Obsessing about the "do they have's"

[mom2aredhead]

There are so many threads with people in a panic if they don't have a specific something...whether its a brand of yogurt, soft drink, artificial sweetener...do they have sweet tea, red bull, smoothies, root beer...if I go through the threads, I will find many more.

Dietary and health issues notwithstanding, is this really that important to people, or is this just another result of obsessive Disboards overplanning? I mean, I am brand loyal at home but for an 8 day cruise, nothing is that important that I feel the need to pack it and bring it with me.

I just don't get it??

 

[rentayenta]

Admittedly my morning decaf won't be the same without my Coffeemate fat free vanilla creamer but its nothing I'd take time to pack, buy, or fret over.

 

[neg58]

Before my first cruise I found this forum and was reading and taking notes and checking floor plans and excursions. I found a lot of good tips, but I also found a lot of people who were unhappy because they didn't like their stateroom or the Mickey bars or the waiter or if they didn't get the PAT they wanted, and I realized I didn't want my vacation to be successful or not based on silly things like coke or pepsi, an upgrade or not, AERR or REAA.

So I decided to stop worrying about getting an upgrade or being first on the aquaduck or sitting in the front row of the theater. We didn't even get to the port until 12:30 and we only live 2 hours away.

There were things I was really happy I learned about - pillowcases, FE, the dinning rotation (although I didn't care what order it was) - but I decided to let a few things come as a surprise to me. My daughter, who is a total Disney kid, didn't research it at all and let it all be one big surprise. I didn't even tell her about excursions until we were headed to them. She had a great time.

Nancy

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There are so many threads with people in a panic if they don't have a specific something...whether its a brand of yogurt, soft drink, artificial sweetener...do they have sweet tea, red bull, smoothies, root beer...if I go through the threads, I will find many more.

Dietary and health issues notwithstanding, is this really that important to people, or is this just another result of obsessive Disboards overplanning? I mean, I am brand loyal at home but for an 8 day cruise, nothing is that important that I feel the need to pack it and bring it with me.

I just don't get it??

I think a lot of it is detail over-planning issues.

As much as I love hanging around here, I'm so glad I didn't know about DISboards (or the other cruiseboards out there) before my first cruise. I would have been a basket case long before the cruise.

That's why my number one tip for cruising is "don't try to do (or plan) everything, you can't". You'll have a much more enjoyable cruise if you just really have fun with what you can do, and laugh inwardly at those who are rushing around trying to get to every event onboard, or take at least 2 excursions in every port.

I vacation for relaxation. If I miss something (and I will), there's always the next cruise to do it.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

There are so many threads with people in a panic if they don't have a specific something...whether its a brand of yogurt, soft drink, artificial sweetener...do they have sweet tea, red bull, smoothies, root beer...if I go through the threads, I will find many more.

Dietary and health issues notwithstanding, is this really that important to people, or is this just another result of obsessive Disboards overplanning? I mean, I am brand loyal at home but for an 8 day cruise, nothing is that important that I feel the need to pack it and bring it with me.

I just don't get it??

Neither do I. There's a lot of things I can do without for 1 week. I like my plain ol'Maxwell House coffee at home and DCL coffee is a few steps down from that but they bring it to my room in 15 mins so it's good enough for me. Is the ketchup really Heinz? I don't know but they put it on ds's plate in the shape of a Mickey head. It's all good.
Maybe people are just spoiled and have a long list of things they "have to have" or they unravel.

 

[phillmolly]

I really needed to know about the pop and ice tea situation. If they had pepsi and fountain ice tea onboard, Iwould need to know so I could bring a case or two of water with me. Yes, I am that picky when it comes to what I will drink. It would have really sucked to find out only pepsi products was onbaord for both me and my family since I would have been complaing every time I was thristy and couldn't find anything to drink.

 

[Meghatron]

I really needed to know about the pop and ice tea situation. If they had pepsi and fountain ice tea onboard, Iwould need to know so I could bring a case or two of water with me. Yes, I am that picky when it comes to what I will drink. It would have really sucked to find out only pepsi products was onbaord for both me and my family since I would have been complaing every time I was thristy and couldn't find anything to drink.

Coke products onboard and brewed iced tea in the dining rooms.

 

[phillmolly]

Thanks, Meghatron! It was actually one of the first questions I posted when I found out we were going on a Disney Cruise.

 

[pearlieq]

For a lot of people their DCL vacation is a really big deal. They may have to save up for years to afford it and won't be able to go again for several years, if at all. I think they devote this kind of mental energy to it not because they really care that much about having root beer for 7 days but because they want to think and daydream about their vacation.

Extending the planning out to every minute detail helps them wring maximum enjoyment out of their trip.

Then there's just people like my DH who prefer Sweet & Low because they swear the other stuff doesn't dissolve in their iced tea. It takes 30 seconds to ask if they have it onboard and 30 seconds for me to throw some in a baggie and put it in my suitcase if they don't. He won't die without his Sweet & Low but for 60 seconds of work he can have his tea how he likes it all week.

 

[manateesmom]

Some people are "picky eaters" in a way that's more OCD than you would think. My parents have a lot of very specific food and drink requests, and get very anxious if they're not available, for example. For some people, it's a much more significant issue than it is for you.

 

[dizzi]

I think it is a little bit of everything.

For myself, the planning and surfing the boards........makes my vacations seem like more than a week to me.

I have a Mini vacation everytime i come on the boards.

ALso i had a son that was add, adhd, ocd........so i felt i did need to know a bit more, so i could be prepared.

When we were doing the parks, more than the cruising, i had a detailed list of what we would do and when.....not comando, just so we had a plan and were not in the parks wondering or arguing about what to do next.

SO MANY REASONS

 

[k3chantal]

There are so many threads with people in a panic if they don't have a specific something...whether its a brand of yogurt, soft drink, artificial sweetener...do they have sweet tea, red bull, smoothies, root beer...if I go through the threads, I will find many more.

Dietary and health issues notwithstanding, is this really that important to people, or is this just another result of obsessive Disboards overplanning? I mean, I am brand loyal at home but for an 8 day cruise, nothing is that important that I feel the need to pack it and bring it with me.

I just don't get it??

I wouldn't bother trying to 'get it'. We are a society that is so use to getting what we want, when we want it and then we pay for vacations that tell us that how ever we want it we can have it, no wonder people are disappointed that their specific item isn't available.

99.9% of the time I am so happy at Disney whether it is a cruise or a resort or a park, I can happily live without my specific brand of coffee creamer even though I wouldn't live a day normally without it. I did however find myself figuring out how to get Pepsi delivered when my best friend's husband who was on a trip with us declared it impossible to spend 8 days without his favorite beverage. I became as bad as the rest of them since I enable his need.

 

[crundell]

Then there's just people like my DH who prefer Sweet & Low because they swear the other stuff doesn't dissolve in their iced tea. It takes 30 seconds to ask if they have it onboard and 30 seconds for me to throw some in a baggie and put it in my suitcase if they don't. He won't die without his Sweet & Low but for 60 seconds of work he can have his tea how he likes it all week.

While I don't stress about much, only the pink packet dissolves in ice tea, I swear! One night at a dinner with friends I found the restaurant did not have the dang pink packets. I asked and was told they had raw something-or-other or blah, blah, blah... I don't even remember what she said I just wanted sweet & low! To this day one of the friends that was with me texts me and says so-and-so has the pink packets! It makes me giggle every time because it's at the most random times.

So I guess this may be one for the packing list?

 

[ufcabear]

I like liquid flavored creamer for my coffee each morning so I buy a box of the little singles that come flavored (like they have in some restaurants) and pack it in my travel bag. Then I take a couple out each morning and take to Cabanas for breakfast. Works for me.

Also, I just say I love Coke products and am happy they are there.

It is ok to be a little picky after all isn't that why we choose Disney?

 

[Jareds_mommy]

For us we need to know brand specific for something's because our DD has a dye allergy and some brands are safe some we would have to research, like ketchup, also in the US some brands of the same pop contain caffeine there but not here, so we need to pre research that too. So for us we want to know so we can do our homework, knowing the Mickey bars in the dining room come with sprinkles is good to know so we can ask for them with out.

 

[su_A_ve]

I like liquid flavored creamer for my coffee each morning so I buy a box of the little singles that come flavored (like they have in some restaurants) and pack it in my travel bag. Then I take a couple out each morning and take to Cabanas for breakfast. Works for me.

Also, I just say I love Coke products and am happy they are there.

It is ok to be a little picky after all isn't that why we choose Disney?

Coke products but no coke zero...

 

[jm106]

To each his own I guess. I have nothing that I must have but did ask about brewed unsweetened tea on another thread, mearly because it was there.
Personally, I read and post because it kills the time before we go but nothing I see changes how I feel about the trip- no soda brand would be worth getting ruffeled over for us. Then again, I dont drink soda or sweet tea or that kind of stuff.

 

[cruisecrasher]

To each his own I guess. I have nothing that I must have but did ask about brewed unsweetened tea on another thread, mearly because it was there.
Personally, I read and post because it kills the time before we go but nothing I see changes how I feel about the trip- no soda brand would be worth getting ruffeled over for us. Then again, I dont drink soda or sweet tea or that kind of stuff.

I do it to kill time.
Oh and occasionally to address my vegan diet. They just don't have that information anywhere on the official website (Other than they will accommodate.)

 

[mom2aredhead]

We are a society that is so use to getting what we want, when we want it and then we pay for vacations that tell us that how ever we want it we can have it, no wonder people are disappointed that their specific item isn't available.

I think this hits the nail on the head.

Me personally...there are 365 days in a year. So for 357 I can have my "favorite" something or other. The other 8 I have to suffer, on a beautiful ship, in a beautiful location and enjoying time with my family, dining on good food, and the trade off is Dannon instead of Chobani...I'm good.

 

[darkwing818]

I think a lot of it is detail over-planning issues.

As much as I love hanging around here, I'm so glad I didn't know about DISboards (or the other cruiseboards out there) before my first cruise. I would have been a basket case long before the cruise.

That's why my number one tip for cruising is "don't try to do (or plan) everything, you can't". You'll have a much more enjoyable cruise if you just really have fun with what you can do, and laugh inwardly at those who are rushing around trying to get to every event onboard, or take at least 2 excursions in every port.

I vacation for relaxation. If I miss something (and I will), there's always the next cruise to do it.

I couldn't agree more, regarding our 1st Disney cruise back in 2001. We knew the basics, but everything else was a fun adventure (we learned our DDs didn't like 1st dining ). Don't get me wrong, I love planning our cruises (what night do we do Remy, which excursions etc.) & WDW visits. Heck we have 4 Disney cruises (with WDW too) scheduled over the next 22 months, & I am all ready scooping & planning, it's just part of my vacation process (keeps me psyched). I guess we've just been lucky on our cruises & WDW trips have always been enjoyable, without worrying about, what soda is being served, who is our MDR server, what night is Pirate night etc. Just my 2 cents worth.....