I'm giving up Black Friday for a Disney Cruise! A DCL PTR/TR - 1/28 NEW PTR!!!

Wow, wow, wow!!!!
The lack of a line, I'm in shock.....
That certainly is some Disney Magic.:laughing:

Oh I do love the holiday touches. You did a great job taking those photos on the run like you did..zoom.....
 
I was thinking the same thing.... so many of the reports I used to read are not writing anymore on the DIS. Sad... but I can't blame anyone, I got too busy too. I do love to read !
 
Wow, wow, wow!!!!
The lack of a line, I'm in shock.....
That certainly is some Disney Magic.:laughing:

Oh I do love the holiday touches. You did a great job taking those photos on the run like you did..zoom.....

It was indeed really cool! I agree, after this summer, which was PACKED... and with the autotrain it threw me off a lot (not getting to the port as early as we would have liked and had the cruise before). SO in this case I was ready, we had a car so that helped, and from here on out we decided not to autotrain to arrive the same day as departure. :thumbsup2

My phone photos are not that great, it is hard to keep steady while on the move!!! LOL!!! I got lots of good photos of these things (the Christmas decor) You'll see! :goodvibes

I was thinking the same thing.... so many of the reports I used to read are not writing anymore on the DIS. Sad... but I can't blame anyone, I got too busy too. I do love to read !

It has been an odd fall, I agree! :guilty: I think so much was happening for people I guess. I for one cannot believe the time flew by so fast... And I am really wanting to get that October TR written b/c we had so much FUN!!!
 
Oh my!!!! How did I miss this?!!! :blush: So sorry!!! :flower3: So looking forward to reading all about your week long adventure :goodvibes

:rotfl2: at the wine on the plane and the drinking fountain photos!!!

Tracy
 


What a great start! So precious that your boys fell asleep at baggage claim!

I'm loving all the holiday touches all over the ship :thumbsup2

Can I ask what rental car company you used? Was it located at the port? We are needing a rental car for after our cruise next year and I don't even know where to begin :rolleyes:
 
What an amazing way to start a cruise!! No line that is awesome!! Really like the Christmas touches!!!

Can't wait for more!!!

Love the picture of the boys at the water fountain!! Very cool!!
 
Oh my!!!! How did I miss this?!!! :blush: So sorry!!! :flower3: So looking forward to reading all about your week long adventure :goodvibes

:rotfl2: at the wine on the plane and the drinking fountain photos!!!

Tracy

Hey there!!! No problem -- it has taken me a WEEK to get organized to even start! You have not missed nuthin' ;)

I know the wine was, well, needed.. we sat across from eachother on the Aisle... (Matt and I) and passes cheddar bunnies back and forth with our chardonnay.... :rotfl:

What a great start! So precious that your boys fell asleep at baggage claim!

I'm loving all the holiday touches all over the ship :thumbsup2

Can I ask what rental car company you used? Was it located at the port? We are needing a rental car for after our cruise next year and I don't even know where to begin :rolleyes:

They did both fall asleep right on top of eachother like puppies. :goodvibes

Oh the holiday touches are just TOOOO neat! makes me miss a DISNEY christmas like you dont know. :sad:

We used Budget. It worked great. It isn't at the port proper, just down the road (as are all of the major rental companies). then they have a shuttle you can use. It works great, and for a family of 4 the cost is much less than the Disney shuttle.

What an amazing way to start a cruise!! No line that is awesome!! Really like the Christmas touches!!!

Can't wait for more!!!

Love the picture of the boys at the water fountain!! Very cool!!

YES, it was a mad house last summer, so it was a very different vibe this time around! I am going to update tonight :)
 


So after lunch, we headed directly out to get our sun and pool time on! :cool1: It was a great day, and it was still quite early! So We spent a little time at the mickey pool, then I went to the main pool to get a few chairs, and my Drink of the Day. Here is the photo, it is actually my second, but whose counting… :rolleyes1

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The boys sat and watched a few cartoons out on deck, and socialized with some of the kids that were there, and at about 2pm, DH went to our stateroom to check things in and unpack stuff.

So here is our story about our cabin choice... Initially we had booked a higher category of room. 10A, I think it was, a deluxe porthole on deck 6. It was GTY, though, and because of that, DH was hoping that we would get upgraded, we didn't mind if we didn't get upgraded, but we thought it might be a good chance since the other categories below were also full. However, since this cruise was not sold out (I think because more people were holding out for the Fantasy and maybe didn't book this Thanksgiving cruise) we didn’t get a different room category. Remember, when we originally booked the GTY that was about 10 mos. out! which was a surprise to us... They assigned us a cabin, on the opposite end of the ship as my inlaws, and we even called to see if they could move us or them to at least be on the same side. No help there. They couldn't. So, after thinking about it, and realizing that the difference between two categories would almost pay for our 4 night couple’s cruise, we decided to drop to a lower category, and keep our $800.00. So in the end, we had a CAT 11 deluxe inside. In our case, we spent very little time in the room. It was a little tight, but not what I was worried about, and not bad at all. These were not like the inside cabins on the Dream, however, so they did not have the porthole, and the layout of the room was different. And YES, I ended up doing what I thought I wouldn’t ever do, which is go with an inside room for a long cruise. However, I still am glad we did it, because I really think the value of the savings was worth it in the end – knowing that this change paid for my February cruise definitely was a positive plus in my mind. I don’t think we will go with inside rooms on long cruises again, despite the room working out alright, but that is mostly because I still really missed being able to see outside. I think I didn’t notice this as much on the Dream when we went as a couple in February b/c the virtual porthole gives you some light, and I don't think it would be as noticeable on The Fantasy either, for the same reason. The inside cabin room lay out is MUCH better in my opinion. Apparently DCL may be adding the virtual portholes to the Wonder and Magic. That would be great. Such an innovation for inside cabins! :thumbsup2

So as I mentioned, DH went to the cabin in advance, unpacked his luggage, took care of arranging our various items that we brought on board, like rum, sparkling wine, colada mix, the pirate costumes and all the FE gifts… never mind the mounds of shoes!! LOL! He did that while I lounged up on deck with the boys. About 3pm the boys and I headed down to the room, got out of our swim suits, and then all four of us went to meet up with my in laws in their cabin. I still had to unpack my suitcase, but DH had done the rest. I realize it might seem odd that he would volunteer to unpack all of this, even the boys’ clothes, but he likes organization. He isn’t a neat freak, but I have come to realize that it is actually kind of like a game for him, like a puzzle: how to make it all fit in a shoebox! You know: how to make 6 bags worth of stuff FIT and for it to be accessible for the duration of the trip. He is definitely one of those find a place for everything and everything in it’s place kind of guys. And you must know that I am not complaining!!!! :laughing: LOL!!! So at that point, we went up to visited for a short while my inlaws, in their veranda cabin, until the boat drill, and then headed back up on deck for the deck party! We had opened a bottle of sparkling wine that we all shared as well. This is a little blurry, but you'll see them in plenty of pictures during the week... ;)

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Ta-Da! Up on deck! Here are some shots of the boys running about:

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And a few of the Deck Party show...

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While on the deck, guess who decided to make an entrance at the party??!!

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See the CMs waving good bye?! Good bye terminal and land! We are off to sea! :goodvibes


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With dinner being at 5:45, we had to get back down to our cabin to get ready for dinner. Dinner was at Parrot Cay that first night, I chose a particular rotation, which, in the end I am not sure I would pick again, but since we will be on the Fantasy for our next 7 night cruise, things will be different anyhow. More about Parrot Cay and an end to a great first night! Coming up next!!!

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Stay tuned for the next update!!!
 
Looks like the trip got off to a great start! I've never cruised but have read several reports and have never even heard of no line at the terminal! What luck! :thumbsup2

There is definitely no counting of drinks on vacation!!!

Looking forward to more. One of these days I'm going to try a cruise. It sounds so fun!!
 
Yeah I thought it was "Drinks" of the day anyways..... :rolleyes1

I am an uber organizer when it comes to unpacking too....I can never wait to do it once I get to my room. ;)

Looking forward to dinner, the rest of your night and then where you wake up in the morning :goodvibes

Tracy
 
Wow! I had two updates to catch up on! Hurray! Hurray!

Love the picture of your son asleep at baggage claim -- I might have been, too, that late at night. LOL!

Woo hoo for having boarding number 4! That was perfect pixie dust to start the trip!

Can't wait to see the other holiday decoration pictures because the ones you took as you were boarding are super cool!

Yeah, it's hard to argue with an inside room when it pays for another cruise entirely! :thumbsup2

I like to have everything in its place, too, I must confess! :goodvibes

Fun Sail Away party!

(Pssst! By the way, I made a reservation today -- now it's your turn since Anita has hers and I have mine. :laughing:)

Oh, and Happy Happy Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have lots of fun celebrating today!!! party:
 
Looks like the trip got off to a great start! I've never cruised but have read several reports and have never even heard of no line at the terminal! What luck! :thumbsup2

There is definitely no counting of drinks on vacation!!!

Looking forward to more. One of these days I'm going to try a cruise. It sounds so fun!!

Oh no we didn't count drinks, trust me!!!! LOL!!!! :goodvibes Yes, it was a real surprise! I think it had to do with the timing... not sure. I will be curious to see how February goes... You would probably really like it C!


Yeah I thought it was "Drinks" of the day anyways..... :rolleyes1

I am an uber organizer when it comes to unpacking too....I can never wait to do it once I get to my room. ;)

Looking forward to dinner, the rest of your night and then where you wake up in the morning :goodvibes

Tracy

Yeah, I would say DRINKS is definitely more like it :) I like unpacking too, but if DH is going to do it, well, I will sit in a deck chair with my drink a little longer!!!

More coming up!!!

Looks like you had a fun first afternoon on the ship.
I definitely need to try DCL soon.


It is really a great time! With those cruises leaving from NY you should try one!!!! :thumbsup2


Wow! I had two updates to catch up on! Hurray! Hurray!

Love the picture of your son asleep at baggage claim -- I might have been, too, that late at night. LOL!

Woo hoo for having boarding number 4! That was perfect pixie dust to start the trip!

Can't wait to see the other holiday decoration pictures because the ones you took as you were boarding are super cool!

Yeah, it's hard to argue with an inside room when it pays for another cruise entirely! :thumbsup2

I like to have everything in its place, too, I must confess! :goodvibes

Fun Sail Away party!

(Pssst! By the way, I made a reservation today -- now it's your turn since Anita has hers and I have mine. :laughing:)

Oh, and Happy Happy Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have lots of fun celebrating today!!! party:

I read and I saw your ticker!!!! I HAVE mine already!!!! :laughing: It has been there for a few weeks!!!! I have to get rid of my Thanksgiving one, though!!! Yep, SUMMER is going to be so much fun!!!! I will put up some decorations for you to see tonight!!! :thumbsup2

And thank you! My B-Day has been fun! :goodvibes


It's already looking great to me - good food and a nice temperature. :thumbsup2


Yay for you, CP! :dance3:
I know that feels good.

It was a nice send off for certain! Sun and fun! AND yes, I am excited for CP too! We really are going to be at Disney together!!!! :yay:
 
So dinner that first night must have been a little bit of a blur for me, which is typical the first night of the cruise! I don't seem to have any pictures from dinner!!! To be honest, dinner was pretty uneventful, Parrot Cay is a fine restaurant, but I think I should have changed the rotation. At any rate, it was a nice meal, and though I didn't take photos, I did take some when we came back to our cabin, b/c our room attendant had turned down the beds, and I had taken these photos... of my towel art, too! Sunglasses and all! :laughing:

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This just made me smile... I LOVE Peter Pan. :goodvibes

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This pictures shows the bags that I reused this trip, as I said I had them made for our first cruise with the kids this past June, and so I just filled them again this time! :laughing:

So after dinner, we went to the show, which was fun, but we were really close to falling asleep. :faint: I must have taken a few photos that evening, as you can see from the busy lobby... It had been a busy and full day, and for some reason the first night of all my cruises have been early ones! SO we sat through half the show then headed back to the cabin to sleep! Look at all the neat decorations in the lobby!

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Of course he was waiting for us when we got back!!!

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Now, as I said the decorations were great fun, Here are a few of the Gingerbread house! Which was amazing! I took more, trust me !!! :goodvibes

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The next morning I went to the gym, then to the Cove Cafe for my first latte!!!! And then back to the room to get the boys. We headed up to get breakfast, here are some of the elevator ride photos I took!

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The beautiful tree!!! I have LOTS more of these too!!!!....

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So because we had Brunch scheduled for today, I took the boys to eat at the buffet, and then we headed to the kids club. I took them there, and then DH and I met my inlaws for brunch... I took a few photos before we went inside to check in at Palos...

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Now the weather this morning was very windy, being up on deck 11 (which is the highest deck) was very gusty... They hadn't put out the deck chairs at this point, but I think after brunch I noticed that they were starting too. On a sea day I would have thought this would be really important, to combat the fact that there are only so many seats on the pool deck below, but it didn't seem to be an issue. We decided to catch the mid-day performance of the stage show that afternoon, vs. that evening. And it was a perfect end to the afternoon. So, coming up next, Our FIRST Disney stage show this cruise, called Twice Charmed. All the photos I took will come in the next update!!! We had great seats, and I got some great photos!! The kids loved it... well,DS6 declared that he hated princesses, and princess stories, but of course was entirely enthralled as soon as it started.. :rolleyes: I really enjoyed this show, and can't wait to share it with you!

So I also notice I didn't have much to say about Palos brunch, but don't think I didn't care for it!! On the contrary, I will say it was amazing, the food and service, amazing, and I can't wait until February to have brunch again!!! :laughing:LOL!!!! I love the brunch. Dinner is great, but Brunch is fantastic. :thumbsup2

More coming up in the next update!!!
 
Mmmmm, I love Palo brunch too! So much to choose from, I wish we were going before June...
 
Oh boy! We have a cruise booked on the Fantasy next year as well, but earlier in November. You will have a great trip!!! The itinerary is Eastern or Western?
It is Eastern which I'm totally excited about since we haven't done the Eastern route in 15 years. However, they did change one stop from St. Maarten to Puerto Rico. So, I'm excited about that too. We get to see a new place. Plus, we'll have 3 sea days so that will be even better. More chance of getting Palo Brunch that I didn't get on the Dream (but there was only one sea day).
 
That gingerbread house is fantastic! I have decided that for my next job I want to make the gingerbread houses for all the Disney places. Not that I have a lick of talent when it comes to such things, but how fun would that be? :laughing:

The tree is gorgeous! Is it a real one? Did you notice?

Too funny that DS6 wanted nothing to do with princesses but then loved the show! So typical of kids. :lmao:
 
Mmmmm, I love Palo brunch too! So much to choose from, I wish we were going before June...
I am looking forward to it in February, let me tell you!!! LOL!!!

It is Eastern which I'm totally excited about since we haven't done the Eastern route in 15 years. However, they did change one stop from St. Maarten to Puerto Rico. So, I'm excited about that too. We get to see a new place. Plus, we'll have 3 sea days so that will be even better. More chance of getting Palo Brunch that I didn't get on the Dream (but there was only one sea day).

We have that itinerary in November booked! I am equally curious about Puerto Rico. Should be a great location! Brunch on the Dream 5 night this summer we could NOT get, but we got dinner. I agree it was harder to secure for some reason, maybe the time of year, not sure. Last Feb on the Dream we had it no problem.


That gingerbread house is fantastic! I have decided that for my next job I want to make the gingerbread houses for all the Disney places. Not that I have a lick of talent when it comes to such things, but how fun would that be? :laughing:

The tree is gorgeous! Is it a real one? Did you notice?

Too funny that DS6 wanted nothing to do with princesses but then loved the show! So typical of kids. :lmao:

I have nicer photos of the Gingerbread house and tree. I agree, how fun to be the architect! I don't know if it was real, I doubt it though, b/c I didn't see many people around there vacuming or cleaning, so I susupect they went with the artificial one!

The Christmas decorations are beautiful!
Can't wait to read more!

Lots more to share!!!!! :thumbsup2
 

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