Fantasy Western April 28, 2012

[WVURunner]

I just called and got my name changed on our reservation from my maiden name to my new married name. It was really exciting to hear the CM say, Congrats on your marriage, Mrs. S! I kinda wish we did Disney for the honeymoon but as my DH said, it wouldn't have been special, just another Disney vacation.

Now I'm off to get my name changed on my PADI card. Glad it only took me three months to change it, not 3 years and counting....

 

[taswira]

WVURunner - Is your passport in your new name?

 

[WVURunner]

WVURunner - Is your passport in your new name?

Yes, I waited to change the reservation until I had my new updated passport. I had very bad timing with when my old passport expired. It expired before the honeymoon, so I had to get a new one only to change it a few months later. Lucky for me, if you have a name change within a year of getting a new passport, you don't have to pay again for the new one.

Thanks for your concern.

 

[taswira]

Lucky for me, if you have a name change within a year of getting a new passport, you don't have to pay again for the new one.

I'm glad it worked out that way for you!

 

[o&smom]

I have read different things about the dress code at dinners. Some people stay casual the whole week and others go all out for the semi and formal nights. Do any cruising regulars know how many people participate in dressing up?

Our family enjoys being able to dress nicely for dinner. After all, you get to be casual for the rest of your cruise. It is actually one of my 8 yr old DS's fav things!

Marni

 

[krhardy]

The Hardy family intends to dress up and show that not everybody from Georgia is a Redneck (HA!)
My girls are sooo excited about picking out their dresses. There is a HUGE...did I say huge...I meant it...kids consignment sale that happens 30 seconds from my house twice a year. It is the largest in the southeast-don't know if I'm allowed to post the link but I'll try: www.kidsignments.com
I have been involved with the sale since it was teeny tiny and have seen it blossom and move multiple times until it is just around the corner. I also work the sale in exchange for credits to what I purchase.
Anyway...they have clothing from infants through junior sizes and the spring sale (held in February-how convenient for me ) always has tons of prom dresses-and bathing suits (although I am one of *those* moms and won't let my girls wear teeny tiny bikinis so as they get older it is harder to find suits for them). My daughters can't wait to try the dresses on...in a span of 2 months the older daughter will have military ball, 2 proms (1 of which is the night we get home from the cruise-talk about cutting it tight), and the cruise to attend. Such a full social schedule. Sooo many dresses.
My husband is renewing his committment to South Beach Diet so that he can fit in his tux. He bought it at the end of prom season for our first cruise in 2002. Since this is our 6th cruise, I'd say he got our money's worth out of it. He even has a disney tie and vest for one of the nights.
Not sure if I'm going to be able to get the 15 year old boy in a tux or not...if not he WILL at least wear a coat and a tie.
Still not sure if I'm going to stick with the same dresses I've worn before, or hunt for new ones. Maybe I'll look at the consignment sale too

 

[taswira]

Still not sure if I'm going to stick with the same dresses I've worn before, or hunt for new ones.

Sounds like me. I have some dresses that I really tend to ONLY wear on cruises. I haven't gone all out for too many photos of myself so it isn't like I care that I'm wearing the same thing, but I've run into a few CMs who remembered me, what I ate, AND what I was wearing (described it) even if I hadn't seen that particular CM (like someone who served me ONCE for lunch!) in a few years. DCL CMs seem to have a special talent for doing that. They WILL remember YOU and all the details!

In the back of my mind, even if they don't say anything, I occasionally think THEY are thinking, "Geeesh - How many times is she going to wear THAT dress?" So that's the only thing that prompts me to think MAYBE I should buy at least one new dress or outfit.

 

[WVURunner]

Still not sure if I'm going to stick with the same dresses I've worn before, or hunt for new ones. :

Hunt for new ones! After moving in to my DH's house (and taking up three out of the four closets) I have been informed I am no longer allowed to shop. His rule is since he wears his suits more than once, I should be able to wear a dress more than once. So it looks like I will be "recycling" some dresses.

As a side note, JC Penny's has their tuxes on sale for 50% often. You can get a decent tux for a little over $100.

 

[WVURunner]

Supercruiser pointed out that Expedition Everest is the night we get back. Is anyone else thinking about doing it? Nothing like planning your next race when you still aren't recovered from your last one! Good thing this is only a 5k because currently, any run longer than 4 miles has my knee killing me! Now to decide, husband-wife teams or girls vs. boys!?

 

[cruisevirgin]

Oh, I hope I can convince my husband or sister to join me! I haven't run in a Disney event yet. I also heard there is a 5K fun run on Castaway Cay.

Supercruiser pointed out that Expedition Everest is the night we get back. Is anyone else thinking about doing it? Nothing like planning your next race when you still aren't recovered from your last one! Good thing this is only a 5k because currently, any run longer than 4 miles has my knee killing me! Now to decide, husband-wife teams or girls vs. boys!?

 

[o&smom]

What port adventures are people thinking about doing?

In Grand Cayman I would highly recommend getting to stringray city. I did Stringray city when I was younger on a HAL cruise and it was the most amazing experience ever. We did the stingray adventure at CC and for me having done stingray city before, it was the biggest disappointment ever but my friends loved it because they had never been to Grand Cayman before. I'm excited for them to have a real stingray experience!

In Cozumel, the geology minor in me would love to do the caverns but my Dad took me for my first dive in Cozumel and being sentimental since he is no longer with us, I thought it would be neat to do this dive location with my DH who became PADI certified on our honeymoon so that we could dive together.
I am also hoping there will be diving in Costa Maya. My husband has heard of
my infamous "Costa Maya Thanksgiving Day '05 Dive" incident since the day he met my family and is hoping I will re-live some of it for him, which will never happen since I am no longer a 21 yo who can drink like a champion fish. I wish we were here longer than four hours. Last time I was here it was for 8 hours and we still almost missed the boat. I haven't been to this port since hurricane Dean did it's major damage in '07 and I would like to see the changes.

And finally I am hoping to go parasailing at CC and I'm hoping I can talk the
DH into going with me. He doesn't skydive so I am hoping this is a nice compromise. But since a certain supercruiser420 told him it was to scary for him to go through with it, he is now scared. Maybe the wives can hit the skies
and leave the boys on the beach!

Anyother divers out there?

Got our port adventures, etc booked last night! Anyone else have issues with the new booking system? We wasted 20 minutes trying to figure out how to access booking our port adv, dinners, etc. And when we did port adventures would not let us select. Not sure if the system didn't open up on time. Big issue for us with the new system had to do with childcare. On our past two cruises with Disney, when we selected dinner or port adv it would ask if you needed childcare and when you selected "yes" it would book the appropriate time. The new system has you book the nursery time completely seperately
and not on a screen where you could see your times needed. It made this a very lengthy and worrisome process as there was concern items would fill up and not be available. Just a heads up for anyone who has not yet booked their extras!

Our cruise ressies:

Day 2 - dinner at Palo @ 6:30!
Day 3 - Shipwreck and Reef Snorkeling at Grand Cayman
Day 4 - Chacchoben Mayan Ruins at Costa Maya
Day 5 - Three Reef Snorkel at Cozumel
Day 6 - dinner at Remy @ 6:20!!!
Day 7 - Extreme Getaway Package with stingrays @ 10:00

We will try to get Palo brunch ressie on the ship as they were unavailable as was high tea. There were still times for dinner at BOTH Palo and Remy for anyone wanting great food.

Good luck to everyone still making ressies and we can't wait to see you on the Fantasy!

Marni

 

[WVURunner]

Oh, I hope I can convince my husband or sister to join me! I haven't run in a Disney event yet. I also heard there is a 5K fun run on Castaway Cay.

I believe you can sign up for the race as an individual if you can't convince your husband or sister. My first Disney race was the Marathon and while Disney races are expensive, they are alot of fun. I am looking forward to this one.

Last time I was at Castaway Cay (1/10), we did the run. I would consider it more of a group run than anything else. It wasn't timed and you didn't get bibs or anything and they didn't ask for staterooms. We just met as a group and ran. My DH was a little annoyed because you had to stay behind the CM and he had a faster pace than the CM. For slow me, it was really enjoyable and a nice change of pace from running around the ship. They also showed you where to run if you wanted to extend your run futher than 3 miles. They had bottled water waiting for us when we got back.

Would anyone be interested in possibly meeting for group runs in the mornings on the ship?

 

[supercruiser420]

I believe you can sign up for the race as an individual if you can't convince your husband or sister. My first Disney race was the Marathon and while Disney races are expensive, they are alot of fun. I am looking forward to this one.

Last time I was at Castaway Cay (1/10), we did the run. I would consider it more of a group run than anything else. It wasn't timed and you didn't get bibs or anything and they didn't ask for staterooms. We just met as a group and ran. My DH was a little annoyed because you had to stay behind the CM and he had a faster pace than the CM. For slow me, it was really enjoyable and a nice change of pace from running around the ship. They also showed you where to run if you wanted to extend your run futher than 3 miles. They had bottled water waiting for us when we got back.

Would anyone be interested in possibly meeting for group runs in the mornings on the ship?

Totally on board (get it, on board!!!) for the group runs every morning. Since I am trippleing my calorie in-take for 7 days!!! The morning runs are very important. I also can't wait for the fun run on the island. Can anyone confirm that they still have it???? I have to admit, I'm a little worried about running the everest challenge the night we get back!!! Anyone else plan on doing WDW after cruise????

 

[WVURunner]

Totally on board (get it, on board!!!) for the group runs every morning. Since I am trippleing my calorie in-take for 7 days!!! The morning runs are very important. :

Glad you are on board for our morning runs because you weren't going to be given the option, just a loud knock on the door at 6:30am as your wake up call! Are you trying not to have an 11 lb weight gain this time around? My goal is to still have my dress fit on the last night.

As far as the group run, if anyone besides Jon is interested. I try and get my run in before the 8am cycling class (I hope its at that time) so I can attend that as well, normally aim for 7ish. Does anyone know if the track on goofy's sport deck is where we are suppose to run or is that for walking only? I hated running in the morning and not being able to go around the ship's bow when they were lowering the anchor in port.

 

[keryia]

This is our First Disney Cruise and a last moment decision by hubby to tell me to go ahead and book. This is also our first cruise ever. It will be me, hubby and our 14 (almost 15) year old son Aaron.

Any advice would be wonderful.

As for dressing up, we will but I haven't told Aaron yet that....when he went to his grade 8 graduation it was all I could do to get him into dress pants and a tie.

Liana

 

[o&smom]

This is our First Disney Cruise and a last moment decision by hubby to tell me to go ahead and book. This is also our first cruise ever. It will be me, hubby and our 14 (almost 15) year old son Aaron.

Any advice would be wonderful.

As for dressing up, we will but I haven't told Aaron yet that....when he went to his grade 8 graduation it was all I could do to get him into dress pants and a tie.

Liana

Welcome! So excited for this to be your first cruise ever! Our very first cruise was with Disney as well in 2010 and now this will be our third. My very best tip is to get the most recent edition of "Passporter's Disney Cruise Line and It's
Ports of Call". You can buy the book on amazon, Barnes and Noble or from Passporter.com which is also a good sight for info. The Disboards are great as well as Cruise Critic.com. It all depends on how much of an info freak you are! Another big tip is to not overpack as there are nice laundry faciliities on board. I am still working on this one! If you and your husband like great food and would like a "date" on your cruise I would highly recommend Palo. My husband and I are going to check out Remy for the first
time and I have only seen good things about this restaurant as well.

Please feel free to post any specific questions or concerns and I'm sure you will get great advice!

Happy planning,

Marni

 

[cruisevirgin]

Is there any chance of us first-time cruisers of getting a Paolo reservation? I heard it's impossible, except for maybe the first night on the ship. Anyone know?

Welcome! So excited for this to be your first cruise ever! Our very first cruise was with Disney as well in 2010 and now this will be our third. My very best tip is to get the most recent edition of "Passporter's Disney Cruise Line and It's
Ports of Call". You can buy the book on amazon, Barnes and Noble or from Passporter.com which is also a good sight for info. The Disboards are great as well as Cruise Critic.com. It all depends on how much of an info freak you are! Another big tip is to not overpack as there are nice laundry faciliities on board. I am still working on this one! If you and your husband like great food and would like a "date" on your cruise I would highly recommend Palo. My husband and I are going to check out Remy for the first
time and I have only seen good things about this restaurant as well.

Please feel free to post any specific questions or concerns and I'm sure you will get great advice!

Happy planning,

Marni

 

[Kaylad2006]

New to this thread as someone just told me about it. Can someone please explain what fish extenders are? We are a family of three traveling on this cruise, our first Disney Cruise and are very excited. Our daughter is 5 so looking for all the information we can gather!

 

[cruisevirgin]

Welcome! I'm organizing the FE exchange for this cruise so I've included a blurb below. If you need/want more info, just PM me. Make sure you check out Taswira's website to sign up - not just for the FEs but for meets in general.

Here is an overview I stole from another website. Also if you google it, you can see images of some great ones. I ordered mine through gradysmommy on ebay. Hers are beautiful and you custom order it with your family's name, as well as different characters for each pocket. Prior to the cruise, I am collecting everyone's information who want to participate. (PM me with your cabin number, names, ages, and genders of everyone in your room.)

Named for the decor from which they hang, fish extenders are usually handmade pocket organizers (similar to a shoe caddy or mail organizer) customized with names, favorite Disney characters, etc. These pocket organizers are hung from a decorative fish ornament that is attached to the wall outside of each cabin.

A fish extender group is basically a gift exchange, albeit with a little extra pixie dust.

Once numbers are finalized, each member of the group prepares a gift for the other participating cabins. There are no rules regarding gifts (no minimum or maximum dollar value). Once the cruise has commenced, participants deliver their gifts to the other participating staterooms, leaving them as a surprise in the fish extender pockets. One of the most fun aspects of taking part in a fish extender group is checking in throughout the day to see what little goodies are waiting.

New to this thread as someone just told me about it. Can someone please explain what fish extenders are? We are a family of three traveling on this cruise, our first Disney Cruise and are very excited. Our daughter is 5 so looking for all the information we can gather!

 

[cruisevirgin]

For those participating in the Fish Extender exchange, can you send me your home e-mail address so I can forward you a spreadsheet of the participants so far? I don't see anywhere on here where I can attach a file. Thanks!