June 9, 2012 Fantasy

[HotMama]

The Kentucky and Ohio State fans cannot afford to rent a cabana. We are spending all our money on Final Four gear.


(Sorry, I couldn't help myself. March Madness brings out the worst in me.)

True dat! Go Bucks!!

 

[MelissaE1]

Hey everyone... just checking in to our thread. I see it's still pretty quiet... has everyone found their way over to FB? Or maybe you are all just watching basketball!

Wonder what ever happened to our thread starter, Parrotheadmom?

I was just looking through our clothes and realized that everyone has appropriate attire except my DS. He's probably grown a foot (literally) since the last time he had a suit. He likes dressing up on formal night, plus he'll be just 18 and going to Palo for the first time, so I guess it's time I do some shopping. Probably on eBay.

Barely more than two months now!

 

[helenb]

I'm excited! Still waiting for our room assignments, but since we have OGT I suspect I'll be waiting until June for those.

We're going to WDW the week after the cruise and this morning they released hotel discounts for that time period... but at the hotels I want they only have water views available. These are more than the garden view AAA discounted room I already have booked, so no additional discount for us.

Ah well, it means I now know that I have to get my park tickets. I'll wait for the next Undercover Tourist special.

 

[steelemdsd]

My family is going on our 3rd disney cruise. The people in my family are my dad, mom, brother (12), and me (11). My name is Delaney and I am very excited to go on the Fantasy. I have been on the Wonder, and Magic. We have been to the Bahamas and Eastern Carribean. This will be our first Western.

 

[ADP]

Hey everyone... just checking in to our thread. I see it's still pretty quiet... has everyone found their way over to FB? Or maybe you are all just watching basketball!

Is there a Facebook page specifically for our cruise? If so can you post the link? Thanks!

I see Ressies for BBB still have not opened up online. Anyone have any info on when we may be able to book BBB?

 

[Jodijo]

Is there a Facebook page specifically for our cruise? If so can you post the link? Thanks!

I see Ressies for BBB still have not opened up online. Anyone have any info on when we may be able to book BBB?

Hi! Yep, we are all over on Facebook. WE have 72 members over there.

This is a link to the closed facebook group.
So, log into facebook.
Then Search for the title - June 9, 2012 Fantasy Disney Cruise
Asked to be added to the group.
Once I get the request, I will add you. It is that simple.

After the request is granted, you can use the URL below to find us.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?...810819547&ap=1

I hope to talk to you on Facebook soon,
Jodi Higgins

 

[ADP]

Hi! Yep, we are all over on Facebook. WE have 72 members over there.

This is a link to the closed facebook group.
So, log into facebook.
Then Search for the title - June 9, 2012 Fantasy Disney Cruise
Asked to be added to the group.
Once I get the request, I will add you. It is that simple.

After the request is granted, you can use the URL below to find us.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?...810819547&ap=1

I hope to talk to you on Facebook soon,
Jodi Higgins

Terrific! Thanks Jodi! I've requested to join the group. See everyone over on Facebook.

 

[rahrah]

I will not be joining you on facebook as I do not have an account there, nor do I have any desire to get one.

 

[helenb]

I'm in the same boat, Rahrah! No Facebook account and I REALLY don't want one. I guess we're missing out on the pre-cruise talk... but you and I could do some here.

So, Rahrah, have you planned what you're doing yet in the ports?

 

[MelissaE1]

I have FB, but I don't mind doing both. I still hang out on the DIS a lot! For some reason it doesn't always alert me anymore when the thread gets new posts, though.

We've just been thinking about excursions ourselves. For Costa Maya I think we are going to do the ruins, I've heard great things about it and it looks a lot easier than doing them at Cozumel. No trip to the mainland to deal with. We usually book directly through the tour operator but it makes me a tiny bit nervous here because the timing is tight. I've emailed the operator and they assured me it was fine, though, and I'm pretty sure we'll probably be with the DCL people anyway. It's $100 difference for the four of us, so that's attractive.

For Cozumel we are deciding between the xrails and the sailing race. We've done the ATVs there and had a great time. DH is really pushing for the rails, and I am pushing for the sailing because it's different... we'll see who wins, lol.

Grand Cayman we may stay on the ship and enjoy it. Loved Stingray City but we've been twice, and the turtle farm looks interesting but DD gets sad that they are raised for food, so probably not the best choice. I don't mind either way, the Fantasy is all new to us so we'd love the extra time to explore.

What are you all planning?

 

[MelissaE1]

My family is going on our 3rd disney cruise. The people in my family are my dad, mom, brother (12), and me (11). My name is Delaney and I am very excited to go on the Fantasy. I have been on the Wonder, and Magic. We have been to the Bahamas and Eastern Carribean. This will be our first Western.

Hi Delaney! I have a DD13 so she will probably be in the Edge with you and your brother. My kids have been on the Wonder and the Magic also, but not the Dream or the Fantasy. It looks really amazing, doesn't it?

We've done the Eastern and Western and Bahamas. I think you'll like the Western, there are lots of fun things to do. But even if all the ports were boring, we'd still have that amazing ship!

 

[helenb]

Delaney I have an 11 year old DD who will be in Edge as well! We have cruised all over the world (Australia, Asia, Europe, Panama Canal, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada/New England) but not very much in the Caribbean, so all of these ports except Castaway Cay are new to us!

Melissa, we really want to see the ruins as well! DD just had 'ancient civilizations' for her history class this year, so she's especially interested in the Mayan ruins. We are going in Cozumel (booked private tour on our own) and in Costa Maya (booked through DCL because of the time constraints you mentioned).

In Grand Cayman we have a private boat rental for the day and we're going to (you guessed it) see the stingrays and the turtles and then snorkel. Since we've never been, it's new to us. I'm surprised they eat the turtles, though! In Acapulco we went on a tour to see the turtles, and it was a preservation area, where they allowed turtle eggs to hatch and then released them into the sea, guarding them from predators. It's interesting to see that the view on sea turtles is so different on the eastern and western coasts!

For Castaway Cay we have booked snorkel gear, so we're planning on hanging out at the family beach and doing that. I know my kids will want to try the (new to us) waterslide. When we were there ages ago (2007) the kids really enjoyed digging up the Monstro the Whale skeleton. Do they still have that?

 

[eeyoremommy]

We were in Costa Maya in January. Everyone said the ruins were outstanding. We have yet to go because our DS 8 would not appreciate the excursion yet, especially the long ride. It might be better to say the other individuals that might be with us would not appreciate him on such a long ride there and back.

 

[helenb]

Eeyore Mommy, our kids have been cruising since my youngest was 3 years old. I agree, it can be difficult on long bus rides in port. When we are required to take long bus rides to see things, we always bring snacks for our kids (usually the pre-packaged boxes of cereal from the buffet) and something to amuse them (small toys, a DS, a book). It's just like any car trip, except that you can sit next to your child, talk to them, point at interesting things out the window.

I understand your reluctance (my DS is one of those 'active kids' who hates long ride) but he's definitely much better if I bring things along and sit next to him.

 

[jenedpey]

Wow ... sounds like lots of preteen/teen girls on this cruise. We'll be bringing our DD12! We don't do Facebook either, so we feel like we are missing out a little. We've really enjoyed the active cruise meet threads in the past.

For Grand Cayman, we'll be doing a tour through Moby Dick. They get wonderful reviews and we are really looking forward to it.

For Cozumel, we are considering the ATVs since last time we did the Dune Buggies and had a great time.

Less than 2 months to go!

 

[helenb]

Jenedpey, I agree. If this is a DisBoards group, I'm not sure why they all went to Facebook? I guess they don't want to be on this board anymore, which is strange, because all of the best info is here!

I login to my reservation every day (to see if my room has been assigned) and I love watching the countdown descend! When it got below 60 days I was so excited! I'm trying to plan out everything... I just want to be on the ship already!

Anticipation is half the fun, right?

 

[MelissaE1]

Anticipation is half the fun, right?

So true! About six months before we cruise I am on the boards a lot. My family thinks it's just mom's little eccentricity, lol. But truly I love the part leading up to the cruise, too. I'm really enjoying it this time because there's so much to learn about the new ship.

Helenb, it sounds like you guys have done a ton of traveling. I'd love to do a transatlantic next and see some things in Europe. I've been to Paris (and England for a day) but my kids haven't been over there. We host international soccer coaches (university age) every summer so we've developed some friendships in England and Wales (and Brazil) and we'd love to go see them as well. It's a shame the airfare is almost as much as the cruise fare!

Jenedpey, I'd love to hear about the dune buggies. We had that booked for our 2nd DCL in 2005, but a hurricane came through and we ended up on an Eastern itinerary instead. At the time people were saying it went seriously downhill after that, but it sounds like that has changed. What did you get to do? The ATVs are a blast, but prepare for some interesting looks when you get back to town if you are as dirty as we were.

Eeyoremommy, I hear you about kids not being old enough to appreciate excursions. I dragged my DS8 and DD4 (at the time) from St. Maarten, across the island, onto a ferry and over to Anguilla and then in an hours long taxi ride around the island. It was amazing to me, I learned so much about how they build their houses a few bricks at a time when they get money, how their only industry a generation ago was salt, and how the goats everywhere are because a climate change in the last 30 years has caused a lack of vegetation for cows, so they use goat milk, goat meat, etc. It was fascinating. My DS' favorite part was lunch, and my DD slept through the whole thing, lol. I decided now that they will be 18 and 13 they are old enough to at least pretend they appreciate the ruins.

 

[helenb]

Melissa we like to cruise twice a year. Unfortunately, now that DD is in middle school it's more difficult to take her out for January vacations, so I'm guessing we'll be cutting down to once per year. Keep in mind that I said cruise, but not Disney cruise. We've been on all kinds of cruise lines and cruises. We cruise for ports (although we definitely enjoy the relaxation aspect) so we're not the kind of people to take the same trip over and over again... DisneyWorld and Disneyland excepted, of course!

You're right, the airfares to Europe have gotten truly horrible, but the same can be said for domestic airfares. Even 3 years ago, it was reasonable to expect $200-$400 to fly across the US, and $700-$1,000 to go from the west coast of the US to Europe. Now it's $600 to fly across the US and $1,400 to fly to Europe. It's a huge increase! It makes me glad that we've already had some fabulous trips with our kids.

Of course, when you spend so much for airfare, you want to make the most of it. We often do 3-4 week trips during the summer, especially if we're going so far away. we'll often attach land portions to our cruises... usually before, so we can enjoy the luxury of the ship afterward!

 

[jenedpey]

Jenedpey, I'd love to hear about the dune buggies. We had that booked for our 2nd DCL in 2005, but a hurricane came through and we ended up on an Eastern itinerary instead. At the time people were saying it went seriously downhill after that, but it sounds like that has changed. What did you get to do? The ATVs are a blast, but prepare for some interesting looks when you get back to town if you are as dirty as we were.

Even though it was the "Dune Buggy" excursion, they actually put us all in RZRs. We loved it because they had a roof and 1/2 of a windshield up front. That was nice when we got the 10 minute downpour! It was also very dusty driving down some of those roads, so the windshield helped keep some of the dust out. We still went back to the ship feeling "dirty" from all the dust and unfortunately with main dining we got back with no time to shower first. Luckily, it was pirate night, so a bandana hid all the windblown, dusty hair

Our excursion took us on a big loop around the island. The first stop was for snorkeling and with 2 newbies in the group, the staff was so helpful. They ran out of lockers at this stop, so they took our stuff into the back room to keep an eye on it. We then made another stop to see some ruins and to look for crocodiles in a swampy area. After that we drove further down the road and went up in a very old lighthouse. We had to sign an accident waiver before going up

Next was lunch (a very late lunch). We stopped for a Mexican buffet and it was delicious. At this stop we could have some beach time too. They even had some hammocks to relax on. To conclude the excursion before driving back, the kids all got to break open a pinata.

We had a great time and the tour guides were outstanding!

How about the ATVs ... what all did you get to do for that??

 

[MelissaE1]

Melissa we like to cruise twice a year. Unfortunately, now that DD is in middle school it's more difficult to take her out for January vacations, so I'm guessing we'll be cutting down to once per year. Keep in mind that I said cruise, but not Disney cruise. We've been on all kinds of cruise lines and cruises. We cruise for ports (although we definitely enjoy the relaxation aspect) so we're not the kind of people to take the same trip over and over again... DisneyWorld and Disneyland excepted, of course!

It does get much harder to take them out, doesn't it? Last cruise we took (Nov '10, Oasis of the Seas) DS was a HS Junior dual enrolling at a university and taking college level calculus, chemistry, etc. We had booked the cruise 2 years out, before we even knew about DE, and he had chosen to go during the school year. He said he'd never miss after that, it was just too hard to catch up. This will be our first summer cruise. We tend to like the weather a little better and the prices a lot better in the off season.

I think we will start cruising more for ports in the future. I do love DCL, though. For them, I cruise for the ships, the service, and forgive the cliché, that little bit of magic. We have taken the same trip more than once, mainly because we can drive to the port and cruising gives us bang for the buck. We find different things to do every time, so it's not exactly the same. Still, we are looking forward to trying new things as DS leaves for college.

I'd love to hear what some of your favorites have been.