7/18/2010 Mickey's Baltic Ballyhoo!!

[jilljill]

The good news for us in 2010 is just driving my car down to the coast for an hour, like MCO to Port Canaveral nice.

Talk about a show off.

 

[jilljill]

Sorry Barb (jilljill), I thought I had your name wrong, thanks for clarifying! We're bonkers but in a good way, I've found this group to be very thorough in their trip investigating Also, the sharing is very helpful. So, when again did you do this trip and tell us why you're returning???? It's a big help having you onboard with your recent experiences..........post those pics!!

WE just cruised the Baltics July 13-25, 2008 - which was also a Sunday - Friday. The obvious reason we are going back is because DCL is taking us there, plus I really want to go back to Warnemunde (I could vacation there easily for a week). Also, there is so much history and things to see at each port we would like to see/experience things we didn't the first time.

As long as DCL keeps this itinerary the same St. Petersburg will be a breeze, as far as traffic is concerned. We were there on a Sat. & Sun., just like this cruise will do, and there was no traffic in the city and we missed the traffic going down to Catherine's Palace since that was our first stop of hte day. A lot of the people in the city leave for their 'datscha' or summer home on the weekends. On our way back to St. Petersburg the traffic leaving the city was backed up and we were so glad our guide planned our day the way she did. I plan on using her company again for our 2 day tour.

 

[jilljill]

TODAYS QUESTION?​

What Cat of stateroom are you booking? whats your preference of location? Forward/aft/Midship? Inside/Outside?

My TA is checking on anywhere from a cat. 10 all the way to a cat. 1 for us. I'm not being that picky, as long as I'm on the ship!

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

. I plan on using her company again for our 2 day tour.

Hello Barb, is her her own company as in she has other guides working for her
or is it her own company and she's the only guide ?

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Talk about a show off.

My TA is checking on anywhere from a cat. 10 all the way to a cat. 1 for us. I'm not being that picky, as long as I'm on the ship!

So you are not fussy then? (well you are you wont do Cat 11/12 )

Can you afford/ want to pay $25k for the Walt or Roy? or $18k for a Cat 3.?

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

TODAYS QUESTION?​

What Cat of stateroom are you booking? whats your preference of location? Forward/aft/Midship? Inside/Outside?

For us it's a Cat 4. That gives us enough room for the 4 of us and a veranda. One day I'd like to do a suite but I think I'll save that for an "ordinary" caribbean itinery when we'd spend more time onboard. If this cruise is anything like the Med cruise then we were sooooo busy all we really used the room for was to crash into our beds at night and having a suite would seem a bit of a waste.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

For us it's a Cat 4. That gives us enough room for the 4 of us and a veranda. One day I'd like to do a suite but I think I'll save that for an "ordinary" caribbean itinery when we'd spend more time onboard. If this cruise is anything like the Med cruise then we were sooooo busy all we really used the room for was to crash into our beds at night and having a suite would seem a bit of a waste.

I agree the Cat 4s are great for a family, and you were just down from me on the Med in 07, everycruise so far for me has been a Cat 4, and I really like them, for 2009 I have a CAT 3, so will test it out first time and put in a Suite request a long time ago for this one for a Cat 3.

I further agree this cruise will be more of an endurance test a lot of the time off ship in the ports, but my kids are getting older and as we do not have to do flights to USA I will put my budget into the room instead.

 

[jilljill]

Hello Barb, is her her own company as in she has other guides working for her
or is it her own company and she's the only guide ?

She has her own company and has other guides that work for her. Everyone that has used her company has had high regards for the guide and driver. I'll have to see if I can find her website and let you know.

 

[jilljill]

So you are not fussy then? (well you are you wont do Cat 11/12 )

Can you afford/ want to pay $25k for the Walt or Roy? or $18k for a Cat 3.?

We had a cat. 11 on a 3 day last year and didn't like not having the split bath. I had booked a cat. 12 gty. and was 'upgraded' to the cat. 11. Definately couldn't handle that cabin for a cruise this long.

If and that's a huge IF we are able to get a cat. 1 or 2, we would be sharing the cabin with my brother and his family so the cost would be less. So we'll see what my TA can come up with for us.


BTW, I forgot to mention there are 3 of us; myself, DH and DD who will be 16 when we sail.
For my brother's family; him, his wife and my nephew who will be 14 when we sail and turn 15 the sea day before St. Petersburg.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

We had a cat. 11 on a 3 day last year and didn't like not having the split bath. I had booked a cat. 12 gty. and was 'upgraded' to the cat. 11. Definately couldn't handle that cabin for a cruise this long.
If and that's a huge IF we are able to get a cat. 1 or 2, we would be sharing the cabin with my brother and his family so the cost would be less. So we'll see what my TA can come up with for us.
BTW, I forgot to mention there are 3 of us; myself, DH and DD who will be 16 when we sail.
For my brother's family; him, his wife and my nephew who will be 14 when we sail and turn 15 the sea day before St. Petersburg.

Did your TA fax in a request for a specific cruise? IE this cruise date? For a suite as they will be popular and will go fast.


Nice to have a birthday on board on the REPOS we have our anniversary and DS Birthday but will miss them on this one.

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

She has her own company and has other guides that work for her. Everyone that has used her company has had high regards for the guide and driver. I'll have to see if I can find her website and let you know.

That would be fantastic.....thank you

 

[jilljill]

Did your TA fax in a request for a specific cruise? IE this cruise date? For a suite as they will be popular and will go fast.


Nice to have a birthday on board on the REPOS we have our anniversary and DS Birthday but will miss them on this one.

I'm not concerned if we don't get a suite, my brother is the one who wants one and he's never been on DCL. So no fax was sent in, just him being extremely hopeful and not knowing how quickly the suites sell out. It's a new concept for him that there's so few of them on the ship and you really can't wait to book one.


It will be very nice for him to have his b'day on board. We sailed one year and they had the nerve to kick me off the ship on my b'day when we docked back at Port Canaveral.

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

I agree the Cat 4s are great for a family, and you were just down from me on the Med in 07, everycruise so far for me has been a Cat 4, and I really like them, for 2009 I have a CAT 3, so will test it out first time and put in a Suite request a long time ago for this one for a Cat 3.

I further agree this cruise will be more of an endurance test a lot of the time off ship in the ports, but my kids are getting older and as we do not have to do flights to USA I will put my budget into the room instead.

Andrew are you one of those folks who approached Inventory Control months and months ago ???

 

[TaraTaraTara]

Check it out!

 

[jlawall]

Ok, Tara's going to post two logo ideas, let me know what you think.

 

[TaraTaraTara]

 

[TaraTaraTara]

 

[cruisin'Mike]

The room arrangement sounds like it works well, the story about the guy in the park came form 3>4 different people at the port of LA on embarkation so take it as true, poor guy, Stephen likes Ocean quest I am glad he was good down there, he has become pritty good at it, he took it on the simulator through the Panama canal very well, but at Castaway Cay decided he wanted more power and get off quickly so put the magic in too fast and hit the rocks.
He didn't go there too often as other kids 'bullied' him down there and DD had her club there.

My DS had just turned 11, and he really didn't like being in with the 13 year olds. He felt bullied too. There were things thatt he wanted to do, like the Guitar Hero competition, but he didn't even get a single turn. We had the boys with us most of the time too.

I already emailed DCL about how disappointed we were with the Ocean Quest arrangement. It sounds like they're back to the normal age ranges, and I hope they stay that way.

Yes there was big issues, the first time I have seen it there was a section of kids that were out of control, the cruise director made a number of announcements for parents to control the kids either ensure they went to the kids clubs or supervise them, there was a high number walking around the stateroom decks hanging around the elevator areas, and basically doing stupid things.

Security was called a number of times, things got worse when we had 'Aly and AJ' in the rooms next to us, kids came along deck 8 trying to find them, knocking on the doors and even calling our in room phone.

Things were bad in the clubs where the CM's did not control things like the Wii and it wasn't rotated and Stephen asked a CM for a turn and they didn't have a wait-list or control it so a 'bully' had it all the time, or pushed them off.

First cruise ever that my kids didn't spend a long time in the clubs, they stuck with us most of the time.

I do not know if it was groups of kids who knew each other pre cruise or just joined up, but they flouted rules such as going to the Quite cove pool.

Don't forget about the kid who managed to get himself stuck on top of one of the elevators!

 

[jlawall]

Ok, suggestions, comments for these possible logos for our group. I know she'll add the date once we decide..............votes.............


Thx to Tara for her efforts!!

 

[jlawall]

Stuck on top of the elevator?