4/10/2010 eb ta "bound for barcelona"

[emma'smom]

Incidentally, my mom told me about Sam's Club travel---and I've found a number of tours for Barcelona listed on that site. I don't know how their prices stack up, but I do like the fact that they are purchased in American dollars---so you are not at the mercy of the rise/fall of the Euro.

 

[Yvet]

Thanks both for your input on this topic. I've pretty much decided not to go with the Disney excursion and look to book a local alternative. 2.5 hours isn't enough time, I would think, but I'm sure they will be somewhat flexible. Thank you!

I am a little concern that 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 hours would not give enough time to truly explore and enjoy the sights.

We have a group of 5 people at this point that are going to do a private tour of Gibraltar.
We are going to hire a cab for the day and just visit everything we want to visit on our own pace.
There is still space available so if you are interested in joining our group just send a PM.

I have a HE washer (it actualy washes and dries) and use them most of the time and have not had any trouble. Took them on my cruise in October and used them on the ship for about 5 loads and had not trouble with them then either.Krisann

Can anybody explain to me what a HE washer is and what the problem is??
I just don't get this...... (those darn international people...)

QOTD Do you, as an adult, have your pictures taken with the Disney characters? If you do with your children, would you if the kids weren't there?

Ohw yeah!!!
Sure we do, we take pictures with characters all the time. If the line is to big we just skip the photo opp. at that time, but we sure do have photos with the characters.
In the parks we always visit the character photospot in Epcot.

 

[disneymum2201]

Is anyone interested in a private Madeira tour? I have been corresponding with www.danielmadeirataxis.com I have been trying to set up a tour that is shorter than the 8-8.5 hour Western Madeira DCL one. So far there are 3 of us interested. Please pm or email me if interested.

A number of us have booked private taxis for our families with the above company.

 

[adedward]

HE is High Efficiency. Uses less water than the water hog washers we Americans regularly use (or, hopefully, used to use). My guess is that all of your washers have always been what we would call High Efficiency.

 

[joius24]

I showed my son the "teen" messsage board.... he said..." I don't have to talk to them now.....Ill talk to them when I get on the ship" ...Then he went upstairs and promptly talked to his friends on his XBOX headphones......Thats Mr Social for ya!

Private vs DCL excursions:
I have done both as well....I do like the security of DCL excursions but once a dolphin encounter was full on the DCL so I booked the company privately......I did have a little anxiety as the cab pulled away from the port...that I was at the mercy of the locals, but there were no problems at all.

I am doing the HOHO in Barcelona because it seems to go places the DCL tours did not... and I feel more comfortable because the ship is NOT leaving that day

 

[joius24]

QOTD Do you, as an adult, have your pictures taken with the Disney characters? If you do with your children, would you if the kids weren't there?

Yes, and I get a little teary when I see them, even though I know they are people in costumes. I think my nieces only humor me when they agree to a photo.

oops missed the question.....

Yes I DO get pics with Characters...by myself and I "make" my son take some with them himself and with me (he is still willing to go along).

I got a small book printed with some character photos of us from the last three cruises.... for this cruise to use as an autograph book. This way they are signing pics of us and them...not just their name.

Lynne, The fireworks always get me teary eyed.... and some of the shows.... I am easliy inspired

 

[realfam]

Another thing we took into consideration while booking our 2 1/2 tour with Gibraltartours was that this extended tour included alot more than what DCL was offering. We too like the idea of being with DCL, but you cannot compare the 2. You could possibly compare DCL with the 1 1/2 hour Gibraltartour. The guide at Gibraltar tours also told me they have access to parts of the rock other tours don't (ya prbably the jails). Just make sure you compare apples to apples when considering which route to go. I feel comfortable in Gibraltar with my family just because its part of the UK.
The most important thing with tours is you must enjoy it. So book with some one you feel comfortable with....

I showed my son the "teen" messsage board.... he said..." I don't have to talk to them now.....Ill talk to them when I get on the ship" ...Then he went upstairs and promptly talked to his friends on his XBOX headphones......Thats Mr Social for ya!

Private vs DCL excursions:
I have done both as well....I do like the security of DCL excursions but once a dolphin encounter was full on the DCL so I booked the company privately......I did have a little anxiety as the cab pulled away from the port...that I was at the mercy of the locals, but there were no problems at all.

I am doing the HOHO in Barcelona because it seems to go places the DCL tours did not... and I feel more comfortable because the ship is NOT leaving that day

 

[susanowen27]

QOTD Do you, as an adult, have your pictures taken with the Disney characters? If you do with your children, would you if the kids weren't there?

Yes, and I get a little teary when I see them, even though I know they are people in costumes. I think my nieces only humor me when they agree to a photo.

We pose with the characters if the line is short. The grandkids enjoy seeing us with their "friends". The lines were short many times on the last TA.

 

[emma'smom]

It's snowing again here in Ohio----but you know what, who cares!? Why? Because I'll be in Castaway Cay in just 74 days!!!

 

[Dishy24]

It's snowing again here in Ohio----but you know what, who cares!? Why? Because I'll be in Castaway Cay in just 74 days!!!

 

[Happy Goofy]

My Husband and I often go to DW without the grandchildren and have our pictures taken with the characters. We are huge Disney fans. When we did the Panama CRuise we were right in line with all the other people. That is part of the fun of Disney,

 

[TheCruisers]

Another thing we took into consideration while booking our 2 1/2 tour with Gibraltartours was that this extended tour included alot more than what DCL was offering. We too like the idea of being with DCL, but you cannot compare the 2. You could possibly compare DCL with the 1 1/2 hour Gibraltartour. The guide at Gibraltar tours also told me they have access to parts of the rock other tours don't (ya prbably the jails). Just make sure you compare apples to apples when considering which route to go. I feel comfortable in Gibraltar with my family just because its part of the UK.
The most important thing with tours is you must enjoy it. So book with some one you feel comfortable with....

We opted for this private tour for the same reasons Alex states above. We also are doing the private tour in Madeira. The other ports, including the Med ports, we will stick with DCL.

The price I was quoted for Gibraltartours was in British pounds, not Euros. At todays exchange it is $56USD or $59 Cdn.

FYI, the owner's wife of Madeira taxi company advised me the flower festival starts at 4pm and the walk from Funchal to the port is approx 30-40 minutes at an easy pace.


On a completely different note: Boy did we pick the right time for this trip! Flower Festival in Madeira, April Fevestival in Seville and St Jordi's day in Barcelona! Nice of them to arrange their schedules around us!

Eleasa

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Your family is beautiful Brooklyn!!!

ok off to take my son to the dr.

I think he may have broken his wrist/lower arm - we shall see - hopefully if he did he will get the cast off before our trip

This happened before the WB PC in 2008 but it was my daughter - had it taken off like 3 days before we left - thought we were going to have to do a waterproof cast - but it healed!

Have a great day everyone!

Krisann

Oh no! I hope he is okay. Let us know!

---BUT OF COURSE! Just make sure you do not make a rookie mistake, and try to remove the meat from the tail by yourself. On DCL, all entrees are served to everyone at the table. Then, the server comes around to remove the meat from the tail shell ... and the shell is removed. It's similar to the Lava Cake. It's served to you and the rest of the table, then the server comes back with the hot lava sauce.

Oh, if you have never order the Escargot ... make sure you do! I will only order this on DCL, as they prepare it oh so well. If overcooked, it's crap!

Thanks for the tip! I never can seem to remove the meat in a clean cut....I need more practice!

When we were on Holland America, High Tea is offered for free to all guests on all sea days in the main dining room.

Woody

Yes, I LOVE the HAL teas...it really mixes up the sea days.

Hi guys!!
I'm a first time Disney Cruiser and so extremely excited. I've been told loads about how fantastic Palo is and was psyched to book my family reservations.
Yesteday at midnight reservations opened for first time cruisers. At 00:12 I was logged in. NOTHING available for Tea or Brunch, and only PORT days available for Palo. REALLY? Not a single day at sea reservation left for us newbies? And NO brunch or tea times?

Has anyone else had difficulty booking Palo?
Any tips would be appreciated!

I had trouble booking also , but everyone reassured me that I won't have any problem booking onboard on embarkation day. Read back a few posts & you'll see that there should be no trouble reserving on the first day of the cruise.

Thanks both for your input on this topic. I've pretty much decided not to go with the Disney excursion and look to book a local alternative. 2.5 hours isn't enough time, I would think, but I'm sure they will be somewhat flexible. Thank you!

Check out the boards on http://www.cruisecritic.com
They have "Destinations" boards where you can ask questions about taking private tours in Gibraltar or anywhere for that matter. There are lots of cruisers on there to give advice on private tour companies.

QOTD Do you, as an adult, have your pictures taken with the Disney characters? If you do with your children, would you if the kids weren't there?

Yes, but I like just interacting w/ them...I may or may not take a photo. I had a blast taking pictures w/ Minnie on a girls trip last year & it was superfun having a 1-on-1 w/ Woody at MVMCP in Dec.

 

[bound2travel]

Kristi, do you have a way of booking a group? I see your list is full and has alternates. I would love to do the Palo but not alone and my son (13) cannot join me.

That list is the old list - look on page 64 for the updated list. We do have 3 spots available. If you would like to join us - please pm me your name and reservation number. I'm hoping to send the fax tonight after work.

Kristi

 

[bound2travel]

There will be no updates to the website until Feb 8 while I am basking in the 80 degree days of Hawaii.

80 degrees - rub it in -

Glad you are enjoying yourself. It was my mistake on the list as I had been pm'd the updated list. I was trying to do too much at one time - as evidence by the number of stuff I forgot to do at work last Friday.

Kristi

 

[bound2travel]

QOTD Do you, as an adult, have your pictures taken with the Disney characters? If you do with your children, would you if the kids weren't there?

Yes, and I get a little teary when I see them, even though I know they are people in costumes. I think my nieces only humor me when they agree to a photo.

I have no problem having my pictures taken with the character even though I have NO children. It was fun last May when Belle asked what I did and I told her I was a librarian. She asked me what my favorite book was.

Kristi

 

[FarnMor]

Just signed to the boards.. DW is Bekaah or Vicky, however you know her.. looking forward to the Barcelona Trip.. Getting more info all the time.. trying to keep it all straight. Thought I better get on the boards and start keeping updated also.. Hello to All... Jim

 

[FarnMor]

Our grandbabies call us Bedstefar and Bedstemor. That is Grandfather and Grandmother in Danish. Typically they shorten it up to Far and Mor.. thus
FarnMor..

 

[ilovedale3]

DH and I (who are child-free) always take pics with the characters.

We never really thought much about it until our DCL cruise back in May. We were standing in line waiting to have our picture taken with Peter Pan and Wendy. There was a family with a little girl standing behind us. I heard her say, "Mommy, where are their kids?" (pointing to us). The mom said, "I don't know. Maybe they don't have any." The little girl then said, "Well, then they shoudln't be in this line. They are too big!"

 

[dee47]

QOTD Do you, as an adult, have your pictures taken with the Disney characters? If you do with your children, would you if the kids weren't there?

Oh yeah, every chance I get. With or without my son. I had actually elbowed him out of the way to get to Donald first once

BTW, I cry at Wishes and IllumiNations. Every time.