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

[gramfrog]

We signed up for our first EBTA cruise for May 2013. Is it usually at capacity? Many kids? Members Cruise had only a handful of kids and was not crowded--double fantastic! Holy cow what fun!!

 

[Viking_53]

Hello!

We signed up for this cruise last week while we were on the Disney Fantasy sailing around the Eastern Carribbean.

It will be myself (age 50 at the time!), DW (44), and DD (5). We are still not certain about it yet, as I'm wanting to see about airfares back to Denver (getting to Houston is not a problem). Anybody have some good websites out there to check on airfares? I've seen here that some people are suggesting getting RT tickets instead of one way. I'm also considering going to Paris or London after the cruise, but might not be able to get all that time off.

Thanks for any/all help!

 

[gramfrog]

we are plannig to take the train to paris after this cruise and see the sights and disneyland paris...any tips for this would be appreciated!!![/QUOTE]

It's really really easy to get to Disneyland Paris from Paris. Take the RER (it's the regional train, not Metro or Thalys) from any number of stops in Paris to Marne le Vallee and walk right into Diz Paris (formerly known as EuroDisney). We've been there several times. Buy your tix at the Disney Store on the Champs Élysées a couple days BEFORE. and you will be able to buy cheaply. It's a great place, rather woodsy parksy. Takes approx 40-50 min from Louvre area.

 

[GoofyNewfie]

Actually, I've got a question that I've had in the back in my mind for a while. I've never seen concierge availability on this cruise ever - even at the beginning.

Does anyone have it? Because of the cheap rates did everyone snap them up? Or did they never offer them for some reason?

If I keep checking back and back and back, might availability open up?

EDIT: Oh my, should have checked disney one last time before looking. There's a Cat 00T avail. Is that the ??Roy E Disney?? room? For 8k
Edit #2: I really need to start researching before asking questions. I guess it's not that suite. There's bigger. But I was assuming 00T was the best. Or is it the worst of the concierge?

 

[MandyGirl]

We signed up for our first EBTA cruise for May 2013. Is it usually at capacity? Many kids? Members Cruise had only a handful of kids and was not crowded--double fantastic! Holy cow what fun!!

Welcome aboard! It is usually booked to the point where there are NO upgrades available at the port. However, many cabins are not booked to capacity (such as having only 2 in a cabin that may hold 3 or 4). But pretty much every cabin has passengers, or at least seems like from that has been what I've read before, as well as what we observed on WBTA 2011 on DCL Magic. We were in the first group in the port for that cruise, and signs were already out for no upgrades.

With this one being "later" in May -- such as after college finals -- I would expect it to be more crowded. I know some college families looking at this cruise because of it's timing - not many transatlantics available in late May since most are April or early May. Plus, several of us got tired of waiting on WBTA 2013 to be announced that we jumped ship to come to the EBTA. Had we had a choice, WBTA would win out (itinerary, longer days), but now a year out... WBTA hopes are dimming.

Hello!

We signed up for this cruise last week while we were on the Disney Fantasy sailing around the Eastern Carribbean.

It will be myself (age 50 at the time!), DW (44), and DD (5). We are still not certain about it yet, as I'm wanting to see about airfares back to Denver (getting to Houston is not a problem). Anybody have some good websites out there to check on airfares? I've seen here that some people are suggesting getting RT tickets instead of one way. I'm also considering going to Paris or London after the cruise, but might not be able to get all that time off.

Thanks for any/all help!

Welcome aboard! We booked one-way return airfare on IcelandAir. It was cheaper to book directly on their website versus through other websites like cheapoair. Several of us have young children on this cruise as well! Mine loved the WBTA last year!

 

[wide awake]

Hi,
We will book this tomorrow, will be trying for adjoining verandah cabins. This will be our 7th DCL trip. Western, Eastern, 1st EB Panama Canal, Alaska, Med 2011, also a 3 or 4 day, can't remember which. This one is a good price and time. Me, 51 at cruise time, DH 50, DS(autistic) 22, and my mom, 73. I am a teacher/administrator for a home-based charter school, DH is retired AF, DS doesn't work, my mom manages apartments and is an avid bridge player. I've been trying to get flight quotes from Icelandic Air for return trip...we'll be using Southwest rewards for flight to Galveston and for parts of trip back.

Hello to all of you, hoping for a wonderful trip for all of us.

 

[MandyGirl]

Hi,
We will book this tomorrow, will be trying for adjoining verandah cabins. This will be our 7th DCL trip. Western, Eastern, 1st EB Panama Canal, Alaska, Med 2011, also a 3 or 4 day, can't remember which. This one is a good price and time. Me, 51 at cruise time, DH 50, DS(autistic) 22, and my mom, 73. I am a teacher/administrator for a home-based charter school, DH is retired AF, DS doesn't work, my mom manages apartments and is an avid bridge player. I've been trying to get flight quotes from Icelandic Air for return trip...we'll be using Southwest rewards for flight to Galveston and for parts of trip back.

Hello to all of you, hoping for a wonderful trip for all of us.

Welcome aboard! Just flew Southwest yesterday into Hobby and made the drive to Galveston to watch the Magic arrive to her new homeport. I found it cheapest to book Iceland Air direct on their website. (And I am a home-based travel agent - found it cheaper going that route than what I found through my own agency - several are booking that airline now after I shared it here.) Definitely fly to Houston early. I-45 had issues yesterday, and one family almost missed the ship. We were there to watch sailaway and DCL staff had told me that they were waiting on one family in a cab from the airport. Luckily they only arrived 15 minutes late, but we've seen so many people left at the pier before. We almost missed our planned flight on the way back to Hobby because I-45 was traveling at under 30 mph.

Very cool about a home-based charter school! I'm also a certified principal, but staying home with our two little ones right now since hubby works weird shifts. Could not stand seeing the girls with a babysitter more than with their mom - so I am tutoring on the side around their nap/bedtime hours. Some of my students are homeschool or charter school students - love working with them all in their various walks of life!

 

[MandyGirl]

For those who do not follow Facebook very often, I posted info this afternoon regarding a group rate at the Tremont cheaper than any online rate any of us have been able to find. Available Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights pre-cruise in Galveston. (Wed/Thurs are cheaper). We will only get this group rate if we have 8 rooms book on Friday night, and have already had 6 families express interest since I posted a few hours ago. Details over on the FB page and it's not a "DIS Only" rate - anyone can participate. Once we know we have 8 to commit, I can proceed.

I was in Galveston this past weekend to watch the arrival of the Magic, and will be back there again in November to cruise on her. Tremont is right there by the Strand in the historic area, a rooftop bar overlooking the port, on the Historic Hotels of America list, and has complimentary local shuttle (including shuttle over to it's sister property the Hotel Galvez and it's amenities). On TripAdvisor, the Tremont ranks #2 out of the 45 hotels in Galveston, and I think I literally drove by them all this weekend to scope out what kinds of areas they were in. Tremont definitely topped my list.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Has any decision been made about the shirts?

 

[Tink1987]

Hi all!

Just back from a wonderful week visiting Berlin and Budapest, had the most fantastic time. Berlin is one of the most coolest cities I have ever visited. With the obvious history, it was upsetting at time to visit certain museums, buildings etc but it was just so historic and brilliant.

Budapest was SO beautiful as well, just an amazing place. Even though it is a city it felt quite chilled out after the madness of Berlin. We stayed in the beautiful Castle District, I didn't want to leave!

But anyway, I am home now with more silly inane questions about the cruise which quite frankly could wait until after I book airfare and get a hotel in Galveston sorted ;-)

I am pin collector, and was just wondering what the pin selection is like onboard? Is there a huge variety?

Also, I need one of those pin books, do they sell those onboard? I want the proper book, not the sort of zipped folder I've seen in other places..

Welcome to all new cruisers, and have a great rest of the weekend everyone

 

[Tink1987]

For those who do not follow Facebook very often, I posted info this afternoon regarding a group rate at the Tremont cheaper than any online rate any of us have been able to find. Available Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights pre-cruise in Galveston. (Wed/Thurs are cheaper). We will only get this group rate if we have 8 rooms book on Friday night, and have already had 6 families express interest since I posted a few hours ago. Details over on the FB page and it's not a "DIS Only" rate - anyone can participate. Once we know we have 8 to commit, I can proceed.

I was in Galveston this past weekend to watch the arrival of the Magic, and will be back there again in November to cruise on her. Tremont is right there by the Strand in the historic area, a rooftop bar overlooking the port, on the Historic Hotels of America list, and has complimentary local shuttle (including shuttle over to it's sister property the Hotel Galvez and it's amenities). On TripAdvisor, the Tremont ranks #2 out of the 45 hotels in Galveston, and I think I literally drove by them all this weekend to scope out what kinds of areas they were in. Tremont definitely topped my list.

Hi Mandy, thanks very much for the info. I am not on FB, do you have the 8 people yet? What is the rate like?

Thanks

 

[binkytell]

off to WDW this week so will be missing for 3 weeks, so if anyone PM's me
about fish extender please dont expect a reply, i will contact you asap when im home.

for those itchy for a list or those who keep for getting if they have signed up here is an up to date list as of 30th september of all those who have requested to sign up:-

binkytell 2A 2C
mandygirl 2A 2C
sonjaleigh 3A
kris3kid 2A
padalyn 2A
tink1987 2A
heatherb819 2A 1C
wickesy 2A
aashleySEG 2A
missandrea 2A 1C
tigger2on 1A 3C
OKrayslovedisney 2A
wildel1021 2A
Maza 2A
saracat 2A
sumeto 3A
seraphine 2A 2C

sooo looking forward to getting some plans for this trip organised once were back , thanx to mandy for at least sorting our room pre-cruise night

speak soon im off for a date with a special mouse

 

[binkytell]

Hi Mandy, thanks very much for the info. I am not on FB, do you have the 8 people yet? What is the rate like?

Thanks

tink, here is the info from mandy on facebook



"If we have enough rooms to book at Tremont on Friday, May 17, we can get a rate of $209 for Friday night (King, Queen, or 2 Queens)
For those arriving on Wednesday or Thursday, the rates on those nights would be $135 per night (Friday night is still $209)

For a comparison --- this past weekend I stayed at Comfort Suites, which is $166 the night before the cruise, and would gladly pay the $209 for getting to stay at Tremont. Comfort Suites and others are just too far away from anything, and the Caribbean has spoiled me with it's beautiful beaches and crystal clear blue water! "

rooftop bar sounds a great place for a pre-cruise meetup

 

[SaraCat]

Hi all!

I am pin collector, and was just wondering what the pin selection is like onboard? Is there a huge variety?

Also, I need one of those pin books, do they sell those onboard? I want the proper book, not the sort of zipped folder I've seen in other places..

Welcome to all new cruisers, and have a great rest of the weekend everyone

Ok, it's been a few years for me so my info might be out of date regarding the pins but I was a little disappointed with the selection of pins - it was a standing carousel and a few more on another stand in the shop if I remember correctly. There is also a portable trolley they have out in the evenings for trading and buying and of course there is an organised Officers Pin trading night too. The CMS in the shops were trading lanyards too.

Perhaps we could organise a trading session amongst us too?

 

[GoofyNewfie]

Hey All,

I've seen quite a few people recently join this thread saying they've signed up. If you didn't know, we have a website that I'm trying to keep up to date at

https://sites.google.com/site/onamagicaltransatlanticjourney/

Please have a look around, take a look at the events that are being organized, fill out the polls if you like, but please do send in your info for the Roll Call. It's on the Roll Call page. Most of the event organizers are waiting until we're closer to the date to get more finalized with their events so don't worry if there's nothing much up on a page yet.

I'm going to be extraordinarily busy for the next few months (and have been for a while) and travelling back and forth to London. I'll do my best to keep up (but it's been really quiet lately) but feel free to nag if there's something you needed me to do. If you're an event organizer, I can give you access to update the website if you're techy (if I haven't already) but, as always, I'm more than happy to try to do whatever you need.

 

[MandyGirl]

tink, here is the info from mandy on facebook



"If we have enough rooms to book at Tremont on Friday, May 17, we can get a rate of $209 for Friday night (King, Queen, or 2 Queens)
For those arriving on Wednesday or Thursday, the rates on those nights would be $135 per night (Friday night is still $209)

For a comparison --- this past weekend I stayed at Comfort Suites, which is $166 the night before the cruise, and would gladly pay the $209 for getting to stay at Tremont. Comfort Suites and others are just too far away from anything, and the Caribbean has spoiled me with it's beautiful beaches and crystal clear blue water! "

rooftop bar sounds a great place for a pre-cruise meetup

Thanks for posting, Sarah! Yes, Tink - I think we have the 8 minimum from the preliminary responses received the past two days. I am about to post the "I am ready to commit" post because before I sign a contract, I need to know FOR SURE we have 8 rooms or more for Friday evening. Each guest will book directly with the hotel with their credit card under our group name, and the rate is nonrefundable once booked. Once I sign the contract we will each need to make our own bookings, and of course I will provide that info as well so it's super easy for everyone.

The other few things to mention:
- huge Wild Game BBQ festival going on May 17-18 in the port and Strand area (which is why Harbor House is completely booked)
- free shuttle from Tremont to Hotel Galvez to use any of their facilities (they are a sister property)
- both hotels are listed with Historic Hotels of America (the only two in Galveston)
- YES, the Tremont has a rooftop bar overlooking the port! FABULOUS location for a pre-cruise meet-and-greet!!!
- Tremont is ranked #2 of 45 hotels in Galveston (and yes, there are some totally not worth staying at, and I quickly cancelled our Inn at the Waterpark reservation upon driving in that area - want to save money, but not that badly)
- I was in Galveston last weekend to watch the Magic arrive early and depart that afternoon. We drove all over the island, and I will be back in November to cruise on the Magic. Thinking from a tourist perspective, especially those who will be without a car, the Strand area was awesome. I've lived in Texas my whole life, but went about this past weekend thinking of everyone who will be visiting Texas for the very first time.
- Seawall area: think of it like Vegas - casinos are walking distance between them but sometimes quite the walk. The Seawall reminds me of that - clusters of good areas here and there, but not constant. All hotels are across the busy street from the beach. Also, if you have been spoiled by the Caribbean beaches (white sands, palm trees, crystal clear water) you will most likely be disappointed in the Seawall area. We had three kids with us, and even they chose to go back to our hotel (Comfort Suites) to swim versus going across the street to the beach. We drove from one end to the other, seeing kids on the beach, but they all said they wanted to go back to the hotel to swim.


By comparison, I know a couple of us are holding a room at the Tremont for Friday night at their refundable rate - and it comes to about $335 with taxes for that one night. The $209 group rate plus tax (about 15% for all Galveston hotels) is quite a steal for that property, especially now that we know the Wild Game and BBQ festival is going on and ships are in port. The Tremont is a block from the Strand in the direction of the port. I walked between Tremont and Disney's cruise ship terminal twice with young kids, but they also have a complimentary car service at Tremont as well. And as my college roommate VERY quickly pointed out, there is a full Starbucks a block from the Tremont. (Yes, she dropped me and three kids off while she went on the Starbucks run... LOL!)

For anyone seeing Paradise Pier in their research, believe it or not, that is built where an old hotel used to be. I still remember staying in that hotel over the water as a hurricane was moving in, and we had to evacuate. It was a family vacation when I was in about first grade. The hotel is gone, but the pier is now made into Paradise Pier.

But please let me know asap if you are interested. I plan to email the hotel on Monday to get that rolling. We have full access to Galvez facilities (pool, spa) with the complimentary car service they offer as Tremont guests, plus the car service will go other places according to the website. Many of us are flying in without plans of having a rental car with us. Several had been discussing offline previously and wanted to go with Tremont. It is definitely a classy hotel!

 

[MandyGirl]

Tink -

I just checked rates online again --- by comparison:

Our group rate at Tremont for King, Queen, or 2 Queen is $209
Online at wyndham.com it is $260 for 2 Queen or King.
Quite the savings to book as a group.
Both above rates quoted above are nonrefundable.
We need a minimum of 8 rooms on Friday night to make the group rate work.

Sidenote:
If we end up having 10 interested, I can submit for 10 and we are guaranteed that rate for 10 rooms --- but MUST have the number I submit for. We can do 8 minimum, and rooms past that are based on availability, which they said could increase in price later. That's why the need to know for sure how many to secure in our group rate.

 

[Tod&Copper]

Would any of you mind helping the no westbound transatlantic 2013 cause please and sign our petition we are going to send to DCL. Thank you in anticipation of your help link below

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-westbound-transatlantic-2013/

 

[MandyGirl]

Would any of you mind helping the no westbound transatlantic 2013 cause please and sign our petition we are going to send to DCL. Thank you in anticipation of your help link below

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-westbound-transatlantic-2013/

Done!

 

[sumeto]

So excited!! I am having such a hard time not spilling the beans to my Mom. She doesn't know about the cruises yet. I have to keep my mouth shut till Christmas.