Rhonda (aka Roz)

Hi Judy!

For a more casual cruising experience, I would highly recommend NCL!!  They are the masters of "Freestyle Cruising"!  You do not have to eat at any set time, and there is no dress code.  You can basically do what you want, when you want!!

They do offer cruises in New England, up the coast to Canada, during the fall (Sept/Oct).  The Norwegian Jewel starts in New York, and stops in Sydney; Halifax; St. John (Bay of Fundy); and Portland.  It's a 7-day cruise.  If you have motion sickness, I would recommend a balcony room, so you are not closed in.  The current cost for a balcony room is around $949 per person (based on 2 people in the room), plus taxes and port fees.

The European river cruises are very nice too -- but they are a little more formal.  There would be a set time for dining, and definitely a dress code in the evenings.  But, if you'd like prices, just let me know!

Let me know if you have any other questions!  I've cruised on NCL four times myself, so I'm happy to answer any questions you have about them!  :dance:

Welcome!!  :banana:

Wow - your pictures bring back memories!  I love Fort Desoto!!  We haven't camped there in a few years -- I think we're due for another trip!  Thanks for sharing!  :banana:

We used to take our son out of school for 2 weeks every February.  We told the teachers in advance, and they would tell him what he would be missing while he was gone.  He'd bring his books along, and do the work while we were on the road (driving down from Minnesota).  Usually when we got home, he would be ahead of the rest of the class!  We did this all through Elementary and Jr High, and never had a problem!

Like you said -- they are only kids once.  He has great memories of going to Disney every year with us.  But, he doesn't really remember too much of Elementary school.  :banana:

Yeah - since it says "Fort Fiends" on it, you might want to think about taking Musket Mickey off (even though it is cute!).  We would hate to see Jen/Chris get in some kind of trouble, since their name is on it.

If they are both good swimmers, and the 16-year-old is very responsible, and they stick together at all times, then I would say it's probably ok.  But, if you think the 16-year-old may abandon the younger one to talk to kids his/her own age, or be watching the boys (or girls) instead, then you might want to re-think it.  :tool:

mmmmm -- I will make it this week!  Now I just have to decide which one to make!!  :banana:

Wow!!  I have high blood pressure!  I better not ride the carousel anymore either!  I think I'll stick with ToT and RnRR...

Usually every other month.  We are exactly 3 hours away.  :banana:

Thanks Carol!!  And thank your son for us too!  >:D

Rhonda do you know when the AAA rates come out for 2012? TIA

AAA discounts will be released in January 2012.

What I usually do is encourage people to make their reservations as early as they can (now!) so that they get the type of site or room that they want.  Then, keep watching for the AAA rates to be released.  When they are, just call and have the discount applied to your reservation.

Of course, if I book your reservation for you, then I do all the work for you, and you can just sit back and relax and dream of being in FW!  >:D

Yes - they have a very nice Solarium pool area that's adults-only.

The rooms are different, depending on the ship.  The regular rooms on the Magic and Wonder are a little larger than the regular rooms on the older RCCL ships.  But, I think the rooms on the Dream are a little smaller.  The suites on both cruiselines are comparable.

If you go back to the Grand Gatherings section of these boards, you'll see the official thread for this cruise.  It's the 4-night Disney cruise on the new Dream.  It sails on September 4 (Labor Day week).  We'd love to have you join us! :banana:

Yes - the other cruise lines have their private islands too.  Royal Caribbean has Coco Cay in the Bahamas, and Labadee down in the Caribbean.  NCL has Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.  Princess has Half Moon Cay.  They are all basically the same, except Disney is the only one with the adult-only beach.  But, the other islands have places that are quieter, where the children don't usually go.

There are definitely lots of kids on the Disney cruise -- but like you said, they do a good job of keeping the adults and children separate, if you want to be.  The adult-only pool is very nice, and usually very quiet.  Same thing with the adult-only beach.

This is for anyone who has been sitting on the fence about this cruise, trying to decide if they want to go or not.

We have 2 Friends & Family certificates, worth $100 each, that we can give to the next two people who book this cruise.  This would give you an additional $100 onboard credit!  This must be booked within the next 3 weeks. Here are the current details:

Deluxe Verandah Stateroom (lowest category available) for 2 people = $1777.44

Onboard credit (that I will get you when I book this online) = $25

Onboard credit (from Travel on a Dream when you book a verandah room) = $100

Friends & Family onboard credit (from Travel On A Dream) = $100

The deposit that would be due now is $335.60.  The balance would be due by June 20.

Please let me know ASAP if you're interested!  Remember, these certificates expire in 3 weeks, and we only have 2 of these certificates available!  :D

BREAKING NEWS!!

This is for anyone who has been sitting on the fence about this cruise, trying to decide if they want to go or not.

We have 2 Friends & Family certificates, worth $100 each, that we can give to the next two people who book this cruise.  This would give you an additional $100 onboard credit!  This must be booked within the next 3 weeks. Here are the current details:

Deluxe Verandah Stateroom (lowest category available) for 2 people = $1777.44

Onboard credit (that I will get you when I book this online) = $25

Onboard credit (from Travel on a Dream when you book a verandah room) = $100

Friends & Family onboard credit (from Travel On A Dream) = $100

The deposit that would be due now is $335.60.  The balance would be due by June 20.

Please let me know ASAP if you're interested!  Remember, these certificates expire in 3 weeks, and we only have 2 of these certificates available!  :D

This is for anyone who has been sitting on the fence about this cruise, trying to decide if they want to go or not.

We have 2 Friends & Family certificates, worth $100 each, that we can give to the next two people who book this cruise.  This would give you an additional $100 onboard credit!  This must be booked within the next 3 weeks. Here are the current details:

Deluxe Verandah Stateroom (lowest category available) for 2 people = $1777.44

Onboard credit (that I will get you when I book this online) = $25

Onboard credit (from Travel on a Dream when you book a verandah room) = $100

Friends & Family onboard credit (from Travel On A Dream) = $100

The deposit that would be due now is $335.60.  The balance would be due by June 20.

Please let me know ASAP if you're interested!  Remember, these certificates expire in 3 weeks, and we only have 2 of these certificates available!  :D

Wow - that is so cool!  How old is your son Carol?  I don't think I remember you mentioning him before.

This is also one area where Disney is better.  The others cannot compete with their kids' programs, because that's what Disney does best!

But, that being said, the second best I've seen is again, Royal Caribbean.  They have wonderful childrens' programs, segregated by ages (like Disney does).  Carnival also has good kids' programs, but I wouldn't recommend them for the shorter cruises as they are geared more toward partiers, and I don't think you would want your children around all of that.  Carnivals longer cruises would be fine though (7+nights).

NCL and Princess also have kids' programs, but IMO, they do not seem quite as good.  Celebrity tries, but because they are a more adult-oriented cruiseline, I wouldn't recommend it for small children. 

I do have to ask (can't resist) -- what does BF mean in your above post?  I always thought that meant Boyfriend, but considering the rest of the context (LOL) I don't think that's what you mean!!  :banana:

It's very hard to compare others with Disney.  They are so different.  It's like saying, how do offsite hotels compare to Disney hotels?  You get a very different experience with onsite hotels, just like you do with Disney ships.

But, that being said.....as much I love the Disney ships and Disney experience on them, I have a very hard time justifying the cost, when I know that there are other bigger and (IMO) better ships out there for half the price.

For instance, my favorite cruiseline is Royal Caribbean.  Their Voyager-, Freedom-, and now Oasis-class ships are amazing!  The Voyager-class ships have 27 bars and restaurants onboard (including 3 specialty restaurants, a Johnny Rockets, a beautiful wine bar and a fun British pub)!!  They also have:  an ice skating rink, full miniature golf course, rock climbing wall, a 5-story theater, full basketball court, volleyball court, and so much more.  We've always had fantastic customer service (just as good and sometimes better than Disney).  The Freedom and Oasis-class ships are even bigger and offer more amenities!

Royal Caribbean also has good shows -- but there is where Disney has the big edge over them.  We all know that Disney is in the business of entertainment and shows.  So, nobody can even come close to them when it comes to the evening theater performances.  Disney is an entertainment company that offers cruises.  Royal Caribbean is a cruiseline that also offers entertainment. 

Dining is also very different.  Disney has their rotating dining schedule, where you go to a different restaurant each night, and your tablemates and servers go with you.  The other cruiselines have a main dining room, where you have your assigned table, tablemates and server.  You can also choose to eat at other venues, if you do not feel like eating in the dining room each night.  Royal Caribbean offers My Time Dining, where you just make reservations each day for whatever time you'd like to eat that night.  On NCL (Norwegian) you can eat when you want, where you want.

The cruislines basically all go to the same places in the Caribbean.  Eastern will go to the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Maarten) and the Western will go to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica.  There are a few other islands/ports thrown in, but they all basically go to the same areas.

This probably confuses you even more, LOL.  Let me know if you have any other specific questions!  :waycool:

Who is going to do the Fish Extender??? If you need more information about it I will get some. I had one made by one of the Dis memebers, she is going to redo mine so I can have the FF logo on it.

she is going to sign up here. Her name is Jen and she does great work.

Thanks Lorna!  Can you please post this on the "real" FF Dream Cruise thread too? 

And Jen or Chris - can you close this thread?  I just wanted it to be a directional post - in case people came here looking for info on the FF cruise.

Thank you!  :dance:

Yes, there ARE other cruise lines besides Disney!  :popcorn:

If anyone has questions about any of the other cruise lines and ships, let me know!  I've personally been on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian (NCL).  And, I have taken courses in Holland America, Carnival and Princess, so I am very familiar with their ships and destinations.

Most of the cruise lines rolled out new, big ships this year (just like DCL did with the Dream).  The biggest (and in my opinion, the best) ships introduced recently are the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas, from Royal Caribbean.  These ships are amazing!!!  Here's a link: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/home.do;jsessionid=0000cLXW_w3jzorSp1NgIYTGEBH:15lbbpt04?shipClassCode=OA&br=R

Celebrity recently introduced it's new Solstice-class ships!  Did you know that they have a 1/2 acre Lawn Club on top of the ship, with real grass?  Great place for a picnic!

Anyway - those are just 2 examples.  Let me know if you have any questions!  :)

Just an FYI - if you're looking for information the Fort Fiends Dream Cruise, here's the link: http://fortfiends.net/forum/index.php?topic=105.0

Let me know if you'd like a quote!  :popcorn:

Same here!  I like the chicken & apple salad, and the flatbreads!  :popcorn:

I like the dessert they had a few years ago better.  It was the cubed pineapple with hot caramel sauce.  It was the best.

I agree!