November 5th 2011 Eastern on the Magic

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Karen,
cute photo of Pete. It will be nice if you can get a photo of every year on the first day although as he gets older it will probably have to be taken at home Now the dog cage is hilarious!!! That should be on the front of your Christmas cards this year. Just put a Santas Hat on him LOL!!!

Sorry the weather was so crummmy today. Hopefully on saturday and sunday the weather will be better, at least no rain. We have had 2 sail away parties moved inside ( not fun ), so thats not too bad. November is usually pretty dry unless there is a hurricane or tropical storm brewing. So I think we will do great. We have cruised in November and December many times with awesome weather the entire crusie!!

Kathy,

I agree, 99% of the time its smooth sailing. Including other cruises we have done(besides DCL) 21 in all and only 3 times with rough seas and one of those wasnt bad on the ship, just a bit too much for the tender boats to be safe. Didnt feel it on the ship, but we had been watching the large waves.
So thats great odds. Plus those new stabilizers ships today have are great.

Thanks for catching that wind speed I did go back and fix that.


Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi All,

Another busy day here... school and basketball for Ryan (9 year old son) started this week, plus the boy's teacher's plunged right into homework right away, so it has been busy here!

Alyssa, I love the paper chains! We haven't done that yet, but I want to do it. Maybe this weekend, we'll make some.

Karen, very cute pictures!! Peter is adorable and looks all ready for school. And, I love the picture of him in the dog cage and the dog walking around the room. That is awesome. But, I can see how that big cage would be a super fun place to play in for a little boy. And, I was looking at your kitchen... your colors are like mine. I have white cabinets with a darker granite counter. Do you know the name of the granite you have (it looks like granite in the picture). It looks like ours. Our granite is called, "tan brown". It's a very popular granite.

PAGE 50 !!!



I keep forgetting to tell all the new cruisers that during the sea days look carefully at the sea as close as you can a few times. I say that because there are flying fish in that area and most times you can spot them.

They are small and come out of the water and fly along the top of the water and then back under again. Some we have seen flew for 200 feet at a time, maybe farther.
But you must stop and stare for several minutes to the side of the ship to spot them or off your balcony is even better. Deck 4 is closer to the water so that also makes it easier to see them. But once you see one you will start seeing lots of them. At first they look like the spray of the water.

Anyway I thought some of you might like to see them.

Kathy

Kathy, I totally agree with this!! Yes, we've seen the flying fish, and it's SOOOO cool to see!! So, yes, everyone has to look out on the sea days to see the flying fish!! I also agree Deck 4 is a great place to look for them... I love Deck 4!! Such a great place to just look out at the water, and it's really quiet and peaceful on that deck.... and a great place to run or walk laps, too!!!

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Happy friday everyone,

Kathy we like to walk around deck 4 a few times after those big meals you eat.
Sometimes we dont have enough time before going to an event but most of the time we walk off meals there.
Have you ever got a photo of those flying fish? They are so fast and so small I never got one but i might try getting a couple this weekend at full zoom in the camera and see what happens.


Anyone have plans for the weekend?

Going to be 96 here tomorrow so i will do errands in the morning then hibernate in the afternoon and evening.
I need to figure out what I am wearing to my sons wedding next weekend. I dont want next saturday to get here and not know what I am wearing.

Thats all I have planned for the weekend.

Back later,
Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Happy friday everyone,

Kathy we like to walk around deck 4 a few times after those big meals you eat.
Sometimes we dont have enough time before going to an event but most of the time we walk off meals there.
Have you ever got a photo of those flying fish? They are so fast and so small I never got one but i might try getting a couple this weekend at full zoom in the camera and see what happens.


Anyone have plans for the weekend?

Going to be 96 here tomorrow so i will do errands in the morning then hibernate in the afternoon and evening.
I need to figure out what I am wearing to my sons wedding next weekend. I dont want next saturday to get here and not know what I am wearing.

Thats all I have planned for the weekend.

Back later,
Kathy

Good morning!

It's supposed to be in the 90's here this weekend, too! Very unusual for this time of year, but I'll take heat and sun because very soon, we won't be seeing much sun, nor will we have much heat... well, except Nov 5 - 12!

Our closest friends are coming over tomorrow late afternoon/evening for dinner and a belated birthday party for my son Ryan and their daughter who just turned 5. They were out of town during both Ryan and their daughter's birthday, so we are now just all getting together to celebrate the kid's birthdays together. So, that'll be fun.

Congrats on your son's wedding, Kathy! Where is the wedding?? Is it going to be a small wedding, or a big wedding? Hopefully you can figure out soon what to wear! I know that is always a stress for the mother of either the bride or the groom! But, I bet whatever you choose, you'll look beautiful!



Regarding the flying fish, I tried one time to get a picture of the flying fish, but oddly, when I snapped the picture, this is what came out on my camera! I was really surprised!!

hehehe.....


Ok, but for real, no, I haven't gotten any pictures of flying fish... I think that'd be hard... you'd have to have your camera ready pointed at the water ready to shoot a picture in a split second, and have your camera pointed at the right spot.

It would be a really cool picture, though, to get an action shot of a flying fish!!

Well, I'm off to another busy day. I will check in a couple times here and there when I can, though. Hope everyone has a great day!!

Kathy

 

[flygrl]

Happy Friday... Just quickly checking in before lunch...
Love all the pics.
We are going to a wedding tomorrow, Sunday is Sean's soccer tourney and baseball for me. It is a perfect time of year for a wedding, hope your son (kathy mom) has great weather next weekend.
Hoping to get the school pictures up this afternoon... Or tonight, don't think we are doing much tonight.
Tanya

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Tanya,
suppose to be in the 70's next weekend which is perfect.

Kathy its a small wedding at their home with just close family. Then the following saturday is the reception which is outdoors at a park with a pretty gazebo for decorating. They are outdoor people and very laid back. So this fits their life style perfectly. My sons boss is a minister and is suppose to marry them. I think thats kind of neat.
Like your fish photo
I think if we spot them in a larger school I will just randomly snap photos and see if I catch any. If not I can just delete them on the spot.

Back later,
If i reach my posting goal I need to post several times aday, which I seem to do anyway,

Kathy

 

[wtgilligan]

I have read for other cruises there is are beer and wine tasting events. Do those happen on this cruise? Do they cost extra?

 

[flygrl]

OK here is a picture of Sean and Meghan's first day of school this year.

Here is a picture of Dennis my nefew from Sweden who will be coming along with us on the cruise. This was taken last weekend.

Well I better get back to work here

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

I have read for other cruises there is are beer and wine tasting events. Do those happen on this cruise? Do they cost extra?

I remember seeing Wine and Martini tastings listed in the Navigaor, but i think they cost a few bucks extra. I think you must sign up for them too.

They do have a beer mug they sell, then if you use it all 7 days you get it refills at a discount.

The Art of Entertaining Series for adults does cooking demos with samples for everyone and I think when they did desserts they had a wine expert chat a bit with free samples of wine.
So be sure and check out that event. It runs 3 or 4 days with something different each day, usually held in Studio Sea on deck
i believe.


Kathy may have tried the tasting events and have more info than i do.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

OK here is a picture of Sean and Meghan's first day of school this year.

Here is a picture of Dennis my nefew from Sweden who will be coming along with us on the cruise. This was taken last weekend.

Well I better get back to work here

Nice pictures. Everyone is always so happy when school starts. Hoping they stay that way all year Homewrork seems to spoil that smile for so many

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Lunch time so I thought I would check in.
I love that today the tickers don't say 2 months anymore.
It's 1 month, 3 weeks and 6 days

That sounds so much closer than 2 months did.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Plus we just hit page 51 .

I predict page 100 by cruise time!!



So lets keep those posts coming!!!

Kathy

 

[flygrl]

I remember seeing Wine and Martini tastings listed in the Navigaor, but i think they cost a few bucks extra. I think you must sign up for them too.

They do have a beer mug they sell, then if you use it all 7 days you get it refills at a discount.

The Art of Entertaining Series for adults does cooking demos with samples for everyone and I think when they did desserts they had a wine expert chat a bit with free samples of wine.
So be sure and check out that event. It runs 3 or 4 days with something different each day, usually held in Studio Sea on deck
i believe.


Kathy may have tried the tasting events and have more info than i do.

Kathy

I know I would be interested in doing this activity if they have this going on, I know for sure Darcie will too.
that is awesome we hit 51 pages

 

[LovesToRun]

I have read for other cruises there is are beer and wine tasting events. Do those happen on this cruise? Do they cost extra?

Yes, they do typically have tasting events. We have done wine tasting a couple times, and enjoyed it. They have a Sommelier come to do the tasting event, and usually, they will only have wines from the same region, so that way you can compare wines from just that particular region,and they educate you on the wines you are tasting, too, as well as the history of the region where the wines come from, so it's really interesting. And, the tastings I've done, they do little trivia questions about wine and the winner recieves a full bottle of wine! We've never won the trivia questions because there always seems to be others in the group who REALLY know everything about wine! We love wine, but aren't deeply educated in it. Anyway, not sure if every wine tasting session they do this trivia thing with the free bottle of wine, but the ones we've been to, they have done that. Maybe it depends on the Sommelier who is running the tasting.

I know they do Martini tasting. We've never been to one of those, but I would like to sometime. I love Martinis. DH is not as into Martini's, though.

I am positive I've seen Beer tasting, too. But, we are not beer drinkers at all, so it hasn't been on my radar, but I do believe i've seen beer tastings.

Then, I think I've also seen like a mixology type class/tasting thing where it's mixed drinks, and they actually show you how to make different cocktails, and you get to try them, too.

So, yes, various "adult beverage" tastings available. They will list them in the navigator you will get daily, and then you go to Guest Services and sign up for the tasting and pay for it then. You will get a ticket saying you paid, and then when you show up for the tasting, there will be a Cast Member at the entrance taking your ticket (to make sure people who haven't paid do not get in).

So, they do all cost extra, though. The wine tastings I think were between $15 - $18 per person. But, it was worth it... you get like 5 or 6 2 oz glasses of wine to taste, then if you are the lucky one to win the bottle of wine if they do a trivia question, then you for sure got your money's worth! And, the tastings we've been to typically last 30 - 40 minutes.

-Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Thanks Kathy,
I hoped you would know some answers for BT. Plus nowTanya and Darcie might be interested and might go.

I didnt remember details accept i knew i had seen a couple of tastings. I dont drink so didnt pay alot of attention to that event.

I will see if I can find a Navigator that might have the beer information when I get a minute and will post what i find if anything.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

I found a Navigator on line from March of 2011 for a 7 day Eastern so all thse tasting should be the same. I only looked through Monday but here is what I found for tastings.

Martini
Wine
Margarita and Tequila
Whiskey
Beer
Cognac


I do believe some of these may repeat, especially on sea days. It didnt give aprice but it did say to sign up for it. So when your Navigator comes tin the evening and you see the next day has atasting you want, I would go right then and sign up.

Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi All,

I'm sure everyone knows this, but for the first time cruisers, in case you don't, while you are on the ship, you can book a future DCL cruise, and by doing this, you get 10% off the cruise, plus a $200 on board credit and you only need to put down 10% depost rather than a 20% deposit, which is also really nice! It is really a great perk because DCL never (at least to my knowledge) ever gives percentage discounts outside of booking on the ship.

The only discounts you can get outside the ship is from time to time, they'll do promotions where kid's sail free, but other than that, booking on the ship is the best way to make your next cruise even more affordable.

We always book our next cruise on board, which is great for two reasons. 1) we get the discount and on board credit, which is great and 2) as soon as we get off the ship, we already have our next cruise to look forward to!

I'm writing this because we always figure out before we get on the ship which cruise we want to book by looking at the DCL site and see what is offered, and what prices they are, etc., so that way when we get on the ship, we won't spent a lot of time trying to figure out what we want to book, and also, when you are on the ship, sometimes you can get SO excited that if you don't logically think it through before you get on the ship what you can afford in your budget, or what works time-wise, etc, if you wait to think about your next cruise while you're on the ship, you may end up booking something that you realize later on that you wish you hadn't because of budget or time or even itinerary.

But, you can change your cruise without pentalty (at least for now you can), so that is good. So, if you do end up booking a cruise on the ship, and then you get home and realize that particular cruise won't work, as long as you are within the time you can change without penalty, you can move your cruise to a different date/ship/itinerary, etc.

We've only done that once (it was actually for this cruise!!). We had originally book the 7-day Eastern for December of this year, but long story short, we moved it to the Nov 5-12 without penalty.... and it became a birthday cruise.

So, we are already now figuring out our future cruises so we can book on board in November. I am hoping that the 2013 itineraries come out before Nov 5 so we can choose from those itineraries as well.

Now, I have a question for everyone.

I keep reading a lot of negative reviews on the main DIS boards about the Dream. I am sure we won't go on the Dream because for us, it doesn't make sense to fly so far just to go on a 3, 4 or 5 day cruise, plus, we just really love the 7+ day cruises. But, the Fantasy will be doing 7 day cruises. Knowing the Fantasy is a sister ship to the Dream, with all the negative reviews (not ALL are negative, but a lot are negative), I'm wondering if any of you are going to book a future cruise on the Dream or Fantasy?

We are considering booking a cruise on the Fantasy just to give it a try.... but in all honesty, we really really love the smaller ships, so we're still up in the air about booking the Fantasy. We might also wait to book the Fantasy for a couple years so there is time for the ship and the CM's to get all the kinks out by it being so new.

Anyway, just wondering if people have plans to re-book on board, and if so, which ship/itinerary?

We are probably going to book another Mexican Riviera cruise... it's just SO close for us to get to, and right now the MR is very affordable compared to the Caribbean cruises. So, we'll probably do that, but my DH does want to book the Fantasy for next year, but we are still weighing that decision out.

Take care,
Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Kathy,

we too usually rebook while on board. We actually had the TA 14 day cruise last September booked and had to cancel so we tranfsered to Oct 10th 2011 4 day Dream cruise and then decided for what it was costing it was crazy to get a 4 day when we could do a 7 day for the same price or even a bit less. So we then changed to this cruise. No penalties and we kept the great OBC we had too.

We would like to see one of the new ships but not until the kinks are out of them.
I am hoping they will learn from their mistakes on the Dream for the Fantasy.
I just hate to spend more money for the same length of cruise days to just see a new ship. I'm sure if we do a new ship it will be the Fantasy due to the longer length of their cruises. But it would probably be over a year away if we do.

I too have read more negative than possitive reports about the Dream. Mostly from people who have cruised on Disney before and they were expecting the same excellant quality they get on the other ships and they didnt get it.

Kathy

 

[NC2WDW]

Kathy (LovesToRun): I have been thinking of booking onboard for awhile now. You have inspired me to do so. I'm not sure that I knew you got the onboard credit in addition. We already have tentative plans to go to WDW, next Thanksgiving, and take my dad, step mom, half sister and nephew. I say "take" because we will be using our DVC points for them as well. So I have been eyeing the 3 day to the Bahamas on the Dream, leaving out the Thursday or Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. Depending on when they decide to come down, we could do either.

Just wondering if we flew, stayed at WDW one night, wouldn't it be discounted transportation to and from port? Also, when does the repeat cruise (castaway club) discount kick in?

 

[LovesToRun]

Kathy (LovesToRun): I have been thinking of booking onboard for awhile now. You have inspired me to do so. I'm not sure that I knew you got the onboard credit in addition. We already have tentative plans to go to WDW, next Thanksgiving, and take my dad, step mom, half sister and nephew. I say "take" because we will be using our DVC points for them as well. So I have been eyeing the 3 day to the Bahamas on the Dream, leaving out the Thursday or Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. Depending on when they decide to come down, we could do either.

Just wondering if we flew, stayed at WDW one night, wouldn't it be discounted transportation to and from port? Also, when does the repeat cruise (castaway club) discount kick in?

Yes, if you plan to do another cruise, it's definitely worth it to book on board, and like Kathy (gma) said above (and I also said we did... how we ended up on this cruise), you can always move it to a different date if need be. And, worst case, you can always just cancel all together before the cancellation penalty sets in, but hopefully you wouldn't have to result to that. But, I think sailing at Thanksgiving sounds like fun!! We actually are thinking of booking the Thanksgiving 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise... but only if we can get other family members to go with us so we can all celebrate Thanksgiving together. We'll see.

As for the transfers to port from WDW, no, you still have to pay for those no matter if it's from MCO or WDW. The only Disney transporation that is free is the Magical Express from MCO to WDW. So, you'd still have to pay for the Disney Cruiseline transfers.

And, as far as I know, there is not a Castaway Club discount. But, you do become part of the Castaway Club as soon as you finish your first cruise, so as of Nov 12, you will be in the Castaway Club, and you will be in the silver category until you finish your 5th cruise. But, the one thing you will get being in the Castaway Club is a gift in your stateroom for your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on cruise. So, that is kind of fun.

Kathy (gma) can tell more about Castaway Club that I may have missed since she is Platinum (we are still silver). But, as far as I know, at least for the silver tier, there is no discount for being in the Castaway Club.

Kathy (gmaX4), do you know if booking 3 & 4 night cruises, you still get a $200 on board credit, or is it less than $200? I had thought that all cruises you book on board gets a $200 OBC... I know for sure the 7+ day cruises do, but since we've never done less than a 7 day cruise, I don't know that for sure.

Kathy