I hopefully will get a lot of help from all the wonderful DDC (Dorky Disney Cruisers) I officially met on the Thanksgiving cruise, but here is one rendition from a Disney-a-holic, but first time cruiser. My cast of characters include the following:
Me: 37 Dorky Disney Cruiser
DW: 36 Not much of a Disney person, thinks I am a freak about all the Disney stuff
DS1: 10...almost as much of a Disney freak as me, but is in the stage now where he thinks he is too old for the characters (I have told him he will grow out of it)
DS2: 6...thinks he is 10...loves all sports and Pirates of the Carribean
DD: 2...Princess freak...fell in love with Daisy Duck on the cruise, and decided she is a little afraid of Stick (what she calls Stitch)
DFIL: Kid at heart...goes along with what everyone is doing...known to say over and over again, "Y'all, it does not get any better then this" when he is with his family...also provided the credit card for the trip
DMIL: As many other families might say, she is the BEST grandmother ever.
DSIL: Like my wife, not really big Disney person, but goes along with things. Also, 20 weeks pregnant.
DBIL: From Australia. Felt right at home on the Wonder with all the other Aussies. 6-6 in height, so a little nervous about the low ceilings.
DN: 2...does everything her cousin does..my 2 year old is almost three, DN, just turned 2...she also loves the princesses
Travel day:
Let me start off by saying the planning for this, though brief since we booked in September, was thorough and intense. But it was made so much easier because of the DDC. So, thank you SO MUCH Randy, Brandon, Carol, Shelley, Michelle, Patricia...and all the other DDC.
My family thinks I am literally nuts over the Disney things, but all of you guys can probably relate. All I kept hearing up until the day we left from my family was: "Julie (cruise director from the Love Boat), you are way too obsessed with this. Stop telling me everyday what we are going to do and eat and play with and see!!!" But when the day arrived and they did not have to do anything but show up and enjoy thenselves, who is the crazy one now????
I had hoped when we flew out of Nashville on the 21st, it would be a huge snowstorm and we would fly from a blizzard to 80 degrees and sunburn. Well, can you say the other way around? Of course it was not 80 in Nashville, but it was 65, and it was not a blizzard in Orlando, but there were flurries. That is right...for only the third time in 25 years, it was snowing in Orlando.
The flight was uneventful, and we had no trouble calling the shuttle from MCO to the Embassy Suites Airport, but when we walked outside in our shorts, it was freezing. I mean, it was only probably 35-40 degrees, but when you are expecting warm Florida weather, it was quite a shock to the system. We got into the shuttle, which was a sauna as the driver was not used tto the cold, and headed to the hotel. Everyone was tired and cranky as we had not eaten much, and DD and DN needed to go to bed as it was 8:30 at night, so we had a quick bite then it was off to bed. The shuttle would be at the Embassy Suites to pick us up at 9:30 to head to the port.
Day 1: The Wonder and the DDC
I, of course, was the first one up, so I went downstairs to have some tea (not a coffee drinker) and watch the sports and weather. I went outside and found it was a little warmer in the sun, so I was encouraged. But then I figured out the hotel was blocking the wind, and when I went around the corner the wind was a little intense. It di not matter, though, as it was time for the cruise.
Everyone was soon up and enjoying the Embassy Suites free cook to order breakfast, and then the shuttle showed up. The shuttle company was smart and had a ten passenger van AND a trailer for luggage behind it. We loaded up and headed east to the port. When we got close, everyone was looking for the boat, then the driver told us to look to our left at the huge rocket assembly building at Kennedy Space Center, so we were all oohing and aahing over that when my DD said, "Look Daddy, Goofy on that big boat." So there we saw it, and it was like eveyone else had said, Wonderful!!!
We were dropped off and got through security and were given #5 cards. Then we went up the escalator to find Goofy waiting for us in front of the model of the Magic
....a pretty special way to enter the lobby. We checked in and headed over to one of the TV's for the kids to watch cartoons while we waited. While I was in line, I noticed a couple walking up who had Bride and Groom ears on 
and knew it had to be Brandon and Michelle. I took a guess and met, officially, my first fellow DDC.
I took the boys to the child registration desk and while we were there, my wife came up to me and told me she was surrounded by DDC. How did she know, I asked. This is how....
See, before the cruise, we, the DDC, were all talking on the threads and getting to know each other. I, off the cuff, said we should have t-shirts made up for the DDC so we would recognize each other. Since I own an embroidery company, I figured it actually was not a bad idea. So I made up about 50 DDC t-shirts and sent them out to all the DISers and their families. I sent the ones for our family ahead to be put in baskets from A Perfect Gift, so we did not have ours, but plenty others did. It was so cool to see people walking around with the blue t-shirts with the Wonder embroidered on the left chest.
Anyway, I went back after checking in with the Ocean Clubs, and found Shelley and Carol and their families. It was so special to have a mini meet right there in the port as a result of the shirts.
It was finally time to get on. It was really efficient and perfect as it was only about 15 minutes from when the first group was called to when our #5 was called. We headed through the MASSES of people who were crowded towards the entrance way...Don't they know they do not have to push? We all were going to get on...they could just relax until their number was called.
So after the first of a million pics, we were on board and headed to Parrot Cay for lunch. The smiles on the faces of my family said it all...I was not so Dorky afterall.
After lunch, I gave my DBIL a job and I had a job, and the rest of the family explored until we could get in our rooms and get the 2 year olds naps. I had tried every day to get the Dolphin excursion in Nassau, and could not, so I sent DBIL to get us in, and I went to Wavebands to get some Palo res. changed and our Main dining switched to late. Eveything was flawless. It really was nice to know, and for those of you planning and thinking you will not get what you want because it is not available online....we had no problem getting EVERYTHING we wanted as far as excursions and dining. WE had some one waiting at the designated spots at 1:30 and we got them.
It was a little too cold to swim, although I know I saw Carol's family in the pool...which was VERY warm, by the way...so we just decided to explore the ship. WOW, is all I can say. Everything was perfect. Then it was time for the DIS DDC meet by the Goofy pool. Everyone mentioned above came with their families and it was so cool to put faces with names. We all felt like we knew each other so well. And I think that even though we did not spend a lot of time together on the cruise, as we all were with our families, it was EXTREMELY comforting to see a familiar face throughout the cruise and talk in person about all the things we had been discussing the previous months.
One sidenote about the staterooms. We had Category 4, and they were awesome. Our group had three of them, and so each night, one of my boys would go to the grandparents and sleep in their room (although they did not have to because there was plenty of room). I had orderd from Nona, at The Perfect Gift, some baskets for each of the families and they turned out just like the name...PERFECT. The boys had pirate treasure boxes filled with pirate booty, the girls had sand buckets filled with princess treasures. The adults had secialty beers, champagne and wine along with some fancy snacks.
After the meet, we did the wonderful lifeboat drill then it was time for the sailaway party. It was the first of some of the best entertainment I have experienced, and living in Nashville, I have seen some good stuff.
Everything was first class...and the new screen at teh Goofy pool was so fun. DBIL and I had staked out a table on Deck ten overlooking the Goofy pool stage and we had a great vantage point for the party and the actual sailaway. Everyone was thrilled with the show and then when the horn played "When you wish upon a star" my wife caught me with a tear in my eye, and she just rolled her eyes again and called me a dork. Yes, I am!!!
We had the late dinner so we went back to our staterooms (we were on Deck 8, 8028 was mine, right next to the Walt Disney suite). We unpacked and then went to Hercules the Muse-ical. I thought it was supposed to be the comedian, but with the days all crazy because of Thanksgiving, Hercules came first. It was a great show, then it was off the dinner at Animators Palate.
This was the only night we were going to have the girls with us at dinner as it was too late for them, and they would be in Flounders Reef the rest of the dinners. They really enjoyed the show and the food was really good. We had Dennis as our mainserver. I could not decide what to have, so of course Dennis brought me a couple of dishes.
Everyone was pretty tired after dinner so we all went back to the rooms. I could not go to sleep, however, so I headed back out where I met up with Shelley's husband, Russell and we had a beer at Diversions and watched my Tar Heels lose in basketball. Thanks for the beers Russell, and I still have no idea what that drink was they brought you!!!
Overall...an INCREDIBLE first day.
Next...Castaway Cay and Big Mama.
Me: 37 Dorky Disney Cruiser
DW: 36 Not much of a Disney person, thinks I am a freak about all the Disney stuff
DS1: 10...almost as much of a Disney freak as me, but is in the stage now where he thinks he is too old for the characters (I have told him he will grow out of it)
DS2: 6...thinks he is 10...loves all sports and Pirates of the Carribean
DD: 2...Princess freak...fell in love with Daisy Duck on the cruise, and decided she is a little afraid of Stick (what she calls Stitch)
DFIL: Kid at heart...goes along with what everyone is doing...known to say over and over again, "Y'all, it does not get any better then this" when he is with his family...also provided the credit card for the trip
DMIL: As many other families might say, she is the BEST grandmother ever.
DSIL: Like my wife, not really big Disney person, but goes along with things. Also, 20 weeks pregnant.
DBIL: From Australia. Felt right at home on the Wonder with all the other Aussies. 6-6 in height, so a little nervous about the low ceilings.
DN: 2...does everything her cousin does..my 2 year old is almost three, DN, just turned 2...she also loves the princesses
Travel day:
Let me start off by saying the planning for this, though brief since we booked in September, was thorough and intense. But it was made so much easier because of the DDC. So, thank you SO MUCH Randy, Brandon, Carol, Shelley, Michelle, Patricia...and all the other DDC.
My family thinks I am literally nuts over the Disney things, but all of you guys can probably relate. All I kept hearing up until the day we left from my family was: "Julie (cruise director from the Love Boat), you are way too obsessed with this. Stop telling me everyday what we are going to do and eat and play with and see!!!" But when the day arrived and they did not have to do anything but show up and enjoy thenselves, who is the crazy one now????
I had hoped when we flew out of Nashville on the 21st, it would be a huge snowstorm and we would fly from a blizzard to 80 degrees and sunburn. Well, can you say the other way around? Of course it was not 80 in Nashville, but it was 65, and it was not a blizzard in Orlando, but there were flurries. That is right...for only the third time in 25 years, it was snowing in Orlando.
The flight was uneventful, and we had no trouble calling the shuttle from MCO to the Embassy Suites Airport, but when we walked outside in our shorts, it was freezing. I mean, it was only probably 35-40 degrees, but when you are expecting warm Florida weather, it was quite a shock to the system. We got into the shuttle, which was a sauna as the driver was not used tto the cold, and headed to the hotel. Everyone was tired and cranky as we had not eaten much, and DD and DN needed to go to bed as it was 8:30 at night, so we had a quick bite then it was off to bed. The shuttle would be at the Embassy Suites to pick us up at 9:30 to head to the port.
Day 1: The Wonder and the DDC
I, of course, was the first one up, so I went downstairs to have some tea (not a coffee drinker) and watch the sports and weather. I went outside and found it was a little warmer in the sun, so I was encouraged. But then I figured out the hotel was blocking the wind, and when I went around the corner the wind was a little intense. It di not matter, though, as it was time for the cruise.
Everyone was soon up and enjoying the Embassy Suites free cook to order breakfast, and then the shuttle showed up. The shuttle company was smart and had a ten passenger van AND a trailer for luggage behind it. We loaded up and headed east to the port. When we got close, everyone was looking for the boat, then the driver told us to look to our left at the huge rocket assembly building at Kennedy Space Center, so we were all oohing and aahing over that when my DD said, "Look Daddy, Goofy on that big boat." So there we saw it, and it was like eveyone else had said, Wonderful!!!
We were dropped off and got through security and were given #5 cards. Then we went up the escalator to find Goofy waiting for us in front of the model of the Magic
....a pretty special way to enter the lobby. We checked in and headed over to one of the TV's for the kids to watch cartoons while we waited. While I was in line, I noticed a couple walking up who had Bride and Groom ears on and knew it had to be Brandon and Michelle. I took a guess and met, officially, my first fellow DDC. I took the boys to the child registration desk and while we were there, my wife came up to me and told me she was surrounded by DDC. How did she know, I asked. This is how....
See, before the cruise, we, the DDC, were all talking on the threads and getting to know each other. I, off the cuff, said we should have t-shirts made up for the DDC so we would recognize each other. Since I own an embroidery company, I figured it actually was not a bad idea. So I made up about 50 DDC t-shirts and sent them out to all the DISers and their families. I sent the ones for our family ahead to be put in baskets from A Perfect Gift, so we did not have ours, but plenty others did. It was so cool to see people walking around with the blue t-shirts with the Wonder embroidered on the left chest.
Anyway, I went back after checking in with the Ocean Clubs, and found Shelley and Carol and their families. It was so special to have a mini meet right there in the port as a result of the shirts.
It was finally time to get on. It was really efficient and perfect as it was only about 15 minutes from when the first group was called to when our #5 was called. We headed through the MASSES of people who were crowded towards the entrance way...Don't they know they do not have to push? We all were going to get on...they could just relax until their number was called.
So after the first of a million pics, we were on board and headed to Parrot Cay for lunch. The smiles on the faces of my family said it all...I was not so Dorky afterall.
After lunch, I gave my DBIL a job and I had a job, and the rest of the family explored until we could get in our rooms and get the 2 year olds naps. I had tried every day to get the Dolphin excursion in Nassau, and could not, so I sent DBIL to get us in, and I went to Wavebands to get some Palo res. changed and our Main dining switched to late. Eveything was flawless. It really was nice to know, and for those of you planning and thinking you will not get what you want because it is not available online....we had no problem getting EVERYTHING we wanted as far as excursions and dining. WE had some one waiting at the designated spots at 1:30 and we got them.
It was a little too cold to swim, although I know I saw Carol's family in the pool...which was VERY warm, by the way...so we just decided to explore the ship. WOW, is all I can say. Everything was perfect. Then it was time for the DIS DDC meet by the Goofy pool. Everyone mentioned above came with their families and it was so cool to put faces with names. We all felt like we knew each other so well. And I think that even though we did not spend a lot of time together on the cruise, as we all were with our families, it was EXTREMELY comforting to see a familiar face throughout the cruise and talk in person about all the things we had been discussing the previous months.
One sidenote about the staterooms. We had Category 4, and they were awesome. Our group had three of them, and so each night, one of my boys would go to the grandparents and sleep in their room (although they did not have to because there was plenty of room). I had orderd from Nona, at The Perfect Gift, some baskets for each of the families and they turned out just like the name...PERFECT. The boys had pirate treasure boxes filled with pirate booty, the girls had sand buckets filled with princess treasures. The adults had secialty beers, champagne and wine along with some fancy snacks.
After the meet, we did the wonderful lifeboat drill then it was time for the sailaway party. It was the first of some of the best entertainment I have experienced, and living in Nashville, I have seen some good stuff.
Everything was first class...and the new screen at teh Goofy pool was so fun. DBIL and I had staked out a table on Deck ten overlooking the Goofy pool stage and we had a great vantage point for the party and the actual sailaway. Everyone was thrilled with the show and then when the horn played "When you wish upon a star" my wife caught me with a tear in my eye, and she just rolled her eyes again and called me a dork. Yes, I am!!!We had the late dinner so we went back to our staterooms (we were on Deck 8, 8028 was mine, right next to the Walt Disney suite). We unpacked and then went to Hercules the Muse-ical. I thought it was supposed to be the comedian, but with the days all crazy because of Thanksgiving, Hercules came first. It was a great show, then it was off the dinner at Animators Palate.
This was the only night we were going to have the girls with us at dinner as it was too late for them, and they would be in Flounders Reef the rest of the dinners. They really enjoyed the show and the food was really good. We had Dennis as our mainserver. I could not decide what to have, so of course Dennis brought me a couple of dishes.
Everyone was pretty tired after dinner so we all went back to the rooms. I could not go to sleep, however, so I headed back out where I met up with Shelley's husband, Russell and we had a beer at Diversions and watched my Tar Heels lose in basketball. Thanks for the beers Russell, and I still have no idea what that drink was they brought you!!!
Overall...an INCREDIBLE first day.
Next...Castaway Cay and Big Mama.
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