Food, Fun, and Frivolity: 8 Funtabulous days w/pics! UPDATE 1/20 HELP!!!!

[Leshaface]

Not too much to plan since it's such a short trip but we do have ADRs at La Hacienda and Mama Melrose's. As for packing, I'm watching the weather every day!

Weather is going to be so nice!!


Oh no i'm out of the loop...La Hacienda?? Where's this at??

 

[heathsf]

It's the newest restaurant at the Mexico Pavilion.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/09/la_hacienda_de_san_angel_la_ca.html

 

[Leshaface]

It's the newest restaurant at the Mexico Pavilion.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/09/la_hacienda_de_san_angel_la_ca.html

WHAT!!!??

That place looks great!! Have you heard good things about it??


I'm soooo out of the loop...that's sad that I didn't know that...I really need to start planning something soon!!

Oooh which reminds me...(next post)

 

[Leshaface]

So you guys, I have a bit of an update...we're still in the process of choosing where to go, Alaska or Bahamas in June...


Well it just got harder...my mother, being the angel she is, offered to give $3,000 to each couple... .... Which is EXTREMELY generous of her!!! But now this puts us in a predicament...

The bahamas cruise is $3177 (We would only have to pay $200 out of our own pocket and the rest of the trip is taken care of, courtesy of my mom...on the other hand Alaska is $4905 (so that would be $1,900 out of pocket...)

Plus we need to take into consideration any excursions on the cruises...also we don't have passports which we would definitely need, since we'd be flying into Vancouver...we don't need passports for the Bahamas do we????I figure since we're porting out of the US and returning to the US, we wouldn't need them??

Also, DH still REALLY wants to go to WDW for a couple days before the cruise if we decide to do the Bahamas...

For 2 nights, 3 days at Pop Century, a 2 day PH, and basic dining (since we do want to do 2 TS restaurants or maybe one sig, we figured this might be the best thing to do), the total would be $979.78...that's not too bad right?? It's the weekend which is prob why it's more on the expensive side and i'm not seeing any codes for those days that we would be there...so that's HALF of what we would be putting towards the Alaska cruise....what do you guys think???

WWYD???

 

[annnewjerz]

Just a lurker, but I wanted to let you know that you DO need a passport or passport card to enter the US after a cruise to the Bahamas, so that's another cost to consider.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_989.html

Personally, I'd do Alaska, which I know is blasphemous since we're on a Disney board...but if you have $3,000 to put towards the trip, I'd put it towards the more "once in a lifetime" trip of the two. You can go to Disney on the cheap any other year.

 

[Leshaface]

Just a lurker, but I wanted to let you know that you DO need a passport or passport card to enter the US after a cruise to the Bahamas, so that's another cost to consider.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_989.html

Personally, I'd do Alaska, which I know is blasphemous since we're on a Disney board...but if you have $3,000 to put towards the trip, I'd put it towards the more "once in a lifetime" trip of the two. You can go to Disney on the cheap any other year.

Hi!!!

See, my brother and wife went on the Disney Bahama cruise last year, and they didn't need passports, so i'm wondering if the 'rules' changed I'm speaking to the AAA agent in an hour and i'll ask her just to make sure

Oh don't worry!! The Alaska trip would be a Disney Cruise!! So now we're just waiting on what to do!!! I never imagined this being so difficult...even my mom came into my office right now and said, "Geez, this should be sooo simple for you guys since i'm paying more than half!!"


And annne, that's how me and DH were thinking; "once in a lifetime" for Alaska, and when would we EVER get handed $3,000 again?? ....

My brother thinks a vacation is not a vacation unless he "get's to take his shirt off" Which is why he wants to do the bahamas

 

[annnewjerz]

See, my brother and wife went on the Disney Bahama cruise last year, and they didn't need passports, so i'm wondering if the 'rules' changed I'm speaking to the AAA agent in an hour and i'll ask her just to make sure

It did change recently, so you will need one now in order to re-enter the US. You can get a less expensive Passport Card for destinations such as the Caribbean, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico, but only if you are going reo re-enter the US via sea. If you are going to fly from any of these destinations back into the US, you'll still need a real passport (the traditional book that most people have).

The Bahamian government doesn't require anything more than proof of citizenship, but the US government will require a passport for getting back home. Worst case scenario? You travel to the Bahamas without a passport and can't get back into the US. Sounds like a good excuse for a permanent vacation to me!

 

[Leshaface]

It did change recently, so you will need one now in order to re-enter the US. You can get a less expensive Passport Card for destinations such as the Caribbean, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico, but only if you are going reo re-enter the US via sea. If you are going to fly from any of these destinations back into the US, you'll still need a real passport (the traditional book that most people have).

The Bahamian government doesn't require anything more than proof of citizenship, but the US government will require a passport for getting back home. Worst case scenario? You travel to the Bahamas without a passport and can't get back into the US. Sounds like a good excuse for a permanent vacation to me!

Exactly!!

Thanks for all the info!!!

So it looks like either way, we're going to have to pay $350 for a pair of passports....which is fine, we need to get them sooner or later anyways!

Hopefully they don't take to long to get...we would leave in mid to late June either way...if we got our passports by the end of next week, do you think we'd be okay??

 

[Leshaface]

Just got off the phone with my brothers AAA agent...

She says we don't need a passport to go to the Bahamas; all we need is our ID's and Birth Certificates...she said if there was an emergency and we needed to fly out of Nassau, we wouldn't be able to fly out bc we wouldn't have passports...but because we don't 'plan' on flying out of Nassau, we're doing a round trip from Port Canaveral back to Port Canaveral therefore not needing a passport.

 

[annnewjerz]

Just got off the phone with my brothers AAA agent...

She says we don't need a passport to go to the Bahamas; all we need is our ID's and Birth Certificates...she said if there was an emergency and we needed to fly out of Nassau, we wouldn't be able to fly out bc we wouldn't have passports...but because we don't 'plan' on flying out of Nassau, we're doing a round trip from Port Canaveral back to Port Canaveral therefore not needing a passport.

Are you ONLY going to the Bahamas? I'm not familiar with Disney Cruises, for some reason I thought they made multiple ports of call. If it's only the Bahamas, she is right, you can use a drivers license and birth certificate if you are departing from Port Canaveral and returning, with the Bahamas as your only destination.

I'd still go for Alaska if someone were giving me $3,000 for a trip, but thats just me. Especially now that I know it's a Disney cruise to Alaska...that makes it that much better.

Looking at FB posting from some friends I have who are stationed up there though, I might second guess that decision since it was -42 this morning!!!

 

[Leshaface]

Are you ONLY going to the Bahamas? I'm not familiar with Disney Cruises, for some reason I thought they made multiple ports of call. If it's only the Bahamas, she is right, you can use a drivers license and birth certificate if you are departing from Port Canaveral and returning, with the Bahamas as your only destination.

I'd still go for Alaska if someone were giving me $3,000 for a trip, but thats just me. Especially now that I know it's a Disney cruise to Alaska...that makes it that much better.

Looking at FB posting from some friends I have who are stationed up there though, I might second guess that decision since it was -42 this morning!!!

Good LORD that's cold!!!!!! That's just insane to me...i'm a cali girl, that weather may not suit me!!

But yes, we're only 'porting' at Nassau for one day, getting back on the ship, then porting two different days at Castaway Cay (disney's own island) then going DIRECTLY back to Port Canaveral where we'll be disembarking...

Well tonight is the FINAL night we can make a decision..so I guess later tonight or tomorrow we'll all know where the heck i'm going!

 

[NMW]

Subscribing

 

[Leshaface]

Subscribing

Hi NMW!!!! good to have you!

 

[Leshaface]

Okay guys!!!!!!! We have some news!!!!!!!!







We're going tooooooo..........

































THE BAHAMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





I'm stoked because this will be my first cruise and we plan on doing lots of excursions, which is why we're not going to WDW anymore... as sad as it is, and as close as we're going to be, we just think we want to save that for another separate trip.

So I guess i'm going to have to start a PTR soon!!!

 

[franandaj]

Yay! Post a link here to your PTR so we can all subscribe! I have some update to make to mine...but we were at DL all day and I'm tired so it will take me a while to get it going, but yay for you for making a decision!

 

[heathsf]

Wow a lot has happened since yesterday morning and I missed all the drama of choosing a trip! IMO, it was a win-win anyway. You would have a fabulous time on either trip! I'm already excited for your TR. I've never been on a Disney Cruise and I want to hear all about it!!!!!

 

[Leshaface]

Yay! Post a link here to your PTR so we can all subscribe! I have some update to make to mine...but we were at DL all day and I'm tired so it will take me a while to get it going, but yay for you for making a decision!

I'll post a link as soon as I get it going!!!...I always have a rough time trying to figure out a name though...thoughts???

Ooh yay for Disneyland! How's the weather down there?? Probably a little cool but nice..we're (I'm ) still hoping to make it there for my bday especially since we have two day PH's that need to be used before May 31 of this year..

Wow a lot has happened since yesterday morning and I missed all the drama of choosing a trip! IMO, it was a win-win anyway. You would have a fabulous time on either trip! I'm already excited for your TR. I've never been on a Disney Cruise and I want to hear all about it!!!!!

Heather...so much drama occured you don't even know! It was sooo hard trying to pick between 2 AWESOME adventures!!! But I'm glad we finally made the decision, so that I can now OFFICIALLY start researching for the trip and start my PTR!!

I literally have no idea how i'm going to do in a 300sqft space for 6 days, but i'm sure i'll manage!!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Sounds awesome!! The Bahamas are beautiful! Be sure to take a taxi or ferry to Paradise Island and check out the Atlantis while you are docked in Nassau.

One word of caution though (or not! )...cruises are addictive, and you just might want to book another one as soon as you get off the ship!

So, you're saving WDW for a separate trip...not a bad thing, as you can just focus on your first cruise for this trip! So, a future WDW trip...perhaps in summer 2012 and we may bump into each other while snacking on a dole whip!

 

[franandaj]

I literally have no idea how i'm going to do in a 300sqft space for 6 days, but i'm sure i'll manage!!

So are you all four going to be in the same cabin? Have you decided on the level of stateroom that you are going to get?

You really won't be spending a lot of time in the room. Are you doing the one on Dec. 29 for 5 nights that hits Nassau and Castaway Cay twice?

When we did the Bahamas Cruise we did a snorkeling excursion in the morning and in the afternoon we took some sort of cruise of the Harbor, I think we rode past the fort where they defended the city and the palace, it was over ten years ago so I don't remember it very well.

At Castaway Cay we did the parasailing, that was awesome. We also had lunch at the adults only portion of the Island, the buffet was great. I remember they had a lot of upscale options that I don't think were offered on the regular island buffet.

How exciting for you!

 

[heathsf]

You are going to have such an amazing time. Cruises really are addicting. I love being able to visit more than one place on one trip. And there will be so much to do on and off the ship, you won't be spending much time in your room anyway.