Star Wars and a Dream Cruise

[disney67]

[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]Hi Guys ,
My name is Jeff and this is going to be my second cruise and second time on the Dream.
we are planning this and then Star Wars weekend for a Dream week .
Travelers are Jeff 46 lily 48 Molly 12 and Philip 8 and my neice and her family is suppose to join us but will add her when she puts her deposit down ?

I had a great time on my last cruise i met so many new DisBoard friends so i cannot wait for this cruise , the only down side to my last cruise is that i was on crutches and could not do everything i wanted to do so im pixie wishing no accidents before this cruise .

I ran the FE on my last cruise but this time im going to ask someone else to run it Please ?
I will take part in it because it was alot of fun and i do not mind holding a meet like we did last time in one of the board rooms ??

other then all this Welcome Aboard and join the discussion we got over a year to get to know everyone


Here is our Family count 18


People Traveling on our magical Voyage

disney67 - Jeff- Lily- Molly 12 - Philip - 8
Non dis friend (my niece) Amy & Matt kids Lidda 4 there first cruise and disney trip except my niece she had no choice to feel my Love of the mouse
CrawfordMomof2 - Megan - Husband - Boy 1 - Boy 2
Nannylisad--- Elizabeth - husband - girls 15,13,12, boy 10
krisgils33 Wife , Husband , and Casey 12
Dopeylover 54 --Christie & Ken Beau & Michelle -- Kids Riley 9 , Lili Grace 7, Abby 6, Ali 5 , Caroline 10 month
LittleBlackRaincloud Heather & Bruce kids, Nathan 7, Nolan 6, Natalie 3, almost 4
nola_grl -Nicole and son Sean 12
mystyfur Husband & Wife kids sarah- 3 ds- 11
kfrazier and all of her fun family
lpblitzen25 Linda , Michael , kids Justin 14 Kevin 9
kthruz143 Husband and wife
krisgils33 Greg and Kris kids Casey 12 Emma 11
lillyshelle Husband and wife and DD 3 and her Mom and stepdad & sister and brother celebrating many birthday's
amyhollen husband (39) myself (38), daughter (13) and son (10)



Fish Extender for Cruise Total # 10
disney67 - stateroom #2533 2Adult and molly 12, philip 8
nola_grl - stateroom #5664 1Adult and Sean 12
Nannylisad - stateroom # 7566 and 7567 Elizabeth and Husband and Megan 15 , Erin 13 , Abby 12 , Calvin 10
mystyfur - Stateroom # 2 Adults and dd Sarah 3 , ds 11
kfrazier -- Stateroom# 7118 2 Adults and Micah 4 - Preston 2
kfrazier(Parents) - Stateroom #7616 2 Adults
kfrazier(sister) - Stateroom #7512 2 Adults and Hunter 4 Hayden 2
kthruz143 - stateroom # 2510 husband and wife
Sarina and Jamey Parents Reagan 6 stateroom #7502
Melanie and Khalil adults Dylan 11 stateroom #7683
stateroom #6192 - Anelise (23) and Hugo (24)
krisgils33. Casey (DD) 12, Emma 11. Greg and Kris adults Stateroom #8006

 

[IrishCowboy]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list

Have a great cruise!

 

[disney67]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list

Have a great cruise!

Thank You and hope you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

Hi Jeff, and everyone else!

My name is Megan and we just booked our first cruise in StateRoom 8188 on the Disney Dream for May 25th, 2014!

It will be myself, my husband, and our 2 boys (now 7 and 3). I am just so excited to get planning even though it is over a year away.

I can't wait to hear from some more people going on the same cruise as we are!
Any ideas on how to help with all of the excitement?

 

[disney67]

Hi Jeff, and everyone else!

My name is Megan and we just booked our first cruise in StateRoom 8188 on the Disney Dream for May 25th, 2014!

It will be myself, my husband, and our 2 boys (now 7 and 3). I am just so excited to get planning even though it is over a year away.

I can't wait to hear from some more people going on the same cruise as we are!
Any ideas on how to help with all of the excitement?

Hi Megan and family , WELCOME ABOARD
I so know what you are felling when we went in 2011 . you must be in cruising overload , because the bad part when i booked the dream was not even sailing yet there was like 6 months before i started to plan because of her inaugural cruise .
here is what i did first
1. if you do not have passports that only takes not even 3 months but it was somethin i did first
2. I made my own fish extender for the cruise or you can buy one online im kinda crafty and mine has a few flaws but i love it cause i made it .
3. we needed new luggage so since i had over a year i put it on santa"s list and my mom got it for us
4. are you doing WDW before or after the cruise ? we are doing it after because of star wars weekend ? and we are flying in on either wed or friday depending on price of air ? if you fly a day or 2 before we stayed and relaxed in the cocoa beach area we stayed last tim at the best western it was nice room was cleaned not too expensive and it seemed like a big room .
5. I read as much as i can on cruising but no matter how much you read it will always come down to it is disney and it will be magical .
6. are you telling the kids or is it a secret ?
I have the departure day navigator ship plan , Nassau shopping map ,and the welcome home dining rotation page with all disembarking info if you want this i do not mind making copies and sending them to you ?? just pm mailing info .
Little thing i did with my kids is got little magnetic coloring fishes and stuff they could put on the door it made it fun for them .
AquA Duck is a must do really fun
we did not do any of the special restaurant but friends of ours did and the pictures looked simply amazing .
when eating the kids get fed first and then the people from the Oceaneer"s club come get so parents can have some peace and quite time and our kids skipped dessert most of the nights to have more play time there and it was funny they never even looked back or say goodbye .
If there is anything I forgot or you want to ask me feel free to ask me for anything my brain is and open book and i cannot wait for this either .

 

[disney67]

My Neice Amy and her Family put there down payment on the cruise the other day
so it is going to be Amy - Matt husband - and baby Lidda 4 at time of cruise
I so cannot wait for this to show them cruising.this cruise cannot come any sooner

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

Hi Megan and family , WELCOME ABOARD
I so know what you are felling when we went in 2011 . you must be in cruising overload , because the bad part when i booked the dream was not even sailing yet there was like 6 months before i started to plan because of her inaugural cruise .
here is what i did first
1. if you do not have passports that only takes not even 3 months but it was somethin i did first
2. I made my own fish extender for the cruise or you can buy one online im kinda crafty and mine has a few flaws but i love it cause i made it .
3. we needed new luggage so since i had over a year i put it on santa"s list and my mom got it for us
4. are you doing WDW before or after the cruise ? we are doing it after because of star wars weekend ? and we are flying in on either wed or friday depending on price of air ? if you fly a day or 2 before we stayed and relaxed in the cocoa beach area we stayed last tim at the best western it was nice room was cleaned not too expensive and it seemed like a big room .
5. I read as much as i can on cruising but no matter how much you read it will always come down to it is disney and it will be magical .
6. are you telling the kids or is it a secret ?
I have the departure day navigator ship plan , Nassau shopping map ,and the welcome home dining rotation page with all disembarking info if you want this i do not mind making copies and sending them to you ?? just pm mailing info .
Little thing i did with my kids is got little magnetic coloring fishes and stuff they could put on the door it made it fun for them .
AquA Duck is a must do really fun
we did not do any of the special restaurant but friends of ours did and the pictures looked simply amazing .
when eating the kids get fed first and then the people from the Oceaneer"s club come get so parents can have some peace and quite time and our kids skipped dessert most of the nights to have more play time there and it was funny they never even looked back or say goodbye .
If there is anything I forgot or you want to ask me feel free to ask me for anything my brain is and open book and i cannot wait for this either .

Wow! So much to think about

We still have to get our passports. That is on my to do list. Hopefully by the end of January that process will be started. I don't want to wait until the last minute. And if we go on another cruise we won't have to do that step again.

I'm still trying to decide about the fish extender project. It sounds like a lot of fun, but how many people usually end up participating?

Love your idea about luggage. I think I'm going to use that idea this year.

We're not doing the World this time around. This is our first family vacation, and I'm already a little nervous about all the planning. But we'll see. We have talked about it...

Thanks for the tip about the hotel! We are driving, and our trip is about a 10 hour drive which isn't too bad. But we are planning on driving down the night before and I haven't even started looking at hotels yet.

Lets see... As of right now we're keeping it a secret. My husband doesn't want to tell them until we get to the port. But... I don't know if I can keep a HUGE secret that long. I am just so excited!

The kids clubs are one of the main reasons that we decided on Disney instead of Carnival. We don't get a lot of time during the week ( if any) to ourselves, and just the idea of going to dinner, and not having to pay for a babysitter is priceless!

I'll send you a PM about the stuff you mentioned. Thanks for your help!!!

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

My Neice Amy and her Family put there down payment on the cruise the other day
so it is going to be Amy - Matt husband - and baby Lidda 4 at time of cruise
I so cannot wait for this to show them cruising.this cruise cannot come any sooner

That's great! Are they going to be in a stateroom near you?

 

[disney67]

We still have to get our passports. That is on my to do list. Hopefully by the end of January that process will be started. I don't want to wait until the last minute. And if we go on another cruise we won't have to do that step again.
just keep in mind maybe wait till the summer to start this because you get a certain amount of years then the passports due expire

I'm still trying to decide about the fish extender project. It sounds like a lot of fun, but how many people usually end up participating? i had about 15-17 last time i kind of went overboard lol with this but this time im just making one thing because thats usually the minumum you have to do for it but it will be nice ,

Love your idea about luggage. I think I'm going to use that idea this year. it is nice you pick it out or get a gift card ? love samsonite

We're not doing the World this time around. This is our first family vacation, and I'm already a little nervous about all the planning. But we'll see. We have talked about it...are you just doing the 4 day cruise ? drive I 95 is a really good book for driving down tells you everything from maine to FLA exit to exit with anything you need to know and do

Thanks for the tip about the hotel! We are driving, and our trip is about a 10 hour drive which isn't too bad. But we are planning on driving down the night before and I haven't even started looking at hotels yet.I like to fly if i have the extra days i might try to ask the wife to see if she wants to do it !! she has told me she would never want to drive that long of a drive . we have friends in Woodbridge are you guys close to that town?

Lets see... As of right now we're keeping it a secret. My husband doesn't want to tell them until we get to the port. But... I don't know if I can keep a HUGE secret that long. I am just so excited!
NOPE you will not be able to hold it in i'm sorry but it took me 3 trips of saying this to actually be able to do it. I hear how excited you are and thats where i did not mean to slip but it just happend

The kids clubs are one of the main reasons that we decided on Disney instead of Carnival. We don't get a lot of time during the week ( if any) to ourselves, and just the idea of going to dinner, and not having to pay for a babysitter is priceless! OH to have any time away from my angels is amazing this was another reason i rebooked again plus the kids loved it 100% I was just mad at myself i tipped everyone but them
That's great! Are they going to be in a stateroom near you? yes we are in 2533 and they are 2538
Keep in mind another little tip rebook while on board you get 10% off plus a lowered deposit

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

Thanks again for the tips!

Do you know if the discount you get booking on board is better than booking the first day they post the sailing dates for the year?

We haven't even been on our first cruise yet, and are already saying that if it is a good enough deal we'll probably book our next one onboard.

 

[disney67]

Do you know if the discount you get booking on board is better than booking the first day they post the sailing dates for the year?if you have no discount the cheapest time to book is when they open the pricing because the ship is empty as it gets filled up so does the pricing or if you have a family member that is a cast member and you can sail last minute lol you get a 10% discount plus a cheaper deposit is what i got for re booking on board

We haven't even been on our first cruise yet, and are already saying that if it is a good enough deal we'll probably book our next one onboard.we basically knew while in the terminal we were going to rebook it is Disney and i was so correct it was beyond amazing and magical and no i do not get paid to say that

 

[LeslieLou]

Hi Dreamers! We are Leslie, Tom, Gabe (will be 8) ETA 8 and Patrick (will be 6) and this will be our first cruise as well! We are star wars weekend vets and I'm hoping we can go before and after the cruise

As I mentioned,we've never cruised before as we had to cancel our last trip. We're currently booked in cat 8a room 6012. I'm really debating changing to cat 8b so my boys can have a bunk bed. If anyone has thoughts on that, I'd appreciate it!

I'm excited to participate in FE! I can be crafty when I really want to . I don't think I'm qualified to lead such an endeavor as I have no idea what's involved...

We too have a lot to do to be prepared and I'm looking forward to learning all the ins and outs of Disney cruising. I know the disboards will come in handy! Jeff has already given me a few ideas! Thanks!

 

[disney67]

Hi Dreamers! We are Leslie, Tom, Gabe (will be 8) ETA 8 and Patrick (will be 6) and this will be our first cruise as well! We are star wars weekend vets and I'm hoping we can go before and after the cruise

As I mentioned,we've never cruised before as we had to cancel our last trip. We're currently booked in cat 8a room 6012. I'm really debating changing to cat 8b so my boys can have a bunk bed. If anyone has thoughts on that, I'd appreciate it!

I'm excited to participate in FE! I can be crafty when I really want to . I don't think I'm qualified to lead such an endeavor as I have no idea what's involved...

We too have a lot to do to be prepared and I'm looking forward to learning all the ins and outs of Disney cruising. I know the disboards will come in handy! Jeff has already given me a few ideas! Thanks!

Hi Leslie and family Welcome Aboard it is nice to know i can help with anything just feel free to ask me if i can help i will be glad to .
I have a navigater and a few things if you would like me to mail them to you i can make copies like i did for Megan and send them out just pm me an adress if you would like them.
and if i might have some ?? about Star Wars Weekend if you do not mind helping ? me at the same time i would be so graetful
Jeff

 

[disney67]

Hi guys quick ?
which dinner seating did you pick early or late ??

 

[LeslieLou]

Hi Leslie and family Welcome Aboard it is nice to know i can help with anything just feel free to ask me if i can help i will be glad to .
I have a navigater and a few things if you would like me to mail them to you i can make copies like i did for Megan and send them out just pm me an adress if you would like them.
and if i might have some ?? about Star Wars Weekend if you do not mind helping ? me at the same time i would be so graetful
Jeff

Would love to help with any sww questions! I will pm you our address- it will be exciting to get a version of Mickey mail so early in our planning!

We are currently scheduled for the earlier dinner seating. Will the dining rotations be the same more than a year from now? I'm debating what night to book palo for...I've also been trying to decide which restaurants food looks least appetizing so we schedule on that night. It's going to be tough!

We are having some winter weather this weekend, so I've been online reading up I hope everyone is managing to stay cozy!

 

[disney67]

Would love to help with any sww questions! I will pm you our address- it will be exciting to get a version of Mickey mail so early in our planning!

We are currently scheduled for the earlier dinner seating. Will the dining rotations be the same more than a year from now? I'm debating what night to book palo for...I've also been trying to decide which restaurants food looks least appetizing so we schedule on that night. It's going to be tough!

We are having some winter weather this weekend, so I've been online reading up I hope everyone is managing to stay cozy!

We are currently scheduled for the earlier dinner seating. Will the dining rotations be the same more than a year from now?Yes that should not change which ever rotation you are on . We changed who we were seated with on last cruise to dine with a discouple that showed us around we did that before we left port on the ship I'm debating what night to book palo for...I've also been trying to decide which restaurants food looks least appetizing so we schedule on that night. It's going to be tough!here is how i would rate the 3 1. Animaters Palate because the food was great and the interection ith crush 2.Royal Palace all im going to say is OMG the food and desert 3. Enchanted Garden food good but not like the other two .
Also keep in mind while eating dinner they bring the kids meals out first because the Oceaneers Club pick up the kds and take them if you want ? our kids skipped desert for more time there it is not like my kids to skip desert .the best time for husband and wife to have some quite time it is like 2 hours

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

Hi Dreamers! We are Leslie, Tom, Gabe (will be 8) ETA 8 and Patrick (will be 6) and this will be our first cruise as well! We are star wars weekend vets and I'm hoping we can go before and after the cruise

As I mentioned,we've never cruised before as we had to cancel our last trip. We're currently booked in cat 8a room 6012. I'm really debating changing to cat 8b so my boys can have a bunk bed. If anyone has thoughts on that, I'd appreciate it!

I'm excited to participate in FE! I can be crafty when I really want to . I don't think I'm qualified to lead such an endeavor as I have no idea what's involved...

We too have a lot to do to be prepared and I'm looking forward to learning all the ins and outs of Disney cruising. I know the disboards will come in handy! Jeff has already given me a few ideas! Thanks!

Great to hear from you! I bet you are even more excited than we are, since you had to cancel your previous trip. I'm looking forward to the FE exchange as well, but I don't know that i'm qualified to lead either. . Jeff has been super helpful. He sent us a lot of information that I didn't even know existed. Thanks Jeff!!!!

Also, If you are a die hard planner like I am, you need to get the Passporters Guide to the Disney Cruise Line. Great information, and their website is pretty good.

And Jeff, We currently have 1st seating. We were debating on if the Dine in Play with 2nd seating would be a better idea? Let us know what you think.

 

[disney67]

Great to hear from you! I bet you are even more excited than we are, since you had to cancel your previous trip. I'm looking forward to the FE exchange as well, but I don't know that i'm qualified to lead either. . Jeff has been super helpful. He sent us a lot of information that I didn't even know existed. Thanks Jeff!!!!

Also, If you are a die hard planner like I am, you need to get the Passporters Guide to the Disney Cruise Line. Great information, and their website is pretty good.
I got the 10th edition for my neice it covers the Dream and fantasy very well and even tho i have been on it once you can always read something that you might not be able to get an ansawer on the boards . i paid like 17.00 with all taxes and shipping thru barnes and noble .com i ordered it in store cheaper then buying it from them in stock and my screen name is disney on the PP side

And Jeff, We currently have 1st seating. We were debating on if the Dine in Play with 2nd seating would be a better idea? Let us know what you think. as per the seating we did the second seating we dropped the kids off at oceaneers club went to see the show picked the kids up for dinner or gave them a choice to have a quick meal to have more time there and me and wife got a meal with just us because our table mates had a palo ADR .which was great .we had dinner then some alone time mommy and daddy which was awesome it would of been alot more magical if i was on 2 legs and was able to walk ? due to muscle pull 2 weeks before trip URGH!
to be honest it all depends what you prefer too early or late dinner the reason i took late my TA for many years said it is better but i think it runs down to preferences??
I do not mind running the FE only if it is 10 people or less i had 15 or more last time and it took alot of time to do it and i just do not want to go crazy this time around ? it is an extrely added fun thing to do but 4 days is still a short trip that is why i would love to put only 2 meets together on board and if anyone wants to join us when we go ashore to the Bahamas they are more then welcome to join us ? and i will have a magnetic dry erase board to tell everyone what im up too daily if anyone wants to join in on some fun having a mutiny on the ship ?

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

Thanks for the info Jeff. Silly question... What exactly is involved in organizing the FE exchange? I definitely want to help, but I feel like I don't know anything about it at the moment.

 

[disney67]

Megan ,
to run it is simple
1. must set rules for the FE
2. make sure you either do a spread sheet or something similar ?
to have everyones info ?
how many people in the stateroom
how many adults and kids (some people will give ages and gender because they do age spefic things)
Contingency plan just in case of stateroom changes or people canceal at very last minute
i think that covers 99.9% if i forgot something someone will correct me ?
including my bad spelling