LennyMachine
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2015
We have developed a family tradition of visiting a Disney park each year: WDW in 2012, DL in 2013, WDW again in 2014. For 2015, my husband and I were toying with the idea of visiting Disneyland Paris, even though our children are still very young. A cruise was never, ever on our radar, having never having gone on a cruise before -- and also because of our irrational fear of being out on open water.
But halfway through that Disney Cruise Line documentary/glorified commercial on the Destination America cable channel . . . we knew we were sunk.
So here I am, a relatively in-the-know Disney vacation planner, trying to find my sea legs and navigate the new, strange world of Disney cruises.
I can't find a template for these things, but they always seem to start with a picture and an introduction. Unfortunately, I don't think I can use photos until I hit 10 posts. So I'm just going to have to start getting busy!
I suppose I can just start with the basic details:
THE TRAVELERS
My husband Austin, myself (Emily), my 2 kids Jack (5 1/2) and Julia (1 1/2), and my mother-in-law, Pat. I actually love my mother-in-law, and I most certainly won't mind the free child care -- ha! But I know that this trip will really test me because I'm a gung-ho Disney planner who tries to get as much done on her touring plan as she can -- and my mother-in-law has a stiff ankle from when she broke it a couple of years ago. So this vacation is going to be an important lesson learned in patience.
THE ITINERARY
We're sailing on the 7-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy (Itinerary C: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Castaway Cay). The ship sails on August 22 and returns August 29.
However, my husband surprised me by saying he wouldn't mind visiting MK for a day before the cruise! So we will arrive in Florida on August 20 and visit MK on August 21.
THE PRE-CRUISE HOTEL
We are staying at the Art of Animation Resort in a Finding Nemo family suite.
THE STATEROOMS
We have Rooms 7098 and 7100 (Category 04C, Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah).
THE TRAVEL AGENT
Though I consider myself a relatively savvy Disney trip planner, I enlisted the help of a travel agent, because I could see the rooms for this cruise going fast. We're working with Megan from I'm All Ears Vacations.
That's about it so far! Every Disney trip is fun to plan, but this has been especially so because my husband has been more engaged and excited than usual. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with his mom coming along -- he's a mama's boy!
And, believe it or not, it's the first time I've ever planned a Disney trip more than 180 days out! I mean, I'm having all kind of crazy ADR fantasies I've never gotten to have before!! Cinderella's Royal Table, Be Our Guest . . . (It kills me that Liberty Tree Tavern won't be open then, because we had to cancel our ADR there last year after we lost a day at MK due to severe illness.) I know my chances of getting my first choices aren't great because we're only at MK one day . . . but it's still nice to dream!
That seems like a good note on which to close out this first post. It is, after all, 4:30 a.m.!
But halfway through that Disney Cruise Line documentary/glorified commercial on the Destination America cable channel . . . we knew we were sunk.
So here I am, a relatively in-the-know Disney vacation planner, trying to find my sea legs and navigate the new, strange world of Disney cruises.
I can't find a template for these things, but they always seem to start with a picture and an introduction. Unfortunately, I don't think I can use photos until I hit 10 posts. So I'm just going to have to start getting busy!
I suppose I can just start with the basic details:
THE TRAVELERS
My husband Austin, myself (Emily), my 2 kids Jack (5 1/2) and Julia (1 1/2), and my mother-in-law, Pat. I actually love my mother-in-law, and I most certainly won't mind the free child care -- ha! But I know that this trip will really test me because I'm a gung-ho Disney planner who tries to get as much done on her touring plan as she can -- and my mother-in-law has a stiff ankle from when she broke it a couple of years ago. So this vacation is going to be an important lesson learned in patience.
THE ITINERARY
We're sailing on the 7-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy (Itinerary C: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Castaway Cay). The ship sails on August 22 and returns August 29.
However, my husband surprised me by saying he wouldn't mind visiting MK for a day before the cruise! So we will arrive in Florida on August 20 and visit MK on August 21.
THE PRE-CRUISE HOTEL
We are staying at the Art of Animation Resort in a Finding Nemo family suite.
THE STATEROOMS
We have Rooms 7098 and 7100 (Category 04C, Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah).
THE TRAVEL AGENT
Though I consider myself a relatively savvy Disney trip planner, I enlisted the help of a travel agent, because I could see the rooms for this cruise going fast. We're working with Megan from I'm All Ears Vacations.
That's about it so far! Every Disney trip is fun to plan, but this has been especially so because my husband has been more engaged and excited than usual. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with his mom coming along -- he's a mama's boy!
And, believe it or not, it's the first time I've ever planned a Disney trip more than 180 days out! I mean, I'm having all kind of crazy ADR fantasies I've never gotten to have before!! Cinderella's Royal Table, Be Our Guest . . . (It kills me that Liberty Tree Tavern won't be open then, because we had to cancel our ADR there last year after we lost a day at MK due to severe illness.) I know my chances of getting my first choices aren't great because we're only at MK one day . . . but it's still nice to dream!
That seems like a good note on which to close out this first post. It is, after all, 4:30 a.m.!