Geeks go for broke! Updated 2/17: Wrap-up

[zweihund]

It's about dang time you started writing for *US*, and not as WORK!



Carry on.....

I know, I know! ACK! The good news is, all that work should pay for MOST of our alcohol. As long as we drink moderately

Yay! Another pre-trip report to read!!!!

I know where Casselberry is...I have a very good friend who lives there!

You are one of the few and proud! We're actually barely even IN Casselberry, more like Winter Springs, but no one knows where that is either.

yeah another trip report by u i can laugh my a$$ off at 2am instead of taking care of patients

I'm glad you and I have the same priorities I hate when my patients need something and drag me away from my reading! I'm busy here!

I am so glad to be "1" of the few hundred families that is crusing with you, its almost like crusing with a celebrity

Awwww.....

Erica strikes again ... see how hard it is to stop writing this stuf???

Looking forward to reading along as always.

It really is! I can't believe I waited this long to start. I'm still working on Lionel for October 2009, btw. Though I fear the Magic might not be able to hold enough liquor for both of us......

It really is. Really!

PS: What happens on the Magic DOES stay on the Magic!!!!*

*(Except where applicable, which includes DIS entertainment value of 6 out of 10 and entails anecdotes with cast members named Lionel, Sarah, Mat, or Erica.)

Hehe - I promise, no off-color comments unless I have permission. Or unless it is really REALLY funny.

looking forward to hearing more
we are on the Oct Cruise so looking forward to hearing all about yours in Sept

Yay, we'll warm up the boat for you!

It's going to go to her head now. Great.

P.S. How many cabins are involved here? 4 people in one cabin would be awfully crowded. Of course, Sarah does get ready in about 2 seconds so it's really only like 3.

We opted for two cabins this year, and they are even on the complete opposite side of the boat from us. Last time we cruised with another couple we were right next door, so this should be interesting! Must remember not to peek over into the neighbor's balcony. It is NOT Mat and Sarah. Must remember.

 

[zweihund]

I do have news:

Guess what I am reading?

MY NEW PASSPORTER!

Yes, almost immediately after I fired off an email to poor Jennifer and David I had to send an apology. Thank goodness I was nice.....
I have been reading non-stop for the past 18 hours, with a little time off for sleep. I have learned many many things, including one very shocking and disturbing fact:

Disney now CHECKS ON YOUR FRIENDS' RESERVATIONS before it lets you reserve more than your cabin size for Palo. Dude. Uncool. So that means only one night at Palo, one brunch, and one high tea. Lionel might implode. Of course, you can put your name on a list and take whatever is left, which we will likely end up doing. But I wonder when they started doing that? Were people complaining that they couldn't get in or something? Hmmm.

In typical Erica-overplanning fashion, I have little sticky-note tabs marking all of the things I want to do on this cruise, and I haven't even gotten to the excursions yet. One the list is:

• towel animal folding
• ballroom dance lessons!
• galley tour
• art of Disney walking tour
• many, MANY spa treatments

I think we learned from our budget cruise (see the link in my signature) that there are a ton of freebies on the boat that are incredibly fun and worth doing at least once, and we want to take advantage of those things. Of course, we are probably going to be spending more than we have ever spent on ANY vacation regardless, so hopefully doing some of the freebies will make me feel a little better about that

Still have many lists to make. But the will come. Oh yes, they will come.

 

[Googelibear]

subscribing

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Erica! Just checking in - I'll be "sailing" with you here - wishing I was still there - and so sorry to leave the "Party Cabin" empty - I'm sure you'll find some place to drink, though...

 

[Elliott's_mommy]

I did do a little formal dress shopping online last night, before our modem got knocked out by a thunderstorm (I'm posting from Panera right now).....no internet until tomorrow at noon! What ever will I do?

OH no.....do we need formals? Should I be finding something for the muchkin who will be traveling with us? What to do? I have GOT to order this passporter thing everyone is talking about....of course the resident Disney expert here at the office suggeted the 'offical' guide..which is better? I think I'm going to go into meltdown soon.

 

[Mozart]

I have GOT to order this passporter thing everyone is talking about....of course the resident Disney expert here at the office suggeted the 'offical' guide..which is better? I think I'm going to go into meltdown soon.

For the cruise, it's virtually unanimous. Passporter is the way to go. Birnbaum (the "official" guide) is pretty good for theme parks, but their cruise book is horribly mis-informed in places. Not very detailed either.

 

[podsnel]

I did do a little formal dress shopping online last night, before our modem got knocked out by a thunderstorm (I'm posting from Panera right now).....no internet until tomorrow at noon! What ever will I do?

OH no.....do we need formals? Should I be finding something for the muchkin who will be traveling with us? What to do? I have GOT to order this passporter thing everyone is talking about....of course the resident Disney expert here at the office suggeted the 'offical' guide..which is better? I think I'm going to go into meltdown soon.

Definately get the passporter- it's like 100times the info and size and soooo much better!!

YAY!! So happy you've started your pre-trip report! I've never gotten to read along with you as it was going on, this is very exciting! We'll be on the Western in November, so I'll be very interested in all your tips and fun stuff. Subscribing right now!

And whoever said you are a celebrity on the DIS was soooo right- you are so hilarious, you should have a fan club!!

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I do have news:

Guess what I am reading?

MY NEW PASSPORTER!

Yes, almost immediately after I fired off an email to poor Jennifer and David I had to send an apology. Thank goodness I was nice.....
I have been reading non-stop for the past 18 hours, with a little time off for sleep. I have learned many many things, including one very shocking and disturbing fact:

Disney now CHECKS ON YOUR FRIENDS' RESERVATIONS before it lets you reserve more than your cabin size for Palo. Dude. Uncool. So that means only one night at Palo, one brunch, and one high tea. Lionel might implode. Of course, you can put your name on a list and take whatever is left, which we will likely end up doing. But I wonder when they started doing that? Were people complaining that they couldn't get in or something? Hmmm.

In typical Erica-overplanning fashion, I have little sticky-note tabs marking all of the things I want to do on this cruise, and I haven't even gotten to the excursions yet. One the list is:

• towel animal folding
• ballroom dance lessons!
• galley tour
• art of Disney walking tour
• many, MANY spa treatments

I think we learned from our budget cruise (see the link in my signature) that there are a ton of freebies on the boat that are incredibly fun and worth doing at least once, and we want to take advantage of those things. Of course, we are probably going to be spending more than we have ever spent on ANY vacation regardless, so hopefully doing some of the freebies will make me feel a little better about that

Still have many lists to make. But the will come. Oh yes, they will come.

Ohhhh...sticky tabs for the PassPorter! What a GREAT idea!

 

[Bethipooh4]

Don't forget to label your sticky tabs on your passporter, so you know exactly what to flip to when you are looking for it..

Plus, it makes you look like a genius when you are looking up something and your friends are there planning with you.

 

[NZMUM]

Erica, another of your cruise mates looking forward to reading your report .

Tania

 

[zweihund]

subscribing

Welcome!

Hi Erica! Just checking in - I'll be "sailing" with you here - wishing I was still there - and so sorry to leave the "Party Cabin" empty - I'm sure you'll find some place to drink, though...

We're going to have to sneak a sign onto 6080's door commemorating its significance....the occupants will be so confused when we are all hanging around outside with our drinks of the day!

OH no.....do we need formals? Should I be finding something for the muchkin who will be traveling with us? What to do? I have GOT to order this passporter thing everyone is talking about....of course the resident Disney expert here at the office suggeted the 'offical' guide..which is better? I think I'm going to go into meltdown soon.

The formals aren't required, you can just dress like you are going to a nice party (or skip the dining room altogether that night) but DH and I like to get all dolled up. I have my standard "little black dress" but I wanted something a little fancier. I might have to hit Macy's during their next big sale, the online stores left much to be desired.

GET THE PASSPORTER! It's great. Even for a seasoned alcoholic cruiser like some people I know.

For the cruise, it's virtually unanimous. Passporter is the way to go. Birnbaum (the "official" guide) is pretty good for theme parks, but their cruise book is horribly mis-informed in places. Not very detailed either.

I second that!

Definately get the passporter- it's like 100times the info and size and soooo much better!!

YAY!! So happy you've started your pre-trip report! I've never gotten to read along with you as it was going on, this is very exciting! We'll be on the Western in November, so I'll be very interested in all your tips and fun stuff. Subscribing right now!

And whoever said you are a celebrity on the DIS was soooo right- you are so hilarious, you should have a fan club!!

Aw, you make me blush! Thank you for the wonderful compliment. I still maintain that I am funnier on paper than in person, but I'm also my own worst critic. Enjoy your Western

Ohhhh...sticky tabs for the PassPorter! What a GREAT idea!

I thought so! When DH asked me about an excursion yesterday, I said "it's under the Cozumel tab, with the blue sticky." He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and then flipped right to the page. I was like "please, don't you know me by now?"

Don't forget to label your sticky tabs on your passporter, so you know exactly what to flip to when you are looking for it..

Plus, it makes you look like a genius when you are looking up something and your friends are there planning with you.

Either a genius, or completely insane. Which is almost the same thing. Well, at least for me it is

Erica, another of your cruise mates looking forward to reading your report .

Tania

Thanks Tania!

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

And whoever said you are a celebrity on the DIS was soooo right- you are so hilarious, you should have a fan club!!

She does have a fanclub, we are called the Dis Double Dippers I have a feeling this cruise is going to be VERY interesting with Erica along add in alcohol and we have a Huge Party Planned

 

[Mozart]

I thought so! When DH asked me about an excursion yesterday, I said "it's under the Cozumel tab, with the blue sticky." He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and then flipped right to the page. I was like "please, don't you know me by now?"

Has Lionel ever referred to you as Monica? (Friends reference for those of you who are confused.)

 

[Andromeda9mm]

Hi!

We'll be sailing with you!

DH and I are also geeks. You're in good company.

Meredith in Utah

 

[Tink rules]

Ok Erica... Planky and I just got off the 15 night PC Repo cruise...

You've got a LOT of catching up to do!!!!

Planky likes shopping.....

 

[zweihund]

She does have a fanclub, we are called the Dis Double Dippers I have a feeling this cruise is going to be VERY interesting with Erica along add in alcohol and we have a Huge Party Planned

You have NO IDEA what you are in for *rubs hands together and smiles evilly*

Wait, evilly? Is that a word? I guess it is now.

Has Lionel ever referred to you as Monica? (Friends reference for those of you who are confused.)

I sometimes refer to myself that way! Organized geeks are the worst kind of geeks. SOMEONE I know, and we won't mention names (but it rhymes with SMARAH) keeps a notebook for her online gaming. But I won't say who. I'd hate to emberass her.

Hi!

We'll be sailing with you!

DH and I are also geeks. You're in good company.

Meredith in Utah

Yay Meredith! The more geeks, the merrier!

Ok Erica... Planky and I just got off the 15 night PC Repo cruise...

You've got a LOT of catching up to do!!!!

Planky likes shopping.....

Welcome back Michelle! I can't wait to see the pics.....I'm avidly following Planky's report.

 

[zweihund]

In case anyone had any doubts about my anal-retentive planning capabilities:

Revel in the sticky notes. Go on. You know you want to.

In case anyone is wondering, those are the little tab-sized stickies which are AWESOME. They have just enough room to write a little something, they are easily removable, and thay are pretty to boot

Also, I would like to point your attention to the yellow folders on the left. This is my first experience with the deluxe version of the passporter, and I am so impressed! Not only are those little yellow pages POCKETS, but they have little places for you to write down all of the details of your trip. This is a great idea even if you are not a self-indulgent-alcoholic-TR-writing-junkie like myself. It comes with 13 of these little babies! Plus, there are several pockets in the binder itself which you can fill with plane tickets, passports, extra cash, or maybe a ginger chew or two. Oh! And it has the ability to remove unnecessary pages.

I give it three little green-smilie thumbs up:

Thanks to my nifty tab system, we were able to quickly pare down some of the excursions. Currently, we are planning to do the Castaway Cay getaway package for both days, which includes a float, a bike and snorkel gear. I don't know if we will use all of them each day, but it's a great deal and leaves our options open. We are also considering the walking and kayak nature adventure, which received a 7/10 rating, but Lionel is a bit concerned about the whole tiny-vessel-in-the-ocean thing. Which, to be perfectly honest, is totally understandable after our experience with the jet ski eco tour. It is still in the running, but falls down a rung every time I mention it.

Of the three Cozumel excursions we were considering, I am strongly leaning toward the Punta Sur eco park and snorkel. It is well rated, and you get a nice variety of sightseeing and beach time. Plus, we can snorkel if the mood hits. Other contenders were the Xcaret eco park (which is nixed because it is a 7.5 hour excursion and we have short attention spans), the Fury catamaran party (45 minutes on a rocking catamaran? with free drinks? that could go either way), and the dune buggy and snorkel combo (which is $40 more than the other snorkel excursion for almost the same thing).

For Costa Maya, we have pretty much settled on the Chaccohoben Mayan ruins, which apparently has nothing to do with chocolate despite its appearance. It has a pyramid! The closest I have ever been to a pyramid was Epcot's Mexico pavillion and the pool area at Coronado Springs resort.

I'm still looking into spa appointments. And trying to decide what night and days we want to do Palo. I only have 30 more days to decide all of these things. PRESSURE!

Note(s) to self:

• call Mat
• email Sarah
• tie DH down and force him to make a decision with me

That should pretty much do it. My goal is to have most of this planned out by the weekend, so I can start focusing on other things. Like formal wear.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

In case anyone had any doubts about my anal-retentive planning capabilities:

Revel in the sticky notes. Go on. You know you want to.

LOVE the tabs in the picture!!!!!!!

 

[chepic]

For Costa Maya, we have pretty much settled on the Chaccohoben Mayan ruins, which apparently has nothing to do with chocolate despite its appearance. It has a pyramid! The closest I have ever been to a pyramid was Epcot's Mexico pavillion and the pool area at Coronado Springs resort.

Chocolate ....pyramid....maybe you are on to something!!!!!

Glad to see you are writing now...wish we could sail away with you, but alas the 3 y.o. Russian speaking child would be overwhelmed with DH's behavior...remember the YMCA picture from my TR...

I will be anxiously awaiting more.......

.....and you're right...I think that Mozart is jealous that you are going 1st

che

 

[CrazyZeus1]

We can't wait to sail with you too! Sounds like you, um, earned a reputation?