Magic Christmas Cruise 2010 (Dec 18th - 29th) - PART II

[STLUCIELADY]

I like the idea of formal night in Lumieres. How did you request it? Do I call the 800 number or can it be done online? Thanks for your help!

So I was thinking, are you allowed to request a room host or your waiter too? On the Med cruise last month I had JoJo for my room and he was awesome. For dinner we had Mikey and Okim and they were great. Love to have them again. Has anyone else successfully accomplished this?

 

[miatamel]

So I was thinking - the Dis Meet n' Greet is on Day 2 (Time and place TBD - waiting on DCL to assign us a space) - but DDs would like to meet other kids their age as soon as we get on the ship. On our last cruise, I organized an informal kids' greet with Mickey Ice Cream bars by the Mickey pool after most folks boarded, but before the lifeboat drill. The kids all swam and got to kick of their vacation by meeting other kids in an easy and fun situation. It doesn't work for everyone because some folks board late or are still eating lunch, but the kids that did join in certainly had fun and met pals they hung out with for the rest of the cruise.

I'm happy to pull this together if anyone's interested in bringing your kids by the Mickey pool for some fun in the sun with Mickey bars at 3pm on boarding day.

What do you think?

My very social DD9 would love this--and probably my pretty social DD7. Please let me know if the plans gel!.

 

[3princessMommy]

So I was thinking, are you allowed to request a room host or your waiter too? On the Med cruise last month I had JoJo for my room and he was awesome. For dinner we had Mikey and Okim and they were great. Love to have them again. Has anyone else successfully accomplished this?

I know you can put a request in your reservation (our TA usually does it) for specific dining rotations and serving staff. You're not guaranteed to get it though, it's just a preference. But I've never heard of someone requesting a room steward by name. I guess you could, but not sure how able DCL is to change stewards' assignments if your cabin isn't normally in their area.

3princessmommy, see you at 3pm at Mickey pool!!! DD9 will live this!

My very social DD9 would love this--and probably my pretty social DD7. Please let me know if the plans gel!.

Sounds like we've got some takers! Sweetie (BigAWL & DH) could you add this to the activities on the front page please????

 

[skypixy]

Mickey Pool at 3 sounds like a great idea! Count my boys in.....

 

[mickey squared]

Welcome to Rick and Co.

3princessmommy- Congrats on your promotion and getting back to the states! I'm still waiting for hubby to return from his Abu Dhabi, Malta, shannon, Iceland trip! I wish he would tell me he received a promotion too.

The 3 pm kids meet looks good. This is the first time my 13yd old will be in the teens club, so hopefully my younger ones will meet new friends. My kids are very close and tend to stick together, but if they can meet new friends on the 1st day, I know they'll have fun.

Lori- Congrats on your move. Do you love it? When we first moved here, we moved to Celebration so we were at the parks all the time. It was funny when we picked up our kids from school and heard the other kids crying and complaining because they didn't want to go to Disney again!!

 

[DVC4US]

Just booked this cruise for me (Rick 60), Pat (younger than me), Kristy (DD, 17) and granddaughter Lydia, 10. This will be our 4th DCL cruise (7 nights on Magic, 10 and 4 on Wonder. The last longer (10 nights) cruise that we took on DCL was a treat as it seemed that even the crew was excited to be doing something a little different. It will be interesting to spend Christmas at sea this year!

Welcome Aboard Rick!

Not only do I love the longer cruises but I agree that it is fun to go to new ports. We did the 10 day Christmas cruise in 2004 and it was exciting to see what the new ports did for the ship when she came in to port. I am also looking forward to Christmas day at sea. In 2004 we were in St. Thomas on Christmas so it really didn't feel like it was Christmas day.

 

[DVC4US]

I like the idea of formal night in Lumieres. How did you request it? Do I call the 800 number or can it be done online? Thanks for your help!

I requested it through concierge but I think you can call DCL or have your TA call and put the request on your reservation. As with everything else it is just a request not a guarantee.

 

[DVC4US]

So I was thinking - the Dis Meet n' Greet is on Day 2 (Time and place TBD - waiting on DCL to assign us a space) - but DDs would like to meet other kids their age as soon as we get on the ship. On our last cruise, I organized an informal kids' greet with Mickey Ice Cream bars by the Mickey pool after most folks boarded, but before the lifeboat drill. The kids all swam and got to kick of their vacation by meeting other kids in an easy and fun situation. It doesn't work for everyone because some folks board late or are still eating lunch, but the kids that did join in certainly had fun and met pals they hung out with for the rest of the cruise.

I'm happy to pull this together if anyone's interested in bringing your kids by the Mickey pool for some fun in the sun with Mickey bars at 3pm on boarding day.

What do you think?

DD and I were just talking about doing something like this for the teens. I'll have her discuss it on the teen thread and when we get something set up I will post it here on our thread.

 

[STLUCIELADY]

DD and I were just talking about doing something like this for the teens. I'll have her discuss it on the teen thread and when we get something set up I will post it here on our thread.

Great idea DVC! I'd love to get the teens together in a more informal way. My son (he'll be18 by the time the cruise is here) spends a lot of time at the basketball court and would love to hook up with some high schoolers or college guys/girls to kinda get a team together. My oldest daughter told me there will be a guest talent show on this cruise. My daughters (27,15) are all in. It may be fun to get a few of the girls/guys together that like being on stage to work a show out.

 

[thegales]

I was going to post to keep an eye out for us by the Mickey Pool. I would be the one with the soft sided cooler and ice cold beer.

But, I don't know how much we will be hanging out by the Mickey Pool with the girls being a few years older. We shall see...

 

[mickeyteachers]

I liked the idea fo having the kids meet at the Mickey Pool. I think it would be nice to have something for the kids who are around the age of 11. They do not fit in with the little ones and they do not fit in with the teenagers. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[tinkmischief]

Fourth - When are you planning to do Halloween Time at DLR? We are going to try to get tickets for the night of Oct. 15th, since there's a big MousePlanet meet that night. LMK if you'll be there on the 15th and maybe we can meet up and say HI.

The 15th must be a great choice DS and I will be there that night as well

So I was thinking - the Dis Meet n' Greet is on Day 2 (Time and place TBD - waiting on DCL to assign us a space) - but DDs would like to meet other kids their age as soon as we get on the ship. On our last cruise, I organized an informal kids' greet with Mickey Ice Cream bars by the Mickey pool after most folks boarded, but before the lifeboat drill. The kids all swam and got to kick of their vacation by meeting other kids in an easy and fun situation. It doesn't work for everyone because some folks board late or are still eating lunch, but the kids that did join in certainly had fun and met pals they hung out with for the rest of the cruise.

I'm happy to pull this together if anyone's interested in bringing your kids by the Mickey pool for some fun in the sun with Mickey bars at 3pm on boarding day.

What do you think?

This is a fabulous idea!!! DS is a little timid at first and think he might have a much better time in the clubs and the pool if he makes some friends early on - count us in!

 

[bigAWL]

Ok, I've been MIA for a few days. Internet problems, and then trying to take care of three little ones while DW jets off for greener pastures... ok so it's probably a strech to call San Antonio "greener" than Uganda, but you get the idea....

I've finally caught up with all the reading, and have updated the roll call with all the new cruisers. Welcome to you all. I think this is certainly the biggest group we've seen on the DIS in our 4 cruises.

I would also be interested to know of any good resources for port calls. Let me know what you find out! I have the 2008 Passporter guide book, but it doesn't cover, Martinique, Guadaloupe, or Barbados.

Someone else mentioned CruiseCritic. It's been a while since I read it their info, but I did post links to their island info on our Christmas Cruise website (http://southerncaribbeanchristmasmagic.pbworks.com/Port-Information). This website was started by a DISer who hasn't posted on this thread in a long time, so I'm not sure if he and his family are still joining us or not. But the site it still there with some cool info and a few links to things like videos and photos of DCL's Christmas cruises past. Find the link to the main page on the first post of this thread (way at the bottom of the post).

Also, what ARE people doing for pirate night? We dressed up a bit 5 years ago, but not many people did. Is it bigger now? Will we feel left out if we aren't decked out? Most importantly will my DD9 feel left out? Do I need to get her a pirate costume? Can I get a deal after Halloween?

On all of our cruises we've seen a small number of people dressed up for Pirate Night. No one will feel out of place - dressed up or not.

Now, my question: Last cruises I requested dining rotations, for instance, APL for our seven day so we would be in Lumiere's on formal and Parrot Cay for pirate night. However, I have no idea how to figure this out for this trip.

We sent a request through out TA. I'm guessing you can do the same through DCL's main number if you don't have the reservation through a TA. Based on what we "know" so far...

L-A-P rotation:
Lumiere's = semi-formal
Animator's = both formal nights
Parrot Cay = Pirate Night

A-P-L rotation:
Animator's = semi-formal
Parrot Cay = both formal nights
Lumiere's = Pirate Night

P-L-A rotation:
Parrot Cay = semi-formal
Lumiere's = both formal nights
Animator's = Pirate Night

Sounds like we've got some takers! Sweetie (BigAWL & DH) could you add this to the activities on the front page please????

Done (I said starboard side, as I think that's where we were before and it worked well). Oh, and congratulations again. You really deserve it!

I liked the idea fo having the kids meet at the Mickey Pool. I think it would be nice to have something for the kids who are around the age of 11. They do not fit in with the little ones and they do not fit in with the teenagers. Does anyone have any ideas?

My kids are all under 10. But there sure are a lot of 10-12 year old kids on the roll call. Maybe a similar meet at the Goofy pool would work. Or at the sports deck, or a ping-pong tournament... or maybe even the "secret deck" aft on deck 7. Just throwing out ideas.

 

[Almagetty]

When checking out Cruise Critic, make sure you check out not only the port pages written by Cruise Critic's staff, but also the message boards under Ports of Call for each island. Guadeloupe doesn't have its own section. It is included in the general "Other Islands" folder. Of the three "new to Disney" islands, Barbados has the most information. There's a poster over there whose screen name is "AplMac" (I think) who lives on Barbados and has some really good tips. He also posts some beautiful pictures of the different beaches.

Welcome RickA and family!

 

[jgura]

So I was thinking - the Dis Meet n' Greet is on Day 2 (Time and place TBD - waiting on DCL to assign us a space) - but DDs would like to meet other kids their age as soon as we get on the ship. On our last cruise, I organized an informal kids' greet with Mickey Ice Cream bars by the Mickey pool after most folks boarded, but before the lifeboat drill. The kids all swam and got to kick of their vacation by meeting other kids in an easy and fun situation. It doesn't work for everyone because some folks board late or are still eating lunch, but the kids that did join in certainly had fun and met pals they hung out with for the rest of the cruise.

I'm happy to pull this together if anyone's interested in bringing your kids by the Mickey pool for some fun in the sun with Mickey bars at 3pm on boarding day.

What do you think?

We can probably do that. We have also made some good friends in the lobby on that long wait to board. I usually post what matching outfit we'll be wearing. I think we are going to go eat by the pool and swim after boarding rather the Parrot Cay this time. (DDT 8) Jenna & Brook

 

[momssurprise]

Couldn't sleep last night so went back and read the whole Part II thread. Then a little after 6am I woke up DH to watch the DCL show on the Travel Channel (we are early risers and he had an early tee time today). It was hard not saying "we're going to be on that boat in Dec". I was glad that he made several positive comments based on our 04 & 05 cruises. He also mentioned that going shortly after the boat has been in dry dock would be a good time to go...I again bit my tongue that it's in dry dock right now. He would be suspicious of why I know that....

I'm just so darn excited.

 

[miatamel]

Speaking of ping pong.....my DH has a standing ping pong night every weekend with his BFF here at our house. If there are any other players out there, let me know and I'll slip his paddle in and hook y'all up.

 

[StJohnfamily]

So I was thinking - the Dis Meet n' Greet is on Day 2 (Time and place TBD - waiting on DCL to assign us a space) - but DDs would like to meet other kids their age as soon as we get on the ship. On our last cruise, I organized an informal kids' greet with Mickey Ice Cream bars by the Mickey pool after most folks boarded, but before the lifeboat drill. The kids all swam and got to kick of their vacation by meeting other kids in an easy and fun situation. It doesn't work for everyone because some folks board late or are still eating lunch, but the kids that did join in certainly had fun and met pals they hung out with for the rest of the cruise.

I'm happy to pull this together if anyone's interested in bringing your kids by the Mickey pool for some fun in the sun with Mickey bars at 3pm on boarding day.

What do you think?

My DD9 would love this!! Mickey ice cream, swimming and new friends!!! What is not to love. We will plan to be there.

 

[BBQMommy]

Corwin17 and Kitster -- SNORKLING FLESH WOUNDS?!?!?!


Originally Posted by momssurprise
Just wondering what is the best sea sick medicine to plan for a 9 yo? I will get the patch for me & DH ... but not sure what's best for DD9. Opinions?


I just ordered and received Kids Sea Bands and Kids Bonine for our soon to be 6YO for the trip. Will she need them? Will they work? Bonine has always worked very well for me.

------------
Just called Expedia to request a dining rotation and I requested the LAP. That way we'd have AP for the formals and PC for the Pirate Night (as well as our Palo night). TA said it was a done deal, but I am assuming that the request is a done deal. Happy to just have it out there.

Been MIA for a couple days. I crewed with a competition BBQ team at a contest. Camped in my Honda for the 4 hours of sleep I did get Friday night and am recovering. Had a blast. Team came in 10th which is not as well as they usually do. Learned tons and it will affect how I judge and table captain in the future.

The team is DoRagQ and they are a great bunch of guys from Nashville and Lewisburg, TN. I am the one in pink:

Caryn

 

[BBQMommy]

I had been toying with the idea of doing an excursion in Guadeloupe that was not Disney sponsored: climbing the volcano La Soufriere. It is listed in my Caribbean cruise book as an excursion. However, after reading a few reviews, as neat as it would be it seems the conditions have to be close to perfect for it to be worth it. The conditions needed are a clear day. Here is a good review of a trek (not done with the excursion company):

http://www.cieux.com/guadeloupe/sfrr.html