Roll Call 9/23/2006

[memickee]

Anyone scheduled for Disney Magic Sept 23rd?

[mom x4,grandma x4]

WE ARE GOING TOO!!!!!!

Glad to find someone who is going with us, i was afraid we were going to have the entire ship to ourselves.

This will be DCL cruise # 11 for us.

We are a middle aged couple, traveling without our kids or grandkids this time.

Is this your first cruise?

Looking forward to getting to know you over the next few months and hopefully meet on board. Meeting people from all the cruise boards is always a big highlight of our trips.

mom x4,grandma x4

[APB513]

Hello all -

 

I've reserved a cabin for myself and my two boys - ages 17 and 12. If all goes well, I'll be paying the balance in July and then we are ready to sail.

 

I was wondering if any other single moms/dads would be on this cruise? If our last cruise is any indication, the kids will be off with their friends and I will be by myself. I was hoping to find someone to hang out with. Any takers?

[APB513]

Has anyone sailed on the Magic before?

[mom x4,grandma x4]

APB513,

Welcome !!!

It is so good to find someone else on this cruise. I am not a single parent, but I do know that at the beginning of the cruise they usually have a meet for singles on the cruise to get to know each other. The must be 18 and older. They serve a few snacks and a lot of crew members are there to help break the ice for the people.. Some cruses there are alot of people, others just a few, but please check your navigator and go to this, you'll meet some nice people I'm sure.

We have been on the Magic 5 times, maybe 6. It all kind of runs together over the years. This will be cruise #11 for us.

We just got off the Magic last December and it was great. The Magic just got out of drydock last October and they made some great improvements. They put up a Jumbotron movie screen by the family pool. With the exception of the first night they played a couple of movies during the day and one at night or a sporting event everyday and they showed a short film about the next port of call on it too. Sometime cartoons for the kids too. There is a new virtual reality area on deck 2 for the kids, the spa is double it's old size. It looked like a brand new ship.

If you have any specific questions about it, please ask and I'll try to answer them for you. Looking forward to getting to know you over the next few months and then meeting on board if you'd like. Have you cruised DCL before?

mom x4,grandma x4

[Lisabell Spez]

Howdy!

 

My husband and I will be there with at least 2 other couples (maybe more -- a few people are on the fence). This will be our second 7-day cruise on the Magic. Our first cruise was a 3-day on the Wonder. We've also sailed on Holland America once. While we enjoyed our cruise on HAL, Disney is definitely more to our liking. Even though we don't have kids, we are kids at heart and complete Disney Geeks. We love all of the activities and the festive atmosphere on DCL. We can't wait!!!

 

Happy Day!

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Welcome Lisa and friends,

It's great to have more people with us.

I hope the rest of the people "on the fence" decide to come along too. i love getting to know lots of people who are going on our cruise, it really helps pass the time til we go!!!!

I am a Disney geek too!! My house is all full of Disney stuff in every room. One bedroom is 100% disney and our kids are all grown and married. You cant eat in my dining room because the chairs are filled with disney characters. Right now they are having a luau, but I change the settings with the seasons. I have large statues in front of the TV in the family room and I have toy story characters set up on my cedar chest at the foot of my bed. I have one bedroom I am doing in an animal theme and it's all going to be characters from the jungle book and the loin king. My poor husband just shakes his head!!!

We are from central florida. Where to you live? Not trying to be nosy, just curious. I have meet people from all over the U.S. and Canada and the Uk on these boards.

Well i am looking forward to getting to know everyone on these boards during our wait, so please keep posting from time to time so we can chat about our cruise experiences and our upcoming cruise.

Nice to meet you,

mom x4,grandma x4

Kathy

[APB513]

Thanks for responding! I too am a Disney Geek. I have loved Disney since my first trip to Disneyland as a small girl. I have had the opportunity to take my kids to both Disneyland and Disneyworld. We spent Christmas at either Disneyworld or Disneyland for three years in a row!!! This is our first Disney Cruise and I am excited!!!!

 

A few years ago we were on a RCCL cruise to the Bahamas. One of the Disney ships was docked and my kids and I were blown away by the ship!! It was so beautiful!!! It has been our dream to take a Disney cruise. I had one booked two years ago but cancelled because I found an 11-day cruise on RCCL's Empress of the Seas. We went during Christmas and we had the most amazing time!!!

 

I asked my kids what they would like to do this year for our family vacation. I gave them a choice between Disneyworld and a Disney Cruise. They picked the Disney Cruise. They were so happy when we found this cruise because the day we depart is my oldest son's 18th birthday and the day we return to FL is my youngest son's 13th birthday.

 

At the time when I priced the cruise, I didn't think I could afford it. So I told them we couldn't go. But the next day I was thinking about it. I realized that this would be the last "family" vacation we would take. My oldest son will be off to college soon. The dates of the cruise also made it irresistible. What better way to celebrate a birthday than with a Disney cruise. So I booked it!!! I will figure out some way to pay for this cruise even if it kills me :D

 

I haven't told the kids yet that we are going. I am going to surprise them.

 

I am also looking forward to getting to know my fellow passengers over the next few months and I would love to meet everyone once we get on board the ship.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

APB513,

Howdy,

Your so right about the last big family vacation, it will be worth the sacrafice!!!! Our kids are all grown now and believe me, those last few vacations will always be extra precious in your memories, because it will never be quite the same again. It can still be great, but it's just not the same.

We have been so fortunate that we have got to take 3 of our 4 kids and all 4 grandkids on a DCL cruse. Our oldest son was invited, but things happened where he couldnt make it, but maybe sometime in the future he will make it.

Be sure and tell your agent or call DCL to let them know you are celebrating a birthday on the first and last day. Sometimes you need to remind your wait staff or head waiter and they will sing happy birthday and bring out a special cake for the birthday person. Things are so hectic on the first night they may not do it until the next night, but remind them about it, because it is free and it will be happening all over the dining room everynight about dessert time you will hear singing for stuff. We did this for a couple of our anniversaries and our son graduating college and SIL birthday. It was fun.

You must be great at keeping secrets. I couldnt stand not telling the kids. I would be too excited and would blurt it out!!!!

One thing I do for extra spending with each cruise is I have penny banks and everytime I break a bill I put ALL the coins in the bank. No matter what!! you'd be surprized how quickly that spending money adds up. I just counted it last week and I had over $200 in it. I didnt cash it in or I would be tempted to spend it ahead of time. The other thing I do, without exception is I save every $1 that I get in change. It hurts some, but I just tuck it away and dont touch them. I usually can save $150. that way in about 8 or 9 months. That really helps with the souvenirs.

DCL is expensive, but the quality of the service is worth it for us.

Since your oldest will be 18 on the first day, he will be able to enjoy the adult clubs too. He'll probably like going in to hear the band play, if he likes music. Although it is not the type he probably listens too. They theme each night, one night is 70's music, one will be 80's, sometimes it will be 60's with a tribute to the beatles. But it is fun. we like the Promenade lounge for music. It is a family lounge, everyone welcome with a tiny dance floor. Usually a duo is playing. Sometimes it Jimmy Buffet music, some old time johnny Rivers, Bob Seiger, some light rock, it's a great variety and sometime the duo plays late at night by the adult pool too. We have friends that work for DCL doing that and if their schedule doesnt change they will be performing on our cruise.

Good luck keeping your secret!!

Write when you get the chance,

mom x4,grandma x4

Kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Hi Kathy!

 

Not nosy at all....I'm always curious where folks are from. We live just outside of Chicago in Riverside, IL. so with temperatures in the mid-20s this week I'm REALLY looking forward to cruising. Thinking about our trip is literally keeping me warm this week. LOL!

 

Of the other 2 couples confirmed, one couple is from Central Florida as well (Sanford) and the other couple is from Connecticut. We all met on a Disney Fan website and have taken quite a few trips together over the past few years. We range in age from 40 to 50-something. We're a pretty silly group when we all get together.

 

I love that your Disney Characters are having a Luau in your dining room. That is too funny!! We have a Disney Bear that travels with us that we dress up and take with us. He gets a lot of attention when we're out and about. Cast Members especially love him! Our home office is all decked out in Disney, floor to ceiling and the rest of the house has Disney touches in every room. We've got it bad!

 

Looking forward to hanging out and getting to know everyone!

 

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Howdy Lisa,

I am so glad you are a Disney nut too!

It must be a middle age thing because we are in the early 50 ish range too. Of course I have been like this for many years.

I love dressing up my character for the different holidays. Right now I have Minnie and Daisy with valentine flowers in their arms from Mickey and Donald. I have halloween and Christmas costumes for them too. This year I need to get some Easter outfits or rabbit ears, something anyway. Each year I keep adding to it.

It is great your 2 other couples have confirmed. I love meeting people who arnt afraid to have fun and enjoy every minute of their vacation. It is so great you have vacationed together before. I still keep in touch with a few people i have cruised with. We all have more cruises booked, but at different times.

I wanted to tell you that IF you are interested I have a thread for this cruise going on the Dis boards too. There are 4 of us there right now and growing. I dont know if you have ever visited that site, but it is a very active DCL site. The most active I have ever found. We usually have 25 to 40 families posting by cruise time. Anyway I wanted to invite you to join us there too. You will have a better chance of meeting more people there than on this board.

I will keep both sites up and running either way because I just love meeting everyone that I can on our cruises and this is a great way to do this. I just wanted to let you know about it, in case you are interested.

Do you think your friends will post too? I would love to meet them.

I have been through Chicago a few times on Amtrak, but never had the time to venture out of the train station. It was such a huge station I was afraid I would get lost if I tried to go anywhere at all.

Well time to run and catch up the laundry,

hope to hear from you and maybe your friends soon, on either board, i will be here. Have a great weekend!!!

mom x4,grandma x4

Kathy

[APB513]

Momx4 we must be on the same wave length because I do the same thing!! I dump all of my change and all of my $1 bills out of my purse at the end of the day!! I even bought a coin sorter that puts the money right into the coin sleeves. That was the best $10 I ever spent.

 

I checked the "Birthday celebration" box in my reservation. I plan to have the room decorated for both birthdays - the first night and the last day. I also plan to get the cakes during dinner. I did this on my last cruise with my friends. 4 people were celebrating b-days so I bought two cakes. It was fun to see their faces when the cakes showed up. They were so surprised!!

 

As for keeping a secret - I'm doing it partly for selfish reasons. If I tell them now, they will bug me about it everyday until September :D

 

Tonight I plan to tell them that if they both finish the school year with good report cards, they will each get something they've been wanting for a long time. They will probably think I mean an XBox 360 or a portable Playstation. I will reveal the surprise once we get their final report cards!!! I'm so sneaky!!

 

Hello Lisabell!! Glad to see there's someone else on this ship beside me and Momx4!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa and Angela,

I just thought I would bump up our thread in hopes more people would see it and join in with us.

It's cold and rainy in central florida yesterday and today!!!

So since I am inside this weekend I will go to the web cams and look at the Wonder in port today. I forgot to look and see the Magic yesterday.

Then unfortuatly I have my ironing to keep me company.

Hope you both had a good weekend and hopefully we will add a couple more families this week on our thread.

Kathy

[APB513]

Hey Kathy -

 

I'll take cold and rainy over cold and snowy any day!! Its 29 whole degrees here in Michigan :eek:

 

I just makes me that much more excited about the cruise!

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

Did that bad snow storm hit you guys???

I hope not, I heard some areas got 2 feet or more of snow.

Hope you are all ok and have electricity too, so you can keep warm.

Drop me a line when you get the chance to let me know you are ok.

Thanks,

Kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Hi Kathy!!

 

Nope, Chicago didn't get hit with much at all. We just got a bit of a "sugar coating" as I call it. Now, our friends in Massachusetts got 2 FEET!!! Good thing they all have snowblowers!!

 

Thanks for thinking of us, though!

 

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa. I'm very glad to you are all ok. Sorry about your friends getting hit so hard. We got down into the upper 20's last night. I'm dreading my electric bill!! Usually it i slow in the winter and high in the summer because of the air conditioning. but this year I guess it will be higher all year.

In Oregon we did have a fire place a couple places we lived and that helped a lot, but in Florida almost nobody has a fireplace for obvious reasons.

Well got to run, all thia cold makes me extra anxious for the cruise to get here.

Happy all is well,

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi LIsa,

Just bumping pur thread, hoping others will see us and join in.

we are going to be 77 degrees today!!! YIPPEE!!!!

I am tired of the cold weather in Florida.

 

I only have 2 pairs of jeans and one long sleeve shirt, which means doing more laundry so I can wear them each day.

Well I have a busy day today, it's payday!!! Bank, grocery shopping, pharmacy, etc..... Hope your day goes well,

Kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Hi Kathy!

 

It's about 22 degrees here in Chicago. I actually broke down and wore my hat today. BRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

 

It just makes planning the cruise just that much sweeter. I talked to my TA (who happens to also be my dear friend) to find out how much I still owe on our cruise. We are thinking of transferring the deposit & final payment to my Disney VISA so I'm eligible for the on-board credit (and all of the Rewards points that will rack up). I've been pouring over my PassPorter DCL Field Guide all week and tonight we're going to watch the video that Disney sends out just to think warm thoughts. Oh wait!!! There is figure skating on tonight! I love to watch Ice Dancing!!!

 

Oh well, I suppose I'd better go back to earning my paycheck!!

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

wow, it sounds like you have a great evening planned. We love to watch the dvd too. It gets us excited for the cruise too.

We also have several tapes of past cruises which we love to watch with the kids and grandkids too.

It hit 80 degrees here today, it was so nice.

 

We use the disney visa card to built up points which I have used a lot. It is a great way to pay for things. I have bought many things with my points. i love it!!!

 

Hope you have a great weekend,

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

just bumping us up so people can see our thread and hopefully join in.

mom x4,grandma x4

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Good Morning Lisa,

just thought I would check in with you this morning.

We are warmer in florida this week, we actually got in the 80's a couple of days. But now we have a cold front so will cool down to the low 70's next week and a chance of rain saturday night.

We are spending the weekend in Leesburg where we have a new house. We sold our current house 3 days ago to the first man who came through. We close March 30th so we will be moved by then. I hate moving.

We are going to stay at a hotel and paint the inside walls of our house this weekend. I hate an all white house and it is so much easier to paint before you get furniture moved in. I like to do earthtones and accent with wallpaper borders. I have only been able to do that one other time and it looked really nice so I want to do it again. Our next few weekends will be filled with house stuff so we wont get to go to WDW until April, which is when the Flower Power concert series starts. I love it, it is old time rock n roll groups performing. They have people like Davy Jones, Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits, The Turtles, The Grassroots etc.... They were popular when I was a teenagers. Like I said OLDIES!!!! It always strikes me funny when we go since the audience is old, grey and bald and so are the performers!! I always think of a rock concert as young vibrant people yelling and screaming. It really is a lot of fun.

Even though St. Patricks day is next I have started putting bunny ears on my Disney characters and some have Easter baskets with plastic eggs in them. I have removed the Luau stuff for now, so the Easter bunny can take over for a few weeks.

A few more days and we will be another month closer to the cruise. It will be here before you know it!!!! I hope!!

I hope all is well with you,

Kathy

[APB513]

Kathy -

 

Congrats on selling your house so quickly!! I know that is a huge relief. I agree with you on painting before you move in. I wish I had done it that way.

 

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. It a "balmy" 27 degrees here in Michigan.

 

I got our personalized Disney t-shirts the other day. They really turned out great. I'm thinking about getting some more. Hopefully my oldest son won't mind wear matching t-shirts.

 

I got my Passporter and read it from cover to cover in two days. I'm sure I'll read it several times again before we leave.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Howdy,

We were very relieved it sold.

We spent the entire weekend painting the new one and will have to work all next weekend too. I had my portable radio with us and we kept hearing songs that we heard sung on the ship, we then we got all excited talking about how close it is getting. It helped to pass the time. Today I have got aquainted with all my muscles all over again!!!

I'm glad to hear your shirts came out great. My husband and I have some matching tropical shirts we often wear on the ship, but the problem they only come in mens sizes. So even a small can really hang on me. But sometimes I wear them open with a white tank top on under, if it's not too hot out.

We hit about 80 yesterday and 75 today. A little warm to be painting all day.

Well time to get something to eat and put my feet up for awhile. It will be so good to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Take care and have a great week.

Kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Congrats on your new home. When DH and I moved into our current house I vowed I would never move again! It is fun to have a fresh clean slate to decorate, though.

 

I think it's so cool that your Disney Characters are getting ready for Easter. It dawned on me the other day that I have to get a formal outfit for my Disney Bear for the cruise. I guess I'll have to go to Build-A-Bear soon. The bear dressed up as the White Rabbit (DH and I were Alice and the Mad Hatter) when we were at the World for Halloween. I think I might have him recycle that costume for Easter.

 

I just finished re-reading my old version (first Cruise edition) of my PassPorter and I'm waiting patiently for the newest version to get published. I'm getting too excited!!!

 

So, do you think we'll be able to go to Cozumel by September? After reading about Costa Maya I'm torn as to which port to root for. We've been to Cozumel twice and loved it but a new place to explore might be fun, too! Have you been to Costa Maya?

 

Have a great day!

Lisa