October 15, 2005 anyone?

[d'Isigny]

Michelle – I agree with Paige – you should be fine. And, yes…since she is not ‘technically’ 3 y/o…they will not let you register her for the clubs through the Internet.

Our first cruise…DD was ~4 weeks from turning 3 y/o. We were hopeful to get her in and inquired with DCL’s 800#. They would not commit in accepting a child that is under 3 – at all! Just heard that any child close is enrolled at the discretion of the counselors. She was ‘fully’ potty-trained and needed limited supervision.

We took our DD to the Oceaneers desk during ‘open house’ and sat with a counselor. They asked some general questions;
- is your child ‘fully’ potty trained
- does your child use a pull-up or have ‘accidents’ at night time
- when did you stop fully using diapers/pull-ups
- is your child in a ‘day care – pre-school’ setting now…how well are they adjusted to this environment

We were allowed to register her in the club…but informed that if she had and ‘accident’ or required more counselor attention than other children, she would need to go to Flounders.

Even though DD was only in the clubs once/twice…she had a great time. She would have been bored to tears in Flounders.

Changing subjects…in checking our Yahoo site…we have 8 people celebrating something special on the cruise – WONDERFUL!! AND – 12 have registered interest in playing ‘DIS-Tag’ – AWESOME!!!

Man…I can’t believe how fast this summer is going. It won’t be too much longer – WDW and DCL Molar Express Cruising - we will go!!!

 

[PearlandPaige]

Sam, you managed to nab the 1000th post AND Joyce Prince?!? Lucky dog!

 

[PearlandPaige]

I don't know yet what she would propose to charge us for the tour, but some folks on the Cruise Critic boards said she charged them $75 per person for a half day tour, which is WAY more than I want to pay.

Okay, Joyce got back to me on the price and it was considerably more reasonable than $75pp for an afternoon tour from 2-5 or so. Actually, it would be much less than any of the Disney excursions and she wasn't charging for my son or the carseat. However, my DH vetoed it, so Joyce is available in the afternoon. DH's theory is that since we're paying for "pre-packaged Disney," we should do pre-packaged Disney all the way. Whatever.

 

[txaggie94gigem]

I AM JUST BEGINNING TO GATHER IN SOME OF THE MESS AND START GETTING PACKED...MY GOAL FOR NEXT WEEK IS TO FINISH MY DOOR MAGNETS...WE SHALL SEE....

WHEN DO YOU THINK WE WILL START TO GET OUR DOCUMENTS?

 

[SamR]

MY GOAL FOR NEXT WEEK IS TO FINISH MY DOOR MAGNETS

I guess that means it's time to start working on mine! I have procrastination down to an art form!

WHEN DO YOU THINK WE WILL START TO GET OUR DOCUMENTS?

We're gettin' close! I figure anytime after Labor Day is fair game, although mid-to-late September is more realistic.

It's exciting to read the August Repo thread and realize that the Magic is now on the way home to Port Canaveral. It means our time for cruisin' is drawing near! (55 days until embarkation! 1222 hours until I start my vacation! ) Here's one quote I found interesting in the thread:

We are getting ready for Palo brunch this morning and then a DIS meet in Rockin’ Bar D. They even have the meet on the Navigator.

A DIS meet listed in the Navigator! I wonder how they arranged that! Maybe we should try that as well...Although you have to wonder about all the non-DISer's on the ship reading it, and going "I wonder what the heck a DIS meet is?" I wonder how many non-DISer's would show up just to find out?

 

[d'Isigny]

I believe Sam offered us some Disney Magic dry dock information. This morning, on MousePlanet (yes, I am 'Disney' Obsessed - anyone have a 'disney 12 step program) I saw the following comment - thought I'd share with my 'cyber-net cruisers'...

Disney Magic drydock work
Beginning October 1, 2005, the Disney Magic cruise ship will enter drydock in a Norfolk, Virginia, facility for ten days. During the visit, changes include an expansion of the Vista Spa and Salon with three new suites and almost doubling the size of the fitness center. 1,700 square feet will be added to the area. Three conference rooms on Deck 2 will be converted into a fifth location decidated to children. The new space, called Ocean Quest, will include a replica of the ship's bridge, allowing children to take the captain's seat and work through steering simulations.

Additionally, a new LED screen will be installed on Deck 9 near the family pool, allowing films and other video to be presented. Parrot Cay, one of the ships three rotational restaurants will also receive a makeover, allowing the theme and atmosphere change from night-to-night during a cruise. Disney Magic will return to its routes on October 15.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/parkupdates/wdw/wdw050822.htm

the new upgrade sound pretty cool

QUESTION - it appears boarding begins between 11:30 and 12Noon. For our cruise, no one will be getting off...just us getting on a clean and upgraded ship...do you think we might be boarding earlier???? anyone???

 

[shmoogrrrl]

I have a little announcement to share with all of you... We are expecting our second child in February, so we will have a little "1/2" added to our room. Just make sure you get in line in front of me at Palo brunch. Otherwise there won't be anything left!!!

Woo Hoo! Congrats!

 

[shmoogrrrl]

We took our DD to the Oceaneers desk during ‘open house’ and sat with a counselor. They asked some general questions;
- is your child ‘fully’ potty trained
- does your child use a pull-up or have ‘accidents’ at night time
- when did you stop fully using diapers/pull-ups
- is your child in a ‘day care – pre-school’ setting now…how well are they adjusted to this environment

Okay, does this just apply to the kids that are not quite three yet? My Daughter turned three on June 1st, has been potty trained since Christmas,but she does still sleep in a pull up at night. Seems like a strange question. It isn't like they are sleeping there!

 

[shmoogrrrl]

IAlthough you have to wonder about all the non-DISer's on the ship reading it, and going "I wonder what the heck a DIS meet is?" I wonder how many non-DISer's would show up just to find out?

Maybe we could call ourselves the "Friends of Mickey."

 

[shmoogrrrl]

We are back from our mini-vacation to visit my Parents in North Carolina. It was a lot of fun. We did some shopping and I actually went an entire day buying clothes for myself and nothing for Katie. Amazing.

We spent a day in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. We do this every year. Breakfast at the Pancake Pantry, a little shopping on the streets of Gatlinburg, a visit to the Nascar Go Kart place, where I beat my Husband, Father and 10year old niece in a Nascar Simulator (pretty good for a gal who hates to drive fast and doesn't even watch Nascar, if I do say so myself. I was the M&M car). We did some outlet shopping and visited another Go Kart place where Katie discovered that she LOVES the big trampoline thing! Anyway, it was fun!

I also went with my Mom to their local AAA and got info on Disney as well as travel books for al lthe states that we will drive through on the way down.

Now that we are home, we have to get clothes organized and see if we need anything new for the cruise. I found a box containing clothes that used to be my nieces (my parents are raising her) and in it was FOUR cute Sundresses that fit Katie now. You'll be able to tell her on the cruise, as she will be the one in the dress everyday! *laugh* I need to get my husband's Tux cleaned, start thinking about what we are going to need to take, and get plans organized with our frends traveling with us.

I guess I need to get to work on the Magnet too, as well as figure out what I am going todo for my little "Mickeyhead Tag" prizes.

Hope everyone is doing well! Katie starts Preschool in mid September, and Dance in the beginning of September. That will kep us busy until it is time to cruise!

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

QUESTION - it appears boarding begins between 11:30 and 12Noon. For our cruise, no one will be getting off...just us getting on a clean and upgraded ship...do you think we might be boarding earlier???? anyone???[/QUOTE]

Ya know we might be able to get on a bit earlier! hmmm...I can see it now. All of us from this thread will be the first ones in line. I know that we are getting dropped off at the port by 10:30 and then one of will run the car and drop it off at Budget. So that we we can get checked in and have our place in line. I better start packing the color books and crayons!

I love getting on early and heading up to get a picture of the empty Mickey pool! Plus digging into those BIG shrimp at the Buffet! YUM! I can not wait!.......We are very busy for the next several weeks leading up to cruise! That will help pass the time. I have something every weekend. Disney on Ice, Brooks and Dunn Concert,Winery weekend with the girls...My Birthday celebration....What a busy girl I am!

 

[cntkg1]

Sorry guys but this Palo thing is confusing me. Let's see if I can get even more confused!!

I read somewhere that the $20.00 is actually the "tip" and the food is included in the cruise. Many people throw in another $10.00 for an additional tip. I don't have a problem with that as I know those waiters work their butts off for us.

Now I also read that the $10.00/person is a "service charge".
And that we should leave money as a tip.

Which is it? Do the waiters get all $30.00 ($10/person X 2 and $10.00 tip) or does the cruise line get some of the $10.00/person and the waiter gets only the extra we leave behind?

Also, how do we pay for Palo? Is it charged to our account or do we walk into Palo with at least $30.00???

Thanks for all your help to these 1st Timers!!
Chuck and Nancy

 

[cntkg1]

Michelle....I asked the question a few months ago about drydock and embarking early. I was told that the people who clean our rooms are not the same people who work on the ship during drydock. Those workers are let onto the ship on Saturday morning and not before. I don't know if I particularly believe that. Why would they wait until the last minute to clean rooms? I do know that the ship is in drydock in a totally different place than Port Canaveral. Gosh I hope you are right and we can get on earlier.

We'll have to push and shove our way to the front of the bus on Saturday.

 

[oybolshoi]

It would be nice to think that we could board a little early but I'm not holding my breath. And actually, after waiting in line for a little more than an hour to board last year just to get those Palo / Spa reservations I'm looking forward to a more leisurely boarding experience this time around. We're going to have a car pick us up about 11:00 on Saturday morning (we're going to Halloween Horror Nights on Friday at Universal, so I think we'll need to sleep in a bit!).

I was reading some of the threads on the general cruise board...seems like tipping at Palo has become a hot topic...again. Maybe I just don't care enough about budgeting for vacation expenses, but how you can plan a dinner tip in advance of the dinner...without knowing the quality of the food or the service is beyond me. We were blown away by the food, the ambiance, and the quality of the service we received at Palo brunch and dinner last year...especially dinner. Our server found out that we were belatedly celebrating our 5th anniversary and went so far beyond our expectations that we still talk about what a lovely experience it was. We left a very generous tip that night because it really was one of the highlights of our trip and we wanted to express our gratitude for our server's thoughtfulness. At the opoosite end of the Palo spectrum, we were less than impressed with the food and the service at afternoon tea and adjusted our tip accordingly.

I know that DCL has done a tremendous job of confusing just about everyone in regard to the purpose of that $10 per person dining charge, but is this really such a difficult thing for people to figure out? I must just be short of patience this evening...

Sorry for the rant, but sometimes I just have to shake my head. Although I must say I think the the best "worst" thread topic was started by a woman who wanted information on how to get a passport for herself and her children while mentioning in the same sentence that her husband already had a passport that he used for frequent international business travel.

Alright, alright...I'm done being a grumpy! I just get spoiled by the clear-headed common-sense minded Molar Express cruisers and when I venture out into the general boards I usually end up annoyed. Come on vacation...Brenda's on edge because of her drugs and needs some serious R&R!

By the way...are we going to try to have a post-tag Dismeet in order to share good natured baseball humiliation with each other? It would be fun to see what kind of pixie dust everyone can sprinkle around the ship. I'll make these suggestions and let's see what you guys think...

First DISmeet - Sunday...1PM Promenade Lounge

Second DISmeet - Thursday evening...someplace... ok...need a little help here on this one. I would suggest Friday but I think that could be really hectic. I'd love to suggest a late Thursday night meet at Sessions over some martinis or even up on deck with a nice bottle of wine, but that's not really feasible for those of you with little ones...so...what do you think...what do you want to do? Jason and I are pretty flexible as long as it doesn't conflict with our naughty mud treatment!!!

OK...I'm going to go work out now and get out some of this pent up irritation that I brough home from work. Thanks for letting me ramble...hope all is well in your world! 7 1/2 weeks to go!!

 

[oybolshoi]

Sorry guys but this Palo thing is confusing me. Let's see if I can get even more confused!!

I read somewhere that the $20.00 is actually the "tip" and the food is included in the cruise. Many people throw in another $10.00 for an additional tip. I don't have a problem with that as I know those waiters work their butts off for us.

Now I also read that the $10.00/person is a "service charge".
And that we should leave money as a tip.

Which is it? Do the waiters get all $30.00 ($10/person X 2 and $10.00 tip) or does the cruise line get some of the $10.00/person and the waiter gets only the extra we leave behind?

Also, how do we pay for Palo? Is it charged to our account or do we walk into Palo with at least $30.00???

Thanks for all your help to these 1st Timers!!
Chuck and Nancy

Nancy,
first of all let me say that my prior post was not directed towards you - I was probably typing mine while you were typing yours and we crossed in the night.

I'll answer as best I can based on my experience last year...

The dining fees at Palo are presented to you at the end of your meal just like the check would be at a restaurant. You can pay in cash- which we have done - or you can charge it to your room.

As for the fee vs. service charge debate... it's endless and I'm not sure if there is a right or wrong answer and DCL is annoyingly vague. We choose to look at the Palo charge as a dining fee - They are charges in excess of those items included in your cruise fare. At Palo especially, we tip based on service and atmosphere, and make the assumption that all tips are shared out at the end of the evening just like they would be in a restaurant on land. I don't know if our assumption is correct but that is how we look at it. The servers at Palo also do not receive the end-of-cruise gratuities that the main dining room servers receive, so their tips are really their bread and butter (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!).

We probably overtip in some cases, but if the service we receive warrants it, then I don't mind. It's a tough job and good service deserves to be rewarded.

I probably did not help at all, but it's such a subjective topic that I really don't think there is a real answer. It comes down to what you think of the whole experience once you are finished - how's that for annoyingly vague?

 

[SamR]

Also, how do we pay for Palo? Is it charged to our account or do we walk into Palo with at least $30.00???

I don't think you ever have to use cash on the ship. I think the service charge is billed to your room and they will bring a receipt for you to sign, acknowledging the charge. As I understand it, on that receipt will be a place for you to write in an additional gratuity, which will also be billed to your account. (Of course, I suppose you could leave cash for the tip if you really preferred to...)

It is almost not worth reading the "Palo tipping" threads. One person will say the tip goes to the server, the next will say the server gets a percentage of the tip, and the next will say the server gets virtually none of the service charge. Only DCL can really answer this question, and they don't seem to be in any hurry to clarify it.

54 days until embarkation! 1194 hours until my vacation starts!

 

[SamR]

We choose to look at the Palo charge as a dining fee... At Palo especially, we tip based on service and atmosphere, and make the assumption that all tips are shared out at the end of the evening just like they would be in a restaurant on land. I don't know if our assumption is correct but that is how we look at it. The servers at Palo also do not receive the end-of-cruise gratuities that the main dining room servers receive, so their tips are really their bread and butter

This is pretty much the same conclusion I have arrived at. Until I see something conclusive from DCL that the fee goes to the server, I plan to just regard it as rent for my seat in Palo for 2 hours, and tip according to the service received.

I also have my doubts that they will start boarding the ship any earlier than usual. Even if the rooms are already clean, I think they probably still have many of the other usual preparations to go through anyway, such as preparing our shrimp and setting up the embarkation buffet(s).

If anyone is brave enough to wade out into the main cruise board, I suppose you could ask if anyone that sailed post-drydock in October of 2003 on the Magic or on the Wonder in October of 2004 remembers if they boarded early. Hey a simple question like that couldn't start trouble, could it?

I do know that the ship is in drydock in a totally different place than Port Canaveral.

Yes, I think I read that the drydock was actually in Virginia.

 

[oybolshoi]

Cap'n Sam,
bad tempered first mate here... heard anything more about those treatment suites DCL is adding to the Vista spa? I woiuld love to catch some detail on that before we board...I would especially like to know just how much something like that would set DH and I back!

Ah, yes...the shrimp in all their chilled, pink, succulent glory...my mouth is watering just thinking about them...

How goes the dental work, by the way?

 

[cntkg1]

Brenda...not to worry. I'm not easily offended!!

I've learned a lesson by posting on the main thread. I don't do it too often. That's why I keep all my dumb little questions for you guys. You are all too kind and very patient with me. I thank you all for that!!!

Sam...I think I will take your advice. Forget the $20.00 fee and tip separately. Sounds like a plan to me!! I'm also a little embarrassed to think $10.00 extra will cover it. Darn Wisconsin Hicks!!! I think I made us look cheap. We actually overtip everyplace we go. You know when you only eat at places like Cracker Barrel, and Ponderosa...$10.00 sounds like a lot. I'll be sure to bring $11.00!! (Just Kidding)!!!

Nancy

 

[SamR]

...heard anything more about those treatment suites DCL is adding to the Vista spa?

Nary a thing. I think DCL is just teasing us with little tidbits. I'm also interested in details about some of the other drydock changes, and the CC stingray "excursion". I guess we just have to keep being patient...never an easy task for DIS'ers. It's not easy being (lime) green!

I would especially like to know just how much something like that would set DH and I back!

Yes, I'm curious about the rates, too. I think I heard that only lottery winners need apply.

How goes the dental work, by the way?

Hanging in there, thank you very much. I'm in Boston all this week on business, and I'm just hoping nothing comes loose while I'm away from my skilled team of oral surgeons and dentists.

bad tempered first mate here...

So, do you be thinkin' of makin' someone walk da plank tonight? Wait a minute! Has anyone seen Paul?!?