You'd Think We'd Won the Lottery!?! - PTR 11/8/14 (Fantasy WC)

[goofydrinks]

After booking cruise, flights hotels and deciding on DCL transfers...what else could I potentially book to keep this planning rolling....EXCURSIONS! By this time, I had spent countless hours on the DIS forums and had even extended my research to include cruise critic and trip advisor websites. We are on the WC Itinerary C so we will have Falmouth, Jamaica as a stop. This has been difficult to research as its a new port for Disney. Early on, I knew that I wanted to do a dolphin swim with DD. Other than that I was unsure of what types of activities, if any, we would want to plan for off the ship. So of course I ask Dustin what he would like to do. His response, "Can't we just decide when we get to the port?" As I want this to be a vacation for ALL of us to enjoy I'm asking the ?, how much room is there for last minute decision making when it comes to port excursions? Here's what I'm considering as of today

Cozumel: BOOKED (non-DCL) Dolphin Swim for DD and I at Chankanaab Park. Will purchase a ticket for entry to park for Dustin when arrive. After swim, we will probably hang out at park for awhile until we are bored and head back to ship.

Grand Cayman: I'm considering this being an adult-only day. Maybe just walking around the port and heading out to one of the less crowded areas of Seven Mile Beach. My concerns are that Dustin isn't one to just sit and lay out for very long. He prefers to be a bit more active. Also, although I'm hopeful that DD will enjoy the clubs I'm hesitant to book anything that isn't kid friendly in case she doesn't enjoy the kids clubs and wants to hang out with us instead. Any ideas??

Falmouth, Jamaica: I'm considering booking a day pass directly to the Hilton Hall Resort in Montego Bay. This hotel has received good reviews (for the most part) and has a waterpark attached to the property including a lazy river. I feel like this would give us a lot of flexibility for everyone to do what they want and it would be active enough to satisfy Dustin. My other thought is to just stay on the ship and enjoy a relatively empty ship and get most of what I'm looking to accomplish at the resort for FREE (or included cost). My concern about this is not taking advantage of seeing Jamaica at all and that Dustin will just want to get off the ship since the next day is a sea day. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I wonder if we could reserve a day pass with resort and make a decision after getting on the ship to keep reservation or cancel. Any of the veterans have recommendations about this? One other thought was to do a river tubing adventure through Chukka tours. That was something Dustin mentioned he would like to do. I was worried about DD6 though and that it would be a bit too adventurous for her. If anyone has done this I would love to hear about it.

Anyway, any recommendations regarding excursions based on our ports of call are welcome.

Next up: Our vacation just got hijacked!

Hello!
We will also be on the same cruise. I want to book Cozumel dolphin swim but my DD will be 4 so I need to book it privately. It will be my DH, DS -6 and DD-4 and we are traveling with 2 other families. We are so excited and getting totally pumped. How did you book private?

 

[smpowers77]

Hi Goofydrinks!

I'm so excited we only have 113 days to go! I did a google search for "Dolphin Discovery" and "Cozumel". It was the first website to pop up. They still have the 25% off deal going. I just checked! We booked the 10am option as there was only 10am and 1pm available and I was nervous that 1pm would be too late.

 

[smpowers77]

As of yesterday, we are paid-in-full. Woohoo!!

Now looking to online check-in that happens in 10 days! I'm not sure if there is much urgency in my need to check-in as we have reserved private excursions and will be using DCL transfers so do not have to worry about a PAT time. I think we are at the point where Dustin needs to get involved and decide what kinds of things he wants to do. Do we want to do Palo Brunch and/or dinner? I know we won't do Remy as that's a little more "foofy" than I appreciate when it comes to food. Since its our first cruise I'm not sure if I'm prepared to miss any of the MDR experiences and I don't have any preferences regarding MDR seatings since we've never been. I'm of the mindset that since its our first trip I'm just going to take what comes and enjoy it from that vantage point. If we decide to cruise again, I can make requests based on our own preferences and not just based on other's opinions since everyone has their own for their own reasons. One thing that I do want to book is BBB for my daughter and niece (if they come). I'm having a hard time deciding which package. My daughter already has several princess dresses including Elsa and Anna so it doesn't totally make sense to pay almost $200. But the crown package doesn't give them a crown or wand or sash which I know she would love. The other option is the deluxe maiden package. She could get a pirate outfit; she loves tutus. I'm just not sure how much availability is left seeing that we are the last to do check-in. Guess that means I better check-in at 9pm on 8/24

What other things are there to consider during check-in? We won't do spa treatments ahead.

 

[fostermama3]

As of yesterday, we are paid-in-full. Woohoo!! Now looking to online check-in that happens in 10 days! I'm not sure if there is much urgency in my need to check-in as we have reserved private excursions and will be using DCL transfers so do not have to worry about a PAT time. I think we are at the point where Dustin needs to get involved and decide what kinds of things he wants to do. Do we want to do Palo Brunch and/or dinner? I know we won't do Remy as that's a little more "foofy" than I appreciate when it comes to food. Since its our first cruise I'm not sure if I'm prepared to miss any of the MDR experiences and I don't have any preferences regarding MDR seatings since we've never been. I'm of the mindset that since its our first trip I'm just going to take what comes and enjoy it from that vantage point. If we decide to cruise again, I can make requests based on our own preferences and not just based on other's opinions since everyone has their own for their own reasons. One thing that I do want to book is BBB for my daughter and niece (if they come). I'm having a hard time deciding which package. My daughter already has several princess dresses including Elsa and Anna so it doesn't totally make sense to pay almost $200. But the crown package doesn't give them a crown or wand or sash which I know she would love. The other option is the deluxe maiden package. She could get a pirate outfit; she loves tutus. I'm just not sure how much availability is left seeing that we are the last to do check-in. Guess that means I better check-in at 9pm on 8/24 What other things are there to consider during check-in? We won't do spa treatments ahead.

I am interested in finding out some of this, too.

 

[smpowers77]

We are less than 45 days from cruising! Now that's its this close I'm actually starting to get a bit stressed about all the details.

Due to our booking window being at 75 days we missed out on some activities that I would have preferred but will see if I can reserve once onboard. The main one is Palo Brunch. There were no available offerings online so I will add that to list of things to do once onboard.

I am starting to compile a list of things to accomplish once onboard. I will definitely try to book Palo Brunch (either day), get Anna/Elsa tickets and any other meet/greets that require a ticket. Are there other things I should look to do? We won't be looking to participate in any of the tastings.

The other stress is remembering all the non-clothing "essential" items that I have read over the last 12 months. Is sea lice an issue in November? I just bought some Ziploc travel bags that I'm hoping will allow us to only have 2 checked bags since we have to pay and there are only 2 adults so trying to make it manageable. I'm planning on 2 carryons as well; one for all stuff for one night lodging and what we plan to wear the morning of cruise so I don't have to open the larger suitcases until we get on ship. The other carryon will be to maximize entertainment value for DD6 since we will be traveling for over 9 hours making our way to Orlando since we fly from PDX. How much sunscreen is enough. My thought was 2 cans per person for week.

I just ordered the perfect gift for DD6 so I'm hoping that will reduce the amount of snacks/drinks we'll need to include in suitcases. We are bringing tumblers and water bottles for each person.

 

[smpowers77]

We are 29 days from cruising today and 4 weeks exactly until we get on plane from PDX to MCO! This means we have received our official cruise docs, DD6 passport has been applied for and received (16 day turnaround with normal service!), shopping list is down to just a few items, and the stress has set in!

I knew our summer was going to be busy but nothing prepared me for what it actually was. All of it was great but surprising to say the least. During our big vacation I was surprised by an amazing proposal from my now DF!! Upon return, he decided to put his house on the market. All of this was in the ultimate plan but I just didn't know it was happening at the exact time. So on top of an already busy summer add wedding planning, prepping a house for sale, selling the house, completing inspection list, packing house, waiting for approvals (inspection and appraisal) and final signing and recording (just completed in last 24 hours). So instead of being able to focus on the cruise I now added several other things and the cruise took a seat on the priority list.

Now that its less than a month away I'm feeling anxious about what to bring and not bring, making copies of all important documents and what I should carry with us, what I need to give to our emergency contacts back at home, door magnets etc.

Originally, I had planned to bring everything with us but the kitchen sink in terms of the what ifs. All types of medication, etc.... but after more thought I realized that instead of going out and buying a bunch of medicine that we may or may not need in order to potentially save money in case we do that I would rather not have to deal with packing it and having room for it in my stateroom and buy it (at a more expensive price) if one of us happens to get sick. I'm bringing a small amount of advil and aleve and the basic toiletry items plus anti-bacterial wipes and sea sickness medication.

Everyone in our (now combined) house is getting excited for the trip. DF, as previously mentioned, doesn't tend to get excited about things until they get closer and even he texted me yesterday that we are less than a month away from the cruise. That was really fun for me.

So wish me good thoughts and lots of that I survive everything and get to the cruise where I hope for a fun, RELAXING time had by all. Oh yeah, I was just informed this morning (Happy Friday to me!) that I will be taking on a significant amount of additional responsibilities Good times (and timing)!

 

[smpowers77]

Bags are packed and just waiting until Friday morning to hop on a plane for a day of travel before embarking on the Disney Fantasy!! We can't believe its actually here! I did make a few last minute purchases this weekend (and today). A point and shoot camera so I don't have to worry about memory on my iPhone, SeaSafe and a pirate costume for DD6. I'm an Amazon Prime member and by waiting until after Halloween I got it delivered for $17.22. Quite a bargain! I decided to go ahead and do it once I packed us and realized I did have some available room thanks to using the Ziploc travel space bags. Those things are amazing!! I used the ones you just roll (non-vacuum) and its amazing how much you can pack in a suitcase! It was just an excuse to overpack I'm sure but I'm totally ok being an overpacker.

Now there are 3 days of work and three days of school to endure before we are officially on VACATION!

 

[m3gg3m]

Congratulations on your engagement! I just happened upon your PR tonight. You must be so excited to be just days away! You didn't say that your bro didn't PIF, so it sounds like you have a big fun family trip ahead if you. I am looking forward to reading more about your trip. We cruise for the first time in Feb and our 75 day window is later this month. I recognize myself in some of your posts.

 

[smpowers77]

Congratulations on your engagement! I just happened upon your PR tonight. You must be so excited to be just days away! You didn't say that your bro didn't PIF, so it sounds like you have a big fun family trip ahead if you. I am looking forward to reading more about your trip. We cruise for the first time in Feb and our 75 day window is later this month. I recognize myself in some of your posts.

thanks! My bro and his family are NOT coming on this trip so its just a small family affair We are totally ok with that. I even talked to DD about it when she found out they were coming and told her that it was a "maybe" so she wouldn't be too disappointed if it didn't work out...and here we are! Everyone is so excited. Bring on the warm weather and relaxation!!

 

[m3gg3m]

thanks! My bro and his family are NOT coming on this trip so its just a small family affair We are totally ok with that. I even talked to DD about it when she found out they were coming and told her that it was a "maybe" so she wouldn't be too disappointed if it didn't work out...and here we are! Everyone is so excited. Bring on the warm weather and relaxation!!

Have a great trip!