May 28, 2005 Mexican Riviera

[sandysplayhouse]

wccruiser... I like the cocktails before early dining idea... count me in for that... None of our group has been on ship before this so I can't suggest where to meet.. but we are OPEN to anything, just keep us in the loop.

 

[carriep1657]

JPFamily, I called Disney regarding the 12:40 departure for the Paradise Beach Adventure. The CM told me that the 12:40 departure had been cancelled but they brought it back sometime at the end of April. She says, as of a few days ago, the 12:40 departure is a go.

 

[ssnyder]

While I like GrammieGail's idea of a Dis "cocktail hour" before early seating, I thought the wine thing was going to be a tasting...meaning we all bring one bottle to share from our home state. Everyone would sample the ones that interest them. The champagne get together, I just figured it was BYOB and I believe it was Susie or Jedisan that had purchased some snacks. That would be two separate wing-dings. It's just a matter of picking times and days (which sounds terribly hard) with everyone's different dining times. I was thinking the "at sea" days would probably be best.
As for the "cocktail hour" we could have a standing "just meet for cocktails" at one of the bars (and everyone can just purchase their cocktail, or bring one from their cabin) every evening like Grammie Gail suggested, before the early dining. That way, if you miss one, there'll always be one the next night.
What do you all think?

I like these ideas a lot.

So there are 2 casual sea days (Monday and Friday). Should we make one of these a wine tasting and the other a champagne? Better make the wine tasting first, so that we don't drink up our contribution before the tasting. We could still do it before the early dinner and call our snacks appetizers and we could do cocktail hour on the other nights. I also wouldn't mind if we had it earlier, say around 2pm, but I don't know if we would still handle additional cocktail hour on those days. Well maybe.

On the Wonder there was a bar called the Cadillac that was great for coctail hour. It was cozy and usually empty. I suspect we could change that with this group. Curt and I went there between the first show and late seating on our last trip, but we could probably be talked into moving the time up to before the first dinner. I think it is called Sessions on the Magic.

 

[EnchantedPlayroom]

This is getting fun, but we sound like the biggest bunch of alcoholics in the world. I have an idea. Why don't we each bring our wine, drink it in our own rooms and them meet up after we're all totaly schnokerd!?

Does anyone know, if we are allowed to bring other alcoholic items on board? Since you can bring wine and champage, why not things like rum, vodka or tequilla so we can make our own umberella drinks! (Challada!!)
The DIS group--> "I love you man." "No! I love you man!"

 

[wccruiser]

Brandy, we are bringing either rum and mai tai mix, or tequila and margarita mix for the pool. Gotta have pool drinks!!!!

Susie, thanks for the ideas!
Monday night sounds good for the wine tasting.
Need to nail down a time (sure wish we could see our navigators)
Need to nail down a location (how about Deck 7 Aft or a suite?)
Friday night sounds good for the champagne party
Again, need to nail down a time and location
We're getting there!

P.S. Yes, Brandy I agree.....I think rehab will need to be scheduled after this cruise! Wanna come?

 

[wccruiser]

Didn't mean nights..anytime is fine. Susie, what made you suggest 2pm? Is that a good time when there's not much going on....sounds like a good time to me.

 

[Jedisan]

I like the idea of Wine Tasting Monday and Champagne for Friday. Depending on how many of us there are for Friday, I would be happy to offer our room.

My DH does not dance, but I love to. Just say when!

Carrie - we picked up postcards to share, just in case.

Hard to believe we are two weeks away from Magic!

 

[EnchantedPlayroom]

Yeah, rehab sounds good. And hey! We can all wear our matching lime green outfits again!

 

[sandysplayhouse]

OK.. so now that I know we are allowed to bring hard liquor...
Is anyone bringing a blender?...

 

[wccruiser]

For those of you with younger kids, are we still doing the postcard exchange? If so, how many postcards were you going to bring? I was thinking that we'd be set if each of my kids brought 20 postcards.

Hi Carrie,

I too, am bringing postcards to share. About 25. I'm going to have Grace sign her name on the back of each one, so I'll let her do a few at a time.

Chris- I love your idea of making a little book for your kids with all the Dis kids pics in it!

Grammie Gail- could you start a dancers list for us too? And how do you like the suggestion of Sessions for the "cocktail hour" meets?

Since there are getting to be so many adult meets, I was thinking (and someone stop me if I'm thinking too much) maybe the person who's idea it was for that particular meet, should make final decision on time, etc. and be considered the "unoffical host"...for instance:

SandysPlayHouse- 1st night out party in her suite-Sat nt. 830p-11p
SueSings- I believe started the champagne club?
Challada- Did you start the wine-from-your-state tasting idea?
GrammieGail- Daily or at least frequent "cocktail hour"
Wccruiser- I would volunteer to head up the dance meet

Divide and conquer?? What does everyone think?

 

[wccruiser]

OK.. so now that I know we are allowed to bring hard liquor...
Is anyone bringing a blender?...

Sandy- We aren't, just planning "on the rocks drinks". I have seen really cool travel blenders, but they're expensive. Do we need to bring plastic cups and a plastic container (I'm assuming they don't allow glass around the pool area)?

 

[Moley]

The well wishes for my hubby's procedure meant so much to us. He came through okay, with no blockages found so we are so ON for this cruise!

While Bob was in the Cath Recovery Room, he had to immobilize the area the procedure was done in. We were there for hours, but with a happy heart. Bob asked me to tell him things I learned about this year's cruise, so I told him about this lively group of fun people. I described the party of The Bubbleheads and the Winos. Bob was all smiles. This really helped pass the time.

I've linked below to my trip report posted on another site from our cruise last year on the Magic. Go half way down the page to May 10 and there is pic of me in my hat for Crazy Hat Bingo. I did win a prize for that on Crazy Hat Bingo day.

This year I have a lime green hat covered in Disney Cruise Line pins and a bingo angel pin. Do you think I might be able to fit in with the Bubbleheads and the Winos?

Hope our dinner doesn't run too late so I can come up and meet the party people that night. Thanks again for all your kindness during this worrisome time for us.

Show Me the Drink of the Day

 

[suesings]

Hi Moley, I'm so glad everything went well with Bob. That is great that you could keep him smiling with stories about us posters. Love the picture of you in the hat!! So your hat had martini glasses, right? I couldn't tell what else was on it??

Iwill try to find local postcards for the kid's exchange.

Margaret - I think Friday is a great day for the champagne social. I was trying to look through some old posted Navigators to see when it looked like there was a lull in the schedule but it doesn't look like there is one It looks like they have a lot going on sea days (bingo, wine tasting, cooking class, pool games, etc.?). Should we play the time by ear?? Or should I pick a time now like 2:30 and see how it goes? I should have counted how many bubble-heads there were to figure out a place. I think I'll do that now. At least I will have a good idea of where would be good by Friday onboard

Does anyone know if they let you have a Deck Party with your own bottles?? We could always pick a secluded area as long as Disney doesn't mind. Order some cheese platters for our rooms and carry them there

Grammiegail - I went to the gym again today but boy am I hungry today. I think we are going for Sushi tonight (Kelly loves it - no raw stuff). Getting my hair done after that - gotta get rid of this gray before I meet all of you!!!

 

[challada]

I am so excited! We are getting so close...just imagine that the boat starts heading our way TOMORROW!


I'm glad Bob is doing OK Moley...you were in many prayers!


As far as kids postcards, I've only bought 16 total for my two kids, so I think I'll get some more. I stuck their picture on the back of the cards w/their names yesterday so that folks know who it's from (I just used address labels that I ran thru computer).

I think Monday for Winos sounds great...can we do sampling in the "reading room" since it sounds like no one is ever there? Maybe when we have the kids figuring out their navigators, we can figure out our time.

 

[ssnyder]

Susie, what made you suggest 2pm? Is that a good time when there's not much going on....sounds like a good time to me.

That's exactly what I was thinking. But I agree that's it's really difficult to make these decisions without seeing the navigators and knowing what to expect ahead of time. I thought 2pm would not interfere with High Tea which several people had expressed an interest in. And it was late enough that lunch with be done and maybe the kids would be inivolved with other activitiies. This can certainly be modified once we know our activities for the day. Now this brings up an interesting point. How would we communicate with each other once we are onboard? Any ideas? BTW, the internet is not an option. Curt and I are going on this cruise as a way to escape our day to day activities and we definitely are not doing internet activity while onboard. (Unless of course they manage to track us down and demand that we respond, which unfortunately is a distinct possibility.)

 

[Moley]

Heads up to those staying at the LA Sheraton Harbor the night before the cruise. We just got a call from them tonight. They are rehabbing a lot of their rooms there and they are overbooked. We are being moved to the Marina Hotel a few minutes(they say) away. It looks as if we can get transportation the next day to the terminal okay.

The Marina Hotel looks like a nice property, in a slightly lower price range. Since I'm so mellow after our good news today, I'm not letting this bother me. Just wanted the rest of you to know we won't be making the Sheraton breakfast meet.

 

[wccruiser]

Moley- So glad Bob's doing well!

Wino Captain Chris- Reading room sounds like a good location. Very sophisticated, like our wine tasting!
Pics of the kids on the back of postcards is great! You're so crafty!


Bubble Heads Captain Sue- I heard the verandah off Deck 7 aft is almost always uncrowded. Yeah, picking a time will be tough. But 230p sounds good for starters. We can always change once we see the Navigators.

Which brings up Susie's excellent point: How will we communicate once onboard? I myself will also definitely not be online. Do we get charged if we call cabin to cabin. Do the cabins have voicemail systems? I don't think the list of each group (with exception of Sandy's 1st night out party) is very long, so maybe the Captains can just leave sticky notes on cabin doors for their respective group with any changes. We should just try to firm all plans up before we depart as much as possible for the least amount of changes.

 

[challada]

Sorry to hear about the Sheraton...I hope they are comping you something good for the lower grade rooms!

Susie- I agree that we need a central posting place for DISer get together info/news....is there a message board on the boat (like you see at conferences, etc)? If not, is there a central place we can put a whiteboard for meeting info? I'm not bringing my laptop nor paying for internet on the boat...so we need low-tech ideas.


Tomorrow is Emily's big dance recital for the end of the year...wish her luck! (Mostly just wish her luck in getting to the dance recital quick enough from two baseball games right before).

Since I'm not around tomorrow, it's MICKEY TIME:

Hidden Mickey #14:
Doors to the studio, check the buttons.

 

[challada]

Oops...two weeks of Hidden Mickeys...here's the summary:

In the family pool (goofy pool), check the drain gutter (or drain cover).

Monday's Hidden Mickey (or search for the mouse #2):

On Deck 9, go forward young of heart, look down toward the "secret" crew pool and find another secret in the metal deck!

Hidden Mickey#3:

A day of play, a day of shooting hoops...the mouse will keep you on the courts.

Hidden Mickey #4: Fancy dinner, fancy place, better look up or there'll be a mouse in your plate! (NOTE, this actually refers to TWO hidden mickeys in one place).

Here's Hidden Mickey #5: If you gotta do laundry, you've gotta use soap so check your dispenser bubbles for a peek at the mouse!

Hidden Mickey #6: While you are getting pampered, or at least waiting to, better check out those coconuts on the sofa..WOW!

Hidden Mickey #7: (challenging)...Find the mural on a middle deck with the reading man and a hidden mouse will swim out of the mural at you.

Hidden Mickey #8:
Grab the coffee and go...but don't forget to check out that strange kid with the glasses hanging around outside the door.

Hidden Mickey #9:
Hey kids...look at that pirate ship!

Hidden Mickey Time!
Hidden Mickey #10:
While you watch the colors change, look for the brushes that make it happen and you will find a mouse nearby!

Hidden Mickey #11:
Going up? Going down? Check the grillwork before you step on.

Hidden Mickey #12....
Even famous artists can add a mickey in their design...look straight up for the blue mouse hidden in the atrium.

Hidden Mickey LUCKY #13:
When using your own bathroom, make sure to wash your hands.

Hidden Mickey #14:
Doors to the studio, check the buttons.

 

[grammiegail]

SandysPlayHouse- 1st night out party in her suite-Sat nt. 830p-11p
SueSings- I believe started the champagne club?
Challada- Did you start the wine-from-your-state tasting idea?
GrammieGail- Daily or at least frequent "cocktail hour"
Wccruiser- I would volunteer to head up the dance meet

Divide and conquer?? What does everyone think?

Sounds great! I'll handle the "daily" cocktail hour on the non-wine/champagne nights. Sessions sounds good and I'll check it out. And, no, I didn't start a dance list. So "tag, you're it!"