November 7, 2009 ~~~~ AHOY ST.CROIX ~~~~

[Silly Little Pixie]

[QUOTE=grumpymakesmehappy;22554134]
The plane rides just about got us. On the way back we got rerouted to Dulles because our flight crew did not show up in San Francisco. Our bags went to Denver. It was 2 days before we got them back, but thankfully they all arrived back in Huntsville safe and sound. Like I said, a few glitches on United's part but they made it up to us. After calling the Mileage Plus number and speaking to a Customer Service rep, we each were awarded 500 a piece in ticket vouchers. Since there were 5 of us, that equaled out to a total of 2500 we could use for tickets in the next year. So now, I have to plan a trip somewhere, right???
QUOTE]

NICE!! 500 apiece? Good deal. I'm glad they made it right. Too bad you had such a hassle getting back. Lucky you got the bags back! My parents' bags got lost on Southwest last summer. They got them back - but missing the digtal camera and the portable printer for the camera that were in there. NICE stealing, airline employees... sigh. The only plus was that my dad had the memory stick in his laptop, so they didn't lose the pictures of their trip! Since then I carry the camera with me and the memory stick in my purse.

Christine

[minniemouse71]

Hi, just found this thread. We will be on this cruise also. It will be my DH, my daughter, DGD who will turn 12 the day after we get off the cruise, my DGS who will turn 11 two months later, and myself. We booked this cruise the day it came out, while on the Western Dec. 1-8 cruise. My daughter was able to get SPR 5520 and I was able to get SNV 7120.
My Dh and I are going to Hawaii the end of Feb. We just got our flights last night. We will be staying in our time share on the Big Island, and can't wait to go!! Any advice on what to do or not to miss would be greatly appreciated. I have always wanted to go to HI and can't believe I am finally going. Anyway, glad that I found this thread, maybe we could plan a meet while on this cruise.
Vickie

[Silly Little Pixie]

Welcome Vickie!! Did you enjoy your Western cruise? How fun!! Glad you joined- my DD will be 11 (almost 12) at cruise time so she'll be just about the same age as your DGD. When it gets closer to cruise time maybe they can exchange emails so they have a friend when they board. I must say I got scared when you said your DD got 5520- since that's what I booked! We're friendly sorts, but it would definitely be a bit crowded in there and my dh snores! So I checked my ressie on DCL and my booking receipt, and yep I've got 5520- so your DD must be next door in 5522! Have her check and make sure they haven't somehow double booked it. Can that happen?

Do you have any other cruise or WDW plans in the future before our cruise?

Christine

[minniemouse71]

Christine,
I did the same thing when I read your post I went and checked our reservations and yes Tanya is in 5522. Then when I posted I typed your room number anyway. I think it would be great if the kids could email each other. They did that on another cruise a couple of years ago and they loved it. They felt like they had friends onboard before they went. Sorry about the number mix up. I work with numbers all day long you would think I know the differnce between a 0 and a 2.
Take care,
Vickie

[Silly Little Pixie]

Originally Posted by minniemouse71

Christine,
I did the same thing when I read your post I went and checked our reservations and yes Tanya is in 5522. Then when I posted I typed your room number anyway. I think it would be great if the kids could email each other. They did that on another cruise a couple of years ago and they loved it. They felt like they had friends onboard before they went. Sorry about the number mix up. I work with numbers all day long you would think I know the differnce between a 0 and a 2.
Take care,
Vickie

LOL!! No worries... my first thought was, "they gave away my room! Oh no! " Then I thought, "Or, I have really screwed up and imagined that I got a SPH but really it's some cat 11..."

It feels fun to already know who'll be next door!

[minniemouse71]

Christine,
Well, hopefully the kids won't forget that grammy is not next door on this trip and keep trying to get into your room. They have never cruised without us having adjoining rooms, until this last cruise, when we were right next door to each other. Anyway, since you will be neighbors, allow me introduce them. There is my DD Tanya, my DGD Sara who will turn 12 the day after we get off the ship, and my DGS Ian who will be just 8 weeks shy of 11.

Vickie

[grumpymakesmehappy]

Hi Vickie! Glad you joined us. I bet your excited about your upcoming trip to Hawaii. We only spent one day on the Big Island so I really can't help you out too much. That one day was fabulous though. When we go back, I want to spend at least 4 or 5 days on the Big Island. One thing I would suggest if at all possible. Go for a helicopter ride over the volcanoe. Then drive and visit the park. You will be able to see lava and get a whole different perspective of the volcanoe from the helicopter. We used Blue Hawaiian helicopter. They have an excellent safety record and are highly regarded. If you book online you get a discount. Check them out. There are some OP's on here that have been to Hawaii a couple of times so I'm sure they will be able to help you out. Like I said, welcome to our thread. I can't wait to get to know you and your family better!
Bridget

[DenverVal]

We found out that a one of our cruisemates from the PC crossing is cruising on the 10/10 eastern, and as we haven't gotten together since then, we've switched our reservation to then. DD is happy because we'll be celebrating her birthday onboard - a new experience! The same itinerary, same category cabin is $350 less for the October date. I hope you all have a great cruise

[Silly Little Pixie]

Originally Posted by DenverVal

We found out that a one of our cruisemates from the PC crossing is cruising on the 10/10 eastern, and as we haven't gotten together since then, we've switched our reservation to then. DD is happy because we'll be celebrating her birthday onboard - a new experience! The same itinerary, same category cabin is $350 less for the October date. I hope you all have a great cruise

Good deal! Have fun on the new cruise date, and since you'll cruise first, let us know any great tips when you get back!

Christine

[DenverVal]

'k!

[Silly Little Pixie]

So how is everyone doing? Anyone else feeling like me, I should never have booked this far out?? The wait is going to kill me! And I'm hoping I haven't jumped the gun, booking this second DCL before taking our first one. The kids are so excited about our first one, they are dying! They don't know about this one yet...

In other Disney news, we spent 2 days at DLR last week for my birthday and DD's. We brought a friend who is going to college in CA right now and had never been to DLR... how fun to bring a first timer! She's also a first timer to Walt's Park and is the one who got me hooked on the Dis. We're going to Club 33 and I am beyond excited. It's been a lifelong dream for me!! We'll be staying at the DLH as well. Ditching the DH and the kids and it'll be just us girls at the hotel and doing the 2 day touring plan.

[grumpymakesmehappy]

Yep, it is a long time. Who knows, they may announce DCL is going somewhere really cool in 2010, and we may end up pushing our cruise back till then. DH and I found out that there's a conference on the Big Island in Feb. 2010 so we're seriously thinkning of pushing our cruise back to a late 2010 date and go back to Hawaii in Feb. We did fall in love with the island, and I just can't help but think that Disney is going to annouce something really awesome for '10. Until Disney does announce something for '10, we're going to keep our '09 date.

So tell me about DL. We've got a trip planned for late May. We're finally going to Vegas May 22-25 and from DL May 25-28. We've never been to DL so I'm pretty excited. We're trying to decide if we want to stay at the DL hotel, Grand Californian, or off property like the Candyland. Like I said, we know nothing about DL so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I have read about Club 33. How exciting! How are you getting in? I can't wait to hear all about it. Let me know.

[DenverVal]

Originally Posted by grumpymakesmehappy

So tell me about DL. We've got a trip planned for late May. We're finally going to Vegas May 22-25 and from DL May 25-28. We've never been to DL so I'm pretty excited. We're trying to decide if we want to stay at the DL hotel, Grand Californian, or off property like the Candyland. Like I said, we know nothing about DL so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We've stayed at both the Candy Cane Inn and the DL hotel and were happy with both. The CC inn was very clean, pleasant, inexpensive and close, and they have a AAA discount. They have a shuttle, but we generally only used it in the evening when our feet were tired. We stayed at the DL hotel on DVC points - it's beautifully themed, and we loved it. It was nice to take the few steps over to the monorail, exit in Tomorrowland and have breakfast at Buzz's while everyone else was lining up at the main entrance. DL is much smaller than MK, but has its own charm. Be sure to ride the Matterhorn! (alas, no fastpass) Also, California Screamin' over at Ca Adventure is a lot of fun, as is the Aladdin stage show. You'll be staying long enough to take things pretty easy, and school is still in session in southern calif. then, so crowds should be reasonable. I don't think grad nights will be an issue, but you might want to check the website to be sure. Have a great time!

And yes, I've bailed on this sailing, but didn't unsubscribe to the thread...!

[grumpymakesmehappy]

I can not believe that I said Candyland and not Candy Cane..... Where was my mind??? Thanks for the info DenverVal.

[Silly Little Pixie]

DL is smaller than MK, space wise, but has more rides. Read on the DL boards Hydroguy's Guide to DL for WDW Vets. He pretty much says it all! I also have Ridemax... I just got it 2 weeks ago, and it was great. If it works out well for me again next weekend, then I'll let you know! I am very much a DL vet (probably 100 visits or more in the last 10 years) and it had me doing things in a pattern that I am not used to- but we got a lot done on a very crowded day!

Will you be there midweek or on a weekend?

Christine