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

[jilljill]

Don't forget to vote in our naming poll:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=28348469#post28348469

Thought I would put it at the top of a page.

 

[mehaul]

There are 3 shows coming up in the nest 2 weeks pertaining to our cruise.
All 3 are on HDNET - Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa. He's pretty good. Not as perky as Samantha Brown (but who is), but has more energy than Rick Steves

Oct 31 HDNET 6:30 AM EST Smart Travels Europe
Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 1 HDNET 6:30 AM EST Smart Travels Europe
Oslo, Norway
Nov 5 HDNET 6:30 EST Smart Travels Europe
London (the episode contains 4 cities

Lisa

PS I posted a new section on my web page that will list upcoming travel shows www.magicalbalticcruise.com
P.S.2 If you don't have HDNET this series is played intermittently on PBS, so I would "check your local listings"

 

[jilljill]

There are 3 shows coming up in the nest 2 weeks pertaining to our cruise.
All 3 are on HDNET - Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa. He's pretty good. Not as perky as Samantha Brown (but who is), but has more energy than Rick Steves

Oct 31 HDNET 6:30 AM EST Smart Travels Europe
Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 1 HDNET 6:30 AM EST Smart Travels Europe
Oslo, Norway
Nov 5 HDNET 6:30 EST Smart Travels Europe
London (the episode contains 4 cities

Lisa

PS I posted a new section on my web page that will list upcoming travel shows www.magicalbalticcruise.com
P.S.2 If you don't have HDNET this series is played intermittently on PBS, so I would "check your local listings"

Thanks for posting this for us.

Did you look at page 1 of this thread? We have a lot of website links that you might want to put on your site. Plus I just posted the Absolut icebar websites on page 124 of the thread.

 

[mehaul]

thanks for the absolut bar link -I'll add that and (some of the others from page 1) - tonight

 

[danfromca]

So it's Friday morning....and the question of the day is.......

What are your plans for the weekend ???

Me I'm doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for a change (well almost nothing) It's half term here next week for most schools so there is no Cheder for Josh this friday or for either of the boys on sunday morning so that means I don't have to go driving 1 1/2 hours EACH WAY to the synagogue for that. Josh has a barmitzvah to go to on saturday morning and then the party on sunday evening but that quite local so that easy peasy. Other than that we have no plans made for anything else so I'm going to take it easy.

1 1/2 hour each way???? That's dedication!

I know its way to early but I have some DCL pricing on Pre & Post stay London Hotels!

Rennaissance Chancery Court $722 a night per room

Park Plaza Country Hall $900 a night per room

Also they are charging about $85 for transfer from the Hotel to the Ship!

What do you guys over the Pond Think?

Thats $500 to get my family from London to the Cruise in Dover seems high!

Robert I think that ALL sounds a bit pricey. I can't look now as I'm off to Ethan's school for a meeting with his teacher but I'll certainly look some prices up over the weekend for you.

On getting down to the port....if there is enough folks going from more or less the same area of London maybe we could organise our own coach ??

The hotel prices they quoted you are for 2 rooms. Someone had posted the rates for those hotels and they were half what you posted.

The only hotel that I've seen pricing for is Park Plaza County Hall, since I was checking prices for the Park Plaza London Victoria where we will stay. I was doing pricing for next summer, same time frame, and the rates I was coming up with were just over $200. a night including VAT (horrible 17.5% tax) for a room for 3 people.
I would never book a room thru them since the prices are so inflated.

You can book your own transfer on the National Express Coach that leaves from Victoria Station for around $100, if not less, 1 way for all of you. We paid about $60. for 3 of us this past summer. You can book the coach no more than 12 weeks out.

Depending where everyone is staying we could opt for a private transfer for a group/groups which will be cheaper than DCL. Most private transfers prefer to pick up at 1 location rather than a several, but I'm sure they would for an added fee. I was checking on this for our cruise this past summer.

Current plans (very tentative) would be to spend time in London before the cruise. Most likely I wouldn't do their pre-stay this time - but I'll look at it again when we get closer.

I'd be very interested in hearing more about possible transfer arrangements as well.

 

[captaincrash]

Well....

Alicia is packing - the kids are asleep... and I am half packed - I worked at it about 15 minutes... so in another 20 minutes I should be fully packed. Ahem... SHOULD... BE ... PACKED.

Oh Boy!

So.... I decided to take a moment out to just check my E-mail ... and on a whim I checked my JUNK MAIL folder... as ya never know what sort of treasures have been inadvertantly BLOCKED - and besides I was looking for my ZIP LINE confirmation from the PV folks.... and look here... I am elgible for 40% of $5.7 million US Dollars! Minus an estimated 5% in service fees it seems... OH GOODY And ALL that's being suggested is I go along with this amazingly unlikely bit of fraud ... and likely the friendly would be thief on the other end is going to ask for a few "fees" to be paid up front before the $2,280,000 in funds are to be RETURNED my way! How typical... the email originates from the Czech Republic - or at least the web address is taken from a Czech email host - and the bank of African Developement is in a place google could not find : Auagadougou Burkinaasophone!

Frankly, this is hilarious! If not actually semi-serious. 1 in 10,000 people might actualy reply to this - and 1 in 100 of those might send money.

The Desk of Mr Tama Aku
Audit/Remittance Department of African Development Bank (ADB)
Auagadougou Burkinaasophone: 00226-70 642 10

Dear Friend, (CONFIDENTIAL)

I know that this email will be a big surprise to you, but i want you to calm down and read very carefully. I have a business which will be beneficial to both of us. the amount of money involved is ($5,700:000:00 five million seven hundred thousand us dollars) which i want to transfer out of the country to your bank account, all to my financial benefit and yours too. and also to take my wife abroad for treatment of liver damage. This money is owned by a man called JIN SUN, a business commercialist in west-african regions. he has been dead since six years ago and since then, no claim has been placed on his bank account balance. I want to transfer this money out of the country but such fund cannot be transferred without a next of kin attached to the fund. the fund could be transferred in these way; you shall present yourself as a business associate to the deceased person[JIN SUN) as details shall be that you are the care- taker business associate to mr. jin sun and his properties. I shall make available to you materials and information with which a successful claim shall be placed on the fund. i shall also be your guidiance and instructor throughout the duration of this transaction so as to ensure a swift and sure transfer of the fund to your bank account. as to your benefits,you shall be entitled to 40% of this fund for your co-operation in this transaction while 5% will be set aside for expences incured during the course of this transaction. So if you are interested, send a reply to me immediately and in your reply please include your [private phone and your fax numbers] urgency has to be implied and this business must strictly be a deal between both of us. Waiting for your urgent response so that i can move ahead and give you the indept details concerning this transaction and also the steps to take for a smooth transfer of the fund into your bank account.For security purpose please reply me with this email address (mr_tama_aku@hotmail.com) Best Regards,

Mr.TAMA AKU

Here is a link to see several PISHING attempts at fraud REVEALED... http://www.security.wyzguys.net/11-1PhishingExamples.htm I've gone ahead and copies a couple images for your entertainment pleasure. Be careful out there....

and this one originates from the Czech Republic...

 

[danfromca]

DOOM AND GLUME

• Share prices down
• Exchange rate down
• Recession
• Global warming,
• Pensions going down.
• Banks savings getting lost.

No..................

two things

Simon Cowell is on our TV and no Mickey bars in Europe

The exchange rates are the part that make no sense to me at all. Why the dollar should be rising while our economy is emulating a Mickey bar in the hands of a 4 year old on a hot caribbean sunny day makes no sense. And why people want Japanese yen so much makes even less sense. And gold dropping in time of financial uncertainty?

It's not so much that the economy is collapsing as that it seems to make no sense whatsoever.

Come to think of it, nothing makes sense. Looking at the polls for the U.S. election - one day Obama is leading double digits, the next McCain is catching up fast or ahead in key states. Nobody has a clue there either.

Maybe we've entered an entire new economic system - one that is based on nobody having a clue as to what is going on? If so, clearly the only sound investment will continue to be the one liquid asset on which we all know we can rely absolutely - chocolate smoothies.....

 

[Friend_of_Piglet]

Boy, everyone sure was chatty today I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. I work tomorrow, well I actually like to work saturdays, since there's no traffic and I have a long commute.

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

Morning all, Queen Chattylicious here. I like that name and some would say "how appropriate"

Glad to see things slowed down eventually last night....maybe the run runners finally got to Robert and Barb was obvioustly overwhelmed with all the

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

Here are links to the Absolut Icebar main site, the one in London and the one in Stockholm. Unfortunately the one in Copenhagen won't be open while we are in port.

http://www2.absolut.com/customTempl...ry=se&entryurl=http://www2.absolut.com/icebar

http://www.belowzerolondon.com/icebar/index.html

http://www.nordicseahotel.se/en/The-hotel/Food-and-drink/Absolut-Icebar-Stockholm/


We went to an icebar in Australia last summer and found it rather interesting so I thought I would post the links to the ones that will be in the countries we will be visiting.

Done thank you Joann

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

Maryann can I change my name from Pirate Chattylicious to Queen Chattylicious please I think if fits my personality ssooooooooooooo much better

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

Robert the offer I made about looking for hotel for youwas serious....if you'd like me too send me a PM with you travel details and some idea of what you'd be willing to pay and I have a go a being a TA for you

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

We're Going! We're Going!!!

Just booked, got our Cat 6 cabin and PM'd Hanover with our info.

OK, so....

Who's organizing Fish Extenders and is anyone doing Lanyards?

Hey Jeff and Diane nice to see you

I said that I was quite happy to organise the FE's but I probably put a shout out nearer the sail date As for lanyards, I posted that as we've all probably got load and loads of lanyards how about we go for something else i.e. gel bracelets......just a thought

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

Mickey's Baltic Ballyhoo!

European Masters Series

An O-slo Boat to the North

I have to say I voted for the To Russia, with Mouse name but I LOVE Mickey's Baltic Ballyhoo ! Pretty, pretty please can we have this one It's seems just soooooooooooo fitting for the people on this thread Ballyhoo is JUST SO US

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

No, I only blamed them for not being right up there with me because they were taking turns in the bathroom! You got the same treatment everyone does from me -- I am always so lost in my own thoughts that I don't notice people I know walking down the street . . . here at home or in Downtown Disney!

Good excuse, still think you were ignoring me, but you made it up to me with No2, so ta.

Andrew, your name just came up on the Aug 7 Med thread . . . I didn't bring you up (I don't think) but I might have called you "infamous"

You would be amazed at how busy my PM and E-mail has been in the last two months or so. (E-mail was funny as I do not give it out, was even said to be posted on a rival board ).

Firstly it was regular inquiries about where the Magic would go before any official announcement, then it was questions how to book who with, how to get a Suite, what TA, then its been q's on the Med, private tours,hotels and London.

Its nice to be 'wanted' and considered a good reference point, I think on one day I had over 30 to answer, as some people do not release the time difference.

Finally I get some 'supporting' e.mails there are 1>2 people who seem to have strong views on the main forum, and make a 'snipe' at people posting who they disagree with, I tend to put the 'other' side, where others are (true!) to frightened to answer back, but PM me to say thanks and keep it up.

So I am not surprised I get the odd mention,

When I was the first person in May to say the Magic was going to the Baltic, two Dissers flamed me and said 'how could I know that' and it was 'Speculation' on my part. Quite a few people know my track record so PM'd me for info and they used that info to book, some got Suites in good locations.

I asked once - apparantly its against health regulations for us to bring any food from off the ship to the kitchen to be reheated. So sad. It has to be ordered by them. That's requires planning!



Need I remind you Andrew of : Al'N'Steve???????

I still haven't gotten over that one!



- you know? I still haven't seen that one in its entirety. Someone will have to bring it onboard and hold a screening party -should we volunteer Mike's Cabin again or Andrew's?

Now I think the party schedule on my verandah is now fully booked, I have had at my 'inventory control' quite a few advance requests, I put these in timed order on receipt, and I will contact everyone about 30 days before the cruise, But of course if my neighboring cabin mates from the Repo, Ally and Aj want to share my verandah who am I to say no.

The exchange rates are the part that make no sense to me at all. Why the dollar should be rising while our economy is emulating a Mickey bar in the hands of a 4 year old on a hot Caribbean sunny day makes no sense. And why people want Japanese yen so much makes even less sense. And gold dropping in time of financial uncertainty?

It's not so much that the economy is collapsing as that it seems to make no sense whatsoever.

Come to think of it, nothing makes sense. Looking at the polls for the U.S. election - one day Obama is leading double digits, the next McCain is catching up fast or ahead in key states. Nobody has a clue there either.

Maybe we've entered an entire new economic system - one that is based on nobody having a clue as to what is going on? If so, clearly the only sound investment will continue to be the one liquid asset on which we all know we can rely absolutely - chocolate smoothies.....

WARNING ECONOMICS ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the £ fall some of it was expected, for example an exchange rate of $2 to the £1 was unsustainable and the £ needed to fall, our exports were too expensive.

We had high interest rates which will fall soon, and that caused the rate to fall in anticipation of that, and we will have high national debt now due to the bank bail out that will need finance.

So there are reasons for it to fall, thats why I prepaid my 2009 cruise for August next year and paid it in full,

But like Banks have had a run on them, the reduction in our exchange rate became a run on the currency caused more by sentiment and talking down by our bank of England governor, and as it goes down more people want to protect their positions and it falls and falls in ever decreasing circles.

So it needed to fall, but now its falling more for 'no reason'

Therefore I am not too worried, at some point the bear market will have to move to a bull market and it will recover to sensible level, not $2 again for a long time, but back to a realistic level.

We need an interest rate cut here say 0.5% as soon as possible, to stabilize, it should be a week on Thursday, I think they should do that now. To stabilize.

Now the interesting thing as you say is why go into the $, its considered a safe haven, but pardon me for saying this, its not safe, I think there might be a honeymoon period up to and just after your presidential election, then who knows.

The UK, has done all of its 'dirty washing' very much in public, and we talk ourselves down, I feel USA hasn't done this so much so there is more 'frights' to come, maybe more in your Housing market.

Other countries also haven't come clean so our issues are in the open market, not everyone else's is.

If I was DCL I would be buying Euros forward at the moment to get the best deals for there new ships.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

We're Going! We're Going!!!

Just booked, got our Cat 6 cabin and PM'd Hanover with our info.

OK, so....

Who's organizing Fish Extenders and is anyone doing Lanyards?

WECOME...............................

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

Oh my gosh.....this situation just NEVER happens .....I am alone in the house....yes thats right just me, no playstation noise, no tv noise, no kid noise...just a quiet tidy house.

Pauls at work, Josh is in shul, Ethans at football practice and the au pair is out.....just me 2 hours of glorious silence

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

WOW The £ dropped EVEN LOWER yesterday £1 = $1.51 Thank god we've got over a year till we have to pay for this

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

Don't you remember that is how you became Sallie's Partner in Crime? Although if you guys wear it to the Bedazzler Photo Opp I will have to bring some Bling along too.

Ok I've been on 3 DCL cruises but I need an explaination....what is The Bedazzler Photo Opp ? and Yes I can use my imagination

 

[captaincrash]

The exchange rates are the part that make no sense to me at all. Why the dollar should be rising while our economy is emulating a Mickey bar in the hands of a 4 year old on a hot caribbean sunny day makes no sense. And why people want Japanese yen so much makes even less sense. And gold dropping in time of financial uncertainty?

It's not so much that the economy is collapsing as that it seems to make no sense whatsoever.

Come to think of it, nothing makes sense. Looking at the polls for the U.S. election - one day Obama is leading double digits, the next McCain is catching up fast or ahead in key states. Nobody has a clue there either.

Maybe we've entered an entire new economic system - one that is based on nobody having a clue as to what is going on? If so, clearly the only sound investment will continue to be the one liquid asset on which we all know we can rely absolutely - chocolate smoothies.....

...[ed]...

WARNING ECONOMICS ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the £ fall some of it was expected, for example an exchange rate of $2 to the £1 was unsustainable and the £ needed to fall, our exports were too expensive.

We had high interest rates which will fall soon, and that caused the rate to fall in anticipation of that, and we will have high national debt now due to the bank bail out that will need finance.

So there are reasons for it to fall, thats why I prepaid my 2009 cruise for August next year and paid it in full,

But like Banks have had a run on them, the reduction in our exchange rate became a run on the currency caused more by sentiment and talking down by our bank of England governor, and as it goes down more people want to protect their positions and it falls and falls in ever decreasing circles.

So it needed to fall, but now its falling more for 'no reason'

Therefore I am not too worried, at some point the bear market will have to move to a bull market and it will recover to sensible level, not $2 again for a long time, but back to a realistic level.

We need an interest rate cut here say 0.5% as soon as possible, to stabilize, it should be a week on Thursday, I think they should do that now. To stabilize.

Now the interesting thing as you say is why go into the $, its considered a safe haven, but pardon me for saying this, its not safe, I think there might be a honeymoon period up to and just after your presidential election, then who knows.

The UK, has done all of its 'dirty washing' very much in public, and we talk ourselves down, I feel USA hasn't done this so much so there is more 'frights' to come, maybe more in your Housing market.

Other countries also haven't come clean so our issues are in the open market, not everyone else's is.

If I was DCL I would be buying Euros forward at the moment to get the best deals for there new ships.

Interesting...

... as of late I've been watching Jim Kramer with MAD MONEY - to gain some insights into certain aspects of our markets... and I've also mused how contradictory movements signaled a new wild frontier of sorts. Dan's observations echoed my thoughts in several ways - and Andrew, your comments are indeed quite interesting.

Off hand - I would rather NOT like to see any further shift or erosion in the housing market. I've seen academic opinions citing our housing decline should turn in the latter half of 2009... and if so that would be nice. In any event, it does NOT effect me adversely since I'll not sell anything - nor will I be compelled to under almost any circumstance. As such I'm looking to add to our real estate portfolio as well as raise rents further - as I usually rent under market if I have a good tenant. And with the rapid run up in recent years our rents were trailing the market badly.

Frankly, I've noted how China has gained substiantial ground in terms of GDP as well as emerging as a creditor of some merit for the US. (maybe I'm wrong - but it seems this way to me) And if I'm more or less correct - I wonder how this may influence our market with their pegged yuan valuation.

As for the YEN emerging as a haven - this is actually not too surprising to me.

I truly wish I had a better appreciation for the global economy. As such, I just trust in low or no load funds .. and ... Berkshire Hathaway to sort out how some of our assetts should be managed. A lotta good that's done us though with the evaporation in the markets. The only comfort I have - if you can call it that - is that all ships are falling in this harbor - and all I'm doing now is keeping a weather eye on the horizon so as to spot a tsunami surge following the drop in our harbor!

Oh well... with serious curiosity - and as yet, no hope in the near future of sorting any of it out. I think I should resume my pre-travel chores... I've just shuffled, cleaned and completed prep work on my digital media and computer equipment. It's just about time to pack it all up. Well - the last to pack will be the notebook. But I have the HD Camcorder charged, cards wiped, DSLR charging, cards wiped, Digicam charging, and cards wiped, and external HD was 90% reviewed and preped to travel.... and the notebook hard drive was 95% preped with a 30GB gain in capacity. The last thing I'll do before I turn in is to start defragging it. Otherwise - I'm about 75% along the way towards being ready to load the car and drive off. Now if only I had that ZIP LINE confirmation in my email ... oh well... maybe I'l end up paying a little more then?