November 3, 2012 - Election Escape Eastern!!

[disneyin84]

Has anyone ever had an upgrade from a DVC points paid cabin? I've seen so many getting upgrades with a GRT cabin. Just wonder if it ever happens for paid (cash or points) cabin?

Our cabin upgraded from 9a to 5a... And we had reserved with DVC points.

 

[scootch]

once you have a stateroom number, you usually have to request and upgrade and pay for it. Mostly, it is those that are GTY that get upgrades at no cost.

We actually got a free upgrade our first cruise.... and I wasn't even notified about it... just came across it one day when I was looking at our reservation. To them it was probably a great upgrade(midship oceanview to aft verandah)... but since my husband doesn't cruise with us, we literally spent 20 min on the verandah total... so thus.. I love my inside rooms. Even though I am deluxe all the way at WDW, for our particular needs... prefer inside when cruising. But most of all, I want to keep midship... and worry they will upgrade me out of my perfect midship room. We did B2B on the Dream and had midship for half/aft for half... and while there wasn't a huge difference, I surely felt a ton of vibration in the aft especially while docking. I also am a smidge worried about getting seasick with the two 1/2 sea days together.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

We have our assignment! Technically an upgrade, 6a to a 5e 7688. Corner cabin aft. My Mom (trinibjill) and I have stayed in the cabin directly next to this one on the port side. The deck looks huge from where we were. Mom is down the hall from my friend and I with my 18yo niece Alyssa this trip tho.

I like the little wake up rumble we got when docking into a port. Its the perfect time to start our day anyway; with coffee on our deck watching the sun rise as the dock workers tether the ship.

 

[scootch]

I like the little wake up rumble we got when docking into a port. Its the perfect time to start our day anyway; with coffee on our deck watching the sun rise as the dock workers tether the ship.

Ours was more like an earthquake happening... what my kids thought! Great that everyone is getting there GTY's. Can't believe I will be down to 6 weeks on Thursday. I better get busy losing that 10 lbs I want to lose for the cruise

 

[Va-NanaTink]

Can we go now????

the Chaos has already started!

Anybody doing any special shopping?

 

[ntheory]

I leave for Orlando 6 weeks from today!!!!!!

 

[Va-NanaTink]

I leave for Orlando 6 weeks from today!!!!!!

One day behind you!!!!!

 

[pdarrah]

Congrats to everyone getting upgrades!

We have never had an upgrade, but we have also never booked GTY. Our first cruise was an outside & the other 4 were a veranda. DH likes being mid-ship, so we always pick a specific cabin.

Where does a 13yo fit in the chat spectrum? He's a teen, but he won't be in the teen club - he'll be at Edge. Does it make sense for him to join the Teen Chat? Will there be a chat for the Edge age group?

Are there any kids that are in Edge that would be interested in exchanging emails with my 13yo?

Back to the "Questions of the week" from way back that I've been answering

Family Hobbies:

Other than our Disney obsession, I can't think of many hobbies shared among all 3 of us. DH & I both sing in a community choir (mostly oratorio). DS13 joins DH with some of his hobbies.

DH is a serious gardener (flowers & veggies), in the winter he does all of the work renovating our 100+yo house. He is somewhat insane about Xmas lights - to the extent that he has controllers for turning them on/off in sequence & an FM transmitter to set them to music! He also likes collecting things. Our house is full of depression glass and the current obsession is Disney pins. He listens to a LOT of audio books while gardening & working on the house.

My hobbies include reading (mostly SciFi/Fantasy & romance - occasional non-fiction), photography, technology(I'm the geek who messes with computers, phones, software, etc.). I also play the hammered dulcimer. I've been involved in Disney theme park fandom for over 20 years. My first online "home" was on Compuserve (it was called the Florida Forum) and we started doing meets with online friends all the way back then. We met a couple of our closest friends right here at the Disboard Cruise forum! I'm also involved in an online fandom for a pop star and have a bunch of friends there as well.

DS13 is a VERY active kid. He loves both art/music and science/technology. He plays the fiddle (during the school year, it magically turns into a violin for the orchestra ) and has just stopped Irish step dancing this fall (the classes moved to the middle of Saturday afternoon & it was just impossible). He is a boy scout. He also learns Tang Soo Do karate. He loves to draw and to create things on the computer. At the moment he is into a game called Minecraft. He also games a lot on his iTouch and DS. His Star Wars lego models are trying to take over my house!

 

[TomsRiverNJMickeyFan]

Congrats to everyone getting upgrades!

We have never had an upgrade, but we have also never booked GTY. Our first cruise was an outside & the other 4 were a veranda. DH likes being mid-ship, so we always pick a specific cabin.

Where does a 13yo fit in the chat spectrum? He's a teen, but he won't be in the teen club - he'll be at Edge. Does it make sense for him to join the Teen Chat? Will there be a chat for the Edge age group?

Are there any kids that are in Edge that would be interested in exchanging emails with my 13yo?

Back to the "Questions of the week" from way back that I've been answering

Family Hobbies:

Other than our Disney obsession, I can't think of many hobbies shared among all 3 of us. DH & I both sing in a community choir (mostly oratorio). DS13 joins DH with some of his hobbies.

DH is a serious gardener (flowers & veggies), in the winter he does all of the work renovating our 100+yo house. He is somewhat insane about Xmas lights - to the extent that he has controllers for turning them on/off in sequence & an FM transmitter to set them to music! He also likes collecting things. Our house is full of depression glass and the current obsession is Disney pins. He listens to a LOT of audio books while gardening & working on the house.

My hobbies include reading (mostly SciFi/Fantasy & romance - occasional non-fiction), photography, technology(I'm the geek who messes with computers, phones, software, etc.). I also play the hammered dulcimer. I've been involved in Disney theme park fandom for over 20 years. My first online "home" was on Compuserve (it was called the Florida Forum) and we started doing meets with online friends all the way back then. We met a couple of our closest friends right here at the Disboard Cruise forum! I'm also involved in an online fandom for a pop star and have a bunch of friends there as well.

DS13 is a VERY active kid. He loves both art/music and science/technology. He plays the fiddle (during the school year, it magically turns into a violin for the orchestra ) and has just stopped Irish step dancing this fall (the classes moved to the middle of Saturday afternoon & it was just impossible). He is a boy scout. He also learns Tang Soo Do karate. He loves to draw and to create things on the computer. At the moment he is into a game called Minecraft. He also games a lot on his iTouch and DS. His Star Wars lego models are trying to take over my house!

Feel free to have your 13 y/o join the teen chat. It sounds like he would have no issues with keeping up with the group, knowing what we have had join us on the previous chats. We will always have myself or Shell(ntheory) monitoring the chats and will draw him into the conversation if it overwhelms him with some of the older teens.

 

[TomsRiverNJMickeyFan]

I leave for Orlando 6 weeks from today!!!!!!

43 Days and we will be spending a week with a very special family!

 

[Time4Family]

Congrats to everyone getting upgrades!

We have never had an upgrade, but we have also never booked GTY. Our first cruise was an outside & the other 4 were a veranda. DH likes being mid-ship, so we always pick a specific cabin.

Where does a 13yo fit in the chat spectrum? He's a teen, but he won't be in the teen club - he'll be at Edge. Does it make sense for him to join the Teen Chat? Will there be a chat for the Edge age group?

Are there any kids that are in Edge that would be interested in exchanging emails with my 13yo?

Back to the "Questions of the week" from way back that I've been answering

Family Hobbies:

Other than our Disney obsession, I can't think of many hobbies shared among all 3 of us. DH & I both sing in a community choir (mostly oratorio). DS13 joins DH with some of his hobbies.

DH is a serious gardener (flowers & veggies), in the winter he does all of the work renovating our 100+yo house. He is somewhat insane about Xmas lights - to the extent that he has controllers for turning them on/off in sequence & an FM transmitter to set them to music! He also likes collecting things. Our house is full of depression glass and the current obsession is Disney pins. He listens to a LOT of audio books while gardening & working on the house.

My hobbies include reading (mostly SciFi/Fantasy & romance - occasional non-fiction), photography, technology(I'm the geek who messes with computers, phones, software, etc.). I also play the hammered dulcimer. I've been involved in Disney theme park fandom for over 20 years. My first online "home" was on Compuserve (it was called the Florida Forum) and we started doing meets with online friends all the way back then. We met a couple of our closest friends right here at the Disboard Cruise forum! I'm also involved in an online fandom for a pop star and have a bunch of friends there as well.

DS13 is a VERY active kid. He loves both art/music and science/technology. He plays the fiddle (during the school year, it magically turns into a violin for the orchestra ) and has just stopped Irish step dancing this fall (the classes moved to the middle of Saturday afternoon & it was just impossible). He is a boy scout. He also learns Tang Soo Do karate. He loves to draw and to create things on the computer. At the moment he is into a game called Minecraft. He also games a lot on his iTouch and DS. His Star Wars lego models are trying to take over my house!

My DS is also 13 and will be in the Edge. It looks like they have quite a bit in common. My DS plays the violin too, but no dancing for him. He just tested for his black belt. And he doesn't go anywhere without his iPod. He was planning to join the next teen chat (which would be his first).

 

[Daniellenbella]

DS13 is a VERY active kid. He loves both art/music and science/technology. He plays the fiddle (during the school year, it magically turns into a violin for the orchestra ) and has just stopped Irish step dancing this fall (the classes moved to the middle of Saturday afternoon & it was just impossible). He is a boy scout. He also learns Tang Soo Do karate. He loves to draw and to create things on the computer. At the moment he is into a game called Minecraft. He also games a lot on his iTouch and DS. His Star Wars lego models are trying to take over my house!

Hello! My DD who is turning 8 next week is begging for Minecraft (a neighbor plays it). Can you tell me anything about it? Being only 8 and never having been on a game site with adults, I'm concerned about the level on communication & contact with strangers. Are there children only--servers? (is that what it's called?)?


Sounds like people are getting some awesome upgrades! What does that say about the fullness of the ship? Think it will be at max capacity? We also would not want an upgrade from where we are, 5192 aft verrandah overlooking Dumbo. Concerned about noise & vibration but I'm hoping it will be worth it.

Sorry to have missed the chat Fri night! We had a Mom's 'Back to School Happy Hour'

 

[pdarrah]

Hello! My DD who is turning 8 next week is begging for Minecraft (a neighbor plays it). Can you tell me anything about it? Being only 8 and never having been on a game site with adults, I'm concerned about the level on communication & contact with strangers. Are there children only--servers? (is that what it's called?)?

As far as I know, all the servers out there are fan run & I don't know of any that are moderated for kids.

You can play it totally standalone on your PC rather than through a server. My son started with that mode and played for several months that way. His next step was running a server on one of our computers and a couple friends would come over and play just over our home network (being crazy geeks, we have 4 computers) so the 3 of them would be playing together on their own server. Theoretically, I could open up the router to let his friends access the server over the web, but mean mom refused to do that! He is now playing on public servers (and his friends "meet" him there) but I keep a fairly close eye on what he is up to. There is a chat on the screen as they play & I check periodically what is on there. We've also had some talks about online safety. I wouldn't really recommend the online servers for an 8yo even though I haven't seen anything all that bad on there - it is just too wide open.

 

[pdarrah]

My DS is also 13 and will be in the Edge. It looks like they have quite a bit in common. My DS plays the violin too, but no dancing for him. He just tested for his black belt. And he doesn't go anywhere without his iPod. He was planning to join the next teen chat (which would be his first).

That is great! Would your son have any interest in exchanging emails with another kid before the cruise?

I have put the teen chat on my calendar, so hopefully I can get my kid on there. I keep missing adult chat by not being home so am trying to keep the schedule open for the teen version.

Congrats on the black belt test! DS is still a couple years away from that. I know each discipline has it's own colors - he is currently "high green" in Tang Soo Do and will be testing fairly soon for blue. He will still have high-blue, brown, and high-brown before getting to black belt. At the moment, his biggest hurdle is learning all the names in Korean - he has everything else for his blue test.

 

[Daniellenbella]

As far as I know, all the servers out there are fan run & I don't know of any that are moderated for kids.

You can play it totally standalone on your PC rather than through a server. My son started with that mode and played for several months that way. His next step was running a server on one of our computers and a couple friends would come over and play just over our home network (being crazy geeks, we have 4 computers) so the 3 of them would be playing together on their own server. Theoretically, I could open up the router to let his friends access the server over the web, but mean mom refused to do that! He is now playing on public servers (and his friends "meet" him there) but I keep a fairly close eye on what he is up to. There is a chat on the screen as they play & I check periodically what is on there. We've also had some talks about online safety. I wouldn't really recommend the online servers for an 8yo even though I haven't seen anything all that bad on there - it is just too wide open.

Thank you very much for your input!

 

[pdarrah]

Quick question on making t-shirts with our cruise logo. I can't find anything on the 1st page summary on this. Was it agreed that the shirts should be RED?

If someone can't wear red without looking awful (DH has a very red complexion and looks awful!) is there an alternate color we are using? Or just pick anything and put the logo on it?

Does the logo need to be a huge center-of-the-chest thing, or would a "pocket" size near the shoulder be OK?

I just want to be sure we are recognized (and can recognize everyone else!) that first day

Are there any plans for lanyards or wristbands to help recognize each other all the other days when we are not wearing the tshirts?

 

[Va-NanaTink]

Quick question on making t-shirts with our cruise logo. I can't find anything on the 1st page summary on this. Was it agreed that the shirts should be RED?

If someone can't wear red without looking awful (DH has a very red complexion and looks awful!) is there an alternate color we are using? Or just pick anything and put the logo on it?

Does the logo need to be a huge center-of-the-chest thing, or would a "pocket" size near the shoulder be OK?

I just want to be sure we are recognized (and can recognize everyone else!) that first day

Are there any plans for lanyards or wristbands to help recognize each other all the other days when we are not wearing the tshirts?

Yes, we actually discussed using red or black shirts, and it was decided that the logo looked best on the red with the blue background that is present in the logo, but if you don't want to use red, there isn't a rule against another color...I think it was more trying to unifying the group.

I did a large center-of-the-chest logo on our shirts.

I had looked into doing lanyards as our FE, but since we decided to not participate in FE this cruise, I didn't go any further with it. Besides, I have to wear a lanyard 5 days a week at work and I really hate it, so I don't wear one on vacation. I would have saved ours for work anyway....currently I'm using our Castaway lanyard for my badges and our lanyard from our weekend from NY cruise for my metro badge.

 

[Time4Family]

That is great! Would your son have any interest in exchanging emails with another kid before the cruise?

I have put the teen chat on my calendar, so hopefully I can get my kid on there. I keep missing adult chat by not being home so am trying to keep the schedule open for the teen version.

Congrats on the black belt test! DS is still a couple years away from that. I know each discipline has it's own colors - he is currently "high green" in Tang Soo Do and will be testing fairly soon for blue. He will still have high-blue, brown, and high-brown before getting to black belt. At the moment, his biggest hurdle is learning all the names in Korean - he has everything else for his blue test.

I sent you a PM.

 

[ntheory]

Where does a 13yo fit in the chat spectrum? He's a teen, but he won't be in the teen club - he'll be at Edge. Does it make sense for him to join the Teen Chat? Will there be a chat for the Edge age group?


Back to the "Questions of the week" from way back that I've been answering



DS13 is a VERY active kid. He loves both art/music and science/technology. He plays the fiddle (during the school year, it magically turns into a violin for the orchestra ) and has just stopped Irish step dancing this fall (the classes moved to the middle of Saturday afternoon & it was just impossible). He is a boy scout. He also learns Tang Soo Do karate. He loves to draw and to create things on the computer. At the moment he is into a game called Minecraft. He also games a lot on his iTouch and DS. His Star Wars lego models are trying to take over my house!

He's more than welcome to join the chat. My 16 year old will be on there ... and he's a Minecraft FREAK.

Oh my ... My 16 year old has also gotten my 7 (on Saturday!!) year old daughter into Minecraft. He plans to gift her with her own account for her birthday. We'll see how that goes. He wants to put a special skin on it for her and everything. She plays all the time, but doesn't play online yet.

My oldest son is a 2nd degree black belt in Tang Soo Do. Interesting because you don't meet a lot of people that know about that style.

FYI - I play regular Appalachian dulcimer... I made my own, too.

43 Days and we will be spending a week with a very special family!

How cool!!! So will we!!!!!

Hello! My DD who is turning 8 next week is begging for Minecraft (a neighbor plays it). Can you tell me anything about it? Being only 8 and never having been on a game site with adults, I'm concerned about the level on communication & contact with strangers. Are there children only--servers? (is that what it's called?)?


Sorry to have missed the chat Fri night! We had a Mom's 'Back to School Happy Hour'

My daughter isn't going to do the online version. She's not ready for that. That's the only way that I will consent to her playing.


We miss all that couldn't make it to chat!! Hope everyone can make it next week.

Quick question on making t-shirts with our cruise logo. I can't find anything on the 1st page summary on this. Was it agreed that the shirts should be RED?

If someone can't wear red without looking awful (DH has a very red complexion and looks awful!) is there an alternate color we are using? Or just pick anything and put the logo on it?

Does the logo need to be a huge center-of-the-chest thing, or would a "pocket" size near the shoulder be OK?

I just want to be sure we are recognized (and can recognize everyone else!) that first day

Are there any plans for lanyards or wristbands to help recognize each other all the other days when we are not wearing the tshirts?

The general consensus was red with the big logo on front. I think it would look good in white, too. The big logo on front would probably be easier to recognize for everyone just because it's sometimes difficult to see small ones on the pocket, but I'm sure we'll figure out that you're with us.

We've not discussed that. I thought about lanyards in the beginning. We had them custom made for our last cruise. I think they are cool, but I don't think we have time to get them done now, and I know I don't have the time to deal with them. They were really cool to have last time, though. They were the big lanyards that allowed us to put passports, small cameras, etc in them. I will probably use one of those on this trip, as well. It's very useful.

 

[scootch]

Are there any plans for lanyards or wristbands to help recognize each other all the other days when we are not wearing the tshirts?

We did the wristbands in 2009 and it was great as the initial meet is so short and it is hard to remember people after it. I haven't even started my shirts...