February 17, 2007

[6powaydisneyfans]

I am just a fortunate woman to have a husband that loves to travel! No way, no how did I ever think he would say yes to this!

We had talked about doing an Adventure by Disney vacation in October but I don't want to miss out on Courtney's senior year homecoming during football season. There is no way to tell right now when the school will set the schedule for next year. I guess since we were going to spend that money to go to Italy or do a Grand Canyon type adventure with Disney, its just a matter of spending it now or spending it later.

We truly LOVE cruising and are looking forward to FOURTEEN glorious days in the Caribbean!

Planning two cruises is easy -- no extra clothes to pack . . . just have to decide if there are things we want to do in port that requires a reservation.

We did decide to go on a waverunner excursion in Grand Cayman. We'll take waverunners from the beach out to Stingray City and then to Rum Point Beach. That should be a pretty cool adventure and something we've never done before. In Cozumel, we'll most like do a beginner's scuba dive. I've never done that either.

Pam . . . you poor lady! You're absolutely freezing you touche' off! That is INSANE!!! Its 57 degrees F here at 9 PM. There has been frost on the ground the last few mornings and we think that is cold but ohhhh my gosh . . . we have no clue what cold really is! Bundle up and keep warm!

This is thread of posts doing the Western or Eastern crusise Feb 17th?

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

Does anyone have any info on the excursions which to book etc... I have kids 14,11,5 and 3

If you go onto the Disney Cruise Line web site, and go to "My Disney Cruise" on the menu bar, it will take you through the process. There will be descriptions to help you decide. If you go from there to "my cruise pans," you can check on times, availability, etc., and book right from there...
Good Luck!!

 

[christinou]

OH MY GOODNESS! That reminded me that as of today I only have 9 weeks till our wedding. I need to get the lose ends tied up.

We are having our reception dinner at the "Blue Zoo" at the Dolphin resort. Has anyone ever dined there and what did you think?

Wow, it really is coming up soon for you, I am so envious, Blue Zoo seems fabulous, you will have to tell us all about it, I have never been there but have always wanted to try.

 

[mom2alzach]

We are scheduled for this cruise too! I am so excited!

We have a DD who's 10 and a DS who's 7.

Hopefully we'll meet some of you there!

Leslie

 

[christinou]

Welcome Leslie, I have 2 DD 9 and 11, so our girls should be together in the kids clubs....

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

This is thread of posts doing the Western or Eastern crusise Feb 17th?

We are all envious of Lisa--she's doing back to back cruises
(The 17th is an Eastern)

 

[PhotoLisa]

Hey guys!

I just received an email from Vacationstogo.com and its showing reduced price cruises for our sailing available. It was showing $999 for an inside cabin and $1699 for an oceanview. If you're secretly wanting to add a second stateroom, this may help you.

We're still in Washington DC and it is COLD as heck! Its currently 22 degrees and I'm sure the temps will fall further around daybreak. We have Brian's graduation this morning. We had a few flurries last night as we walked back to the hotel from eating dinner at the ESPN Zone.

Travelling with us is my nephew's travel tiger (grade level school project). I have more pics of the tiger than the two of us! hehe We do get strange looks when we photograph the tiger. The kids are loving getting emails with the pics of where the tiger is visiting this week.

Here's a reminder of where our pics from the DC trip can be seen. http://lneal.com/msg

Today makes 70 days before the cruise! Let's get that countdown moving quicker! Our cold weathered travelers NEED some sunshine and warmth!

Lisa

 

[6powaydisneyfans]

Wondering if there is a list somewhere? My daughter is 14 year and is curious how many teenagers will be on the cruise.

 

[justhat]

Lisa - Great photos! What made you guys come to Adams Morgan??? I didn't know it is a tourist destination. We live here, right by some of those photos you took on Columbia and 18th Streets. Did you walk from the Metro? If so, we're in between the Metro and Columbia Ave, about 2 blocks from the Starbucks. If I had known you'd have been out here I would have met up with you guys!

6powaydisneyfans - Someone on this thread has a list of everyone going, I think it's Sue.

 

[kcashner]

From what we were told, there will be a pretty substantial teen group on board. DD will turn 16 the week before we sail. It seems that a fair number of schools have the week off as a winter break.

DD LOVES The Stack--your 14 year old should have a blast. Prepare to not see her except at dinner. The Stack opens at noon and parties till 2 am!!!

 

[christinou]

Sue is indeed keeping the list of all of the cruisers.
Most school have President's week off in the Northeast, so generally it is a really busy week, and that is also why it is so much more expensive than the week before or after.
exactly 10 weeks from today, quite a few of us will be at one of the hotels in Cocoa Beach, YEAH, it is just frezing here, it has been snowing all day, I can predict that no matter the weather is my girls will be swimming at the hotel pool.

 

[PhotoLisa]

Lisa - Great photos! What made you guys come to Adams Morgan??? I didn't know it is a tourist destination. We live here, right by some of those photos you took on Columbia and 18th Streets. Did you walk from the Metro? If so, we're in between the Metro and Columbia Ave, about 2 blocks from the Starbucks. If I had known you'd have been out here I would have met up with you guys!

E. David Luria has a photo safari that he conducts. The afternoon session was Adams-Morgan, Washington National Cathedral and the Iwo Jima Memorial. It is really a neat area (Adams-Morgan).

I wish I had known that you were near there. After we finished at IJM, we took the Metro back to the HI Capital South location. We definitely could have worked our way back to your area and met up for a dessert or coffee or something!

DC is a really great place to visit. The mass transportation is unbelievable! Nothing like that in south Louisiana. One thing though . . . it is SO COLD in DC right now! brrrrrrrrr

We'll be sightseeing for the next two days. Our last event will probably be to watch the Saints/Cowboys football game Sunday night at the ESPN Zone and then taking Brian back to Quantico since our flight is at 11 AM Monday.

Any "must see" places to visit or restaurants that only locals know about that you can clue me in to would be greatly appreciated!

Lisa

 

[PhotoLisa]

Wondering if there is a list somewhere? My daughter is 14 year and is curious how many teenagers will be on the cruise.

There are plenty of teens in our group. Send Sue a PM with your group's information -- names, ages, pre-cruise hotel, stateroom number, dining assignment (early or late), email address, etc. She can send you a list of all the teens so that your dd can begin making friends before her trip.

I have a dd that will almost be 17 when we cruise. My dd's best friend, also almost 17, will be joining us as well.

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

Wondering if there is a list somewhere? My daughter is 14 year and is curious how many teenagers will be on the cruise.

I got your info, Thanks!
Based on what info people have sent me, these are the ages of the kids in our group:
Girls: ages 3,5,9(2),11,13(2),14,15,16(2)
Boys: ages 5,8,10(2),11,13(2),15,16,17,18

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

10 weeks from today!!!

(and tomorrow we will be in single digits!!)

 

[6powaydisneyfans]

Is anyone going to Disney World before the cruise? What is everyone's plans the few days before the cruise? and which hotels are you staying/

 

[PhotoLisa]

How is everyone doing in their preparations? What is everyone up to?

I received my work schedule for the coming week this morning and am very pleased that the sports editor only has me working Monday night after we return. I don't know if he just forgot to put me on the schedule or what the cause was for no assignments but I"M NOT FUSSING!

My dd, her boyfriend and I are leaving on Friday or Saturday to drive to Atlanta to watch the Falcons/Cowboys game on the 16th (her Christmas gift to him -- an avid Cowboys fan).

I'm hoping to get some cruise things taken care of this week before our trip -- door sign item gathering, surprise items for our cruisemates, etc.

Of course, I have to get to the gym after being away for a week.

Lisa

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

Is anyone going to Disney World before the cruise? What is everyone's plans the few days before the cruise? and which hotels are you staying/

We are flying down on Wednesday afternoon, and spending until Friday at Universal Studios. We got a great deal on the passes, and a AAA rate for the Hard Rock Hotel. The boys have never been to Universal, so we decided to go there instead. It was much cheaper than WDW for us, and the difference in the airfare from Wednesday compared to Friday or Saturday is financing the Universal stay.
Friday night after we leave UNI (I'm guessing around 6:00), we're driving to the port, stopping at WalMart for last minute items, and staying at the Residence Inn.
Saturday, we drop the car @ Budget, and we are off!

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

How is everyone doing in their preparations? What is everyone up to?

I received my work schedule for the coming week this morning and am very pleased that the sports editor only has me working Monday night after we return. I don't know if he just forgot to put me on the schedule or what the cause was for no assignments but I"M NOT FUSSING!

My dd, her boyfriend and I are leaving on Friday or Saturday to drive to Atlanta to watch the Falcons/Cowboys game on the 16th (her Christmas gift to him -- an avid Cowboys fan).

I'm hoping to get some cruise things taken care of this week before our trip -- door sign item gathering, surprise items for our cruisemates, etc.

Of course, I have to get to the gym after being away for a week.

Lisa

Hi Lisa!
Enjoy your week! And the game too! My week is not planned yet. Because I work as needed in our school system, I'll probably find out Monday. Right now, I think I'll only be working 2 days, which is fine with me I am checking in on the boards, but I have put preps for the cruise on hold until after the New Year. I really don't have much left to do for the trip. Except wait...

 

[justhat]

Lisa, yes, Adams Morgan is an interesting area. That's why I was so surprised that it would be on any list of tourist sites. It does have some surprisingly good local eateries (Pasta Mia is our favorite, people line up outside in any kind of weather for over an hour just to eat there), and then a bunch of sort of interesting stores (and many not so interesting like Payless). It's really convenient to my husband's hospital and our daughter's preschool which was how we ended up here (each one is about a mile on either side). And though I didn't really think it would be such a plus, being a few blocks from the zoo is great cause we go there all the time. We just moved here in May though, so I still long for our old place, which was a condo in the Foggy Bottom/West End area that was part of the Ritz-Carlton chain so the amenities were amazing. But with 2 kids the place was just too small and larger units there were way expensive.

Well that's way more than I'm sure you cared to know about me! Anyway, I really hope you're enjoying your time here with your son.

6po - We're flying into Orlando on 2/14, way early in the morning, and most likely staying at AKL. We're not going to do the WDW parks except for a Pirate and Princess Party on the 15th. We're thinking about checking out Sea World for a day and then probably just hang around the resort and maybe go to DTD and check out some other resorts. We were just in WDW last month and are going back next Monday, so we figure we can skip out on the parks in February cause our APs expire on 12/26/06. Or so we hope. It might be tough explaining that to my daughter, but we'll see. I'm hoping the P&PP will be enough for her, along with maybe some character meals thrown in and a day at Sea World.