August 16, 2011, Disney Dream - Part 4

[kritter]

I am open to suggestion, Missy wants to do both Hawaii and Italy, but the order isn't important. I was just texting Chuck Maida and he is speculating (he is usually right) that the 2013 Med could be one way cruises from Rome and Venice including some Greek islands. This itineary works very well for Missy since her family is from a small town outside of Rome and she would like to spend a few days in Italy before or after the cruise.

For me, I love it when Sarah has friends to play with on vacation so if you guys or Beth's family (TinkerbellTwins) we there it would be great.

Perhaps, those of us on this thread interested in Italy and Hawaii can see if we can get together again.

Hawaii would be such FUN!! I am hoping to talk the Anderson's in to go as well.

Are you all booked on the 2-day?

We are but I may have to have some "serious" discussions with my husband to keep that cruise. We both are so displeased with DCL at moment!!

 

[Pudo]

Hawaii would be such FUN!! I am hoping to talk the Anderson's in to go as well.

Are you all booked on the 2-day?

We are but I may have to have some "serious" discussions with my husband to keep that cruise. We both are so displeased with DCL at moment!!

We haven't booked the 2 day yet, but will shortly. Missy has tried for years to get friends and family to go on a Disney Cruise with some success. The 2 day has a lot of interest since it is really just a fun weekend away so she is having much more luck convincing others to go. For those who have never sailed DCL the 2 day is a good introduction. As I mentioned before the 2 day will make us platinum so there are many pluses for us so we are definitely going.

 

[Woobie]

I am open to suggestion, Missy wants to do both Hawaii and Italy, but the order isn't important. I was just texting Chuck Maida and he is speculating (he is usually right) that the 2013 Med could be one way cruises from Rome and Venice including some Greek islands. This itineary works very well for Missy since her family is from a small town outside of Rome and she would like to spend a few days in Italy before or after the cruise.

Any speculation as to WHEN in 2013 the Med might be?

 

[Pudo]

The transatlantic repositioning cruises have been in early May and mid-September. All cruises between mid-May and the beginning of September will be Med cruises unless they duplicate last year's itineraries which included the northern baltic. If they do the baltic then the Magic may leave in early April for its transatlantic. I hope they don't since we were thinking of sailing in early July and at that point last year the Magic was in the north baltic and not in the Med.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

The transatlantic repositioning cruises have been in early May and mid-September. All cruises between mid-May and the beginning of September will be Med cruises unless they duplicate last year's itineraries which included the northern baltic. If they do the baltic then the Magic may leave in early April for its transatlantic. I hope they don't since we were thinking of sailing in early July and at that point last year the Magic was in the north baltic and not in the Med.

Jeff, I'm just grinning from ear to ear from all of your analysis! The Van Beeks will sail again with the Langdons, of that I have no doubt. Be it Hawaii, the Mediterreanean (my first choice) or someplace in between, we'll be there. We want to spend more time with you too as the 5 day cruise seemed more compressed than the Halloween cruise. Miss you guys!!!!

 

[Pudo]

Jeff, I'm just grinning from ear to ear from all of your analysis! The Van Beeks will sail again with the Langdons, of that I have no doubt. Be it Hawaii, the Mediterreanean (my first choice) or someplace in between, we'll be there. We want to spend more time with you too as the 5 day cruise seemed more compressed than the Halloween cruise. Miss you guys!!!!

Hey Beth,

Much to my surprise the Mediterranean seems to have taken an early lead for 2013 planning. It wasn't even on the radar until this morning, but after talking to Chuck Maida it seems like it could work out. If the new Med itinerary embarks from Rome or Venice then that allows us to see more of Italy before or after the cruise. Missy really wants to go to Italy, but more than just an excursion tour each day. The past Meds embarked from Barcelona which makes it logistically much more difficult to spend any serious time in Italy.

Our plan is to book a Fantasy cruise for 2013 this fall when the rates first come out (the Med cruises may not be released until the Spring). In the Spring when the itineraries are released for the Med cruises we'll either switch or stick with what we have. I hope some of the Med cruises embark from an Italian city so we can do what Missy would like.

What are you guys thinking about in regard to the Mediterranean?


By the way, if there was a "group" decision to go to Hawaii in 2013 we would take that into consideration and possibly switch up.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

I am very intrigued by DCL going to Europe. I would love to go on one of the 2010 Baltic itineraries, but given the way those sold, it doesn't look like it will be in the cards. Gotta say, though, that a cruise departing from Italy (instead of Barcelona) and headed around some Greek islands sounds wonderful. I'm also thrilled that it would be on the Magic. The Dream is nice and I'm sure the Fantasy will also hold it's appeal, but I actually like the smaller size of the Magic. Another reason why I'm excited for the 2 day NY cruise.

I have a few dummy cruises to play around with so when DCL releases their 2013 itineraries we definitely need to confer about this. Our only problem with going in July is that the girls are in the middle of swim team season (it finishes at the end of July). But who knows if they will still be interested in the swim team two summers from now?

As for Hawaii, who doesn't love Hawaii? Steve and I honeymooned there and business trips take him there at least once a year. I'd love to stay at Aulaini, though cruising there doesn't appeal that much to me (a 2 week cruise during school isn't in the cards) and we also aren't DVC so would really need to crunch the numbers if we only stayed at Aulaini.

The fun is in the planning ... So much to think about!

Adding another line here: Jeff, why is it that they might wait to book the Magic's 2013 Europe cruises in the spring instead of this fall with the other DCL ships?

 

[Pudo]

I am very intrigued by DCL going to Europe. I would love to go on one of the 2010 Baltic itineraries, but given the way those sold, it doesn't look like it will be in the cards. Gotta say, though, that a cruise departing from Italy (instead of Barcelona) and headed around some Greek islands sounds wonderful. I'm also thrilled that it would be on the Magic. The Dream is nice and I'm sur the Fantasy will also hold it's appeal, but I actually like the smaller size of the Magic. Another reason why I'm excited for the 2 day NY cruise.

I have a few dummy cruises to play around with so when DCL releases their 2013 itineraries we definitely need to confer about this. Our only problem with going in July is that the girls are in the middle of swim team season (it finishes at the end of July). But who knows if they will still be interested in the swim team two summers from now?

As for Hawaii, who doesn't love Hawaii? Steve and I honeymooned there and business trips take him there at least once a year. I'd love to stay at Aulaini, though cruising there doesn't appeal that much to me (a 2 week cruise during school isn't in the cards) and we also aren't DVC so would really need to crunch the numbers if we only stayed at Aulaini.

The fun is in the planning ... So much to think about!

Our original plan was to sail over July 1st since that is our anniversary. That would be nice, but we really need to see the itinerary dates. It is more important to sail with friends so we are flexible on the Med dates.

As far as Hawaii goes that trip wouldn't be a DCL cruise. Since we are DVCers we would spend possibly two weeks in Hawaii at Aulani or perhaps one week in Aulani and one on the NCL Pride of America. The roundtrip cruise around Hawaii could be a great way to see the different islands.

You are absolutely correct! It's all about the planning.

 

[Pudo]

Adding another line here: Jeff, why is it that they might wait to book the Magic's 2013 Europe cruises in the spring instead of this fall with the other DCL ships?

When DCL sticks with familiar ports of call those itineraries are normally released in the fall. Similar to last year when they only released about two thirds of the year's itineraries the expectation is that since there will be new ports of call that they may not release the Med itinearies until the spring.

If you recall it wasn't until this April when DCL announced NYC, Seattle, Galverston, the repo through Hawaii, etc. This is pretty standard so don't expect everything to be released in October/November.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Just got a call back from DCL about my dining situation. They told me that yes there was an error on their part but that was about it. They told me that I was the only one in my party to have a problem with it. It would be great if anyone from my party would be willing to call him. He told me that someone in my party was contacted about the dining situation and who ever it was told them that we were all set and the dining was now PERFECT!! Really perfect for who since I was not seated with my parents!!

Kristin, I was reading back through posts and came across this message of yours. Though I wasn't in your party, my family was seated near you b/c your party and Jeff's wanted to be near each other (partly because I knew the kids would be up and down visiting each other)! That first night in Animator's Palate, I know how vexed you were about the dining situation and can't believe DCL couldn't get it figured out. This was a time when being in concierge should have worked in your favor. Yes, you were with a large party and you were linked to an even larger group, but at the end of the day, the dining people needed to have listened to your pleas and changed the tables around. And concierge should have gotten involved when that didn't happen after the first night.

Good grief, your mom received disturbing news from her doctor the afternoo of embarkation. She needed to sit with her daughter, son-in-law, and her twin grand-daughters. Family dinner is sacrosanct in my family. We pray together, share stories about our day, stuff like that, and having this time together on a cruise just seems like a no brainer. In hindsight, I wish I had gotten up from Jeff's table and insisted that they move heaven and earth to move your table two feet over to your mom's table so that you could be next to her.That this continued to be an issue for four more nights just appalls me. I'm with Jen, I wish I had thrown a stink and insisted that somehow something get altered so that your family of six could have been together. You did SO MUCH for everyone else on this meet board (put up with tons of angst with accommodating the FEs, etc) and it pains me greatly that the simple request to eat with your family proved impossible.

PM me the name and number of the DCL person and I will definitely call them with my views on the subject. Cancer stinks and when it rears its angry head, families need to pull together. I lost my dad to cancer and I know how precious time is-- we never can take anything for granted with the dreaded "c" word. You were on a family Disney cruise (paid top dollar to be there) and it is not asking too much to be seated with your family, one of whom is seriously ill. I know you are worried about your dad too, after the scare in Williamsburg, so it just adds to my sense of injustice done to you and your immediate family.

Hugs from Virginia to Connecticut....

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

When DCL sticks with familiar ports of call those itineraries are normally released in the fall. Similar to last year when they only released about two thirds of the year's itineraries the expectation is that since there will be new ports of call that they may not release the Med itinearies until the spring.

If you recall it wasn't until this April when DCL announced NYC, Seattle, Galverston, the repo through Hawaii, etc. This is pretty standard so don't expect everything to be released in October/November.

Oh yeah. That makes sense. I also need to go look at that cruise you mentioned in your last post (the NCL one). Would you seriously consider a non-DCL one? I think Skye and Hope might rebel not running into Mickey and Minnie. Me too!

Off to go watch Twin Peaks on Netflix. Steve and I are slowly going through them, though I cover my eyes when it gets really scary and strange!

 

[Pudo]

Oh yeah. That makes sense. I also need to go look at that cruise you mentioned in your last post (the NCL one). Would you seriously consider a non-DCL one? I think Skye and Hope might rebel not running into Mickey and Minnie. Me too!

Off to go watch Twin Peaks on Netflix. Steve and I are slowly going through them, though I cover my eyes when it gets really scary and strange!

Going on a non-DCL cruise is pretty much blasphemy, never done it, and doubt we will anytime soon. We talk about it and the Pride of America would be a neat way to see the island, but without Mickey and Minnie it just wouldn't be the same. Enjoy Twin Peaks.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Going on a non-DCL cruise is pretty much blasphemy, never done it, and doubt we will anytime soon. We talk about it and the Pride of America would be a neat way to see the island, but without Mickey and Minnie it just wouldn't be the same. Enjoy Twin Peaks.

Knowing your family's history with all things disney, I can see how a cruise devoid of Mickey and Minnie would be blasphemy!

 

[Woobie]

Our plan is to book a Fantasy cruise for 2013 this fall when the rates first come out (the Med cruises may not be released until the Spring).

Thanks for the Med info. Hubby is from Greece, so while the idea of sailing from Island to island is appealing, we really couldn't go there without going WAY north to visit his village. I'll have to look more closely at that option when (if) they release the info. I've been to Rome, but the rest of the family would probably enjoy it. CRAZY drivers (sorry Marco & Laura).

I AM planning a 2013 DCL. I need to get my act together & pinpoint better. We need a time when the kids are not in school, but not pay through the nose (Xmas lol). I've also done East/West/Nassau, so I'm good with those options. I want to jump in Oct when they release dates. Oh the stress. Maybe we'll see you again in 2013 on the Fantasy.

 

[kritter]

Anyone interested in Hawaii 2013?? I think I might have the Anderson's onoboard as well!!

 

[kritter]

Kristin, I was reading back through posts and came across this message of yours. Though I wasn't in your party, my family was seated near you b/c your party and Jeff's wanted to be near each other (partly because I knew the kids would be up and down visiting each other)! That first night in Animator's Palate, I know how vexed you were about the dining situation and can't believe DCL couldn't get it figured out. This was a time when being in concierge should have worked in your favor. Yes, you were with a large party and you were linked to an even larger group, but at the end of the day, the dining people needed to have listened to your pleas and changed the tables around. And concierge should have gotten involved when that didn't happen after the first night.

Good grief, your mom received disturbing news from her doctor the afternoo of embarkation. She needed to sit with her daughter, son-in-law, and her twin grand-daughters. Family dinner is sacrosanct in my family. We pray together, share stories about our day, stuff like that, and having this time together on a cruise just seems like a no brainer. In hindsight, I wish I had gotten up from Jeff's table and insisted that they move heaven and earth to move your table two feet over to your mom's table so that you could be next to her.That this continued to be an issue for four more nights just appalls me. I'm with Jen, I wish I had thrown a stink and insisted that somehow something get altered so that your family of six could have been together. You did SO MUCH for everyone else on this meet board (put up with tons of angst with accommodating the FEs, etc) and it pains me greatly that the simple request to eat with your family proved impossible.

PM me the name and number of the DCL person and I will definitely call them with my views on the subject. Cancer stinks and when it rears its angry head, families need to pull together. I lost my dad to cancer and I know how precious time is-- we never can take anything for granted with the dreaded "c" word. You were on a family Disney cruise (paid top dollar to be there) and it is not asking too much to be seated with your family, one of whom is seriously ill. I know you are worried about your dad too, after the scare in Williamsburg, so it just adds to my sense of injustice done to you and your immediate family.

Hugs from Virginia to Connecticut....

Beth,

Thank you, for your kind words. Dinner in our house is the same way. That is why it was soo important for us to be with my parents. My parents did there own thing during the day Palo's, Spa, etc. We all figured that dinner time would be a time to catch-up and share what we all did during the day.

This morning at breakfast the girls were again in tears asking why they could not sit with their best-friends at dinner time. It is hard to explain why to them since we do not even know.

I know to some this might not seem like a big deal but it was something that meant a lot to our family.

Yesterday, we told the girls about my mother and the cancer. They seemed to have handled it ok. Lots of questions from Hanna but Hopie was awful quiet. My parents came and spent the day with us too which was really nice since I am not sure when we will have the chance to do that again any time soon.

My mom is still awaiting to see if the blood-test will be covered by the insurance or not. The surgeon also told her on Friday that the cancer is invasive and that when they go to operate if they find that it has attached itself to the wall of the lymph-nodes that she will need chemotherapy too!! So Friday she will meet with the surgeon to determine what the insurance will and will not cover. I am hoping that she can get the bilateral mystecomey. But time will tell.

I wish I had followed my heart and caused more of a fuss over the dining situation since this was probally my parents last cruise with us. Those of you with a sick loved one. Spend as much quality time as you can together and never have regrets. I feel that I not only disappointed my children but my parents as well since I could not fix the dining situation. I know in time things will get better with me about the dining situation but I still have a lot of anger about it and my children still talk about how that was the one thing they did not like about the cruise. Thank you, to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. I have let my mother know that your all thinking and asking for her.

Beth, I appreciate you offering to call DCL..I will call you with the number in the next day or so. We really have enjoyed getting to know you and your family!!

 

[Maryrn11168]

Anyone interested in Hawaii 2013?? I think I might have the Anderson's onoboard as well!!

Kristin, first let me say that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Your mother is a wonderful and strong person and that will be very important in the coming months. My prayers are also with Bruce and his Uncle's famliy. Please try to stay strong (and have a drink now and then!!lol!!) Please call me if you need anything, or just to chat or vent!

Next, As we had discussed earlier, Bob wants to do Hawaii for his 50th Birthday in 2013, (I can't believe he is turning 50, while I am still only 26!!) So if people are interested I think we could have a great time, and give the kids friends to play with, giving us some adult time.

We booked a dummy date while on board for 8/12, just waiting for the next set of dates to come out. If everyone agrees on a date, and place, we will try to make it! We are doing WDW in July to celebrate my nieces 16th Birthday, not sure how many of my brothers and sisters are coming, but it will be our main vacation next year!

Happy Labor Day to all!! and a sad Goodbye to the summer of 2011! It was a good one!

 

[Pudo]

Spending a lot of time the last couple of days researching Hawaii including the NCL Pride of America. The POA trip reports are "scary", so we are definitely passing on that option.

 

[uncw89]

I think whenever they get around to releasing summer 2013 dates for the Magic it may include a combination of Eastern & Western Med cruises. We just got back 2 weeks ago from one of the Med cruises & then I got a postcard to complete an online survey which I did yesterday. One of the last questions was about how likely we were to sail on various itineraries (with "starting at" prices listed). The last 2 choices were a Western Med & an Eastern Med with "starting at" prices at $949. They were both 7 nights out of Civitavecchia (Rome). Since both are out of Civitavecchia I am wondering if they would alternate them so you could do back-to-backs. Here's the specific itineraries they gave:

7-NIGHT EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Starting at $949)
Cruise Ports: Civitavecchia, Italy; Messina, Italy; Kusadasi, Turkey; Athens, Greece; Heraklion, Greece; Civitavecchia, Italy

7-NIGHT WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Starting at $949)
Cruise Ports: Civitavecchia, Italy; Genoa, Italy; Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Sardinia, Italy; Civitavecchia, Italy
__________________

I saw this posted by Anal Annie on the 2013 thread.....of course was just a survey that she got....hope it comes true!!!

Hope everyone is having a good week!!!

 

[elgerber]

I think whenever they get around to releasing summer 2013 dates for the Magic it may include a combination of Eastern & Western Med cruises. We just got back 2 weeks ago from one of the Med cruises & then I got a postcard to complete an online survey which I did yesterday. One of the last questions was about how likely we were to sail on various itineraries (with "starting at" prices listed). The last 2 choices were a Western Med & an Eastern Med with "starting at" prices at $949. They were both 7 nights out of Civitavecchia (Rome). Since both are out of Civitavecchia I am wondering if they would alternate them so you could do back-to-backs. Here's the specific itineraries they gave:

7-NIGHT EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Starting at $949)
Cruise Ports: Civitavecchia, Italy; Messina, Italy; Kusadasi, Turkey; Athens, Greece; Heraklion, Greece; Civitavecchia, Italy

7-NIGHT WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Starting at $949)
Cruise Ports: Civitavecchia, Italy; Genoa, Italy; Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Sardinia, Italy; Civitavecchia, Italy
__________________

I saw this posted by Anal Annie on the 2013 thread.....of course was just a survey that she got....hope it comes true!!!

Hope everyone is having a good week!!!

it took me a minute to figure how the heck you could have been on a Med cruise a couple of weeks ago Elena!