Disney Dream - August 8, 2016!

[TotesByDN]

I looked for a meetup for the Dream 8/8/16 sailing but couldn't find one so I'm creating a new thread. If I made a mistake and one already exists can someone point me in the right direction?

This will be our first cruise and... (Drumroll please) DISNEYMOON after getting married just 3 days earlier!!!!! We are BEYOND excited!!

I'm looking forward to meeting our fellow cruisers and (hopefully) learning the must-do's from some of you who've cruised before! We know all about WDW but DCL is new to us

 

[Alyson A]

Hello! My husband, 12 year old son Conor, and I will be sailing the Disney Dream for the second time this August (8th through the 12th). I believe that is the same cruise as you and your fiancé! Hurray -- and congratulations! So, if we are on the same cruise.

We are from Pennsylvania but visit WDW a couple times a year and now we won't visit without adding a cruise -- it is THAT wonderful. I also facilitated the Disney Dream's Fish Extender Game last year on the cruise. We had about 15 families participate in the game and had so much fun. Are you familiar with that activity? It is basically a 'secret santa' on board the ship. There is a lot of communication that happens beforehand but it ended up being so much fun! You can look on etsy or pinterest to see the various 'fish extender' holders for your cruise door. I don't want to tell you too much in case you are not interested in participating. . It doesn't matter who is in your party, it is such a fun activity, but with your wedding...it might cause added things to do!

Anyway, if there is anything I can help with or answer, just let me know. You have made the right choice sailing on the Disney Dream -- you will have a blast!

Best wishes!
Alyson

 

[TotesByDN]

Yay!! I was starting to wonder if we were the only ones going on this cruise lol. I'm so glad to hear you've had nothing but awesome experiences! Thats super reassuring!
We're definitely excited but I'm a planner, I love having every little detail worked out, so it makes me a little nervous not knowing the ins and outs of cruising lol.

We are planning on staying 2 nights in WDW before the cruise, but not doing the parks this time around... do you use disney transport to the port or private transport? I read somewhere that its nice to hire your own cab and then you can get to the port early, but I like the convenience and security of using the Disney bus.

I read just a little about the fish extenders on pinterest. I saw some super cute little gift and goodie bag ideas. Do you leave something everyday or are different families assigned different drop off days? About how much time do you think you spend traveling around making deliveries? Definitely sounds fun. That must have been a ton of work to organize though lol!

I'm Danielle by the way, I just realized my name isnt on my profile lol. We're from New York - not the city lol.

 

[Alyson A]

Hey Danielle! I JUST got on DISboards and saw your response. I swear I don't stay on here all day (lol) though I probably could!

You certainly could take a cab or town car to Port Canaveral and the pricing is about the same. We are so used to using the Magical Express that we just go with that. Last year we left from Animal Kingdom Lodge and a bunch of us gathered in a particular section of the lobby and then boarded the bus (there is something about boarding those adorable cruise line buses). The service is the same as you would expect from Disney and they show a video on board as well. The trip took us about 1.5 hours, at most, and it was crowded on the bus, but OK. Actually, I loved the timing of the service. If I recall correctly, we boarded about 11:30 a.m. and got to the port at 1 p.m. And I can certainly see why people would want to arrive earlier and board so they could eat and jump in the pool, but by the time we arrived the terminal was cleared out and we just walked on the ship after checking in. So, I suppose arriving at the terminal at 1 p.m. was just right for us. We went to our cabin then headed to Cabanas, the buffet.

Last year we started at the Lodge, did the cruise then stayed two nights at the Disney Yacht Club. This year we will stay at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort, do the cruise and again go to the Yacht Club for two nights. And, I almost forgot -- my parents are coming along this year...haha. How did I forget that? They never travel anywhere and my dad turns a (young) 75 this summer so we are hoping they enjoy themselves.

The fish extender game (and you probably know the odd name of the activity started because the goodie holders hang from the "fishes" outside the cabin. Essentially, they 'extend' from the fishes!) OH, and bring magnets -- you may know that already -- but you can decorate your door with cute Disney magnets and it makes it easier to find your door!

Back to the game...last year I gathered first names, ages, and cabin numbers of up to maybe 12 or 15 families. Starting on the second day of the trip little gifts were left in the goodie bags. Some were very creative and you only leave one gift, one time, per family or person. I gave cute kids things and then gave adults a pirate kit complete with eye patches, Chips AHOY, Pirates Booty popcorn, Swedish FISH and Rum! But, it can get out of hand. I packed an extra suitcase for my gifts (but hey, Southwest lets you bring two bags a person and so does the cruise!) I thought my son would want to participate but I had the most fun! On one morning my husband and I woke up early and jogged through the ship to drop off the gifts. So, we actually had a good time -- just like Santa!

Where are you staying in WDW? I am so excited for you. I am just like you -- lists for everything! It is the only way I can function...and research. I love helping people plan their trips to WDW -- it is my hobby. I don't know everything about Disney cruises but we explored a lot and I have researched a lot. (My husband and I took two classes last year, Tequila and Mixology, and I highly recommend them if you enjoy a cocktail!)

You are going to have a blast! What until you see Castaway Cay. It absolutely is paradise. So clean, warm, amazing food...pure paradise!

Alyson

 

[Alyson A]

Hey friends! My family and I would love Disney Dream cruisers (August 8 - 12) to be a part of our fish extender game. I facilitated a game last year and we had a blast! If you are interested, please let me know your first names, ages, where you are from, and who your favorite Disney (or Marvel/Star Wars/Pixar) character is (optional) -- it is that simple! Last year (Disney Dream August 2015) we had about 15 families and had so much fun! Some of us even got to meet up during the cruise. The fish extender game is a great way to add something a little special to your cruise.

Not familiar? First, a 'fish extender' is a type of goodie bag that hangs from the metal fish located outside of your cabin door. The goodie bag can take many forms but you can also search the words 'fish extender' on Pinterest or Etsy and see all kinds of samples! They usually have pockets for each member of your party and names. Next, we will invite families (I try to make the cut off about 12 or so) to join our game. Basic information is needed and I will continually update the list (and bring hard copies on board in case anyone needs one.) Everyone and anyone can play! You just need to commit to giving each guest a small token gift -- or you can make a group gift. The small gifts are meant to be a 'treat' and should not cost much and I have seen many people get very creative and thoughtful.

We had so much fun 'jogging' the ship halls last year stuffing gifts like Santa Claus!

So, are you in? I sure hope so!

Alyson

Here is our family:

CABIN #5760
DD - Matthew, 37 (Mickey)
DM - Alyson, 44 (Mickey or Snow White)
DS - Conor, 12 (Captain America)
Erie, PA

CABIN # (adjoining room but will have to get the cabin number)
DGPA - Joe, 75
DGMA - Berna, 73
Erie, PA

 

[Dc1084]

Hello! I'm so glad someone made a meetup for our cruise! This will be my families first cruise and we are super excited! I've been looking on pinterest for tips and reading trip reports for a few months now. We're planning on going to Disney World a few days before the cruise too!

We would love to participate in a fish extender exchange as well!

 

[Alyson A]

Hello! I am thrilled for you and your family -- you will have a blast! After being twice yearly WDW visitors for many, many years we took our first cruise last year and now we won't vacation without one! You can see my thread above about our itinerary.

I am so glad that you would like to participate in the game! If you would like to participate in the fish extender activity you have likely checked out the fish extender "bags" on etsy and pinterest and know what the game is all about. I just need to know your cabin number, first names, ages (for children, others are optional) and favorite character. You can see how I started the list above. I will then keep track of everyone. I promise to keep the game to 12 to 15 participants (families). Last year I could not bear to leave a family or two off the game who replied very late in the process so just a few of us exchanged with them so they could share in the fun.

I hope to cut off the group once we get to the maximum number of families or about four weeks before the cruise to give everyone enough time to create their gifts. Any other questions? Just let me know.

Alyson

 

[justinjayden1101]

Hi all our family will be on this cruise and would love to join the group for the good old fun fish extender! !!
We are from Staten Island Ny
Audrey - mom
Harry - Dad
Justin- son 22
Jayden - son 13 at time of cruise
I will post State room asap

 

[Alyson A]

Hello Audrey! So happy to have your family joining our group! I can't wait to have more families join us so we can start sharing our favorite things about the Disney Dream, cruising, or anything else we want to share. Plus, we will have so much fun with our 'fish extender game!'

Alyson

 

[Lydia F]

Hey friends! My family and I would love Disney Dream cruisers (August 8 - 12) to be a part of our fish extender game. I facilitated a game last year and we had a blast! If you are interested, please let me know your first names, ages, where you are from, and who your favorite Disney (or Marvel/Star Wars/Pixar) character is (optional) -- it is that simple! Last year (Disney Dream August 2015) we had about 15 families and had so much fun! Some of us even got to meet up during the cruise. The fish extender game is a great way to add something a little special to your cruise.

Not familiar? First, a 'fish extender' is a type of goodie bag that hangs from the metal fish located outside of your cabin door. The goodie bag can take many forms but you can also search the words 'fish extender' on Pinterest or Etsy and see all kinds of samples! They usually have pockets for each member of your party and names. Next, we will invite families (I try to make the cut off about 12 or so) to join our game. Basic information is needed and I will continually update the list (and bring hard copies on board in case anyone needs one.) Everyone and anyone can play! You just need to commit to giving each guest a small token gift -- or you can make a group gift. The small gifts are meant to be a 'treat' and should not cost much and I have seen many people get very creative and thoughtful.

We had so much fun 'jogging' the ship halls last year stuffing gifts like Santa Claus!

So, are you in? I sure hope so!

Alyson

Here is our family:

CABIN #5760
DD - Matthew, 37 (Mickey)
DM - Alyson, 44 (Mickey or Snow White)
DS - Conor, 12 (Captain America)
Erie, PA

CABIN # (adjoining room but will have to get the cabin number)
DGPA - Joe, 75
DGMA - Berna, 73
Erie, PA

Thank you sooooo much for taking the lead on the FE game. My family and I would LOVE to participate.

1st Cabin:
Me - Lydia - 50 (Birthday Cruise!)
DH - Raul - 53

2nd Cabin:
DD - Michelle - 23
DS - Matias - 17
DGM - Nena - 70+

I'll send cabin & character info later.

Thanks again.

 

[justinjayden1101]

Hello Audrey! So happy to have your family joining our group! I can't wait to have more families join us so we can start sharing our favorite things about the Disney Dream, cruising, or anything else we want to share. Plus, we will have so much fun with our 'fish extender game!'

Alyson

Hi Alyson! , Yes it is very exciting and fun!... my 12 year old runs back to the room to check for any surprises! it's lots of fun to join in on a FE group. This is our 3rd cruise we are DVC members .

 

[Alyson A]

Thank you sooooo much for taking the lead on the FE game. My family and I would LOVE to participate.

1st Cabin:
Me - Lydia - 50 (Birthday Cruise!)
DH - Raul - 53

2nd Cabin:
DD - Michelle - 23
DS - Matias - 17
DGM - Nena - 70+

I'll send cabin & character info later.

Thanks again.

Hi Lydia!
Welcome to our group -- so happy to have you! I cannot wait to participate in another FE game -- the surprises are so much fun. Thank you for the information. I will keep track of everyone and once we get about 10-12 families I will see if the group wants to 'close' the group. I don't mind facilitating at all but I love having everyone involved; it is much more fun that way!

Thanks!
Alyson

 

[texasebeth]

I want to join too! This is our first Disney cruise but my son and I have been to WDW many times and Disneyland Paris. Charlie, my son, and his BFF, Myles, have now decided they are going to every single Disney park by the time they are adults! We're cruising with friends so I'm going to try to convince them to join in the fun.

Cabin 6552
Me - Elizabeth (1st Disney cruise) - 48yrs - Donald Duck
DS -Charlie (1st cruise) - 11yrs - "all of them" according to him! Star Wars is what I say.

 

[Alyson A]

I want to join too! This is our first Disney cruise but my son and I have been to WDW many times and Disneyland Paris. Charlie, my son, and his BFF, Myles, have now decided they are going to every single Disney park by the time they are adults! We're cruising with friends so I'm going to try to convince them to join in the fun.

Cabin 6552
Me - Elizabeth (1st Disney cruise) - 48yrs - Donald Duck
DS -Charlie (1st cruise) - 11yrs - "all of them" according to him! Star Wars is what I say.

Hello Elizabeth!
Welcome to our group!
So happy to have you and Charlie joining us! Last year was our first cruise but now we can't do a Disney vacation without one -- it is that fantastic. I am sure my (recently turned) 12 year old son, Conor, would love to hook up with Charlie and show him around!

Thank you for the information -- I will compile a new email with every family we have so far and we'll start sharing some tips and "must dos!"

Have a super day!
Alyson

 

[texasebeth]

Jackie said to include them! I sent her a link to this discussion thread so she should join in soon.

 

[texasebeth]

Jackie said for me to add them. She'll fill in details later.

Jacqueline - (mom)
DH - Paul
DD - Madyson (15)
DS - Myles (10)
Nephew - Jayden (8)

 

[Dc1084]

Hello! I am thrilled for you and your family -- you will have a blast! After being twice yearly WDW visitors for many, many years we took our first cruise last year and now we won't vacation without one! You can see my thread above about our itinerary.

I am so glad that you would like to participate in the game! If you would like to participate in the fish extender activity you have likely checked out the fish extender "bags" on etsy and pinterest and know what the game is all about. I just need to know your cabin number, first names, ages (for children, others are optional) and favorite character. You can see how I started the list above. I will then keep track of everyone. I promise to keep the game to 12 to 15 participants (families). Last year I could not bear to leave a family or two off the game who replied very late in the process so just a few of us exchanged with them so they could share in the fun.

I hope to cut off the group once we get to the maximum number of families or about four weeks before the cruise to give everyone enough time to create their gifts. Any other questions? Just let me know.

Alyson

Not sure of our cabin number yet, I'll have to get this from my husband soon.

Me: Darla- 31, Ariel/Belle
Husband: Tyler-32, Woody
Son 1: Jacob-9, Stitch
Son 2: Eli-16 months

 

[utahdisney]

Hi Alyson, Thanks for putting the fish extenders game together! Our last Disney cruise was a Halloween adventure on the Magic 2012, so we very excited to be going on a Disney ship again. We are looking forward to our cruise on the Dream and joining in the fun with the fish extenders. We are from Utah, there are 7 of us. I am taking my four grandchildren (their parents are headed to Hawaii), so I talked my youngest daughter and son-in-law into coming to assist me with the kids. They are actually thrill to be coming as it is my son-in-law first cruise. This is my 4th Disney cruise, a couple of the kids this is their second and the 3rd cruise for my daughter Emma.

Here is our Family:
CABIN #9596
Grandmother - Denise, 60 (Mickey or Minnie)
GS - Westlee, 8 (Jack Skelton, Spiderman)
GS - Peyton, 7 (Donald Duck, Iron Man)
GS - Allen, 3 (Mickey Mouse or Olaf)


CABIN #9598
Daughter Emma, 24 (Goofy or Pluto)
Son-in-law Stephen 28 (Donald Duck)
GD - Millie, 2 (Elisa or Anna)

 

[Alyson A]

Hi Alyson, Thanks for putting the fish extenders game together! Our last Disney cruise was a Halloween adventure on the Magic 2012, so we very excited to be going on a Disney ship again. We are looking forward to our cruise on the Dream and joining in the fun with the fish extenders. We are from Utah, there are 7 of us. I am taking my four grandchildren (their parents are headed to Hawaii), so I talked my youngest daughter and son-in-law into coming to assist me with the kids. They are actually thrill to be coming as it is my son-in-law first cruise. This is my 4th Disney cruise, a couple of the kids this is their second and the 3rd cruise for my daughter Emma.

Here is our Family:
CABIN #9596
Grandmother - Denise, 60 (Mickey or Minnie)
GS - Westlee, 8 (Jack Skelton, Spiderman)
GS - Peyton, 7 (Donald Duck, Iron Man)
GS - Allen, 3 (Mickey Mouse or Olaf)


CABIN #9598
Daughter Emma, 24 (Goofy or Pluto)
Son-in-law Stephen 28 (Donald Duck)
GD - Millie, 2 (Elisa or Anna)

Hi Denise!
It is fabulous to meet you all -- you are an amazing grandmother! It sounds like your family is going to have a wonderful time. Thank you for the information. This weekend I will compile everyone's information and send out the 'first draft' of our fish extender information for all to see. I had to make a switcharoo this week as, unfortunately, my parents are unable to join us this year but we added in my son's best friend, so I had to change staterooms. But it is all figured out now and I will send a compiled list this weekend. It sounds like we have some really fun families sailing with us and I am anxious to here all of the 'must dos.' We did a lot last year on the cruise but I am hoping to try some more new things this time, too!

We are six months from the cruise but I am counting down the days. I bet we all feel that way -- so anxious for vacation to begin. We live on Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and typically get well over 100 inches of snow but this year has been mild! I am praying the mild weather continues. Every so often I visit the Port Canaveral website (webcam) to see the ships sailing out. It gets me excited!

Well, I will be in touch again soon.
Alyson

 

[Alyson A]

Greetings my Disney Dream friends!

I apologize that it took me a bit longer to get our fish extender game organized! Well, you know how life goes! But, we are under six months and this is usually the time I start to get excited about our annual summer vacation. And I can't wait to meet some of you onboard the Dream in August. I have compiled our families but I do need some additional information from some of you, so please add it when you get the chance and I will continually update our list. For the game we need at least cabin numbers and guest names. It makes it easier if you share ages (at least for the kids!) so we can create/buy small gifts appropriately. And, if you know a guest's favorite character it can sometimes come in handy! The codes before the names are pretty easy to figure out -- DM is Disney Mom, DGM is Disney Grandma, etc.

Remember that the gifts should be small, thoughtful tokens -- last year we were thrilled with everything we received, no matter what it was!

This list is in no particular order because I am lacking so many cabin numbers but I will group them by floors once we have all of the information complete. Right now we have nine families. Danielle (TotesByDN)...I know you are going to be getting ready for your wedding but would you like to be included in our game? No pressure, of course! With that said, the cut off is typically between 10 - 15 families because we don't want the game costing a fortune for families or causing headaches! So, I would like to cut off the game at 12 families...how does that sound? We all gathered early and once we declare a cut off additional people can form their own game.

Please let me know of any mistakes and please send missing information when you can.

Thanks so much and have a Disney Day!

Alyson



2016 Disney Dream (August 8 – 12) Fish Extender Game


Cabin #9596 – utahdisney

DGM – Denise, 60 (Mickey, Minnie)

DGS – Westlee, 8 (Jack Skellington, Spiderman)

DGS – Peyton, 7 (Donald Duck, Iron Man)

DGS – Allen, 3 (Mickey Mouse, Olaf)


Cabin # 9598 – utahdisney

DM – Emma, 24 (Goofy, Pluto)

DD – Stephen, 28 (Donald Duck)

DD – Millie, 2 (Elsa, Anna)


Cabin # (need) – Dc1084

DM – Darla, 31 (Ariel, Belle)

DD – Tyler, 32 (Woody)

DS – Jacob, 9 (Stitch)

DS – Eli, 16 months


Cabin # (need) – texasbeth

DM – Elizabeth, 48 (Donald Duck)

DS – Charlie, 11 (Star Wars, ALL characters!)


Cabin # (need) – texasbeth

DM – Jacqueline

DD – Paul

DD – Madyson, 15

DS – Myles, 10

DN – Jayden, 8


Cabin # (need) – Lydia F

DM – Lydia, 50 (Birthday cruise – yay!)

DD – Raul, 53


Cabin # (need) – Lydia F

DD – Michelle, 23

DS – Matias, 17

DGM – Nena, 70+


Cabin # (need) – justinjayden1101

DM – Audrey

DD – Harry

Justin, 22

Jayden, 13


Cabin #9564 – Alyson A

DM – Alyson, 45 (Mickey Mouse, Snow White)

DD – Matthew, 38 (Mickey Mouse)

DS – Conor, 12 (Captain America)

DBFF – Michael, 12