October 15, 2005 anyone?

[SamR]

...to find out our dining rotation, do we call our TA or should we contact Disney either through customer service or via the Castaway Club.

Good question! I don't know if the TA has access to anything that shows what the rotation is...I guess he/she could always contact DCL on your behalf to fine out. The other option is to call DCL yourself and ask to speak to Debbie, the dining manager. She would be able to tell you, assuming that the rotation is already assigned. (I have no idea how early they make the assignment. And if they assign it early on, perhaps at reservation time, are they likely to change it later as they need to balance cruisers between the rotations? Dunno! ) If you give it a try, let us know what you find out!

I had ordered the RP at sea and I wonder if we still get a little priority...

Is the RP the same thing as REAS? I know that cruisers with the REAS package can do online booking at 105 days (like Cat 1-3 guests). Is the RP something different?

 

[FinVicMom]

Sam - yes the REAS is the same as the Romance Package (RP) at sea. Thanks for the advise. I'll try to find out what our rotation will be since I will also have to coordinate with my Mom's and Mom-In-Law's stateroom. Thanks
Evie

 

[SamR]

I'll try to find out what our rotation will be...

I just read a thread on the Cruise board where someone asked the same question. The consensus opinion is that DCL doesn't assign the rotation until right before the cruise, so they can't/won't tell you if you call them. Here's the thread if you are interested in reading it and haven't seen it yet: No Rotation Info.

It looks like you have to take your best guess, or better yet, choose a night that would be an acceptable choice regardless of which of the three rotations you get. For example, if you want to be sure you see the "show" at AP (which is only on the first night you eat there), then you have to avoid booking Palo any of the first three nights (Sat, Sun, Mon). If you don't want to miss Pirate night, avoid Tuesday. If you like lobster (which you can order in Palo's as well, but I want to try their "regular" menu), then avoid "lobster night" (also semi-formal night) Thursday. Just a few examples of some of the considerations you might keep in mind. Can you tell that I've thought about this way too much?

 

[jenmack]

Sam, I'm the same as you. I too, over analyze and think way too much on this stuff.
I have been told that we can request a rotaion, but are not guarenteed that rotation. The rotation that I requested last time I did get. I did a chart, filled in the port of calls, theme nights, etc. then went from there fuguring out when I (we) would want to go to Palo's, spa, brunch...
Also, I have read here on the DIS boards that with families with small children and that have early seating that Disney tends to slot them in on the APL rotation. Why? Don't know.

We booked thru DU this time & I emailed Sue Ellen a few days ago with our resv. & rotation requests. She said that she will make the ressies about 100 days before cruise & will contact us with the confirmation. We too, have the REAS. Otherwise, last year we went thru All Seasons Travel and I called Debbie myself about 2 months before cruise with my requests. She is really friendly and I got all my requests. Okay, that's enough rambling....

Everyone, have a beautiful weekend and to you mothers... HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SamR]

...I emailed Sue Ellen a few days ago with our resv. & rotation requests.

Which rotation did you request? I'm thinking about requesting PLAPLAP. That would put us in Lumiere's on Formal Night, and Parrot Cay on Pirate Night.

 

[jenmack]

Sam, We requested the PLA rotation. We are @ 2nd seating. too. We really liked our server lastime. Or, at least I did and I guess that he's been promoted to head server for the PLA rotation. We are going to Palo's on formal night, though. We have already done formal night and we still will be dressing up for semi formal night so it will be Palo's on formal night.

 

[shmoogrrrl]

I wonder how registering for the Kids club works in advance? You fill out any necessary forms and that sort of thing, then when you drop them off the first time, they give you a pager and the kids band?

OMG! My sweet tiny little girl is going to be 3 in 25 days! Why do they insist on getting older like that? YIKES! There should be a law against it. I'm trying to finalize all the details of her party this week. Fun fun!

 

[cntkg1]

Just got back to Milwaukee after one week in Daytona Beach with DH, SIL & BIL. Had a great time at the beach but sure was a long drive to Disney everyday.

On Thursday we went for a ride to Port Canaveral and we saw the Wonder. I was so excited I could barely take it!!! DH and I ran up to the gate where real passengers were waiting and hung on the fence to see that great ship. Got yelled at because we crossed the road to take a look and we weren't supposed to. This guy came speeding over in his little cart to yell at us and I started to speak to him in german and told him I didn't understand. My SIL was laughing so hard she almost pee'd her pants. My parents would be proud of me that I didn't forget their language.


We took a few pictures and left. Now I'm really excited about our October cruise. That ship was huge!!!

Another funny story....after we landed in Orlando and walked towards the baggage claim, I saw a Disney Cruise employee waving at people with big Mickey gloves and holding a DCL sign. I told her I'd see her in October and she said she'd be waiting for me. Well, one week later, that same lady was standing there today. I looked her way and just smiled. She yelled over to me "See you in October"!! YIKES!!! That kind of freaked me out a bit.

Just wanted to share my little stories.

See you all soon,
Nancy

 

[llyolf]

OMG! My sweet tiny little girl is going to be 3 in 25 days! Why do they insist on getting older like that? YIKES! There should be a law against it. I'm trying to finalize all the details of her party this week. Fun fun!

you just wait.... registering for kindergarden is even better/worse

Later,
Paul

I want my SWA fares! I want them NOW!!!!!!

 

[jenmack]

Nancy,
I liked your speaking in German story. Too cute! I can kind of relate. When my caller Id shows a telemarketer calling sometimes when I need a good laugh I will answer the phone in French. I don't speak it very well mind you. Just some high school French, but my kids go to a French Immersion school & can speak it pretty fluently so I have picked up a few words/phrases from them. Anyway, once in a great while I'll answer the phone that way & boy do I throw them off. Sometimes I get pretty funny responses. My husband just looks at me strange & tells me that I'm wierd. I just tell him that I'm quirky. Anyway, I suppose this is way too much info...

Brenda, looking foreward to seeing the logo that you and your nephew come up with. I'm not any good at that sort of thing.

Well, hope everyone had a great weekend. I keep checking for good airfare deals. Maybe @ the end of this month they will come out. I found a pretty good deal for AirTran, but it only went up to October 5th. Oh Well. I hope SW delivers for those of you that get Sw. Minneapolis doesn't.

 

[shmoogrrrl]

you just wait.... registering for kindergarden is even better/worse

Yikes! Two years to go before that happens! I did okay with her going to Preschool, but then again, that is only two days a week.

 

[txaggie94gigem]

i booked with dana and michael at cruise planners and they said the dinners on the magic for this fall are all up in the air. they said disney will be switching to the staggered dining times by this fall so there is no telling what time we will really be eating...since i also have late seating it better not be too much later than 8:30 since i have little ones...

i have also been told that i can make my ressies with the REAS plan 105 days before cruisin' as mong as we are paid in full...so there is still a slight advantage to the REAS...

i have never been on a 7 day cruise so i really do not want to miss any of the dinners, esp the "new" ones to me. We really did not like the dinner we had the last night on the Wonder, which right now is the same meal as the last night on the magic so i think we will eat at Palos the last night early then just have dessert at our reg dinner time....

i am looking forward to the cruise....my mom is coming with us now (my husband is so thrilled ) so our group is now 7!!! now if i could just lose about 100 pounds before the cruise i'll be set

 

[SamR]

...they said disney will be switching to the staggered dining times by this fall so there is no telling what time we will really be eating...

I thought that I read where they were already doing this, but perhaps only on the Wonder. I also believe that the times were staggered at 15 minute intervals between the three main dining rooms (say 6:00 for Lumiere's, 6:15 for AP, & 6:30 for Parrot Cay, or something like that) primarily to reduce congestion in the halls as everyone arrived (and departed) the three rooms at roughly the same time. Hopefully, it's nothing more radical than that. Us chronic planning types are easily rattled by late-breaking changes!

 

[crazyformickey]

PearlandPaige - Howdy neighbor!

15 minute intervals between the three main dining rooms (say 6:00 for Lumiere's, 6:15 for AP, & 6:30 for Parrot Cay, or something like that)

I wonder if that is going for late seating also... 8:30 Lumiere's, 8:45 for AP, & 9:00 for Parrot Cay. That seems rather late.

I like the idea of meeting for Brunch @ Palo's on Monday. But we are becoming a large group. Do you think they will be able to fit us all in?

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

Looks like everyone is scrambling to figure out what Reservations we all want. Isn't it funny how we freak out over this stuff.
It is actually part of the fun though.

I have not heard back from Annette at MouseEarsVacations yet?? So I called and left a message to get my reservation #. I would really rather set up my own anyway. Like you said...Then I will know what I got and when.

That will be so nice to have that taken care of. Does our reservation have to be paid in full before we can set up our times. My pay off date is not till August,but I can call in 90 days out on July 17th?

Some of us have the same ideas for Palo dinner and brunch. I can't believe how fast time is flying.

My friends have talked me into booking another RCL cruise for the week of July 4th 2006. I guess I will be taking Josie along on this one too. Majesty of the Seas is supposed to have a good kids program. Great stops too. I could never afford Disney during that week. Enchantment was ok in January and if the Seas were not so rough it may have been better. It just does not compare to DCL in my mind,but I won't turn down a chance to cruise. Plus it stays in KeyWest till 6:00pm and I am excited about that. Enchantment left by 2:00 an that was just not enough time. We are supposed to be booking this week....UGH! I need to pay off my Disney cruise. Good thing RCL only requires $100 down.

Ok,better get back to work!

 

[llyolf]

I like the idea of meeting for Brunch @ Palo's on Monday. But we are becoming a large group. Do you think they will be able to fit us all in?

I never thought about that... we probably have to scratch that... unless we want to have a couple of "mini-meets" and then on giant meet somewhere more accomodating... (on water-skis)

hey maybe we can all meet at the non-denominational church service on Sunday morning.... it's non-denominational... wonder if it's "charismatic" - "sorry, the normal pastor/priest had to be replaced by the arobics instructor"

waa haa haa!!

Later,
Paul

 

[SamR]

Does our reservation have to be paid in full before we can set up our times. My pay off date is not till August,but I can call in 90 days out on July 17th?

Your reservation must be paid in full before you can book your cruise plans (excursions, etc.). From the "Frequently Asked Questions" page on DCL's web site:

You have not paid in full. In order to make any cruise plan reservations, you must pay in full.​

 

[SamR]

...then on giant meet somewhere more accomodating... (on water-skis)

Paul, have you got some kind of water ski fetish or something?!? Do you envision each of us having our own pair of skis, or are we going to do one of those big pyramid things from the really old movies?

 

[SamR]

Enchantment was ok in January and if the Seas were not so rough it may have been better...

Speaking of Enchantment of the Seas...I read where it had a rough go of it while headed across the Atlantic to dry dock. Fortunately there were no passengers on board. Check out the pictures at: http://www.cruiselineforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=930

 

[txaggie94gigem]

the post said they were going to dry dock to be "stretched"...what does that mean???