May 11th 2008 ~ Any Double Dippers Out There?

[CustardTart]

Very excited to go on my first cruise with my DS, 13 and DD, 4! My son has been begging me for years to take him on a Disney Cruise and I just booked this as a complete suprise for him. I hope both will be ok on their own--the big question is "What will I do with all the free time on my hands??!" Can anyone tell me about the excursions on Castaway Cay? Can my DS do some of them solo while I hang out with DD on the family beach? WHat about DD? Do they have activities for them (4yr olds) on Castaway Cay? Any advice is greatly appreciated and I hope to meet some of you on board!

OMG!!! A pleasure to have you with us!!! As far as free time goes - there's the Spa, Wine Tasting, Palo's, lounging by the pool... TBH I'm not sure about kids activities on Castaway Cay as I don't have little ones myself anymore but I'm sure your DS will be able to do his own thing at the Teens Beach... Here's a link to the excursions available - hope that helps a little...

 

[Kimberly815]

Thanks for the warm welcome branv and CustardTart!!

And here it is. . . .my first round of questions. . . .

No need to be remotely nervous...other than being nervous that you'll love it so much you'll eventually drain your retirement account from obsessive cruising. All I can suggest is that if you like the Passporter for WDW, run out and get the DCL one. It's nestled next to me right now as I pencil in (ok, to be honest, re-pencil in for the 30th time) plans for excursions/palo, etc.

Haha! I am a little nervous about going- and loving it too much!

I actually do have a copy of the DCL Passporter, but its last years version. Should I get a newer version that includes the 4-night with two stops at Castaway Cay information? Or is there not enough included to be worth it?

I also have an attire question about Palo. I was just reading on wdwinfo.com that "During dinner, gentlemen will be required to wear a dress shirt. Gentlemen wearing polo shirts, t-shirts, Tommy Bahama style shirts, etc will not be allowed admittance. Jackets and/or ties are recommended but not required." So this means it would be okay for my DH to wear khaki pants with shirt/tie and he will be just fine? Should he bring a sports coat too? (We are just thinking this way he only has to bring one pair of brown dress shoes, cause he will wear khaki pants for dinner the other nights as well, but with polo type or Tommy Bahama type shirts.)

We aren't planning much for excursions, but we do want to snorkel at Castaway Cay. Is that something we need to book in advance?

Thanks in advance for all your help!


Edited to add: Oh! And I need to see about getting myself a pretty ticker to help countdown the days!

 

[CustardTart]

...Haha! I am a little nervous about going- and loving it too much!

Yes, be afraid!!! I'm officially addicted to this form of vacationing - I just can't stop booking DCL cruises!!!

...I actually do have a copy of the DCL Passporter, but its last years version. Should I get a newer version that includes the 4-night with two stops at Castaway Cay information? Or is there not enough included to be worth it?

I don't think you'll need an newer version - they're mainly updated for the special 7 night cruises that take place annually...

...I also have an attire question about Palo. I was just reading on wdwinfo.com that "During dinner, gentlemen will be required to wear a dress shirt. Gentlemen wearing polo shirts, t-shirts, Tommy Bahama style shirts, etc will not be allowed admittance. Jackets and/or ties are recommended but not required." So this means it would be okay for my DH to wear khaki pants with shirt/tie and he will be just fine? Should he bring a sports coat too? (We are just thinking this way he only has to bring one pair of brown dress shoes, cause he will wear khaki pants for dinner the other nights as well, but with polo type or Tommy Bahama type shirts.)

I think that will be just fine, Kimberly! I wouldn't worry too much about a sports jacket unless your DH wants to bring one... You will see people at Palo's in a wide range of smart to smart/casual dress - my advice would be just stick to the guidelines and you won't go far wrong... HTH...

...We aren't planning much for excursions, but we do want to snorkel at Castaway Cay. Is that something we need to book in advance?

Here's a list of the pre-bookable excursions on the DCL site ... If there's something special you fancy, I'd definitely pre-book when you can...

 

[Kimberly815]

Such quick answering, CustardTart! Thanks so much!

Now if we could only get the days to go by that quickly!

 

[Singlemomplus2]

Thank you so much for the link and I appreciate the warm welcome.My DD saw the Mickey postcard and asked excitedly "Are we going on a boat with Mickey Mouse Mommy?" She couldn't contain herself! Still keeping it a secret from my 13 yr old DS until we actually get to Port Canaveral. I can't wait!!

 

[garys12]

Yeah, we're coming too.. Me, DW, DD whos 7 and DS whos 5... DD decided she'd rather go on a Disney Cruise than have a First Communion Party.

See you then

 

[CustardTart]

aboard, Gary and family!!!

Your DD has great sense - she'll go far...

 

[Kimberly815]

Welcome, Gary and Family! Looks like the number of disers on our cruise is really growing!

CustardTart- I just read your vow-renewal trip report! It sounds like you had a wonderful time! And it got me excited for the upcoming trip! Are you staying in the same suite for this cruise?

 

[ExcessivelyDiverted]

Hey all fellow Mother's Day double-dippers

My family (DH, 10 yr old middleschooler dd, and 7.5 (turning 8 soon after the trip) second grader dd) and I will be joining y'all on what will surely be a fab cruise!

This will be the third cruise for DH and I, though we've never experienced DCL, and the first for our girls. We're looking forward to a great time and especially 2 x Castaway and the par-tay! We're major fans of POC.

We're planning on bumping our younger dd up to the 8-9 yr old O. Lab b/c she'll be so close to age 8, she's as tall as an average 11 year old and the rules of the DCL clubs for kids stress keeping the kids with their physical size peers (I guess to avoid accidental trampling confused3 ) , and she's very comfortable hanging with older kids (and they accept her b/c she looks like one of them) though she gets along with 7 year old pals, too.

We're not so thrilled about the Nassau stop, having been there several times. However, we may check out the museum and then head back to the ship for hopefully a less-crowded dip in the pool and lunch. We're not going to do Atlantis at all b/c DH and I have stayed there twice before.

I need to get my girls practicing snorkeling soon b/c we'd love to do that with them on CCay. Of course, that adults-only beach sounds heavenly enough to be worth stealing some time away for at least part of one CC day!

Looking forward to cruising with all of you and being...

ExcessivelyDiverted

 

[alecsmom]

Wow I'm off the boards for a little while and we have like a million new cruisers!! Welcome to everybody!! Sounds like there will be some kids my son Alec's age (5) - so cool he will have someone to play with!!

Can't believe it's getting that much closer!! On a dreary day like this it sure is nice to have something to look forward to.

On another note - I DID get the fare and times I was hoping for with Southwest - thanks for asking Brandi - I am so glad my wait paid off. I was freaking out there for a while, but it all worked out.

I'll try to keep in better touch on these boards - but we've been in the middle of basketball mania here - our little Spurs are 9 - 0 - 1 tie (first in our division thank you very much) - and we're going to the playoffs this weekend!!! I'm telling you there is nothing more exciting than watching 4 and 5 year olds play basketball!!!

 

[CustardTart]

CustardTart- I just read your vow-renewal trip report! It sounds like you had a wonderful time! And it got me excited for the upcoming trip! Are you staying in the same suite for this cruise?

Awww thanks for reading!!! Do you know, there's NOT A DAY goes by that I don't remember our magical anniversary/Vow Renewal trip - it was the absolute best time and I heartily recommend it....

Anyway, to answer your question - no, DD and I are in a cat 7 on this Girls Only cruise. My DD is paying her share of the trip and she's not at Cat 3 level - YET!!!

We are in the same suite on the Magic when we (DH,DS and myself) cruise the Mexican Riviera in August!!!

 

[CustardTart]

Hey all fellow Mother's Day double-dippers

My family (DH, 10 yr old middleschooler dd, and 7.5 (turning 8 soon after the trip) second grader dd) and I will be joining y'all on what will surely be a fab cruise!

This will be the third cruise for DH and I, though we've never experienced DCL, and the first for our girls. We're looking forward to a great time and especially 2 x Castaway and the par-tay! We're major fans of POC.

We're planning on bumping our younger dd up to the 8-9 yr old O. Lab b/c she'll be so close to age 8, she's as tall as an average 11 year old and the rules of the DCL clubs for kids stress keeping the kids with their physical size peers (I guess to avoid accidental trampling confused3 ) , and she's very comfortable hanging with older kids (and they accept her b/c she looks like one of them) though she gets along with 7 year old pals, too.

We're not so thrilled about the Nassau stop, having been there several times. However, we may check out the museum and then head back to the ship for hopefully a less-crowded dip in the pool and lunch. We're not going to do Atlantis at all b/c DH and I have stayed there twice before.

I need to get my girls practicing snorkeling soon b/c we'd love to do that with them on CCay. Of course, that adults-only beach sounds heavenly enough to be worth stealing some time away for at least part of one CC day!

Looking forward to cruising with all of you and being...

ExcessivelyDiverted

Welcome, welcome, .... Lovely to have you and your family with us!!!

 

[CustardTart]

Wow I'm off the boards for a little while and we have like a million new cruisers!! Welcome to everybody!! Sounds like there will be some kids my son Alec's age (5) - so cool he will have someone to play with!!

Can't believe it's getting that much closer!! On a dreary day like this it sure is nice to have something to look forward to.

On another note - I DID get the fare and times I was hoping for with Southwest - thanks for asking Brandi - I am so glad my wait paid off. I was freaking out there for a while, but it all worked out.

I'll try to keep in better touch on these boards - but we've been in the middle of basketball mania here - our little Spurs are 9 - 0 - 1 tie (first in our division thank you very much) - and we're going to the playoffs this weekend!!! I'm telling you there is nothing more exciting than watching 4 and 5 year olds play basketball!!!

YVONNE!!!! HI!!!!!

We've missed you, hon - BUT I understand the allure of infant sport!!! Glad all is well with you and yours and hope we get to chat a little more before the cruise...

 

[branv]

On another note - I DID get the fare and times I was hoping for with Southwest - thanks for asking Brandi - I am so glad my wait paid off. I was freaking out there for a while, but it all worked out.

YAY, Yvonne!!! I know how you feel, everything else is somewhat refundable except that darn airfare. So when you buy it, you're really in the game Can you believe I was checking out our cruise on the dcl website and just last week some of the cats popped up $400 in price! So see, you had great timing...booked DCL early when it was low, and airfare later when it was low. Check out your nerves of steel!

And of course, go Spurs!!!

Welcome to everyone, I can't even keep up nowadays! I can't help but wonder how many of you are being hit by this latest storm and shivering your little boots off, dreaming of palm trees (and if maybe that's why suddenly so many people are booking DCL ) I almost fell over when I saw those gigantic snow drifts on the news. In the meantime, it's a sunny 64 here and we're supposed to hit 75 by Saturday I should appreciate it, but it just feels weird. Though my neighbors newly planted baby tree just went rolling down the street thanks to 40 mph wind...I shouldn't laugh, no really I shouldn't. But *cough* karma *cough* He's so obnoxious even nature doesn't like him.

Have heart, Spring must be just around the corner because Costco has already put out their snorkels and yard equipment. Wishful retail thinking. Though I was so tickled to see my vacation countdown turn over to just double digits. So maybe it's not all that far away.

Hey Karen - you're going to WDW earlier than the rest of us, right? Are you going to be there early enought to get your pick of either the theoretical 5/6 or 5/9 P&PP...or both

 

[CustardTart]

...Hey Karen - you're going to WDW earlier than the rest of us, right? Are you going to be there early enought to get your pick of either the theoretical 5/6 or 5/9 P&PP...or both

We're planning on attending the 5/9 P&PP, Brandi! Already got our dinner ressies for Liberty Tree Tavern late that afternoon! Also Sophie and I are doing the Fort Wilderness Segway tour earlier in the day - it's going to be an action-packed day...

 

[CustardTart]

OK guys, this just occurred to me. When we booked the cruise, part of the reason we chose this one was because it'll be my 45th birthday in June and my DD could only do this one or one in September. Sooo do you think I could legitimately claim this as an early birthday cruise and tell DCL????

 

[branv]

OK guys, this just occurred to me. When we booked the cruise, part of the reason we chose this one was because it'll be my 45th birthday in June and my DD could only do this one or one in September. Sooo do you think I could legitimately claim this as an early birthday cruise and tell DCL????

YES, do it, do it! I mean, sure, we'd all like to have the scheduling freedom to travel to the perfect spot on the actual date of our birthday, anniversary, etc, but we've got to be flexible. Technically we're taking this cruise as a gift/celebration of my graduation...LAST May. We started to book earlier but postponed once we found out about the double dip. Well worth it, I'd say So get your foamy little pink cake and eat it too

 

[Kimberly815]

OK guys, this just occurred to me. When we booked the cruise, part of the reason we chose this one was because it'll be my 45th birthday in June and my DD could only do this one or one in September. Sooo do you think I could legitimately claim this as an early birthday cruise and tell DCL????

Yes! I think you should definitely tell DCL! . . . .actually, you reminded me- my DH's birthday is May 13th! (Haha! Helps if I pay attention, huh?) Do you think I can claim that the cruise is his birthday present? Or am I obligated to get him something else?

 

[momof4ngls]

Hi all! My daughter (13) is being sent on a DCL trip by Make a Wish and they are trying to schedule this particular one. May 11 is her birthday, so it would be even more special for her if she can not only celebrate getting through the most frightening part of her condition so far, brain surgery, but she can celebrate her birthday on the cruise as well.

We will be cruising with DD (15), DD (14 the first day of cruise), DS (4), and DS (2). The two year old is trying desperately to get pt'd before the cruise. I worry about him getting bored stiff by the nursery, because he is used to doing everything his older brother does. He's more like a 3 year old than a 2 year old. He'll be 5 months short of 3, though, which is the cut-off for the youth programs, right? Is there any chance of them letting him bump up to the three year old group? I've been told by friends who've been on other cruises that there is no possibility of that at all. I'd have not wanted my other children to move up at that age, but this one started walking at 6 months and has done everything else at least 6 months early also, so I'm really concerned about him being bored stiff. I'd rather just wait until his birthday in October to go, but this is for DD, so we want HER to be in charge of what we do and when.

I've only read through the first 4 pages of this thread, and the last page, so I'm sure I'll have lots of questions answered once I get through the others, but I may have other questions as well. LOL

OH, for those of you who've been on a DCL before... The casual dress dinners... how casual and dressy do people dress? Same question for the dressy night. My girls are homeschooled, so they will probably never get a prom. They had looked at some beautiful semi-formal dresses and even some full-length gowns before we knew the 4 night only had a "dress-up" night. I don't want us to be under dressed or over dressed. TIA!!!

 

[CustardTart]

YES, do it, do it! I mean, sure, we'd all like to have the scheduling freedom to travel to the perfect spot on the actual date of our birthday, anniversary, etc, but we've got to be flexible. Technically we're taking this cruise as a gift/celebration of my graduation...LAST May. We started to book earlier but postponed once we found out about the double dip. Well worth it, I'd say So get your foamy little pink cake and eat it too

Oh gosh! I love that foamy little pink cake....