January 18, 2013, A Magical 8 day western

[boatcrew]

How do you send us the stateroom changes? We don't have a smartphone so we will not have access to email.

 

[WeirdGirl]

We are booked for this cruise and can't wait!!

My mother passed away in 2011. She always wanted to do a big family cruise and we never did it. My Dad wants to make sure we do it now. He is treating my sister's family and my family to a cruise of a lifetime!! And, good news....we have added another family member.....my Dad will be bringing his new bride with us!! He will be getting married on 11/24, so this will be their Honeymoon too!

Here is our Cast of Characters:

Dad - Chuck
Dad's new bride - Sandy
Me - Ericka
Hubby - Frank
Son - Josh (22)
Daughter - Sophie (9)
Sister - Christina
BrotherInLaw - Mark
Nephew - Chris (20)
Niece - Katie (18)
Niece - Hannah (8)
Nephew - Austin (3)


This will be an awesome time of Celebration for us!

Oh...and we will be celebrating my Dad's birhtday on the cruise too! We're gonna treat him like a king!

 

[WeirdGirl]

Here's our info for the Fish Extender group (we have 2 staterooms):

Stateroom # 8016
Disboards = WeirdGirl
Email = Ericka.herrera @ cox.net (remove the spaces...only way I could post.)
Family =Herrera Family - Me-Ericka, Husband-Frank, Daughter-Sophie (9)
Cater Family - Sister- Christina, Husband- Mark, Daughter-Hannah (8), Son-Austin (3)

and

Stateroom # 8530
Disboards = WeirdGirl
Email = Ericka.herrera @ cox.net
Family =Groom and Birthday Boy Chuck, Bride Sandy, Grandson Josh (22), Granddaughter Katie (18), Grandson Chris (20)


Hope I did that right! I put my name and e-mail address for both rooms since I'll be organizing our efforts.

 

[couturegirl]

Any word on how many we have so far on the Fish Extender List? I'd like to get a jump on the items I'll be making for everyone. Thanks!

 

[boatcrew]

The spreadsheet shows 52 people; that does not include the post above yours that would add another 12 people for a total of 64.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

The spreadsheet shows 52 people; that does not include the post above yours that would add another 12 people for a total of 64.

Wow!! That's a lot so far and still with a few weeks for more people to join. I'm starting to worry about how many gifts we will have to bring since we are flying!! Do you think we might have to split into 2 groups?

 

[MelMtlk]

Our first cruise as a family and Nana and Papa are coming also. We are giving this as a Christmas gift to our kids. I am soo excited and a little nervous. We have two daughters 11 & 9 and a son 3. We really want it to be a family vacation and we love spending time with our kids. The thing I am most nervous about is....Are there a lot of Family activities? I know they have a lot for kids, but wasn't sure about the entire family???? Thanks for the info!

 

[couturegirl]

Our first cruise as a family and Nana and Papa are coming also. We are giving this as a Christmas gift to our kids. I am soo excited and a little nervous. We have two daughters 11 & 9 and a son 3. We really want it to be a family vacation and we love spending time with our kids. The thing I am most nervous about is....Are there a lot of Family activities? I know they have a lot for kids, but wasn't sure about the entire family???? Thanks for the info!

There are a ton of family activities! In your Navigator, the guide you get every night detailing what activities there are on the ship for the next day, they categorize them by who can participate. Family, or teens or adults only, etc...so you know ahead of time so you can plan your day. Most port adventures are for families too. There is even a family beach on Castaway Cay to enjoy the beach together!

My husband and I are the same way with our two boys. We would rather spend time with them, but trust me, knowing they are in good hands in the kids' clubs does give you those moments to decompress and do things with your spouse or your adult family members...and you don't have to worry about the kids being bored...you'll probably have to drag them out of the clubs kicking and screaming! lol (Well, you know, in a good way. )

 

[couturegirl]

The spreadsheet shows 52 people; that does not include the post above yours that would add another 12 people for a total of 64.

Fantastic!!! Thank you!!!

 

[MelMtlk]

This is our first cruise, so could someone help me with lingo....what is dd ds and the other initials...sorry for being clueless! Also, maybe interested in the fish extender....

 

[boatcrew]

I believe the letters stand for people in your family. dw - dear wife, dh - dear husband, ds - dear son, dd - dear daughter, dn - dear niece, etc.

 

[HippoHappy]

Hello all!!
We just booked this cruise today. My mom and I are doing a mother/daughter trip and we're pretty excited. My mom has never cruised and I have only been on one cruise (not Disney) this past September, so it'll be the first Disney cruise for both of us!

We would love to join the FE group, so here is our info:
Stateroom: ??? VGT
Disboards: HippoHappy
Email: tara678643 @yahoo .com (remove the spaces)
Family: Myself and my Mom(Patty)!

Can't wait!!

Tara

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Wow! It's been a hectic week this week. We made the 550 mile drive to my folks house on Wednesday. Will be in Alabama thru Thanksgiving. I happened to check-in on our meet thread and WHAM! We're growing! Woot!

I got the spreadsheet updated with our newest additions and corrections. Everyone keep an eye on the sheet and make sure I have your info correct.

Here's our info for the Fish Extender group (we have 2 staterooms):

Stateroom # 8016
Disboards = WeirdGirl
Email = Ericka.herrera @ cox.net (remove the spaces...only way I could post.)
Family =Herrera Family - Me-Ericka, Husband-Frank, Daughter-Sophie (9)
Cater Family - Sister- Christina, Husband- Mark, Daughter-Hannah (8), Son-Austin (3)

and

Stateroom # 8530
Disboards = WeirdGirl
Email = Ericka.herrera @ cox.net
Family =Groom and Birthday Boy Chuck, Bride Sandy, Grandson Josh (22), Granddaughter Katie (18), Grandson Chris (20)


Hope I did that right! I put my name and e-mail address for both rooms since I'll be organizing our efforts.

Gotcha added! I'll shoot you an email here in a few minutes with the link to the Google document so you can look the list over.

Welcome aboard!

The spreadsheet shows 52 people; that does not include the post above yours that would add another 12 people for a total of 64.

Lots of new additions! We're up to 20 staterooms with 70 people!

Wow!! That's a lot so far and still with a few weeks for more people to join. I'm starting to worry about how many gifts we will have to bring since we are flying!! Do you think we might have to split into 2 groups?

I think this is the biggest FE I've been part of yet! I definitely feel your concerns but not so much about the weight/baggage since we live so close to the port. I'm looking at overall cost. I wonder if you can box up your FE stuff and ship it down? I've done it at Port Canaveral twice. Not sure who you'd send to for the Galveston port. Hhhmmm...we can check into that.

Definitely if/when folks think it's time to split we can do that. Y'all tell me. I've only been part of 2 FEs. This is my first time as list-keeper.

Hello all!!
We just booked this cruise today. My mom and I are doing a mother/daughter trip and we're pretty excited. My mom has never cruised and I have only been on one cruise (not Disney) this past September, so it'll be the first Disney cruise for both of us!

We would love to join the FE group, so here is our info:
Stateroom: ??? VGT
Disboards: HippoHappy
Email: tara678643 @yahoo .com (remove the spaces)
Family: Myself and my Mom(Patty)!

Can't wait!!

Tara

Got you added to the list also. I'll send you the email with the link to the Google document as well. Be sure to let me know when your room assignment comes in so we can get your stateroom number listed. Welcome aboard!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Whatever everyone decides to do with regards to the FE list is fine with us. I'm kind of afraid to ship a box down there for fear it won't get there in time and also because of the cost to do so. . We are now rethinking our gift and will just bring something smaller. Thx!

 

[kriswin1]

i am Kris..first time cruiser. my husband and my two boys ages 12 and 8 are coming. we have friends coming as well with a 10 yr old boy and 12 yr old girl.

i know that the kids sail free rooms seem to be gone on this sailing. would they cancel if not enough people book?

also, do any of you happen to be homeschoolers?

 

[kriswin1]

please help me understand what the "gifts" are that you are referring to

 

[sweetpee_1993]

i am Kris..first time cruiser. my husband and my two boys ages 12 and 8 are coming. we have friends coming as well with a 10 yr old boy and 12 yr old girl.

i know that the kids sail free rooms seem to be gone on this sailing. would they cancel if not enough people book?

also, do any of you happen to be homeschoolers?

We're homeschoolers! We've got two boys, 16 & 15 years old, in 9th & 10th grades. This is only our 3rd year homeschooling but we wouldn't have it any other way now. It's been an incredible journey. We love it.

please help me understand what the "gifts" are that you are referring to

The "gifts" are part of the Fish Extender Exchange. Basically, outside the door of each stateroom there's a decorative metal fish that the cruise cast use to deliver any written materials to you such as confirmations for excursions, etc. You can also leave messages for other people in other staterooms by tucking a note into the "fish". Well, some time back someone on a Disboards cruise group made a hanging pocket organizer that they hung from the metal fish...hence the name "Fish Extender". It extends the function of the fish. LOL! A sort of gift exchange, kind of like a Secret Santa, was devised and it became a fun thing to leave each other little surprises or gifts. Here's some links to help with the explanation:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33184281&postcount=2

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1219607

The FE gifts can be anything as long as it fits. A lot of people really enjoy making little crafts and things to give. Some people do care packs of little items that might be useful on the cruise. Some people leave candy or other pre-packaged treats. Another fun spin is to give little gifts or trinkets that are representative of where you're from. The gift(s) can be anything. Here's a link to give you some ideas of homemade FE gifts:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2907032

There's really no set rules. You can do as much or as little as you'd like. You can do a single gift for the entire stateroom or individual gifts or both. You can deliver your gifts all at the same time or make more than one round to spread out your gift giving. It's up to you.

Basically, if you want to participate you give the FE List keeper (me! ) your information. I'd need your stateroom number, Disboards name, email address, and list of occupants for your stateroom. With kids you need to mention what gender & age for each so girls can get girl gifts, boys get boy gifts, and everything is age appropriate. I'm populating a spreadsheet with all the participants' info. We will be closing the list to new additions on December 2nd to give the participants time to finish prepping their gifts for the cruise with a firm headcount. Next, you'd need to think about making or buying a fish extender. You can look on Etsy & Ebay with the keywords "Fish Extender" and turn up all sorts of stuff. There's also threads here on Disboards to help you make one. There's no-sew options....including a duct tape design! Awesome! Get an idea of what gifts you want to give and get your gifts all ready for cruising. Be sure to print yourself a copy of the FE List before you leave home. You'll need that to know where to go and what to leave in each Fish Extender. Also, once onboard the ship, I generally try to wait until after the 1st dinner seating on the first night to get started making deliveries. Oftentimes during boarding stateroom numbers can change. As the list keeper it'll be my job to make sure any stateroom number changes that took place are distributed to everyone else on the list so they don't go to the wrong staterooms. And that's it. Place your fish extender out on your fish and have fun checking the pockets whenever you go in or out your door. It's fun!

Let me know if you decide to participate in the FE Exchange. Again, we'll be closing the list to new additions on December 2nd.

For your other questions, I'm not exactly sure what you were asking about the Kids Sail Free rooms on our cruise. Do you mean will they offer more rooms on the cruise with that discount? That I don't know. I don't think they'd cancel the cruise altogether for low bookings. But, again, not sure if that's what you were wanting to know.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Whatever everyone decides to do with regards to the FE list is fine with us. I'm kind of afraid to ship a box down there for fear it won't get there in time and also because of the cost to do so. . We are now rethinking our gift and will just bring something smaller. Thx!

The 2 times I shipped a box to myself on the Dream out of Port Canaveral I sent 12x12x12 boxes via USPS Priority. I shipped them like 8 days before sailing to give some extra time for them to arrive. I want to say the shipping was somewhere around $20 each time. It's hard to remember. You can always do some flat rate boxes, too. Not going to lie, both times I was a wreck until the boxes were in my hands in our stateroom. I had plenty of worst-case thoughts of having nothing to distribute to the others in the group. Or a fish extender to hang since I put that in our box to ship. LOL! If you want to ship something to me a week or 2 ahead of time I can bring it to you the night before we sail or try to coordinate to meet you at the port for embarkation. We live just 20 minutes from the port. What's another box or 2 in the trunk?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Talked to my TA/friend a little today about the FE List and when one should split. She said it's usually up to the people on the list when to do it. She also went on to say that she was part of a group that split once into 2 groups of 12 staterooms. She found that one to be kind of a dud in the end. Her favorite was the cruise she was on that had 150 staterooms on 1 list. She said that one was really cool because even tho the gifts might not have been as specialized or pricey but there was such a volume that every time they passed their FE it was spilling over with goodies.

I'll leave it up to all of y'all, tho. Lemme know!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

The 2 times I shipped a box to myself on the Dream out of Port Canaveral I sent 12x12x12 boxes via USPS Priority. I shipped them like 8 days before sailing to give some extra time for them to arrive. I want to say the shipping was somewhere around $20 each time. It's hard to remember. You can always do some flat rate boxes, too. Not going to lie, both times I was a wreck until the boxes were in my hands in our stateroom. I had plenty of worst-case thoughts of having nothing to distribute to the others in the group. Or a fish extender to hang since I put that in our box to ship. LOL! If you want to ship something to me a week or 2 ahead of time I can bring it to you the night before we sail or try to coordinate to meet you at the port for embarkation. We live just 20 minutes from the port. What's another box or 2 in the trunk?

Thank you so much for the offer. You're so sweet. I talked to my husband and we decided to just go for the gift that will take less room. Thank you again though!!