We're going back in 7 days!!! a pre-trip with pics! update #11

[vatchr]

We had so much fun last time, we decided to do it again....and thanks to the December announcement of kids sail free, we are able to!

I had a blast writing our trip report last summer, and loved all of the comments from everyone, so I'm going to attempt a pre-trip report as we get excited for our April 9, 3-night on the Wonder!

Last July we sailed on our first DCL cruise with eight people, on a four night double-dip. It was an adventure that will never be forgotten..me, dh, dd8, dd6, nana, bubba, aunt Chrissy and Rina (grandma #2). This trip will be just the four of us, it will be our FIRST Disney adventure without any extended family!

Let me introduce us:

me - wife, mother, fourth grade teacher and disney addict
dh- great dad, husband Star Wars fan and apreciates Disney, just not as much as me
DDalmost9 - in third grade
DD6 - in first grade

Here are the four of us - without relatives on embarkation day last July:

It's a snowy day here in Virginia, so I decided to think happy, warm thoughts and start this.


It was a very happy surprise when I was reading the disboards in December about the "big" announcement that was coming...



UP NEXT.... how dh and I "decided" to book this cruise...and how we told the girls

 

[CRUIZEN MAMMA]

I remember you!!!! Looking forward to reading this one. My best friends are on your cruise- They have always wanted a Disney cruise w/ their two kids DS 8 and DD 4- and it's Spring break so it was a win win for them- unfortunately we already had a 7 day booked for June and it was too expensive to switch in our case.

 

[vatchr]

I remember you!!!! Looking forward to reading this one.

Thanks, can't wait for the cruise...hopefully this will help pass the time!

 

[tinytink]

I remember your last TR, glad to hear you are going on another Disney cruise. I can't wait to hear more about it. The kids are out of school today because of the snow and ice. Were in VA are you?

 

[lwilliam]

i remember your reports too.....glad you are doing another one.
What else does a person who lives in PA during a snowstorm/ice storm do but read trip reports and look at pictures (pictures being the favorite part of your last report).

 

[tinytink]

You about summed up our day, we've done nothing but eat, play and me on disboards. lol

 

[tinkerbell*Xo]

hello! I enjoyed your last trip report!
anxious to count down the days with you to the next trip!

 

[vatchr]

I remember your last TR, glad to hear you are going on another Disney cruise. I can't wait to hear more about it. The kids are out of school today because of the snow and ice. Were in VA are you?

I'm up in Northern Virginia and on snow day #2 today, hopefully back to school tomorrow! Thanks for the interest in our next trip!

i remember your reports too.....glad you are doing another one.
What else does a person who lives in PA during a snowstorm/ice storm do but read trip reports and look at pictures (pictures being the favorite part of your last report).

Yep, me too! Had to take a break to grade papers, but back to disboards!

You about summed up our day, we've done nothing but eat, play and me on disboards. lol

Yep!!

hello! I enjoyed your last trip report!
anxious to count down the days with you to the next trip!

Thanks for coming on this new adventure with us!

 

[ProudMommyof2]

We are having a snowy day here in RI- so I read your last trip report in its entirety today! What did you think of cruising in the heat of July?

 

[vatchr]

How we decided to book the cruise....

As you know I'm a teacher and also crazy about Disney. I had heard about the "big" announcement, so I logged on at school to see what it was. I saw kids sail free and immediately emailed my dh - he only works about 8 doors away from me, but we couldn't leave our classrooms to chat. He gave me his blessing to "look." Sure enough, a three day over our spring break that wouldn't break the bank, especially with the kids sail free!! We emailed back and forth for the rest of the afternoon - talked about prices, airfare and then the final bell rang to end the school day.

He kept the girls at school with him for about 30 minutes, I rushed home to book the cruise - I like to call and do all of my official transactions through the phone.
We decided to keep it a secret from the girls until Christmas. And by 3:15 on the day of the announcement we were officially going on our second DCL cruise!!

I was so excited, and as I shared the news with family and friends, they shared in our joy, but couldn't believe we were actually doing it! After all, we just got off the Wonder at the end of July and going back so soon? Yep!! and we couldn't wait...now to keep the secret from the girls for 3 more weeks.....

Christmas activities were in full swing and we were planning how to "tell" the girls. I found a thread on the Dis about how to surprise the kids and started formulating my own ideas.

We got family portraits taken:

and then Christmas eve came:

We decided to give the girls each a box with two shirts and a bottle of sunscreen and let them figure it out.

Here are the shirts that I found:

It was the last gift that they opened on Christmas morning, and DD9 figured it out after about 3 minutes of being "frustrated." She kept repeating...minnie mouse shirt, pirate shirt, sunscreen....over and over...until finally she looked at us and said, "Cruise?" we nodded and both girls were ecstatic.

So, Christmas was over and cruise plans were in full swing. We changed our Disney countdown on our computer desktop to the cruise date and were already in the double digits!!

Up next...where did I put all the "cruise stuff" after unpacking in July? and what new things can I buy?

 

[vatchr]

We are having a snowy day here in RI- so I read your last trip report in its entirety today! What did you think of cruising in the heat of July?

It was HOT, obviously...but we were used to Disney hot, as we travelled to the parks the last two summers. The hottest parts were the sailaway party and Castaway Cay, but they were still a great time. Being on the ship, the heat was hardly noticable - most of the ship is inside and at sea there is a nice breeze. The dining rooms were actually a little chilly. We didn't use the pools on the ship much, but I would definitely cruise in the summer again if I had the chance!

 

[1stdisneycruise]

I see you said there is a site how to surprise your kids about a cruise. Can you please share where to find that.

 

[vatchr]

I see you said there is a site how to surprise your kids about a cruise. Can you please share where to find that.

It wasn't an actual site, it was a thread right here on the disboards right before Christmas. I'm sure if you searched "how to surprise your kids" you'd find lots of ideas.

Good luck! It was so much fun planning how to tell the girls!

 

[MMitchell29]

It was HOT, obviously...but we were used to Disney hot, as we travelled to the parks the last two summers. The hottest parts were the sailaway party and Castaway Cay, but they were still a great time. Being on the ship, the heat was hardly noticable - most of the ship is inside and at sea there is a nice breeze. The dining rooms were actually a little chilly. We didn't use the pools on the ship much, but I would definitely cruise in the summer again if I had the chance!

I'm glad you all had a great time, esp with the weather and all

 

[vatchr]

It's been a long time and a very busy past few months, but in 7 days we will be at the Orlando MCO Hyatt waiting for our Thursday departure on the Wonder!!! We can't wait. Just two more days of school and then 4 days for packing and preparation.

My DD1 had a pirate birthday party two weeks ago, and that got us in the mood!!

We also gave my DD1 a birthday gift of the Dolphin Encounter in Nassau. She is so excited to play with the dolphins!!

7 days!!!!!

 

[frdeb1999]

Hope you have a wonderful time!!

 

[goofy4wsp]

great TR and hope you have a good trip AGAIN! LUCKY

 

[MissMousey]

Hi there! It's me, your DIS friend from school . I hope you have a wonderful trip and smooth seas! Can't wait for your trip report so I can get my 'fix' before our cruise in Nov. Bon voyage

 

[vatchr]

I started a trip report for our cruise. It was a perfect three night adventure!!

Here's the link:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2148085