August 20, 2005 - L.A. to Port Canaveral - Eastbound Repo Cruise - The SHIP OF FOOLS

[mickeyfan1]

tiggger2on, congrats. and I think there is someone else? Hard even for me who does not work to keep up.

me who does not work will be meeting sarahsmomfrompa, Mary Jo, tomorrow. She is vacationing up here, we are going to try and get some outlet shopping done, maybe pick up something for the cruise. With my move so close I will probably stick with housewares, the sooner I get moved in the sooner I can do the cruise prep!

Great picture, but as a former manager I hope I was never like that!

 

[Mom2Belle&PeterPan]

Congrats tigger2on and good luck with adding baby, know it will work out for you all!

HOMETECH99 - missed you and your family on the June 12th Magic! Were you on the Anguilla Dolphin? Which group? We were last of the last...I had a real hard time being patient. Loved the 30 minutes swimming with the dolphins, but did not think the excursion was worth it overall. Should have taken dd9 to Sea World in our part of the woods. Anyway, we are booked on the Aug. 20th too so maybe this time our families will meet! I won't even tell you the great deal we got for our Cat. 9, but we are on deck 2 and love it due to stability and little rocking. DS13 was somewhat of a pill on our trip, decided he was not going to like the cruise. He came out of it about Weds. thank goodness. The rest of us loved it!!! We must have crossed paths somewhere, we were 2nd seating table 47 with musicgirl and another great family. Hello to your dw findingnemofan!

VERANDAHMAN - Rest that knee, and thanks for the welcome home! Dd9's pillowcase turned out beautifully as did our door magnet sign with Grumbo's photo. I will post with our photos when we upload them. Thanks for all your help with these, they are precious treasures to us, especially our dd.

Take care!

Barbara (PS to HOMETECH99 - we are thinking of not taking ds13 on the Panama, he'd rather not go. What about your ds? He'd like to go visit my dh's sister instead, and then we'd ask my niece to go with us. Did your oldest ds like the cruise? My ds enjoyed the few times he IM with your ds, too bad they did not meet up - or perhaps they did.)

 

[ivanova]

Originally posted by mark & sandra
Susan, I think I know your manager. Is this him???

Mark

You don't know how much I needed that laught today

 

[piglet33]

Originally posted by mark & sandra
Susan, I think I know your manager. Is this him???

Mark

Mark,

Great picture. I just printed it out and hung it in my office. It'll get some comments, I'm sure.

Reneé

 

[hometech99]

Were you on the Anguilla Dolphin? Which group? We were last of the last...I had a real hard time being patient. Loved the 30 minutes swimming with the dolphins, but did not think the excursion was worth it overall. ..Anyway, we are booked on the Aug. 20th too so maybe this time our families will meet!... great deal on CAT9

Hi Barbara,

yes, we were at the Dolphins. I had the 2 little boys, and was in Kobe's (youngest dolphin) group for the afternoon session. We did have fun! Plus, the beach there was awesome!
My wife was observing and video taping the whole thing.
I was annoyed that everyone got delayed getting back to the Magic because Dolphin Fantaseas lost several people's pictures. Excursion desk assured me we'd be back with plenty of time to shop in St Maarten. NOT. Fantaseas should have taken those people's names and after shooting pictures, let them leave and burn them all their pictures to disk for free and send it to them- rather than making everone wait for these people to sort through what pictures they wanted.


While on the rant, I'll go into the "great deal on cat 9".
I waited to book on cruise becuase of this discount I heard about (mind you- this was our first cruise ever). I didnt expect room prices to go up 40-60% in the meanwhile. What a bunch of bunk. If they raise prices on the deck 8 rooms its no biggie to those priviledged people. they'll pay $14,000 or $17,000 just the same. But raising prices on the lower categories? that just knocks the rest of the country out of the league. I know I could have afforded $4000 for the 4 of us. $7,200- a large stretch if it doesnt break me anyway.

I got quoted $8100 for 2A 2c in a cat 9!! Thats WITH the onship discount!!!!! Knew I couldnt swing that!
Dont know if we'll swing the $7200 either at this point, but will see by end of year hopefully.

now off ranting.

 

[Bmwdsny]

Hello,

been awhile since i posted here! Just being lurking!

Tigger2on, Congrats!! Gee, i hope there is no problem you sailing with us. I never thought it would be a big deal for DCL just because you are bringing a new baby. Let me know what the supervisor said.

VM: Andy, i don't think i ever thank you for PM me the Panama Canal map!! Sorry!! School is out and kids kept me busy! They are at my mom's for the week now! Yahoo!! I am on vacation now at my own home!! But thanks!!

That manager picture is too funny!! I showed it to my DH and he just stared at it!! He didn't know what to make of it!! LOL!! (my DH is an administrator of a school district)

I noticed that this post is slowing down,,Hope everyone is having a great summer!

 

[Denine]

Welcome Aboard Hometech99!

I think my DH would agree with the manager picture!

 

[Jazzman]

Welcome aboard hometech99! You'll be added to the list at the beginning of this thread (probably by tomorrow morning). I'm a bit behind as we are currently on vacation.

HOWEVER... this is part business trip as well. In this picture (taken at the food court at Saratoga Springs) Denise is shopping for future cruise needs...

-Pete

 

[outahere]

originally posted by hometech99

I didnt expect room prices to go up 40-60% in the meanwhile. What a bunch of bunk. If they raise prices on the deck 8 rooms its no biggie to those priviledged people. they'll pay $14,000 or $17,000 just the same.

Time for my rant.........

I happen to have been lucky enough to get a Cat 4 cabin on deck 8 and don't consider myself to be "privileged". I waited on hold for nearly an hour, on the day the ressies opened up, to get the cabin at a reasonable price. Would I have paid $14,000??.......... NO!!!!

If you have spent any time on these boards, you should have known how popular the repo cruises would be and that as the ships fill up, the prices go up. That is the way DCL prices all their cruises. I don't think it is fair to fault anyone for the price you got since you waited to book onboard.

Rant over............

 

[jin diesel]

Originally posted by outahere
Time for my rant.........

I happen to have been lucky enough to get a Cat 4 cabin on deck 8 and don't consider myself to be "privileged". I waited on hold for nearly an hour, on the day the ressies opened up, to get the cabin at a reasonable price. Would I have paid $14,000??.......... NO!!!!

I don't think hometech99 meant to offend anyone with that comment. I just think she meant, for example, what you consider a "REASONABLE PRICE" for a category 4 is probably not anywhere near what most people can afford or what most people would consider "reasonable". (Not you personally, of course; I just used your post as an example.)

I too booked ASAP online. All I could afford was a Category 11. And I do not think I received a "reasonable" price at all. I'm paying a lot more than I would on another cruise line, but it is my choice to sail with DCL - so that's the price I have to pay; so to speak. (I think we can ALL agree on that!!!!)

I do agree with hometech99 that it is a bummer how outrageous the price differences are. But you are correct, outahere, the best rates (again, I'm not using the word "reasonable") were only available to those of us that booked ASAP.

In the end, I think Disney is totally going with the whole "pirate" theme and raping and pillaging us all!!

 

[Verandah Man]

Originally posted by Jazzman
Welcome aboard hometech99! You'll be added to the list at the beginning of this thread (probably by tomorrow morning). I'm a bit behind as we are currently on vacation.

HOWEVER... this is part business trip as well. In this picture (taken at the food court at Saratoga Springs) Denise is shopping for future cruise needs...

-Pete

Great pic, this is just too funny!!!

 

[Grumbo]

From CNN Website

Tuesday, June 22, 2004 Posted: 2330 GMT (0730 HKT)

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) -- Panama is creating an anti-terrorism unit whose biggest mission will be to protect the Panama Canal from possible attack by militants seeking to disrupt the global economy, a government official said on Tuesday.
The unit will primarily collect intelligence on possible terror threats throughout the country, as well as investigate money laundering, arms trafficking and the drug trade, the government said in a statement.
"Panama needs to protect itself from terrorism, and it needs to protect its canal," said a foreign ministry official on condition of anonymity.
Panama's government, which has run the canal since U.S. forces handed over control in December 1999, has stepped up security since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Nearly 4.5 percent of global seagoing trade passes through the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Global security experts say the canal is probably a medium-risk site, not among the most vulnerable worldwide but still attractive as a target given its importance to world commerce.

 

[Grumbo]

Food Court at Saratoga Springs!?!?!

Yeah right Jazz!!!
That is in his room onboard the last time Jazz and Denise sailed. You can get small fridges for medication. In Pete's case you can get huge coolers if you like to imbibe.

Cheers,
Grumbo

 

[hometech99]

thanks jin, you got the point. outtahere- you know im quoting EXAMPLE numbers- not attacking you (waiting on the phone an hour is not a lot of work). just my point that Disney as a whole doesnt price themselves so all children and families can enjoy it. And heavily raising the prices on the rooms that those of modest means would choose doesnt help the matter.
My point was a $3k price difference wont break the stride of the upper 10%, while anyone else, it could keep them from going at all.

If i had KNOWN to book this early, i would have. I thought and was told that a "discount" is given for booking on ship, so I did.
plus WHAT Panama cruises fill up early? isnt this the first time for the Magic to do this?? I dont keep an eye on the cruise industry as a whole to know what other lines are doing.


Zinfandel, anyone?

 

[ivanova]

Originally posted by hometech99
Zinfandel, anyone?

Did someone say Zinfandel??

 

[twhipple]

Unfortunately, DCL's prices in general are higher than other lines like RCCL and Carnival and also unfortunate is the computer system used by DCL (I'm sure similar to others in the travel industry) which automatically increases the prices at certain capacity levels. Because these were potentially the only two Panama Canal cruises, there was a lot of interest. Prices within 12 hours went up $250 per person for a category 8 room. My guess is that the majority of us sailing booked early. With the caribbean cruises, it can take a couple months for the prices to automatically go up -- not the case this time. I feel bad that you thought the discount was worth waiting for, with a caribbean cruise it probably would have been. I know it was a struggle for us to call in and make the ressies with so much uncertainty about rates. We were prepared to downgrade rooms if necessary due to price, but in the end (with our Dreams Rebate) we're able to stay with our desired category.

 

[Scratch42]

Originally posted by ivanova
Did someone say Zinfandel??

Pass the Bottle!

I am gonna scream!

I am here only to print the "Manager Picture!" to make me feel better!LOL

I hope everybody else is having a better day!

Scratch

 

[mark & sandra]

Some more "Wildlife" shots from Jazzman's backyard...Mark

 

[CoMickey]

Hi East bound cruisers!

I am actually from the 'Other cruise' and lurk here just to see what I can learn and I must say.....you guys are the funniest people! You all have the best sense of humor....sarcastic like mine....I love it! I just couldn't keep quiet a moment longer!



The photos and comments are the best! I have known several managers just like the photo and now that I am in management I hope I NEVER look like that to those I am in charge of! Keep me humble!

Anyway...just wanted to say hi and let you know that you always make me laugh!

Vicki

 

[Friend_of_Piglet]

Congratulations to you and your family tigger2on!!!

Mark, I look forward to the photos you post, they are hilarious.

Drove by the port in San pedro over the weekend, and I can't stop thinking about when that beautiful ship finally arrives.

Well, on my way to Costco (Torrance Costco, only 8 miles from the port. )


Sooz