10-21-12 Dream!!!

[seirra79]

Interesting points. I'm guessing that they're trying to hook cruisers into booking their next cruise in a higher category once they've "sampled" it at a reduced rate. It is tempting...

Tell me why you don't like the bump outs - if I read your post correctly.

Tricia

Yep you hit the nail on the head Tricia! They want to hook you! LOL

Yeah what's the difference between a regular room and bump out?

Also what is the earliest you can arrive at the port. I have the earliest check in...but can you come earlier and wait until they start checking in?

 

[disneyholic family]

Interesting points. I'm guessing that they're trying to hook cruisers into booking their next cruise in a higher category once they've "sampled" it at a reduced rate. It is tempting...

Tell me why you don't like the bump outs - if I read your post correctly.

Tricia

no i meant that i like the bump out rooms...i have one of them myself...
when i booked, ALL of the bump out rooms were still available...
actually when i booked this cruise, all of the Cat T rooms were still available..
and i didn't book it a super long time ago...i think i booked it around january.....maybe february...

the bump outs have bigger verandahs.....slightly bigger...not hugely bigger, slightly bigger...
but any additional space out there is nice to have..

the really huge verandah is on the royal suite....
those are both booked, although one of them only booked about 3 months ago, which is really late...

regarding the reason for the upgrading - it's to make more money...
let's say someone in a verandah upgrades to concierge for $500
then someone in the inside room upgrades to the verandah for say $300..
so now DCL has made an additional $800 that they wouldn't have made without the upgrades..
however, at the same time they've pissed me off and decreased the likelihood that i'll ever pay the exhorbitant amount of money i'm paying for my room.....
and i'm not the only one...
fewer and fewer people will pay that huge amount up front...
they'll wait for an upgrade...
so now DCL will have lost a huge amount of money...
the loss is greater than the amount they gain by port upgrades..
it doesn't take long for people to figure out they shouldn't pay that price..

so eventually, only a very few people will pay - those few who aren't willing to gamble...
though it's not much of a gamble these days..
had i been cruising on my own, i would have taken the risk...
but with my mom and sister, i couldn't do that..
so instead, next time i'll vote with my feet and switch to a different cruise line that offers concierge at a more reasonable fare to begin with...
(i could have gone on a 7 night cruise in concierge on RCCL for less for example - and RCCL concierge has additional amenities that DCL doesn't)..

but bottom line, since i know they're going to be upgrading into concierge, i'd much rather it be all the people in this roll call who upgrade!!
that would be fun!!!

Are you talking about early breakfast options on the ship? You can always have continental breakfast delivered to your room...I think they start pretty early

room service is 24 hours a day, except on debarkation day...
room service is the only middle of the night food option available on DCL as far as i know...

Oh cool glad you were able to find more pics...I never thought of googling it myself to see more pics...as the DCL page only showed one picture.

BUT I'm with you on trying to get a 1 bedroom at a deal...those rooms are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fingers crossed

from category 8, i'm guessing the upcharge to the one bedroom will be less than $1000 (as opposed to whatever it is right now).

 

[D73]

7 WEEKS! We are under the 50 days mark!

 

[disneyholic family]

7 WEEKS! We are under the 50 days mark!

So you think it's time for me to find a flight?

Last minute is my middle name

The problem is my arm is still in really bad shape

Actually it's taken a turn for the worse
The surgeon thought the physical therapy would be done by oct 9th, when I'd thought I would fly to Orlando
But now it doesn't look very promising.
I might need a second surgery
Not something I'm very enthusiastic about
But if I do need to undergo surgery again it would have to wait until I get back since I'll have to go through the same six month rehabilitation all over again
So I would go to the states and then come back for the surgery
But I wouldn't be able to head to the states on the 9th
I might not be able to take off that much time from physical therapy
So maybe I'll fly to state on the 17th right before the conference

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[poohbear926]

Yep you hit the nail on the head Tricia! They want to hook you! LOL

Yeah what's the difference between a regular room and bump out?

Also what is the earliest you can arrive at the port. I have the earliest check in...but can you come earlier and wait until they start checking in?

port opens i believe 1030 but weve been there at 10 but had to wait right outside the security area until they opened. I like to get there early but i think we'll be getting there at 1130 planning on probably leaving OKW at 10 this time since ill have family and friends that will be leaving that day to go home so ill be spending some time with them before hand. haha ive never gotten to the port that late. ill probably be freaking. but who knows i might change my mind and decide to leave earlier

 

[D73]

So you think it's time for me to find a flight?

Last minute is my middle name

The problem is my arm is still in really bad shape

Actually it's taken a turn for the worse
The surgeon thought the physical therapy would be done by oct 9th, when I'd thought I would fly to Orlando
But now it doesn't look very promising.
I might need a second surgery
Not something I'm very enthusiastic about
But if I do need to undergo surgery again it would have to wait until I get back since I'll have to go through the same six month rehabilitation all over again
So I would go to the states and then come back for the surgery
But I wouldn't be able to head to the states on the 9th
I might not be able to take off that much time from physical therapy
So maybe I'll fly to state on the 17th right before the conference

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Sorry to hear your physical therapy has not progressed at the rate you had hoped. I guess it is good that you waited to buy your flights so rather than have to pay change fees to depart later.

I am planning to buy my tickets this week. I finally got a partial confirmation that I will be in Dubai the week before and just need to get final confirmation tomorrow morning when normal office hours resume. I hope that there is not a major price jump in the next 2 days as I am stretching my budget as it is to get the direct flight from Dubai to Atlanta. I am not sure about being on a single plane for over 15 hours but once I get my connection I will arrive in Orlando a full 9 to 24 hours over the other options. Then I will just sleep all day Friday the 19th to make up for 8 hour time change and the flying.

What about the rest of you? Who is arriving early? Anyone going to be near the Boardwalk before the cruise? Perhaps we can arrange a pre-cruise gathering?

Christopher

 

[disneyholic family]

Sorry to hear your physical therapy has not progressed at the rate you had hoped. I guess it is good that you waited to buy your flights so rather than have to pay change fees to depart later.

I am planning to buy my tickets this week. I finally got a partial confirmation that I will be in Dubai the week before and just need to get final confirmation tomorrow morning when normal office hours resume. I hope that there is not a major price jump in the next 2 days as I am stretching my budget as it is to get the direct flight from Dubai to Atlanta. I am not sure about being on a single plane for over 15 hours but once I get my connection I will arrive in Orlando a full 9 to 24 hours over the other options. Then I will just sleep all day Friday the 19th to make up for 8 hour time change and the flying.

What about the rest of you? Who is arriving early? Anyone going to be near the Boardwalk before the cruise? Perhaps we can arrange a pre-cruise gathering?

Christopher

my normal flight to JFK is 13 hours non-stop (flying west - flying east it's only about 11 hours...that tail wind/head wind makes a difference)...

i might fly delta this time...normally i fly el al, but i might need to fly one of the directions with my mom and she's delta platinum - only flies delta..

if i go delta, i think i'll try out economy comfort if it's still available...
i usually fly business, but my finances are not in such great shape after all the money i've had to shell out as a result of this accident (i'm still waiting for the store's insurance company to make an offer)...
so i guess it will be economy for me..
i'll probably be a basket case at the end of the flight to JFK....
flying to atlanta would be nice, i would just hop into a car and drive the 6 hours to orlando...
i'm not really thrilled about getting on another plane to fly down from JFK to MCO...

what airline flies non-stop from dubai to atlanta? delta?

 

[D73]

my normal flight to JFK is 13 hours non-stop (flying west - flying east it's only about 11 hours...that tail wind/head wind makes a difference)...

i might fly delta this time...normally i fly el al, but i might need to fly one of the directions with my mom and she's delta platinum - only flies delta..

if i go delta, i think i'll try out economy comfort if it's still available...
i usually fly business, but my finances are not in such great shape after all the money i've had to shell out as a result of this accident (i'm still waiting for the store's insurance company to make an offer)...
so i guess it will be economy for me..
i'll probably be a basket case at the end of the flight to JFK....
flying to atlanta would be nice, i would just hop into a car and drive the 6 hours to orlando...
i'm not really thrilled about getting on another plane to fly down from JFK to MCO...

what airline flies non-stop from dubai to atlanta? delta?

Yes Delta. Flight leaves at 10 10 PM on Thursday and arrives in Atlanta at 5 55 AM Friday. Then a 2 hour layover before the flit to Orlando which arrives at 9 17.

I am thinking economy comfort may be an option for me as well. I have Gold Status with AirFrance Flying Blue so I can get a 50% discount on the upgrade after my regular economy fare has been purchased. I think the extra few inches leg room and extra recline for a 15 hour 45 minute flight is worth a bit extra....just don't know how much that extra will be because it is not published anywhere that I can find. Have to wait and see after the purchase.

 

[disneyholic family]

Yes Delta. Flight leaves at 10 10 PM on Thursday and arrives in Atlanta at 5 55 AM Friday. Then a 2 hour layover before the flit to Orlando which arrives at 9 17.

I am thinking economy comfort may be an option for me as well. I have Gold Status with AirFrance Flying Blue so I can get a 50% discount on the upgrade after my regular economy fare has been purchased. I think the extra few inches leg room and extra recline for a 15 hour 45 minute flight is worth a bit extra....just don't know how much that extra will be because it is not published anywhere that I can find. Have to wait and see after the purchase.

friends of mine on the UK trip planning board flew delta economy comfort a few weeks ago and said it was worth every penny..
they posted some pictures and there really is a lot of extra legroom...

delta used to fly from tel aviv to atlanta, but they did away with that flight last year...so now the only delta non-stop is into JFK...
makes it a lot less convenient for anyone continuing on (JFK is the nightmare of the century - and the delta terminals there even worse than that)..

i think if i book together with my mom, it's possible i won't have to pay for economy comfort (because of her platinum status), but maybe yes....she'll go business and i'll go economy..

i just looked up the flights on kayak.com and i'm really surprised that delta and klm are coming out the cheapest....that's astounding...
usually they're much more expensive on that route (lufthansa usually comes out the cheapest)....
i hope i don't miss out on the rate, but i'm just not ready to book yet...
the date is too up in the air..

 

[disneyholic family]

here it is Christopher,
look at post #5 on delta economy comfort in this thread about delta.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2974559&highlight=delta

 

[disneyholic family]

yikes, the delta price is $200 higher than it was this afternoon!!!

for business class, for the flights via amsterdam, if you buy the ticket from KLM instead of Delta - even though the transatlantic flight is operated by delta - the ticket is $1000 cheaper from KLM....for the very same flights...
geez....crazy crazy....you really have to check all the options..

kayak makes it much easier!!

but i really hate flying via amsterdam - that flight over the alps is always hair-raising...the turbulence is more than i can handle..

 

[seirra79]

So you think it's time for me to find a flight?

Last minute is my middle name

The problem is my arm is still in really bad shape

Actually it's taken a turn for the worse
The surgeon thought the physical therapy would be done by oct 9th, when I'd thought I would fly to Orlando
But now it doesn't look very promising.
I might need a second surgery
Not something I'm very enthusiastic about
But if I do need to undergo surgery again it would have to wait until I get back since I'll have to go through the same six month rehabilitation all over again
So I would go to the states and then come back for the surgery
But I wouldn't be able to head to the states on the 9th
I might not be able to take off that much time from physical therapy
So maybe I'll fly to state on the 17th right before the conference

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

YES, sorry to hear about your recovery not going as well as hoped. I hope it won't make your vacation uncomfortable.

I have to say i'm enjoying reading all the fellow international travelers plans. Me and my boys leave TOMORROW for Florida. It's a 16 hour flight from Hong Kong to Newark...then 2 hour layover and then 3 hours to Florida. The entire day will be 26 hours door to door....

we're flying economy.....BUT the flight is almost full and me and the boys seats are not together...sooooo i'm hoping they will complimentary upgrade us to economy plus...since that is still WIDE open....so here's hoping!

 

[disneyholic family]

YES, sorry to hear about your recovery not going as well as hoped. I hope it won't make your vacation uncomfortable.

I have to say i'm enjoying reading all the fellow international travelers plans. Me and my boys leave TOMORROW for Florida. It's a 16 hour flight from Hong Kong to Newark...then 2 hour layover and then 3 hours to Florida. The entire day will be 26 hours door to door....

we're flying economy.....BUT the flight is almost full and me and the boys seats are not together...sooooo i'm hoping they will complimentary upgrade us to economy plus...since that is still WIDE open....so here's hoping!

good luck with the seating!!! and have a safe and uneventful trip to the states!!!!!!!

 

[seirra79]

port opens i believe 1030 but weve been there at 10 but had to wait right outside the security area until they opened. I like to get there early but i think we'll be getting there at 1130 planning on probably leaving OKW at 10 this time since ill have family and friends that will be leaving that day to go home so ill be spending some time with them before hand. haha ive never gotten to the port that late. ill probably be freaking. but who knows i might change my mind and decide to leave earlier

Great! Thanks for the info! I think we'll head over between 10-10:30...we've never gone that early...but hey why not....the earlier we can get on the ship the better! We're staying with my parents and they live only 5 mins away from the port on Merritt Island...so talk about convenient! LOL

 

[poohbear926]

Great! Thanks for the info! I think we'll head over between 10-10:30...we've never gone that early...but hey why not....the earlier we can get on the ship the better! We're staying with my parents and they live only 5 mins away from the port on Merritt Island...so talk about convenient! LOL

you are very welcome. Plus if you get there early you get to see one of the characters and can get pictures with them. it doesnt hurt to get there early. Ahhh very nice yeah really extremely convenient. i love getting there early i dont mind just hanging around and people watching getting checked in and sometimes depending on how fast the crew can clean the ship the earlier you can get on. We've been on by 1130 sometimes

 

[disneyholic family]

you are very welcome. Plus if you get there early you get to see one of the characters and can get pictures with them. it doesnt hurt to get there early. Ahhh very nice yeah really extremely convenient. i love getting there early i dont mind just hanging around and people watching getting checked in and sometimes depending on how fast the crew can clean the ship the earlier you can get on. We've been on by 1130 sometimes

i think we're being picked up from WDW at 10:00....
maybe i should advance it to 9:30?
if they pick us up at 10, i guess we'll get there at 11...
maybe i should say 9:30 to get us there at 10:30?

what do you think?

 

[triciari]

i think we're being picked up from WDW at 10:00....
maybe i should advance it to 9:30?
if they pick us up at 10, i guess we'll get there at 11...
maybe i should say 9:30 to get us there at 10:30?

what do you think?

I'm also debating pick-up time from WDW. I think I'm going to go with 10, in the hopes that we won't spend too much time waiting in the terminal! Who are you all using? I haven't booked yet, but need a limo for 6, with round trip service.

 

[hmurra75]

I'm also debating pick-up time from WDW. I think I'm going to go with 10, in the hopes that we won't spend too much time waiting in the terminal! Who are you all using? I haven't booked yet, but need a limo for 6, with round trip service.

Well I am getting picked up at 9:30.. I figure its like everyone said earlier.. the sooner you get there the sooner you'll get on the ship hopefully .
that, and I'm just an eager beaver ha!

Sent from my ADR6300 using DISBoards

 

[triciari]

Well I am getting picked up at 9:30.. I figure its like everyone said earlier.. the sooner you get there the sooner you'll get on the ship hopefully .
that, and I'm just an eager beaver ha!

Sent from my ADR6300 using DISBoards

Who did you book with?

 

[hmurra75]

Who did you book with?

OCS .. they are really reasonable and very professional thus far

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