Feb 20, 2011 - Presidents' Week - Mexican Riviera

[XMom]

No, I don't think anything has been sent to anyone about the change in itinerary. On a previous non-disney cruise, we had a change in itinerary due to a hurricaine. We were on a 5 night that was going from San Diego to Cabo. It turned out to be the cruise to nowhere. On the 4th day we were able to stop in Ensenada. We tried to go to Catalina but due to winds we were not able to tender. There were many upset people, but we were just happy to be on a cruise!

Sutter6...I also have a DD that just turned 3 yesterday and DS's 5 1/2 and 7. I'm sure they will all have fun together. Welcome...you will love this cruise!!!

 

[Sutter6]

Something fun is to bring a photo mat or pillow case and a bag of Sharpie pens and give it to guest services. They will have the characters sign the items and leave it in your room on the last night.

Thank you for the tips. Is there a certain way that you need to mark the item to make sure it gets back to your child?

 

[Sutter6]

[Sutter6...I also have a DD that just turned 3 yesterday and DS's 5 1/2 and 7. I'm sure they will all have fun together. Welcome...you will love this cruise!!![/QUOTE]

How exciting. I am hoping that the kids have so much fun. My daughter turned 2 months ago and is a little tentative about going to the club. Her name is Devyn so have your daughter keep an eye out for her.

Thanks to everyone who is willing to include us in your FE's, looking forward to meeting you all.

 

[winnypooh]

I think it was DCL that I read that people can't travel between their rooms and the pool in their swim wear. I was wondering what the adult men usually wear? I found a robe for my son, and I have a cover up, but honestly, my husband usually just wears a towel in our experience, but we've never been on a cruise.

Thanks...
wendy

ack, so soon, I feel so UNPREPARED!

 

[Dishy24]

Vanessa - We also planned a few extras for our FE gifts, so we should have something for your family's FE.

Other than calling, has anyone received notification from Disney regarding Mazatlan being removed? I used their email form this morning and have not heard back yet. I'm so thankful to the DIS boards. Without these forums, I would not have even been aware of this change.

Can't believe we are less than a month away!

I spoke to a rep at DCL on Saturday-- I called for an unrelated issue, but after a 56 minute wait, I wanted to ask them every possible question I could think of! Anyway, the rep I spoke to told me that DCL was going to start sending out letters on Wednesday (tomorrow) to notify everybody of the itinerary change.
The reason I called them is because when I switched to the accessible room on 1/3, it was a slight category change-- From a 5A, to a 5B (or something like that)-- Anyway, there was a fare decrease of $277! They asked me if I wanted an OBC or if she should put it back on my CC. Unfortunately, I chose my CC. Well, DCL will put and refunds back on the same card you paid with-- Here's my problem-- Disney Visa was having a 3X rewards promotion in November-- 3X rewards AFTER your initial $1,000 spent in one of 4 categories: dining, gas, groceries & airfare. Now when I buy Disney Gift Cards at my local grocery store (Stop & Shop), they count as purchases made in the "groceries" category. So, I bought $3,500 in $50 Disney Gift cards & entered the damn things one by one to pay off my cruise balance. OK, fast forward 3 weeks-- I never saw the $277 credit post to my Visa & when I asked the rep, he said he was showing that the credit posted to 12 different cards! Small amounts on each one, adding to $277! Unfortunately for ME, as soon as I entered each code/ pin on each Gift Card, I tossed them! Who would think to save them? So, somewhere in some landfill, there are 12 Disney Gift Cards that have balances on them that add to $277! The rep told me that they would "investigate" & someone would call me back... I am not holding my breath on ever seeing that $277!! Wish I would have just said OBC!!!

 

[Bruins]

Thank you for the tips. Is there a certain way that you need to mark the item to make sure it gets back to your child?

Guest services has a form where you/they document the items, room number, and even if you provided your own sharpies.

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Thanks XMom and Dishy24. Guess I'll be checking my mail closely

Dishy24, I hope they are able to get your refund switched to your OBC.

 

[XMom]

I also toss my giftcards after I use them. With 3 kids, I have enough trash already.
As far as coverups for the pool, my hubby and boys just wear a t-shirt then take it off when we get to the pool.
Counting down the days. It's so hard to keep this a secret from the kids.....

 

[gichicdoc]

Welcome Sutter6 and as someone famous once said, better late than never!
We will be bringing extra FE gifts and will have something for your older kids as well as the younger ones. We are the ones who added a daughter late when we found out her college schedule had changed - it is her first Disney cruise too and she is just as excited as the 9 yo coming with us! The people in this FE group are the absolute best as you can see from the multiple replies already. Trust me when I tell you, you may never cruise with another cruise line again
Is there anything we should avoid for your kids - allergies, chocolate, etc.??

Tricia--Don't think like that! It is all going to work out; Just wait and see

Nobody ever answered my other question about cruise documents -- anyone receive them yet?

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Welcome Sutter6 and as someone famous once said, better late than never!
We will be bringing extra FE gifts and will have something for your older kids as well as the younger ones. We are the ones who added a daughter late when we found out her college schedule had changed - it is her first Disney cruise too and she is just as excited as the 9 yo coming with us! The people in this FE group are the absolute best as you can see from the multiple replies already. Trust me when I tell you, you may never cruise with another cruise line again
Is there anything we should avoid for your kids - allergies, chocolate, etc.??

Tricia--Don't think like that! It is all going to work out; Just wait and see

Nobody ever answered my other question about cruise documents -- anyone receive them yet?

Sorry, thought I replied to that. We have not received our documents, yet. Patiently waiting for those documents along with updated itinerary letter.

 

[ll_california]

Welcome sutter6/Vanessa! We're also from San Jose area. No problem regarding the FE - we have extras also. btw, we stayed at Wonder cabin 6116 for our 1st Disney cruise; great location!

 

[samily]

We haven't received our docs yet either.

Dishy, I hope you are healing well!

I just realized that the day we get off the ship is the day of the Oscars at the Kodak Theatre. Our flight doesn't leave LAX until 9pm so we were planning on spending the day site seeing. Will it be absolutely crazy in LA that day? Should we plan to do the "Hollywood" type sites prior to our cruise instead? Or should we go and try to glimpse some stars that day? The kids want to see the Santa Monica pier & Venice Beach - maybe we should do that after the cruise instead of before the cruise?

What do you guys think? What do you have planned post cruise?

 

[Bruins]

We haven't received our docs yet either.

Dishy, I hope you are healing well!

I just realized that the day we get off the ship is the day of the Oscars at the Kodak Theatre. Our flight doesn't leave LAX until 9pm so we were planning on spending the day site seeing. Will it be absolutely crazy in LA that day? Should we plan to do the "Hollywood" type sites prior to our cruise instead? Or should we go and try to glimpse some stars that day? The kids want to see the Santa Monica pier & Venice Beach - maybe we should do that after the cruise instead of before the cruise?

What do you guys think? What do you have planned post cruise?

The Kodak area will be crazy that day. They close off part of Hollywood Bl around the area, and the main parking lot at the shopping center where Kodak is (Hollywood and Highland) will probably be closed off as well.

I like your idea of Santa Monica and Venice post-cruise, as its really close to LAX.

 

[Señor DonDuck]

I received a response to my email:


In the afternoon of January 21, 2011, it was communicated there would be a change to the Mexican Riviera cruises. It was decided to modify our 7-night Mexican Riviera itinerary aboard the Disney Wonder by replacing calls to Mazatlan with an additional call to Cabo San Lucas until further notice.

We continually evaluate our itineraries and we believe this change will provide the best family vacation experience for our Guests. This decision was made in part due to the changing environment in Mazatlan and our continued focus on making the safety of our Guests a top priority.

Your itinerary for your cruise on February 20, 2011 has been changed to the following:

Sunday - Los Angeles
Monday - At Sea
Tuesday - At Sea
Wednesday - Puerto Vallarta (Ashore time is 7:30am and onboard time is 7:00pm)
Thursday - Cabo San Lucas (Ashore time is 11:15am and onboard time is 7:00pm)
Friday - Cabo San Lucas (Ashore time is 7:15am and onboard time is 1:30pm)
Saturday - At Sea
Sunday - Los Angeles

Please be aware, that Guests ashore and onboard times can change without notice.

Next, dining attire varies by venue or theme night on your cruise. In general, most meals are "Cruise Casual"-- jeans, khakis and capris are permitted; however, we ask that Guests refrain from wearing shorts, swimwear or tank tops in the dining rooms.

Below is the recommended attire for your cruise itinerary and is subject to change:

*Nights 1, 2, 5, 7: cruise casual
*Night 3: "formal night" - formal wear for men: tuxedo or suit; for women: gown or dress
*Night 4: pirate night with deck party - cruise casual or bring your best pirate outfit!
*Night 6: "semi-formal night" - semi-formal wear for men: suit/jacket; for women: dress or pantsuit.

Lastly, Port Adventures will be available to arrange for both calls to Cabo San Lucas. At this time, Port Adventures are unable to be reserved online for the additional stop at Cabo San Lucas. We are in the process of adding these to the website.

Please be assured, if you pre-reserved a Port Adventures for Mazatlan it will be removed from your reservation.

In addition, per the Terms & Conditions, Disney Cruise Line may with or without prior notice change or cancel any scheduled sailing, itinerary or call at any port, and will not be liable for any loss incurred by a Guest as a result of the change. Thus, compensation will not be offered.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance with any other inquiries, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to sailing with you.

 

[talie]

I received a response to my email:


In the afternoon of January 21, 2011, it was communicated there would be a change to the Mexican Riviera cruises. It was decided to modify our 7-night Mexican Riviera itinerary aboard the Disney Wonder by replacing calls to Mazatlan with an additional call to Cabo San Lucas until further notice.

We continually evaluate our itineraries and we believe this change will provide the best family vacation experience for our Guests. This decision was made in part due to the changing environment in Mazatlan and our continued focus on making the safety of our Guests a top priority.

Your itinerary for your cruise on February 20, 2011 has been changed to the following:

Sunday - Los Angeles
Monday - At Sea
Tuesday - At Sea
Wednesday - Puerto Vallarta (Ashore time is 7:30am and onboard time is 7:00pm)
Thursday - Cabo San Lucas (Ashore time is 11:15am and onboard time is 7:00pm)
Friday - Cabo San Lucas (Ashore time is 7:15am and onboard time is 1:30pm)
Saturday - At Sea
Sunday - Los Angeles

Please be aware, that Guests ashore and onboard times can change without notice.

Next, dining attire varies by venue or theme night on your cruise. In general, most meals are "Cruise Casual"-- jeans, khakis and capris are permitted; however, we ask that Guests refrain from wearing shorts, swimwear or tank tops in the dining rooms.

Below is the recommended attire for your cruise itinerary and is subject to change:

*Nights 1, 2, 5, 7: cruise casual
*Night 3: "formal night" - formal wear for men: tuxedo or suit; for women: gown or dress
*Night 4: pirate night with deck party - cruise casual or bring your best pirate outfit!
*Night 6: "semi-formal night" - semi-formal wear for men: suit/jacket; for women: dress or pantsuit.

Lastly, Port Adventures will be available to arrange for both calls to Cabo San Lucas. At this time, Port Adventures are unable to be reserved online for the additional stop at Cabo San Lucas. We are in the process of adding these to the website.

Please be assured, if you pre-reserved a Port Adventures for Mazatlan it will be removed from your reservation.

In addition, per the Terms & Conditions, Disney Cruise Line may with or without prior notice change or cancel any scheduled sailing, itinerary or call at any port, and will not be liable for any loss incurred by a Guest as a result of the change. Thus, compensation will not be offered.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance with any other inquiries, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to sailing with you.

Thanks for this! It was extremely helpful to have all that info in one place.

 

[Aurora76]

We just received our cruise documents!! Yay!!! This cruise seems to be coming so fast

 

[talie]

We just received our cruise documents!! Yay!!! This cruise seems to be coming so fast

How exciting!!!

 

[XMom]

I want to go home and check my mail box!!!

 

[minie_meese]

Elaine and Beth-
if I could get a copy of your list that would be great. I do not have enough posts to PM you my email, so whenever you get a chance email me.
Thanks again,Vanessa

Vanessa - I sent you a PM and used the disboards email feature but it doesn't let me see your email. My email address is in both notes - so just send your email address to the email I put in the notes and I'll send you the Excel and PDF versions of the list. I travel during the week so I can't get it to you till I get home on Friday. You can get an idea of the list by looking at the first post - I just added your family to the list.

I'm jealous about the couples massage - my husband will not go near the spa - my daughter and I are doing the exotic rasul. We've done it before and love it.

Looking forward to seeing our cruise documents when I get home - it always makes the cruise seem more real.

Cheers

Elaine

 

[LKFan]

It looks like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. They updated the itinerary under "cruise details" but they didn't change the timing. It says:

Day Port Ashore Onboard
1 Los Angeles, California - 4:00 p.m.
2 At Sea - -
3 At Sea - -
4 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 7:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m.
5 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 7:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
6 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 7:15 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
7 At Sea - -
8 Los Angeles, California 9:30 a.m. -