

Welcome!

 

[gotdbltrbl]

I am soooo freaked out about this whole cruise thing. I'm just so out of my comfort zone....I'm a WDW expert and know it like the back of my hand, but I don't hardly know WHAT to expect on the cruise!

Deep breaths....deep breaths....there is no freaking out about a Disney cruise If I could give you one piece of advice, don't try to do everything, you won't be able to, there just isn't time. So you will just have to plan to go again (and again, and again) Enjoy what you are doing, don't rush from one thing to another. Let your kids set your pace. Is there anything specific your worried about or just everything in general? Ask away, on this post or on the main boards. There are so many people waiting and wanting to help!

 

[reagansmom]

Deep breaths....deep breaths....there is no freaking out about a Disney cruise If I could give you one piece of advice, don't try to do everything, you won't be able to, there just isn't time. So you will just have to plan to go again (and again, and again) Enjoy what you are doing, don't rush from one thing to another. Let your kids set your pace. Is there anything specific your worried about or just everything in general? Ask away, on this post or on the main boards. There are so many people waiting and wanting to help!

Exactly!! This will be our 6th DCL and 5th time on the Dream. Ask away!!

BTW - We are IN for the FE.

 

[G'sMaman]

Unfortunately, we aren't going to be able to participate in the FE this cruise. We're going to be out of town the next couple of weekends so I won't have time to put the gifts together. Anyway, looking forward to seeing everyone!

 

[topfam]

Hi Everyone, just found this thread. We are first time cruisers and we are sooooo excited to be on the 3 night Bahamian cruise on April 18th. Following the cruise we are also spending some time at the parks. My wife and I can't stop talking about the fun we are going to have with our kids, it looks like there is so much to do. Our kids ages are one and six. It's also overwhelming at the same time making sure we pack everything we need for both the cruise and our stay at the park. Any tips/suggestions would be appreciated! We read about the FE, it looks like a ton of fun. Being that this is our first cruise we aren't going to take part in the FE but its on our list for the next cruise. We will definitely take part in the door decorating this time around. Only 26 days away, can't wait to experience what everyone raves about! See you all soon.

 

[G'sMaman]

Hi Everyone, just found this thread. We are first time cruisers and we are sooooo excited to be on the 3 night Bahamian cruise on April 18th. Following the cruise we are also spending some time at the parks. My wife and I can't stop talking about the fun we are going to have with our kids, it looks like there is so much to do. Our kids ages are one and six. It's also overwhelming at the same time making sure we pack everything we need for both the cruise and our stay at the park. Any tips/suggestions would be appreciated! We read about the FE, it looks like a ton of fun. Being that this is our first cruise we aren't going to take part in the FE but its on our list for the next cruise. We will definitely take part in the door decorating this time around. Only 26 days away, can't wait to experience what everyone raves about! See you all soon.

Welcome! This will be our fourth Disney cruise and here's what we typically bring:

- power cord or extension cord (its seems the ships never have enough outlets)
- a clear, over the door shoe organizer – the bathrooms are small and there’s not a lot of counter space so it helps to have things where you can find them
- ziplocks in various sizes (great for storing leftovers/snacks from room service)
- a nightlight for the bathroom
- small flashlight
- plastic file folder – for storing important docs and photos (on our last cruise they took a bunch of photos of our DD at daycare with her favorite princesses and it was a great way to protect them in our suitcase)
- you might consider bringing a large cup/water bottle to refill because the cups by the soda stand are pretty small (for sanitary reasons you’ll need to use the small cups to fill your water bottle)
- some small bills for room service and porters
- because we have a 5 yr old DD, we bring a collapsible footstool – invaluable for letting her be self sufficient
- dish washing liquid
- Purex 3 in 1 sheets if you plan to do laundry
- large clip to close the drapes all the way if you prefer a dark room when you wake up or for taking naps
- magnetic clips for the door. Our DD does a lot of artwork at the Oceaneers Club and we hang them on our door (tape is not allowed). The side benefit is that we can always find our room easily and so can our daughter.
- we also keep a magnetic clip or hook on the inside of our door so we can hang our lanyards when we return to the room. We were always misplacing them!

Hope this is helpful!

 

[topfam]

Welcome! This will be our fourth Disney cruise and here's what we typically bring:

- power cord or extension cord (its seems the ships never have enough outlets)
- a clear, over the door shoe organizer – the bathrooms are small and there’s not a lot of counter space so it helps to have things where you can find them
- ziplocks in various sizes (great for storing leftovers/snacks from room service)
- a nightlight for the bathroom
- small flashlight
- plastic file folder – for storing important docs and photos (on our last cruise they took a bunch of photos of our DD at daycare with her favorite princesses and it was a great way to protect them in our suitcase)
- you might consider bringing a large cup/water bottle to refill because the cups by the soda stand are pretty small (for sanitary reasons you’ll need to use the small cups to fill your water bottle)
- some small bills for room service and porters
- because we have a 5 yr old DD, we bring a collapsible footstool – invaluable for letting her be self sufficient
- dish washing liquid
- Purex 3 in 1 sheets if you plan to do laundry
- large clip to close the drapes all the way if you prefer a dark room when you wake up or for taking naps
- magnetic clips for the door. Our DD does a lot of artwork at the Oceaneers Club and we hang them on our door (tape is not allowed). The side benefit is that we can always find our room easily and so can our daughter.
- we also keep a magnetic clip or hook on the inside of our door so we can hang our lanyards when we return to the room. We were always misplacing them!

Hope this is helpful!

Thanks G'Maman for the information, great reccommendations!

 

[Disneyholic]

For our last cruise I bought a small fan. We plug it in at the desk and turn it toward the bed. The rooms are set very cold during the day and when I turn it up to a comfortable level it gets too hot at night. The fan keeps the air circulating, so the room doesn't feel quite as hot and it also provides white noise. We also used it in our hotel rooms that trip. A lot of places the air conditioning doesn't run if there is no motion in the room. The fan moves the air which helps, especially if you have heat flashes.

 

[gotdbltrbl]

Hi All Today's the day to sign up for the FE if you want to join! Please let me know if you decide to join and I will add it the the list on the first post. Please also provide the information needed. Please also check to make sure that all information already there is correct (names/ages/Cabin numbers etc). We are so excited!

 

[reagansmom]

Hi Everyone, just found this thread. We are first time cruisers and we are sooooo excited to be on the 3 night Bahamian cruise on April 18th. Following the cruise we are also spending some time at the parks. My wife and I can't stop talking about the fun we are going to have with our kids, it looks like there is so much to do. Our kids ages are one and six. It's also overwhelming at the same time making sure we pack everything we need for both the cruise and our stay at the park. Any tips/suggestions would be appreciated! We read about the FE, it looks like a ton of fun. Being that this is our first cruise we aren't going to take part in the FE but its on our list for the next cruise. We will definitely take part in the door decorating this time around. Only 26 days away, can't wait to experience what everyone raves about! See you all soon.

Welcome fellow Western NYs!!!