Feb 20, 2011 - Presidents' Week - Mexican Riviera

[minie_meese]

Welcome to the cruise board and glad you are joining us.

The window for reservations for first time cruisers opens on the day your final payment is due - 75 days for category 4-12 staterooms and 90 days for category 1-3 but there are some tips for getting what you want.

Right now you can register on the Disney Cruiseline website and make sure you can get into your reservation. Find the place under "cruise plans" in your reservation where you make reservations. It will be grayed out until your window opens up but you will be able to see it. Do your research and know exactly what you want for Palo, Spa and Shore Excursions with a few alternatives. There will also be a message on the screen that tells you exactly how many days till your window opens up. As soon as your window opens log in and make your reservations. If you don't get what you want you can check back periodically before the cruise because sometimes people change reservations and a time or activity you want may open up. Disney also holds back some reservations so if you don't get what you want, when you check in at the port find out where on the ship you need to go to make or change Palo, Spa or excursions and go there as soon as you board.

If you change your mind about the FEs let me know by mid-December.

Also, we'll probably try to arrange a cruise meet sometime early in the cruise so people can meet each other. You're welcome to join - check back here periodically.

 

[silence]

No, Beachmum, you're stuck at waiting for 75 days out just like the rest of us first-timers. I'm paid in full too and am eagerly awaiting the 7th!

Good to have you on the board!

Man, it's been awhile since I have been on the boards and while catching up I had a panic attack thinking I had missed an important date. So glad that as a first time cruiser with DCL, I'm just stuck waiting a little while longer!

I will send my FE info (cabin) ASAP. I don't have it with me at work.

 

[silence]

PM me or post
disboard name :
first name of the person providing the information:
Stateroom Number:
Number of adults:
number of girls and their ages:
number of boys and their ages:
how many Disney cruises have you been on including our 2/20 cruise?:
Are you celebrating anything special?:
Are there any special things people should know about individuals in your party?:

disboard name: Silence
First Name: Silence
Stateroom number: will forward (we have 2, rooms right across the hall from eachother)
Number of adults: 3 (2 women, 1 man)
Number of girls: 1 - Princess Jordan, age 7
Number of boys: 1 - Pirate Tyler, age 13
How many Cruises: First Disney Cruise
Celebrations? DH & I celebrating anniversary (2/14) and my mom is celebrating her birthday on 2/23

 

[samily]

Welcome beachmum!

 

[betsy2010]

Hi folks,
I think we're going to skip the FE this trip. It already seems like we're not going to have enough time in the day to get everything in that we want. I appreciate all the tips & tricks on the board and am sure we'll see you around!
thanks again for organizing.
betsy2010 (norcalbruins)

 

[AuntAmy]

Here is our FE info:

disboard name: AuntAmy
first name of the person providing the information: Amy
Stateroom Number(s) - GTY
Number of adult ladies and number of adult men - 1 adult lady
number of girls and their ages - 1 girl age 6
number of boys and their ages - 0 boys
how many Disney cruises have you been on including our 2/20 cruise? First Disney Cruise
Are you celebrating anything special - No.

Please let me know if there is anything else that you need from us.

Thanks.

 

[DVC_Chris]

We are flying out very early on Thurs 2/17 & staying 3 nights in the Grand Californian prior to the cruise. Dh is coming with us to Disneyland because I'm not sure how much walking I will be able to do, but he isn't going on the cruise. The cruise is just me, mom & 11 year old son. So excited!!!!

Hoping to be able to do this ---> by time we sail away!

We check in to the villas at Grand Cal on Friday morning before the cruise. Really looking forward to it!

 

[vetbeth]

Sorry for the delay, I haven't been on the boards recently. Minie meese - I PM'd you the FE information.

 

[Dishy24]

We check in to the villas at Grand Cal on Friday morning before the cruise. Really looking forward to it!

See you there-- we check in on Thursday! Have you ever stayed there before?

I have already booked a car service to bing us to the port on Sunday morning @ 10am ($78 in a Town Car)-- let me know if you need any info!

 

[DVC_Chris]

See you there-- we check in on Thursday! Have you ever stayed there before?

I have already booked a car service to bing us to the port on Sunday morning @ 10am ($78 in a Town Car)-- let me know if you need any info!

I have not. Last time I visited DL was for my honeymoon 6 years ago, and I used DVC points to stay concierge at the Disneyland Hotel, I remember walking past it, but do not remember going in it. I have heard good things about it though.

PM me the car service you are using. My MIL and FIL are coming with us, and have never been to LA, and we are thinking of hiring a car to take us for a quick looksie at the Hollywood Sign and Chinese Theater before continuing on to the port.

I see you are a fellow Met fan too.

 

[winnypooh]

Sorry for the delay, a ton of family stuff going on, and just realized while I was packing the car that we need to pay too! <yipes>.. add to that that I haven't posted enough to send private messages and the one day last week I was going to do it, in the afternoon, the board was down for maintenance.


Stateroom Number: 7116 (i'm 95% sure on this, we were switching rooms a bit, but I think this is the right number... I'll let you know if its not)
How many adult women?: 1
How Many adult men?: 1
number of girls and their ages: 0
number of boys and their ages: 1 (age 5)
how many Disney cruises have you been on including our 2/20 cruise?: This is our first!
Are you celebrating anything special?: (adults) Anniversary!
Are there any special things people should know about individuals in your party like allergies, special likes?: Nothing too major, all the male members don't like nuts, and my son has a mild strawberry allergy. As you can guess from my ID, I lean towards pooh, but am also an avid mr. potato head collector.

sorry again for the delay, and thanks so much for organizing (and being patient with people like me)

Wendy

 

[minie_meese]

Thanks Wendy!

 

[Dishy24]

I have not. Last time I visited DL was for my honeymoon 6 years ago, and I used DVC points to stay concierge at the Disneyland Hotel, I remember walking past it, but do not remember going in it. I have heard good things about it though.

PM me the car service you are using. My MIL and FIL are coming with us, and have never been to LA, and we are thinking of hiring a car to take us for a quick looksie at the Hollywood Sign and Chinese Theater before continuing on to the port.

I see you are a fellow Met fan too.

DVC Chris-

PM sent! LGM!

 

[Tinkerbell 81]

Tinkerbell 81 2 adults and DD 15

 

[Jennifer_W]

Has anyone done the High Tea at Palo? We've done the brunch and dinner and absolutely loved it but what is the High Tea all about?

Thanks

I did this on our first cruise, in 2006. I actually did it with a group of women from the DIS board! If you've done a tea anywhere else, it is pretty much the same...you pick what kind of tea you want, you get your own teapot on the table (well, not to keep), they bring out finger sandwiches and little desserts (mostly fruity things, if I remember right), and that's about it. Nice, if you like tea, and have good conversation. The group I went with was very fun! I just happened to be pregnant at the time and there was only one kind of decaf, non-herbal tea to drink.

DH and I have done dinner at Palo, but we aren't into the long dinner scene (he has to do that a lot at work), and he would not enjoy tea (that would take away from his time on a deck chair! perish the thought!), so we have booked Palo brunch on day 2 (Monday?) at 11:00. Last time we had to cancel our brunch ressie's--kids, I believe--but this time our youngest is in the kids' clubs, so whoo-hoo! I have already told DH he's not getting out of it.

How does one know which cities in Mexico are dangerous? I have not even looked at shore excursions yet, for fear of crime. And do you guys think booking on your own is OK in Mexico? We always do it on the DCL cruises out of Florida.

 

[minie_meese]

Last call for people wishing to join our Fish Extender group - please let me know by Dec 15th.

Tinkerbell81 - wasn't sure if you wanted to join us or not - PM me if you do and I'd be happy to add you to the list.

I will PM or email (if I have an email address) the details for each family around the 15th but thought I'd send put an updated summary since I've heard from everyone so far who's indicated they want to participate.

19 staterooms
18 women
13 men
17 girls (10 are ages 6-10 and 7 are ages 11-17)
10 boys (7 are ages 5-9 and 3 are ages 1-13)
Food restrictions - 2 families - no nuts, 1 family no chocolate or anything with milk or eggs, 1 family no food items at all

Some additional details:
Birthdays - 1 boy and 1 adult woman
Anniversaries - 2 couples
First time Disney cruisers - 7 or 8

Some things that people indicated their kids like:
Tinkerbell
Lightning McQueen, Hot wheels
Legos
Keychains
Pooh and Mr Potato Head

 

[silence]

Busy cruise planning day!

Booked my Palo reservation, spa reservation and excursions tonight.

Ordered the last of my FE gifts online to start putting everything together. Too much fun.

Now I really need to focus on getting all my shopping done for things I want before the cruise. You know, new swimsuit and cover up (and isn't this just the perfect time of year to be shopping for these items?), alarm clock, iPad. Just a few things.

 

[silence]

More cruise planning today.

Today I ordered my FE and pillowcases. I just do NOT sew. I know there are "no sew" options, but the ones on ebay were too cute.

Been "window" shopping on etsy this evening. Wondering if my 7 y/o will feel comfortable in any of the super cute Disney dresses they have listed there. Maybe just a pillow case dress as a swim coverup?

I dunno, I'll have to think on that one a little more.

 

[samily]

OK, so now that everyone is paid in full, what has everyone booked? Were you able to get what you wanted?

We've booked Palo Brunch for the last sea day & massage & rasul for the first & second sea days. Also booked dolphin encounter, but on the fence on that one still.

We also finally were able to grab our flight home for 129.00 non stop LAX to Boston, very excited on that, I was getting nervous - for a while all the flights were over 300.00 each coming home

Silence, who did you order from on ebay? We had ordered from gradysmommy a few years ago and she was wonderful! The FE is so cute, though I have to find new ones for this trip - we have 2 cabins this time and one more person coming.

 

[silence]

OK, so now that everyone is paid in full, what has everyone booked? Were you able to get what you wanted?

We've booked Palo Brunch for the last sea day & massage & rasul for the first & second sea days. Also booked dolphin encounter, but on the fence on that one still.

Silence, who did you order from on ebay? We had ordered from gradysmommy a few years ago and she was wonderful! The FE is so cute, though I have to find new ones for this trip - we have 2 cabins this time and one more person coming.

We are doing Palo brunch on the last sea day as well.

I got everything we wanted, we are doing the dolphins in Cabo and doing the beach resort in PV. My kids can't wait. I didn't book anything for Mazatlan, we will either stay on board or just wander out in the port somewhere.

I got my FE and pillowcases from gradysmommy. I can't wait for them to arrive. I had such fun w/DD trying to decide what we wanted on it.