Disney Magic - Dec 10, 2011 - Western Caribbean Cruise - Sun, Fun and Beaches!

[Sinderelly]

I would love love love to see the ruins but I just don't think that is going to be possible for us. My DS will only be 2 and DD is 4. With my children this young and my DH not coming (two adult sisters though) It would be too much stress for my vacation!

I am looking at some shorter excursions and the one we are really thinking about is the Ocean view explorer. Its a semi-sub and would give the kids the view of snorkeling without the snorkel. It's only 2 hours, so it leaves us time to explore on our own aka shop.

Anyone other ideas for families with young children?? both Cozumel and at Grand Cayman??

Thanks

On our last western DH did the Tulum ruins while I did the dolphin push, pull & swim. I really enjoyed the dolphins. I just wasn't interested in a bunch of dusty ol rocks
On Grand Cayman we did the shipwreck and reef snorkeling which was great.
This time we booked the island tour for Grand Cayman and so far are just planning on walking around the Cozumel port on our own. But the salsa & salsa sounds like alot of fun. Has anyone done the jeep tour?

 

[sesame_123]

You guys are awesome! I now have hope that I might get bumped to first seating, but if we don't, we've got great options for alternative dining.

I'm thinking about excursions now, what did everyone pick for Cozumel? I'm back and forth about this port...

Ok Confession time. I really hate hate the idea of second seating. I have been thinking all those earlier thoughts as a way to sell me on the idea but I still hate it but I hate uncertainty even more (especially on vacation) so I choose not to waitlist so that I would KNOW what I was doing well in advance.

Well all this talk about second got me curious so when I logged in today I looked into main seating and it was available for both my stateroom and my sisters.
So while I was trying to sell both you and myself on second we have now switched to main. Which makes me interested in knowing if your waitlist came through and if not then WHY??

If you still have second I would call your TA and mention that I just got main dinning today!! Hopefully you are already on main!!

Tracy

 

[WDW Enabler]

wow, my dd and I were under the weather a bit. I started a new job, and back to school and haven't had time to even log in to see what is going on.
I promise I am working on the spread sheet with totals for FE.
These are the names I have participating right now.
KikiMouse
CitaPita
Sinderelly
Goaliemom30
sesame_123
WDW Enabler
mareeld86
HannahNoahMommy
MandyO
SEVP
donna1.1
woodnymph
I will work on getting the individuals in the cabins with ages if listed.
Was there a decision on cruise name.
I am happy to say that I did get my Palo reservation and very surprised with what was available. We have second seating also. We had it lst cruise also and enjoyed it. Except on pirate night. we were late because slow service, so we may skip dining that night. time will tell.
I am so excited. DH is still out on his cruise (not the fun kind with Mickey bars, just lots of work), so I am holding down the fort.
I can't wait. I am waiting for him to be home to work on our FE gifts.
Rose

 

[aymekae]

Hi all! I am SO super excited, I can barely contain myself. Pretty much booked this cruise this evening on a whim... more about that later. Now a little about us...

Ayme (Me) 26
Ben (DH) 30

We have no kids, but we in no way let that stop us from enjoying all things Disney. This is our first cruise, our first Disney cruise, and our first vacation in more than 3 years. Last vacation was our Disneymoon to WDW (first and only trip there). We are local to Disneyland, so go a few times per year, but I don't consider that vacation, more like a day trip or weekend getaway.

So, we made a promise to each other last year that in 2011, we would go on our first cruise. I have been planning in spurts off and on all year. I got stymied in June when DH finally decided he wanted to go on a cheap, budget cruise to Mexico for our first cruise, just to see if we liked it. Needless to say, I was NOT excited for that. I tucked cruising away for another day, maybe in 2012.

Fast forward to today, when DH (I love him, I swear I do ), bought a gun for $650 without discussing it with me first. In retaliation, I told him that I was going to book a Disney cruise without discussing it with him, the options or the price or anything, and see how he liked it. He said, "Okay." So... naturally I rushed to the computer, flew through the options (okay, so I did discuss with him the dates, since he is in school this semester and I had to make sure I didn't book during finals week), and BOOKED THIS CRUISE!! He is mildly happy about it, and I'm sure he won't get truly excited till we are on the plane, but that's just him. I am in full-on vacation-planning mode now.

Okay, I know this is really long. Just a few more things, I swear.

I have read all about FE groups and stuff, and I'm just not sure it's for us. We don't really want more "stuff" and we don't have kids, plus it seems like a lot of work to complete in advance for a vacation (I am SO not crafty) and I have a feeling this whole concept would be lost on DH, so I am going to opt out of it. We are more interested in maybe meeting some of you guys. (We love kids, so whether you have them or not makes no difference to us!)

I am hoping to get some help and advice in planning our port adventures. I hate to say this, but we are pretty couch-potato-like and will be avoiding strenuous activity. I also can be quite the scaredy cat, esp. with water, though I am willing to try some of the milder activities (beginner snorkeling, kayak, two-person boats, etc.) I think we'd also love anything to do with animals or tours. Anyone have some good resources to link me to for research?? TIA!

Excited to be on this cruise and excited to be here with you guys!

 

[CitaPita]

If you still have second I would call your TA and mention that I just got main dinning today!! Hopefully you are already on main!!

Tracy, thanks for the update! I sent an email to my TA and hopefully I can get swtiched. (I didn't see an area to do that on the DCL site...is that where you updated yours?)

I'll let you know if I can get ours changed. Crossing my fingers!

 

[CitaPita]

Welcome, Ayme!!! We've got a great group going here, I am really hopeful that we can all meet up at some point to chat once we board.

This is our first cruise, too. In fact, it's our first Disney anything. I'm hoping we can stop by WDW for a day or two post cruise so I get to experience that, too, but it all hinges on budget.

I love that you booked the cruise spontaniously! It means you have that much less time to wait until we sail.

For ports, we're planning to be pretty laid back too, but ours is mainly due to the fact that our 2 and 3 year olds will be along for the ride. Both DH and I love to hike, and we'd LOVE to do the Tulum tour, but it's not in the cards for us this time. I think we're limiting our PA to beach breaks, the butterfly conservatory, and maybe the turtle farm? Haven't decided yet. Honestly, for us the boat is the destination! I sometimes forget we're actually GOING somewhere.

 

[sesame_123]

Tracy, thanks for the update! I sent an email to my TA and hopefully I can get swtiched. (I didn't see an area to do that on the DCL site...is that where you updated yours?)

I'll let you know if I can get ours changed. Crossing my fingers!

Not sure if it's the same since you booked with a TA but when I log into my reservation it gives all the info as in sail date/iternany/ship/ room category and number. At the bottom of that paragraph is a link that says modify. That is where I went to change it as well as make special requests like a bed rail and a booster.

HTH and that you get switched to main!


Welcome Aymekae! It's getting very exciting! I could see my DH trying to pull something like that! He's already talked my grandfather into giving him all his guns! Glad your DH's choice is allowing you to be able to take this trip!!

 

[Sinderelly]

Hi all! I am SO super excited, I can barely contain myself. Pretty much booked this cruise this evening on a whim... more about that later. Now a little about us...

Ayme (Me) 26
Ben (DH) 30

We have no kids, but we in no way let that stop us from enjoying all things Disney. This is our first cruise, our first Disney cruise, and our first vacation in more than 3 years. Last vacation was our Disneymoon to WDW (first and only trip there). We are local to Disneyland, so go a few times per year, but I don't consider that vacation, more like a day trip or weekend getaway.

So, we made a promise to each other last year that in 2011, we would go on our first cruise. I have been planning in spurts off and on all year. I got stymied in June when DH finally decided he wanted to go on a cheap, budget cruise to Mexico for our first cruise, just to see if we liked it. Needless to say, I was NOT excited for that. I tucked cruising away for another day, maybe in 2012.

Fast forward to today, when DH (I love him, I swear I do ), bought a gun for $650 without discussing it with me first. In retaliation, I told him that I was going to book a Disney cruise without discussing it with him, the options or the price or anything, and see how he liked it. He said, "Okay." So... naturally I rushed to the computer, flew through the options (okay, so I did discuss with him the dates, since he is in school this semester and I had to make sure I didn't book during finals week), and BOOKED THIS CRUISE!! He is mildly happy about it, and I'm sure he won't get truly excited till we are on the plane, but that's just him. I am in full-on vacation-planning mode now.

Okay, I know this is really long. Just a few more things, I swear.

I have read all about FE groups and stuff, and I'm just not sure it's for us. We don't really want more "stuff" and we don't have kids, plus it seems like a lot of work to complete in advance for a vacation (I am SO not crafty) and I have a feeling this whole concept would be lost on DH, so I am going to opt out of it. We are more interested in maybe meeting some of you guys. (We love kids, so whether you have them or not makes no difference to us!)

I am hoping to get some help and advice in planning our port adventures. I hate to say this, but we are pretty couch-potato-like and will be avoiding strenuous activity. I also can be quite the scaredy cat, esp. with water, though I am willing to try some of the milder activities (beginner snorkeling, kayak, two-person boats, etc.) I think we'd also love anything to do with animals or tours. Anyone have some good resources to link me to for research?? TIA!

Excited to be on this cruise and excited to be here with you guys!

Welcome aboard! It will be just DH and I on this cruise too! We also got married in 2008.

 

[KikiMouse]

Rose, Thanks for your work on the FE List!
We started voting on the cruise name.
Just to get you up to date:
Cruise Name
The list of proposed names is below:
Mickey's Merry MAGICal Cruisers-1
Mickey's MAGICAL Marauders
MAGIC Winter Wanderers
Mickey's Merry Cruisers
Mickey's Very Merry Cruisers
All those for Mickey say Arrrrrrgh!-1
Mickey's Mates cruise Magically--2
Mickey and His Mates Magical Cruise

To tally votes, Sesame_123 suggested that each person copy the list and add their vote to it. This seems to be working well.
As of now, this reflects votes from Sinderelly, CitaPita, Sesame_123 and Mareeld86.
There are still some people from the FE list (8) and some people who have posted on our meet thread who have not voted.(12) Actually there is not an official roll call yet, I just quickly added up the names. A few people haven't posted in a few months so I'm not sure if they are still here.
Anybody have any ideas on what to do? We could set a cutoff date for voting, I'm not sure! Maybe that's a little complex!


Thanks, Kiki

 

[KikiMouse]

More updates Rose,

Cutoff Date-- Nov 1st?
Proposed by Sinderelly: Nov1
"I do like the Nov 1st cutoff if that works for everyone or not maybe we could just all vote on it. If someone finds this thread after the cutoff maybe a second group could be started after the cutoff date? "

This date was Ok with some FE participants, but we didn't hear from everyone.

Delivery Day- each cabin determines when to deliver.
I think we heard from at least some people that they would like to determine their own delivery date, rather than have assigned days for delivery.
feedback anyone?
Thanks, Kiki

 

[sesame_123]

Great Job Kiki! Thanks for complining all the info!

As far as the name and the November 1 cut off for the FE, I think we should leave the voting up for a little while yet but I also think that with a larger group some decisions would take forever and still not get everyones input. That said I think setting an end date for the vote and then just going with the votes we have then would be best. I know some of you (not me of course as I am not crafty) would like to know the name earlier so you could possibly use it in your FE gifts and door magnets. (I might figure that out)

How about October 10th as a end date for voting? That would give everyone about 2 months to plan and be crafty!

Tracy

As I already voted we could just close the voting now as my choice is currently winning!!

 

[KikiMouse]

Tracy,
Thanks! Yes, you have some good ideas! You know, I'm thinking a little earlier for the slogan cutoff date... the people who are planning on making something may need a little longer than 2 months since some will be also planning for the holidays and after the cruise. I travel a lot and I'm trying to figure out which city I will be in before we leave for the cruise so I can get my FE gifts together and shipped ahead of time. I make door magnets (I've got some leftover ones from LY if I don't have time to get these together). I'm planning on decorating my cabin too. I like to plan and imagine all the stuff I will do, but its OK if I don't get it all done. One year I had classes until the day before the cruise all that planning was in my head and didn't happen!!
Actually I haven't decided which slogan I want. I came up with "All those for Mickey say Arrrgh, but now I'm thinking that I like a more generic one so....I haven't decided...My husband likes MAGIC Winter Wanderers" But since I'm the one on the boards, I get to choose!
I'm not crafty either; I pick up FE gifts along the way during the year. Then when it gets closer to cruise time we get the rest. My DH likes to give gifts too so we have fun picking them out together. I imagine that he would like to do something else for vacation besides Disney or Disney cruise...but its pretty simple for us because we used to live in Florida and we know Disney well and the cruise is easy, just show up at the ship!
We usually cruise around Christmas but made it a little earlier this year because we don't want to deal with the weather issues. I understand your nervousness about weather. But I think it will be OK, so try not to worry! Kiki

 

[CitaPita]

Great Job Kiki! Thanks for complining all the info! :

Agreed! Thanks so much for doing that, great job!

Speaking of FE, I think I figured out what I'm giving out and I am so excited about it....and now you all have to wait to find out what it is!

Still no news on the dining time front. TA didn't respond today.

Edit: I just heard from my TA (who works way too late!) and she got us switched to main dining!!!!

 

[Sinderelly]

Agreed! Thanks so much for doing that, great job!

Speaking of FE, I think I figured out what I'm giving out and I am so excited about it....and now you all have to wait to find out what it is!

Still no news on the dining time front. TA didn't respond today.

Edit: I just heard from my TA (who works way too late!) and she got us switched to main dining!!!!

So happy for you! See you at early dining.

 

[Sinderelly]

I agree with Kiki and Sesame that we do need a cut off date for votes. Thank you so much for keeping us organized Kiki.

 

[aymekae]

Thank you, everyone, for the warm welcome!

And I guess I'm the only one who is looking forward to second seating? I am sure it is because we don't have kids.

I had a nice chat with DH last night about PAs. The good thing is, I am pretty sure we're on the same page as far as what we'd like to do. I am really interested in the butterfly & nature conservatory and turtle farm, too!

I do have a question for those more experienced... I see "glass bottom boat tour" at almost every stop, and it sounds like a great way to explore without getting our feet wet! Is this worth it, and if so, any recommendations on which port to do it in?

My vote below. I like the shortness of it.

Cruise Name
The list of proposed names is below:
Mickey's Merry MAGICal Cruisers-1
Mickey's MAGICAL Marauders
MAGIC Winter Wanderers
Mickey's Merry Cruisers-1
Mickey's Very Merry Cruisers
All those for Mickey say Arrrrrrgh!-1
Mickey's Mates cruise Magically--2
Mickey and His Mates Magical Cruise

 

[CitaPita]

Ayme, I am wondering the same thing about those boats! We'd love to try snorkeling, but with the wee ones it's not an option for this trip. The glass bottom boats seem like a good compromise. Curious to hear if it's worth it, though.

Another PA question for our experienced cruisers...are beach breaks worth the cost?

 

[KikiMouse]

My thought on this...my SIL did the glass bottom boat thing with my niece and nephew (2 and 6) a few years back and they enjoyed it.
As far as the beach break...we did the Orient Beach break on the Eastern a few years ago. They provided a chair/umbrella/drink etc. I'm not sure it was worth the $59 or so (each)!for my husband and I. The year after that we just took a taxi to the beaches on our own and that worked out fine. We could rent chairs and get drinks ourselves and save $$$. I think that depends on how complex it is to get to the beach and back. Rum Point I think is on the other side of the island so I may consider taking the Disney excursion there- haven't researched it enough yet.
I'm on the Trip Advisor site to get reviews. Some of them describe activities that are listed in the Disney excursions. (Example: Stingray City) I'm a beach person so I want to read all about the differences in sand, water, snorkeling etc!
I'm booked for Tulum, although I may rethink this because I have motion sickness....maybe I can take Bonine or something, I'm concerned it would make me drowsy.
My travel schedule is ramping up soon; I won't be on the boards much for the next couple of weeks!
KikiMouse

 

[KikiMouse]

On one of our cruises someone did a really nice roll call for us. I thought I could start it (the format) and fill in as many as I can (I may not have time to finish?) We had a moderator to link it to the first page of the thread. The roll call had:

First names,(DW,DH,DB)etc., kids+ages listed
DISboard ID:_________
Hometown:
This will be our ____ DCL cruise
***Interested in FE exchange***

Basically it was in list form. I think everyone PM'd her the info and she updated it gradually. Ideas, or would anyone want to take over for me if If I run out of time!?? Thanks!

In addition, we had a google doc FE spreadsheet with names/cabin etc. The organizer PM'd everyone the link so it would be private. I'm not sure how Rose wants to do this, or if a separate roll call is necessary.

 

[CitaPita]

My travel schedule is ramping up soon; I won't be on the boards much for the next couple of weeks!

Safe travels, Kiki! We look forward to seeing you back!!!

On the idea of a rolecall, I think that sounds good. Might make less stress for everyone to update their own info, versus having a single person responsible for updating and distributing the information.