March 15-22, 2008 Eastern - Way-Way Early Check In

[nlm]

Thanks for the reminder! I keep forgetting to get the meds... which I *know* from experience would be a *very* bad thing.

Last time I looked I found two empty cartons of Dramamine and one of the less-drowsy (aka Bonine) Dramamine... sigh, Target doesn't re-stock properly apparently... there's *no* way that many should have sold out in a day or two.

Going to use my fingers and phone to do the hunting. Hmm... maybe starting right now... fingers crossed (which might just slow me down

Right after I purchased some online this morning, I got the call saying it was located at a cheaper price at WalMart. TOO LATE!

I'm still going to hit Costco for the adult version...

Nancy

 

[carolmp]

Marvin,

I noticed you asked for the packing list thread a couple of weeks ago. I can't find that post now. Could you post the link again?

Thanks!
Carol

 

[wrightz05]

Of course this has been very helpful getting me closer to the end

http://www.stlsheldons.us/uploads/Cruise_Packing_and_Tip_List.xls

 

[carolmp]

Thanks! There are a few things on there that I forgot about.

 

[DiszyGram]

Time is really flying by quickly now. Guess I better start getting what I want to take with me out and make sure everything fits. Right now I am wearing winter clothes.

My thirty nine year old daughter is VERY prone to motion sickness. She wears seabands on her wrists when she flies or gets on a ship. They work extremely well in preventing air and sea sickness. The crew members on the ship will agree. You just need to look at people around you and you will see people wearing them.

They are just inexpensive soft cloth bracelets with a little plastic button on them. The button hits a pressure point on your wrist and fools your body into thinking you are not moving. Most drug stores have them.

Looking forward to meeting you all.

If anyone is interested, I will cut and paste the post I put on here about the last Disney Magic cruise we went on two Thanksgivings ago.

Gail

 

[DiszyGram]

Since this cruise is on the same ship we cruised on before, I decided to post my last Disney Magic report. Hope you all enjoy it.

Disney Magic, Thanksgiving week, Nov. 18-25, 2006

The cruise was a magical experience.

Our cabin was very nice but we did have a noise problem at night. It was cabin 2586. At first I thought people above us were tossing around suitcases and practicing bowling lessons. We called up the guest desk and discovered we were located right below Lumiere's galley. The kitchen crew was asked to please try being careful moving things. The rest of the nights were a lot quieter. We could still hear noises but they didn‘t keep us awake. I can't say enough good things about the wonderful staff at the guest desk.

We had early dining and will take the late dining if we sail again. Early dinner seems to rush us too much. Our dining room rotation was APL, which put us in beautiful Lumiere's on Thanksgiving and put us in Animator's three times. Our servers were Noel from France and David from Australia. They were great! Noel kept my 7 year old grandson entertained the whole time with jokes and magic tricks. On our last night he smacked Joey's hand and yelled "High Four". Since I knew Noel is still learning English, I whispered, "It's high five". He said, "No, it's high four", and showed me he didn't have his little finger. I never noticed it until then!

Noel told us a story about when he arrived at the ship for the first time. He brought a whole lot of clothes with him. (count me in with that too ) His cabin had a very small locker and all the uniforms he was given filled it up. He had no extra room for his clothes. I don't think he told us what he did with them.

We used the cloth shoe hangers and hanging shelvs we brought with us for extra storage space. They worked out great!

The ocean was VERY rough when we arrived at Grand Cayman. Only three cruise ships were allowed in and all had to line up on the opposite side of the island for safety. The Disney cruise line made sure ahead of time that the Magic would be one of the three. I heard another ship tried to get in but couldn't get past the heavy surf.

We had chosen the city tour, turtle farm, and butterfly farm as our excursion. All excursions that involved going into the water were canceled. We also went to Hell. There is still a lot of hurricane damage on the island and construction was going on everywhere. The turtle farm was fun. The butterfly farm didn't have many butterflies flying around inside their enclosure. I don't blame them. The wind kept blowing those beautiful insects into the net enclosures.

It was exciting getting back on the ship. We had a rolling ride back on the small boat and nearly slammed into the side of the Magic a few times while trying to dock. Once the ramp was connected, it was rolling up and down. Crew members were watching it and making sure we got across it, one by one, in a calm second. I still felt safe and loved the excitement.

Of course falling off the ramp would have spoiled the fun.

All of the shows on the cruise were VERY nice. We loved every one of them. Since my grandson has a profound hearing loss, my daughter and I made sure we got in line early to get close seats. The crew provided him with headphones. Even with the headphones on, he isn't hearing everything.

Added later: Joey now wears a hearing aide. In spite of being born more than three months early and weighing less than two and a half pounds, he is in the talented and gifted program in school.

In every Navigator it states, Reserved Seat Policy: As a courtesy to all Guests we kindly advise that saving of seats is not permitted in the Walt Disney Theatre, Show Lounges, or for Sun Loungers on Decks 9 & 10

We were fortunate for the first few shows to get our three seats at least in the second or third row. Adults and children were saving whole and half of the seats in the front rows. They were aggressive about doing it.

We were about six people back in line for the last farewell show. By the time we got down to the front, the first 4 rows were completely reserved by a handful of adults and children. When we turned around, most of the other seats were already taken. We walked up about 15 rows and sat in three seats on the aisle. A woman yelled. "Those are saved!!" My daughter was furious and she read the policy to her. She also told her my grandson is hard of hearing. The woman recounted her seats and said she had enough left.

I was very upset at that time and went to the back of the theatre to at least express my dismay to someone. A Disney staff member said he would see what he could do. I saw him checking for empty seats near the front. He came back and told us to follow him. Two close rows were actually reserved by the crew for some families with handicaps, and one family didn't arrive. We got three of those seats and thanked the helpful crew member.

Our room server for the whole cruise was Pa from the Philippines. She was such a friendly and nice woman. Pa took a special interest in Joey, and went beyond her duty to make him happy. He couldn't wait to get back to the room each night and see what she had done.

I had been buying Joey a steady collection of the Disney characters in cruise dress from the ship's store. Pa had a lot of fun using them in her towel sculptures. He howled with laughter when he saw she made a large alligator and had it eating Pluto. I don't know when she ever got a break but her smiling face was there to greet us every time we headed back to the cabin.


We had signed up for a submarine ride on Cozumel. Because of rough seas, all water excursions had to be cancelled. We changed our reservation to a day on the beach. It did save me some money since it was less expensive. The water was still rough and the colors of the water were absolutely beautiful. I could stare at it all day. My daughter and grandson went in it for a short time. I’m a sit in the chair and watch the people in the water person.

A Mexican buffet lunch was included in the excursion. I did not eat the fresh fruit or vegetables because my daughter and the ship’s crew warned us not to. What I did eat tasted good. My daughter didn't follow her own advice. She ate the salad. Valerie wore sea bands on the whole cruise and also took anti-motion sickness medicine daily. That night she lost a whole lot of weight the hard way. It had nothing to do with motion sickness.

Unlike the Grand Cayman, the ships at Cozemel had cement berths to dock in. You could walk right into your ship from the shore. It was impressive to see so many massive cruise ships docked side by side in one area. Makes you feel pretty small.

This is one experience that I thought was especially Magical.

Joey wasn't interested in getting an autograph book for the Disney characters to sign during the cruise. We saw many of them every day. He wanted to have pictures with them, but not their autographs. I did try to talk him into it. I believe his reason for not wanting autographs is he didn’t want to reveal his hearing problem. He is proficient at reading lips, but many Disney character's lips are impossible to read. J Stitch is his very favorite character and we did get his picture with Joey.

(Added later) Joey now wears a hearing aide. He hears pretty well with it and when he talks, you would not know he has a problem.

The last full day we were on the cruise, I took Joey into the ship's store and asked him to look and see if he wanted anything. I was very surprised when he picked out a Disney autograph book. It had a fold out picture of Magical Mickey on the front. He told me he wanted to get autographs now. We ran into Mickey and Minnie Mouse on the stairs and he was able to get his first two autographs. He was REALLY hoping to find Stitch and get his also.

We didn't find any more characters signing books before it was time for Joey to get some sleep. The next morning we had to be at breakfast and off the ship well before 9am. Joey was sad that he only had two autographs in his book. He fell asleep almost as fast as his head hit the pillow.

My daughter, Valerie, saw there was a final good-bye party that evening and decided to go see what it was. She was exhausted but still wanted to just check out what was happening at the party. I stayed with Joey. She was only gone a short time when she rushed back into our cabin and was very excited! ALL of the Disney characters on the ship were gathered together in one area, and they were ALL signing autograph books! Valerie grabbed Joey's book and headed back out.

She got in line and saw she was the only adult among all the children. Someone hugged her around her neck and she turned to see Stitch standing there. Valerie told him that Joey was asleep and how much he loved Sitich. Her camera can record and she was able to record Stitch both signing Joey's book and throwing Joey kisses. He even put his big face right up to the camera.

Valerie got 10 more character's autographs that night and she recorded them all. Most of them also wrote special messages to Joey.

Very early the next morning, Joey woke up very grumpy from lack of sleep. Valerie handed him his autograph book and told him to look through it. You should have seen the surprise and glee on his face. Even more so when she showed him the recording of the actual signings. I felt myself tearing up watching his reactions.

It was a very Magical moment!

On our last night, Pa decorated our large porthole with pretty ribbons that had character face decals hanging from them. All 7 of Joey's characters, which included Stitch, the beloved one he brought from home, were looking out the porthole. He was thrilled to see it. That was a nice magical ending for a magical cruise.

 

[tecdavidt]

Happymommy, you do not need your passport to shop. St. Maarten takes US money and we always use our credit cards. St. Thomas is US so no problems there. Remember any alcohol you buy on the islands to bring back home has to be packed in checked baggage.

When we go to the islands I always carry our passports in my purse. I know others say don't do that but I do not venture into foreign territory without it. ST. Thomas isn't foreign territory but if you miss the ship you have to have that passport to fly back to the US.

Kathy

 

[tecdavidt]

Here is a packing tip I learned from the DIS: lay everything out that you plan on taking and then remove half of it. True. It works. I took double of what we needed the first two cruises. Now I never pack hose, only one pair of dress shoes, one pair of sandles, one pair of water friendly sandles and that is it. I even pack one formal dress and wear it twice. I do pack three swimsuits and a coverup. Don't forget the ziplock bags in various sizes. The larger size for the wet swimsuits from the last day, they will not be dry when we have to pack up the suitcases that night.

We have used the laundry service and it works great. If something gets dirty and you need it washed right away, send it out. That is better that risking stains that won't come out.

Don't forget those single dollar bills for room service tip.

Do not use $100 dollar bills on the islands. They may not take them. Take $20's instead. **In Aruba one couple was upset because when they handed a $100 bill for merchandise the man behind the counter ripped it in half!!! They must have problems with fake money.

Fill out all documents BEFORE you get to the port. You will be glad you did.

Take as little as possible with you as a carry-on because you will have to haul it around with you until the rooms open up which was 1:30 our last cruise.

Sunscreen, it is expensive on the ship. They have it but expensive.

Seasick meds, kids rarely have problems. Adults might. The medical facility has them on the ship if you forget to pack them--I think they are free for the taking.

Don't forget to use bubble wrap when you are packing. Why? If you buy something to bring home and you are worried about it you can protect it in bubble wrap. I usually wrap bottles up in it.

We always bring a dropcord, and a surge protector. My hairdryer has the huge block size plug in and when we were in a cat. 6 it was difficult to plug it in at the vanity area in the room. In a cat. 3 we have to plug it in behind the TV so a drop cord is a must. The bathroom plugs are only for shavers, strange I know.

The son is coming down tomorrow and DH is taking him out to buy a tux. I am assuming his girlfriend has her cocktail dress but maybe not.

18 more nights at home then off to WDW Poly for 2 nights then Home Sweet Magic here we come!! Good thing, we have had bitter cold weather, snow and ice. It has been a horrible winter in Iowa.
Kathy

 

[disneycrazy2004]

Since this cruise is on the same ship we cruised on before, I decided to post my last Disney Magic report. Hope you all enjoy it.

Disney Magic, Thanksgiving week, Nov. 18-25, 2006


We were about six people back in line for the last farewell show. By the time we got down to the front, the first 4 rows were completely reserved by a handful of adults and children. When we turned around, most of the other seats were already taken. We walked up about 15 rows and sat in three seats on the aisle. A woman yelled. "Those are saved!!" My daughter was furious and she read the policy to her. She also told her my grandson is hard of hearing. The woman recounted her seats and said she had enough left.

I was very upset at that time and went to the back of the theatre to at least express my dismay to someone. A Disney staff member said he would see what he could do. I saw him checking for empty seats near the front. He came back and told us to follow him. Two close rows were actually reserved by the crew for some families with handicaps, and one family didn't arrive. We got three of those seats and thanked the helpful crew member.
.

Should I be really worried about not getting a good seat at the theater?
How long before the show starts do yo need to go and wait in front of the theater. I am really not a big fan of people reserving a full row for family and friends? It's just not right.

Any tips? We are all looking forward to the show, the kids can't wait?

 

[DiszyGram]

You should be able to find seats anytime you get there. There might only be seats in the back or sides left if you arrive too late. The stage can be seen from every seat. There is a concession stand before you go in that sells things like popcorn, candy, and drinks.

A lot of times there is a Disney character standing outside the auditorium and you can get your picture taken with them. We were really lucky to find a Captain Jack Sparrow look-alike on Pirate's night. I have a picture of me with my arm around his waist. He was great!

We wouldn't have sat so close if my grandson had good hearing. I guess the best seats would be at least ten rows back and in the middle sections.

One nice event is there is a graduation ceremony on stage for all the children who were in the clubs. They all get quality Mickey Mouse hats with tassels on them. The children all sing a song they practiced earlier. Individual faces of the children are flashed on screens located at each side of the stage. It's very nice.

Always have a camera with you while you are walking around the ship. Disney characters can be found walking anywhere on the ship. We had Stitch get on our elevator once. There is a character breakfast during the cruise and make sure your children have an autograph book. The characters walk around and stop at every table.

 

[disneycrazy2004]

Thank you very much DiszyGram,

I can't wait, we are getting more and more excited every day.......

the info is very much appreciated.

 

[nlm]

Here is a packing tip I learned from the DIS: lay everything out that you plan on taking and then remove half of it. True. It works. I took double of what we needed the first two cruises. Now I never pack hose, only one pair of dress shoes, one pair of sandles, one pair of water friendly sandles and that is it. I even pack one formal dress and wear it twice. I do pack three swimsuits and a coverup. Don't forget the ziplock bags in various sizes. The larger size for the wet swimsuits from the last day, they will not be dry when we have to pack up the suitcases that night.

Thanks for all the great tips Kathy! We're starting to put together items for packing and always welcome new ideas. I second ziplock bags - they were really handy.

We have used the laundry service and it works great. If something gets dirty and you need it washed right away, send it out. That is better that risking stains that won't come out.

We're planning on bringing Tide Stain Stick with us. If a stain doesn't come out right away, we'll definitely try the laundry service! We're also bringing Downey Wrinkle Release instead of using the irons in the laundry room. Hopefully it'll work!

Don't forget those single dollar bills for room service tip.

We took $2 bills last time for tips - but we had to go to the bank a few times to get enough. We'll probably just do singles this time.

Seasick meds, kids rarely have problems. Adults might. The medical facility has them on the ship if you forget to pack them--I think they are free for the taking.

They are free for the taking from the medical facility, but they are the regular formula. We ran out of our non-drowsy formula and had to supplement with the free ones. Fortunately we only needed to use them once or twice and we were over any motion issues.

Since this cruise is on the same ship we cruised on before, I decided to post my last Disney Magic report. Hope you all enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing the trip report Gail! We didn't do any shows last time and plan to hit them all this time. Now we won't be surprised by any seat savers!

Nancy

 

[carolmp]

I'm trying to make sure that I have all of my paper work lined up. I went to the DCL website and retrieved my reservation. When I go to "My Online Check In", the button to fill out the "Cruise Contract" is grayed out. It says this will be available when all of my other forms are filled out. But all of my forms for all of my family show completed in the section above.

What am I not seeing?

Thanks!

 

[wrightz05]

I'm trying to make sure that I have all of my paper work lined up. I went to the DCL website and retrieved my reservation. When I go to "My Online Check In", the button to fill out the "Cruise Contract" is grayed out. It says this will be available when all of my other forms are filled out. But all of my forms for all of my family show completed in the section above.

What am I not seeing?

Thanks!

I am looking at mine to see. Did you make sure and fill out the payment authorization for your kids too. This will actually say authorized by: your name once it has been completed. Since they are under age we had to do that part.

 

[pop5]

We got our cruise documents today. Now that is always a sign of how close it is getting.

 

[limati]

We got ours today too. 19 DAYS TO GO! Our weather has been so lousy (snow, ice, etc...). Warm weather and nice warm ocean breezes sound so nice.
I'm in the process of packing. I am trying so hard not to overpack.
I'm looking forward to putting names with faces. We're all getting very excited.

Lisa

 

[cozit]

Should I be really worried about not getting a good seat at the theater?
How long before the show starts do yo need to go and wait in front of the theater. I am really not a big fan of people reserving a full row for family and friends? It's just not right.

Any tips? We are all looking forward to the show, the kids can't wait?

We sat almost half-way back (a row or two in front of the rear aisle) a couple times and had no problem seeing. There's no big deal if you're saving for *your* kids and a spouse - being Disney most do understand that sometimes it's best to let the kids "run around" until nearly the last moment.... but big row saving can be an issue with some more inconsiderate grabbing up much of the front before the majority of the early dinner folks are able to finish their meals.

(being excited and apprehensive (way too much to do between now and then) are warring in my brain at this point... eep! way too much to do!)

 

[cozit]

OK - Still have to make up an almost blank Mickey to pass around... but have the magnet sheet to do so.

Looks like we'll be forward on the 7th deck (hmm... opposite end from the "secret" aft deck area... probably end up there from time to time anyway

The two magnets that I *know* will be on our door so far are "Castaway Cay" coloring pages - mediumish-sized... both with Mickey sunning in one, and riding a wave on a tube in the other. Can't tell colors yet, as DD hasn't colored them yet (other than that she'll probably color them "logically").

Probably will stick a couple of smaller messages up as well... but haven't gotten that far yet.

I'll start the DisTag Mickey out on my door from whenever we unpack it until sometime in the evening, after I manage to locate another DisTag player's door. If you're interested in playing, let nlm know so she can add your name to the list... and include at least a general idea of where on the ship others can find your room... and some identifying detail (magnets to be seen, or actual cabin number... hmm... magnets are best, in case anyone "gets lucky" and gets an upgrade at the last minute... happened to one player last trip and took us a while to find them... magnets finally helped out, seen in passing). When the Mickey appears on your door, add a message (or at least your name... message and cabin number if you feel like it - up to you)... then pass it on to another player (preferably someone who doesn't appear on it as much as others) at first opportunity. If you've delivered it and notice it stays where you left it for more than a day *without any added messages* (otherwise it might just have ended up back there again), feel free to re-locate it on another participant's door - as that person may not actually *be* at that room... it shouldn't stay anywhere more than half a day or so (get it overnight, move it in the morning at least - and vice-versa... if not sooner


Non-DISTag... my kids are trying to remember to bring their own beads along. DS11 is planning to have shiny shamrock green and silver bead strands, DS9 is planning on matte plastic green and... right now it's white/pearl colored beads. And they're planning to help me find others at the terminal once we get there. I doubt we'll be there much before 11 (maybe even not until noon), but we're aiming earlier... our flight gets in after 11pm the night before, and we're staying in Orlando, so have a drive ahead of us in the morning... DH will be dropping us, dropping off the rental, and then rejoining us later at the terminal, so I *know* we're aiming earlier, rather than later.


*g* End of brain-dump. Off to finish a bit more writing before I *have* to get some sleep later....

 

[kalaha]

Hi Everyone...I'm new to this forum and Disney cruising. Gathering from everyone's enthusiam, it is going to be great fun. Is anyone on here from SW Ohio? I'll be traveling with my sons (3 & 7), husband, parents, brother, and his family (wife and daughters ages 8 & 10). I have a few questions I was hoping someone could answer. First, is sea sickness seriously a problem? I didn't think we would even feel the boat moving. Secondly, what are the rules regarding bringing alcohol on board. We wanted to give a bottle of rum to my dad (he's a big rum and coke fan), and bring some of our own wine. Is there a limit to how many bottles we can buy when we are in port (trust me...I'm not an alcoholic)?

How's the shopping in the islands?...I love to shop and find interesting things.
Can't wait until the 15th. It will be here before I know it!!!!

 

[limati]

Welcome aboard!

We are from Northern Kentucky (about 20 miles south of Cincinnati).

We are going to take a few beverages on board. I think we'll get it before we board and use a soft sided cooler. I like an occasional cocktail from time to time

There are a lot of 9 - 11 yr. old girls on this thread including my dd and niece. She's excited to meet her cruise buddies.

Lisa