MICKEY'S PARTY PIRATES! September 7th 2008 - Disney Wonder

[yazee1]

Part of our tax rebate will be used to pay our accountant. Not only does he do our taxes, but we just got audited for 2005, and he represented us at the audit.


Pay bills or or buy a tv? Isn't there going to be a bill FOR the tv? Pay that bill. There might be a tv-killing craze going on. Just yesterday, my older son didn't believe my younger son when he told him not to place a magnet too close to the television. Older ds said, "What happens if I do this" and proceeds to swipe the magnet over the screen.

Does anyone know where I can get a smilee with the little smilie man on a treadmill?

 

[tinkerbell34]

Yazee, I am so feeling your pain!

In other news, I made our reservations w/ the hotel for the shuttle to take us to our dream ship, the Wonder. We get there at 10 AND the hotel said I can make arrangements with the front desk to have our luggage put aboard the shuttle and b-day boy will be none the wiser.

 

[pjstevens]

Part of our tax rebate will be used to pay our accountant. Not only does he do our taxes, but we just got audited for 2005, and he represented us at the audit.


Pay bills or or buy a tv? Isn't there going to be a bill FOR the tv? Pay that bill. There might be a tv-killing craze going on. Just yesterday, my older son didn't believe my younger son when he told him not to place a magnet too close to the television. Older ds said, "What happens if I do this" and proceeds to swipe the magnet over the screen.

Does anyone know where I can get a smilee with the little smilie man on a treadmill?

Wow, your account definately deserves some of that tax rebate. I would die if I were audited. I have all the records, but the stress would kill me.

I never heard that about a magnet and tv (computer, yes, I've heard) so what happened to the tv?

Sorry, can't help with your smilee.

 

[pjstevens]

Yazee, I am so feeling your pain!

In other news, I made our reservations w/ the hotel for the shuttle to take us to our dream ship, the Wonder. We get there at 10 AND the hotel said I can make arrangements with the front desk to have our luggage put aboard the shuttle and b-day boy will be none the wiser.

Tink,

Where are you staying before the cruise? We are planning on flying in the day before (just to be safe) and debating whether to spend the night on property (disney) or close to the airport.

 

[tinkerbell34]

Tink,

Where are you staying before the cruise?

We are staying at the Radisson at Cape Canerval. It cost the same as one night at Disney's Riverside was going to cost for 5 of us. I feel there is nothing better than staying at a Disney Resort, but with that said, we are on a serious serious budget crunch. The Radisson will let us keep our car there for free and then will shuttle us both ways from the ship. We even get a free breakfast to boot!

 

[pjstevens]

We are staying at the Radisson at Cape Canerval. It cost the same as one night at Disney's Riverside was going to cost for 5 of us. I feel there is nothing better than staying at a Disney Resort, but with that said, we are on a serious serious budget crunch. The Radisson will let us keep our car there for free and then will shuttle us both ways from the ship. We even get a free breakfast to boot!

We are going to wait until DD goes back to Disney for the cp again. If she can get us a great rate, we may stay on site. Won't know this until after June.

 

[yazee1]

I can make arrangements with the front desk to have our luggage put aboard the shuttle and b-day boy will be none the wiser.

Way to go! I hope the secret is kept up to the very end~


As for the television, the affect is a rainbow-like haze. Kind of strange.

We've stayed at the Radisson and the Residence Inn. We liked both of them but this time around we're going el cheapo and staying at my mom's and leaving her house in the early morning (it's a 2 hour drive) to drive to the port.

 

[tinkerbell34]

this time around we're going el cheapo and staying at my mom's and leaving her house in the early morning (it's a 2 hour drive) to drive to the port.

Just give yourself a little more time than needed in case you come across an unexpected accident or construction (the latter runs rampet in FL).

Is it September yet?

 

[yazee1]

You bet we will. I want to be on the road by 8am. Southern Florida is no different than any other place I've lived in when it comes to construction and accidents. Currently, I live about 45 north of Washington DC. The morning rush hour without an accident means a 2-3 hour commute from our house into the city. That is no exaggeration. I didn't believe dh when he first complained about it but I found out personally when I had to start driving my daughter down there for doctor's appointments.

 

[tinkerbell34]

I use to have the worse commutes in Seattle. I don't like traveling 4 miles an hour for 30 so miles every day. I am happy when I can do my lesiurely 85. Lil one tells his friends we own a jet. If your coming up from south FL, I imagine you will be taking I-95. That usually isn't to terrible. It is I-4 that is a nightmare in FL. Anyway, I'll be sending you lots of happy vibes to make your trip speedy and very non eventful.

I am SOOOO looking forward to this trip. It is getting so very hard not to spill the beans to b-day boy with my excitment bubbling forth. I can't blow it after four years of planning and saving though. B-day boy has already been practicing snorkeling in grandma's pool. I told him I will have to find somewhere for us to go snorkeling and see some cool things. Little does he know that will be castaway cay. Ok, so is it September yet?

I was thinking of doing the stingray excursion when we are in Nassau. It says for ages 3 and up but I wonder if it would really be ok for a 4 year old.
My lil one is VERY adventurous. He saw his dad sky dive this weekend and now he keeps telling me he wants to be a parachute.

 

[yazee1]

Tink, duh, me. I meant Central Florida. My mom lives in Spring Hill, so it's almost a straight line from her to Cape Canaveral.

You didn't ask but I'm going to share our experience with the Stingray excursion in Grand Cayman and an adventurous four-year old (our daughter had just turned four the first time we took a Disney cruise).

The first time we went our dd wasn't a swimmer, she had never been immersed in the ocean (we had only just moved to New Jersey), and had never used snorkelling gear. Nevertheless, she was as brave as a four-year old in that situation could be so she went into the ocean and observed the stingrays, with interest, while dh or I held her. She didn't handle the occasional wavelet washing her face too well, though, so her time in the ocean was short. Dh and I took turns keeping her company in the boat.

Eighteen months later, we went on our second cruise and the experience was completely different because by then, she could swim, had practiced with snorkel gear in our pool, and had been to the ocean several times. This time, she swam around and fed the stingrays just like everyone else. She even dove under the water and took pictures with my waterproof camera. She didn't want to get out of the water the whole time.

I don't think his age will be an issue. To tell the truth, my sons, who were 7 and 9 on the first cruise reacted the same way as their little sister. They endured it but they did not enjoy it. I think it was for the same reasons she didn't enjoy it. The second time, they too had the benefit of snorkeling practice and trips to the ocean beforehand. They loved it, especially middle ds. He even opted to go snorkeling with dh and me instead of staying in the lab when we docked at Cozumel.

 

[tinkerbell34]

Yazee, I really appreciate your story. The lil one has been wanting his own snorkeling gear since he saw big brother snorkeling. Lil one can swim enough to save his life if he fell in the pool but definitly not ready for the olympics yet. It doesn't stop him from being brave (or foolish depending on your point of view). I did tell lil one that if he worked on being able to swim without being helped then I would buy him his own snorkeling gear. He got really excited about that. I will take your advice and teach him along with b-day boy how to snorkel. They will be spending all summer at the beach with grandma. They will all look like Floridians and I will still look like a Canadian by the time we leave. (no offense to my Canadian friends)

 

[pjstevens]

WOO HOOO, we are under 200 days (really wanted that to be under 100 but it's getting there). Can't wait til September to meet all our new friends.

 

[tinkerbell34]

I am thinking of transfering our reservation over to Dreams Unlimited. It seems like from what I have read they have a good reputation. My only problem is that I love to have control over my reservation so I can do what I want without having to email someone and have them do it for me. If you haven't guessed, I have no patience what so ever. On the other hand it would be nice to get the shipboard credit and have them apply any FL discounts that might be offered. I have never used a travel agency before. Any suggestions?

Also, from what I understand, there are two places to eat lunch the first afternoon on the ship......beach blanket buffet and parrot cay. Anyone have a vote for their favorite?

Under 200 days? We are making progress! I already bought a pair of cruise sandles! I have 6 months of having an excuse to shop! haha

 

[yazee1]

IMHO, I'd transfer the reservation and take the OBC. We have done this twice (and are about to do it with this cruise) but I've still been able to deal with DCL directly in order to book things, change dining times and link reservations. Are these the kinds of things you want control over? Our cruise next year is booked through DU (because of double OBC offered) and so far, we've had great service! Sometimes, Merrie answers within an hour or two an email I sent her at night. What a surprise that was. That being said, we've transferred two previous cruises and will do the same with this cruise, to AAA travel because we are AAA members and we have a AAA credit card. It's our only card, so the points add up fast which in turn are turned into rebate checks. Then we use the rebate checks to pay toward the cruise.

So far, we've preferred to have our first lunch at the Parrot Cay and will probably opt for it on the Wonder, too.

In case I haven't mentioned it, I'm leaving for Mississippi very, very early Friday morning and will be back late Monday night. I don't think I'll have internet access where I'm going. If you are the praying type, I wouldn't mind prayer for safe travel for myself, my travel partner, and the rest of the workers we will be joining.

 

[tinkerbell34]

consider yourself prayed for! Good luck and hope you have fun this weekend.

 

[pjstevens]

In case I haven't mentioned it, I'm leaving for Mississippi very, very early Friday morning and will be back late Monday night. I don't think I'll have internet access where I'm going. If you are the praying type, I wouldn't mind prayer for safe travel for myself, my travel partner, and the rest of the workers we will be joining.

Definately praying for you and safe travels. I know we have a storm coming in tonight into tomorrow, so not sure what you travel conditions will be like in the morning. Be safe and let us know when you get back.

198 days!!!

 

[TLP127]

Hi There,

I was hoping you all would be willing to give me some advice. I am seriously thinking of going on this cruise alone with my kids. We are DVC members and go to WDW a couple of times a year. We had a vacation planned in May to top all others we've had. Sadly, 2 weeks ago we found out that my father has colon cancer. Due to the uncertainty of the next couple of months, I cancelled our trip. My kids are very close to my father so they are very sad about his condition, and now I have to tell them I've cancelled our trip. DD is turning 10 on Sept 8th. She has been asking for a long time to go on a Disney cruise. I'd really like to be able to give my kids this surprise. After all going from age 9 into the "double digits" is a big deal! So, could you please tell me if you have any suggestions as far as the most frugal way to do this? I will be flying in from Philadelphia (live in NJ). Should I include the airfare with the cruise or try to find it cheaper on my own? I know I'd have to pay for transfers, but Tink, I saw that you are staying at a hotel and they are allowing you to park there. Do they give a complimentary shuttle to the cruise? Will I have to rent a car to get to the hotel or do they have an airport shuttle? Will Mickey guarantee no hurricanes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tinkerbell34]

TLP, I'm very sorry to hear about your father. God bless you and your family.
I think this would be a GREAT surprise for your children! My son is turning 10 on this cruise also (double digits IS a big deal!) and this is a surprise b-day gift for him. You can purchase a stateroom birthday celebration for around $34 and they decorate your state room with birthday banners and it includes a cake. I also found a birthday extravaganza gift for $54. It has a cute autographable pluto doll, birthday hats and noise makers, and a keep sake box with a picture frame and some other things. It took me a long time of evil planning to make this magical dream a reality. I am a single mother and I have convinced grandma and grandpa to join me in my evil plot. I haven't been on a cruise, ever, so I can't offer any experiance but I have been researching myself silly on how to get the most for my buck and I'll be glad to pass any of info on that I can. If you book online you can get a $25 shipboard credit and if you book with dreams unlimited, depending on the room category, they will give you up to a $50 room credit. Every little bit helps, right? From what I read, you want to put down your deposit more than six months out to ensure the cheapest "tier" rate. As far as airfare, I would check southwest.
I don't think even Mickey can guarantee no hurricanes but the odds are with us. (knocking on some serious wood!!!!!)
Here is the website for the radisson where we are staying. http://www.radisson.com/capecanaveralfl
The shuttle is complimentry to the cruise ship. It seems their cheapest "cruise parking" package is $129. It does include a hot buffet breakfast for two. I couldn't find any reference to an airport shuttle but you could email them and ask.
I don't know the cost but it might be more worry free to stay at a Disney Value resort and use their transportation to take you from the airport to your hotel and then take you to the ship. I'm sure it would be eaiser than renting a car and driving there. Of course, we are Disney FREAKS and stay on property every chance we get. Sadly, it didn't make sense for us to do that this time around though. We will make up for it and stay on property for little ones birthday though.
I hope this helps a little. I hope you will be joining us on the cruise. You and I could have 6 months of evil planning together!

I have to share this little side note with everyone. I have been ordering Disney cruise planning videos since the Wonder made it's first debut in port and dreaming of the day. When my son was 5 I walked in and found him watching the planning video with little tears streaking down his face. He looked up and said "Mom, I want to go". Well, it was on....the saving...the evil planning. I have listened to "mom, I want to go" for YEARS now and FINALLY it is here! SO, I asked my 3 year old what he wanted to do for his birthday this year. His answer? The Disney Cruise ship of course! *sigh*, here we go again, right?!

 

[TLP127]

Thanks so much Tink! I was at work (I'm a NICU nurse) when I posted. Some of my co-workers wanted to know what Disney planning I'm doing now. They know WDW is like my 2nd home and are constantly asking about my families adventures. I explained that since we had to cancel our big trip, I'm thinking of surprising DD and going on a cruise. Suddenly, now there are 20 others who want to go with us! I priced it out using cheapcruises.com and the price was over $800 cheaper than the DCL site! Also, the agent told me if I book 8 staterooms, I will travel for free and if I book 16 staterooms, my whole family will go for free!!! So, now I'm determined to get enough people together to get those 16 rooms. I'm going to check with DU to see how their rates compare and if they also offer the free travel. I am just giddy about this!! Now, I think I'll have to use some DVC points for a couple of nights on property and to put my APs to use while we're down there! I've decided to go ahead and book my mother on the trip and hope that by Sept, my father is feeling well enough for her to join us. We always do Disney together and I just can't imagine her not being with us, but my father is the number one priority now.

Can I ask where you found the birthday package? What day is your son's bday? I will be thrilled to plan with you for the next 6 months!

Traci