Considering A Champagne Brunch While At Sea

The countdown to sailing on the Disney Fantasy continues and in about a month, we will be able to reserve shore excursions, spa treatments, and making dining reservations for either or both of the adult only restaurants on board.  Palo and Remy are the two "top of the world" adult only restaurants perched on Deck 12 Aft of both the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.  Palo is also found on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.

Both restaurants serve a champagne brunch and a multi-course dinner.  We have eaten brunch in Palo twice and enjoyed it very much.  So, I am thinking that it might be a neat experience to have brunch at Remy.

Dining at Palo and Remy is an additional per person charge which varies depending on the restaurant and the meal--brunch or dinner.  Brunch is the least expensive option.

Brunch is only offered on "at sea" days on any of the ships.

Dinner at Palo is complimentary for Platinum level Castaway Club members.  I am envisioning that we may wait until reaching that level before we commit to dinner.

Have you dined at Palo and Remy?

Looking Forward To Gold Castaway Club Level Benefits

Our Welcome Back Stateroom Gift

One of the many things we are looking forward to on our next Disney cruise are the benefits of being Gold Castaway Club Members. Once a guest has sailed with Disney, they are are automatically Castaway Club Members.  Return cruises sailing on their 2nd through 5th cruise are considered Silver Level Castaway Club Members.  Gold level is for cruisers sailing on their 6th through 11th sailings and Platinum Level is for guest sailing for the 12th time or more.

Here's the chart of benefits based on Castaway Club Level:

	Silver Level	Gold Level	Platinum Level
Access to website and update emailsdisneycruise.com/castawayclub	X	X	X
Early Booking for shore excursions, Palo and the Spa	90 days before sailing	105 days before sailing	120 days before sailing
Members-only toll free number for booking your next Disney Cruise	X	X	X
Early booking opportunities for newest itineraries		X	X
Members-only line for boarding process	X	X	X
Welcome back stateroom gift	X	X	X
Savings on future cruises	X	X	X
Castaway Club reception with the ship's crew		X	X
Special shopping opportunities		X	X
Concierge priority boarding check-in			X
Special surprises just for Platinum members			X
Complimentary dinner at Palo			X

As Gold Level Members we will receive an invitation to the Castaway Club reception while on-board, typically held on an "at sea" day.

Ironically, we have been to this reception before, on our second sailing, as it was prior to the Castaway Club Levels and any return cruiser was invited to the reception.

Disney Cruise Line has the highest return cruiser rate in the industry, therefore it most likely became necessary to tier the benefits for return guests.

I am curious about the "special shopping opportunities" and are hopeful it includes discounts!

Guests are given a lanyard at check-in at the port representing the color of their Castaway Club level--Silver members have Silver lanyards, Gold members have Gold lanyards, Platinum members have a black/gray lanyard, and first time cruisers get a navy/red lanyard.  We have quite a collection of silver lanyards, but will be starting our gold collection.

Rumors on the web, also indicate that the "Welcome Back Stateroom Gift" now includes a tote bag with metallic stripes that coincide with Castaway Club Level.  I could definitely find use for a Disney Cruise Line tote bag with gold stripes!

The husband jokes that he can't wait to earn the "Diamond Encrusted" Castaway Club Level lanyard!

One Call To Our Travel Agent And Airline Tickets For Trip #12 Are Purchased

Airfare for trip #12 has been purchased.  For July?  Already?  Yes and yes!

Trolling airline prices, setting price alerts on Kayak, and even checking out a new airfare site, hipmunk.com keeps me in the loop for flight prices, times, trends, etc.  I was watching fares climb and then descend.  Everything in my gut said buy.  So, we did.  And, two days later the price climbed $65 per ticket. 

When I called our travel agent to make the purchase, she called me back just a few minutes later to let me know that the prices were a handful of dollars higher at an airport 60 miles closer than the one we were booking our flights to and from.  She said she might make more work for herself by telling me but wanted us to know.  (Oh, just another reason why we love her!) 

I told her that I already knew the prices for that airport but while the prices were only a bit higher, the times for the flights were not as good.  Early morning as compared to later in the morning; one requiring an overnight stay prior to flying as opposed to driving that morning.  She laughed and I thanked her for checking.

Buying airfare is like gambling and figuring odds of winning.  Knowing price trends for various airports, airlines, and destinations helps.  I have also found, after several trips, that there is also a cycle with flights out of various airports being better deals some years and then not so much other years. 

When I was visiting with our travel agent, I told her I thought it was funny that we booked the flights first and then will fill in the middle, though we already know what we want.  She didn’t think it was funny to do the flights first at all.   Let the planning begin!

Disney Vacation Plans for 2014 Are Taking Shape!

With Disney vacation plans for 2013 well in hand, it is time to start planning 2014.  The husband used to shake his head at this and mumble things like “let’s get this vacation over before you start another one” but he has since stopped saying stuff like this, at least at a volume I can hear.  He was even willing to have a conversation about tentative 2014 plans while driving to a soccer tournament.  What he has learned is that I am much happier with a Disney trip in my future and that planning IS part of the fun!

Here’s what we have got so far for 2014:

• A 7 night sailing on the Fantasy—Western Caribbean itinerary with a stop in Jamaica. 
• Discussions about flying in 2 days prior to our cruise rather than 1 day and stay at the Hyatt at Orlando International Airport for both nights. (I just can’t give up the easy and early access to the ship from the Hyatt)
• A day at Universal prior to sailing—hence the 2 day early arrival.  We haven’t been to Universal since 2008.  We could easily get a cab to and from as none of us want to drive!
• Days at Walt Disney World upon disembarking our ship.  The number of days/nights has yet to be determined and will most likely be decided by flight prices, availability, etc.  We know that we do have some limitations with work, etc.

All in all, it looks like a two week jaunt; very doable.

After as many trips as we have taken, we know what works, what we like, what is easy, etc.  For example, we could have a longer stay at the World if we added the number of days we wanted to stay at the beginning of our cruise, rather than at the end, but we just do not want to give up easy and early access to the ship from the Hyatt.  You see, if taking Disney transports—which we will—the buses leave Orlando International around 9:00 am, getting us to the Port Terminal early and giving us an early boarding group number which means getting on the ship earlier in the day.  If we took the same Disney transports from the parks and resorts, the buses pick up later in the day and have later arrival to the terminal and thus, later access to the ship.  I know, I know, we could get a town car service from the resort to the port, but since it isn’t Disney, the time of arrival to the port will be somewhat restricted with the system of port arrival times.

Also, getting from the ships to the resorts is easy, fast, and I don’t have to worry about TSA when packing!  Which means I have access to all of my toiletries while getting ready on the morning of disembarkation—bonus!  And, knowing that we are on our way to Walt Disney World makes getting off that beautiful ship less painful.

Obviously we still have some thinking and deciding to do, but the skeleton of our plans is in place.  And, what the husband doesn’t know yet is that plans for 2015 are also rolling around in my head!

Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Planning For Your Disney Vacation?

Planning for a Disney vacation is part of the fun, excitement, and anticipation.  I am an advocate of planning for a Disney vacation just like you would plan for any other vacation to a major tourist destination.  But can planning go too far?  When does planning cross the line into worrying about minute details?

Having been to Walt Disney World ten times (and number is 11 is a countdown away) and sailed with Disney five times, we have seen our fair share of touring and traveling styles.  Even our style has changed over time.  We have seen the guests at parks with their 3-ring binders and page protectors with touring plans highlighted and ready and we have also seen folks at the turn styles without a park map and without a camera—they forget it at home.  Now, each of these families is going to have a memorable times, but both may experience some frustration;  one by feeling that they have to follow the touring plan and the other because they will miss some things and feel like they “didn’t know”.  I will say that both families were at rope drop at Magic Kingdom so good for them that they made it to the park early—that in itself took some planning!

So, how do you find the balance?  Well, each family is going to find it for themselves but for us, finding the balance means we have some things decided before we even touch down in Orlando.  We know which park on which day and have our dining reservations made for any sit down or table service meals and special events.  We also know that we will arrive at the designated park in time for the park opening, so we know park hours.  Then, we grab a park map and Times Guide, plan the first 2-3 destinations or steps for our day and after that, we leave a wiggle room letting location, Fastpass return times, attraction waits, character appearances, and weather help us decide what is next.  I can tell you that we typically know where we are headed next prior to leaving an attraction.  We use any wait time before an attraction to help us figure out what is next rather than waiting until we exit.  Again, this works for us.

Some Walt Disney World guests plan extensively regarding their resort stay—location of their room, proximity to bus stop and/or main building, timing of luggage delivery, how much sun the pool gets during the day, etc.  Trust me, I have seen all of these questions asked by prospective Disney travelers. 

I will preface this with we love and appreciate the Disney transportation system.  We are happy to rely on Disney to schlep us and our luggage to and from the airport (click here to read more about Disney’s Magical Express Service) and throughout the Walt Disney World Resort—click here to read more about various transportation options at the resorts.  For others, this becomes a “control” issue and they prefer to drive themselves using personal vehicles or rental cars.

Click here to read more about using Disney's transportation system.

Now, having said that, we don’t typically worry about the location of our resort room and proximity to resort offerings.  Only one time the location of our room made a difference in our vacation and that was our second stay at Caribbean Beach, so we just haven’t returned to that resort.  Disney has done the math in terms of distances to and from food courts, pools, bus stops, etc.  One of their pillars is efficiency.  They want guests to have an enjoyable time, so they aren’t going to purposely make access to amenities and services difficult.  Therefore, I don’t spend a lot of time scouring resort layouts and determining the best location. 

Click here to read more about considerations for a smooth arrival day at your Disney Resort.

The balance in planning also applies to Disney Cruise Line.  Again, we have seen a variety of travelers from those just arriving at the ship with no plans to those who want to know the best location to watch the fireworks on Pirate Night or the best location for a stateroom.  For us, planning means having any port adventures or shore excursions reserved prior to our cruise and then reviewing each day’s activities in the Navigator and planning as we go.  (Click here to read more about Navigators.)  As far as the best place to watch the fireworks at sea, I would remind cruisers that the fireworks are a part of a show, a stage performance, and that if you can see and follow the show, then you will be able to view the fireworks. 

I certainly recommend planning to prospective Disney travelers as it will help you get the most out of your vacation and therefore your vacation dollar.   At the same time, trust that Disney will handle or can help with the small details so you can relax and enjoy your vacation!  No worries, you’re with Disney!

Will Santa Finds Us On The Ship?

“Will Santa find us on the ship?” was the question the boy posed last year at this time when considering how we were going to celebrate Christmas in 2012—on the Disney
Dream in the middle of the ocean.

Well, that time of year has arrived and the pondering has continued.  Will Santa find us on the ship?  This Santa’s helper hopes so!  But Santa typically doesn’t have to take the TSA into consideration, yet Santa’s helper certainly does!

No wrapped packages in checked bags.  Okay!  So, there is are some small wrapped packages doubled bagged in the sipper compartment on the inside lid of one of the carry on bags.

Santa started thinking about this in spring when Ridley Pearson, the author of the Kingdom Keepers series of books released the 5^th book in the series, Shell Game, which takes place on the Disney Dream.  Santa’s helper ordered the book from the local bookseller in the spring and has kept it hidden since.  The 6^th book in the series is due out April 2013, Dark Passage, and also takes place on a Disney cruise ship.

Santa then found a t-shirt at Wal-Mart on the clearance rack this summer that has the Little Green Men from Toy Story on it that glow in the dark.  That will surely fit in a stocking and doesn’t have to be wrapped.

Amazon had a great deal on 2” Mario figures—18 of them for less than $20 shipped.  They are now wrapped in a small, but almost exploding, box.  Santa also found a water proof watch on-line this summer.

Toys R Us had a great deal on Nintendo games so two new games—both Mario—were gathered for the boy’s new Nintendo 3DS XL that he got for his birthday.  Santa finished yesterday when finding two Angry Birds Star Wars plushies on sale at Amazon.

Santa had to think small, yet meaningful, and with little or no movie parts for easy storage and travel.  So, no Legos, even though we most likely will make a purchase at the Lego Store in Downtown Disney before returning home.  At least then, the package can stay closed until we get home.

When Santa was done, mom and dad had to consider a gift.  Enter mom’s bargain hunting skills and a Disney Universe game for the Wii found its way under the Christmas tree that was purchased in the summer when Best Buy offered the game for less than $8.  What is driving the boy batty is the big box for him under the tree.  His imagination is running wild considering all that it could be and of course he wants to open it or know when he can open it, since the typical “Christmas morning” answer won’t be one of the choices.  What’s in the box?  Pajamas!  Several pair including some footy jammies for now and some for warmer weather.  I’m thinking the Angry Birds footies will be the favorite.

This Santa’s helper has told my other helper the plan and shown the location of the “delivery” that will be in my hands for the journey. 

So, will Santa find us on the ship?  I sure hope so!  And, as Santa’s helper, I am doing all that I can to help.

The boy continues to speculate how Santa might get to the ship.  Magic is one of the best answers.  He also thinks that Santa’s sleigh can turn into a boat and the reindeer can be dolphins pulling the boat.  Good answer!

No matter how Santa finds us, our plan is to have a joyous and memorable holiday and we wish you and yours the same!

Planning Paradise Mail

Disney Cruise Line’s private island Castaway Cay is paradise!  The well themed island, located in the Bahamas, is a stop on most DCL itineraries.  We have been to Castaway Cay four times and plan on two more visits during our upcoming “double dip” 5 night cruise.

During a stop at Castaway Cay, I am planning on using the post office on the island.  No, not to ship purchases home or pay bills, but to mail a bit of paradise to our friends and family. 

Here’s my plan:  I used the image above on some custom invitations through VistaPrint.com.  (the post cards were too expensive and started in groups of 100)  I was able to put our names and a greeting on the back and had 20 of them sent to us with envelopes. 

We will then address each of the cards before leaving home, attach the return labels I had made for free at Walgreens.com, and then take them to the post office at Castaway Cay for a Bahamas’ post mark.

Then, I will check the Personal Navigator for times the post office is open on Castaway Cay and use cash to pay for postage. 

While we have been near the post office on Castaway Cay (it is often a character meet and greet location when not open) we have yet to use it for mail.

When I told the husband the plan, he just had a blank stare and said, “Okay.”  Little does he know that I plan on mailing one to our house, too.  Hoping for a little bit of paradise to find its way back to us in the middle of a Midwestern winter!

What Will Our Dining Rotation Be?

Our first night on the Dream dining at Animator's Palate.

A, E, R, R, A

What do those letters mean?  They are the letters for the dining rotation during our 5 night sail on the Disney Dream.  A is for Animator’s Palate, E is for Enchanted Garden, and R is for Royal Palace.  The letters represent the order we went to each dining room, so our first night on board was A for Animator’s Palate.

One of the questions guests sailing on a Disney Cruise want to know is what dining room they will be assigned to each night of their cruise.  Guests want to know so that they can schedule dining at Palo and/or Remy, the adult only restaurants that require a reservation.

Check out the letters for our Dining Rotation from a 7 night cruise on the Disney Magic--LAPPALP

But the ever elusive list of letters can only be found on guests’ Key to the World Card they receive when checking in for their Disney cruise and on the dining tickets in their stateroom.

The rotation of the dining rooms is done so that each guest experiences the regular menu or “show menu” for each main dining room, a Pirate Night menu in a dining room that is repeated in the rotation, and a farewell menu of some sort on the last night of the cruise. 

The other night, the husband and I were speculating about what the dining rotation would be for our upcoming cruise. He is convinced that Animator’s Palate will be our assignment for the first night.  I’m not so sure.  Here’s my thinking. . . Pirate Night will most likely be the day the ship docs in Nassau which is the second day of the cruise.  It is also Christmas Eve, making it even more of a choice for Pirate Night as what better night for fireworks at sea.  Therefore, whatever dining room we are assigned to for the second night, we will have to have again in the rotation for the regular menu or “show menu.”  Since the Pirate Night menu is the same in the three main dining rooms, it really doesn’t matter which dining room you are assigned to, per say, just a matter of preference.

There are pros and cons to being assigned to Animator’s Palate on the first night.  Pro—the show is entertaining and keeps the boy happy as the kids’ clubs don’t open until later on the first night.  Con—the show can be noisy making it difficult to hear the servers, especially if they have thick accents, and difficult to make conversation with your table mates on the first night. Click here to read more about dining in Animator's Palate on the Disney Dream.

When will we find out our dining rotation?  Not until we check-in for our Disney Cruise at the counter at Orlando International Airport prior to taking the bus to the port.  Until then, we can only guess.

Made Stateroom Door Decorations for Our Next Cruise

A map of our itinerary!

We are counting down the days until our Holiday Cruise on the beautiful Disney Dream, so I decided to design some decorations for our stateroom door.  Yes, you can decorate your stateroom door—click here to read more.

We use magnets to attach our decorations to our door, as it is metal.  I use the peel and stick magnetic tape on the back of the decorations.

I had fun creating the designs and it is even more fun to see how others have decorated their doors.  It also helps you find your stateroom in a corridor filled with doors that all look the same.

To make our designs I used Word and inserted images as well as word art, changing the font to Waltograph which can be downloaded onto your computer, playing with color, and layering the images.  Since this was done in Word, I had to then take screen shots of the pages, paste them into Paint and convert them to jpeg format for uploading into the blog so you could see.  I was also able to edit the images just like I would a photo.  So, I learned more technology today in making the designs and getting them ready to share in this post.

Our door designs get packed in the carry-on bag that goes onto the ship with us, as I want to get the door decorations on as soon as we get to our stateroom.  The decorations fit nicely into the zipper pocket located on the inside of the bag’s lid or top.

Made one of these for each of us--Donald and Captain Mickey are used for the other designs.

How do you decorate your stateroom door?

Disney Cruise is Paid In Full--Our Vacation is Getting Closer!

Whew!  We have now paid in full our 5^th Disney cruise!  And, almost a week early as the deadline for us as Silver Castaway Club Members was 90 days prior to the cruise—if we wanted to reserve our excursions at that time.  Otherwise, we actually had until 75 days prior to pay in full, but can’t book our excursions until the cruise is paid in full.

As if we weren’t excited before, this juncture has ramped up the excitement a bit.  The husband said he dreamt that he was in our stateroom being rocked to sleep twice last week!  The boy had a version of BBQ chicken pizza for dinner the other night that I had found in the frozen pizza section at the grocery store.  He thought it was okay, but it just wasn’t the same as he would find on the Disney Dream.

Our dinner conversation the other night was about the cruise we would book while on-board.  We are hopeful for a 7 night voyage on the Disney Fantasy the summer of 2014.  Our discussion became more about which stateroom to reserve.  Did we want to have the same stateroom again—that we would have had twice on the Dream—click here to read more—as the Dream and the Fantasy are laid out similarly, or another stateroom?  The husband voted for the same stateroom, if it is available.

While I agree that the same category of stateroom is wanted, I would like to try out the other side of the ship.  At that point, we would have sailed 5 times on the Port Side, or left side, of the ship.  The view is great, but I want to check out the view from the Starboard Side of the ship.  Well, if we sail on the Fantasy on the Port Side, it means we will have sailed on every Disney ship on the Port Side so we will just have to sail on every Disney ship on the Starboard.  Admirable goal, don’t you think?

Someone asked me what my favorite part was of a Disney cruise.  The question rendered me speechless.  It was so hard to pick out just one thing in an immersive, superlative experience.  I would have to say watching my family enjoy and savoring the small moments—character interactions, exquisite service, coming into our room each night anticipating the towel animal that will be on our bed.  After that, my favorites would be the anticipation and the planning;  knowing that with each small step we are closer to a marvelous Disney Cruise Line experience.

So, the countdown continues for our next Disney vacation!

100 Days 'Til Disney!

As I type this post, we are 100 days from our next Disney vacation!  This day marks a milestone—a marker of sorts that our Disney vacation is within reach.  Thank goodness! 

As proactive and avid planners, most of the details of our vacation have already been worked out.  Flights scheduled with a recent change in our return flights—for the better.  An overnight stay at the Hyatt at Orlando International Airport prior to our Disney cruise is reserved.  Our travel agent got us a great price and free breakfast!  Disney transfers from airport to port and port to resort have been added to our existing reservation.  Since we are staying on the ship in Nassau, the only Port Adventures to reserve involve floats and bikes for Castaway Cay.

Our Walt Disney World Resort is reserved along with Advance Dining Reservations for table service meals for the length of our stay.  Tickets are a part of our package.

Sounds like we are all set.  But are we really?  There are still some timelines that have to be met.

• 90 days.  Our cruise needs to be paid in full and we can register the boy for the Kids’ Club and reserve our Port Adventures.
• 45 days.  The Walt Disney World Resort portion of our vacation needs to be paid in full.
• 10 days prior to our Walt Disney World Resort stay we can check-in online.

Then there is the pre-purchase of the Photopass CD sometime prior to our trip.  And the packing, prepping, etc. 

None of the details are burdensome.  For me, it is exciting and exhilarating to plan a Disney vacation. 

Now, if the time would just go by faster.  99 days, 98 days, 97, 96, . . .

It's the "Glad Game" Until Our Next Disney Vacation

“It’s been six months since my last vacation,” I whined to the husband in the car the other night.  “I want our vacation to come soon.”  He lovingly listened and then informed me that we had a lot of (insert expletive here) to get through between now and then. Leave it to him to add even more ferocity to my hovering gray cloud rather than whisk it away with hope and levity.

He was right.  We do have some “stuff” to get through between now and then, but more than “get through” they are things we enjoy, anticipate, and look forward to.  Reframing in this way lessens the weight of obligations.

I live, work, and play with folks who experience stress and I am in that category.  What I have discovered over the years is that one definition of stress is when your heart isn’t where your body is.  A simple way to solve that is to put your body where your heart is—such as when my heart wants to be on vacation but my body can’t get there yet, but will soon enough! 

Another way is to choose activities that put your body and heart in the same location.  For example, I could sleep a little later each morning (okay, try to sleep later) rather than get up early and write for the Williams Family Blog, yet having the quiet time to compose is something my heart enjoys and therefore, making the time reduces stress.  I hear it is the same for people who exercise in the morning!

And, yet another way is to trick your mind—or reframe your thinking—that what your body is doing is what your heart wants too.  You know, when you are doing something and your mind is wandering to other things and you are creating the list in your head of all the other things you need/want to do or could be doing (I know it just isn’t me that does this).  Well, instead of having your mind wander, bring it back.  Become mentally present in what you are doing and find the pleasantness, even joy, in what you are currently doing.  It’s amazing what adjusting this mental state will do for stress.  Disney buffs may recall Polyanna and her “Glad Game.”  Even when there were so many things that Polyanna could be sad or mad about, she would find the good, the happy, the “glad.”

So, while our next Disney vacation is still months away, I am going to find the “glad” in the activities that lay ahead—visits to pumpkin patches, soccer games, a fall parade and celebration, a theater production the husband is directing, the boy’s 10^th birthday, and a trip to the “North Pole” via the Polar Express.  Oh, so many things to be “glad” about!

Dreaming, Planning, and Speculating About Our Upcoming Disney Cruise

Yesterday, the husband and I were walking and talking and speculating about adventures and plans we have for our next Disney cruise.  Since our itinerary has a double stop, also known as a “double dip” at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas, we were pleased to discover that our number of times at Castaway Cay will exceed our total Disney Cruise number after our next cruise.  Yeah!

I could go on and on about the beauty and paradise that is Castaway Cay. . . and have previously—click here to read more.  Bikes and floats seem to be in our agenda for our two days at Castaway Cay.

There was the movie speculation for flicks on the ship.  We are hoping for “Brave” but know that Disney likes to put summer movies out on DVD early in November for holiday purchase, so “Brave” may be out of the running.  The husband thought “The Avengers” might be showing.  There is nothing more decadent that taking in a movie at sea—click here to read more—and DCL’s ships are equipped to show the latest movies including 3D.

Pirate Night plans came next.  Our itinerary is Port Canaveral, Nassau, Day at Sea, Castaway Cay, Castaway Cay, with Christmas being our Day at Sea.  I’m predicting that Pirate Night will be the night we are in Nassau—which is also Christmas Eve—complete with Pirate Party, shows, and fireworks at sea.  Pirate Night festivities accompanied by the late night Pirate buffet featuring giant turkey legs as the boy is very much looking forward to having his own, is definitely on our list of must do’s. 

For us, planning our Disney vacation is part of the fun, excitement, and anticipation.  We try to make as many decisions as we can prior to our trip, so that our vacation stress is minimized.  Already, our flights have been changed for our departure day, but to our benefit and without cost, thank goodness!

Packing list is made, plans for ports are in the works, pre-cruise hotel reservations are made, transportation is booked, pet sitter is reserved, and snow removal from driveway is secured.  Oh, and the husband asked if I was going to make him his little cards to carry that have all of our information on them.  I told him I would and may make a set for the boy, too.—click here to read about the info cards.  Now, to count down the days!

Cruising Through The Holidays--Merchandise Preview

“Cruising Through The Holidays” could be anyone’s motto, but this year, it is Disney Cruise Line’s theme for merchandise on board all four ships from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2012.  Since we will be sailing during the holidays this year, it was great to get a sneak peek at merchandise offerings that we will find on the ship.

The “Cruising Through The Holidays” logo will be offered on t-shirts, mugs, etc.  I’m hoping for an art print and ornament to go with our collection—click here to read more about what we collect.

Speaking of ornaments, the above design will be featured on ornaments for purchase and as I understand, is available on the ships now, as many folks purchase a commemorative ornament to bring home.  You can even have the Captain sign the ornament during signing events held on-board—click here to read more about Captain signing events.

Want to purchase some Disney Cruise Line holiday inspired sleepwear while sailing?  No problem.  DCL has just the ticket with a collection of flannel sleepwear. 

We are bringing our own for sleeping and photo purposes.  I found flannel Mickey PJ’s for the husband and son last winter on sale and those along with my bright red Mickey robe and slippers are already on the packing list for our trip.

This isn’t our first holiday time cruise, as we have sailed over New Year’s on the Disney Magic in Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010.  This will be our first holiday on the Disney Dream and our first Christmas at sea.

To commemorate the occasion, we had the above shirts made.  And, it has already been decided that our Santa hats will be worn with these shirts for our boarding photo.  The boy asked to bring his reindeer headband, too.  We all get into the fun and spirit of the holidays!

The husband and the boy wearing reindeer antlers November 2010.

Williams Family decked out in Santa Hats November 2009.

Disney Cruise Line Makes Adjustments to Itineraries Sailing From Galveston

Disney Cruise Line announced changes to the itineraries for the Disney Magic sailing out of Galveston, Texas.  While the Magic doesn’t arrive in Galveston until September 22—a month from now, DCL is making adjustments to itineraries for early 2013 sailings.

Three 8-night Western Caribbean itineraries are being replaced by six 4-night sailings that stop in Cozumel, Mexico and include 2 days at sea.  Six 8-night itineraries will visit Disney Cruise Line’s private island, Castaway Cay, Port Canaveral, Key West, and include 4 days at sea.  Cruise fare includes park admission and ground transportation to/from Walt Disney World during the stop at Port Canaveral.

Guests with current cruise reservations are being contacted regarding the changes by DCL and travel agents.  Reservations will open September 5, 2012, for new reservations for the revised itineraries.

While the Magic makes Galveston its home part for fall 2012 and early 2013, the Wonder will be coming to Galveston later in 2013.  Will the Wonder’s itineraries be adjusted as well?

When DCL first announced the Galveston and Miami itineraries, there was a glaring lack of inclusion of stops at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas.  We’ve sailed on itineraries that didn’t include a stop at Castaway Cay and boy, did we ever miss it!  Adding stops at Castaway Cay on the adjusted itineraries is good news.

DCL is demonstrating that they can turn a cruise ship, or at least a cruise itinerary on a dime.  Looking at market trends and anticipating guest wants/needs and making adjustments to better meet guest demands is a smart move.  Both for the Disney Cruise Line brand and the bottom line. 

While we aren’t planning on sailing out of Galveston, we are familiar with the area.  When DCL first announced Galveston as a home port, we wondered about which airport ground transfers would serve—George Bush Intercontinental in North Houston, Hobby Airport in South Houston, or the smaller airport in Galveston.  I did find out on DCL’s web-site that ground transfers are $60 per person for the Galveston sailings vs. the $70 per person for ground transfers from Orlando International to Port Canaveral.  Also, DCL is advertising pre-cruise stays near George Bush Intercontinental Airport and in Galveston.  Nothing mentioned about hotels near Houston Hobby Airport.

Guests who may be flying Southwest or Airtran, take note, as both fly into Houston Hobby rather than Houston Intercontinental.  There may be other airlines in the same boat, so to speak.

"Are You Getting Excited?"

“Are you getting excited?” our travel agent asked when I phoned her yesterday to update our credit card information—it had expired—as she will be making our ADR’s on Monday and would need the updated information for the credit card hold on our reservations.  She was glad I had called to take care of that little detail as she would have hit a stumbling block on Monday and would have needed to contact me to get the information.

Anyway, we had a good chat and she posed the question stated earlier.  My response, “Yeah, we are excited, but our trip is still about six months away.”  It was a less than enthusiastic response and it made me consider our level of excitement.

When I stopped to think I realized that I am more excited than my response sounded.  We already have two new sets of shirts for our upcoming trip and ADR’s planned and will be made shortly.  While the actual packing hasn’t physically begun, it has mentally.  A shirt for the boy hanging on the hook of the bedroom door is an indication of things to come.

The husband is already counting down to sleeping on the sea.  He loves being rocked to sleep by the ocean and said he can’t wait to walk by a massive Christmas tree every day and see and smell a big Gingerbread house.  He was also talking about being in the ocean at Castaway Cay.  He may be more excited than I had originally thought.

I then told him that we could take some time while at Walt Disney World and view the holiday decorations at various resorts.  He was game!

The boy has already planned his time in the kids’ club.  He got new swim goggles and we talked about how they could go with us on our trip and be used at Castaway Cay. 

“Are you getting excited?”

They key word in the question is “getting” and the answer is “yes” and a little bit more every day!

Plans Coming Together For Next Disney Vacation

Our next Disney vacation is about 200 days away.  So close and yet so far!  Plans are well underway and flights are booked.

The trip includes a 5 night cruise on the Disney Dream.  We will be flying in the day before and staying overnight at the Hyatt at Orlando International Airport.  It is so easy and convenient to stay there as luggage is handled for us and we get up the next morning, go downstairs at the airport and catch a bus to the port.

After disembarking, we are heading to Walt Disney World for a 3 night stay at Coronado Springs.  We have a 1 day park ticket, as in order to add the dining plan to our stay, we had to purchase at least a one day ticket.  We plan to use that ticket in Hollywood Studios.  Downtown Disney and the resort pool are on our list of things to do.

Our travel agent has our ADR’s or Advanced Dining Reservations requests.  One favorite, one familiar, and one new restaurant are planned.  Keeping our fingers crossed that we are able to get the days/times/restaurants we want as we are traveling during a busy time of year.

In addition to looking forward to the trip, there’s the anticipation of booking our next Disney vacations while we are there.  Most likely, we will rebook our next cruise while on board and I think it is unanimous that we want to try the Disney Fantasy next.  Then, there’s the opportunity for a “bounce back” special while we are staying at Walt Disney World which gives a discount for booking your next Disney World stay at a discount if you reserve before you leave.  This, too, can lead to significant savings.

Disney dreaming is a favorite past time for our family.  And, as I have told the husband many times, I am much happier when I have a Disney trip in my future!