12/5/09 -- DUMMY -- The Cruise Your Heart Desires Most ; )

[goofyforlife]

ok....just to amuse myself I had to look......LAX to Aruba runs us about 525.00. Is this the crazy airport that the planes look like they are landing on the beach???

Nope that's St Martin.... My DH wants to go there....

 

[Stepht5]

I was trying to get DS14 to look up your DH on WOW, but he is horribly shy
Ok DS just came in and says it wasn't that he was shy- it was because he is on a different server
I'm not a gamer

DH and both older sons are big wow'ers too.....its a whole other addiction! LOL

DH has been a gamer since we were teenagers and he played Astroids for hours on end!
DH & 28ds used to run their own server for another game and had a BB until not that long ago...... Latenightkillaz
They have friends they made online years ago!
10ds started playing online when he was 2 --- he was great at snipping! They comunicated by microphone so it was easy for him. WHen they started playing COH (City of Heroes) you had to be able to read and type so, he learned when he was 5 so he could play.
And then he promptly started correcting everyones spelling & grammar! Just like dh does when he reads my posts here on the Dis!

DH has an Alienware and he wants new one *So, 10ds can have this one* OH BROTHER! As it is dh makes sure that 10ds has a better computer then me *You don't need a good computer you just read and send emails.*

He's on my list, I remember every minute!

I'm glad to hear that!

Bling Bling I'm not too sure how to interpret that look on your face

It looked like someone was being uuumm....pleasured?

 

[tom31b]

mmmm I think DH paid for some of those too.... I remember getting held up for $$$ on the beach.

I bought a bucket too

 

[Stepht5]

DH is now on the DCL website and him and the kids are twisting off!

DH * I need a better underwater camera* *When's the annoucement, again?* *I want...* *I want...*

 

[radioclash2]

DH wants to know if anyone is serious about the Aruba trip....He is now interested.

He also now wants to get to know y'all. I told him to post like the rest of us then.

Aruba -- I also looked at a couple of *all inclusives* for that timeframe..... around $1400 - $1600 pp. I think that was 4 nts.

I'm very interested pending job status.

 

[radioclash2]

Also, I really noticed our luggage got trounced during this trip...way more then normal. My beloved Pooh bear luggage had large pieces of plastic on the inside edges that was shattered, 1 handle strap broken off of my daughters new luggage, 1 front zippered pocket completely torn off on another and 1 pull handle broken.

Our luggage got trounced too. While I hate to admit it, the pattern seems to point to DCL. (at least for us)

I had to throw away the roling duffel bag that I got on the ship because it was torn open. Also DS8's golden Mickey lost an ear & nose & came home with a cracked arm.

 

[radioclash2]

That sounds like a great price! Might be worth a road trip to the VA airport. I'm seeing closer to $700 pp!





Don't worry. What happens in Aruba stays in Aruba! Right? Right?

right

 

[sk8ingmom]

You bought a lot of little beers

I remember that.

mmmm I think DH paid for some of those too.... I remember getting held up for $$$ on the beach.

Yeah, neither one of us had enough $$. Those little beers were expensive!

I bought a bucket too

No wonder we were all toast.

 

[cruisin'Mike]

I remember that.



Yeah, neither one of us had enough $$. Those little beers were expensive!



No wonder we were all toast.

Three Rum Runners in little tiny plastic cups...$21

Bucket of beers...$27

Watching M tottering around the beach...Priceless

 

[m&m's mom]

Your parents are doing an AROUND THE WORLD CRUISE!?! That sounds sooooo cool! I would LOVE to do something like that. However, the only thing we might remotely examine is the less costly ones like HAL or Princess voyages. The Seabourn, Crystal or Regent voyages all run about $60,000 + pp for SUITES for 121 to 106 day voyages. A good value - no doubt. But HAL and Princess run $ $41,700 to $22,800 for verandah cabins (my 1st choice for such a voyage)... covering similar lengths of voyage. THe DIFFERENCE in cost between the "Luxury" ships and say a $22,800Princess ship is $37,000 pp that could be used for a lot of shore excursions and ship board expenses. Or put another way... the luxury ship round the world voyages will certainly run us near $100,000 per person after shore excursions and ship board expenses are tallied.

An EXCITING TOAL without any question when taken on ANY ship - even a working freightor if it were an option! Which I'm sure it might be.

This coming January 5th, 2009 the Rotterdam IV embarks from LA. It's 131 (117?*)days from LA to NYC. It seems a window cabin is $25,510 pp and a $41,709 pp for verandah. Gee... that sounds soooooo appealing. Ya figure... with a verandah it's only $318.38 per person per day for 4.25 MONTHS of genuine TOAL adventure! Get this... I count 65 (SIXTY-FIVE) sea days on this 131 (117?*) day tour! That naturally implies there are 66 (or 52?*) port calls! Now something like THAT is WORTH .. W-H-A-T-E-V-E-R it costs! Whew!

* I am uncertain as to if this is a 117 or 131 day voyage?



Oh my!

Now look at THIS 117 day World cruise on Princesss' Tahitian Princess... window cabins are $21,534 pp and balcony cabins start at only $31,135 pp. That's $4,000 and $10,600 less PER PERSON comp[ared to HAL. The average daily cost per person in a window cabin is $184.05 pp! A verandah is only $266.11 per person! This voyage has 66 sea days ... and 51 port calls... beginning with Fort Lauderdale and heading WEST to conclude in Stockholm Sweeden. Whew!!!



ANd look at THIS...

Princesss' PACIFIC Princess embarks on January 27th (2010) for a 107 day voyage that concludes at Romes' port of Civitavecchia. Window cabins are 23,179 while verandah cabins start at only $26,529 pp. So a verandah works out with an average daily cost PP of $247.93! There are 64 sea days resulting in only 43 port calls... an awefully big difference compared to the longer Tahitian Princess voyage which costs a little more.



Oh BOY...

Princesss' Royal Princess sails on january 20th 2009 from Ft Lauderdale to Rome in 107 days. However the cabins run 19,928 for a window ... and only $22,796 for a verandah! That works out to $213.05 pp per day for a verandah! Or ... $186.24 pp for a window cabin. There are 62 sea days and obviously 45 port days. However the port rotation sounds truly marvelous!

I might add I know of other cruise lines doing world cruises - like Cunard with thier 3 "classes" of dining rooms divided by what/where you book your cabin... and I didn't mention/detail all of them as this was not really needed on a Disney thread. However... maybe the Disney Cruise execs are already planning to roll out a TRULY once in our lifetimes chance to sail with Disney around the world? Imagine that eh? This would go a long way tpwards silencing pundits like myself who gripe over the lack of port rotation variety.

They are on the Tahititan Princess in a suite. It supposedly is a smaller ship that maneuvers around well. I think by the time all is said and done my inheritance will be reduced close to $100,000.
My parents are taking a lot of side trips to places that they are going close to but not enough time to take on a day stop over.
They are getting all the rest of their "bucket list" out of the way in one trip.
]

 

[got2travel]

I found a great looking place to stay in Aruba

http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame.asp?mainurl=http://www.arubavillatropical.com&returnurl=/120002

$3750 per week
Sleeps 10-12, 5br, 4.5 baths, pool, hot tub, 2 refrigerators (think that will hold enough beer?),

 

[Stepht5]

Our luggage got trounced too. While I hate to admit it, the pattern seems to point to DCL. (at least for us)

I had to throw away the roling duffel bag that I got on the ship because it was torn open. Also DS8's golden Mickey lost an ear & nose & came home with a cracked arm.

What a shame!!!

I bought a couple of the rolling duffles and used them for carry ons on the way home -- I put all of the clothes & things we would need for the WDW part of the trip in our carry ons and packed the rest of the *stuff* in our regular suitcases.
We only used 1 carryon on the way to LA.

They are on the Tahititan Princess in a suite. It supposedly is a smaller ship that maneuvers around well. I think by the time all is said and done my inheritance will be reduced close to $100,000.
My parents are taking a lot of side trips to places that they are going close to but not enough time to take on a day stop over.
They are getting all the rest of their "bucket list" out of the way in one trip.
]

Coral, your dparents are going to have a great trip! What alot of fun!!!
Last year I bought FIL the National Geographic book on *100 best trips* or some such title. Because him & MIL need to go on more trips -- they used to travel all the time. Now they seem to only go out to CA to play golf with her sister-in-law. And FIL's deep sea fishing trips with dh & bil.
DH really thinks his dad would have a great time on a cruise -- his mom would hate it -- but, we can't get him to go.

 

[tom31b]

I found a great looking place to stay in Aruba

http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame.asp?mainurl=http://www.arubavillatropical.com&returnurl=/120002

$3750 per week
Sleeps 10-12, 5br, 4.5 baths, pool, hot tub, 2 refrigerators (think that will hold enough beer?),

So now I'm sitting here researching house rentals in Aruba....

http://www.thearubahouse.com/index.html

http://www.arubavillarentals.com/se...4&bedroom2=4+&start_price=0&end_price=9999999

Guess I'm not working this afternoon.....

 

[captaincrash]

They are on the Tahititan Princess in a suite. It supposedly is a smaller ship that maneuvers around well. I think by the time all is said and done my inheritance will be reduced close to $100,000.
My parents are taking a lot of side trips to places that they are going close to but not enough time to take on a day stop over.
They are getting all the rest of their "bucket list" out of the way in one trip.
]

That's so wonderful!

You know... it just occurs to me that Alicia and I have sailed the Tahitian Princess ... way back when it was the Rennisance R4 running a Tahitian Port rotation. Alicia was pregnant with Julianna then (8 years ago) and Alicia's parents sailed with us. It was on THAT cruise that we informed Alicias' Mom and Dad we were expecting our 1st child!

Above left we are taking our 1st sit down lunch on the R4. Above at RIGHT are Alicia's parents being met as they landed at LAX to begin our flight to Tahiti to meet the ship. This was pre 9-11 when we could MEET arriving passengers at the gate! Below at left was the moment when we informed her parents we were expecting - as that was the ultrasound image of Julianna Sam is holding. On the right BELOW is the R4 as we saw it before boarding in Papatee.

​

It is so important to do the things you really want to do ... obviously. I really want to go around the world a couple of times .... each time ON ONE TRIP. It kind of has a nice ring to it... KWIM? Frankly, you pause to think about it and it is SO REASONABLE to do in reaching so far and seeing so much with a degree of predictability and comfort. If only it were A LOT LESS COSTLY, eh? < chuckles > Now you have to consider that I would weigh a window versus a balcony cabin to economize... while I tend to think we'd engage in far more shore excursions since most of these port calls would TRULY be once in a life time visits.

My only complication in doing one of these is ... I would try and organize a GROUP to go so we could get that 1 in 16 tour conductor rebate (to split among my sailing friends)! Plus ... I wonder what sort of amenity points we'd get? Ya suppose I could negotiate for something better that 1 in 16 (6.25% savings) sails free? On Radisson 7 seas group I booked it used to be a 1 in 12 (or something like that - it was much better than what I considered curtomary) sails free or everyone gets an 8.3% savings! With everyone in our group doing a suite on the Tahitian Princess we'd split up $40,000+ in savings plus amenity points and anything else I can weasel out of Princess. You suppose they give breaks for repeat cruisers and ... AAA or Costco members? You think they'd consider a barter subsidy? I'd be willing to be a guest speaker on the voyage if I could get another 15% off... OK.... I'll settle for 10% discount... do we have a deal? OK, 8% it is then... LETS' SHAKE ON IT!!! < steady silent barely contained grinnin' ... I was ready to compromise down to 5% > Hmmm.... lets' see... who can I get to go along with this circumnavigation TOAL to build this into a 6 or 8 cabin group? Oooo... Oooo.... Ooooo .... maybe I should PM M&Ms Mom??? < wink >

Seriously.... What I am impressed with on the Tahitian Princess voyage is it's length... 117 days is among the longer voyages! THAT is what I'd like to do some day - and I'd like to do it some day sooner than later... < wink agian >

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART
Wed Jan 14 Fort Lauderdale, FL 5:30pm
Thu Jan 15 At Sea
Fri Jan 16 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 10:00am 6:00pm
Sat Jan 17 At Sea
Sun Jan 18 Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) 7:00am 4:30pm
Mon Jan 19 At Sea
Tue Jan 20 Manta, Ecuador 6:00am 7:00pm
Wed Jan 21 At Sea
Thu Jan 22 At Sea
Fri Jan 23 Lima (Callao), Peru 7:00am
Sat Jan 24 Lima (Callao), Peru 1:00pm
Sun Jan 25 At Sea
Mon Jan 26 At Sea
Tue Jan 27 At Sea
Wed Jan 28 At Sea
Thu Jan 29 Easter Island, Chilean dependency 9:00am 6:00pm
Fri Jan 30 At Sea
Sat Jan 31 At Sea
Sun Feb 1 Pitcairn Island, UK Territory (Cruising) 10:00am 2:00pm
Mon Feb 2 At Sea
Tue Feb 3 At Sea
Wed Feb 4 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia 8:00am 5:00pm
Thu Feb 5 At Sea
Fri Feb 6 Rarotonga, Cook Islands 8:00am 5:00pm
Sat Feb 7 At Sea
Sun Feb 8 At Sea
Mon Feb 9 Crossing International Dateline 8:00am 8:00pm
Wed Feb 11 At Sea
Thu Feb 12 Auckland, New Zealand 7:00am 10:00pm
Fri Feb 13 At Sea
Sat Feb 14 At Sea
Sun Feb 15 At Sea
Mon Feb 16 At Sea
Tue Feb 17 Burnie, Tasmania, Australia 8:00am 6:00pm
Wed Feb 18 At Sea
Thu Feb 19 Sydney, Australia 7:00am 10:00pm
Fri Feb 20 At Sea
Sat Feb 21 Brisbane, Australia 8:00am 6:00pm
Sun Feb 22 At Sea
Mon Feb 23 At Sea
Tue Feb 24 Cairns, Australia 7:00am 6:00pm
Wed Feb 25 At Sea
Thu Feb 26 At Sea
Fri Feb 27 Rabaul, Papua New Guinea 7:00am 2:00pm
Sat Feb 28 At Sea
Sun Mar 1 At Sea
Mon Mar 2 Guam, U.S. Territory Noon 7:00pm
Tue Mar 3 At Sea
Wed Mar 4 At Sea
Thu Mar 5 At Sea
Fri Mar 6 Osaka, Japan 8:00am 8:00pm
Sat Mar 7 Hiroshima, Japan 9:00am 5:00pm
Sun Mar 8 At Sea
Mon Mar 9 Inchon, South Korea 8:00am 5:00pm
Tue Mar 10 At Sea
Wed Mar 11 Shanghai, China 7:00am 6:00pm
Thu Mar 12 At Sea
Fri Mar 13 At Sea
Sat Mar 14 Hong Kong, China 7:00am 8:00pm
Sun Mar 15 At Sea
Mon Mar 16 At Sea
Tue Mar 17 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam 7:00am 7:00pm
Wed Mar 18 At Sea
Thu Mar 19 Sihanoukville, Cambodia 9:00am 6:00pm
Fri Mar 20 At Sea
Sat Mar 21 Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand 7:00am 7:00pm
Sun Mar 22 At Sea
Mon Mar 23 At Sea
Tue Mar 24 Singapore 7:00am 5:00pm
Wed Mar 25 Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), Malaysia 7:00am 6:00pm
Thu Mar 26 At Sea
Fri Mar 27 Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India Noon 7:00pm
Sat Mar 28 At Sea
Sun Mar 29 At Sea
Mon Mar 30 At Sea
Tue Mar 31 At Sea
Wed Apr 1 Bombay (Mumbai), India 7:00am 10:00pm
Thu Apr 2 At Sea
Fri Apr 3 At Sea
Sat Apr 4 At Sea
Sun Apr 5 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 7:00am 8:00pm
Mon Apr 6 At Sea
Tue Apr 7 At Sea
Wed Apr 8 Salalah, Oman 7:00am 5:00pm
Thu Apr 9 At Sea
Fri Apr 10 At Sea
Sat Apr 11 At Sea
Sun Apr 12 At Sea
Mon Apr 13 Luxor (Safaga), Egypt 6:00am 10:00pm
Tue Apr 14 At Sea
Wed Apr 15 Suez Canal, Egypt (Cruising) 1:00am 5:00pm
Thu Apr 16 Cairo (Port Said), Egypt 7:00am 8:00pm
Fri Apr 17 At Sea
Sat Apr 18 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 9:00am 6:00pm
Sun Apr 19 At Sea
Mon Apr 20 Sorrento, Italy 8:00am 6:00pm
Tue Apr 21 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am 6:30pm
Wed Apr 22 Cannes, France 9:00am 6:00pm
Thu Apr 23 Barcelona, Spain 11:00pm
Fri Apr 24 At Sea
Sat Apr 25 Gibraltar, UK Territory 7:00am 1:00pm
Sun Apr 26 Lisbon, Portugal 10:00am 6:00pm
Mon Apr 27 At Sea
Tue Apr 28 At Sea
Wed Apr 29 Cork (Cobh), Ireland 8:00am 6:00pm
Thu Apr 30 At Sea
Fri May 1 Paris (Le Havre), France 7:00am 7:00pm
Sat May 2 London (Dover), England 7:00am 5:00pm
Sun May 3 Paris (Le Havre), France 7:00am 6:30pm
Mon May 4 Zeebrugge, Belgium 8:00am 6:00pm
Tue May 5 Amsterdam, Holland 9:00am 5:00pm
Wed May 6 At Sea
Thu May 7 Copenhagen, Denmark 7:00am 5:00pm
Fri May 8 At Sea
Sat May 9 Helsinki, Finland 8:00am 5:00pm
Sun May 10 St. Petersburg, Russia 7:00am 9:00pm
Mon May 11 Tallinn, Estonia 9:00am 3:00pm
Tue May 12 Stockholm, Sweden 7:00am
​

Curious... Le Harve (Paris) is a double port call spread over 3 days. Do they seriously ecxpect folks to disembark and stay ashore 2 nites then return to the ship? Gee... that would pose an interesting consideration. Not to mention you are more likely to kiss off 125K of your inheritance (as opposed to 100K)... that is .. in 2008 dollars. And since it's an inheritance we're talkin' ... than it's more like $250K adjusting for investment yield in 7-10 years hence... or possibly $500K in 15-20 years assuming an average yield (Compound Annual Growth Rate [CAGR] of the S&P 500 from 1950 to 12-2007 was 8.66%.... and we've had a bad run since 2000 so I feel we're due for a uptick unless the Democrats win the white house - IE a democratic congress AND white house equates to the worst possible combination for investment yields from a HISTORICAL POV .... http://www.moneychimp.com/features/market_cagr.htm ) So if the Dems gain the white house while retaining control of Congress ... it just might be another 4 years before we can anticiapte a really nice uptick, or an apocalyptic economy, eh? ... at any rate ... conservatively, I've taken the liberty of assuming a 7-10 year interval to double your money applying the rule of 72 on compound annual return summaries for a presumption of a 7.2-10% yield. Of course this is gross proceeds before taxes, potential litigation and other expenses related with any transfer. This is not a soliciation for any registered security - and remember ... past performance is no indication or guarantee of future performance.... you should seek out your own reliable independent counsel regarding your investment decisions. < wink & grinnin' > We all should'a bought more gold... as some SMART folks I know did!!!

 

[tom31b]

Maybe this should go in the rumor board, I mean the main cruise board, but has anyone looked at the artist renderings of the new ships.....

The front of the "Deck 9" area (Deck 12??) looks to be enclosed. Hmmmm... Alaska ready?

I won't link this giant image, but look at the top decks, looks like multiple water slides and the whole enclosed "Deck 9" thing

Of course, according to some websites and inside sources, the renderings can't be trusted....

 

[tom31b]

A Wave of Enhancements In-Store for the Disney Magic Cruise Ship as it Heads Into Dry Dock in September 2008
CELEBRATION, Fla. – An exciting collection of enhancements awaits the Disney Magic as the ship heads into dry dock Sept. 6-24, 2008. The 2,700 passenger cruise ship will undergo a series of upgrades for guests of all ages.

Here is a glimpse at what’s in store:


Indulgence and Relaxation
Quiet Cove, the serene pool retreat reserved for the enjoyment of adults, will undergo a makeover including upgrades to Cove Café, the pool and the deck area. Cove Café, the ship’s sophisticated coffee lounge, will incorporate a new seating area with plush, comfortable chairs providing the perfect venue to relax while sipping a cup of gourmet coffee. Meanwhile, the adult pool will be outfitted with soothing, cascading waterfalls from the two hot tubs. Teak deck and lounge chairs with plush cushions will line the pool, creating an inviting, stylish ambiance in line with the Vista Spa and Salon.

Fun for the Little Ones
The Oceaneer Club, a Neverland-themed play space for 3-7 year olds, and the Oceaneer Lab, a whacky and interactive laboratory exclusively for 8-12 year olds, will be enhanced with new registration areas that make the check-in process more efficient and hassle-free. This sets the stage for incorporating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in the youth activity areas later this year, which will further enhance and streamline the check-in process. The technology uses RFID tags embedded on wristbands, allowing children to simply tap a sensor to check in and out of the clubs.
Even the youngest cruisers will have a splashtacular time in “Mickey’s Splash Zone,” a new toddler water playground inspired by Fantasia’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice. This 385-square-foot extension to the Mickey Pool on deck 9 will feature star- and moon-shaped interactive fountains, a soft play surface and whimsical splash zones; creating an inviting environment for children not yet toilet trained and in swim diapers.

New Conveniences
The guest staterooms onboard the Disney Magic are receiving an infusion of technology with the installation of flat-screen LCD television sets. The new 22-inch units will be mounted on a swivel arm to allow easy viewing from multiple locations within the stateroom.

A leader in the family cruise segment, Disney Cruise Line offers three-, four- and seven-night itineraries to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Land/sea vacation packages that include a stay at the Walt Disney World Resort are also available.

To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to book a vacation, guests can contact their travel agent, visit disneycruise.com or call Disney Cruise Line at 888/DCL-2500. Travel agents can call Disney Cruise Line at 888/325-2500 or visit disneytravelagents.com.

 

[tom31b]

A Wave of Enhancements In-Store for the Disney Magic Cruise Ship as it Heads Into Dry Dock in September 2008

Indulgence and Relaxation
Quiet Cove, the serene pool retreat reserved for the enjoyment of adults, will undergo a makeover including upgrades to Cove Café, the pool and the deck area. Cove Café, the ship’s sophisticated coffee lounge, will incorporate a new seating area with plush, comfortable chairs providing the perfect venue to relax while sipping a cup of gourmet coffee. Meanwhile, the adult pool will be outfitted with soothing, cascading waterfalls from the two hot tubs. Teak deck and lounge chairs with plush cushions will line the pool, creating an inviting, stylish ambiance in line with the Vista Spa and Salon.

Cheryl, will you be saving these for everyone?

 

[Esteri]

During the call I managed to sleep, wake-up, load the dishwasher, empty the dishwasher, get the clothes in, off the washing line, have a grocery order delivered, receive the grocery, put the groceries away, speak to Alex on the other phone, and you were STILL talking after all that.

David

WOW! That's some call!
.

 

[daipp]

A Wave of Enhancements In-Store for the Disney Magic Cruise Ship as it Heads Into Dry Dock in September 2008
Indulgence and Relaxation
Teak deck and lounge chairs with plush cushions will line the pool, creating an inviting, stylish ambiance in line with the Vista Spa and Salon.

Cheryl, will you be saving these for everyone?

Like this one ?????

David

 

[alexandmaddie]

Our luggage got trounced too. While I hate to admit it, the pattern seems to point to DCL. (at least for us)

I agree. We were up really early on PC morning, we watched them unload luggage for a few minutes. I had to leave because it was really bothering me watching them throwing the luggage around. I know they had a lot of luggage to deal with, but I could not believe how they were tossing the luggage around.

Krista