Aug 03 2008 Magic (West Coast)

[IceSk8ersMom]

I live in the great Midwest, not too far from the tremor that shook the midwest a few months ago. News reports say no major damage and no injuries. They said that here too, until they found out there really was quite a bit of damage. No real injuries though. Hope that is true in California as well. What do you have in your earthquake kit besides the obvious water and flashlights?

Besides water and flashlight, an earthquake kit contains batteries, radio, canned food, can opener, medication, first aide kit, dog food (cannot forget the pets), and tennis shoes.

Yes, there was damage, but it appears minimal (items falling off shelves; bricks crumbling off buildings, and water pipes breaking). The local news has not reported any injuries.

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

I heard about the earthquake! My dh told me about it today! Wow, 5.4. We've never been through one of those before ....tornadoes yes, earthquakes no. When one happens, does it usually affect flights or anything? Could it affect the harbor? I'm just wondering if aftershocks or even a build up to a more serious one is coming in the next few days. We've never been to CA before and aren't sure what to expect here. When we get to our hotel, should we ask for higher floor? Where is safest place to be during earthquake? TIA from this ignorant Missourian.

According to Cal Tech, there is about a 5% chance that this earthquake is a foreshock to a bigger quake. After the first 24 hours, it reduces to 1%, and the percentage continues to decrease as hours turn into days.

Yes, there has been aftershocks. But again as time marches on, the chances of an aftershock decreases.

I would not worry about the location of your room. Most buildings after the Northridge Quake in 1994 have been retro-fitted. But I recommend to do what you are comfortable with.

The safest place during a quake is under a table or desk with your back facing any windows and eyes closed. Also, if a table or desk is not available, brace yourself in a doorway.

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

Thanks HEELMD...I was able to import a picture for my signature.





It is a big deal for this novice!

Talk to you all soon

 

[DisneyMom92]

I just got the below email message about the water park being closed during our cruise, but the kicker is they are still doing the dolphin excursions. They don't give the option of cancelling altogether, but we may try depending on what's left to book. Is this affecting anyone else but me?

Got the same e-mail here. We were doing the Sea Lion encounter then the water park. The e-mail refers to dolphin encounters, not the sea lion. I e-mailed immediately but have not gotten a response. Haven't decided what to do yet. DS does still want to do it, so we probably will. What are you thinking?

 

[DisneyMom92]

Besides water and flashlight, an earthquake kit contains batteries, radio, canned food, can opener, medication, first aide kit, dog food (cannot forget the pets), and tennis shoes.

Yes, there was damage, but it appears minimal (items falling off shelves; bricks crumbling off buildings, and water pipes breaking). The local news has not reported any injuries.

Sounds like a tornado kit, pretty much. I actually remember my parents having an earthquake kit years ago packed into sealed garbage cans. Back then they were predicting the "big one" before the turn of the century.

 

[HeelMD]

Disneymom,

Will you send me a message if you hear back? I have the Sea Lion Encounter booked for me and my kids also.

 

[MN Dis Fans]

Glad to hear that there were no serious injuries or damage during the earthquake yesterday.

We too are from the Midwest, so I can live with tornados, but the thoughts of earthquakes freak me out! (So, also grateful for a few of the tips above about what to do during one) Hopefully we'll not have to practice this.

WE leave later today FINALLY, and are so looking forward to vacation, and of course meeting as many of you fellow Diser's as possible.

See you all on the Ship!
Paul

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

Glad to hear that there were no serious injuries or damage during the earthquake yesterday.

We too are from the Midwest, so I can live with tornados, but the thoughts of earthquakes freak me out! (So, also grateful for a few of the tips above about what to do during one) Hopefully we'll not have to practice this.

WE leave later today FINALLY, and are so looking forward to vacation, and of course meeting as many of you fellow Diser's as possible.

See you all on the Ship!

Paul

I guess it is all relative. The idea of a tornado freaks me out, but I am okay with an earthquake.

Congrats on departing today.

I wish you and your family a safe journey.

Take care. See you soon.

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

Sounds like a tornado kit, pretty much. I actually remember my parents having an earthquake kit years ago packed into sealed garbage cans. Back then they were predicting the "big one" before the turn of the century.

We used to pack our earthquake supplies in a sealed garbage can.



I guess a disaster kit is a disaster kit. The key is being prepared.



If I had a choice between a tornado and quake, I would take the earthquake. Hearing and watching that windy mass of destruction coming towards me would probably give me a heart attack.



They are still predicting the Big One within the next decade. Oh well, all we can do is be prepared.

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

10 more pages!


4 more days!


2 more days of work!


The numbers are getting smaller and smaller.


I sorry to hear that your excursion to the water park has been changed. I hope if you request a refund that you are able to get it. After all that is the right thing to do.


I am still trying to write a toast for my parents. The earthquake side tracked me yesterday. Maybe, divine intervention will occur today. At least I hope so.


I googled the weather, and it appears to be HOT in the ports. The thunderstorms that are forecasted are standard for this time of year. But the storms are usually late afternoon and move quickly. I also did not see any hurricanes in the Pacific. I am keeping my fingers crossed.


I did repack the other day to include a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt after I read some threads that stated Sea Days were a bit chilly.

 

[vossjemi]

Got the same e-mail here. We were doing the Sea Lion encounter then the water park. The e-mail refers to dolphin encounters, not the sea lion. I e-mailed immediately but have not gotten a response. Haven't decided what to do yet. DS does still want to do it, so we probably will. What are you thinking?

Well, we are going to try and cancel...I mean it cost $256 and that price was supposed to include the water park. I emailed them last night and haven't heard back yet. Their charge is on my cc bill, but I haven't paid yet, so if they don't respond, I may go ahead and dispute now.

As for other options, not sure what we are going to do yet...some have said Krystal resort is great, so maybe. Others have said Las Caletas was great. Also contemplating Marietas. Problem is both LC and M are 7 hour excursions, and we don't really want to be gone that long. We know we'll need a late afternoon nap for the kids to stay up for pirate night. I've also emailed a dolphins in the wild place to see if they've had any cancellations as we really originally wanted to do that. Also, although fully booked now, I wonder if they saved some spots on Pirate Sail? Maybe....I just know my dh ended up saying no way on the dolphin encounter as the water park was really the main attraction for us. We almost only booked water park tickets w/no excursion. LOL. I can't imagine them refusing to refund us, but you never know. Hopefully, I hear back today. I'll let you know.

 

[DisneyMom92]

I googled the weather, and it appears to be HOT in the ports. The thunderstorms that are forecasted are standard for this time of year. But the storms are usually late afternoon and move quickly. I also did not see any hurricanes in the Pacific. I am keeping my fingers crossed.


I did repack the other day to include a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt after I read some threads that stated Sea Days were a bit chilly.

Glad to hear about the weather. Don't worry too much about the storms, myself, since the captain mostly sails around them. In port, it would be sad, but not sadder than missing the port completely, IMHO. Even thought my son told me last night he liked sea days best and would be just as happy if we sailed and didn't dock.

Well, we are going to try and cancel...I mean it cost $256 and that price was supposed to include the water park. I emailed them last night and haven't heard back yet. Their charge is on my cc bill, but I haven't paid yet, so if they don't respond, I may go ahead and dispute now.

As for other options, not sure what we are going to do yet...some have said Krystal resort is great, so maybe. Others have said Las Caletas was great. Also contemplating Marietas. Problem is both LC and M are 7 hour excursions, and we don't really want to be gone that long. We know we'll need a late afternoon nap for the kids to stay up for pirate night. I've also emailed a dolphins in the wild place to see if they've had any cancellations as we really originally wanted to do that. Also, although fully booked now, I wonder if they saved some spots on Pirate Sail? Maybe....I just know my dh ended up saying no way on the dolphin encounter as the water park was really the main attraction for us. We almost only booked water park tickets w/no excursion. LOL. I can't imagine them refusing to refund us, but you never know. Hopefully, I hear back today. I'll let you know.

I haven't heard back from them either. It took them a full week after they closed to even inform us of the change. It was 2 days after I reserved with them that they closed. Nothing was mentioned about it closing. I am wondering if it is suspect even for the excursion. I had posted back and forth with someone who went earlier this summer regarding reviews that the water park appeared run down, and she said it was fine as far as she could see.

My son really wants to see the sea lions. His dolphin excursion last year was one of the highlights of the trip. He was really looking forward to the sea lions. There is another outfit that does the sea lions that we decided against because of the water park at this other place. Hoping we hear today because changing to the other will need to be done soon, if they even have openings.

 

[DisneyMom92]

I just heard back from them via telephone. All of the park is open except for the slides. While I think the slides are a big draw, I think my family will be happy with the pool and the lazy river, at least for a while, since they are so set to see the sea lions.

In case anyone wants to call the person who called name was Tatiana and the phone number on caller id was a Florida number even though she told our secretary she was in Mexico. The number was 305-433-7177.

Oh, and she said by way of compensation for the missed water slides they were offering the choice of a boxed lunch or a picture of each person during the excursion (ie, with the sea lions).

ETA: she did ask me if I still wanted the refund and offered the boxed lunch or photo. I told her I wasn't sure what we wanted to do till I talked with the kids, so I am not sure if any refund would be minus the administrative fee or not. I believe the admin fee was either 10 or 20%.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[DisneyMom92]

WE leave later today FINALLY, and are so looking forward to vacation, and of course meeting as many of you fellow Diser's as possible.

See you all on the Ship!
Paul

I don't know if you will get this because I din't know if you travel with a laptop as I do (can't ever be too far from the ). Jeffery said he e-mailed Chad back yesterday and does plan on meeting him by the foosball tables ASAP.

Happy and save travels to all.

 

[sylnbry]

Well, we are going to try and cancel...I mean it cost $256 and that price was supposed to include the water park. I emailed them last night and haven't heard back yet. Their charge is on my cc bill, but I haven't paid yet, so if they don't respond, I may go ahead and dispute now.

As for other options, not sure what we are going to do yet...some have said Krystal resort is great, so maybe. Others have said Las Caletas was great. Also contemplating Marietas. Problem is both LC and M are 7 hour excursions, and we don't really want to be gone that long. We know we'll need a late afternoon nap for the kids to stay up for pirate night. I've also emailed a dolphins in the wild place to see if they've had any cancellations as we really originally wanted to do that. Also, although fully booked now, I wonder if they saved some spots on Pirate Sail? Maybe....I just know my dh ended up saying no way on the dolphin encounter as the water park was really the main attraction for us. We almost only booked water park tickets w/no excursion. LOL. I can't imagine them refusing to refund us, but you never know. Hopefully, I hear back today. I'll let you know.

We were signed up for the Dophin Encounter as well but we are going to go anyway and not cancel. This program allows my daughter to do the encounter for free (with paid adult) which is great and they said that they will give us some free pictures for the inconvenience, so we just have to make the best of it. None of us have ever swam with a dolphin before so I am sure it will be a great time. (It is a little disappointing as I am sure my kids would have had a great time at the water partk, but I am trying not to stress over stuff like this since I know that THIS VACATION IS GOING TO BE AWESOME! )

We made an early Dolphin booking so that we can enjoy the rest of the afternoon at the water park (before I knew it was closed). I might try to get a hold of them to try to change to a later time. We might head over to the Krystal afterwards.

 

[SoCalDCLfan]

Well, we are going to try and cancel...I mean it cost $256 and that price was supposed to include the water park. I emailed them last night and haven't heard back yet. Their charge is on my cc bill, but I haven't paid yet, so if they don't respond, I may go ahead and dispute now.

As for other options, not sure what we are going to do yet...some have said Krystal resort is great, so maybe. Others have said Las Caletas was great. Also contemplating Marietas. Problem is both LC and M are 7 hour excursions, and we don't really want to be gone that long. We know we'll need a late afternoon nap for the kids to stay up for pirate night. I've also emailed a dolphins in the wild place to see if they've had any cancellations as we really originally wanted to do that. Also, although fully booked now, I wonder if they saved some spots on Pirate Sail? Maybe....I just know my dh ended up saying no way on the dolphin encounter as the water park was really the main attraction for us. We almost only booked water park tickets w/no excursion. LOL. I can't imagine them refusing to refund us, but you never know. Hopefully, I hear back today. I'll let you know.

I'm so bummed. we'd booked this as well for the water park as much as the dolphin encounter. we're trying to cancel. I emailed them back, but am thinking i'll have better luck calling. If they give us any grief, i'll go through AMEX to dispute. we're replacing it with the Paradise Beach Adventure. have read great reviews of this excursion. my kids aren't too keen on snorkeling trips, so we'll stick to the pools. we were just at Sea World yesterday and missed getting into the dolphin show. so I tell my kids "don't worry guys, you're going to swim with dolphins next week". it softened the blow, that is until we got home to this email!!! unbelievable. what floors me is we booked it on July 15th. the email they sent said they'd close July 21st for maintenance. i'd think they would have known on the 15th that this was coming - why'd they let us book (and take our money)!!!

 

[SoCalDCLfan]

Just called Sea Life Park to cancel. Had no problem cancelling and getting refund to credit card.

 

[sylnbry]

I just heard back from them via telephone. All of the park is open except for the slides. While I think the slides are a big draw, I think my family will be happy with the pool and the lazy river, at least for a while, since they are so set to see the sea lions.

In case anyone wants to call the person who called name was Tatiana and the phone number on caller id was a Florida number even though she told our secretary she was in Mexico. The number was 305-433-7177.

Oh, and she said by way of compensation for the missed water slides they were offering the choice of a boxed lunch or a picture of each person during the excursion (ie, with the sea lions).

ETA: she did ask me if I still wanted the refund and offered the boxed lunch or photo. I told her I wasn't sure what we wanted to do till I talked with the kids, so I am not sure if any refund would be minus the administrative fee or not. I believe the admin fee was either 10 or 20%.

Hope this helps someone.

DisneyMom92: That is great news! Thanks for such a quick update! Yeah, my kids will be happy with the pool and river too. So no worries. WooHoo. Now I just have to finish packing and get through this work week.

 

[amanuensis]

we're replacing it with the Paradise Beach Adventure. have read great reviews of this excursion. QUOTE]

We are going on Paradise Beach Adventure too. We've done it twice before on Carnival cruises. My son LOVES the pool with alligator slides. I read somewhere that it's such a popular excursion that they have as many as 8 buses going there from the Magic, and that if you want to grab the best poolside or beach locations at the resort, you should arrive 15 minutes early at the meeting place on the ship so you get assigned to the first bus.

It will be interesting to see what little Disney touches are added -- for instance, the Carnival excursion we went on did not include lunch, and I hear that Disney arranges to have a section of the resort reserved for DCL cruisers only (not sure where I read that).

 

[SoCalDCLfan]

Great tip on arriving early to get the first bus! Thanks, we'll definitely do that. and I recall reading about a DCL only section also. i think it was a trip report. and also read that even though lots of buses going from Magic, the resort didn't seem totally crowded. looking forward to it!