Jumping, Dancing & Jamming Our Way Through Walt Disney World! I'm With the Band Now!

[lledman]

I think Disney cruise would be a total blast but do agree with you about having the down time during your park vacation.

 

[mickeystoontown]

About the New Year's thing in GA/NC we did Collards, blackeyed peas, ham and cornbread!

I didn't eat any of that stuff… cause I only like cornbread out of the bunch!!!

And YAY for the Cruise!!!! I say go for it!!! It's not like you are newbies to the World!! You know you will still enjoy the 5 days in the parks!!!

I don't even like cornbread so I guess I am totally out of luck.

I think we are going to keep the cruise reservation and I'm getting excited!

Yay for booking a cruise! I think you guys will love it, I haven't been on a Disney Cruise but have been on quite a few on other lines and they are awesome!

I can't believe that John was even remotely interested in the cruise. I think he's more about seeing Nassau and Castaway Cay.

The cruise sounds great. As you know, we are going on a 7 day cruise in June. I can spin the numbers anyway just to make it seem logical for me to go on vacation!!!

Isn't it odd how we can keep spinning those number round and round until they stop on "wow what a deal!".

Lisa I think a cruise is a wonderful idea! Why not experience ALL Disney has to offer? We have been on only one Caribbean cruise but it was wonderful! So relaxing, and so much FOOD!! Prepare to gain a few pounds, but then of course you can walk them off in WDW!

I would love to go on a Disney cruise with all my grandkids. My daughter has just about decided to do one in a year or two, so I will probably tag along for that one. My husband and I are just now planning an Alaskan cruise/tour for May with another couple. It will be 7 days cruising and 7 days on land. Both couples are celebrating our 45th anniversary so we are splurging, but it is on Holland American rather than Disney this time.

I've been reading up on all the foods they have to offer on the Disney Dream and everything sounds so good. Oh an Alaskan cruise sounds wonderful! Now that's a cruise I could talk my Mama into going on. She has always wanted to go to Alaska.

yay for the cruise! Our family had so much fun on our Carnival cruise, but was quite jealous with the Disney Dream right next to ours.....that waterslide looked awesome!!!!

Maybe one day we can cruise Disney also!!

I priced out the Carnival cruise and it was almost as much as the Disney cruise with a smaller room and less time on land. "Less time on land" sound like something odd to complain about when it's a cruise.

What exciting news about the cruise!!! Never know what I am going to find when I click on your report! We have been on a few cruises- never Disney, though. My husband really wants to try one. I hear Castaway Cay is AMAZING!!! And watching fireworks from the ship or movies from the pool...

So much or so little to do.

I'll be interested in hearing about what you decide to do for excursions in the Bahamas. We stayed at Atlantis for 5 nights in Feb 2009 and we are returning this year during April vacation. The place is incredible: The Digs Aquarium is fantastic and the waterpark is first rate, but I believe the cruise ship excursions here are PRICEY!!!

That is so cool that your friend Dana may be cruising with you! We just learned yesterday that one of Ben's friends, a boy who has been in his class every year except 3rd grade will be at Atlantis the same week as us.

Dee

PS- Back to the photo- I thought the bark looked like a cobra too!

John is more excited about Nassau and Castaway Cay than he is about the cruise. I believe he could take it or leave it as far as the boat itself goes.

My brother and sister in law went to Atlantis but they didn't do enough research and ended up doing nothing at all but stay on the beach. I am definitely going to do my research because I want to see all there is to see and do all there is to do....well, within my budget.

Isn't it cool that Ben's friend will be at Atlantis at the same time. Maybe the boys can do some things together.

The bark in the picture did look like a cobra and I had to go back twice to make sure it wasn't.

Hi Lisa!!

Catching up after taking a little break from the DIS. I'm not completely caught up yet but I wanted to pop in and say Hi!

**edit- YAY! I just read about your cruise! How exciting! We almost went on a cruise this year...had it booked and everything but decided to wait for a couple more years. I did a ton of research and the Dream looks so beautiful and Castaway Cay...awww...what can I say. It looks so relaxing. You are going to have such an amazing time!

Okay..now back to catching up!

I am glad that you are all caught up. I can't seem to get caught up lately but am vowing to do better in the new year.

I am planning on doing a lot of research too. I may not ever go on another cruise so I gotta make sure we do this one right!

Wow! A cruise -- how wonderful! Can't wait to hear how it works out for you. We've considered one, but I am not sure DH would be comfortable. He's not a fan of being on the water...

I don't know how John is going to handle it either but we will see won't we. John's concerned that he won't like the boat portion of the trip which is kind of silly since it is a cruise.

A cruise? CONGRATULATIONS!!! We want to do that for our kids in the next few years, too...so excited for you guys!

I'm excited too!

I think Disney cruise would be a total blast but do agree with you about having the down time during your park vacation.

I keep telling myself over and over that we'll be fine with just 5 days in the parks. We did it before and we'll do it again.

 

[jenseib]

I got behind again! My computer is on it's last leg and everytime I would open your TR it wouldn't show me all of your pictures, so I would keep closing it and trying later...Today it worked! (and I am shopping ofr a new computer right now too)
Well you totally shocked me with the cruise, but I think you are going to LOVE it. You know how I feel about DCL, I just love it. You will be amazed at how busy you can be on the ship too. Or you can totally relax if you want to as well. Be sure to check out the meet thread for your cruise date.
I do want to mention, that I doubt you would have much time at Kennedy space center that morning. I forget what time it opens, but if I remember right, it's kind of mid to late morning. I know my Dad went after he dropped us off at the port. I wouldn't suggest arrive at the port later than noon if you can help it. Some people do, but for me, I wanted on that ship as early as i could, and that first day is full of activities from the sail away party to dinner and the show. Plus a little exploring.
What kind of room did you get? I can't wait to read your next TR!!!
As for Momma, I know you want her to go, and if she does decide to go, have her stay in your room (if you can add her). It's only 3 nights and she would be at a lower cost.
It does sound like she might not be too excited to go to WDW at this point in time with her aches and pains. Of course she could come along and just stay at a hotel while you are on the cruise and enjoy the area. Or relax too. She could even just lounge around at CBR.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I got behind again! My computer is on it's last leg and everytime I would open your TR it wouldn't show me all of your pictures, so I would keep closing it and trying later...Today it worked! (and I am shopping ofr a new computer right now too)
Well you totally shocked me with the cruise, but I think you are going to LOVE it. You know how I feel about DCL, I just love it. You will be amazed at how busy you can be on the ship too. Or you can totally relax if you want to as well. Be sure to check out the meet thread for your cruise date.
I do want to mention, that I doubt you would have much time at Kennedy space center that morning. I forget what time it opens, but if I remember right, it's kind of mid to late morning. I know my Dad went after he dropped us off at the port. I wouldn't suggest arrive at the port later than noon if you can help it. Some people do, but for me, I wanted on that ship as early as i could, and that first day is full of activities from the sail away party to dinner and the show. Plus a little exploring.
What kind of room did you get? I can't wait to read your next TR!!!
As for Momma, I know you want her to go, and if she does decide to go, have her stay in your room (if you can add her). It's only 3 nights and she would be at a lower cost.
It does sound like she might not be too excited to go to WDW at this point in time with her aches and pains. Of course she could come along and just stay at a hotel while you are on the cruise and enjoy the area. Or relax too. She could even just lounge around at CBR.

I don't know if it was just your computer because I've had those "I can't see all the pictures" issues the last few days too.

I totally shocked myself with the cruise. It was a spur-of-the-moment choice and I'm still in a bit of disbelief that I booked it. But, after playing around on the site for so long and not being able to book, when I was able to get the room I wanted, I took the plunge and booked.

The research on the cruise has begun in full force. My cousin just got back from a Disney cruise and we have plans to get together to discuss how everything works. But, it will be a couple of weeks before we can get together because she's having kidney stone removal surgery Friday.

How early can you board the ship? I know the itinerary said that it sailed at 3:45 but I had no idea what time we could actually board. If it's early, then we'll not waste any time getting to the port.

Right now, I am looking for a hotel to stay in near the port. Since we'll be driving, we'll need to park the car for those three days. I also want to see what sort of excursions there are to do while in Nassau.

I have been feeling like Mama was going to cancel the Disney trip anyway and this may just be the opportunity she was looking for to back out. I can understand her feeling that way. If she does decide to go, I am going to add her to our room on the cruise (won't wait too long 'cause I don't want to be in the situation you were) and then modify her WDW reservation. I know that she wouldn't want to be all alone for three days and I've mentioned her flying down to WDW after our cruise but she didn't seem too gungho about it. We shall see.

 

[jenseib]

I don't know if it was just your computer because I've had those "I can't see all the pictures" issues the last few days too.

I totally shocked myself with the cruise. It was a spur-of-the-moment choice and I'm still in a bit of disbelief that I booked it. But, after playing around on the site for so long and not being able to book, when I was able to get the room I wanted, I took the plunge and booked.

The research on the cruise has begun in full force. My cousin just got back from a Disney cruise and we have plans to get together to discuss how everything works. But, it will be a couple of weeks before we can get together because she's having kidney stone removal surgery Friday.

How early can you board the ship? I know the itinerary said that it sailed at 3:45 but I had no idea what time we could actually board. If it's early, then we'll not waste any time getting to the port.

Right now, I am looking for a hotel to stay in near the port. Since we'll be driving, we'll need to park the car for those three days. I also want to see what sort of excursions there are to do while in Nassau.

I have been feeling like Mama was going to cancel the Disney trip anyway and this may just be the opportunity she was looking for to back out. I can understand her feeling that way. If she does decide to go, I am going to add her to our room on the cruise (won't wait too long 'cause I don't want to be in the situation you were) and then modify her WDW reservation. I know that she wouldn't want to be all alone for three days and I've mentioned her flying down to WDW after our cruise but she didn't seem too gungho about it. We shall see.

I think in most cases they start boarding around 12-12:30. Be sure to do online check in and pick the earliest time too. Sometimes they go by that and other times it means nothing....not sure if they are just trying it out or what.
I can't remember with out going back to look, but I think we got at the port around 11 and then boarded around 12:30.

 

[natebenma]

Have fun doing your research. I see you have already been checking out menus! That's always my first move, too!!!

In addition to the incredible Cruise forum here on the DIS, I have been very pleased with the info I have found on the Cruise Critic website. They have threads for each of the destinations, each of the cruise lines and I think they have a feature where you can "meet" others who will be on your cruise.

 

[TinksThree]

Awesome news on the cruise! Chris wants a cruise for his senior year. I looked a the Disney cruises but he wants more days on the boat and Carnival and Royal Caribbean 7 day cruises cost less than 4-5 days on Disney so I think we may be going with the RCL...much to consider though! We have no plans for a big trip this year so who knows what 2013 will hold!

Also my Disney Cruise line DVD and info packet just came in the mail so when he sees that his mind may change! I would love to tag a WDW trip to a few days on the boat---best of both worlds!!

 

[Bridora]

Happy Belated Birthday, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, too!

I've just caught up once again!

Saturday morning, we picked Lacey up from the apartment and we were off to Pigeon Forge. There wasn't anything really to see other than the city on the way there and we were talking so no pictures were taken until we got to Seiverville (Spelling?) where we say this cool water park attached to a hotel:

Hey! We stayed here for our Family Reunion back in July! It was a lot of fun...the kids had a blast! Because you know, swimming is a major part of any vacation!

This guy was working the distillery and told John that he had been moonshining since he was 13 years old. He also said that he had buried his moonshining equipment when he went off to war in Vietnam and that when he got back, he dug it up and he was still using it today. How cool is that?

I think that is very cool! Somehow we missed that, even though we also ate at Mellow Mushroom... Do you watch that Moonshiners show? I can't remember what channel it comes on, but we catch an episode or two every once in a while.

I booked a Disney cruise to the Bahamas!

Get. Out!

How exciting! I'm pretty sure you should keep your cruise/park plans. I'm going to message you. Even if we can be in the same park the same day without running into each other, I hardly think we'd be able to do that on a cruise ship!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Happy Belated Birthday, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, too!

I've just caught up once again!



Hey! We stayed here for our Family Reunion back in July! It was a lot of fun...the kids had a blast! Because you know, swimming is a major part of any vacation!


I think that is very cool! Somehow we missed that, even though we also ate at Mellow Mushroom... Do you watch that Moonshiners show? I can't remember what channel it comes on, but we catch an episode or two every once in a while.





Get. Out!

How exciting! I'm pretty sure you should keep your cruise/park plans. I'm going to message you. Even if we can be in the same park the same day without running into each other, I hardly think we'd be able to do that on a cruise ship!

Thanks for all the wishes!

The distillery was downstairs from the Mellow Mushroom so you probably walked right by it. I've caught bits and pieces of the Moonshiners episodes but not a complete one. It looks like it might be pretty good to watch.

Oh my gosh! I can't believe we are going to be on the same cruise! We have to try to coordinate something where we at least get time to say hello to each other.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Awesome news on the cruise! Chris wants a cruise for his senior year. I looked a the Disney cruises but he wants more days on the boat and Carnival and Royal Caribbean 7 day cruises cost less than 4-5 days on Disney so I think we may be going with the RCL...much to consider though! We have no plans for a big trip this year so who knows what 2013 will hold!

Also my Disney Cruise line DVD and info packet just came in the mail so when he sees that his mind may change! I would love to tag a WDW trip to a few days on the boat---best of both worlds!!

I am getting excited about the cruise now that it's booked. Our family enjoys Disney so much that it's hard for us to try something new. But, with the Disney cruise, I feel like we are going to get the best of both worlds.

I've heard that Disney Cruise Line has special offers every once in a while so you might want to keep an eye out. I booked with the $25 onboard ship credit which isn't that great but, hey, it's $25.

Have fun doing your research. I see you have already been checking out menus! That's always my first move, too!!!

In addition to the incredible Cruise forum here on the DIS, I have been very pleased with the info I have found on the Cruise Critic website. They have threads for each of the destinations, each of the cruise lines and I think they have a feature where you can "meet" others who will be on your cruise.

Heck yeah, I've been researching the food. I read over menus like they are magazine articles.

Thanks for the tip on the Cruise Critic website. I will definitely head over there and have a look around.

 

[MissLiz]

So jealous about the cruise! We've been looking at cruises, but my DH doesn't like to do any for less than 7 days, so we are heading to Vero Beach instead before heading to the World.

I'm sure you will have a fabulous time!

 

[MissLiz]

Oh, I forgot to second Cruise Critic! There is a lot of info and the boards are almost as addicting as the Dis! Hard to believe, I know, but they are.

 

[MEK]

Congrats on the cruise! That IS some great news!

 

[natebenma]

Isn't it cool that Ben's friend will be at Atlantis at the same time. Maybe the boys can do some things together.

I spoke too soon!!! Ben's friend is actually going during the first week in April, not during our school vacation week.

That's what I get for listening to information reported by 10 year olds!

I see you have updated your ticker to include the cruise. It must be real! You wouldn't change a ticker would you?

 

[johnsonmatt3]

If I were to go on the cruise, I would get on the boat as soon as I could. There is a lot to see and do on a cruise and almost not enough time to do it. I think a disney cruise would be amazing.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Now that I've shared the cruise news, let me get back to the trip report. As I said earlier (actually many times earlier), that I take two cameras to Disney World and, while I like having the two cameras, it does make for more work when trying to categorize them when I get home. Moving on, I did find more pictures of our trip to Downtown Disney after our meal at The Grand Floridian Cafe as well as additional pictures taken on Kilimanjaro Safari. Let's start off with the Downtown Disney pictures:

We made a stop in the Vinylmation store where they had the most amazing sculptures made from various size and color Vinylmations:

This one is blurry but it's a light fixture:

More of our pictures as we walked through Downtown Disney:

Here's a picture of Lacey after we got back to the resort. I am sure she was on the phone with Jesse:

***I think I better stop here because Photobucket keeps freezing. I'll see if I can get it to work in the morning. I'll start the next update with the additional pictures of the safari and then move on to more of our Animal Kingdom day.

 

[jenseib]

Now that I've shared the cruise news, let me get back to the trip report. As I said earlier (actually many times earlier), that I take two cameras to Disney World and, while I like having the two cameras, it does make for more work when trying to categorize them when I get home. Moving on, I did find more pictures of our trip to Downtown Disney after our meal at The Grand Floridian Cafe as well as additional pictures taken on Kilimanjaro Safari. Let's start off with the Downtown Disney pictures:

We made a stop in the Vinylmation store where they had the most amazing sculptures made from various size and color Vinylmations:

This one is blurry but it's a light fixture:

More of our pictures as we walked through Downtown Disney:

Here's a picture of Lacey after we got back to the resort. I am sure she was on the phone with Jesse:

***I think I better stop here because Photobucket keeps freezing. I'll see if I can get it to work in the morning. I'll start the next update with the additional pictures of the safari and then move on to more of our Animal Kingdom day.

Is it me or are your photos not there. I think its saying you exceeded bandwidth

 

[Bethislucy]

Tell Mama she needs to go on the cruise w/ you it will be a great memory for you & Hunter. The girl i work w/ took her Grandma on one and it's some of her best memories of her Grandma.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Is it me or are your photos not there. I think its saying you exceeded bandwidth

Yeah, I can't see them either. Exceeding bandwidth error. You are too popular Lisa!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Is it me or are your photos not there. I think its saying you exceeded bandwidth

Yep, they are not there...