Pre Trip Report 702

[cheryllarsen]

sweet!

 

[cheryllarsen]

this is awesome

 

[dededisney]

Hi Wally...I didn't even know you were doing a PTR...Drew didn't either or he would have chimed in as well! I will add about the wine...bring your own on board! We always just brought a glass with us from our room so we never had to worry about it. Just pour a big glass. If you take a limo (or car service) to the port, they will stop at a grocery store/liquor store so you can stock up then (so you can also get your Captain Morgan). I think we used Happy Limo one time and the only reason I remember that is that my friend and I kept thinking "well he (the driver) does not seem very happy!" But it worked well for us. Glad you are doing this report...I will definetly be following along.

 

[Ready to go]

Tokyodisneydad??? Where are you? Haven't heard from you in awhile. How many days now????

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Glad to see some new friends and some old friends joining in. 629 days left. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Now where have I been. Well like I believe I said before I love to write, so from time to time I host a Disney Murder Mystery on a Pin site...that has kept me pretty busy for the last several weeks. No one has solved this one yet...here is link if you want to read it and see if you can figure it out.

http://disneypinforum.com/showthrea...-Nightmare-Murder-Mystery-OFFICIAL-GAME-start

**Mods if I wasn't supposed to post a link then delete it**

Anyway I am still reading TRs and researching info...infact the murder game is on the Disney Dream at the moment so I had to get alot of info for it.

Good news...I get my annual bonus next week and can pay off the cruise part of my trip...I am debating get the insurance before I pay it off.

Oh once the game is over I will be back on this TR full time.

 

[pooksma]

Joining in as we book our FIRST DCLC for next March (sorry I haven't counted the days or created my ticker yet. Just waiting for confirmation on our booking)

 

[DisneyZell]

Hi Wally! DW has been bugging me to read through your PTR. I finally got around to it...and you look to be in great shape. Your questions will likely help others too as they are the same ones that seem to come up year after year.

Glad things are going well and I'm sure paying off the cruise portion will be a huge relief. I just wish we were going too!

DZ

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Hi Wally! DW has been bugging me to read through your PTR. I finally got around to it...and you look to be in great shape. Your questions will likely help others too as they are the same ones that seem to come up year after year.

Glad things are going well and I'm sure paying off the cruise portion will be a huge relief. I just wish we were going too!

DZ

Hi Drew and thanks for joining in. I know you must be talking about the PTR being in great shape, because I know I'm sure not.
I will get to that before the cruise though. My plan on the weight thing is to be steady until January 1st next year then pick it up a notch until the cruise. My goal is to be below 200 pound before boarding. 199 is fine.

Now for today's topic* Magnets*

I want door magnets for the door and had some nice ones last time. I learned a bit about what to do and what not to do last time so how to make them I'm ok with....that is once I get graphics. This PC thing just ain't a friend to me. I looked through the graphics sections on disboards and found some great stuff, but actually personalizing these things...well that's a problem. Wife might could do it, but then it comes back to she doesn't want to do anything except reap the benefits of a cruise. That is fine by me though as when she is happy I am happy.
I also am hoping to surprise my friends with magnets since it's their first time....I guess we shall see.

 

[DisneyZell]

Hi Drew and thanks for joining in. I know you must be talking about the PTR being in great shape, because I know I'm sure not.
I will get to that before the cruise though. My plan on the weight thing is to be steady until January 1st next year then pick it up a notch until the cruise. My goal is to be below 200 pound before boarding. 199 is fine.

Now for today's topic* Magnets*

I want door magnets for the door and had some nice ones last time. I learned a bit about what to do and what not to do last time so how to make them I'm ok with....that is once I get graphics. This PC thing just ain't a friend to me. I looked through the graphics sections on disboards and found some great stuff, but actually personalizing these things...well that's a problem. Wife might could do it, but then it comes back to she doesn't want to do anything except reap the benefits of a cruise. That is fine by me though as when she is happy I am happy.
I also am hoping to surprise my friends with magnets since it's their first time....I guess we shall see.

I can help you there, did a whole bunch for Quiltteddy. Let me dig up the links to the stuff that I know about and you can then pick and choose what you want customized and I'll send it your way. Check your e-mail tomorrow. if you don't have one from me, shoot me an e-mail because likely I forgot.

and yeah...I hear you on the shape thing. Starting a diet tomorrow. If I could get under 200#, I'd be psyched! we will see in 6-8 months how I do. But I hate dieting. Or rather...I love eating. I think there is a difference there. If I didn't so thoroughly enjoy food it would be much easier!

DZ

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Thanks for the graphics offer. That would be amazingly helpful. I am looking forward to your mail.

I know what you mean about eating. I LOVE to eat also. I deal with Japanese portion size all the time and that is no fun. When I go out for yakitori with friends I can eat as much as 3 Japanese people. One other thing that is my downfall is chocolate......man who made chocolate so addictive.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

How the heck did my PTR make it's way to page 2....sneaky little bugger.

Well actually I know...My murder game is still going on for onr. Either no one has a clue as someone accused Winnie the Pooh today or everyone is having too much fun to stop playing.
Another reason is that my wife and I are in a rough spot at the moment so PC time is limited. Don't worry we will be fine....every marriage has those moments, it's just human nature. Women and Men just have different brains.
I guarantee that I will make the cruise the most romantic experience my wife has ever had, but if any of you ladies have advice then my ears are open.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Wow --this PTR got away from me. I blame it on the Murder game that I was running...Mushu did it...lol Anyway here we are with 592 days still to go, but I am way ahead of the game. i have a ton of FE stuff gathered already and I have no idea if my cruise will even have a group or how many.
I just finished reading Cruise Confidential...it was really interesting to read about crew life. I wander if it is about the same on DCL.
Ok I will get back into this report on a steady basis soon.

Oh I decided to order a few extra gift surprises foer myself. Like the 3 or 4 night wine package and the Birthday package. I am trying to get something Romantic put together also. We shall see.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

So as you may or may have not noticed I haven't done a very good job at keeping up with this report. Life just has been throwing me down and once I was down kicking me as hard as it could to make sure I didn't get bak up. I know we all go through tough times and once you get to the end of the path that you just hope that you have had more good than bad, but I tell you what it is hard getting there sometimes.

I would do Eeyore proud lately. It's like someone stole my tail and just won't give it back.

So to lift myself up I decided to do the things that I feel that I am good at or atleast that I enjoy. I started practicing my trumpet again. Once upon a time I was good enough to perform at EPCOT. Who knows the future may hold an audition for Big Band Beat at TDS...just a dream. I started writing and rvising my book again...who knows maybe I will get published....just a dream. I started planning my trip aagain..not just a dream...on the Dream.

Yesterday I read the start of a wonderful trip report about the Fantasy....while I am still going on the Dream it is a fantasy to do the Fantasy. Anyway this person gave a Wonderful report about Remys...it seemed like every moment for them was well dare I say it...Magic. I really started thinking about the possibility of trying dinner at Remys. It sounded like a once in a lifetime experience. I can even look past the 75$ per person price tag. Then I reached the end of the post..This couple had spent 150$ for dinner, and 198$ for wine pairings and then to top it off the tip. My jaw just hit the floor. It also took almost 4 hours for dining.....hmmm...I just don't have that kind of money and or time.

Having said that in the back of my mind I am saying just do it...

 

[tokyodisneydad]

So here I am again and still waiting for my group to get active, but hey I understand we are still so far away from getting on the ship. I hope it becomes more active after the one year out mark. Here is an update of planning and some life news.

FISH EXTENDER* Like I said I have already started gathering gifts...even without a group yet. I had originally though of buying a nice tote to put every thing in, but if we get a group of 20 or more then that could be expensive. I did find some Disney themed plastic bags (15 for 100 yen) to put things in. That way I can use the money I save for a few other extras to put in the bag. Does that seem like a good idea? I mean I figure others in the group will give a tote bag. I really do hope that some of whoever is in my FE gift group puts as much thought in it as me. Or maybe I am just a little over worrisome.(is that a word)

JAPANESE FRIENDS* We are having a meeting next Saturday...I hope I finally get them to put a deposit down. Either way I will be onboard.

WINE PACKAGE: Well I think I have decided on getting a Van/Driver. So I can include a stop at the store. Does anyone know if a corkscrew will go through security? I chose this way not so much for money reasons, but instead so I can get what I want. I am actually studying wine right now and bought a small wine cellar/cooler for my house. It only holds 18 bottles but that is plenty for a beginner like me. I then downloaded a bunch of apps on my phone to learn and bought an ebook wine guide. So by the time I board I will have some knowledge of types of wine and the proper etiquette. One thing I was disappointed about was that the 4 day cruise does not have a wine tasting.

LIFE: Life is a little better at the moment...we will see if it can stay that way. I am planning a FULL DAY trip to TDS after the new Toy Story Mania opens. I will give a full report within this PTR about that day. I will probably stop by TDL this Sunday after training for work since it's onle one train station away. I will start getting Park Maps and small stuff from the Visitor's center and Guest relations that I can put in my FE bags.

Well there you are..I know most of you have disappeared and I undertsnd that, but if anyone is coming to Japan soon let me know.

 

[SaratogaShan]

Hi Wally. I am still following along. I hope your meeting goes well and you can convince your friends to come along!

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Hi Wally. I am still following along. I hope your meeting goes well and you can convince your friends to come along!

Thanks for hanging in there and still following along. The meeting went really well I was able to convince everyone to put down deposits and they have reserved inside staterooms. Not sure where yet as I haven't got their room numbers yet. So we are now all excited. I set up an outline of the next meetings and what they will cover....everything from excursions, magnets to packing lists. I will need to take care of as much as possible for the group.

Ok a little funny story...the wife had a nice time last night watching videos of DCL on YOU TUBE last night. We actually found a video of the Match Your Mate game. I had been thinking of trying this game, but was worried if Kiyomi would understand the questions as English is her second language. Well we decided to play along with the group on the video to see if she could understand and also to see how many we would be able to match. well she understood fine and we actually matched 8 out of 10. We laughed and smiled at the fact that we knew each other so well. If you have never seen this game it is funny to watch. Search for it on youtube.... the two questions I missed were 1. What is the strangest gift that your husband has ever given you? ( I won't tell you her answer>It is a family site afterall. We also missed the last question..which is the same every game...Where is the most interesting place that you as a couple have "discovered the magic"? Actually her answer was correct, but I had forgotten about that.
I laughed so hard that tears were rolling down my face when she answered.
Not sure if we will play on the ship...or even try...but it was fun to play at home.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok new problem and maybe someone here can help. One of my friends just let let me know that she will most likely be getting married before the cruise. This means her name may change from what the cruise is booked under. I know it is still early and at this point it wouldn't be a problem, but she isn't sure when she will get married. Currently she is booked in the room with her boyfriend and when they are married will take his name.

Suggestions? What happens when a name has to be changed on a reservation? Is there a penalty? Any advice or experience with this would help.

On a side note...I still can't get Disey to send a free travel video

 

[tokyodisneydad]

WOW!! Where did the time go? I really fell behind on this PTR. My only excuse is that between Dec. 28th 2011 and Dec.28th 2012 it was a really rough year for me personally. But things are a bit better now. I had a wonderful 44th birthday and look forward to my 45th on the DREAM. My cruise is now pad in full and I am just waitig on price releases for the WDW portion and airplane tickets. The yen has lost a little strength but overall is still in good shape.
What inspired me to get this thing going again was my friend Drew writing his TR from his cruise. I have 354 days until mine and I will keep you up to date with plans, questions and ideas for the next year. Maybe even entertain you with my life stories over the next year.

Today's topic...e have a meeting on the 27th and I will fill everyone in on the latest info. My wife and I are now planning to do the stingray adventure on Castaway Cay. A bit worried about water tep...for her...I'm like a polar bear so I will be fine. Also the friend who I am meeting on the cruise is going to book us Palos brunch. She will be concierge so it won't be a problem for her to get it.
Anyway I am excited to be back.

 

[DisneyZell]

About time you got going again! Glad to see you reporting back in. We did stingrays on our Christmas cruise years ago. As you are not swimming sure should be fine and will love it.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

About time you got going again! Glad to see you reporting back in. We did stingrays on our Christmas cruise years ago. As you are not swimming sure should be fine and will love it.

I just hope it's warm enough to get my wife into her itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini...ok it's pink not yellow, but what guy doesn't want to see his wife in a bikini?

Ok update for today...I feel I went over to the darkside. Because I am actually caught up reading all the DCL TRs, I went over to the WDW TR section and started reading. I actually found a few that are both entertaining and informative.
Here is the thing about WDW....I do love it overall and spent many a summer there since I grew up just over the Fla./Ga. stateline. I also did a music internship at Epcot for 6 months. BUT over the years it has lost some of the magic and appeal for me. Part of this is incidents like what happened in my 2007 trip (SEE TR..shameless plug), but also part of it is my last few visits it has felt a little run down and in some spots even dirty. In addition some of the CMS don't seem to enjoy themselves as those past.
OK...OK..don't slay me or tear me a new one. I mean the wife says that having one is smelly enough, but I have been spoiled. By what or who you say? Well certainly not my better half as at the moment for reasons undisclosed she looks like this...
Nope I have been spoiled by Tokyo Disney resort. IMO it is on a level far above WDW. WDW may have been there at one point and even may get there again with the new Fantasyland, but at this moment it can't be compared.
TDR is a spotless park with no sign of aging. The CMs are genuine in their happiness and helpfulness (no tips expected, needed or accepted). They do it because they love it. And for me Tokyo Disney SEA is on a theme, thrill and enjoyment level that WDW can't touch.
Having said that, I am still looking forward to planning that part of the trip also. I just look forward to the cruise more.