Halloween 2011. Oct 29th on the Magic

[glindamood]

I agree...I rather be wherever I can be on any of the Disney ships ...and I'm doing the Dream in April of 2012 so thats why for sure if I don't get a Fl Discount I won't be moving up in categories for both trips...

ah but it was so nice to have the verandah...it made the room brighter and more like we were on vacation.. sigh...lol

I can totally understand, and with your children as young as they are and naps - it give you a space to be during nap time. We are so rarely in our cabin other than to sleep or change clothes (which is true for us with or without a verandah) an inside is a good fit for us - but, as with all things in live YMMV.

So, there are not so many of us on this trip yet. I hope that changes - or we will have no excuses for not meeting up at some point on board . With all those that went on the PC, there were still some I never saw - or met anyway. Makes me sad.

Well, someone is doing my drive as I type so I guess I will head into the office. Have a good one and stay safe.

 

[storms71]

We will definatly have to set up a meet I will be going with my wife and 13year olad son who will turn 14 during the cruise.

 

[MommaMouse411]

Yes a meet will be cool...I'm wondering if there won't be alot of folks on this cruise since the Dream has a cruise around the same time...I think that will be better for us.

 

[glindamood]

Happy Thursday everyone! Sunny and nippy here but no new snow.

I have no idea if the Dream is our compatition or what the deal is. To be honest, I have no desire to sail on the Dream - I prefer longer cruises and I guess we will have to wait for the Fantasy to find out what the new ships have to offer.

Have a great day everyone. And if we have any lurkers, please join in on the fun.

 

[storms71]

Last year there was quite a few people on the cruise due to jersey week but this year I think jearsey week is the following week. I know a couple of people that will be on the dream at the same time I agree I perfer the longer cruise but next year i will be going on a 4 day dream and a 7 day Fantasy.

 

[MommaMouse411]

well I wouldn't mind if it wasn't crowded...less potential for bad service (since I've been reading not so good reviews of the magic lately)

 

[glindamood]

well I wouldn't mind if it wasn't crowded...less potential for bad service (since I've been reading not so good reviews of the magic lately)

Having just done the Wonder PC cruise - I can attest to some of the comments that have been made on the boards. There are SO MANY new cast members and it takes time to learn how to do their jobs. I will say that our cabin steward and dining team were phenominal but we got lucky and none of those folks were new. Now the cooks - that is a different story. It has to be the same on all three ships since they pulled so many from the Wonder and Magic. As with all things new, it will take some time for everyone to get up to speed but I expect by the time we cruise things will be humming along as they always have.

 

[MommaMouse411]

@ Gail...that's kind of what I was thinking...if you haven't found your rhythm by october then you should'nt be working on a cruise line!! my only worry is that if my kids are with me for dinner that we get our food at a good pace because I have a short window of oppurtunity to keep my kids sane; and confined to chair!!

 

[glindamood]

@ Gail...that's kind of what I was thinking...if you haven't found your rhythm by october then you should'nt be working on a cruise line!! my only worry is that if my kids are with me for dinner that we get our food at a good pace because I have a short window of oppurtunity to keep my kids sane; and confined to chair!!

How old are your children? You do know that started that Dine and Play option where the counselors from the clubs come to the dining room and pick them up, right?? Could be it is a different name but I saw several do that on my last cruise on the Magic. But, if you have teens with antsy pants, I guess that isn't an option. Disney really does try and think of everything!

 

[MommaMouse411]

my boys are little..2yr old and 9month old now...but they'll be 3 & 1 in april.

when my oldest one was 1yrs old, he and I would go eat out all the time..I never had an issue with him..but now that hes older he gets bored easily and once he's done eating he'll start acting up.

my baby I think he'll be okay but I'll do what I did last time on the Wonder, and book a couple hours in nursery a day.

the last trip they did fine during dinner because they SLEPT the whole time lol...and one day I think they were both in the nursery. So I was never able to get into a panic mode.

is anyone going to do a MNSSHP the day before the cruise? I"m assuming that they will have it that friday the 28th..I hope!

 

[storms71]

I wouldnt worry about the service you can ask your server to bring the dinners right away and they will take care of you espically with small children. Poeple in nature like to complain some people think they are paying good money and they want everything to be perfect. You sometimnes have to have patience and enjoy your on vacation and take time to enjoy.

 

[glindamood]

my boys are little..2yr old and 9month old now...but they'll be 3 & 1 in april.

when my oldest one was 1yrs old, he and I would go eat out all the time..I never had an issue with him..but now that hes older he gets bored easily and once he's done eating he'll start acting up.

my baby I think he'll be okay but I'll do what I did last time on the Wonder, and book a couple hours in nursery a day.

the last trip they did fine during dinner because they SLEPT the whole time lol...and one day I think they were both in the nursery. So I was never able to get into a panic mode.

is anyone going to do a MNSSHP the day before the cruise? I"m assuming that they will have it that friday the 28th..I hope!

I should have looked closer at your avatar and figured they were really young - sorry. They do try very hard to get families with young children through quickly.

We have talked about MNSSHP and we have talked about doing a day at Epcot. I love the parades and fireworks but then there is the Food and Wine festival as well as Soarin (my abosolute fave) but I have been pricing airfare from Thursday through Saturday so we will see what we see for Friday. If it was warm - I would even consider one of the water parks.

 

[MommaMouse411]

ahh the Food & Wine...I have yet to do that..but I know I won't be able to with my boys...too crowded my mother went couple years ago and she was scared because people were sooooo drunk lol and she was not used to seeing this at Disney World. She even said the people were YELLING at the bar tenders and she felt liike she was at a big ole Frat Party...so I figured if I go it would have to be SOLO or with another adult..

 

[glindamood]

We have done the F&W many times and have never experience inappripriate behavior. That totally blows my mind. It would take a lot to get wasted there as they serve only sample size things.

 

[MommaMouse411]

yea I was amazed that she witnessed this type of behavior...especially the person yelling at a bartender..

On my last cruise I had started buying stuff a year in advance...and I pretty much have all that stuff new and in good condition...

welll I have started this again

I found a cool sarong on ebay and bought it for $12!!

and I have started to look for things...now I have to admit I am a bargain-shop-a-holic.

I noticed the swimwear is out but what I do is I wait till the end of the season and I buy bigger sizes..so my boys already have 2 new swimsuits a piece for this cruise..but I'm thinking for my april 2012 cruise..


I also saw on someones TR that they bought this resort for a day at Cayman Islands...and I think I'm going to do that...they paid like $40 a person and they got a room for the day on the beach or something like that...I went to the website and the site was under construction for Cayman but looked through the Nassau resort for a day pricing and its the same thing (this might be done for my april cruise)...but I'm waiting for the contact person to email me back with pricing & details.

I'll post the info in case anyone else is interested.

 

[glindamood]

Keep us posted on the resort deal. A beach day would be good for us too.

Well, I had a productive day, other then the post I did last night that seems to have gone to LaLa Land. Booked our airfare to MCO and back for this trip -heading out on Tuesday so will have 3 days to play in the parks, or somewhere. MK and Epcot for sure but don't know about the other. We have a one bedroom at OKW. Gotta love those points!!!

 

[MommaMouse411]

Here's the email I got from the resortforaday.com concerning Grand Cayman

Dear Marisol,



So glad you contacted me. (Please pardon our appearance as our new site is under construction).



Yes, we have an awesome option in Grand Cayman for cruisers! We have an exclusive arrangement with the Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa, a magnificent luxury resort on pristine Seven Mile Beach.



Come play for a day and enjoy the Westin’s pools, whirlpool, pool and beach chairs, towels, use of the Hibiscus Spa facilities, workout room and exclusive access to Seven Mile Beach.



In Grand Cayman, there are no all inclusive resorts. So, lunch or snacks are purchased separately. They offer a choice of casual poolside grill or sit down restaurant. The Westin requires that all visitors have a guest room in order to enjoy the pools, beaches and all guest amenities, so you have a LUXURY ROOM TO ENJOY FOR THE DAY, TOO! Here is the link, check out this beautiful beach resort at http://www.westincasuarina.com



Our exclusive Westin Casuarina Cruise Pass is $149 (our special introductory price). Each Resort Pass is valid for up to FOUR guests. (With four guests that’s under $38 per person for a full day luxury shore excursion! Lounge chairs, towels are included as well). The Westin is a convenient 10 to 15 minute cab ride from the Georgetown port. (We do not include the taxi transfer so you can arrive and depart when most convenient).



If you are seeking a more serene, highly memorable “daycation”, where you’ll be far from the crowds, I suggest our Westin Resort Pass. All reservations are on a request basis so the moment I know you are interested I will request a pass for you. (Please include your visit date, number of guests and name of ship).



Please let me know! Thank you.



Kim Green, Your Daycation Expert

Come play for a day when your ship's in port

(631) 630-3907

JamaicaForaDay

BahamasForaDay

GrandCaymanForaDay

BarbadosForaDay

 

[glindamood]

While $38 per person is not bad, the $149 is kind of high - for that I would do Native Way again with the stingrays. But thanks for sharing. You have a beautiful name by the way .

Got my OKW ressie squared around - had originally booked Wed-Sat but the airfare was better for Tuesday so that has been taken care of at this point.

 

[MommaMouse411]

yea it is high when you only need to pay for two people..but I think I might be taking that route because I don't want to do anything else but hang out on 7mile Beach..and having a room will be good to take some time away from the sun...assuming its sunny and hot during that time...it better be!!!

I don't know I won't make my decision yet till summer time.

 

[glindamood]

I do not have much desire to do 7 Mile Beach with Disney although I guess it is an option for us. It is nice not to have to worry about transportation and all but I am sure we could get there for less than what they are charging. They also offer helmet diving in Grand Cayman (which we did in Aruba last month and it was awesome) but that is a pricey option as well. We have lots of time to think about it.

Warm here (for here anyway) - in the mid 40's so the snow is shrinking. Our hot water tank died yesterday so on the hunt (best be a quick hunt, I am not taking any cold showers) for a new one. WAY too many options but we will hopefully have that all resolved in the next several days.