**@@** October 6th, 2007 Magic**@@**

[Selket]

Oh yeah - the $3000 pizza! Maybe I should let DS check himself out and get our money's worth

I put the deposit down yesterday on the trip so I'm officially booked! I just have had a DEVIL of a time figuring out the insurance needs because of my son's diabetes (the 5 yr old). I am told something different - and sometimes flat out wrong even by a supervisor (!) - every time I call. I think all I can do at this point is pick one based on what I know and hope for the best. I hate to be worrying about it - cause I know I WILL worry about it. There are so many clauses and conditions to the insurance if you ever try to read the fine print you will be amazed!

I haven't looked at all of the shore excusions yet. I wonder if booking directly if possible rather than through DCL would save you some money? I've seen that mentioned.

That is great about your parents coming! I emailed my brother and SIL to see if they are interested - their kids are grown. I doubt they'd come but thought I'd ask.

 

[lildeb724]

Welcome to all the new people...My daughter age 6 just posted on the kids thread
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1331026
I am hoping one of the kids will write back soon, she is so excited about the thread
Hope all is well with evone

 

[lildeb724]

Welcome to all the new people...My daughter age 6 just posted on the kids thread
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1331026
I am hoping one of the kids will write back soon, she is so excited about the thread
Hope all is well with evone

 

[gouodux]

We are going to Paradise Beach next week on our Princess cruise. Haven't been before. Will let you know what we think if you are interested when we return.

 

[TiffJ]

gouodux-That would be great! Have a blast on your cruise next week

I am going on a girls weekend in May to WDW so I am planning on getting some pirate stuff for the family to wear on the cruise. My dad will no way wear a costume so we are comprimising & letting him wear jeans with a pirate tshirt & hat from WDW. Mom already has a dress she is wearing for formal night. (it was one she already had) I am going to wait until later in the summer before I start shopping for that kind of stuff.

Have a great day everyone!!!

 

[MCKAMEYfam]

Yeah, I think that we are leaning towards swimming w/ the dolphins, and I want to go to Sting Ray City, but the DW is scared since the death of Steve Irwin. I have been milling over the list of things to do, and there is just so much to choose from.....

I will see if my DS (7) will want to post on the kids section. He will be 8 at the time of the cruise. Hes not phased by it right now, but by the time September comes around he will be insanely excited, and worrying about what, and when we should pack. We went to WDW in December 06, and he got into trouble at school because he was sooooo excited, and for three weeks prior to leaving, he was freaking out about the fact that we had not gotten the luggage out.

.....We were not plannning on getting Passports since they dont require them right now, but do you think that we should ???? I saw a news story where they say that the process will take 8-12 weeks right now, since they are so backed up. The time is not really a big deal since we have 7 months.

Hope everyone has a good weekend...

 

[Selket]

Mckamey - we are in Maryland too! Are you folks flying down? We're thinking of flying down on the 5th and going to the MNSSHP the night before the cruise!

I gotta say after Steve Irwin I'm surprised the stingray swims are still offered - or that folks want them. That incident made me squeamish too.

We are also thinking of going without passports. I think the biggest issue would be if you needed to fly home from a foreign port due to an emergency. I'm sure there are ways to do it but it might take longer. Any thoughts on that appreciated.

 

[MCKAMEYfam]

Selket;17458200]

Yep, we are just going to fly down the day of the cruise.

I am not really bothered by swimming w/ the rays to much, because I think that it was just a freak accident, but since Steve Irwin was such a huge icon, it effected alot of people. I am sure that we wont be doing since the wife is not keen on the whole idea, and you know that the wife makes the final decision

Crossing fingers and toes, I hope that there are no emergencies that would require us to fly back, but now that I have this in my head, I am wondering if we would be better off just getting them. $300.00 may not be thad much just for peace of mind.

Where about in MD are you ?

 

[Selket]

We're in Rockville - DC suburbs.

I think the passport is a good idea. I'm just trying to save a bit of money. I must have travel insurance - for no other reason than one of my kids has some chronic health conditions that shouldn't be an issue but just in case - I want to make sure we are covered.

Have you gotten your airfare yet? I'm thinking of booking that now just cause I'm afraid it will go up - about $680 for the 4 of us to fly out of DCA or BWI. I don't know that it will go down anymore than that. I have to fly certain airlines cause of DS's peanut allergy (no DINGS for us!).

 

[Rellyrooly]

I gotta say after Steve Irwin I'm surprised the stingray swims are still offered - or that folks want them. That incident made me squeamish too.

Ok guys, I gotta jump in here. Yes it is true that Stingrays can be dangerous in the wild but they ARE NOT dangerous in captivity. The barb, (poisonous protrusion from the tail) is removed so that people may swim safely with them. Steve Irwin was killed at the Great Barrier Reef where these creatures swim wild and still have their barbs. It actually was a fluke that he was killed at all. In fact, there have only been 20 actual deaths related to stingrays in all. Usually, people get scratched by the barb, very rarely impalled. These misconceptions are common and it is actually really sad. Stingrays are wonderful, gentle animals. Steve Irwin would probably even say so. He just happend to be swimming above one and startled it and it sent up it's barb. Stingray swims are still offered because it is safe and a wonderful thing to do. They wouldn't offer them if they were truly dangerous. I hope that helps clear up the stingray thing and helps you make your decision.

 

[Selket]

I'm all cool with stingrays - not like I want to go around hunting them or anything! I know it was a very freak accident he had.

I didn't know they removed the barbs though - that does make me feel better I must admit.

 

[MCKAMEYfam]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt Sting Ray City in the wild ? From what I have read, it is just a natural channel where the rays have always gathered for the hope of food, so no barbs removed there.

Selket - Yeah, we booked the flights through the cruise line, which we probably are paying more for, but it cuts the hassle out of trying to book our own.

I know what you are saying about trying to save money. I was happy when I first heard that the passports would not be required for the trip, but now thinking about it, it may be a good idea to get them. With my son, anything can happen. We call him Dangerprone Daphney, because he gets himself into odd things.

Rockville, will you fly out of BWI, or drive over to Dulles ?

 

[Rellyrooly]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt Sting Ray City in the wild ? From what I have read, it is just a natural channel where the rays have always gathered for the hope of food, so no barbs removed there.

Mckamey...I actually had never heard of Stingray City and was refering to most of the other excursions that I have seen and heard of where the practice of removing the barb is commonplace. I do, however, stand corrected as you are correct. Stingray city and sandbar is an area where the stingrays are not altered but according to the website are rather tame. Here is some information I have found...

Stingray City has been called "the most exciting 12-foot dive in the world". Thousands of divers have hand fed and handled the resident Southern Stingrays without serious incident. While a few divers have had their hands or arms 'bitten', the flattened dental plates of these rays do minimal damage (often little more than a reddish pucker-mark called a 'stingray hickey'). But there has been at least one serious injury inflicted by a stingray on a diver at Stingray City. Although the rays at Stingray City are pretty much habituated to contact with divers, stingrays are potentially dangerous and one would be wise to bear that in mind when interacting with them. Stingrays, like sharks, are basically 'path of least resistance' types: given an opportunity to flee rather than fight, most will simply swim away. But if persistently harassed, stingrays are quite capable of defending themselves. Some 1,500 stingray-related injuries are recorded in the United States every year, mostly minor wounds around the feet and ankles. But some stingray injuries are deadly serious. A couple of years ago, a 35-year-old Australian bloke on holidays in Fiji was stung in the chest as he swam over a large stingray; the barb punctured his heart and he died a day later as a result of his injuries.

This information was taken from www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/lh_stingray_city.htm

I hope I didn't upset you guys with my last post. I just feel pretty passionate about sea life and I must admit, until Steve Irwin passed, I knew little about Stingrays. I have since done some research to get the real answers (you know the media, ony telling half a story, lol) and have since fell in love with the stingray. I would actually love to go to stingray city (thanks for the info) but I just think my little one is still too young to be careful. So instead, I think we are actually going to go to Discovery Cove before the cruise and swim with the rays there, as well as the wonderful dolphins!

 

[Selket]

I hope I didn't upset you guys with my last post

Has there been some reaction against stingrays like after the Jaws movie came out and people wanted to go out and catch sharks? Hopefully not. After reading about the dolphin and ray swims I think neither appeal to me a great deal (barbs or no). No problems Relly I think I'll just let you tell me how great it was.

We seem to be about the same driving time from BWI or IAD so either works for us. I just realized last night that Jet Blue flys out of IAD but the return Sat flight is not so great for their non-stop. They don't have the Oct. fares out yet anyway. Of course it wouldn't be bad to rent a car when we get off the ship and have some time to spend at DTD or something that day before flying home. It would be great just to let DCL take care of the flights but because of the peanut allergy I have to be picky about the airline - though most don't serve peanuts anymore (thankfully).

 

[giandave23]

Its been a while since Ive been on the boards - how Ive missed everyone. I can't remember if Ive posted that we are booked on this cruise!!!

We are in stateroom: 7067

Will post again later! Just heading to bed. If anyone has any info regarding transportation (companies you've delt with and were not that expensive) please private message me - we are looking for a possible Limo to suprise my parents.

Good night for now!!

 

[TexasGirl]

Just saw your thread. We are going as well.

Cast of characters:

Myself - 30 something working Mom
DH
DD - 7 (Will be in 2nd grade and almost 8 by the time we sail)
DS - 2 (Will be 4 months shy of 3 yrs old)

This will be our 5th disney cruise. We went on DLC when DD was 3, 4, 5, & 6. DS has been once in my tummy, once at 12 weeks and once at 20 months

We did this exact sailing last year and rebook onboard. We actually did 2 westerns last year. This identical one on DCL and similar on Celebrity and love the ports. There is so much to do you can have a different experience every time you go

Looks like a lively group!

 

[Laurabearz]

Cool New cruisers! I will add you to the list later today!​

I have opened up a special message board for our KID Cruisers! This is a private board with membership by approval, which means nobody, other than us, can see it. Personally I just feel safer with the kids and all, Plus the upside is we can post pictures (safely) there, so our kids have a face to go with the name!

The Catch... it's a bit of a pain to register! ROFL. But WELL worth the 10-15 minutes to do so.

First you will need an active email address for each child, who will be posting. I think it's important for each child should have their own screenname to help them distinguish each other when siblings post. I also highly recomend that each child's screenname contains their first name, again to help with recognition. Just a suggestion, not manatory (as I know some kids 'have' names they liketo use already lol)

If the above is too much of a pain, just try and remind your children to SIGN each of their posts! rofl

Ok. To register... you click on the LINK I WILL HAVE TO EMAIL YOU that will take you to the membership by approval page and there you will find a link to make a GLOBAL ACCOUNT. Click that, and register one child. (PARENTS You too can register an account first and check it out!!) Repeat that step until you have everyone done New active email needed to do multiple kids (I know it's a pain I know, but it will be worth it really!)

Once you have registered for a global account close all windows every last one of them, and click THE LINK I EMAILED TO YOU again. at that point you should be able to ask for approval. Post here that you made it that far and I will scoot over there and accept you!

Please EMAIL me at UsedtobeSmith@aol.com with your DISBOARD name, and I will send you the link (The DISBOARDS Blocks the link for some reason lol)​

.

 

[Laurabearz]

Woot I sent out the link to 3 people! Let me know if you have any trouble with it. It is a pain to get everyone registered, but much safer than the DIS

We adults can stay here if we like

 

[gouodux]

Just our experience . . . .

We did the Stingray excursion at Castaway Cay in September and our girls loved it. The rays there have had their barbs trimmed. Just like you would with a fingernail (their description).

Below are a couple of photo's that don't really help out, but that's the best we have.

Our youngest wasn't interested in doing the Rays so she built a sandcastle

 

[Rellyrooly]

Our youngest wasn't interested in doing the Rays so she built a sandcastle

WOWWY! Now that's a sandcastle!!! She is very artistic! Have you thought of enrolling her in Sandblasters? (wonderful show on the travel channel about sandcastles and things)