MAGICal Christmas 2008 - December 20, 2008

[dbxazd]

Didn't someone post here about buying individual packets of laundry soap at Wal-Mart or somewhere similar? Can you tell me more about them and where in the store you find them? I've looked at our WM and grocery stores and don't see anything like that. Is it just with regular laundry soap?

Hi there! I found individual packets of Tide - single load packets at my local Target with all the travel size products. I've never seen it at WalMart, but I would suspect that they would have something simular in their travel size product selection (my Walmart's travel size product section is about 1/3 the size of the one at Target).

Can't wait for the trip!

BTW - just an update on my mom......she's actually had a really good week. Her appetitie is increased tremendously and she's got some energy back.....we know that this isn't forever, but it does give us a little more peace of mind while we are on our trip (although I know this can change day to day) - but for right now things are (relatively) good. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers for me and my family. It's really helped to be able to have "support" from all of you!

Robin

 

[SnowWhite2]

I want to order the DCL tree for our stateroom. My DH thinks we are going to walk into a Target or walmart in Cocoa Beach and purchase a small artificial tree on Dec 19th for our stateroom

I'm going to just order one. It is one thing I don't have lug around or run around to find.

Anyone else ordering cabin decorations from DCL?

 

[xsjackson]

My DH thinks we are going to walk into a Target or walmart in Cocoa Beach and purchase a small artificial tree on Dec 19th for our stateroom

My husband thinks the same thing! Collected the coupons and everything from target ad. makes me smile how naive my husband can be even after 25 yrs of marriage.

 

[tinkerbell_29]

Samantha brown is at WDW right now doing a holiday show . It's been on before but I love to watch it. Yes I'm procratinating a gain but really i'm almost done with my project.

Lissa

 

[tinksmom]

Hi Everyone!
I've been off all week trying to focus on keeping Carly positive. We saw her orthopedist Thursday. She's been cleared from his care. Nothing showed up on the MRI. Medical opinion is now nerve damage. She'll hopefully see a pain management specialist for testing before we leave. She still has a hard time walking and will be on crutches most of our trip.

Shannon, I did cancel Carly's Wild Side excursion this morning.

Anna, congratulations on the upgrade!

Robin, I'm glad to hear your mom is having some good days! Prayers continue for her good health.

Two weeks from today, I'll be having room service breakfast on the veranda while looking at Castaway Cay.

Suitcases come out this week and the packing begins!
tenya

 

[psharrock]

We've already filled 2 large suite cases. The formal clothes for us all doesn't half take up a lot of room. As usual during the winter we've also had to pack clothes for cooler weather, as well as the usual t-shirts and shorts.

Kissimmee is only at 62F today, I know the carribean will be warmer but we will be staying in Kissimmee for another week after the cruise.

I hope everyone doesn't get too stressed out over the packing, I know my DW hates it.

Paul

 

[tinkerbell_29]

As for packignwe are using the garage or as we call it storage room to do this. We have carpet out there and never open teh garage door excpet to tkae garabage out. I usually don't find packing streeful as it means I'm getting ready to go on vacation ! When we get done packing ti's all ready to be loaded in the car without dragging anything downstairs.

I finally finished my project. I am now done with school work until 1/6 Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Lissa

 

[BearFan]

Hmm, I was looking at the decorations DCL offers and something just occured to me. With strict USDA regulations in place, I bet you can't take your flowers or live Christmas decorations off the ship with you. If customs has busted people over taking fruit off the ship before, OMG, what will they do to you with a live tree?!?! Sounds like hard time to me. We saw someone arrested over cigars a few years back. Oh, funny story... DH and I flew to New Zealand on the first anniversary of Sept 11. In all US airports they were giving out apples in rememberance of the event. We ate ours before we disembarked in Aukland but boy oh boy did that little beagle ever nail me for having them in my bag. Just doin' his job, I guess

Lisa Marie

 

[nzdisneymom]

You all have been busy this weekend - I love reading about how things are coming along.

Robin - I'm so glad your mother is doing better right now. I know that will give you some peace of mind while you are away. We will continue to keep her in our prayers.

And I sure hope Carly gets some relief so even being on crutches won't slow her down too much.

We found the Tide single-uses and All two-loads-small-bottles in the Travel section in the Health/Beauty area of Target. I opted to go with the All because I thought it would be easier to open / use for me than the individual packets. I have not seen any at Walmart or anywhere else. So I think Target is the place to look for them. Make sure to pack dryer sheets so you won't have to buy any fabric softener on the ship.

Lissa - I had forgotten about us being "announced" on Deck 9 when boarding in Barcelona. I remembered we boarded on Deck 1 but had forgotten about the announcing.

If we end up not being able to tender in Grand Cayman, that's ok with us, but I would like to. Grand Cayman doesn't "make or break" the trip for us -- actually, none of the ports do - this trip is all about vacationing, not about destinations.

We spent two nights at the beach this weekend. We were sitting out on the deck and I told Gary it sure was a bigger "verandah" than we'll have in two weeks The boys enjoyed playing in the sand and it makes me especially look forward to Castaway Cay. I may see if I can bring their sand buckets with us - I think I can fit them in the suitcase and just fill them with other stuff. When we have been before, they've not had anything to play / build with, so since they are already out, I am going to see if I can get them packed.

I agree with Lissa that for the group picture, everyone who is able should come. We need to figure out a time / location to do it -- I definitely think on the stairs in the Atrium would be a good place... just when? I know some folks have Palo Brunch on Monday late morning, so what about Monday in the afternoon?

This is going to be a really busy week - but I'm mostly looking forward to getting ready for the trip, so keep those "what I did today" posts coming!

 

[hinsok1]

Hi everyone . . . working on FE gifts today . . . 30 cabins right? Cindy - will you send the spreadsheet one more time once we have the new cabin numbers? Thanks.

Just looked at the calendar for the rest of the two weeks. Something going on each night . . . plus I have to fit work in there somewhere . . . it is going to be busy . . . can't quite believe we are leaving in 14 days . . .

have a great week everyone.

 

[dbxazd]

Well - so far I have:
stopped my mail
stopped my newspaper delivery
paid bills that need to be "sent" while we are away
printed out my on-line check in documents
gotten the suitcases out and laid clothes in their vacinity
started getting the tips together (we pay in cash, so we just sort out enough cash to go along with the "recommended" amounts and some extra cash for Xmas/above and beyond service etc.)
figured out how we're getting to BWI to leave for Orlando in 10 DAYS!!
set aside laundry detergant, quarters and dryer sheets for laundry
set aside Pirate paraphenlia (sp?)
order stateroom deocorations from "Captain Mickey"

what's left to do?????
LOTS

Hope everyone has had a good weekend!!!

Robin

 

[minnie1]

It looks like everyone is busy with activities and getting ready for this cruise. I got out the suitcases and started laying some our clothes out. I put the suitcases in the girls playroom and told them they have to not play in there for 2 weeks. I need the room for luggage.

I read somewhere that Disney gives you towels for Castaway Cay when you get off the ship. Is that true? I really have no room for beach towels but I will try to pack them if I have to.

One more day of classes tomorrow and then my semester is done until the middle of January.

Robin, I am glad to hear your mom is doing better.

Angie

 

[hinsok1]

Angie - yes, they do give you towels when you get off of the ship. We did not bring towels last time and were fine without them. Definetly not enough room to pack them

 

[nzdisneymom]

I read somewhere that Disney gives you towels for Castaway Cay when you get off the ship. Is that true? I really have no room for beach towels but I will try to pack them if I have to.

Angie - yep, it's true - they hand you a towel pretty much just after you get off the ship, so plan to take a day-bag or something onto the island to put it in or have each person plan to carry their own towel til you get wherever you're planning to set-up for the day.

There are dirty towel bins by Serenity Bay and it seems like I saw some in a few other places on the island. But I can't remember if they have fresh-towels down there or not. They are the regular sized towels like they have at the pool, so if you want a bigger towel, bring your own or plan to buy one from the shop on the island (or from the gift shop on the ship). I'm not sure if the ship's gift shop is open while we're at Castaway Cay or if it closes up til we set sail again. I know it is usually closed when we are in ports.

 

[ShannonR]

Hi!!! Is everyone as excited as we are about this trip OR WHAT?? We leave in 10 days for Houston so we have already started to pack (I have myself, DD15, DD4 , and Christmas decoration suitcases all packed. I just have DH and DS12 left to pack. I also need to fill the garment bag with our formal clothes and the baby's dresses. I thought about shipping over our Christmas decorations, but in the end decided against it because with my luck the box would get lost and I would have no decorations and/or FE gifts. So I will pay the fee for the extra suitcase (watch the airline lose the suitcase and then it will be for nothing! ).

We took the night to drive around and look at Christmas lights around town. Not as many up this year as previous years. Maybe the economy?

Tenya, I am so sorry to hear about Carly, and I will ask Morgan if she wants to cancel also. She will be disappointed, I know. I hope Carly feels better soon!

Well, I am officially done with all my parties!! I had our hospital Christmas party on Friday night which was a BLAST and then the wedding of a fellow co-worker on Saturday that was SO BORING! I was going to have one more quinceaneara to go to on the 13th, but it is in Reynosa Mexico and the Mexicans are treating white people REALLY BAD right now(even killing some), so I think it would be safer for me to stay put on the U.S. side!

I hope to do some last minute shopping either this week or early next week. Rick STILL has not made our door signs or our family "business cards". What a procrastinator my husband is!

Talk to everyone soon!
Shannon

 

[gardengirlco]

Hi!!! Is everyone as excited as we are about this trip OR WHAT?? We leave in 10 days for Houston so we have already started to pack (I have myself, DD15, DD4 , and Christmas decoration suitcases all packed. I just have DH and DS12 left to pack. I also need to fill the garment bag with our formal clothes and the baby's dresses. I thought about shipping over our Christmas decorations, but in the end decided against it because with my luck the box would get lost and I would have no decorations and/or FE gifts. So I will pay the fee for the extra suitcase (watch the airline lose the suitcase and then it will be for nothing! ).

We're also taking some decorations, but I'm not even chancing mine to checked baggage. Our smallest wheeled suitcase measures within the carry on limitations so that's what we're going to do. But maybe you have more than I do. Or I know it can be a pain to lug stuff around the airport, but we're taking the stroller for our DS who is almost 4 to use at WDW before the cruise, but he won't need it at the airports, so it's going to be our luggage cart of sorts to wheel all the stuff I don't want to check. I know I'm weird, but it's hard for me to find comfortable shoes and swim suits I like, so I'm taking those on the plane with me and keeping them in my possession. Can't chance losing important things like that on vacation.

We took the night to drive around and look at Christmas lights around town. Not as many up this year as previous years. Maybe the economy?

We did that tonight too and had the same thoughts. There are some houses here that are known for their huge displays every year and we didn't see any of them. Our younger DS was especially disappointed as he remembers going out last year and he kept asking me where the ferris wheel was. Have you seen those? It's cute, an animated ferris wheel that plays Christmas music and has cute stuffed animals in the seats.

Anyway, back to packing and then bed. We leave Friday morning and I'm starting to freak out a bit. Eep!

 

[gardengirlco]

P.S. Robin and Cindy, thanks for the Tide single-use info. I'm envious that you get to shop at Target. Unfortunately we don't have one here and it makes me so sad.

 

[nzdisneymom]

P.S. Robin and Cindy, thanks for the Tide single-use info. I'm envious that you get to shop at Target. Unfortunately we don't have one here and it makes me so sad.

There is a Target not too terribly far from WDW - are you renting a car for your time at WDW?

Dec. 6th - Try on clothes that you plan to take with you. Check children's shoes for fit.

We were at the beach on Saturday so I didn't get to try on outfits, but I'm planning to do that today. I did decide for the boys that I will bring three "dinner" outfits - in other words, three long pants and three nice-enough shirts that if they want to go to dinner in the dining rooms, they can slip those on long enough to eat and then go change. I know it will be cool when we board in Port Canaveral on the first day, so I was thinking about having them wear pants then anyway, so for the first night dinner, they should be able to not have to change

Dec. 7th - Tell yourself that holiday cards can go out late.

I was hoping to get a decent family picture over the weekend, but none of the ones on my camera are suitable for sending (LOL) but I think my SIL may have a good one or two - if she will just download her memory card and then email them to me, we'll see! She still had pics from August on her memory card

Dec. 8th - Confirm pre-cruise and post-cruise travel plans, air, hotel, car rentals...

Check, and re-check. We are doing the Space Center after we get back, so we booked at the CI/S with their Space Center tix. I double-checked that we could pick them up on Saturday so we can spend the day at the Space Center after getting back to Port Canaveral on Saturday.

I'm a bit envious of those of you going to WDW pre-cruise -- getting head start on this vacation! I told myself yesterday that I have 9 1/2 days left to work... although I think I'm going to take 1/2 day off on this Thursday - so that would mean just 9 days. Zachary has his school play performance on Thursday morning, so I figured I will go see it and then just take the rest of the day off so I can get the gift wrapping done for those things that will stay home.

Are any of you planning to do a trip report either during or after the cruise? I am planning to do one post-cruise -- although I might start one late next week as a place-holder. I'm definitely going to write it during the cruise so I won't forget anything. I did that last time - just wrote it in a word document and then when we got home, it was easy enough to post the installments, add some pics, and voila' - instant trip report.

 

[gardengirlco]

There is a Target not too terribly far from WDW - are you renting a car for your time at WDW?

No, we're doing Magical Express from MCO. Besides, if I went to Target, it's never as easy as running in and out to get just ONE thing. If I don't find them, I'll just buy a small box of powdered detergent and double Ziploc bag a few loads' worth and then put the small Ziplocs inside a large one. Shouldn't be too much trouble.

Are any of you planning to do a trip report either during or after the cruise?

I am. I think it sounds fun. Not sure how much I'll work on it in Word during the trip, but probably some if I'm the one on nap or bedtime duty some days with DS3. It'll be fun to read each other's reports when we get back.

 

[DisneyZell]

Happy Monday everyone...just came in from the bus stop and checked the weather and it is 9 degrees but with wind, is -5 degrees! My poor dog had a jacket on and was still shivering! But, I just thought to myself...in 9 days I will be in Orlando!!! I have finished putting my box together to ship down today. This new size thing for the box did not let me put everything I wanted into it! But, at least it is something I don't have to pack. I was at least able to get my x-mas tree & decorations in there as well as some of my f/e gifts. Today, Kim (sailingshamu) and I are going to get our ornament for the exchange, so that will be another check off my list. I finally finished all the f/e gifts this weekend, so that has helped as well. We decorated our house this weekend, but we didn't get a live tree this year like we usually do. Normally we have both a live and fake tree, but just went with the fake one this year. Didn't want to worry about the real one while we were gone. In the next couple of days, I will start pulling the shorts and tees out for the boys...usually I am up the night before packing, so I am determined not to do that this time. Well, I am off for my dental cleaning this morning. Have a great day.