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

[indigodisney]

Just checking in to see how everyone is doing?

Back to school is a hectic time, isn't it?

We have booked a NCL 9 day Caribbean cruise for December 2009 (the ports are amazing) and I am thinking it is going to be so different from the DIsney experience (which we just love).

 

[indigodisney]

Wow, I just noticed we are at the 8 month mark!!!!

It is going by fast....

 

[mother_hen]

Hey Indigo!
Yes, it is hectic already! We had teacher appreciation breakfast/lunch at DS's today and then after homework, soccer tonight! What a day!

I can't believe we are under 8 months! ... getting really excited. My Passport arrived and we've been trying to make excursion decisions.

I've been working on the FKLP magnet design inbetween *real* work hee!
It's looking pretty yummy

How's everyone doing?

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Dang, I had written a really long reply and then tried to open a new link to check on something and the whole reply dissappeared!

Hopefully I can remember what I had said.

We had a fantastic time at DL. We got home on Sunday and were all exhausted. Monday back at work and it was hard to get back into the swing of things. Tuesday I was at a seminar in San Francisco and could feel myself getting a sore throat. By the time we were on the way home I knew that I would be coming down with something. Wednesday I stayed home and slept most of the day/night. Kept drinking tea and eating sf jello and crackers. Thursday and Friday went back to work, but was in bed by 8:30. Today is the first day that I feel almost normal. If I do too much I start to cough, but other than that I'm good. I've added a bunch of meds to my "packing list" to hopefully avoid needing them while on vacation.

I LOVE the idea of the KLP tour. My husband knows someone who lives in Key West. I'll ask him to ask her for a list of locations. We can then get a map of the city and plan the tour. Val, I had thought of doing our Palo brunch for that morning, but you've made a good point and I don't want to be too full for all the samples. Guess I'll have to get back to the calendar and figure out a different day.

Mother Hen - thanks for offering to make the magnets! I wish I were a power user of Photoshop. Is there a really good tutorial book that walks you through the program? I've been able to make a holiday card by modifying some items, but I would love to create a special logo for this trip.

I can't believe we are less than 8 months away from the cruise!

 

[indigodisney]

Jane, I hope you are feeling better now!

Everyone seems to be very busy right now - so much going on at this time of year.

We have been busy with horseback riding lessons, swimming and ballet...our vacation in December will be a nice distraction!

hope you all have a great weekend!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Thanks Indigo, I am feeling much better! Luckily it only lasted a couple of days. Or maybe I just nipped it in the bud with the Zicam.

I can't believe that its almost the end of September. Since I don't drop the boys off at school anymore it almost doesn't feel like they are in school (Brendan is going to Jr. College and Steven goes to a school for Adults with Disabilities). I really don't have a grasp that fall is coming. I can't believe they are already some Christmas decorations!

I know I'm going to miss all the school fall activities.

Anyone see any good trip reports that describe the excursions? I'm really having a hard time deciding if we try one of them (mostly for GC and Cozumel) or if we should just go it on our own.

 

[indigodisney]

Hi Jane, glad to hear you nipped it in the bud! I am not sure that we have Zicam here in Canada, will have to check. I know we don't have tylenol PM so I have to stock up when I am down in the USA in December.

I would love to see a report on the excursions - I was initially thinking: Key West on our own, Cayman - beach day - Cozumel - ruins and beach if possible.

Do you know if there is any good shopping at these ports? I know that St. Thomas and St. Maarten are well known for shopping, but not sure about these ports on the Western?

If you find a report - please share or let me know what you are thinking of doing...we are able to book the excursions on January 31st so that is not that far away...believe it or not

Very happy that it is the weekend, hope everyone has a good one!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

I don't know much about the shopping. I'm not a big shopper (and depending on how the mortgage insurance business is affected by everything that is going on) the decision about excursions and/or shopping may be made for us. Luckily we booked the cruise on our DVC points so we are pretending it didn't cost us anything (yeah right).

The first Western cruise (since April) isn't until 10/4. I'm going to check today to see if anyone has started a pre-trip report. Hopefully there will be some trip reports in October so we can check out their excursion choices. I'll let you know if I find anything good. I didn't realize we could book in January the worksheet forms that I had from Passporter said March. Now that adds more pressure to make some decisions.

Where in Canada are you from? I've been to Vancouver and Whistler (and loved both of them). I know I bought tylenol with codine (because we can't get it here without a prescription) when I was in Canada and felt guilty when I brought it back.

I have been keeping my eyes open at the stores for pirate items. While in DL I bought Jim a polo shirt that is subtle enough for him to wear. All the girl stuff was pink pirate (yuck). But I don't have anything. I figured it will only get more difficult to find stuff after Halloween.

Have a fantastic weekend!

 

[mother_hen]

Will this magnet work for everyone?

i uploaded a full res 4x6 here: http://3pixelchicks.com/FKLP_magnet.jpg

I can change it if you'd rather have a different design.

--Sara

 

[mother_hen]

I don't know anything about the shopping, either. Not much of a shopper (unless you are talking about camera equipment or computers! LOL!)

For those of you who have been on a DCL cruise before, how much do people dress up for pirate night? Are we going to stick out if we dress in full pirate costume?

Also, how formal is formal night? I haven't been able to squeeze myself into a bridesmaid's gown in years! LOL!
I was thinking an ankle length black skirt with a sweater, but I don't know if that's formal enough... seems more like the semi formal description? yikes. I can buy a formal if I need to but I'm wondering if it's necessary.

Excursions:
we are looking at KW on our own (with the FKLP Tour club)
GC: one of the semi submersible tours so DS can see the coral reefs? maybe dolphins?
Coz: the tour to the "natural water park" sounded like fun - it's an all-day affair.
CCay: stingrays

we have nothing set in stone, but those are the ones that appealed to us the most.

--
Sara

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Will this magnet work for everyone?

i uploaded a full res 4x6 here: http://3pixelchicks.com/FKLP_magnet.jpg

I can change it if you'd rather have a different design.

--Sara

Sara - YOU ROCK!!!! This is perfect. Now I have to get some magnet paper! This is getting me excited. Jim asked about the KLP locations (but asked the husband - what was he thinking) I told him to ask the wife!

We are running off to dinner, but will check back later tonight with our possible excursion list.

 

[indigodisney]

Sara - I agree with Jane, that magnet is great!! Nice work on that...thanks so much for doing it.

Jane, I live outside of Toronto - nice part of the country but not as scenic as Whistler!

I don't really have too much for formal night either...and for pirate night I have a disney pirate tshirt and that is about it at this point, might look around for something for all of us with Halloween costumes out now.

We have our 4 night cruise in December and I can scope out what people are wearing then but i have heard that the 3 and 4 night cruises are a little more casual than the 7 night.

Jane, looking forward to hearing what is on your excursion list.

Have a great night everyone!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Hi everyone,

We just got back from dinner and a rousing game of Hoopla (hoopla!). We had a fantastic time, but I've got to get to sleep. I'll post tomorrow our excursion list options, pirate and dinner wear.

Good night.

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Will this magnet work for everyone?

i uploaded a full res 4x6 here: http://3pixelchicks.com/FKLP_magnet.jpg

I can change it if you'd rather have a different design.

--Sara

That is SOOOOO awesome!!!!! FKLP here we come!!
You're the BEST! BTW, I checked out your website, too! How neat!! After I finish the scrapbook that I bought on our last cruise, I want to switch to digital scrapbooking for everything. Unfortunately, I just got started on it last month (I know, I know...our cruise ended 17 months ago!! Better late than never, right?) My neighbor uses Shutterfly so I've seen several of her books and love how they've turned out.

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I didn't realize we could book in January the worksheet forms that I had from Passporter said March. Now that adds more pressure to make some decisions.

If you have sailed before and are a Castaway Club member, you can book excursions and Palo at 90 days out, but for first-time cruisers, you can't book until 75 days out. I'll see if I can find the counter thing that tells you what day you can book these...

I don't know anything about the shopping, either. Not much of a shopper (unless you are talking about camera equipment or computers! LOL!)

So what kind of camera do you have? Before our last cruise, we got a Nikon D40 and just love it! I got Justin an 18-200 mm zoom lens for Father's Day (even though I'm mostly the picture-taker ) and now wish we had just splurged even more from the beginning and got it right away. It's awesome!

Indigo, what kind of shopping are you looking to do? We did a little in GC and Coz but the boys aren't shoppers, so it cut us short quite a bit. On GC, we were mostly looking in jewelry stores. I actually fell in love with a princess cut diamond necklace but just couldn't spend the money on it. I'm glad I didn't because two days later on our anniversary in Palo, Justin presented me with a one-of-a-kind 1.5 t.c.w anniversary ring with three princess cut diamonds that he designed himself! My wedding ring is a heart-shaped diamond, so he thought he was going to totally flunk out going with the princess cuts, but I am just in love with it! And if we hadn't been shopping in jewelry stores in GC, I probably would never have even thought about princess! Coz didn't really have much for jewelry stores (a few, but not as many as GC). They had mostly trinket-type places, but we didn't venture very far. The boys were tired of walking, so we rode a horse and buggy back to the port instead of continuing to shop. I don't think we bought anything at either port.

For those of you who have been on a DCL cruise before, how much do people dress up for pirate night? Are we going to stick out if we dress in full pirate costume?

For pirate night, we "dressed down" a little. Justin wore jeans and a Harley button up shirt (and this was before they "allowed" jeans), but there were definitely people in full pirate costumes, too. I say if you want to do it, GO FOR IT! Seeing a few other people dressed up made us think that we might do it this time, too, especially with Halloween coming up and costumes readily available.

Also, how formal is formal night? I haven't been able to squeeze myself into a bridesmaid's gown in years! LOL!
I was thinking an ankle length black skirt with a sweater, but I don't know if that's formal enough... seems more like the semi formal description? yikes. I can buy a formal if I need to but I'm wondering if it's necessary.

Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. To tell you the truth, I don't think I even looked at what anyone else was wearing the entire time (other than when the pirates caught our attention), and I doubt anyone looked at us either. We actually did two formal nights (on formal night and on semi-formal night, which was our anniversary/Palo), and I will probably bring both dresses again just because I love them so much and haven't worn them since.

Excursions:
we are looking at KW on our own (with the FKLP Tour club)
GC: one of the semi submersible tours so DS can see the coral reefs? maybe dolphins?
Coz: the tour to the "natural water park" sounded like fun - it's an all-day affair.
CCay: stingrays

Sounds like great options!

Now I have to get some magnet paper!

I didn't do magnet paper since I've heard they don't always go through printers very well and can be expensive. I just printed on regular paper and laminated it (I just got the el cheapo laminate-at-home pack where you just stick two clear sticky pages together...not the best, but it didn't need to be either) and then used the 3M brand MagnaTabs on the back. We use these things all the time for photos on the fridge, etc. They are reuseable and just peel off when you're done so you can put it on something else. Just another option...

 

[indigodisney]

I had a chance to look at the excursions and these are the ones I am liking:

Key West - on our own...plus the KLP tour

Grand Cayman -
SEVEN MILE BEACH BREAK
Feel your cares melt away under the Caribbean sun while you enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Grand Cayman's newest beach destination. Soak up the tropical ambience and enjoy a refreshing beverage from your cozy beach chair as the tropical breezes surround you and invite you for a swim in the crystal-clear blue waters.
Cozumel -
COZUMEL RUINS & BEACH TOUR
Immerse yourself in the ancient history and present-day fun of historic Cozumel. Wander the fascinating Mayan archeological site, the San Gervasio Ruins, and uncover the mysterious significance of the small red handprints in the Temple of the Hands. Then, venture to the picturesque Playa Mia beach for some fun in the sun.

This is subject to change...hahaha - sorry for the confusion about the booking date for excursions, spa, etc. We are concierge because of the Romance package so we can do 105 days out.

Val, you hit the nail on the head with what I would be shopping for - jewellery....platinum settings for my engagement ring, etc. Good to know that GC would be the place for that...I bought some jewellery in St.Maarten when we were there years ago. Your anniversary present sounds amazing, what a nice surprise!

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Here's a link to a date calculator. http://pscalculator.net/allearsnet/pscalcae.php If you put in 05/16/2009, it tells you when you can do things ___ days in advance. 90 days for Castaway Club Members is 02/15/2009, and 75 days for new cruisers is 03/02/2009. For those fortunate enough to be in a suite (or booked for the Romantic Escape), you get to book at 105 days on 01/31/2009.


I found some pics of what we wore for formal and semi-formal nights. I don't remember if I've posted these before or not. If so, here they are again.
This was Monday (formal) before the Golden Mickeys:

This doesn't really show much of our outfits, but you can get the picture. The full view pics that we took of each other in our stateroom aren't very appealing. We had just returned from the tequila tasting AND the beer tasting, so we were a little...well..."tipsy," should I say? Needless to say, our facial expressions were pretty hilarious and not something I prefer to post here. Even this one isn't a great picture of us, but it's the best I've got with our Palo outfits.

 

[indigodisney]

Val, you look beautiful! Great shots! Thanks for sharing.

I have no idea what I would wear to formal night but I am going to make sure that it is something that I am comfortable in....at least we have some time and this is good because I need to get rid of another 5-10 lbs that mysteriously creeps on throughout the summer.

 

[mother_hen]

So what kind of camera do you have?

I am bringing my Canon 40D. I had a Canon EOS300D for the longest time, but it finally gave up the ghost last week at the soccer fields. All my lenses are Canon, so it's an easy choice Your Nikon is a great camera. My friend who is a professional photographer has that one as well. Her photos are amazing!

For pirate night, we "dressed down" a little. ...but there were definitely people in full pirate costumes, too.

Thanks for the low down on the pirate and formal wear. I guess I have some time to think about it and plan for it. I'll probably pick up some fun pirate wear at Halloween. I think I've convinced DS to go as a pirate for Halloween, too

I didn't do magnet paper since I've heard they don't always go through printers very well and can be expensive. I just printed on regular paper and laminated it (I just got the el cheapo laminate-at-home pack where you just stick two clear sticky pages together...not the best, but it didn't need to be either) and then used the 3M brand MagnaTabs on the back. We use these things all the time for photos on the fridge, etc. They are reuseable and just peel off when you're done so you can put it on something else. Just another option...

I've put magnet paper through my Epson printers and it's been fine - but a little hard to find here. I think the self-laminate thing sounds perfect. Those business-card sized magnets are really great, too. We use those all the time on the backs of schedules and stuff we want to hang on the fridge. I keep a stack of them in my desk drawer.

Thanks for your kind words about my website. I'm going to try to get a bunch of quick pages done before the cruise so all I've got to do is stick my photos in and do a little journaling after we get back. You're welcome to have whatever I come up with.
Shutterfly does a nice job, don't they? I love the books I've ordered through them.

Thanks for the kudos on the FKLP magnet. It will be so fun to see them on people's doors

Val, your pictures are so beautiful! What a lovely family! The boys look too cute all spiffed up

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

We are finally back online! We thought we had a major melt down of our router but Jim was able to figure it out. I had typed up my response below earlier this morning.

Excusions that we are thinking about:

Key West - we are pretty much convinced we are going to do this on our own. As I said before Jim know someone from Key West and besides the KLP locations he is going to get some suggestions on the top things to do. We'll probably end up just walking around town (have to work off that pie somehow).

Grand Caymen - the excursions that we have highlighted as possible choices are either the Seaworld Explorer Semi-Submarine or the Aquaboat & Snorkel Adventure.

Cozumel - were having a real hard time deciding on any activities. I would'nt mind seeing some ruins, but the one tour that looked good is all day long (and expensive). The two tours that are listed as new (from the PassPorter) that I want to see reveiws on before booking are the Mexican Cuisine Workshop and Tasting or the Discover Mexico and Chankanaab. Or I might see if I can talk Jim into doing a couples massage treatment in the spa villa (I know WAY expensive, but since it is our anniversary, it may be well worth the money and mac&cheese nights before hand).

Regarding the Formal & Semi-Formal nights, according to the reports that I've seen online (and also from Val on post 111) earlier in the thread. It pretty much is as much or as little you want to do. We had to buy a sport coat for Jim recently and we figured he'll wear that with slacks for both nights. For the formal night he might add a tie. Depending on how much weight I'm able to lose before the trip will decide what I wear. Every year in January I have to dress up for an awards banquet for work so I might just double duty it and use the same outfit for formal night (last year I wore black slacks and a dressy top). If I get down the two sizes I might surprise Jim and actually buy a dress! For semi-formal night I'll definately be doing some sort of slacks (don't want to get Jim too used to the dress thing) I'll be wearing that same outfit while we are at WDW for our actual anniversary dinner (I'm thinking of Narcoosee's and the Wishes fireworks).

For the Pirates night - I bought Jim a pirate's polo shirt at DL. It is a black and grey striped polo shirt with a pirate patch on the left chest and a very subtle scull and crossbones on the back. I was hoping to find a pheasant shirt that I could add accessories to make "pirate like". We aren't the type to go "all out" but I've seen photos from trip reports and it doesn't look like you would be alone if you did.

Val - the photos are great! Love your black dress! And the boys are adorable. Great idea about laminating the stickers and using the magnets that are re-usable.

Mother_Hen - I also went to your website last night. I didn't get to spend much time there, but I'm going to bookmark it. Can you let me know when you get your PhotoShop Tutorial online? It sounds just like something I could use. I'm much more of a visual person than a read the manual type of person.

Indigo - thanks for clearing up the booking date. I had thought about doing the Romance Package but couldn't rationalize it just yet.