Disney Dream - April 3, 2011 - 4 nights

[Woosh]

Welcome Michelle and family to the group! We're from Illinois looking forward to getting out of this cold and snow in a few months. I will be traveling with my mom, my 14 yr old DD (turns 15 a few weeks after the cruise) and my 11 DS. My DD sailed with me last year so this is her 2nd cruise and she is looking forward to it. The first one it took her a couple days to get adjusted and meeting kids, but this time she is all ready to head out and start meeting kids to hang out with. we have already connected with another family with a daughter of the same age and sons with ages on either side of my son. Here's to the next 3 months of waiting and DREAMing.

Wendy

 

[Kanga+2Roos]

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all my disboard friends!

It just started to snow here so Christmas is officially complete--after today it can go away! My living room looks like a mini production of Star Wars right now--the kids are happily playing with their new toys & we are anxiously waiting for the Disney Christmas Parade. I can't wait to here the play by play for those of you who surpised their families with the Disney Cruise for their present!

I've been busy getting everything ready for Christmas so I haven't been on here too much lately--everything should be more relaxed now though so I can get back to our strategizing! The only hurdle I have now is getting my vacation time approved, that happens in January--I shouldn't have a problem though since their aren't a lot of young families where I work.

Disney Cruiselines put out a nice holiday you tube video which was filmed on the Dream--definitely check that out. It's so strange to see the deck covered with snow!

Michelle, welcome to our group! It's nice to see yet another Michigander on board--definitely get your airplane tickets as soon as you can, the prices are ridiculous since there's so many of us on break at the same time. We had to just bite the bullet & buy our tickets. How old are your kids?

Well, I'm off to watch the parade! Everyone enjoy your weekend!

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

Well we sprung the surprise on the boys today. They are both so excited. The little one marched around the house all day carrying the Mickey balloons that we had in the surprise package. My oldest spent a great portion of the day watching Dream videos online and watching the cruise dvd.

 

[disneytraceyl]

Merry Christmas everyone. Now it is time to look forward to the Disney Cruise. Where does everyone buy their magnetic sheets from?

 

[kikids]

Welcome new members. We are back from our short trip to SeaWorld Orlando and our follow up holiday weekend at Kalahari Waterpark in Sandusky. Both mini vacations were fun although our day at SeaWorld was a chilly 52 degrees as the high, and rainy. Thank goodness we brought sweatshirts from Michigan. Our first trip to Kalahari was also a fun adventure.

Regarding magetic paper, I did a lot of review reading and decided on Staples brand last year - people said it was better than Avery. Stuff printed fine, no smudging and the magnets worked well. They did curl a teeny bit in my suitcase but clung to the Dis doors just fine. We still have them on our fridge at home a year later. Avery probably works just as well but I haven't tried it.

Someone else here mentioned an email exchange with the kids. We did that on the last cruise and both my girls had someone on the cruise they were looking forward to meeting in person and recognize at the kids club. So, my dd's are 8 (will be 9 end of April) and 11 (12 in July). If anyone on this cruise has girls the same age, let me know, both my dd's have email addresses and would love to say hi.

Happy New Year Everyone!

 

[disneytraceyl]

My oldest is 9. She would love to meet your girls. We will have to set something up. Kayley is in 4th grade. She is a young 4th grader. She turned 9 on Halloween.
I wasn't happy with the Avery Magnetic sheets I used the last time. Will have to try Staples.

 

[jetskigrl]

Someone else here mentioned an email exchange with the kids. We did that on the last cruise and both my girls had someone on the cruise they were looking forward to meeting in person and recognize at the kids club. So, my dd's are 8 (will be 9 end of April) and 11 (12 in July). If anyone on this cruise has girls the same age, let me know, both my dd's have email addresses and would love to say hi.

Happy New Everyone!

My DD is 12 and I'm sure would enjoy that but she never remembers to check her email. But I imagine that she will given her excitement about the cruise

Well, our surprise went off perfectly. We waited until all the presents were unwrapped at my Mom's house so that the surprise wouldn't interfere with the other presents. We sat the kids down and gave them each two presents. The first one they unwrapped was a DCL vinylmation (they both collect vinylmations). They both liked them and recognized them as a DCL version, but still didn't make the connection. The second gift they opened was a framed copy of the announcement that one of the people on the design board made for them. It said something along the lines of "pack your bags for you are setting sail on the Disney Dream April 3rd - 10th". The other one had the dates for the Wonder. DD had to read DS's to him since it was in a font that was harder for him to read. Once it sunk in, they were hugging each other, LOL. I took video but haven't uploaded it (I hope to do that this weekend). I'll probably put it on the Disney site so that I can share it with you.

Oh, even better, mjvans' daughter called after the news was sprung and gave round two of the surprise....that we would be cruising with them. If you recall, we met their family at WDW last August and the kids instantly clicked. That made the surprise even more sweet!! DD's response when she heard that was "OMG...I think I'm going to short circuit" LOL.

Ohhhh, I can't believe that I have been keeping this secret since last April and didn't blow it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we are wishing you all a very Happy New Year!!

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

Thanks to you guys - I booked our room at the Radisson last week. We are on the 10:30 shuttle - a first for us, we have been on the 10:00 shuttle for the past 2 cruises. They must be really booked!

We are on the 10:30 shuttle too, along with Crystal's family. It will be a mini-cruise meet on the shuttle that morning!

 

[disneytraceyl]

We are renting a car to the port. My parents are snowbirds. They have a house about a mile from Disney. They will also be coming on the cruise with us. Has anyone with gty cabin received their cabin number yet? My parents are a 9b gty.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


We had a wonderful time at Disney for our Christmas vacation! From the parades to the rides to the shows to the crowds to the decorations to the crowds...Yes, Magic Kingdom closed its gates on Christmas Day...Luckily we arrived at the MK 1 hour after opening (it opened at 7AM!) However; we were able to do everything that we wanted to do...we even got to watch the 12:00 parade. After that we headed out of the park...it was fun watching the thousands of people! Anyhow...we did everything that we set out to do...so it was a very successful trip! We might even do it again next year!

I just attempted to catch up on all the past posts...


Welcome aboard our Disney Dream sailing - Michelle (ratfam)! I will update our first page shortly.


Woo-Hoo...the bus ride to the port is going to be packed with us...Great to see that WDWCrazyfromGA is joining EcbLovesMickey and my crew! BTW...I think that there is a wedding party or something that is holding up the 10AM slot...the 10:30 thing is new for us too...


Congrats to both jetskigrl and EcbLovesMickey on pulling off the best Christmas surprise ever! I know that you all had a blast doing it!


Magnetic Sheets - I have used several off brands from ebay and I have used the Avery ones. I really liked the Avery ones...but they sell for $15 for 5 sheets The ones on ebay are much cheaper, however; they are thinner. I think that I also purchased some from papillio.com...I think thats the name...will have to double check that...Anyhow...all of them worked just fine. I will do some more research and report back...I need to order some for myself...


OK...I am done for now...oh wait a minute...jetskigrl you mentioned Vinylmations...We just did a bunch of trading at WDW...it was a blast and my sons got some of the Vinylmations that they were looking for. Big tip...I went on DisneyStore.com and purchased a bunch of Vinlymations that were on sale...like for $5.99 and $7.99...my boys used these for trading. Why pay the $9.95 (Disney regular price) when you can get some sale traders on-line. Anyhow...just a suggestion...I am going to restock the Vinyls for our cruise...I know that they are doing the trading on-board...


OK...I think I am finished...Again...Happy New Year to everyone!!!


Crystal

 

[jetskigrl]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


We had a wonderful time at Disney for our Christmas vacation! From the parades to the rides to the shows to the crowds to the decorations to the crowds...Yes, Magic Kingdom closed its gates on Christmas Day...Luckily we arrived at the MK 1 hour after opening (it opened at 7AM!) However; we were able to do everything that we wanted to do...we even got to watch the 12:00 parade. After that we headed out of the park...it was fun watching the thousands of people! Anyhow...we did everything that we set out to do...so it was a very successful trip! We might even do it again next year!
Congrats to both jetskigrl and EcbLovesMickey on pulling off the best Christmas surprise ever! I know that you all had a blast doing it!

OK...I am done for now...oh wait a minute...jetskigrl you mentioned Vinylmations...We just did a bunch of trading at WDW...it was a blast and my sons got some of the Vinylmations that they were looking for. Big tip...I went on DisneyStore.com and purchased a bunch of Vinlymations that were on sale...like for $5.99 and $7.99...my boys used these for trading. Why pay the $9.95 (Disney regular price) when you can get some sale traders on-line. Anyhow...just a suggestion...I am going to restock the Vinyls for our cruise...I know that they are doing the trading on-board...


OK...I think I am finished...Again...Happy New Year to everyone!!!


Crystal

WOO HOO - I'm glad you had such a great trip to WDW!! DL was crazy busy this week too (closures on Monday and Tuesday). I'm glad we were able to get two visits in during the holiday season though.

Thanks for the idea about the Vinylmations. DD did get one duplicate at Christmas that I will tell her to hold on to as a trader. I checked Disneystore.com but they only had the clear ones for $5.99. Will they let you trade the clear ones?

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

WOO HOO - I'm glad you had such a great trip to WDW!! DL was crazy busy this week too (closures on Monday and Tuesday). I'm glad we were able to get two visits in during the holiday season though.

Thanks for the idea about the Vinylmations. DD did get one duplicate at Christmas that I will tell her to hold on to as a trader. I checked Disneystore.com but they only had the clear ones for $5.99. Will they let you trade the clear ones?

Yes! You can trade the clear ones...and we did! We also traded the 2010 marathon ones that they were selling for 5.99 and some Epcot Garden ones that they were selling for 7.99. I just checked the Disney Store site...they have the Park ones for 5.99, but they say sold out. I check each morning the Disney Store site...will post if any sale items come out. BTW...my son was able to snag the clear (Chaser) Vinylmation in one of his trades! We were very happy with the trading at WDW! I know that on the cruise the Castmembers go out of there way to help the kids find the trades that they want or are looking for...it should be a blast!


Have a great New Year's Eve!
Crystal

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I hope everyone had a great New Years. We have all been down with the flu. Last night I managed to pop enough pills to get myself out of bed and into Atlanta for the Chick-fil-a bowl. DH is a huge FSU fan, but there was no way he was going to be able to make it, and DS had been looking forward to it for months.

The inlaws were supposed to arrive today but we phoned and now they are coming on Monday... I guess the upside is it will be a shorter visit

Now our countdown begins to the cruise... just thinking of those nice warm beaches and the on board spa might just get me through this next week.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

Also, we had to cancel our Fantasy cruise because they moved the maiden voyage date (and called us like 2 days before Xmas to say so). The new date won't work for us and the "discount" they offered us to stay on the 4/7 cruise wasn't enough to bring the cost down to the same rate as the cruise the following week... I see no point in paying a premium to be on the second cruise

 

[mozposse]

Happy New Year! Mind if I join the party? This will be my family's 1st cruise and I couldn't be more excited! It will be me, my DH, and my DS age 10. Now that I'm on here I may be asking you experts lots of questions and advise, I hope that's ok.
~Carla

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Also, we had to cancel our Fantasy cruise because they moved the maiden voyage date (and called us like 2 days before Xmas to say so). The new date won't work for us and the "discount" they offered us to stay on the 4/7 cruise wasn't enough to bring the cost down to the same rate as the cruise the following week... I see no point in paying a premium to be on the second cruise

I thought about you guys when I heard about the date changing...that really stinks. Are you all still going to try and cruise the Fantasy at another time? And two days before Christmas...


I hope that your crew is feeling better! I am the only one in our house that has been sick. I always worry about my boys getting sick...when they were little they always would get strep throat at Disney. For the past few years...everyone has stayed healthy for our trips. This year...I start up with a sinus infection mid-way through the trip...It is still with me even though I am now on antibiotics. (At least it is me and not the husband or the kids!) For some reason I can still function while I am sick...hummmmm....


Happy New Year Again to Everyone!!!
Crystal

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Happy New Year! Mind if I join the party? This will be my family's 1st cruise and I couldn't be more excited! It will be me, my DH, and my DS age 10. Now that I'm on here I may be asking you experts lots of questions and advise, I hope that's ok.
~Carla

Carla (mosposse)


Yes, you can join the party! We are a friendly bunch here...ask any questions that you have...someone will know the answer. Some of us have cruised a lot and some this will be their first cruise. Most of our information about our cruise can be found on the first post of this thread. I will add your crew to our sailing list.


Again, welcome aboard the Disney Dream April 3rd sailing!!!


Crystal

 

[Kanga+2Roos]

Welcome to the group Carla! All I can say, is start at page 1 & read away--you'll be well informed by the time you get to the end of this thread! I'm amazed that Crystal started this thread about 13 months ago & we're going strong--we've got to be one of the most active disgroups out there for DCL!

Add me to the group of sick moms --I lost my voice Christmas morning (told dh it was his Christmas present ) & got put on the z-pack on Tuesday. Nothing like having a nerf bullet wiz by your head as you're trying to sleep off a bug! I gave up trying to squeak out "stop that"! And yes, no matter how sick a mom is, it NEVER compares to how down & out dad is! Okay, I'm done venting!

EcbLovesMickey--great job putting yourself together to make it to the FSU game. Looks like it was fun--I'm sure you & ds had a great time together, those moments will never be forgotten!

Crystal-love the family picture at Disney! It sounds like you had a lot of fun!

Now that we're in 2011 DS5 thinks we're going on the cruise any day now! I have to admit, I'm getting more excited, it seems like we're getting into the homestretch now that we're in the current year! For once I'm going to try & be organized & have everything ready to roll instead of the last minute packing. I guess it helps that our warm weather gear is out of commission until vacation!

Hope everyone is healthy real soon & stays that way!

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

3 Months Until We Cruise!!!


Crystal

 

[jetskigrl]

I hope everyone had a great New Years. We have all been down with the flu. Last night I managed to pop enough pills to get myself out of bed and into Atlanta for the Chick-fil-a bowl. DH is a huge FSU fan, but there was no way he was going to be able to make it, and DS had been looking forward to it for months.

The inlaws were supposed to arrive today but we phoned and now they are coming on Monday... I guess the upside is it will be a shorter visit

Now our countdown begins to the cruise... just thinking of those nice warm beaches and the on board spa might just get me through this next week.

Oh no, I hope you are feeling better by now. WTG on the FSU game. It is amazing what us mom's can make ourselves do for our kids

Also, we had to cancel our Fantasy cruise because they moved the maiden voyage date (and called us like 2 days before Xmas to say so). The new date won't work for us and the "discount" they offered us to stay on the 4/7 cruise wasn't enough to bring the cost down to the same rate as the cruise the following week... I see no point in paying a premium to be on the second cruise

Oh, I thought about you too when I read that. I'm sorry that you guys had to cancel that one.

Happy New Year! Mind if I join the party? This will be my family's 1st cruise and I couldn't be more excited! It will be me, my DH, and my DS age 10. Now that I'm on here I may be asking you experts lots of questions and advise, I hope that's ok.
~Carla

Welcome Carla!!!! This cruise will be the 2nd one for our family. We are also going to be on the 2-night mini cruise on the Wonder (out of Los Angeles) in less than 3 weeks So I am technically a newbie too (but have learned quite a bit from everyone here)!!

Welcome to the group Carla! All I can say, is start at page 1 & read away--you'll be well informed by the time you get to the end of this thread! I'm amazed that Crystal started this thread about 13 months ago & we're going strong--we've got to be one of the most active disgroups out there for DCL!

Add me to the group of sick moms --I lost my voice Christmas morning (told dh it was his Christmas present ) & got put on the z-pack on Tuesday. Nothing like having a nerf bullet wiz by your head as you're trying to sleep off a bug! I gave up trying to squeak out "stop that"! And yes, no matter how sick a mom is, it NEVER compares to how down & out dad is! Okay, I'm done venting!

EcbLovesMickey--great job putting yourself together to make it to the FSU game. Looks like it was fun--I'm sure you & ds had a great time together, those moments will never be forgotten!

Crystal-love the family picture at Disney! It sounds like you had a lot of fun!

Now that we're in 2011 DS5 thinks we're going on the cruise any day now! I have to admit, I'm getting more excited, it seems like we're getting into the homestretch now that we're in the current year! For once I'm going to try & be organized & have everything ready to roll instead of the last minute packing. I guess it helps that our warm weather gear is out of commission until vacation!

Hope everyone is healthy real soon & stays that way!

Oh no, I hope you are feeling better soon too!!! Yeah, since we told the kids about the cruise it has been non-stop talking about it. But luckily they will get to be on the Wonder this month, so it makes the wait a little easier

3 Months Until We Cruise!!!


Crystal

WOO HOO!!! I just paid off the 4-night cruise today too! Now I just need to pay for the 3-night and I'm all set