Disney Wonder Jan 23, 2011

[Scooby3x1y]

Hello,

I will be 44 on 1-25-11. Does anyone what to cheer me up on this cruise. I am willing to accept presents, hugs, cake or cash. I'm not sure if my family is going to take care of me on my B-day. Thanks in advance, Gregg.

Count me in....I'm 42 on the 26th! We're most likely booking this cruise, our first on the Wonder. Only our 2nd time away from the kids in 20 years!

Uh yeah! We're ready! We've traveled lots as a family, just not by ourselves. As now the kids are in college and HS, we're ready to Paaarrttteee!

 

[SueTGGR]

Hey!

We're contemplating this cruise. What is the FE list count up to?

OMG, Scooby, I have looked through your DISigns so many times! Welcome to our group....hopefully!
We have most everybody on a page Jessica has set up here:
http://sites.google.com/site/wonderjan23/home/characters-of-wonder
I know she is getting ready to split us up into 2 groups soon. I'm sure she will posting soon. If she doesn't beat me to it now.
We have a good group of people (& dogs) going to be onboard. Keep us updated with your plans.
Later,
Sue

 

[Scooby3x1y]

OMG, Scooby, I have looked through your DISigns so many times! Welcome to our group....hopefully!
We have most everybody on a page Jessica has set up here:
http://sites.google.com/site/wonderjan23/home/characters-of-wonder
I know she is getting ready to split us up into 2 groups soon. I'm sure she will posting soon. If she doesn't beat me to it now.
We have a good group of people (& dogs) going to be onboard. Keep us updated with your plans.
Later,
Sue

2 groups? Interesting! All my other DCL cruises we've just done one group, even up to 50 cabins. I'm not opposed, just surprised.

Thanks for the compliments on the DISigns. Do we have a theme? I'll have to play catch up on everything.

 

[SueTGGR]

I think a few of mentioned that $$ is an issue (I know it is for us) & we thought dividing into 2 groups might be better with the FE's. We did leave it open that if you wanted to surprise the other group you were more than welcome! If you have other ideas, please let us know. I know Jessica &/or Ryan will be chiming in soon. They have been our guiding force for most of this thread.

Also, maybe Ryan will post the sigs that they worked on. I have one in my signature. I think we were using the 3 Amigos as our theme but mainly Donald. See what you think.

Off to prepare for the weekend. I am running a tournament with 18 teams of boys volleyball players, ranging in ages 18 to 13. wish me luck!
Sue

 

[airtime247]

Hi everyone, we've been back from our LA trip for a few days now but are still struggling to get caught up with the real world again. We had a great time. The Disneyland Half Marathon was really cool. Amy did an amazing job and I'm super proud of her. I'm so glad I got to experience it with her. Running through the parks was neat as was running through Angel Stadium. I can't exactly say downtown Anaheim was very scenic but there was a lot of fun entertainment out there for us and people cheering us on. The two medals I got were easily the nicest (and heaviest) medals I've earned. They look great on my wall! I've posted pictures on Facebook for those who friended me.

We had a great time meeting up with Jessica and Ryan for a couple of hours after the race. I'm so glad we got to meet. They are great people. Watch out though, Jessica is a hugger! Thank you both again for coming out and taking the time to meet and hang out with us for a while. I know we were't moving very quickly by that point but we had a blast eating lunch and hitting some rides with you.

We had a great time at Disneyland for four days starting Tuesday. We had our first stay in a studio at the Grand Californian which was really nice. This was the first trip where Emma had no desire to "waste" time riding those kiddie rides in Fantasyland. All she wanted to do was conquer the mountains! I can't tell you how many times we rode BTMRR, Matterhorn, and Splash Mountain. We would have ridden Space Mountain more but it broke down during our first ride on Tuesday and didn't reopen until Friday but by the time we got over there, FPs were all given out for the day.

We finally got to see WOC and loved it. I wish we had a better viewing area though. We got in early because we were staying on property. We lined up before they opened our gate and got blue FPs. This put us on the left side facing the water, near the bottom. I think we should have stayed on the bridge which would have given us a much better viewing area. We couldn't see the center too well because of people's heads and couldn't see the right at all. Maybe next time we'll try the dining option.

I see I'm several pages behind so forgive me if I missed something...

Sue - Best of luck with Alec's flag football. It should hopefully be really good for him. Team sports really teach kids a lot. I couldn't play team sports like soccer, football or basketball that involved too much running as I had asthma really bad as a kid. I have always regretted not being able to do more. I think I'd be in much better health as an adult if I did!

Jessica - Thanks so much for taking on organizing the FE. I do have a concern though, have you heard from all of the people on our list recently? It seems like quite a few posted once or twice and haven't posted since. Are they lurking but not posting? Are they still even sailing with us? This would be good to know for a final head (or should I say cabin) count. Is your number going by the responses you got in your polls? Maybe we can whip up a generic "anybody home?" PM to send to everyone who hasn't posted in a while. I would hate to have people spend their hard-earned money on gifts to leave at cabins that may or may not be occupied by participating DIS'ers. What do you think?

Cari - I can't wait to see Denver's pictures from the pirate faire. Have a great time!

Yanira - I've been Wondering what happened to you. It's good to see you posting again. That's great of you to do the diabetes walk. I'll check out the site. Regarding which port to skip, if I had to pick one, it would be Mazatlan but that's just me. I mainly wouldn't skip PV because I have only been there once and the other two ports twice. Don't let Jessica give you Cabo advice or she will route you to Acapulco or something.

Scooby3x1y - Welcome! I hope everything works out and you can join us.

If I missed anyone, sorry! We're actually booking our airfare for the trip this weekend. I'm going to try to pay our cruise off in full too so we will be all set to start booking everything. I really want to start planning everything this weekend now that we are back.

Have a great weekend!

-steve

 

[Scooby3x1y]

I think a few of mentioned that $$ is an issue (I know it is for us) & we thought dividing into 2 groups might be better with the FE's. We did leave it open that if you wanted to surprise the other group you were more than welcome! If you have other ideas, please let us know. I know Jessica &/or Ryan will be chiming in soon. They have been our guiding force for most of this thread.

Also, maybe Ryan will post the sigs that they worked on. I have one in my signature. I think we were using the 3 Amigos as our theme but mainly Donald. See what you think.

Off to prepare for the weekend. I am running a tournament with 18 teams of boys volleyball players, ranging in ages 18 to 13. wish me luck!
Sue

I booked!

Nope, I totally get it for FE's! We wouldn't be going if I didn't get a good deal. BTW....are they giving CA residents a better deal? I'm wondering if I should have booked through my CA address.

Good luck Sue with the tournament. I've done plenty of wrestling, basketball, softball tournaments. I feel your pain....lol.

 

[Kidlette]

Scooby: Welcome! Splitting the FE list was not really my choice, trying to keep this string democratic we posted a pole and let whom-ever was actively reading to vote. I received a LOT of private messages of people asking me to split the list because of economic hardships. Many said they wanted to participate in FE's, but couldn't/wouldn't do it if the list wasn't split. Thus, we decided to split the list. There are some concerns with this now though, so please see the post to everyone below. Regarding a "theme", it's "Donald's Gran Fiesta Cruise (based on the 3 Caballero's and the boat ride at the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot). My husband and I cam up with a logo (although it is amateur), so I will have him re upload it shortly.

Steve: I REALLY shouldn't be online posting now because I'm drowning in my homework - but Ryan asked me if I had replied to the new joiners, etc. so I felt I had to log on. How would you feel about composing a private message to anyone who hasn't posted in a while? I agree 100% with you, and I think not knowing who is still traveling could be a waste of money for people. I know you've been busy too though, so if you can't or don't want to do it let me know and I will have Ryan do it.

Everyone: I don't know what to do about the FE list at this point because I've already had 3 cabins withdraw. At this point splitting it would only be 9 cabins per group, and I think that's kind of small. Will someone/anyone speak up and let me know your thoughts. Is 1 group with 18 cabins OK, or does everyone still want to split up? Personally I voted to keep it 1 big group from the beginning, so what I really need is those who wanted to split up let me know if this is alright with you. If for financial reasons we need to do 2 groups with 9 cabins each, that's fine - but if we think 18/19 cabins is reasonable, then I won't put the time and effort into it (after all, I am EXTREMELY busy!)

Cari: I was planning on putting 1 dog in each group already . It might not matter though (see above), so I'll figure it out once I hear some responses about whether or not we should still split up the group. Thanks for being open to anything though! If we do split up, I think having 1 dog per group would be the best - fun for everyone! If we split, I will be sure to put you with the group with fewer kids and Amber with the group with more kids.

Thanks everyone! I'm sorry to jet so quickly, but I am going to drown in my homework if I don't get on with it! Wish me luck, sanity, and some much needed rest! lol

P.S. Steve - we LOVED spending time with you guys, you're both terrific! I'm sorry if you're not a hug person, just let me know and I will be sure to shake your hand next time! Amy - no getting out of a hug for you!

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Jessica,

I totally understand. It can be expensive. I'm sure you've already discussed the fact that the FE gifts do not need to cost a lot. I for one do not spend a ton, like others, on FE gifts. As for doing it, I'm still fence sitting. I think if you are spear heading it, ultimately it is your decision. No matter what you decide not everyone is going to be happy.

Catch me up.....There are dogs going? Nevermind....Denver & Hamlett.....very cool!

I have to share a funny story about dogs on board. Our first cruise in '04, my teenagers were fairly young. They wanted to take our Cocker Spaniel, Sadie with us. They weren't going for..."because", so finally I said, "besides, where would she go to the bathroom?" My second son, not missing anything said..."the poop deck" We still laugh about it. At 10 yo, he thought he was sooooo funny.

 

[Kidlette]

Jessica,

I totally understand. It can be expensive. I'm sure you've already discussed the fact that the FE gifts do not need to cost a lot. I for one do not spend a ton, like others, on FE gifts. As for doing it, I'm still fence sitting. I think if you are spear heading it, ultimately it is your decision. No matter what you decide not everyone is going to be happy.

Catch me up.....There are dogs going? Nevermind....Denver & Hamlett.....very cool!

I have to share a funny story about dogs on board. Our first cruise in '04, my teenagers were fairly young. They wanted to take our Cocker Spaniel, Sadie with us. They weren't going for..."because", so finally I said, "besides, where would she go to the bathroom?" My second son, not missing anything said..."the poop deck" We still laugh about it. At 10 yo, he thought he was sooooo funny.

Scooby:
May I ask your first name?

I know that not everyone will be happy, but that's the nature of the beast I guess.

Yes, I have explained to people that not only do you not have to buy for every person (you can buy per cabin), but you are not required to do it a certain number of times either! If someone only wants to leave a gift once on the whole cruise, that's their prerogative. It's whatever you can want to do, so long as you don't just accept gifts and not give them at least once.

Personally Ryan and I will probably just buy for every cabin whether we go for 2 groups or not, but that's just because it would be easier for us to do that. We are waiting to see how many people we end with come 10/1, and then we'll make that decision. Who also knows what will happen between now and then, so we're waiting to buy our FE gifts until it gets closer, that way we're not spending more than we can afford come the time of the cruise.

Basically, I've let people know that there are no rules or guidelines so they don't have to feel like it has to be an expensive thing. But I guess I can understand everyone's wanting smaller groups to be able to buy more things, or things for specific people vs per cabin. In the end it is what it is!

I see you took your question back about Denver and Hamlett. Yes, they are guide dogs for two wonderful women on our sailing! If you didn't notice, they do have FE gift restrictions but they are included in FE's. If you decide to join the FE be sure to take a look at their restrictions. Also, please let me know by 10/1 if you are joining FE's as that is the date our group has decided to make the cut-off.

Have a magical night!

 

[SueTGGR]

My quick re-vote...I am fine with one group. With doing this officiating, I will have a little loose change to create a few things.
Off to bed for me!
PS Jessica, give hugs whether people say they are a hugger or not. Hugs melt things like that away. Alec is the only one I know right now that "hates hugs" and even then it is just from Mommy. "Don't embarrass me Mommy!" I respond with "Get over it because I will be your Mommy for a very long time."
Just think a little more than 4 months! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and we are there!!!!!
OK, now to bed

 

[googles111]

Scooby:


Personally Ryan and I will probably just buy for every cabin whether we go for 2 groups or not, but that's just because it would be easier for us to do that. We are waiting to see how many people we end with come 10/1, and then we'll make that decision. Who also knows what will happen between now and then, so we're waiting to buy our FE gifts until it gets closer, that way we're not spending more than we can afford come the time of the cruise.

Have a magical night!

I voted to split the groups only because I thought there would be 50+ cabins. If there are only 18, then I think we should just keep it in one group. Last cruise I bought stuff for the whole family so it was a little less expensive then buying 1 gift for each family member. I put in something small for the kids too.
Tonya

 

[airtime247]

I vote to keep it as one group too. We typically just do one gift bag per cabin no matter how many people are in it. They are usually gender and age neutral although we will try to throw in a little something extra for each child.

We are still deciding but there is a good chance we will be flying to LA instead of driving. This is another reason for us to keep our FE gift size smaller and light. I've got a couple of ideas but we really need to start brainstorming!

Sure, I can take on PMing people who haven't posted in a while. I'll skim through the thread and see who hasn't posted in the last month or so and contact them.

Sorry Jessica, I didn't mean to imply I'm not a hugger. I dig hugs. I say hug everyone. If they resist, chase them through the narrow hallways until you catch them at a dead end. If they manage to get away, ambush them from behind the next time you spot them!

-steve

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Scooby:
May I ask your first name?

Sorry, it's Lori. I just always think everyone knows from the DISign board.

Sorry if I came across as bossy about the FE stuff. It is a hard thing to have complete agreement with so many people involved. Really, I'm easy, it doesn't matter to me.

Anyway, I'm glad to be joining you and everyone. This is our first cruise without our kids. They're not overly happy with us going without them.
I don't feel bad.

Has anyone had experience in these ports? We just walked around and shopped in Cabo. In Puerto Vallarta we did the zip line.....I highly recommend this, we'll probably do it again. We haven't been to Mazatlan.

 

[Scooby3x1y]

I voted to split the groups only because I thought there would be 50+ cabins. If there are only 18, then I think we should just keep it in one group. Last cruise I bought stuff for the whole family so it was a little less expensive then buying 1 gift for each family member. I put in something small for the kids too.
Tonya

Tonya,

We've done it both ways. When we went to the Med., it was really far to try and carry gifts, so we did the gift per cabin. For our last W.C., we had gifts for the adults, and they little bags for the kids. I will make that decision of which way to go based on how many cabins/kids there are. It does add up quickly though.

 

[Kidlette]

Sorry, it's Lori. I just always think everyone knows from the DISign board.

Sorry if I came across as bossy about the FE stuff. It is a hard thing to have complete agreement with so many people involved. Really, I'm easy, it doesn't matter to me.

Lori - I don't think you're bossy at all! I'm sorry if it came off that way. Most everyone here will probably tell you that I just try to be VERY detailed, and with all of the stress in my life right now my "tone" might be coming off wrong. I just wanted to fully explain what was going on and where we are right now!

We are super happy to have you joining us!

 

[Kidlette]

Sorry Jessica, I didn't mean to imply I'm not a hugger. I dig hugs. I say hug everyone. If they resist, chase them through the narrow hallways until you catch them at a dead end. If they manage to get away, ambush them from behind the next time you spot them!

-steve

LOL - you are SOOOO FUNNY!! I was totally just giving you a hard time!

Don't worry, if you try to not hug me I will just find that attempted murderess of a fairy, Tinkerbell, and get her to take care of you!

That reminds me - I thought you were going to ask Tinkerbell why she tried to kill Wendy. Did you do that?!?!?

Amy, don't take this the wrong way but now I have to emoticon Steve to death with smiley hugs!

Take this Steve!

 

[Kidlette]

I voted to split the groups only because I thought there would be 50+ cabins. If there are only 18, then I think we should just keep it in one group. Last cruise I bought stuff for the whole family so it was a little less expensive then buying 1 gift for each family member. I put in something small for the kids too.
Tonya

Tonya - I know what you mean! It was looking like our group was going to be HUGE for a while there! Since then we've had 2 or 3 cabins cancel the cruise completely plus 3 other cabins pull out of FE's. Chances are we'll just stay one big group, but we'll see if/how many people oppose. Thanks for letting me know your updated thoughts, it really helps me to see where everyone sits with the issue!

P.S. How have things been lately? I know we had sent a couple of emails but things have been quite. Keeping busy I assume?!? Hopefully you guys are all doing well! With regards to ports, Ryan and I are kind of stuck but we think we have it narrowed down. We are for sure doing the horseback ride in Mazatlan, and we're pretty sure we're going to do the Whale Watching excursion in Cabo. Where we're stuck is Puerto Vallarta. He kind of wants to do the zip line and I absolutely do NOT want to do the zip line! The problem is there don't seem to be any good excursions for that area.

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Lori - I don't think you're bossy at all! I'm sorry if it came off that way. Most everyone here will probably tell you that I just try to be VERY detailed, and with all of the stress in my life right now my "tone" might be coming off wrong. I just wanted to fully explain what was going on and where we are right now!

We are super happy to have you joining us!

Well I'm glad! I thought you were fine. I just thought, after I re-read it, here's the new comer being loud and making waves....

 

[airtime247]

Jessica - Wow, arranging a Tinkerbell hit on me huh? She's the ultimate pixie gangster you know. You know, I never did ask her. We didn't want to wait in the 90 minute line at Pixie Hollow. I guess I could have screamed it at the top of my lungs ("Hey, Stella" style) when she flew by at the start of fireworks but we were lined up for Fantasmic when we watched them so didn't see her.

Cari - The site says Ashley and Aaron are still TBD on the FEs. Do you know if they are planning on participating?

I sent PMs to everyone else who hasn't posted in a while. We had about five people who only posted once or twice back around July. I'll see if they reply. This could trim our list down a bit.

-steve

 

[ymchavez]

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Sergio and I also vote to keep the FE as one big group. Especially now since the number has gone down. Like I said before, we had already decided that we were going to be giving FE gifts to each cabin, rather than to each individual in the group, so either way works out for us.

Lori: Welcome to the group!

Steve: We definitely won't miss out on PV because that's where we want to do the snorkeling. We've heard its the best of the 3 ports to do the snorkeling, even though it will be probably cold and cloudy.

Jessica: Can't wait for my hug on the 26th!