Oct 18th 2007, 3 nights?

[PiperG]

Pearlieq,

Although we are in MN, my DH and DS10 are MAJOR Bears fans. I will try and remember to have DS wear his Urlacher jersey on either at the hotel or on embarkation so that you can spot him early. #54 is also his soccer number!

If you happen to catch him, be sure to let him know that the Bears are just having a tough season. He is taking their losses hard.

P.S. Go Cubs! Take a bite out of the Dbacks!

 

[pearlieq]

Although we are in MN, my DH and DS10 are MAJOR Bears fans. I will try and remember to have DS wear his Urlacher jersey on either at the hotel or on embarkation so that you can spot him early. #54 is also his soccer number!

If you happen to catch him, be sure to let him know that the Bears are just having a tough season. He is taking their losses hard.

I will look for #54! We are also HUGE Bears fans (surprise, surprise). DH can comisserate with your DS, he's also taking the losses hard. I tease him that it's because he's not native to Chicago (he moved here for college). We natives know that our sports always come with a little pain...

Whereabouts in MN are you? I was born in Winona and my mom spent a few years in Hopkins and Shakopee. She speaks very fondly of it.

Edited to add: Duh, I see you're in Minneapolis. Have you lived there for a long time?

 

[PiperG]

Whereabouts in MN are you? I was born in Winona and my mom spent a few years in Hopkins and Shakopee. She speaks very fondly of it.

Edited to add: Duh, I see you're in Minneapolis. Have you lived there for a long time?

Actually, we are in Maple Grove. I should change that sig. . . . I don't know why I put Minneapolis. I work in Eden Prairie which is just down the Highway from Hopkins.

I am a San Diego Native. We have been here for about 10 years and have adjusted to the winter cold. However, we don't like how l-o-n-g the winters are Someday we are going to move to a warmer climate or a place where the winters are shorter.

DH's whole family is from IL and he lived there as a kid. Once a Bears fan, always a Bears fan! I have to show the guys this thread!!

 

[Munchkin74112]

last count had about 837 10 year old boys on this cruise

OMG ! My son (Aaron ) will love that.......

P.S...first cruise..can someone please direct me to the bar considering the above statistic??

 

[Munchkin74112]

One sidenote, Munchkin74112, you can still book Palo sometimes when you first board ship. Has to be SSB's plan, as just booked, so I don't even have cabin number yet. I am hoping that docs might be there tonight!!

Here's to a great voyage for us ALL!

Haven't decided if I will or not... for one my son would have to have "something else" to do...... two...don't want to be the third wheel on some other couples special night....ya know?

Would somebody explain how to tip please.....seriously, just a little Munchkin here from Okie land, not a big traveler....what the heck do I do???? How much and to whom?

 

[pearlieq]

Dinner again! I have the pickiest eater in the world and I'm lucky to get him to a restaurant here. Will these restaurants have anything that a kid will eat...? Thanks again.

No worries about picky eaters! Disney does a great job. At every dinner he can pick from the adult menu or the kid menu.

Aside from all of the regular meals on the adult and kid menus, there is plain steak, chicken, and fish on the adult menu every night and hamburgers, pizza, chicken fingers, and mac & cheese on the kid's menu for every night. Hopefully he'll find something he likes!

 

[PiperG]

P.S...first cruise..can someone please direct me to the bar considering the above statistic??

Your DS will love the Lab! If you want to do Palo or hang out in some of the adult areas, he can just stay there. You will get a pager and you will be paged if he needs you.

The forward area of the ship is for adults. My favorite is the sports-pub (Diversions). If you are a baseball fan and we still have playoffs taking place or the World Series is on, catch it there.

There is also a night-club (?Wavebands) that turns adult-only at about 8:00 or 9:00. On the first night they have "match your mate" which is like the newly-wed game. Married or not, it is fun to watch. They also have a 70's party on Saturday night that goes until about midnight. I don't want to give away what happens there so be sure to go while DS is in the Lab with the kids.

 

[pearlieq]

P.S...first cruise..can someone please direct me to the bar considering the above statistic??

Psst! The trick is to hide in the adult pool! The bar's right there--just slosh you way over. It's a little bit of paradise!

 

[pearlieq]

Actually, we are in Maple Grove. I should change that sig. . . . I don't know why I put Minneapolis. I work in Eden Prairie which is just down the Highway from Hopkins.

I am a San Diego Native. We have been here for about 10 years and have adjusted to the winter cold. However, we don't like how l-o-n-g the winters are Someday we are going to move to a warmer climate or a place where the winters are shorter.

DH's whole family is from IL and he lived there as a kid. Once a Bears fan, always a Bears fan! I have to show the guys this thread!!

We have lots of Cargill friends in Eden Prairie. I hear it's a really lovely area.

That must have been a heck of a system shock going from San Diego to MN! Yikes! We have hopes of maybe moving or snowbirding someday too. We keep talking about retiring in Vegas. I could deal with that...

You're not kidding about Bears fans! People used to watch that thing on Saturday Night Live and think it was a joke. I never understood why it was so funny--it looked just like my uncles.

 

[Munchkin74112]

DH's whole family is from IL and he lived there as a kid. Once a Bears fan, always a Bears fan! I have to show the guys this thread!!

Welcome PiperG!!! How funny you made that statement.

My ex was born and raised in Chicago and thus...OMG..I can remember the year we won the SuperBowl...what a party.......anyways...I've been divorced from him for.....oh, almost two decades...yet my adult children DD25 and DS24 are die hard BEAR fans and well, I guess I have just remained one as well............. look forward to meeting everyone. (Let's just kinda not mention Grossman.."K".. )

 

[Munchkin74112]

Psst! The trick is to hide in the adult pool! The bar's right there--just slosh you way over. It's a little bit of paradise!

Pealieq!! Too funny....... "Thank you" for all the information...heck, the kids menu sounds good to me!!! I can at least pronounce it.

 

[pearlieq]

Would somebody explain how to tip please.....seriously, just a little Munchkin here from Okie land, not a big traveler....what the heck do I do???? How much and to whom?

No worries! It's really easy.

For the main people you tip onboard (your waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter, and room steward) Disney will put a little instruction sheet and envelopes in your room on the second to last night. You can either just put cash in the envelopes or go down to guest services and charge the tips to your onboard account. If you charge the tips, guest services will give you a little slip to tuck in the envelope with your tip amount.

You just take your envelopes to dinner on the last night and hand them out to the waiter, assistant waiter, and head waiter. You can either leave the one for the room steward in your room or catch him/her in the hall to give it to them.

Here's the suggested tip amounts for the 3nt cruise. This number is per person (adults and kids pay the same) and is for the WHOLE cruise, not just per night. So just multiply these numbers by how many people are in your group, and that's how much to budget for tips for the cruise.

Waiter - $11.00
Asst. Waiter - $8.00
Head Waiter - $2.75
Room Steward - $10.75

You don't have to tip at breakfast, lunch, or when you get any snacks, no matter where you get them. The same waiters who serve you at dinner work the other restaurants during the day, so your main tip includes that work.

There is a 15% added automatically to all bar charges. However, they still leave a blank tip line on the charge slip, so be careful not to double tip unless you mean to!

Room service runners should also be tipped. Plan on about $1/entree you order, with maybe an extra buck thrown in if you place a really big order. DH and I usually tip $2-$3 for the two of us, depending on how much we order.

Kids Club staff are not tipped, so don't worry about that.

Porters at the port are tipped just like bellmen. Usually $1/small bag, $2/large bag.

Spa/Salon workers usually get 20% of the bill if you are happy with the service. You just add this on the tip line when you sign the charge slip.

DCL Shuttle bus drivers can be tipped at your discretion if they help with bags or go above and beyond to make your ride to/from the port nice. If you choose to tip them, tip them like you would a bellman.

I think that about covers everyone, but if I've forgotten anything, feel free to ask!

 

[SideshowBob]

Great advice, pearlieq!


SSB also ties to Chicago... lived there for six years before moving here to Disney (opened the Sheraton Chicago, as I know others mentioned Starwood). Lived in Lincoln Park and LOVED the time there. Can't beat Bears and TWO MLB teams!!!!

 

[pearlieq]

(Let's just kinda not mention Grossman.."K".. )

La, la, la, la...Did someone say something? I didn't hear anything...

 

[Munchkin74112]

La, la, la, la...Did someone say something? I didn't hear anything...

I can't WAIT to meet everyone..."THANK YOU" for the wonderful Tip information, that was exactly what I need to know and how to plan.....

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[lovindisney4]

Boy, I step away from the computer for a day and look what I come back too! Lots of new people and the the coolest "Recap" of all of us on-board! Thank you!

PiperG - I have TONS of friends in Eden Prairie that I went to ASU with! Love it, really pretty area! Maybe we have some friends in common? We'll have to chat onboard.

What's up with green? I haven't been on this board very long, so just wondering what the "green" bracelet means and when we are supposed to wear green.

Pearlieg - Yes, we are leaving at 4:00am, LOTS of coffee for me fiqure we can sleep on the plane and hit the bed early that night if needed. Why wait around Chicago when we can be in ORLANDO!!!!!!

SideshowBob - We are the Starwood People, we own @ The Westin Kierlands/Scottsdale, where do you own at?

I feel like I'm out of the game here missing all these posts today, DD11 had a soccer game tonight...I'm trying to jump back in!
Beth

 

[pearlieq]

What's up with green? I haven't been on this board very long, so just wondering what the "green" bracelet means and when we are supposed to wear green.

Green, and not any tasteful, polite green, but big, bright, visible-from-space LIME GREEN, is the official color of the DIS.

Folks sometimes wear lime green clothes, lanyards, bracelets so they can identify each other on the cruise or in the parks. Trouble is some people just like lime green, so you wind up being suspicious of everyone in green.

I'll try to remember to have DH wear his lime green polo on embarkation day. He picked it out, along with a banana yellow one, and a bright orange one, the one and ONLY time he was ever allowed to shop by himself.

 

[Munchkin74112]

Green, and not any tasteful, polite green, but big, bright, visible-from-space LIME GREEN, is the official color of the DIS.

Folks sometimes wear lime green clothes, lanyards, bracelets so they can identify each other on the cruise or in the parks. Trouble is some people just like lime green, so you wind up being suspicious of everyone in green.

I'll try to remember to have DH wear his lime green polo on embarkation day. He picked it out, along with a banana yellow one, and a bright orange one, the one and ONLY time he was ever allowed to shop by himself.

bwb... thought I had all my shopping done...lime green eeeeh?

 

[SideshowBob]

Have been on some cruises where we all decided to meet at a certain spot during the initial "sail away" party, just so we could all say "hello", and then know each other during the cruise. It is a fun and busy time, but seems to work well as all new and fun part of this cruise for us all.

If anyone knows of a good location, would surely be game to try to be there to say hello as we head out to sea!

 

[SideshowBob]

Two weeks from now, docked in Nassau!