DVC Member's Cruise - July 23, 2018 - Castway Double Dip

I'm sorry if I'm posting this to the wrong place, but I noticed a few people here have done another MCs:boat: on here. Can you share or comment on any member specific activities/events/etc? I realize that all cruises are different and would never hold you to anything. But I'm just looking for more information to help plan (because I'm a planner!). In about a week I can book activities/adult dining and it would be so helpful to have more information so I don't book things when other things may be going on.

Day 1 - Port Canaveral - Sail-Away Celebration Anything else happening or just a normal type of cruise day 1
Day 2 - Disney Castaway Cay Will they do the 5K? Will they do it both CC days? I think I read they plan stuff for on CC as well. Is that on CC specifically or back on the boat?
Day 3 - At sea So my assumption is that this will be a day where there could be a lot of DVC events
Day 4 - Disney Castaway Cay 5K again?
Day 5 - Sadness

Is there a pirate night?
I think I saw someone mention the possibility of a formal (or semi-formal) night?

Do you get more information in advance or is it only once you board you get a sense of the activities and their plans?
I understand movies and shows are a big part of this cruise. So we like doing Palo and Remy? So I need to sort of plan around getting to a show after.

Any thoughts or speculations would be greatly appreciated.
And of course I'm overly excited about doing my first MC.
:thanks:
So, we have only done 1 member cruise and it was the 2015 Alaska 7-night (there were 2 MC's in 2015). Not sure if this MC will be similar, but they capped passengers (DVC Members) at 2,000, so there were less people on the ship, especially at late dining. Some things I remember:

  • We did not know any of the line up until the sail-away party. At the sail-away, Ken Potrock introduced a video that showed a highlighted itinerary of things we would have on the ship
  • Our sailing had a number of the Pixar folks on board. One of the nights of the cruise, we got to see "Inside Out" about 2 months before it came out in theaters. We couldn't take anything into the showing and had to go through metal detectors on the way into the WD Theater.
  • There were a number of seminars on that cruise from people that made it special. James Ford Murphy from Pixar created the short "Lava" that was before "Inside Out". He gave an hour seminar on the making of "Lava" and finished it up by playing the song on his ukulele on stage. Another bonus was he was in a room just down from us, so we got to meet him and talk to him a number of times during the cruise. There were also a number of people from DisneyNature on the ship doing similar talks. (I didn't go, but everyone raved about the presentation that the gentleman that made the "Monkey Kingdom" movie did.
  • On the final day of the cruise, we had a 1.5 hour show of Disney Broadway stars, which included Ashley Brown (the original Broadway Mary Poppins), the gentleman that played Mustafa from the Lion King, a gentleman from Newsies, the original Broadway Tarzan, and another lady that I can't quite remember which show she was from. Anyway, that was the best show, hands down, that I've seen on any cruise ship, anywhere. Ashley Brown ended it by singing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and had the whole theater standing...
  • Most of the gifts (like the Disney Totem, the binoculars, the toboggan/scarf set, etc.) were themed to Alaska. We also had a goodie bag one night with a bunch of "Inside Out" merchandise (t-shirts, etc.), and of course, the obligatory board game, which was "Clue" on our sailing.
  • DVC used the Walt and Roy Disney suites as reception areas where you could get a pass and go mingle with DVC executives with hors d'ourves and cocktails. I talked with Ken Potrock for about 15 minutes and he could not have been more generous. (As an aside, he also had his family on the cruise and it was cool to see him enjoying it all with his family. Sort of personalized it...)
  • On the day we went into Tracy Arm, we had not only the soup and hot chocolate, but we had freshly made breakfast sandwiches distributed on deck and some wonderful person made the decision to also put out hot chocolate stations with Bailey's!
  • The DVC desk had a lot of different Member Cruise SWAG each day that you could get by going by there.
  • They turned the pub into a "travel center" where you could go meet with DVC advisors about using your membership at all kinds of different destinations (they had a DCL person, a couple of RCI people, a Disney Collection expert, etc...)
  • We didn't have a pirate night (we were in Alaska, no fireworks!), but we did have the Frozen Deck party followed by a massive nighttime buffet...
  • We had so much extra SWAG by the time we got to Juneau, that we (and many others) headed to the US Post Office there to mail stuff back... and we still filled a carry-on suitcase full of stuff...
  • I want to say that MaryEllen Hooper was on our cruise too, but we didn't go see her (I think that Ricky Kalmon may have been on too, but I may be mixing up my cruises).
I would plan on DVC events happening pretty much every single day. I can't imagine trying to fit all of this into 4 nights as ours was stretched out to 7. If you are considering adding on points, they will probably have a little better promos than they would have on a normal cruise. (Let's just hope on this cruise, they've updated the party so we are not divided into the Team Pirate vs. Team Incredibles dance off that they've had the past few years...).
 
So, we have only done 1 member cruise and it was the 2015 Alaska 7-night (there were 2 MC's in 2015). Not sure if this MC will be similar, but they capped passengers (DVC Members) at 2,000, so there were less people on the ship, especially at late dining. Some things I remember:

  • We did not know any of the line up until the sail-away party. At the sail-away, Ken Potrock introduced a video that showed a highlighted itinerary of things we would have on the ship
  • Our sailing had a number of the Pixar folks on board. One of the nights of the cruise, we got to see "Inside Out" about 2 months before it came out in theaters. We couldn't take anything into the showing and had to go through metal detectors on the way into the WD Theater.
  • There were a number of seminars on that cruise from people that made it special. James Ford Murphy from Pixar created the short "Lava" that was before "Inside Out". He gave an hour seminar on the making of "Lava" and finished it up by playing the song on his ukulele on stage. Another bonus was he was in a room just down from us, so we got to meet him and talk to him a number of times during the cruise. There were also a number of people from DisneyNature on the ship doing similar talks. (I didn't go, but everyone raved about the presentation that the gentleman that made the "Monkey Kingdom" movie did.
  • On the final day of the cruise, we had a 1.5 hour show of Disney Broadway stars, which included Ashley Brown (the original Broadway Mary Poppins), the gentleman that played Mustafa from the Lion King, a gentleman from Newsies, the original Broadway Tarzan, and another lady that I can't quite remember which show she was from. Anyway, that was the best show, hands down, that I've seen on any cruise ship, anywhere. Ashley Brown ended it by singing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and had the whole theater standing...
  • Most of the gifts (like the Disney Totem, the binoculars, the toboggan/scarf set, etc.) were themed to Alaska. We also had a goodie bag one night with a bunch of "Inside Out" merchandise (t-shirts, etc.), and of course, the obligatory board game, which was "Clue" on our sailing.
  • DVC used the Walt and Roy Disney suites as reception areas where you could get a pass and go mingle with DVC executives with hors d'ourves and cocktails. I talked with Ken Potrock for about 15 minutes and he could not have been more generous. (As an aside, he also had his family on the cruise and it was cool to see him enjoying it all with his family. Sort of personalized it...)
  • On the day we went into Tracy Arm, we had not only the soup and hot chocolate, but we had freshly made breakfast sandwiches distributed on deck and some wonderful person made the decision to also put out hot chocolate stations with Bailey's!
  • The DVC desk had a lot of different Member Cruise SWAG each day that you could get by going by there.
  • They turned the pub into a "travel center" where you could go meet with DVC advisors about using your membership at all kinds of different destinations (they had a DCL person, a couple of RCI people, a Disney Collection expert, etc...)
  • We didn't have a pirate night (we were in Alaska, no fireworks!), but we did have the Frozen Deck party followed by a massive nighttime buffet...
  • We had so much extra SWAG by the time we got to Juneau, that we (and many others) headed to the US Post Office there to mail stuff back... and we still filled a carry-on suitcase full of stuff...
  • I want to say that MaryEllen Hooper was on our cruise too, but we didn't go see her (I think that Ricky Kalmon may have been on too, but I may be mixing up my cruises).
I would plan on DVC events happening pretty much every single day. I can't imagine trying to fit all of this into 4 nights as ours was stretched out to 7. If you are considering adding on points, they will probably have a little better promos than they would have on a normal cruise. (Let's just hope on this cruise, they've updated the party so we are not divided into the Team Pirate vs. Team Incredibles dance off that they've had the past few years...).


Thank you tidefan for more info! Just helpful to get a sense of whats to come! I would have died on that cruise with Ashely Brown/Mary Poppins, my fav! Maybe it will happen with the return of Mary this fall.

You are right, sounds like a lot for a 5 day cruise! I better rest up!
 
Thank you tidefan for more info! Just helpful to get a sense of whats to come! I would have died on that cruise with Ashely Brown/Mary Poppins, my fav! Maybe it will happen with the return of Mary this fall.

You are right, sounds like a lot for a 5 day cruise! I better rest up!

Ashley Brown has been on the last 3 Member Cruises that I have been on. So, she was on both 2015 DVC Member Cruises.

The Broadway Stars show is a major reason that I want to go on these DVC MCs.

On the NYC Cruise, we saw the nature film China 6 months before the public release.
 
Still asking for names!
Local Candy/Snack exchange interest.
We Have 11.....I will automatically divide once we hit 12....people can do both groups. Do not want to be too much for anybody.

Have I missed something? Wondering if we’re limiting the FE to this or adding this to other items we’d like to share?

maburke
bobbiwoz
minniescout
Capang
tidefan
bluedoggy
PDZS
Lindy Stevens
intlhotdog
Gator Joe
dfwshw



:boat:
 



There are two sorts of Fish exchanges here.

You can join the FE that tidefan has organized. This includes gifts given that could include magnets, pins, craft gifts, many different sorts of things that you want to gift, and it could include candies or edibles.

I am organizing a Local Candy/Snack Exchange. In this, we give edible gifts, once to each cabin, and the gift should be enough for the cabin to share. We also include a print out, usually from the internet that explains something about our offering!

You are welcomed to join both or either!

You are on my list. If this is a mistake, and you wish to be in the other, just mention it, OK?

Bobbi:boat:
 
There are two sorts of Fish exchanges here.

You can join the FE that tidefan has organized. This includes gifts given that could include magnets, pins, craft gifts, many different sorts of things that you want to gift, and it could include candies or edibles.

I am organizing a Local Candy/Snack Exchange. In this, we give edible gifts, once to each cabin, and the gift should be enough for the cabin to share. We also include a print out, usually from the internet that explains something about our offering!

You are welcomed to join both or either!

You are on my list. If this is a mistake, and you wish to be in the other, just mention it, OK?

Bobbi:boat:
Thank you we’re grateful to be on both list and look forward to seeing everyone soon
 
Still asking for names!
Local Candy/Snack exchange interest.
We Have 11.....I will automatically divide once we hit 12....people can do both groups. Do not want to be too much for anybody.

Is it too late to be added to this group?


maburke
bobbiwoz
minniescout
Capang
tidefan
bluedoggy
PDZS
Lindy Stevens
intlhotdog
Gator Joe
dfwshw



:boat:
 



:welcome:

Local Candy/Snack exchange interest.
maburke
bobbiwoz
minniescout
Capang
tidefan
bluedoggy
PDZS
Lindy Stevens
intlhotdog
Gator Joe
dfwshw
LaurLaur247

We are at 12, so enough for 2 groups. There will probably be more participants!:)
 
Candy Exchange info!

On May 15th and through June 10, I will be asking for participants to send me a “conversation” with your stateroom number, the number of adults/children in your cabin, and if there are any allergies. As I assign you to a group, I will look at deck numbers, which should help as you distribute your goodies. If anyone wants to be in more than 1 group, that’s something else you can tell me.

So, begin to send me your information on May 15. Please title the conversation “Member Cruise Candy/Snack Exchange.”
 
Welp, our window to book Palo and such opened yesterday (my mother will only hit Gold Castaway Club status with this cruise), and there's nothing left. I'm not really surprised; I figured most people going would both have high CC status and know about the things that could be booked. I'm a bit bummed since I've never done Palo, but also secretly a bit relieved, cause I was worried that there would end up being something that I would really want to go to right during whatever time we booked :laughing:.

Noticed that the Pirates League reservations pop up for Thursday night, so that's useful info to have!
 
Welp, our window to book Palo and such opened yesterday (my mother will only hit Gold Castaway Club status with this cruise), and there's nothing left. I'm not really surprised; I figured most people going would both have high CC status and know about the things that could be booked. I'm a bit bummed since I've never done Palo, but also secretly a bit relieved, cause I was worried that there would end up being something that I would really want to go to right during whatever time we booked :laughing:.

Noticed that the Pirates League reservations pop up for Thursday night, so that's useful info to have!

I know you are not 100% sure you want to, but there is a very good chance that you can book Palo or Remy on embarkation day. Last year I forgot to book Palo for our free Platinum dinner before hand. I was able to book a Palo meal at a time we were happy with. When you get the Navigator before you board, look for the time and place to go if you decide you do want Palo or Remy.

Bobbi:boat:
 
I know you are not 100% sure you want to, but there is a very good chance that you can book Palo or Remy on embarkation day. Last year I forgot to book Palo for our free Platinum dinner before hand. I was able to book a Palo meal at a time we were happy with. When you get the Navigator before you board, look for the time and place to go if you decide you do want Palo or Remy.

Bobbi:boat:
Thanks! Yeah, we figured we'd check in once onboard, figuring if there was a night we didn't have something we had to see we might snag a cancellation or something.
 
How do we join the FE?

If you want to join the regular FE, the link is in the first thread

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-members-cruise-july-23-2018-castway-double-dip.3624081/

If you want the Local Candy/Snack Exchange, just mention that here. At some point, I will be asking everyone to send me a conversation with their cabin number, and how many are in your cabin and if you have any allergies. Since you need 10 posts to send a conversation, keep posting here, or in other threads.
 
hi guys,

We have been on all 4 ships and Love doing the FE. Does anyone know if there is a general list going on yet?
 
hi guys,

We have been on all 4 ships and Love doing the FE. Does anyone know if there is a general list going on yet?
Tidefan has a traditional FE organized, just mention here if your interested, or there’s also a link to that information in the first post.

I’m organizing a Local Candy/Snack Exchange in which we share local treats using FE. If you are interested, just post here.

Local Candy/Snack exchange interest, as of 5/6:
maburke
bobbiwoz
minniescout
Capang
tidefan
bluedoggy
PDZS
Lindy Stevens
intlhotdog
Gator Joe
dfwshw
LaurLaur247
 
Here is our info for the FE.
1000. Gabag. Illinois. Ron. Ruth. Brianna. Brianna- Cinderella & Stitch, Ron-Star Wars, Ruth-Donald Duck& Mickey
 

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