May 18, 2013 MAGIC EBTA - Who is with us?

[MandyGirl]

The CDC has issued an advisory for Madeira regarding Dengue Fever (transmitted by mosquito bites). They haven't issued a "don't travel" alert but have issued a "try not to get bitten" alert & advise wearing long sleeves, long pants & using insect repellant. The last update states there have been over 2100 cases reported on Madeira. They also say that reported cases are waning but this could be due to the time of year & that the springtime increase of mosquitos could revive the epidemic of Dengue.

Thank you for passing this along!

So this May at Madiera, it's long pants for me.

Ditto here.

I havent booked our airfare back yet and haven't read the thread enough to know if there are tips for booking airfare back. I was getting 1400 airfare one way per person. We would like to do Paris after and would like tohar from anyone doing the same.

I had found Iceland Air to be a good deal, and incorporated a free stopover. Originally looking was running in the $1400 range (each) but we got the four of us booked one-way home with stopover for $2200 grand total. Airfare is a rollercoaster. I had also found that same pricing for someone also doing Paris -- take a low-cost carrier such as Easy Jet to Paris, then fly home on Iceland Air. Cut their airfare in half as opposed to what they had been seeing - so worth a peek IMHO.

If Disney flies you down the day of the cruise, there must not be too many problems with flights.

They'll usually book 'em early in the day. I just happen to be married to a flight dispatcher so probably hear more than I should regarding re-routes, etc

Please post what you find out!!

Ditto please!

Not overly concerned, but will make sure to pack insect repellent - since I can't use DEET, I will have to recheck my supplies of Castile, and SkinSoSoft.

That's us as well... nonDEET folks here. Pretty sure my stash is expired or old - haven't touched it since April - add that to the "to do" list!

 

[mboekhoff]

Great story and awesome life lesson

Don't stress! It will all work out in the end and if it makes you feel any better, hopefully, we will be with you on that flight so we would be in the same boast (or should I say ship?)




So I use to be a huge stresser-I stressed about everything all the time, as a kid, my stress gave me the shingles all the time. I also happen to be a very detail oriented. So fast forward, to my wedding, I had planned a huge, black-tie affair a year in advance down to every small detail. I had it planned so that there would be no chance of drinking and driving, everything (hotel, church, reception, rehersal dinner place, bridesmaid luncheon) was all within a block of each other, one block off the river. Three days before my wedding, Tropical Storm Lee rains on New York and floods the Susquehanna River causing a manatory evac of the city of Wilkes Barre, leaving me two days to plan a whole new wedding. Everyone thought I was going to lose it but instead of stressing, I went with whatever happens, happens and shocked everyone! I got married in front of family and friends and that was all that mattered. Not one of my plans worked out, the flowers couldn't be delivered, the tux shop was flooded, our priest couldn't come (he was to busy trying to save the church), the squash which our soup was supose to be served in, wasn't delivered, we did have the table clothes, chair covers, shashes we picked out but in the end it all worked out. And I can say I got married in a church with standing room only (our 150 guests had to fit into a church that sat 40) with a priest who didn't know our names.

So I am now a changed person and when I travel, I go with the flow and hope it works out and if it doesn't, I will make do.

 

[binkytell]

Thank you Sarah - this helps at least we can get started! We are on the give to all list - split or not.

I agree about the first post - maybe you should be the one to start the next thread - I am sure we are getting close!



Cayla

I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes, lets wait till Val comes along first and see if she will set this up.

Are we still,looking for volunteers to organise some activities??

Anyone interested in taking this on?

Those that did volunteer are you still around?

I think it's time we started signing up for activities rather than doing polls to see who is interested, if there is not enough interest in activities it can just be cancelled.

Going from website we have the following organisers listed:

Book exchange kaseyc

Champagne girls Valbob89

Candy swap tubbsteruk

FE exchange. binkytell

lanyards mandygirl

Palo group brunch no organiser

Pin trading. no organiser

PJ breakfast. mandygirl/tink1987

Postcard exchange lysand

Private tastings. disneymousehouse

Pub crawl bradbrad25

Stateroom tours lysand

Scavenger hunt no organiser

Scrap booking. no organiser

Secret mickey berries97

tshirts valbob

Until we meet again lunch no organiser



Come on guys lets get this party started



e:

 

[mboekhoff]

I would go a little earlier for the cut off if I were you, just thinking about all the last minute things to do before the cruise and making a ton of FE gifts would be hard. How many groups are you going to split it up into? Or I guess I should say how many per group so we can get started on them now.

the is the up to date list of those that of pm'd to sign up for fish extender.

...

31 cabins in total with 62 adults and 25 children, im sure this number will rise.

how about cut-off time for signing up, 18th april does that sound reasonable?


would be so much easier if we could have a new thread with all this info on the first pages for group activities,we
would then just be able to go on edit/update.

sarah

 

[twopeasonepod]

Great story and awesome life lesson

Totally agree. I try to live my life that way, too.

Thanks for the comments on the flights. We have flown in the morning of every cruise . Now I need to revisit all of that. I hear ya, Nancy. No day's work is worth missing any time on the ship. But that will also mean taking the boys out of school another day (not that 11 is different from 10, but still...)

No idea what we are doing for FE yet, but I think more than a month would be a better call, too. Us non-creatives need extra time to plan haha.

 

[MandyGirl]

I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes, lets wait till Val comes along first and see if she will set this up.

Are we still,looking for volunteers to organise some activities??

Anyone interested in taking this on?

Those that did volunteer are you still around?

I think it's time we started signing up for activities rather than doing polls to see who is interested, if there is not enough interest in activities it can just be cancelled.

Going from website we have the following organisers listed:

Book exchange kaseyc

Champagne girls Valbob89

Candy swap tubbsteruk

FE exchange. binkytell

Palo group brunch no organiser

Pin trading. no organiser

PJ breakfast. mandygirl/tink1987

Postcard exchange lysand

Private tastings. disneymousehouse

Pub crawl bradbrad25

Stateroom tours lysand

Scavenger hunt no organiser

Scrap booking. no organiser

Secret mickey berries97

Until we meet again lunch no organiser



Come on guys lets get this party started



e:

Thank you for doing that! I understand we are to volunteer for only one activity so everyone has a chance to participate, which is why I was not added to the events I had offered to coordinate previously. I'm doing Lanyards (not an onboard activity) but am waiting until after PIF date to get that going and looking at results of how many have actually said they would be part of the team (meaning donate money). Some want to receive lanyards but not part of the team according to the poll, and of course some who said they will be part of the lanyard team may have since withdrawn from the cruise. Hoping for an accurate picture after PIF date so we see how much money we will have to work with -- lanyard quality (and prices) vary greatly.

 

[twopeasonepod]

Question for those who have been on a TA before: Any tips specific to this sailing? We all know the basics -- bring your own alcohol, refillable water bottles/cups, clothespins, etc....but anything special for TA/long cruise?

 

[padalyn]

Question for those who have been on a TA before: Any tips specific to this sailing? We all know the basics -- bring your own alcohol, refillable water bottles/cups, clothespins, etc....but anything special for TA/long cruise?

The best things I can give as advise are -

1. suction cups with hooks (either metal or plastic): We use them for everything! We keep jewelry on them (using the wall art or mirror), hanging our lanyards on (until they get too heavy!), and keeping our tickets for excursions on as well.

2. envelopes: to keep your receipts sorted (declarable vs non declarable)

3. cheap shoe hanger: keeps all those little things that are running around the countertops organized

4. power block: there are only two outlets on the classic ships. However, the one behind the TV has an unused plug - a short wired power block plugged in there allows you to plug in many things! The wave phones block covers two plugs decreasing the availability. If you have camera battery chargers they also may cover two plugs...see my rationale?

I hope these suggestions help!

Cayla

 

[queenbee99]

Thanks! I went to their site and at first was able to book to Houston but now can't even get anything to come up besides from Barcelona to Iceland. It keeps saying invalid airport. Do you know anyone that has flown with Iceland Air? Read any reviews? I was wondering how their service/flight was. thanks!

I had found Iceland Air to be a good deal, and incorporated a free stopover. Originally looking was running in the $1400 range (each) but we got the four of us booked one-way home with stopover for $2200 grand total. Airfare is a rollercoaster. I had also found that same pricing for someone also doing Paris -- take a low-cost carrier such as Easy Jet to Paris, then fly home on Iceland Air. Cut their airfare in half as opposed to what they had been seeing - so worth a peek IMHO.

 

[padalyn]

Thanks! I went to their site and at first was able to book to Houston but now can't even get anything to come up besides from Barcelona to Iceland. It keeps saying invalid airport. Do you know anyone that has flown with Iceland Air? Read any reviews? I was wondering how their service/flight was. thanks!

I had found Iceland Air to be a good deal, and incorporated a free stopover. Originally looking was running in the $1400 range (each) but we got the four of us booked one-way home with stopover for $2200 grand total. Airfare is a rollercoaster. I had also found that same pricing for someone also doing Paris -- take a low-cost carrier such as Easy Jet to Paris, then fly home on Iceland Air. Cut their airfare in half as opposed to what they had been seeing - so worth a peek IMHO.

They don't fly from Barcelona - you have to hop to another location. We are using EasyJet to get to Paris, then Icelandic Air to USA.

 

[queenbee99]

Oh ok, I thought at first I was able to get it to come up because Barcelona was listed on their list. What are the luggage stipulation for EasyJet and Iceland Air? THANK YOU!

Thanks! I went to their site and at first was able to book to Houston but now can't even get anything to come up besides from Barcelona to Iceland. It keeps saying invalid airport. Do you know anyone that has flown with Iceland Air? Read any reviews? I was wondering how their service/flight was. thanks!

They don't fly from Barcelona - you have to hop to another location. We are using EasyJet to get to Paris, then Icelandic Air to USA.

 

[margaretstahl]

How were you able to find out your flights? We haven't been given any information about ours. But thank you for posting about yours. I hope they are willing to do the same for us!

My husband was just discussing with Disney about adding flights and transfer. I told him I would not go same day as cruise and Disney found us a room and called us back with price. Our flights (round trip), transfers and room will cost more than our voyage using the military special but still less than I found for only the flight home. I still don't know the specifics of our flights but I know we fly down on the 17th.

 

[Kirbo]

My husband was just discussing with Disney about adding flights and transfer. I told him I would not go same day as cruise and Disney found us a room and called us back with price. Our flights (round trip), transfers and room will cost more than our voyage using the military special but still less than I found for only the flight home. I still don't know the specifics of our flights but I know we fly down on the 17th.

Thank you.

I called our travel agent and they'll look into it for us. She said that it was showing that we'd fly down the day of, but that she didn't have specifics. When she looked at flights that were available, she said that it looked as if the ONLY flight would be the day of leaving home at 6am. But that means that if anything went wrong, we'd be SOL. She said that they'll likely charge us $50/ea deviation fee and a hotel stay, but I think it's worth it for us to come in a day earlier. I'd really rather not spend that money on that, but I'd rather spend a few hundred extra and at least know we'll be on the boat!

I also looked and Disney Air has gone up $250/ea for our flights! Glad we booked when we did. And the TA said the best she could find for us was $625/ea more! Yikes. I know we'd likely be able to find cheaper flights on our own if we were willing to make crazy connections, but we'll be traveling with our kids and just don't want to do that.

I'll let you all know what ends up happening.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[padalyn]

Oh ok, I thought at first I was able to get it to come up because Barcelona was listed on their list. What are the luggage stipulation for EasyJet and Iceland Air? THANK YOU!

Easy Jet is a pay as you go type game - you are "allowed" to purchase the amount of bags and weight you wish to check. The carry on bags are limited in size only - they are VERY small. Check their website for the dimensions but I have figured them to be 22" x 17.5" x 9.5". This is about half the size of the typical carry on bag in the states.

Be careful with the weight - I understand that if you are over even an ounce - they will charge you about 40 Euro.

Icelandic Air is two checked bags for 50 pounds each.

Cayla

 

[MandyGirl]

Thanks! I went to their site and at first was able to book to Houston but now can't even get anything to come up besides from Barcelona to Iceland. It keeps saying invalid airport. Do you know anyone that has flown with Iceland Air? Read any reviews? I was wondering how their service/flight was. thanks!

Sorry about that --- I was thinking you were doing Paris after the cruise. Take EasyJet from Barcelona to Paris, then book a separate ticket from Paris back to the US on Iceland Air. That's what was going on in my mind if doing a post-cruise visit to Paris.

Iceland does fly from Barcelona but only to specific cities. Here is a map of all of their cities, but only certain city-pairs offer flights on certain dates (so you have to try various dates and cities to see if the one you need is available, also check it as a stopover versus a one-way):
http://www.icelandair.us/information/travel-guide/routemap/

We are flying economy class on Iceland Air and get 2 checked bags each (also stated on our confirmation):
http://www.icelandair.us/information/baggage-information/checked-baggage/
Our codeshare airline after connecting at JFK is US Air but I believe they also codehsare with JetBlue

EasyJet from BCN to CDG you have to pay for any checked baggage I believe...
http://www.easyjet.com/en/planning/baggage

Some airlines, like Spirit Airlines, you have to pay for carryon bags and probably toilet paper as well with the way things are going

Hope this helps some

 

[MandyGirl]

Just re-read - definitely check Barcelona to Iceland with a Stopover, then Iceland to Houston for your dates. About to have to run somewhere or I'd check - will check when back home.

 

[padalyn]

Just re-read - definitely check Barcelona to Iceland with a Stopover, then Iceland to Houston for your dates. About to have to run somewhere or I'd check - will check when back home.

we decided to go to Paris first - so we are doing Easy Jet.

 

[queenbee99]

Thanks for the info! I still think I need to push back final payment until we find out about our moving deal. I asked on the board and they said I can move the reservation and move it back but keep my on board credit and discount. We DEFINITELY have plans on doing it but without all the info for the move I hate to be locked into it. Right now I have options.

What excursions are those of you with kids planning on in Portugal and UK? My dd is 9. Thanks!

 

[woody73]

. . . The carry on bags are limited in size only - they are VERY small.

. . . Be careful with the weight - I understand that if you are over even an ounce - they will charge you about 40 Euro.

Last year, we flew to and from Switzerland on Easy Jet. Cayla is correct -- they are very strict about carry-on and checked luggage. But as long as you follow the rules, you'll be okay.

Woody

 

[MandyGirl]

we decided to go to Paris first - so we are doing Easy Jet.

Sorry for any confusion --- I was trying to answer Queenbee's question about flights and Paris afterwards. I should've hit that quote button before replying to avoid confusion.

I think I recall a while back in the thread you ladies heading to Paris - glad it is going to work out for you!