November 12, 2005....7 Night Eastern...Who Else?

[Pluto too]

Oh boy - I just had it out with NCL. I really hope I made the woman cry.
The Pride of Hawaii is actually a little cheaper than Pride of America the week we want. However - she informed me that the $25 per cabin is just so I can hold space - that is they want MY money just to say I am holding space. This is the only cruise line I know of that when you hold a group, to actually book someone into a cabin is $250 per person.
So now I look like an idiot - in 6 years I have NEVER done a group with NCL... dare I ask why?!?!?! I have always heard they are hard to work with when it comes to groups - lots of misinformation which I have now passed on to all of you - and I feel terrible.
I hope I did not shatter anyone's dreams of Hawaii..... I still want to go even though they are idiots.
Here's the pricing anyway - think about it if you like - again, I am SOOOOOO sorry!
I am basing these prices on 4 people/cabin.

Inside Total = $2550.64
Ocean view Total = $3133.94
Balcony Total = $4113.04

We are still interested (House for sale and Pluto Too) probably a Balcony for two.

 

[barkley]

we're still interested in hawaii too so keep us updated.

btw (with dh's blessing) this 'mommy' is RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME!!!!! yup, come 9/15 i'm taking a 3 day celebrity cruise BY MYSELF. a whole room to myself (a suite no less-not my first choice but it was the lowest category with a bathtub, and you do not realize how much you miss having a private tub in your master bedroom until you move and are relegated to sharing the one the kids use-the smell of 'sponge bob' and 'barbie' shampoo heavy in the air, 'stitch toys' staring at you....).

i'm gonna fly into seattle on a friday and do the 3 day pacific northwest route returning on monday (so dh only has to handle getting the monkeys to school one day ).

i have no idea if i will even leave the ship at either of the ports (though the shore excursion to the local pubs sounds interesting ). i may just wander from my room to the spa, back to my room (with definate repeat visits to the sushi place).

honestly, what has me most excited is the concept of going on a plane with only one carry on suitcase, no crayons, no gameboys, no 'fruit treats'....

so jessica-did'nt you do a celebrity cruise recently? if so-will i love it?

 

[PrincessHaleysMom]

Apparently my little email alert when there are new messages isn't working!
Barkley - I loved Celebrity - which ship are you on?
Did you get my email when I responded to you about your move out here? Just wanted to check!
Hawaii is still an option for the people that still want it - I haven't held group space since no one had really said they for sure wanted to go. We have time - so start letting me know which week everyone prefers!
By the way - I am STILL pregnant - 11 weeks and all is well! It's a miracle!
And - a plug for Karen - if anyone wants to go to the beach in Gulf Shores, she put my friends in a great unit at an awesome price! Thanks Karen!!!!!

 

[barkley]

hello princesshaleysmom-congrats on the wonderful update! how are you feeling? i remember being about that pregnant this time of year with ds-the little stinker made my stomach so quesy-it was so hot and all i wanted to do was drink cool liquids-but i could'nt tolerate any sodas, ice tea, lemonaide-even bottled water made me sick. i clearly remember having a big package of those hard bread sticks in my desk at work which i munched on all morning to try to keep my stomach calm. on the brighter side-having the latter part of the pregnancy during the winter months was great!

i will be going on the mercury in september. so you enjoyed celebrity? i'm so glad-anything in particular i should make sure to try out?

i got your email about our relocation trip-i want to verify with the kid's school that they will still be getting the week off they had said during february so i will get back to you with firm dates once school starts in mid august.

hope everyone else is doing well, and if you're in an area with this terrible heat you're keeping cool. we ended up on a 'mini vacation' to our local motel last week-the a/c in the rental we're in died amidst the 110 plus degree heat-blech! i strongly suspect the landlord is going to come down hard on subsequent tenants about certain upkeep items-the upshot of the a/c problem ended up being from the previous tenant failing to ever replace the disposable air-filters-all of the duct work collapsed into itself and the blower moter burned itself out trying to push air through the collapsed ducts.
ah well, we have air now and are trying to stay inside as much as possible.

keep cool all.

 

[chip&dale&fun]

Apparently my little email alert when there are new messages isn't working!
Barkley - I loved Celebrity - which ship are you on?
Did you get my email when I responded to you about your move out here? Just wanted to check!
Hawaii is still an option for the people that still want it - I haven't held group space since no one had really said they for sure wanted to go. We have time - so start letting me know which week everyone prefers!
By the way - I am STILL pregnant - 11 weeks and all is well! It's a miracle!
And - a plug for Karen - if anyone wants to go to the beach in Gulf Shores, she put my friends in a great unit at an awesome price! Thanks Karen!!!!!

Wonderful news......congratulations on your new little miracle.....

 

[chip&dale&fun]

Barkley - stay cool and enjoy your upcoming cruise.......

We need another trip - next one will be part of a work related seminar to Ameila Island Plantation.....Bet I get a bathtub....Couldn't resist.....when we have had loads of company and little hot water, I recall those were not pleasant days...no Sponge Bobs however.....

 

[DIS NURSE]

Hi! I am chim'in in after a good long while.....I am here in spirit and want to tell Jessica that I am STOAKED you have your little miracle you have always wanted!......a probable succession to match Haley's spolied adventures!!!!!!! I am truly happy for you and your family and just wanted to pass on some MAGIC pixie dust!

Now.......the waiting begins.........??????????? Is it another cute little princess like Haley?......or is it a little daredevil boy, waiting to jump the rails off the next cruiseline his Mommy and Daddy take him on?

"As the World Turns".......tune into our next episode and you, too may find out!

DIS NURSE

 

[PrincessHaleysMom]

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. I appreciate it. I still feel like crap - and I rented a doppler so now I can obsessively listen to this hyper child each night before bed. Yes, DisNurse, if I were guessing I would say boy. I haven't gotten ugly like a did with Haley - with her I was a fright by now. I just feel different... we'll see in Sept.!

Barkley - we were on the Mercury. It is a lovely ship - in need of a makeover - which it will get next year. Please eat the waffles for me - they are at the waffle station in the back of the ship near the covered pool. I dream about them daily! The service was the best on this ship of 12 cruises. The entertainment was excellent and the food was wonderful! The only thing I can complain about was the fact that the staterooms need to be fixed up - but they will do that next year. So enjoy your cruise! This is the perfect ship for relaxation! I had several spa treatments including the hot stone massage, facial and frangipani scalp massage. All were heavenly!!!!!!!!! Haley goes around with a picture of the Mercury hugging it saying, "I miss my Celebrity boat". It was so much fun!

 

[chip&dale&fun]

Cute stories......Our own mini-series from now until Sept....

 

[barkley]

oh with all that activity i guessing it's a boy too! with dd i think jim got to feel her kick maybe once. with ds-well he got knicknamed 'godzilla' because day and night he would bounce around and night! jim thought it was soooooooo funny to set something lightweight on me and watch it get bounced around and eventualy bounced off.

thanks for the info. on the mercury-i've found a little info on some other cruise boards, and i have to say i think celebrity cruisers are only second to disney cruisers in their rabid devotion to their chosen cruise line (and when you look at the people that post allot of them only cruise celeb or disney-guess thats a good sign service wise). i've heard of the waffles (they seem to be like desired 'mickey ice cream bars' of the line)-and the other must eat seems to be the warm chocolate croissants in the morning. i will def do a hot rock massage-but i can't believe the multiple 5 and 6 hour spa packages they offer. 5 or 6 hours of pampering and i'de have to be carried back to my stateroom.

take care all-we (well at least me) are counting down till school starts again in a few weeks. dd returned from her 2 weeks away at summer camp full of 'i love you, i missed you, all i want to do is play with my brother'-that lasted a full 24 hours before we were back to 'just leave me alone-i need my alone time, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaam make him get out of my room'

 

[Barkley's DH]

jim thought it was soooooooo funny to set something lightweight on me and watch it get bounced around and eventualy bounced off.

It was funny - I wish I could still do it...



See what I mean?

 

[PrincessHaleysMom]

It was funny - I wish I could still do it...



See what I mean?

Well next time there's some indigestion give it a try - you never know!
Haley would make my entire belly thrash from side to side - always when we were out - I was a walking freak show. She is still a wild woman!

 

[barkley]

It was funny - I wish I could still do it...



See what I mean?

ain't likely to happen since you decided to get that 'snip-snip' procedure right after ds was born beause as i remember you putting it 'i'm not having you go through another bought of 'mom amnesia', forgetting all the negatives of being preganant and saying 'oh honey-it would be so nice to have another baby'.

if you want to see something bounce off a belly-put it on your own. one of the kids can jump on you for some catapult action

 

[chip&dale&fun]

checking in to see how everyone was and to say HI!......

Stay cool, stay away from floods and have a good end of the summer.....

 

[DIS NURSE]

Am saying hello also......getting excited about our double dip cruise in Nov. and there are, as yet, no hurricanes in site (yet!)

C & D & F........what should we do on Cozumel? Honest, here. I have heard not such great things about it still. Remember, we are not divers and have the kid -lets to tag along. Has anyone heard good things about the Fury Cat Beach and Snorkel?

We are also thinking on booking a speed boat beach trip (non Disney).
Thanks, DIS NURSE

P.S. Is tendering a pain in the *** there? Any tips?

 

[chip&dale&fun]

Am saying hello also......getting excited about our double dip cruise in Nov. and there are, as yet, no hurricanes in site (yet!)

C & D & F........what should we do on Cozumel? Honest, here. I have heard not such great things about it still. Remember, we are not divers and have the kid -lets to tag along. Has anyone heard good things about the Fury Cat Beach and Snorkel?

We are also thinking on booking a speed boat beach trip (non Disney).
Thanks, DIS NURSE

P.S. Is tendering a pain in the *** there? Any tips?

Gosh - I honestly do not know....It was pretty torn up and I would recommend an excursion - When we went some of the Mayan ruin tours were still closed. Not sure about now. How about looking at the trip reports from our May thread - there are several - or just look at the blabbermouth - I cut and pasted your question for answers there....

Tendering is NOT a pain.....There are 2 wait areas. One if you are on a Disney excursion and one for the rest of us. They ask you to arrive based on your excusion time. That is self policing. We were there when the doors opened at 8:00.....You wait in the theatre but make sure you have your shore bags.
And towels. Cast members announce this and you have time for a member of your party to go get them.

The time it takes relates to the clearance of the ship.

The tenders are huge - they hold 200 or more people and it is a very short ride to the pier. You spend more time boarding and unboarding than the trip. Think of the boats at WDW....

Enjoy -

 

[PrincessHaleysMom]

Am saying hello also......getting excited about our double dip cruise in Nov. and there are, as yet, no hurricanes in site (yet!)

C & D & F........what should we do on Cozumel? Honest, here. I have heard not such great things about it still. Remember, we are not divers and have the kid -lets to tag along. Has anyone heard good things about the Fury Cat Beach and Snorkel?

We are also thinking on booking a speed boat beach trip (non Disney).
Thanks, DIS NURSE

P.S. Is tendering a pain in the *** there? Any tips?

When I was in Cozumel in March, there were several beaches that were in pretty good shape - so I imagine by November as long as nothing else happens they should be pretty good. They were a quick taxi ride from the ship and had snorkeling, those big jumpy things in the middle of the water and more.... the name of the beach now escapes me - something like Mr. Sanchos or something like that. I'll try to remember.
I have done the Fury before - fun for adults... I wouldn't take my kids on it - all the adults were drunker than skunks and mooning each other. (I did not do that!!!).

 

[chip&dale&fun]

This is from a fellow cruiser....She has a DS 9 and a DD 12

Day 5 – Cozumel – Paradise Beach

While we didn’t have any DCL excursions planned, I knew that I wanted to go to Paradise Beach on Cozumel. Actually, I wanted to go back to Chakannab, where my sister and I had a great time several years ago, however, it still is not open. After doing some research online, I decided PB would be a good substitute. Several other DIS’ers had no definite plans… when someone asked how we should coordinate going to PB, I was determined NOT to get into major planning mode on this one… my response was.. “First tender, first taxi, first empty chair at Paradise Beach”… which is exactly what we did… and quite a few DIS’ers followed.


Tendering was easy- I think we were in the first group after the excursions. Quck and painless. NOTE: They don’t tell you til you get to the theatre to wait that THERE ARE NO TOWELS at the gangway… this is the first ship I have ever been on like this… and you can’t get your tender assignment til your whole party is ready to go. (Apparently towels ARE provided for people doing DCL excursions… the rest of us are chopped liver- why can’t they print it on the full page-instruction sheet that is in the stateroom the night before???) So, we sent the kids on a mad dash to get towels from Deck 9. (They run faster than we do.)

When you get to the dock, ignore all the locals trying to get you to take their limo and transportation… head straight for the line of red & white taxis… they get you where you’re going for a flat rate and are reputable.

Paradise Beach was great! $8 US gets you all day use of a chair, an umbrella, floats, kayaks, on-shore snorkeling, 2 water trampolines, and a great climbing iceberg. (Which is VERY hard to climb, but the kids and kids-at-heart LOVED it). Elizabeth and I had a great time kayaking. Food and drinks were great- reasonable price; quick chair-side service, and friendly staff. Tom, the owner, is originally from Canada, and caters to the ‘North American’ tourist crowd… all filtered water, food that you can eat without worry, clean restrooms, etc. We spoke to him for quite awhile about how he’s recovered from the hurricane- his place is definitely in better shape than any other place we saw. Stayed there til 2:30 or so, then back to the ship to avoid the tender-rush later, and chill for awhile.

 

[DIS NURSE]

Thanks! I really love all of the input!
I just paid off our cruise in full today (so I am now officially broke! ) and I will be online at midnight this Saturday night making Palo ressies!
We didn't do ANY Palo last time and I am thinking on booking two nights. Will they let you do this?
How do we make sure our palo ressies and our friends' Palo ressies are linked (ie; same table?)

You are all such a wealth of info!

Hey, scary man.....did you guys already go online and book Palo and any excursions for your Oct cruise?

 

[awoltoday]

Scary man? Me? I'm not scary!

We recently paid our cruise off, too. Well, sort of thanks to 6 mo 0% on Disney Visa! Palo is booked. Exact same days & times as November - hey, it worked last time! Actually, we didn't even make those ressies. FairyDisMom (aka LeRue) & GDAC booked a table for the 4 of us at 105 days. No excursions booked or planned this trip! We'll probably hit a beach in St. Thomas and attempt to do Lord Sheffield's again in St. Martini.

I just recently found out there will be a full house in St. Thomas while we are there - 6 ships in port that day! It's going to be a little crowded with something on the order of 14,000 cruisers on that island! Maybe we'll just stay on the ship and enjoy the drink of the day, topsiders, and the pools That doesn't sound too bad on any day! Maybe you should consider that in Coz?

Past my bedtime! TTFN!