No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems: A Tremendously Tropical PTR

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I'm so glad Sheree remembered to tell you this! Yes, take his passport with you and then hopefully he will be in the terminal before you complete your check in and he can get his picture taken while you are checking in. That is what we did, Don got up to the counter just as we were finishing up so she was able to take his picture then.

Got it! Now if I can just remember all this amidst the excitement of seeing that ship for the first time!

Rinky -

Keeping DH in my prayers that he does well on the interview. The position sounds wonderful, more $ and working from home 3 days a week, what could be better.

Cruiseing sounds very involved so much to do, and for some reason it never occured to me that there were lines to be standing in foolish mortal I am

Thank you so much for the prayers! They are very appreciated!

It's Disney..... there is no getting around waiting in lines!

 

[MeMom]

One more thing… DH is going in for his second round of interviews on Wednesday at 3:00. We are praying that the Lord’s will be done! If any of you are so inclined, I would very much appreciate any prayers on our behalf. This promotion would be an enormous financial blessing for our family, and it would allow him to work from home about three days per week. My DH really has his heart set on it too, although we have both learned to trust what the Lord has in store for us and know that isn’t always what we envision for ourselves. But I will say that DH is a wonderful guy, and he absolutely deserves the job. He has more integrity and a better work ethic than anyone I know. I can assure you though that I will be SUPER proud of him no matter how it all turns out! If he makes it through this round, there will only be one more to go! Praise God! This has been dragging on for months now and we are both ready for it to end. Anyway, I will be sure to post an update as soon as I hear something!

I hope he gets the perfect set-up for himself and the family with his job situation.

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

I've got nothing to add since we haven't been on DCL...YET! We are looking into possibly next summer, so I will be taking notes, as well.

Good wishes for your husband's job.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I want to go through the Castaway Club line.

Take DH's passport with me.... I'm still taking notes....

I wonder if DD needs a bracelet for the kid's club if we are going in there with her? I seriously doubt she will be willing to stay without us (she is EXTREMELY shy) but I still wanted to take her in there and let her see it. What do you think?

The Sail Away party!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY! I had forgotten all about that!!

Character meet by the ship model.... that's on the list too!

See, you had lots to add!

I guess I did! - I'm such a blabbermouth I should have known...

I would register your DD on line, then take her to see the club during open house. If she thinks she'd like to stay, or come back, get her bracelet. She can roam around in there with you without one during that time.
My younger DD is shy too, and she went, and sometimes I found her playing cards with a CM, where the older one was playing dancing games with a larger group. And one made cookies, but the other didn't for some reason (I can't remember). But she was nice enough to ask for one for her sister!

I thought of something else. Tips. They tell you a suggested amount for your room steward, server, assistant server and head server. You can pre-pay these if you are inclined. You can give more or less as well. Otherwise, you can fill out a form, take it to guest services and they give you a reciept (they bill your onboard account). you put the reciept in the tip envelope they give you toward the end of the cruise and you deliver them to the people.
I don't know if you are drinkers, but they will automatically add tips to any drink you order from a bar, including non-alcoholic beverages. There is also a fee for the cute little Tinkerbell kid's drinks at dinner too. So if you don't want to do that, stick to the drink stations - all included! Sodas, milk, coffee and juice are free with meals.

It seems like a lot to remember, and a lot to do and prepare for, but it's not that much worse than planning a WDW trip. Just different.
That's what I'm finding out about planning my DL Paris trip. Different. But I think it will actually be less expensive (not including air) than some of our WDW trips.

I keep meaning to ask you - have you chosen/booked the official dates yet or are you still waiting on your DH's job situation (fingers crossed for him!)? Am I remembering right that you have two cruises booked and are going to decide between 3 and 4 day and cancel one before the deposit deadline?

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I hope he gets the perfect set-up for himself and the family with his job situation.

Thanks! Me too. I bet he doesn't sleep a wink tonight!

I've got nothing to add since we haven't been on DCL...YET! We are looking into possibly next summer, so I will be taking notes, as well.

Good wishes for your husband's job.

Yes, take notes now so that you will be prepared! It's easier to learn a little all along than all at once.

Thanks for the well wishes on the job!

I guess I did! - I'm such a blabbermouth I should have known...

I would register your DD on line, then take her to see the club during open house. If she thinks she'd like to stay, or come back, get her bracelet. She can roam around in there with you without one during that time.
My younger DD is shy too, and she went, and sometimes I found her playing cards with a CM, where the older one was playing dancing games with a larger group. And one made cookies, but the other didn't for some reason (I can't remember). But she was nice enough to ask for one for her sister!

I think if DD had a sibling, she would go, but it's scary for an only child. I am 99% sure that she won't stay, but who knows.

I thought of something else. Tips. They tell you a suggested amount for your room steward, server, assistant server and head server. You can pre-pay these if you are inclined. You can give more or less as well. Otherwise, you can fill out a form, take it to guest services and they give you a reciept (they bill your onboard account). you put the reciept in the tip envelope they give you toward the end of the cruise and you deliver them to the people.

I am positive that I won't be prepaying. I am funny about service. I'm not one to tip someone the full amount if they don't do a good job and I will over tip if they are exceptional. I will wait until the end for sure. Although, I am pretty sure service won't be an issue with Disney. I can think of maybe two times that I have encountered a rude or lazy CM. That's part of the reason we keep going back! Thanks for the info on that! I hadn't really thought about how you would tip since you don't get a bill for your meals!

I don't know if you are drinkers, but they will automatically add tips to any drink you order from a bar, including non-alcoholic beverages. There is also a fee for the cute little Tinkerbell kid's drinks at dinner too. So if you don't want to do that, stick to the drink stations - all included! Sodas, milk, coffee and juice are free with meals.

We don't drink alcohol but DD and I want one of those cool DCL glasses with the colorful drink in it! We'll just get it w/o the booze!

It seems like a lot to remember, and a lot to do and prepare for, but it's not that much worse than planning a WDW trip. Just different.
That's what I'm finding out about planning my DL Paris trip. Different. But I think it will actually be less expensive (not including air) than some of our WDW trips.

It can be overwhelming when you are used to the WDW way of doing things. And I am sure there is a lot to learn with DLP since it is in another country!

I keep meaning to ask you - have you chosen/booked the official dates yet or are you still waiting on your DH's job situation (fingers crossed for him!)? Am I remembering right that you have two cruises booked and are going to decide between 3 and 4 day and cancel one before the deposit deadline?

Yes, I have 2 cruises booked. I still have about a month though before my money is due, so I am waiting on this job thing! The problem is that DH's company doesn't allow employees from each department to overlap vacation time. Well, DH currently has the last few days of October through the first week of November off. BUT, if he gets this promotion, he will be a regional manager and will have to change over to the manager's vacation calendar. That means, the time he has off right now might already be taken by someone else. So I booked two cruises in the hopes that one of those weeks would be available. I really won't get to choose which cruise we take.... the outcome of this job will decide it for us.

Thank you so much for all the help and advise you have given me! I really do appreciate it!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

What’s for dinner?

Am I the only person who hears those words in my sleep? I can’t count the number of times that those have been the very first words out of my DH’s mouth as he comes in the door from work. No hello, how are you, how was your day? Nope, all he has on his mind is what’s going to be on the table. What can I say, the man loves to eat! So this portion of the trip is VERY important to him. When I talk Disney with him, I have to pretty much limit the topic to food or I lose him quickly!

When I finally decided that I wanted to try out DCL, I knew exactly what approach to take to convince him we should go…… unlimited, all inclusive FOOD! He was instantly sold! Ok, maybe it wasn’t quite that easy. I did also have to remind him of his wedding promise to me 14 years ago...

You see, we got married pretty young. DH was 19 and I was 20. Needless to say, we didn’t have a pot to pee in! (That’s Southern for… we were BROKE!) DH knew that the honeymoon of my dreams would be a cruise to somewhere tropical with clear blue water… somewhere like this…

But there was absolutely no way that was going to happen on our newlywed budget. We ended up spending three nights in Williamsburg, VA instead, and even though that was a very inexpensive trip, we still struggled to come up with the funds. When we checked out of the hotel at the end of our stay, we had to put one night’s stay on three different credit cards. I’m not kidding! We had a very humble beginning to our marriage!

Well DH felt bad that he couldn’t afford to sail me off to the tropics and he promised me that we would take a very belated dream cruise for our 10th anniversary, which was fine by me. Well…………………….. our 10th came and went, and no cruise. So of ‘course I couldn’t resist reminding DH about his long overdue wedding day promise to me when I dropped the bomb on him that I wanted to go on a Disney cruise. The combination of a major guilt trip and the temptation of unlimited food was a knockout punch! He was totally down for the count!

One of the first things I did after booking the cruise was to call DCL and add some dining requests to our reservations. Neither DH nor I were in love with the idea of eating with strangers every night. I know some people enjoy that, but we really like having that time for just the three of us to talk and catch up with each other. And it always seems that when a bunch of adults get together at the table, the kids just sort of sit there and don’t speak at all. My DD is so shy that I knew she would clam right up in that situation, and I didn’t want that. Then there is always the possibility of being seated with people that you’d rather not spend time with if you know what I mean. So we thought it best if we just asked for private dining. The rep that I spoke with from DCL said that shouldn’t be a problem at all, but we won’t know for sure though until we get there.

Also, when I booked our cruises online back in April, we were assigned the late dinner seating because that was all that was left, but I while I was on the phone with DCL, I requested to be moved to the main dining (5:45) if it became available. Eating at 8:30 at night just didn’t appeal to any of us. About two weeks ago, I got an email from DCL stating that we had indeed been bumped up to the early dining on both our cruises. That made me very happy!

And finally, we have also asked for a dining rotation that would put us at either Enchanted Garden or Animator’s Palate on Pirate Night. We plan to dress in nicer clothes (church type clothes) for our dinner at Royal Palace since it is the fanciest of the three. We might also be dressing up for Pirate Night and I didn’t want to be going to RP dressed like sea mongers! The DCL rep said that this request would most likely be honored as well! You gotta love Disney for always trying their best to accommodate everyone with all their requests!

We do not plan on eating at Palo or Remy on this cruise. We will just be doing the regular dining rotation at:

This is what you will get at AP if you tell them you want nothing for dessert!

And….

I’m fairly certain that we will be eating at Cookies on Castaway Cay as well since we plan to spend that whole day on the beach!

I’ve also read lots of good stuff about Cabana’s (lunch/breakfast buffet), so I am sure we will be eating there some too.

I am very much looking forward to the drink station as well. I’ve read that a lot of other cruise lines don’t have that included. And you can even get a limited number of items from room service for free!

Needles to say, I think we will be very well fed on this cruise and I am hoping that the food is so good that DH will want to rebook for 2012 before we disembark! Maybe if it really knocks his socks off, I can talk him into the 7 night Eastern Caribbean! I’ve always believed in dreaming BIG!

Up next: Cruise accommodations!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I think that is something (maybe the only thing ) that my DH is looking forward to when we finally cruise too -- unlimited food!!

I believe in dreaming BIG too!! I'm hoping for the Disney mediterranean cruise one day!

 

[sjs314]

Rinky - the ships restaurants all look so beautiful. Reading about your dining plans, it occured to me I know nothing about cruiseing. I did not know you could opt for private dining and I have seen people mention 1st or 2nd seating but had no clue what the times were. I think 8:30 would be late even for DH and myself, but with a younger child it would not be good at all. Glad you did get the 1st seating time you wanted.

When Disney started the new cruises out of New York DH was very interested, no airfare neccessary, but I did not get excited or look into it too much since I do have my heart set on a mediterrean cruise just like Shelly (with my DLP side trip), a definate on my bucket list.

Can not wait to read about the accomidations. I want to be able to have a veranda when and if we ever get to cruise. I know friends of ours who did a couple of cruises and the first one they went cheap(inside cabin) and hated it.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm joining in!!! I have to go back and read yet...

 

[brookelizabeth]

All caught up again! Your DD sure has grown up since your last trip! And she's getting prettier and prettier!

I cannot remember all what I was going to comment on - but Terrance...! Oh that is TOO FUNNY! I love how you call the UPS man Terrance and your DD never catches the actual UPS man! LOVE IT!!!

Your pics of the Dream have me drooling. While our cruise next year is on the Magic, I am very much looking forward to touring the Dream next month while I'm in WDW for a TA conference! I am tempted to find a remote closet and hide out...

Your trip is going to be AMAZING! I can't wait to hear about the WDW portion too!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I think that is something (maybe the only thing ) that my DH is looking forward to when we finally cruise too -- unlimited food!!

I believe in dreaming BIG too!! I'm hoping for the Disney mediterranean cruise one day!

What is it with men and food? It really is their number one focus in life! And my DH NEVER gains a pound! I keep saying it is going to catch up with him one day, but it never does.

I'll take a Disney med cruise too! That would actually be my first choice, but you have to either fly overseas to Spain or take a 2 week cruise from the US. I do not think I could handle an overseas flight! That makes my stomach turn just thinking about it! I would be quite happy with the 2 week cruise though, but whoaaaaaaa that is expensive! You aren't kidding when you said you dream big, were you!

Rinky - the ships restaurants all look so beautiful. Reading about your dining plans, it occured to me I know nothing about cruiseing. I did not know you could opt for private dining and I have seen people mention 1st or 2nd seating but had no clue what the times were. I think 8:30 would be late even for DH and myself, but with a younger child it would not be good at all. Glad you did get the 1st seating time you wanted.

I didn't know you could request private dining either until I read it somewhere on the DIS. It won't be the end of the world if we don't get it, but part of what makes it vacation to me is getting away from everyone I know and being able to just focus on my family for a while.

I think 8:30 is too late to eat, but some people like it. I just don't sleep well after eating that late.

When Disney started the new cruises out of New York DH was very interested, no airfare neccessary, but I did not get excited or look into it too much since I do have my heart set on a mediterrean cruise just like Shelly (with my DLP side trip), a definate on my bucket list.

Well I say go for it! I'd love to do the Med. cruise, but I don't know if that will ever happen. What a way to see Europe though!

Can not wait to read about the accomidations. I want to be able to have a veranda when and if we ever get to cruise. I know friends of ours who did a couple of cruises and the first one they went cheap(inside cabin) and hated it.

Well, if I was going on a long cruise (more than 4 days) then a veranda would be very nice to have. But I will tell you that we aren't getting a veranda this time because I just know we won't spend much time at all in our room since we have so much to do in such a short time. I just don't think it would be worth the money on the shorter cruise. I priced it out and we could upgrade to a moderate resort for 7 nights at WDW for the same amount as the veranda upgrade. I chose the WDW resort upgrade because I just thought that we were getting more for our money that way. But if I ever do go on that 7 night cruise, the veranda would be awesome!!!

replies in blue

I'm joining in!!! I have to go back and read yet...

Welcome Brook!!! I'm so glad to have you along! I hope something you read here will help you plan for your cruise. But I'm sure that with you being a TA now, you have all the inside scoop already! You'll probably be able to give me some pointers!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

All caught up again! Your DD sure has grown up since your last trip! And she's getting prettier and prettier!

Thank you! She is definitely growing up too fast!

I cannot remember all what I was going to comment on - but Terrance...! Oh that is TOO FUNNY! I love how you call the UPS man Terrance and your DD never catches the actual UPS man! LOVE IT!!!

It is pretty funny! I'm sure she has reached the age that she knows none of it is real, but she still plays along with it all, for me I think! But I do still hope she never sees the UPS truck!

Your pics of the Dream have me drooling. While our cruise next year is on the Magic, I am very much looking forward to touring the Dream next month while I'm in WDW for a TA conference! I am tempted to find a remote closet and hide out...

Well I tell you what, we are only going on the Dream because of the Aquaduck! I just thought that would be something extra fun for DD while she is at an age to really enjoy it. If she was younger like Henry, or too old for it, we would be going on the Magic or Wonder. They are much cheaper and basically the same as the Dream. They are both beautiful ships! I know you are going to have a fabulous time and I am so so so jealous that you have a Disney port in your backyard! We have to drive 10 hours!

And I know all about your agent trip (I'm following along on that PTR too). You can stow away in a closet and I won't tell, but only if you take me with you! Even though you'll be "working" that sounds like a fantastic trip too! I can't wait to hear about all the behind the scenes stuff you are getting to do!

Your trip is going to be AMAZING! I can't wait to hear about the WDW portion too!

Even though this is our 3rd trip to WDW, I am just as excited about that part as the cruise!

replies in blue

 

[sjs314]

Rinky - If I were priceing the cabins out and realized how much extra a veranda was I might do the same thing as you. It is easy for me to say I want a veranda but I think maybe I need to look at the cruises a little closer so I can at least have a better grasp on what booking one will entail. I am thinking 2013 maybe would be a good gameplan for DH and I.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Rinky - If I were priceing the cabins out and realized how much extra a veranda was I might do the same thing as you. It is easy for me to say I want a veranda but I think maybe I need to look at the cruises a little closer so I can at least have a better grasp on what booking one will entail. I am thinking 2013 maybe would be a good gameplan for DH and I.

Well don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the veranda even on the 3 night cruise, but I can tell you that doing a land/sea trip can get expensive. We just had to cut something out and that was the thing I thought would be the easiest to let go of. Honestly, I am almost certain that we will only be in our room to sleep at night. We have a jam packed schedule of things to do while in port, so I know the time we have on the ship will be spent doing things. I don't expect it to be a very relaxing cruise! But I think jenseib had a veranda on her 3 night cruise, so maybe when I do my next update she can chime in and give her opinion on whether or not it was worth it.

To be honest, I am a little nervous about not having the veranda because I am claustrophobic. I hope I do ok with it. If I start freaking out, I guess I'll just have to make a run up to an open deck!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Just an update on DH's job interview....

He said it went really well. He got some very positive feedback from the interviewer. So good in fact that they went ahead and told him that he will definitely make it to the final interview. There were 9 people that interviewed on this round today, and now there are only 3 left. DH was pretty excited, but really nervous and stressed too. He said he felt like he was in front of a firing squad! We are both just ready for this to be over. It is so emotionally draining. I'm hoping the final interview will be sometime next week, but they move so slow! Anyway, thanks for all the well wishes and prayers. They were very much appreciated. I'll let you all know when we hear the final word!

 

[mermaid764]

I missed seeing you had started a PTR but am here now

How exciting that you guys have another trip in the works, and wishing you and your husband the best going in for the last interview!

 

[stace208]

That's great news about your DH's interview. Best of luck to him in this final round!

My two men are super excited about the food on the cruise as well. Ellie, well, she's excited about that soft serve ice cream machine that I showed her pictures of!

 

[Charleston Princess]

It is the all-inclusive food that entices Charles about a cruise, too.

Yeay for DH making it to the final interview! Lots of pixie dust and prayers headed your way!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Congrats to your DH on getting through to the next round of interviews, that is EXCELLENT news.

All of those places to dine look so amazing!! I really want to go on a cruise someday.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I missed seeing you had started a PTR but am here now

How exciting that you guys have another trip in the works, and wishing you and your husband the best going in for the last interview!

Welcome! So glad you decided to join in! We are very excited to have another trip planned. It was a long two years without a ticker!

Thanks for the well wishes for the job! We need them!

That's great news about your DH's interview. Best of luck to him in this final round!

My two men are super excited about the food on the cruise as well. Ellie, well, she's excited about that soft serve ice cream machine that I showed her pictures of!

Thanks! His interview lasted 2 hours! He is still sleeping right now, and he is usually up by 6:00. He is just wiped out!

Men do love their grub don't they? I enjoy all the nice meals on vacation for sure, but they are a make it or break thing for DH!

Soft serve ice cream sounds good to me too. Hmmm, I don't know if I need to mention that to DD or not. She might want to spend the whole 3 or 4 days hanging out by that thing!

It is the all-inclusive food that entices Charles about a cruise, too.

Yeay for DH making it to the final interview! Lots of pixie dust and prayers headed your way!

Well I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who has a food addict hubby! It seems to be the case with all of us!

Thanks so much for the pixie dust and prayers. We really need them, if for nothing else but to help keep our sanity throughout this process!

Congrats to your DH on getting through to the next round of interviews, that is EXCELLENT news.

All of those places to dine look so amazing!! I really want to go on a cruise someday.

Thanks a bunch! I was really proud of him. He is just so ready for this to be over though. They interviewed him for two hours! You'd think he was trying to get on with the CIA or something!

If you are interested, you should look into cruising. I bet it would cost less than you think since it's just the two of you. I was pleasantly surprised by the price. And you can sail a lot cheaper on the Magic and Wonder too. For example, a 7 night Caribbean cruise (Magic) in October for two adults is about $1700. That sounds like a lot, but for 7 nights, and everything is included... it's really a bargain! You'll just have to start stashing away more of those nuts!