November 18, 2012 ~ Turkey day on the Wonder

[Double Trouble]

9 of our 13 are leaving Roseville after soccer games (last of the season) on that Sat., and are staying in a motel near Magic Mtn. that night, driving the rest of the way in the morning, so won't be available for any early meet/greets. ITHO our DD, SIL and 2 kids will be at DL for 2 days and will meet us at the dock.

We all have a 12:30 check-in time.

Steve

We'll be surprising our two kids with a cruise on the Wonder over Thanksgiving. We are so excited, but still not sure when we tell the kids. Driving down from Norcal? The night before? Just not sure, but excited nonetheless. DD & DS 10and under.

Glad to have you all aboard. If you miss us in the terminal, don't forget 3pm in the Promenade Lounge, Deck 3, Port Side (between midship and aft). Lots of other kids (and adults) to meet and hang out with.

 

[Double Trouble]

Just got word on some of the crew...

Cruise Director will be Jimmy Lynett. He is awesome!

Captain Thord will be "driving" us around the MR. He is a very experience and an extremely interesting gentleman to talk with about anything regarding the ship or DCL.

"Are we there yet?"

We're going bananas waiting for our cruise to start !!!

 

[tammie33]

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. 21 days from today we're flying down and 22 days until the cruise. Not sure where we are going to stay Saturday night, plan on figuring that out this week.

Linda - I have friends who did this cruise last year with 2 DD's ages 10 and 8 and they LOVED the Paradise Beach Hotel excursion. They felt it was a highlight of the cruise. We ended up booking Las Caletas as I checked today and they opened a second tour at 10am which is a little more palatable to the night owls in my family

Looking forward to meeting you all in a few weeks.

 

[sranes]

were so excited and we just recently did the cruise and jimmy was our cruise director and capt. thord was our capt., they are the best.

hey does anyone know how to request a server we had an awesome one but we cant remember the head waiters name

 

[calberry]

were so excited and we just recently did the cruise and jimmy was our cruise director and capt. thord was our capt., they are the best.

hey does anyone know how to request a server we had an awesome one but we cant remember the head waiters name

I was told that if you go to the Matre d' as soon as you board you can make that request...not that you will get it, but you can at least request it

Steve

 

[Disneymama30]

Hi! We are going on the Turkey Cruise this November on the Disney Wonder and would like to join the FE game. How can we be added? We are a group of five in two different staterooms. One stateroom has two adults M and F and a 4yr old child F in room 6134. The other room has an adult F and a teen M, rm # 6131. Thanks so much.

 

[Goofy's_Gal]

Hi! We are going on the Turkey Cruise this November on the Disney Wonder and would like to join the FE game. How can we be added? We are a group of five in two different staterooms. One stateroom has two adults M and F and a 4yr old child F in room 6134. The other room has an adult F and a teen M, rm # 6131. Thanks so much.

The FE list closed several weeks ago so that everyone can prepare their gifts. Sorry

 

[sranes]

I was told that if you go to the Matre d' as soon as you board you can make that request...not that you will get it, but you can at least request it

Steve

Thanks Steve we will be sure to do that

 

[adnil530]

Oh my! What a busy bunch we are now that we are getting closer to sailing! :

Is it possible to change your palo reservations? Or are you pretty much stuck with what you get?

Our DD made a reservation for 6 and wanted to change it to 7 (6 I guess was the max. she could make a reservation for on-line...or she forgot we had 7 adults) so a couple of weeks ago she called. She was told that we would have to wait until we got on board and then go see the Maitre d'.

I figured a call was cheap, so I called back yesterday (to the Castaway Club member 'hot line'), and after being on hold for almost 15 minutes (got to listen to some nice Disney music though ) was told the same thing.

So we wait...

Steve

If you have or if you do not have reservations for Palo, brunch or dinner, once you are onboard, you can go and see about getting a reservation or modifying a reservation. You will need to inquire about this once you are on board. I think it is usually at 1:00 and would be in Wave Bands, but things change. Ask at guest services or ask your greeter when you get onboard and they will direct you on how to change/obtain reservations for Palo or for your regular dining rotation/schedule.

Hi everyone,
We just booked this cruise and are so excited to sail to the Mexican Riviera. Our group includes myself, dsister, dd and ds. We're pretty sad that we missed the FE cutoff date. Looking forward to meeting you.
Monica

Welcome aboard! We are a quiet but fun loving group I'm sad you missed the FE cut off also. That said, you will have fun anyways! Be sure to decorate your door and do a walk around on each deck viewing the other doors. It's a lot of fun and great exercise for people like me who need it! Looking forward to meeting you in the terminal or at the 3:00 meet and greet on board!

We're definately doing the Pirate Ship Adventure in Puerto Vallarta! Have heard fantastic things about it (I always check multiple sources I am known in my group of friends as having "Yelp-Fu" because I find such gems), looked at the beach they take you to and it looks amazing. Private beach, banana boat, snorkeling, sand castle contest, kayaks, boogie boards, etc.

Here's a link to their site diretly which has more info than DCL: http://www.pirateshipvallarta.com/pirate-ship-marigalante.html

Oh, and the water should be in the 80s: http://http://www.puertovallartatours.net/weather.htm

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. 21 days from today we're flying down and 22 days until the cruise. Not sure where we are going to stay Saturday night, plan on figuring that out this week.

Linda - I have friends who did this cruise last year with 2 DD's ages 10 and 8 and they LOVED the Paradise Beach Hotel excursion. They felt it was a highlight of the cruise. We ended up booking Las Caletas as I checked today and they opened a second tour at 10am which is a little more palatable to the night owls in my family

Looking forward to meeting you all in a few weeks.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate it. I'm just worried if the water is too cool for the Pirate adventure? Besides ocean water, what is there to do on the Pirate adventure. When booking in advance you don't know what the weather is. This is my hesitation. If the water is cool, what else is there to do on the Pirate adventure excursion? I think you can probably book the pirate ship excursion at the port, outside of Disney. I could be wrong, but I think the only way you can book the Paradise Village excursion is through the cruise line. I appreciate the comments and thoughts.

were so excited and we just recently did the cruise and jimmy was our cruise director and capt. thord was our capt., they are the best.

hey does anyone know how to request a server we had an awesome one but we cant remember the head waiters name

You can contact your TA or Disney and let them know you would like to request a specific server. I don't think the head waiter's name matters as they seem to rotate. I am sure the server would be thrilled to get a guest request them again! I don't know how you would do that if you don't know the server or at least the assistant server's name.

Hi! We are going on the Turkey Cruise this November on the Disney Wonder and would like to join the FE game. How can we be added? We are a group of five in two different staterooms. One stateroom has two adults M and F and a 4yr old child F in room 6134. The other room has an adult F and a teen M, rm # 6131. Thanks so much.

Welcome to the cruise meet Disneymama! It's going to be a great cruise and I'm glad that you are able to join us Unfortunately, the FE gift exchange closed earlier this month so everyone could get their gifts assembled. So sorry. But that won't effect your experience on this cruise! Lots of things going on board with the crew starting their Christmas Holiday decorations! Again, come to the meet and greets. DoubleTrouble has put some together and they are listed on the fist page of this thread. I'm sure he will be posting some reminders.

We look forward to meeting everyone!

I'm glad they are going to start having the Christmas decorations up. Dh asked me tonight what we are going to do for holiday cards. We have our business holiday cards ordered already. We will hopefully get a photo from this cruise for our 2012 holiday cards. I will take that as his approval for many photo purchases!

Finally got our luggage tags....yes, it was heaven to feel them! I just want to attach them now. I love cruising and cannot wait for this cruise!

Hope everyone has their packing list!

Want to share packing tips? Here is my new tip, one I have not done before. I am going to be bringing waffle cones for the ice cream machine! I read about this and thought, how fun! You can bring some sprinkles and other toppings to make a great family fun get together by the pool or whatever. I will have waffle cones this trip and maybe some special toppings for the ice cream. I'll be the lady with the waffle cone in one hand and the chocolate mustache on her face. Yummy! Come join me!

Linda

 

[norcalcruiser]

We are going on the turkey cruise, driving down from NorCal and are a family of very healthy kids (never a sick day) and healthy adults. What's your take on travel insurance, should we get it, or not, don't even know if we're too late either? Thanks for tips.

Norcal Cruiser

 

[nym]

We are going on the turkey cruise, driving down from NorCal and are a family of very healthy kids (never a sick day) and healthy adults. What's your take on travel insurance, should we get it, or not, don't even know if we're too late either? Thanks for tips.

We're driving down from San Jose.
At a minimum I would be sure to get travel insurance that provides for emergency medical and evacuation coverage.

For my family, that's around $150 for everyone. This is important as you will be out of the country and regular insurance policies usually don't cover you at all. For example, what happens if you trip and break your ankle? Or have a sudden severe allergic reaction to something? Or a heart attack? You will have to pay cash and while it might not be that expensive for minor injuries, it could be tens of thousands of dollars or more for major ones-- especially if you need to be transported back to the United States with medical support.

I have had good experience with TravelEx
http://www.travelexinsurance.com/

Personally I don't think trip cancellation insurance is worth it. It's really expensive and for the situations it does cover, losing my vacation dollars is the least of my concerns. But everyone should make their own decision. Generally trip cancellation insurance is only valid if purchased within 21 days of your initial deposit or payment.

 

[calberry]

We're driving down from San Jose.
At a minimum I would be sure to get travel insurance that provides for emergency medical and evacuation coverage.

For my family, that's around $150 for everyone. This is important as you will be out of the country and regular insurance policies usually don't cover you at all. For example, what happens if you trip and break your ankle? Or have a sudden severe allergic reaction to something? Or a heart attack? You will have to pay cash and while it might not be that expensive for minor injuries, it could be tens of thousands of dollars or more for major ones-- especially if you need to be transported back to the United States with medical support.

I have had good experience with TravelEx
http://www.travelexinsurance.com/

Personally I don't think trip cancellation insurance is worth it. It's really expensive and for the situations it does cover, losing my vacation dollars is the least of my concerns. But everyone should make their own decision. Generally trip cancellation insurance is only valid if purchased within 21 days of your initial deposit or payment.

We have had two major incidences where trip insurance paid for itself many times over.

My FIL passed away while we were on a Tahiti cruise a few years ago and it paid for our emergency flights home as well as reimbursing us for the portion of the cruise we missed.

And then this past spring we were scheduled to do a 2 week Caribbean cruise when our daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. We cancelled the trip but all fees (air, ship, misc.) were covered! As the commercial says; Don't leave home without it!

Steve

 

[RHreha]

Just booked to cruise over Turkey Day!! This will be our 3rd Disney Cruise in just over a year. We're hooked!!! We have 3 kids traveling with us DD 13, DS 11 and DS 8.

I've just read all the posts on this thread from the beginning and it looks like there will be a lot of fun people cruising with us!!

Since we've typically done Fall/Winter activities on the water on the East Coast I'm unsure of what to expect for Temperatures for both air and water once we leave Cali so if anyone can give what there experiences have been that would be wonderful so I can pack accordingly.

Time to get busy on my door decorations!!! Yay!!

 

[norcalcruiser]

Thanks so much for the advice. Another question....we have purchased a gty cabin, any idea when we might hear where we'll be.

 

[calberry]

Just booked to cruise over Turkey Day!! This will be our 3rd Disney Cruise in just over a year. We're hooked!!! We have 3 kids traveling with us DD 13, DS 11 and DS 8.

I've just read all the posts on this thread from the beginning and it looks like there will be a lot of fun people cruising with us!!

Since we've typically done Fall/Winter activities on the water on the East Coast I'm unsure of what to expect for Temperatures for both air and water once we leave Cali so if anyone can give what there experiences have been that would be wonderful so I can pack accordingly.

Time to get busy on my door decorations!!! Yay!!

We have done the Mexican Riviera cruise multiple times, various cruise lines, and at different times of the year. The weather in Mexico is almost always HOT...or even VERY hot , and you won't even feel the water it is so warm. But that first and last sea day (going down and coming back) can be VERY cold if you choose to go out on the decks. We did a Panama Canal cruise coming from Fort Lauderdale and ending in SF a couple of years ago, and the ship was then leaving the next day for Alaska. On that last sea heading home from Cabo they broke out the blankets for people to use on the deck chairs it was so cold.

So for me it will be shorts and tee shirts on 5 days, and shorts and sweatshirt for the 1st and last

Steve

 

[tripoli923]

Daughter 14 : )
Daughter 13 : )
Son 9--sports maniac

Husband and I love to read/hang by the pool, enjoy the shows with our kids and go out to dance or the fun shows after dinner! So we hope others like to stay up too!

We live in Southern California....but we love OK State College Football!

4th DCL Cruise
2005 Magic Carribean
2008 17 Day Panama Canal Eastbound
2012 Wonder Mexican Riveria
Wonder Thanksgiving!
DL AP's

 

[adnil530]

We are going on the turkey cruise, driving down from NorCal and are a family of very healthy kids (never a sick day) and healthy adults. What's your take on travel insurance, should we get it, or not, don't even know if we're too late either? Thanks for tips.

Norcal Cruiser

I use to take travel insurance out on every trip. I've gotten lazy about it but should. On our last cruise, our friend's son had a seizure while in Cabo and had to stay overnight in the hospital. Thankfully, it was on the first Cabo day and they got back on. But they had to pay before services were rendered via a credit card. (Heads up, they would not take American Express card.) Anyway, it could have been a lot worse for them if they had to pay to get back from Cabo.

Just booked to cruise over Turkey Day!! This will be our 3rd Disney Cruise in just over a year. We're hooked!!! We have 3 kids traveling with us DD 13, DS 11 and DS 8.

I've just read all the posts on this thread from the beginning and it looks like there will be a lot of fun people cruising with us!!

Since we've typically done Fall/Winter activities on the water on the East Coast I'm unsure of what to expect for Temperatures for both air and water once we leave Cali so if anyone can give what there experiences have been that would be wonderful so I can pack accordingly.

Time to get busy on my door decorations!!! Yay!!

Welcome aboard! We are a small group of disers here which surprises me. I would have thought a lot of people would want to cruise Thanksgiving week. Maybe most schools don't have the whole week off? Anyway, glad you guys can join us! Like you, I wonder about the water temps.

Thanks so much for the advice. Another question....we have purchased a gty cabin, any idea when we might hear where we'll be.

It depends. Was it just a gty or was it a oty or a vty? If it was a regular gty, Gty's on my December 9 cruise have been assigned so yours might be assigned already.

I've read oty & vty's are assigned about 2 weeks out.

Check your reservation online. I would be checking my reservation. Sign in and click on your reservation summary to see if your room number has been assigned.

Daughter 14 : )
Daughter 13 : )
Son 9--sports maniac

Husband and I love to read/hang by the pool, enjoy the shows with our kids and go out to dance or the fun shows after dinner! So we hope others like to stay up too!

We live in Southern California....but we love OK State College Football!

4th DCL Cruise
2005 Magic Carribean
2008 17 Day Panama Canal Eastbound
2012 Wonder Mexican Riveria
Wonder Thanksgiving!
DL AP's

Welcome aboard also! Many new comers to the boards lately DH and I can be found in the hot tubs frequently. We try to be up late but rise early so it's difficult but we try! Did you do the Mexican Riviera earlier this year? Or are you referencing this trip? There are a few of us that have done this trip earlier this year and are mourning the fact that we won't have the Wonder here for awhile It was fun while it lasted though. I don't think I could ever have talked by dh into cruising as much as we have this year if we hadn't saved all those $'s on airfare! Thanks DH!

We are almost to the point where we can say that we are cruising this month....almost

Linda

 

[adnil530]

Oh, I forgot to mention. Southwest just announced $79 fares. I was able to save over 2800 points by rebooking our Sacramento to LA fare in December If you are have any SW flights scheduled, you might want to reprice them.

Linda

 

[norcalcruiser]

Stateroom:Room # GTY, Category VGT, Verandah Stateroom with Restrictions this is what our reservation says. Any of you who are experts in the field would love to hear when you think we might get our cabin assignment. Not that it really matters, we are going or not, even if we had to sleep on a deck chair! LOL!

 

[norcalcruiser]

Has anyone ever done an independent shore excursion in PV or Cabo? Found the dune buggy tours through a number of independent tour operators. Looks like a lot of fun! Would love to also do the dolphins, but through disney we just can't afford the extra expense.