8/17/08 Captain Jack's Repossession Repo Cruise to PC thru TPC Part 15

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"The sea that calls all things to her calls me, and I must embark."
--Kahlil Gibran


My girls and I are leaving for the airport about 1 for a 5:40 flight . . . if all goes well we will be in Barcelona around 10 AM their time tomorrow. I will be seeing our friends Andrew and Laura on the Magic Saturday, and then Laura again, Chris, and Todd on the repo Aug. 18. And the rest of you I will see next year!

Have a great time, Julie!
 
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My Friend: Chuck/DH castoff (my friend Tina)

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Hi Debi,
First - loved your pic's!! You & Kev have been together just a few years more than Paul & I - when he was Younger he used to race motorcycles. (they Scare me)
OH - the mini horses - I spent my summers' at my grandparents ranch and got to ride the working quarter horses. I then had my own horses - my last quarter horse died at 31 yrs. But - I wonder - when people adopt these little horses - do they treat them as horses or as house pets? I woud guess that although small - they are horses and respond as such ??!! The pics you've shared are precious.
We had a shetland pony when my kids were young - he was such a character- my toy poodle used to sit on him while I cleaned the corral. Oh enough - I'll go on & on w/animal stories.
but - thanks for sharing the pics

Ya know, these are Mom's "pets", Sadie especially(she's the one in love with my boxer). She comes when you call her by name and she can be a real pest sometimes! She always insists on getting into the middle of things when your sitting around the table outside. She'll have a playmate soon so hpefully that'll give her something to focus on. It's time to wean Buttons and we're going to put her in the back yard with Sadie. My folks have 10 acres and the horses have run of about 2 or 3 of them. She doesn't show them or anything,they're just pets.
 
This is Mom with Shorty he was a full grown Dwarf Miniature Horse. He was always very hairy,never did shed off.
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Can you see the Grinch on his side?
 

This is Mom with Shorty he was a full grown Dwarf Miniature Horse. He was always very hairy,never did shed off.
P1000265.jpg


Can you see the Grinch on his side?



Yes, I do see the Grinch.............:lmao:

Love the pic!!! :thumbsup2
 
Time for a mid-morning nap, took my meds and now it's beddy-by time. :faint:

I'll check back later...............:wave:
 
/
"The sea that calls all things to her calls me, and I must embark."
--Kahlil Gibran


My girls and I are leaving for the airport about 1 for a 5:40 flight . . . if all goes well we will be in Barcelona around 10 AM their time tomorrow. I will be seeing our friends Andrew and Laura on the Magic Saturday, and then Laura again, Chris, and Todd on the repo Aug. 18. And the rest of you I will see next year!

:wave2: have a great time Julie. Say hello to everyone and take lots of pictures.
 
Hi Julie, Have a MAGICal time, and give Andrew and Laura my best and also Chris and Todd on the repo cruise from Barcelona. I have been following Laura's blog and have been enjoying it very much!!!

Yes, Andy, you take care of yourself and get better . . . hopefully I will make a guest appearance on Laura's blog ("Julie -- bellelinus-- was completely plastered today and tried to tango with Mickey" -- whether it's true or not!) . . .
 
orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-disney2407jul24,0,929315.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout

OrlandoSentinel.com
Disney ships may drift away from Brevard port
Jason Garcia

Sentinel Staff Writer

July 24, 2007

Nearly a decade after first setting sail, Disney Cruise Line executives are considering moving some of their operations away from Port Canaveral.

The company's inaugural contract with the Canaveral Port Authority is set to expire next summer, meaning its two ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, could become free agents.

Representatives on both sides say they have begun negotiating a possible extension.

"We are having some discussions about the longer term," said Stan Payne, Port Canaveral's chief executive officer.

Disney officials say they have been pleased with their tenure at the Brevard County port, which sits just 60 miles from Walt Disney World and where the company waded into the industry by packaging three- and four-night Caribbean cruises with stays at its mega-resort.

But with fuel prices surging and the company planning to double the size of its fleet to four ships by 2012, they say Canaveral is no longer the only port that makes sense for their growing cruise line.

Tom Wolber, Disney Cruise Line's senior vice president of operations, said competing ports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale "are obviously other alternatives to be considered."

"As we are in negotiations, we look at all the potential opportunities that are out there. And our business model has changed over time," Wolber said. "There are pros and cons to each one."

Disney's flexibility

Disney's original deal with Port Canaveral included a number of perks.

Agreed to in May 1995, the terms required Port Canaveral to build a $26.2 million terminal to Disney's exact specifications -- Disney representatives had the right to inspect and order changes to blueprints at multiple points throughout the design stage.

Disney paid about $7.5 million last year to the port in dockage, parking and other fees. Port officials also say Disney and other big cruise lines bring millions in related spending, creating everything from concession sales to jobs.

What's more, the contract also gives Disney exclusive access to the terminal provided its ships make at least 150 calls a year, an obligation it has so far met. That prevents rival cruise ships that call on Canaveral from using Disney's terminal. It's the only time Port Canaveral has made such made an arrangement with a multiday cruise line.

Disney is likely to seek similar concessions as it discusses new terms with the port.

Payne said preliminary talks have focused on what improvements Canaveral must make to accommodate the company's two new ships -- 122,000-ton liners that will each be two decks taller and about 45 percent larger than the Magic and the Wonder.

The work will almost certainly entail millions of dollars' worth of upgrades around Disney's terminal, Payne said, from widening gangways to expanding parking lots.

"It's just a matter of planning both shoreside for a larger ship and landside for more passengers," Payne said.

Payne also expects Disney to seek a lower number of minimum visits its ships must make in order to maintain its exclusive terminal access and give the company more flexibility.

Disney appears in no rush to announce its plans. Its current deal with Port Canaveral includes options -- at Disney's sole discretion -- to extend by one year for each of the next 40 years. And the company has tacitly signaled its plans to extend at least once by accepting bookings for cruises out of Canaveral throughout 2008.

Maintaining ties

Analysts say there is almost no chance Disney would move completely out of Port Canaveral. It is, after all, the closest port to Walt Disney World.

But they do say there is a possibility the company could choose to move at least one of the ships and that it is unlikely, when the two new vessels arrive in 2011 and 2012, that they would position three at Port Canaveral.

Sailing out of Brevard County has its drawbacks. At about 200 miles north of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and even farther from the Port of Miami, Port Canaveral is much farther from the Caribbean, where Disney owns an island dubbed Castaway Cay.

"With fuel prices what they are, it's a significant cost to sail that extra couple hundred miles on every cruise," said Robert LaFleur, a tourism-industry analyst with the Susquehanna Financial Group. "You're probably talking thousands and thousands of dollars on every cruise."

Others say that as Disney has become more established in the cruise industry, it is catering more to sophisticated cruisers and less to customers who want to couple short cruise trips with visits to Disney World.

Indeed, Disney Cruise Line has already experimented with itineraries on the West Coast -- near Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. -- and in Europe. The Magic is spending this summer sailing 10- and 11-day Mediterranean cruises out of Barcelona, Spain.

"The Disney brand and franchise is clearly international in scope, and, as they have become more experienced in their operating of a cruise line and a fleet, this would translate very nicely to Europe and, at a point down the road, Asia," said David Leibowitz, an analyst with Burnham Securities.

Top officials at both the Port of Miami and Port Everglades say they have not seriously discussed hosting a ship with Disney.

Marilyn Green, the former cruise editor at Travel Trade magazine, said many industry watchers expect Disney to initially station its new, larger ships at Port Canaveral -- at least until a widening of the Panama Canal is completed -- while the two older ships are deployed to the West Coast and Europe.

Rena Langley, a spokeswoman for Disney Cruise Line, said Port Canaveral will remain an important base for the company.

"We think it's one of the best terminals in the world," she said, though she added, "We're always in discussions with Port Canaveral on how to raise the bar."

Sentinel staff writer Beth Kassab contributed to this report. Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.
 
This makes Disney's position on renegotiation good:

July 25, 2007
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070725/BUSINESS/707250359

Port's cruise business faces a stormy future


BY SCOTT BLAKE
and DONNA BALANCIA

The future of the cruise industry at Port Canaveral is reaching a critical point, as port officials try to negotiate long-term deals with the port's three major cruise lines.

The Canaveral Port Authority has no contract with Carnival Cruise Lines, which means the industry's largest player could pull its two ships from Brevard County's seaport virtually without notice.

Meanwhile, the Port Authority's current one-year contract with Royal Caribbean International will run out at the end of the year, and its current long-term contract with Disney Cruise Line will expire next year.

Port officials hope to maintain Port Canaveral's position as a top cruise port, and retain the tourism-related riches that go with it. But that could be difficult.

Cruise lines have been looking more to the nation's West Coast and overseas to base their ships.

In May, Port Canaveral lost two of its seven cruise ships based here, one permanently and one temporarily.

Disney temporarily moved the Magic -- one of its two ships at Canaveral -- to Spain for summer Mediterranean cruises, and the company plans to send the Magic back to California for part of next year for seasonal cruises.

That same month, Carnival permanently moved the Elation -- one of its three ships at Canaveral -- to San Diego.

The cruise lines are building even-bigger ships, but it could take a new, larger terminal at Port Canaveral to land one of the vessels.

That could require an investment by the Port Authority of $50 million to $60 million or more -- something port officials are reluctant to do without a long-term guaranteed presence from a cruise line.

The Port Authority, which gets most of its revenue from cruises, could settle for one-year contract extensions with the cruise lines -- leaving one of the county's biggest economic engines in a fragile financial position.

And, for a long-term deal, the cruise lines could ask for more parking space and improvements or expansion of the port's existing terminals, potentially costing the Port Authority millions of dollars more.

'Great state of change'

The announcements of new cruise ships coming to the port have slowed down, and with cruise lines like Disney experimenting periodically with new locations, the prospect of permanently losing a ship cannot be ruled out.

"To say that the cruise industry is in a great state of change is an understatement," Canaveral Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Stan Payne said.

"The European, Asian, South American and U.S. West Coast markets are all emerging as significant competitors with us for cruise ships," Payne said.

Still, Port Canaveral has bargaining chips -- having spent tens of millions of dollars on road and parking improvements in recent years.

"Our proximity to Orlando, proximity to the open ocean, easy access to the terminals, large drive-to market, lower overall costs, high quality of service and long-standing relationships with our cruise partners are tools at our disposal," Payne said, "as we not only protect our current business, but push to grow."

Port Canaveral's high profile in the cruise industry does more than enhance the port's image. It has exposed millions of vacationers to Brevard County in recent years. That includes a portion who patronize local attractions, hotels, stores and restaurants.

Carnival was the first major cruise line to stake its claim at Port Canaveral, but the arrival of Disney a decade ago showed the industry that Caribbean voyages could work from Central Florida.

That opened up the cruise industry's biggest line of business to Port Canaveral, eventually catapulting it to the world's second-busiest cruise port behind Miami.

But Disney didn't come cheap. It required the Port Authority to spend more than $25 million for its own specialized terminal for Disney's exclusive use.

Disney has based its two ships at Canaveral -- the Magic and the Wonder -- most of the time, packaging the cruises with stays at its world-famous Orlando-area resorts.

Now, with Disney planning to start operating two additional ships by 2012, the company is considering its alternatives.

"We have a great relationship with Port Canaveral, and our terminal was built especially for Disney Cruise Line," said Rena Langley, director of public affairs for Disney Cruise Line.

"Right now, our immediate area of focus is the first-ever Mediterranean cruises and designing the new ships," Langley said. "Our business is expanding, and we are looking at our options for the long term."

Langley said Disney is selling cruises based out of Port Canaveral through the end of 2008.

"Based on terms of contract, we'll automatically roll to a year-to-year contract in 2008," Langley said. "Central Florida will always be important to us because of Walt Disney World."

However, the Caribbean itineraries that helped make nearby Florida ports, including Port Canaveral, so popular have shown signs of weakness, as travelers' tastes change.

At the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention in March, the industry's annual meeting in Miami, a big topic of conversation was the apparent weakening of the Caribbean market, and how the industry would adapt to it.

Payne said he thinks the Caribbean slump was just temporary. He points to industry surveys that have found that most Americans still have never taken a cruise -- indicating a big market still exists for travelers not tired of the Caribbean.

Carnival, for one, has been complimentary of Port Canaveral.

'Very committed'


But the company isn't making any promises about the future, and has not indicated any plans to replace the Elation with another vessel at Port Canaveral.

"We are very committed to Port Canaveral, and have been successfully operating ships there for many years," Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said. "In addition, we have a great working relationship with the Port Canaveral team, and receive strong support for our operation from all of the local officials."

However, "our deployment for 2008 is finalized now, and we do not anticipate adding any additional ships or transit call visits," Gulliksen said. "We are still evaluating some of our 2009 deployment, so we really do not have any input on additions to our Port Canaveral deployment at this time."

Payne, meanwhile, said he remains optimistic.

"I look at this from the viewpoint of an opportunity," he said. "And every opportunity has its challenges, and we're going to respond to it."

Contact Blake at 242-3644 or sblake@floridatoday.com.
 
"The sea that calls all things to her calls me, and I must embark."
--Kahlil Gibran


My girls and I are leaving for the airport about 1 for a 5:40 flight . . . if all goes well we will be in Barcelona around 10 AM their time tomorrow. I will be seeing our friends Andrew and Laura on the Magic Saturday, and then Laura again, Chris, and Todd on the repo Aug. 18. And the rest of you I will see next year!

Have a great trip Julie!!!!:thumbsup2 Say hi to everyone for me.:grouphug:
Don't for get Pam too!!
 
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