From WDW to DL With Love - January 06, 2011 part 4

[sak0526]

Arrows are connecting cabins, showing which cabin they connect with, and asterisks are cabins with solid wall verandahs.

Thanks Marilyn! that's what i guessed about the arrows but wasnt sure of the astericks. i told my g/f that it didnt look like her cabins connected but i wasnt sure. so i guess right. she's on the ship as we write. today is a sea day - they switched the 3/4 day cruises this week so it wasnt an off/on load day for thanksgiving.

 

[valbob89]

Postcard Exchange Update

How it works: cruisers buy postcards of their area/country/town/city etc. and deliver them to each person/cabin on the list. Some people elect to make their own postcard using photos they have taken. Others print local recipes on a card. It is great fun to come back to your cabin and find mail.

UPDATE: For those with GTY after their names; we wouldn't want to miss delivering our postcards to you, so now that cabins have been assigned, please update your cabin information. There are 29 signed up, if you would like to join us (or I have inadvertently left you off the list – sorry) pm me. Val

#1Yepod 6084
bwcb4 2081 would love local recipes
cardidog 7098
carmie3377 6039
Cindy Girl 6126 1-17 is Austin’s 4th BD, a BD note would be great
DCLtravler 6321
DisneyCruiser83 7046
disneylove69 7504
Disneymum2201 2594
Disneyana 7041
Betty 7041
glindamood 6511
Happy Goofy 6044
kmitchel 5500
MickeyMagic 6303
Pixie Dust II 2560
PIXZPWR 7067
Poohs4me 8034
Rose Quartz 1047
RRBB 7048
Sleeping_Beauty81 5514
Tami0220 7618
JenKatt 8516
Tinkryansmom 6040
tammy 7002
ValBob89 6572
Warbluzki 7576
WDW Princess 71 7522
WeLuvDCL 5520

Count - 29

 

[valbob89]

Champagne Girls Update

We are still waiting to hear back from DCL concerning the Champagne tasting. They have been advised that there are now 50 ladies who are packing their boas and tiaras for Champagne Girls fun.
The following is a list of those who have indicated they plan to attend. Please send me a PM if this list needs to be updated or if you wish to join in the fun. Val
DISname Champagne Girl
#1Yepod 6084 Carolyn Westlund 1
A Litle Pixie Dust 7528 Desiree Beyea 1
ACDSNY 7620 Angela Chalmers 1
Bookwood 7614 X
bwcb4 2081 Barb Warner 1
cardidog 7098 Susan Francis Haughton 1
ChipperMerlin 5510 Shirley Pearson 1
DCL_FAN_TAC 5133 Tahara Cater 1
DCLtravler 6321 XX
DisneyCruiser83 7046 X
DisneyPata 6566 Joyce 1
DisneyPita 6564 Carole 1
Dolphingirl47 6002 X
DreamsComeTrue22 7510 XX
glindamood 6511 X
Happy Goofy 6044 X
izma 7012 XX
JenKatt 8516 X
jsails 2530 XX
KayR 8088 X
Lindababe 7063 XXXX
Love_to_Travel 6568 X
Luvin All Disney 8064 X
MickeyMagic 6303 XX
Pixie Dust II 2560 X
Rose Quartz 1047 X
Sharon Seattle 6540 X
SoothyMom 6528 XX
Stephsong 5639 XX
Tami0220 7618 X
Tinkryansmom 6040 XX
tinksmom 6074 X
txcnm 6037 Mary Brucker 1,
txcnm 6034 Nancy Reedy 1, Linda Cady 1
txmermaid1 1048 Jill Hart 1
ValBob89 6572 Valerie Vanderheiden 1
Warbluzki 7576 Barb Jury 1
WDW Princess 71 7522 Nicole Fazzio 1
*** X=number of princesses per cabin attending
Count 49  

 

[valbob89]

Room Tour Update

ROOM TOUR UPDATE
How it works: Cruisers volunteer to let others visit their cabin and see what the different categories are like. So, on a sea day, at an established time, (final time set after other event times are published) starting on the lowest deck, we visit the different categories of cabins. It is great fun to parade down the halls meeting each other and getting a real look at those rooms we all take only a quick peek into as we pass an open door. Additionally, it allows us to share cabin living ideas.

Update: We are stilling looking for cabins in the following categories to be included in the tour. PM if you are willing to allow us to tour.
T Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
4E Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
6A Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
9C Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom
9D Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom
11C Standard Inside Stateroom


Here is a list of people who have generously offered their room on the tour.

R Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah
8530 3mmm

S Concierge 2-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
8516 JenKatt

4A Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
8064 Luvin all Disney

4B Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
8002 Unkamike

5A Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
7088 Shushh

5B Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
6572 ValBob89
7116 Tinkerbell-129

5C Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Veranda
6044 HappyGoofy

7A Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Navigator’s Verandah
5140 Emum
7128 Sak0526
7620 ACDSNY (secret ver)

9A Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom
5510 ChipperMerlin

9B Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom
2086 Shoshie

10A Deluxe Inside Stateroom
5520 SPH WeLuvDCL

10B Deluxe Inside Stateroom
2583 Poohbug

10C Deluxe Inside Stateroom
1043 WaitingToMeetDumbo

11A Standard Inside Stateroom
7037 frozenmickey
6039 carmie3377

11B Standard Inside Stateroom
6511 Side-ways cabin Glindamood
6321 DCltravler
5009 Orlandothe-beagle

count - 21 cabins

 

[Rose Quartz]

Just come online to book harry potter tickets for tonight, I really dont like the cinema,( I cant stand the numptys I always seem to get around me!coughing,eating and or talking,one girl had her feet on my chair that was behind me last time,there was a very swift STOP put to that!) len usually takes shaunie, but seems he is not cool enought to take her anymore
Anyhow, he would go himself, I felt like such a cow when he said not to worry he would go himself, so were going tonight.

I have just decided that "numpty" is my new favorite word. Especially to describe those people!! My pet peeve is the person who talks or texts on their cell phone. I am a usually quiet person, but I will SCOLD that person out loud.

 

[valbob89]

Mixology and Hawaiian Shirt Contest UpdateAre you interested in a private DCL mixology tasting? Learn all about how those colorful drinks of the day are made and just who gets to name them. For some additional fun, we’ll have a Hawaiian Shirt Contest, seems to go with all those little paper umbrellas and tropical fruit
Update: DCL has been advised that the number interested in a private mixology, drink of the day, tasting is now at 65. Please review the following list and count of the number of people who have indicated they are interested in attending. PM me if you wish to be added or if corrections to this list are needed . Mahalo

DISname (X indicates count)

#1 Yepod 6084 Carolyn Westlund, Thomas Westlund 2
A Litle Pixie Dust 7528 Desiree Beyea 1
ACDSNY 7620 Angela & David Chalmers 2
bwcb4 2081 Barb Warner 1
carmie3377 6039 XX
DCL_FAN_TAC 5133 Tahara & Clarence Cater 2
DCLtravler 6321 XXX
DisneyPata 6566 Joce & Rich 2
Dolphingirl47 6002 X
DreamsComeTrue22 7510 XXX
frozenmickey 7037 XXXX
glindamood 6511 XX
jsails 2530 XXXX
Love_to_travel 6568 XX
Matty204 6592 XX
MickeyMagic 6303 X
Mom4mad 7040 XX
Orlandothebeagle 5009 XXXX
Pixie Dust II 2560 XX
Poohbug 2583 XX
Poohs4me 8034 XX
Rose Quartz 1047 XX
Sharon Seattle 6540 XX
SoothyMom 6528 XXXX
Tami0220 7618 Tami J & Mike V Simpson 2
Tigfanjeff 8516 XX
Tinksmom 6074 XX
TxMermaid1 1048 Jill Hart, Danny Bousha 2
Valbob89 6572 Val & Bob Vanderheiden 2
COUNT - 63

 

[sak0526]

I have just decided that "numpty" is my new favorite word. Especially to describe those people!! My pet peeve is the person who talks or texts on their cell phone. I am a usually quiet person, but I will SCOLD that person out loud.

i LOVE it!! i had to look it up: with google it found yawiktionary.com

Singular numpty
Plural numpties

numpty ( plural numpties )

( UK , pejorative ) An idiot or fool.

Alternative spellings
numptie

 

[LindaBabe]

Are people relaxing or back at work today? i'm totally relaxing!!

My guess is - RELAXING - if they were back at work, there would have been more posts!

 

[Rose Quartz]

My guess is - RELAXING - if they were back at work, there would have been more posts!

No, I am working today. I manage a bank, so I need to be here to make sure people can get their $$ and go shopping!!!

 

[valbob89]

PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA TOURS UPDATE

The DCL-offered excursions for Costa Rica just didn’t meet all of our desires, exploring the rainforest, snorkeling, and site seeing. We also think it is fun to go with a DISboard group we have been planning our trip with and have gotten to know. So I searched for a tour company that might meet all these wishes and found Odyssey Tours. http://www.odysseytourscr.com.
The Odyssey Tours and the Ramirez brothers, Alvaro and Diego, received the highest rating, 5 stars, on TripAdvisor with 59 reviews, http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti..._Tours-Puntarenas_Province_of_Puntarenas.html Here is our schedule for the tour:
7:30 a.m. pick up time (when ship is scheduled to dock)
Pick up and drop off is outside the dock; a free shuttle runs all day from gate to ship.
The Odyssey fleet are Toyota Hiace 2008, full insured vans, with A/C. Oddessy has offered to provide us with two 34 seat buses for 14 to 22 passengers and two 16 seat vans for groups between 6 and 8 passengers, allowing ample room for a comfortable journey and movement to see animal sightings. Of course there will be driver and nature guide on each vehicle.
Stops for bathrooms and some sightseeing on the way.
While riding in the air-conditioned large van or small bus, being driven by an experienced driver, on the way to Costa Rica’s most popular national park, Manuel Antonio, our knowledgeable nature guide will give us a narrative of the geologic features, national history, local botany, as well as exotic tropical birds, monkeys and sloths. He will answer our questions about Costa Rica in general and also about the towns and sights we will pass. Some of the spots we can expect to see are: Jaco beach, different plantations, and crocodiles in the river of Tarcoles, Hermosa Beach, scarlet macaws nesting area near Carara national park, the colonial village of Villa Lapas and others. While we will stop if a bathroom break is needed, as our primary interest is visiting the National Park, we plan to drive directly to the park
9:50 a.m. Hiking into rain forest national park of Manuel Antonio with an Odessey provided nature guide who will bring books, binoculars and a spotting scope we can share during our tour (Entry fees are included in our tour price.) http://www.costarica-nationalparks.com/manuelantonionationalpark.html
Manuel Antonio National Park is a forest, thick with massive fichus and two- and three-toed sloths, green and black iguanas, agoutis, four species of monkey (including the highly endangered squirrel monkey, known locally as the mono titi), raccoons, deer, lizards, crocodiles and nearly 200 species of birds, including 2 species of toucans. It's one of Costa Rica's most-visited attractions and not to be missed. Rangers limit the number of guests allowed in at a time to help ensure a good experience for visitors and the park. You will see great wildlife that can be easily spotted from well-marked trails -- a luxury you won't find in the Amazon. And because animals are so used to humans, this is one of the best places to see them up close.
10:50 a.m. Enjoying the beach.

After hiking through the forest we will have about an hour to relax and enjoy the beautiful Manuel Antonio beach. We’ve read that it’s equally good for snorkeling, swimming and just laying on the beach. There we will find new clean restrooms, complete with both inside and outside showers to wash the saltwater off and change. The beach is good for the usual beachy activities; bring a towel, hat, sunscreen, even snorkel gear. Air temperature is usually around 85F, and water at about 80F (the Goofy pool is usually between 82 and 84). Cold bottled water will be available.
12:00 p.m. Hiking out the park for lunch

12:30 p.m. Lunch time.
The tour includes a lunch stop at a quality restaurant where we can choose among traditional Costa Rican favorites such as rice, beans, green salad, plantains with fish, chicken or beef, or maybe you’d prefer rice with chicken or shrimp and a salad and French fries. If you would prefer more familiar foods, burgers and fries or sandwiches are available.

1:30 p.m. driving back to Puntarenas.

Stops for bathrooms, souvenirs, grocery store to purchase coffee, and sightseeing on the way

On the way back to the ship we will have an opportunity to stop at a number of photo opportunities and souvenir shopping spots. These might include Villa Lupas and Santa Lucia, an eco-friendly resort within a tranquil rain-forest preserve for nature lovers. You can cross a suspension bridge to reach a small replica of a Costa Rican colonial village with a restaurant, cantina, church, and gift shops. http://www.villalapas.com/index.html

People have mentioned they like to buy postcards and mail them from the country they are in in order to get the postmark and stamps from the country visited. Alvaro assures us they can make this possible. by stopping at places we can purchase them and seeing we have a way to mail them from Costa Rica. So bring your address list and a pen.


5:00 p.m. drop off in Puntarenas back at the dock and shuttle to the ship.

6:30 p.m. Wonder departs.
The cost of this full-day tour, with park entry fee and lunch included is $85 per person plus tip. Children under 8 years old receive 15% off, under age 3 are free. No payment is required until the day of the tour. Oddessy Tours can now accept credit card payments.

The following 7 cruiser families and 22 individuals have indicated they will be joining us on this tour.
ChipperMerlin XX
Dolphingirl 47 XX
Izma XX
PBader XXXX
Tami0220 XX
Tinkryansmoms XXXXXXXX
ValBob XX
Other Info
Why you might not want to take this tour:
Some people, including my sister who is a TA, never go on anything but the shore excursions sold by their cruise ship. The cruise ships only promises to wait for you, should your excursion not get back before the ship is scheduled to leave, if you are on one of their excursions. We have discussed this issue on the DISboards and CruiseCritic boards at great length. Many of the people in the discussions have been on a lot more than the 11 cruises we have been on. A very few had heard of people being left by the ship but of the stories I've heard it was only individuals, never private tour groups. I did discuss this concern with Alvaro of Odessey Tours. This was his reply. "We never had any problem as missing the ship, once we had a situation with traffic delay but our knowledge of roads in our country let us finish that tour before the ship leave, this issue happen on a tour people asked to Arenal volcano which is 3 hour away and we don't offer due to timing but that day they wanted to go there. We give the best maintenance on our vehicles to skip any problem with them while doing a tour, but still if something happen we have back up vehicles just in case. We can skip villa lapas and their souvenir to save over 30 minutes and stop on smaller shop for souvenirs closer to port ". These tour companies make their living offering tours, mostly to cruise ship people. If they missed ships, the word would get out and they would not be in business long. Additionally, we have built extra time into the tour to get us back an hour before we are required to be back. Also, because this is a private tour, should we need to we can cut out some of the shopping part of the tour and head back to the ship. That said, it is an issue to consider.
Update information:
Unlike Mexico, the State Department has no specific warnings for Costa Rica. You can review their travel recommendations at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1093.html

The State Department recommends http://www.microsites.visitcostarica.com/ to check on tour companies. I sent them an e-mail recently and they promptly responded that they have not received any negative feedback concerning Odessey Tours.

The CDC doesn't have any unusual warnings about traveling in Costa Rica. It indicates the only area of concern specific to Costa Rica is for malaria in Punta Limon, which is on the other side of the country from where we will be. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/costa-rica.aspx

PM me if you want to join us. I only need your names, number who will be going on the tour and your cabin number Val

 

[ACDSNY]

Relaxing here and doing a bit of on-line shopping. No cruise docs for us yet.

 

[sak0526]

We just got a mailing with the magical express stuff. we're staying at beach club DVC for a few days before. that's it so far. sigh

 

[TxMermaid1]

Looking for any certified SCUBA DIVERS that might want to join us on a dive excursion. We are both PADI dive instructors and are very experienced at putting together dive excursions. We are thinking Aruba and possibly 1 other port. If you are interested in a dive excursion please PM me.

Jill

 

[tinksmom]

Finally, finally all caught up! Hopefully life has calmed down now and I'll be able to visit every day. Good news, I received an email from the company doing the wristbands and they've already shipped. Hopefully they'll be at my house when I get home Monday and I can get them mailed out.

Welcome to all the new cruisers! If you would like one of the silicone bracelets I've designed for the cruise I will have extra. They are lime green and say "WDW to DL January 2011" "Pamana Canal Cruise" and have Mickey heads. The cost is $1.50 and I will be happy to mail them out. Just PM me if you're interested.

Big hugs to Judy. I lost my precious Duchess (long-haired Siamese mix) this time last year. I still catch myself having a cry. I owe you a big hug when we meet.

Harole Ann, so happy to read again of your daughter's good news. I thought of you often yesterday and hope the day turned out well.

Sally, belated happy birthday! Can't wait to meet you over dinner on board.

Corinna, congratulations on the new job. Is Dubai as exotic as it sounds?

Carmen, so sorry about your dental problems. One question, though. If the dentist told you he thought he might have drilled too deep, shouldn't he be responsible for the fix. You've got my prayers!

We are having a quiet week in Kansas. Joe is the administrator on call and couldn't come home, so Carly and I came up here.

See you all real soon!
tenya

 

[tinksmom]

Jill and I are meeting for lunch next Friday. I'm not sure of the time or place yet -- she lives in north Ft. Worth and I live in south Arlington. We would love to meet some more north Texas folks. PM me if you're interested.
tenya

 

[tinksmom]

I knew I forgot someone . . . Sorry, DES. I hope your tummy troubles are better.
I just talked with my niece and she said our lanyards arrived. Thanks!

 

[orlandothebeagle]

I have just decided that "numpty" is my new favorite word. Especially to describe those people!! My pet peeve is the person who talks or texts on their cell phone. I am a usually quiet person, but I will SCOLD that person out loud.

No, I am working today. I manage a bank, so I need to be here to make sure people can get their $$ and go shopping!!!

very important job

 

[orlandothebeagle]

nearly forgot




got our docs yesterday, they left them at Mums

 

[granmaz]

Looking for any certified SCUBA DIVERS that might want to join us on a dive excursion. We are both PADI dive instructors and are very experienced at putting together dive excursions. We are thinking Aruba and possibly 1 other port. If you are interested in a dive excursion please PM me.

Jill

We have a friend on the cruise who doesn't post often who is interested. She is away in Chicago for thanksgiving at the moment. I did PM her your details and she said she would PM you. It is Cheri(Notsolittlemermaid) I know she is having fun there so might not have got back online.

 

[granmaz]

We have snow!! Proper snow!!! Apparently it is the earliest snow for 17 years!! Don't you just love these kinds of records? Last year we had the worst winter for donkey's years etc. Why do we never break the hottest day record, or longest hot spell record?