Wonderful Panama Canal Sept 2014

[davidls]

One year to go!!!

 

[davidls]

We booked our room at the Disneyland Hotel last night. We are staying a couple of days before the cruise to visit Disneyland. We've never been there - our first visit to Disneyland. It's been on the ol' bucket list though for a while. Guess in a year from now we can mark that one off the list!!!

 

[Va-NanaTink]

We booked our room at the Disneyland Hotel last night. We are staying a couple of days before the cruise to visit Disneyland. We've never been there - our first visit to Disneyland. It's been on the ol' bucket list though for a while. Guess in a year from now we can mark that one off the list!!!

Wooo hoooo! We did a couple of days at DL before our first Panama cruise. We sailed out of LA for that cruise and Disney arranged transport between DL and the terminal!
We are looking at booking at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, flying out of here the evening of the 10th, and spending the 11th in San Diego.

 

[kayaker35]

I'm anxiously awaiting the time when I can book our flights and San Diego hotel. We'll be heading in a day or two early, along with my BIL and SIL, so we can visit with my DH's aunt and cousin, who live in SD. Once we get all that done, the cruise will seem like it's really going to happen.

 

[kdeans1010]

Welcoming new people!

Dumb question because y'all are paying for hotels and such: have you guys paid in full yet? If you have then dang! You are awesome!

 

[kerstfan1]

Welcoming new people!

Dumb question because y'all are paying for hotels and such: have you guys paid in full yet? If you have then dang! You are awesome!

no not yet

 

[kayaker35]

One of the best ways I've found to fill the time between my last Disney cruise and my next one is by recreating some of the yummy food we had on board. Happily, there are online sources for a lot of the Disney recipes, including ones from DCL recipes. Last night I decided to try the Baked Crab Martinique recipe from Parrot Cay. It was very much like the one on the cruise...... all that was missing were our wonderful servers and the fun tropical ambiance of Parrot Cay.

I started making Konk Coolers after our first visit to Castaway Cay last November. I have lots of other recipes I'd like to replicate. Making the dishes is fun, and what better way to "Keep Calm and Think Disney"?

 

[Julylady]

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I too am surprised that people are already booking their pre-cruise hotel. We plan to fly in just one day prior to boarding. I have never cruised out of San Diego before. Is there a hotel that is recommended?

I would love to add on a couple days at Disneyland, but with the cruise being 14 nights, I can't take any more time off from work. However, I am exploring the idea of a June 2014 trip to Disneyland with my Mom and a couple of my nieces. That would make up for it!

Donna (Julylady)

 

[bjkjoy]

I am julylady's mom and I thank you for the warm welcome too. I did read on some previous posts that some of you were talking about retirement age and how they couldn't wait. I actually retired at age 72 and have never been sorry. I was wondering tho if anyone else going on this cruise will be from Michigan.

 

[Va-NanaTink]

Welcoming new people!

Dumb question because y'all are paying for hotels and such: have you guys paid in full yet? If you have then dang! You are awesome!

Just making reservations....like the cruise. It's not paid for either. Airfare is the only thing you pay for when you make the reservation.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Welcoming new people!

Dumb question because y'all are paying for hotels and such: have you guys paid in full yet? If you have then dang! You are awesome!

No, I haven't even started paying on this one yet. I just finished paying off our upcoming Hawaii trip and I am now paying for my upcoming WDW vacation. Once that's paid off, I'll start paying down this cruise. Probably won't start until Jan. 2014.

I do, However, start to make my reservations as soon as I find rates/fares that I find palatable. That locks them in. Airfare is usually the one thing that I'm just stuck with. I loathe the idea of waiting until the last minute and possibly paying a very high fare. So, as soon as fares are published, I start watching them and look for what I feel is a fair price then buy. I rarely go wrong this way. If the fares go down, the amount I'd have saved is usually minimal.

 

[kdeans1010]

Okay. Glad I'm not the only one still paying it off. I'm doing it little by little.

 

[Va-NanaTink]

Okay. Glad I'm not the only one still paying it off. I'm doing it little by little.

OH no! not in the least! I pay my one account until it's all there. I don't even give it to Disney until about a week before my booking date becomes ripe. It sits in the acct and gains interest. Plus I keep paying into it so there is money for all the other stuff. I found that is the best way for me to work it.
Right now, I have about $1200 in the account.

 

[davidls]

Wooo hoooo! We did a couple of days at DL before our first Panama cruise. We sailed out of LA for that cruise and Disney arranged transport between DL and the terminal!
We are looking at booking at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, flying out of here the evening of the 10th, and spending the 11th in San Diego.

We had to wait for two pieces of our puzzle to fall into place before we could book the Disneyland Hotel. First, Disney didn't open up bookings that far out until just a day or two ago. And, second, Donna had to wait until the first of September this year to put in for vacation for September next year. Anyways, she has 5 weeks vacation time, but the company she works for frowns on taking more then 2 weeks at a time. But, a couple of people she works with have taken as much as a month off in a row. So she put in for 3 weeks off a week ago and it was approved!!!

 

[davidls]

I am julylady's mom and I thank you for the warm welcome too. I did read on some previous posts that some of you were talking about retirement age and how they couldn't wait. I actually retired at age 72 and have never been sorry. I was wondering tho if anyone else going on this cruise will be from Michigan.

Not from Michigan, but I am semi-retired..................and LOVING IT!!!! I only work 3 days a week, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday...............6 hours a day those 3 days. DW is still working full time though. It won't be much longer until she retires.

 

[davidls]

Okay. Glad I'm not the only one still paying it off. I'm doing it little by little.

Nope, not paid for in full yet either. About half way though. Got to pay all of the Disneyland Hotel bill yet though, except for the deposit. But that is a separate account that I have been slowly putting money aside for, planning on us being able to go for 3 weeks. Glad I thought DW's work would let her take 3 weeks off.

 

[kdeans1010]

We had to wait for two pieces of our puzzle to fall into place before we could book the Disneyland Hotel. First, Disney didn't open up bookings that far out until just a day or two ago. And, second, Donna had to wait until the first of September this year to put in for vacation for September next year. Anyways, she has 5 weeks vacation time, but the company she works for frowns on taking more then 2 weeks at a time. But, a couple of people she works with have taken as much as a month off in a row. So she put in for 3 weeks off a week ago and it was approved!!!

That's kinda' our situation right now. We've heard rumors from our boss saying they won't let more than 2 of us on the same shift leave for 2+ weeks. But right now we have 1 CNA out for three weeks for vacation, another CNA hurt herself and has been out for almost 6 months, and lastly a gal CNA just got told she needed to go on bed rest until her baby is born- puts 3 aides out for at least 2 weeks (and they all work the same weekend). So we're going to talk to my boss the first week in December and say "here's what's going on: by next July all of us will have enough PTO for this vacation and you need to let us out because during x,y, and z times you've let people out. We don't work in the same departments, work opposite weekends, and here's our union rep." I don't want to be nasty, but....

 

[Va-NanaTink]

We had to wait for two pieces of our puzzle to fall into place before we could book the Disneyland Hotel. First, Disney didn't open up bookings that far out until just a day or two ago. And, second, Donna had to wait until the first of September this year to put in for vacation for September next year. Anyways, she has 5 weeks vacation time, but the company she works for frowns on taking more then 2 weeks at a time. But, a couple of people she works with have taken as much as a month off in a row. So she put in for 3 weeks off a week ago and it was approved!!!

I'm still waiting for my time off for 20 days from now to be approved!!!

 

[kdeans1010]

I'm still waiting for my time off for 20 days from now to be approved!!!

I would've said something kinda' nasty to my boss, not nasty, just pointed... mind you I love my boss (she has the aide's back because she was a floor nurse), but something like "Am I still going on vacation?"

 

[kerstfan1]

did u guys see that the wonder will go in dry dock in january