March 25, 2006- Anyone else?

[MickeyMagic]

Five weeks from right now, I should be touching down in Orlando!!!! It can't come soon enough. The cold is brutal especially after the mild January. We just missed the snow (20 miles south) from this last storm, but we sure have the cold. They are predicting 50 below with the wind chill in the morning!!

The only good thing is I can hibernate for the weekend and dream about my upcoming Disney cruise!!!

 

[minneapolismickey]

Hi everyone on the March 25 cruise!

I just found this thread today, so thought I'd get involved. Myself, DH, DS7 and DS4 are all anxiously awaiting our first Disney cruise. Really looking forward to a fabulous and relaxing new Disney adventure. Fortunately the Olympics are helping to make time pass here in the deep freeze of Minnesota.

myboysmom- my DS7 will be very excited to meet other 7 year olds on the boat!

gimpeaux- It's so nice of you to spearhead the wristband purchase. Could we also put in an order for 2 large and 2 medium? We were already planning to spend the going away party on deck 10, so we'd love to meet some fellow DISers.
Let me know if you would like a check prior to departure!

 

[dlf246]

I have searched and searched DCL website under ressie, and cannot find times we are at Costa Maya. Do any of you know the scheduled times with certainty?

(Aside: Gimpeaux, we sent you PM about wristband sizes)

 

[gimpeaux]

Wristband report - I'm now up to 16 adult and 15 medium wristbands. I'll keep the order open for a few more days in the hope we can get closer to 20 of either size, and then let each of you who has requested them know your total amount is and where to send your check. If we get neon green (closest to the DIS traditional favorite lime green) with "Disney 3/25/06 Magic" on them, and fill that in with another color so it's easier to read (for another 25 cents per band), the total for all 40 wristbands, including $8 total shipping, comes to $96, or $2.40 per band.

Majority vote here - Do you want the phrase made more visible by being filled in with another color? And, if so, which color? There are 21 possibilities, which can be seen here.

minneapolismickey - Welcome aboard! Glad to have you with us, as we all count down the last 34 days before we set sail. With the wind chill here in Chicago heading down to 20 below tonight, I can only imagine what it must be up there in Minnesota.

dlf246 - I haven't seen any official arrival or departure times for Costa Maya. Post #3 on this board says that the documents sent to someone going on the 3/11 Western showed them arriving in Costa Maya at 10:30 and departing at 6:00. The description of the Costa Maya shore excursions on the DCL web site shows the earliest Costa Maya shore excursion leaving at 10:00 and the last one returning at 5:00. So I'm guessing we arrive around 10:00 or 10:30 and leave around 6:00.

Of course, I have yet to receive any official word from DCL that we're going there. If you go to the Disney Cruise Line web site, there is a link to an "Important Information" page which says only that Western Caribbean cruises through the one that leaves on March 11 are going to Costa Maya instead of Cozumel. But if you retrieve your reservation at the web site, it shows Costa Maya as our destination on March 29, and all of the shore excursion choices are for Costa Maya.

 

[minneapolismickey]

Thanks for including us in the wristband purchase.

My DS7 has a neon green wristband, and the wording is not filled in. I can definitely read the wording, but I think that the fill in color would be more dramatic and worth the extra quarter. I am not a fashion expert so would defer to the others to pick a color. I think that a darker but subtle color like a navy blue or darker green would be good. Count my vote for whatever the majority decides.

 

[Minnie328]

I vote for the royal blue letters...I think the two colors compliment eachother nicely...lol

Also, Gimpeaux, although we didn't yet, DGM & DGP got a letter from DCL announcing that we are going to Costa Maya.

Only 33 days!

 

[gimpeaux]

minneapolismickey and Minnie328 -- I also thought blue would look great as a fill-in color on the wristbands.

dlf246 - This site says we are scheduled to arrive at Costa Maya at 10:30 a.m. and depart at 10:30 p.m., and that there are supposed to be 3 other ships there that day -- RCCL Explorer of the Seas, Carnival Glory, and MSC Italian Lirica.

 

[dlf246]

Hey, have any of you been able to reserve the Costa Maya dolphin encounter? It is listed on the DCL site generally under Costa Maya and I can add to my "wish list". But when I went to reserve it, it is not listed as a choice for Costa Maya... does that mean it is sold out? (I doubt, since I notice that for all ports ALL the excursions are still listed...)

 

[gimpeaux]

dlf246 - I had the same problem this afternoon when I tried to reserve the dolphin encounter, which I'd added to my wish list last night.

Here is a recent review of the encounter from the cruisecritic.com message boards.

 

[myboysmom]

gimpeaux, thanks for the link on the ships port times. I was really hoping our late night port would be Key West. I kinda had been giving my husband the scoop on the night life as I have been there once 10 years ago. Leaving at 7:00 from Key West will be tough, but oh well.

One neat thing is that the Veendam will be in Key West at the same time. My parents were on her last spring and will be on her later this spring for an Alaska cruise.

On their cruise last spring on the Veendam they did stop at Costa Maya. I have lots of info on shopping, but not much on the night life as they left port at 6:00. Any info on the night life? I was hoping to have a night on the town with DH in one of the ports.

 

[dlf246]

dlf246 - I had the same problem this afternoon when I tried to reserve the dolphin encounter, which I'd added to my wish list last night.

Gimpeaux... sorry to tell you, but I called DCL and they said that if it doesn't show up to reserve, it is sold out. They recommended going to excursion desk after boarding and getting on the wait list. In the conversation, the agent (thinking out loud) sounded surprised that it was sold out since all the Costa Maya excursions were just uploaded on 2/16.

I still think that either Disney isn't prepared for the excursion or a software glitch is preventing it from showing. (I find it hard to believe it sold out in just a few days...) Hence, I plan to call periodically from now until embarkation to see if there is way to reserve. If so, I will be sure to post.

One more thing on dolphin encounter. There are posts on cruise critic implying that if you do the Uvero Beach excursion (I think called Jungle beach..) you can buy tickets at dolphinarium to do anyway. I'm NOT sure about this.

On a separate issue, we found out our air arrangements (we did it via DCL as amazingly it was less than all the flights I could get via internet in fall), and we have nonstop flight for day before. Woo Hoo!! Pretty amazing for Little Rock (only 1 nonstop a day). Surprised to learn that we have to call and get our own seat assignments. So if you are doing DCL air, be sure to call and get your confirmation #'s and get your seats now.

 

[gimpeaux]

dlf246 - Thanks for the note about the dolphin encounter. It seems odd to me as well that it would sell out so quickly, especially because a good number of our fellow 3/25 cruisers may not even know yet we're heading to Costa Maya instead of Cozumel.

We've reserved the Jungle Beach Break for now, although i am trying to reserve the Chacchoben Ruins tour through the highly touted "David and Ivan" at http://chacchobenruins.com/. I read this thread at cruisecritic.com and was sold. But they are tough to get ahold of -- apparently checking their e-mail only once every few days. And, of course, you don't have the convenience and security of using the DCL excursion to the ruins. But the raves I've read, plus the personal and up close view these guys offer, won us over.

 

[Minnie328]

Well, all of our t-shirts, door signs, and packing lists are made....what else is there to do?!?

 

[geffric]

Hi.. I'm back!!!

gimpeaux I wanted to book the ruins tour with David and Ian too. But Dh was not comfortable with that.. so we booked the Disney one.. good luck, hope they get back to you...

Here is the list that I have so far -

Geffric, DH, DS14 ( turning 15 on cruise), DS12, late seating, cabin 5020
Gimpeaux, DW, DD12, late seating but trying to get early , 5002
Skibum/Minnie328 family, DH, DW, DD (Turning 14 on cruise), DD 9,cabin 5022.
Skibum/Minnie328 family - DGM & DGP--cabin 5518
Myboysmom family - DW, DH, DS 12, DS 7, Early seating, Cabin 7012
MinneapolisMickey family - DW, DH, DS7 and DS4 , late seating, Cabin 7000
nu cruzer family - DW, DH, DS13, DD 11 and D grandmother
MickeyMagic family - DSis ,DS16, DD4 in one room and MickeyMagic, DD14 in another, late seating
Lflynn family - DW, DH, DD almost 9, late seating room 2072

I think I have lost the rest of the information..LOL..

PM me or post if I have your info wrong or lost...

About the coasters.. we had a great time.. did US/IOA and Busch Gardens.. great weekend for it. The weather was 80 and

 

[gimpeaux]

geffric, welcome back! Your trip sounds fantastic, not only the coasters but the 80 degrees....

30 days from tomorrow we fly to Orlando.... and then four weeks from Saturday, we're all sailing!

 

[mickeyworld]

we are first seating, me, my DDs 11 and 15 and guest DD14
friends DW,DH, DD age 12
most pre planning done... daughter is reading the boards so I can't say more!

 

[myboysmom]

Yes, we are almost set. It is now down to the final details, like clothes

geffric, you missed the sub-zero temps we all have been having! The 80 degree weather sounds just wonderful.

 

[geffric]

Yes us too.. I asked the boys to get out their summer stuff and see what fits.. .

I need to find our snorkels and masks, and get some underwater cameras and sunscreen...something to do this weekend after I clean the house ..

 

[minneapolismickey]

geffric-thanks for including us in your list. We are late seating, cabin 7000.

We are also pulling out summer clothes and sunscreen. I have so many lists that I'll probably end up losing some of them. We are impatiently awaiting the next 29 days until our flight leaves...hopefully. Anyone else flying Northwest? We are awaiting the decision on whether the pilots will strike in March Mapquest says the drive is 24 hours from here if necessary to drive.

 

[geffric]

Thanks for the updated info minneapolismickey.

The drive isn't too bad if you have the time.As you may have noticed , many of us are midwestern. Several families on the cruise with us are driving to the port. We thought about it, as the airfares are outrageous. But we can't take the kids out of school, so leaving at 3 pm Friday, was cutting it real close to when the shipwas leaving.

We drive all the time to WDW. We plan on the trip taking 20 hours from the NW suburbs of Chi. We usually drive the Indy route versus the one though Ill. We ususally leave at 3 am, get to Valdosta GA or Gainesville, FL about 11 pm or midnight, then drive to WDW the next morning.