October 22, 2005 Roll call

[Timon]

Hello fellow cruisers!

We are at the Renaissance Seaworld right now, hubby needs internet to do some work everynight so I thought I would check in with you guys.

Orlando is awesome! 90 degrees today, humid but not super hot as it was overcast today with light showers (which we LOVE!!! )

Went to Downtown Disney last night and tonight and it was CRAZY busy! We thought it was busy last night but tonight was WORSE!! There was a big dance thing going on so that probably made it worse.

Found some great scrapbook stuff at World of Memories, got this gorgeous wood album that I LOVE!!

We ate at Wolfgang Puck Express and it was divine! Also had Earl of Sandwich tonight and sundae from Ghirardelli! yum yum.

This morning we went to Discovery Cove to swim with the dolphins and it was super great!!!! It was so worth the price! Then we went over to Seaworld for a bit.

Tomorrow is seaworld in the morning and then we check into the Royal Pacific Hotel and go to IOA for a few hours! Can't wait till Sunday when we check in at the Beach Club Villas!!

Here's a photo from this morning:

So, everyone going crazy with packing yet???

 

[hyandui]

Good Evening Disers, the best way to relieve stress is with a fresh bowl of elephant stew, it has been known to settle the nerves but should be made only when you are expecting a croud, here is the receipt, Elephant Stew
1 Elephant [ medium size]
2 Rabbits [optional]
Cut elephant into small bite size pieces. This should take about two months. Add enough brown gravy to cover.
Cook over kerosene fire for about four weeks at 465. This will serve thirty-eight hundred people. If more are expected two rabbits may be added, but do this only if necessary as some people do not like to find a hare in their stew.
Actually, by time you were able to get the needed supplies to make your elephant stew it would be time to sail. See now don't you feel a little less stress?

 

[MelissaE1]

LOL Hyandui! Where does one get that much brown gravy? Sam's Club?

Timon, that is a great picture!!

And Keith, add me to the "grumpy from too much to think about" list... my dh commiserates with you. As you know once we're on the road it will go away like "Magic" (pun intended).

 

[MNmousecouple]

Thanks everyone, it's good to know this isn't isolated. But just to be safe I'm going to Sam's to get ingrediants for Elephant stew, hareless version. Should keep Deb busy till travel time.
We should be pulling into Gainesville about this time in 1 week.

 

[hyandui]

Thanks everyone, it's good to know this isn't isolated. But just to be safe I'm going to Sam's to get ingrediants for Elephant stew, hareless version. Should keep Deb busy till travel time.
We should be pulling into Gainesville about this time in 1 week.

Debora & Keith, When you go to Sam's for the gravy don't forget to get rolls. With our luck they probably won't have eleaphant stew on board, We will probably be waited on hand & foot and forced to eat different eleagant meals and rich deserts, then we will be told to relax, swim, visit different islands, :thewave: all in an effort to make us forget that they won't be serving eleaphant stew.
I think I'll go pack and see if that cheers me up.

 

[pdarrah]

Why is it everyone I've ever met named Ralph has a wacky sense of humor? How do their parents know they'll be like that so that Ralph is just the perfect name?

Just wanted to remind those who are into the last minute packing and organizing that it can be fairly helpful to print the list of DIS meets from our website and even the "Who's Going" list (although it has become pretty long! - I copied it into Word and did some squishing and managed to get it down to 7 pages - if you print it direct from the website I think it is about 9 pages). If you are into the over-organized thing, there is also the itinerary charts on the "Useful Stuff" page - a version for each dining rotation and an Excel spreadsheet with all 3 versions!

I made snorkeling T-shirts for the 5 of us last night. We always wear T-shirts to snorkel to help reduce the sunburn (with sunblock on under it!) so I made us matching shirts for wearing on the Capt. Marvin excursion at Grand Cayman. It doesn't sound like most people actually snorkel with the stingrays, but it IS called a "snorkel trip" and I think there is a stop at a reef for some snorkeling... Anyway, here is what I put on the shirts - they came out pretty good. I don't know if they'll hold up to salt water, but if not I only invested about $3 each!

Of course, now I have something else to cram into the suitcases! The plan (for DH, DS & I) is for 2 suitcases (1 large, 1 medium), 1 garment bag, 1 carryon bag & 1 laptop computer bag. DS6 might also insist on his own little carryon bag. Last year, we didn't quite make this and had to add a duffle bag at the last minute! We'll pack the bags this weekend, so I'll know soon if this is working or not.

pdarrah

 

[MelissaE1]

What do you all think of my door sign? It's a beginner effort, but I thought it would help the kids find our cabin more easily (read: help ME find the cabin... my kids know their way around the ship after five minutes. Takes me three days to figure out where I am).

 

[MelissaE1]

Pamela, love your shirts! How funny... I was posting the door sign and you were posting the shirts at the same time. GMTA! Anyway, nice job.

Edited to add: Oh yeah... what program are you using? And where do you get the clip art? Very cool!

 

[pdarrah]

Hi Melissa - Your magnet looks great! I have a few, but I haven't posted them yet. Some are on the computer, but others DS6 made since he loves "crafts" of all kinds! I'll probably just take a picture of the door and post that on the door magnet thread!

I use Paint Shop Pro 9 for ANYTHING involving graphics (i.e. postprocessing my digital photos, T-shirts, door magnets, projects at work, etc.) I have been using it for years and am pretty comfortable with it.

The T-shirt took a little effort. The stingrays are from photos of stingrays I found online and then carefully selected and removed them from their background. The clip are is even stranger - I couldn't find a good Mickey snorkeling clip, but there is a Minnie snorkeling wallpaper available on the Disney website. So I edited Minnie! I removed her bow and eyelashes and changed the color of her diving suit and presto-chango it's Mickey! The little fish and seahorse come from that same wallpaper - again I carfully selected them and removed them from their background.

As you can tell - I am insane! I still haven't finished packing and I am wasting time designing T-shirts

pdarrah

 

[Dyerneeds]

MelissaE1...Love the magnet.
pdarrah... Wow, a lot of work on those t-shirts. Nice Job. I'm a pc nut so I can really appreciate how long that took to do.

I don't envy those of you having to pack for whole families. I'm having enough trouble getting the 2 of us packed. I do all of the packing. My husband just lays out what he wants to wear with a little help. The poor guy... he knows if he packed his own, I'd just redo it. The hardest part about it is deciding what to put in the suitcase that we'll use at Disney World the days prior to the cruise. I like to pack them seperately. It makes less of a mess when rooting through suitcase. I'll get it done.

Isn't the anicipation and preparation the best.

As far as stress, we're just hoping everyone stays healthy. There's just too many medical problems in the family lately. We don't know if they are serious until the tests come back.

I do know one thing...This vacation is going to feel sooooo good. Really looking forward to meeting everyone.

 

[ReneeQ]

Hi Everyone!

I've been so busy, so haven't been on this thread lately. Was out of town last weekend. This weekend is definitely devoted to house cleaning and packing. I am SOOO jealous of those of you going early and getting in some Disney World time before the cruise! Our work schedules won't allow for that (BUT hubby and I are going to WDW for 5 days in January).

Timon - the picture is awesome!

We don't leave until Friday the 21st. Staying the night at Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach. See you all next Saturday!

 

[ThreeSmiths]

Hi everyone!

Wow!!! Lots of chatting and excitement building! I will definitely jump on the "crabby" bandwagon. I always find myself on edge before a trip....and yes, it is due to the pages of to do lists in my head. I started packing tonight, even though I feel like it's still too early. I just hate feeling like I might need something that I pack later on this week. So I'm trying to limit my packing to things I know we will not need/wear before we leave.

I wish I could devote the weekend to packing and getting the house ready, but DD's parents and siblings are in town for the Nascar race this weekend. So I have to do some entertaining. (Here's where the crabby comes in......)I really need to be doing things like getting our paperwork in order, making copies of everything, packing, cleaning house, making elephant stew, laundry, last minute shopping, etc, instead of entertaining family. Oh well! On the upside....only 3 days of work left!!!!

Timon: great photo!!! Aren't the dolphins wonderful? DD and I did the dolphin swim last year in Nassau, and are scheduled to do it again this year in Cozumel. Sounds like you are having an incredible trip already!

MelissaE1: Congrats on a thumbs up for your DD! And great magnet!

Pdarrah: Awesome shirts! You guys are so talented!

Skallywag: Bon voyage! We'll see you soon!

UKangel: Feel better soon!

AmericanScrapper: Happy Birthday to Peyton! Have a great party!

Dyerneeds: I know what you mean about liking to pack a seperate bag for WDW. I am juggling that idea around myself. It will make things so much easier, but I don't know if I will have enough luggage!

Tick, tock, tick, tock.....

 

[MNmousecouple]

Hello Cruisers

Can anyone advise me on how intense the sunlight will be, I am going to be on a medication starting just before the cruise that increases sensitivity and burning Am I going to have to hide in the bars and theaters most of the time or maybe I should reschedule the laser stuff for later so I don't have to be on this stuff for the cruise
Btw.....sams doesnt' carry elephant stew fixin's any longer....guess I have to run out to the zoo tonight now that they are closed
Keith

 

[pdarrah]

Hi Keith - The Caribbean sun is usually VERY, VERY intense. You will see a lot of poor sunburned people who thought they had a "base tan" and would be fine! (DH did this on our honeymoon!) I rarely burn at home, but I use a high SPF sunblock in the Caribbean and try to be reasonable in the amount of time I spend out in the sun. My DM has English/Irish skin and can burn easily anywhere - due to past experience, she is packing hats, long sleaved loose shirts and slacks that I don't worry about at all - so some of it does depend on how easily you burn.

If it were me, I'd postpone if it isn't vital it is done immediately - having to avoid the sun on your vacation doesn't sound like fun. If you must do it, then there are plenty of indoor and shaded places on the cruise and you will probably enjoy yourself.

Just generally on the subject of sunburn - remember that reflected light can burn also. It IS possible to get sunburned sitting in the shade on a beach. The light reflects off the sand and sea. It won't be as bad as if you were in direct sun, but don't skip your precautions just because you are planning on staying in the shade!

pdarrah

 

[ThreeSmiths]

I second Pdarrah's suggestion...if you can wait until after the trip I would do so. The sun is extremely intense. We have been in Cancun and DH got burned in overcast weather. There is a lot to do on the ship that doesn't involve being in the sun, but your options are greatly expanded if you don't have to worry about staying sheltered the whole week.

Either way, bring a lot of high spf sunblock!

 

[hyandui]

Hello Cruisers

Can anyone advise me on how intense the sunlight will be, I am going to be on a medication starting just before the cruise that increases sensitivity and burning Am I going to have to hide in the bars and theaters most of the time or maybe I should reschedule the laser stuff for later so I don't have to be on this stuff for the cruise
Btw.....sams doesnt' carry elephant stew fixin's any longer....guess I have to run out to the zoo tonight now that they are closed
Keith

Hello everyone, its 1:35 and my DW and I just returned from NYC, we went to see Beauty & the Beast, as usual it was fantastic and a good time was had by all. We will be back up at 8am for a half day of work and then start packing.
I checked the Sam's Club near our home and they were out of fresh eleaphant, but they did have cream of eleaphant soup. we will just have to boil it down, add some kibble and no one will be any the wiser.
Fantastic job on the door magnetics, they look great. Well its off to bed for my usual 5 hours of sleep. nigh you all.

 

[scrapperjill]

Has anyone thought of checking a local co-op for elephant? Maybe I'll add that to my to-do list tomarrow I'll let ya all know if I find it. ...The co-op or maybe Wall mart.

I too would agree with the sun issue. The sun can be intense. I did okay last year...until Castaway The ONE day I used sunblock...I got burned . Anyway I'd say if it can wait...then it might be a good idea to reschedule..but if it really should be done ASAP...then by all means don't put it off.

I finally finished all the buttons ....I have them bagged up and ready to pack. I'm sure security at the airport will be going through that bag to see what the heck it is....I'm debating on just carrying them on...I'd hate to put all that work into them and have my bag get lost. I had a total of 24 groups to make buttons for...and although I didn't mind one bit making them..I sure am glad my button list is finished.

Also wanted to say...Great pic Timon...looks like you two are really enjoying your time. Cute tee-shirt design and good job on the door sign.

I have mine all finished...and wouldn't mind posting it...I just don't want to spend the time doing so...Isn't that BAD

 

[UKANGEL]

hi again
thanks for all the good wishes across the ocean!

Just about starting to feel better, after a week of this Trouble is, I suffer from asthma too so getting the flu is not good

Still, this time next week........

Just 4 days left at work now before we leave to stay overnight at the airport on Thursday!

Must get some packing done this weekend, housework, and sort out things for dd who will be staying home while we holiday

Not long now everyone

 

[MNmousecouple]

Hello all
I have searched and searched and can not come up with the name for the new spa offering with the hot tub. I would really like to have the name before calling DCL since it's not listed on the web site. When I spoke with DCL yesterday they said the spa portion is done but she didn't have the name for this service, so not even sure it can be ordered prior to the cruise but thought I would ask all you knowledgable peoples

 

[hyandui]

Hello all
I have searched and searched and can not come up with the name for the new spa offering with the hot tub. I would really like to have the name before calling DCL since it's not listed on the web site. When I spoke with DCL yesterday they said the spa portion is done but she didn't have the name for this service, so not even sure it can be ordered prior to the cruise but thought I would ask all you knowledgable peoples

Welcome to all, It's Saturday the 15th, the 1st cruise group should start to board anytime now and they will find out what's new on the Magic, does anyone know anyone on this cruise that they can e-mail for news? they would also know the name of the new spa. 1 week from today and we will be the lucky ones boarding, still so much to do and get ready, there always seems to be another deadline to beat but, I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.
Everybody got there ears on? it time for MICKEY