We need a cruise and help!!!

[lmhall2000]

First time cruisers...planning a surprise...here are the facts...

2 house mortgages for 2 years (hopeful an offer is looming any day now, couple deciding b/w our house and another...so all this could be for naught if we don't sell..ugh..but if we do, I'll be that much closer to a break!)

Dh working 2 jobs for 2 years..need I say more..well, yes

10 year old daughter misdiagnosed at Christmas, chronically ill with post-strep complications (rheumatic fever, migratory polyarthritis, crippling side effects and now she's recovering from tonsillectomy)

Mom in hospital for 12 days now, hopeful she's able to leave soon...I put on 70 pounds in the past two years with all the stress(all lost here on WISH...too shamed to go back and visit till I get them off, which over the past 2 months I have shaved 20 pounds off and walking 30 miles a week)

If ever there was a panacea...it's a cruise...our children have been troopers sacrificing a lot while we've had the financial strain of two mortgages..not to mention my 10 year old who has mastered pain and doesn't flinch at having blood drawn anymore..my husband has had his moments, but for the most part he's worked his tail off..I'm homeschooling and training 2 horses in the hopes of having a foster child summer camp at our farm in 2 years...just a lot going on...oh, I lead a scouting troop and teach 2 foreign languages...

I need a mindless vacation!

If we can close by August, I would like to take a 7 day cruise to ANYWHERE...dollars will decide. I can fit us all (5) into a cat 4..or if I can get a better deal could go cat 6 or 7 (book 2 connecting rooms) whichever one is cheaper and has veranda (don't mind if it's navigator's veranda)..dh has always wanted to try a cruise but he does get queasy on a dock..so thinking the verandah will give him that chance to get fresh air quickly and avoid a mess in the room if you get my meaning. I worry about being able to get connecting rooms booking so late, but I can't worry about everything.

My family loves rides, so not hitting the parks might disappoint them, but I wanted to load us up on excursions that would be new and fun for them (Banana boat, snorkeling, here's where I need input...which ones would be ideal?? I know I won't know which itinerary I'll be on till a few weeks down the road)

would it be cheaper to rent a car from Orlando Int'l and drive ourselves to the port??

Booking excursions outside of Disney? we're not afraid of the locals, in fact we love immersing ourselves in other cultures...can hear a few snickers coming on that statement, but we're go with the flow kind of folks...

Any help..sorry I'm so scattered, just trying to do this without letting my family know a thing (have ff miles for airline or companion vouchers..)

Thanks!!
Tara

 

[Jessebuggy]

First time cruisers...planning a surprise...here are the facts...

2 house mortgages for 2 years (hopeful an offer is looming any day now, couple deciding b/w our house and another...so all this could be for naught if we don't sell..ugh..but if we do, I'll be that much closer to a break!)

Dh working 2 jobs for 2 years..need I say more..well, yes

10 year old daughter misdiagnosed at Christmas, chronically ill with post-strep complications (rheumatic fever, migratory polyarthritis, crippling side effects and now she's recovering from tonsillectomy)

Mom in hospital for 12 days now, hopeful she's able to leave soon...I put on 70 pounds in the past two years with all the stress(all lost here on WISH...too shamed to go back and visit till I get them off, which over the past 2 months I have shaved 20 pounds off and walking 30 miles a week)

If ever there was a panacea...it's a cruise...our children have been troopers sacrificing a lot while we've had the financial strain of two mortgages..not to mention my 10 year old who has mastered pain and doesn't flinch at having blood drawn anymore..my husband has had his moments, but for the most part he's worked his tail off..I'm homeschooling and training 2 horses in the hopes of having a foster child summer camp at our farm in 2 years...just a lot going on...oh, I lead a scouting troop and teach 2 foreign languages...

I need a mindless vacation!

If we can close by August, I would like to take a 7 day cruise to ANYWHERE...dollars will decide. I can fit us all (5) into a cat 4..or if I can get a better deal could go cat 6 or 7 (book 2 connecting rooms) whichever one is cheaper and has veranda (don't mind if it's navigator's veranda)..dh has always wanted to try a cruise but he does get queasy on a dock..so thinking the verandah will give him that chance to get fresh air quickly and avoid a mess in the room if you get my meaning. I worry about being able to get connecting rooms booking so late, but I can't worry about everything.

My family loves rides, so not hitting the parks might disappoint them, but I wanted to load us up on excursions that would be new and fun for them (Banana boat, snorkeling, here's where I need input...which ones would be ideal?? I know I won't know which itinerary I'll be on till a few weeks down the road)

would it be cheaper to rent a car from Orlando Int'l and drive ourselves to the port??

Booking excursions outside of Disney? we're not afraid of the locals, in fact we love immersing ourselves in other cultures...can hear a few snickers coming on that statement, but we're go with the flow kind of folks...

Any help..sorry I'm so scattered, just trying to do this without letting my family know a thing (have ff miles for airline or companion vouchers..)

Thanks!!
Tara

First -- I hope your house sells so that you can realize your dream of a cruise. Secondly, kudos to you and your whole family for dealing with what life has given you and not being bitter. My suggestion would be to call a good TA and get the best price you can from them. Many offer OBC for booking with them which would help with excursions if you book through DCL. Everyone has their own opinions on room catagories so I may get blasted for this comment but as a family of 5, it is more economical for us to book 2 Cat 9 connecting rooms versus Cat 4 family verandah. The cost difference is almost $2300 saved. The Cat 4 is 304 sq ft. and the two connecting 9s at 214 sq ft each add up to 428 sq feet with a large porthole window in each. However, you may want to splurge on the Cat 4 to reward yourselves for the two years of sacrifice. Only you can decide. I also know that some people book Cat 12 Gty and are moved to a higher category for no extra charge. My TA sent me an announcement yesterday about Cat 12 Gty for several summer sailings. PM me if you want the information.

Hope this helps and God's blessings on selling your home and booking your cruise!

 

[itutorfortravel]

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[itutorfortravel]

dh has always wanted to try a cruise but he does get queasy on a dock..so thinking the verandah will give him that chance to get fresh air quickly and avoid a mess in the room if you get my meaning.

Wow, the first thing that came to mind is that I would not want to be on the deck below you on a verandah! LOL!

But being totally sincere, while I don't have any advice for you, I do hope your family is able to go on a cruise. It sounds like all of you have been through quite a bit and deserve some R&R...good luck!

 

[lmhall2000]

Thank you both! Will the deck I book matter in cases of seasickness?? I think my husband will be fine after he gets used to it, I just have flashbacks of our honeymoon and he stepped 5 steps onto a dock and ran straight off and was green for an hour...really want him to enjoy himself!

Thanks!
Tara

 

[ScouterJT]

As far as feeling the motion of the ship, the conventional wisdom is that the higher you are the more you feel the motion (think of a stick on a cork bobbing in a bucket, the tip of the stick moves more than the cork).

but, with modern technology (including stabilizers), you feel very little motion anywhere on board. You will feel some motion (and some of us continue to feel it for a few days after the cruise ...), but not great rocking.

there are quite a few threads regarding sea-sickness management, you might want to search. The trick seems to be to start any program BEFORE you get on board and keep it going the whole week.

Also, the first night (and sometimes the last night) are often the rocky-est as the ship crosses the Gulf Stream.

good luck planning !

 

[brewcrew]

I pray that your house sells! That would be great! I have been on three cruises, each one a different part of the boat. First time, 4th floor, middle. I didn't like it. Second time, 5th floor, back with a verandah. It was nice but noisy. Third time, 7th floor (cat.9) front of the boat, huge porthole. It was the best room ever. I did not feel the boat moving and it was so quiet. I've heard of people who book an oceanview and inside stateroom to save some money. As far as excursions, there are many to choose from. You can get all of the prices on DCL website. My husband and 2 children did not like the stingray excursion on Castaway Cay. They went at the end of the day and the stingrays weren't that hungry. Also, all the sand would kick up and it was hard for them to see the stingrays. At Castaway Cay there is a huge wooden playground in the ocean for the kids to jump off. Bring some buckets for making sandcastles and rent a float and intertube and you'll be fine. You will be competely spoiled by Disney and not want to get off the boat. Have fun!

 

[lmhall2000]

Would any of you have any issues booking an inside stateroom and across the hall balcony? I'm just not sure how safe I would feel if we had the kids in one room and us across the hall (I know they're small halls) our children are 14, 10, 11..very capable...my husband and I could always split the kids, but having a nice night to ourselves would be a blessing as well!

thanks!!
Tara

 

[SnowWhite2]

I get motion sickness by just turning around in my seat to check on the kids in the back. Put me in the back seat of the car and I'm green by the time you've hit one mile. But I take Bonine on the cruise and have not had a problem. No sleepiness, no dizziness, no dry mouth. We stay on deck 5 forward in a cat 8 and love it. The worst time for feeling motion on the boat is the first night going through the jet stream out to sea. Just make sure to try whatever method of sea sickness medicine before you go on the boat so you can determine if you have any side effects.

 

[lmhall2000]

Thanks a bunch on the tips for seasickness...it's really encouraging to hear from those who have experienced it and managed on a ship...

I'll try to start a new thread, but if I do book a last minute trip (meaning less than 4 weeks out) what will I need to be prepared to do? I see a lot of threads talking about planning excursions and reservations for this and that...will it hurt our trip by booking last minute and not being able to get availability for activities??

Thanks!!
Tara

 

[sharen24]

With regard to the seasickness, make sure your husband starts taking the meds before the cruise (one day is fine). If he waits until he is sick to take them, they won't work as well. My favorite is meclizine (what they give you for free onboard). If that doesn't work, they can give him a magic shot of phenergan onboard, but that requires a trip to the infirmary and a long nap.

 

[lmhall2000]

Hmmm...how to get my husband to to take the medicine before we go if he doesn't know we're going...maybe I could take him out canoeing the day before?? I'll have to work on this one...anyway you can slip those things in a sweet tea cup??
Gotta get creative!
Tara

 

[Malificient Tater]

hopefully since he takes it the day before you leave he will know by then

 

[lmhall2000]

You're right!! I was hoping we could just fly in the morning of (risking missing the boat) and head right for it, but checking on all airports within an hour of me, no one has direct Orlando flights! So we will have to travel the day before...that will be easy then to give him the Bonine...or other option...now I have to figure out where to stay the night before, either at the airport or near dock...oh...this will be fun..just working it all out in secret is a hoot!!

We surprised our kids 5 years ago with a trip to Disney...it was tough b/c airport security wanted to see your tickets at the check in (due to heightened travel concerns)...the kids thought we were going to the airport to pick up a friend....so I had to pull a security agent aside and let her see my tickets while the kids ran a bathroom break and told her the scoop, she played it up when they went through the metal detectors...while we were pretending to wait for my friend, my husband had already gone ahead of us (he pretended to be parking the car) and checked in all our luggage and brought each of their travel surprise backpacks and hid them under the seats...when boarding time came...we were sitting at the next terminal...and looked at them and said, wouldn't you rather go to Disney then wait for a plane at a terminal?? They thought we were being sarcastic and Dad and I both looked at each other, and said, "Why not, let's go!!" They were so upset thinking we were going to leave my friend stranded at the airport that they didn't realize it was all a ruse....anytime I mention to not bear false witness they remind me how I did...this time I'll have to try and do it without making up stories! Great memories!!!

If anyone has stories of how they surprised families let me know! I'm thinking of just telling them we can't do Disney this time (once we're on the plane) but that we decided to rent a beach house instead for the week...that's not really fibbing..we are renting an ocean house!

Thanks!!
Tara

 

[brewcrew]

As far as excursions-we booked a couple ahead of time and we booked one on the ship and they still had availability. As far as a blacony and safety-We had two cat.8, 7th floor with a huge porthole in each room. Call me weird but we liked this room better than a blacony room. We did not have any concerns letting two of our children sleep in the other room while 4 of us slept in the other. I've never booked last minute so i don't know what room availability will be. Have fun!

 

[Waltworshiper]

If anyone has stories of how they surprised families let me know! I'm thinking of just telling them we can't do Disney this time (once we're on the plane) but that we decided to rent a beach house instead for the week...that's not really fibbing..we are renting an ocean house!

Thanks!!
Tara

We are going on the Aug 29th cruise, and we are planning on surprising our kids. They think we are going to a beach for a last minute before school starts vacation. Someone on the creative disign board personalized letters(3 different ones for my 3 kids) for me telling them a in a cute paragraph that they were indeed going on a Disney Cruise! We are planning on giving them the letters in the car on the drive down.

 

[lmhall2000]

What a great idea on the letter!! We may be going on the August 29th..it's our 17th wedding anniversary that day...that would be very special and cool for dh and me! Hope to see you if we make that cruise!!

Thanks for the great idea..didn't realize there was a creative design board!! Must go find it! I stink at corel and other programs like that!!

Tara

 

[wwwosie]

Would any of you have any issues booking an inside stateroom and across the hall balcony? I'm just not sure how safe I would feel if we had the kids in one room and us across the hall (I know they're small halls) our children are 14, 10, 11..very capable...my husband and I could always split the kids, but having a nice night to ourselves would be a blessing as well!

thanks!!
Tara

No issues here, this is exactly what we have booked next week (kids are 18 & 12).

 

[tinkerbellmom1]

Would any of you have any issues booking an inside stateroom and across the hall balcony? I'm just not sure how safe I would feel if we had the kids in one room and us across the hall (I know they're small halls) our children are 14, 10, 11..very capable...my husband and I could always split the kids, but having a nice night to ourselves would be a blessing as well!

thanks!!
Tara

Sending you pixiedust in hopes that your house sells!

We're doing the 2 cabins across the hall from each other (verandah for us, inside cabin for our boys 15 & 17). First time trying it this way, but we think it will work!

I get really motion sick (cars, planes, roller coasters). I follow the advice the other posters have given-I start the meclazine before I get on the plane and I continue it through the entire trip until we land at home! It really helps me. On both of our previous cruises we've had rocky times, but I've been able to handle it thanks to the medicine!

Best wishes to you and your family!!

 

[Michele325]

We did the cat 4 last time with 5 of us (kids ages 2, 5, and 8 last time) and we hated it! My kids don't sleep well so close together. DS age 2 was up a few times each night. DH actually wound up on the top bunk! This time we are doing the 2 connecting cat 8s (kid are now 4, 6, and 10). I already know we will be so much happier. I would definitely consider the rooms across the hall if you want a balcony and trust your kids alone. I would think that would be cheaper than 2 cat 6s.

I hope you get to go! 2 years is a long long time! We will be on the August 29th cruise. It was a good price comparably to the summer. I do wonder if you will get cheaper later in the fall though. With homeschooling I would imagine you have more flexablity with dates