February 7, 2009 Western early check in!

[TinkerKat]

JR & AJ's mom, thanks so much for posting those menus! OMG! We were drooling and thinking, cross sampling

After watching biggest loser finale last night... inspirational but alas a cruise is a cruise. I think walking around the deck @ 7am everyday will at least make the calories "offset" the guilt. But never offset the FUN!
I am so excited about this trip!
Do you all have "pirate attire"? And how Formal do most of you dress? I'm not a girly girl, so dresses are tough for me...

 

[MyLove4Disney]

So to keep our thread going and going.

"What will you celebrate?" while on the ship?

Birthday, anniversary, new baby or to be, retirement, empty nest, etc.

Please share


I'll start

I will be celebrating my Birthday on Thursday Feb 12 while on the ship.




Who's next...

 

[JRandAJsMom]

No holidays here, you can bet I'll be celebrating the fact that I actually convinced my DH to cruise I've been waiting for years for this

And I can't wait to walk around the deck What better inspiration to get out and about than being surrounded by an ocean sunrise or sunset??? I'll never want to do my treadmill again!

 

[deedeedubbs]

No holidays here, you can bet I'll be celebrating the fact that I actually convinced my DH to cruise I've been waiting for years for this

And I can't wait to walk around the deck What better inspiration to get out and about than being surrounded by an ocean sunrise or sunset??? I'll never want to do my treadmill again!

No celebrations for us either unless my DH and I make believe we are celebrating our b-days. He's in Jan and I'm March. We will celebrate the fact we'll have a grown-up dinner for the 1st time in about 2 years. We have Palo ressies for Brunch, High Tea and Dinner - 3 mommy and daddy dates in 1 week!!!!! Unheard of

As for walking...I would love to get myself up and out for a nice walk but left to my own vices I'll make every excuse in the book not to go. I have a gym membership and the only time I get there is when my friend is depending on me to go and when it is me driving. Sad, right? Anyone willing to knock on my door at 7 am to get me out?

Toodles for now,
~ Dee

 

[deedeedubbs]

How does one tip the servers at Palo? Since we don't have a total price at the end of meal like at offship restaurants how do we determine the proper amount to tip?
Thanks,
~ Dee

 

[pgsahm2]

pgsahm2... Let me know details on your surprise. We are surprising ours too. We got our passports in the mail last week and are going to wrap them up along with a scavenger hunt. The passports only took nine days (including sat and sun). I was shocked.

This secret is killing me. I can't wait to see their faces. We did some years back with our DD in going to WDW.

Well, the secret is definitely starting to kill me. I'm over the one year mark and man... it's rough!

Here are the details of our big reveal:

Christmas morning we'll wake up as usual and the kids will open gifts from Santa. Then my in-laws and my parents will come over for breakfast around 8. After breakfast we'll open gifts from them and once that's all done I'll bring out the "big box". The "big box" holds the secret but the kids are going to have to work for it. I have a huge box that a stereo came in and within that box will be another big box, and within that another, and another, and another.. All of these are wrapped in different paper and there is a total of 11. Once they get to the very last box, which is a ring box, they'll have their first clue for their treasure hunt.

There's a total of 13 clues that they'll have to find. The first one sends them to find the sunblock, the second to find the fishing rods, and so on. Each of the clues they find will also have a letter along with it. An I or a C, etc.

Once they have the very last clue it will tell them that they have to take the letters and unscramble them to spell out their secret. The letters spell out MICKEY'S BOAT. Once we've approved what they've spelled they'll open the envelope which will be placed with the last clue, and inside will be the little verse I shared earlier.

This dang treasure hunt has been A LOT of work. And guess who's done it all???

Oh, also inside the biggest box I had room to wrap a few vacation gifts that they'll open once they have figured out the secret. These gifts include the FE, several magnets for the door, a DVD movie I made with "borrowed" pictures of the cruise activities, and new crocs for everyone.

Only one week to go!

Quick question-- Is anyone out there braving the trip without a passport? I know they say you need one if you need to fly back (and I do have one if SOMEONE needed to go back, but the DH and DS's do not at this point). I hate to think that way, and I almost never do, but I get that little sinking feeling every time I hear someone mention a passport... Thoughts?

Well, my youngest will not have one.... I do worry a bit but I think overall we'll be okay.

 

[pgsahm2]

A few other things.... sorry I'm longwinded tonight!

We aren't really celebrating anything specific while on board. Just being there is celebration enough for me!

Tipping at Palo... We had EXCELLENT service at Palo on our Wonder cruise. I don't remember what we tipped exactly but I want to say it was at least $10. I guess you could figure each entree is worth $20 and each appetizer and dessert worth $10, add that up and you get about $80 to $100 for two people. I'd say go with your gut once you've eaten. (no pun intended!)

How's the weight loss coming along? I'm doing terrible this week. It was my middle son's birthday yesterday and we had Wendy's for lunch and tacos for dinner and cake. Doh! It's been a bad, bad week. Fingers crossed that once the holidays are over I can try and lose at least 5 pounds. Just 5! More would be better, but... I digress..

 

[Namsupak]

Well we will definitely be celebrating our first bun in the oven. Also James has applied for a new residency and we'll find out on Jan 26 so hopefully we'll be celebrating his new job as well.

 

[JRandAJsMom]

MyLoveForDisney-- I noticed in your signature that you are a February cruise veteran... Can I bug you with a couple of seasonal questions?

1. Is it hot enough to play by the pool and go in the ocean, or is it cooler?
2. Is it less crowded since it's February (on the boat and on the beaches)?
3. Have you been to Chankanaab at Cozumel? Any other beach break suggestions?

I'm SURE my kids aren't going to have a problem with whatever it is-- it could be 50 and they'll want to swim What I REALLY want to know is if we're going to be able to come home with the "I just went to the Caribbean" tan in the middle of the NorthEast winter

Thank you, thank you, thank you

 

[MyLove4Disney]

RandAJsMom;29227690 MyLoveForDisney-- I noticed in your signature that you are a February cruise veteran... Can I bug you with a couple of seasonal questions?

1. Is it hot enough to play by the pool and go in the ocean, or is it cooler?
3 cruises in Feb. 1st two Feb cruise were cool in Fl and very warm on the cruise once we got out to sea. We needed sweat shirt the 1st night and last night. Now last Feb, it was down right Hot in FL and on the cruise. I'm from Nor Calif so we don't get snow, so very cold to me is 32 and very hot is over 100. One of the sea days it was very hot on the decks and no breeze, everyone was in the pools, Captain had to create a cross wind but we didn't get much. All three years CC was chilly when first entering the water, but after a few mins we became used to it quickly, everyone swam...

2. Is it less crowded since it's February (on the boat and on the beaches)?
Out of the 3 cruise each year it seemed as though it was busier from the prior year. Please note that we took the SuperBowl weekend cruise, this year is a week later, so I don't know if that had anything to to with the level of crowd. All three years the children/family area were about the same, when it was hot the pools were crowed, but it seemed like we could always find a chair vacant, we would leave them for the families, but we always enjoyed watch the wonderfully happy faces of the kids.

3. Have you been to Chankanaab at Cozumel? Any other beach break suggestions?

Sorry can't answer this question. I have only been on an Eastern route, so the Western will be new to me as well.

One thing I will say is don't push to fit everything in. You will not be able to do it, use it as an excuse to take another cruise. If your kids are too tired take a rest. I saw many kids by early dinner times have meltdowns especially on island days. You could just tell they had been up early and were just so tired they couldn't go on. Even some of the older kids, they were exhasted.. Enjoy and relax for everyone.

I'm SURE my kids aren't going to have a problem with whatever it is-- it could be 50 and they'll want to swim What I REALLY want to know is if we're going to be able to come home with the "I just went to the Caribbean" tan in the middle of the NorthEast winter "Yes you will come back with a tan, a burn if you are not carefull"
Thank you, thank you, thank you

If you have any other questions ask away.

 

[JJCJFL]

A few other things.... sorry I'm longwinded tonight!



How's the weight loss coming along? I'm doing terrible this week. It was my middle son's birthday yesterday and we had Wendy's for lunch and tacos for dinner and cake. Doh! It's been a bad, bad week. Fingers crossed that once the holidays are over I can try and lose at least 5 pounds. Just 5! More would be better, but... I digress..

I am having a party week so the weight loss is going horribly. We had a work party the other day and a breakfast this morning. I will be on salads and water on Jan 2....I will be the one with the long ears and the two large front teeth on the ship...oh well, as I said before, the chocolate souffle is worth it!

 

[JRandAJsMom]

MyLoveForDisney-- Thank you so much Don't worry-- I'm not trying to pack everything in... My biggest priority is trying to figure out which beaches to park myself on, haha My kids have never been to the beach (gasp!), so they're really excited about just being on the ocean. The only thing they're more excited about is the Oceaneer Club, haha I might not be able to get them out!

I don't want to push it hard during the day anyway-- We ended up getting a late dinner seating because there was nothing left for the main... Does anyone else with kids have the late seating? At first I was praying we'd get moved up, but now I think I like how it is... I figure we can take a nice rest between returning from port and dinner... The boys usually go to bed at 8:00, but with a late nap I think they'll be fine. DS6 is flexible and is at the point where he will behave at the table. DS4 has very mild asperger's syndrome, so it might be a little on the rough side if he's not rested up before hand... BUT... I know there are a few night activities they want to do in the club, so if it looks like a night or two isn't going to work out well in the dining room, I'll take the "feed them early" route and have a couple of dates with the DH while they play

 

[MyLove4Disney]

MyLoveForDisney-- Thank you so much Don't worry-- I'm not trying to pack everything in... My biggest priority is trying to figure out which beaches to park myself on, haha My kids have never been to the beach (gasp!), so they're really excited about just being on the ocean. The only thing they're more excited about is the Oceaneer Club, haha I might not be able to get them out!

I don't want to push it hard during the day anyway-- We ended up getting a late dinner seating because there was nothing left for the main... Does anyone else with kids have the late seating? At first I was praying we'd get moved up, but now I think I like how it is... I figure we can take a nice rest between returning from port and dinner... The boys usually go to bed at 8:00, but with a late nap I think they'll be fine. DS6 is flexible and is at the point where he will behave at the table. DS4 has very mild asperger's syndrome, so it might be a little on the rough side if he's not rested up before hand... BUT... I know there are a few night activities they want to do in the club, so if it looks like a night or two isn't going to work out well in the dining room, I'll take the "feed them early" route and have a couple of dates with the DH while they play

That is just the ticket. Enjoy and relax...

 

[deedeedubbs]

I don't want to push it hard during the day anyway-- We ended up getting a late dinner seating because there was nothing left for the main... Does anyone else with kids have the late seating? At first I was praying we'd get moved up, but now I think I like how it is... I figure we can take a nice rest between returning from port and dinner... The boys usually go to bed at 8:00, but with a late nap I think they'll be fine. DS6 is flexible and is at the point where he will behave at the table. DS4 has very mild asperger's syndrome, so it might be a little on the rough side if he's not rested up before hand... BUT... I know there are a few night activities they want to do in the club, so if it looks like a night or two isn't going to work out well in the dining room, I'll take the "feed them early" route and have a couple of dates with the DH while they play

We had the 8 pm seating on our Feb 08 cruise and I actually liked it. I mentioned earlier in this thread that the wait staff made a bed for my DS every night right there in the restaurant - worked out beautifully. We made all the shows. If we went to the later shows and earlier dinner my kids would have figeted and/or slept through them all. Another plus was that we didn't have to rush our meal but could if we wanted. Yet another plus was we never had to end our day early to rush for showers and getting ready for dinner.

Like you said...if needed the kids could nap and even eat earlier.

After saying all of that...if my 1st and only experience was an early seating maybe I'd say I prefer that...it's all subjective and individual I guess.

I will suggest taking the opportunity to change your seating time to as close to 8 as possible. I was 1st in line for that and had no problems at all.

Good luck and maybe we'll see you at 8 to eat!

~ Dee

 

[cdnstitchfan]

Good to see the thread is picking up, sorry haven’t had time to post. It has been extremely cold here lately. Our temperature, with wind chills has had us hovering around -40c. That is cold for us. In case you are wondering, -40 is where the metric and imperial system are the same temp. Ok enough complaining.

Welcome to all the new fellow cruisers....

Hi Tinkerkat, I noticed that one of your sons is 15. I have two sons, one is 18 and the other is 15. He will be happy to have someone else on the cruise his age. We should try and get them to communicate. What kind of activities does your son enjoy? Mine is really into Rugby and of course playing street hockey.

Now to try and catch up on the questions and comments that are ongoing....
Love the new thread name....

Mylove4Disney, awesome work on the cruise thread logo!!

Pgsahm2, your scavenger hunt and surprise sounds like alot of work, but it would be so worth it when you see their faces! Can hardly wait to hear all about it.

We won’t be celebrating anything on this cruise, well except for the fact that we are somewhere warmer than home!!!

What is everyone doing for the holidays? We are staying close to home, we thought of driving to see my brother in BC, but it is just to cold to risk maybe being stuck on the highway and the roads around the city are not in very good driving condition, just not worth the risk.

 

[JRandAJsMom]

Good luck and maybe we'll see you at 8 to eat!

~ Dee

Haha-- yup! We'll be the ones with the two noisy boys

The holiday plans: LOTS of family time We always travel north for the holidays. We live on the same hill as my in-laws in WV, so Christmas is always spent with my family up in Cleveland. We had some major family events over the last month (my brother got married and my younger cousin lost his battle duchenne muscular dystrophy all in the same weekend and then a grandmother passed away after a short illness a couple weeks later), so it will be nice to just spend some time together. That will all be with my mom's side of the family, then we travel further into Cleveland for a reunion with my dad's side where we take over the hotel every year because he is from an Irish Catholic family with 11 brothers and sisters, all of whom are married and all but one have multiple kids... It's crazy, but a TON of fun!

Here's another question for the board: Is anyone going to "pixie dust" their stateroom for their families to surprise them when they board? My boys like Peter Pan, so I'm planning to plant gifts from him while DH keeps them busy at the pool

 

[marieeb]

Hello!!,

My family, consisting of my husband, myself and our 9 year old daughter, will be joining you all on the Magic on February 7th. We have not cruised before but have been to Disney World several times and love it!!

I have read through the posts in an attempt to get some sense of things. The fish extender gift exchange sounds like fun and something that we would like to participate in. Where do we sign up? How do we find out who to gift?

My daughter is 9 years old and in grade 4. She is interested in meeeting up with other girls around her age.

I asked for a cabin on the 5th deck to be near the kids areas. I'm not sure if I will regret that. We are in 5000.

We have not booked our pre-cruise hotels as we are not sure if we will do stuff in Orlando before the cruise or head straight to the Port. We fly in on the 4th of February. Is there much to do in Port Canaveral? Could someone recommend a place to relax at before the cruise?

I know that these are many questions but you all seems so welcoming and knowlegable.



Here are our other 'vital statistics'.
ID-Marieeb
Home Location-Kingston, Ontario, Canada
DCL Home Location-5000
Is this your 1st DCL cruise or other- This is our first cruise
Arriving in Florida When-February 4th
Staying where the night before cruise-Not booked yet...any suggestions? Who’s Traveling 2 adults and our daughter age 9 (DD9? I'm new at posting too!)
Thanks!: Marie

 

[deedeedubbs]

Haha-- yup! We'll be the ones with the two noisy boys

Perfect...we should sit together because we'll be with the DD and DS who are each being tested for Executive Dysfunction and ADHD. The rest of the dining room should be so happy to see our families walking in

I am so sorry to hear about all of your losses this year. It must have been very rough on all of you.

Here's another question for the board: Is anyone going to "pixie dust" their stateroom for their families to surprise them when they board? My boys like Peter Pan, so I'm planning to plant gifts from him while DH keeps them busy at the pool

Jack Sparrow and Tinkerbell each sent our kids lovely and funny letters before our cruise. We also called ahead and ordered wonderfully customized gifts from a fellow DISer who creates gifts and delivers them to the ship. I'm sure you could find a thread that lists her name and number. Our kids were thrilled and the gifts from Jack Sparrow and Tink were lovely. I'd add reasonabley priced. I also decorated the door while DH had the kids in the pool and the kids loved the idea that we were special enough for "someone" to decorate our door and no one elses!

I haven't decided if I'm going to spread pixie dust this cruise other than the FE and more magnets for our door. Since we are returning cruisers Disney will provide the cabin gift this time so that's nice. We will sneek Valentine Day gifts aboard for them to wake up to our last morning.

I'd love to hear more about your surprises current or past. If anyone doesn't mind I may just borrow an idea or two if they fit or if I can make them fit.

Mushy moment - I'm so glad I'm participating in this thread. I really can't wait to make some real connections with you all and your families. Ok, enough of that!

~ Dee

 

[TinkerKat]

Cdnstitchfan,
My son Nicolas runs track. He runs all year long
If your son is on Facebook, you can PM me his name and I will forward it to Nick. He too will be pleased to know there will be another 15 year old on board!
Really looking forward to meeting all these dis families

 

[MyLove4Disney]

Hello!!,

My family, consisting of my husband, myself and our 9 year old daughter, will be joining you all on the Magic on February 7th. We have not cruised before but have been to Disney World several times and love it!!

I have read through the posts in an attempt to get some sense of things. The fish extender gift exchange sounds like fun and something that we would like to participate in. Where do we sign up? How do we find out who to gift?

My daughter is 9 years old and in grade 4. She is interested in meeeting up with other girls around her age.

I asked for a cabin on the 5th deck to be near the kids areas. I'm not sure if I will regret that. We are in 5000.

We have not booked our pre-cruise hotels as we are not sure if we will do stuff in Orlando before the cruise or head straight to the Port. We fly in on the 4th of February. Is there much to do in Port Canaveral? Could someone recommend a place to relax at before the cruise?

I know that these are many questions but you all seems so welcoming and knowlegable.



Here are our other 'vital statistics'.
ID-Marieeb
Home Location-Kingston, Ontario, Canada
DCL Home Location-5000
Is this your 1st DCL cruise or other- This is our first cruise
Arriving in Florida When-February 4th
Staying where the night before cruise-Not booked yet...any suggestions? Who’s Traveling 2 adults and our daughter age 9 (DD9? I'm new at posting too!)
Thanks!: Marie

First of all to the Disboards with your first post as well as joining the Valentine Voyagers aboard the Disney Magic.

1st cruise there are always a lot of questions. Our group will sure to help you as some are new like you to DCL and other have traveled a few times, and yet others are extremely experience in traveling with DCL.

I have added you to the main list of voyagers as well as on the FE list. see links in my signature. That is all we have acutally official done on the FE list. I think it will be more finalized in the 1st weeks of Jan. I'm not actually coordinating it, I have just been maintaining a list along the way as I have not experice with the FE gift exchange. I think we will have to decided as a group on how we want to approach as to how many time and to one cabin to each person etc...

But we are going to have a wonderful Valentine Voyage...