special trip, need lots of info pls.

[pagehouse]

Our family is going on our first Disney Cruise. Our trip is a wish for our 6 yr old son who has a terminal illness. (His wish trip is not through MAW though. They told us no because he would not have the ability to thank them for the wish if you can believe that) God however has blessed us with the chance to do this for him. We really wanted to get an outside cabin with the verandah so that he would have the very best on his trip, but finacially it was just not an option (there are 5 of us in our family). I am feeling really guilty about it since it will literally be a once in a lifetime experience for him. So, I have decided to learn all I can about the cruise so that he can take part in all there is.
I have noticed that several of the people that post on here have been on numerous cruises. Could you please lend me your experience and tell me all the things that are "must do"? I want to make the very most of this time. I have read about getting pillow cases signed by Mickey and others. Can anyone give me more info on this? That would be an incredible keepsake!
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give. We are really getting excited now. We cruise on Sept. 6 !!

 

[seastar]

I haven't cruised Disney yet but I have learned tons from this board and also the Passporter book on the Disney Cruise. Keep reading and asking questions-everybody here is very helpful.
God bless you and your sweet boy.


P.S. You can order the book online at www.passporter.com

 

[AnnMorin]

Make a wish denied your request?! How come??
Well at anyrate a veranda does not "make" a cruise, your family's attitude does I would not spend one moment fretting or feeling guilty about a lack of veranda.
Are you going on the Eastern or Western? What are the ages of your party? If you are going western I would definately do stingray city, for the pillowcase signature just drop it off at the Guest services desk and it will be signed for you. I might suggest having your doctor write a letter on your son's behalf (he will need a medical form anyhow) to DCL maybe they can help make it more special.

 

[disney6]

We bought DCL hats at the gift shop and had the characters sign those. They are a great keepsake also and he can wear it while on board and after. We had 5 kids and one of the CM's working with the characters said he would take care of those for us if we wanted (this was on our way into dinner at Lumiere's) and before dinner was over he brought them to our table! We were so surprised and needless to say, thrilled! Fabulous. The best souvenier we've ever had!

I agree with Ann, a verandah does NOT make a cruise. We have never had one and certainly don't feel we've missed anything. You may be surprised at how little time you actually spend in your cabin. I even wore my pj's on deck early some mornings and enjoyed the emptiness of the ship, peace and quiet. Some people looked at me funny but I didn't really care (I was completely covered btw!!)

Have a great cruise! You obviously are very special people to have been given such a gift as your son, God Bless You.

 

[Favorite Auntie]

If my calculations are right, you are on the Eastern itenerary??? You son will LOVE the ship, any room that you have will be great. I am not sure what your son's limitations are, but you might want to take a look at the navigator's on Barb's website www.castawayclub.com Navigator's are the daily list of activities available every day on the ship. You will get them in your room every night for the next day. Maybe bring a hi-liter to highlight the things that you want to do. They can get confusing. I am cruising in Nov with a 5 year old boy, and I posted a thread about any excursions that people thought he would enjoy. Overwhelmingly people thought I should do the coral world / coki beach excursion in St Thomas. I went to their website www.coralworldvi.com I am going to take their advice, but I will be doing it on my own.

Good luck and have a MAGICAL cruise!

 

[moinab]

I hope you have a wonderful, magical vacation. You will get a ton of great information on this board. We went on our first ever cruise on the Wonder, July 17, for the 3-day. My advice is to not worry about missing anything. There's so much to do, you can't possibly fit in all the "don't miss" activities. We were travelling with an infant and a toddler, and actually didn't take advantage of any of the entertainment. We had a wonderful time walking around the ship, eating ourselves stupid, just watching people and scenery. I'm sure you'll find lots to do, but I just wanted to point out that we had a great time doing nothing!

I absolutely agree--don't worry about not getting a verandah. Your son will love going up on decks 4, 9, and 10 and enjoying the view and the fresh, sea air. Also, you never know--you might get a free upgrade, like Verandah Man! Best of luck and God Bless your family.

 

[Jeanny]

Not to get your hopes up, but maybe DCL will see your post and get you an upgrade!!

Andy, put in a good word for Nathan, he deserves it!!
I can't believe MAW said that to you! MAN!!

 

[newbycruiser]

pagehouse and Nathan:

Denied a wish because he can't thank them??? That sure does sound strange...what's with MAW? I've donated time and energy to them, I hope they do good things with it!

Well, I have not sailed yet, but will in 50 some odd days. I didn't know ANYTHING, but I checked out these resources, and they are excellent!

1. Dave's site www.dcltribute.com (transportation, airport, weather, etc.)
2. Barb and Tony's site www.castawayclub.com (lots of pics)
3. Passporter www.passporter.com (order their book, a MUST HAVE)

I'm sure there are more, but these were the ones I found most helpful. The veterans are very helpful, too. Just ask any question, they won't think it's too dumb to answer, they'll be very kind and helpful!

little tips:

signed pillowcases
order a Mickey Bar (not sure of Nathan's dietary restrictions)
underpack (especially clothes)
Make reservations when you first get on (for Palos or spa)
Bring empty water bottles and refill on Deck 9
Order room service to bring your own lunch on excursions to save money (bring collapsible cooler)
Wear your swimsuit under your clothes when you board to use the pool
Don't go to the theatre for the disembarkation, its on in your room

Hope these help, I got these all from the boards!

gail

 

[inkkognito]

Even if you don't have a verandah, be sure to go to the deck 7 aft verandah and also to the chairs on Deck 4 for some enjoyable outside time. Verandahs are nice, but the lack of one will definitely not spoil your cruise. It would be great if an upgrade comes your way, but if not, don't worry about it. We've done Cat. 11 staterooms and had a great time.
I'm surprised at MAW, but I recently read a very interesting article about how they don't like local charities who do the same thing and even have "exclusive" deals with some celebrities and organizations that won't grant wishes set up by the local orgs. I know they do great work, but I think they are getting so big that politics sometimes gets in the way.
Have an EXCELLENT trip!!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[abitjaded]

Does your son use a wheelchair? If he does I can give a lot of advice. An old link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=287109

The folks on the disABILITIES board here are also a great support and resource.

Just be sure, no matter what, that you contact DCL Special Services and make them aware of all your special needs, close to elevator, close to front of restaurants for restroom breaks, refrigeration for meds, etc.

Other posters are right, Coki Beach and Coral World are great (and mostly doable in a WC). Havensite Mall is right off the ship dock in Charlotte Amalie, fun kid's souvineers without a long walk.

Don't worry about a verandah. As Barb suggested, try sitting on deck 4 Promenade. There are great lounge chairs and peace and quiet if you have had enough of the pool noise. Grab your drinks, grab a chair and the kids can play shuffle board.

We did upgrade at the port, if they don't give you a freebie, they might still make it reasonable (they did for us). Doesn't hurt to ask nicely.

Go to the character signings, take ten times more film than you think you might need. Go to all the portrait opportunities, then go to Shutters daily and stack every picture taken of your family in one spot to help you decide which you might like to buy, otherwise they get taken down or scattered.

If exhaustion sets in, who needs a verandah, there is round the clock Disney fun on the TV channels. If you cannot make it to a meal, and you cannot find something on the menu, get someone in your family to go to Topsiders if they are serving. The servers will fill up a tray with your selections, cover the dishes and run it to your room, do tip them (go when they first open, the food is really pretty good at dinner, looked even better than what we got in the rotation). Snuggle in with a good meal and a room movie. The coffee table raises up to make a dining table.

And we all want to know why we donate to MAW to have them thanked rather than to have wishes granted. Please elaborate???

Hug your family a lot. All of them.

Carla

 

[AnnMorin]

please pm. me the details of your denial from make a wish. My husband is an attorney and magistrate and is quite curious about why they denied your son. We have donated quite a bit of money to this and other charities like it and would like to know their justification for denying a terminal child a wish.

 

[aprilgail2]

Having dealt with Make a Wish in the past I am very surprised that his wish was denied. I have seen wishes granted to children who in no way would be able to express their thanks to them, which MAW did you deal with? I know some people in our local one. I do recall that they did ask Matt personally what his wish was, they wouldn't just let us make it for him though.
Also, there are plenty of other Wish Organizations that would grant him a wish, you can't get wishes from them all but you could get a wish from one of them. They usually ask you if you have had a wish granted from any other organization before they give you one. If you are interested I could get you names and contact info for other organizations.
MAW sent us on a wonderful Disney trip, a week in Disney and 4 days on the Big Red Boat way back in around 1991 and another Wish organization granted Matt the wish of a laptop computer to take with him to the hospital in 2001 since it was a different illness and it was just a laptop, repeat wishers can't get trips or celebrity meets which is very fair since there are a lot of kids waiting for those first trip wishes.
I booked us all on the Disney Cruise for last May but Matthew passed away about 3 weeks before we were set to leave but at least I know I took him on many vacations and he had a good life, short but good.
Let me know if you would like info on other Wish places.
Best of luck with your trip.

 

[professorandmom]

As a side note, here in Indianapolis, Make a Wish has made the paper several times for financial difficulties and their resultant denial of all DCL requests (which they claim are the most common and the most expensive)
Barbara

 

[pagehouse]

First let me start by saying you are all so wonderful. I was feeling really downtrodden about the whole room thing. Of course you are all right, the room is very unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Bless you all for reminding me, I needed it!
Second, let me say that my intention was not to bash MAW. I know they do some amazing things for kids and I hope they can continue to do so for many years to come. They just couldn't help us. Maybe it was the chapter I was dealing with in St. Louis, but we weren't even asking for a cruise! We only asked for a trip to Madison Wisconsin. I was told, and I quote, "If he doesn't have the ability to talk, he couldn't even thank us for the trip." At that point I asked to speak to a manager, or someone in charge because I thought she must be mistaken. However the next person I spoke to said the same. It really bummed me out and put me off looking for other wish granting groups for awhile. I just couldn't handle the rejection. ( I never even let Nathan know about any of it so he was not disappointed.) I think it sad though that people only know of the MAW and so that is the one that people donate to. There are many other organizations that give to children and don't have the rigid criteria to be met.
At any rate, fast forward and we found a group called The Wishing Well Foundation (www.wishingwellusa.org). They were more than happy to help us. So, here we are, going on what will be literally a trip of a life time!
Our son has a very rare genetic disorder that prevents him from growing. You all wont believe this, but he is 6 yo and only weighs 12 lbs.! We were told he would not make it out of the newborn period, then when he did they said there was universal demise by the age of 2. It's a good thing Nathan didn't get that memo because he is now *6*!! What an amazing blessing. Of course all glory goes to God. Each and every day we have is a miracle. That is what we focus on, not the fact that it also might be his last.
I've gone on too long. I just was so overwhelmed by the out pouring of kindness by you all. Again, my whole family thanks you. Your advice has been very helpful.
BTW, we are on the 7 day Eastern cruise. It will be me and my dh, ds 12 Nicholas, ds 6 Nathan and ds Nashua 3. My mother has also decided to go so that will really help with the kids!

 

[Verandah Man]

pagehouse,

I know you are new to the DISboards, but, if you would look in your PM folder there is a message there for you and your family.

 

[snelsonbrown]

PH.
Can you please drop me a note at snelsonbrown@aol.com - would like to chat with you before you go on your cruise.

aprilgail - hard to believe that Matt has been gone a year now - I am just so sorry that I didn't get the opportunity to meet him as planned - I have oftened wondered how you and yours were doing.

anyhow ph ----by the Grace of God, one wish has been answered and just maybe a bigger one will be answered as Nathan to get to feeling better and better -

Do write me
Always
Shirley

 

[eye R.N.]

Everyone is right about the room. We've been on four cruises and never had a veranda.

Coki beach would be an excellent choice for you. Not too far a ride, the fish come in fairly close. If two days off the ship is going to be too taxing spend the other day enjoying a not so crowded pool.

Pack more film and less clothes than you think you'll need.

He might enjoy some of the family stuff that goes on in Studio Sea. Mickey Mania is fun to watch, and the family trivia is fun to play. My youngest has also had fun with us at the Mickey 200. It is a family activity were you make race cars out of vegetables. The whole activity is not too long about 30 minutes and the adults do the cutting.

Take advantage of room service if you need food during a "rest time" they are usually very prompt and the food is good.

One other thing you might consider is the "till we meet again" on the last night. All the characters come out and it is a great photo op. It might require a rest during the day though.

Now, for yourself. Please find time to make brunch and or high reservations to have some private time all this will cost you is a tip for your servers. I would also recommend at least a day pass to the rainforest room. Or if you can't swing that, late evenings in the hot tub at the quiet cove pool.

My prayers are that this trip is everything your son could wish for. Having helped with a give Kids the world trip, this is an area where Cast Members excell.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by snelsonbrown
PH.


aprilgail - hard to believe that Matt has been gone a year now - I am just so sorry that I didn't get the opportunity to meet him as planned - I have oftened wondered how you and yours were doing.



Thanks Shirley, we are still hanging in there....its 15 months since Matt died, really hard to believe. My daughter still talks about him constantly and yesterday when we got in the car she made me buckle the front seat belt on an empty seat because she said Mathew was in that seat and he wanted to come to the park with us. We had a major toy drive at Christmas in his name and collected thousands of toys for sick and needy kids, helped everyone get through the first Christmas without him. He would have been 16 next month.

 

[abitjaded]

More fairy dust for Nathan, and Matt's family.

More ideas. If Nathan can get in the water, Magen's Bay on St. Thomas is a very calm smooth beach with shallow water. You also don't have to worry about the other kids, either. If the surf is high (it was bad one January) Coki can be a bit rough. Be aware that some parts of Coral world cannot be seen if he can't be tranferred from a wheelchair, but their website details these failings. If Nathan is in a lightweight wheelchair, even Dawn Beach on St Martin is doable, if someone can carry him and/or the chair. Just driving around either of these islands is fun. I cannot remember if the bicycle rental on CC includes kid trailers, but bicycling the paths is fun. Anyone recall? The trails are fairly smooth, but take mosquito repellant if you go late in the day. I also wanted to re-stress having some method to cool off. Take a good spritzer or something to keep Nathan cool. Does his disorder have a name/ chomosomal locus? Sorry, molecular biologist curiosity, you don't need to answer.

Carla

 

[AnnMorin]

You will want to let DCL know that he only weighs 12 pounds as you would probably need an infant/toddler lifejacket for him. I believe they put the life jackets in the cabins based on age (ie: under two years infant/toddler 5 and up youth size etc) they may assume that as he is six he would need a youth size life jacket, one less hassle to deal with once on board if you tell them now.