May 30, 2009 - Western Cruise Magic

[BamaBornNemoNut]

I'll be happy to post my details for the two cabins I've booked, but that's only 2 of the 8 total. In one cabin will be me (45) and my dd (15). In the second cabin will be DM (72) and ds (13 on 5/15). The second cabin is a maybe depending on ds baseball schedule. Myself and DM cruised the Wonder in Jan08 and my family (including DH (47)) cruised the Wonder in Sep05 along with other family members who are doing this 5/30 cruise. We have been bumped to a CAT10 from CAT12 before, so here's hoping for some pixie dust. I'll post more details once plans are definite.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I didn't really have any plans for us for KW, but I would love to try some authentic Cuban food. If you could find any recommendations, I might try to go find some new and exciting food.

I know we are going to a place called Five Brothers (more like a corner store with fried food)for sure. I will ask my DH the other cuban restaurant we are going to.

ETA - my DH said we are going to SeaBonet (???) (I have no idea how to spell it)

 

[Suzepoo]

We have one of those here in Chattanooga where I live....are they the same????

 

[liliagm]

Hi guys! it looks like we are going to have a great time! we just got back from our 3 day (12/21-12/24) and I gave DH as a christmas gift the details of the 7 day and when he saw the price he said yes! so we are also holding a cat 12, we'll see what happens with the upgrades.... this cruise we just came back we where in one of the cat 12's rooms but they had just painted it the day before and the smell was awfull so we told the guest services people that we where concerned for our DD2 smelling that stuff 3 days and they moved us to a cat 9! with a porthole! yay!

We would love to participate on the FE as well, so count us in!

 

[Luv2Travel]

Happy Holidays everyone!

Just wanted to update on my family's cruise plans: unfortunately, I realized that my 15 year old twins will be taking driver's ed during the first couple of weeks of June. So we had to make a change of plans. We booked a cruise for Spring Break and had to cancel this one. That's the bad news (I would have much rather cruised in June than March and this is looking like a fun group to cruise with ), the good news is that we get to rebook the $99/person 3 night cruise in the fall.

Sorry we won't be on this cruise with you, but I hope everyone has a Wonderful time!!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Happy Holidays everyone!

Just wanted to update on my family's cruise plans: unfortunately, I realized that my 15 year old twins will be taking driver's ed during the first couple of weeks of June. So we had to make a change of plans. We booked a cruise for Spring Break and had to cancel this one. That's the bad news (I would have much rather cruised in June than March and this is looking like a fun group to cruise with ), the good news is that we get to rebook the $99/person 3 night cruise in the fall.

Sorry we won't be on this cruise with you, but I hope everyone has a Wonderful time!!

Oh bummer...

Well I just came to this thread because we had a "change of plans" and we'll be on this cruise! I got a heads up from our TA about these rates and we did some reconsidering of our plans and decided to switch to this cruise. We originally had booked a double cruise (10nt then 14nt in 2010) but the 10nt was SO much more expensive- get this.... considering ALL the costs of going for a week at Disney world (driving- not flying this time, in our RV, staying at Fort Wilderness which is something we've been wanting to do for years, the food- that we wouldn't have been paying for on the 10nt cruise obviously LOL, the tickets for WDW, parking our RV at the port for this cruise, etc etc- considering everything it would cost for the week at WDW then this 7nt crusie it still comes out to HALF the cost of the 10nt cruise.... and that cruise is very port intensive so the cost of all the things we'd have done at a port almost every day is not even being considered. I'm talking half the price of JUST THE CRUISE- for us to have a week at WDW and a 7nt cruise. It was a no brainer.
Plus ofcourse that means a cruise next summer instead of having to wait 2yrs again (we cruised 2006- a cruise we waited 3yrs for due to trying to book as soon as dates came out then having to postpone due to school calendar changing- and then cruised 2008 and planned on next cruise 2010. To heck with this 2yrs in between cruises! LOL)
Oh and this time we don't have to take the kids out of school a day or two early- since now I'm homeschooling them. (started this year)

Let's see... we have 2 cat 12 rooms- although it looks like atleast some of us will have to be upgraded ofcourse. LOL I've never stayed in a cat 12- the kids have (on the last cruise) though. Our first cruise was SPH rooms and the last cruise DH & I stayed in a cat 6 which was awesome. But for this price we can make do in a cat 12 if necessary.
Kids will be DD 15, DS 11.5, and DD turning 9 on June 16th (so almost "this" close to being 9 while on the cruise LOL)

We'll be celebrating our anniversary again... our 19th anniversary. (oh DH will be 42, I'll still be 39 since my birthday is in July. yes I like to rub it in to him when he's THREE years older than me for awhile each year. LOL my old man. )

We'll join the FE and we're not sure of the excursions we'll do. I do know that Jeff (and possibly DS too if we can get him OFFICIALLY certified by then) will want to go scuba diving... we've done cozumel before (first cruise) and wasn't able to do the dolphin swim then due to the hurricane damage but then we did the dolphin (and sea lion) swim on the last cruise so it's not a "got to do" thing anymore... (although DD 15 might say otherwise LOL) so I'm not sure what we'll do in cozumel. That's where DH has scuba dived before- I'm not sure if he'll want to scuba dive there again. Which port on this cruise would be the best to scuba dive I wonder? None of us have been to Grand Cayman or Key West before... so I'm glad it's not a cruise that's like a total repeat of a previous cruise we've done. No clue what excursions we'll do though.

Happy to join your Dis group for this cruise!

 

[kcashner]

Hello, my name is Kathryn and I am a DCL addict.

We may be sailing with you. I know that sounds insane, but it looks like this one will work. We are booked on the May 23 cruise for a graduation sailing for my soon to be 18 year old daughter. However....we had some bad weather days and the public schools were closed for a week and have to do "make up" days. Thus, if we do the May 23 sailing DD's friends can't go. However, if we do the May 30, they will have to miss one day of their choir tour.

So....Mom to the rescue.....we can drive to the cruise and then on the way home I can drop off the choir members at the tour and continue on home. It helps that tour is literally not out of our way. The kids will essentially miss the bus ride from home to the first tour site and instead will get a van ride from PC to first tour site.

If all of that is OK with her guests, their parents, etc. we will be on the May 30 cruise. If not, I think she'll choose to do the May 23 with her private school friends (who will be out as they didn't take the bad weather days)

Life is complicated....My TA is out till Monday, so she'll try to book then.

We have done 17 cruises on the Magic, and are scheduled to "Wonder" for the first time in Feb.

 

[kcashner]

Happy New Year! We need more action on this thread! It's officially less than 5 months till we sail.

 

[BamaBornNemoNut]

17 past cruises on the Magic - I'm so not there yet..

For those of us with kids that are 13, I'm wondering which club is right for them. I've seen Navigators from Nov '08 that indicate the Stack is for 14-17. I have a DS(13) who would probably prefer the Disney Quest with my DN(11). While my DN(13) would prefer to hang with my DD(15). Any thoughts? My thinking is that CMs will be ok with it either way. If your kid could decide, which way do you think they would lean?

 

[kcashner]

First, people use terms oddly on the boards. The Oceaneer's Club is for kids 3-7, Oceaneer's Lab 8-depends on which ship, Ocean Quest, and then The Stack. My usual advise is to put kids in their "age appropriate" group initially and then move them if that isn't working. I'm sure your 13 would like to hang with your 15, but would your 15 like it? If you try a day or two in the appropriate groups, then you can justify the move if you choose to make it.

The reason for Ocean Quest is that there is a huge age and maturity gap between a 13 and a 17 year old, and unfortunately, over the years The Stack has become less appropriate for anyone in my (and DD's) opinion. Some cruises are rather calm, some are just inappropriately crazy with dirty dancing, etc. Mine leaves when the evening activities don't meet her value systems.

All that said, Ocean Quest was a little lame when it first opened. Maybe it's better now.

I will advise (warn, hee hee) you that I'll have a group of 5 17 and 18 year olds with me. 18s who are in high school or just out (but not in college yet) are allowed in The Stack. They are all good kids and have been in church youth group together for years. I suspect that they'll mostly hang together and maybe incorporate others into their group. DD is very sociable when we travel as a family, but my guess is that the friends will stick together. We've already discussed that we're going to request to be seated at a table with just our group--my logic is that no one else wants to be subjected to their jokes, etc and that dinner is the main "mom supervision" time.

DD reports that younger kids frequently "crash" The Stack with or without family members, with or without permission. She has actually voiced concern for them from the standpoint of how blatantly sexual some of the Stack stuff can be. Of course, a lot of it is just playing Guitar Hero up there too...when the line isn't too long!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

kcashner- I tend to agree with you! My daughter was barely 14 on our last cruise- her first time in the stack and let me tell you... I'd much have preferred she was in the younger age grouping! I know the demographics is quite different on every cruise- but similar to what you mentioned... there were things going on there that I don't approve of and that I found out (to some degree) my daughter was following along (okay so she's a follower by nature and this was a major "first taste of freedom" for her).

I know a lot of people say things (on other threads on this topic) about how 14yr olds are in highschool with those same older teens BUT... A) she wasn't in highchool yet. It was the summer before she started highschool and B) I don't know about other highschools but the Stack allows a LOT more behavior than ours does (ie: our schools don't even allow you to hold hands- no PDA at all. The stack is like the opposite of that- I think the only thing they might put a stop to is full on ..... um you know LOL But anything up to that point is totally allowed and it does go on)

I'm pleased to hear other "youth group" kiddos will be there (she'll be 15 on this cruise) - I hope she hangs out with them. That's the kids she hangs around with here at home (youth group activities at our church) and doesn't get in trouble that way LOL. (ps. she's homeschooled now- so that old "she's with older kids like that in highschool anyway" thing really doesn't fly now LOL)


That's disappointing to hear about younger kids crashing The Stack and that they allow that to happen. *shaking my head*

I see some other ages/gender mentioned that are the same as some of mine... (DD15 and DS11) That's cool

Yep we're getting close to the cruise- this is like "quick" for us after waiting 2 or more years for each cruise and this one planned all the sudden like this. Is anyone else planning a stay or visit to WDW before the cruise?

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Hello cruisers. Now that the holidays are over with, I can spend more time focusing on the cruise.

 

[hmurry]

what is a fish extender used for?

 

[liliagm]

so how many of us have booked cat 12's? just wondering....... (we have 1 booked)

 

[klcason]

so how many of us have booked cat 12's? just wondering....... (we have 1 booked)

We have 2 booked.

 

[hmurry]

we have booked 2 cat12...
in our group will be mom 50
DD 18
Friend 18
Friend 18

we would like to be a part of the fish extenders but would like more information...we are really hoping that there will be more people our age to hang out with. we are super excited as this is all of ours first DCL

 

[mmmagic7754]

Also got Cat 12 for myself,DW and DS 15. As we get a little closer to cruise time it would be great to hear what some of you are thinking about for excursions. We did the coral reef & sunken ship snorkel at Gr Cayman a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Love to just walk around Key West on our own(thinking about the GPS tour this time)

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

We also have 2 cat 12 gty booked- obviously not everyone can be in a category 12 so it will be fun to see who gets upgraded! I don't know if we will- I just hope we're able to get our rooms near one another atleast!

I'm looking forward to figuring out what excursions we'll be doing too! Is there info about this on the DCL website yet? I'm so used to having years to plan for a trip and keep forgetting this one is coming up pretty soon! LOL

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I booked a Cat. 12 as well.

 

[Suzepoo]

we booked 8 Cat. 12 cabins....can't WAIT to see where we end up!!! We've always gotten upgraded in the past when we booked Cat. 12 cabins to at least a Cat. 10, so here's HOPING!!! "pixie dust"