August 18, 2010...Can't wait for the MAGICal Mediterranean!!!

[Cliffside]

Glad to hear you guys got everything you wanted booked. Hopefully things on the 20th go as smooth.......

Thanks, I'm sure you will get what you want on the 20th.

I think the reason I got kicked off the first time last night was that I tried to book all my saved excursions at once. I don't think the system liked that and crashed on me. When I finally got back in I did one at a time. It took awhile because there a couple of steps the last being confirming everything you did but at least it worked doing it that way.

Lori...I just saw your post on the general forum regarding ocean quest. I have been debating since our last cruise about where I should try and put DD. She will be 11 a couple months after we cruise and when I was on the Magic in November they said she could try and participate in the Med and see how it goes. She had sign-out priveleges in the lab last cruise and it worked well. She has loved the club and lab on our previous cruisers but I just was a little concerned about the new open age policy they put in place. One of her favorite things about the lab was making friends her own age. She has always been the only child in our travel party so the camps gave her a great opportunity to make friends . Do they keep track at all who is coming and going in Ocean Quest?

 

[Cliffside]

Hi Susan,

We'll be with you on Malta and Tunis tours. I'm glad you finally got it to work,

yeah me too. I should probably just waited till this morning to do it, but I was too excited.

It's hard to believe the Magic is back in Barcelona this morning getting ready for another Med cruise. Looking forward to the rest of the dis reports, cruise critic blogs and seeing the rest of the navigators. There are also a couple of 5/5 cruise blogs to follow.

Susan

 

[jel0511]

Thanks, I'm sure you will get what you want on the 20th.

I think the reason I got kicked off the first time last night was that I tried to book all my saved excursions at once. I don't think the system liked that and crashed on me. When I finally got back in I did one at a time. It took awhile because there a couple of steps the last being confirming everything you did but at least it worked doing it that way.

Lori...I just saw your post on the general forum regarding ocean quest. I have been debating since our last cruise about where I should try and put DD. She will be 11 a couple months after we cruise and when I was on the Magic in November they said she could try and participate in the Med and see how it goes. She had sign-out priveleges in the lab last cruise and it worked well. She has loved the club and lab on our previous cruisers but I just was a little concerned about the new open age policy they put in place. One of her favorite things about the lab was making friends her own age. She has always been the only child in our travel party so the camps gave her a great opportunity to make friends . Do they keep track at all who is coming and going in Ocean Quest?

No, they don't keep track of the kids at all in OQ, they just come and go as they please. As I said on the other post, we had a white board in our room for DD to write down where she was going to be, so we could keep track of her. She loved OQ and isn't too pleased with some of our early excursions as we've told her that some nights she'll have to be back in the cabin by 11PM, as we have early mornings. Some nights she didn't return until close to 1AM!!!!!!

There are also a couple of 5/5 cruise blogs to follow.

Susan

Where are these blogs, I'd like to follow them!

 

[MinnieDiva]

Where are these blogs, I'd like to follow them!

There are some here:

http://muchomagico.weebly.com/links.html
and this one...
http://cruzingthrougheurope.blogspot.com/

k

 

[pixie08]

Glad to hear you guys did ok!

No tea at PaloI hope you are right that they only open up precentages. I think our last cruise we couldn't get brunch or tea but we were able to at least get brunch wehn we went to Rockin Bar D.

 

[susiemmfan]

Congrats on booking your port adventures.

Now the countdown until May 20...

 

[susiemmfan]

No, they don't keep track of the kids at all in OQ, they just come and go as they please. As I said on the other post, we had a white board in our room for DD to write down where she was going to be, so we could keep track of her. She loved OQ and isn't too pleased with some of our early excursions as we've told her that some nights she'll have to be back in the cabin by 11PM, as we have early mornings. Some nights she didn't return until close to 1AM!!!!!!
Where are these blogs, I'd like to follow them!

I am going to miss the pager as my son will now be in OQ too. He would page me when leaving the lab and I would meet him back in the room. It was a good system. My daughter was good about leaving me notes where she was but most of the time she was either in the room or getting french fries or ice cream.

 

[pixie08]

The white board sounds like a good idea!

 

[susiemmfan]

Has anyone else thought about buying some Euros now? The exchange rate was at $1.29 today.

Susie

 

[mindelmouse]

Has anyone else thought about buying some Euros now? The exchange rate was at $1.29 today.

Susie

Susie

The exchange rate has consistently been going down...it was at 1.43 just a few months ago....I think the $ is rebounding...I would wait.

 

[ejw]

I'm glad you did not have problems.
I must have been unlucky. I got booted out twice. Well it took me an hour and half but I got it all done. The only things that I saw that were unavailable was tea at Palo (which is weird) and spa times for masssages on sea days which are never easy to come buy.

I booked the following:

Malta: Valletta for kids
Tunis: bardo museum/medina for families
Naples: Timeless Pompeii and taste of Sorrento
Florence: Florence and Pisa(was not going to go to Pisa But DD really wants to -was going to book florence and Michelangelo but they keep raising the price it was $239 when I was booking it is $279
Corsica: Beach Break(it was availble when I was on)
Villefrance: Monaco,Monte CArlo and Eze

Was able to get brunch for the second sea day...there was a lot of availbility and a couple massage for the day we are in Corsica

Hi Susan, glad it all worked out and you got the excursions you wanted. We're doing the same tours as you in tunis and naples.

ellen

 

[ejw]

Hi Ellen,

We'll be with you on the Tunis tour. Congrats on getting all your bookings done.

thanks Mindy. glad to be with you for the tunis tour.

 

[ejw]

The white board sounds like a good idea!

we used a white board on our last disney cruise and will be using again on this one. my DD and her friend love being on their own and it's a good way to keep track of them and for melanie to know where we are.

last month we were on a royal caribbean cruise and they had the best way to communicate with each other. they took iphones and reprogrammed them so we could text, call and locate each other at any time.

ellen

 

[ejw]

Susie

The exchange rate has consistently been going down...it was at 1.43 just a few months ago....I think the $ is rebounding...I would wait.

I agree with Mindy. the euro went below 1.28 today. My DH is hoping to see it sink to 1.15. the financial messes in greece, spain and portugal will continue to drive it down.

 

[Cliffside]

Yes it will be interesting to see what the Euro is when we sail.

In terms of entertainment it looks like Alfed andSeymour will be on our cruise. There was a thread on the general forum with a link to their webiste and they are listed as being on the Magic from 8/21-8/28. DH got dragged into their show last time in the Walt Disney Theater. It was quite a expereince.

 

[Cliffside]

Hi Susan, glad it all worked out and you got the excursions you wanted. We're doing the same tours as you in tunis and naples.

ellen

Thanks me too. I am very excited about those excursions. It's hard to believe that we are getting into the home stretch.

 

[Cliffside]

No, they don't keep track of the kids at all in OQ, they just come and go as they please. As I said on the other post, we had a white board in our room for DD to write down where she was going to be, so we could keep track of her. She loved OQ and isn't too pleased with some of our early excursions as we've told her that some nights she'll have to be back in the cabin by 11PM, as we have early mornings. Some nights she didn't return until close to 1AM!!!!!!
Where are these blogs, I'd like to follow them!

Lori,
How old was DD when she was in Ocean Quest. That's a good idea about the white board. On our last cruise we did not want to give DD sign out priveleges in the Lab, but by the second day she convinced us and it woked out ok....but there they paged us when she left.

Did you check out those blogs?

I Love listening to the podcast form the dis. I wish there was more of them.

 

[jel0511]

Yes it will be interesting to see what the Euro is when we sail.

In terms of entertainment it looks like Alfed andSeymour will be on our cruise. There was a thread on the general forum with a link to their webiste and they are listed as being on the Magic from 8/21-8/28. DH got dragged into their show last time in the Walt Disney Theater. It was quite a expereince.

I looked at their website, it says on their tour page, they'll be getting on Aug 23rd, so halfway through they'll board in Rome. They stay on until Sept 1, so they'll be onboard for the next cruise. I never seen them, so it should be interesting.... The EUR is at 1.27 today!!!! Keep falling I say!!!!

Lori,
How old was DD when she was in Ocean Quest. That's a good idea about the white board. On our last cruise we did not want to give DD sign out priveleges in the Lab, but by the second day she convinced us and it woked out ok....but there they paged us when she left.

Did you check out those blogs?

I Love listening to the podcast form the dis. I wish there was more of them.

DD was 11 last year so she just made it into OQ and had a blast and is looking forward to it again. I did look at the blogs, thanks!!!!!

 

[mindelmouse]

Lori,

Are you giving your 9 year old sign out priveleges. I keep waffling on this. My son is so impulsive that he doesn't think before he does things....I'm not sure what I want to do...I don't want to treat them like babies...but then again...I don't want to find out he decided to see what it would be like to swim in the ocean.

 

[mindelmouse]

On Saturday...it will be 100 days until I leave for Barcelona and Monday will be 100 days until the ship departs......