10/02/04 Antigua Cruise

[bettemom]

Hi Guys, Kim here...

Wirh all the newbies that have joined our grioup of merry sailors perhaps some more people might like to join a group of us on a tour, we need to have 20 people minimum to have the tour be private... If you would like to join the tour let us know... We only need 7 more cruisers...

Bye, Kim


Hi Guys, A few weeks ago I posted about a group tour while in St. Thomas. If we have 20 people minimum and up to 25 maximum we can rent our own jeep safari open tour vehicle and driver for the day. The cost comes out to a reasonable $ 20.00 each person plus a tip for the driver. All other expenses are our responsibility, lunch, shopping & so on…

Right now here is the list of who is confirmed to go on the tour.

Join the group we only need 7 more souls to join us for a day of fun… E-mail me, or post here if interested and I will add you to the list. Once we have 20 people confirmed we can finalize the reservation in St. Thomas.

1) Bette
2) Kim
3) Renee’ & Haley
4) Lenny
5) Mary Jo
6) Sara
7) Sam
8) Arlene
9) Andy
10 Jen
11 Peter
12 Jeanne C
13 Sam C


The general consensus is that we would like to tour for the morning, go somewhere “quaint” where we can have lunch, a little swim and a little unique shopping, then end the day will high test shopping at the center of town in the marketplace. Anyone who wanted to opt out of shopping can be brought back to the ship and perhaps we can schedule 2 pickups in town for those shopping veterans and those who are shopping lightweights.

 

[Hygiene99]

No shopping for me.....................................

Jen does not like to shop we can just walk back to the ship

it is far but not thAT FAR.. from the shopping area...

we did it before... was fun took our time was not Jens Power walk... as I do not subscribe to that .... maybe mile or 2

peter




Anybody else thinking of doing a repo cruise ????
for the magic.... in may 0f 2005.....????

We have free airfare from SW so that is not an issue as I would by a/f for the oct. cruise and save the free ones for a trip one way to florida and one way from Cal....

Smart like tractor Strong like Bull.. lol

 

[bettemom]

Originally posted by Hygiene99
No shopping for me.....................................

Jen does not like to shop we can just walk back to the ship

it is far but not thAT FAR.. from the shopping area...

we did it before... was fun took our time was not Jens Power walk... as I do not subscribe to that .... maybe mile or 2

peter




Anybody else thinking of doing a repo cruise ????
for the magic.... in may 0f 2005.....????

We have free airfare from SW so that is not an issue as I would by a/f for the oct. cruise and save the free ones for a trip one way to florida and one way from Cal....

Smart like tractor Strong like Bull.. lol

Peter, Our Travel Agent already has us on the waiting list for the Florida to California repositioning cruise... Can't wait to hear back from her next Wednesday...

Bye, Kim

 

[jeanneg]

Since I hardly ever have the time to surf other threads on this board, I'm totally in the dark about the repo cruise.....can somebody please post a link? Thanks!

 

[bettemom]

Originally posted by jeanneg
Since I hardly ever have the time to surf other threads on this board, I'm totally in the dark about the repo cruise.....can somebody please post a link? Thanks!

Here you go Jeanne...

The Rumor Mill

Rumors have been circulating for months that the Disney Magic will be based out of California on a 'test' basis starting in May 2005 through late August 2005. The rumor is that 7 night sailings will begin on May 28th 2005 out of Long Beach, CA, and that the itinerary will include certain stops in Mexico. While not yet confirmed, we've heard Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas as among the ports of call. The rumors we’ve heard is that the 7 day cruises will begin on May 28th and run through August 20th (meaning there will only be 12 cruises). If history is any indication, any time Disney does a 'special' itinerary, they tend to sell out fairly quickly.

The rumor also speculates that there will be two 14 day "transition" cruises, where the ship first travels to Long Beach from Florida, then again when it comes home to Port Canaveral (transition cruises are necessary in order to move the ship from one coast to the next). The rumor is that those itineraries will include Castaway Cay (of course) as well as several Mexican destinations that will not appear on the 7 night cruises (including Acapulco and Curacao. What we've heard (which we've found hard to believe, but we'll see) is that the 14 day transition cruises will be very well priced. For example, a Cat 6 on a 14 day cruise will run about $2400 per person, and Cat 11's will run about $1200 per person. For a 14 day sailing, that's great. We’ve also heard that there will be a limited number of staterooms offered on the transition cruises (again, this is rumor, but more than one person told us that they do not intend to sell out the entire ship on the transition cruise. This makes absolutely no sense to me, but that’s not unusual either : ). Of course, since it's a 'transition' cruise it is only "one way" and you'll have to make arrangements to fly back from California rather than Orlando (or vice versa depending on which transition cruise you choose). However, with air fares on many carriers being so good right now, that should not be too much of an issue.

Of course all of this is speculative until Disney confirms this, which we anticipate will happen during the Disneyland Press Event on May 4th & 5th, we won't know for sure. However, our confidence is fairly high that this information is accurate. We’ve heard this information from more than one source and over a period of the last several weeks.

Rumors on pricing have been sketchy, but we understand that the prices will be higher than what is currently charged on the East Coast cruises. For example, we heard from one CM that Category 12 staterooms will run between $1200 and $1600 per person (adult). We've heard that Category 5 staterooms will run between $2000 and $2700 per person and Category 6 staterooms will run between $1800 and $2600.

We think that this 'test' will be part of an overall plan to add a ship out of California on regular basis, but if that happens, it will be a few YEARS before a ship is ready. If you think you might be interested in doing a California Cruise, we suggest you fill out a special request form on the Dreams Unlimited Travel site (CLICK HERE). This will not be a guarantee of a stateroom or price, but it will get your request in as soon as they are released. Remember, the more full the ship gets the higher the price will go. If you want the lowest tier pricing available, you have to be among the first to book. Be sure to include the date you would like to sail. Since we are not sure of the exact dates, our agents will price out the date closest to what you requested. As I said, we expect the 7 night sailings to start on May 28th, which would mean the following sail dates:

May 28, 2005
June 4, 2005
June 11, 2005
June 18, 2005
June 25, 2005
July 2, 2005
July 9, 2005
July 16, 2005
July 23, 2005
July 30, 2005
Aug 6, 2005
Aug 13, 2005
Transition sailings are rumored to happen on May 14th – May 28th (from Port Canaveral to Long Beach, CA) and Aug 20th – Sept 3rd (from Long Beach, CA to Port Canaveral, FL). Keep in mind that if you book a transition cruise, they are, in effect "one way", meaning you will have to fly in to Orlando and out of Los Angeles (or vice versa).

The pricing that we’ve heard is substantially higher than the Caribbean cruises, and we feel this is due (in part) to the fact that these are unique cruises and Disney has been very successful with specialty cruises (as I said, they book out quickly, and usually do well). If the cruises do not sell well (which I’m doubting), they will adjust the price accordingly. We just want to make sure that we release what we’ve heard, and remind everyone that this is still unconfirmed, but if it is something that interests you, you should look to make plans fairly soon. We will release more as we get the info.



=

 

[jeanneg]

for that very complete explanation. Tha repo cruise sounds like a fabulous opportunity and I would love to do it, but I'm afraid a 14-day cruise is not an option for us. My husband is in a solo practice and would never be able to take off for such a huge chunk of time.......although I'm sure his staff would love getting paid for the 2 1/2 weeks he's not around! And we won't have any graduations next May either......as opposed to the 3 we have this year! I'll just have to keep it in mind in the event we win the lottery and DH can retire!

 

[Viking]

No Repo-cruise for us - Although our next USA-trip will be in the West. Probably starting in the Denver-Area and then a big circle through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona. Another possibility may be a New England-tour.
We'll have to ponder it for a while as we don't know if we will do another USA-trip next year after having been to the US twice in '03 and then again '04. We're also considering a dive-vacation to the Seychelles or Maledives next year, or even Egypt, but an Islamic country like this isn't a top-choice IMHO right now. We'll have to wait and see.
Another possibility we're thinking about is a repo-cruise on a German ship, the Aida. This boat does a two-week Atlantic crossing twice a year, starting in the Mediterranean with two or three ports-of-call there, then across the Pond and another three ports there to eventually arrive in the Dominican Republic, where we would spend another week before returning.

If we don't do our usual four-week USA-trip next year, we'll probably do a week in NYC or Washington DC in spring for some shopping and sightseeing. But this also depends on the Dollar/Euro-conversion rate.

 

[Viking]

Originally posted by jeanneg
for that very complete explanation. Tha repo cruise sounds like a fabulous opportunity and I would love to do it, but I'm afraid a 14-day cruise is not an option for us. My husband is in a solo practice and would never be able to take off for such a huge chunk of time.......although I'm sure his staff would love getting paid for the 2 1/2 weeks he's not around! And we won't have any graduations next May either......as opposed to the 3 we have this year! I'll just have to keep it in mind in the event we win the lottery and DH can retire!

Don't you have practice-sitters in the USA? Over here we have lots of docs, who like to be independent and substitute their colleagues while those are on vacation. Those guys kind of 'jump' from practice to practice.

 

[jeanneg]

Eric:
He does have other physicians who "cover" for him but they do it in their own facility and they personally bill the patient. The patients are referred to the covering doctor via our staff or, during off-hours, his answering service. Essentially, if he's not around all his plant and equipment, including staff, are idle with the exception of any catch-up work that needs to be done. That's why it's difficult to be away too long. Evenually he would like to take on a junior partner, but the practice is very new (only 2 yrs. old) and still going through growing pains so that is not an option right now. We moved to NC because DH was tired of private practice and all its headaches (I did not work for him at the time and his office manager was a crook!) Anyhow, he landed a very nice position with a large group in Raleigh but after about 3 years they relocated to Charlotte and we did not want to pick up and move our family again. That is why at his age, he's still a relative newbie!

 

[two-foxes]

Geez, waitlists for the cruise already???? We will do our darndest to book a spot, just to have it reserved, then re-evaluate our financial, kid trying, work situation stuff to see if it is a doable option. I was going to MAKE Tim go to DLR regardless for the 50th....I grew up going there (thanks to a CM cousin, we got in free all the time!), but Tim thinks it is "ghetto." I plainly love Disneyland however (just add that to our differences, along with politics!) So, we will (attempt) to book the repo, then see if we can swing it for sure later in the year.

Part of me says, vacations can be done at places other than Disney....but the other part screams DISNEY!!! I would love to go to Italy....that is my next "dream destination".

Viking - My inlaws went to Egypt last year, and they thought it was amazing. There was security EVERYWHERE for them, as they were travelling with an American group, but they such a good time and an amazing learning experience. They were supposed to go in Oct of 2001, but Sept 11 put a screeching hold on that.

 

[Hygiene99]

We also have a note in with our travel agent

So we get a secret porthole room on the ship for the Florida to Cal
Repo cruise, So maybe we will see u there our friend to the north....


Bette how are the secret herbs working for u ????

lol peter

 

[cdnmickeylover]

Jeanneg -- Can understand your DH's problem. Up til last year's cruise I only took one week off at a time because of leaving the office. I'm lucky though that there is another lawyer here who looks after my stuff for me while I'm gone. He only works part time as he also teaches full time but he does cover for me. Because of the work that I do it's just not possible to schedule stuff around my time.

Would love to do a repositioning cruise but it's during my busy time of the year and I'd never be able to take the time off. Since the other lawyer teaches I can go during the year but he takes a lot of the summer off.

Fall is a busy time too so might not be able to go away again in the fall of 2005. January/February are good times to go away but not great weather times in Florida. Ugh

I'll just have to win the lottery and retire.

Fiona

 

[cdnmickeylover]

Oh -- read the thread about the cancelled cruise. Agreed with you Bette -- free cruise was a bit much to expect.

Fiona

 

[Viking]

Folks,
if you happen to reply to mails sent from the antiguaorbust@yahoo.com, please do NOT use the 'REPLY'-button of your mailprogram!!! Reason: This may lead to sending back the attachments as well, and that will quickly exceed the mailbox's capacity.
Nevertheless I'll change the HIFO's table name from 'Hungy' to 'Hungry' - Although I can't image how someone can be hungry on that ship

Goin' to bed now, reading some more of 'The Last Juror' by Grisham, and then getting some sleep - Tomorrow's Part II of root canal And Anja has to go there day after tomorrow for the replacement of a filling. Exchange of one of those ancient metal fillings against a state-of-the-art ceramic one. That guy gets his next vacation paid by us

 

[bettemom]

Hi Peter, Just sent you and Jen a PM.

Bye, Kim

 

[Hygiene99]

Got it ...


Eric i hope u Bring the Blue Hat .... lol

LOOKS GOOD ON U .... :sleep:

 

[piglet33]

Count us out for the repositioning cruise. May and November are very busy times for me at work, and there would be no way that I could arrange that. Bummer.... I even filled out the form from Dreams for a quote for it before I realized when it was.

Renee'

 

[padisneyfan]

Hi Everyone--- Norm and I just got back from our 4 day trip to Williamsburg. Weather was great and no crowds to deal with. The palace gardens were beautiful with all the tulips in bloom. It has been over 20 years since we last visited there. So it was like a new adventure since it has been so long. I bought the Freedom pass through AAA so we have a year to return with that pass. Maybe we will go again either in late Oct or early November or next spring.

The reposition cruise looks really interesting. Wonder how many DVC points that will take. I doubt that we can cruise next Oct because of my committment as Chairperson of the NE Regional Conference for WOCN (my professional group). The conference is in the 3rd weekend of Oct so will have to go after the conference.

We have not made any decisions regarding excursions for the Oct trip. I am still working on our May cruise excursions. Need to finalize a couple more things and then we will be ready to cruise in May.

Got alot of things to get caught up on talk to everyone later.

Jeanne-- Sorry I never responded to your requests for a name for our dinner group. The name you picked looks fine to me.

Later,
Nancy

 

[dsncruise lover]

Originally posted by Viking
OK, now I got it: You're Sharon's DD!! Sometimes I'm a bit slow. You must know that I passed that big Four-Oh last year

Yes I am. I told her about the DIS boards and she has been addicted ever since. That's OK. We all are slow at times. LOL

 

[RellingTwin]

No repositioning cruise for us ...Too much time off for all of us and not in the vacation budget
We are planning to visit some crazy Germans in 2006!!!

Anja...I saw a bumber sticker today and it made me think of you. It said:

SQUIRREL
It's what's for dinner!


jeanneg...what is your DH field? Several of the docs I work with had been in private practice, but in OB/Gyn it is practiclly impossible to do anymore.

two-foxes...I totally agree with you about vacationing with Disney. Everytime we go someplace else, we wonder why we didn't go to WDW!! That is one of the reasons we bought into Disney Vacation Club.