Someday is sooner than you think...a March 2011 PTR

[Mndisneygirl]

I'm torn between your two options of revealing the cruise to the girls. I like the t-shirt idea because you'd be sure and get their reactions on video, but it seems so much more fun to wait and watch their surprise as they see the port come into view!

I'll look forward to hearing about the dolphin encounter. We're looking at that or the sea lion encounter, leaning towards sea lion just because it's more than $100 cheaper. Of course, as much as we're paying for this vacation is $100 really that big of a deal???

Anita - the straw market scares me!

Well, I think we've decided to just let them think we're going to Auntie Debbie's house and drive to the port. I don't have time to make t-shirts along with all the FE gifts we're planning!
I hope the dolphin encounter is fun. You will get a full report. I agree - we keep saying, heck what's another $100? Funny thing is, this was supposed to be the "inexpensive" trip instead of Europe!

Michelle-We need to look at those encounters....
The straw market (from what I hear) has a new inside home. I can't go back without knockoff purses for my daughters.

Sheree-I like the pulling into port idea myself. Just be sure to get it on video....

We might have to make a run through the new improved straw market. Mommy might like a faux Coach purse!

Sheree- your trip sounds FANTASTIC!!!

I vote for letting the cruise reveal itself on the drive. Imagine how proud the girls will be for figuring it out on their own rather than just reading the t-shirt.

You could also do really corny ship puns- "I've Dreamed about this trip for a long time" "Glad I a am in ship-shape for this trip" "Lifesaver, girls?"

Your stateroom sounds absolutely divine!!!

They will LOVE the dolphin encounters. We did one in Jamaica (actually, Ben and Mark did a dolphin encounter and Nate and I snorkeled with SHARKS!) Then at Atlantis, Ben and I did a dolphin encounter since Ben was not old enough to do the swim/footpush that Mark and Nate did.

We are so excited! We keep saying things like, wouldn't it be cool to try the Aquaduck? Sarah says I really want to go on the Dream for my birthday and we keep telling her it's too expensive and we can't get a room now at this late date.

So much fun reading about your plans! The dolphin encounter sounds like it will be a blast!

I like the idea of taping them as you get towards the port. What if you play it off and say you are going to the Space Center -- would they buy it? That way even if Sarah is reading the signs, she won't realize it until you are much closer.

Oh, good point, I sort of forgot about the Space Center. They really like it there too.

I'm getting excited just reading it all. We have late seating for dinner as well. Did you know that the shows are now assigned. We have the 7PM show assigned to us. I have heard that they are going to scan your KTTW card when you go in to be sure you are at the right show. I guess the theater is only big enough to hold a certain amount of people, so they want to be sure you are going to your assigned show. 7 works for us though. We have more time to get ready.
I keep looking at the dolphin encounters. Claire saw something the other day on TV and said she wants to pet a dolphin. It is a hefty price though. I thought maybe DH and her could go and it and I could buy the observer ticket. But even then, it would still probably put my DH into shock at the price.
He does want to go over to Atlantis and look around.(we did that once before too with a NCL cruise) I would like to do a little bit of shopping, but I don't know if we will make a full day at Nassua either.

I can't wait to hear more of your plans!

I was reading about the assigned show. I think if you want to go to the 5:00 they will let you. It's the only way I'll be able to cram everything in I want to do! That will be one busy day! I plan to rest with a lovely tropical beverage on Castaway Cay the next day though!
I have to go back and check your ticker - when are you going? ETA just saw in your ticker and PTR that you are going at the end of March. I'll try to get you lots of info when I get back and of course, you can ask any questions too! Isn't it exciting??

I can't wait to hear all about your cruise!! I've been checking them out, too.

Oh, it's so much fun! I hope you can get to go on one - it's money well spent!

Your girls are going to be so surprised!
The dolphin encounter you described sounds exactly like the one my brother and nephews did while they were at Atlantis in October. They videotaped the entire experience.

It's so funny because Paige thinks she's figured it out that we're going to WDW, but I won't confirm or deny it. That's okay even if she thinks that's it, the cruise will be a total shock. The only challenge will be packing without giving it away.

Oh my - I didn't realize this was going to be a surprise. I love the T shirt idea, but if you give them out too soon it will definitely be a give away. Maybe wait until you drive by the parking lot, then pull over, turn the car around saying, "woops - we forgot something". Then wip those shirts out.

OH - your cruise is going to be SO MUCH FUN!

Yeah, I've never tried to surprise them with the whole trip before, just little things like dining in the castle. It's challenging, because we tend to talk about Disney a lot. But with the Dream being all over the news lately, we can talk about it in really vague terms about how cool it would be and get ideas about what they would like to do. It's definitely "someday" in their minds.

Hopefully I'll have more time soon to post some more plans. Work has been crazy busy and will continue to be for a while. I'll have to find some down time to DIS though!!

 

[eandesmom]

Your trip sounds like so much fun! Well all except the 24 hour drive.



I would not like that part.

I vote for no t-shirts (which you already decided lol). You could do a puzzle like a scramble for the car, or let them figure it out. You might be surprised at how clueless kids can be. I did a surprise trip last April and even getting on the PLANE they didn't have a clue.

And then the puzzles I made them to figure it out had a lot of pieces and took the whole plane ride. It was a riot!

POP will be fun, I was a little bummed we ended up not staying there on our trip.

I have to confess that I feel the same way every time Charles says, "I've been thinking..." It never bodes well for the checkbook.

that's how Jeff feels when I say that!

 

[Monny2AE]

I love hearing about your surprise plans! The girls are going to be so excited!
Makes me want to start planning my surprise in 8 months!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I was reading about the assigned show. I think if you want to go to the 5:00 they will let you. It's the only way I'll be able to cram everything in I want to do! That will be one busy day! I plan to rest with a lovely tropical beverage on Castaway Cay the next day though!

So I noticed today on the DIS that they posted the Navigators for Day 1 and Day 2 of a three day cruise. There is NO 5:00 show listed. So I might have gotten some bad information. Not sure what we'll do now. Might try to move my Palo earlier if possible. Then go to 6:30 show and 8:30 dinner (again).
Anyone know how long to plan for a meal at Palo??? I'll have to research that! I have so many things to squeeze in on a three day cruise!!! Wish I could have done the 4 day!

I also wish they would tell you your dining rotation before you get there. Then I would know what's going on! It's not nice to do that to an uber planner!

I got DISNEY MAIL today!!! Got a little booklet from Pop AND a Disney Cruise Line Planning DVD. No, the kids did not see the Pop thing come in the mail, but Sarah watched some of the DVD with us - just the Dream part. We kept going on about maybe next year, blah blah blah. I told her we need to save our money or we'd never get to go - it's just SOOO expensive. I'm pretty sure she doesn't suspect it. I told her it's all over the internet because it's new and people are reporting about it. I think it's just fun to see.

I decided after seeing the video of the restaurants, I might want to dress up. It looks so elegant!!! Packing for this trip will be challenging. At least driving will help - no bag fees!!! I think I'll pack cruise stuff in one bag and then the rest. I'm sure we'll have to take 2 suitcases on the ship.

 

[SoonerGirl]

If those are the same Navigators that I saw, I wouldn't change any plans based on them. They are from the christening cruise which was not nearly to capacity so they weren't running things as they normally will be. I even read somewhere that people on that cruise were told that it would be different when the ship started it's regular cruises. Hopefully we'll see some Navigators from the maiden voyage posted soon!

 

[MNTwinsMom]

Hi Sheree -

Just found your PTR and all caught up! This brutal winter in MN combined with the FRENZY of press coverage about the Dream must be making you soooo anxious for your trip!

I've done the 24 hour MN to WDW drive several times myself and I'm considering it for our next trip. Wed like to go to WDW over MEA and I'm afraid the airline tix are going to be outrageous. One of our Florida drive traditions is the "Waffle House Challenge" - you count the number of Waffle Houses you can see from the freeway. Once you hit the southern states there seems to be one at every exit! It's also fun to take pictures of the outside temp (if you have a display in your car). You can watch the temp increase as you drive south.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

 

[Charleston Princess]

The more I see and read about the new Dream, the more excited I get about your trip! You are going to have so much fun!!!

 

[Native NYer]

Disney mail is the best kind of mail
So glad your girls don't suspect anything yet.

 

[jenseib]

Ya for Mickey mail!!

I have heard too, not to go by those naviagtors. They are not correct yet, as they were for preview cruises. They didn't even have all the 3 shows running either.

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Hi Sheree -

Just found your PTR and all caught up! This brutal winter in MN combined with the FRENZY of press coverage about the Dream must be making you soooo anxious for your trip!

I've done the 24 hour MN to WDW drive several times myself and I'm considering it for our next trip. Wed like to go to WDW over MEA and I'm afraid the airline tix are going to be outrageous. One of our Florida drive traditions is the "Waffle House Challenge" - you count the number of Waffle Houses you can see from the freeway. Once you hit the southern states there seems to be one at every exit! It's also fun to take pictures of the outside temp (if you have a display in your car). You can watch the temp increase as you drive south.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

We are making our first drive to Disney this May and I know we will watch for Waffle Houses! We do that every time we drive south of Kansas!!! We play a game trying to be the first one to spot them and see who can get the most!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Your trip sounds like so much fun! Well all except the 24 hour drive.



I would not like that part.

I vote for no t-shirts (which you already decided lol). You could do a puzzle like a scramble for the car, or let them figure it out. You might be surprised at how clueless kids can be. I did a surprise trip last April and even getting on the PLANE they didn't have a clue.

And then the puzzles I made them to figure it out had a lot of pieces and took the whole plane ride. It was a riot!

POP will be fun, I was a little bummed we ended up not staying there on our trip.

that's how Jeff feels when I say that!

I'm hoping they don't figure it out too soon. They're smart, but they are kids... That drive - yeah, it's not for everyone. I'm just lucky DH likes to drive - I don't enjoy driving at night, or when I'm tired, so he does most of it. I'm excited about Pop! I think it will be fun, even just for one night. We'll have a leisurely morning too.

I love hearing about your surprise plans! The girls are going to be so excited!
Makes me want to start planning my surprise in 8 months!

It's never too early to start planning right????

If those are the same Navigators that I saw, I wouldn't change any plans based on them. They are from the christening cruise which was not nearly to capacity so they weren't running things as they normally will be. I even read somewhere that people on that cruise were told that it would be different when the ship started it's regular cruises. Hopefully we'll see some Navigators from the maiden voyage posted soon!

Yeah, I'm going to just wait and see. I looked once to try to move Palo earlier, but there weren't any reservations available then. So we shall see. I'm sure between now and March, we will hear from lots of cruisers! I'll be sure to ask about it.

Hi Sheree -

Just found your PTR and all caught up! This brutal winter in MN combined with the FRENZY of press coverage about the Dream must be making you soooo anxious for your trip!

I've done the 24 hour MN to WDW drive several times myself and I'm considering it for our next trip. Wed like to go to WDW over MEA and I'm afraid the airline tix are going to be outrageous. One of our Florida drive traditions is the "Waffle House Challenge" - you count the number of Waffle Houses you can see from the freeway. Once you hit the southern states there seems to be one at every exit! It's also fun to take pictures of the outside temp (if you have a display in your car). You can watch the temp increase as you drive south.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

Hi!! and Yeah, winter is feeling longer, colder and snowier this year!! Although I just heard the weather guy say today that we're around 60" of snow and the record is over 90" Guess it could be worse!
I wanted to go for MEA too - see the fall decor, great weather, MNSSHP. I looked at air recently and it's not pretty!!! I hope it works for you!
I like the Waffle House Challenge!! That sounds fun! We'll be sleeping through the northern half of the trip probably anyway (well three of us will!). We are taking DH's car - no temp reading. But I can check with my iPhone!!

The more I see and read about the new Dream, the more excited I get about your trip! You are going to have so much fun!!!

Aww, thanks Jackie!! Me too- there is so much info out there right now! My mom and my boss have each said, "oh, it was on TV on **** show" and "did you know...?" Well, of course I knew whatever it was!! The new Cruise Planning DVD has a section on the Dream and it was SO COOL!!!!

Disney mail is the best kind of mail
So glad your girls don't suspect anything yet.

I got another card in the mail today!!! Something about a personalized URL for planning. I haven't checked it out yet.

Ya for Mickey mail!!

I have heard too, not to go by those naviagtors. They are not correct yet, as they were for preview cruises. They didn't even have all the 3 shows running either.

The trick is making sure not to let the kids see the mail! So far, so good.
Yeah, I'm going to wait and see after a few "normal" three night cruises and get more info then.

We are making our first drive to Disney this May and I know we will watch for Waffle Houses! We do that every time we drive south of Kansas!!! We play a game trying to be the first one to spot them and see who can get the most!

First drive eh?Hee Hee!!! Welcome to the club!!
We also play the license plate spotting game. Try to find plates from as many states as possible. Obviously, you will see at least the ones you're traveling through, but HUGE bonus for states from far away - Alaska and Hawaii get triple points!!! Many years ago I did see a Hawaii plate and we've spotted Alaska once I think.
My kids are trained - they shout out states when we're just driving around town, or in the Target parking lot by our home!!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

The license plate game will be fun too!
Great idea. I'll have to start a list to keep us busy on this trip....

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Sheree, your plans look fantastic! The Dolphin Encounter sounds like something my kids would LOVE too. How neat for your girls!! They are going to be so excited.

I'm watching MEA flights as well and they are dreadful. Driving might have to be a reality. Ugh.

 

[MEK]

for Disney mail. All other mail pales in comparison. I think I need to order that cruise planning DVD.

 

[jenseib]

for Disney mail. All other mail pales in comparison. I think I need to order that cruise planning DVD.

The 2011 WDW planning DVD also has a good section on the DCL. I really liked the DVD they put out this year.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I got an email the other day that had a link to order the new cruise DVD...I think I'll do it as a potty-training incentive. "Henry if you potty train we can go on this boat!"

 

[jenseib]

Great idea Brook!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I got an email the other day that had a link to order the new cruise DVD...I think I'll do it as a potty-training incentive. "Henry if you potty train we can go on this boat!"

This just might work Brook! I had to give Justin 'incentive' too (well, actually, it was more like a threat ) We were planning on going to the lake for a week with family and I told Justin that I was not taking pull ups to the lake, he would either be out of them or he wouldn't go. He was out of them within a week

 

[SoonerGirl]

Hey Sheree, not sure if you've seen these, but someone posted the Navigators from their 4 night Dream cruise

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39843844&postcount=64

 

[Mndisneygirl]

The license plate game will be fun too!
Great idea. I'll have to start a list to keep us busy on this trip....

I'm a fan of sleeping too. It is easier when you drive at night!

Sheree, your plans look fantastic! The Dolphin Encounter sounds like something my kids would LOVE too. How neat for your girls!! They are going to be so excited.

I'm watching MEA flights as well and they are dreadful. Driving might have to be a reality. Ugh.

I just hope they are not too scared! They will have fun!
Flights are just ridiculous! Then they nickel and dime you to death with fees!!

for Disney mail. All other mail pales in comparison. I think I need to order that cruise planning DVD.

We got more Disney mail!!!

The 2011 WDW planning DVD also has a good section on the DCL. I really liked the DVD they put out this year.

I didn't get that one, maybe I should, just for fun!

I got an email the other day that had a link to order the new cruise DVD...I think I'll do it as a potty-training incentive. "Henry if you potty train we can go on this boat!"

Great idea Brook!

I agree!!! What a good incentive!

This just might work Brook! I had to give Justin 'incentive' too (well, actually, it was more like a threat ) We were planning on going to the lake for a week with family and I told Justin that I was not taking pull ups to the lake, he would either be out of them or he wouldn't go. He was out of them within a week

Good job!!

Hey Sheree, not sure if you've seen these, but someone posted the Navigators from their 4 night Dream cruise

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39843844&postcount=64

Thanks, I hadn't seen that yet, but I've been away from the boards for a while. Hence, my lack of activity and updates here!!!
I will check it out. I'm eager to see a lot of the reports, but yet I'm a bit afraid to read about the complaints. Sometimes I think people react differently to things, and one person's complaint might not be a problem for someone else.