7/18/10 Mickey's Baltic Ballyhoo Part 6

[jilljill]

Good Morning All T.G.I.F.
Happy BDay Car hope all is well with your Father in-law!

Yeah....ditto what he just said.

 

[MrsScooby]

Found this blog on the internet of someone's Baltic cruise and posted it on the main boards as well as here. Love reading the details of people's blogs and wish I had the patience to do this myself

http://miner-heretodaytheretomorrow.blogspot.com/

 

[scrapycruiser]

Found this blog on the internet of someone's Baltic cruise and posted it on the main boards as well as here. Love reading the details of people's blogs and wish I had the patience to do this myself

http://miner-heretodaytheretomorrow.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the link ! I'm like a sponge, it's getting close and I can't get enough ! They were lucky to have had so much time in Stockholm !

Wasn't the Magic heading out to Dover today ??
Can't wait to get reports from those early Baltic cruisers !

For those doing the HOHO bus in Stockholm, are you getting your tkts before you go ?

Is anyone doing the HOHO Boat ? Can't decide which to do, and it's too expensive to do both for the short amount of time we'll be there .

Also, does anyone know if there are many teens on our Jul 18th cruise ? My Grandson is 15 1/2

 

[KathyInCitrus]

Just heard from my MIL. My FIL is out of surgery. The surgeon said it went well and they believe they got it all, but won't know for about 10 days. He'll be in the hospital for 4-5 days.

 

[jilljill]

Thanks for the link ! I'm like a sponge, it's getting close and I can't get enough ! They were lucky to have had so much time in Stockholm !

Wasn't the Magic heading out to Dover today ??
Can't wait to get reports from those early Baltic cruisers !

For those doing the HOHO bus in Stockholm, are you getting your tkts before you go ?

Is anyone doing the HOHO Boat ? Can't decide which to do, and it's too expensive to do both for the short amount of time we'll be there .

Also, does anyone know if there are many teens on our Jul 18th cruise ? My Grandson is 15 1/2

I think the Magic heads to Dover tomorrow, the 5th.

We will have 2 16yo's in our group, a boy and a girl.

 

[jilljill]

Speaking of a 16yo girl...we took DD to get her license this afternoon . She drive us to Home Depot and then to dinner in Fri. afternoon traffic - we were totally nuts letting her do that. She made out fine, although she needs to use the brake more than she does and definately needs to turn her head when looking left and right.

 

[RJAYL]

Speaking of a 16yo girl...we took DD to get her license this afternoon . She drive us to Home Depot and then to dinner in Fri. afternoon traffic - we were totally nuts letting her do that. She made out fine, although she needs to use the brake more than she does and definately needs to turn her head when looking left and right.

 

[MrsG]

One more sleep until my birthday weekend at Disneyland! I get to wear a BIRTHDAY BUTTON!!!!!


Also, please keep Andrew's dad and our family in your thoughts and prayers today. He is having colon cancer surgery this morning.

Just heard from my MIL. My FIL is out of surgery. The surgeon said it went well and they believe they got it all, but won't know for about 10 days. He'll be in the hospital for 4-5 days.

We are praying for good news and a fast recovery.

 

[scrapycruiser]

Just heard from my MIL. My FIL is out of surgery. The surgeon said it went well and they believe they got it all, but won't know for about 10 days. He'll be in the hospital for 4-5 days.

I'm very happy for your inlaws. I hope the news continues to be good !
God bless !

 

[mstinson14]

scrapycruiser-my dd will turn 14 on the cruise that's kinda close, just in case you were looking for more teens.
Tomorrow, we leave for San Diego, going to disneyland on wednesday

 

[MrsScooby]

Thanks for the link ! I'm like a sponge, it's getting close and I can't get enough ! They were lucky to have had so much time in Stockholm !

Wasn't the Magic heading out to Dover today ??
Can't wait to get reports from those early Baltic cruisers !

For those doing the HOHO bus in Stockholm, are you getting your tkts before you go ?

Is anyone doing the HOHO Boat ? Can't decide which to do, and it's too expensive to do both for the short amount of time we'll be there .

Also, does anyone know if there are many teens on our Jul 18th cruise ? My Grandson is 15 1/2

I've been lurking on the other Baltic threads and also on cruisecritic and tripadvisor looking for info too. I saw you on cruisecritic I think asking questions as well
Stockholm planning is driving me crazy
I know I want to do the Vasa and the Viking tour definitely and hoping to squeeze in Skansen and the Royal armory as well. I'm thinking the Stockholm card might save me enough in the way of time so that I can squeeze the extra stuff in-but bummed that it does not include the public ferry (which the lady from the Viking tour -Ellissa-said would be the fastest way to get from Djurgarden -Vasa/Skansen area to Old Town). Ellissa also said she thought the HoHo bus could be slow due to traffic and that the ferry or the HoHo boat would be the best options.
The Stockholm card does include the HoHo boat so I am leaning toward getting it now. I may wait to see how the first Baltic cruisers manage before ordering-although that is cutting it a little close

We have a DS16 and a DD13, but my DS is very much into gaming (WoW) and not sports.

Speaking of a 16yo girl...we took DD to get her license this afternoon . She drive us to Home Depot and then to dinner in Fri. afternoon traffic - we were totally nuts letting her do that. She made out fine, although she needs to use the brake more than she does and definately needs to turn her head when looking left and right.

We're still practicing with my DS in parking lots and side roads
My DH is a much better teacher than I am so it is good they are bonding over it

scrapycruiser-my dd will turn 14 on the cruise that's kinda close, just in case you were looking for more teens.
Tomorrow, we leave for San Diego, going to disneyland on wednesday

I was just in SanDiego a couple weeks ago
Have fun at Disneyland and post some pics

 

[scrapycruiser]

We bought the Stockholm Cards through Viator.com. They could not mail them. Found out that we had to pick them up at the Tourist Office in town. That meant that we'd have to pay extra for transportation ( which normally would have been included with the card ) from the ship to the TI. Plus this TI wasn't near anything that we wanted to see !

We ended up cancelling our Stockholm Card and our CC was refunded.

I've had bad experiences with HOHO buses. Delayed, crowded, not going directly where we wanted to go. Also, I've heard about road construction in Stockholm causing delays. Maybe we'll take the ship's shuttle into town and then take the HOHO boat or ferry ???

We were there 2 yrs ago on the RCCL Jewel. We took a ships' tour to Vasa, City Hall and Gamla Stan.Great tour ! I love Gamla Stan ! This time I want to go back to Gamla Stan, Royal Armory, and maybe Skansen.

We'll see what the early Baltic cruisers say !

My 15 yo Grandson is very outgoing, tall, plays basketball. He's looking forward to making some friends on the ship. He'll be happy to hear he's in good company and that he won't have to hang out with Grama & Grandad every minute of the cruise !

 

[scrapycruiser]

scrapycruiser-my dd will turn 14 on the cruise that's kinda close, just in case you were looking for more teens.
Tomorrow, we leave for San Diego, going to disneyland on wednesday

Have a wonderful time in San Diego ! That's a beautiful city and the weather is always perfect !

Glad to hear your daughter's on the cruise. Looks like my Grandson will have lots of fun with new friends !

 

[jilljill]

Don't laugh too hard, your DD isn't too far behind.
At least we weren't too crazy letting her drive home on the interstate on Friday evening. That would have been a suicide mission since her Driver's Ed teacher didn't take her on that road. I'm thinking of doing that sort of road in FL, 417 would be better since it's not as crowded.

 

[MrsScooby]

We bought the Stockholm Cards through Viator.com. They could not mail them. Found out that we had to pick them up at the Tourist Office in town. That meant that we'd have to pay extra for transportation ( which normally would have been included with the card ) from the ship to the TI. Plus this TI wasn't near anything that we wanted to see !

We ended up cancelling our Stockholm Card and our CC was refunded.

I've had bad experiences with HOHO buses. Delayed, crowded, not going directly where we wanted to go. Also, I've heard about road construction in Stockholm causing delays. Maybe we'll take the ship's shuttle into town and then take the HOHO boat or ferry ???

We were there 2 yrs ago on the RCCL Jewel. We took a ships' tour to Vasa, City Hall and Gamla Stan.Great tour ! I love Gamla Stan ! This time I want to go back to Gamla Stan, Royal Armory, and maybe Skansen.

We'll see what the early Baltic cruisers say !

My 15 yo Grandson is very outgoing, tall, plays basketball. He's looking forward to making some friends on the ship. He'll be happy to hear he's in good company and that he won't have to hang out with Grama & Grandad every minute of the cruise !

I'm getting more excited about Stockholm as I read about it
It sounds wonderful

The site I was looking to buy the Stockholm card delivers in 10-14 days or I wouldn't consider buying it as the sole purpose (at least for us) is to save time so we can get the extra sites in
http://beta.stockholmtown.com/en/Information/Buy--Order/The-Stockholm-card/Frequently-Asked-Questions/
I'm hoping that if we have the card in hand and don't have to wait in line for tickets that we can save enough time for the Skansen and the Royal Armory
Not sure how those HoHo boats work as far as time wise as they have set routes to various sites and not sure how long the ride is from Djurgarden to Gamla Stan Can't seem to get any definite answers from the HoHo boat website so may have to play it by ear
We might have to pay extra for the ferry if we are pressed for time. I have read some good reports about the HoHo boats and their having extra rides available for cruise ships in the morning as that is when most cruisers head for the Vasa

Pretty sure your DGS will have no problem getting some basketball games in on the ship's sport deck

 

[MrsScooby]

Don't laugh too hard, your DD isn't too far behind.
At least we weren't too crazy letting her drive home on the interstate on Friday evening. That would have been a suicide mission since her Driver's Ed teacher didn't take her on that road. I'm thinking of doing that sort of road in FL, 417 would be better since it's not as crowded.

Right of passage for every parent

A friend had told me she took her DS on a highway early on a Sunday morning as it was pretty empty then. I think we will be trying something like that for our first highway experience.

 

[jilljill]

Right of passage for every parent

A friend had told me she took her DS on a highway early on a Sunday morning as it was pretty empty then. I think we will be trying something like that for our first highway experience.

DH threatened to wake her at 5:45 in the morning to take her out in the Mini to learn to drive a stick. I think the time terrified her more than the thought of learning to drive the stick. But we'll wait on that until we come back from the cruise, no sense in teaching her for a few days and then not being able to drive it for 7 weeks.

I had thought of taking her in the middle of the night too. It makes complete sense to let her drive on the highway when it's not as busy, but then there's the construction to deal with in some spots.


BTW Laurie, remind me to let you know about the construction around the DE/MD line and the DE/NJ line before you drive to NY before the cruise. That is if I remember correctly that you are making that drive. We are only 10 minutes at the most from the interstate if you want to take a break when you get to the DE/MD line, plus I can give you direction to save that toll there.

 

[Madisonznana]

Just got home a bit ago from having a birthday dinner with Caro, Andrew, Alana and Kathryn! We had a fun time at Dave and Buster's!

 

[Celestine]

Thanks for the link ! I'm like a sponge, it's getting close and I can't get enough ! They were lucky to have had so much time in Stockholm !

Wasn't the Magic heading out to Dover today ??
Can't wait to get reports from those early Baltic cruisers !

For those doing the HOHO bus in Stockholm, are you getting your tkts before you go ?

Is anyone doing the HOHO Boat ? Can't decide which to do, and it's too expensive to do both for the short amount of time we'll be there .

Also, does anyone know if there are many teens on our Jul 18th cruise ? My Grandson is 15 1/2

I e-mailed the HOHO bus people and got this reply about times et.
"The tour goes down to the harbour around every 30 minutes between 10-16. Just have to stand by the nr 10 bus stop to make the bus stop for you.
Then when you would like to go back you just tell the chauffeur that you would like to get of at Frihamnen."

I think this will rule out the HOHO for us. Noticed on the cruise Baltic site that there is a tourist info at Frihamnen 638 (where we dock), so am thinking about the SL card instead which gives us all public transport. Have e-mailed them to see if I can purchase the card their so we can get going rather than wait until 10am. I'll let you know what sort of reply I get

Celestine

 

[MrsScooby]

DH threatened to wake her at 5:45 in the morning to take her out in the Mini to learn to drive a stick. I think the time terrified her more than the thought of learning to drive the stick. But we'll wait on that until we come back from the cruise, no sense in teaching her for a few days and then not being able to drive it for 7 weeks.

I had thought of taking her in the middle of the night too. It makes complete sense to let her drive on the highway when it's not as busy, but then there's the construction to deal with in some spots.


BTW Laurie, remind me to let you know about the construction around the DE/MD line and the DE/NJ line before you drive to NY before the cruise. That is if I remember correctly that you are making that drive. We are only 10 minutes at the most from the interstate if you want to take a break when you get to the DE/MD line, plus I can give you direction to save that toll there.

My DS16 has to be at his bus stop by 6:30 am for school On Fridays his school has a later start, but the buses still run the same-so on Friday I'll drive him to school so he gets the extra hour of sleep. Wish his school started later.

Will check back with you about our JFK drive Not sure if we are driving up on the 14th or the 15th. Somehow I think we are going to wish we paid the extra $800 to avoid this drive

Just got home a bit ago from having a birthday dinner with Caro, Andrew, Alana and Kathryn! We had a fun time at Dave and Buster's!

Sounds like fun
Haven't been to a Dave and Busters in ages.

I e-mailed the HOHO bus people and got this reply about times et.
"The tour goes down to the harbour around every 30 minutes between 10-16. Just have to stand by the nr 10 bus stop to make the bus stop for you.
Then when you would like to go back you just tell the chauffeur that you would like to get of at Frihamnen."

I think this will rule out the HOHO for us. Noticed on the cruise Baltic site that there is a tourist info at Frihamnen 638 (where we dock), so am thinking about the SL card instead which gives us all public transport. Have e-mailed them to see if I can purchase the card their so we can get going rather than wait until 10am. I'll let you know what sort of reply I get

Celestine

Celestine are you planning on going to the Vasa before the Viking tour as well?
I think I read somewhere that the dock schedule can change last minute in Stockholm so try to have contingency plans in case the Magic isn't at Frihamnen.
The more I read about the HoHo bus, the less likely I am to take it
Wonder what their rush hour traffic is like