Book it. Buy it. BELIEVE it! - TR is started! link posted 8/11

[Moira222]

Hi Cynthia! Yay a new ptr with a great into. You have great shots of K playing soccer! I am looking forward to the ride!

 

[Moira222]

Hi Cynthia! Yay a new ptr with a great into. You have great shots of K playing soccer! I am looking forward to the ride!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I'm here!! Can't wait to hear all about the next one! I loved your Alaska TR - we are "this close" to putting a deposit on a 2013 cruise. Except I need the $$ for Europe!

 

[that's nice]

Great intro!

I hope you get some good tips.. so I can steal them!!!!

 

[nodnol]

I'm here! I look forward to read along with your plans!

 

[natebenma]

I your trip reports! Can't wait to hear all about this trip.

Your intro was awesome. I can totally relate to the exasperating middle schooler and the hyper-focused little brother (I wonder where his obsession with details comes from)

Dee

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for the Pm, Cynthia! I am here and looking forward to reading all about your planning!! I must confess however that you do sometimes scare me with the attention to detail you go about it! But then I know how much you can still enjoy the trips even if things don't go according to plan - I really enjoy reading about both parts of your trips experiences!

 

[glennbo123]

Signing on!!!

 

[Linda67]

Count me in

 

[Chilly]

Signing up!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm here. Great intros as always. Can't wait to hear more.

Hi Kathy and

I'm very impressed, just back from the world and you are first!!!

Looking forward to all of your plotting, scheming and all the fun that goes into planning
So excited you are taking another cruise!!
Great intro!!!

Tracy

Tracy!

Plotting, scheming, me?

We are very excited.

Woo Hoo!

So excited to see a PTR from you! I just read your entire Alaska TR and have already started working on my DH to take the cruise to Alaska soon!

Mati!

It's a wonderful cruise, I hope you can convince him!

This time, I won't be a lurker. Your writing style is fabulous, your family is beautiful and you seem like a ton of fun. Sign me up!!!

Mati

Aw, thanks! I rather like them most of the time!

Hello! I'm here.. I always love your intros. So thorough and detailed. I wonder how much of Kendall's lack of drama comes from her being such a soccer super star? The soccer shots are really amazing.

Tina!

I can't take credit for either of those shots, one was in the local paper and another by a similar type pro at the state semi finals. I don't have quite the right zoom for really good sports shots, at least from where I set and with my utter lack of training. She's so funny, all of her soccer pictures are well...ugly. She is so focused and the facial expressions are priceless. She hates that header picture but I love it. So did the paper, it was run a few times online. On the drama, I'm sure that's part of it, she's too busy to be focused on some of the stuff that can drag teens down. She has her moments to be sure but in the big picture of teenage girls? She's the bomb!

And Evan and the joy of seventh graders. Love them, spend every day surrounded by them, but wow...middle schoolers are their own separate sub-species, I swear.

How you and Jackie do it, is beyond me! Yes, a separate sub species is right. LOVE that.

Can't wait to hear more, as I think you have a few surprise lurking.

Surprises? Me?

 

[eandesmom]

Doh! I found it. It must be my screwed up neck ruining my concentration!

Yeah, that MUST be it. Maybe that's why I forgot to pick up one kid in the jazz band carpool this morning, went straight to the 2nd pickup instead.

Mary Ellen!

Great opening to your PTR. I can't wait to read more .

Thanks! and Tracy!

I just read through your oher TR! It was very entertaining I've been lurking on this board trying to figure out how to get MY cruise-hating DH to agree to one, so I'll be taking extensive notes! Cant wait to follow along!

Thanks! It was a wonderful trip. It's like water on a stone...keep working on him and eventually you never know! I was shocked it actually happened and even more so that he loved it as much as he did. Subtle persistence is the name of my game.

Can't wait to hear more about your PTR...I'm going to check out your Alaska TR as this is one cruise I will want to plan in the future. We are going on our first cruise this summer and my husband was always reluctant, but I finally ordered the DVD and he was sold. Can't wait!

It was a wonderful cruise, I can't say enough great things about it. It's funny, I have the new DVD but haven't actually looked at it yet myself.

!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm getting in on this one from the beginning...though there are definite advantages to catching up, like not having to wait for the next installment....

Hi and

Too funny about not having to wait for the next installment. No holidays or other big trips or surgeries really between now and this one so in theory, I'll be on top of it!

Joining in!
Love your reports.

Jennifer!!! Glad you are here

I'm in!

Hi Amy and

Here!!!!!

Melissa!

 

[eandesmom]

You know I'm in. All it takes is a single spark to make a trip happen.

Jenny!!!!

Sparks are good

I'm in !!!!

Rosie!

Super intro! Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks Christine and !

Did I make page one?

Almost

Anita! Happy to have you along for the ride, I will definitely be looking for some tips from you!

 

[eandesmom]

Great start!!! assuming I can get this to post right away I may be still on page 1. Of course not and not even at the top of page 2. 32nd try on this edit.

UGH! I'm honored that you even kept trying Pat! For that you get a

and a


​

The DIS has been crazy slow lately, this morning seems a little better but I really hope it gets fixed soon! It's not your PC.

Seriously!

12 hours late but I'm here! Love your reports.

Jill in CO

Hi Jill and Glad you are along for the ride!

Hi Cynthia! Yay a new ptr with a great into. You have great shots of K playing soccer! I am looking forward to the ride!

Thanks Mary Ellen and I can't take credit for the shots, both were by sports photographers but they are awfully fun even if she hates them.

 

[eandesmom]

I'm here!! Can't wait to hear all about the next one! I loved your Alaska TR - we are "this close" to putting a deposit on a 2013 cruise. Except I need the $$ for Europe!

Hi Sheree! Yeah, that deposit hurts unless you are able to do it while on a DCL cruise. I feel your pain...we just bought our airline tickets and I was really hoping to wait another month or two for that huge chunk of change. Buzz kill on a potential winter break sneak away. You have SUCH an exciting trip planned!!! And it's right around the corner, even better.

Great intro!

I hope you get some good tips.. so I can steal them!!!!

Thanks Tim and ! Back at you my friend

I'm here! I look forward to read along with your plans!

Katharina! so happy to have you here!

I your trip reports! Can't wait to hear all about this trip.

Aw, thanks Dee! and

Your intro was awesome. I can totally relate to the exasperating middle schooler and the hyper-focused little brother (I wonder where his obsession with details comes from)

Dee

Oh I know you can, I think our boys are two peas in a pod...maybe someday our trips will overlap! Gee...I can't imagine where Eric's focus on minutia comes from. Although it was big brother this morning asking me about a dinner idea he had. For something 6 months away. They've been trained well.

 

[eandesmom]

Thanks for the Pm, Cynthia! I am here and looking forward to reading all about your planning!!

Magdalene!

I must confess however that you do sometimes scare me with the attention to detail you go about it! But then I know how much you can still enjoy the trips even if things don't go according to plan - I really enjoy reading about both parts of your trips experiences!

It is a bit of a sickness I fear. I scare Jeff too. Ok, maybe "scare" isn't the right word. It's funny though, while I'm able to let go, regroup and punt on a trip... as a group we seem to do a lot better when I have bothered to make plans. This trip will be VERY interesting in parts to see how that plays out.

Signing on!!!

Glenn! You get to be the guinea pig for us in some ways

Count me in

Hi and

Signing up!

Claire!

 

[SharonK0527]

Count me in

Great intro - loved reading all about your family and their personalities. Sounds like it's going to be a great trip and I'm looking forward to reading along!

 

[eandesmom]

Count me in

Great intro - loved reading all about your family and their personalities. Sounds like it's going to be a great trip and I'm looking forward to reading along!

 

[eandesmom]

Book it Dano
Ok. That is not EXACTLY what Jeff said. And I think technically it's Book 'em Dano but hey you get the idea.

Having (of course) done my homework prior to our first ever DCL cruise on the Wonder last August, I knew that rebooking on board would be a very very smart thing to do, even if I had no idea when we’d actually cruise again. Or IF we’d actually cruise again for that matter. I had looked up some possible future options prior to embarking so I’d know what to at least try to book. I’d also priced it and checked availability so I had a pretty good idea of what I’d be looking at for a deposit. I explained the concept of a “dummy” booking to Jeff. He really wasn’t interested in looking at and discussing potential itineraries in detail but did agree, the one I had my eyes on would be ideal from his perspective (which in Jeff’s world means..perfect, that’s fine, I don’t need or want to see any other options). He also, in concept, agreed it did make sense to get something on the books so we had flexibility later. His caveat? Kendall had to come on the next one. I couldn’t have agreed more.

My idea involved this ship

And this location

We had seen the Magic dock for the day back in 2007 while on a “date” trip. Jeff and I love Key West, with a special fondness for

Perhaps not the best kid place. I mean you can see my total disregard for safety. Flip flops, on a beach cruiser, riding all around town in a swimsuit and shorts with no helmet and rather dangerous shoes for that kind of thing. Actually going into bars dressed like that (along with 98% of the population mind you) It was like being 16 again. Totally irresponsible and so much fun! And yeah, Key West at night is...it's own world to be sure. Shhhh! Don't tell our kids. Besides, it wouldn't be there at "night".

As we sat at an outside bar (not Sloppy Joe’s which is very much inside) overlooking the ocean, enjoying the famous Key West sunset, having a beer (most likely a Key West Sunset Lager…probably the best mirco we’ve found in FL but…we haven’t found many to compare lol) we watched the Magic sail away and thought oh…wouldn’t it be cool to take the kids on that! And dock here! We thought it was a stupendous idea until we got home, got online and did our homework and about had a heart attack at the prices. It was easily 5-7K for 2 staterooms, and this was in 07. I can’t recall if we looked at verandah or not but with a family of 6, it was 2…or forget it and the idea of an inside stateroom made is claustrophobic thinking about it. So we forgot it. The world is just not set up for a family of 6 to travel “normal” style. Fast forward to August of ’11 and…we still wanted to sail into Key West. Granted, Key West is more for us than the kids but hey, they’d get to be on the ship! They’d get Castaway Cay and we’d get, Key West. Winner Winner!!! There was a 5 nighter that perfectly lined up with the E’s spring break and was incredibly reasonable (reasonable being relative of course and our definition has changed a little since 2007 as has our vacation style lol!). SOLD! Book it, he said. But K needs to be able to go. I didn’t have her break info with me, which in hindsight was dumb. However, I knew I could move it and also knew we really wanted to see what some of the 2013 itineraries would look like as nothing had been released yet. So…we booked it. And waited. In October, the 2013 Dream and Fantasy itineraries came out. The Fantasy was our of our price range for dates that worked and well, the Dream options didn’t excite us, not really anything different than in 2012 except the removal of the 5 night option. I’d have liked the Magic out of NYC but…that did nothing for Jeff. President's week prices were high plus K only gets that day off. And….State Cup (soccer) would be during the E’s spring break. No way could we pull K out of school. As you might recall, they are in different school districts. That left us with the following options.

Thanksgiving of 2012.
Pro. I wouldn't have to cook or entertain.
Con. it would be pricey, both in terms of the cruise and flights. Kids would have to miss some school.

New Years 2012/13
Pro. It would be supremely cool! Kids wouldn't have school and we could likely get K for NYE week as long as we didn't touch actual xmas
Con. Also pricey for all the reasons above. Plus in theory my brother is coming out for xmas next year from Germany with the whole family. They were supposed to come this year but had to postpone. No idea on dates so best not to plan much.

Summer of 2012.
Pro. No school conflicts, more reasonable $$ (relatively speaking)
Con. The heat in summer, BLEH!

Cost wise, school wise and overlapping break wise it really came down to a couple of options, pretty much all on the Dream and sadly, all in summer. One did have some appeal. A 4 nighter on the Dream that just happened to start on Kendall’s 16th birthday. It was that magic time of summer where we knew we could commandeer our time without too much fight, HS taking the mandatory break and club slowing down or even stopping since the various schools have differing start times. Jeff really liked the idea of 4 nights, being very afraid he’d not like the at sea days on a non Alaska cruise and also not knowing how Kendall would like it yet. We decided to go ahead and move our “dummy” to the Dream 4 nighter in a family sized stateroom with verandah before the prices went up more and sadly said goodbye (for now) to the idea of sailing into Key West. Still, we wanted to wait and see what 2013 might bring before really finalizing anything and decided to just sit on it for a bit and see. This is where I should have been more prepared when it came to rebooking I should have

1. Booked the August Dream trip regardless. It had dates that made sense and it was undoubtedly cheaper if I’d have booked in August than when I moved it 6 weeks later. How much less, I’ve no idea.

2. Still booked that April Magic, or another “dummy” so I could have a place holder for the Med next summer if our other plans fall through.

Oh well, live and learn.

We had some questions though.

1. If the cruise was only 4 nights, and we were flying all the way to FL…would we add anything to the trip? That’s an awfully long way to fly for a 4 night cruise. If we did add, what would we do? Jeff was pretty adamant about no WDW. There is a large family trip on the bubble, most likely for summer of 2013 and he really didn’t want 2 summers in a row at the park. For him even a cruise 2 years in a row since they were both Disney…was pushing it. Plus he didn’t think K would be all that into it.

2. Flights seemed to be going up, how long could we really wait to decide? Could we even swing a trip if they did? Before we could buy we’d need to get buy in from K’s mom. Always a very fun process. She tends to think we are insane when we ask for our weeks 6 months ahead of time. Yet magically, if we don’t, we don’t get anything as she signs K up for this camp and that camp or allows her to go away with another family for a week without checking with us first. No..not bitter at all about those. LOL!

3. And then we heard that the Fantasy was going to have a bunch of additional water features…that sounded SO much better to us, one of the main negatives I’d heard about the Dream was the crowded pools. It did seem pretty nutty to me that while the ship is significantly larger than the Magic or the Wonder…the pools are the same.

Would we make a change?