February 28, 2009 Bushwacker Banditos Magical Cruise

[Dave and Micha]

Dave,

We ARE extending our vacation to include the week before the cruise. However, we are spending it at the Wilderness Lodge.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Wilderness Lodge! It is one of my aboslute favorite Disney hotels and just a short boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom. (We always park there and avoid the nice $10 parking fee and the crowds for the monorail/boat.) We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge last time, and while it does have the coold animals... I just love the coziness of Wilderness. Your kids are gonna go crazy!

TO hear that someone is going to WDW for the very first time...well.. that is brilliant! You are going to LOVE it! It is also a good time of the year to go... full, but not too crowded.

 

[Dave and Micha]

I forgot this one... seems to fit the theme...

 

[vanessa3198]

Hi everyone!

Lovin' the pictures so far!!
I have one but it's not as silly. My daughter and I are just wearing silly hats! Which is one of our favorite things to do when we go to Disneyland.

And this is another one of my lil one getting Jack Sparrows autograph. He put her book on her head while he signed it.

I wanted to get these on here sooner but my hubby's been hogging the computer! But I also haven't been feeling very good!
I found out that I'm pregnant! YAY! My husband, daughter and I are VERY excited!
I kinda freaked out though cause I thought I wasn't gonna be able to go on this cruise! But I was told that women who are more than 24 weeks can't sail. I'll only be 16 by time the cruise gets here, so I'm GOOD! So that's a relief!
BUT now I can't have a friggin' Bushwacker!! AHHHHHH!!!! So, that means everyone on here has to drink DOUBLE for me! Hey, you think they could make me a non-alcholic Bushwacker? That doesn't seem like much fun though...
Ok, you guys have to drink TRIPLE now.

Dave, your rules are hilarous!
If I find a lost child, I'll bring 'em to you and we can't negotiate a price!

 

[donmil723]

Vanessa--That is WONDERFUL news! Congratulations on the new baby!

I'm glad you can still go on the cruise with us! How about you picking up the Bushwacker tab since we are going to have to go to all the hard work of drinking your share too???????

Love those hats!!! Your DD looks so much like you!!!

Dave--too bad your dog can't join in the pirate night fun! Looks like he would fit right in. Is he saying AAAARGH?

The reports are starting to come in for the first sailing to St. Croix. Here are some links.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1654332
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2055051
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2046178

 

[tevagirl]

Popping in to give a hello. Haven't posted for a long time but wanted to thank Johnna for sending out the updated list and the packing list.

Vanessa, how exciting! Congratulations!! (But really sorry about the Bushwacker )

We are getting so excited about this trip. In fact my husband is a little obsessed with it. Okay..a lot. Scary in fact.

Dave, we were going to do a back to back but decided to do Disney World instead. We'll be coming down on the 21st and staying at Pop. (Oh how I wish we were staying at The Wilderness Lodge too! )

Anyway, hello to everyone. It won't be long till we're on the ship!

 

[TOYS4U2PLAY]

Happy new year to everyone
The past several weeks have been hectic for sure. My family just returned from our Holiday Family cruise to Panama. It was a lovey trip and my parents enjoy spending time with our ds's.
We cruised on Holland America which is a nice line but so different from Disney. This ship was lovely and very clean but the entertainment is just not the same. The Bar Bill is however very similar LOL

Congratulations to you Vanessa!!! I wish you and your family all the best

I cannot wait to meet everyone. The lifeboat drill is usually at 4:00 so we should have plenty of time and the bartenders in the Navigator's Lounge can whip up a mean chocolate martini!!!!

Thanks for the updated list....
Have a great day!!!

 

[Dave and Micha]

Congrats Vanessa! Surely a small sip of a Bushwacker...just to get the taste in your mouth, wouldn't hurt. Would it? In any case.. think of it this way...you are paying for 3 and sailing with 4! What a discount. =o)

The St Croix stuff sounds a little disappointing, but that's ok...sounds like Carambola Beach is the place to go...

As got my dog Clio... actually we have two... her sister Chloé also has a pirate outfit to be humiliated infront of the other dogs in.... Arggh is the name of the game! RIght?

 

[vanessa3198]

Thank you for your Congratulation comments everyone!
I'm so happy I still get to cruise with you guys!

I'm glad you can still go on the cruise with us! How about you picking up the Bushwacker tab since we are going to have to go to all the hard work of drinking your share too???????

As far as picking up the bill, I say SURE!! As long as I follow Dave's Rule #9!

 

[tevagirl]

Dave, what have you heard about Carambola Beach? I was looking into booking the excursion but sometimes you can do it cheaper by booking it on your own.

Last February we did a Western and while in Cozumel we went to Nachi Cocum. We loved it. I was hoping to find something like that for St Croix but so far no luck.

By the way, Clio makes a good looking pirate.

 

[ejkjmom]

Dave, what have you heard about Carambola Beach? I was looking into booking the excursion but sometimes you can do it cheaper by booking it on your own.

OMGOSH!!!!! I just erased my L_O_N_G post!!!!!!! that makes me SO MAD!!!!!! UGGGG

so I will now attempt to write a shorter version of what I just typed

Dave....I too am looking into this excursion, and yes from all the reports I have seen, St Croix does sound like it was disappointing
Sounds like a lot of people were getting partial refunds from their excursions.

tevagirl girl you can do excursions for ALOT less then you pay when booking through Disney...but where we have not ever been to this island before I think I will play it safe, and if we do decide to do anything, I will probably booked through Disney...
Don't want to miss the boat!!!!!

When we port at St Thomas we will be doing things on our own...except for Ron wants to do the Screaming Eagle Boat Excursion and we will book that with Disney...
which by the way if anyone else is looking into this and wants someone to go with them.... let Ron know,the girls and I will be sitting this one out LOL!!!! If we went they would have to rename it to the
"Screaming Girls"!!!!!!!

Now for the really BIG stuff!!!!!
Congratulations Vanessa on your BIG NEWS!!!! How exciting, I'm sure your daughter is really excited

Okay my first post was MUCH better LOL but this will have to do I'm still MAD about that!!!!!!!

Brenda

 

[aan1701]

in St croix I am going to get a cab to the Cruzan rum factory. In St Tjomas I might go to paradice point or stay on board I have not decided. When you live a mile from the beach, going to the beach on vacation just does nothing for me.

 

[vanessa3198]

Now for the really BIG stuff!!!!!
Congratulations Vanessa on your BIG NEWS!!!! How exciting, I'm sure your daughter is really excited

Brenda

Thank you Brenda!!!
My daughter is VERY excited!
She's been asking my husband and I for a little brother or sister for a while now. I waited so long cause I was scared to have another baby after the horrible pregnancy and labor I had with her. I was in the hospital most of the time. Throwing up and being hospitalized for dehydration, then I had a kidney infection and kidney stones. AT THE SAME TIME. Talk about the worst pain ever in my life INCLUDING child birth. Then my labor was 22 hours long and we both almost died.
Not fun.

But my hubby wants a boy and so do I so here I go again! I'm already feeling different about this pregnancy though so that's good. I have a lot of nausea but, I can deal with it this time and if it gets too bad, my doc gave me some pills that will help me! WOO! They're gonna be my life savers on this cruise!

I'm afraid of getting sea sick! But I think I'll be good as long as I have my handy dandy nausea pills!


I can't believe how fast this month is going already!
This cruise will be here in NO TIME! YAY!
I can't wait to get away and relax....

 

[DMMarla07860]

Vanessa like everyone else says Congratulations about the baby.

Every time someone mentions having a baby I totally keep thinking about when my aunt called and said she was having a baby, she had a boy in summer 2007, but at her age my whole family thought she was nuts

 

[ejkjmom]

in St croix I am going to get a cab to the Cruzan rum factory.

Alan..I read this earlier today and after reading your post thought that maybe you would like to see it as well...I found it over in the trip reports....

St. Croix: my advice to anyone who does not have a pre-planned excursion: STAY on the ship. I live in Florida and the "islands" are right in my backyard so I know from experience. St. Croix has not had a cruise ship in dock for 8 years and it shows. Mind you, we did not have an excursion planned as we just wanted to do our own thing. The taxis were a mess and very unorganized. We tried to get a taxi to the Cruzan Rum factory and none of the taxi people knew what we were talking about. If you didn't want to go to one of the locations posted on their board (everything was $20), forget it. We walked around a bit and finally got on a taxi to Christiansted - about a 30 minute ride. The marina area was beautiful and the shops were ok but there were only a few and not anything special. We did hear from those doing excursions that it was nice and the snorkeling was great. But if you are just looking to do it yourself, stay on the ship and enjoy!


Hoping that by the time we get there they will have the bugs worked out Does anyone know how many more Trips Disney has planned to St Croix before we go????

 

[ejkjmom]

Vanessa like everyone else says Congratulations about the baby.

Every time someone mentions having a baby I totally keep thinking about when my aunt called and said she was having a baby, she had a boy in summer 2007, but at her age my whole family thought she was nuts

Okay...you got me curious....how old was she?????

 

[ejkjmom]

Thank you Brenda!!!
My daughter is VERY excited!


But my hubby wants a boy and so do I so here I go again! I'm already feeling different about this pregnancy though so that's good. I have a lot of nausea but, I can deal with it this time and if it gets too bad, my doc gave me some pills that will help me! WOO! They're gonna be my life savers on this cruise!

I'm afraid of getting sea sick! But I think I'll be good as long as I have my handy dandy nausea pills!

Your Welcome!!! My original "Congratulations Post" was so MUCH better though LOL!!!!!

Geezz...I hope this pregnancy goes much smoother for you then your first as well!!! Sounds like it was pretty rough..

 

[DisneyPinDiva]

Good Evening Fellow Cruisers!

Wonderful day of football today! GO STEELERS!!!!

Congratulations Vanessa!

Disappointing reviews on St Croix. Even though they haven't had cruise ships in a while... they still have a lot of tourism... hopefully it won't be as bad as it seems. We're renting a car with our friends and touring ourselves. Plan to hit the Whim Plantation, Christiansted, The Cruzan Distillery, Salt Bay where Columbus landed, The Botanical Gardens and possibly Point Udall. Then back for a walk around Fredericksted. Ambitious but we think we can do it. At least if we are disappointed in any one place we can just move on.
Love all the silly pictures.. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find one.... Shouldn't be tooo hard....

 

[Dave and Micha]

Hey everyone... negative 18 again this morning! Germany is in DEEP freeze! I can't remember ever having temps this cold for so long. Brrrr...we need our cruise escape!!!! At least it is bright and sunny during the day which is a nice change from the typical dreary, grey that we usually get in January.

I started getting our cruise clothes together just to distract myself.

I think we may go the rental car route in St Croix as well.... regardless of whether we wind up at a beach or go to town.

Diva... do you know if the car rental companies deliver the cars to the port like in some places? or are they right there? From the sounds of disorganization, I wonder.

 

[aan1701]

Good Evening Fellow Cruisers!

Wonderful day of football today! GO STEELERS!!!!

Congratulations Vanessa!

Disappointing reviews on St Croix. Even though they haven't had cruise ships in a while... they still have a lot of tourism... hopefully it won't be as bad as it seems. We're renting a car with our friends and touring ourselves. Plan to hit the Whim Plantation, Christiansted, The Cruzan Distillery, Salt Bay where Columbus landed, The Botanical Gardens and possibly Point Udall. Then back for a walk around Fredericksted. Ambitious but we think we can do it. At least if we are disappointed in any one place we can just move on.
Love all the silly pictures.. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find one.... Shouldn't be tooo hard....

Can I get a ride to the factory? Oh and Ness congrat, but I am already drinkiung for three, Me myself and I so i really do not think I should drink for four but I will give it some thought.

 

[tevagirl]

Vamessa, try to remember that every pregnancy is different.


I too live less than a mile from the beach but our beaches certainly look nothing like the beaches in the Caribbean. (Especially the water!) I can't wait to get that sand between my toes!