Roll Call 9/23/2006

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

Good to hear from you again.

I think we will be going to Costa Maya. I have read recently that Cozumel has made big improvements but still has several months to go to be ready. I know they deepnd on the tourists there so they are going as fast as they can, but I dont think it will be ready for us. I wish it would beready since we have not been there yet.

We were at Costa Maya last December and it was nice. It had the longest pier I have ever seen to walk down. they did have a little tram you could ride, but we walked. It is just a lot longer than the normal ones we have seen.

At the end of the Pier there are beach chairs at the beach area, but it is so rocky you cant get to the water there. There are several small shops there too with a large free pool in the middle with a swim up bar and plenty of lounge chairs. But it is 100% in the sun, so bring the sun screen if you use it. I believe it is a salt water pool. It was quite pretty when we were there, but nobody was in it as it was cloudy and sprinkling at the port. We did the Chaucchoben ruins tour through DCL and it is an hours ride inland where it was sunny and warm all day. It was an excellant tour and I do recommend it to anyone who is interested in that sort of thing. I think some young kids might get bored at least with the long ride. They cant really understand the significiance of what they are seeing. Our GK's loved it and they are 11 and 14. But we loved it.

I know there is a small fishing village about 1 1/2 miles from the port I dont remember how to spell it, something like Mahual, anyway you can buy a bus ticket to ride to there or take a cab. All of the private tours start from there and I heard the shops there are cheaper and the people are very friendly too. Next time we will go there to explore, we didnt have time last trip. The port area wa sonly 4 years old when we were there, so it is small but still growing. You are advised not to wonder away from the village or shopping areas. It is all thick vegetation and you could be very easy prey for the wrong type of people, if you get my drift. But the tourist areas are safe.

I would like to see Cozumel, so i will be happy either way. Of course we have another hurricane season to come through so who knows if any other ports may have damage or we may be re routed to another port for safety reasons if a storm is forming. That happens a lot during hurricane season. So i am going with an open mind that we will have fun no matter where we go, I'm just happy to be on the ship!!!

I have a friend that is on the Magic this week for here first cruise ever. i cant wait to hear back from her. I know she is having a blast with her family.

Since you have been to Cozumel, do you have any suggestions for excursion there? Any tips or advise just in case we go there. I'd love to hear them.

Take care,

Kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Hi Kathy!

 

The first time we went to Cozumel (with DCL) we did the Tulum Ruins tour. It was really interesting and Tulum was beautiful but it was a LONG day and it was a very HOT day with very little shade at the ruins. What a day to forget my sunglasses! We boarded a ferry at the end of the dock, took it to the mainland (Playa Del Carmen??) and took a bus from there. Half-way through the ride, our driver stopped at a place that had (slightly scary) public restrooms and a souvenir shop. The ride was over an hour. We got to the site and boarded a tram from a tourist village (gift shops with VERY aggressive hawkers, a couple of bars, a restaurant or two) and did our tour. Our guide was WONDERFUL!! We ordered our Mayan "Astrology" chart on the bus as well as a souvenir book. By the bus ride home everyone who ordered a chart received them and their books. It was about $25-30 for both of us. DH is really into Mayan culture so we had to do it. They also took our picture and on the ferry back you had the option to purchase the photo. It was a nice souvenir. Funny story, though, on the way back I found a really cool batik t-shirt that I was ready to buy but they didn't have my size (I'm full-figured and the shirts ran very small). The guy in the shop, bless his heart, kept lowering the price. The t-shirt went from $30 to $10 but if I couldn't wear it what good would it do me? LOL!

 

After taking the bus back to the coast and the ferry back to the port, we did a little shopping on the main street that is right on the water. I was wishing for more time to shop but I didn't want to miss Mexicalifragilistic....(which is now Pirate night) so we went back to the ship to shower for dinner. We entertained the thought of going back to town after dinner but the party was too fun to leave.

 

The second time we went to Cozumel (with HAL -- Disney wins HANDS DOWN, BTW) our plan was to take a taxi to Chankanaab and go snorkeling on our own (much cheaper than the ship's excursion) but the waters were very rough that day and all of the ships water excursions were cancelled. We had to tender in with HAL because the docks were all full. We ended up just going shopping all day (which is good fun in Coz, especially when you add in 2-for-1 Margaritas and the best quacamole I've EVER tasted at Pancho's Backyard. Los Cinco Soles (the shopping area where Pancho's is located) was definitely the highlight of the day. The restaurant is in the back of the shopping center. It is so pretty inside with terracotta, white stucco, Mexican hand-painted tile and the whole place is open air (but mostly covered). It was such a fun part of the day. I can still close my eyes and be Right There. It's one of those kinds of places.

 

I did a Google search to make sure it had survived Hurricane Wilma and apparently it is alive and kicking (with a new facade). Some day we will get back there!

 

Sadly, Chankanaab apparently suffered terrible damage with the hurricane so, even if we do end up in Coz, I don't think this will be an option. :-( It is not scheduled to open for months and even then it will be pretty beat up. If we end up in Coz, I'm not sure what we'll do but Pancho's Backyard will definitely be on the agenda!!

 

Like you said, though, anything could happen and I'm going to just go with the flow and make the best of whatever ports we end up in.

 

:-)

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

It looks like which ever port we go to we will all be having fun. They both have a lot to offer from what I can tell. I cant believe it is March already, that is one month closer to the cruise!!! I have so much to do that time will really fly by. We are moving to Fruitland Park Florida towards the end of the month. It is about 80 miles from here. But every weekend we are going over and painting the inside, putting up wall paper borders, adding new medicine cabinets, and ceiling fan lights. Then we will move little stuff over and when we fianlly make the move it should be pretty easy. It is a new home, so the paint job is good, but we thought it would be nice to add some color to the walls before we move in. We both hate plain white walls and we didnt want to have to paint around the furniture. Of course in new homes they dont put light fixtures in the bedrooms, living room, family room so we have that to do too. Good thing my husband has built custom homes most of his life and now works for a builder so he knows how to do all of this stuff. I just sit back and supervise from my folding chair!! I'm good at that. Actually I do the easier painting and taking switchplates on and of the walls. My husband is a perfectionist and I am not so I just follow his lead.

Anyway all this work, then moving and getting re -established will pass time until we cruise. I will be ready for a relaxing cruise by the time it gets here.

My friend is on the Magic right now,it is her first cruise. I cant wait to read her trip report when she returns this weekend. That will get me extra excited for this cruise too!!!

Hope you are having a great week,

kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa and Angela,

i am just bumping us up again so hopefully someone new will see us and join in our thread.

Have a great week,

mom x4,grandma x4

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

I hope all is well with you and your family.

We are still keeping busy getting ready to move, so much to do! I hate moving and we will be glad when it is done!! We still have alittle painting to do this weekend and we will take 2 truck loads over and put away.

Then on the 24th we have hired movers to move all the heavy furniture. So we wont have to do that at least.

We have been playing the radio a lot while we were working and we hav eheard several songs that we hav ehear dont he cruises we have been on. That was nice because it brings back memories of what we were doing at the time we heard the songs. Plus it got us to thinking about going on this cruise too!! I cant wait. Time is flying by for us, since we have been so extra busy. As soon as we get settled in I am going to make at least 4 door signs.

take care,

kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Hi Kathy!

 

Just think....in just over a week you'll be moved in!! I think that's just the most stressful thing to deal with.

 

I love the idea of making Door Signs. On my previous cruises I was regretting that I didn't make any when I would see other people's doors looking so cute. I'm even thinking of finding out all of the stateroom numbers of the friends we're traveling with and surprising them all with a door sign. (It's only 3 other couples at this point so that shouldn't be too hard). I do graphic design for a living so I'm really going to have fun with these!

 

I found a thread about door signs somewhere and I wish I had bookmarked it. I think it was on the DISboards. So many great ideas! I can't wait to get started (but I really need to get caught up on my scrapbooks first. I'm sooooo behind on those!!)

 

Have a great day and try to stay sane through your move!

 

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

I just sat down for lunch and logged on and BINGO, up popped a notice that I had a post from you. That was such a nice surprise for me.

I think it would be a great idea to make signs to surprise your friends on board. My grandaughter did that for my husband. He took some very unflattering picture of her on a previous cruise where she fell asleep on a boat on the way back from an eco hike on st. thomas. So I got a picture of him one a rescent cruise where he fell asleep on deck 4 of the Magic with his mouth wide open. It was great !!! I sent her a copy to have as sort of a revenge for what grandpa had done to her. So on our last cruise they were along and she made a door sign with that picture on it. it covered 1/2 the page and underneath she wrote,

Here's my grandpa on deck 4,

Oh my, how he can snore!!!!

If you see him on the ship,

Please tell him you saw this!!!

Love Ana

Well she showed it to him about day 2 and he thought it was great, but then people started stopping him and telling him they had seen the sign, it was hilarious. I'll bet he'll think twice before he takes her picture again!!

 

We have spent all weekend the past 3 weekends painting the inside of our new home. I like color, not just white walls. Then last weekend we painted and took over 2 large truck loads of stuff and put it away. This weekend will be the same accept there is only one room and one hallway to paint, so i will do that while Greg assembles ceiling fans and puts them up and replaces all the cheap light fixtures they put in new homes. They are so UGLY!!! Then on the 24th the movers will come. It will be so much easier this time since I will have most things already put away before the take the furniture It is just too much for me anymore to do it all at once.

I still have afew more things to pack this afternoon. Every evening now I sit down with a hot cup of tea and have a good visit with my new best friend, Mr. Ben Gay!!! He is very helpful lately!!!

 

Well I'd best finish lunch and get busy again. I have to pace myself due to health issues I have, so it takes me forever it seems to get things done. i have to be hooked up to a medical pump for a few hours each day, which really slows me down, guess I shouldn't complain, because without it, I wouldn't be here to complain.

We are still around 80 most days, guess we are getting adjusted to nice weather before the cruise gets here. I just can't wait to be on the Magic again.

I will be off line from next friday for about a week until they hook us up again. I will check in after I am up and running again. keep me posted on those signs, I am always ready to hear some good ideas. i want to make at least 4 of them this time.

take care,

kathy

[ryan759]

Wife, daughter & I are going on this trip as well. We’ve all been on a few cruises now including a 4 day on the Disney Wonder. The 21st is our daughters 11th birthday and Disney really makes the kids feel special (the 23rd is close enough isn’t it?!?). Disney was GREAT when we went a few years ago and we’re looking forward to all the improvements with the DumboTron and all! We’ll see you all there!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

i just wanted to let you know I am all moved and back on line again.

I hope all is going well for you.

we are tired, but almost done unpacking. i wont get much done today because most of the boxes are full of things that go in my china closet and I cant get the shelves to fit back in to 2/3 rds of it. So I will have to wait until my husband gets home and can help me. I am so glad to be done with moving.

Now I can think about cruise things!!!

I saw a scrap booking store yesterday. i am going to check it out and see if it has anything for my door signs. But I wont have the time to get over there until next week.

Right now I am waiting for my dishwasher and washer and dryer to be delivered. Boy do I have a lot of laundry to catch up on after it gets hooked up.

well I have to get back to work, so I'll sign off now, but i will post again soon. Have a great week,

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Ryan 759,

welcome aboard!!! it is great to have a new person on our thread. Your going to love the Dumbotron movie screen. it's awesome.

Lisa and I are the only current posters on this site, and of course you too. But I also have a thread for this cruise at www.disboards.com We have 8 or 9 families there. Your welcome to come over there too and get to know others besides Lisa and myself. There are lots of people with families on the other thread. Some with kids close to your childs age. I dont know if your child would be interested but they have a PM service there and lots of kids PM each other to get aquainted. That way they can have a friend waiting on board when they arrive. If your interested please post on the other thread and ask if anyone has a child who would like to do this. Our granddaughter does this everytime and just loves it.

Your birthday date will work fine. DCL gives you a 30 day window before and after the cruise for celebrations. We ahve doen this too. Your right that DCL really makes kids feel special.

Looking forward to getting to know you and your family over the next few months.

mom x4,grandma x4

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Good morning Lisa and Ryan,

Just wanted to check in and say Howdy to both of you.

Well it is April, so we are another week closer to our cruise!! YIPPEE!!!

I know I am sounding like a kid, but i am a kid when it comes to anything Disney.

We are going to WDW sometime this weekend. it will be very crowded yet, because of spring breaks across the country. So we will renew our annual passes and walk around downtown Disney, maybe catch a movie or just go to Epcot. You can always find something to do at Epcot without the long lines like the other parks have.

Then we will have about 6 weeks that will not be crowded before the summer crowds start coming. I love going to WDW in the off season.

 

Well I am still thinking about door signs, I havnt made any definite decisions yet, but I still have a few ideas rolling around in my head. I want to go to a couple of craft stores to see if I get some ideas from anything they have there. Last time that helped a lot.

 

Drop me a line when you get the chance and let me know how you are doing and if you have any ideas for door signs???

Hope you are having a great week.

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hey,

Lisa and Ryan, are you guys out there still????

 

You've both been quiet for a few of days.

Drop a line to say howdy when you can.

Hope everyone had a great easter.

we are starting another week, which means we are one week closer to our cruise!!!!

mom x4,granmda x4

[Lisabell Spez]

I was just thinking this morning that it had been a while since I popped in! I've been completely buried in work lately.....working late, taking work home....not getting much time to play on the computer. Today I had a tiny break so I thought I'd see what is happening around here!

 

I haven't worked on my door signs yet but I did manage to squeeze in some scrapbooking time on my Disney Albums. I always set my goal as getting caught up on my scrapbooks before I take another trip. So far I'm about 5 trips behind. LOL! I'm working on my December 2003 trip to Disney World right now. I've just been extremely short on free time lately!!

 

I hope I'm going to have the time to make door signs for the other 3 couples we're traveling with as a surprise. I have pictures of all of them so I think I may work those into the design of the door signs. I can't wait to start playing. I just bought myself a new Mac (never had a Mac for home so I couldn't do any "real" design) so I'm excited to start playing!

 

I just got my PassPorter Disney Cruise Line Guide last week. The new edition just came out and, even though I had an older version, I'm enjoying reading the updates and the expanded port section....How many days??? I can't wait to cruise....

 

Take care!

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa, glad to hear your well.

I know you are busy so I will keep this short.

You reminded me of something when you said you had pictures of your friends and were going to try to work that into your door signs for them.

Our grandaughter made a door sign in december, she is 14. I sent her a picture of my husband (grandpa) that I took while he was asleep on deck 4 in one of those comfortable lounge chairs. His mouth was open, he was snoring. It was not a flattering picture, but it was funny. So she put it on her door sign and put a poem under it:

 

Here's my grandpa on deck 4,

Oh my, how he can snore.

If you see him on the ship,

Please tell him you saw this.

 

love Ana

 

She took him to her room and showed it to him, he thought it was really funny, but what made it so great was he actually had people come up to him on the ship and told him they saw his picture.

 

so have fun with the pictures, it can make a memory of a lifetime for them

 

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

ryan 759

 

Are you still coming with us???:confused:

 

It has been a long time since we heard from you. Hope everything is going ok with you and your family.

Drop Lisa and I a line when you can.;)

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa and Ryan,

we had a great cruise. weather was perfect, the seas were calm. show were great and the food was good.

we spent most of our time going to hear all the music around the ship. we have friends that are entertainers on board so we spent a lot of time with them. This cruise the captain came up to us and introduced himself, so that was kind of neat. we have never met a captain before. It was Captain Henry. He also spoke to us as we were leaving on the last morning.

They have changed the smoking on deck policy as a trial on the Wonder. Before you could smoke anywhere on deck 4, 9 and 10 accept by the Mickey pool. Now you can only smoke on the port side and no smoking on the starboard side accept still NO smoking around the mickey pool.

I hope this works good, becaus enow we can be by the adult pool without having to deal with smoke if we want. Hubby has asthma and smoke sets it off really bad. well that is all for now I will write a trip report and post it soon.

 

I hope things are going well for you, time is flying by, our cruise iwll be here before you know it!!!

mom x4,grandma x4

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Happy Mothers day everyone!!!!

 

Take it easy today, just pretend you are on the ship and let every one wait on you for a change!!!;)

 

mom x4,grandma x4

[Lisabell Spez]

Happy Day!

 

I'm glad you had such a nice cruise! I wish September would hurry up and get here already!!

 

I was having a rare quiet moment at work and thought I'd check in. It's been a while.....

 

This week we got our Cruise Planning Kit and I've been so busy I haven't looked at it yet. It's the one where they send you dates for final payment, shore excursion booking dates, etc... They weren't doing this the last time I cruised, but it's been a few years.

 

I'm still crossing my fingers that we can even GO on this trip. My DH has been without permanent work for quite some time. He freelances and is going through a dry spell so we are sweating it out that we'll have the $$$ when final payment is due. He got a few leads today so I'm holding a happy thought. I REALLY need this vacation!!

 

I started Weight Watchers yesterday. I'm hoping to lose some weight before we cruise. I'll be nowhere near skinny by September but less enormous will have to be good enough for me....

 

OK. Rare quiet moment at work seems to be coming to an end!

 

Talk to you later!

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Lisa,

I am happy to hear you have just been busy, not ill.

I will blow lots of pixie dust your way for the job situation.

We had a few years of not knowing when the next job would come too. So I know what you are going through.

Keep your spirits high, I'm sure it will all work out for you guys.

It is only a little over 4 months away now, it will be here before we know it. we too have the final payment to make.

Take care,

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Good morning Lisa,

I am just bumping up our thread so hopefully we will get some new people to join us.

 

Have a great day!!!

 

kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Hi Kathy!

 

I've been off the radar for so long I was wondering if DCL is going to Cozumel again. I thought I read somewhere (maybe even in one of your posts on the DIS boards) that they were going back there. Any news on that front??

 

I'm a mix of emotions about the cruise....still crossing fingers that DH gets a freelance assignment so we can make that final payment. Our friends are all still going so it would be such a bummer if we had to cancel. We have until July 10 so hopefully things will start looking up soon. I'll put it on a Credit Card if I know there is income to pay if off but right now things are a tad lean. Send me a happy thought, OK? Thanks!!

 

Things have calmed down quite a bit at work so hopefully I'll get to come and play more often.

 

Take Care!

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Howdy Lisa,

Yep, Cozumel is where DCL is stopping now.

The docks are still destroyed so they are tendering.

I have read many posts saying it is a short (10 min) tender, but very rough and some people have been getting sick. I guess there really isnt a bay or any kind of jetty to block the full strength of the ocean so it is choppy. Others who took a 45 minute tender to an excursion said they were all handed bags for sickness as they got on board and sure enough everyone got sick. We had friends who verified this for us. So I will not be counting on any excursiopns there. I will wait to see if I can even go ashore. If it is really rough, I wont chance it. I do not want to get sea sick and ruin my trip!!!

I am thinking good thoughts for your DH to get a job to pay for the trip!!!

 

 

 

Ryan,

are you still out there???

We would love to hear from you.

 

Kathy

[Lisabell Spez]

Oh, Yes! I remember the tender to Cozumel!! It was a tad tricky to get on and off with those waves. Went to Coz 2 years ago on HAL and we couldn't dock until late afternoon but could tender in starting in the AM. What a wild ride that was. The upside is that it's really quick, unlike the ferry to the mainland...been there and done that, too! Another wild ride! Good thing I'm not prone to motion sickness. I was definitely in the minority. We rode on the upper deck of the ferry. The lower deck didn't smell too good with all of that seasickness. Sorry!!! Plus the fresh air on the upper deck made the motion easier to bear. Nobody got sick on the upper deck.

 

I don't know whether to be happy or disappointed about Cozumel. I've never been to Costa Maya and the Cozumel I remember has been vastly changed thanks to Hurricane Wilma. At least we can help their economy. I think my favorite store is still there.

 

Have a good night!

Lisa

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Good morning Lisa,

We went to Costa Maya last December. I liked it, but not much there.

We had a 5 hour excursion to the Chaucchoben(spelled wrong) which was an awesome tour, best we have ever done in my opinion.

The pier was the longest I have ever seen. they even had a tram to take you back and forth although we walked it. At the end of th epier is a few shops that are in a circle around a free swimmin gpool with a swim up bar which was neat to see, but too cold in the morning to goi n and we were gone all day anyway on our excursion. Prices were kind of spendy there, no real resataurants either in case you were hungry. There was some food sold from a little building by the pool. didnt try it, no time!! The only beach there looked great with grass umbrellas and lounge chairs, but it was so rocky you couldnt get close to the water. It was a pretty place to kick back and look at the dock area. this area was only 4 years old and they were adding on to it. Being it was so new I do understand there not being alot there yet. that will change in the near future I'm sure.

The only town anywhere around was a small fishing village called Mahual ( spelled wrong) It is a couple of miles from the port. There are Taxi's and buses that will take you for a fee. Private tours begin there. I have heard it is a very quaint village with great prices and the items were mostly hand made, not your typical tourist stuff. They like to barter for prices most stores there. i guess some people are making tortillas and food right in front of you and I have heard it was excellant!!

Next time we get to CM we are going to go to the village to see what it is like. Other than that it is ALL vegetation, nothing there for miles and miles. Even on our hour ride to the ruins we only saw a few shacks and about 10 people. There is just nothing on this side of the island yet. It was very pretty, but take bug spray!! It is very tropical.

Since we still have an entire hurricane season to go through before our cruise I dont count on any ports for sure!! any of them could be hit hard and we would have to divert somewhere else for awhile.

greg was just saying this morning that he is going to start filling up the gas cans for the generator, just in case we get hit again!! First time we were almost 2 weeks with no electricity, lost a lot of food that time. Second time we only lost electricity for 3 or 4 days, but we had a generator, so we didint loose any foods, but not enough power to run the air conditioner, so was quite hot!! Now I have portable electric fans we can run to circulate the air if needed, plus we could jump in the pool to cool off, but again we would need to run the pool pump to keep the algae from growing. Third time we were hit the elecrticity just went on and off for a couple of days. All I need to buy now is some jug water, just in case fo drinking. I always fill up the bathtubs for water to flush too!!

Well enough about storms, we will just keep our fingers crossed for our cruise!!! We cant control the weather, so we will just make the best of it. Our friends who just got back from Cozumel a couple of weeks ago said it was still so devistated, they only staye don land about 30 minutes and then they got back on the ship. There just wasnt anything to see or do. Hopefully more will be up and runnning by the time we get there, if we sstill go there after this hurricane season.

well I have lots of house work to do, so I'd better quite playing around on the computer.

Talk with you soon,

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Howdy Lisa,

Hope you had a good 3 day weekend. Mine is going better than it started. I had abad reaction to some new medicine earlier this week and was really sick!! Now I just have a cold and something is wrong with the nerves in my arm, which is really weird feeling and uncomfortable. I am going back to the doctor later this week, so maybe they will figure out something to do for it. If not I am just stuck with it, but that is ok, it could of been something worse!!

Enjoy the rest of your day,

Kathy

 

Ryan, are you still out there? Are you coming with us still?? I hope so.

Let us know how your doing,

Kathy