Lanyards & Magnets & Ties...OH MY!!!

OK...so I have a confession.  Jason and I are not just Disney vacationers---we are AVID Disney vacationers and when we know we're going to be going on a Disney vacation, especially a cruise, we jump right in with both feet.  We love to plan and do special little things...and to find other people who do the same.  So back in 2007, the last time we took a huge trip like this, we were very fortunate to have found an online community called the DisBoards (www.disboards.com)---an online discussion site for Disney fans---and Disney cruises have never been the same for us since!
The DisBoards offer the opportunity to "get to know" some of your fellow cruisers before you ever even meet on the ship...and to do lots of planning---like meet and greets, excursions, dining, etc.  (We've met some of our very best friends in the world on the boards...with whom we try to vacation frequently!)  The DisBoards also introduced us to some other special Disney Cruise traditions and caused us to start some traditions of our own.  So for all our loyal followers and readers who AREN'T form the DisBoards, I thought I'd introduce three of these traditions that you will be exposed to during our voyage:

LANYARDS:  A great way to get to know your fellow DIS cruisers on the ship is to all have matching lanyards and name badges so you recognize each other around the ship (and they make great souvenirs, too)!  This is a tradition that was introduced to us by a DIS friend named Ken back in 2007...and on our last few cruises, Jason and I have taken the lead on creating these lanyards for our group---like I said it's a great souvenir for everyone AND it's a great way to meet and get to know everyone...and people are always so appreciative!!  For this adventure, we have done so again----so we've designed and put together and are taking 300 lanyards and name badges with us!!  In our pics throughout the cruise, you'll see these lanyards.  (I would post a picture of them as I'm very proud of how they turned out....but many of our fellow DIS cruisers are also reading these blogs and I'm trying to keep the finished product a surprise as long as I can! LOL)

MAGNETS:  The cabin doors on the ship are metal.  I don't know who started the tradition or when...but some time before Jason and I started cruising, someone thought up the fun idea of decorating your door during your cruise with magnets----hooray for arts and crafts projects!!!  Whenever we cruise, Jason and I enjoy making & personalizing magnets to decorate our door.  This, our longest trip ever, is no exception...and I'm particularly proud of what we came up with for this trip.  We really wanted to create a different magnet for every day of the cruise---themed to the activity or port of that day---but creating 24 large magnets seemed a bit much.  So we came up with a different plan...we created ONE big magnet (pictured to the left) that is designed to go around the cabin # on our door and has a small opening/frame in it.  Every day we will have a different small magnet that fits into that space and is themed for the specific day of the cruise.  We will be sure to post pictures of our magnet of the day.

TIES:  The two traditions above we didn't create...we just joined in.  This final tradition, however, is something we decided for ourselves.  Those of you who know me and Jason probably know that "dressing up" is not our favorite thing to do----maybe I was scarred by having to dress up in nice clothes and ties for church every Sunday as a child (Sorry, Mom & Dad! LOL), but I'm much happier in casual clothes & so is Jason.  When we cruise, however, we like to "dress for dinner"....and we do this in a very special way: DISNEY TIES!!  I have gone about collecting and, in some cases, actually making and sewing my own Disney Ties.  We have amassed a collection of over 40 Disney ties....and I've even made us several cute Disney tuxedo sets (bowties, vests, cummerbunds, etc.) for the formal nights.  So keep a look out and we'll post pictures from dinner most nights so you can see all our fun ties!!