May 30, 2009 - Western Cruise Magic

[Suzepoo]

Have everyone added and 3 new "confirmed" friends....WOO HOO!!! Now I may have to consider adding some more pictures of my sis and her kids! OH... forgot too....my friend, Angela, that is also cruising with us is on my Facebook....so request her, too....just be sure to post that you are cruising on Disney with her...Cushen is her last name. CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU ALL!!!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I couldn't get online last night, but hopefully can tonight to add everyone on Facebook!

 

[poohmomof5]

I asked everyone who posted to be my "friend".

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I am such a moron! I discovered my error with the rental car and why it went up in price so much. I was putting in the dates for our entire trip, instead of just doing the week after. Phew, I feel so much better now.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

This is our town
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/local_story_119104050.html?keyword=topstory

I homeschool my kids anyway but just letting you know how close to home the "panic" has become for us... I'm not sure if I should start freaking out about us possibly getting sick before the cruise or roll my eyes at the freaking panic going on that the entire school system in our small town closed DURING TAKS TEST. I mean it takes a lot for our schools to close anyway but during TAKS test? Yes our town is apparently in full panic mode.

*sigh*
Other local towns aren't closing schools (atleast it says so in this article LOL) they are just sanitizing/etc. It looks like if anyone is sick in ANY of the schools, even not confirmed "swine flu"- bam the schools close in the entire town.

ugh I hope they aren't really cases of swine flu right here in my own backyard but I knew it could happen. Ofcourse the first case of a death in the US by swine flu HAD to be in Texas. Ofcourse. Gosh I hope and pray this doesn't keep spreading and become a pandemic.

 

[brucechase]

Here is the closest one to us. It is about 50 miles from home and 35 miles from work.

Elsewhere, the number of probable cases of swine flu in South Carolina increased to 10 early today, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said.

The 10 samples from patients were considered "untypeable" or did not match any known influenza A subtype, said Jerry Gibson, chief of the department's Bureau of Disease Control.

The samples are being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for definitive testing. The department had earlier listed two samples from high school students in Newberry, S.C., as probable swine flu because they did not correspond to known samples.

The school in Newberry was closed earlier this week after students became ill following a trip to Mexico.

I sure hope they don't sneeze real hard.

I still want to go to Cozumel.

 

[kcashner]

I suspect that by now you've seen the changes that have been made in the May 2 cruise. Obviously that's not us....While I really don't mind missing Cozumel, I hope we have a better option than Nassau.

I do understand that they may have limited choices, especially on short notice and that this may have been all that they could come up with. Personally, I'd prefer another sea day or Castaway--even Castaway without the outside vendors who do the excursions. The ship's crew and CC permanent staff do the beach and snorkel equipment as well as the stingrays. If they couldn't do parasailing and motor-craft, we could all still have a great time.

No real info...just general hoping for something other than Nassau.

 

[Nurseholiday]

1st Disney Cruise. We are so excited!!!! We have been to WDW too many times to count..... It will be my DH, DS (12) DS (10), my parents and my sis, her DH and DS (3).

 

[loveysbydesign]

1st Disney Cruise. We are so excited!!!! We have been to WDW too many times to count..... It will be my DH, DS (12) DS (10), my parents and my sis, her DH and DS (3).

Welcome aboard! It's our 1st Disney cruise too...my older ds will be 10 and my younger ds will be almost 2 when we cruise!(got a 6 y.o. dd too)

 

[klcason]

I suspect that by now you've seen the changes that have been made in the May 2 cruise. Obviously that's not us....While I really don't mind missing Cozumel, I hope we have a better option than Nassau.

I do understand that they may have limited choices, especially on short notice and that this may have been all that they could come up with. Personally, I'd prefer another sea day or Castaway--even Castaway without the outside vendors who do the excursions. The ship's crew and CC permanent staff do the beach and snorkel equipment as well as the stingrays. If they couldn't do parasailing and motor-craft, we could all still have a great time.

No real info...just general hoping for something other than Nassau.

Totally with you there. Didn't get off the boat in Nassau on the 4 nite last year. Really hope they come up with a better plan than that. Now I know they can't make us all happy.....but surely they can come up with another option.

Kayla

 

[Nurseholiday]

Welcome aboard! It's our 1st Disney cruise too...my older ds will be 10 and my younger ds will be almost 2 when we cruise!(got a 6 y.o. dd too)

Can't wait! We are counting days and hours till we set sail...I hope it will be wonderful for everyone....

 

[IndyDisneyFan]

Totally with you there. Didn't get off the boat in Nassau on the 4 nite last year. Really hope they come up with a better plan than that. Now I know they can't make us all happy.....but surely they can come up with another option.

Kayla

I too am hoping for a better port than Nassau. Been there, done that, will stay on the ship if that is where they send us instead of Cozumel. My daughter loved Cozumel in Dec. and would be heartbroken if we don't go there this trip, as that is why we are doing another western. Oh well, here is hoping that this flu goes away quickly and everyone stays healthy!!

Laura

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I suspect that by now you've seen the changes that have been made in the May 2 cruise. Obviously that's not us....While I really don't mind missing Cozumel, I hope we have a better option than Nassau.

I do understand that they may have limited choices, especially on short notice and that this may have been all that they could come up with. Personally, I'd prefer another sea day or Castaway--even Castaway without the outside vendors who do the excursions. The ship's crew and CC permanent staff do the beach and snorkel equipment as well as the stingrays. If they couldn't do parasailing and motor-craft, we could all still have a great time.

No real info...just general hoping for something other than Nassau.

I so agree!
We don't like the Eastern itinerary which is why we've never cruised on the Eastern! I'm not fond (at all) with the idea of Nassau. I haven't heard good things at all and we're not the LEAST bit interested in doing Atlantis- too expensive plus we can go to bigger waterparks here in Texas any day of the week. LOL That's not our idea of a fun port or a fun excursion. It's ho-hum to us.
I agree about CC- I'd be perfectly happy even if they just let us on the island EVEN IF we still had to eat on the ship or something like that. Make it like a sea day that just happens to be at CC where we can use the beach. I'd be happy with that even!
(or even a sea day, while not my first choice, would be better than Nassau. I know people are saying stay on the ship while at port there but I think they have far less activities onboard when they are at port- any port- than they do on sea days!

1st Disney Cruise. We are so excited!!!! We have been to WDW too many times to count..... It will be my DH, DS (12) DS (10), my parents and my sis, her DH and DS (3).

Congrats on your upcoming first disney cruise! I think you guys are gonna love it and wow your whole family (it seems? maybe? LOL) is coming. Wow what fun that will be!
My son will be 11.5 on the cruise (with your DS12 in oceanquest) and my DD will be almost 9 (in lab with your DS10) Cool!

Totally with you there. Didn't get off the boat in Nassau on the 4 nite last year. Really hope they come up with a better plan than that. Now I know they can't make us all happy.....but surely they can come up with another option.

Kayla

I agree!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

OH and btw- my town was on the "local" news (which btw is the DFW area- so it's not like our little town is mentioned on that local news hardly ever LOL) and they were talking about the schools closed and how our mayor requested that the daycares close too! Although the reporter said they checked 3 in this town and so far all 3 were still open.

HELLO?
I was just telling friends today that they aren't really solving the problem by closing the schools- kids are still playing all over our neighborhood outside (together) and earth to the mayor.... where does he think all those kids are going to go if their parents work? And our area is mostly 2 income families.... mostly. Most of those kids are going to have to go to daycare! Now when they first said the highschool was closing because ONE child MIGHT have "probable swine flu" symptoms.... that's cool. highschool kids don't need to go to daycare and can stay home and stop it from spreading. Then they said all the schools closed because such a small community it can be spread from school to school easily. Okay (but see above about the kids in daycares and having days off just means everyone is running around doing stuff, playing in the neighborhood even though it's wet from raining LOL, eetc.) but now they are saying close the daycares? Might as well close every store and business then because young children have to be cared for- and working parents can't be in two places at once (at home with kids AND at their job!) This is just crazy to expect the daycares to close too. Where are those kids supposed to go and is everyone supposed to quit their jobs or call in until the schools open again? This could affectively shut down our small-ish town pretty quickly.... I mean good grief.

BTW- closing the schools is not going to be effective anyway. I had to take my youngest to the dentist and drop by walgreens to pick up my husbands allergies/asthma medication called in from his appt Monday and then go by Procuts (DH insisted on a haircut today after work and didn't have a debit or credit card with him)- and had to go to walmart to get dog food because my son feeds the dog and neglected to tell me we were almost out of dogfood until today when COMPLETELY out. I also had to go to the dollar tree since DD was good (not crying) at the "big girl dentist" and had to have her mouth numbed (the only thing she hates about the dentist) to get a filling in one of her back molars) Everywhere I went, drove, shopped, etc. was packed to the gills- people and kids everywhere. The traffic was awful which is unusual in our 'not large' town, the stores were packed, even procuts was swamped. Tons of people at the dentist office as usual also. As if closing the schools is going to stop this from spreading, if it's here? not likely......

Oh and panic has ensued here (probably because schools and churches are closed) because when I picked up my husband's asthma Rx at the pharmacy the lady there (I know her- yes I said it's a small town! LOL went to school with her actually) said that they have been SWAMPED all day with tamiflu Rx's and the dr's calling in Rx's have said their phones are ringing off the wall for tamiflu Rx requests.

sigh

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Well, even if this flu doesn't become a pandemic- the world as we know it is shutting down around here! (somewhat atleast)
Our schools and churches are closed- they are asking the daycares to close (so then many people can't work? If they can't work-the stores/restaurants/etc. can't open for business without employees there!)

Now while watching American Idol they span across the bottom something about FW and Dallas ISD's are all closed thru May 8th. will they close churches, daycares, etc. too? For crying out loud. Maybe I SHOULD HAVE stocked up on stuff like I saw others doing today. I thought how silly.. but maybe it wasn't so silly! It wouldn't take much for our smallish town to shut down if people can't go to work. Yanno? I think this is so crazy... we have the flu every year- last year was the worst around here I think. But people are really freaking out about this and NO ONE has caught it in the US and then died in the US- have they? Not unless it's happened in the last few hours (the toddler doesn't count- he doesn't live here and just came to visit and was in the hospital in early April and just happened to end up dying of complications of the flu- pnuemonia- while here. He didn't get SICK here then die here)

 

[homespun]

This is our town
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/local_story_119104050.html?keyword=topstory

Stay healthy. We have lots of wipes and germacide everywhere at work. I'm giving DS a small bottle to carry with him to school. Hoping we all are well and this gets cut off before it gets too bad.

I suspect that by now you've seen the changes that have been made in the May 2 cruise. Obviously that's not us....While I really don't mind missing Cozumel, I hope we have a better option than Nassau.

The alternate of bring this flu back on the ship and infecting everyone, including crew is just not worth the risk. It's pretty obvious if this can spread to NY in just a week, it can easily spread to Cozumel by month end.

I would prefer 2 CC days too if they cancel Cozumel, but I guess we'll deal with it as it comes. It's funny that the CDC didn't put a time frame on the warning. Guess we'll just wait and see what happens. Nassau is not my favorite, but we could find something to do, or just chill out on board.

My sis just got back from a Carnival 3 day that went to Nassau. She never cruised before and said she probably wouldn't again. I'm thinking if that might have been my 1st experience, I might feel the same way. I'm so glad my 1st cruise was on the Wonder and I got experience CC, just visiting Nassau would not have impressed me.

Keeping my fingers crossed that Disney is listening

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Stay healthy. We have lots of wipes and germacide everywhere at work. I'm giving DS a small bottle to carry with him to school. Hoping we all are well and this gets cut off before it gets too bad.



The alternate of bring this flu back on the ship and infecting everyone, including crew is just not worth the risk. It's pretty obvious if this can spread to NY in just a week, it can easily spread to Cozumel by month end.

I would prefer 2 CC days too if they cancel Cozumel, but I guess we'll deal with it as it comes. It's funny that the CDC didn't put a time frame on the warning. Guess we'll just wait and see what happens. Nassau is not my favorite, but we could find something to do, or just chill out on board.

My sis just got back from a Carnival 3 day that went to Nassau. She never cruised before and said she probably wouldn't again. I'm thinking if that might have been my 1st experience, I might feel the same way. I'm so glad my 1st cruise was on the Wonder and I got experience CC, just visiting Nassau would not have impressed me.

Keeping my fingers crossed that Disney is listening

Thanks
I'm not really concerned- although I hesitate to type that without saying a prayer. LOL I mean I'm concerned about OTHERS who might get sick and who might die... but I'm not really scared for US. Maybe I'm wrong to feel that way but we're all a pretty healthy bunch and everyone had their flu shots this year (except me. DH took them all to get their flu shots at his workplace and I missed out on it this year- couldn't make it during the time they did it). I'm not sure if that helps at all though. But I am homeschooling now so I know my kids weren't exposed to anyone possibly sick at school- although it could happen anywhere really. And my kids have never missed a day of school (even the one in 9th grade) all these years for being sick (the only days they've missed are for vacations!) I'm not sure what I'd attribute that too except the oldest two were in daycare then school and maybe worked their immunity up quite a bit in the younger years- youngest was nursed much longer to almost 3yrs old is the only thing I can attribute- or good genes. I dunno. LOL

I guess I'm not terribly concerned because so far no one has died, in the US, that didn't already have underlying conditions and/or being a very young child. I'm assuming even if my kids caught it I'd have them at the dr and getting treatment quickly and assuming they'd be okay. yanno? Atleast that's what I like to keep telling myself. LOL

My first choice instead of Cozumel would be another day at Castaway Cay- if not that I'd rather have another sea day because then atleast they would plan more things on the ship. I'm not really interested in Nassau at all and staying on the ship would be boredom while at port- they don't do as many activities, some crew off the ship, etc. while at a port. It's NOT the same as a sea day to just stay on the ship while at port.

 

[kcashner]

This flu thing is totally blown out of proportion. There is flu every year; with most strains, about 1 person in 1000 who gets it will die (mostly very young, very old, and infirm). It doesn't spread in the US as rapidly as this will because each year a flu vaccine is developed based on the most prevalent strain from the year before. That's because no one knows what the common strain will be this year...so you are being vaccinated for last year's flu and hoping it has some cross over immunity. Of the people who get flu shots, a small percentage will have a serious complication or a mild case of the flu which may or may not be contagious. THIS flu is quite mild, but there is no cross immunity with recent vaccines. Thus, essentially everyone in the world has the potential to get the disease. The good news is that there are at least 2 drugs that are effective in treating this strain.

It has the potential to shut down the economy briefly--people get sick and can't work for a few days...but not every one gets it at once. One person infects 10 who infect 100. It has the potential to shut down the schools as teachers get sick or don't find it worthwhile to teach 1/2 of their students while the rest are out. (oh wait...we're closing them anyhow). Yes, it will be spread thru crowds--but crowds at the mall or the movies are just as bad as crowds at the schools. People are infectious at least 24 hours before they are sick, so staying home while sick won't do any good.

How this affects the ship--a local school has to report excessive illness when 10% of it's "personnel" (students/teachers/ cafeteria workers, etc) are absent. A cruise ship must report with 3% of it's passengers + crew are ill. It's a very different standard because it is a "closed" environment. When they report, it gets blown all over the internet and people see it as a "dirty" ship or a bad place to vacation. DCL never met the reporting standards, but canceled a cruise and spent a week disinfecting the ships over the Norwalk virus thing. They are really paranoid about doing everything possible to keep everyone healthy. They have a good reputation and want to keep it.

ANyhow, time to take off my doc hat. We're going to have a great cruise...if my DD gets thru all her end of the school year projects! Or, I might be in jail for killing the teacher who gave them an extension on the 10 page paper that was due today. If it had stayed due today, it would have been finished last night. Now it will be finished Sunday night because that's just how it works....and there are only 4 other papers due next week!

 

[Nurseholiday]

I so agree!
We don't like the Eastern itinerary which is why we've never cruised on the Eastern! I'm not fond (at all) with the idea of Nassau. I haven't heard good things at all and we're not the LEAST bit interested in doing Atlantis- too expensive plus we can go to bigger waterparks here in Texas any day of the week. LOL That's not our idea of a fun port or a fun excursion. It's ho-hum to us.
I agree about CC- I'd be perfectly happy even if they just let us on the island EVEN IF we still had to eat on the ship or something like that. Make it like a sea day that just happens to be at CC where we can use the beach. I'd be happy with that even!
(or even a sea day, while not my first choice, would be better than Nassau. I know people are saying stay on the ship while at port there but I think they have far less activities onboard when they are at port- any port- than they do on sea days!


Congrats on your upcoming first disney cruise! I think you guys are gonna love it and wow your whole family (it seems? maybe? LOL) is coming. Wow what fun that will be!
My son will be 11.5 on the cruise (with your DS12 in oceanquest) and my DD will be almost 9 (in lab with your DS10) Cool!


I agree!

Well, it is almost the whole family.. My sis, her DH and DS (5) are not able to come with us.... My DS's are looking forward to Oceanquest...Can't wait... we are counting the days till we set sail

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Welcome Nurseholiday.