February 25, 2006 Western Magic Cruisers!!

[jayv1]

We rebooked for Feb 24,2007 (we prefer the western over the eastern) Although I didn't make the meets, I did get to meet some of you. What a great group of folks! (even the Yankee fans!) Maybe we will see some of you next year.

 

[SallyB]

That was me Sally, don't worry I'm the same way with names. I'm great with faces though! The buffet was great, and at least if I'm in line by myself I have no witnesses to how much I ate! I actually thought about skipping the line and coming back down a half hour later, but decided to tough it out at the last minute!

That's also the pic of my little princess in all of her Mardis Gras glory! I'll have to post a pirate pic soon.

Well, AWESOME!! I finally have a name to go with you.. he he HI JENNIFER!!!!!!!!!!!!! That buffet was so cool wasn't it? The servers kept trying to put stuff on my plate.. ha ha I ate like 2 bites. I waste so much food I swear. Butit was so good to meet you on the cruise!! As for everyone! It really did make it so much more fun to see and have fun with people we "knew", so to speak. I truly hope we can do it again one day.

Jeff came home sick today, and I think he has what Dylan had. I'm hoping not.. but it sure looks like it. I'm guzzling Airborne to keep from getting it too!! At least we are home and not at an airport or on the ship.

 

[dreamakermom]

Man.... what an internet disaster! We were home from the ship by 11 a.m. I think at the latest (being 3 cars in front of an accident a mile away from home that I think may have killed someone... it was terrible). I was going to get online and brag about how QUICKLY the debarkment went and to wish yo all safe travels.... and NO INTERNET until today!!!!
So I have been wondering ow I was going to let all of you know how it was SUCH a pleasure meeting the people I did meet. I thought my oldest daughter and my sister thought I was nuts getting online and meeting ither dis members and then wearing a Mickey swatch to boot... however, they got SO excited whenever they saw a green Mickey!!!! Next time, I think they will be part of that!!! We are already trying out how to come up with money to book all 11 of us on a June Eastern Carribean cruise... obviously not this year. Since we did not reserve on the ship, I think someone told me to go through AAA and I can get a deal that way. This is my next call.
Jennifer... I was with your family the day your daughter got stung... she was a trooper. She DID cry, but she was good about it. Your family was wonderful... I totally enjoyed chatting with your dad as I ran into him everywhere.
Norm and Kim, I must say a thanks to you b/c my oldest children (especially) just LOVED you and also thought "your kid was pretty cool". I hope we can keep in touch.
OK guys, I have to go through my emails now that I have my internet up. I have alot of comments to tell you but no time at the moment. Just wanted to say hi and thanks for everyone's freindliness!! It was just great!!! Thanks again!!
Have a magical day!!!! Karen

 

[MoiraRD]

I'm so happy for you!!!! I know that when we spoke on CC you weren't sure how long it woud be until you could get back, so CONGRATULATIONS!!!

How was the price compared to what they gave you on board?

Feb of 08 will probably be our next Disney Cruise. My husband is having great debates with himslf about what we should do next winter. I am still pretending that I am on this cruise, so I haven't joined his conversation yet

Hi Jennifer!

Thanks!! I am SO thrilled to be going back!! I have already posted on the board for that trip and they seem like nice people, but nothing compares to our group here!! Of course I am now telling dh that we should have just booked onboard! We got a good deal through DU, but certainly not what it would have been had we booked onboard! Live and learn, I guess!! I am definitely booking onboard next cruise, though!! Even if I have to panhandle to pay for it!! I even volunteered to pitch a tent on the secret veranda for a week!! Who spends time in their room anyway??

February of '08 is a good a time as any for a cruise!! I think February will be when we do our cruising as well. Will you go the same week as this year? We are doing the week earlier because of Elizabeth's vacation schedule. Took her out this year because it is public school and they really don't care. Private school will be much different though. Especially since we have to pay for it!

 

[MoiraRD]

We rebooked for Feb 24,2007 (we prefer the western over the eastern) Although I didn't make the meets, I did get to meet some of you. What a great group of folks! (even the Yankee fans!) Maybe we will see some of you next year.

Just curious about why you prefer the Western over the Eastern. We had to book the Eastern because dd12 is going to Mt. Saint Charles Academy next year and we can't take her out for the Western! We booked Eastern because I just had to get myself back on the ship and February seems to be the best time for us to cruise!! Are the ports better on the Western? I have never been to either of the ports the Eastern is going to, so I have nothing to compare the Western to(yet!!).

 

[rjh8115]

We booked the eastern since we've never been out that way. Since we didn't have the school schedules for next year yet (state law forced a change and they haven't posted the new ones yet), I just picked the Feb 3 eastern trip. The CM said it was cheaper then going later in Feb. I just transfered the ressie to Costco and got another discount. Now the price is actually less than what we paid for this trip and we still get to keep the SR credit!

Still working on my trip report. I'll try to get it up in the next few days . . .

Rick

 

[rjh8115]

Jeff came home sick today, and I think he has what Dylan had. I'm hoping not.. but it sure looks like it. I'm guzzling Airborne to keep from getting it too!! At least we are home and not at an airport or on the ship.

Sally,
Sorry to hear Jeff is sick

Here's some pixie dust to help speed his recovery . . .

 

[MoiraRD]

I am so having withdrawals.... sunny & 36 & it still feels cold... My lunch box doesn't even come close to a buffet.... Meeting so many new friends & being so busy seeing & doing stuff, that I didn't have time to get to know them better, makes it feel like someone that lost something.... Friends

I will miss all of you...

I wanted to cry after reading this!! I feel the same way though. Well, we still have the board and we can all chat and there is always the PM!! The end of our cruise certainly doesn't mean we can't all chat anymore, and I hope we all continue to check in and say hi!

I really enjoyed this board while we were getting ready for our cruise! I still find myself drawn to it and feel that little flicker of disappointment when I see that nobody has posted anything lately!! My dh thinks I spend too much time on the boards!

I keep hoping that this is all a bad dream and that I will wake up in my bed on the ship!! Oh well. We'll all be back there again before we know it!

 

[feiste]

Just curious about why you prefer the Western over the Eastern. We had to book the Eastern because dd12 is going to Mt. Saint Charles Academy next year and we can't take her out for the Western! We booked Eastern because I just had to get myself back on the ship and February seems to be the best time for us to cruise!! Are the ports better on the Western? I have never been to either of the ports the Eastern is going to, so I have nothing to compare the Western to(yet!!).

Our first cruise was an eastern and we enjoyed that. I liked it because there was an extra day at sea. From what I understand the Western's are slightly more expensive b/c you have the extra port to ay for. If my DH told me we could go on another cruise next year I'd take it regardless of where it was going!

 

[feiste]

We booked the eastern since we've never been out that way. Since we didn't have the school schedules for next year yet (state law forced a change and they haven't posted the new ones yet), I just picked the Feb 3 eastern trip. The CM said it was cheaper then going later in Feb. I just transfered the ressie to Costco and got another discount. Now the price is actually less than what we paid for this trip and we still get to keep the SR credit!

Still working on my trip report. I'll try to get it up in the next few days . . .

Rick

I debate back and forth about joining Costco as Sam's Club is much closer to me. Do you find that Cosco has the best Dis Cruise prices? We booked through Allseas for this past cruise. Thanks Rick.

 

[feiste]

Well, AWESOME!! I finally have a name to go with you.. he he HI JENNIFER!!!!!!!!!!!!! That buffet was so cool wasn't it? The servers kept trying to put stuff on my plate.. ha ha I ate like 2 bites. I waste so much food I swear. Butit was so good to meet you on the cruise!! As for everyone! It really did make it so much more fun to see and have fun with people we "knew", so to speak. I truly hope we can do it again one day.

Jeff came home sick today, and I think he has what Dylan had. I'm hoping not.. but it sure looks like it. I'm guzzling Airborne to keep from getting it too!! At least we are home and not at an airport or on the ship.

Sorry to hear Jeff is sick. We are all fighting a little something as well. Small price to pay for the week of fun that we had! I hope Jeff is feeling better soon.

 

[feiste]

Just a thought, but if I could get everyone to send me two or three of their "best" photos from the trip I would love to put together a short video for everyone. I would be looking for mainly people shots, including any that are group photos. Either your own group or a picture of you with people you met from the board. I'm not planning to do anything fancy, but it might be an interesting way for us to all share memories. Send me a message if you are interested.

Jennifer

 

[MoiraRD]

I liked it because there was an extra day at sea.

I am really looking forward to that!! I enjoyed our days at sea and know that I will definitely enjoy that extra day. I just seem to slow down and enjoy the days much more. No stress of having to hurry back to the ship because we are already there! I agree with you though - I'll hop on a DCL cruise no matter where it goes! Heck, I'll just float around for a week at sea!! Can't beat the royal treatment the CM's give you!!

 

[MoiraRD]

Jeff - I hope you are feeling better, soon! What the heck was on that ship anyway?? We're all sick!! I'd brave it again for another week at sea, though!!

Jennifer - What a great idea!! I will upload my pictures and pick a few to send along. What a great way to remember the week!

 

[SallyB]

Sally,
Sorry to hear Jeff is sick

Here's some pixie dust to help speed his recovery . . .

Thanks Rick!! I too am hoping he feels better by morning. He's been sleeping since 11:30am this morning. He's been up a few times to empty his system (NO visuals there!), but is doing ok. I'm sure he'll be home tomorrow from work though.

I sure wish we could have booked while on board for next year.. but alas bills have to be paid. But we WILL be back I just found out that Jeff can be My son's PCA, and that can mean an extra $1200 a month!!! I'm working on that now!! It will help alot!

 

[SallyB]

Just a thought, but if I could get everyone to send me two or three of their "best" photos from the trip I would love to put together a short video for everyone. I would be looking for mainly people shots, including any that are group photos. Either your own group or a picture of you with people you met from the board. I'm not planning to do anything fancy, but it might be an interesting way for us to all share memories. Send me a message if you are interested.

Jennifer

Excellent Idea!!! Thanks Jennifer! I'm sure Jeff will be sending a few your way to add to the video.

 

[DecemberRoses]

Just curious about why you prefer the Western over the Eastern. We had to book the Eastern because dd12 is going to Mt. Saint Charles Academy next year and we can't take her out for the Western! We booked Eastern because I just had to get myself back on the ship and February seems to be the best time for us to cruise!! Are the ports better on the Western? I have never been to either of the ports the Eastern is going to, so I have nothing to compare the Western to(yet!!).

We have done the Western twice, and the Eastern once in between. St. Thomas is absolutely gorgeous! At least what we saw. You can visit Blackbeard's "castle" there. I could easily stay there a week or two. We did an historical tour there, and it was great. You get to see more of the island than if you just went straight to a water excursion.

St. Martin/Maarten was interesting with the island being half French and half Dutch. Shopping on the Dutch side is really nice if you go to an open air market they had. The same tote we saw for $12 on the French side was $3 on the Dutch side. However, the Dutch side isn't as clean as the French side, and neither one of them are as clean as St. Thomas. Just FYI, most of the beaches are topless or nude on this island.

I loved having three days at sea! The only drawback is that you have to get your whole family up at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. before going to St. Thomas for some kind of immigration type clearance since the ship goes to St. Martin first. I know that is not a big deal for some, but if you are night owls like we are, it feels like getting up in the middle of the night! LOL! I don't get why they don't just go to St. Thomas first?

We would love to go on a 10-day Christmas cruise, but that sure costs a small fortune!

Just a thought, but if I could get everyone to send me two or three of their "best" photos from the trip I would love to put together a short video for everyone. I would be looking for mainly people shots, including any that are group photos. Either your own group or a picture of you with people you met from the board. I'm not planning to do anything fancy, but it might be an interesting way for us to all share memories. Send me a message if you are interested.

This is a great idea! I'll see what I have. What would be really cool is if you could add the names and/or usernames to the pics, so we know who we are looking at! Unless that would be a big pain in the patootie.

Tracy

 

[rjh8115]

I debate back and forth about joining Costco as Sam's Club is much closer to me. Do you find that Cosco has the best Dis Cruise prices? We booked through Allseas for this past cruise. Thanks Rick.

I've never priced a cruise through Sams. We belonged to both a couple of years ago to compare prices (got a free membership when the opened the new one in Canton). We found that, on average, Costco had better unit prices. The biggest difference seemed to be the package sizes. Costco tended to have bigger packages vs. Sams. Also, we liked the brands carried by Costco better.

This is the fourth cruise I booked through Costco and they have saved me money over other TAs each time. If you want to try a comparison, send me a PM and we can talk on the phone. I can call Costco for you to inquire about prices.

 

[MoiraRD]

You can visit Blackbeard's "castle" there.

I know what Elizabeth will be wanting to do on St. Thomas!!

Just FYI, most of the beaches are topless or nude on this island.:

Yikes!! Glad to know that in advance!! Probably won't be doing much swimming that day!!

I loved having three days at sea! The only drawback is that you have to get your whole family up at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. before going to St. Thomas for some kind of immigration type clearance since the ship goes to St. Martin first.

I am really looking forward to the extra day at sea!! I enjoyed our sea days on the Magic the most. Getting up so early on vacation is definitely going to hurt, but luckily that will be the only day other than the last where we will have to get up so early! I am defnitely not a morning person!

Thanks, everyone for all the great info on the Eastern. I am really looking forward to it! I wish you were all going to be there with us!!

Sally - How is Jeff feeling today? Any better than yesterday? I am still sick! Hopefully Jeff won't have it as long! Get better Jeff!!

 

[Beaker1967]

Sorry to hear Jeff isnt feeling well... But hope he gets better soon... Im also sorry I missed all the meets... Well there was that one time at the Goofy pool I met up with some of you... You are all a bunch of great people and have met new friends...It was a great Cruise.. So Great that on Monday we booked our 7th cruise for this year going Sept 16th the one that doubles up at Castaway Cay.Another 7 day western...We used our DVC points for that one....Also planned our 8th with a bunch of friends as well for 3rd week in march07 or first week in April07 ......I guess I will miss the rest of you going in Feb but have a konk cooler for me.....LOL.... Again it was so great seeing you all.... Have a great day and Im sure i will keep in touch.....

From another Jeff