MAGICal Christmas 2008 - December 20, 2008

[minnie1]

Thanks for the info on the towels. I won't pack ours because they will take up too much room.

Got 2 things already done this morning:
1. Transferred Disney Visa rewards dollars!
2. Saved $50.00-We always stay at Hampton Inn when we drive to Florida because I earn points for free stays and we get free breakfast. Anyway, we are staying at the Hampton Inn on I-95 in Titusville on the 19th. I went to check my reservation and they are running a special now for $50.00 lower then my original price and a $10.00 visa card. Needless to say I called and had my reservation changed to this deal. That is an extra $50.00 from the budget that can go to fun stuff on the cruise.


I am so excited about the cruise that I keep forgetting we are going to WDW for a week after the cruise. I had my whole list printed up for what I needed to pack for the cruise and forgot to write down all the stuff we need for the OKW vacation club. We need a blow up mattress and warmer clothes (just in case). So now my packing list has gotten bigger, but I am so glad I did not forget that stuff.

I am off to my last day of classes!

Angie

 

[CrusinLattas]

Thanks for this information! With that cost, I think I will do that vs. paying per bag with the airport for a lot of the stuff I get on the trip!

Shipping from WDW is easy. If it is items you did not buy there you take it to the front desk tell them you want to ship some things home. If you need a box they will get one for you and they will get you a shipping form. After you get everything packed up and the form filled out take it back to the desk. They will print a shipping level seal it to the box you pay them and it goes out via UPS. If you are shipping nothing but WDW items they will do the packign for you. If you have a mix of stuff it is cheaper to pack it yourself and send it as one large item. We had 14 days worth of purchases to ship home. A huge box and it only cost us 10 dollars​

I just love my TA! She brought our documents to church on Sunday and included a stuffed Cinderella the size of my daughter and a cute jester Goofy almost as big as AJ! She always finds the perfect toys for the kids and brings them with the documents! She also included a little pocket knife for Alan this time and two 2009 planners - she rocks! I think she spends more than she makes on our trips!

I have all my new tech gadgets for the trip! I got an iphone, which I love - no needing a laptop, a little digital camera and the little printer that both fit in a little carrying case. I used them this weekend at the Santa Brunch and they worked fantastic! I love being able to share the best shots with family before we go home!

We got a cute little 1 ft. tree at the Santa Brunch that the kids decorated - I think I may bring it for a room decoration. It is the perfect size for a little room!

I plan on packing this week - I think I will have things I ordered still coming until Thursday evening so that does slow down the packing!

I am ready to hear 'When You Wish Upon A Star' on the ships horn soon! I just ordered the Disney Travel Channel shows for my iphone for the kids to watch on our way - it includes the Disney Cruise Line show!

See you all soon!

 

[Az Pirates]

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

Paul

Already there, and I bet I hate it more!

I told everyone to gather all the stuff they need washed before they can pack and to get it in the laundry room this weekend. Not a single dirty in sight this morning.
I'm thinking they will all be way under-dressed, or way stinky come cruise time.
I guess I better put out a final ultimatum tonight!




Who was I supposed to contact about a pre-cruise meet at the Hyatt?
We had to divide and conquer since getting frequent flyer seats on the same flight during holiday travel time was impossible, so most of the family won't get in until late Friday or even early Sat, but DD and I will be there and we'd love to get together to say hello if something is being planned.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Already there, and I bet I hate it more!

I told everyone to gather all the stuff they need washed before they can pack and to get it in the laundry room this weekend. Not a single dirty in sight this morning.
I'm thinking they will all be way under-dressed, or way stinky come cruise time.
I guess I better put out a final ultimatum tonight!

This makes me glad that the boys don't know yet - because this way I'm fully in charge of their packing And I am not going to be sitting around waiting for them to get their laundry done - I'm just going to do it, pull out what I want to pack for them, and then they can deal with the rest.

I'm just a bit unsure of how much to take in terms of shorts / t-shirts because it will be a bit cooler further north than as far south as Grand Cayman. Guess I'll take some of everything.

 

[ajmanns]

Hey everyone! I've been lurking on here the past couple of days, just doing some research about the cruise. My husband and I are going to be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary by taking this Disney cruise with our 2 older children, ages 17 and 21. We did a 7 day Disney cruise in 2000, and loved it! So here we are again! I booked this cruise in January, so it's kind of hard to believe it's only days away!!

My name is Amy, and my husband's name is Rich. Our children are Ben, 17, and Allyson, 21. Our family are Disney lovers. We have been to Disneyworld 4 times, and Disneyland once. We are from Wisconsin, so that is not the easiest trip to make!

What a weird Christmas...we are not doing gifts at all for each other. This cruise is our anniversary/christmas gifts all wrapped into one big happy CRUISE!! I cannot wait. We are all so excited.

I have a question...do we need to bring our own beach towels? I cannot remember what we did last time.

Also, does anyone know what the dinner schedule is? (what night is formal night, etc.) AND...is there a pirate night or an island/tropical night?

Thanks for your help!

 

[tinkerbell_29]

I was just looking at our packing list and it is five pages long. I'm beginning to wonder if we really need everything on it. At least i no longer have to worry about the airline losing something now i just have to figure out how to get it all in the car.

Cindy the stairs in the attrium is a great place to do the group picture. I know several have brunch plans on Monday so I was thinking sometime between 2 and 3 would be a good time. What does everyone else think?

Lissa

 

[tinkerbell_29]

Ok I'm really hopeful that wdw isn't as busy as they usually are this time of year. We were just able to get reserved seating for CP on the 19th. We had a choice of any restaurant and any show we wanted. Of course it may be that way due to the christmas party that night.

Lissa

 

[nzdisneymom]

Hey everyone! I've been lurking on here the past couple of days, just doing some research about the cruise. My husband and I are going to be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary by taking this Disney cruise with our 2 older children, ages 17 and 21. We did a 7 day Disney cruise in 2000, and loved it! So here we are again! I booked this cruise in January, so it's kind of hard to believe it's only days away!!

I have a question...do we need to bring our own beach towels? I cannot remember what we did last time.

Also, does anyone know what the dinner schedule is? (what night is formal night, etc.) AND...is there a pirate night or an island/tropical night?

Thanks for your help!

Amy - welcome to the DIS and welcome to the thread! Glad you posted to say hi! We have a great group going, all ages. What a great celebration you all have ahead of you. In fact, I think I will start planning our 5th to be aboard the Magic (or one of the new ships).

Nope, don't need your own beach towels unless you just want a larger towel than a regular-sized pool towel.

As for Pirate night, it will likely be on Tuesday which is when we'll be in Cozumel - I think they normally do it on Cozumel night which is different than usual for us because Cozumel and Grand Cayman have swapped days.

We have a DIS meet scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Promenade Lounge. Come on by with your family to say "hey" - it's our official "meet and greet" so we can put faces with our names.

I was just looking at our packing list and it is five pages long. I'm beginning to wonder if we really need everything on it. At least i no longer have to worry about the airline losing something now i just have to figure out how to get it all in the car.

I bet you could cull down some of your list, but depending on how detailed it is, you might really need everything. I'm packing duct tape this trip because I actually used some today to repair my suitcase If I take it with me, we won't need it. Of course you've got the WDW portion of your trip and you'll be gone quite a while, so you have to pack for two trips instead of one. Since you aren't flying, you really should check out the space bags because they do work well. You don't have to worry about a weight limit when driving, so your suitcase can be heavier.

Cindy the stairs in the attrium is a great place to do the group picture. I know several have brunch plans on Monday so I was thinking sometime between 2 and 3 would be a good time. What does everyone else think?

Lissa

I think 2 o'clock is good - plenty of time past lunch but early enough for early diners to still fit in an afternoon nap We should see if we can get a Navigator and check the Sea Day activities for the first sea day on a Western and see what they've had planned. I'd hate for us to plan a picture at a certain time only to find out that is the traditional frog-jumping race time in the Atrium

 

[nzdisneymom]

Ok I'm really hopeful that wdw isn't as busy as they usually are this time of year. We were just able to get reserved seating for CP on the 19th. We had a choice of any restaurant and any show we wanted. Of course it may be that way due to the christmas party that night.

Lissa

Wow - that's amazing! So where did you pick?

 

[tinkerbell_29]

Were doing lunch at Chef de France and then the 5pm show. That wya we cna get back to the hotel and get everything ready to go for the cruise. I'm glad we get to do this as it is one of my favorite christmas activities at WDW.

Lissa

 

[BearFan]

Amy,
Welcome to the group!!!!!
Glad to see we have a family from 'sconsin coming along! DH and I are as close as you can be to WI without crossing the cheddar curtain. Where are you located? We're in Ingleside, IL, near Fox Lake. You can look in the first post on this thread for activities we're having during the cruise.

Welcome aboard!!!!

Lisa Marie

 

[nzdisneymom]

Dec. 9th - Finalize door signs, magnets, business cards, FE gifts

I spent some time working on door signs tonight - mostly I just revamped one from our Med cruise and made a Pirate one and then a small one for Christmas. I will have a few other things - Tom from the main board made me a set of DCL name tag graphics that I'll make magnets out of, and I'm doing ears and a pirate hat for over the door number on the cabin.

Here are the three main door signs we'll have (I haven't decided if I'll get the magnetic paper or if I'll just print them on cardstock and use magnet strips on the back).

 

[xsjackson]

my missing box showed up in Va today. yeah. only took 4 weeks. my fe gifties arrived!!! now I am ready to fly out on the 19th.

 

[nzdisneymom]

my missing box showed up in Va today. yeah. only took 4 weeks. my fe gifties arrived!!! now I am ready to fly out on the 19th.

Susan - what a big sigh of relief for you! Whew! I hope you hadn't gone to any trouble to try to do something else to replace the contents of the box.

Had the box traveled elsewhere? Or just took that long to go? Either way, at least it is now where it is supposed to be.

We're sailing NEXT WEEK!

 

[hinsok1]

It is so much fun reading about everyone's activites!!!

Welcome Amy and family . . . what part of WI? DH and I are originally from the Milwaukee area, currently residing in Minneapolis. We are traveling with a mixture of family from Milwaukee and Minneapolis. As much as I love a white Christmas, it will be nice to get away from all this snow!!!!

Ran to a Christmas party tonight, then stopped at Target for a few last minute items. I found Disney whiteboards in the $1 bins. Bought one for each room in our party!! They didn't have a big choice, but we got one Ariel, one High School Musical, and two different Cars themed ones. Now I just need to figure out how to hang them on the cabin doors!

Can't seem to find the Non-Drowsy Dranamine at Target. I thought I bought it there two years ago . . . oh well, I'll need to make a stop at Walgreens. I have just enough left for myself, but decided I'd better bring more, just in case someone else is impacted this year that wasn't last.

DH laughs at how I need to have certain things in an emergency, but last time DD cut her self getting out of the jeep in Cozumel and we had nothing to clean it other than the hand sanitizer I had . . . I now travel with bandaids wipes!

Better get off to bed. I promised myself I would get sleep and try to be better rested before this trip . . . yea right!

Happy Monday!!!!

 

[nzdisneymom]

DH laughs at how I need to have certain things in an emergency, but last time DD cut her self getting out of the jeep in Cozumel and we had nothing to clean it other than the hand sanitizer I had . . . I now travel with bandaids wipes!

We always have hand wipes with us when going into the ports (shoot, usually have them with me just in normal life, too) because you never know what you might need them for. I read a trip report in the spring about a man whose DD had a bird poop on her and the only thing they had to wipe it off with was a dirty napkin they found in the street. eeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww.

 

[tinksmom]

Welcome, Amy, and happy 25th anniversary to you and DH!

2 p.m. on Monday in the atrium sounds good for us. Our brunch is at 11:30, so that should give us plenty of time to waddle down after we stuff ourselves.

I got all our gifts for family and friends wrapped last night. Now I can turn our sunroom into vacation central. I'm not one to pack until the day before we leave, but I'll probably start getting things together this weekend.

I still need to make a door sign with my dis name. Carly and I made our Mickey wreath over Thanksgiving, I just have to put some magnets on the back. I also need to make our family business cards. Although we seem to have lost most of our pictures, so they may just have our names and info.

Although I'm a stay-home mom, I never stay home. So, I'm planning an at-home day Thursday to get all that done.

Lissa, congrats on getting CP! We're eating at 6:30 at Teppan Edo. Are y'all staying for Illuminations? We probably won't make it to Epcot until 4-5. If you see a 45ish mom and 15is DD in scooters along with a 50ish pooh-sized hubby it's us. Stop us and say hello.

We're at single digits tomorrow!
tenya

 

[minnie1]

Welcome Amy and family!

I also got DCL nametags from Tom on the main board. I made them into magnets along with a magnet for each day of the week.
Also, I made the mickey head wreath with the paint things from Home Depot. It turned out nice. I never thought about putting my Disboards name on any of my magnets. Maybe I will just write it on the whiteboard.

Well last night was my last class. I am a free woman for 6 weeks. Today I am going to do laundry. I am also going to try and organize my carry-on bag with all our paperwork and other things that we need. Also, charge batteries on the camera and get together items for the kids on the car drive down.

I convinced dh that we should leave on the 18th and stop at a hotel instead of driving all day on the 19th to our hotel in Florida. We are leaving on the
18th after school and driving 6 hours. We are stopping in Virginia and then driving the other 10 hours on the 19th.

Angie

 

[nzdisneymom]

I convinced dh that we should leave on the 18th and stop at a hotel instead of driving all day on the 19th to our hotel in Florida. We are leaving on the
18th after school and driving 6 hours. We are stopping in Virginia and then driving the other 10 hours on the 19th.

Angie - that's a great idea -- get some of the driving out of the way and then you don't have quite so far to go on Friday so you won't be quite so exhausted when you get there! We're leaving on Friday after the boys get out of school so we hope to be on the road by 3 p.m. so we can get to Port Canaveral before 9 p.m.

I have forgotten who is staying at the Country Inn and Suites besides us. If anyone is staying there and want to have a meet-and-greet (albeit late), let me know. I know I'll be curious at breakfast if anyone is a DISer among all the other people staying there who will be sailing with us who aren't DISers.

Here's a tip - just have a light breakfast on Saturday morning - especially if you're not staying somewhere with a free breakfast - because as soon as you board the ship, there's food galore! Don't wanna be stuffed from a hotel breakfast when you're going to have access to a week's worth of DCL food

 

[Diana Lyn]

I have forgotten who is staying at the Country Inn and Suites besides us. If anyone is staying there and want to have a meet-and-greet (albeit late), let me know. I know I'll be curious at breakfast if anyone is a DISer among all the other people staying there who will be sailing with us who aren't DISers.

Here's a tip - just have a light breakfast on Saturday morning - especially if you're not staying somewhere with a free breakfast - because as soon as you board the ship, there's food galore! Don't wanna be stuffed from a hotel breakfast when you're going to have access to a week's worth of DCL food

We'll be at the CI/S on Friday night.

Here's our plan--Emma gets out of school at 12:30. Julia is supposed to get out at 1:45, but I'm working her Christmas program at school and I think when that's done, I'll just take her home at lunchtime at 11:30. (Missing lunch and recess will kill a 4 year old, but it's for good cause!!) So by 12:45 we should be able to hop on the road.

We're going to stop at Disney World for a while. The DVC Member Mixers are on Fridays this year, so that works out well. We'll probably walk around Epcot, watch the CP from the walkway a bit, grab some dinner and then head out to the port.

I can't believe we have less than 2 weeks. I have so much going on right now, time is just flying.