~~~ May 16, 2009 ~~~ Western Magic ~~~

[tinkattude6]

Amanda -- Love it!!! Great idea! Thanks for doing all of the research on this!!!



Ok, I with you Val -- I am thinking that we will just have to all book another cruise together!!! That way, we will definitely stay in touch!!!!



Thanks Amanda. It is stories like these that make me realize how blessed we are. I have a good job, we are in great financial shape and Yoni even has a good lead on a new job. Worst case for us is we have to tighten our belts a bit and Yoni has to play "house-husband" for awhile -but we are certainly not in your best friend's situation. My prayers and thoughts are with her and your sister-in-law.



Val -- forget Betty Crocker -- going to make your recipe!!!!



JorDan -- I haven't been to the parks near as much as you and DL once when I was 13 but will give it a shot later tonight...



Amanda -- LOVE it! Put us down for 2 adults and 2 kids. Unfortunately, I am built like a linebacker so no tiny wrist for me but umm...now I do know who NOT to stand next to for pictures!!!!

Is there a way to make the bracelets smaller for the kids if we only get one size? I am good either way......as long as it goes around my BIG wrist.



Crystal -- Glad you are joining us! I think it will be fun and certainly have enjoyed planning it all out!



JorDan -- I am with you, Yoni will wear it, at least the first day....



Loucinda -- sounds like a good plan. If anyone has an objection to cutoff at the end of the month -- speak now!!! I need to finish shopping!



Crystal -- thank you. One blessing we have is that we have the cruise PIF (and even the RES) along with flights, etc. We may just be bringing more wine/beer onboard with us than we originally thought -- not exactly a hardship. Also toying with the idea of skipping the parks before the cruise to save on tickets. We'll see. I really do believe his job will pan out and if it does, I promise to celebrate with all of you on the cruise!!!!!!

Maty, About the wine & beer how much are we aloud to carry on? We never did this before.

 

[texfinn]

Maty, About the wine & beer how much are we aloud to carry on? We never did this before.

Hi Crystal! If my research has served me well, there is no limit to the amount of alcohol you can carry on --- the key is, you must CARRY it on. You can't bring a hard cooler but a soft sided cooler is ok. You will have to keep your alcohol with you until your room is ready @1:30pm. You can even bring a case of water with you if you want (we may do that). If Yoni gets his job we may just buy a wine package and bring some beer and maybe a small bottle of malibu. IF Yoni doesn't get the job (which of course won't happen) we will carry the wine on with us and probably bring 6 bottles along with beer, etc. I plan on getting a soft sided cooler with me to cart the wine around and hope to strap some water to the top of it.

All of you seasoned cruisers -- if I have screwed that up, please correct me!!! ---Mati

 

[lucyddr]

Hi Crystal! If my research has served me well, there is no limit to the amount of alcohol you can carry on --- the key is, you must CARRY it on. You can't bring a hard cooler but a soft sided cooler is ok. You will have to keep your alcohol with you until your room is ready @1:30pm. You can even bring a case of water with you if you want (we may do that). If Yoni gets his job we may just buy a wine package and bring some beer and maybe a small bottle of malibu. IF Yoni doesn't get the job (which of course won't happen) we will carry the wine on with us and probably bring 6 bottles along with beer, etc. I plan on getting a soft sided cooler with me to cart the wine around and hope to strap some water to the top of it.

All of you seasoned cruisers -- if I have screwed that up, please correct me!!! ---Mati

Something I thought about was to maybe buy some water in Key West and maybe 1 bottle of something else... I KNOW we are going to buy mezcal in Cozumel, but most of it will go home with us. That would keep us from using "carry-on" space for drinks... I have to think about that because I'll be putting my FE gifts in a carry-on, so extra space will be limited.

 

[texfinn]

Something I thought about was to maybe buy some water in Key West and maybe 1 bottle of something else... I KNOW we are going to buy mezcal in Cozumel, but most of it will go home with us. That would keep us from using "carry-on" space for drinks... I have to think about that because I'll be putting my FE gifts in a carry-on, so extra space will be limited.

Ah -- thanks Loucinda! That is what I was going to do-- buy water at the CVS in Key West! I read about that in that TR and thought it was a GREAT idea! Maybe we can do the same for wine too ....hmmmm.

Ok, took some pics tonight. You will rarely see pics of me -- I avoid them at all costs....terrible I know.

First -- Cuervo! (a bit dirty but still our baby)

Then Yoni w/Cuervo. Please ignore the unmade bed in the background!

Finally -- the kids, Sabrina & Kai playing with cars before bed.

 

[lucyddr]

Mati,
You have a beautiful family AND dog! We love retrievers, but for now have a black cocker spaniel, chihuahua, and green iguana. The iguana will be 13 years old (actually older, but I will have had her 13 years) on March 12!

 

[Disgirl83]

Ok, heres two pictures of the dress you wanted me to share.

Your dress is beautiful! I hope I'll get too see you in it!

So, I've done some research regarding custom wrist bands. I think these are the perfect option

I LOVE the wrist band idea! I was also thinking lime green since that seems to be the offical DIS color. I know I can get DH to wear this! Definately put us down for 2!

I was just PM'ing Belinda about how I hope we all stay in touch after the cruise. We tried that on our last cruise thread, but it didn't last too much longer after the cruise ended. /QUOTE]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had thought about this. It would be great if we could everyone could plan another trip sometime in the future!

After seeing everyone's adorable fish extenders I'm really pondering joining the FE group...... ~ Kathy

You should absolutely join! It will be soo much fun.

Something I thought about was to maybe buy some water in Key West and maybe 1 bottle of something else... I KNOW we are going to buy mezcal in Cozumel, but most of it will go home with us. That would keep us from using "carry-on" space for drinks... I have to think about that because I'll be putting my FE gifts in a carry-on, so extra space will be limited.

I was thinking about buying some of the mini bottles of rum and vodka to bring on board. Then we could just add it to the drinks from the free soda station on board. We also though about bring some beer for DH or buying it in Key West so we don't have to lug it around before we check into our room.

Ok, now I'm going to work on JorDan's new "get to know you" questions.

 

[SpeedFigure]

Here is our family picture

But I change my hair every other month
So here is an updated picture of us:

Beautiful family, Mati! Your husband looks Dutch, is he?

 

[Disgirl83]

~Favorite Classic ride?
Haunted Mansion

~Favorite ride from the last 10 years?
Tower of Terror

~WDW's Magic Kingdom or Disneyland in CA?
Magic Kingdom (I've never been to Disneyland, but would love to go to the original one day)

~A Bugs Life or Honey I shrunk the Audience?
A Bugs Life - The special effects never get old.

~Christmas or Halloween at the parks?
I've only been at Halloween for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This was alot of fun. I'm sure Christmas would be magical.

~Caramel Apple or Ice cream?
I'll go with ice cream.

~Do you pin trade?
I'm not a trader, but I have bought several pins. I guess you could say I'm more of a collector.

~Ride you miss the most from Disneyland?
Not been so I can't answer this one.

~Are you an annual passholder?
Nope, wish I could go enough to make that economical.

~Pretzel or churro?
Churro, dough covered in cinnamon and sugar, you can't beat that.

~Do you eat those turkey legs?
I haven't at Disney but have at races and football games. Very messy but delicious.

~Favorite show at the parks?
I can't pick just one - Fantasmic at MGM, Illuminations in EPCOT, and all fireworks over the castle.

~What do you like to do when you take a break in the park?
Taking a break in the park? What's that all about.... I'm full throttle.

~Which ride costume do you like the most??
Again, Haunted Mansion.

~Which parks have you been to?
All the Florida ones.

~When is your next Disney trip?
May 16th cruise

~Do you think the Year of a Million Dreams went on too long?
Well it was Year(s) of a Million Dream, but that's ok with me.

~Do you like HS Musical??
I must admit I've never seen it!

~Hannah Montana?
I've never watched the show, but of course I know who she is.

~What is the first thing you do when you get in the park?
It's like I turn into a 5 year old scouting out the characters and trying to hit the "big rides" first.

~Corn dog or Burger?
I'm not sure that I've had either in the parks. If I had to pick though it would be a burger.

~How many times have you been to a Disney park?
8 times to WDW
1 time on the 4-night DCL Bahama Cruise

 

[dznyacct]

I love the designs that Loucinda created and would like to try and make door magnets. For those of you that have made magnets in the past, where have you bought your magnet "paper"? I was at Wal-Mart tonight and asked a clerk in the office supply area. She looked at me like I had 3 heads ! She said she has never heard of it before. I wondered if a craft store like Michael's or Hobby Lobby would be a better place to look. Thanks!

 

[SpeedFigure]

LOL!!! I'm full throttle too, but I do have to rest.

 

[texfinn]

But I change my hair every other month
So here is an updated picture of us:

Beautiful family, Mati! Your husband looks Dutch, is he?

JorDan -- LOVE the new hairdo! Yoni is Finnish, born and raised in Finland. We married over there and moved here in 2001.

I love the designs that Loucinda created and would like to try and make door magnets. For those of you that have made magnets in the past, where have you bought your magnet "paper"? I was at Wal-Mart tonight and asked a clerk in the office supply area. She looked at me like I had 3 heads ! She said she has never heard of it before. I wondered if a craft store like Michael's or Hobby Lobby would be a better place to look. Thanks!

Kathy -- I got the magtabs that Val was talking about. They are little magnetic squares that go onto the back of paper (and are re-usable). I found them at the container store. It was prettty inexpensive (@$6 for a pack of 30?).

Ok, finished with AI. I'll take a stab at JorDan's questions.....

 

[lucyddr]

I love the designs that Loucinda created and would like to try and make door magnets. For those of you that have made magnets in the past, where have you bought your magnet "paper"? I was at Wal-Mart tonight and asked a clerk in the office supply area. She looked at me like I had 3 heads ! She said she has never heard of it before. I wondered if a craft store like Michael's or Hobby Lobby would be a better place to look. Thanks!

Hobby Lobby has them. Here's a hint though... Don't pick out the magnet paper in the scrapbook section. Go to the section that has multiple magnets, magnet tape, etc. and get it there. It was the same stuff in our Hobby Lobby, but the "magnet" section packaging was cheaper by several dollars. I got 3 sheets that were on sale for under $5!! I can't explain how they can charge different prices for essentially the same thing in different sections, but that's what we found!


Here's my take:
~Favorite Classic ride?
Peter Pan

~Favorite ride from the last 10 years?
Rockin Rollercoaster

~WDW's Magic Kingdom or Disneyland in CA?
Magic Kingdom by far. We didn't care for Disneyland and California Adventure at all...

~A Bugs Life or Honey I shrunk the Audience?
A Bugs Life for sure! I HATE snakes...

~Christmas or Halloween at the parks?
Both

~Caramel Apple or Ice cream?
I'll go with ice cream.

~Do you pin trade?
No.

~Ride you miss the most from Disneyland?
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

~Are you an annual passholder?
Nope, but I was when I lived in Florida!

~Pretzel or churro?
Pretzel.

~Do you eat those turkey legs?
Sometimes, if the mood strikes me right.

~Favorite show at the parks?
Fantasmic by far. I still tear up at the end...

~What do you like to do when you take a break in the park?
Sit and enjoy a meal at Crystal Palace or Liberty Tree Tavern.

~Which ride costume do you like the most??
Tower of Terror.

~Which parks have you been to?
Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disneyland, California Adventure

~When is your next Disney trip?
May 16th cruise

~Do you think the Year of a Million Dreams went on too long?
No.

~Do you like HS Musical??
Never seen it!

~Hannah Montana?
Never watched it! Ok, technically I watched 30 seconds of it one time and flipped the channel.

~What is the first thing you do when you get in the park?
Choose a direction for rides or head for a nice breakfast.

~Corn dog or Burger?
Corn dog.

~How many times have you been to a Disney park?
Too many times to count! Stayed in all values except for music, all moderates, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Saratoga Springs.


Val (and everyone): I'm probably up for coffee one day depending on the schedule! (I'm mainly interested in the snacks, but will drink the coffee just to justify them. ) I cancelled our Rasul and Couples Massage mainly because I didn't like the times I had booked and figured someone else might like them better. If we don't get them replaced, I won't be bothered...

I'm easy to get in touch and keep in touch with. I still keep in touch with a friend from our last cruise who lives in Port Canaveral. Unfortunately, he'll be in San Juan when we arrive to sail out.

 

[Bellamickey]

are we having a cut off date for the FE's? I would like to order something soon, but would hate to exclude anyone.
THanks!

I was wondering the same thing. I'm have been working on my FE gifts and want to make sure of how many I will need.

Thanks Belinda! It will all be fine. I feel much better today and believe me, we are counting our blessings that I have a good job, our vacations are already PIF and of course -- we are all healthy! I do appreciate your warm thoughts!


WOW -- it is GORGEOUS! It makes me want to consider the same thing next year for our 10th!!!!

Your welcome That's what friends are for
Thank you for the compliments !! I can't believe its getting so close!!

Hey all! My fish extender arrived today - I LOVE it!! Another step closer to cruising!


I LOVE it! That is stunning . . . what day is your renewal so I can stalk you and see the dress?!!! It reminds me of my dress - is it a Maggie Sottero?

Thank you Our vow renewal ceremony is on Thursday, our last sea day. As of right now, it is scheduled for 5:30pm!! Feel free to stalk!! I can see you and Val in the hall with your binoculars!! "Attention Attention Key-Lime Pie-rates on deck"

Yes!! It is a Maggie Sottero!!!

Ok, I with you Val -- I am thinking that we will just have to all book another cruise together!!! That way, we will definitely stay in touch!

THIS IS A GREAT IDEA!!!!!

I would love to cruise again with you guys!! It would be so sad if we didn't stay in touch

 

[Bellamickey]

Your dress is beautiful! I hope I'll get too see you in it!

I was thinking about buying some of the mini bottles of rum and vodka to bring on board. Then we could just add it to the drinks from the free soda station on board. We also though about bring some beer for DH or buying it in Key West so we don't have to lug it around before we check into our room.

Thanks Lysney! I hope you do to

I think the mini bottles is a great idea!! Vodka and Dr. Pepper is yum!!

 

[texfinn]

~Favorite Classic ride?
Space Mountain (does that count as a classic ride?)

~Favorite ride from the last 10 years?
Expedition Everest

~WDW's Magic Kingdom or Disneyland in CA?
Magic Kingdom (I've only been to Disneyland once a long time ago but hope to visit soon!)

~A Bugs Life or Honey I shrunk the Audience?
A Bugs Life -- love the kids reaction to the Stink Bug!

~Christmas or Halloween at the parks?
I've never done either

~Caramel Apple or Ice cream?
Ice cream -- not a fan of caramel...

~Do you pin trade?
Nope and didn't even know such a thing existed until last summer. Sabrina got a special Tinkerbell pin for the Year of a Million Dreams thing from a CM. I took it away from her and tucked it in a safe place. I wonder where it is....

~Ride you miss the most from Disneyland?
I don't remember?

~Are you an annual passholder?
Nope -- maybe someday?

~Pretzel or churro?
Ummm...probably a churro but don't kill me, have NEVER had one

~Do you eat those turkey legs?
Nope -- can't eat chicken or turkey on the bone (I know, I can be odd at times )

~Favorite show at the parks?
Ok, fireworks only because....well, have never been to the other ones at night? Maybe I should hide BUT well, er, ok, no excuse. We hope to see Fantasmic this May. If the Lion King counts, I do love that show.

~What do you like to do when you take a break in the park?
I am trying to learn to slow down -- the kids seem to help. Last summer we enjoyed rocking in the rocking chairs in WDW while waiting for dinner at the Liberty Tavern.

~Which ride costume do you like the most??
Haunted Mansion.

~Which parks have you been to?
DL when I was young, MK, AK, HS & Epcot. Haven't been to the water parks.

~When is your next Disney trip?
May 14th if the hotel (Swan) counts. Not sure if we will go to the parks on the 15th.

~Do you think the Year of a Million Dreams went on too long?
No -- I think every year should be a year of a million dreams.....

~Do you like HS Musical??
Believe it or not, have only seen 5 minutes of it. What can I say, I have the one 7 year old in the world who is not obsessed with HSM.

~Hannah Montana?
Same as above. Sabrina is way more into animal movies than the whole pre-teen scene.

~What is the first thing you do when you get in the park?
Head to the first ride scoped out on our tour plan. Yes, I am one of "those" who plans their entire day based on expected crowd levels. It works! Rode ALL major rides by 1pm in July with NO wait!

~Corn dog or Burger?
Burger -- Love hamburgers only second to pizza.

~How many times have you been to a Disney park?
4 times to WDW, 1 time to DL

 

[Bellamickey]

Here's my take:
~Favorite Classic ride?
THE GREAT MOVIE RIDE

~Favorite ride from the last 10 years?
ROCKIN' ROLLER COASTER AND DINOSAUR

~WDW's Magic Kingdom or Disneyland in CA?
MAGIC KINGDOM, NO DOUBT!! NEVER BEEN TO DISNEYLAND

~A Bugs Life or Honey I shrunk the Audience?
A BUGS LIFE! WHO DOESN'T LOVE THAT "STINK" BUG

~Christmas or Halloween at the parks?
CHRISTMAS! ITS THE GREATIST TIME OF YEAR!!

~Caramel Apple or Ice cream?
ICE-CREAM

~Do you pin trade?
NO, I LOVE MINE TO MUCH TO PART WITH THEM.

~Ride you miss the most from Disneyland?
NEVER BEEN TO DISNEYLAND, BUT FROM DISNEYWORLD, I MISS MR. TOADS WILD RIDE!

~Are you an annual passholder?
NO

~Pretzel or churro?
MMMM......CHURRO

~Do you eat those turkey legs?
NO, BUT THE HUBBY DOES

~Favorite show at the parks?
MICKEYS PHILHARMAGIC (DOES THAT COUNT?) IT MAKES ME REALLY TEAR UP!

~What do you like to do when you take a break in the park?
AT EPCOT, SIT AND SHARE A FUNNEL CAKE WITH MY HUBBY ON COZY PARK BENCH

~Which ride costume do you like the most??
TOWER OF TERROR

~Which parks have you been to?
MAGIC KINGDOM, EPCOT, MGM (HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS) , ANIMAL KINGDOM, BLIZZARD BEACH

~When is your next Disney trip?
MAY 16 VOW REWEWAL WEDDING CRUISE!!

~Do you think the Year of a Million Dreams went on too long?
NO

~Do you like HS Musical??
WE LOVE IT!

~Hannah Montana?
IT'S OK. HER FRIEND LILY IS KINDA FUNNY.

~What is the first thing you do when you get in the park?
CHOOSE A DIRECTION TO GO AND GO FOR IT!

~Corn dog or Burger?
BURGER

~How many times have you been to a Disney park?
BEEN TO DISNEYWORLD 9 TIMES. STAYED AT ALL VALUE RESORTS AND 3 MODERATES.

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Hey guys... I know there has been lots of talk about how to spot our fellow DISers on the ship.

I know we talked about lanyards, but if you are a repeat cruiser you will get those from Disney (and who needs two lanyards anyway???)

So, I've done some research regarding custom wrist bands. I think these are the perfect option because
1) They are pretty cheap
2) They are water proof!!!
3) They are easy to slip on & wear for a week (and even they guys wont mind)
4) The ones that I'm looking at GLOW IN THE DARK!!!
5) Kids love them!

If everyone likes the idea, we can vote on the messages, fonts, etc.. I'm thinking that the bracelets should be DIS neon green.
Depending on how many people are in, I will divide the price (either for 100, or 200) by the number of people who are interested and that will be the cost of each bracelet.

There is also the option to get printed wrist bands (about $0.20 cheaper), but 2nd message & i think it would be nice to out the date on the inside.

Let me know what you think!!!

Love the text that you've picked, lime green glow in the dark sounds great. We'll take two (Jim said he would wear one).

This message is for 2 Eagle mom-I would love to sighn up for the FE. Thank You! Crystal,

You got it. Are you all in one cabin? If not, will both cabins participate and let me know who is in which cabin.

Since everyone else is starting to get their FEs, I'm hoping to get our in the next couple of weeks! Ours is from the "mommy" as well, so hopefully we are at least moving up the list!

I agree with V that we probably should choose a FE group end date so we can get things together. I have mine pretty much done, but if we go above 28 rooms, I'll have to make more! What does everyone think about ending group inclusion around April 1? Sonya is leaving 2 weeks before the cruise, so folks with a lot of travel probably need the time!

If everyone agrees then lets make April 1 the cut off for the FE group. That will give everyone a good amount of time to work on their items before the trip.

Now I just have to get my FE made.
J

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I was helping my mom do her online check in tonight, so now I better get mine done, too! She told me she had booked Palo for Tues @ 8:30 (there wasn't much to choose from for her @ 75 days). She printed off what she thought was a confirmation, but it was an "unconfirmed" reservation. She must've forgot to "submit" it. Of course, now that time is gone, and all she had to choose from was Sat night or Fri night. Good thing we'll be there early so she can reschedule at Rockin' Bar D as soon as we board.

Ah -- thanks Loucinda! That is what I was going to do-- buy water at the CVS in Key West! I read about that in that TR and thought it was a GREAT idea! Maybe we can do the same for wine too ....hmmmm.

We got water from there last time. Worked perfectly...if you can wait 1 day to get it!

Ok, took some pics tonight. You will rarely see pics of me -- I avoid them at all costs....terrible I know.

GREAT PICS!! I should post one of our dog, too. Everyone knows I've posted more than my share of family pics so far! It's funny how I just realized I must be the picture taker of the family because when I was adding photos to my Facebook page, I think I only came across a small handful with me in them!

Please ignore the unmade bed in the background!

Wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't mentioned it, but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that doesn't get the bed made every day. It's very low on my priority list!

~What do you like to do when you take a break in the park?
Taking a break in the park? What's that all about.... I'm full throttle.

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

~Do you eat those turkey legs?
Nope -- can't eat chicken or turkey on the bone (I know, I can be odd at times )

Me neither!!! It seems so "barbaric" to me!

 

[Bellamickey]

I am working on my daily schedule a little bit tonight

Was wondering if we had "officially" decided on anymore DIs meets?