Jan. 22- 29 , 2011 Western Caribean Cruise on the Disney Magic!!!

[Melissa&Shawn]

That sounds like so much fun!!! I worked for Ducati for 3 summers in college and loved it even though I never rode one before. DH wants a bike but we need to fix up the house first (and take Disney vacations!!!).

 

[clawmachine]

ME too!!
I just think he is pretty awesome.
I have been looking at tickets.
SO the show he does is pretty great?

YES! He gives you your money's worth for sure! I think there were like 6 costume changes, multiple special effects and dancers, and he was up at the front of the stage as much as possible doin his thing and making the crowds scream.
Some performers are a bit disappointing in person but I actually thought his voice sounded even better than on TV or CD!

 

[Lokkabear]

MAN! I just get back from a romantic anniversary weekend with hubby and have SO MUCH READING TO DO! I love it!

Let me start by saying WELCOME to the new friends joining our cruise!

Seating: I have no problems booking a huge table! We are second seating and I think wine will taste better with more people drinking it! Let me know what you need from me to get it worked out. Thanks for the invite Kelli and Dizzi!

Kelli: If you can't fit in your swimsuit it's your own fault for eating so much chocolate in one day....lol. I will be sure to bring you more Coffee Crisps for the cruise and Smarties for the kids. What did Bert like?

Weather: We are coming from roughly -30°C (-22°F) so I am sure we will find it quite warm no matter the temp but I am sure hoping to have weather in the 20°C-30°C (68°F-86°F).

Ok, now, just to make things easier on me, I would like to know everyone's real names. It is easier for me to assocciate real names rather than screen names. I am Christina but everyone calls me Chrisse(thats Chris, not Chrissy). I know Kelli from many days in the office bouncing emails back and forth trying to look productive...lol. Anyone else want to introduce themselves? so I don't have to try and figure it out from rereading everything?...lol Yes I am lazy. I just got home from a busy weekend and have already cleaned my hosue (20 yr old son dog and bird sat for me) and unpacked and started laundry!

Packing: I have now decided I have NO IDEA how many suitcases I need for the 4 of us...lol. I used my largest one this weekend and it was FULL. For a weekend! I think I am demoting my suitcases I have to the kids and buying some new ones. I am planning on doing some laundry onboard against my will so hope I can get away with a suitcase each for all of us. I am a compulsive overpacker!

Ok, it is late and I am tired! Work tomorrow so I will have ALL DAY to read up on what I missed...lol.

Chrisse

 

[Royfam]

did you say COFFEE CRISPS & SMARTIES? Those are my 2 most favorite candies ever!!!! (I was born in canada) we had friends over last night, one was from canada....we spent a good part of the night discussing what we love and miss from canada.

 

[Lokkabear]

LOL! Ok, now taking orders for Canadian Chocolate bars....

Coffe Crisps:
Smarties:
Aero:
Mint Aero:

Just remember.... the more chocolate I buy the less wine I get to buy cruising.... lol OMG! And the less clothes I can squish into a suitcase! I may have to rethink this one.... Maybe I should just do chocolate for FEs lol.

 

[FabFivePA]

Hey everyone!

Just checking in to say Hi.. looks like I have some catching up to do! We've had a crazy couple of weeks.

Two questions:
Anyone else traveling without passports?? I am very nervous to not have them, but the thought of over $500 for all of us, as me and DH need to renew ours, is really deterring me if it's not an absolutely necessity.

Anyone else "giving" the cruise to their kids for Christmas? Thinking of good ways to do this reveal Christmas morning!!

 

[SSR Lover]

Hey everyone!

Just checking in to say Hi.. looks like I have some catching up to do! We've had a crazy couple of weeks.

Two questions:
Anyone else traveling without passports?? I am very nervous to not have them, but the thought of over $500 for all of us, as me and DH need to renew ours, is really deterring me if it's not an absolutely necessity.

Anyone else "giving" the cruise to their kids for Christmas? Thinking of good ways to do this reveal Christmas morning!!

My husband and I have passports, but we are not getting them for the kids. We sailed this way on the Wonder last summer as well. I figure the worst that could happen is one of us has to stay behind on the ship with the kids if one of us has some sort of emergency at home.

We were going to try to keep the trip a surprise until we got there, but since friends will now be joining us and they are giving this to their kids for Christmas, we've decided to do it too. I was thinking about giving the kids some small gift boxes with cruise related things in them (sunscreen, sunglasses, maybe DCL pins) and each box will have a letter in it that they will need to form the words "Disney Cruise". I've also read on here somewhere that you could get a puzzle made with a photo of the ship that they can put together. Hopefully they don't figure anything out before then!!

 

[Lokkabear]

Well being from Canada we cannot go without passports.

The cruise is for Christmas for the kids even though they already know about it. They understand and expect nothing else but mom has other plans of course. Even bought Mickey/Minie watches for stockings stuffers! Even got one for myself, DH and eldest son(20) who wont be joining us!

Have a conference to go to this week in a different city which means..... NEW PLACES TO SHOP!!! I love finding new places with ideas for FEs and christmas for the kids. This cruise has become my obsession! I find myself reading the forums and forgetting my book!

BTW... I am eating an Aero bar right now! Mmmmmm... Canadian Chocolate!

 

[FabFivePA]

Thanks!
That's a good idea.. I think I will renew mine and Dh's and just to BC for the kids.

I LOVE the puzzle idea!! my kids love puzzles... this just may be it! THANK YOU!!!

 

[clawmachine]

Check www.artscow.com for photo puzzles. They will personalize just about anything and their prices are great. You can get coupon codes for tons of stuff on their site at retailmenot.com but also, once you create an artscow account, you will have coupon offers aleady "imbedded" in your profile. I've always been pleased with items I ordered from them.

Oh my goodness - I don't know how you guys keep the cruise a secret from your kids! We talk about it every single day! We do the same with our annual beach trip. Sounds like a lot of fun and a really special thing to do, though!

Colleen

 

[Lokkabear]

I am with you Colleen about keeping it a secret. I held out for almost 2 weeks! That was killing me though so I sweet talked HD into letting us tell the kids...lol. It was still a great suprise and they absolutely loved it!

Ok, so I packed the suit case I currently have for the next 5 days at a conference and..... IT BARELY FIT! I think I am coming home with new luggage!

 

[SSR Lover]

Check www.artscow.com for photo puzzles. They will personalize just about anything and their prices are great. You can get coupon codes for tons of stuff on their site at retailmenot.com but also, once you create an artscow account, you will have coupon offers aleady "imbedded" in your profile. I've always been pleased with items I ordered from them.

Oh my goodness - I don't know how you guys keep the cruise a secret from your kids! We talk about it every single day! We do the same with our annual beach trip. Sounds like a lot of fun and a really special thing to do, though!

Colleen

Thanks for that puzzle info. I'll have to check it out.

The funny thing is we talk about it almost every day, but the kids don't realize it. It's mostly hypothetical - "What you you like to do if you ever went to Mexico?" Apparantly, Jake's only request is to buy a churro. Or we ask what their favorite thing from our last cruise was. I think they will be really surprised. It is their #1 request that we take another Disney Cruise, but I told them that it is very expensive and I was trying to talk Daddy into it. They will be even more surprised that our good friends are going with us now.

I started picking up some FE gifts over the weekend and I'm hoping to get a handle on that before I have to start Christmas shopping. Next on my list is working on our door decorations. I tried fiddling with some artwork I found on the DISign thread, but I think I may have to ask the pros to help me out. I'm so glad we didn't book this cruise a year out or I think I'd go insane waiting for our sail date to roll around, I'm so excited.

Julianne

 

[ganandem]

I could not keep the cruise a secret, however, I am keeping it a secret that I upgraded us to a veranda from an inside cabin! Not even telling the hubby. We were in a cabin last year that was on the outside of the ship, but was a CAT 11 so no porthole or veranda. I dont think that he will even question it that our room is on the outside of the ship now! Now I just have to keep my excitement under control!
We are also cruising without passports. Have done this for the last 3 cruises, so I hope we are fine. My mom and mother-in-law will have theirs, but we do not. It has always been no problem at all.
I have also started buying for the fish extenders. Do we have any sort of boy/girl/ages breakdown started yet?

 

[Tinkerkell123]

I could not keep the cruise a secret, however, I am keeping it a secret that I upgraded us to a veranda from an inside cabin! Not even telling the hubby. We were in a cabin last year that was on the outside of the ship, but was a CAT 11 so no porthole or veranda. I dont think that he will even question it that our room is on the outside of the ship now! Now I just have to keep my excitement under control!
We are also cruising without passports. Have done this for the last 3 cruises, so I hope we are fine. My mom and mother-in-law will have theirs, but we do not. It has always been no problem at all.
I have also started buying for the fish extenders. Do we have any sort of boy/girl/ages breakdown started yet?

No way could I keep the entire cruise a secret! I am however keeping the fact that we upgraded from an inside cabin to a verandah. Even from the DH. I have decided to tell the fam that before we go to our cabin we have to stop by Lokkabear's and put a magnet on her door before she gets there. Then.... surprise!!! This is OUR cabin!!! I am REALLY hoping that the DH will love the verandah SO much he will rebook again. He says 2 years in a row is enough for now. We are doing WDW for the vacay after this one, but come on... cruises are awesome!!!

I do have an FE breakdown list, but I still need e-mails from the following people so I can send it to you:

Ganandem
Lisa46XX
boundfordisney

Also signed up so far:

Me
Lokkabear
Clawmachine
SSR Lover

If you don't see your name in the lists above and are planning on doing the FE, please PM me and let me know... Dizzi, I think you said you are interested?

Kelli

 

[Melissa&Shawn]

I forget who was cruising gluten free, but I just saw an article about it.....thought I would share....
http://www.passporter.com/articles/disney-cruise-line-gluten-free.php

 

[FabFivePA]

LOL the secret is more for selfish sanity reasons... the constant.. how many more days? When are we going? (are we there yet kind of tone) makes the wait SOO much longer for me. LOL
On our last WDW trip we surprised them with new suitcases and when they opened them each one had part of the sentence... "we're going to Disney World in 10 days." They flipped!
I am really loving this puzzle idea for this time... so thanks again!!

I hate to be a total party-pooper, but I think we are going to pass on the FE. Honestly I am just so overwhelmed with researching / planning this, our first cruise for any of us, remembering tips / how much, planning excursions, formal, semi, pirate, worried about driving weather, on and on. LOL I am having an absolute blast. But one more thing to remember, buy, and keep track of, etc, is just gonna put me over the edge and I am afraid of screwing up!! LOL
They sound like so much fun though... so once we get this cruise behind us and I'd love to do one in the future. Hope you guys have a great time with it!

 

[ganandem]

Tinkerbell 123 I love your idea for surprising your family. I may have to steal that one although I do not think that my husband will catch on to the room placement. I am also hoping that the veranda will help to put an end to our inside cabin days. Either way, I guess I will be happy if he just lets me rebook on board inside or outside

 

[dizzi]

def want to do the FE........

SO busy this week i couldnt even get on the boards..........

Willsend my info soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Calrissian13]

I've been meaning to post in this thread for a while now, but kept getting sidetracked...frustrating how life gets in the way of my dising.

Anyhoo, I wanted to say Hi, and share how excited I am to be going on this cruise! It will be my husband and I, and while we've taken two cruises on NCL, this will be our first Disney Cruise.

It's incredible we're even able to go on this cruise, but the opportunity kinda fell into our laps after being left with some non-refundable airfare that had to be used before May next year. The 25% off rate for Canadians cinched the deal, and I cannot wait for this cruise!

 

[clawmachine]

I've been meaning to post in this thread for a while now, but kept getting sidetracked...frustrating how life gets in the way of my dising.

Anyhoo, I wanted to say Hi, and share how excited I am to be going on this cruise! It will be my husband and I, and while we've taken two cruises on NCL, this will be our first Disney Cruise.

It's incredible we're even able to go on this cruise, but the opportunity kinda fell into our laps after being left with some non-refundable airfare that had to be used before May next year. The 25% off rate for Canadians cinched the deal, and I cannot wait for this cruise!

Welcome!!!! This is a really fun group here!

Colleen