And next week, I hope to bring you photos from our cruise to…ALASKA! Stay tuned 
As always, thanks to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting our fabulous Disney Wordless Wednesday blog hops! Make sure to click through to see posts from all the other “hoppers” this week.
In honor of Star Wars’ 35th birthday today (35?!?! Wow!), I thought I would share one of my favorite pictures from our last Disneyland trip. These Stormtroopers were in a stare-down with my husband, and clearly he’s loving it. But, look at the bottom of the picture – Colorado Princess looks like she’s either about to cry or beat him up. Nobody messes with her Daddy!
Oh, and just to add a little extra awesomeness to this Friday before a long holiday weekend, I have to share with you the first thing I heard from my husband this morning.
Anyone have this record? It was fanTASTIC!
This week’s blog hop theme is “Disney Castles”. Other than being on a ship in the middle of a pitch black ocean, there is probably no better setting for a fireworks show than in front of a castle at any of the Disney parks. My favorite show is at Disneyland and while this picture is not very good technically, every time I look at it, it immediately transports me to the park and I always hear the beginning notes of the “Remember…Dreams Come True” soundtrack playing in my head
Thanks to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting another great Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! Make sure to click through to see posts from all the other “hoppers” this week.
Less than 2 weeks from now, the Disney Fan family will be on our way North to Alaska! We’ve got our pre-cruise hotel plans settled, our giftcards purchased and while our suitcases aren’t quite all packed, I do have my packing list complete. The only things I have left to do are finalize a couple fun things that we do to add a little extra magic.
Did you know the stateroom doors are magnetic?
Yep, they are! And if you’ve ever been on a Disney cruise before, you know that a magnetic door provides a blank canvas for showing off your creative side with any number of door magnets! Some people spend months planning their doors, searching for just the right images and while it IS fun to look at all the possibilities from the designers over on the DISboards (there’s a whole area for ‘em), I usually take a dozen or so magnets, specific to our cruise, and call it good.
The best part about a decorated door? It’s easily findable among all the other similar doors if you’re on one of the long hallways Just look for your magnets and you’ll never get lost!
Want to get started on your own magnets for your next cruise? It’s pretty easy as long as you have a printer and either magnetic paper (what I use) or heavy duty paper and magnet strips. If you’re creative, you can go wild and come up with designs on your own, but if not, never fear – there are several design threads over on DISboards.com filled with designers who are happy to create a design for you. Just make sure to give them lots of lead time and follow their specific instructions on how to request something.
A Fish What?!?!
Ok, in that picture above, you may have noticed a metal fish hanging on the wall next to our door. Every room has one, even on the new ships. Their original purpose was to provide a place for the cruise staff to leave messages or paperwork for you.
But, once again, an innovative Disney cruiser (again, someone from the DISboards, I believe) thought it would be great to make something that provided even MORE room to leave little gifts for fellow cruisers you met along the way, and thus, the fish extender was born.
Originally, the fish extender/gift-giving concept was a way to connect with a few people here and there, but now, several years later, it’s spawned a whole cottage industry of it’s own. DISboards members now set up “fish extender (FE) gift exchange” groups for EVERY Disney cruise. And, if you aren’t crafty or don’t have time to put together a fish extender yourself, there are several Etsy stores that sell pre-made and custom ones.
You can visit the Disney Cruise Meet section of the Disboards to find the group for your specific cruise.
We’ve participated in the FE exchange on our last 2 cruises and will be participating again this time. It is so much fun for the kids to find gifts waiting at our door whenever we come back and we’ve gotten some really neat stuff along the way. Some people go all out, making personalized bags, personalized jewelry, or the like while others provide things like candy, first aid kits, etc. No matter how much time and money are put into the gifts, every one is put together with pixie dust and is always appreciated! I haven’t quite finished the things I am making this time around and I usually don’t post pictures of the final product until after the cruise anyway (don’t want to ruin any surprises!), but here’s a little teaser of a few of the supplies I used this time. I’ll make sure to post the final pictures once we get back!
Of course, none of this “extra magic” is nearly as special without the people who participate along with us. Both the door decorations and participating in the FE exchange have connected us with people that we might not have met during our cruises and we have met some really great people. Seeing familiar faces around the ship and even out on excursions makes the experience that much better but being able to connect even after the cruise is over is one of those things that I truly love about the Disney community!
Thanks to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting another great Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! Make sure to click through to see posts from all the other “hoppers” this week.
Castaway Cay is my absolute favorite Disney-related place – even more so than any of the Disney parks, if you can believe that! Our very first visit there was on our honeymoon in 1998, the inaugural year for Disney Cruise Line. I found a couple pictures from that trip the other day, so thought it might be fun to take a look back at things from that first year.
While the dock was basically the same when we were last there in 2010, I know it has changed quite a bit in the last two years to accommodate the larger ships that are now visiting. The picture to the left was taken in Sept. 1998 from our balcony as the captain was busy docking in just the right spot
14 years later, we returned and much had changed since our first trip. You can certainly see some differences in the pics below. Obviously, the addition of the Black Pearl was new in 2010, and while the two pictures weren’t taken from the exact same location, I do feel like there’s a clearer view to the ship now. But, there was something else that struck me as interesting. Both of these pictures are of the Disney Magic, but do you notice anything specific about her?
 Disney Magic circa 1998 |
 Disney Magic circa 2010 |
In honor of Mother’s Day, today’s Disney blog hop theme is Resorts and Relaxation.
“All I want to do
When the day is through
Is linger here on the front porch
With you”
- Burl Ives, “On the Front Porch”
Summer Magic (1963)
Thanks to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting another great Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! Make sure to click through to see posts from all the other “hoppers” this week.
When talking to people who haven’t been on a Disney cruise before, some of the most common questions I get are around embarkation day. When should we arrive at the port? When can we board? Will our rooms be ready? Even though Disney does a pretty good job giving you the information you need for that day, I thought I would answer some of those common questions for anyone who may be traveling on a Disney cruise soon.
When should I arrive at the port?
Typically, embarkation doesn’t start until 1pm or so, so it’s important to understand that if you get there early, you’ll be doing some sitting around until they start calling people. On the other hand, there are some benefits to getting there early. First, if you’re looking to possibly upgrade your cabin, it’s always good to get to the port as early as possible, because upgrades are on a first come, first serve basis, and they go fast. Second, if you’re not staying in a concierge cabin, you’ll be put into a boarding group based on when you check-in. So, again, the earlier you’re at the port to go through the check-in process, the earlier you’ll be able to board. One thing to keep in mind, if you’re using Disney transfers to get to the ship, you’ll probably arrived around 1 or 1:30.
What happens during check-in?
There are separate lines for concierge, Castaway Club return cruisers and new cruisers, but other than lines that may be shorter or longer depending on the makeup of your particular cruise, the process is basically the same. You’ll need to fill out a single form verifying that no one in your party has been sick in the last 48 hours and then you’ll stand in line to talk to a castmember.
The castmember will verify the paperwork and IDs/passports for everyone in your party and will confirm your stateroom information. This is the time to check on upgrades to see if they’re available. If they are, you’ll be directed to another castmember who will give you the available options. You’ll get your Key to the World cards here and then move over to the security area where everyone, even the kids, will get their pictures taken.
At this point, if they’ve already started boarding, you may be able to head straight on to the ship. Otherwise, you’ll be given a boarding group number and you’ll be able to hang out in the terminal until your number is called. You also have the option to check your kids in and get their wristbands for the kids club (or you can wait until later in the day). There are also a few visitors who come out throughout the morning/afternoon to make the wait go a little faster
Will our stateroom be available when we board?
It really depends on what time you board, but typically cabins are ready between 2 and 2:30, so often the answer is “no”. While you’re waiting, you can eat lunch in one of the restaurants – typically the buffet on Deck 9 and one other restaurant are open or you can enjoy exploring the ship, taking a swim, or just relaxing on deck. An announcement will be made when staterooms are ready and for the most part, you’ll have plenty of time to get to your room and start unpacking a bit before the lifeboat drill.
Will our luggage be there right away?
Nope, probably not. The stewards have about a zillion pieces of luggage to sort through and deliver so it could be several hours until you’ll see all your bags. Sometimes they don’t show up until after dinner, so keep that in mind. Pack a day bag with the things you will absolutely need, including medication, maybe a change of clothes and swimsuits for the kids. We learned our lesson the hard way and will now be packing toothbrushes and jammies for the kids in our day bag.
What about that lifeboat drill? I heard we have to WEAR our life vests
So this picture of our daughter is one of our favorites from our cruise back in 2010. We’ll be dragging it out to show all her boyfriends when she gets older because it’s just so dang funny. But, the lifeboat drill has completely changed in the last year and now you no longer have to wear your life vests to the drill. Whew! MUCH better now and much less sweaty and hot. Each cabin is assigned to a specific lifeboat area on the boat (it will be clearly communicated to you), so during the lifeboat drill, all the members of your party will need to head to that location. Everyone will be checked in by a castmember and then you’ll basically stand there until you get the “All Clear” from the captain. It’s not the most comfortable time, especially if you’re on deck in the hot sun, but it is a requirement for ALL passengers and is pretty important regardless of how unlikely it is that you’ll ever have to use the information.
Ok, I’ve checked-in, settled into my stateroom and gone to the lifeboat drill…What next?
After the lifeboat drill, your cruise officially starts. All visitors will be politely asked to go ashore and the sailaway party up on the top deck will start. You may want to find a spot along the railing to wave your goodbyes to everyone onshore and watch as the ship maneuvers out into the open water. It’s quite an experience!
That’s about it! It’s a bit of a whirlwind experience unless you’re waiting for a long time at the port terminal before you board, but as long as you have all your paperwork in order and you remember to pack a good day bag, it’ll be smooth sailing!
2012 marks the 75th anniversary of Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937. But before venturing into feature films, the team of Disney animators kept busy with shorts starring that loveable every-Mouse name Mickey. My favorites come from the 1930s and 1940s, so this snowglobe celebrating The Wayward Canary (1932) holds a special place in my heart.
Thanks to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting another great Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! Make sure to click through to see posts from all the other “hoppers” this week.
Yep, I’ve got it…the bloggy blues. After successfully moving my blog over from WordPress.com to a self-hosted site over the weekend, I’ve suddenly found myself with zero time to write anything new, so until I get my life straightened out later today, please enjoy my remedy for the bloggy blues…or any kind of blues, for that matter!
Dreaming about the crystal blue waters on beautiful Castaway Cay
