From WDW to DL With Love - January 06, 2011 part 3

[izma]

Disney proper to my house is roughly 75 miles. It's all interstate. January is one of the best times to see the manatees since the bay is so cold. Last year with the unseasonable temps we had, the manatees were literally dying if they left the power plants waters. If you decided to come down to Apollo Beach, let me know, I can reccomend some other things to do/ eat/ etc.
Don't know anything about Blue Springs. Where is it?

Hey Jenn!

I am coming to WDW to run the Wine and Dine Half and was hoping you and/or Jeff can wise me up as to what the weather will be like. The run begins at 10pm.

Thanks!

 

[JenKatt]

Hey Jenn!

I am coming to WDW to run the Wine and Dine Half and was hoping you and/or Jeff can wise me up as to what the weather will be like. The run begins at 10pm.

Thanks!

It's October right? It will be gross to run in. Sorry, no better way to say it. You might be lucky and get a cooler day/night in October. But October is still summer for us. It can still be in the mid 80s at night (even at 10 with high humidity). Then again it could be in the 60s with little. It really depends. I would guess closer to the 80s. Hydrate, hydrate hydrate.

Thank you! Reading things online is never quite the same and up to date as getting information from a real person who his familiar with the area.

No problem. Call it returning the favor. When we were planning our trip to Oz and NZ we had locals helping us out too. I just talked to my friend who works in NYC (Times Square actually). She's telling me that there are quite a few mini vans as cabs now, but she's seeing alot of Ford Escapes, which are small SUVs. She also doesn't think that car seats are required, but she's not sure (no kids and we always take the subway). She will ask at her office tomorrow.
ETA: she just found this on the NYC cabbie website: Drivers of yellow medallion taxicabs and for-hire vehicles and their passengers, are exempt from laws regarding car seats and seatbelts. Keep in mind, the TLC encourages everyone in the vehicle to buckle their seatbelts while riding in a cab. There are no Taxi and Limousine Commission rules regarding this, as it is a State exemption. Passengers with children are encouraged to bring their own car seats, which the drivers must allow passengers to install.

Jen, what are your plans for Cabo? I'm pretty sure it was you who mentioned going to Cabo Wabo? That is something I was interested in too, and I was wondering where Cabo Wabo is in relation to some of the beach excursions offered in Cabo. We also want to make sure we get to the Hard Rock Cafe for our collection. What are your plans?

Cabo Wabo was in walking distance of the port/ tendering spot. Even after five to many Wabojitos. We're hoping to go there, but Jack doesn't need to see his parents downing too much alcohol. So we may send him back to the ship with a grandparent if possible. I believe all the restaurants like Hard Rock and Cabo Wabo are in the same area very close to the tendering port. However, to be honest, I couldn't tell you. It's been 5 years and it really was about 10 to many Wabojitos (but they are SO worth it). Don't miss the Cheezy Greazy pizza at Cabo Wabo. It was the perfect thing after kayaking to Los Arcos. By the way, that excursion was amazing. We did it in '05, and it was phenomenal. I would highly recommend it to anyone who can go on it, to go on it. We would, but they don't have an allowance for a child.

 

[izma]

Well, thats what I've been training in so I should be OK. Thanks for the insight!

 

[DisneyCruiser83]

We had long drives on our last cruise in PV, plus when we did the Med -- going to Rome and Florence were long rides.... but we figure, when is the next time we'd get to Costa Rica?

I totally agree with this. In Rome, there was not much to look at on the drive going there, but there was a lot of anticipation and it did not seem that long. Coming back, we were so beat, most people on the bus rested/napped. I am sure the scenery on the drive in CR will be spectacular. Plus, DH and I will probably not be back to Costa Rica any time soon, so we are going to take in as much as we can. It is one of the stops we are most looking forward to. We will be doing a DCL excursion this day. But, everyone is different, and I hope everyone finds something that works for their group!

 

[izma]

OK so I just can't believe that Manzanillo could be quite as dull as Disney has painted it!

DS13 missed surfing when we were in CR and I see there is an excursion in Cabo. PROBLEM DD12/superathlete is also dying to surf but there is that nasty age limit (13-17). Same sort of thing prevented us from doing the yacht racing last year...GRRRR.

Is there any way to find out who runs the excursion? If I could get surfing lesson for DD at same beach we could taxi there.

 

[izma]

IS there any possible way to get my DD12 admitted to the Gym on board? She is missing 3 weeks of training for the cruise and she will be a bit snarly if she gets out of shape. Doctors note? Coaches note? Both? Will they let her in if I buy her sessions with a personal trainer? She is a serious athlete and will not be goofing off in there...of course it will be an entirely different matter out of the gym!

 

[LindaBabe]

IS there any possible way to get my DD12 admitted to the Gym on board? She is missing 3 weeks of training for the cruise and she will be a bit snarly if she gets out of shape. Doctors note? Coaches note? Both? Will they let her in if I buy her sessions with a personal trainer? She is a serious athlete and will not be goofing off in there...of course it will be an entirely different matter out of the gym!

The trouble is - the gym is in the spa and they're both adult only areas. I'm betting you'll have a hard time getting dispensation - actually seen it addressed before but can't remember where.

 

[danfromca]

I totally agree with this. In Rome, there was not much to look at on the drive going there, but there was a lot of anticipation and it did not seem that long. Coming back, we were so beat, most people on the bus rested/napped. I am sure the scenery on the drive in CR will be spectacular. Plus, DH and I will probably not be back to Costa Rica any time soon, so we are going to take in as much as we can. It is one of the stops we are most looking forward to. We will be doing a DCL excursion this day. But, everyone is different, and I hope everyone finds something that works for their group!

I felt the same way about Rome. Costa Rica is almost definitely a full day excursion for us. But which one?

 

[JenKatt]

Throwing this out to the group... in '05 Seaulater was on our boat and she was a megaplanner/ organizer. She did so much. One of the coolest things she did was host a welcome party for the DISboards. She contacted DCL prior to us getting on board and reserved Diversions for us for a few hours. Everyone brought a bottle of wine, etc from their local area (or a bottle they really liked). We had staff to help us open them and DCL provided food. I'd be willing to set this up if y'all are interested. We could do it the first sea day. (Actually I won't be setting up, Jeff and I are bound to use conceirge as much as humanly possible this cruise for what we're paying for the suite).
Let me or Jeff know what you think. School starts tomorrow so my stress level until the end of December is astronomical as I start my "scholarly paper" i.e. mini thesis and practicum. I'm going to need every tasting, buffet and massage on board after this semester!

 

[DisneyCruiser83]

I felt the same way about Rome. Costa Rica is almost definitely a full day excursion for us. But which one?

We are looking to get a spot on "Costa Rica's Favorites". The one-hour long canopy gondola ride kind of terrifies me, but I am sure it will be stunning. Good luck with your decision!

Jen: I would love to have a meet-up in Diversions or somewhere. Count DH and I in with a bottle of German Riesling.

 

[ACDSNY]

Throwing this out to the group... in '05 Seaulater was on our boat and she was a megaplanner/ organizer. She did so much. One of the coolest things she did was host a welcome party for the DISboards. She contacted DCL prior to us getting on board and reserved Diversions for us for a few hours. Everyone brought a bottle of wine, etc from their local area (or a bottle they really liked). We had staff to help us open them and DCL provided food.

Sounds fun, count us in. Sad to say I'm not a wine drinker, but I'll bring some from a small town near us that no one has heard of...Fiddletown in Amador County.

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Cabo Wabo was in walking distance of the port/ tendering spot. Even after five to many Wabojitos. We're hoping to go there, but Jack doesn't need to see his parents downing too much alcohol. So we may send him back to the ship with a grandparent if possible. I believe all the restaurants like Hard Rock and Cabo Wabo are in the same area very close to the tendering port. However, to be honest, I couldn't tell you. It's been 5 years and it really was about 10 to many Wabojitos (but they are SO worth it). Don't miss the Cheezy Greazy pizza at Cabo Wabo. It was the perfect thing after kayaking to Los Arcos. By the way, that excursion was amazing. We did it in '05, and it was phenomenal. I would highly recommend it to anyone who can go on it, to go on it. We would, but they don't have an allowance for a child.

Jen, thanks for the advice! I think we are definitely going to do Cabo on our own then and hit Medano Beach and then walk over to Cabo Wabo/Hard Rock since it seems like its all close. Although, I am getting intrigued by the Los Arcos kayak excursion- when you did it in 05, was it through DCL? Did you have time to relax in Cabo afterwards or did the excursion take the bulk of the day?

IS there any possible way to get my DD12 admitted to the Gym on board? She is missing 3 weeks of training for the cruise and she will be a bit snarly if she gets out of shape. Doctors note? Coaches note? Both? Will they let her in if I buy her sessions with a personal trainer? She is a serious athlete and will not be goofing off in there...of course it will be an entirely different matter out of the gym!

Like others have said, I'm sure it would be difficult given the adults only area. Its hard to make exceptions because then the "you do for one, you do for all" thing comes out. But, I think I've heard that there are certain times that the gym and spa are open to teens on certain days? Of course she is 12 so I'm not sure how that works if they are stringent with 13 or not? But at least she can run on decks 4 and 10, I know thats not the same thing as hard core working out, but its better than nothing.

Throwing this out to the group... in '05 Seaulater was on our boat and she was a megaplanner/ organizer. She did so much. One of the coolest things she did was host a welcome party for the DISboards. She contacted DCL prior to us getting on board and reserved Diversions for us for a few hours. Everyone brought a bottle of wine, etc from their local area (or a bottle they really liked). We had staff to help us open them and DCL provided food. I'd be willing to set this up if y'all are interested. We could do it the first sea day. (Actually I won't be setting up, Jeff and I are bound to use conceirge as much as humanly possible this cruise for what we're paying for the suite).
Let me or Jeff know what you think. School starts tomorrow so my stress level until the end of December is astronomical as I start my "scholarly paper" i.e. mini thesis and practicum. I'm going to need every tasting, buffet and massage on board after this semester!

I would definitely be up for a meet! We wont be checking any alcohol from home in NJ (I learned the hard way what a mess that can be once), but if this gets organized, we are stopping at ABC in Cape Canaveral to get our other liquor so I'll definitely grab a bottle of wine, sounds really fun!

 

[KayR]

Our plans are:
cabana massage in CC (for me)

A tip I was given, book your massage for the late afternoon. People commented that the massage oils make you burn more easily. Also FWIW - we had the cabana massage last trip and whilst the view out to the ocean was stunning, the majority of the hour we were looking at either the floor or ceiling of the cabana. We decided that we wouldn't pay the extra for a massage on CC again.

Jen, what are your plans for Cabo? I'm pretty sure it was you who mentioned going to Cabo Wabo? That is something I was interested in too, and I was wondering where Cabo Wabo is in relation to some of the beach excursions offered in Cabo. We also want to make sure we get to the Hard Rock Cafe for our collection. What are your plans?

If I remember correctly, walking around Cabo was easy. We stayed at the Finisterra Resort (one of the ones offered for an excursion) and walked into and all around town.

I hope to take the kids to the glass blowing place in Cabo. Can't remember if that is walking distance, but we didn't have a rental car.

Throwing this out to the group... in '05 Seaulater was on our boat and she was a megaplanner/ organizer. She did so much. One of the coolest things she did was host a welcome party for the DISboards. She contacted DCL prior to us getting on board and reserved Diversions for us for a few hours. Everyone brought a bottle of wine, etc from their local area (or a bottle they really liked). We had staff to help us open them and DCL provided food. I'd be willing to set this up if y'all are interested. We could do it the first sea day. (Actually I won't be setting up, Jeff and I are bound to use conceirge as much as humanly possible this cruise for what we're paying for the suite).
Let me or Jeff know what you think. School starts tomorrow so my stress level until the end of December is astronomical as I start my "scholarly paper" i.e. mini thesis and practicum. I'm going to need every tasting, buffet and massage on board after this semester!

That sounds like fun. We had someone organize a ladies only champagne tasting on our last cruise. It was a blast.

-Kay

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Does anyone know if when we actually book shore excursions when we can, does it tell you the departure/return times? I see when you browse them now it only says the duration, but not when they depart. It would be helpful to know about planning anything else at the port on our own if time allows- anyone know?

 

[JenKatt]

We did Los Arcos through DCL. We had plenty of time to explore Cabo afterwards. We didn't go back to the boat between the excursion and walking around.

 

[WDW Princess 71]

We did Los Arcos through DCL. We had plenty of time to explore Cabo afterwards. We didn't go back to the boat between the excursion and walking around.

I saw the DCL excursion is via a water taxi from the marina to Medano Beach, then the kayaking, then return to Medano Beach to take the water taxi back to the tender area at the marina- so did you just stay at Medano and walk into town when you arrived there instead of taking the water taxi back to the marina? I was wondering if they allowed that or not.

 

[LindaBabe]

Throwing this out to the group... in '05 Seaulater was on our boat and she was a megaplanner/ organizer. She did so much. One of the coolest things she did was host a welcome party for the DISboards. She contacted DCL prior to us getting on board and reserved Diversions for us for a few hours. Everyone brought a bottle of wine, etc from their local area (or a bottle they really liked). We had staff to help us open them and DCL provided food. I'd be willing to set this up if y'all are interested. We could do it the first sea day. (Actually I won't be setting up, Jeff and I are bound to use conceirge as much as humanly possible this cruise for what we're paying for the suite).
Let me or Jeff know what you think. School starts tomorrow so my stress level until the end of December is astronomical as I start my "scholarly paper" i.e. mini thesis and practicum. I'm going to need every tasting, buffet and massage on board after this semester!

Jen, do you want me to put this meet on the first page with you as point person? (Not to add to your stress level or anything)

 

[Shoshie]

A tip I was given, book your massage for the late afternoon. People commented that the massage oils make you burn more easily. Also FWIW - we had the cabana massage last trip and whilst the view out to the ocean was stunning, the majority of the hour we were looking at either the floor or ceiling of the cabana.

I find it heaven on earth . three previous trips to CC, three cabana massages. the sound of the ocean is so peaceful1 I don't sun anyway - i plop my tuchas on a chair under an umbrella and stay there.

 

[Tracyvp]

IS there any possible way to get my DD12 admitted to the Gym on board? She is missing 3 weeks of training for the cruise and she will be a bit snarly if she gets out of shape. Doctors note? Coaches note? Both? Will they let her in if I buy her sessions with a personal trainer? She is a serious athlete and will not be goofing off in there...of course it will be an entirely different matter out of the gym!

When we did this same cruise in 2008 I went through the same thing. Alison was a serious competitive gymnast and her coach was about to have a conniption because in we were missing almost 3 weeks IN THE MIDDLE of competition season!

One thing I learned was NOT to ask this question on the regular boards. You will probably be seriously flamed and might well start a war! People feel very passionate about this issue! And neither a doctor's note nor a coach's note will help at all! The official word will definitely be "NO!" But once you are on board it might be a different story. The key will be in getting her into the teen club.

My dd was 14 at the time so it wasn't quite as difficult. How close to 13 will she be? We found that on the cruises with lighter attendance, the teen club was much more likely to accept students who were "almost" the right age. Our first cruise she was 6 weeks away and they didn't give us any trouble. They just moved her right in. Last cruise there were a couple of just slightly younger kids also. But there weren't even 2 dozen kids in the whole club. And that was in May. I would think in January there would probably be even fewer! But maybe not.

Anyway, if she can get into the teen club we found that the teen leaders can take a group in later in the evenings pretty much any time. They just call it a "teen activity" and go on in. They took Alison several times and it was just fine.

The other thing we did was ask her coach to devise a workout she could do on her own just using everyday items. She took some resistance bands and did stuff with them, ran most days with her dad and did other exercises that the coach had given her.

We found that although she didn't keep up with it as much as she had hoped, because she was in such good shape to begin with, she was caught up again within about 3 weeks of returning home. I had been SO worried that she would go on to have a terrible remainder of the season but she ended up placing at the Level 7 State meet just a few weeks later!

Hope your daughter's experience is as good as Alison's was. Sadly she has since retired from the sport to pursue musical theater and dance. Sigh...there went all those Olympic dreams! (just kidding! Everyone always asks gymnasts if they're going to the Olympics!)

 

[orlandothebeagle]

IS there any possible way to get my DD12 admitted to the Gym on board? She is missing 3 weeks of training for the cruise and she will be a bit snarly if she gets out of shape. Doctors note? Coaches note? Both? Will they let her in if I buy her sessions with a personal trainer? She is a serious athlete and will not be goofing off in there...of course it will be an entirely different matter out of the gym!

I would think not, there has been several threads on this over the years and it seems rules are rules, and disney doesnt bend them, which is fair enough I suppose,She will have to join me and run around deck 4.

We quite often watch the final folk getting back to the ship before leaving port, and I am always surprised how fine some people cut it. They literally get onboard as the ropes are going. sometimes they just amble even though you can see the CM's looking intently at them. I would be freaking out. Not that I would be rolling up late anyway of course.

I often wonder when they call names out just before sailing if actually the people do get in touch and are onboard or not. I always presume they are as we never hear anything.

Sometimes the cards dont swipe properly and they call folks names when they are actually on board and they dont hear, one my last cruise ( I still cant get over this)
They were calling for someone as we were pulling away, I said to Len, mind they folk yesterday, wonder if they got on............WELL

The person next to me started ranting and raving and using the F word saying, "that was effing me, I was on the effing ship, disney are morans, my card never worked"bla bla bla,
I just looked at her and really couldnt think of ANYTHING nice to say to her at all, I mean , so whats the big deal
I think I said really did say NOTHING except look at Len and think(what a nutter)
I mean Im no prude,I can use the eff word sometimes but come one.
To a complete stranger because Disney was trying to find them because there card didnt swipe properly, whats the excitement?