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> Roll call for August 29th 2004 wonder
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Roll call for August 29th 2004 wonder
Anyone besides us coming on board???? We'd love to meet any takers prior to departure!!
Jay and Michelle
Bummer! I was hoping to meet a few of you on board!
Hi, was thinking that i too was alone on this ship until I did a search of date. I will be traveling with DH, DD 12, DS 5 and DD 4. Hope we get a chance to meet. Eileen:earsgirl:
Eileen, Hubby and I and our four kids will be onboard. Three sons, ages 14,6 and 4 and our daughter 8. Sounds like they are all somewhat in the same age range. Really looking forward to the cruise!! Hopefully we will have the chance to meet and our kids will have a chance to play together!!
Take care!!
We may have to keep my 12 yr old daughter away from your 14yr old son... she thinks she is going on 21.. LOL.. Looks like my son and your 6 yr old will be in kids club together! Looking forward to meeting with u also... I see that this is your first cruise also.. I personally can't stand the wait , Im so excited!! We usually do Disney every other year and go on a trip with my spouse on off years. I have no one to watch kids this year so I guess a cruise is the closes thing to being alone with DH. Take care for now. Eileen:wave:
Not to worry, my oldest son is so into basketball, he isn't into girls yet!! A good thing for sure!! Still, hope they have a chance to meet!! I am not too sure about the kids club, but I thought my boys 4 and 6 woud be in the clubs together. Hope they don't have to separate. What is the age breakdown?? Also, one of the biggest reasons we booked a cruise this year is to take advantage of the daycare!! We do disney every other year, and as disney vacation members stay at The Boardwalk. We always have loved the experience, especially the family memories created, but honestly, we are so looking forward to alone time on the cruise as we have never had anyone to look after the kids. ( I don't like asking my oldest son to babysit as the younger kids just don't listen to him!! Ah the joys of siblings!!) Anyway, I just hope my kids will like the kids club. Jay and I have booked the romantic escape at sea package and are really looking forward to the couples massage and the dinner for 2 at Palo's!! Are you staying in Orlando before the cruise?? We just booked 2 nights at the new resort in cocoa beach, the ron jon resort! Found some info here and it looks incredible!! I just can't wait!! Counting the days!! Take care and write soon!! I have also included my email address!
Hi again... LOL i am seriously thinking about Ron Jons also.. have not made my final decision. Flying in the day before and going between WDW resort and Cocoa Beach.. Im sure we will end up at ron jons. I have every intention of putting my kids in kids club. Like i said earlier this was our year and im suppose to be in Vegas on this Vacation. But MIL had surgery and is unable to walk for some time.. PS no babysitter. Will chat with you soon and enjoy your planning!.. Oh by the way also booked Romance package and really looking forward to massage! Take care, Eileen
Just to let you know my DW is in Idaho this weekend with our 14 year old son for his AAU Basketball tourny. She will be home late sunday night and I will let her know you replied to her. We picked Ron Jon's because of the outdoor activities. If our kids don't have a pool, slide and other outdoor things to do they will drive the hotel crazy.(LOL) We are hoping to get a good start to our vacation by staying here and will arrive two days before the cruise to adjust to the time change from the west coast.
We are arriving in Orlando on the 21st of August from Liverpool, England. We were very excited to see that you will be on our first Disney cruise. Our son will be 15 at the end of April, our daughter is 13, and our younger daughter will be ten the day we sail, but she is so small for her age that your 8 year old will probably look older than her! I have lots of questions and would love to hear from you all.
the more the merrier!! My oldest son will actually be turning 14 on the 21st of August!! Hopefully our sons will meet !! I know our daughters will have a fabulous time together too!! We are arriving on either the 26th or 27th of August. We have reservations to stay at the new Ron Resort 2 nights prior to the cruise. It is a brand new resort that is supposed to be incredible. You must be doing Disneyworld prior to the cruise??
We are doing DisneyWorld after for just a few days. If you have any questions, either post here or write us at :
Between my hubby and myself and all the awesome folks on this board, your questions will surely be answered!
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome! I still think that it will only be three families on the ship!.. As stated above, I have a 12 yr old daughter and two little ones. My DD is very mature and will more then likely spend little time in lab and more time hanging out on the ship. I personally see her sleeping alot! Maybe Your daughter and ours can start emailing so then can get to know each other. If your daughter is interested then she can respond to her post looking for others her age... Im not sure what her post name is but she is using a snoopy as an icon... It should be Felix.. something. Looking forwarding to sailing with you. Eileen
Eileen, thank you so much for replying. I am really enjoying being in touch with other excited cruisers. I think my husband is at screaming point with my endless Disney talk. (I have no life I know, but I am so looking forward to this vacation!)
I have a hundred and one things on my "must do" list whilst on board the ship, and I am sure you have too, but if we could meet up at some point it would be wonderful.
My 13 year old would love to email your daughter. She will reply to her post very soon. She too likes, mint choc chip, Snoopy and sleeping.
At some point could you please give me some idea of evening wear for this vacation, especially for our daughters. I will be in trouble if I get it horribly wrong. Also what did you think of the Contemporary and All stars? I still need to book accommodation for the other 10 nights of our holiday.
Happy planning. Hope the sun is shining brighter in your part of the world!
Hi Jane, Glad to see that our daughters may get a chance to meet! I happy to hear that you are as much of a fan of Disney as the rest of the DIS family. These boards have been so valuable to me over the years and I'm sure that any questions that you have can be answered right here. As far as what any of my children will wear at this point, I haven't a clue. The 4 day Wonder does not have a formal night So im leaning towards nice capris or sun dresses for dinner. Nothing too dressing but appropriate. If you have never stayed at the Contempory you have to do it atleast once. My family has grown and quick desperate trips have caused me to stay at value resorts. As far as ASMovies or Music they do fine if all you need is a place to sleep. Pools are cute and rooms are regular motel type rooms only themed.
Oh, there is no sun in NY at this point, only lots of snow! Enjoy your planning and if you have any questions feel free to ask! Eileen
hey mom (D'AngelosdoDisney),
my board name is figaro247 not anything felix, get up to date:rolleyes: :yo-yo:
Hi Figaro! I'm a thirteen year old girl, on the cruise on the 29th of August. Our mums thought we might like to email each other!:D What type of things are you into? from kemoj!:rotfl: bye!
cool, we finally meet!
I like roller skating, painting, chatting online, and just hanging out ! What about you?:crazy: :smooth:
Can't wait for the trip!:Pinkbounc
Hi! im into painting, drawing, shopping, talking on MSN, sleeping and talking! my favourite holidays are disneyland, camping and skiing! I've been skiing in France and last year in New Hampshire ! Also a couple of days before we go to Florida im going to Switzerland with my Guides! :D email me? ive gotta go its 10:50pm here and ive got skool in the morning!!:D bibi:D
It looks as if I won't have a problem getting a hammock on CC! (and yet I'm on the waitlist for first seating at dinner. Makes me think there must be more than just the three families!)
yea i think soo
im on the 2nd seating i think hmmm
Figaro, this is your mother using your screen name and your computer might I add.... Thanks:cool: .. You are correct and we are on 2nd seating although I have requested that we be moved to first so that Gio and Gianna can go to the club and play while we play.... Im so looking forward to that hammock and a book you have no idea.......... When Im on castaway cay its do not disturb........ bother your stepfather.. or will we be bothering you.. can't wait till we sail all........ I also need to get a life besides Disney.......... Oh and Katlyn, glad to see that you and Eileen are becoming fast friends. Sounds like you both have stuff incommon!.. Eileen... AKA Mom
Hi Michelle and Jane,
Looks like we are still going alone on this ship. I cant imagine that at of all of people on these boards, we are the only families going... So looking forward to the cruise. I have no idea how I will make it through the summer without loosing my mind!! Eileen:wave:
DVC from NJ
Hi - My dh and I will be on this cruise too. For some reason I didn't see this date in the forums until now. I have a dd who is 8 and a ds who will turn 6 on Aug 4th. The 2 of them are so excited for the cruise! It would be great if they were able to email/snail mail another child that they would meet onboard. My son asks me daily "How many more days til we leave for Disney. . . .?":tongue:
Really thrilled to see this post. We had just about decided there was only the three families onboard. My DD will be 10 and would love to hear from your DD. Would you like to send an email to me and we'll sort it out from there?
Hope your family is enjoying the countdown as much as mine! It keeps us going through the LONG days at school and work.......
along with a son who is six, and 2 other boys that are 4 and 14!!
My daughter Paige has already been acquainted with Beth (Jane's daughter) and I'm sure she'd love to hear from yours as well........the more the merrier! Write anytime!
Hi Guys,
We are on the August 29 cruise also. Our family includes me, DH, DD6 and DS 6 - twins who turned 6 on the Wonder last year. We are very much looking forward to this trip! Our goal is to RELAX and that's it. We originally booked one of the Secret Porthole rooms but after much debate last week upgraded to a verandah room so that will be special for us. Countdown to lots of fun!
Linda::MickeyMo ::MinnieMo :earsgirl: :earsboy: :boat: :cool1:
Hello there!
It sounds as if you are going to have a wonderful cruise! Have you got any tips for us first timers? Please feel free to get in touch
We are still trying to figure out how to get the most from our cruise time :scratchin ...
We did the Dolphin Encounter in Freeport last year and though it was fun, we missed the better part of the day on the ship :sad1:
We had the early dinner before but found we had to interrupt our afternoon to start getting ready for dinner at 5pm :mad: The kids never ate at dinner anyway so this time we're hoping the kids go into the Club and DH and I can have a quiet late dinner alone :bounce: (BTW, Palo IS as good as they say).
We found we had a lot of energy and did not want to miss a minute of anything :hyper2: We were up early and awake late, even the kids. One night DH went shopping in the gift shop at 11pm and DS fell asleep so DD and I ordered a cheese tray from room service and giggled and munched until we fell asleep. Another night we changed the kids into their PJs, brought their pillows and blankets, and sat out on the lounge chairs on Deck 4 until MN - we must have been quite a sight! Hence we figured the verandah would work out well for us this time :idea:
The Tip thread on this board is excellent, it pretty much covers everything. The questions I had myself last year which I never really had answered pre cruise were in regard to digital camera usage and clothing to wear in the restaraunts. Everything worked out ok but it caused a bit of worry on my part. Now I know there's really not much to worry about on this cruise, that's the whole idea :wizard:
The first glimpse of the ship is breathtaking! Everything is sparkling clean and beautiful and the staff couldn't be nicer. Just like what you've come to expect from Disney only better! :love:
I'm not sure I'll know the answers but if I can help with anything just ask!
pluto favorite
Hi, we are cruising on the Wonder on 8-29 also. My dd is 11 and my neice is 11. My mom and 15 year old neice will be in the next cabin. We are so excited and cant wait for the cruise.
Ya see, they finally caught on that we were the only families aboard now everyone will know and want to join in on our empty ship!!!! Welcome to all. We are so excited and I cant wait to get my Docs... As you can see from my other post, I wil be traveling with my DH Nick and three children... Eileen 12, Giorgio 5 and Gianna 4... They are driving me nuts wanting to get on that ship!!! Looking forward to a wonderful time. Eileen
Just to let you all know my cruise tickets arrived on Monday. I did ask for them to be sent in plenty of time as we leave for Florida on the 21st August. Can't wait to meet you all. Hope you are all as excited as me!!!! It keeps me sane through some pretty boring days at work.
Hi Jane, I hope you have working on your tan.. I have not because it has rained for about two weeks here in NY... It appears that our daughters have some kind of plan to meet. Eileen is very excited about meeting Kathrine and is so looking forward to the trip.... as we all are!! Looking forward to meeting you and have a safe flight over... BTW, Im staying at the contemporary the night before.. I know that you mentioned thinking about staying there also... Have fun and think pixie dust! Eileen
:) I am so happy to see that there are other people who are as excited as I am to be going on our first Disney Cruise!!! I Deborah, will be traveling with my DS Jonathan 16 and DD Jordan 7. :bounce: I am totally ready to go today. We will be doing the land/sea package and I added a few extra days to do universal.:hyper: We received our tickets the other day and I was so excited. Can hardly wait to see you all on the ship.
Since we all have been conversing for months now and the reality of our cruise is just around the corner, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to meet up. We are staying at Ron Jon's resort 2 days before our cruise..........wondering if anyone else is staying there??? Put your thinking caps on and let me know if anyone has a plan to make it this happen. I know I'd be truly sad if we could not all meet up and share our disney memories together!
Michelle, thank you for suggesting this. I did a search for disboard meets and found a thread suggesting that a good place to meet is at the sail away party at 5pm by the Goofy pool. One thread suggested wearing name tags or something obvious. (Can't quite see my 15 year old son in green ribbons though!) Have a look at the thread yourself and see what you think. I think that the quicker the children meet up with their pen pals the better, and I can't wait to meet up with everyone.
If anyone else is interested in meeting up with us, please post your suggestions soon!
but worry about getting lost in the crowd so to speak.......we should probably all plan on wearing something to distinguish ourselves from others........don't know exactly what though.........hopefully others will have some great ideas too......sent you an email!
Im in,,, and am working on our D'Angelododisney T's as we speak... I just hope that I can print them out without too much trouble! Yes, we should atleast say hi and have a drink together! Eileen
Hard to believe it's getting so close...very excited... but not looking forward to packing!
My husband's efforts at making our magnetic door sign (such as those discussed on these boards) have been met with some success. He says if anyone else wants one he'd be willing to make them for you. Here's what ours is like:
Disney Cruise Line (logo)
Disney Wonder
August 29, 2004 - September 2, 2004
(photo of Wonder)
The DisBoard's
The Smith Family
Anywhere, USA
We figure if nothing else it will be fun and a good conversation starter. Let me know if your interested and what you would like it to say :fish:.
:o I have been having a hard time trying to post for a couple of days. I am so excited and ready to go!! :Pinkbounc Is anyone staying a day or two in the Disney area after the cruise. Has anyone ever stayed at the Holiday Inn Nikki Bird in Orlando? Also I heard that currently Downtown Disney Pleasure Island and the CityWalk at Universal has no admission charge can anyone verify?
So, I went to Michaels yesterday to buy magnetic paper and only find half sheets.. I dont think that Is what im suppose to get??? Help me out here... Im staying at the Contemporary the night before, just didnt see my self driving after flying from NY.. Anyway, can someone help me with the paper? TIA Eileen
Try Walmart, the magnetic paper was about $6 for five full sheets.
Was also at Home Depot today (nice time for our toilet to leak and ruin our bathroom floor :headache: ) and picked up some of the Mickey head paint samples but not sure what I'm going to do with them - any ideas?
Had a thought about meeting at the Goofy pool during the Sail Away Party: practically everyone on the ship is at the SAP, it's really loud and crowded :crowded:; holding a conversation would be difficult, plus you'd miss the fun while you're trying to talk. Most kids want to hang at the Mickey pool with the slide in the afternoon so meeting in that area might be convenient after the ressies rush - there are tables as well as lounge chairs by the pool.
Maybe that's an idea for a use for the Mickey heads also, putting usernames on them, laminating them and pinning them on? :confused3
I had thoughts of suggesting a meeting at the quiet Deck 7 aft, even thinking of picking up one of those wine "boxes" to share with everyone :idea: (since an *open bar reception* in the Walt Disney Suite was not in the budget this trip :sad1: ). DH, however, thought you might think I was *cheap* :rotfl: so I guess I'll keep that one to myself!!
I love your idea about meeting at the quiet Deck 7 aft, maybe following the sail away party?? I think we'd all get lost in the crowds trying to meet up at the goofy pool.......but heck what doI know, I have never been on a cruise before........mabye we could figure a tentative time to meet there on the deck following the party.........what do you think?? Let me know!
ps.......the wine idea does sound fun too!
Linda, I think your plans sound wonderful and I am going to stick my neck out here and admit that I love cheap wine!!!! I think we would all happily follow your recommendations. I think the Goofy Pool sounds a bit manic too.
One of my favourite memories of cruising as a child was watching the ship set sail, and as I have been watching the Port Canaveral and Two Palms webcams all year, I don't want to miss this. We just need to set a time so that those on first dining aren't pushed for time.
By the way Eileen, I have sent you a PM as Kathryn is in Switzerland and I couldn't find your email address!!!
Let's make a decision on badges soon so that I can get working on them!
Regards to all
You guys are fun!!
Well this now gives me something to ponder during my meetings today!! (and I take the Minutes :bored: )
BTW, any takers on the magnetic signs (while DH's on a roll) ?
Linda, if you are serious I would love a magnetic door sign please. We haven't had any luck finding the paper and the 29th of August is my daughters 10th birthday. It would be wonderful if we had something special. Perhaps you could email me and we could sort out the details. Many, many thanks.
Ok guys let me know what and where the meet time/place will be I am still wondering if anyone is staying a day or so after the cruise in Orlando. I also would like a sign. My DD would love it:earsgirl: Please PM me with the info and the cost.
Thanks in advance,
Only a couple more weeks till Disney!!
Deborah:crazy: :wave2:
We love cheap wine!!! LOL,,, I cant afford anything else after this cruise, DH is cutting up all my CC... Anyway, love the idea but would really like to attend the sailaway party being that we have never delt with this crowd.. We are experts with crowds since we have done WDW in July!! What time is the party and could we do it after? We have second seating or so I think we still do???? I got to get to Walmart and get that paper.............. Now!!!!! Got to go check my PM to find out how our daughters are going to meet! Bye for now, Eileen
As some of us have early seating and some of us have late seating, why don't we try to meet between those 2 dining times for a drink on the aft deck that was mentioned. How does that sound?
Had a difficult day trying to stay focused on work when this trip is getting so close and there's so much going on!
I'm going to throw this out there and see what the group thinks:
What is everyone doing in the afternoon around 3pm? The reason I'm thinking about this is because it would be nice for the kids to meet early in the day so they at least see a familiar face in the clubs. It would also be pretty low key as far as what's happening onboard, unless people are booked in the spa or something. We could be very casual and the kids could come and go off Deck 7 aft (and hopefully we won't bother too much anyone looking for some R&R up there). We'd have a whole hour to relax and chat - so what if we're a little tipsy at the Lifeboat Drill at 4pm? :drinking1 We're on vacation dammit!
I don't know about anyone else but I was trying to keep everybody straight. I for one know I will be slightly confused as to who's who when we meet so I went back and tried to figure it out. Here's what I came up with (in the spirit of the folks sailing on the Magic the day before us - have you seen their thread??):
MJvans (Jay and Michelle)
D'AngelosdoDisney (Eileen)
Janemoj (Jane)
DW, ?DH, DS15, DD13, DD10 (birthday on 8/29)
DVC from NJ
Pea-n-Me (Linda)
Pluto Favorite
DSelf, DD11, DN15, DN11, DM
Justus3d (Deborah)
DSelf, DS16, DD7
Is there anybody else out there who is cruising with us??? Would love for you to say hello also. :magnify:
I'll have you know I'll be buying that Box 'O Wine very shortly so I can enjoy seeing it in the pile of things I've been collecting so far: binoculars, bubbles, sand toys, jelly beans, and soon our wine!!
Anyone else wanting a magnetic door sign please email me and let me know what you want it to say (design will probably be similar to the one we did for ourselves, we're not too savvy computer-wise. But ours is lovely and I have it hanging on our fridge where it will also be post cruise). See my post above for the basics.
I don't know why I did not think of meeting before the sail away party!! This idea sounds awesome.......since we have already made our Palo's reservation and our massage (booked romantic escape at sea package) we have nothing but free time until the drill and party!! I think that 3pm is the perfect time to meet!! I for one am psyched!! Can't wait to meet everyone!! I'm getting so excited!!
ps.......when do we sign up the kids for the kids club by the way??
I can bring a box of wine too.........the more the merrier!
Merlot or Chardonnay??
Talk to you soon!
ps......our kids are Russell, Paige, Tyler and Matthew!
Sounds very good to me. Please think of me today. It's my last day at work until September 6th. So in about 10 hours time I am going into official Disney mode! Will get the suitcases out of the loft tonight and dig out those Disney ponchoes!!!
and Phil, Chris, Kathryn and Beth
YIPPEE!! Just think, in a short few hourse, You will finally and officially be in vacation mode!! I hope the day goes by fast............along with the wine for the adults, how about if I bring some treats for the kids, like twinkies or hostess cupcakes so we can celebrate Beth's birthday all together!!
Just a thought!
As I sit here in my DCL nightgown drinking coffee from my MGM Studios mug, I'd have to agree it's exciting to be nearing vacation mode!! :Pinkbounc Congratulations, Jane!
Michelle, how about you bring the merlot and I'll get the chardonnay? :drinking1 Hopefully someone brings a watch so we don't miss the Lifeboat Drill!:rotfl:
The Kids Clubs are open to everyone that first afternoon and that's when you sign them up and get them used to going in there. You need come to up with a password to sign them out and they give you the beeper. Also, kids 8 and up can sign themselves in and out of the clubs with the parents' permission so you need to decide if you want your child to have that privelege. :scared1: Our kids are too young but I remember thinking that the ship seemed pretty safe. (With that said our friends last year did not give their 8 y.o. that privelege, I guess it depends on the child).
Thinking about the Gift Shop (of course planning this year's souveniers...) - if you see something you want pick it up early. You can always exchange it later but it might be gone if you wait. I'm sure the At Sea Day is going to be nuts in the shops. :crowded: :crazy2:
Linda, Paul, Andrea and Christopher :thewave:
P.S. Thanks for helping me get excited about this trip, especially the cruise. :boat: Yesterday was the first day that I actually *really* watched what I ate thinking about all the food we'll be eating at the end of the month! :tilt: I was also very excited this w/e that the discount codes for September came out (and I discovered how to use the points on my Disney Visa) so I was able to upgrade our post cruise reservation from Pop Century to Wilderness Lodge without "spending" much more. :bounce: DH is happy because he always wanted to stay there.
Yeah!!!! I will bring the watch!!! I am so glad we got that nailed down 3 p.m. it is.:Pinkbounc Guys its almost time to go just a couple more weeks:crazy: . I will figure out something to bring for the kids to enjoy. We are going to have such a great time and it all seems so much easier since we will "know" someone before we get there. I have to admit I was a little afraid I would be bored to death going as a single parent because my kids are so outgoing I know I wont see them much. :smooth: Which is a good thing to because I can get some alone time.:o Either way I am sooooo looking forward to meeting up with you guys.
Sounds like a plan.....will bring the merlot and a watch!
WOW!!! 8 years old seems so young to come and go!! No way would I give Paige that much freedom, although she is super responsible.........I'm over protective and paranoid though!! LOL
I keep having these thoughts of somehow the kids falling off the boat.........guess I need to get a life!!
Have to go the gym in a few minutes and lift weights and take my spinning class ......have really let that slide the last couple of months and have gained 10 pounds over the spring and summer.......if I want to fit into my little black dress, I better get my butt in gear!! Wish I was as excited about working out as I am about my cruise, but will probably take some aerobic classes and work out while I'm on the ship. Anyone else care to join me?
HAve a good day!
Please don't go keeping fit before the cruise. I will feel the pressure even more. Just tried the old shorts on and it's not looking good.
So we have decided on 3pm. Where is the meeting point, please? I think deck 7 aft was mentioned at some point. Please tell me exactly where and is there anything I could bring? Did we come to a decision on badges? I think Mickey heads were mentioned.
Thank you for all your good wishes and your suggestion to make a little celebration for Beth was especially welcomed as I think she is a little worried that her birthday might be a little overlooked with all the excitement of the cruise (hope I haven't giving her that impression!)
Happy planning. Yippee I've finished work
Bye the way, Deborah. After 8 days at Port Orleans Riverside with my very quiet hubby, am sure I would love to chat to you if you fancy a little company!!!!
Im there!!!! 3pm deck 7 aft... guess I will need to find this place, Im sure I will be able to work it out... Congrats Jane on your last day, I have to work all the way through till the friday and Im not sure that Im going to make it... Also, I guess that Eileen and Kathryn can meet there. Sounds like a fine idea and I usually have a watch and hate to be late for anything so I will try to be mindful of the time. Ok, so have we decided that we are going to be wearing somekind of mickey head?? Did I miss this.. Got to go back and check this post..................... So excited all, guess I have to get my needs list ready and stop acting like I have all the time in the world to pack... bye for now! Eileen
As far as what to do with the Mickey heads, I saw an idea which I'm sure Verandah Man won't mind if we borrow: go to his website and look his photos, Day 1 on the Magic when he first enters his stateroom and sits on his verandah. You'll see he has his Alien Green Mickey head (from Home Depot, the Disney sample paint "chips") glued onto a "button", most likely sold at crafts stores (you have to understand, I am the *least* crafty person on the planet, LOL). Apparently, that identifies you to others as a Dis-er and you can put your username on it. Of course, this is optional but people have been asking for ideas... My DD wants a pink Mickey head but I don't think the color matters too much...
Thanks Andy for the idea!
Also, there are pictures of the Deck 7 Aft deck on a website called Castaway Club (the woman who's been on almost 40 Disney cruises) under Secrets of the DCL. For some reason they block the name of the website when I write it and I couldn't find any other pics anywhere so if it doesn't come out and you still want to see them email me. It's a little tight (or *cozy*, if you will), but it's better than shlepping our wine boxes out in the open on the higher decks (a faux pas on the ship which we learned the hard way last year when DH carried a whole bag of water, soda, etc... and was greeted with some raised eyebrows).:laughing:
Silly me, I just realized you can see the Mickey Heads in many of the opening pictures of Andy's website, sorry.:blush:
Ok Jane,
We can get together whenever...I will be in town on the 24th to do a couple of days at Universal then to Port Orleans on the 26th. PM or EM me when you would like to hang out and what you would like to do.
I think I got you beat on the least crafty person lol...beleive me I am truly challanged.:jester: I will try to start early on the mickey badges for me and the kids lol I need all the time I can get.
See you guys soon!
Deborah :Pinkbounc :chat:
Oh god, i cant handle all this pressure... badges, door signs, t shirts......... crafty im not!!!!! Got to get busy.... But did get out to Kohls today and got some great deals!!!!
LOL double thumbs up I work for Kohl's...too funny!! Did you get the swim suits and the red ticket markdowns??? Tooo funny!!
Deborah:p :hyper: :wave2:
everything i got was red ticket with exception of outfits for DD for dinner... Bought little ones all new t's... ya know how dirty things can get with little hands.. even with oxiclean.... got two bathing suits.... LOL I robbed the place! Hoping they mark more down before the trip!!!!
ok, checked out pictures and like this deck 7aft sight.. very cool! looks like i may be spending some alone time there!!
Yeah gotta have some good stuff. More will be marked down before the trip but get what you want early cause there is not much to choose from in most stores.
I know what you mean with the tees cause you dont want to feel like you paid a lot if they stain it. Great clothes Great prices!
See you soon
Deb:o :cool: :crazy:
I love Kohl's too, have one right down the street. Will have to get there also. New puppy has managed to chew everything the kids haven't already wrecked including my best sandals!! Today she even broke my Mickey Mouse charm bracelet :mad:. Monday was in a rush to get the kids to camp then head to work - got dressed and realized pup had chewed the backs off my shoes and ripped a tear in my jacket!! Lucky for her she's so cute!! :hug: She's been a pain in the butt but I realized tonight I'm going to miss her when we go.
BTW, is anyone doing any interesting shore excursions? pirate:
Eileen, glad you liked Deck 7 Aft! Am watching the news as I write this and see that Tigger at WDW was arrested for groping a girl. They are showing his Tigger outfit in court! What next?
booked the dayat the beach (blue lagoon) for our day at nassau and may call next week to book parasailing for Jay and Russell while at castaway cay. What is everyone planning to do??
We booked the stingray thing in Nassau and ds16 is going on the teen junkanoo party boat thing. I have been calling to check a couple of other things and they said all of the excursions were booked and have been booked for some time. CM told me that we were traveling on a pretty full ship. I really want to do the jet ski thing at castaway cay... well I am thinking about it. I don't want to book every minute. BTW anyone like Bingo? I heard they play everyday on the ship.::yes:: :moped:
Are we there yet???
We are doing the Glass Bottom Boat tour at CC. Kids wanted to snorkel and will give it a whirl but thought in case they couldn't manage at least they could see some fish this way, LOL! (BTW, Walmart has snorkel set with fins on clearance for $5; also bundle of beach toys $3, same thing on CC costs $16 - we could start our own bargain shopping network). ::yes::
Michelle, last year DH did parasailing at CC and he really loved it. Goes right next to the Wonder. Have a great shot of DS watching DH up in sky with Wonder off to the side. Wants me to try it this year but am happy relaxing on the beach. Next trip if the kids are old enough would love to try the Banana Boat ride. :scared1:
Stingray excursion sounds like fun as does BL beach day. Can't wait for this trip!!:jumping1: :jumping1::jumping1:
We have booked the Blue Lagoon trip at Nassau and the banana boat ride at Castaway Cay for all five of us. In a mad moment I booked the parasailing for Phil and I to do in tandem. I am a complete chicken and was screaming swinging from a rope swing in a tree on Sunday until Phil pointed out that my feet couldn't be more than a foot off the ground!!! Anyway I have already told all my colleagues that I am going parasailing and they were so impressed that I am going to have to do it or get Phil to seriously digitally edit some photos to show them all on September 6th!!
Perhaps me parasailing and smiling with a Castaway Cay cocktail in one hand. Now that would impress them.............
Hi,,, Deb, ya got to keep me posted as to when then are red tagging more at your store... So far the kids are covered but my DH and I still need more clothes!!!
As far as a puppy is concerned we also got a new one... Long of short, I work for the NYS Dept. of Corrections and we have a puppies behind bars program at my prison.... I had a pure bred black lab that worked in my office from the age of two months till she was released from the progam at the age of seven months... she has a hip disorder ............. very long of short, I am now the proud owner of her!!!! She is my new baby and I just called her vet to kennel her... I have no idea how i will manage without her! She kept my feet warm all winter sitting in a cold prison... If you are interested, I will tell you more on the cruise... One more day down........ Eileen:Pinkbounc
Jane, not for me as I'm the biggest chicken around........went on tower of terror once and was scarred out of my mind......terribly afraid of heights too..........so no way.........BUT booked it for Jay as a birthday present! Can't wait to tell him!! He is booked at 10am. Do you know when you and Phil are scheduled to go??
Talk to you later!
:( Now I really wish I booked the parasailing...i have always wanted to do it and I talked myself out of it because I wanted to more massages. :mad: Maybe I can find a cute single guy to give me massages and then go parasailing:crazy: :Pinkbounc . I will keep you informed on the sales..on 8/6/04 we start a 2 day sale with a peel off where you can save up 25% on your entire purchase. Im not sure if that sale is everywhere but you might want to check it out. I wish I could have a dog :( DD would love to have one. I told her once we get settled maybe.
Great tip on Walmart gotta go there this weekend.
17 days till I hit the road to Orlando
Are we there yet?
Hi all, went to Wallmart this morning and got magnetic paper and then stopped at homedepot and got the paint chips... Wish me luck cause i am no artist! Eileen
Hi All,
Computer was down for the last couple of days so if anyone sent instrutions for signs or anything else, please resend, lost all old mail. Offer is still good. BTW, whatever happened to DVC from NJ and Plutos Favorite, are you still out there? Hope to see you Sunday at 3pm on Deck 7 Aft (bought our cups yesterday).
Hi Linda, Im still here! Seem to have lost Jane though...? Waiting for response from PM that I sent her.. Our girls have been chatting for months now and she needed some info... As far as signs go, i made mine yesterday and it was really very painless!! Got to make one more for kids door.. We have ajoining rooms. Also got paint chips from homedepot.. thinking that i can just cut them out and make temorary buttons so that you know who we are... We will be there at 3 unless something unforseen happens.... Glad you got the cups, I might have to drink out of my shoe.. LOL! Getting so excited her in NY.. Eileen
Hey Guys,
I am sooo ready!:p My kids are gone for the summer so I am doing the count down by myself 15 days till we hit the road. :Pinkbounc Can one of you guys send me the info on the badges...I want to make some but I don't have a clue what/how to do it. I know it has something to do with paint chips but I am clueless after that. How is everyone doing?? Jane I know you are already on vacation are you having fun yet? Linda when are you guys taking off? I am hoping the discounts are great on board for booking next year. I know we will have a blast so I am thinking ahead for the next one. We are hoping to do this cruise in Europe next year also...keeping my fingers crossed.
Oh well that's it for now. Hope everyone is having fun getting ready.
See you all soon!!:hyper:
Are we there yet?? :wave:
Eileen, I knew YOU were still here, LOL! Are you kidding, I am looking forward to hearing about your lab puppy!! (Often watch Cell Dogs and other AP shows - love dogs). Wish we could take them with us, they would have fun on the ship too!!
Deborah, go back to my post on 8/4 with ideas for Mickey heads, view pictures from Verandah Man's website and you will see them wearing them. Fairly simple, I think (if I can do it anyone can).
We are going down day before cruise, staying at Yacht Club to hang out at Stormalong Bay which should be fun, have never been there before. Originally were booked at Econolodge so this is kind of a treat, LOL! We are staying 3 nights at Wilderness Lodge post cruise so we are really looking forward to that also.
DH is laughing at me because I've changed our plans several times based on what codes are out, etc... I really enjoy the planning. We also haven't spent any money all year trying to pay for this!
Helped a friend look at prices on Wonder for next summer, unfortunately are very high because Magic is going to be on the West Coast so Wonder is alone and everyone is booking it/paying the high cost. Kind of hard to swallow paying double the cost of what we're paying this trip. Will think about it again for either next fall or 2006. May rebook onboard to get discounts too, can always change dates later. Haven't heard about this cruise in Europe, what's that about?
We are very excited here. Everyday kids want to talk about what we're going to do at CC, what our favorite rides at parks are, etc... so we make games out of it. We've been trying to convince them to go to Scuttle's Cove on CC for an hour or so so we can check out Serenity Bay but they don't want us to leave them, damn! Still working on it, maybe we'll bribe them, LOL.
Hello everyone. Is anyone managing to concentrate on anything other than the cruise now? We just don't seem to be able to apply ourselves to anything. The girls have made the most wonderful countdown calendars this weekend, (similar to advent calendars) They are stunning; by far their best yet!
Ok somebody help me here. What are paint chips? And although I can see the badges on the website, what exactly do they say?
Please keep posting. I love to hear all your news. This time in two weeks we should be walking right down the middle of mainstreet USA...
Regards to all
I saw the button...still not real sure...but I am gonna make somthing LOL:o I am with you Jane 14 more days till I am walking down Mainstreet MK.:Pinkbounc I told the kids if they dont get home soon just meet me in Orlando. They are in Texas with friends. Is there anything else to concentrate on other than Disney at this point???:crazy: The bills are paid so it should be time to go LOL. :teeth: My son just called and they will be home on the 16th I will be able to talk more Disney with them for a week:tongue:
My DD7 is freaking out...When I was small and would go out of town in the summer, my grandmother would tell me to leave some of my spending money in a jar in her china cabinet...Of course while I was gone my money would "grow:hyper: . I told my DD to leave some of hers and now she wants to know how much she has...She will be mighty suprised to have over $80.00. LOL.
Thats it for now
Are we there yet??
DVC from NJ
We've been away last week and running around alot so I haven't been checking the postings as much. But now the countdown has begun!!! My children are so excited. I love the idea of us all meeting at 3:00. My daughter Gabrilelle can't wait to meet Paige too! Count us in on bringing wine also! My husband (who is a certifiable Disney nut!!!!::yes:: ) has been working on our itinerary for the park (we'll be at Disney's Boardwalk Resort on the 22nd-29th) as well as the cruise!!! He also made a terrific magnetic sign for our cruise door http://home.comcast.net/~fodc8/Lewis_Disney_Door_edited.jpg, and the villa door http://home.comcast.net/~fodc8/Disney_Door2.jpg
(magnetic sheets from Walmart). We are checking in at the Comfort Suites in Nassau -- they have an agreement with the Atlantis -- so we have full use of all the facilities including the pools and the water park for the day. It costs less than an excursion for 4 people through Disney, so the kids are thrilled! Oh well, it's 1:51 in the morning here, so perhaps I should go to sleep:o
Talk to you all later! --Maria:tongue:
Just had to say your children are beautiful. Can't wait to meet you all. My daughter Beth is looking forward to playing with Gabrielle and Paige. They should have a lot of fun. And the door signs are so professional! Well done.
Just going slightly off the cruise theme, husband Phil wants to know if anyone staying at WDW from the 22nd August to 4th September plays golf. Disney will pair him up with somebody anyway, but he thought it was worth asking just incase anyone was interested.
Still counting.....
one day closer and still nothing done!!!! Thank god the weekend is coming.. got to get more shopping.... Are we getting excited everyone? Eileen:Pinkbounc
ok, so I have lost eveyone??? Maybe you all are gone and I am waiting all on my own????????/:rolleyes: :mad: :confused: :(
The other night I was stuck in traffic going to work, watching planes taking off and landing at Logan. I couldn't help but think of all of you and how soon it will be us up there! :thewave: If we don't talk before people start leaving for their trips, I just wanted to wish everyone a peaceful and safe flight. Are there any nervous flyers among us??
Marie, your signs came out beautiful!! Ours came out nice too, all are lined up together waiting to go.
I meant to ask, where is everyone else staying the night before the cruise and/or on the land portion of your trips?
It sounds like people have some fun shore excursions planned. DH and I will be relaxing by the adult pool on Nassau day, Bahama Mamas in hand, if anyone is looking for us, LOL!
I saw on the news tonight that WDW and Universal parks were closed from the hurricanes today. Bummer! Hopefully those will be well past by the time we get there!
Keep in touch!
DVC from NJ
Well, it's almost time. Is everyone packed! Just kidding ;) !!!!! But I am wondering--how dressed up does everyone get for dinner?? Any ideas??
--Thanks, Maria:wave:
flying out on the 26th and spending first night at the hyatt at the airport. Next morning it is off to cocoa beach for 2 days to spend at ron jon resort. Then we are off cruising! Can not wait.....will start packing this weekend. Still need to go out and take my oldest son shopping but this will be a chore as he hates shopping and it really is not any fun!
I am beginning to stress about my wardrobe too...........wish I was in better shape.......have really fallen off my work-out schedule and it shows!! Will vow to hit the gym religiously the next couple of weeks. (Yeah Right!! LOL)
What is everyone packing?? We have booked Palo's and I have 2 outfits in mind...........one a short black dress and one a silk wrap blouse and long black skirt.........can't decide.......would actually be more comfortable in sweats at this point........but I do like to dress up occassionally and can't wait for Palos'.
What do most people bring as far as clothes though........I'm pretty casual but don't know if that is appropriate either.......well, should probably get some sleep!!
Take care everyone!
Have you guys been watching the news??? Wow, Orlando got beat up!!! The airport is a mess and all I could think of was all those poor people trying to get down there to get on the ship! Im flying into Stanford/Orlando and have not heard any word on how that airport was damaged. As far as packing, my kids are packed!!! That was after the kohls trip.. Still working on DH and self. We are staying at the Contemporary the night before... Got to get into the mood and have some PS for dinner and breakfast. Was originally going to park but flight time was changed till later and not worth the $ for a few hours. Thinking of going on Resort tour.. Few places we have not been in yet and would like to check them out. Getting very excited here.. going to get hair cut today.. one less thing off list to do.. Hope all is safe in the storm!! Eileen:earseek:
I was watching the updates on these boards last night as far as this w/e's cruises go - apparently the Magic was coming in to PC today as planned, the only change was that they would sail out tonight at 6:30 instead of 5pm to accomodate late flights in for people. Sure feel badly for anyone who misses the ship! (Maybe today would be a good day to get a bargain rate on the cruise??)
Imagine, too, how crazy the resorts must have been yesterday when the parks cleared out?? I read one report that said they just kept the buffets open continuously. FW cabins were evacuated. Hope everybody was well-behaved! :crowded: (Have been following the thread What's the Worst Thing You've Seen at WDW - people amaze me sometimes...)
Re: wardrobe on the ship. First off, no stressing required!! :cheer2: It's a lot like the parks, pretty casual except for nighttime. Beachwear during the day around the islands and ship. Too hot for pants so don't bother with any of those with the exception of slacks for outfits. Do bring a lightweight sweater for restaraunts or shows.
Dinners for Men: Palo is the nicest, most formal restaraunt followed by Triton's. Jacket preferred for men at Palo's (DH HATES to dress up but keeps asking me if we're going to Palos so he knows whether to pack jacket, would have felt out of place without one as everyone was wearing them). For men at Triton's, dress shirt, no jacket necessary; AP and PC for men, polos ok with slacks. Shouldn't wear shorts with the possible exception of PC but should be "nice" and worn with nice top, no tees.
Dinners for Women: reserve nicest outfit for Palo's. (Michelle my vote is for the black dress: key word - SIMPLIFY :idea: P.S. Sweats with me at this point would work well too, Juice Fast isn't going to well! :rotfl: ) Second nicest for Triton's; AP and PC nice resort wear. (FYI if anyone needs still needs resort wear check out AB Lambdin online, can do fast shipping and sales going on now, etc...).
Dinners for Kids: mirror parents.
Additional thoughts for dinner: Clothes should be COMFORTABLE because you get really *stuffed* (they bring you LOTS of food whether you want it or not - last year waitress at Palo's brought 8 desserts for 4 or us unsolicited!!!) Usually go to shows around dinner time too so have to SIT in them afterward :scared: and unless you then want to go back to stateroom to change will be in those clothes the rest of the night. They do have formal pictures with ship in background taken outside of Triton's every night so may want to plan that picture for when family is dressed the nicest - can also order photo XMas cards on the ship if you reallywant to simplify things! There are threads on the cruise boards with LOTs of different opinions about dressing for dinner.
Hope that helps. There are laundry rooms on the ships too which I guess you have to use at "off" times, and send out laundry but that's ridiculously priced (something like $5 per item, we should charge our families the same thing, we'd be rich!) I'm planning to not overpack and to throw in a load of laundry late some night, our room is pretty closeby.
Michelle, I thought I saw a coupon somewhere for the Resort Tour but can't find it in the usual spots. Will keep looking and let you know if I find it.
Enjoy the packing!!
Im still here waiting for the go also. We will be leaving from VA on the 23rd, stay overnight in GA at my moms. Leaving very early to be in Olrlando very early am.:rolleyes: Staying 2 nights at the holiday inn doing Universal then to Port Orleans Riverside. :Pinkbounc The kids are coming home on Monday so this week will be spent running around and picking up last minute stuff. I have not been able to find a small can of Lysol this time :confused: but I will keep looking. Did you guys hear that the deck 9 beverage station now has soda on it? I hope that is true cause I crossed soda off my list. Maybe I will bring 1 12 pack just in case.:crazy: Good idea on the little black dress...almost forgot that. Fot those that have done Palos before do you prefer it for the brunch or dinner. I would hate to miss any of the restaraunts for dinner. :hyper: I have gotten tons of film can anyone think of the one thing any of us might be forgetting??:earseek: Mine is the little or big if you cant find the small can of Lysol...to keep things fresh. Any others?:teeth:
See you guys soon!:wave:
Are we there yet?
Phil and I thought we should give Palos a miss and just enjoy the other restaurants with the children. Are we making a horrible mistake? And would my black dress be too much in the other restaurants? Advice please!
I am beginning to feel a little fed up rather than excited. I think I have just been thinking about this for too long!!! And I am worried about everyone who might be affected by the hurricane.
Is everyone happy just to meet up on the ship? I have rather lost track of my emails and I'm not sure if anyone wanted to meet up in WDW. I think it might have been mentioned. We are at POR for 8 days before and the Polynesian for 2 days afterwards.
Thank you all for your information. I am really enjoying checking this thread for information. Please keep posting
Thinking of you all...
only because Jay and I rarely get a chance to have a night out without the kids!! I am really looking forward to getting all dressed up for a night alone with Jay. Plus, with the romance at sea package that we booked, we will also receive a turn-down of our bed with rose petals that night.............the thought of actually having some alone time with out interruption is truly a godsend!! So, that is one part of the cruise I actually look forward too.............don't get me wrong, I LOVE spending time with my children, and I look forward to seeing their joy, and living their experiences and creating last memories, BUT there is something to be said about having some much needed alone time with Jay.
Hope you are not too stressed to look forward to a wonderful vacation. I tend to wait until the last minute for everything and then am overwhelmed. This time, I am doing something daily so that I am not waiting until the last minute to get everything done. Only thing I may put off until it is absolutely necessary is shopping with Russell..............gosh that kid truly hates shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looking forward to meeting you on deck!! Paige is beyond thrilled she gets to meet Beth!
Hi Jane, Don't be surprised if some crazy blonde kid with braces attacks your daughter either the day before we leave or in the am on departure.. We will be at the poly for dinner and for breakfast... Remember, Eileen knows what kathrin looks like and she is flipping out at the thought of meeting her!
I enjoy reading everybody's posts, too! Told my friends and family this is the first time I've ever had a trip like this - meeting people online prior to the cruise. They think I'm a little soft but then again they don't really understand this *Disney addiction* like all of you do, LOL! This is really cool, especially for the kids who are old enough to be penpals (e-pals?) prior to sailing so they have a buddy already lined up (remember the pressure at that age???).
Re: Palo's: If you have a chance to go it's a really special experience. One way to do it without missing another restaraunt and/or dinner with your kids: eat a "light" meal at your regular rotation but plan Palo the same evening for another "light meal" or even just coffee (or tea, in Jane's case :) ) and dessert - chocolate souffle is unbelievable. Or schedule the Brunch which is what we hope to do. There are all windows the length of Palos so in the daytime the views must be spectacular!
Hey Michelle, no need to explain, we understand why it's nice to have time alone with your DH! :love2: ;) I like the sound of the rose petals!
My DH just read my earlier post and is correcting me. He claims he got a dirty look from our Maitre D (Daniel) when he came to Parrot Cay with shorts on (despite their being "dressy"). :rolleyes:
It was really funny last year when, like Santa Clause, DH lugged a *huge* clear plastic sack of soda and water (enough for two families) onto the ship. We walked into Parrot Cay for lunch after just boarding and because it was so big he had to leave it at the entryway. A group of waiters was staring and shaking their heads; it was pretty embarrassing but hysterical, we haven't stopped laughing about it! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: (We had gone to the grocery store right before boarding the ship and when we dropped the car off at the rental agency they gave us this big bag since we had nothing at all) :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: This year we wised up and will bring an extra suitcase for the liquid contraband!
I'm not stressed about packing. The only thing that's stressing me out a bit is the state of my hair. It is just growing in again after I lost it all this year from chemo (had breast ca, finished treatment last month and this trip is our celebration of the return of my health). My hair is really short and beginning to curl a little so it looks kind of strange, to me anyway. I am certainly happy to have it back again :teeth: but I can't do a damn thing with it!! Oh well, I'm not going to worry about it. (Someone else said at least I won't have to worry about the *windblown look*, LOL)!
Countdown continues...
I'm ecstatic to hear your health has returned. I had no idea your had struggled with breast cancer!!! So Glad to hear of your outcome, and what a perfect way to celebrate!! We, too our celebrating good health on this cruise too. In March, will fighting a fire, Jay had a heart attack. At the time, he just thought he was having difficulty breathing with all his apparatus on, and he was treated at the scene for dehydration. In the er, though, his EKG was found to be abnormal. Further tests showed he indeed had a heart attack but he never had any chest pains! Well, to make a long story short, he had a quad bypass on March 17th, and this cruise not only celebrates good health, it also celebrates our commitment to savoring each and every day as life is too fragile and so truly precious. It has been a very long road, and we so look forward to getting away!! We so look forward to making last memories once again as a family!! Don't exactly know what the future will bring and although Jay has a release to return to work following this vacation, the dept is not crazy about putting him back to full duites, nor can I say I am thrilled he can return too. Hopefully, my goal on the cruise is to take each day for what it is and not worry about what awaits us at home on hour return.
I can't fathom what you have had to endure, but I am so happy you are on the other side and now recovering!! That is so beyond the best news I have heard in a long time!! Congratulations again and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for continued good health and recovery in the future!! I'm so pleased we are going to meet!!
Now, in regards to the cruise, can our little boys, ages 4 and 6, wear nice dressy shorts to dinner?? Wondering if that would be ok or would they have to be in much the same attire as us and our fourteen year old son? Don't worry much about Paige as she has a thing for dresses and is planning to go all out with her dinner attire!! LOL
In regards to soda, do you just put them in a hard case suitcase or can you bring one of those soft sided coolers on board?? I love diet coke, especially the new one with lime and would hate be without for even 4 days!! It is bad enough I will be without my daily Starbuck's !! I'm going to go through withdrawls!!
Anyway, talk to you soon!
Take care!
We are on page 7 now:teeth: I am so glad we all have so much to celebrate:p I love celebrations!! I too have had cancer. From it I learned not to dwell and to totally enjoy life. As a single parent my biggest worry was who is going to take care of and raise my beautiful children. I have family but you know, no one can love and treat your children better than you. I was totally devastated. :eek: I know I am truely blessed and so are you guys:wave: That is why we are going to have so much fun together.
I can hardly wait to meet all of my new friends
Are we there yet??
Michelle has such a lovely way with words that I can't add anything to what she has said. Take it that her good wishes come form us too!
One of our children had MAJOR surgery just before our last Florida hol in 2001. We came so close to cancelling it, but in the end it turned out to be the turning point that the whole family needed. I hope that this vacation has the same healing effect on you and your family.
Michelle, I'm very tempted to sent Chris half way round the world for you to take him trouser shopping with Russell. If my bank balance could cope, I would. Think I'll take the cowards way out and order some online now and hope they fit!
Eileen, I'll get the girls to have a chat and see what we can sort out.
BTW I am fairly certain that the usual sodas were added to the free drinks station earlier this year...must search the boards to double check.
Bye for now
and I have such a strong feeling that this is the first of many memories shared and friendships formed because of our upcoming cruise . I think we all originally found each other through a love of disney, but in the end, I really feel this is just a stepping stone to something so much more meaningful......I can't put in words how blessed I feel to board a ship knowing I'm about to be in the presence of such remarkable people!! I know it may sound corny, but I do really feel it a blessing!
PS......Jane........I'm about to give up on the shopping trip with Russell as I can see the writing on the wall and it is not going to be pleasant!! LOL
What internet site are you looking at?? I may just cave and go that route too!!
Good night one and all!
I can't even imagine what you must have gone through with your past struggles with cancer.......I'm just so glad it is in the past and you are well on your way to optimum health and absolute joy in being a MOM.........Way to go!! I am so happy to hear of another cancer survivor!!!!! That is so awesome!! I love hearing these kind of stories!! Thanks for sharing!! I think we all have more in common that just a love for disney! Looking forward to meeting you~
Thanks you guys for your warm wishes.
Deborah, I guess we'll have lots to talk about on our pre-dawn walks on Deck 4! :hyper2: (Don't forget I want the Insider's Tips on Kohl's shopping, too...) I watched my sister's struggles as a single parent so I can only imagine how difficult that's been for you in and of itself let alone having Ca. You must be a very strong woman.
Michelle, I understand your husband's struggles. I've been a cardiac nurse in Boston for 18 years so have taken care of many in the same predicament. How difficult. I'm glad he made it through and is on his way to recovery. I have a good friend, also a firefighter (and originally my patient), who went through a similar thing too. I couldn't agree more that we need to count our blessings and live for today. The chips will fall where they may with his work. I also believe that things happen for a reason. You guys are going to have such an awesome time (especially with your REAS pkg) - I'm happy for you.
Good night everyone. :faint:
You and I must have been replying to Lindas post at exactly the same time, and so I have only just seen yours. Obviously I am thinking of you too. We have had fifteen years of worry over a health problem close to home and the one thing that it has taught me is to enjoy every moment and judging by this roll call every family on it feels the same way. Watch out Disney, I think there are going to be some fairly crazy cruisers on the 29th!!!!
Right back to the packing. Six days to go!
Hey Guys,
Two weeks from today, this time exactly - guess where we will be? (Hint: It's a *Secret*...) :boat: :drinking1 :grouphug: :hyper2: :cool1:
DVC from NJ
Everyday, my children wake up and announce the countdown to Disney! :jumping1: Not too much longer--if I can only keep my sanity till then. :crazy: Hope I haven't forgotten anything important!!!!
Ok, so im sitting here reading these post on the verge of tears... this is suppose to be a happy board!!! Im so glad that all is well and free from anything life threatening at this moment. Life is too short and we got 4 wonderful days ahead of us... and as far as hair is concerned... i got the curley kind that just hates anything humid... please dont look at my red kinky hair!!! So, went shopping again today and I think I am done!!! Went to outlets and hubby got some great deals at liz claborne... sandles for kids and more shorts... then off to kohls again... Im done, thats it... if I look bad that is too bad... Im broke and I havent gotten on the boat yet.. hubby is sitting next to me on bed picking out his cigars that he is bringing and disturbing my concentration. Hope we all manage to get through the next two weeks germ and hurrican free... Night! Eileen:wave:
Jay tried to send pictures of the kids to you so that Gabrielle and Matthew could get an idea of who to look out for!!! Bummer....they came back as your email box is full!! Will try to have Jay post some here later when he gets back from errands!
Have now packed for Paige and I vow not to buy her anything more.......her suitcase is totally full!! I may go out to Old Navy later and get the boys a few more summer shirts as I don't want to do laundry on vacation !! Still have put off shopping with Russell........will go through my stuff this weekend, although I don't think I need to get anything more........just hope I fit in what I just purchased!! It is so hot here that when I went running this morning, I was only able to go about 2 miles before feeling like I was going to stroke out from the heat!! Will try cycling tomorrow at the gym!!
Hope all is well with all!
DVC from NJ
I did receive the photos. Your children are adorable! There must have been some kind of email glitch? Gabrielle was so happy to see a picture of Paige! You can see what we look like on our door sign (on an earlier post). Good for you--working out--I was trying to earlier in the summer--but didn't continue it. I hope that my clothes will still fit by the time I get on the ship!!!:wave:
ok guys, I searched back on posts and relized that we have sons almost the same age and... my daughster and Linda son is the same age...??? I THINK? I would love to see pics and have our kids get together since they will all be together.... my son is giorgio and is 5....little one is Gianna 4...both are very friendly and outgoing!!! I have lots of pics.. just send me email addresses.... Eileen
I look forward to it!! Our email address is firstname.lastname@example.com
I will be on the look-out!! Just a refresher........our 4 kids onboard will be Russell (14), Paige (8), Tyler (6) and Matty (4)
Are you by any chance Italian?? Love your kids' names!
I'm 100% Italian and so wanted to name one of our sons, Gianni after my grandfather!! (it just did not sound very good with our last name though!!! Take care and hope to hear from you soon!!
DVC from NJ
Hi all! This is so funny -- leave it to Italians to find each other!!! As I am planning this trip--I am figuring out my family's holiday to Italy next year! It's my parent's 45th anniversary as well as my dad's 70th birthday. He has been in U of Penn Cardiac Care unit since 1995--so I feel like this will be the last chance for him to see the family in Perugia!!! Caio! Maria
Our connections here just keep getting better and better!! My brother and sister-in-law who will be cruising on the Wonder in September are also planning a trip to Italy next spring.....they are doing a cruise there..........my grandparents came from Genoa.....think that is awesome that you are planning a trip with your Dad.......you are a sweet devoted daughter!!! Awesome deal! Ciao for now!
So it's 4am and am on my break at work - I'm sure my coworkers are getting tired of my Disney talk, at least the ones here tonight. (Another just came home from her 1st WDW trip a DVC owner - at least I'm not the only nutty one around here). In reading the last few posts I'm sure my kids would really enjoy meeting all of yours, too. They'll be seeing eachother around the clubs, pools/slide and even at CC. My kids are Andrea and Christopher, age 6 (twins).
I think I have everyone straight but figured I'd attempt doing the list over again (sorry, it's how my brain works). Here goes:
MJVans - Hyatt, RonJon's
DS14 Russell
DD8 Paige
DS6 Tyler
DS4 Matty
D'AngelosdoDisney - Contemporary
DD12 Eileen
DS5 Giorgio
DD4 Gianna
janemoj - Port Orleans, Polynesian
DS15 Chris
DD13 Kathryn
DD10 Beth (BDay girl)
DVC from NJ - Boardwalk
DD8 Gabrielle
DS6 Matthew
Pea-n-Me - Yacht Club, Wilderness Lodge
DD6 Andrea
DS6 Christopher
justus3d - Universal, Port Orleans
DS16 Jonathan
DD7 Jordan
Pluto Favorite
DD11 Jessica
DN15 Kristine
DN11 Sarah
DM Elaine
(I searched the thread and whatever was blank I couldn't find). Maria, how old are your kids and what is DH's name? Same with you, Eileen, missing DH's name. Pluto Favorite only had one post and never came back. Maybe they'll join in again or surprise us on Deck 7. How are people's kids meeting? Any kids coming at 3pm?
Everyone is staying at some nice places. It is so hard picking where to stay, isn't it? I think it's fun to try different ones but seeing the Poly and Contemporary listed makes me miss both of them. Hope we like where we're staying as much as we liked it there. Thought a lot about packing yesterday and came to the conclusion it's going to be a fiasco no matter what - have never stayed 3 different places in one trip before! Jane, how are you managing?? Anyone have any good packing tips?
You must work graveyards........oh how I remember those days!!
Thanks for taking the time to post all this info!! It was very thoughtful! You will probably have no trouble at all packing as just from the looks of the thread, I assume that you are very organized and detail oriented!! I have now finished packing for Paige, Tyler and Matthew. I actually went shopping tonight with Russell and it was a more pleasant experience than originally anticipated. I'm so glad he came with me though, as I would have picked him out totally all the wrong stuff. I went right for the casual, cargo-like khakis, thinking if he is going to have to wear long pants, he will probably like these the best........wrong.......he went right for the dressier khakis ......this absolutely shocked me and I totally thought he was kidding......ended up getting Jay a pair too.........Russell also picked himself out a really nice white, long sleeve linen shirt.......shocked again!! And his size surprised me too.........he now wears a 35 X 32..........and to think, I thought he was still wearing a 30 or 32 waist.........he just had his physical as he will be turning 14 on Saturday.....he now is 5ft 11 inches and weighs 168........tall and lean..........gosh, what happened to mybaby!!
We will definitely be at the deck party...........I'm still planning on bringing the merlot! I can not wait !! Just so excited about meeting everyone........
Have a quiet morning!
Linda, thanks for the list. You are so organised! Can't wait to meet you all. I am almost past caring about the packing. By the time we arrive on the cruise we will have had 8 days in Disney and by then will look totally wrecked! There will be nothing left that matches. You can all just secretly think that the English are totally eccentric! The only thing I forget once was my contact lenses and it was awful. Spent the whole holiday holding on to my glasses at Blizzard Beach and Typhon Lagoon. Learnt my lesson. The spares are already packed.
Beginning to feel a little left out that I'm not Italian. I did visit Italy in about 1970 so can I still be in your club, Please?
I don't think you can go wrong with any Disney Hotel. It's like choosing candy!!!
Michelle, just seen your post. Russell seems more grown up than you thought!!! Can't wait to see him!
I wanted to share something exciting with you guys. Unfortunately I'm not technically savvy enough to include an address that would take you right there (have been trying for half an hour). I started a thread to ask "Has anyone seen whales or dolphins from their verandahs?". I never thought to look for any sea life last year from the main decks so what I saw reflected that: nothing! But it sounds here like from any deck we may be able to see some cool sealife. So don't forget your binoculars!
goodnight...:boat: :fish:
DVC from NJ
Here's my family info: husband-Roger :earsboy: , daughter-Gabrielle :earsgirl: (age 8), and son-Matthew :earsboy: (just turned 6 last week).
Ok, Ok, Ok,.... you guys are fast posters! First, DH is Nick... he is the Italian in this family... Im first generation American, both parents born and raised in Ireland... All of my relative are either in Ireland or live in England... see jane, you are not left out! All three of my children look as if they just got of the boat from Dublin... Names were my husbands idea... Giorgio is named after my fatherinlaw.. His name is george but I hated it... so we came up with the italian version... Gianna was just a name that we both liked and Eileen is not named after me but after my mother who passed one year.. almost to the day... prior to Eileens birth..We were very close. As far as deck meeting, we are there! Michelle, will send pics in mail.... Hope all is well... I dont think im gonna make through these last days... Bye for now, Eileen:wave2:
Ok I am just a little crazed:bounce: My kids are home!!:crazy: The have been gone for most of the summer and now they are back. We were sitting here and I told them I have to check my friends. Thank you all so much for the well wishes... you all know that is what keeps us sane and healthy...Much love to you all! :earsgirl: I see the connections are continuing Italians huh!!Great more to celebrate:earseek: Looks like my son Jonathan 16, Russell 14, and Chris 15, should have a ball together. Jane I sent you a PM on the details on when we will be at the Port Orleans, leave me a messages so the boys can hook up. DD Jordan 7 will be in the same group as the Twins, Tyler and Matt. Maybe they can all become fast friends and hang out at the club a lot :chat: Gosh guys it is almost time. I have been struggling over the packing too. :( I think I am bringing too much:teeth: I have tons of film and the digital, an extra bag for the extra stuff. I need to get ziplocs to put all of the small stuff in.:hyper: We were trying to plan/book a trip for this time next year... a cruise in Europe for 12 days on the new ship Liberty, Carnival but I already told the kids if I have half as much fun as I think we will I am booking Disney again:tongue: :goodvibes Going to the store tomorrow to get Jordans oatmeal and some water other than that, i think I am set. :wave: The bags will be packed and by the door on Saturday.
See you guys soon:grouphug:
Are We There Yet?
Names list updated (check). Anybody else notice what beautiful names all of our children have?? :love2:
Count me in as Italian too - family business growing up was an Italian food company with our last name on it. (Also have Irish, Swedish and French Canadian blood; DH is Italian and English/Scottish so we and our kids could be counted in many groups).
Jane, thanks for the little chuckle over the visual of you holding onto your glasses zooming down Summit Plummet! :scared1: We'll understand if the family from England is a bit frumpled, LOL!
For everyone who'll be leaving in the next few days: do have a safe trip and enjoy the first half of your vacations!! :wizard:
Hi everyone, I'm Michelle's sister in law, I am so jealous of you all what a great relationship you have developed. My dear paige is a very girly girl and the boy's are cute too, I'm sure my nephew Russell would not appreciate being call cute, but I'm their auntie and love them all. I am so happy they are going to take this trip it's been a tough year for them but what a bright tomorrow.
Love you Michelle and family, and yes my cruise is coming up too.
Michelle don't buy anything else, you'll go broke before the vacation, hee, hee
I'm italian too, wish I was with you ladies I would bring my dads homemade merlot, its absolutely incredible.
Glad you find our little group.......isn't it awesome!! Gosh, I so wish you were cruising with us! We will have to plan better next year......... I'm sure once we are onboard, we will just have to prebook another one.........I'm so looking forward to relaxing and enjoying a vacation! This year has been the pits, but hey, we have all survived and come out the better!! I really, really want to make this a special trip for Jay! Don't need to tell you just how much I love him! Ok, enough of this, I'm starting to tear up!
Anyway, I have really kept to a budget in the shopping arena......yeah, I know, big surprise, but you'd be very proud.....as long as Paige is not with me, I am fine........but you know, all she needs to ask and the world is hers!! Besides, I'm hoping to get a new bauble for my jewerlry wardrobe while in Nassau so of course, I need to budget!! LOL
So wish I had some of your Dad's merlot!! It is the absolute best! I know our box of merlot won't compare, but hey a buzz is a buzz! Please pray I don't get sick!!
Love you lots!
Marsha, what a sweet sister in law you are to post! This year I have come to truly appreciate the value of friends and family in my life who care enough about me to do seemingly small things like that. I wish you could join us, too! (would love to try the homemade merlot...)
Kids this morning have my old disco CDs cranked, this year promised them we could do a little dancing in Studio Sea at the Family Disco. DS a little shy (like DH) but looks soooo cute dancing.
Remembered yesterday I have to borrow walkie talkies from my friend. Cell phones don't work on the ship once you leave Fla so we liked having those just to keep in touch on board if we're separated.
This morning my mind is on my pup, Liesl - anyone mind if I vent? (Stop right here if you're not into dogs :rolleyes: ). She's my 6th German Shepherd. Have had brother and sister pair for last 13 yrs, lost female this winter (same day all my hair came out but that's another story) and still have 13yo male. Both of those completly off leash trained, had them before kids and spent years training as a hobby. This pup is going to be a challenge, she's kind of shy but also the kids are making it difficult for me to train her. My hope is to work our way up to Therapy Dog but I'm wondering if she doesn't have the basic personality for that. Have been going to Puppy Kindergarten, went last night, vet running class thinks she's making strides but I have my work cut out for me. I do take her everywhere - we walk by the ocean a lot, she comes to kids games and activities and the beach, etc... wherever I can take her for socialization. One probelm is that instead of going to our old training person, we chose a different training class closer to home and she uses training methods much different than what we're used to. Thinking of calling old trainer even though he's an hour away, liked it much better there somehow (other dogs were fully trained by this age). I really would like to do work with Therapy Dogs, have always wanted to work with animals and with my background would love to take dog into hospitals, nursing homes, etc... Liesl's father is a Therapy Dog too. Thanks for listening, feel kind of badly but whatever will be will be (maybe, like other things in my life, the bigger the challenge the sweeter the rewards??). She's really a great dog who's blossomed a huge amount already, I'm really going to miss her constant companionship when we go away (my little buddy :hug: - she was an End of Treatment present from my family). I tried very hard to rescue a dog from German Shepherd Rescue of New England but the kids had to be 7 (which they will be in October, so sad they wouldn't bend the rules a bit) but I really needed to get out this summer with my dog (13yo can't walk well anymore - used to be an agility champ). Any thoughts or ideas are welcome.
Hi Linda, I can be very little help here although I play with the pups at work every day. Seems to me that some dogs just don't have the personality that is needed to be good house pets.. We have had two dogs in our program and to be honest with you, I would not have let them near my children... Currently, we have a little lab named Cordy, she is three months old and is already showing major signs of aggression. She growls at people and does this really cute creaping thing.. although I doubt it will be cute when she gets older.. I have concerns about her and wonder if she will remain in the program if she continues on this path. My dog.. Dorothy, was a love from the day she arrived in the prison. She was nothing but sweet and that is why I knew she would be a wonderful member of my family..I wish you all the luck in your new venture... See you on the ship! Eileen'k/9
Thanks, Eileen. I should clarify: Liesl is great with our family including the kids who she's really grown to love (and they her). She's a little shy with strangers and other dogs and that's why I take her everywhere, to socialize her with people and other dogs. She's done great, she will now go up to other dogs or let them come to her, just a little shy and also when people pat her she's shy. Haven't seen signs of aggression. Just not sure if she'll be the type of dog to enjoy having strangers pat her (as a Therapy Dog). But she is only 4 1/2 months old so we have a long way to go and even the vet/trainer said she's already seen an improvement in 2 classes. At home she's not shy at all!!
Update: after writing my note this morning I did call my old trainer and we are going to go back there for training when we get home from vacation. I was so relieved!! He explained there is a new wave of "political correctness" in dog training using food and not doing corrections which is exactly what my current trainer is doing. That's why I was having a hard time, it was so different than the training I was used to - not mean but correcting with a collar (the classic method of dog training). The way we were doing it I could not correct her if she was rough playing with the kids or the other dog, it was a free for all - and the kids took advantage of it thinking it was funny having her chase and nip them, etc.... I started the "old" method of training with her today and she's already improving. I should have stuck to my gut.
Thanks for your help and listening. I love my Shepherds and want things to go smoothly with them. I think I got spoiled with my other two who were incredible dogs and seemingly easy to train. Liesl is going to be awesome too, I'm just going to have to work a little harder with her. Sounds like you have a great dog.
Hi Linda, That is how Dorothy is kept trained... give her a pop as we call it... training collars are a wonderful thing.. our trainer at work says that dogs respond to love and praise.. and of course a good correction... good luck... cant wait.. we are now doing the single digit dance... LOL Eileen
Well everyone, in exactly 24 hours the minibus should be pulling up outside the house to take us to the airport for our 9 hour flight to Orlando Sanford. I have one or two tweensy weensy little things to do today, so just incase I don't get back on here I just wanted to say safe travels to all of you, enjoy the first part of your vacations and can't wait to meet you all at 3pm on the 29th. (I have sent on or two PM's, so I'll try and check those later as I may see some of you at WDW)
I hope we are not the only family wearing geeky green Mickey head badges. Did anyone else bother, or should I leave them at home?!
Happy planning and packing. Love to all. May get on the internet next week, so I'll keep in touch if I do.
Fondest regards
Jane and Phil
and wondering when you were leaving for the states!! Have a great flight and counting the days until we are onboard the ship and have a chance to meet........Matty says hi........he is sitting on my lap............hoping he goes to bed soon! I'm tired!!
Take care! Love to all!
Michelle and MATT!!!!!!!!!
Hi - we are heading down over the weekend. It is me, my DH and mom setting sail on the 29th! Its our first Disney cruise, though we have all been on other cruises.
Jane, wishing you a speedy and safe flight. Enjoy your trip!
Missy - welcome! Please see previous posts if you'd like to join us when we meet. Sunday, 3pm, Deck 7 Aft, we'll have wine. If you include the names of your group I'll edit the names post to include yours.
Hard to believe it's getting so close! Can't wait to relax on the ship! :boat: :wizard:
DVC from NJ
Jane, hope you and your family have a safe flight. See you soon on Deck 7! :cheer2: We are leaving tomorrow night and I am busy packing!!!! Who knew my son would outgrow all his pants in the last few weeks. . . . TGFS (:hyper: Thank God For Sales!!!) P.S. Welcome Missy :thewave:
Hi Jane, I sent you a pm, hope you get it before you leave.. have a wonderful trip and kiss mickey for me... xxxoo Eileen
...for the good wishes. Just lurking on these boards one last time before leaving for the airport. Eileen and Deborah, I have got your PM's - thanks. Will get in touch at WDW
Right, must go and check windows, water, fridge, goldfish etc.
Happy vacation everyone!
DVC from NJ
Bye all, we are leaving early in the a.m.--see you onboard! :boat: :boat: :boat: :boat: :boat: :boat:
Maria & Roger
Have a great trip, see you in a week.
:Pinkbounc We are out of here tommorrow!!! Yes it is finally time I can hardly wait to see you guys. See you all in a week!:wave:
Are we there yet?:crazy:
Yes we are!!:tongue:
We aren't leaving until Thursday morning!! I guess I'll be here by myself for awhile!! BOO HOO!!!!
Can't wait !! Seven days and counting!! I'm so looking forward to our deck party!! Yeah!
sniff, guess I will be the last one there.. not leaving till Saturday...better later the never! Eileen
Thurs will be here before you know it. Have fun at your get together.
I started washing and packing today the next two weeks will be hectic at work. Labor day weekend we will be at my parents so next weekend is my last weekend to get ready.
Have a wonderful time, be safe, and say hi from me to your new friends.
Ps your brother has his 30 yr class reunion next saturday.
Love ya, take good care all of you
I'll be here until Saturday too...
BTW, who's going to write the DisMeet trip report?? No hands? OK, I probably will...:blush:
To Everyone Left: have a safe and easy flight and we'll see you in a week onboard the Wonder! :boat:
pluto favorite
We are not leaving until Sunday morning. We will try to meet at 3pm at deck 7 aft.
Heres the names of my group
dd Jessica 11
dn Sarah 11
dn Kristine 15
my mom Elaine
Have a safe trip. I have loved reading everyones ideas and tips.
HI Debbie,
Welcome back - thought we lost you! I've edited the names post from 8/17, page 8, to include you all. Have a safe trip and see you next Sunday. :boat:
Hi All, Im still here and insane in the great Hudson Valley! Been doing alot of packing, and running around. My niece is watching my kids for the next few days so I have to get house ready for her. She is 6ft something and eats like a horse.. She is 17 and a basketball player.. All the colleges are looking at her!!! Everone is packed except for my oldest, Eileen. She is with her grandmother in Washington D.C. I can't keep my mind off of anything else but this cruise and my boss is gonna kill me!!! I hope that everyone feels the same way... Happy packing! Eileen
Had a nightmare last night that a lady at the airport stole the contents of my purse, including my wallet, id, travlers checks, documents and all!! Crap!! I was so freaked out.............wish I could have gone back to sleep and change the finale around!! Been checking my purse all day to make sure my driver's license was still there. Pretty much done with packing.......just need to figure out the carry-ons for the kids and I..........going to have Jay in charge of the important stuff........as I get easily distracted with the kids and am afraid I will forget a bag or 2!!
We are soooooooooooo close........just don't want anything to go wrong at this point!
I can relate to your niece in a sense. Russell is a basketball player too and at 14 years, he is already 5ft 11 in and wears a size 12 foot!! He literally eats us out of house and home........the beauty of the cruise is that he can eat 24/7!!!
Stay sane!
I haven't really packed anything yet, just made lots of lists, LOL. Hope to start tomorrow but realistically know I probably won't until Thursday or Friday, have to work a 12hr night shift Wed night and then I'm done. Believe it or not the hard part for me is making the lists so I don't forget anything.
The kids are really excited. DS so cute, tells me he's really looking forward to the cruise but is a little nervous about the lifeboat drill ("what do we need that for"??). Told him nobody likes it but everyone has to go and then we get to party!! :rockband:
Morning all, another day closer... Linda, my little on also worried about the life boat drill. For a 4 year old, she worries way too much over too many things. We just got to get them past this and hope they think life vests are cool. Have a good day! Eileen
We aren't leaving until Thursday morning!!
Michelle, have a safe flight and enjoy your stay at RonJon's! See you at Port Canaveral. :chat:
not leaving till Saturday...
Eileen, are you having as much angst as I am about leaving Dorothy, LOL?? Have a great trip Saturday and enjoy the CR!! :wizard:
We are not leaving until Sunday morning.
Debbie, it looks like you will be bringing up the rear!! Have a good flight and don't miss the ship!! :boat:
Still haven't packed but hope to get started today...One hour left of work! :Pinkbounc
to the airport in an hour!! Wish I would have been able to sleep more last night as I'm not looking forwward to a long traveling day! Oh well............we will be in Florida tongiht, how good is that ??
On a sidenote, I have a six year old son that is afraid of a lot too.....things that you'd never even fathorm but mostly of things that are new and unfamilar to him......gosh, never thought much about the life drill but this is something that could make him afraid.........will have to talk it up for sure before then!
See you Sunday~
Hi, Im packed up, shopped out and just plain old tired! Are we there yet? Lost my excitement in all the running I have been doing. Please remind me to relax on this vacation! Eileen
Eileen, I'm with you. :faint: Just went through all my clothes deciding what to wear, know I'm bringing too much but like having options!! :teeth:
Liesl is leaving at 4am with DH who will later drop her off at house she's boarding at. Fearful she's spoiled sleeping in our bedroom knowing woman is going to keep her crated in the kitchen - there's going to be some howling in that house!! :listen: Hoping also my mother can handle the 13yo dog as well.
Had a crazy day today. I'm so tired of dealing with incompetent people who really don't know what they're doing. Signed up for new cell phone service, woman totally wrong on her info so instead of having a relaxing evening packing had to go back down to phone store and redo all the mistakes she made. Tried to not let it spoil my mood but was difficult, she took me away from what I needed to do. :headache:
I wonder if the others are having a good time?? I guess that's a dumb question. Can't wait to be down there too. Are you staying in the garden wing or tower at the CR? Nothing puts me in a Disney mood like that place.
Who is watching Dorothy for you and how do you think she'll fare? Are you feeling guilty? I thought of you tonight when I met a canine officer from the local Sherrif's Dept/prison (having a pedicure, lol).
Talk to you soon.
P.S. EILEEN - RELAX, WE"RE ALMOST THERE!! (Hang in there)! princess: :boat: :drinking1 :grouphug: :hyper2: :cloud9: :cheer2: :sunny: ::yes::
Hi everyone this is Marsha, Michelle's SIL she just called they made it safe and sound to Orlando, she says the weather is nice in the 80's. I told her I would let you know she is there. Kids did great on the plane which I know stresses her out when they act up.
All of you have a wonderful vacation be safe.:wave:
Thanks Marsha, glad they made it safely.
You have a great trip also!! :boat:
Thanks Marsha, we are almost there.Morning Linda, its 7Am and we got a long day ahead of us. Got to take daughter to orthodontist, finish last min. running around and keep everyone in a good mood. Dorothy is being dropped off at her Vet tomorrow. The Vet also has one of the released labs from Dorothy's group so she will have a pal to play with. I also see a problem with the night and her barking. She sneaks out of her crate every night and moves to our bed. We have not discouraged this practice and I assume she is gonna be missing me big tim! I hope she is not too mad at me when we get back. Well, guess i should go make some coffee and start the day... I hope you have a wonderful, Disney filled day today and try not to stress the way i am..LOL :wave: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :hyper: :earseek: ::yes:: ::MickeyMo ::MinnieMo We are on on way really really soon.. Eileenxxoo
Hi All,
Just wanted to drop a note to say what a woderful time we had and how happy we were to meet all of you. The trip would not have been the same without all of you wonderful people! Hope everyone made it home safe and looking forward to reading of meet report! Linda is doing it, right?... Well, got to get to laundry and back to life... Miss you all! Eileen
Welcome Back All,
What a wonderful trip:bounce: It was so nice to meet you all and enjoy such a great vacation. :hyper: The kids are already pressing me to book for next year at the same time. I am still at my moms so our vacation is still going on for another day or two.:crazy: Jordan cried when we left the ship, she did not want to go! I told her we will come back soon. So how is everyone settling in?? How was your long trip back Jane? I hope everyone is doing great.
Will talk to you all soon
Michelle and family are stuck in FL they tried to get out on thurs but no flights available. They have added 2 days to their stay because their sunday flight has been cancelled they hope to get out on tuesday. They are fine the parks are closed sat and sun, glad you had a wonderful trip
Hey All,
It was really great meeting all of you - seeing you around the ship and spending time at CC, in the hot tub, on the (HOT) Deck 7 Aft, at the Wine Tasting, at our Goodbye meet, etc... I really hated to leave the ship also, it went by so fast!!
We were supposed to stay until Sunday morning but figured we'd be stranded in our resort room as well as at MCO so we made the (difficult) decision to leave Thursday night and were lucky to be able to change our flight without a problem. We spent a nice day at MK (thanks for the tix Roger and Maria) and blew out of there only to reach our flight literally within 3 minutes because we were chosen to be searched. We thought were going to miss our plane for sure but didn't.
We last saw Jane as we were cutting through the Poly - she said they'd be there through Tuesday because of their flight status with the storm. She looked quite content at the pool and wasn't concerned about missing work so don't worry too much about them!
Despite some confusion with Stephanie, the cruise reservations specialist, we did end up rebooking the 7 day cruise for 2005 but will move it to 2006 when those schedules come out next month. Even though it was our second cruise we still felt a bit rushed and didn't get to do things we wanted to do from before. Oh well, we'll have lots of time next time.
I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the cruise - how you liked the ship and what things you didn't get to do or what you would do differently next time. One thing we won't do next time is the glass bottom boat on CC!! I hated to leave the group and was REALLY disappointed I missed being in the shot of "the Dis girls" at the beach while we were gone! I also had just drank that mango rum before the tour (mine and most of Paul's) so I was ready to nap by the time we reached the boat!!
Did everyone hear that the 3 night cruise after ours has turned into a 4 night cruise and they're in Cozumel?? Also the 7 night Magic cruise which went out the day before us has turned into a 9 night cruise and is in Galveston, Texas!! A girl Paul works with was supposed to board the Magic today for her honeymoon - she's been waiting for 3 weeks for her honeymoon, poor thing. She'll get on Monday but will only have a 5 night cruise. I'm sure they'll have special things for them and anyway safety is the biggest issue so I guess it will work out in the long run as long as they're ok.
We are all unpacked and now can enjoy a few days at home relaxing before being back to the real world next week. I hope everyone who stayed remains safe and has a good time despite the storm. Let us know how it turned out for you. It was SO hard to leave, we were really looking forward to 3 more nights at the YC! But the kids understood and now as we watch the news reports we realize it was the right decision. We'll just have to do a quick trip there again in a few months!!
Marsha, thanks for the update, I wondered if they would still stay. Talking to people on our plane Thursday night and reading your note makes me realize how lucky we were to change our flight so easily. I called from the ship Thurs at 5am and the woman said what she gave us was the last 4 seats on any flight for the day (Southwest). Someone I met on the plane who was originally booked on the same flight we were on on Sunday said she called all day Tues and Wed before she could change, only 2 people.
I was wondering, too, are you meeting people on the ship also from the boards? One thing I think we might have done differently was to get people's room #s because we didn't know where people were and didn't know their names. For instance I was trying to get in touch with Deborah about our plans but couldn't. I was lucky to see her at lunch. Also I forgot hair gel and they didn't sell it onboard so wanted to borrow some from someone, etc... I guess it's hard because you don't really know people well and don''t want to be intruisive. We were lucky because the group was a good one and everyone seemed to get on very well.
DVC from NJ
Hi everyone--I just wanted you all to know how much fun we had meeting and cruising with you! Talking ahead of time on this forum made the difference between a great time and a TERRIFIC one! It was so nice for the kids to know other kids at the kids clubs too. Matthew (our little one, who is a major roller coaster nut) said that he liked the cruise "way better" than the parks!! I agree!!!
I am glad that everyone posted they made it home safely. It was a mad rush at the airport on Thursday. We already had tickets to leave on Thursday evening. There were long, long lines of people who were trying to leave before the airport closed on Friday.
I am glad to hear that Michelle & Jay & kids as well as Jane & Phil & kids are fine and content at DW hotels. I keep seeing items on tv about all the people stuck at Orlando with no hotel rooms and no flight out.
Let's keep in touch. Michele said she will email all with a list of names and addresses when they get back.
I think we left a bag with our Christmas cards and photo from Shutters at the breakfast table on the last morning. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get them back? We've been searching for numbers online, but no luck yet.
bye for now, Maria
Hi Maria,
Sorry about your cards and pictures. I was looking for #s to call. I'm sure someone put them aside for you and they're still on the ship. Once we left our toiletry bag in our room at the Contemporary and before we even knew it was missing they called to say they had it and were sending it to us. I'm sure your slips must have been in the bag so they know who you are and will probably mail them to you.
Two ideas: You might try DCL directly (888-325-2500) to check with Guest Services (but right now they are asking to keep the lines open for guests on cruises this w/e that are messed up). I remember hearing somewhere they have a lost and found off the ship for people who lost or forgot things onboard. I also looked up in my Passporter Guide the # to call to have reprints made post cruise. Negatives are archived for up to 10wks post cruise. If you explain what happened I'm sure they can help you, at least with the cards - 800-772-3470 X 11.
Good luck. Glad you made it home safely, too.
Hi Everyone, Glad to see that most of us made it home safe before the storm hit. Im sure that Michelle and Jane will be fine! I bet the resorts come up with some kind of magic to keep them busy being that the parks are closed. Nick and I loved the cruise but felt it was way too short. He has already given me the ok to book for 2006 once the rates come out. We are thinking of booking 7 nt western earlier in the summer. Do I have any takers to come along with us???;) I cannot say enough about the ship, service or CC. Was a fabulous time and we are sorry about the last night... Kids just had enough. We left the rest of the Mago for our steward... Hope he enjoyed it:crazy: Well, got to get back to doing my laundry and real life... :teeth: Miss you all and have a happy week back to work! Eileen Oh... ps.. our lugage got trashed coming off the boat, will call disney next week with claim info once the crazy stuff stops.:earseek: :wave:
Oh and by the way, I wonder if the guy on the match your mate show ever discovered the magic:earseek:
DVC from NJ
Thanks for the info, Linda. I placed a call and left a message--but I am sure they have their hands full until the bad weather is over. I really hope that the photos are back in lost & found. It was one of the few times I didn't immediately want to hide an image of me :headache:
Eileen, sounds like your steward will be having a really good time onboard during the storm! :drinking1
We left a bottle of wine for our steward too. He did such a great job. Our stateroom was always so cluttered when we left, but when we came back in the evening it looked great!!!
It's so nice to be seeing Roll Call for August 29 Wonder in my email list again!!
Eileen, we are thinking about the 3rd week in April, 2006 - around the 18th or so when the kids are on school vacation. Paul is a manager in a large restaurant business on Cape Cod - the managers are asked to take their vacation on non-summer weeks if possible due to it being their busiest tourist season. (We got special permission this year). I believe Roger and Maria are thinking about the same April week. What about joining us?? Any other takers? I had a bit of price shock but we'll have a long time to save. Non school vacation weeks were a lot cheaper but the kids would have to miss school.
Dorothy must have been happy to have you home. Liesl hasn't left my side for a second since I've been home. She grew a bit and her baby teeth fell out while we were away!
P.S. Kind of mad we only got to use our YC refillable mugs for one night! :headache:
P.P.S. Paul loved the Galley Tour - the backstage tour of the restaurants. He said it was amazingly clean and efficient. They actually grind up most of the uneaten food and feed it to the fish! They have the capabilty to serve 300 meals per 1/2 hr in each restaurant.
Hi Linda, ... Loved your post and Nick is saying.. so what do you think?... Can I ask for the price they gave you?.. We already have a plan to save for the next cruise... gonna have to do something between now and then for just the two of us! Dorothy is doing fine and happy that we are home... she was doing a serious disney dance when I picked her up from vet... Got her a few new bones today so I guess she forgives me? Would love to cruise with all of u again!! Eileenxx00
Eileen, the 7 night was about (gasp) $4K for an inside stateroom and $5K for a verandah room. That included tne 10% discount for booking onboard. She couldn't give an exact price because 2006 dates and prices aren't out yet.
We can save!!! So what if we shop at Goodwill for our clothes and forego the Starbucks making our coffee at home - it will be worth it in April, 2006!!!
Ok, so research concludes that we can do this... We got a really good plan and hope to stick with it... got to get back t0 you on themm date. would love to do it with you again! Eileen
Hi Everyone I will be working on getting the Photos uploaded over the next few days. If you would like to view and download any of them please e-mail me your e-mail address and I will send you the website address information.
Talk to you soon:earsboy:
PS. Eileen did you get my PM??
Hi All,
Looking for ideas on how to write our Dis Meet trip report. If I do it just from my perspective then we'll miss out on all the great moments some of you had together. Maria had suggested she could put something together in one thread if we all sent things to her. What do you think? How about if we all write a short report on our meet from our own perspective? (We could do seperate Trip Reports on another forum if so desired). We could set a deadline to give everyone time to write - would Sept 30 be enough time? And Maria, is this something you could do? All ideas are welcome, let us know.
DVC from NJ
Sure. Has anyone seen any other trip reports that they liked? I don't think this forum format supports any design -- just text.
We finally made it home tonite 8:30pm Pacific time. We were not really concered when we got off the Wonder but within 5 minutes of turning on the cell, Michelles ex calls telling us to get out of Florida now. Being in the business Iam in I wasn't about to go off half cocked.
We went to the Boardwalk Villas and checked in. Then it was onto the phone lines and on with the local news. Our sunday flight was already cancelled, local emergancy services recommended staying where we were and thats just what we did.
As it turned out Frances was not what we expected. Friday was spent at the MK and it was great, no lines, walked onto every ride.
Saturday the parks were closed and we were advised to stay in our rooms. (Spent half the day in the Pool)
Sunday Frances arrived. We stayed in our rooms and watched it unfulled from our balcony and on the news.
Monday back to the MK and despite some rain it was another uncrowded day.
Today, up early and on the plane home.
We did talk to Jane and Phil daily and they were hoping to get out today also. Hope they did.
It was great meeting all of you and we hope we can get togeather again. Michelle's already talking about the 2006 cruise.
Keep in touch
Hi All!! Was trying to go to sleep but just had to check the boards!! I just had so much fun on this cruise that repeating one, with all of you just seems like the way to go!! So, 2006 it is and when everyone has the date picked, just let us know..........don't think I can forego Starbuck's but if it means saving those pennies (Lol) will do it!!
Maria, did Roger find his international travel bag at the port's terminal?? You will never believe that in the excitement/ sadness of seeing you and having to say goodbye, that Paige's luggage was not put on the cart and then taken byaccident by another family and is currently in Washington DC of all places..........hoping to get it back nextweek.
Even in the midst ofFrances, we had such a great time!! The parks were awesome and my Tyler who normally doesn't like anything but the carousel, actually went on rides!! To experience the magic of Disney with him, and to see the wonder and joy on his face, made this trip just glorious for me!! His first day of school is tomorrow as a first grader and Ialready miss him!! It was an awesome vacation and I'm not ready for it to end!
2006 or Bust!
Just a very quick note to let you know we have just arrived home, three days late. We actually had a wonderful time having our vacation extended. It is something we will never forget! I must go now as I have had no sleep on the 9 hour overnight flight home and this won't be making a lot of sense, but I just had to let you all know what an absolute pleasure it was to meet you all. It made our trip complete meeting up with such wonderful people.
Hope we will be on the mailing list for some wonderful Christmas cards this year........
Much love
Jane, Phil, Chris, Kathryn and Beth
Michelle and Jane,
Glad you and your families had a good time despite Frances and all made it home safely. Would love to hear more about your adventures in the hurricane. Paul and I are having major blues because we ended our vacation early. We definately were not ready to come home. But we did have nice birthday presents this week: Andrea and Chris just went off to first grade too this morning. Seven years and we finally have some breathing room! :teeth:
Guess Jane hasn't had time to read the previous posts, lol. We'll have to work on her and Deborah re: the 2006 cruise since the rest of us are in.
Did you see that the Wonder folks that left after us ended up with a 5 night cruise and disembarked in Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale? Also the 28th Magic turned into a 10 night cruise and also went into PE. It was a 3 hr ride back to PC by DCL bus. The Wonder is now at CC without passengers assessing the damage there. The Magic now has a 4 night cruise - our friend on her honeymoon chose to rebook Thanksgiving week.
Hard to believe that we were the last group to enjoy CC in probably a while. They may not be able to go back there for a weeks depending on the damage. Hope it's not too bad.
Have a good week, guys.
Welcome home everyone!!!:wave: :Pinkbounc Glad to see that everyone made it out of frances without problems... You were all in our prays and we were also kinda jealous considering that you got such great days without lines:sunny: We are settling in and Eileen and Giorgio started school this week. Gio started K and is over the edge with excitment! Very busy week so far and will try to get my feelings about the trip out some time this weekend. Have a great week and keep on smiling. Love, Ei:sunny: Nick and familyxxoo
DVC from NJ
Michele & Jay, Jane & Phil & Children, so glad to hear you are back home. And happy to hear that the hurricane was not as bad as expected! We watched CNN all weekend thinking of you in WDW! Glad to hear that it had some positives--no lines!
Hope you all have been reading our previous posts. Roger has sent out a Magical Gatherings email to all (if you did not get it, please let us know!). Hope to have you join us all in 2006 :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: It was great fun sailing with everyone--it will only be better next time!!!!:hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper:
Talk to you soon, Maria :wave2:
Can't wait to see you again in 2006!! LOL
What exact week are you looking at? When the dates come out, just want to be sure we book the same week. Paige would be devastated if she thought she would never see Gabrielle again. She told me that she never had a best friend and now she has 2, Beth and Gabrielle! Got the invite from Roger too! Thanks!! Will write more later! Just trying to get used to the real world again! Still need to grocery shop! Yuk!
The 2006 Cruises are available. We have Booked the April 15th 7 day Eastern Cruise. I think this date will match pretty close with our Spring break. Please let us know if you guys can go.:earsboy: :earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsgirl:
I couldn't believe how steep the prices were for that week, I guess it's Easter week. An inside Cat 11 was $5400 WITH the 10% discount. Friends of ours are coming with us - she's a teacher and needs to go on school vacation week and also they wanted a verandah room SO we ended up booking the week of Feb 18 instead of April 15 :sad: (but it was $3700 instead). I am bummed about not going with you guys... unless of course I could persuade you guys to look at the Feb week???
Hi guys, glad to hear from you all....Im still liking the date! Will have to call and work on rates... Roger, we are planning to go that date hope evryone else can make it! Eileen
Hey Everyone!!
I was thinking of all of you a lot last night as I finally got around to putting the photo album from our cruise together. Things got nuts in the fall but have finally and thankfully quieted down. We made it to WDW in January to finish the portion of our trip we missed due to Frances. We had a blast!! Stayed at Pop Century and got to use the MYW dining plan and sample nighttime EMH at the different parks. Santa was good to us!!
Seeing all of you in the pictures made me want to just drop a note to say "hi". Hope everyone is well. I really enjoyed getting Michelle's Christmas card in the mail with the Wonder in the background - thank you! Wish I'd been organized enough to get all of your addresses. Maria, did you ever get your Christmas cards after you misplaced them? (I also had a computer crash in the fall so I lost all the links you emailed for the pictures on the Sony site). Eileen, how's your planning coming? I'm sure everyone's getting excited about the planning for the 2006 trips, I know I am. Jane and Deb how are you? :grouphug:
You don't know how many times I have thought of you in the last few months! So glad, that you are doing well! What a relief to hear!! So glad you made it back to Disney!! Sounds like it was just what you all needed!! Gosh, your next cruise is less than a year away!! Are you getting excited yet?? How fun to be cruising with Eileen and Nick!! They are a hoot!!
I'm glad you liked our Christmas Card. Jay and Russell had their eyes closed because of the glare from the sun, but we still so loved the picture and it brought back so many wonderful memories of our time on Castaway Cay, the highlight of our trip!! I just so loved that day!!
Jay and I talk to Jane and Phil at least once a week!! They are doing great as are the children!! They are planning to go to the Swiss Alps for Easter. How exciting is that?? Hoping they make it back to the states next year!! We will all have to work on a reunion of some sort!!
Take care and Be well!
DVC from NJ
Hi to all,
Well it's almost the end of summer. The kids are gearing up to go back to school. They just found out today who their teachers are. I haven't written or spoke with anyone in a while about this upcoming cruise--and you know it will be here before we know it! I think that I've already forgotten half of the stuff I said I needed to remember after the last cruise!!!!!
You know every time the cruise is mentioned, Gabrielle asks if Paige is coming. I don't think she can even imagine a cruise without her!! So Michelle, I hope that you and Paige and all the boys (& I'm including Jay in that :goodvibes ) are doing fine. Drop us a note if you get a chance. It's time to start foruming--is that a word?!
Love to all,
Maria :flower:
Hi Maria and everyone else!! :wave:
It was so nice to see this thread in my email again!! :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc Can you believe it was a year ago in two days that we were on our cruise ?? :goodvibes :boat:
Glad to hear the DVC from NJ family is doing well! Those beautiful kids must be getting big! We're doing the same - gearing up for back to school and looking forward to our cruise in February. I can't say we haven't thought about it, though. We've been talking about it all summer through (endless :faint: ) baseball, soccer and basketball games since our friends from home will be joining us. Our biggest concerns are whether to rent tuxes or not (think we're going to - hopefully ones with Mickey Mouse ties and cummerbunds ::MickeyMo ); where we're staying prior to the cruise and how we're getting to port; and what excursions we'd like to do, LOL. Cool news too - someone on our Dis cruise meet is staying in the Walt Disney Suite so they're thinking of hosting our meet in there!! :wizard: :wizard: (A far cry from that scorching Secret Deck)! :rotfl: Have fun planning your cruise, and check in here once in a while to let us know how your plans are coming - maybe sharing info would be helpful?? (Yours is an Eastern too, isn't it)??
I am doing well, have had a good summer. Taking time to smell the roses and heal mind and spirit. Another survivor and I started a thread we're pretty proud of here on the Dis called the Breast Cancer Survivor's thread. Seemed like every week someone was here asking for support about a scary mammogram or prayers for someone they knew, etc... so now people can check in there and can be in the company of others who understand and can offer support.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, all. Would love to hear from the rest of the gang!! :grouphug:
DVC from NJ
:love: It was so great to hear from you Linda. I am happy to hear that you are doing so well!--And that your family is fine too. I am so far behind on this cruising stuff! Roger keeps telling me that last time I had all the details worked out months in advance and this time I keep saying "What? We need a Tux? What else am I forgetting?!" Oh well, I know that it's still 7 months away but there's so much to plan for this time. . . . .
Talk to you soon,
Hi Maria! Great to hear from you too! Thought about you, Roger and the kids so much this summer, especially in the last week! It is wild to think that this time last year we were already in Florida gearing up for our cruise of a lifetime!! Unfortunately, we had to cancel our plans for the April 06 cruise. I have put off writing as I'm having a hard time coming to grips with it, let alone talk or write about it. Towards the end of the school year, we found out that Paige has got to take state mandated testing the very week we would be gone on the cruise. As it stands, our spring break is scheduled for the first week in April, not the week of the cruise. That alone would have been do-able, but these tests are mandatory, and count against not only the student but the school, if each pupil does not take them. She could make them up, but that would be yet one more week out of the classroom, and we felt it would be too stressful for her. I know Paige and if she wasn't fretting on the ship about what was going on in school, she would be shortly after we hit land! I am so bummed, but I know it is for the best. We are anxiously awaiting cruise dates for 2007 and will book just as soon as they come out. Hoping that we can all be together again on a 7 day!! Any times best for you?? We are thinking summer of 07, but want to get ideas from all of you first! Trying to get Phil and Jane onboard too! Would so love to make this a reunion trip with Linda, Paul, Eilleen, Nick and of course all of you too. Cruising will never be the same without our gang!!
I'm so truly sorry we aren't able to relive the magic with you! Just typing this, has led to a pit in my stomach and a tear in my eye!! I can't even describe how horrible I feel that are plans have gone awry! Take care!! Always,
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