January 10-14 2010!!! 4 nights on the Wonder

[natale1980]

I'm glad everyone got what they wanted!

-nat

 

[HallsofVA]

I booked Palo for the 3rd night. I debated which night was best but my kids said Formal over Pirate... I hope that was the right thing. It will be great no matter what. I also booked the Catamaran sail and snorkel for Nassau. And since I'm the only one up booking things... I booked a massage for the morning of the sea day.

I would have picked that night (3rd night) too, from a menu and rotation perspective so I'm with your kids. But we ended up booking dinner for the 1st night because 1) brunch is only offered on the sea day, and I just can't do Palo twice in 1 day, and 2) Pirate night is the only opportunity for a Pirate menu on the Wonder. Since we're doing a B2B I'm hoping my kids won't have any problem spending a couple of hours in the OC the 1st night of the cruise.

 

[MASrules]

I had paid in full awhile back, but recently added transfers to ship. I paid this off, but had not looked at my reservation since then. I got on last night to prepare for the midnight planning, but noticed I had a $0.40 amount due on my account!!! I was amazed. Sent a quick e-mail to dreamsunlimited and went to bed, so no midnight brunch ressies.

Woke up early this AM (5am), already had and e-mail from Dreamsunlimited saying there was not any amount due. Palo Brunch still had all times available, picked 11am. Now I just have to decide whether or not to get a dinner as well sometime today. We have done dinner twice, really wanted to try the brunch this time. Don't want to miss pirate menu or really to miss any with the kids, so will probably not do a Palo dinner this time.

 

[NYhorsefarm-mom]

I heard Brunch was wonderful but we always hang out with the kids by the pool on sea days. I didn't want to stop and go get dressed for a nice meal... I will have to find out how it was from y'all. The hard part about dinner is I didn't want the kids to miss any great shows. I will have to look up the show schedule from a navigator. So much planning...

 

[AnnMarBill]

Oh Natale - tell your brother I am coming after him!!!!! We do not have passports - only birth certificates. We cruised a couple of years ago with no problem and are doing the same this trip!

 

[natale1980]

Oh Natale - tell your brother I am coming after him!!!!! We do not have passports - only birth certificates. We cruised a couple of years ago with no problem and are doing the same this trip!

LOL! I guess your referring to the 'My Brother is on CRACK' thread I started!
I don't know why he does stuff like that. But I'm glad it's all cleared up.. cause I can't afford passports for a family of four right now!!!

-nat

 

[mommy2paris]

So, in the interest of coversation, is everyone flying or are a few of you driving? We are driving this year for the first time, from Maryland. Should be an experience with two small kids. I will try almost anything once, so we'll see!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

So, in the interest of coversation, is everyone flying or are a few of you driving? We are driving this year for the first time, from Maryland. Should be an experience with two small kids. I will try almost anything once, so we'll see!

Hi mommy2paris, this will be the second time we're flying. We always drive from PA but since it's a short trip....no WDW after, like we usually do....then we'll just fly. It saves time and money for us since there's only me and DH. We got $59 rates one way/pp too.

One year we drove with the grandkids from PA. We made them run around a lot all day to tire them out, then we fed them a big heavy dinner late, then put them into travelling clothes and packed them into the car with pillows and blankets. They fell asleep like rocks and stayed that way while we drove through the night. When they woke up, we saw the signs for WDW and they realized where we were....we never told them beforehand. It worked beautifully.

 

[mommy2paris]

You aren't too far from us, about 3 1/2 hours. We have always flown, but this trip was "squeezed" in, and even with cheap rates, flying for the four of us plus the transfers topped out around $1000. That was more than we paid for the cruise, so we're going to "rough" it this time! We have thought of all different times to leave and plans, but I think in the interest of all of us surviving each other, we plan on leaving around 8 pm that night, and making as much of the drive as we can while the girls ( 2 & 4 yrs old) hopefully sleep!! I am even considering turning their car seats around "rear facing" like they do for infants, in hopes that they will rest better, since it lays back better that way. Both car seats are designed for either direction, Dh & I plan on resting for a few hours while my mom watches the girls before we leave. I figure we will be too excited to actually sleep, but a little down time before the drive will be good for us. I am a little nervous about driving at night, but we are totally prepared to stop over somewhere and get a room if we get too tired to drive safely. We plan on leaving Friday night and arriving sometime saturday afternoon, probably staying at a hotel where we can park & shuttle to the port. We are spending a few days at Disney before coming home. Though I must admit, we are not looking forward to the drive home...

 

[HallsofVA]

So, in the interest of coversation, is everyone flying or are a few of you driving? We are driving this year for the first time, from Maryland. Should be an experience with two small kids. I will try almost anything once, so we'll see!

I didn't realize you're in MD. We're in No. VA so you'll possibly pass us on your way down. But we are flying down. It helps that we're flying on Wednesday since we're doing the 3 day before this one, so we got cheaper flights.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

You aren't too far from us, about 3 1/2 hours. We have always flown, but this trip was "squeezed" in, and even with cheap rates, flying for the four of us plus the transfers topped out around $1000. That was more than we paid for the cruise, so we're going to "rough" it this time! We have thought of all different times to leave and plans, but I think in the interest of all of us surviving each other, we plan on leaving around 8 pm that night, and making as much of the drive as we can while the girls ( 2 & 4 yrs old) hopefully sleep!! I am even considering turning their car seats around "rear facing" like they do for infants, in hopes that they will rest better, since it lays back better that way. Both car seats are designed for either direction, Dh & I plan on resting for a few hours while my mom watches the girls before we leave. I figure we will be too excited to actually sleep, but a little down time before the drive will be good for us. I am a little nervous about driving at night, but we are totally prepared to stop over somewhere and get a room if we get too tired to drive safely. We plan on leaving Friday night and arriving sometime saturday afternoon, probably staying at a hotel where we can park & shuttle to the port. We are spending a few days at Disney before coming home. Though I must admit, we are not looking forward to the drive home...

Plan it the same way on the ride home. Yes, you have to give up your last night in the hotel...but it's worth it for an easy ride home. When DH John drives he listens to books on tape. When I drive it's music. Usually one of us sleeps and the other drives and we switch off. I just get behind a big truck that's making good time and follow him. We usually make it down there between 14-16 hours depending on stops.

MAKE SURE you don't go through any of the major cities, ie, DC and Richmond during rush hour....especially DC. You could get stuck for hours. Another reason why we travel overnight.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

I didn't realize you're in MD. We're in No. VA so you'll possibly pass us on your way down. But we are flying down. It helps that we're flying on Wednesday since we're doing the 3 day before this one, so we got cheaper flights.

Hi HallsofVA, does doing a 3 night 4 night B2B cost less than doing a 7 night? I'm just curious.

 

[NYhorsefarm-mom]

So, in the interest of coversation, is everyone flying or are a few of you driving? We are driving this year for the first time, from Maryland. Should be an experience with two small kids. I will try almost anything once, so we'll see!

We are driving down from NY. We have done the overnight driving thing but neither of us like it. We feel wiped out the next day. We ususally get a very early start. Our kids are fairly good about entertaining themselves and it helps to have a DVD player and lots of snacks. We planned on stoping in a hotel somewhere along the way and then parking at the port. We are staying another 3 days in FL after the cruise to visit Grandpa.

 

[HallsofVA]

Hi HallsofVA, does doing a 3 night 4 night B2B cost less than doing a 7 night? I'm just curious.

Not generally, but the kids sail free offer gets it close or has the potential to be cheaper. We booked everything about a month or so ago. We're doing a 7 night Western in December. The cat 12 price for us was $2600 (we transferred an onboard ressie keeping the $200 OBC but lost the 10% discount by booking a Cat 12). Our 3 night 1/7 in a Cat 6 GTY with kids free is $1550 something, and the 4 night 1/10 in a Cat 8 is $1450 or so. So just about $3000 for the b2b we're doing, and we're sailing in better cabins. But back to backs are generally more efficient than doing 2 cruises separately because for us it's 1 RT flight, 1 pre-cruise hotel stay and 1 set of transfers.

On a per-night basis, 3 and 4 day cruises are generally more expensive than the longer cruises. In fact, the per person/per night cost for our january cruises is much higher than either the 2010 or 2011 Westbound Transatlantic.

 

[natale1980]

On a per-night basis, 3 and 4 day cruises are generally more expensive than the longer cruises. In fact, the per person/per night cost for our january cruises is much higher than either the 2010 or 2011 Westbound Transatlantic.

WOW! maybe I should forget this cruise and do a Transatlantic. I'll just tell my DH it's cheaper! Think it will work?

I just got my paid if full receipt in the mail!
Now I just have to finish convincing my parents to come with us. Their cruise is still booked - just not paid in full. I told them I would even pay for their Disney Stay with my DVC points. I'm not sure what there is to think about!!! They need to just bite the bullet and come with!!!

So has anyone else done any FE shopping? I have!!! It's so much fun! The trip is going to be here before we know it!!!

-nat

 

[HallsofVA]

WOW! maybe I should forget this cruise and do a Transatlantic. I'll just tell my DH it's cheaper! Think it will work?

So has anyone else done any FE shopping? I have!!! It's so much fun! The trip is going to be here before we know it!!!

-nat

Nah, don't forget this cruise. Just use it as a great opportunity to rebook for one of the Transatlantic cruises, then you'll save 10% and get a great onboard credit.

Just for reference, here are some comparative prices for our family of 2A/2K, for some of the cruises that we've booked or have looked at. I've calculated the net price after the highest OBC I could find from a TA at the time. I took the total cost of the cruise, with no transfers or insurance, subtracted out any OBC from DCL and TAs, then divided by the # of people and the # of nights of the cruise. These prices don't include the 10% rebooking discount and OBC unless specifically noted so prices could potentially lower if you rebook onboard. I've also highlighted in blue these 2 B2B cruises so you can see where they fall on the relative cost per night perspective.

09/10/11 14-nt WB Transatlantic - $75.55/pp/nt, $4455.73 total 2A/2K, Cat 10A secret porthole room
09/18/10 14-nt WB Transatlantic - $80.33/pp/nt, $4798.20 total (net of 10% discount), Cat 8 GTY
09/10/11 14-nt WB Transatlantic - $81.62/pp/nt, $4795.73 total, Cat 9C
12/12/09 7-nt Western Caribbean - $87.34/pp/nt, $2645.60 total (net of 10% discount, Cat 12 GTY
01/10/10 4-nt Bahamas (this cruise!) - $88.29/pp/nt, $1487.69 total w/Kids Free, Cat 8
05/05/10 10-nt Med Cruise - $89.16/pp/nt, $3841.20 total w/kids free, Cat 12 GTY
04/17/11 10-nt Mexican Riviera easter cruise - $106.52/pp/nt, $4485.80 total, Cat 10A Secret Porthole room
04/17/11 10-nt Mexican Riviera easter cruise - $118.02/pp/nt, $4945.80 total, Cat 9C
01/07/10 3-nt Bahamas - $118.56/pp/nt, $1547.68 total w/Kids Free, Cat 6 GTY

 

[natale1980]

I did the math for our room too.
We booked a cat 12.
So our per night per person is only $59.18 I guess I'll stay on this boat! (I was never really going to leave... although a long cruise sounds AWESOME!! and I am very jealous!!!!)

So I thought it would be fun to post some pictures from past cruises.
Here is Shawn and Skylar from last January... it got VERY cold!!!

We ended up missing Castaway Cay due to the wind. It's funny because going to Castaway Cay no longer seems like a guarantee to us. 3 cruises and only one stop at Castaway must be the reason. BUT we still continue to cruise with Disney because the ROCK!

Here's a video from that day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DkiZ1YSQPE

I would just like to apologize in advance if we don't make it to Castaway Cay. I take full responsibility Something about us on that boat makes the waves act up.

We are so dressed up here... you would think we were on the Alaska Cruise!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

We are driving down from NY. We have done the overnight driving thing but neither of us like it. We feel wiped out the next day. We ususally get a very early start. Our kids are fairly good about entertaining themselves and it helps to have a DVD player and lots of snacks. We planned on stoping in a hotel somewhere along the way and then parking at the port. We are staying another 3 days in FL after the cruise to visit Grandpa.

I understand what you're saying. We mostly did that when the grandkids were little and we were a lot younger. We still prefer to drive instead of fly, but just DH drives now and we always stop overnight at a hotel and get a fresh start the next morning. It's a lot easier on you. Besides we always take the first day off when we arrive. We use it for settling in. We stay in a suite off property in the DTD area. We stock up on groceries and alcohol and then hit the pool. We start running around the Parks the following morning at open. We have just gotten used to this routine and prefer it.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Not generally, but the kids sail free offer gets it close or has the potential to be cheaper. We booked everything about a month or so ago. We're doing a 7 night Western in December. The cat 12 price for us was $2600 (we transferred an onboard ressie keeping the $200 OBC but lost the 10% discount by booking a Cat 12). Our 3 night 1/7 in a Cat 6 GTY with kids free is $1550 something, and the 4 night 1/10 in a Cat 8 is $1450 or so. So just about $3000 for the b2b we're doing, and we're sailing in better cabins. But back to backs are generally more efficient than doing 2 cruises separately because for us it's 1 RT flight, 1 pre-cruise hotel stay and 1 set of transfers.

On a per-night basis, 3 and 4 day cruises are generally more expensive than the longer cruises. In fact, the per person/per night cost for our january cruises is much higher than either the 2010 or 2011 Westbound Transatlantic.

I can't for the life of me figure out why that is...popularity??? Higher demand??? It doesn't make any sense to me. The 3 and 4 nights should be the lowest cost.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Nah, don't forget this cruise. Just use it as a great opportunity to rebook for one of the Transatlantic cruises, then you'll save 10% and get a great onboard credit.

Just for reference, here are some comparative prices for our family of 2A/2K, for some of the cruises that we've booked or have looked at. I've calculated the net price after the highest OBC I could find from a TA at the time. I took the total cost of the cruise, with no transfers or insurance, subtracted out any OBC from DCL and TAs, then divided by the # of people and the # of nights of the cruise. These prices don't include the 10% rebooking discount and OBC unless specifically noted so prices could potentially lower if you rebook onboard. I've also highlighted in blue these 2 B2B cruises so you can see where they fall on the relative cost per night perspective.

09/10/11 14-nt WB Transatlantic - $75.55/pp/nt, $4455.73 total 2A/2K, Cat 10A secret porthole room
09/18/10 14-nt WB Transatlantic - $80.33/pp/nt, $4798.20 total (net of 10% discount), Cat 8 GTY
09/10/11 14-nt WB Transatlantic - $81.62/pp/nt, $4795.73 total, Cat 9C
12/12/09 7-nt Western Caribbean - $87.34/pp/nt, $2645.60 total (net of 10% discount, Cat 12 GTY
01/10/10 4-nt Bahamas (this cruise!) - $88.29/pp/nt, $1487.69 total w/Kids Free, Cat 8
05/05/10 10-nt Med Cruise - $89.16/pp/nt, $3841.20 total w/kids free, Cat 12 GTY
04/17/11 10-nt Mexican Riviera easter cruise - $106.52/pp/nt, $4485.80 total, Cat 10A Secret Porthole room
04/17/11 10-nt Mexican Riviera easter cruise - $118.02/pp/nt, $4945.80 total, Cat 9C
01/07/10 3-nt Bahamas - $118.56/pp/nt, $1547.68 total w/Kids Free, Cat 6 GTY

Were they all calculated at the same time of year too? Sometimes that will change the pricing. Thank you for putting this together. When you look at it in that perspective it's a real eye opener. The 3 nights are the most expensive. Who would have thought, but it's also a cat 6. I guess everything is relative.