Sept. 11, 2011 It's never too early to Dream

[tjbaggott]

Thanks David. Some actually did open back up today, GTY status, but the TA isn't in the office till tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be ok. So my 7year old (8 by the time of sailing) and I will see you all on board! Being that it's just the two of us, I'm a little nervous about who we'll be sat with for dining. And I'll need to be put on the waitlist for main dining, as my little guy can't wait till late dining to eat.

In other news,,, While watching tv this evening, and I was working on the computer, my DH yells "Judy, LOOK!!" I turn around, and there is the FIRST EVER Commercial I've seen With the DREAM in it! It was a DCL commercial But the ship used was the DREAM!! Have any of you seen it yet?

 

[davidls]

Thanks David. Some actually did open back up today, GTY status, but the TA isn't in the office till tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be ok. So my 7year old (8 by the time of sailing) and I will see you all on board! Being that it's just the two of us, I'm a little nervous about who we'll be sat with for dining. And I'll need to be put on the waitlist for main dining, as my little guy can't wait till late dining to eat.

In other news,,, While watching tv this evening, and I was working on the computer, my DH yells "Judy, LOOK!!" I turn around, and there is the FIRST EVER Commercial I've seen With the DREAM in it! It was a DCL commercial But the ship used was the DREAM!! Have any of you seen it yet?

Sounds like your son is like DW and I, we can't do the late dining time either. Well, Judy you and your son are welcome to dine with DW and I if you would like to. We have the early dining time. I promise to be on my best behavior and mind my manners, especially my table manners. I won't grab anything off of your plate until you tell me it is ok to do so!!!

I haven't seen a DCL commercial here in the states for what seems like forever!!! It must be one they are showing just in your neck of the woods Judy!!! Sure would like to see it though!!!

 

[tjbaggott]

So we are officially rebooked onto this cruise. Just Tim and I. CAT 9's had opened back up, but funny thing now is since my TA booked us, now CAT 9's have again disappeared from the DCL site for this cruise. And amazingly, she got me on main dining!! Woo Hoo! David that's VERY nice of you offering to have us seated with you. Just might take you up on that. Tim tends to be shy, and he actually seems at times to be more chatty with adults than with kids! If you can put up with his poutiness at times, we just might go for it!

On our recent cruise, little Tim, proud of his reading skills taking off, really enjoyed reading his own menu and ordering his own meal. Well on the DCL kids menus, the first choices of meals are the typical "Minnie Burgers, Chicken Fingers, Mac and Cheese" all served with fries and veggies. Under that main list is a "hidden list" not really hidden, but never noticed by kids it seems, of more adult type meals but in child sized portions (like steak, fish, pork chops ect). Tim NEVER chose from that second list even when I pointed it out to him. Well on our pirate night, I noticed that on the kids appetizer list was "Honeydew Melon and Cantaloupe". I asked our server to please bring that out for Tim, as he hadn't been eating enough fruits or veggies on the trip and he LOVES Honeydew and Cantaloupe. So she brought it out, placed it in front of Tim who looks SHOCKED, that THIS has been set in front of him and he SCREAMS "I DIDN'T ORDER THIS". When told, mommy did, and it was because I thought he would like to have that. Well, that little monster through a Right Royal FIT! And wouldn't stop till the fruit was removed from the table. That was out of the blue, my goodness, one never knows when their child will throw a tantrum. And this one was of epic proportions for a 7 yr old!

Here's some of the Shutters photos I purchased, the First Shows Tim about 10 minutes AFTER the tantrum where he's still sulking:

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[tjbaggott]

And for some of my OWN photos (sort of, except for the first one):

My guys on Splash Mountain. This is obviously a photo of a photo, but look in the front row, DH and DS13 hanging on tight, and DH almost freaking out, then look at DS7 in the Middle. It was the ride of his life! Last year, that child refused to try any rollercoasters, and this year, he became ADDICTED to them!)

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Breakfast on the Verandah:

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What were these umbrella tree things called? Palapa's ? This is at Nachi Cocom in Cozumel:

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Tim being quite the clown while waiting for lunch:

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Searching for Pirates:

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THought this was a great photo of the boys on their way to the Castaway Cay Rays adventure, but then I noticed what was in Tim's Hand.... OH YA,,, I had asked him to hold my drink so I could handle the camera LOL. That was MY Bahama Mama.

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[tjbaggott]

OK, so I'm on a roll here, tonight. Either that or I'm just bored, nothing else to do but post on this board.......

So I'm trying to decide how to arrange hotel and transportation this time around as I'll be by myself with my son. Who plans on staying at a hotel near the port for the night before? If enough of us are there, is anyone interested in getting together for a dinner at Fishlips, and waving goodbye to the MAGIC??? As she sets sail Saturday Night?
We stayed at CI&S this last trip and got together at GRILLS with some of our Dis Group. It was FANTASTIC!

But then that brings me to some questions. How far in advance should one book airline tickets? Is it like cruising, where you book as soon as you can?
I'm trying to decide weather to stay at the Airport Hyatt, and take DCL transportation, or bite the anxiety bullet, and rent a car from the Airport and drive to CI&S, then leave the car at the Port rental drop off and take their shuttle to the terminal? THAT would actually cost less than DCL transportation, but I don't know how comfortable I'd be driving there, where I don't know the roads, but would have my trusty GPS with me.....

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

But then that brings me to some questions. How far in advance should one book airline tickets? Is it like cruising, where you book as soon as you can?
I'm trying to decide weather to stay at the Airport Hyatt, and take DCL transportation, or bite the anxiety bullet, and rent a car from the Airport and drive to CI&S, then leave the car at the Port rental drop off and take their shuttle to the terminal? THAT would actually cost less than DCL transportation, but I don't know how comfortable I'd be driving there, where I don't know the roads, but would have my trusty GPS with me.....

We fly Southwest so I usually buy tickets as soon as they are available because you can cancel and repurchase if they offer a lower price and you get a credit for the difference.

As far as driving...our first disney trip we took the auto train down from D.C. area. Since we had our own car we drove from Disney to the Port without a GPS and we did not have any trouble (until we got there). That day someone from the returning cruise had left a piece of luggage and the dogs smelled something on it. So...we sat for over two hours in the hot parking lot until they cleared the port. Ugh...it was a crazy. Everyone boarding at the same time. Late on board, then had to do the life jacket drill thing (again in the hot sun). The kids were wiped and needed a nap so we missed dinner and show. But we still loved the cruise and wish we could go more often.

Hoping to official book soon...

 

[davidls]

Judy, very nice photo's of your vacation. Seeing those on Castaway Cay sure do make a person long for those relaxing days on the beach!!! Oh well, it won't be tooooooooooooooooooo much longer!!!

Judy, it sounds like your son is a typical boy. I remember when our son was that age. Brian, our son, was very much like your son. Me thinks it's because they are boys!!! So if you want to dine with two older fuddy duddies...............well one.............and she ain't all that bad!!!! Don't tell DW I said that....................ok?????

 

[disneywonderfun]

. . . well I got sucked back into another Disney cruise with the family. We could not get the cabin we wanted, so we opted for two adjacent cabins with a connecting door. Hopefully it will work fine.

DWF

 

[tjbaggott]

. . . well I got sucked back into another Disney cruise with the family. We could not get the cabin we wanted, so we opted for two adjacent cabins with a connecting door. Hopefully it will work fine.

DWF

are you sure "Sucked In" is the correct term? Or was it easy to twist your arm to get on board? I would be the later. !!!!!!

 

[tjbaggott]

Here's a question for you all. Since I'll be travelling with my 8 year old, and it's just the two of us, and I'll be crossing the boarder by car, then flying out of Syracuse, do you think I'll need a letter from DH or notorized letter indicating that DH is aware of the trip and I am not part of some custody battle or kidnapping my own child? Starting to wonder if I should have DH drive me the 3 1/2 hours to Syracuse, then drive home, then come pick me up again at the end of the trip.

Oh and I investigated the cheapest rate for the two of us total, to fly out of my own city, and the cheapest rate to fly out of SYR.

West Jet from Ottawa to Orlando Return $1134.00
United and Delta from Syracuse to Orlando $454.60

No brainer there!

 

[tjbaggott]

Has anyone seen this video yet? "Out To Sea With The Disney Dream" She gets her first trial sea run to test out the engines and all the controls. My oh My but she's a gorgeous Ship!!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/11/out-at-sea-with-the-disney-dream/?sourcecode=15580&CMP=SOC-DCLFY10Q1DCL_SocMedFacebook0104

 

[Retroloco]

Hey Judy, you are welcome to sit with us at dinner also if you would like. It would be fun if we could all sit together. My family, you and your son and David and his wife. I'm not sure if Disney can do that though. We have 6pm dining and 9pm showtime. My son will almost be 7 by cruise time. I am trying to figure out flying/driving also. We lived in SC the other 2 times we cruised, and now we live in VA we are thinking about flying and taking Disney bus. I checked in to renting a car and they are very expensive($70-80!) I did find one place that was $40, but I am concerned about taking even more time returning the car. We are not planning on coming in the day before and staying overnight and I'm not sure if that is a smart decision. There are so many things that could go wrong if we wait to fly down the day of the cruise!Didn't you guys drive down on your recent trip? Did that go well?
Tina

 

[tjbaggott]

Hey Judy, you are welcome to sit with us at dinner also if you would like. It would be fun if we could all sit together. My family, you and your son and David and his wife. I'm not sure if Disney can do that though. We have 6pm dining and 9pm showtime. My son will almost be 7 by cruise time. I am trying to figure out flying/driving also. We lived in SC the other 2 times we cruised, and now we live in VA we are thinking about flying and taking Disney bus. I checked in to renting a car and they are very expensive($70-80!) I did find one place that was $40, but I am concerned about taking even more time returning the car. We are not planning on coming in the day before and staying overnight and I'm not sure if that is a smart decision. There are so many things that could go wrong if we wait to fly down the day of the cruise!Didn't you guys drive down on your recent trip? Did that go well?
Tina

Hi Tina, yes we drove down, actually did that for our last two trips! It was great on the way there, but no fun on the way home. I won't consider that this time around, simply because I'd be the only driver. I will admit, I'm a little nervous about the Body scanners at the airports, and would NEVER go for a pat down, so I guess I'd accept the lesser of the two evils, but no way would I allow my child to go through either. So have I heard correctly on the news that children under 12 don't have to go through the scanners and won't get the "Enhanced" pat downs"?

I'm sure Disney would put 7 at a table no problem. Our last cruise we were 4 and 4 for a total of 8. What do you think David? This way I'd have the best of both worlds, and so would the little boys. I just received my confirmation email from my TA. We'd all have to link our ressies for that, so Tina and David, I'll pm you the info you'd need to give to your TA's to have it linked (or DCL directly if you didn't use a TA), and then you'd both need to pm me your ressie numbers and family name.
I think this would be AWESOME!!

My Aunt's place in NJ is 7 1/2 hours away. I'm wondering if I could drive that far on my own and have them drive me to an airport the next day. I think ultimately it will be the 3 to 3 1/2 hour drive to Syracuse that I'll go for.

I haven't decided yet on weather to take DCL transfers or rent a car. I have found a rental through Budget for $47.79 for the Saturday to Sunday, and may do that, and just purchase one way transfers for Port to MCO. If I do rent a car, I could take Tim to Coco Beach for Saturday afternoon, but then again, if we are at CI&S, he would love to be in their pool for the afternoon!
Lots of time to decide. A lot will ultimately depend on what I am able to snag on price line or hotwir (which ever deal comes up first for me). Hyatt will mean we don't rent a car and will just do transfers, and CI&S will mean, I rent a car. The more I think about that, the less anxious I am about it. What does concern me though is weather or not I'll need a notarized letter as I'll be travelling alone with my child......

 

[davidls]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPBngoMIy08

Above is a link to You Tube for a video of the Dream coming into the Eems River Harbor. I haven't had a chance to see all of it yet, but it looks pretty nice.

Judy and Tina, that would be great if we all could sit together. Put DW and I in for the group seating at diner. When I get all of the info from ya'll I'll send it to my TA to link us up and get my info to send to all of you. (That gives me more plates to grab food off of!!! Sure won't go hungry this cruise!!!)

DW and I stay at WDW the day before the cruise. We drive over from home and have stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort in the past. (Not sure where we will stay this time........no plans as yet.) That gets a little more then half of our drive time over to the port behind us. We awake the day of the cruise.........eat breakfast at the resort and around 9:00 am drive over to the port, so we can start the cruise portion of our vacation. Just sitting in the terminal and being able to see that beautiful ship we are about to sit sail on is all part of the fun and excitement!!! And a chance to get some nice photo's.

Well, better get back to work. Break time is over!!! Talk to ya'll again real soon!!!

 

[davidls]

A little off topic here. Has anyone other then DW and I put up their Christmas tree yet? We have 3 kitties, and last year was a nightmare with them getting in the tree. So this year we decided to put the tree up this week-end..........just set it up so the kitties could get use to it. And, then decorate it Friday after Thanksgiving like we always do. But after putting it up we jumped right in and have it almost completely decorated!!!!

 

[GetGlowing]

This will be our 3rd or 4th year without a tree, thanks to our cat! He climbs it, and the last time we put it up, he broke a branch. We didn't have a tree at all last year (my dad was in the hospital with heart surgery mid-Dec through New Year's) and haven't replaced the broken one yet! I just can't get into Christmas decorating anymore, it seems. I like looking at others' trees, though!

 

[drummerwife]

I just booked this cruise during my 'moms getaway trip' onboard the Wonder two weeks ago. This will be a surprise cruise for our DS11. He knows that we're going to WDW, he just doesn't know that we'll be going on this cruise first. Now if DH and I can keep out mouths shut, we're such blabber mouths. I'm looking forward to talking and meeting everyone.
Janice

 

[tjbaggott]

I just booked this cruise during my 'moms getaway trip' onboard the Wonder two weeks ago. This will be a surprise cruise for our DS11. He knows that we're going to WDW, he just doesn't know that we'll be going on this cruise first. Now if DH and I can keep out mouths shut, we're such blabber mouths. I'm looking forward to talking and meeting everyone.
Janice

Welcome Janice! Secrets like this are fun, and there are creative ways to keep it a secret. Our Magic Cruise of just a few weeks ago, was a surprise for my two boys, and we kept it a secret for almost a full year! They knew we were taking their Nana to New Jersey to visit her sister, and that we'd then go tour Washington for a day, but that was all. I got around being able to mention cruise stuff, by talking of a fictional cruise off in the future, telling them we'd cruise again maybe in another couple of years. Then in Washington, they had clue cards at each point of interest to deciper the cipher puzzel they were given at the beginning, and then GPS coordinates to my friends house just outside Washington, where they found a letter from Mickey telling them the BIG SURPRISE! It was fun to plan, even if their reaction was quite subdued! LOL (the youngest was sound asleep when we arrived, and he's not always in a good mood when being awoken from a deep sleep, and on top of that, we had a FAN club waiting for us there, and boys are somewhat very shy at times. This was a time where their shyness made an appearance, so although my 13 year old told me later, he was bursting with excitment on the inside, he just couldn't show that on the outside in front of a bunch of strangers to him (my friend, and her DH and their kids, and another family that was cruising with us). It was Awesome though!

Your son, I'm sure will be GREATLY surprised no matter when he finds out. Do you have a plan yet as to how you'll break the surprise to him? (if it helps, I can do up a graphic I created, with Mickey standing in front of the ship holding open a scroll. The scroll is addressed to the child/person, and reveals the surprise).

 

[tjbaggott]

A little off topic here. Has anyone other then DW and I put up their Christmas tree yet? We have 3 kitties, and last year was a nightmare with them getting in the tree. So this year we decided to put the tree up this week-end..........just set it up so the kitties could get use to it. And, then decorate it Friday after Thanksgiving like we always do. But after putting it up we jumped right in and have it almost completely decorated!!!!

David you and many of my family and friends have put up their Christmas tree ALREADY!! We used to put it up after Dec. 6th, as that is my oldest sons Birthday, and when he was little, we often had his birthday party at home, and didn't want the tree up with a gaggle of other little boys around. As he grew into his teens, we started putting it up the first weekend of December. But last year and this year, with the timing of our Cruises (early November), once coming home, the rest of the month seems to go by so fast, and I'm fighting to get my brain off vacation and still wanting to wear my capris and t-shirts. I went to Costco yesterday just wearing my jeans and a shirt, no coat, and everyone else walking across the parking lot to the store, or coming out of the store, were bundled up well in their winter coats. I giggled. I've been wanting to take my youngest son to a Santa Claus Parade for the past few years, it was always tradition till we started cruising in November for the past few years. For some reason, our small end of the City, has thiers in the middle of November!!! So we missed it last year, and THIS year, because it snuck up on me. BUT I planned on taking him to the Big Night light Santa parade Downtown. I was watching the news on Friday night past, and someone at the hockey game, my little guy was at for a birthday party, mentioned going shopping the next day with money raised for a fundraiser, to buy toys for the HELP SANTA TOY PARADE (thats the night light one) and that he'd be shopping the next day. So I thought, oh, he's shopping this Saturday, so the Parade must be NEXT Saturday. So sat. evening we again are watching the news after dinner, and low and behold, THE PARADE IS ON!!! ON TV BEING FILMED LIVE!! EEERRRGGGGHHHHH! How can I miss 4 parades 2 years in a row?? Like I said, my brain is still on Vacation 2 weeks later!!!
Because of my errors, I hope to have our tree up next weekend though! That will please the youngest greatly!

 

[davidls]

I just booked this cruise during my 'moms getaway trip' onboard the Wonder two weeks ago. This will be a surprise cruise for our DS11. He knows that we're going to WDW, he just doesn't know that we'll be going on this cruise first. Now if DH and I can keep out mouths shut, we're such blabber mouths. I'm looking forward to talking and meeting everyone.
Janice

to Drummerwife Janice and family to our discussion group. I'll bet your DS11 son will be excited once he learns of this cruise. Are you going to tell him on Christmas morning, or wait until closer to the time of the cruise? I have done the Christmas surprise cruise for my family, and it is a great package for them to open and find out about the cruise.

We haven't finished decorating the tree, still have some special ornaments to put on. (Thank goodness we have a pre-lit Christmas tree! Putting on those old lights, there use to be many squabbles between DW and me!!!) And to tell you the truth.............I lost most of those battles!!!! Ok.........Ok............Ok............I lost ALL of the battles!!!!

Well, DW is calling me to the dinner table for lunch. I'll talk to ya'll again later.