February 28, 2010 - 4 night Wonder - Let the Fun Begin!

[dthogue]

February 28, 2010
4-night WONDER

Cast of Characters:

Tammy, me, Mom
Doug, DH, Dad
Kaitlyn, DD, age 17 - High School Senior
Brenna, DD, age 11 - 6th grader


Our planning began when we asked Kaitlyn what kind of trip she would like to take as our "graduation" trip to her in June 2010. She choose a cruise, more specifically she wanted to take a Disney Cruise. Well as most of you know, a Disney Cruise can be expensive and a Disney cruise in June can be VERY expensive. After much research and consideration we booked a 5-night Disney Cruise for Kaitlyn and myself in a cat 11 cabin for about $2750.00. Ouch!!!! This meant that Dad and Brenna had to stay home - there was no way we could afford for all 4 of us to cruise. Not to mention we also have an older DD who would be home from college at that time and would want to cruise as well.

Fast forward to September 2009 and Disney released the "Kids Sail Free" promotion. Kaitlyn's 18th b-day is March 23rd, so I did some more research to see what might be available. I was able to book a 4-night Disney Cruise departing on Feb 28th for all 4 of us for roughly $1700.00 less than the cruise in June. We checked with Kaitlyn to see if she would be willing to "celebrate" her graduation a few months early. She was agreeable so I changed our reservation from June to February. With the money we saved on the cruise, we decided to add 1 night before the cruise and 4 nights following the cruise at WDW.

Pre-Trip Plans:

Once we decided on the cruise, I started planning the other aspects of our cruise.

Cabin - we are booked in a guarantee category 12 - check back to see where we end up.

Fish Extender - we will participating in the FE with our fellow DIS cruisers - check back to see what we decide to hand out.

Our plans:

Saturday, February 28th - 11:00am from BWI to MCO, arriving at 1:30pm, pick up rental car at Avis, drive to Magic Kingdom, spend the remainder of the day. Spend night at Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista using the travel zoo rate of $29.00 for the night.

Sunday, February 28th - depart the Comfort Inn around 8:30am, stop for breakfast and drive to the port. Return car to Avis, take shuttle to the port, check in for cruise.

Sun 2/28 to Thurs 3/4 - Wonder Cruise

Thursday, March 4th - disembark Wonder, meet Florida Towncar for return trip to Disney's Pop Century for the next four nights.

Thursday, March 4th - check into hotel, spend the remainder of the day at Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney in the evening

Friday, March 5th - Hollywood Studios for the day - mini golf at night????

Saturday, March 6th - EPCOT for the day

Sunday, March 7th - all day in the MK - EMH from 9pm- midnight.

Monday, March 8th - flight home

Well those are my plans as of now. We will be getting 5 day park hoppers, but I am toying with the idea of getting AP's, or maybe 10-day no expiration hoppers. Doug, Brenna and I are booked on a 7-night Disney Western cruise for Nov 2010 and would like to spend a few days at WDW before that trip as well.

Stay tuned to see how our trip works out - right now we have about 70 days til we sail. I sure hope that time flies by.

Tammy

 

[dthogue]

The Holidays are over and 2010 is here. We are at t-52 days til we leave for our cruise.

They released the AP rates last week and I was able to save almost $200.00 on our AAA reservation. So we will be buying at least one AP Kaitlyn wants to go to WDW in June after graduation, so we might just get everyone AP's.

I have been busy finishing my FE gifts. I am having so much fun shopping for all the kids. We have lots of little girls in our group. Its been challenging buying stuff for the boys - hope I did ok. I figured I couldn't go wrong with pirate stuff and candy

Brenna has been corresponding with several of the girls who will be on our cruise. She is so excited, she can't wait til get onboard and meet them in person. Its really helping her pass the time.

I check the DCL website daily looking for our cabin assignment, but no luck yet!!

We still need to decide on what to do while in Nassau. I was thinking of the Pirate Museum, but we really can't decide.

I started some basic packing - getting stuff together and buying toiletries and such. I'm trying to lose some weight before we go, so I have to wait til closer to the cruise to figure out what clothes I can take. The girls need some new things, but the spring/summer stuff isn't out yet. I'm hoping in the next few weeks to find some things for them.

Guess that's it for now - our plans are all in place and I am ready to go. I keep watching the flight prices looking for a better deal, but I'm beginning to doubt that anything will come up.

Tammy

 

[jackieslp]

sounds like fun..i love to plan and shop for our trips too.. where in central pa are you ?? I live there too... we leave March 7 for our 4 night wonder cruise;

 

[Zookeeperof4]

We live in the Poconos and are planning a 2011 cruise we think. I am subbing to watch your trip adventure. Is this your first Disney cruise? We have never cruised at all and I am wondering if we should do the Disney one even though its a bit more expensive. My kids are 10,7, and 5 so I just think the Disney cruises will have less booze guzzlers then a carnival cruise might have. Hope I am right....LOL

 

[dthogue]

sounds like fun..i love to plan and shop for our trips too.. where in central pa are you ?? I live there too... we leave March 7 for our 4 night wonder cruise;

Not too far from Harrisburg!! We'll warm the ship up for you

 

[dthogue]

We live in the Poconos and are planning a 2011 cruise we think. I am subbing to watch your trip adventure. Is this your first Disney cruise? We have never cruised at all and I am wondering if we should do the Disney one even though its a bit more expensive. My kids are 10,7, and 5 so I just think the Disney cruises will have less booze guzzlers then a carnival cruise might have. Hope I am right....LOL

My oldest DD just returned from a weekend at Jack Frost. My middle DD will be attendng East Stroudsburg University in the fall - small world.

This will be our 3rd Disney Cruise. We did a 7 night on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas. My vote would be for Disney - we just love all that they offer. With the ages of your kids, you will all have a blast.

Tammy

 

[dthogue]

Got our cabin assignment - we booked a category 12 gty and were upgraded to a category 9 Woo Hoo, can't wait to have a porthole. Bring on the cruise - 5 weeks and counting.

 

[Cheryl726]

Your plans sound great. We had a cat 9 our last cruise and really like the porthole. Congrats on the upgrade!

 

[cmadara]

Hi! Great report so far. I'm anxious to keep following you.
I'm curious how you got the upgrade. We booked through AAA last week for Nov 4- 3 day Wonder and got an actual room number. Don't remember the number but I know it starts with a 6. Did you find out when you got your cruise stuff in the mail since you are so close to your cruise time.
Also, the FE sounds like alot of fun. I have seen pictures of them on here, but how do you get it started?
Also, interested to know how your girls got in touch with others cruising at the same time. My DD is 12 (13 on the cruise) and is afraid she won't have anyone to hang with on the cruise. God forbid she spends some time with her father and me.
I'll be waiting to hear your next installation of your report.

ps- My parents live in Williamsport- a bit further north from you- and to one of the other posters, my nephew just started at East Stroud. and loves it!

 

[dthogue]

Hi! Great report so far. I'm anxious to keep following you.
I'm curious how you got the upgrade. We booked through AAA last week for Nov 4- 3 day Wonder and got an actual room number. Don't remember the number but I know it starts with a 6. Did you find out when you got your cruise stuff in the mail since you are so close to your cruise time.
Also, the FE sounds like alot of fun. I have seen pictures of them on here, but how do you get it started?
Also, interested to know how your girls got in touch with others cruising at the same time. My DD is 12 (13 on the cruise) and is afraid she won't have anyone to hang with on the cruise. God forbid she spends some time with her father and me.
I'll be waiting to hear your next installation of your report.

ps- My parents live in Williamsport- a bit further north from you- and to one of the other posters, my nephew just started at East Stroud. and loves it!

Thanks for your post - writing it now is helping me pass the time

When we booked the cruise we booked a "gty" cabin - which means we weren't able to select our cabin, just the category - 12. Since the cat 12's only sleep 3 and there are 4 in our party we knew we would be upgraded to at least an cat 11. About 35 days before the cruise, Disney assigned us our cabin number on their website. You take a chance booking a gty cabin because you never know what you are going to get or where your cabin will be located. We got lucky this time around - our cabin is mid ship, but is on deck 1, I would have preferred to be on a higher deck, but I'm not complaining - we got a great upgrade.

There is a DIS meet thread that lists the links for all the meet threads. Look for your sailing date. The FE exchange is usually set up through this thread. Through this link you will meet others who are on your ship and that's how your DD can find a "friend." My youngest DD is emailing and snail mailing some of the girls on our cruise. My oldest DD is talking to some kids through texting and facebook. It really makes it nice for them to know someone ahead of time. Tell your DD not to worry - if she goes to the teen club on the first night, they have activities to introduce all the kids to each other - that's a great time to make new friends too!

Its good to hear your nephew likes East Stroudsburg - my DD will be starting there in the fall - she is very excited.

Tammy

 

[princess.chell]

I'm excited that I found your thread. I'm a high school senior as well, 18. I've never been on a cruise, but I really want to go on a Disney cruise. I wasn't sure if 18 would be an awkward age for a Disney cruise. I might ask for a Disney cruise for my graduation as well. I can't wait to read about your trip when you get back!

 

[BeautyFan]

Thanks for your pre-trip report. I will be on your cruise with my DH & DD(3). This is my first cruise, too! I am kicking myself for not going to the disboards sooner. I've used them for WDW trips and don't know why I waited to check out the cruise posts. Probably b/c my sister (who has cruised w/ Disney a few times already) will also be on board with her family and I've used her as my resource.

We also booked Cat 12 gty, got upgraded to Cat 11. I'm not disappointed, I never would have even gone on the cruise without the kids sail free special!

I haven't signed up for the FE exchange, have to decide by Monday if I think I will have the time to do it right. I stopped by dollar store today to look for a few ideas.

I think I need to add a countdown clock to my signature, we are only 36 days away!

 

[dthogue]

I'm excited that I found your thread. I'm a high school senior as well, 18. I've never been on a cruise, but I really want to go on a Disney cruise. I wasn't sure if 18 would be an awkward age for a Disney cruise. I might ask for a Disney cruise for my graduation as well. I can't wait to read about your trip when you get back!

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation - if you are like my DD - she is ready for school to be over and ready to graduate.

I think you would love a Disney Cruise - its so much fun - plenty of things to do. Its a great graduation gift.

Tammy

 

[dthogue]

Thanks for your pre-trip report. I will be on your cruise with my DH & DD(3). This is my first cruise, too! I am kicking myself for not going to the disboards sooner. I've used them for WDW trips and don't know why I waited to check out the cruise posts. Probably b/c my sister (who has cruised w/ Disney a few times already) will also be on board with her family and I've used her as my resource.

We also booked Cat 12 gty, got upgraded to Cat 11. I'm not disappointed, I never would have even gone on the cruise without the kids sail free special!

I haven't signed up for the FE exchange, have to decide by Monday if I think I will have the time to do it right. I stopped by dollar store today to look for a few ideas.

I think I need to add a countdown clock to my signature, we are only 36 days away!

Its great to see another family on our cruise - I think our cruise is sold out, so we'll have a few ship. I have a feeling there are going to be lots of kids on board.

I am also the one organizing the FE exchange - right now we have about 65 people participating (13 cabins I believe). Just remember you can keep your gifts simple - and can chose to do a gift per person or a gift per cabin. We did it on our last cruise and had so much fun. My DD had a blast handing out the gifts - we are looking forward to doing it again this trip.

Tammy

 

[MagicMe]

Got our cabin assignment - we booked a category 12 gty and were upgraded to a category 9 Woo Hoo, can't wait to have a porthole. Bring on the cruise - 5 weeks and counting.

Congrats on the upgrade!!

 

[dthogue]

We leave four weeks from today. I keep thinking that 4 weeks from now I will be at Magic Kingdom - we are all excited.

I booked our excursions this week. Doug and Brenna will be doing the jet ski and Kaitlyn and I are doing the parasailing on Castaway Cay. I already booked our Palo Brunch reservations earlier, so I think we are all set. I didn't book anything for Nassau. Right now we are planning on doing the Pirate Musuem, the straw market and Senor Frogs.

Brenna and I finished making the pillowcases today. They turned out very nice. Thanks to all the creative designers here on the DIS, we had some very nice designs for the pillowcases. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures, I will include them with my report.

I printed out our cruise paperwork this week and got the passports out and put everything with our travel bags. I finished my FE gifts and packed them all up, so they are ready to go.

Dinner clothing has all been decided on, so that is hanging and ready to go along with all the shoes needed. I was lucky and we got by with things that we had and didn't have to go out and buy anything.

So for now we are all set - just counting the days til we leave.

Tammy

 

[Disney owl]

looking forward to reading more

 

[dthogue]

The countdown continues - not counting today - we have 15 days til we leave. To say that we are all excited is an understatement. It seems so far away, but yet so close.

We are snowed in today - this is our 2nd major snow storm since this past weekend - I am starting to get nervous that we might have trouble with the weather. I'm trying not to worry too much, but its hard - the airports have been closed for days with all the snow. I know they will be cleared out before our departure, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for NO MORE SNOW!!

So I'm passing time on the internet - reading all I can about WDW and DCL. I'm making a list of all the pictures I want to take while onboard - it seems like I always miss something. I washed and ironed our new summer clothes that we bought last weekend and my DD's and I are trying to agree on what to wear on embarkation day so our "Welcome Aboard" photo looks nice.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been following along - it is really helping me pass the time. I also have learned how to post pictures, so I'm doubly excited that I will be able to share our pictures with you in my report.

Tammy

 

[princess.chell]

I'm excited for you guys! What better of a way to escape the snow! I can't wait to read about it when you get back and here what your DD18 thinks of it.

 

[Amanda Holden]

Hi Tammy,
I have been following your report. We too will be on the Feb 28th Disney Wonder!! This is our 6th Cruise (2nd for 3 year old son) BUT very 1st on Disney!! With all I have read we probably won't be going back to those "Other" Cruise Lines for a long time after this Trip.

I have started packing my clothes and getting my sons outfits ready to wash and pack, but my husband is a last minute packer!

We are driving down Friday the 26th from North Carolina and spending Saturday exploring Cape Canaveral.

14 days and counting!!!