Girls Only Trip. OLD THREAD! Please see first post for link to new one, thanks!

[toocherie]

They are much more expensive; here's an example. My dad paid for my 2 brothers and I, and our families to go on a cruise in November, 2003, we actually went the week of Thanksgiving, Eastern Caribbean I think, and it was about $12,000-14,000 for all 12 of us. I looked at the Disney cruises, and one that was about the same was at least $10,000 PER CABIN!!

It think the coolest one to do would be the transition cruise, or whatever they call it, when the relocate the ship from Florida to California, or the reverse.

Isn't that what Jill (4fosterkids) just did? My friends here in OC also just did that one and went through the Panama Canal. They said it was awesome. But I'm sure it was PRICEY!

By the way, I thought Phoenix was gorgeous yesterday (of course I was in an office building in downtown during most of the day!)

 

[toocherie]

oops Jill--I just saw your post! I have to take a peek at your pictures soon and see if my other friends got in any of your pictures!

 

[mommaU4]

Hi Cheryl! How are ya??

You're going to the ToT party on the 3rd right? That's only two weeks from this Friday!!!

I think you are one of the first of the group here to go, so I hope you'll report back on how it went, where all the Treat Stations are, and maybe even take some pics for us to see.

 

[wendylady36]

For anybody needing a DCL fix.....here is a smilebox slideshow I made to send to family & friends, from our Panama Canal repo trip.

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4463784d7a51314e673d3d0d0a

I just looked at your pictures, and OMG! I so want to go on a Disney Cruise! I must, I must, I must go on that cruise!

Thank you for sharing your pictures!

 

[toocherie]

Hi Cheryl! How are ya??

You're going to the ToT party on the 3rd right? That's only two weeks from this Friday!!!

I think you are one of the first of the group here to go, so I hope you'll report back on how it went, where all the Treat Stations are, and maybe even take some pics for us to see.

Hi Beth! I'm fine. Still recovering from my one-day trip to Phoenix.

Oh and freaking out about the "snake" thread on the DVC board. I am deathly afraid of snakes and they are talking about all the snakes they have encountered at WDW--including one in a bathroom at one of the DVC resorts!!!!!!

I am going on Oct. 3rd and will take pics and report back. I must work on our t-shirts first! I have orange t-shirts (that hopefully won't shrink) for DBF and I to wear, and I want to put a Dis-sign on them.

Anyway, hope everyone's having a great week!

 

[DangerMouse]

Hey Cheryl! Glad you enjoyed Phoenix from inside a nice air conditioned highrise!

Just a little trivia for you . . .

There are NO snakes in Hawaii. NONE.

 

[4fosterkids]

oops Jill--I just saw your post! I have to take a peek at your pictures soon and see if my other friends got in any of your pictures!

Did they have a great trip? I sure hope they enjoyed it all as much as we did.

I just looked at your pictures, and OMG! I so want to go on a Disney Cruise! I must, I must, I must go on that cruise!

Thank you for sharing your pictures!

Your welcome...so glad you enjoyed them.

Hi Beth! I'm fine. Still recovering from my one-day trip to Phoenix.

Oh and freaking out about the "snake" thread on the DVC board. I am deathly afraid of snakes and they are talking about all the snakes they have encountered at WDW--including one in a bathroom at one of the DVC resorts!!!!!!

I am going on Oct. 3rd and will take pics and report back. I must work on our t-shirts first! I have orange t-shirts (that hopefully won't shrink) for DBF and I to wear, and I want to put a Dis-sign on them.

Anyway, hope everyone's having a great week!

ACKKK....I hate snakes too!

 

[disney-inspired]

I'm afraid of cruises.
I hear people gain like 10lbs on a cruise because of all the food available. I don't have the strongest will power so I'd rather not subject myself to that temptation and I'm definitely not going to the "gym" on my vacation.

 

[4fosterkids]

I'm afraid of cruises.
I hear people gain like 10lbs on a cruise because of all the food available. I don't have the strongest will power so I'd rather not subject myself to that temptation and I'm definitely not going to the "gym" on my vacation.

Don't worry! Definitely not a reason, not to go on a cruise.
Yes, the food is fabulous, but after the initial shock of all this great food, you will be fine. Using the stairs everywhere you go....orgami & towel folding, Bingi, shows, shopping, swimming....helps too. I swore I was going to go to the gym on this cruise. You'd think, 15 days, I'd find time to do it.....NOPE! Not even once. I did walk the ship on a few mornings on deck 4, which if I remember right 4 laps was 1 mile. So that helped.

I gained 2 lbs on the 15 day cruise...so not bad and I did not try to cut back. I ate a TON of fresh fruit everyday...which I miss very much!

My DS15 gained 7!! LOL He's a teenager and ate like I've never seen him eat before!

 

[Stacerita]

I'm afraid of cruises.
I hear people gain like 10lbs on a cruise because of all the food available. I don't have the strongest will power so I'd rather not subject myself to that temptation and I'm definitely not going to the "gym" on my vacation.

No worries. Just take a walk around the deck. Most ships have a "track" deck. Walk that while checking out the ocean and no worries about gaining too much. I don't have will power either. But I have never come back from a cruise regretting eating too much. Drinking yes. Eating no. And they always have healthier options to choose from. But my advice is to walk in the morning and then eat what you feel like. And drink water.

 

[toocherie]

Hey Cheryl! Glad you enjoyed Phoenix from inside a nice air conditioned highrise!

Just a little trivia for you . . .

There are NO snakes in Hawaii. NONE.

one MORE reason for me to take a trip there then!

I had heard that a long time ago--does that mean that kids can't have them as pets either? (shoot! maybe I need to MOVE there!)

 

[toocherie]

Don't worry! Definitely not a reason, not to go on a cruise.
Yes, the food is fabulous, but after the initial shock of all this great food, you will be fine. Using the stairs everywhere you go....orgami & towel folding, Bingi, shows, shopping, swimming....helps too. I swore I was going to go to the gym on this cruise. You'd think, 15 days, I'd find time to do it.....NOPE! Not even once. I did walk the ship on a few mornings on deck 4, which if I remember right 4 laps was 1 mile. So that helped.

I gained 2 lbs on the 15 day cruise...so not bad and I did not try to cut back. I ate a TON of fresh fruit everyday...which I miss very much!

My DS15 gained 7!! LOL He's a teenager and ate like I've never seen him eat before!

Jill: my friends had a great time--except that their DS11 was recently diagnosed with a neurological disease which affects his hands and feet--and apparently the kids that age group were doing a lot of running around the ship which he couldn't do. So I guess he chose a lot of times to stay in their cabin and watch the Disney channel. His sister (also 11) had a great time in the kids' club though. But this was the second time they have been on a Disney cruise (and I'm sure not the last!) they also went to WDW in May--friends of theirs (who were also on the cruise with them--did you see people with service dogs--these folks train them and they brought at least one, and maybe two, dogs for training on the ship) are DVC members and hosted them at Wilderness Lodge for a week (nice friends! I'm not sure I would even do that--LOL!) So, they are "Disney folk"

 

[toocherie]

Ok--so until yesterday I had not flown for 10 years. (yes, sad but true)

Just didn't have anywhere I needed to go that I couldn't drive, and given my druthers . . . well, it's a "control" issue frankly. (Go figure--an attorney who's controlling)

But things went so well yesterday that I wasn't looking at the five hour flight to Florida next month with trepidation anymore (and also learned from the experience to wear slip-on shoes), UNTIL . . . .

I called tonight to let Delta know that my Mom would be taking her scooter with her and we would need to gate-check it; found out after getting the first call dropped by the gal in India that they had changed our itinerary from a nonstop redeye LAX to MCO, to a one-stop redeye through Atlanta. I had purposely booked a nonstop because of Mom's mobility issues.

I was so annoyed--they claim they tried to contact me--but of the three numbers they allegedly tried to call--one I didn't recognize, one has an answering service and I received NO message and the third was my fax number.

If I had not called, I would not have found out about this change.

I was able to get re-booked on another nonstop--but it leaves at 10 a.m. in the morning instead of that night at 10 p.m. (Oh well--more time in WDW, right?)

I do have to call DVC in the morning and find out if there is any availability for the extra night--if not, I've checked online and there are rooms available "somewhere" in WDW for that night. (at what price--that's another question!)

Moral of the story: check and re-check to see if they have changed your flight--this change apparently just occurred last week and only affected the flight on the day I'm flying--the flight on the next day hasn't been changed

On the other hand, I was able to get them to unblock the bulkhead seats because of Mom's mobility issues. So, looking at this positively, more time in WDW and bulkhead seats

Of course, now I have to call DVC in the morning to see if I can add another night OR if there is availability somewhere else . . . . sigh. . . . not to mention thinking about additional ADRs . . . . .and changing Magical Express . . . .

the beat goes on . . . . .

 

[4fosterkids]

Jill: my friends had a great time--except that their DS11 was recently diagnosed with a neurological disease which affects his hands and feet--and apparently the kids that age group were doing a lot of running around the ship which he couldn't do. So I guess he chose a lot of times to stay in their cabin and watch the Disney channel. His sister (also 11) had a great time in the kids' club though. But this was the second time they have been on a Disney cruise (and I'm sure not the last!) they also went to WDW in May--friends of theirs (who were also on the cruise with them--did you see people with service dogs--these folks train them and they brought at least one, and maybe two, dogs for training on the ship) are DVC members and hosted them at Wilderness Lodge for a week (nice friends! I'm not sure I would even do that--LOL!) So, they are "Disney folk"

We did see a service dog on the ship...many times. The kids loved seeing him/her. I remember pondering at times....where does the dog poop while on board..........weird I know, but just one of those things I thought about. I also remember it swimming on Castaway Cay and loving the water. I'm glad they had a good time.

 

[tinkermell]

For anybody needing a DCL fix.....here is a smilebox slideshow I made to send to family & friends, from our Panama Canal repo trip.

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4463784d7a51314e673d3d0d0a

Wow!! What an awesome trip!! Great photos!!

I have always wanted to try a Disney cruise. Now I know we need to do one someday.


So was this just a family trip, or were some of the people in the pics friends too? BTW- I have a son named Beau. He is now 29.

Anyways, it looks like it was a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing.

 

[tinkermell]

Ok--so until yesterday I had not flown for 10 years. (yes, sad but true)

Just didn't have anywhere I needed to go that I couldn't drive, and given my druthers . . . well, it's a "control" issue frankly. (Go figure--an attorney who's controlling)

But things went so well yesterday that I wasn't looking at the five hour flight to Florida next month with trepidation anymore (and also learned from the experience to wear slip-on shoes), UNTIL . . . .

I called tonight to let Delta know that my Mom would be taking her scooter with her and we would need to gate-check it; found out after getting the first call dropped by the gal in India that they had changed our itinerary from a nonstop redeye LAX to MCO, to a one-stop redeye through Atlanta. I had purposely booked a nonstop because of Mom's mobility issues.

I was so annoyed--they claim they tried to contact me--but of the three numbers they allegedly tried to call--one I didn't recognize, one has an answering service and I received NO message and the third was my fax number.

If I had not called, I would not have found out about this change.

I was able to get re-booked on another nonstop--but it leaves at 10 a.m. in the morning instead of that night at 10 p.m. (Oh well--more time in WDW, right?)

I do have to call DVC in the morning and find out if there is any availability for the extra night--if not, I've checked online and there are rooms available "somewhere" in WDW for that night. (at what price--that's another question!)

Moral of the story: check and re-check to see if they have changed your flight--this change apparently just occurred last week and only affected the flight on the day I'm flying--the flight on the next day hasn't been changed

On the other hand, I was able to get them to unblock the bulkhead seats because of Mom's mobility issues. So, looking at this positively, more time in WDW and bulkhead seats

Of course, now I have to call DVC in the morning to see if I can add another night OR if there is availability somewhere else . . . . sigh. . . . not to mention thinking about additional ADRs . . . . .and changing Magical Express . . . .

the beat goes on . . . . .

Cheryl,

Geesh........it was a good thing you called. Can you imagine the surprise finding out the night before or whatever? What a mess. I'm so glad that you were able to get it all figured out so far. I hope the hotel arrangements work out.

You are going to have so much fun. I am looking forward to hearing about your DVC experiences. Dave and I have talked about doing it someday. Hopefully when someone wants to sell the Grand off in a resale.

 

[Artoo]

I would love to go on a cruise someday (especially a Disney cruise). I was on a ship in the Navy, but believe me, that was anything BUT luxury!
Maybe the DH and I will take one for our five-year anniversary!

 

[toocherie]

We did see a service dog on the ship...many times. The kids loved seeing him/her. I remember pondering at times....where does the dog poop while on board..........weird I know, but just one of those things I thought about. I also remember it swimming on Castaway Cay and loving the water. I'm glad they had a good time.

actually--they keep like a litter box thingie on the balcony--and that's where the dog "does its business"

it was really a bittersweet trip for my friends and the dog (who's name is "Press") The friends they were with train the dogs for socialization--they have had Press a year or so; in October they have to give her up and she will go for more training to learn to help a blind person specifically. So, it was the last trip my friends would get to make with with her. (and my friend Scott loves that dog!) If Press turns out not to be a good service dog after all then their friends get the chance to get her back as a pet. She really is a beautiful dog--I met them and Press in early summer when they came out and went to DL.

My friend Scott is now thinking of also doing service dog training; I'm kinda jazzed because he is also my office landlord and if he does that he would be bringing the dog to the office every day. (Even now one of the paralegals occasionally brings her dog in; we have a very friendly casual office and we all love animals!)

 

[DangerMouse]

All this talk about dogs and snakes has me thinking that we should post photos of our pets. We haven't done that before, have we? So, if you have a furry family member, please let us see a pic!

Here's my Jovie Joy. She's a maltese and is our little princess.

 

[MamaKate]

Callie~ Welcome Back from Hawaii! Your pictures look marvelous. And sometimes it's great to take other types of vacations besides Disney .

Jill~ It looked like you all had a great time. My family really wanted to do the repo cruise, but my kids are at the age, it's too hard to take them out of school for that long. And I agree that Disney cruises are unlike any other. If you book far enough in advance, they're actually not that much more than other cruise lines (unless you go during a holiday).

We have a Disney Cruise booked for next spring break, but I'm still on the fence about bringing an infant onboard . I want to reschedule, but my older kids are itching to get back on the ship . I've already added the baby on the ressie just in case .

Oh and freaking out about the "snake" thread on the DVC board. I am deathly afraid of snakes and they are talking about all the snakes they have encountered at WDW--including one in a bathroom at one of the DVC resorts!!!!!!

In all my trips to WDW, I've never seen a snake. Except when we went horse back riding at Fort Wilderness. We did find a dead gecko in our room once when we stayed at OKW. My son thought it was great, my daughter not so much . I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I'm afraid of cruises.
I hear people gain like 10lbs on a cruise because of all the food available. I don't have the strongest will power so I'd rather not subject myself to that temptation and I'm definitely not going to the "gym" on my vacation.

I haven't gained weight on a cruise ever. Before I cruise I dream of all the food I'm going to eat, but once I'm on the cruise, you get so busy doing other things, you really don't eat as much as you think you would. However my DD enjoyed the free room service on the Disney Cruise. One time I was getting out of the shower & the room service attendant was in our room . My DD had ordered it while I was in the shower without telling me.