Disney Dream January 22, 2018 - 4 Day Bahama Cruise

Happy Monday and Happy 4th of July everyone!
We have 28 Monday's until our cruise!
This week's forget me not is pirate costumes.pirate: ARGH!
Dressing up on pirate night is not just for the kids. Everyone gets into it. So if you are pondering over whether or not to get a costume for yourself because you are worried that you will be the only adult dressed up, then you can stop worrying. Not only do adults dress up, but some of them go more over the top than the kiddos.
My costumes have ranged from Tinkerbell, to a pirate fairy, to a regular pirate. And this year I will be a pixie pirate or a pirate fairy.
My family does not leave the pirate garb to just pirate NIGHT, we are in the pirating spirit all day. We all have our pirate themed shirts to wear during the day to help with our pirate mood.
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Have a great week!

~Tink~
 
Happy Monday....We only have 27 Mondays to go!

The Mondays forget me not for this week is about Tipping or Gratuities.

Tips are added to your on board account automatically. If you would prefer to give the tips in cash personally to your room steward and wait staff, you can stop by guest services and ask for those charges to be removed from your account.

You will receive a sheet with suggested tips for each of the CMs that were assigned to you, and an envelope for each in you cabin Thursday night. I would suggest if you are planning on giving cash (or plan on adjusting the amount of the tip for any of your CM's), visit the guest services early on in the cruise, because once the tally for your on board account and your tipping sheets arrive in your room the lines at guest services begin to get very long. Actually the closer to the end of the cruise we get, the longer the lines will become. Guest service will also be able to make change for larger bills, which makes dividing up your tips much easier.

For planning purposes, I am including the recommended tipping below. You may also find a Disney tipping calculator HERE.

Server - $4 a day (=$16) per person ($16 x # of guests)
Assistant Server - $3 a day (=$12) per person ($12 x # of guests)
Head Server -$1 a day (=$4) per person ($4 x # of guests)
Stateroom Attendant - $4 a day (=$16) per person ($16 x # of guests)

This basically breaks down to $48 per person.
All amounts are suggested, and it is at your discretion, based on service, whether the CM's deserve more, less, or the suggested amounts.

A few other tipping reminders:
- a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine, and deck service tabs. These gratuities can be charged to your shipboard account during your sailing.
- Tipping for room service is at your discretion. We normally plan to tip $1 to $2 each time we order room service. This is something you give at the time the room service is delivered.
- Tips for the porters when arriving at the port and when departing from the port. We typically tip $1 per bag. There are some ports that do not allow you to tip the porters. Port Canaveral is not one of those ports.

~ Tink ~
 
Happy Monday everyone!!
We are down to only 26 Mondays until our vacation.
Monday Forget Me Not for this week is about not forgetting the date.
The dates for pre-booking and online check-in are quickly approaching, and if your cruise is paid in full you will be able to take advantage of them.

So, check your calendar and mark the date that fits your family.

:beach:Only 185 days until we set sail! :boat:
And even fewer days until you can start making your reservations: **Note - Platinum, Gold, and Silver refer to levels of the Castaway Club (you will automatically be a member after your first Disney cruise and will start as a Silver member)

Platinum/Concierge- 120 days out (Thursday - September 24)
Gold- 105 days out (Friday - October 9)
Silver- 90 days out (Saturday - October 24)
new cruisers-75 days out (Sunday -November 9)

Who else is getting excited?:wave:

~ Tink ~
 
Hi all! This is our second Disney cruise! Last time we went around the same time and we are staying in the exact same cabin too! Haha guess we loved it some much we didn't want to change. It will be myself, my DH(Steve)and our two children Nathan (8) and Aubrey (3). We are from WI so we are exited to get away during the winter months. Any FE lists going? We loved participating last time! :sail:
 


Hi all! This is our second Disney cruise! Last time we went around the same time and we are staying in the exact same cabin too! Haha guess we loved it some much we didn't want to change. It will be myself, my DH(Steve)and our two children Nathan (8) and Aubrey (3). We are from WI so we are exited to get away during the winter months. Any FE lists going? We loved participating last time! :sail:
Welcome to the group DisneyFamilyWI!
:welcome::welcome::welcome:
We do not have a FE started yet, but we could get one started if you would like.
Sounds like you are a victim of DCLaholic!!! I tell everyone considering a Disney cruise for the first time to be very careful. Disney Cruises are addictive.
I will get you added to the roll call, and wait to hear back from you about the FE.
Also, I missed my Monday Forget Me Not's yesterday, so keep an eye out for that later today when I get all caught up on my To Do List!:surfweb::o

~Tink~
 
Happy day after Monday everyone! I forgot about the Forget Me Nots yesterday. :sad2: Sorry about that.

We now have only 25 Mondays to go.

The Forget Me Not for this week is your 'Water Bottles'!

On Disney cruises, non-alcoholic drinks are free (well, aside from the smoothies, and specialty coffees). When you are not in one of the dining rooms and you are feeling a bit parched, you can head over to the drink station to quench your thirst.

You have a large range of choices available. Disney carries Coke products, so your sodas will be coke brand (such as sprite, coke, diet coke and so on). You also can get fruit punch, water, and all different varieties of tea. There is even hot water for coffee and cocoa (packets are available).

Disney does have small (8 oz) cups available at the station for both warm and cold drinks. When thirst strikes me, however, I need a little bit more than 8 oz. Well, to be honest, I need a lot more. Just in water alone, I drink about a gallon and a half every day. My husband, on previous cruises, drank somewhere between what would be 12 to 18 cups of soda (not including dinner) everyday. :drinking1:drinking1:drinking1:drinking1:drinking1
*Side note - He has cut way back on how much soda he drinks each day, so he will not take in as much on this cruise.....I hope.
If we had been using the small 8 oz cups, we pretty much would have had to set up camp at the drink station. And because they want you to get a new cup each time you come up, we would have gone through way to many cups. :eek:

So, what to do.......
Make sure you pack a refillable sports bottle or cup for each person in your family. We typically do the water bottles with the straws that I paint for our crew. Last cruise our TA also sent us insulated mugs with lids. These were great for hot beverages. I liked the water bottles for all our other drinks because you can get the kind with a clip on loop, and you can hang them on your lanyard.

*another side note- If you want to get the drink of the day, you can transfer it to your water bottle. Which will then safe guard against any spills!!!

Oh, and if you are coming to the Wine tasting, you can bring your cup along, and fill it up with your favorite before you leave the cabin, and no one will know what your sipping on!!!!!

Basic hygiene rules do apply. Please rinse your cup out between uses. Do not touch the top of your bottle/cup up against the soda nozzle. And, please fill the little kids cup/bottle up for them.

Have a great week!

~Tink~
 


Happy Monday Everyone!!!
We have 24 Mondays until we set sail!:sail::boat:::yes::

Today's For Get Me Not is all about Curb Appeal.

There are 1,250 staterooms on the Disney Wonder, and it is easy to get lost or even just walk past your cabin (that is why we like to get the cabin at the end of a hall ::yes::). Plus it is also possible to suffer from cabin door envy ;).

What in the Great Wide World of Disney am I talking about? For those of you who guessed door magnets, you are right. It is time to start thinking about how you are going to decorate your door. We are just a little over 5 months away from our cruise, and 2 of those months are busy holiday / family time months. When the summer ends, time will start to fly. So, if there is something you want to make, believe me, you will want to get started sooner rather than later. And if you are going to order something, keep holiday shipping times in mind.....Ok, I will get off my soap box and move on....
- Check it out this post to see some of our door decorations.
The only items Disney allows you to adorn your door (both inside and out) with is magnets.
.....and yes we decorate inside as well as outside!
And I know the word 'ONLY' typically means there are constraints, and you will be limited in what you can do. No worries. If you can imagine it, and put a magnet on it, ....OH, and you keep it Disney (not as in the sense that you have to use Disney themes, but as in the sense of G rated).....you can decorate with it.

Door decorations serve several purposes.
1. You get to show off your Disney side, your creative side, or heck, your families uniqueness. :eeyore::darth::ccat::earboy2::charac4::stitch2::tinker:
2. It makes it easy to find your cabin :confused3 :magnify:.
3. Get a group together that wants to have a door decorating contest, and have a chance to win with your awesome design!
4. Put a dry erase board out to leave messages for family and friends.
5. Share what you're celebrating with everyone.
....and so on. I am sure there are more, but I am going to stop there so y'all can share your decoration ideas.

With all that said, please do not mistake my encouragement as a must do. If door decorations won't fit into your planning, it is okay. This is not one of those hidden parts of the cruise contract that you need to read before leaving for the airport. It is just a suggestion. I also wanted to let our 1st timers know that door decorating is a thing. Speaking of, if your interest is peeked :scratchin, do a search for Disney Cruise door decorations. I will also try to find some pics I haven't shared yet for inside and out side decorations.

Okay.....share your ideas, and have a great week.

~Tink~
 
Hi Pixiehallow! Thank you for taking on sharing all of this information. I am a first time cruiser (and new to the boards), so its been fun researching. Your enthusiasm is contagious and very much appreciated!
:dancer:
 
Hi Pixiehallow! Thank you for taking on sharing all of this information. I am a first time cruiser (and new to the boards), so its been fun researching. Your enthusiasm is contagious and very much appreciated!
:dancer:
Your welcome! I'd talk Disney / travel all day long if I could.
Are you sailing with us on the 22nd, lh105107? If so, I have at least 24 more cruising tips in store for you.
I have a word of warning for you though. It is not just my enthusiasm that is contagious, so is my Disney Cruise addiction!
If you have any questions, or need any help, let me know what I can do to help.

~Tink~
 
Your welcome! I'd talk Disney / travel all day long if I could.
Are you sailing with us on the 22nd, lh105107? If so, I have at least 24 more cruising tips in store for you.
I have a word of warning for you though. It is not just my enthusiasm that is contagious, so is my Disney Cruise addiction!
If you have any questions, or need any help, let me know what I can do to help.

~Tink~

Yes! My family and I are doing a land and sea, visiting WDW first. Then the cruise. I'm a part of a few Disney Cruise groups on Facebook, and I am a part of our fb group. Which is where I heard about this page. I knew that groups form here as well, but didn't really plan on joining. But when I saw all of your posts, I knew I had to join.

I'm a big researcher, so its been fun learning about it all. However, I did end up needing a travel agent for help with WDW. Its changed so much since our last visit, and we are used to DLR. Which is so quaint compared to WDW lol. I was really nervous for a cruise (for not being on land for so long), but I'm sure it will be amazing. I've already include a placeholder in the budget...one less choice to consider later.
 
Yes! My family and I are doing a land and sea, visiting WDW first. Then the cruise. I'm a part of a few Disney Cruise groups on Facebook, and I am a part of our fb group. Which is where I heard about this page. I knew that groups form here as well, but didn't really plan on joining. But when I saw all of your posts, I knew I had to join.

I'm a big researcher, so its been fun learning about it all. However, I did end up needing a travel agent for help with WDW. Its changed so much since our last visit, and we are used to DLR. Which is so quaint compared to WDW lol. I was really nervous for a cruise (for not being on land for so long), but I'm sure it will be amazing. I've already include a placeholder in the budget...one less choice to consider later.
Awesome!!! Well Welcome to the group.
:welcome::welcome::welcome:
I would love to help you plan both. We originally planning to do a land and sea, but I lost out on the vote, and we changed our reservations from the park to the boat for a back to back!
I love the parks as well. Our last trip, we wanted to something a little different, so we went resort hopping. We spent an entire day visiting each resort, and riding all of the different forms of transportation (before the monorail break down, and just before...just before a hurricane). We learned and saw so many new things. I really had a blast.
Any who, I guess you can tell I like to talk about the parks as well. :hyper2:
So, did you sign up for the mixology in the other group?

~Tink~
 
Yes, I can tell. Haha But I'm excited to have another resource to ask questions!

No, my husband and I don't plan on doing that class. We don't plan on putting our daughter in the nursery, so we'll be hanging out together.
 
Yes, I can tell. Haha But I'm excited to have another resource to ask questions!

No, my husband and I don't plan on doing that class. We don't plan on putting our daughter in the nursery, so we'll be hanging out together.
Family time is actually my favorite time on our cruises. One of our rules is everyone has to have breakfast and dinner together, and then we have a traditional family time on Castaway Cay! Ours are older, so we have to carve out family time, which is always the best part of my day.

~Tink~
 
Family time is actually my favorite time on our cruises. One of our rules is everyone has to have breakfast and dinner together, and then we have a traditional family time on Castaway Cay! Ours are older, so we have to carve out family time, which is always the best part of my day.

~Tink~
That makes sense. I know it will change once she gets older. Bye! Have fun in the clubs lol
 
I have a very busy day tomorrow, so if I don't get a chance to hop on and wish everyone a happy Monday, I am saying it now....
Happy (early) Monday!
If I miss tomorrow, I will get the Forget Me Not up on Tuesday.
Until then, I thought everyone would enjoy an interesting distraction. I came across a fun article today....8 Best Cruise Cocktails (one of which is found on a Disney Cruise). Here is the list, and here is a link to the article (8 Best Cruise Cocktails article). Enjoy and I will be back with your next item to remember soon.

  1. Cucumber Sunrise, Carnival Cruise Line
  2. Jalapeno Martini, Holland America Line
  3. The Isaac, Princess Cruises
  4. Coco Loco, Royal Caribbean
  5. High Tide, Disney Cruise Line
  6. Martini Flight, Celebrity Cruises
  7. Kiss on the Lips, Carnival
  8. Rebellious Fish, Norwegian Cruise Line
~Tink~
 
Happy Monday! I was able to squeeze a few minutes out to let everyone know.....
We only have 23 Mondays until our cruise!!!!
This weeks Forget Me Not is about candy and snacks.
I was reminded of this little treat, that is over looked more often than not, while I was prepping for a recent little turn around trip to Disney World.
I love Disney as much as any other fanatic, but I also know they waaaaaaaaay over price things. That is true for candy and snacks on board as well. And finding that must have candy bar or energy drink in port is not always easy either. So, if you are a chocoholic like everyone in my cabin, you may want to plan ahead to pack your favorite chocolate item. In our luggage, you will typically find a bag or 2 of M & M's (the type depends on the time of year....mint for Christmas time, the special Easter ones when traveling in March or April, and so on) and possibly some peanut butter cups or kisses. This year, we are thinking about a special room make over that will include a basket with chocolate bars attached to mini light sabers, and other fun nerf herder themed candy items.
For those asking "Well I have heard about cruise food. You have food available all hours of the day. What do you need to bring your own for?" Let me answer that with another question. Do you have a family member that has something they LOVE to snack on, and substitutions just won't do? If so, plan for those snack attacks. Also, I have B12 vitamin drinks that give me the energy to go from 8 AM to 1 AM every day. I can't find those on Disney, and I would be to pooped to keep going at that pace after day 2 with out it. And I know some cruisers that just can not do with out their specialty coffee. Yes, you will find free coffee on board, but if you want specialty coffee, it will cost you dearly. You can save by planning ahead and bringing some instant packs.
One secret for those wanting to bring extra items that they do not want to lug in their suitcase is to mail your items to the boat (actually to the port, but it will be delivered to you on board). If you are interested in shipping items (such as snacks, diapers, etc), you can call the port Canaveral, or your travel agent.
Have a good week!

~Tink~
 
Fish Extender! :fish:


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-dC6qUdbo0O1Cdwj9N8owSqq0payPYcrcvoxxHku6Ys

I started this with another person on the FB group if anyone wants to join. I'm planning on joining more than one group because on this list there is only 10 per group and "I want more"!:tink:

Bought so cool stuff already this week on sale!! :cool1:
Did you get my message? I PMed you about your post. Please post and let me know yes or no on the receiving. I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you!!

~Tink~
 

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