Disney Wonder Jan 23, 2011

[jkrislc]

I guess everyone crashed & burned out talking on here.
I keep checking & checking for excursions or more info. I think next time I won't take a cruise that is the first one like this one. Between this and not much info about Mickey's Halloween Party, I am not a happy camper. Getting info and planning are my thing to keep me busy leading up to the day.

Please Disney release information soon!!!!!​

Later everyone,
Sue

I was thinking the same thing just before I left for vacation. I would check and a day or two would go by before a post. I'm guessing we're just really busy with everything going on.

As for the excursions, I can't imagine they'll differ much from what has been offered in the past as I'm sure they're using the same tour providers as last time. I just wish we were in Cabo longer. I really would like to take Brady whale watching there, but don't know if we'll have time as we also want to go into town and explore the marina area more.

Kris

 

[SueTGGR]

OK follow my thinking. So, we are 172 days away from our cruise. If there are anyone who is a Platinum Castaway Member they will be able to book in 52 days (120 days before), yes? So shouldn't they give them enough time to make a decision, like maybe a month or so? Sooooooo maybe we will see something in the next few weeks? Maybe?
Honestly, I just need to see what I have to start saving for and what is totally out of the question.

Off to go work out aggressions on a volleyball.

Later!
Sue

 

[Kidlette]

Kris: Welcome back! How was Mexico?!?!?

My question about CSUSM had to do with entry requirements. One of my counselors told me that (out of the ordinary for CSU schools), that San Marcos requires 2 or 3 years of a foreign language as a transfer requirement. I haven't been able to find anything else on this, so I'm not sure if she's right or wrong. It seems odd, but I suppose it could be true. Do you know if that's a requirement for SM? I hope not because I have 0 foreign language credits, and 0 desire to get any!

With regards to everyone "quieting down" on the board, I have to apologize for me. We got a little busy, then I lost my job, and now I've just been a bit depressed and not in the mood to post as much. In a week and a half I start school (5 classes), so I will DEFINITELY be posting less then too. But, I do still check the board, update the site, and reply to anyone who emails me. I will try to start posting more again, I think it's just sad because with me losing my job (again), we don't know if we can do ANY shore excursions. Until it gets closer, or until I get another job...it's just kind of become a sad subject.

Sue: I think that's GREAT reasoning! Hopefully you'll be right! I checked the DCL site yesterday for excursions and there was nothing - but now that you've mentioned that I'm going to start checking more often! Let us know if you come across them, that way we can all take a look! You're the best!

Steve: Sorry, can't remember if I said welcome back to you guys or not...and I'm too lazy to go back a page a look! So, welcome back anyway! Only 2 months until the official closing of the FE list. Do you think we should start looking into creating the color coded maps? I can't remember where we ended on that. Do you want to give it a shot, or do you want Ryan to do it? I think you both said something about doing it - so you guys can hash that out between yourselves! I'll sit back and just wait for the final product!

 

[Kidlette]

I'd strongly recommend Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan. I've already contacted her for our cruise and am planning to ride with her again. We did it in 2001 and truly enjoyed the experience. You begin in a Mango grove and then finish on an excellent beach. Probably one of the best beaches to play on of the three ports, although the water will likely be cold in January.

Kris

I forgot to mention, I TOTALLY want to do this! If I can talk Ryan into it, may we join you?!?!

Kris - I just went to Randi's Happy Horses website. Forget what I said, consider Ryan talked into it! I know he doesn't want to do it, but I know he will. If I could chose 1 excursion to do it would be a horseback ride, so I'm sure he'll go! I also emailed them to ask about weight limit ('cause who knows, they might not let me). Totally excited!

 

[jkrislc]

Jessica: CSUSM does have a foreign language requirement, although it is three semesters of a foreign language, not three years. In addition, it's a requirement that needs to be completed prior to graduation, not for transfer acceptance according to their website.

Mexico was good, but I was ready to get home. All-inclusives aren't nearly as nice as cruises in my opinion, but the kids (my DS and two nieces) had a good time. I was surprised at how much Cabo had changed since I was last there.

As for Randi's Happy Horses, you're more than welcome to go. It's the one excursion my DW is truly looking forward to. In PV, we were thinking of doing a day pass at an all-inclusive, but we're not completely sure that's what we want to do yet.

SUE:I can't remember what was on my "must do" list that I posted previously, but I'll reiterate and add to it here: Movies in the Buena Vista Theater, Mickey Slide for my DS (he wasn't old enough last time), Dinner in Palo, Brunch in Palo (didn't get to do it last time), Afternoon Tea in Palo, Mickey Pool (DS wasn't fully potty trained last time), More Character Interaction Pictures, Character Breakfast, Margarita Tasting (DS didn't want to go to the club last time), Studio C Activities (didn't go to any last time), maybe an adult show or two (again, depending on DS).

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of any right now.

ALL:Cabo has really developed their marina area. If you're into shopping, this is the place to do it as there are many high end shops along what they call "Luxury Row." Best yet, is everything is within walking distance. And of course, there are a number of great restaurants for those who are interested.

The best discount shopping we found was along "Luxury Row." The Marina is a u-shaped area. So as you walk around to the far side, you'll see an indoor mall-like area with a Hagendaz (sp?) to the side of the entry. Of course, you can't beat the ice cream here or the fondue (fruit, ice cream balls, etc.), but $30 makes it a bit pricey. Inside, there's a shop that has great prices included stitched t-shirts for $5 dollars each. They were actually better quality and cheaper than many of the silk screened t-shirts that I saw.

The biggest disadvantage for this port stop is that we're only there until 3:30 p.m. and that it is a tender port. As a result, you're limited to maybe one excursion and some shopping at the marina before boarding a tender to return to the ship. Many tours can be arranged at the marina, especially if you want to do the "Land's End" tour, which includes a water taxi or "glass bottom" boat ride out to the arch, to Lover's and Divorce beaches, etc. You can even opt to get off at one of the beaches for awhile, but the water will likely be uncomfortably cold. If you just do the boat tour, I can't imagine you'll need to spend more than $15 pp and expect it to last 45 minutes to an hour. There are also semi submersibles available, but honestly the undersea viewing isn't all that great here and I wouldn't bother.

When we last cruised the MR, we took a kayak tour of the arch; it was a fun trip and took a couple of hours. Not sure if I'd do it again, but it was fun to try it once.

Hope this helps for those trying to plan something for Cabo.

Kris

P.S. For anyone interested, Shadowryter on another board created this for me:

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[Kidlette]

Jessica: CSUSM does have a foreign language requirement, although it is three semesters of a foreign language, not three years. In addition, it's a requirement that needs to be completed prior to graduation, not for transfer acceptance according to their website.

Mexico was good, but I was ready to get home. All-inclusives aren't nearly as nice as cruises in my opinion, but the kids (my DS and two nieces) had a good time. I was surprised at how much Cabo had changed since I was last there.

As for Randi's Happy Horses, you're more than welcome to go. It's the one excursion my DW is truly looking forward to. In PV, we were thinking of doing a day pass at an all-inclusive, but we're not completely sure that's what we want to do yet.


P.S. For anyone interested, Shadowryter on another board created this for me:

Kris - I LOVE the image! I totally "stole" it from your post! When Ryan gets home I'm going to make him put new images in my signature. This also reminded me that I haven't posted the links for the "logo". I'll have to do that soon.

We will definitely join you for Randi's Happy Horses! We don't know about anything else yet - we keep bouncing back and forth between possibilities, but I KNOW I want to do this one! Hopefully they'll email me with good news on the weight situation. Is it something that get's booked now, or do we do it when we get there? I don't think we're going to snorkel with Yanira and Sergio (sorry guys ), we've just been talking and we think it will just be WAY too cold! We'll have to see what's available when the shore excursion lists are revealed!

Also - thanks for your trip report! We're glad to have you guys back!

 

[Kidlette]

Oh yeah - I forgot. Thanks for the school info! I must have misunderstood her. Still, that kind of stinks...so much that it might remove CSUSM as an option. Foreign language is not anywhere in my plan - and quite frankly - I SUCK at foreign languages! I took French 3 times in high school, but only got to French 2! I totally failed. Having to take a F.L. is a bit scary to me - plus, I think that would alter/extend my plan out by a semester or two.

I will have to get more info and think on this one.

 

[Kidlette]

Hey everyone. That Frank's fishing thing that a lot of you are doing, which port is that in?

Thanks!

 

[jkrislc]

Hey everyone. That Frank's fishing thing that a lot of you are doing, which port is that in?

Thanks!

JESSICA:I believe it's Cabo, but I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong

Back to the school thing, three semesters is a lot; I was "grandfathered" in, so I didn't fall under the requirement. Even so, I joke with my students that I struggle ordering at Taco Bell even after two years of college Spanish. My DS (3) just finished his first Spanish class in June, and we're hoping to enroll him in more in the Fall. Seems like a perfect excuse to cruise on the Wonder regularly so he can practice his Spanish

I'm glad you like the image. Since we're doing B2Bs, I've been requesting the images to be general and without any names, just month/year. I'll probably end up making three different shirts for the cruise. There's also a Yoda one I'm intrigued by.

On a side note, we're planning a big trip to DW next summer so I'm still contemplating DVC. Financially it makes sense; I just can't anticipate whether we'd use it as often once DS is out of the house. Any experience with exchanges?

SUE: You're logic on the release of information makes sense given that DCL only has 50 days to make the information available to Platinum members. My guess is that DCL is finalizing contracts now.

ALL: Any speculation whether there will be an inaugural cruise gift for us since the Wonder has never done this itinerary before? I've read that they have given everything from art prints to sailor hats with Mickey ears. While I don't necessarily expect anything, it would be cool to receive a special gift since we're all on the first MR sailing.

Also, for anyone interested, there is a Walmart and a mall within walking distance of the pier in PV. We've found some good quality souvenirs that say PV on them in the past. While I prefer shopping at the local shops, this is an option that is convenient.

Happy Friday,

Kris

 

[jkrislc]

For anyone who is interested, Jessica and I have reserved spots with Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan. While I realize we have 175 days or so before the cruise, Randi has already received some interest for our date so we both reserved and would suggest that you do so to if you're interested.

Kris

 

[Kidlette]

JESSICA:I believe it's Cabo, but I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong

Back to the school thing, three semesters is a lot; I was "grandfathered" in, so I didn't fall under the requirement. Even so, I joke with my students that I struggle ordering at Taco Bell even after two years of college Spanish. My DS (3) just finished his first Spanish class in June, and we're hoping to enroll him in more in the Fall. Seems like a perfect excuse to cruise on the Wonder regularly so he can practice his Spanish

I'm glad you like the image. Since we're doing B2Bs, I've been requesting the images to be general and without any names, just month/year. I'll probably end up making three different shirts for the cruise. There's also a Yoda one I'm intrigued by.

On a side note, we're planning a big trip to DW next summer so I'm still contemplating DVC. Financially it makes sense; I just can't anticipate whether we'd use it as often once DS is out of the house. Any experience with exchanges?

Happy Friday,

Kris

LOL, you shouldn't feel alone - I have trouble ordering at fast food joints as well! But, I haven't had 2 years of college Spanish.

I'd love to see the yoda thing too! Maybe you can/have come up with something better than what we did. I'd love to see!

I will hand the computer over to Ryan now for your DVC question. That's more him than me.

RYAN:
Exchanges through RCI are hit or miss. We haven't personally done it, but I have talked to quite a few people who have (or have at least tried). One problem is that that you have to pay a fee ($95) and put your points into the "transfer system" so they aren't really DVC points anymore. The other common complaint is that it is very hard to actually get a transfer for a good property. Also I am pretty sure that Disney uses only a partial list of properties available through RCI. If you are planning to do a lot of transfers then you would be better off buying another timeshare for the sole purpose of transfers. That is a pretty common practice and much more cost effective then using your DVC points. Basically when you do an exchange with RCI you are exchanging a week for a week (you can also do nightly exchanges, but the concept is similar) so your $18,000 DVC property is going towards the same properties can you could trade for with a $5,000 time share property.

The way to comeout ahead with DVC is to use your points primarily at DVC properties with only occasional transfers through RCI or from Cruises and so forth. At the current cost for point the ROI for use on anything other than DVC properties is a much more drawn out timeframe.

If you think that you are only going to get 10 years worth of use out of the points then I would suggest that you consider buying now and selling in 10 years. Look at what you are going to pay for the membership plus 10 years of annual dues and compare that to what you would be paying out of pocket for the Grand Californian (or wherever you would want to stay). Then estimate what the points will be worth in 10 years (say 30-35% depreciation) and see if you are going to comeout ahead enough to justify the "investment". Technically there are some discounts you will get as a member that you could factor in, but at Disneyland they are pretty minimal.

 

[denversees4me]

hey Wendi and ashley and Aaron and I want to ride too how do we reserve and for what time did you guys reserve we want to ride with you

 

[jkrislc]

hey Wendi and ashley and Aaron and I want to ride too how do we reserve and for what time did you guys reserve we want to ride with you

Email Randi at randi@randishappyhorses.com and tell her that you want to join the Wonder group on January 27th. You can also go to her website for additional info and pictures. The ride ends at Victor's, a restaurant on the beach. Many of the crew will likely be at the beach bar next to it.

 

[jkrislc]

Jessica/Ryan, thanks for the info. I wouldn't plan on exchanging often, but like that it's an option. My biggest hold up right now is that CA makes sense for us, but the minimal number of units means reservations have to be made well in advance. And while they don't charge a fee to use points at the hotels, the points they charge are high given the quality of the rooms in comparison. I also hadn't considered selling in 10 or 15 years, so that gives me something else to consider.

 

[Kidlette]

hey Wendi and ashley and Aaron and I want to ride too how do we reserve and for what time did you guys reserve we want to ride with you

Hey Cari! Kris already posted the contact info, but I wanted to respond to you on time. I've emailed Randi to find out if we're set up for a specific time, but I haven't heard back on that yet. I'll let you know though. I should probably mention to her that we'd all like the same time (if possible). I'll get back to you on time info though!

 

[jkrislc]

Hey Cari! Kris already posted the contact info, but I wanted to respond to you on time. I've emailed Randi to find out if we're set up for a specific time, but I haven't heard back on that yet. I'll let you know though. I should probably mention to her that we'd all like the same time (if possible). I'll get back to you on time info though!

As of now, the pickup at the terminal building is 8:30 am with a return time of 2 pm. The return time is dependent on how long you decide to spend at Victor's or the beach.

Kris

 

[Kidlette]

As of now, the pickup at the terminal building is 8:30 am with a return time of 2 pm. The return time is dependent on how long you decide to spend at Victor's or the beach.

Kris

Awesome - thanks for the info!! Sue, Jeff (and I think Alec) are joining us for the ride! How old is your son? Isn't he only 4 or 5? I think Alec is 10 or 11 (??), but still, it would be good to have kids going together! Randi told me that the other person she has booked that day (not from our group) is a couple with 2 kids, so there should be multiple kids to have fun on the beach together and stuff!

 

[jkrislc]

Brady will turn 4 the day after our horseback ride.

 

[SueTGGR]

Alec turns 11 in April after the cruise. Yes, he is joining us horseback riding. He is the only reason Jeff is going. I have sent an e-mail to Randi and have not heard back. I mentioned that I knew of others on our cruise that were going & we wanted to be a part of that group but I asked if it was possible. So I may have to write again to make sure she knows who is in the group.
If I may add my 2 cents about DVC. We have one of our DVC contracts at the villas @ the Grand CA and if you plan on trying to stay there, it is better to own there. We have already booked our stay for next Summer! It takes a little pre-planning but getting a studio there is worth it. Especially since it takes more points to stay at either of the other 2 hotels there. Not many people say it is worth using your points for cruises but that is probably the only way we would be going, if we can use points. Sometimes (around annual dues time) I regret buying but most of the time. I consider it a way to guarantee we have some time to take vacation.
OK, off to watch TV with Jeff. Talk to all of you later!
Sue

 

[denversees4me]

hey guys
thanks for the info I will e mail her now and ask ...also do you know if she has an age limit ? I have friends who would ride but the kids are only going to be a year and a half and almost three ..... ALSO where is the zipline excursion what city ?