January 28, 2007, 4 nights on the WONDER

[stampinshauna]

Some of the excursions at Castaway Cay may fill up before you get there (like Stingrays, Parasailing, tours, etc). Things like paddleboats, tubes, bicycles, kayaks, snorkeling, etc you can just sign up for during the day.

You may want to call DCL about the cabana massage, I'm thinking you should be able to reserve that ahead of time and maybe it is full (but they may have spaces available once you board the ship, just check with the excursion desk ASAP).

As far as Palo, don't cancel your ressie. Just wait until you check in and get your rotation schedule. If Animator's is on the second night, go to where they do Palo ressies as soon as you board the ship and you should be okay to switch the reservation. They save some ressies for booking once on board and others may be switching theirs as well.

 

[ArmandXG]

Hello all,
I'm just lurking, checking out what the discussion is for the day. DH and I are still reliving our wonderful Halloween trip (10-28 to 11-04). My friend Serena, her DH (Ken) and DS (Kyle, 7) will be joing you on this cruise. Do you have a DISmeet set up or t-shirts or wrist bands so you can spot each other in the port terminal? I keep telling DF to check out the DISboards but she only has dial-up connection and has problems with her computer. We are helping her out the best we can. She really needs to log on and meet you all. I told her that she couldn't meet a nicer group of people than the ones she finds on the DISboards
I hope you don't mind if I peek in on occasion...just to relay some info to DF. I do hope that you all have a safe and wonderful trip. If it's on a Disney ship, how bad can it be!?

 

[ArmandXG]

We don't have anything planned for the Castaway Cay day. I had read that you can wait until you are there to see what looks fun and then sign up. I did want to do one of the open air cabana massages but didn't see any pre-registration on that. I think you have to wait to get onboard to sign up for that one (correct me if I'm wrong here).

I have second seating for dinner, also. I was worried about eating so late (being over hungry and/or having tired kids), but I think it will be ok. There's so much food available to you all day (it seems), that we'll just take a late lunch so we're not famished by 8:15.

The only question I had was this... I made reservations for DH and I to go to Palo the second night. I read somewhere that the order of the restaurants is given to you when you board. What if I like the assigned restaurant for that evening? I wouldn't want to miss the Animators Palate with the kids. But I don't want to wait until I board to reserve Palo as I hear it fills up. Any suggestions?

First, you can call DCL and ask to move your dinner res to first seating. They may be able to help you. Also, for Palo's, depending on what time your res is for that (early?) you can double dip. You can do Palo's at 6pm (if available) and still take the kids to AP for the "show". No one says you have to actually eat the food in front of you.
DH and I were going to do that on Pirate night, but we lost steam and went back to the room for a nap before the big Pirate night party. We also had a plan to do as much as possible because we didn't want to miss out on anything, being it was our first Dis cruise. After two days of this kind of thinking we just smiled at each other and said, oh well, if we miss something, we'll just catch it on the NEXT cruise!

 

[lweigard]

Thanks, ArmandXG, and Stampinshauna! I am beginning to feel the stress coming around about trying to make sure we make the absolute most of our vacation. It's good to hear that we should just take it slow, enjoy and if we miss something, it'll just give us an excuse to do it again!

I like the idea of matching wristbands for the trip - something everyone can easily find but would still stand out. Any ideas?

 

[lweigard]

Stampinshauna - you seem to be a wealth of information perhaps you can help me with this one. I have read of a mysterious 'Shirley' in other posts. Seems she makes bags for the cabins. Does she have a website or something I can use to order bags/gifts, or do I have to order only thru the DCL?

Thanks!

 

[stampinshauna]

Stampinshauna - you seem to be a wealth of information perhaps you can help me with this one. I have read of a mysterious 'Shirley' in other posts. Seems she makes bags for the cabins. Does she have a website or something I can use to order bags/gifts, or do I have to order only thru the DCL?

Thanks!

Shirley has a company called The Perfect Gift nearby the port. She makes gift baskets. She's done some cute ones for kids that have sand toys for the basket. I've never used her but have seen some pictures of what she does and they are amazing. I've heard many wonderful things about her. Her email is snelsonbrown@aol.com and her username in case you want to pm her is snelsonbrown. She seems to be able to put together just about anything and she has a lot of ideas.

 

[ArmandXG]

Thanks, ArmandXG, and Stampinshauna! I am beginning to feel the stress coming around about trying to make sure we make the absolute most of our vacation. It's good to hear that we should just take it slow, enjoy and if we miss something, it'll just give us an excuse to do it again!

I like the idea of matching wristbands for the trip - something everyone can easily find but would still stand out. Any ideas?

I was on another DIS meet page for a few months before our cruise and the woman who started the page got together with another DIS'er and came up with t-shirts and wristbands that the rest of us purchased from them. They had the wristbands special ordered to say "Halloween on the Disney Magic, 2006". We all wore them on the day of departure, and it was fun to walk around the port terminal looking for t-shirts or bright green wristbands. It was a blast to walk up to a stranger (not) and introduce yourself (we all knew each other by our screen names) and put a face to the name. Other people kept asking us where we got the bands and shirts.
I know ya'll don't have time to order special bands, but maybe you can come up with name tags that are cheap and easy to find... pick out a logo for everyone (Mickey or cruise ship???) with your screen names on them, and enjoy hunting for DIS friends on embarkation day!
We also had a scheduled DIS meet on the ship in the Promenade Lounge. We met for a quick 30 minutes and had a group photo done (by a DIS'ers Dad). It was posted on our DIS page and was available for any of us who wanted a copy. It was well put together (Thanks Kritter and Heather ) and we had a great time with some wonderful new friends.
I hope this gives you all some ideas. It was very helpful to us knowing we had connections with people we were sailing with. Have fun!!

 

[ArmandXG]

If anyone is interrested in seeing the wristbands and/or t-shirts, there are photo's posted on the DIS meet page (on page 2) marked in the left margin by a Poll symbol, titled Halloween cruise/magic: oct 28-nov 4 (Kritter). The photo's are on pgs 215 and 229.

 

[Florida beach mom]

We are also on second dining, and I'm going to try to get on first dining when we're on board. Although, maybe with all the snacks, we will be fine?

Thanks for the info on Shutters, StampinShauna.

I was able to get a tentative list of the order of our dining when I called DCL, but I don't remember it off hand. The person did seems a little unsure of the order so I am just going to play it by ear.

Here's my next question. I heard that you have to buy bottled water on board? Would I get in trouble if I brought a case of my own in my suitcase? Is the water from the soda fountains good quality? I'm picky about water, and being pregnant means that I'm drinking a ton of it! Thanks for the tips.

 

[logabbmom]

Yes you can bring your own water on. We are planning on having our limo stop on the way to the Port so we can pick up water, beer and wine. Cheaper then paying for it on board!

 

[stampinshauna]

We are also on second dining, and I'm going to try to get on first dining when we're on board. Although, maybe with all the snacks, we will be fine?

Here's my next question. I heard that you have to buy bottled water on board? Would I get in trouble if I brought a case of my own in my suitcase? Is the water from the soda fountains good quality? I'm picky about water, and being pregnant means that I'm drinking a ton of it! Thanks for the tips.

If the reason you don't want late dining is that you think you'll get hungry, don't worry. I've never been hungry on a cruise. There is ALWAYS something to eat, and if you can't find anything order room service (after all it is free). We prefer early dining just because I don't like to eat too late. I wish there was an inbetween time like around 7, that would be perfect.

You should be okay to bring on your own water. I don't mind the water on the ship, it is very purified. I usually just bring a few bottles of water onboard.

 

[kty]

Hi There All!

took me a while to find you on this thread, but we will be on the wonder 1/28/07. me, dh, dd 11, ds 7, dd 5

we were on 1/27 wonder last year and had a blast. a little chilly, but being from pa, we were in our suits most of the time, and the pools are heated!!! (also the drinks warmed us up ) .

see you there!!!
last year we fed the stingrays in nassau, kids loved it but water a bit chilly for me we also snorkeled on cc - a few planters punches and the water was not so chilly

 

[lweigard]

Hi there KTY!!! I'm from PA and will also be on the Jan 28th cruise!! We're from Shrewsbury - where are you from ?

I just got a hold of Shirley with The Perfect Gift and ordered a sand pail with some sand toys for dd and ds. They even had pirate stuff for the big pirate party to add into it! I even had them deliver a 6 pack of Yuengling (PA beer) to the room for DH!! They are all going to be so surprised! Thanks, stampishauna for the info!

 

[stampinshauna]

Welcome kty! So, you're a veteran January cruiser. I hope that it isn't too cold. DH and I are wondering if maybe we should cancel our personal watercraft eco tour at Castaway Cay because it may be cold. I'd take just about anything compared to the 6 inches of snow that dumped on us yesterday.

 

[kty]

lweigard
shrewsberry, not too far from us - we are from carlisle! we pass your exit on the way to bwi

stampinshauna - last year we swam in the the 70 degree outdoor temperature once on board! a few drinks and the heated pools and we were good to go
Actually, it was really nice compared to the usual pa winters - although its been pretty balmy here lately. my kids will swim in almost any temp. dont forget they have hot tubs. the pools were not crowded the first day either.

castaway - last year we had huge thunderstorm while there, and it became really windy. they actually cancelled all water activiites due to the wind etc. we still got in the water, and really didnt mind the wind - kind of funny in that a few of us on the beach stayed as the dark clouds approached and kept saying -do you think it will pass? when the rain started we headed for the tiki bar and the kids got smoothies, and the rain stopped! soooo, when we got back to the ship, the captain announced that since it was too rough and we had rain at cc, we would be going back the next day so we had two days there!! really neat- loved it - kids caught hermit crabs, etc.

kty

 

[kty]

lweigard -

how old are your kids? i have three - a dd 11, ds 7, dd 5

kty

 

[lweigard]

KTY - 6yo DD, and 4yo DS. We're getting so excited - I'm getting so excited and keep telling everyone all the cool tips and info I gather from this website. I bought a Disney for kids by kids book and they love to hear about all the rides. DS freaked out a bit this evening thinking that the curley slide on the boat dropped him off into the ocean. I had to detail for him that there are pools on the boat (not in the water). Only 21 more days!!!

I'm getting nervous though, we booked our trip in December and as quick as we found out, we submitted for passports. We expedited them but it's still not logged into the online system. It's freaking me out a bit!

ArmandXG - I love your idea of us all wearing matching shirts or something so that we stand out better when we're checking in. I've seen pictures under the Cruise reports section where everyone is wearing a bright green shirt. I don't know what's common at all the different stores that would be easy to find this season. I'll have to go and check it out. I'd like to find something that's easy for everyone to find - no matter where they live.

stampinshauna - That's too bad about the snow... I can't wait for warmer weather, either!

 

[stampinshauna]

I'm getting nervous though, we booked our trip in December and as quick as we found out, we submitted for passports. We expedited them but it's still not logged into the online system. It's freaking me out a bit!

Hopefully you get the passports on time, but at least they aren't mandatory for sea travel this year. When I got mine in August, it only took about 4 weeks.

 

[Florida beach mom]

Welcome kty! So, you're a veteran January cruiser. I hope that it isn't too cold. DH and I are wondering if maybe we should cancel our personal watercraft eco tour at Castaway Cay because it may be cold. I'd take just about anything compared to the 6 inches of snow that dumped on us yesterday.

I have to giggle because I grew up in Colorado and know a little about the cold too! Yuck. HOWEVER, now I live in Florida, and I'll just say that we've had our AC on every day this month, I'm sitting here in a tank top, and I always keep my ceiling fan on at night unless we specifically get a cold front.

Unless there is a cold front coming in at the time of our cruise, you should be fine for your water tour. I would just pack layers and watch the forecast for the Nassau on weather.com. Sweatshirts are a great asset to have in this climate if you need them.

Today our temp was in the 80's and right now (9:40pm) we're at about 60. Pretty tolerable especially if you are from the cold climates.

 

[lweigard]

Stampinshauna - The Disney docs I received said that I did need them for sea travel. Either way, I got them to be safe.

Glad to hear it's warm down there in FL! It's unseasonably warm up here in PA this week - yesterday it was around 60-65. I'll be sure to pack those layers, though.