November 5th 2011 Eastern on the Magic

[Mulanrocks]

Alright here goes:

Me, my sister and my mom, we are super cool!

All dressed up for Ohana's (my aunt came too)

Figment!! Dh is being trained that i will make him stand with all the characters and get his picture taken.

Ta da it worked.

Ah the wonderful world of Disney costumes, seriously i loved working at disney!

Castle engagement!

Who can say no to a ring delivered in a glass slipper?

 

[NC2WDW]

Mulanrocks: cool photos. You are right, who could say no to the ring in a glass slipper. DH and I have been married for 11 years and didn't become ultimate Disney freaks until 2008. That was our first trip to WDW together and with the kids. Now, I would like to renew our vows at Disney just to have the experience there. I melt when I see all that wedding stuff at Disney World. So is that your actual engagement ring with the blue stone? If so, that is cool to have something different. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Alright post 10! Karen those were some fantastic pics! Makes me wish i had more of my old ones. My mom has been taking us to disney since she was pregnant with me, and we have been to all the Disney's except the one in hong kong (i WILL be going one day though). I agree we need the dog cruise, my poor pups will be very sad without us.
Does anyone know what the latest time you can add a person to your cabin is? I have been searching online and it seems pretty easy to add its just canceling that is so hard. My sister can't make a commitment until into Oct.
As for the weekend, the in-laws will be in town to help move my husband down close to school for his surgery rotation. We are getting good at this living apart thing, i think it makes the marriage better (j/k). Last time he had COT for the air-force in another state, at least this time i can visit!
Next up Pictures

First make sure your cabin is desingnated to hold all of you. Some are for 4 or 5 or 6 people. They will NOT let you add more if the room isnt designated for the amount you need.
If that is ok then it will probably be ok, but I would call and ask to be sure. You sure dont want her to be disappointed coming all that way for a visit and a cruise.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

yeah post 9, only one more. DH was very good and got his passport papers all signed and taken care of so he should be good to go! Also my FE is in the mail. I can't wait! Luckily i have a trip to WDW at the end of Sep to look forward to. I get to take my 2yr old charges to disney for the first time, and i get to fly first class and it won't cost me a dime. Sometimes i really love my job!
alyssa

Ok, I am curious what your job is??

You must work for the airlines maybe??

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

The pictures are great!!
Absolutely love the ring in the shoe. That is so cool.

Your DH looks too young to be married. He looks 16 or 17 to me. Maybe I am just getting so old everyone looks extra young
Thanks for posting the photos.

I hope more will post photos as time goes on.
It's really fun to see what everyone and their loved ones look like.

Kathy

 

[Mulanrocks]

Last post of the day:
NC2WDW: yes the sapphire is my engagement ring/slash wedding ring, i've never been a fan of diamonds so DH designed it just for me.
Kathy: The room can hold 4 or 5 so space is fine. I'll call them to make sure next week when its less busy. DH does look very young in the pics (he was 22-23 at the time), but i think he looks much more mature since he lost his glasses (lasik) and did air force training. Tomorrow i will post pics of him in uniform! and his white coat!
For work I watch two adorable girls (twins) all day long. Its a great job, i get to spend the day playing in bouncy houses, going to the zoo, aquarium, or children's museum. Their parents fly alot for their jobs so they rack up the air miles, hence the first class. Before i did this i was a zookeeper which was basically the same job. In addition to my job i volunteer at the zoo and do agility with my pups. Plus i have a horse and several cats so they get some of my attention too.
Alyssa

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

High Tea
High Tea is served from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. while the ship is out at sea on Disney 7-Night and longer cruises. Check the Personal Navigator—the Disney Cruise Line daily newsletter detailing all there is to see and do—for specific dates and times of activities while onboard.

Amid an elegant upscale environment, Palo invites you to relax and unwind during your cruise vacation with a soothing selection of traditional, flavored and herbal teas, finger foods and desserts to delight even the most discerning palates.

Although subject to change, High Tea offerings may include:

A Selection of Premium Teas
High Tea Finger Sandwiches
Warm scones and a Selection of Jams
Chocolate Eclairs
Palo at High Tea also offers espresso, café latte, cappuccino, mineral water, café mocha, café mélange, sparkling water, and a full selection of wine and mixed drinks for an additional cost.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Last post of the day:
NC2WDW: yes the sapphire is my engagement ring/slash wedding ring, i've never been a fan of diamonds so DH designed it just for me.
Kathy: The room can hold 4 or 5 so space is fine. I'll call them to make sure next week when its less busy. DH does look very young in the pics (he was 22-23 at the time), but i think he looks much more mature since he lost his glasses (lasik) and did air force training. Tomorrow i will post pics of him in uniform! and his white coat!
For work I watch two adorable girls (twins) all day long. Its a great job, i get to spend the day playing in bouncy houses, going to the zoo, aquarium, or children's museum. Their parents fly alot for their jobs so they rack up the air miles, hence the first class. Before i did this i was a zookeeper which was basically the same job. In addition to my job i volunteer at the zoo and do agility with my pups. Plus i have a horse and several cats so they get some of my attention too.
Alyssa

You are one busy lady

What type of pups do you have?

My 2 girls are mongrals who we rescued.
Minnie is Boston Terrier and Boxer and Pixie is Golden Lab and Grey hound.

They are my kids now that my 2 leged kids are grown.
Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Alright here goes:

Me, my sister and my mom, we are super cool!

All dressed up for Ohana's (my aunt came too)

Figment!! Dh is being trained that i will make him stand with all the characters and get his picture taken.

Ta da it worked.

Ah the wonderful world of Disney costumes, seriously i loved working at disney!

Castle engagement!

Who can say no to a ring delivered in a glass slipper?

What GREAT pictures, and I especially love the engagement ones. What a fun memory you'll keep forever!

You guys look very happy!

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi All,

It's fun to read everyone's posts and see what everyone is up to. I'm really getting excited about the cruise.... and we actually are also doing the 8-day Mexican Riviera Christmas Cruise Dec 17 - 26 with my inlaws, so it's like double excitement to think about two Disney Cruises coming up! We usually don't do the cruises this close together, but we are only doing this because I wanted to spend my 40th birthday on a Disney Cruise, that is is November, and we always do one Disney cruise per year (since we started sailing on Disney a few years ago) with my inlaws, and for us West Coasters, the Mexican Riviera is so easy for us (and MUCH MUCH cheaper to fly to California from Seattle than it is to fly to Orlando), plus, we couldn't pass up the Kid's Sail Free promotion.... That promotion for the kids, DH and I made the 8-day Christmas cruise cheaper than our 7-day Eastern Caribbean in November! Can't pass that one up. Plus, it'll be SO much fun to be on the ship ON Christmas Day (we celebrate Christmas... one of our favorite holidays), so we are really looking forward to that.

So, it has been fun to think about all these cruises. Can't wait!

Nothing much going on here.... life has calmed down finally for us. But, I've still been super busy... I'm one of those people who just cannot sit around, and I always have to be doing something productive. So, I say life has calmed down, but still a lot going on... but all fun stuff.

The kids go back to school after Labor Day, so we are enjoying the last few weeks of the kids out of school, and then it's back to schedules, homework, school activities, etc. etc. etc. I'm also on the PTSA Board, so that makes life a bit more busy for me, but I like it.

Well, that is about it... glad to see everyone is doing well!

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

You'll love the ship decorated for Christmas. They decorate it after Thanksgiving until new years. We have cruised many times during the Christmas season just to see the ship all decorated. Once you've done that, the atrium looks so plain the rest of the time.

I love the characters when they are all dressed up for the season.

Good night everyone,

Kathy

 

[wtgilligan]

Hey...so excited. This is our first cruise and we are ready to have some fun and meet everyone.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Morning all,

Hi BT, good to see you posting here today.

WELCOME

Lots of great families here to get aquianted with..

Heading out early to get groceries today, so will just say Good morning to all and will be back this afternoon, hopefully with a few more photos.

Love seeing that ticker get lower and lower numbers on it!!!

Kathy

 

[Mulanrocks]

So i can only find DH COT graduation photo, seems some of the other photos have been misplaced since my computer crashed.

Kathy (grandma): I have 1 lab/border collie rescue and a sheltie. All my animals are my babies DH thinks i love them more them him bc they are so spoiled.
Kathy (runs): a cruise at Christmas with disney sounds magical!
In-Laws get here today so much to do. But looking forward to booking on Monday. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Nice photo. He does look a bit older, might be the uniform.

My dogs are my babies too. My husband always says I feed them better than him and they get more presents at Christmas than he does.. I tell him I will be happy to buy him some bones too if he wants.
Maybe you could post a photo of your 2 babies.

We have seen Curly, so now we can see your dogs and I will look for a photo of mine. So we can compare all our kids


Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

One fun project for families with kids to do while waiting for the cruise is to make a countdown chain. It keeps the excitement going for the cruise and is fun to do as a family. Even little kids can help.
I would suggest doing it for the last 30 days prior to the day your leaving for vacation.
All you need is some construction paper, preferably bright colors. You will cut strips long enough to make nice size loops to be glued together through each other to form links in a chain.
We use to do this to make Christmas decorations when I was a kid. ( giving away my age with that one LOL!!)
Take each strip and write the numbers 1 through 30. 1 number per strip. You will be counting down from 30, so number 30 will be your first link. Once you’ve written a number on each one then make them into links by putting one through the next one, then glue or staple or tape each link as you add each one to the last one in proper order.
Then once it is done hang it up on a wall somewhere and then each morning let the kids take turns removing 1 link until the last one is removed as you’re out the door for the cruise.
Now if there are any anniversaries or birthdays during that 30 days make a special link for that day. Kids can draw a birthday cake or present on that link by the number.
If you don’t have any special days, just get a few Disney stickers and let the kids decorate some of the links along the chain for fun.
Some parents will secretly add something special after the kids have gone to bed one evening like a clue for a scavenger hunt. After they find the next clues you can have them find something like items for their pirate costume for the Pirate party or maybe a new Disney movie to watch that evening with popcorn, or maybe an autograph book for the kids to get the characters autographs.
Just some little special surprise for them to add to the excitement.
I just thought a few of you with kids might like to try this. I do know several people who have done this as a family project and had a lot of fun.

Kathy

 

[Jetflyer]

Hi! I think you said you had booked a guaranteed cabin. We have friends who would like to go and they are looking for specials on the cruise. How did you find the guarantee? Is there a trcik to getting a better rate? Thanks for the info

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

DCL doesnt usually run specials.
About all the do is if the ship doesnt fill up around 6 to 8 weeks prior to the cruise they may run Florida resident rates to fill up the ship. Even though your booked already, if they run the category room you have on Florida resident rate you can call and get the special rate for yourself.

Sometimes the person you chat with on the phone will say No you cant do that but ask for a supervisor and you can do that. They actually cancel your reservation and rebook you on the spot with the savings. We did that several times when we lived in Florida.
All seasons travel lists Florida resident rates as soon as they are listed. But you must call DCL immediately upon them listing the discount because as soon as those few rooms are booked the discount is gone.

As far the guarantee room goes when we booked Greg told them he wanted a guarantee room in an inside stateroom category. You can do that in all categories accept suites.
This means you will take any inside room (or the category you asked for). You cant pick the deck or aft or front etc.. It's pot luck.

But by doing that if they need to fill the ship they often take as many of the guarantee rooms people and give them a free upgrade to fill the more expensive rooms, so they can sell the cheaper inside rooms which sell better since they dont cost as much as the others do.
There is NO guarantee that will happen but its the only chance of a free upgrade they ever give.

It isnt cheaper, its still the regular price.

Many use a TA to book their rooms because some TA's will offer large on board room credit for booking with them, so tha thelps with the cost.

Anything that goes on your room account the on board credit will be put towards. So if you buy drinks or souvenrs or put your tips on it, then the OBC will help pay for it.

Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi all,

Just saying hi for today. Our Seattle summer has finally arrived (very late this year!), so it has been hard to stay in doors!! A lot of people here are predicting we'll have a warm fall, which would be nice to make up for our cold summer we've had up until a couple weeks ago.

But, this warm weather has really started to get me in the mood for our cruise!! The end of October is right about when our first winter storm hits (cold, rain and wind), so early November is a perfect time to go somewhere warm!!

This hasn't come up on this thread yet, but just curious if anyone is a runner? Both DH & I are runners, so you will find both of us running on deck 4 of the ship probably every day, and then for sure we'll do the castaway 5k!!

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi all,

Just saying hi for today. Our Seattle summer has finally arrived (very late this year!), so it has been hard to stay in doors!! A lot of people here are predicting we'll have a warm fall, which would be nice to make up for our cold summer we've had up until a couple weeks ago.

But, this warm weather has really started to get me in the mood for our cruise!! The end of October is right about when our first winter storm hits (cold, rain and wind), so early November is a perfect time to go somewhere warm!!

This hasn't come up on this thread yet, but just curious if anyone is a runner? Both DH & I are runners, so you will find both of us running on deck 4 of the ship probably every day, and then for sure we'll do the castaway 5k!!

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

No runners here.
Greg use to run when he was younger but then he got too many injuries and couldn't continue running. He did lots of 5 and 10K runs and a few Marathons. His brother use to run with him.

Our summer is like yours, just warmed up the last couple of weeks and I am hoping for a nice fall too. Last winter in the first part of December we decided to escape the cold and wet so we went to WDW and it was colder there than here Down in the 30's at night and most mornings. Highs in the 40's most days.

Hopefully since we are going much earlier this year it will be warmer. I know the cruise will be warm on the islands but we also have 7 days at WDW prior to the cruise.

Kathy