Wow! All of that looks awesome!
The dolphin encounter would be the most fantastic thing in the world I could think of! It is something I have always wanted to do and I know my DD would love it. I can't believe that you get to do all of that (and dine) with Wigd and Shocker! How fun! It won't feel like you are dining with strangers at all. I really cannot wait to read all about this!! Please take LOTS and LOTS of pictures for us!
As soon as Anita and I figured out that we were on the same cruise we started talking about being tablemates. I was very nervous about dining with just anybody, I think that would be very awkward, so I was thrilled when our TAs were able to link our reservations. Beside how strange would I look to a non-DISer taking pictures of food for my TR
And don't worry, I am a picture-a-holic, there will be tons!
Hi there! Well everything looks great! I bet you will have a great time, and I bet you will be able to get that brunch reservation afterall!
I hope so!!
Hmmmm.... what you are saying about the checkin time and the boarding card is interesting.. but here is the only thing I would say about that. They hand you a card, a paper card when you get in line. So it isn't like they ask you for your name. They give you a card. And then, when you get up to the actual CM who checks you in, and takes your pic and gives you the KTTW card, they ask for that card, and hand write it on another card. Which they say to present when that # is called... We got to the terminal at 10ish.... we officially were assigned to the 11am-11:30 slot as well... It was the second slot, not the first. (online). My only point is that they didn't ask for any information about us, before we got the boarding card #. If we had a later time, I don't know that it would have mattered. Anyhow, I will be interested to read or hear more about this, for certain.
Are they now assigning the # before you even get to the terminal, and sending it with your cruise documents? I would think people would lose them, but then again, they expect you to bring those, so... I guess we will see!
I'm really curious about the whole situation too. The thread I was reading made it sound like people were now getting their boarding numbers from the check in CM, they weren't just handed one when they got in line. Which explained why some people who were right next to each other in line got vastly different boarding #s. I have a friend who is cruising on the Dream next week. She did not do the online check in because she was late in doing it and didn't like the port arrival times left. She is going to get there early and hope for the best. She'll let me know how they are doing things as soon as she gets back - I'll let you know how it all plays out!
I love that you are doing the dolphin encounter! HOW cool is that. I wish our kids were older, well better swimmers more like it, and then I will consider something along those lines... they are just not there yet.
This is just the encounter, not the swim, your boys could totally do it!
Anyhow, I am on the fence about the sting ray experience .... not sure what to do, either. We'll see!
Anita said they did it last time and it was alot of fun. Don thinks one sealife encounter on the trip is enough, we'll see......
Hi, hopping aboard your PTR!
Your title spoke to me because I too am in a mixed marriage (Disney lover & a Disney Grump)!
How I ever got him to buy DVC is still a miracle I wonder how I pulled off.
But your trip sounds awesome! We just took a 4night cruise,
Royal Caribbean though, couldn't talk him into Disney. But we did follow it with 5 days at Disney, so it was a win-win. But we did a dolphin swim one day and it was by far the highlight of the entire trip. The kids absolutely loved it, it was so great. So enjoy! This was our first cruise and we all loved it so I am hoping it laid the groundwork for a possible
Disney cruise in the future.
Also, I followed your link to your California trip. That is my dream trip! We had it all planned last year but unexpected surgery made us cancel
. Oh well, maybe next year. But my DH has said no more Disney for a while so I would have to plan plenty that he enjoys to be able to sneak in a few days at
Disneyland. He would love Alcatraz, as well as that ship you went on in San Diego (the name is escaping me)...but as for my 3 dd's, well that would be a battle in itself to get them to want to do that.
Anyway, enjoy planning your trip, it sounds great!
Hi there and
so glad to have you on board!
You talked your Grump into DVC?!?
You must be one persuasive lady!
When Don was on my back about checking out other cruise lines Royal Caribbean was the other one that appealed to me, their ships looked beautiful!
Oh, thanks for reading my California TR! That was my first attempt at one, I was so nervous no one would read it
I totally went into that trip knowing that I would have to load it up with non Disney stuff to get Don to agree to a DL stop, and honestly I enjoyed all of the other stops we made too. I think that is our top family vacation to date, so I hope you can get that trip back in the works, I'm sure your whole family would love it!
Wow, the dolphin encounter looks awesome and even better you get to enjoy it with friends!
Congrats on the PALO dinner ressie! Hope you get the brunch one as well.
We are planning a Disney cruise next year so it is exciting to hear all about your plans. Can't wait to read more.
I am so excited for the dolphin encounter, I really wanted to do the swim, but decided I didn't want to use that much of our budget for that one excursion, the encounter is expensive enough!
Keeping my fingers crossed for the brunch, I've heard nothing but good things about it!
I have never been on a cruise so this is all so interesting to me. There is a lot to it!!
The dolphin encounter looks amazing!! I just love dolphins & those pictures of that blue water is beautiful. You will have a great time.
How cool is that you are cruising with Wigd & Shocker & Baylor!! I am getting some great pics this week from Miss Anita.
There is more to a cruise than I would have thought too, I figured we'd book it, board the ship, sail on the ship, done
I think Blue Lagoon Island itself looks gorgeous! I hope we have an opportunity to explore it a little. I've read that we can use their beach after the encounter is over
Michelle:
Check out my siggy! I finally started the report.
Erika
Yay! I'm there!
Michelle, your plans sound great!!!!
I think that the dolphin encounter sounds really neat & I can't wait to see your pictures once you return from your cruise! My friend actually went to the Caribbean during college for a week & got to swim with the dolphins a few times during her trip! It was for Marine Biology! It was one of the greatest experiences of her life & that girl really travels frequently so its honestly saying alot about the dolphins!!!
I'm scared to death of sting rays...lol...but I'm interested to hear about it if you end up booking that as well!
One of my friends went on the Inaugural Dream Cruise & the pictures of all the restaurants are AMAAAAAAZING!!!!! I cannot say enough about how gorgeous all 3 restaurants look! Not to mention the delicious food!!!!
Your plans all sound amazing! Can't wait to hear more!
I've always loved dolphins, so I really am looking forward to this excursion, I think it's going to be awesome!
Jared shares your feeling for stingrays
I've seen so many pictures of the Dream on the cruise board, I'm afraid that nothing will surprise me.
Don refuses to look at them, he wants to see it all for himself first hand.
Oh you are going to love the Dolphin Encounter!!!! It is amazing. I did it but booked directly with them to do the swim where they push you through the water. You are going to love it!! On the ferry ride over you will pass huge mansions :cloud9
We did the stingray encounter too. Was also very cool although it was about two months after Steve Irwin
Happy that you got everything that you wanted
Two months are going to fly right by!
Tracy
Yeah, we looked at booking directly through them since it's quite a bit cheaper than booking through Disney, but once they find out you are on a Disney cruise they won't do it. We needed to know that in advance so that we could lie
Yikes, the stingray encounter might have made me a bit nervous right after Steve Irwin's death! Anita told me that their barbs have been removed though.....
I got almost everything I wanted, keep your fingers crossed for me for a Palo brunch!!
Just get in line already!!!! 
So glad everything is slipping into place. And I keep hearing luck along the lines of what you mention in getting Palo brunch reservations, so hopefully luck will be on your side there as well!
