November 30, 2013 Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy

[annichan]

Hi everybody and to the meet thread for this 7-night Eastern Caribbean!

As I myself will not be able to go on this cruise after all, the Roll Call can be found here.


Have a fantastic cruise everyone!

 

[IrishCowboy]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list

Have a great cruise!

 

[Ashmer]

We will be on board! My husband and our two daughters and my mom and her husband. My oldest will be turning four during the cruise.

 

[annichan]

Welcome to this as yet tiny little thread, good not to be alone here anymore!

My husband cannot quite believe that I booked this cruise more than two years out, but well, I figure that prices will only ever go up from here, and we still got to choose the type of cabin I wanted.

This will be our first time on one of the new ships as we only sailed on the Magic before - I hope we don't get lost too much!

 

[Cthia]

I just booked this last Friday. I seem to always need to have another vacation booked before I have one finished. (We are sailing on the RCCL Oasis in April that I booked 2 years in advance) It will be me, my DH and our DD who will be 9, my other DD will be starting her fresham year in college so she will be unable to go. This will be our very first Disney cruise but will be our 4th cruise overall.

 

[annichan]

Cthia! What you say is so true, as you can see from my ticker too - there is nothing like always planning one vacation ahead of your next vacation .

For us, it will be the 3rd and 4th cruise (as we are doing a back-to-back), but we have done them all on Disney so far. I'm sure we will get to try other cruise lines eventually, though - especially as we may want to do more Mediterranean cruises (means cheaper flights form Germany) and Disney might not be offering them again in the future.

By the way, if you are all okay with it too, I could turn my first post into a little roll call and list us all with whatever information you feel like giving (any or none of the following, for example - screen names or first names, ages, stateroom no., dinner seating, where you come from, if you are celebrating anything ...). If you feel like it, just give me the info and I will add it to the first post.

 

[Cthia]

Thank you for the welcome. How lucky for you to be doing B2B cruises. I guess when you have to fly quite a distance it is better to take longer vacations. Sadly the longest I can get away is 10 days even though we should only take 7 days at a time.

I am at peace now knowing I have our next vacation planned. It was hard deciding between a WDW trip or a cruise so I get the best of both. I didn't give my DH much of choice, just told him I wanted to go on a Disney cruise. We were planning a WDW trip for 2014 but I decided to move it a few months.

I feel like I have so much to learn about Disney cruises. Rotational dining.

Here's our info:

Cindy(Cthia) and Jim (both in our 40's) and our DD Haleigh(will be 9)
We are from Massachusetts, USA
Early Dining (may switch to late depends how our upcoming cruise goes)
Stateroom: 7180
Celebrating: Oldest DD Freshman Year in College and we are celebrating without her. DD7 is anxious for her to leave so she can take over her room. (My oldest DD is having her graduation celebration in April though she doesn't graduate for another year)

 

[disny_luvr]

I'm in!

I'm so glad to see that someone started a thread for our cruise. Cruising will be me, DH, and twin boys (7 yrs. old at the time). None of us have ever cruised before. DH and I are cruising out of NYC next summer on the two-night cruise to nowhere. It leaves on my birthday (August 10th) so I thought it would be a nice getaway for DH and myself.

DH thinks I'm crazy also for booking this cruise so early, but I was afraid that if I waited it would be more expensive. Plus, now we have over two years to save.

I am so excited to be doing an Eastern cruise. We've always wanted to go to the Virgin Islands, especially St. Maarten. I've been having lots of fun looking into excursions.

I hate to wish my life away, but I hope these next two years will go quickly.

 

[disny_luvr]

Here is our info:

Louise (disny_luvr)
DH - Shawn
twins - Matthew and Benjamin

We live in Palmyra, PA (located about two miles east of Hershey; Did you ever hear of Hershey Chocolate?)

We have early dining and are in stateroom #7512; however, the room number will probably change as I can't make up my mind. I think we'd like to be more AFT than forward especially with the boys. We'll see.

 

[annichan]

Thank you for the welcome. How lucky for you to be doing B2B cruises. I guess when you have to fly quite a distance it is better to take longer vacations. Sadly the longest I can get away is 10 days even though we should only take 7 days at a time.

I am at peace now knowing I have our next vacation planned. It was hard deciding between a WDW trip or a cruise so I get the best of both. I didn't give my DH much of choice, just told him I wanted to go on a Disney cruise. We were planning a WDW trip for 2014 but I decided to move it a few months.

I feel like I have so much to learn about Disney cruises. Rotational dining.

Here's our info:

Cindy(Cthia) and Jim (both in our 40's) and our DD Haleigh(will be 9)
We are from Massachusetts, USA
Early Dining (may switch to late depends how our upcoming cruise goes)
Stateroom: 7180
Celebrating: Oldest DD Freshman Year in College and we are celebrating without her. DD7 is anxious for her to leave so she can take over her room. (My oldest DD is having her graduation celebration in April though she doesn't graduate for another year)

I know, I am really glad that we can swing the b2b cruise (and excited since we have never done that before). You are right though, our flights are almost the most expensive thing about the holiday, and those costs simply "hurt" less when they are for a longer vacation and not just for a quick getaway.

Personally I would always recommend the late dining seating - we feel we are much less stressed when we don't have to hurry from port excursions to be on time for dinner. I can't say anything about what would be the best seating for kids though, so it may be that early seating will be just perfect for you.

Your oldest daughter is leaving home to live at college, then? How old is she? About twenty? (This is where you see the cultural differences - I have really no clue what "freshman year at college" means age-wise .)

 

[annichan]

I'm in!

I'm so glad to see that someone started a thread for our cruise. Cruising will be me, DH, and twin boys (7 yrs. old at the time). None of us have ever cruised before. DH and I are cruising out of NYC next summer on the two-night cruise to nowhere. It leaves on my birthday (August 10th) so I thought it would be a nice getaway for DH and myself.

DH thinks I'm crazy also for booking this cruise so early, but I was afraid that if I waited it would be more expensive. Plus, now we have over two years to save.

I am so excited to be doing an Eastern cruise. We've always wanted to go to the Virgin Islands, especially St. Maarten. I've been having lots of fun looking into excursions.

I hate to wish my life away, but I hope these next two years will go quickly.

Here is our info:

Louise (disny_luvr)
DH - Shawn
twins - Matthew and Benjamin

We live in Palmyra, PA (located about two miles east of Hershey; Did you ever hear of Hershey Chocolate?)

We have early dining and are in stateroom #7512; however, the room number will probably change as I can't make up my mind. I think we'd like to be more AFT than forward especially with the boys. We'll see.

Welcome Louise and family!

So true what you say about not wanting to wish your life away but hoping for the cruise to come soon, I was thinking the same thing. Strange to be looking forward to something that's still such a long time away - I mean, I even planned my wedding in less that half that time!

Anyway, I certainly know Hershey chocolate bars! (I do admit that I always thought they were British, but I stand truly corrected! )

Oh, and we will be sailing out of New York next summer too, only 15 days later than you!

 

[disny_luvr]

annichan ~ Thanks for the welcome!

My DH wants me to ask you where do you live in Germany? Back in 2001, he traveled to Germany and Austria. He loved that trip! (I think even more than he loves Disney.) He flew into Frankfurt, traveled the Romantic Road into Austria (Salzburg and Innsbruck), through the Black Forest and into Munich. It is his dream to take me and our boys sometime. We'll see. I dread thinking about flying that long, but I'd do it for him because I know it would mean a lot to him.

 

[Cthia]

disny_luvr.

Personally I would always recommend the late dining seating - we feel we are much less stressed when we don't have to hurry from port excursions to be on time for dinner. I can't say anything about what would be the best seating for kids though, so it may be that early seating will be just perfect for you.

Your oldest daughter is leaving home to live at college, then? How old is she? About twenty? (This is where you see the cultural differences - I have really no clue what "freshman year at college" means age-wise .)

Our school system starts out with kindergarten (age 5/6) thru 12th grade (typically ages 17/18), then they go off to college (freshman being their first year). Depending on where she wants to go she will either live on campus or be commuting from home. When she goes off to college she will be 18.

As much as I would love to rush this cruise along I want to enjoy the next two years. Kids grow up so fast and I don't want to rush it. Though it will come faster than we realize. My cruise in April I booked 2 years in advance it is only a few months away.

 

[disny_luvr]

disny_luvr.





Our school system starts out with kindergarten (age 5/6) thru 12th grade (typically ages 17/18), then they go off to college (freshman being their first year). Depending on where she wants to go she will either live on campus or be commuting from home. When she goes off to college she will be 18.

As much as I would love to rush this cruise along I want to enjoy the next two years. Kids grow up so fast and I don't want to rush it. Though it will come faster than we realize. My cruise in April I booked 2 years in advance it is only a few months away.

Thanks for the welcome, Cthia!

I know what you mean about wishing your life away. My boys are in kindergarten right now and will be in second grade when we cruise. I'm actually sad to think that in order for us to go on this cruise they'll have to be two years older. I'm really enjoying this age and still think of them has little. Second grade seems so big to me.

We haven't told our boys about this cruise and won't until we get really, really close. My boys watched the cruise planning DVD a few months ago and really want to go on one; they'll be so excited. They ask me often (like twice a week) when will we be going on the Mickey boat. I must admit it is really hard keeping this a secret.

 

[annichan]

annichan ~ Thanks for the welcome!

My DH wants me to ask you where do you live in Germany? Back in 2001, he traveled to Germany and Austria. He loved that trip! (I think even more than he loves Disney.) He flew into Frankfurt, traveled the Romantic Road into Austria (Salzburg and Innsbruck), through the Black Forest and into Munich. It is his dream to take me and our boys sometime. We'll see. I dread thinking about flying that long, but I'd do it for him because I know it would mean a lot to him.

I know, those long flights are awful, and I like them less and less the older I get. I really suffer every time we go to WDW or cruise from Port Canaveral! The things you do ...

I live much further North in Germany, so your DH probably would not have visited there. We are only about an hour's drive from the Baltic Sea. (So I wish DCL offered Baltic cruises again! )

 

[Ashmer]

Here is our info:

Louise (disny_luvr)
DH - Shawn
twins - Matthew and Benjamin

We live in Palmyra, PA (located about two miles east of Hershey; Did you ever hear of Hershey Chocolate?)

We have early dining and are in stateroom #7512; however, the room number will probably change as I can't make up my mind. I think we'd like to be more AFT than forward especially with the boys. We'll see.

Small world Louise! My husband and I own a rental home in Palmyra, we both grew up in Lebanon County!

 

[Ashmer]

:

By the way, if you are all okay with it too, I could turn my first post into a little roll call and list us all with whatever information you feel like giving (any or none of the following, for example - screen names or first names, ages, stateroom no., dinner seating, where you come from, if you are celebrating anything ...). If you feel like it, just give me the info and I will add it to the first post.

Great idea!
Here's our info:
Ashley (ashmer) and DH, Matt
Late 20's
Two daughters will be 2 and 4
Stateroom #9672
Early seating
Florida
We are celebrating our oldest's birthday

 

[disny_luvr]

Small world Louise! My husband and I own a rental home in Palmyra, we both grew up in Lebanon County!

What are the chances of that???

I'm curious - Where did you go to high school? I graduated from Lebanon HS in 1998. DH is from York County. Do you still live in the area?

 

[Ashmer]

What are the chances of that???

I'm curious - Where did you go to high school? I graduated from Lebanon HS in 1998. DH is from York County. Do you still live in the area?

I also graduated from LHS, class of '03. My husband went to Palmyra, he graduated a year earlier than me. We moved to Florida after college, currently living on the Gulf Coast.

Were you effected by the flooding? Our rental home was fine, but we saw terrible pictures of Hershey Park and Lebanon, where we both still have family.

 

[disny_luvr]

I also graduated from LHS, class of '03. My husband went to Palmyra, he graduated a year earlier than me. We moved to Florida after college, currently living on the Gulf Coast.

Were you effected by the flooding? Our rental home was fine, but we saw terrible pictures of Hershey Park and Lebanon, where we both still have family.

We didn't have any problems from the flood. We live in the Arbor Greene development located behind PHS. Our neighborhood has several sinkholes in the common areas and some in the undeveloped lots. Hersheypark was really bad. The stores located at the main entrance were completely flooded. Several bathrooms were closed because they were completely flooded too. The bison at the zoo died. It was a mess. DH couldn't make it into work for two days because so many roads were buckled and/or closed. Where in Palmyra is your rental home located?

I teach in Palmyra; I started in 2002. My boys just started kindergarten at the new elementary school that Palmyra built off of Lingle. We like living here.