Two Weeks of Mickey, Land & Sea - August 2011 - A PTR that WILL Become a TR! - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We will be cruising on a 5 day Dream sailing that includes TWO stops at Castaway Cay.
Port Canaveral
Castaway Cay
At Sea
Nassau
Castaway Cay
Port Canaveral
We have pre-booked no excursions, and weren't able to get any Palo/Remy reservations.
Mario and I decided fairly early on that we really wanted to enjoy the ship and Castaway Cay. Between the cruise and our stay at WDW.... we are doing a lot already and don't think we need anything extra (excursions, etc) for this trip.
The plan for Nassau is to stay on the boat through lunch (take advantage of the lighter crowds to hang at the pool and ride the Aquaduck) then do a walking tour of Nassau on our own in the afternoon. I plan on using the walking tour recommended by Jennifer & Dave in the cruise guide. It includes all the high points as well as the Pirate Museum.
On Castaway Cay we may rent bikes and/or snorkel gear, both are fairly well stocked so I'm not worried about not having them pre-booked.
DCL will be changing their embarkation process starting this week so we are hoping the confusion will be over by the time we cruise mid-month. We are staying at the Country Inn & Suites the night before the cruise and originally planned on having Mario drive us all over in the van, drop us off then go back to park it and take their shuttle back.
But..with all the changes, I think I'm going to suck up my concern about the kids riding the shuttle w/o booster seats and have us all use the shuttle. This way we stay all together and can deal with however the process unfolds w/o having to worry about Mario getting back.
I am going to try and book Palo once we get on board, but I won't be upset if we don't get it. It would be nice to have an "anniversary dinner" but it won't ruin the trip if we can't eat there.
We will be participating in a FE exchange with other cruisers we met on the Dis Boards cruise forum. There are a TON of people on our sailing there and they are all active posters. We are about to start our fourth thread ...each one being stopped at 250 pages. Chatty people! I feel like I know some of them already and we've never met!
The FE exchange group is only 24 staterooms (and is one of THREE groups). Bethany and I have been working on goodies to exchange. I won't post them here just yet because there are some PassPorters on our sailing!
I really wanted to make our Fish Extender...but without a sewing machine I was at a slight disadvantage. There are plans for a "no sew" version out there but I never got around to it. My first scan of the ones on eBay found them all to be pricey ($40+) but last week I checked again and found a small 2-pocket FE for only $15!
The FE arrived yesterday and it is great. Smaller than I thought (even though it is exactly the measurements posted) but it will work fine.
The whole family is really looking forward to our trip. The paper chain is getting smaller (it started at 100 days!) and the suitcases are out and starting to get filled!
__________________
Christine
Last edited by Minniemouse27; 08-02-2011 at 11:33 AM..
Reason: Added FE Photo
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Christine! Found you! (Thanks for putting the link in your message!)
I'll be interested in hearing what you think of the autotrain, since that will be the mode we take home (although it will be too late for me to pack anything I didn't think of, since I'll not hear your thought until we're all onboard the Dream!).
Let your DD know they usually have strawberry soup on embarkation day for lunch! I love it too!
Love your FE! As I said in my PTR, I am now regretting not getting involved in that, since it's something we've never done. Oh well - next cruise!!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I was concerned with the new port procedures/times about the shuttle from Country Inn & Suites and how it worked (the planner in me NEEDS to know these things!) so I called this morning.
First off the "shuttle" is a large BUS (holds >35 people)...so I am THRILLED about the booster seat issue being a non issue now (buses have their own built in safety systems and don't have seat belts...so no booster seats). Well worth the phone call just for that.
They have been instructed by DCL to not start their shuttles until 11am, which is when their first shuttle departs. They said I can call on the evening of the 14th to be put on the first shuttle list.
Upon check in we will receive more information as to what time to be in the lobby, etc... as well as any other special instructions.
This all makes the decision to just take the shuttle instead of having Mario drop us off a TON easier! Now we can all arrive at the port together and not have to wait longer to check in.
Yay!
__________________
Christine
Last edited by Minniemouse27; 08-03-2011 at 12:20 PM..
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Well worth the phone call just for that.
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