Magic In Paradise: 10/8-10/15 2011 All cruisers check in here

[Keira1387]

Hello! We also booked this while onboard the western cruise last week. It will be me and dh. Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

 

[Octoberbride03]

Welcome aboard Keira and MintJulep. Glad to have you sailing with us. Seems like the just finished Western has brought a few new cruisers to the thread.

Just give a shout out about anything you want to know about for the Eastern as there are a few of us who've taken it before. And please feel free to share pics of your western. We love pics here

 

[Octoberbride03]

BTW everybody

I am keeping a list of all those checking in so far. So any info you want to share regarding the cruise (stateroom, dinner seating, Night before hotel, if any) please go ahead and email me at the FE link or PM me here. I'll update the list as it grows and email it to everybody at the beginning of the month as long as I have your email

So lets all hang out and have fun.

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

For all the fellow 10/16/10 Western cruisers joining us here on the 10/8/11 Eastern. aboard and let's get this party started (and here is a pic of the sailaway party a week ago, did you notice Mickey's hat trying to fall off ).

 

[Jasminerk13]

Did anyone else get a thing in the mail from DCL today?
I got a confirmation package with dates payment is due, it was kind of a brochure. Very nice looking.
It got me excited! WOOOHOOO!

 

[Octoberbride03]

Tigger: I didn't even know Mickey's hat could fall off. l always thought it was like sewn to his head

Jasmine: The white package with the DVD? We got ours awhile ago. It is so nice to be able to look at it and know it is coming up

 

[Jasminerk13]

Mine did not come with a DVD. We booked our trip over a year ago, so it's odd that we got something yesterday. But it's just got some specific information regarding our cruise (ressie number, sail date, payment due date, etc).

 

[MintJulep]

I am really looking forward to cruising in the Eastern. I was a little disappointed with the ports of call on the Western. Key West was alright, but not as "picturesque" as I thought it was going to be. I was expecting more historical areas and less Myrtle Beach type T-Shirt stores.

The day we visited Grand Cayman, the weather wasn't too great, so that might have been the beach wasn't that nice.

But, I loved Cozumel! I could not believe that water could naturally be that blue!

And of course, Castaway Cay was paradise!

But, the main reason why we booked again is because we absolutely loved the ship, the entertainment and the cast members were amazing!!! Our servers Gede and Giorgio and our state room host Philip were the best!!

I can't wait to see what the Eastern has in store!!

Keira, I remember seeing you on the Western boards so it is nice to see you again!

 

[Octoberbride03]

Good morning Cruisers

Today is my day off from work so I'm checking in to say hi. I know we've all done short intros, but I think its time tell y'all more about us.

So here goes:

I am Maureen(37) and cruising with me will be my DH Richard(51).

For now I work at Target. Going to start job searching soon and with luck I will find something new and non-retail by Christmas. I have worked there for 6.5 years now and its time to go. Also trying to get an Avon business going. Its fun, but not easy.

Richard works as a civilian contractor for the Navy, basically putting together all the tech manuals for the fleet on the East Coast and every now and again a ship or 2 in San Diego as sometimes he is the only 1 who has what they need. He has been doing this for 20+ years now ever since he transitioned out of the Navy in 80s.

We've been married for 7yrs and will be celebrating a late 8th anniversary celebration on the Magic as we sail. We married on Oct.3rd and we sail on the 8th so its not too long to wait at all.


This will be our second Eastern on the Magic, and hopefully the first time finishing the scheduled itinerary. We first sailed in Oct. 2008 and got interrupted by Hurricane Omar. So instead of St. Thomas we wound up at Nassau, Bahamas. The only advantage to this was gaining an extra half sea day.

Even though all we did was lounge around or explore the ship on our own, the sea days were our favorite part of the vacation. I think that's why we have yet to book the Western. The thought of losing a day at sea is a bit of a drawback for us as we're the type of people who feel if we haven't been to the port we should at least explore a little bit.

I think that's good to start with.

As I mentioned earlier I am keeping a list with all cruiser info so if anyone wants to pm me or email me at moluvsdisneymagic@cox.net with your cruising info I'll put it altogether and send everybody the list at the beginning of each month until we sail. Same goes for any FE sign-ups

 

[Octoberbride03]

Jasmine: I think I got myself mixed up. We got the letter you describe awhile ago, though nowhere near our actual deposit date. And then a few weeks ago we got another little envelope with the DVD and a little booklet of the 2010 and 2011 itineraries. The DVD is supposed to be interactive, but we have yet to actually play it Sad to say i love the Travel Channel's show better than DCL's on production

Mintjulep: I think you are really going to love the Eastern. St. Marten is just beautiful. We loved walking down the beach path and the shopping in Phillipsburg was nice too. We picked a very nice table cloth for Christmas the last time we were there. I have absolutely no idea what we might get next time we go.
And the blue water is everywhere down there. I had never seen it so blue either and its just amazing. And WARM even. I am used to swimming in the Mid-Atlantic which is of course is not blue and freezing cold in August

Alright, gotta go get supper in the slow cooker.

Have a great day everybody

 

[MintJulep]

OctoberBride03: I think it is a great idea to tell everyone a little more about ourselves!


So, here is a little about me:

I am 27 (soon to be 28 in December) and my DH is 28.

I work as a freelance writer for our local newspaper. It is a pretty sweet gig because I get to work from home and I don't have any set hours.

My DH works as a lab director at our local dairy. He gets to test all of the milk products and make sure they are safe and up to code.

We were married on Oct. 6 2007, so like OctoberBride03, we will be celebrating our late anniversary.

The Western cruise that we just took on Oct. 16 was our first cruise, and I have to say that it exceeded our expectations! I was a little unsure about being stuck on a boat, but I found out the sea days were my favorite days!

When we found out the Eastern offers an extra day at sea, and since we wanted to try a different cruise, we booked for the Eastern.

The only thing I was disappointed with on the past cruise was that they didn't offer a galley tour. I know they had done this in the past. Did they stop doing the tours? Both my DH and I were really looking forward to it.

That pretty much sums me up!

 

[MrsZ]

Hey Y'all!

Just wanted to introduce myself! I'm Mrs. Z and this will be me and my DH's first ever cruise! It was his wedding gift from me! (I know awesome wife right?!) it is for our one year wedding anniversary! I started a PTR because I know nothing about cruising or DCL. If any of you would like to lend some advice or tips that would be much apprecaited... I'm sure i'll be asking tons of questions here too! Can't wait to plan with all of you!

xoxo
Mrs. Z

 

[MrsZ]

FISH EXTENDER EXCHANGE SIGN UP:
Since no one else has volunteered, and I need something of a fun project in my life right now, I am going to host the FE exchange for our cruise

Send an Email to moluvsdisneymagic@cox.net
Please list the following:

1. Your DISboard name.
2. Stateroom Number
3. Names, ages and gender of everyone in your stateroom that will be participating in the FE Exchange.

Once I receive your email, I will send out a list of participants. PLEASE check the list to make sure I have your information correct. Some people make personalized things with names on them and I'd hate to spell someone's name wrong and not know it. Or I'd really feel awful if I have your stateroom number wrong and you don't get any FE gifts at all! So, please double check my list when I send it. THANKS!!

This will be my first time running it. So questions such as price minimums and maximums and how many gifts per room can be decided as we go. Personally, I feel that anything goes for this. For our last cruise we made some home made gifts and may do that again. We got some great gifts from everybody no matter if it was store bought or not.

Its just such a great way to share the joy of cruising with everybody

Participating in the Fish Extender Exchange is completely optional. Feel free to do or spend whatever you're comfortable with. As for the Fish Extender itself, some people buy them, others want to make theirs, whatever you choose is fine. The same rule applies to the "goodies"! You can buy or make them!

What is a fish extender exchange?

If you're not familiar with what a fish extender exchange is, check out these links:

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

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1980639

Let's have fun and get the ball rolling

This sounds like so much fun! I have some questions though....

How do i find out what stateroom i'm in? and what do people usually give for "goodies"? This got me really excited! I think I might go searching for a FE and give it to DH for xmas!

 

[MintJulep]

Welcome to the board MrsZ!


I was in your shoes when we went on our last cruise and Disney had exceeded my expectations!!!

I have never participated in a fish extender before, but I am thinking of do it this time around.

Did you book with a travel agent or did you do it online? If you booked through a travel agent, they will be able to tell. I am not sure if you will know, yet, if you booked online.

A few weeks before we sail, you will get your cruise documents and that will have all of your info on it, including your room number.

I am pretty sure that you can let OctoberBride03 know that you want to do the FE and then at a later date let her know your room number.

If you have any question, don't be afraid to ask. We are a pretty friendly bunch!!!!

Welcome aboard!!!

 

[MrsZ]

Welcome to the board MrsZ!


I was in your shoes when we went on our last cruise and Disney had exceeded my expectations!!!

I have never participated in a fish extender before, but I am thinking of do it this time around.

Did you book with a travel agent or did you do it online? If you booked through a travel agent, they will be able to tell. I am not sure if you will know, yet, if you booked online.

A few weeks before we sail, you will get your cruise documents and that will have all of your info on it, including your room number.

I am pretty sure that you can let OctoberBride03 know that you want to do the FE and then at a later date let her know your room number.

If you have any question, don't be afraid to ask. We are a pretty friendly bunch!!!!

Welcome aboard!!!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad to hear that is exceeded your expectations... we really dont know what to expect!

I actually called and spoke to DCL and booked over the phone. I guess i'll have to wait until the cruise package arrives before i find out my room number. bummer!

I'm sure i'll have a ton of questions! I started a PTR last night so between that and this thread i'm sure i'll be able to get every question I have answered!

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Hey Y'all!

Just wanted to introduce myself! I'm Mrs. Z and this will be me and my DH's first ever cruise! It was his wedding gift from me! (I know awesome wife right?!) it is for our one year wedding anniversary! I started a PTR because I know nothing about cruising or DCL. If any of you would like to lend some advice or tips that would be much apprecaited... I'm sure i'll be asking tons of questions here too! Can't wait to plan with all of you!

xoxo
Mrs. Z

aboard our growing family. We are also off the 10/16 cruise but have had this cruise booked for over a year. This will be our 7th cruise including 2 Easterns so if you have any questions, please do not hestitate to ask.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad to hear that is exceeded your expectations... we really dont know what to expect!

I actually called and spoke to DCL and booked over the phone. I guess i'll have to wait until the cruise package arrives before i find out my room number. bummer!

I'm sure i'll have a ton of questions! I started a PTR last night so between that and this thread i'm sure i'll be able to get every question I have answered!

I'll have to hit your PTR.

As to your stateroom number, if you booked a guaranty package you will have to wait until late summer/possibly September to be assigned a number. If you didn't you can go to the DCL site and look it up there, it should bring up your confirmation after you register.

And don't worry if you are guarantee, you can always send me the room number later and sign on for the exchange now

Another note on the FE exchange. You DON'T have to know what you're giving out before you sign up. And if something happens where you need to withdraw that's alright too. We have plenty of time to get everything worked out

And a very big to our happy thread

 

[MrsZ]

aboard our growing family. We are also off the 10/16 cruise but have had this cruise booked for over a year. This will be our 7th cruise including 2 Easterns so if you have any questions, please do not hestitate to ask.

Thanks! How do you like the easterns? I was torn between the western and eastern but I chose the eastern because of the longer time at sea... DH and I both grew up boating with our dads and have been talking about cruising for a long time... and given some the things i've read about the disney cruise ships I think we'd enjoy our time just on ship

I'll have to hit your PTR.

As to your stateroom number, if you booked a guaranty package you will have to wait until late summer/possibly September to be assigned a number. If you didn't you can go to the DCL site and look it up there, it should bring up your confirmation after you register.

And don't worry if you are guarantee, you can always send me the room number later and sign on for the exchange now

Another note on the FE exchange. You DON'T have to know what you're giving out before you sign up. And if something happens where you need to withdraw that's alright too. We have plenty of time to get everything worked out

And a very big to our happy thread

Yes! definately hit up my PTR! I went on alittle vacation from the dis about a year ago and I definately missed it! I'm so glad to be back planning and writing again

I am going to email you the information I do have and I've already started looking for FE's on ebay and etsy... i might try my hand at making my own bt we'll see

Awe you guys are so sweet!

Thanks for the big welcome and the help!

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Thanks! How do you like the easterns? I was torn between the western and eastern but I chose the eastern because of the longer time at sea... DH and I both grew up boating with our dads and have been talking about cruising for a long time... and given some the things i've read about the disney cruise ships I think we'd enjoy our time just on ship

We like both Easterns and Westerns. We find our true vacation is the ship and CMs. The Westerns are more port intensive than the Easterns. You start off with 2 sea days on the Eastern which will give you time to explore the ship. The Eastern will visit St Marteen which has a nice beach in Phillipsburg on the Dutch side where the Magic docks. There are nicer beaches (ie Orient beach) on the French side but they are clothing optional. We have young children and some things are not meant to be seen. by them. St Thomas is a shopping stop or you can take a boat over to St Johns which we hear in beautiful. You can also try the tram up the hill for some great views of the Magic and harbor.

Great Bay Beach in St Marteen

St Thomas

 

[MintJulep]

We like both Easterns and Westerns. We find our true vacation is the ship and CMs. The Westerns are more port intensive than the Easterns. You start off with 2 sea days on the Eastern which will give you time to explore the ship. The Eastern will visit St Marteen which has a nice beach in Phillipsburg on the Dutch side where the Magic docks. There are nicer beaches (ie Orient beach) on the French side but they are clothing optional. We have young children and some things are not meant to be seen. by them. St Thomas is a shopping stop or you can take a boat over to St Johns which we hear in beautiful. You can also try the tram up the hill for some great views of the Magic and harbor.

Great Bay Beach in St Marteen

St Thomas

Awesome photos! Thanks for sharing!

I don't know if I could handle the clothing optional beaches. I think I would be giggling like a little kid the whole time.