MR October 28, 2012 "Halloween Time"

[Mimismommy]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Traveling with kids, especially w/ a 2 year old, requires so much stuff,
I had to create a master packing list just to keep it all straight.
I’m hoping as they get older, they will need less stuff.
But until then, our car will be packed full!

 

[sica1799]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Traveling with kids, especially w/ a 2 year old, requires so much stuff,
I had to create a master packing list just to keep it all straight.
I’m hoping as they get older, they will need less stuff.
But until then, our car will be packed full!

They do! My seven year old requires far less! All that is required is a toothbrush and clean underware! LOL!! I haven't even thought of packing for him. Ours is not potty trained at all, so we will have to bring a great supply of diapers....or maybe I should pack enough to get us to PV and pick some up at the WalMart that is across from the port. Hmmmm.... we will have an excursion that day, so I will have to check schedules to see if we have time for a diaper run. LOL

 

[Shoshie]

Hey all!

We got to book Palo tonight (so excited).
treating this one like a 7-day cruise to nowhere... so no excursions for us. Just plenty of fun onboard!

 

[sica1799]

Hey all!

We got to book Palo tonight (so excited).
treating this one like a 7-day cruise to nowhere... so no excursions for us. Just plenty of fun onboard!

That's awesome! I get to start booking at the end of the month, buttttt I will be in mexico for a missions trip so its going to be hard to find time/wifi to do so.

 

[Kidlette]

Hey all!

We got to book Palo tonight (so excited).
treating this one like a 7-day cruise to nowhere... so no excursions for us. Just plenty of fun onboard!

That's exciting! We get to book ours in about 13 or 14 days (on the 30th), so we're stoked! We're also NOT getting off the ship this time too so maybe we'll see you onboard while we're in port!

 

[Kidlette]

As a proud new mama I have to share. Lorelai just turned 6 months old so we had her 6 mo pictures done. It's a long shot, but we think she's such a beautiful baby that we're going to send some pics into a baby modeling agency. Who knows, maybe they'll put her in a commercial or something!

Anyway, there are 74 photos but these are a few of my favorites! Enjoy

 

[sica1799]

As a proud new mama I have to share. Lorelai just turned 6 months old so we had her 6 mo pictures done. It's a long shot, but we think she's such a beautiful baby that we're going to send some pics into a baby modeling agency. Who knows, maybe they'll put her in a commercial or something!

Anyway, there are 74 photos but these are a few of my favorites! Enjoy

She is quite adorbable! I think shes fully qualified!

 

[Kidlette]

She is quite adorbable! I think shes fully qualified!

Thanks, me too!

 

[kindsoul73]

Hi Everyone! We are also on this cruise. It's Me (Mindi), my DS(5) and my DD (7). We did the MR cruise last Oct. 16 on the Wonder and had a blast.
Really excited to do this one, too.
I sent an email as well to get on the FE list. We didn't do it last time, and I was bummed.
We are in cabin #6015 but I sure hope to get bumped into a better one.

Talk to you soon!

 

[Kidlette]

Hi Everyone! We are also on this cruise. It's Me (Mindi), my DS(5) and my DD (7). We did the MR cruise last Oct. 16 on the Wonder and had a blast.
Really excited to do this one, too.
I sent an email as well to get on the FE list. We didn't do it last time, and I was bummed.
We are in cabin #6015 but I sure hope to get bumped into a better one.

Talk to you soon!

Welcome! I'm glad you said something about the FE because i didn't get the email. It may have gone to spam, in which case my spam auto-deletes, so I never would have seen it! You are on the list now though! I know why you would be bummed for not participating, we felt the same way before we ever did it. I'd love to do it on this sailing, but with a new baby and a new house we just can't afford it. Oh well - the cruise will be a blast anyway!

Anyway - welcome to the cruise, we're happy to have you!

 

[Kidlette]

OK everyone - I called DCL and got some info on when Pirate night is, etc. This is what they said. (I'm relating it to the itinerary so it's easier to comprehend).

SUN - Depart
MON - Day at Sea, Formal night
TUES - Day at Sea
WED - Puerto Vallarta, Halloween Party!!!
THURS - Cabo San Lucas, Pirate night
FRI - Cabo San Lucas, Semi Formal night
SAT - Day at Sea
SUN - Home

The show slots are subject to change so she wouldn't give me the show line up, but they are the standard "All aboard", "Disney Dreams", "Remember the Magic", "The Golden Mickey's" and "Toy Story".

NOTE FOR HALLOWEEN: There will be tick-or-treating on-board the ship and some kids themed parties, costume contests, etc. YOUR KIDS MAY NOT HAVE COSTUMES WITH PROPS SUCH AS PLASTIC KNIVES, GUNS, OR ANYTHING RESEMBLING A WEAPON. These plastic toys/props will not be allowed on-bard the ship, so choose your kids' costumes wisely! Obviously, all costumes must be tasteful and family friendly, yadda yadda.

I hope this helps!

 

[kindsoul73]

Thanks for posting that, kidlette. That is just what I assumed, since it is the same itinerary as last cruise.

Last year my kids never wanted to go to the kid's clubs, they just wanted the pool & ice cream. I told them that this year they had to go for at least a few hours every day. I think they would get so much more out of the cruise, make more friends, etc.

For excursions, we are planning on doing the Las Caletas in PV, and I may do the dolphins in Cabo, or hop on a water taxi and head over to Lover's Cove. Last year I took them parasailing- just asked one of the locals on the marina to take us, and it was great.

 

[sica1799]

Hi Everyone! We are also on this cruise. It's Me (Mindi), my DS(5) and my DD (7). We did the MR cruise last Oct. 16 on the Wonder and had a blast.
Really excited to do this one, too.
I sent an email as well to get on the FE list. We didn't do it last time, and I was bummed.
We are in cabin #6015 but I sure hope to get bumped into a better one.

Talk to you soon!

Welcome!!!

 

[sica1799]

OK everyone - I called DCL and got some info on when Pirate night is, etc. This is what they said. (I'm relating it to the itinerary so it's easier to comprehend).

SUN - Depart
MON - Day at Sea, Formal night
TUES - Day at Sea
WED - Puerto Vallarta, Halloween Party!!!
THURS - Cabo San Lucas, Pirate night
FRI - Cabo San Lucas, Semi Formal night
SAT - Day at Sea
SUN - Home

Thank you so much for this! This is very helpful when planning nursery & Palo times. Which for us opens uo this upcoming week

 

[PittJuggalo13]

Thanks for the info Kidlette, much appreciated. This will be our first Disney Cruise and first Cruise with our 14 Month old Daughter.

OK everyone - I called DCL and got some info on when Pirate night is, etc. This is what they said. (I'm relating it to the itinerary so it's easier to comprehend).

SUN - Depart
MON - Day at Sea, Formal night
TUES - Day at Sea
WED - Puerto Vallarta, Halloween Party!!!
THURS - Cabo San Lucas, Pirate night
FRI - Cabo San Lucas, Semi Formal night
SAT - Day at Sea
SUN - Home

The show slots are subject to change so she wouldn't give me the show line up, but they are the standard "All aboard", "Disney Dreams", "Remember the Magic", "The Golden Mickey's" and "Toy Story".

NOTE FOR HALLOWEEN: There will be tick-or-treating on-board the ship and some kids themed parties, costume contests, etc. YOUR KIDS MAY NOT HAVE COSTUMES WITH PROPS SUCH AS PLASTIC KNIVES, GUNS, OR ANYTHING RESEMBLING A WEAPON. These plastic toys/props will not be allowed on-bard the ship, so choose your kids' costumes wisely! Obviously, all costumes must be tasteful and family friendly, yadda yadda.

I hope this helps!

 

[Kidlette]

Sica1799 & PittJuggalo13: It was my pleasure! I don't know how much it helps for booking Palo though because it doesn't give you the dining rotation or show nights. Dining rotation matters because, for instance, most people wouldn't want to book their Palo night on the same night as their Animator's Palette. And without your rotation you don't know which night your AP will be. HINT: Animators only does the "show" on the 1st night of each rotation, which means only in the 1st three nights. Because of this I recommend not booking your Palo in the 1st three nights. Book it nights four through six and you'll be better off. Then again, those nights are the Pirate Party and Halloween for this sailing, so you might have to pick and choose!

We requested our dining rotation today, and we get to book our Palo and daycare on Monday. Hopefully they'll give us the APTAPTA rotation that we asked for. If they don't though, I think we'll request it again when we get on board. As long as we don't get the PTAPTAP rotation I'll be fine. Has anyone else requested a dining rotation yet?

This will be our first vacation with a child, so that's exciting. We're looking forward to the fresh-made baby foods at dinner and stuff. Has anyone taken advantage of that before? We've also never done early seating. Being a couple without children it was never necessary...so that will be interesting for us too.

Getting excited!

P.S. we still aren't doing excursions. We are going to stay on the ship the whole time...and we're looking forward to it!

As a side note - if anyone decides to look into DVC while on the cruise and you decide to purchase it, use us as a reference! When you use us as a reference we get something AND you get something extra! Tell them your friends are members and give them our last name and zip code - McIntosh 92582.

If anyone has questions about DCL or DVC feel free to ask. We're avid DISers and are here to help!

 

[Kidlette]

Thanks for the info Kidlette, much appreciated. This will be our first Disney Cruise and first Cruise with our 14 Month old Daughter.

You're going to LOVE IT! Ryan and I have been doing Disney vacations for years...well before we ever had a baby. Whether you decide to keep your little one with you or let her play with the other kids - you'll have a blast!

Since it's your first cruise I thought I would mention these things. Most people don't know this, but if you do I'm sorry for repeating it.

When you travel on Disney with a child...

The chefs will make anything you want for the baby/child. For instance, if you want her to have smashed fresh veggies instead of canned food, they'll make you smashed pees or carrots or whatever. Same thing if she's already eating meat and stuff. If you want a bland chicken or something to give her, just ask and they'll make you whatever you need.

You are supplied with a diaper genie, playpen/crib/pack n' play upon request - just bring your diaper genie trash bags!

Bottle warmers, bottle sterilizers and strollers are also available complimentary at Guest Services for use during the cruise

They also offer the babies travel lite service where you can order all of your baby supplies to be delivered to your cabin so that you don't have to bring them with you on the plane/car ride ... but honestly, I've looked into that and it seems WAY more expensive than just bringing your supplies. Then again, with baggage fees these days it may be good for you. In case you're interested you can check out the Babies Travel Lite website by clicking here. They have just about everything you can imagine, and then some!

Anyway - let me know if you have questions!

 

[sica1799]

Sica1799 & PittJuggalo13: It was my pleasure! I don't know how much it helps for booking Palo though because it doesn't give you the dining rotation or show nights. Dining rotation matters because, for instance, most people wouldn't want to book their Palo night on the same night as their Animator's Palette. And without your rotation you don't know which night your AP will be. HINT: Animators only does the "show" on the 1st night of each rotation, which means only in the 1st three nights. Because of this I recommend not booking your Palo in the 1st three nights. Book it nights four through six and you'll be better off. Then again, those nights are the Pirate Party and Halloween for this sailing, so you might have to pick and choose!

We requested our dining rotation today, and we get to book our Palo and daycare on Monday. Hopefully they'll give us the APTAPTA rotation that we asked for. If they don't though, I think we'll request it again when we get on board. As long as we don't get the PTAPTAP rotation I'll be fine. Has anyone else requested a dining rotation yet?

This will be our first vacation with a child, so that's exciting. We're looking forward to the fresh-made baby foods at dinner and stuff. Has anyone taken advantage of that before? We've also never done early seating. Being a couple without children it was never necessary...so that will be interesting for us too.

Getting excited!

P.S. we still aren't doing excursions. We are going to stay on the ship the whole time...and we're looking forward to it!

As a side note - if anyone decides to look into DVC while on the cruise and you decide to purchase it, use us as a reference! When you use us as a reference we get something AND you get something extra! Tell them your friends are members and give them our last name and zip code - McIntosh 92582.

If anyone has questions about DCL or DVC feel free to ask. We're avid DISers and are here to help!

You're going to LOVE IT! Ryan and I have been doing Disney vacations for years...well before we ever had a baby. Whether you decide to keep your little one with you or let her play with the other kids - you'll have a blast!

Since it's your first cruise I thought I would mention these things. Most people don't know this, but if you do I'm sorry for repeating it.

When you travel on Disney with a child...

The chefs will make anything you want for the baby/child. For instance, if you want her to have smashed fresh veggies instead of canned food, they'll make you smashed pees or carrots or whatever. Same thing if she's already eating meat and stuff. If you want a bland chicken or something to give her, just ask and they'll make you whatever you need.

You are supplied with a diaper genie, playpen/crib/pack n' play upon request - just bring your diaper genie trash bags!

Bottle warmers, bottle sterilizers and strollers are also available complimentary at Guest Services for use during the cruise

They also offer the babies travel lite service where you can order all of your baby supplies to be delivered to your cabin so that you don't have to bring them with you on the plane/car ride ... but honestly, I've looked into that and it seems WAY more expensive than just bringing your supplies. Then again, with baggage fees these days it may be good for you. In case you're interested you can check out the Babies Travel Lite website by clicking here. They have just about everything you can imagine, and then some!

Anyway - let me know if you have questions!

HAVE I TOLD YOU THAT YOU ARE AMAZING!! I didn't know about the baby services they offer! Mine is now 2, so he isn't much baby and pretty much eats ANYTHING He ate corn on the cobb yesterday for the first time and boy did he LOVE IT!

Last cruise we actually had PTAPTAP and we didn't mind it. Actually I really liked that we had formal night in Tritons, it fit the mood for us. I can't remember what night we had Palo, but we booked it early and joined our table mates later for dessert (we did let them know we would be late)

So tonight at 4 am I leave to Mexico so I wanted to see if I could book stuff at midnight. I was able to complete online check in, but it wont let me register the children! It says I have to pay the cruise in full....it IS paid in full. I don't know if you guys remember but we won this vacay from our local radio station. Everything has already been booked and confirmed so I don't know what the issue is...grrrrrrr I want to book stuff before I am on foreign soil with no internet access

 

[kindsoul73]

Forgive me, but I don't understand what the big deal is with dining rotation? Can you explain? I was on the Wonder last year, our dining rotation was TAAPTAP.
Is that good? It all seemed the same to me. In fact, I don't even remember anything special with Animator's Palate? What is the special deal with that? Thanks!

 

[kindsoul73]

UGH! I am so sad. My friend, who is also a single mom, just cancelled her cruise. I am so freaked out to do this alone! I'm just venting here, but I am so bummed that I won't be able to go to Palo, or do the night comedy stuff with someone. Is anyone here a single parent too? Or Kidlette, do you know if there are single parent meet-ups? I'm sure there has to be.