Disney Dream - April 3, 2011 - 4 nights

[Disney On A Dime!]

Last minute stuff!


I just went through my packing list and thought of a few off-the-wall items that you might want to pack...or have already done so.


electrical cord - my kids (and husband) bring their IPODS and they are always needing to charge them...and still play them at the same time. So we need a cord that goes all over the cabin!


hangers - I bring extra hangers. Sometimes the cabin will have a bunch of hangers...other times...not so many. There is very little drawer space...so we hang everything.


goggles - For the kids! Or sometimes we bring our snorkels, fins and masks (but not for this trip.)


battery charger - For the camera batteries...or other electronic batteries.


digital alarm clock - Those cabins are dark and being able to set your own wake-up time is a good thing. Once we called for a wake-up time (for the last morning) the entire ship's wake-up system was messed up...so we got up super late...it was a mess.


a watch - You know...those things that we all used to wear on our wrists before we got cell phones. Time gets lost out at sea...and there are very few clocks...it's good to have a watch!


sweatshirt or light jacket - I know that no one wants to bring one of these...but it can get chilly at night...and if you got too much sun that day...you are going to want something on your arms...


That's it for now! Looks like it is going to be 82 degrees on Friday and 80 degrees on Saturday in Cocoa Beach! We can't wait!!!


Crystal

 

[TheMouseGeeks]

Last minute stuff!


I just went through my packing list and thought of a few off-the-wall items that you might want to pack...or have already done so.


electrical cord - my kids (and husband) bring their IPODS and they are always needing to charge them...and still play them at the same time. So we need a cord that goes all over the cabin!


hangers - I bring extra hangers. Sometimes the cabin will have a bunch of hangers...other times...not so many. There is very little drawer space...so we hang everything.


goggles - For the kids! Or sometimes we bring our snorkels, fins and masks (but not for this trip.)


battery charger - For the camera batteries...or other electronic batteries.


digital alarm clock - Those cabins are dark and being able to set your own wake-up time is a good thing. Once we called for a wake-up time (for the last morning) the entire ship's wake-up system was messed up...so we got up super late...it was a mess.


a watch - You know...those things that we all used to wear on our wrists before we got cell phones. Time gets lost out at sea...and there are very few clocks...it's good to have a watch!


sweatshirt or light jacket - I know that no one wants to bring one of these...but it can get chilly at night...and if you got too much sun that day...you are going to want something on your arms...


That's it for now! Looks like it is going to be 82 degrees on Friday and 80 degrees on Saturday in Cocoa Beach! We can't wait!!!


Crystal

Don't forget the over-the-door clear shoe organizer! DH could not understand why I was bringing it along last year but he sure was singing a different tune when it came time to put away all of our bathroom items! A pop-up laundry basket is great also.

Jennifer

 

[mozposse]

Wow, how did this week go by so fast??? Feeling better about my FE gifts, almost done. But I still have to find a swimsuit, buy my husband new pants, get another suitcase, and fit in a cut and color somewhere. Seriously, what was I doing on all those snowdays! Oh yeah, reading DisBoards!

Ok, I'm totally up for Pink the 1st evening. We've got the late dinner so I'll be there right afterwards. Really looking forward to meeting everyone!

Carla

 

[NatesMom2]

Wow, how time flies... I can't believe it, but we leave home one week from tomorrow. Staying with Family in Orlando until time to head over to Ft. Canavaral on Sunday. I still have soooooo much to do!!!!!

 

[Woosh]

Just had to get on the boards after hearing SNOW in our forecast for the weekend! UGH! You all from michigan can appreciate the weariness of the snow. But with this snow comes 2 good things:1) it won't last long and 2) We leave in 8 days so I am just cruising along with nothing but warm thoughts.

I am glad to hear we will have something of a get together at PINK on the first nite after 2nd dinner seating. I'm trying to put real names together with the sign on names. I am still going to keep an eye out for the gathering at the seats in the middle of the terminal. I am going to make myself some sort of pin to signify my DIS group involvement.

Anyone else booking on board concerned about stateroom availability. The dates I am looking at show nothing below cat 5 available on disneycruise.com. I would like another 6 or deluxe oceanview. and that cruise is over a year down the road.

To swimminggirl16 and 54Disney (DD15), my daughter is Mackenzie she will be 15 mid april and is very much looking forward to hanging out at the Teen area and meeting new friends. She did last year and loved it!! Says we won't see her much on this cruise.

We have pretty much completed the shopping and returns phase of our preparation. Although I may have to make one more bathing suit search. The suitcases come out this weekend and we'll start the packing. I agree with Crystal on the electrical cord and Mousegeeks on the over the door shoe holder, that was a godsend the last cruise. I found the idea out on the boards and found it to be a great idea. We are also bringing one of the 6 shelf hanging organizers to store clothes since we have limited drawer space. Oh and I realized we have to get new sunscreen! My mom has completed the FE gifts and she is shipping them to the cruise line Sat.

I can't believe we are this close to the cruise!!! I hope the next week flies by and it should with all the stuff I have to do at work to get my desk in order and the kids track meets to attend (they each have 2 meets) So here's to us and our final week count down!!! Make it a good one! Wendy

 

[jawdropper]

10 day weather forecasts are out for our cruise. I know they aren't that accurate but it's fun to look!

Remember the new clocks are supposed to be bright and big enough to see at night so you may save room leaving your own at home.

The "cut and color" sounds like a comment from my wife

We will try to be at Pink after second seating on Sunday night. Do those of you that have cruised before leave your kids in the room if they don't want to go to the club? My kids are 11/10/8 and responsible, but of course without adult supervision I'm not sure how that would work I guess with the new wave phones we could check on them easily. I can either see them getting wild as bucks or bossing each other around

One bad thing about our nice spring season is everything is yellow from the pollen. We've had a few sinus issues and my son even started with a rash. If not for the cruise I would not have been worried but we took him to the MD to make sure he wasn't contagious and to have a note to take onboard in case he still has symptoms (it was viral as suspected). Funny story, my daughter (10) said she would wear long pants and long sleeves to get on the ship if she started with a rash We are both dentists, so we would never subject others to sickness if we could help it. We are actually considered very anal about sick kids at school/dance/etc. by most people's standards.

We are off to Atlanta for a MathFest Competition on Saturday. Our son's 5th grade team won the state competion in South Carolina a few weeks ago. So our packing will have to wait until later next week. We think we have most everything together so Friday will be the big day for organizing and then we head out Saturday!

Another tip I have is that anytime we go on a trip I make copies of any documents we have (Driver's license, credit card, passports, etc). Then we put them in a different place than where the originals are kept. That way if anything is lost/stolen we at least have the copies and know who to call.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and short week!

 

[jetskigrl]

We will try to be at Pink after second seating on Sunday night. Do those of you that have cruised before leave your kids in the room if they don't want to go to the club? My kids are 11/10/8 and responsible, but of course without adult supervision I'm not sure how that would work I guess with the new wave phones we could check on them easily. I can either see them getting wild as bucks or bossing each other around

One bad thing about our nice spring season is everything is yellow from the pollen. We've had a few sinus issues and my son even started with a rash. If not for the cruise I would not have been worried but we took him to the MD to make sure he wasn't contagious and to have a note to take onboard in case he still has symptoms (it was viral as suspected). Funny story, my daughter (10) said she would wear long pants and long sleeves to get on the ship if she started with a rash We are both dentists, so we would never subject others to sickness if we could help it. We are actually considered very anal about sick kids at school/dance/etc. by most people's standards.

We are off to Atlanta for a MathFest Competition on Saturday. Our son's 5th grade team won the state competion in South Carolina a few weeks ago. So our packing will have to wait until later next week. We think we have most everything together so Friday will be the big day for organizing and then we head out Saturday!

Another tip I have is that anytime we go on a trip I make copies of any documents we have (Driver's license, credit card, passports, etc). Then we put them in a different place than where the originals are kept. That way if anything is lost/stolen we at least have the copies and know who to call.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and short week!

When we went on the Wonder in January (the 2-night cruise), DH and I wanted to head down to one of the bars for a quick drink after dinner. We left my DD (12) in charge of her little brother (7). It was about 10:30 so we got them both tucked into bed with the wave phone right next to DD's hand and a movie on the TV. They were both sound asleep when we came back (probably they were asleep before we even walked down the hall, LOL).

I have no problem doing that, although I wouldn't leave DD in charge of DS to roam around the ship because I don't trust him. So if it were during the day, DS would just go to the kid's club. But it worked out fine at that time of night so I will try it again when we meet at Pink I love having the wave phone option and wouldn't be comfortable about leaving them without the wave phones.

Best of luck to your DS's 5th grade team. That is awesome

I hope the rash clears up for your son too. My Mom has bad allergy problems too so this time of year is always hard on her. I'm hoping she doesn't have any problems with it on the cruise either.

 

[jetskigrl]

I have a question for you repeat cruises...

How do you fill out the customs forms? Do you list every single item you purchased, or write souvenirs with one (estimated) dollar amount?

I had no idea what to do when we went on our 2-night trip so I grouped things. Ex. Clothing - $x.xx, trading pins - $x.xx etc. But i had no idea if that was right, LOL. Since that cruise didn't stop anywhere, the customs agents didn't even look at the forms on our way out (they just dropped them in a pile, LOL).

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I had to fill out customs forms everytime I came home from abroad and I believe you are supposed to list everything, but honestly as long as you don't exceed the $ amount or volume of alcohol allowed per person it is not such a big deal. ow if you buy some major jewelry or buy extra alcohol then you may have to pay some customs on those items. Most of teh stores in port will tell you what if any customs are due, and I believe there are a lot of loopholes they explout as well (loose stones vs set stones, etc).

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

1 Week and 2 Days!


Let the Dream Begin!


And It's Friday!!!


Thanks jawdropper for the info. about the alarm clock in the cabin! One less thing to pack! Also...good luck this weekend in Atlanta! I don't know if you all get nervous for your kids when they perform or compete...but my anxiety goes crazy! Anyhow...great luck with the MathFest!


jetskigrl - Funny story about customs...our neighbor and his family flew to Jamaica about a year ago. My husband always jokes with him about Cuban cigars, and how when he cruises he gets one. My neighbor, who is from Ethiopia, didn't think twice about bringing two Cuban cigars home from Jamaica with him for he and my husband. When he got to customs...he had them listed...the customs agents were so taken back by his innocence that they let him keep them! So yes, list the items...however...most of the time the agents don't look too detailed at them...unless you have purchased a bunch of stuff...or it's illegal stuff!


Just for those logging in to check on stuff...here is a run-down of events:

-Port Party...Middle of seating section at the terminal...Most will have a luggage tag or bag with a DISign on it...or something lime green.

-Party at Pink...1st night...after the late show or after late dinner seating .

-DISmeet...Day 2...9AM...Deck 4 outside of the Skyline Lounge.

-Mango Rum Run...Day 2...10AM...either leave together from the DISmeet or meet at the dock where you get off of the ship. If there are two debarking spots...the one closest to walking into Nassau.


I hope that everyone has a great weekend! Ours was supposed to be full of baseball, however; the weather is looking rainy and cold! Yuk!


Crystal

 

[jetskigrl]

jetskigrl - Funny story about customs...our neighbor and his family flew to Jamaica about a year ago. My husband always jokes with him about Cuban cigars, and how when he cruises he gets one. My neighbor, who is from Ethiopia, didn't think twice about bringing two Cuban cigars home from Jamaica with him for he and my husband. When he got to customs...he had them listed...the customs agents were so taken back by his innocence that they let him keep them! So yes, list the items...however...most of the time the agents don't look too detailed at them...unless you have purchased a bunch of stuff...or it's illegal stuff!

Thanks so much! Do you list each individual item or do you think the way that I categorized it before was OK? We went crazy buying stuff on the ship last time (since it was our first cruise). I had a hard enough time writing down things in categories. I can't imagine having to write down every single t-shirt or pin that we bought

Oh, I guess now I need to figure out what to do for the B2B. Do I write down everything I bought on the first cruise when we are doing the change over even though it is still on the ship. Or do I save it all for when we get off for good. I guess that is a question for guest services. Or I could post it on the board to see what other B2Bers have done.

 

[gavin'smom]

Very excited to begin our Dream.....Anyone have suggestions on shipping directly to the cruise. I read back a few post that someone will be sending fish extenders in advance. Just thinking if we can get some of our gifts down and to our stateroom it would help out. Otherwise, I am thinking of sending down to the hotel that we will be staying at on Saturday.

Thanks!~

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Very excited to begin our Dream.....Anyone have suggestions on shipping directly to the cruise. I read back a few post that someone will be sending fish extenders in advance. Just thinking if we can get some of our gifts down and to our stateroom it would help out. Otherwise, I am thinking of sending down to the hotel that we will be staying at on Saturday.

Thanks!~

There is something out on the main boards...on one of the top threads...that has information on how to ship stuff to the ship. Someone here might have more info for you also...


Crystal

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Thanks so much! Do you list each individual item or do you think the way that I categorized it before was OK? We went crazy buying stuff on the ship last time (since it was our first cruise). I had a hard enough time writing down things in categories. I can't imagine having to write down every single t-shirt or pin that we bought

Oh, I guess now I need to figure out what to do for the B2B. Do I write down everything I bought on the first cruise when we are doing the change over even though it is still on the ship. Or do I save it all for when we get off for good. I guess that is a question for guest services. Or I could post it on the board to see what other B2Bers have done.

I would categorize like you did before...now for the B2B part...not too sure... Do you have to go back out through customs and then re-enter? Or do you just have to get off and back on in the terminal? I really don't have an answer for that one. But I would...if you shop like I do...list and categorize items when they are purchased...then you can just transfer that to the customs sheet. Or just keep the receipts handy...


Crystal

 

[Woosh]

Boxes Sent the Ship Ahead of Cruise - PLEASE follow these instructions carefully!!!!!! UPDATED AS OF 2/25/2009
• ONE box per stateroom, no exceptions.
• The package must have the guest full name, ship, sailing date, stateroom number or GTY if you have not been assigned a stateroom number.
• The package also must have a packing slip attached to the outside of the box that details the contents of the package. For prescriptions, a copy of the prescription is sufficient. Your list may or may not be read but it must have one. Write packing slip on the outside of the envelope.
• NO FOODS/DRINKS OF ANY KIND, LIQUOR OF ANY KIND, FIREARMS, ETC.. Items that cannot be shipped to the Disney Cruise Line Warehouse and delivered to the ship include: food products (any and all food products including baby food/formula), beverages (liquor, water, etc.), chemicals, and luggage. These items will not be accepted at the warehouse and will be returned. This may cause the dogs to hit on your box and that would be a bad thing.
• The required size of the cartons you are shipping down have to be about the size of a record storage box 12 inches on a side and should not weigh more than 20 lbs. (This has been asked personally by Dave Adams who is the owner)

Address your package(s) to:
Disney Cruise Line Warehouse
Guest Name / Stateroom # (GTY, if you don't know what it is when you send the package)
8633 Transport Drive
Orlando, FL 32832
Phone: 407-566-8196

In the bottom left corner of the top of the package put the following information: ATTN: HOUSEKEEPING
*Name
*Sail Date
*Ship
*Stateroom Number
*Packing slip that details contents of the package (for prescriptions, a copy of the prescription is sufficient)
• Packages must arrive by Friday by 3:00pm for the 7-Night Cruise on the Disney Magic (Saturday).
• Packages must arrive by Friday by 3:00pm for the 4-Night Cruise on the Disney Wonder (Sunday).
• Packages must arrive by Wednesday by 3:00pm for the 3-Night Cruise on the Disney Wonder (Thursday).

If your box is hit on by the screening dog or chosen for additional screening they will open the list and the box and look through it. They will close it back up and provided nothing bad is in it then it will be in your room as usual later after boarding. These boxes will be coming on the ship with the crew mail among other things so they may be in the staterooms later then they were before as they are low priority in the scheme of things for Disney.

************
There is a place called Shipping Depot that is nearby that we are stopping by to send FE home before we head to WDW. Their address is 211 Crockett Blvd, Suite 103, Merritt Island, FL 321-453-2558.

 

[Samantha6174]

Just wanted to say hello. My name is Sam, and I'll be on the Dream with my husband, Dave, and our two sons, Max (9) and Henry (7). Henry and I took a 3 night cruise on the Wonder in March of 2010, but Dave and Max haven't been before. We're arriving in Orlando on 4/1, and spending 2 nights at the Polynesian before the cruise.
Kids can't wait for kids clubs and Aquaduck. I'm just looking forward to some down time while they do all that!
We've got a car service picking us up at 9:30 on 4/3 to bring us to PC. Hoping all the transferring goes smoothly!
Nice to meet you all,
Sam

 

[gavin'smom]

Thanks for the shipping info.

 

[Woosh]

Welcome Sam's family. we have a great group here on the boards, have had a great time chatting with everyone before our cruise. We are also staying at WDW before our cruise date. We are taking a car service over on 4/3 as well. We used DCL transport last year and hated getting to the terminal so late in the day. I am traveling with my mom, my son Trey (11) and daughter Mackenzie (14). When we get off the cruise ship we are going to Kennedy Space center and back to Caribbean Beach Resort to spend 4 days at the parks. My son is the only one in our group who has not cruised before. I hope he likes it. Well good luck with the packing and enjoy your precruise stay at disney world. Wendy

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Just wanted to say hello. My name is Sam, and I'll be on the Dream with my husband, Dave, and our two sons, Max (9) and Henry (7). Henry and I took a 3 night cruise on the Wonder in March of 2010, but Dave and Max haven't been before. We're arriving in Orlando on 4/1, and spending 2 nights at the Polynesian before the cruise.
Kids can't wait for kids clubs and Aquaduck. I'm just looking forward to some down time while they do all that!
We've got a car service picking us up at 9:30 on 4/3 to bring us to PC. Hoping all the transferring goes smoothly!
Nice to meet you all,
Sam

Welcome to our DISgroup getting ready to sail on April 3rd! I am glad that you came over and said, "Hi!"


Take a look back through some of the postings and you can see what we have going on for the cruise. Lot's of us have been on this board since Nov. 2009! So we can't wait to meet each other in person, and finally take this long awaited cruise!


Ask if you have any questions...and if you have tips for cruising DCL...please let us know! We have many experienced cruisers and many first time cruisers...so all info. is greatly appreciated!


Again, welcome to our sailing...and welcome to the DISboards!


Crystal

 

[jawdropper]

Hopefully we will all be onboard by this time next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woosh- My son is 11 also (he'll be 12 in August)...he's into any kind of sport and likes playing football the best. He'll play Wii or xBox but not what I would consider a game junkie at all. Music interests are wide...most of which I can't take for long.

Weather looks like...Port Canaveral (Saturaday night/Sunday) 62/80
Nassua (Sunday night/Monday) 68/81
Castaway Cay (Monday night/Tuesday) 67/81 (30% rain)

I have noticed that ,eventhough we live in SC and are very familiar with high temps and humidity, the 80's down "there" are HOT (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic...which I know are a little further south).