Jammin' to Jamaica - Aug 30 2014 ~ Fantasy ~ 7-Night Western

[TinkerMama88]

So, we are: Josh, Bridget and the girls Becca (13 at the time of sailing) plays lacrosse and field hockey, Anna (11) theater and volleyball, Elaina (10) soccer and field hockey and Karina (6) lacrosse. We are from the Baltimore area and LOVE our Ravens and Orioles

Hey! We are from Baltimore County! Although as a native New Englander I do not share your love for Baltimore sports... Pats, Bruins, C's and Sox all day!!!

Anyways- Welcome!

Should be a fun cruise!

 

[2manyprincesses]

Hey! We are from Baltimore County! Although as a native New Englander I do not share your love for Baltimore sports... Pats, Bruins, C's and Sox all day!!!

Anyways- Welcome!

Should be a fun cruise!

I'm sure we can get along despite our differences! haha

A question for you: Are you planning to fly or drive? I would like to save the estimated $1200 - 1800 in airfare tickets for fun on the boat but am worried about the kids missing more days of school than they need to... your thoughts?

Also it looks like we will both have 6yo girls on the cruise. Hopefully they can connect in the club and have some fun together.

 

[TinkerMama88]

A question for you: Are you planning to fly or drive? I would like to save the estimated $1200 - 1800 in airfare tickets for fun on the boat but am worried about the kids missing more days of school than they need to... your thoughts?

Also it looks like we will both have 6yo girls on the cruise. Hopefully they can connect in the club and have some fun together.

I was just weighing the options tonight actually. I think we are leaning towards flying. We usually take the Auto Train and we love it, but we do want to minimize the time away from school since it will be September. I think the savings of driving rises with the more people you have. For us its just 3 tickets since DS can ride on a lap. Unless, of course tickets are then we will be heading down I-95!

The drive isn't too bad. I could see leaving Friday Mid-Day and doing 9 hrs to Savannah, Ga. Sleeping there and then waking up at 7 to arrive at the Port at 11am. That way its only an additional half day they are missing. We still might do that if the ticket prices aren't reasonable.

It would be nice if the girls connect in the club since my DD has already declared she will be spending a good amount of time there! Apparently me and DH are "embarrassing" and her brother is "boring...and so it begins...

 

[LiseG]

2manyprincesses

Josh, Bridget and the girls DD13 Becca and DD11 Anne and DD10 Elaina.

You're going thave a blast!

I will add you to the cruisers list. I think your girls will love the FE

There is a KIDS ONLY threads your girls should check out. The link is on the first post. Our DD Sabrina turns 13 tomorrow. She would love to meet them on the DIS. Sabrinà plays volleyball too

 

[UK mum of 4]

Hi, we've just booked on this cruise and its our first time
It will be me, DH, DS (9), DS (7), DS (4) and DD (2) but its a surprise for them all!!
Does anyone else have children of similar ages? Also what is FE? (Completely new to this!) anything else you think I should know?
Very excited

 

[LiseG]

UK mum of 4

A surprise for the whole family...how wonderful

Look at post #1 for a list of cruisers who have checked in so far. There are plenty of children of similar ages... your kids will have a great time in the clubs. Where are you from? Any birthdays or other celebration?

FE is a gift exchange like a secret Santa. Many of the cruisers on our cruise have joined the FE and will exchange gifts by placing them in special holders hung in front of the participant's cabin door. You'll learn more about the FE as you read through the posts on our thread.

Feel free to ask lots of questions. We'll love to help you ... without too many spoilers

 

[UK mum of 4]

UK mum of 4

A surprise for the whole family...how wonderful

Look at post #1 for a list of cruisers who have checked in so far. There are plenty of children of similar ages... your kids will have a great time in the clubs. Where are you from? Any birthdays or other celebration?

FE is a gift exchange like a secret Santa. Many of the cruisers on our cruise have joined the FE and will exchange gifts by placing them in special holders hung in front of the participant's cabin door. You'll learn more about the FE as you read through the posts on our thread.

Feel free to ask lots of questions. We'll love to help you ... without too many spoilers

Thank you, it's also my husband and my anniversary at the beginning of October so we are going to celebrate that as well.
We are spending 10 nights at WDW staying at AKV before the cruise but with none of the family knowing about the cruise I've got to try and pack formal wear and pirate outfits for 6 people without anyone noticing and keep it hidden whilst at WDW!!!
We are from a small village in Cheshire, (Where the cat comes from ) in the north of England.
FE gifts- are they something small that is disney related, the same for everyone (so I buy 1 gift x the number of people) or do I buy more specific gifts for the different people?

We will definitely get involved with the FE, it looks like great fun.
Our cabin # 6050 and 6052
Dis name UK Mum of 4
Family name Carswell
Jennie favourite character Minnie mouse, favourite colour pink,
Phil favourite character Goofy favourite colour red
DS Mackenzie 9 favourite character Mickey favourite colour Green
DS Morgan 7 favourite character lightening mcqueen favourite colour Orange
DS Reuben 4 favourite character sulley favourite colour blue
DD Ffion 2favourite character Minnie Mouse favourite colour pink

 

[CarolyninCO]

Hi, we've just booked on this cruise and its our first time
It will be me, DH, DS (9), DS (7), DS (4) and DD (2) but its a surprise for them all!!
Does anyone else have children of similar ages? Also what is FE? (Completely new to this!) anything else you think I should know?
Very excited

Hi UK Mum!
My daughter Sofie will be 4 when we cruise. Since she's an only child, I'm hoping she'll make some connections with other little ones in this group. Sometimes mom and dad are boring.

Carolyn

 

[UK mum of 4]

Hi UK Mum!
My daughter Sofie will be 4 when we cruise. Since she's an only child, I'm hoping she'll make some connections with other little ones in this group. Sometimes mom and dad are boring.

Carolyn

My son Reuben will also be 4 when we cruise and despite having 2 big brothers (or maybe because of it) he much prefers to make friends with girls. X
I'm so excited about this cruise, it's going to be a long year of planning!!! Already started looking at FE gifts!

 

[CarolyninCO]

My son Reuben will also be 4 when we cruise and despite having 2 big brothers (or maybe because of it) he much prefers to make friends with girls. X
I'm so excited about this cruise, it's going to be a long year of planning!!! Already started looking at FE gifts!

Sofie gravitates toward the boys, much to my husband's dismay. He's going to be a mess when she's 16.

 

[CarolyninCO]

LiseG: I am going back and forth about the FE exchange (I haven't signed up yet.)
I looove the idea, and I know Sofie will enjoy giving and getting little gifts.

Did I read here or on the FB page that there will be a discussion later about whether to break the list up into smaller groups? I am wondering how many people will be on the list, as well as my ability (or, actually, it's my inability) to be creative.

Thanks so much!
Carolyn

 

[Dis_Yoda]

For the FE - my room number is 12010, & my husband's name is Shaun.

 

[LiseG]

Thank you, it's also my husband and my anniversary at the beginning of October so we are going to celebrate that as well.
We are spending 10 nights at WDW staying at AKV before the cruise but with none of the family knowing about the cruise I've got to try and pack formal wear and pirate outfits for 6 people without anyone noticing and keep it hidden whilst at WDW!!!
We are from a small village in Cheshire, (Where the cat comes from ) in the north of England.
FE gifts- are they something small that is disney related, the same for everyone (so I buy 1 gift x the number of people) or do I buy more specific gifts for the different people?

We will definitely get involved with the FE, it looks like great fun.
Our cabin # 6050 and 6052
Dis name UK Mum of 4
Family name Carswell
Jennie favourite character Minnie mouse, favourite colour pink,
Phil favourite character Goofy favourite colour red
DS Mackenzie 9 favourite character Mickey favourite colour Green
DS Morgan 7 favourite character lightening mcqueen favourite colour Orange
DS Reuben 4 favourite character sulley favourite colour blue
DD Ffion 2favourite character Minnie Mouse favourite colour pink

Anniversary Trip sounds great... There are a number of couple celebrating on our cruise. We'll be celebrating our 20th Anniversary the day Fantasy is in Jamaica!

Hiding formal wear and pirate outfits… that’s going to be interesting. I smuggled a suitcase full of costumes for Sabrina a couple years. I’m lucky. If I tell my hubby “don’t ask,” he doesn’t. Chuck loves surprises and never wants to spoil them. I could just say don’t looking those cases… and he wouldn’t . These days I think I’d put a little travel lock on the suitcase to keep DD13 Sabrina from peeking.

I'll add you to the FE list. How you go about the giving is up to you. KIDS: Generally one gift per kid (gift appropriate for their age/gender). Maybe choose something that works for most, but likely you'll pick something good for the toddlers and different ones for other age groups. ADULTS: Usually one per person or go with one family gift. Of course Disney items are great. I personally love getting gifts tied to the state or country people are from. A fun DISfamily from Australia brought a special Australian candy and little koala clippies. Whatever you find to be fun… we will too!

Lise

 

[LiseG]

LiseG: I am going back and forth about the FE exchange (I haven't signed up yet.)
I looove the idea, and I know Sofie will enjoy giving and getting little gifts.

Did I read here or on the FB page that there will be a discussion later about whether to break the list up into smaller groups? I am wondering how many people will be on the list, as well as my ability (or, actually, it's my inability) to be creative.

Thanks so much!
Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

Yes, I'm sure Sofie would love it. Sabrina did at her age and still does

Don’t worry about the FE gifts. I bet you will happen across an idea in the next 6-8 months... for me it just clicks at some point as we get closer. You can also look at the FE threads here on the DIS for tons of ideas.

As far as a size, our 2009 and 2012 cruises only had one FE. The list never got so big that it was closed early and a second FE started. Other cruises have multiple FEs. In 2012, the FE had 30 cabins, 84 individuals (55 adults - 34W, 21M; 28 kids - 18G, 10B). In 2009, it was smaller. Our current FE list is 21 cabins, 64 individuals (41 adults - 22W, 19M; 23 kids - 14G, 9B)*

Being that we have so many participants already, and there are still 11 months to go, I think we should look at target number of cabins to close the first FE, then let the later arrivals be on the second FE. To me this is better than devising a way to slice up the group. This keeps those of us who have been chatting for weeks and months together. I know Sabrina would be beyond disappointed if her longtime KIDS ONLY DIS friends were placed in a different FE.

What does anyone else think???

*NOTE: This is a working number as some families haven't provided their family details yet. When one family is in connecting cabins, I'm considering that one cabin as there would only be one family gift.

 

[UK mum of 4]

Hi Carolyn,

Yes, I'm sure Sofie would love it. Sabrina did at her age and still does

Don’t worry about the FE gifts. I bet you will happen across an idea in the next 6-8 months... for me it just clicks at some point as we get closer. You can also look at the FE threads here on the DIS for tons of ideas.

As far as a size, our 2009 and 2012 cruises only had one FE. The list never got so big that it was closed early and a second FE started. Other cruises have multiple FEs. In 2012, the FE had 30 cabins, 84 individuals (55 adults - 34W, 21M; 28 kids - 18G, 10B). In 2009, it was smaller. Our current FE list is 21 cabins, 64 individuals (41 adults - 22W, 19M; 23 kids - 14G, 9B)*

Being that we have so many participants already, and there are still 11 months to go, I think we should look at target number of cabins to close the first FE, then let the later arrivals be on the second FE. To me this is better than devising a way to slice up the group. This keeps those of us who have been chatting for weeks and months together. I know Sabrina would be beyond disappointed if her longtime KIDS ONLY DIS friends were placed in a different FE.

What does anyone else think???

*NOTE: This is a working number as some families haven't provided their family details yet. When one family is in connecting cabins, I'm considering that one cabin as there would only be one family gift.

Yes that sounds good to me, it also means if it gets big and we close to start a second then we can have the numbers sooner to start crafting.

 

[KJTY]

Hi, we've just booked on this cruise and its our first time
It will be me, DH, DS (9), DS (7), DS (4) and DD (2) but its a surprise for them all!!
Does anyone else have children of similar ages? Also what is FE? (Completely new to this!) anything else you think I should know?
Very excited

My son will also be 4 on the cruise.

 

[KJTY]

Hi Carolyn,

Yes, I'm sure Sofie would love it. Sabrina did at her age and still does

Don’t worry about the FE gifts. I bet you will happen across an idea in the next 6-8 months... for me it just clicks at some point as we get closer. You can also look at the FE threads here on the DIS for tons of ideas.

As far as a size, our 2009 and 2012 cruises only had one FE. The list never got so big that it was closed early and a second FE started. Other cruises have multiple FEs. In 2012, the FE had 30 cabins, 84 individuals (55 adults - 34W, 21M; 28 kids - 18G, 10B). In 2009, it was smaller. Our current FE list is 21 cabins, 64 individuals (41 adults - 22W, 19M; 23 kids - 14G, 9B)*

Being that we have so many participants already, and there are still 11 months to go, I think we should look at target number of cabins to close the first FE, then let the later arrivals be on the second FE. To me this is better than devising a way to slice up the group. This keeps those of us who have been chatting for weeks and months together. I know Sabrina would be beyond disappointed if her longtime KIDS ONLY DIS friends were placed in a different FE.

What does anyone else think???

*NOTE: This is a working number as some families haven't provided their family details yet. When one family is in connecting cabins, I'm considering that one cabin as there would only be one family gift.

I think that sounds good. I would like to start getting things done. I'm new and need extra time for errors. I don't even have my fe extender yet. Where is the best place to get one? Also one cabin will be designated for my cousin and her family. We will each be giving fe gifts.

 

[LiseG]

I think that sounds good. I would like to start getting things done. I'm new and need extra time for errors. I don't even have my fe extender yet. Where is the best place to get one? Also one cabin will be designated for my cousin and her family. We will each be giving fe gifts.

You can find instructions to make an FE here on the DIS. If you'd like to buy an FE, check out Etsy or eBay

Do you know which family will be in which cabin? Some FE folks like to organize and pre-package their gifts by cabin #.

I've never been quite that organized. I work it more like Santa when I get to a door I check my list... ahh Cabin 2014 - DH Bill, DW Sue and DS2 Mikey. Then I reach into my bags for a lady's gift for Sue, a man's gift for Bill and the baggie with the gifts for the toddler boys for just right thing for little Mikey. So far I've come out OK

 

[LiseG]

We are spending 10 nights at WDW staying at AKV before the cruise but with none of the family knowing about the cruise I've got to try and pack formal wear and pirate outfits for 6 people without anyone noticing and keep it hidden whilst at WDW!!!

Hi Jennie,

Last night DH Chuck said, "Why doesn't she send her secret items directly to the ship?" I emailed DCL to find out the options and here's the answer...

9/25/13

Dear Lise,

Thank you for choosing a Disney Cruise Line vacation!

I would be happy to provide information regarding packages, boxes, and gift delivery to Port Canaveral.

Items that cannot be delivered to the ship include: food products (all and any food products), baby food/formula (unless shipped through Babies Travel Lite), beverages (liquor, water, etc.), chemicals and luggage.
These items will not be accepted at the warehouse and will be returned.

Please be aware, due to Customs Regulations, you will not be able to arrange delivery from the ship to your home residence.

The items must arrive by the following time frame:
-If the cruise is sailing on a Saturday or Sunday, then the package must arrive by 3:00pm on Friday.
-If the cruise is sailing on a weekday (e.g. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday), then the package must arrive by 3:00pm the day before the cruise.

Please ensure the following information is on the package being delivered:

*Name
*Sail Date
*Ship
*Stateroom Number
*Packing slip that details contents of the package (for prescriptions, a copy of the prescription is sufficient)

Packages may be sent to the following address:
Disney Cruise Line Warehouse
C/O Ship Name, Guest Name, Stateroom, Sail Date
8633 Transport Drive
Orlando, FL 32832
Phone: 407-566-8196
Fax: 407-566-3505

Lise, I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to sailing with you and your family!

Have a Magical Day!

JJ
Email Communications Agent
Disney Cruise Line

*If applicable, please include your full name, reservation number, and phone number on all correspondence.

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and should be confirmed just prior to your sailing.

My DH is always full of great ideas... especially when making life magic!

 

[UK mum of 4]

Hi Jennie,

Last night DH Chuck said, "Why doesn't she send her secret items directly to the ship?" I emailed DCL to find out the options and here's the answer...

9/25/13

Dear Lise,

Thank you for choosing a Disney Cruise Line vacation!

I would be happy to provide information regarding packages, boxes, and gift delivery to Port Canaveral.

Items that cannot be delivered to the ship include: food products (all and any food products), baby food/formula (unless shipped through Babies Travel Lite), beverages (liquor, water, etc.), chemicals and luggage.
These items will not be accepted at the warehouse and will be returned.

Please be aware, due to Customs Regulations, you will not be able to arrange delivery from the ship to your home residence.

The items must arrive by the following time frame:
-If the cruise is sailing on a Saturday or Sunday, then the package must arrive by 3:00pm on Friday.
-If the cruise is sailing on a weekday (e.g. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday), then the package must arrive by 3:00pm the day before the cruise.

Please ensure the following information is on the package being delivered:

*Name
*Sail Date
*Ship
*Stateroom Number
*Packing slip that details contents of the package (for prescriptions, a copy of the prescription is sufficient)

Packages may be sent to the following address:
Disney Cruise Line Warehouse
C/O Ship Name, Guest Name, Stateroom, Sail Date
8633 Transport Drive
Orlando, FL 32832
Phone: 407-566-8196
Fax: 407-566-3505

Lise, I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to sailing with you and your family!

Have a Magical Day!

JJ
Email Communications Agent
Disney Cruise Line

*If applicable, please include your full name, reservation number, and phone number on all correspondence.

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and should be confirmed just prior to your sailing.

My DH is always full of great ideas... especially when making life magic!

When they say luggage do you think they just mean suitcases rather than the contents?
If I were to send a parcel of formal wear and costumes do you think they would count that as luggage and return it or would they accept it?
I think it's a great idea. Thank you