May 9, 2012: 5 Night Bahamas Cruise on Disney Magic

[Feisty Fairy]

Pre-cruise! What's everyone doing??? We'll be driving from Texas. At the very least the boys and I will drive and we'll fly the hubby in if we can find cheap enough rates between now and sailing. The boys and I aren't limited on time. The hubby works contract so when he's not working he's not getting paid. I think the night before sailing we'll get 2 rooms at Pop/WDW. We aren't going to any parks, tho. We want to go around the resort and take pictures of the boys in the same places we have pics of them from 2004-2007. It'll be fun! We'll prob'ly do a pre-cruise breakfast somewhere on-site like Kona Cafe or Captain's Grill. What's everyone else doing pre-cruise??? Wanna try to meet for dinner the night before or breakfast the morning of? We can do that! And we got a port arrival time of 11-11:30 like last time. Perfect. Driving from WDW to the port was a piece of cake! Easy-breezy, very convenient!

What's everyone else doing????

Kona Cafe is awesome place for breakfast. Me and my husband have Residence Inn booked the night before since we have a free night through Rewards Points Certificate. We will be driving in at least on May 8 at Port and checking into the hotel. It is tempting to go to WDW though because I still have an annual pass that is good through May 8 2012 from last year's trip. The week before me and hubby are going to go to a concert but we have not finalized out plans yet for the cruise. I am not doing any excursions this time or cabanas because this is the first time cruising and I want to be able to walk around the ports. We have not decided if we want Palo yet but I have a couple of days before I can even book it. We are thinking about it but do not want to miss the main rotational dinner or Pirates Night. We defiantly will be getting a shot glass in each port for my mom. I have gotten her a shot glass very every place I have traveled too and I want to get a Rum Cake.

Key West,

Walk around maybe visit Southern Most Point. Get a slice of Key Lime Pie.

Nassau,

Maybe get a rum cake and look around at things such as Queen Ann's Staircase.

Castaway Cay,

Get off enjoy the adult beach. The other amenities and the buffet. Maybe go in the water a little.

I am not a beach person either. I do not even know how to swim.

Me and the husband plan on finalizing our plans by the end of the week. I will post when I finalized everything. Since it is just me and my hubby we have late dinner seating. First cruise I hope I am set with nice people who share our love of Disney. I also would love to do a tasting of some short.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Kona Cafe is awesome place for breakfast.

Oooh yeah...love that Tonga Toast and Kona coffee. Mmmmm...

It is tempting to go to WDW though because I still have an annual pass that is good through May 8 2012 from last year's trip.

My hubby's pass is still valid, too. I told him he should go to a park but he won't dream of it without us. I guess that's true love, huh?

I am not doing any excursions this time or cabanas because this is the first time cruising and I want to be able to walk around the ports. We have not decided if we want Palo yet but I have a couple of days before I can even book it. We are thinking about it but do not want to miss the main rotational dinner or Pirates Night. We defiantly will be getting a shot glass in each port for my mom. I have gotten her a shot glass very every place I have traveled too and I want to get a Rum Cake.

We didn't do any excursions or anything on our first cruise either. We didn't even get off the ship at Nassau. We wanted to try all our rotational restaurants and Pirate's Night, too. I have got to try this rum cake thing. It sounds so wonderful. How can you go wrong with rum + cake????

I am not a beach person either. I do not even know how to swim.

Yay for more not-so-beachy peeps! I reall feel like I've found my people.

Since it is just me and my hubby we have late dinner seating.

I keep forgetting the dinner seating thing. Duh! We went with 2nd seating this go around because we didn't like first last time. We felt like we were always rushing in the afternoon to get ready and we were perpetually late which we really didn't like. Hubby said he'd take extra heartburn meds so we can eat later.

 

[Jaxs27]

PIF!

 

[Jaxs27]

Pre-cruise! What's everyone doing??? We'll be driving from Texas. At the very least the boys and I will drive and we'll fly the hubby in if we can find cheap enough rates between now and sailing. The boys and I aren't limited on time. The hubby works contract so when he's not working he's not getting paid. I think the night before sailing we'll get 2 rooms at Pop/WDW. We aren't going to any parks, tho. We want to go around the resort and take pictures of the boys in the same places we have pics of them from 2004-2007. It'll be fun! We'll prob'ly do a pre-cruise breakfast somewhere on-site like Kona Cafe or Captain's Grill. What's everyone else doing pre-cruise??? Wanna try to meet for dinner the night before or breakfast the morning of? We can do that! And we got a port arrival time of 11-11:30 like last time. Perfect. Driving from WDW to the port was a piece of cake! Easy-breezy, very convenient!

What's everyone else doing????

We are also driving from Texas, the DFW area. We are getting there the night before and staying over night in port canaveral.

Not totally sure what we are going to do excursion wise. I am thinking we will do a sting-ray excursion in Nassau or CC. We are contemplating staying on the ship in Nassau also.

We are going to ride the train in Key West and go to Margaritaville, have key lime pie and see the southernmost point.

CC have a beach day and possibly rent snorkel gear.

 

[jenf22]

We're not really beach people either. I was born and raised in South Florida, which is why I went to college in Boulder, Colorado and now live just south of Denver. I LOVE Colorado! We started this whole cruise thing by booking an ALASKAN cruise in September. We sort of fell into this cruise when Hawaii proved WAY too expensive this year (I know, I said we weren't beach people - but we absolutely LOVE Hawaii - especially the Hilton Waikoloa Village). So now here we are, virgin cruisers, booked on 2 this year. AND my husband gets wicked motion sickness. Are we insane!?

I think the reason I think I want a cabana is to have a place to get out of the sun. My whole family is fair skinned (we look a lot like Kelley and family - LOVE the picture, BTW). Both my son and I are strawberry blonde, and we all look like we're from Colorado!

Just minutes ago I was telling my husband that I have no idea how the Disney reservation system works. I know with the dining reservations, I would coordinate a time when someone was going to give up their reservation (or vice versa) and it was always immediately available. If someone would like to grab Cabana #7 for me, we could always try. I would be very grateful!

Kelley and family - are you guys going to be in the FE?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

PIF!

Yay! I'll do the happy dance with ya!

We are also driving from Texas, the DFW area. We are getting there the night before and staying over night in port canaveral.

Not totally sure what we are going to do excursion wise. I am thinking we will do a sting-ray excursion in Nassau or CC. We are contemplating staying on the ship in Nassau also.

We are going to ride the train in Key West and go to Margaritaville, have key lime pie and see the southernmost point.

CC have a beach day and possibly rent snorkel gear.

Ooooh! Cool beans! We have 3 drivers amoungst us (just kiddin', Chandler does good) so it's not so bad. We've been all over the place with where to stay pre-cruise. Eventually doing the throw-back to our first family Disney trips won out. I may need to get some advice for decent places to stay up there by DFW. We're eyeballing Virgin flights to LA later this year from there.

We're not really beach people either. I was born and raised in South Florida, which is why I went to college in Boulder, Colorado and now live just south of Denver. I LOVE Colorado! We started this whole cruise thing by booking an ALASKAN cruise in September. We sort of fell into this cruise when Hawaii proved WAY too expensive this year (I know, I said we weren't beach people - but we absolutely LOVE Hawaii - especially the Hilton Waikoloa Village). So now here we are, virgin cruisers, booked on 2 this year. AND my husband gets wicked motion sickness. Are we insane!?

I think the reason I think I want a cabana is to have a place to get out of the sun. My whole family is fair skinned (we look a lot like Kelley and family - LOVE the picture, BTW). Both my son and I are strawberry blonde, and we all look like we're from Colorado!

Just minutes ago I was telling my husband that I have no idea how the Disney reservation system works. I know with the dining reservations, I would coordinate a time when someone was going to give up their reservation (or vice versa) and it was always immediately available. If someone would like to grab Cabana #7 for me, we could always try. I would be very grateful!

Kelley and family - are you guys going to be in the FE?

Wow! Isn't it insane, all us not-so-beachy folks??? I love this! Friends! For me cruising isn't as much about the destination as it is the overall adventure. There's so many possibilities.

Don't you worry about places to get out of the sun. There's tons of shady spots all over CC. When we were there off the Dream last September it was miserable hot and there was waaaay more people there than what will be off the Magic. Even with all those souls jockeying for the shade there was plenty to go around. There's creature-comforts everywhere. Don't feel like you have to spend those big bucks on the cabana to get the quite, shaded respite. But, hey, never gonna knock the cabana. If you can do and want to, go for it! Make sure you fill us in on how it was when ya get home. Good info for future cruisin' & all.

Yeah, we're a pretty glowin' white bunch. Well, the guys are anyway. I fake-n-bake carefully year round. My natural skin color is white as a sheet of paper so I can totally sympathize with running from the sun. I can tolerate a bit more exposure now than I used to & hubby does okay from all his years working outside & fishing. My poor little Brian will cook in a matter of minutes. We have to watch him so carefully because once he burns he absolutely cannot be outside until he totally heals.

I can go grab that cabana if it's still available and see if it'll work out by coordinating a release/grab online. Ya never know 'til ya try, right?

I've been on the fence about the FE. We did it last time and it was fun. We ended up hauling a lot of our gifts onboard which was kinda a hassle. Hubby says he would love to do it again, says he had a blast with me running up & down the hallways with our bags of loot sippin' our drinky-drinks. I'm thinking I'll join. I ordered our last FE from stitchesnbows at Etsy but she's gone up in price in a year's time. ((Which, BTW, I'm happy for her to be doing such a great business. She's also a big Disney fan and if I remember correct was able to quit her job to go full-time with her Etsy orders. Very super-sweet lady. )) I can sew us a cool one. I have bins and bins of awesome Disney fabrics. Now to just find someone who will embroider a logo for me. I'll go look who I'm supposed to contact so I can officially sign us up.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

If someone would like to grab Cabana #7 for me, we could always try. I would be very grateful!

Well, dang. I just went to look and that last cabana is gone. Maybe someone else here snagged it. Don't give up, tho, if you really want it. Things change. Someone may cancel. I'll keep checking back. I'm obsessively checking to see if our room assignment has come in (we're GTY).

Let's keep crossing our fingers collectively for ya. If it's meant to be, it will. K? Don't fret that you're gonna bake to a crisp. I promise there's tons of shade and you might end up glad you didn't spend those bucks.

 

[iloverags2]

Thank you! Gotta ask, what's the "iloverags" part of your username??? You wouldn't be into rag quilting, would ya???

Have you boarded at BFPC @ WDW before? We boarded our toy schnauzer baby there for our November 2010 trip. It's soooo nice there, way nicer than any other place we've ever boarded. Shout out for the BFPC peeps!

and I remember seeing sea turtles swimming in a tank of some sort. Maybe there was a wildlife rehab facility or something then.

I also was curious about this Outermole thing. We're taking a bus to the regular dock area, right? Is the RC ship getting in before us? I'm worried there won't be a 4-seater electric car for us if I don't get on the ball and reserve one direct online. HHmmmm... what do you think?

Ready to see it bare-bones where it all began. Drinks after 5???

Do you think you might be anywhere where you can purchase rum cakes??? With us going to Atlantis that's the one thing I'm afraid I won't be able to get. I'm dying to try rum cake. I wonder if anyone else was making it a point to get them could I send some $$ along to pick me up a few. I'd be ever-so grateful!

Seriously, I think we're finally ready to move on from the WDW parks for a bit. The hubby's been worried about being at a WDW resort without going to a park. I have zero issue with it.

Oh, my handle...I get asked about that often! I collect Raggedy Ann's. Not as much as I used to, but I still have a fairly decent collection. About 15 years ago, when I created my first AOL account, iloverags was already taken so I thought, "Well, I love her too..." and then the 2 was added at the end.

Yep, we have boarded Klondike at BF@WDW six times since they opened the new location across from POR (along with several times after they took over the WDW kennels but before they opened that location, and a gazillion times with Disney themselves!)...she absolutely loves it there, and we have been quite pleased also. Love the pictures they email to us while we are vacationing and she is playing.

You are correct about remembering the sea turtles. The building is still there, although they no longer house turtles...it is an educational facility now, mainly on nesting season and such.

A shuttle in the form of a tram (I believe) is provided to us at Outermole and typically takes cruisers to the main pier area (where RCI will be docked). Our rental company is picking us up from wherever we end up!

We can definitely meet at Margaritaville if it works into your plans. It's a must stop for us, even if only for a few minutes...enough for a drink. (JB was just in Jax 1/31...great show! I've lost count how many times I have seen him now!)

If you trust me with your rum cakes, I will be more than happy to pick them up for you! Trust me, I will be making a trip over there. Just a hint, during my cruise in Oct 2009, they were less expensive at Radar Tarp on the Wonder (which is Up Beat on the Magic). Not sure that will be the case this time around, so I will probably just be safe and pick them up from Tortuga Rum Factory while in Nassau.

Tell your hubby not to worry about no parks. We have been to WDW so many times for weekend getaways, and often go without stepping foot into a park! That includes a stay at Beach Club even...so close to Epcot and DHS and yet we still didn't go!

Nassau,

Maybe get a rum cake and look around at things such as Queen Ann's Staircase.

I also would love to do a tasting of some short.

Oh, Queen's Staircase is beautiful! It's a bit of a walk, but a doable one at that...and we love wandering over there. If you do go, also climb up to the top of Fort Fincastle...the view is gorgeous!

There are so many tastings to choose from...champagne, beer, wine, margarita, martini, etc.!

PIF!

I think the reason I think I want a cabana is to have a place to get out of the sun. My whole family is fair skinned (we look a lot like Kelley and family - LOVE the picture, BTW). Both my son and I are strawberry blonde, and we all look like we're from Colorado!

Just minutes ago I was telling my husband that I have no idea how the Disney reservation system works. I know with the dining reservations, I would coordinate a time when someone was going to give up their reservation (or vice versa) and it was always immediately available. If someone would like to grab Cabana #7 for me, we could always try. I would be very grateful!

Kelley and family - are you guys going to be in the FE?

Ok, I snagged cabana 7 on the family beach. We'll figure it out how to get it switched over to you. (Maybe I will ask on the general DCL boards how that can be done...will need to don my flame-retardant suit!)

Kelley, let me know if you decide on the FE!

 

[iloverags2]

Well, dang. I just went to look and that last cabana is gone. Maybe someone else here snagged it. Don't give up, tho, if you really want it. Things change. Someone may cancel. I'll keep checking back. I'm obsessively checking to see if our room assignment has come in (we're GTY).

Let's keep crossing our fingers collectively for ya. If it's meant to be, it will. K? Don't fret that you're gonna bake to a crisp. I promise there's tons of shade and you might end up glad you didn't spend those bucks.

Oops! That was me! It's safely in our hands here...now to figure out the transfer over.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

My weekend got to a little rough start. Our DS's school was out on Friday for "teacher training day," so I decided to take our DS ice skating for the 1st time. I've learned that 20 yrs of non-skating + a 4 yo who's ever skated = a badly bruised tailbone for mom. Don't think I'm braving that again for a bit. Otherwise, the 3-day weekend is exactly what the doctor ordered.

We are sooo excited about the cruise! It'll be our first vacation since November, and we sooo need it!! Pretty much every day as I'm driving him to school, he'll ask how many months until we go on the "Mickey Mouse Cruise Ship."

Annabel

YEAH for being PIF Hope your tailbone is doing better. I stay away from ice!

Hi friends! We're also PIF!!!
We are back from our vacations... I told hubby about the surprise!! he's really happy but a little worried for the kids and their English... my kids have gone to a bilingual school since 2 years old, however, only the boy (10) is really fluent in English, the girls (8 and 6) mmmm I think they understand more than what they can speak! Our main concern is that they love to make friends and make people laugh with their antics... and in this case... maybe they are going to fell lost...
Luz

Your girls can hang with my twins

Thanks for the get well wishes. I'm pretty much feeling 100%, although my allergies have been a bit more active this past week. That's all typical of living in Florida though!

Glad you are feeling better. My allergies have already started acting my too

Wow! Isn't it insane, all us not-so-beachy folks??? I love this! Friends! For me cruising isn't as much about the destination as it is the overall adventure. There's so many possibilities.

Yeah, we're a pretty glowin' white bunch. Well, the guys are anyway. I fake-n-bake carefully year round. My natural skin color is white as a sheet of paper so I can totally sympathize with running from the sun. I can tolerate a bit more exposure now than I used to & hubby does okay from all his years working outside & fishing. My poor little Brian will cook in a matter of minutes. We have to watch him so carefully because once he burns he absolutely cannot be outside until he totally heals.

Welcome to the group Kelly! We have 1 thing in common.. I fake bake carefully too We are HUGE beach people. Looks like we might have the beach to ourselves since all of you will be staying away Our plans are to hit the beach as much as possible. We do want to tour around Key West a bit. We have never been there so we are excited to explore. Nassau we plan on going to the beach. CC.. beach. We are pretty laid back. I dont plan on planning too much. Anyone else beach people???
As for pre cuise.. we are flying into Orlando Sat May 5th. We are staying at Bonnet Creek on Disney. Pool on Sat & Sun. Mon MK and Tues HS. I plan on leaving this trip with a great tan

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh, my handle...I get asked about that often! I collect Raggedy Ann's. Not as much as I used to, but I still have a fairly decent collection. About 15 years ago, when I created my first AOL account, iloverags was already taken so I thought, "Well, I love her too..." and then the 2 was added at the end.

Oh cool! Being a natural redhead (although I've messed with the color so much you can't tell it as readily as say with my hubby ) I always loved Raggedy Ann. Made my mom a big set entirely by hand for Christmas many years ago. She totally treasures those dollies. I still collect my soft sculpture Cabbage Patch dolls (the kind the ones in the boxes were based upon). I've downsized a bit to less than 50 and aren't as active with it as I used to be. Mostly I just make stuff for the Disney-fied one I altered as my little play thing. I swear, the little girl in me who loves her dollies will never grow up no matter how old I get.

Yep, we have boarded Klondike at BF@WDW six times since they opened the new location across from POR (along with several times after they took over the WDW kennels but before they opened that location, and a gazillion times with Disney themselves!)...she absolutely loves it there, and we have been quite pleased also. Love the pictures they email to us while we are vacationing and she is playing.

I remember the morning I got my picture of Riley during our trip. I cried. So pathetic, I know. She's the first dog I ever had and we're really attached to each other. Of our family members, she chose me. I love my little Riley Belle!

You are correct about remembering the sea turtles. The building is still there, although they no longer house turtles...it is an educational facility now, mainly on nesting season and such.

Wow! Awesome! I'm not pulling that memory out of thin air! I always sorta wondered. Cool. I wonder when nesting season is and how to get some education there now. Very neat stuff!

We can definitely meet at Margaritaville if it works into your plans. It's a must stop for us, even if only for a few minutes...enough for a drink. (JB was just in Jax 1/31...great show! I've lost count how many times I have seen him now!)

WooHooo! Drinks will work. We'll discuss more as it gets closer to time.

If you trust me with your rum cakes, I will be more than happy to pick them up for you! Trust me, I will be making a trip over there. Just a hint, during my cruise in Oct 2009, they were less expensive at Radar Tarp on the Wonder (which is Up Beat on the Magic). Not sure that will be the case this time around, so I will probably just be safe and pick them up from Tortuga Rum Factory while in Nassau.

If it's not a problem to pick one up for me I'd appreciate it. If they have them onboard then I'll just grab one there. No problem. We should know by Key West day if they have 'em, right? We'll discuss and shell out the $$ over drinks at Margaritaville.

Ok, I snagged cabana 7 on the family beach. We'll figure it out how to get it switched over to you. (Maybe I will ask on the general DCL boards how that can be done...will need to don my flame-retardant suit!)

Whew! So glad that was you! What a relief!

If you're gonna go ask on the main board maybe smooth it over by making like you booked it but re-thought it but your friend on a different reservation wants it or something like that. I could see how the main boards could get a'flamin' on that one. Or, I could ask my TA friend who handles all my bookings for me. She's super-duper knowledgable about all the little nuances like this.

Kelley, let me know if you decide on the FE!

I'm thinking we'll do it again. I'll send you my info. I can't resist more excuses for more crafting.

Welcome to the group Kelly! We have 1 thing in common.. I fake bake carefully too We are HUGE beach people. Looks like we might have the beach to ourselves since all of you will be staying away Our plans are to hit the beach as much as possible. We do want to tour around Key West a bit. We have never been there so we are excited to explore. Nassau we plan on going to the beach. CC.. beach. We are pretty laid back. I dont plan on planning too much. Anyone else beach people???
As for pre cuise.. we are flying into Orlando Sat May 5th. We are staying at Bonnet Creek on Disney. Pool on Sat & Sun. Mon MK and Tues HS. I plan on leaving this trip with a great tan

I totally was ---> when I read that y'all are gonna have the beach to yourself! That's great!

Thanks for the welcome. I appreciate it.

Yep, I know all the studies that point at how terrible the ol' fake-n-bake is for the skin but I've actually reaped some amount of benefit from it. I don't burn instantly the way I used to. My skin actually tolerates being outside long enough to wash a car or something. Ya know? I won't say it's not aged my skin but I don't think it's done much beyond raising teenagers has. I just don't do it every day and I'm cautious about caring for my skin. I've had to lay off considerably recently because of having laser tattoo removal but I'm still trying to maintain the healthy touch of color.

 

[jenf22]

Thanks for grabbing the Cabana Cindy!! We can just arrange a time on Friday for you to release it and I'll try to pick it up. That being said, my husband might have talked me out of it last night. Especially if there is lots of shade on Castaway Cay. $500 is a lot of money - we could pay for ALL of our excursions for that. But I still might do it as a treat. It doesn't hurt to hold on to the reservation for a week or two while I figure it out Thanks again!

 

[wildforgoofy]

YEAH for being PIF

Welcome to the group Kelly! We have 1 thing in common.. I fake bake carefully too We are HUGE beach people. Looks like we might have the beach to ourselves since all of you will be staying away Our plans are to hit the beach as much as possible. We do want to tour around Key West a bit. We have never been there so we are excited to explore. Nassau we plan on going to the beach. CC.. beach. We are pretty laid back. I dont plan on planning too much. Anyone else beach people???
As for pre cuise.. we are flying into Orlando Sat May 5th. We are staying at Bonnet Creek on Disney. Pool on Sat & Sun. Mon MK and Tues HS. I plan on leaving this trip with a great tan

We'll be hanging out on the beach. I love to worship the sun! Not that I'm a Bronze Goddess, I'll have the big floppy hat on and coated with SPF 100, but I'll be out there relaxing with a Daiquiri!

Drinks will work. We'll discuss more as it gets closer to time.

Thanks for the welcome. I appreciate it. :hug

Welcome to the group!
It's good to know Kane with have yet another 14 y/o to hang with. I just asked him the other day if he still wanted to do the Wild Side with other teens on CC and he's in. Kane also has a very laid back personality, NOTHING like his father which drives his Dad crazy. He's very much his Mothers Son, but don't confuse that with a Mommas Boy. LOL

We're just going to walk around Key West, and if it ends up that we'll be in the area for drinks we're up for that. We have to keep things more fluid with our 5 y/o Cole. He's like every other 5 y/o when he's done.... he's done and most of the time I'm done too. My kids are spaced out from 14-5. I feel like I've been dealing with a toddler for the last 13 years.

Happy Mardi Gras Everyone.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

Yep, I know all the studies that point at how terrible the ol' fake-n-bake is for the skin but I've actually reaped some amount of benefit from it. I don't burn instantly the way I used to. My skin actually tolerates being outside long enough to wash a car or something. Ya know? I won't say it's not aged my skin but I don't think it's done much beyond raising teenagers has. I just don't do it every day and I'm cautious about caring for my skin. I've had to lay off considerably recently because of having laser tattoo removal but I'm still trying to maintain the healthy touch of color.

Ya I tend to look like a sickly white sheet if I dont tan. I would love to go once a week, but life is a bit busy. So maybe 2-3 times a month. Not too bad. Plus I think I look chubbier when Im white... lets face it tan cellulite is better than white cellulite.. well thats what I tell myself

We'll be hanging out on the beach. I love to worship the sun! Not that I'm a Bronze Goddess, I'll have the big floppy hat on and coated with SPF 100, but I'll be out there relaxing with a Daiquiri!

YEAH! I'll have a drink with you and we can worship together
Im off to work. Hope everyone has a great day!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Welcome to the group!
It's good to know Kane with have yet another 14 y/o to hang with. I just asked him the other day if he still wanted to do the Wild Side with other teens on CC and he's in. Kane also has a very laid back personality, NOTHING like his father which drives his Dad crazy. He's very much his Mothers Son, but don't confuse that with a Mommas Boy. LOL

We're just going to walk around Key West, and if it ends up that we'll be in the area for drinks we're up for that. We have to keep things more fluid with our 5 y/o Cole. He's like every other 5 y/o when he's done.... he's done and most of the time I'm done too. My kids are spaced out from 14-5. I feel like I've been dealing with a toddler for the last 13 years.

Happy Mardi Gras Everyone.

Oh yes. Brian is super-excited to have another boy his age in Vibe. He's pretty outgoing, too. We'll have to bring them to a meet early on.

Understand with the 5 yro, althought those memories grow more and more distant anymore. LOL! Hopefully it'll be meant to be and we'll all be able to score that drink together.

Ya I tend to look like a sickly white sheet if I dont tan. I would love to go once a week, but life is a bit busy. So maybe 2-3 times a month. Not too bad. Plus I think I look chubbier when Im white... lets face it tan cellulite is better than white cellulite.. well thats what I tell myself

Me, too. I went today for the first time in quite a while and my face burned a little. I'm hoping to go at least 4 times by Sunday to build some color before the next laser treatment on Monday. Then I can't go back until a week or two after the skin heals again. What you said is so funny! I used to work with a girl who would say, "Even fat looks better tan." I don't know why that has stuck in my brain all these years. I don't even remember that girl's name but I can still picture her face and her voice saying it. It's soooo true.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

"Even fat looks better tan."

I say that ALL the time

 

[sararoonie]

I've been lurking for awhile and have been getting so excited while reading the thread, so I thought maybe I should introduce our family.

It will be me, dh, and our two daughters who are 5 1/2 and 3 1/2. This will be our first cruise. We used to live in Hong Kong and went to Hong Kong Disneyland a lot before we moved, but the girls have never done Disney in the States. We live in Taiwan and dh has some meetings in the States in April and May, so the girls and I decided to go too and hang out with family. Life has been really busy, and we really need to do something very relaxing (visiting family is fun but not always relaxing)! On a whim we booked our first cruise.

We will be flying in on the 8th. We will staying with an old college friend of dh's and then drive to PC in a rental car on the 9th. Since our main goal is to rest and have fun as a family we are not planning a lot. In Key West, we plan on exploring a little, finding some Key Lime pie and maybe some Cuban food, and we might do the trolley or conch train ride if everybody wants to at the time. At Nassau we may stay on the boat, go to Cabbage Beach (has anyone been there?) or go to the Sheraton or Wyndham and buy a pass to use their pools and beach. We'll see what we all want to do at the time. At CC we are just going to enjoy the beach. We are semi-beach people. DH is from Florida but surfed growing up -- he doesn't really like the sand. He much rather be in the water. The girls haven't been to a beach since our oldest was 2 and our youngest was 4 months. They have been begging to go to a beach for FOREVER! We are driving distance from one here and there are several in Hong Kong -- we just haven't gone. Most likely I'll play in the sand with the girls in a shaded area (because I am very pale and am the one in the family that has to worry about the sun) and we'll see what dh decides to do!

After the cruise we are going to meet up with another old college friend of dh's and go to WDW for the day with their family.

I want to do the FE, but I'm just not sure I will have the time to get everything together or make an FE. I have read on some threads people saying some have used decorated tote bags or even gift bags. Any opinions or thoughts on that? We'll let all of you know if we decide to do it.

It's nice to meet all of you!!

 

[iloverags2]

I've been lurking for awhile and have been getting so excited while reading the thread, so I thought maybe I should introduce our family.

It will be me, dh, and our two daughters who are 5 1/2 and 3 1/2. This will be our first cruise. We used to live in Hong Kong and went to Hong Kong Disneyland a lot before we moved, but the girls have never done Disney in the States. We live in Taiwan and dh has some meetings in the States in April and May, so the girls and I decided to go too and hang out with family. Life has been really busy, and we really need to do something very relaxing (visiting family is fun but not always relaxing)! On a whim we booked our first cruise.

We will be flying in on the 8th. We will staying with an old college friend of dh's and then drive to PC in a rental car on the 9th. Since our main goal is to rest and have fun as a family we are not planning a lot. In Key West, we plan on exploring a little, finding some Key Lime pie and maybe some Cuban food, and we might do the trolley or conch train ride if everybody wants to at the time. At Nassau we may stay on the boat, go to Cabbage Beach (has anyone been there?) or go to the Sheraton or Wyndham and buy a pass to use their pools and beach. We'll see what we all want to do at the time. At CC we are just going to enjoy the beach. We are semi-beach people. DH is from Florida but surfed growing up -- he doesn't really like the sand. He much rather be in the water. The girls haven't been to a beach since our oldest was 2 and our youngest was 4 months. They have been begging to go to a beach for FOREVER! We are driving distance from one here and there are several in Hong Kong -- we just haven't gone. Most likely I'll play in the sand with the girls in a shaded area (because I am very pale and am the one in the family that has to worry about the sun) and we'll see what dh decides to do!

After the cruise we are going to meet up with another old college friend of dh's and go to WDW for the day with their family.

I want to do the FE, but I'm just not sure I will have the time to get everything together or make an FE. I have read on some threads people saying some have used decorated tote bags or even gift bags. Any opinions or thoughts on that? We'll let all of you know if we decide to do it.

It's nice to meet all of you!!

Hi! Welcome aboard! How awesome to be living in Taiwan. An old high school friend of my sister's lives in Thailand, and often travels to the different Asian countries...he LOVES it there!

A tote bag or gift bag is perfect to use for the FE! I think the important part of the whole FE is just to have fun with it!

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

I've been lurking for awhile and have been getting so excited while reading the thread, so I thought maybe I should introduce our family.

It will be me, dh, and our two daughters who are 5 1/2 and 3 1/2. This will be our first cruise. We used to live in Hong Kong and went to Hong Kong Disneyland a lot before we moved, but the girls have never done Disney in the States. We live in Taiwan and dh has some meetings in the States in April and May, so the girls and I decided to go too and hang out with family. Life has been really busy, and we really need to do something very relaxing (visiting family is fun but not always relaxing)! On a whim we booked our first cruise.

We will be flying in on the 8th. We will staying with an old college friend of dh's and then drive to PC in a rental car on the 9th. Since our main goal is to rest and have fun as a family we are not planning a lot. In Key West, we plan on exploring a little, finding some Key Lime pie and maybe some Cuban food, and we might do the trolley or conch train ride if everybody wants to at the time. At Nassau we may stay on the boat, go to Cabbage Beach (has anyone been there?) or go to the Sheraton or Wyndham and buy a pass to use their pools and beach. We'll see what we all want to do at the time. At CC we are just going to enjoy the beach. We are semi-beach people. DH is from Florida but surfed growing up -- he doesn't really like the sand. He much rather be in the water. The girls haven't been to a beach since our oldest was 2 and our youngest was 4 months. They have been begging to go to a beach for FOREVER! We are driving distance from one here and there are several in Hong Kong -- we just haven't gone. Most likely I'll play in the sand with the girls in a shaded area (because I am very pale and am the one in the family that has to worry about the sun) and we'll see what dh decides to do!

After the cruise we are going to meet up with another old college friend of dh's and go to WDW for the day with their family.

I want to do the FE, but I'm just not sure I will have the time to get everything together or make an FE. I have read on some threads people saying some have used decorated tote bags or even gift bags. Any opinions or thoughts on that? We'll let all of you know if we decide to do it.

It's nice to meet all of you!!

Welcome to the group! I think a tote bag sounds great. You should the the FE.. it will be fun!

 

[wildforgoofy]

I've been lurking for awhile and have been getting so excited while reading the thread, so I thought maybe I should introduce our family.

It will be me, dh, and our two daughters who are 5 1/2 and 3 1/2. This will be our first cruise. We used to live in Hong Kong and went to Hong Kong Disneyland a lot before we moved, but the girls have never done Disney in the States. We live in Taiwan and dh has some meetings in the States in April and May, so the girls and I decided to go too and hang out with family. Life has been really busy, and we really need to do something very relaxing (visiting family is fun but not always relaxing)! On a whim we booked our first cruise.

We will be flying in on the 8th. We will staying with an old college friend of dh's and then drive to PC in a rental car on the 9th. Since our main goal is to rest and have fun as a family we are not planning a lot. In Key West, we plan on exploring a little, finding some Key Lime pie and maybe some Cuban food, and we might do the trolley or conch train ride if everybody wants to at the time. At Nassau we may stay on the boat, go to Cabbage Beach (has anyone been there?) or go to the Sheraton or Wyndham and buy a pass to use their pools and beach. We'll see what we all want to do at the time. At CC we are just going to enjoy the beach. We are semi-beach people. DH is from Florida but surfed growing up -- he doesn't really like the sand. He much rather be in the water. The girls haven't been to a beach since our oldest was 2 and our youngest was 4 months. They have been begging to go to a beach for FOREVER! We are driving distance from one here and there are several in Hong Kong -- we just haven't gone. Most likely I'll play in the sand with the girls in a shaded area (because I am very pale and am the one in the family that has to worry about the sun) and we'll see what dh decides to do!

After the cruise we are going to meet up with another old college friend of dh's and go to WDW for the day with their family.

I want to do the FE, but I'm just not sure I will have the time to get everything together or make an FE. I have read on some threads people saying some have used decorated tote bags or even gift bags. Any opinions or thoughts on that? We'll let all of you know if we decide to do it.

It's nice to meet all of you!!

Welcome aboard!!

The girls will love the FE exchange you should join. We're flying into FL too, so I've just made sure that my gift is small and light. That way I can pack them in our suitcases easily.

I can't tell everyone how excited I am for this trip, and now that more cruisers are coming out to talk it's even better. I was kind of bummed when none of my family could come with us, but finding this board has made all the difference in the world.

I checked out the Key West trolley site and I'm glad I did. I was thinking Key West was small, which it is comparably, but it's bigger then I thought. Walking from Mallory Square to say the Southernmost Point is about 15 blocks! My kids would get 2 blocks in and see the trolley pass us, and look at me like, 'why aren't we on that??'

I'm a little worried about just walking around Nassau with a 5 year old. I've read things on the boards, and some of the stories scare the crap out of me. I think we're going to do the Blue Lagoon Beach Day, but I'd like to hit a couple of shops before we head back to the ship. Not sure if I'll brave that with Cole.

this will be me tomorrow or should I say 12am on Friday. FINALLY!