All Aboard! The Great Land and Sea Getaway - May 2009 PTR

[troobabiee7]

Hey Lessa! I'm glad you got your ADRs all figured out and it wasn't a pain changing anything

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hi Lessa,

Glad you got all your ADRs sorted out! You'll need to let me know how Le Cellier is - we were never able to get an ADR there, so it's def on our to do list!

It's scary how quickly the 'pay for it' day comes!!!!

Di x

Yep, this payoff day has been coming for almost two years yet it still seems to have creeped up quickly!

Hey Lessa! I'm glad you got your ADRs all figured out and it wasn't a pain changing anything

Yeah, it was a huge relief! I have been a big dummy with making little mistakes lately.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

So I have come to a decision on cruise excursions. I have made a list of my top three choices for each port. The way DCL works is that people get to make excursion/spa/Palo reservations in three groups.

105 days out - People staying in the suites and who booked the Romance at Sea package can make their reservations.

90 days out - Castaway Cay members (previous DCL cruisers) can make their reservations

75 days out - The rest of us can book excursions etc.


I am a bit nervous that my top picks will already be booked by the time I get to make my reservations so I am making a back-up list just in case.

Tortola

1) The Baths - luckily there are two excursions available for the Baths. One is more expensive than the other as it includes a meal. I am going to try and book the cheaper one and just bring along food from the ship to snack on but if need be I can book the more expensive one.

I chose The Baths as I have heard that it is absolutely breathtaking and it is quite different from your typical Caribbean beach.

2)Jost Van **** Beach Day

3) Virgin Islands Sail, Snorkel and Beach Adeventure - This excursion takes you to the island that was the setting for the book "Treasure Island".

St. Thomas/St. John

1)St. John Trunk Bay Beach & Snorkel Tour

2)Magens Bay Beach Break

3) St John Island Tour


Now hopefully I will get my top choices as I really have my heart set on them. I think I have a good chance though as the ship is nowhere near being booked as when I look it up on the website there are still rooms available in every category.

I will also be trying to make a reservation for the adults only restaurant Palo. I can't decide if I want brunch or dinner though. I have heard great things about both. The brunch would mean that I would not have to miss out on dinner in the regular restaurant but the dinner apparently has this fanatastic souffle that I am dying to try. Anybody who has been have any input?

 

[kaysmommie]

Good choices on the excursions . Magens Bay can be crowded and touristy and also is nothing like Trunk Bay. It's still nice but not near as pretty and the water is not as clear.

 

[troobabiee7]

Great choices! I hope you get all your top picks... and I still find it hilarious that the boards block out the name of the beach

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Good choices on the excursions . Magens Bay can be crowded and touristy and also is nothing like Trunk Bay. It's still nice but not near as pretty and the water is not as clear.

Trunk Bay is definitely my top choice, hopefully I'll get it. I wish it was on St. Thomas because then I would feel comfortable not doing the excursion and just take a taxi there (would be much cheaper) but with it being on another island I am so nervous about not getting back to the ship on time and getting left behind. If we book through DCL they won't leave without us.

I have heard that Magens Bay can get crowded, hopefully we will be over at Trunk Bay.

Great choices! I hope you get all your top picks... and I still find it hilarious that the boards block out the name of the beach

Yeah, it is rather amusing, if we end up going there instead of The Baths I should make a point of saying the beach name as many times as possible in my TR. Today we went to Jost Van ****, Jost Van **** is very beautiful, etc etc.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

you can do both bruch and dinner at palo, also if you can't get one of the bookings you want for it you can always go and talk to the staf at palo.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

you can do both bruch and dinner at palo, also if you can't get one of the bookings you want for it you can always go and talk to the staf at palo.

Thanks for the tip, I thought you could only make one Palo booking per cabin ahead of time and then if there was availability once you got on the ship you could made an additional reservation.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Thanks for the tip, I thought you could only make one Palo booking per cabin ahead of time and then if there was availability once you got on the ship you could made an additional reservation.

You can make one Dinner, One Brunch reservation per cabin. The Burch is only available on 4 day and longer cruises.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

You can make one Dinner, One Brunch reservation per cabin. The Burch is only available on 4 day and longer cruises.

Cool thanks, hopefully I can grab a ressie for both, I hear the brunches get filled up quickly but with three sea days hopefully I can squeeze in there.

 

[carissanboys]

Have you been snorkeling before? It all sounds like so much fun!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Have you been snorkeling before? It all sounds like so much fun!

Nope never been but Mom has and she really enjoyed it. I am seriously considering buying one of the Olympus waterproof cameras to take with me to the beaches for snorkeling and also security reasons, I wouldn't have to worry about leaving a valuable camera unattended on the beach because I could just take it in the water with me!

 

[GeminiAngel]

Wow. It all looks like so much fun.
Maybe someday I will talk Kevin into it.

 

[troobabiee7]

Yeah, it is rather amusing, if we end up going there instead of The Baths I should make a point of saying the beach name as many times as possible in my TR. Today we went to Jost Van ****, Jost Van **** is very beautiful, etc etc.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Wow. It all looks like so much fun.
Maybe someday I will talk Kevin into it.

Just keep working him ,he will have to cave eventually.

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Lessa !!!!

 

[addictedtothemouse]

Ok, so what happened? I thought I was subbed but I guess I wasn't. Or maybe it was the computer either way I have alot ofcatching up to do.

 

[lazydoxy66]

You are going to have a blast! Even if you don't get your 1st picks, everthing sounds like fun!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Ok, so what happened? I thought I was subbed but I guess I wasn't. Or maybe it was the computer either way I have alot ofcatching up to do.

Weird, wonder what happened.

You are going to have a blast! Even if you don't get your 1st picks, everthing sounds like fun!

Yep, no matter what we will have a good time, I really have my heart set on Trunk Bay and The Baths though. I am hopeful since the cruise does not seem anywhere near full, one advantage of the bad economy I guess.

 

[kaysmommie]

Might be kind of nice to be on a ship that isn't so full . I'm sure you'll get your excursions. I have to scan those pis for you today and I'll post them tonight. So did you change your schedule for the parks, just wondering since I saw you might not attend the DIS Meet? I'm still not 100 % percent with my schedule either but am leaning towards doing the meet and have switched my dining reservations.