Cruising The Canal May 1, 2015 (Roll Call in Post 1)

[KalamityJane]

We are so struggling financially right now.. But there is absolutely no way I'm missing this cruise...lol. It's going to be over the $15000 again... But I, going to fight like tooth and nail for this to happen...please send me lots of money windfall vibes...hehehe

Yikes! We are doing it for around 6-7k with 2 rooms, I've figured out several ways to get it cheaper if you want help on that end?

 

[KalamityJane]

Brixton, I'd so love to stay at the Doubletree, but we have 5 and I can't swing 2 rooms. I hope you all have fun! For those that want another option , some of us will be at Comfort Inn and Suites Miami Airport North (I believe), they have a shuttle to the port and the airport and free breakfast, price is ~160.

ETA: http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-miami_springs-florida-FLB13

If you pay in full with no refunds, you can get it down to $127.

 

[MoMushu]

Hello everybody,

My boyfriend (Bradley, 36) and I (39) booked this cruise as well. We are from the Netherlands.
We are really looking forward to it already!

It will his 1st cruise and my 2nd one. I sailed the Fantasy in 2013.

I also requested to participate in the Facebook group, but FE is not my thing, but it's great initiative!

Hi, I'm traveling with my parents and we're all from the Netherlands! We live in Ridderkerk and Rotterdam. We already cruised on the Magic in 2011 and the Fantasy in 2013.
But wow $15000!! Is that for the two of you everything (air, cruise, hotel) included?

 

[4worlds1family]

Hi Kim, Jo here
I'm sure Brixton will see this but, for future reference, if you hover over the user name at the side, you will see various options including 'send Private Message'. [/QUOTE]

Thank you for the help Jo!

 

[aan1701]

No, we did the PC this past September and visited Disneyland. Just the cruise this time. You? Are you still a premiere pass holder?

Yup. Got to have it with spending almost three weeks at WDW and living 30 miles from the land. Going to WDW 10/15-29.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[minkelberry]

Hi everyone.. I've read some conflicting information about the shoe over the door storage holders.. most sites have said absolute swing grace and now i have read that disney does not allow them.. can someone help me out thank you

 

[ravensilverlight]

Hi everyone.. I've read some conflicting information about the shoe over the door storage holders.. most sites have said absolute swing grace and now i have read that disney does not allow them.. can someone help me out thank you

You are no longer allowed to hang them over the door, as they leave scratches and marks. However, they ARE a saving grace for us too! We have used rope before to hang it from the towel bar, but I found a new solution. You can use shower curtain rings to go through the hanger rings and wrap around the towel bar! Or you can hang it on the shower curtain rod itself, if you can't give up towel space. Or even on the bar in the closet! I understand why they ask you not to put them on the door, but it's not an all-out ban. I can't give mine up! Lol

 

[NancyJfromHolland]

Hi Kalimity Jane,

We live in Rotterdam! Utrecht is for sure a beautiful city too!

Nancy

 

[NancyJfromHolland]

I am from Rotterdam too! How cool is that? ;-)

 

[NancyJfromHolland]

Hi, I'm traveling with my parents and we're all from the Netherlands! We live in Ridderkerk and Rotterdam. We already cruised on the Magic in 2011 and the Fantasy in 2013.
But wow $15000!! Is that for the two of you everything (air, cruise, hotel) included?

We live in Rotterdam too, how cool is that?

 

[NorCalGal]

Yup. Got to have it with spending almost three weeks at WDW and living 30 miles from the land. Going to WDW 10/15-29.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I will have a premier pass as well. I'm going to WDW for 10 days in October and will purchase it then, as I have several trips planned already. This will be my second "gold card" My tentative plan is to do a few days at WDW before and a few at DL after, but I haven't actually made decisions yet.

Roll call:

Cindy, will be 54, travelling solo this time, cabin 7623, main dining. I live in Eureka, CA.

This is a bucket list item for me. It's my second DCL, (the first was Western Caribbean on the Wonder for 5 nights April 2014), my fourth cruise. I already have a three night west coast cruise booked for Oct 2015. That probably won't be my last, as somehow I will have done three cruises on the Wonder and I want to try other ships and I will still need to get to Castaway Cay!

I submitted a request for the FB group.

 

[mimmi]

We live in Rotterdam too, how cool is that?

When I was a teenager, I wanted to visit Rotterdam so bad as I had the hugest crush on Richard Krajicek .
Well, I've made it to Amsterdam a few times and love it, but never to Rotterdam.

 

[Kirbo]

I totally agree with Alan. I have been on quite a few cruises where someone has had to be air vac'd, or taken ashore in the rescue pod. Having a passport gets you stateside a lot sooner and it supersedes a drivers license as a form of identity.

By the way, hi Alan! Looking forward to saying hello again!

Add me to those that completely agree. Last year my mom was emergency evacuated in France (we obviously had to have passports for that cruise, but it could have happened on any cruise) and my aunt and uncle debarked with her. They would have had a horrible time if it happened in Mexico and hadn't had passports.

 

[NancyJfromHolland]

When I was a teenager, I wanted to visit Rotterdam so bad as I had the hugest crush on Richard Krajicek .
Well, I've made it to Amsterdam a few times and love it, but never to Rotterdam.

Ha ha, that is funny! Did you like Amsterdam?

 

[racingfandj]

Do you hear the angels singing? It's like they've descended with the long awaited knowledge everyone argues about. I asked the Disney Mom's Panel about passports and they pointed me to the documentation on DCL's site stating passports are required for he canal cruise.


Passport & Travel Documentation
Sailing through the Panama Canal
The following guidelines are based on government regulations, which are subject to change at any time. It is your responsibility to check with your travel agent, government agency, embassy or consulate to ensure that you have all the proper documentation to board the ship and enter each of the countries on the ship's itinerary. If you're visiting any country other than the U.S., remember to contact the consulate of that country to ensure you have the documentation required to visit. Travelers can visit the U.S. State Department's website at http://travel.state.gov. Guests without proper documentation will be denied boarding.
Required Documents for U.S. Citizens
All Guests claiming U.S. Citizenship, including children, must provide:
A valid U.S. Passport
Photocopies of passports are not acceptable.

United States citizens can visit the State Department's travel website at http://travel.state.gov or call the United States National Passport Information Center at (877) 4USA-PPT (487-2778) for more information.


Looks like we'll be upgrading from our cards sometime in the next year.

 

[SeaSpray]

For all who are interested in the DT 4/30-5/1/2015...

Confirmed rate $159/room.

Rooms sleep up to four, I can request any bed configuration you want - though it is based on availability. I have a reserved a block of fifteen rooms. PLEASE PM: real first & last name of one person in your party, 1 or 2 beds, and app. arrival time. I am also working on breakfast vouchers.

Bus: I forget who asked??? The quotes involve "Greyhound " bus types, not minivans. Specifically for the car seat issue, as well as the size of our group. I do not have confirmed bus price.

Have a WONDERful day!

Hi

I would love to get in on the group rate at the Doubletree! I was just checking it out online, and asking about it on the Facebook page, and I saw that you were handling group reservations.

First of all, thank you!

Secondly, I see you mentioning something about a bus; is this for transportation to the port the next morning?

I will send a PM with our names to you as soon as I post this.

P.S. I see that you will be flying BOS to FLL. We will, too. Which airline do you use? We prefer JetBlue, but will go with Delta or AA, whoever has the best times and airfares when we book.

 

[Vicky2jeff]

The $15000 is for 4 people..cruise for the 4 of us is $6900 and flights are going to be about $7000 that's without any stops at Disney..:-/. I will just work my butt off to get all the money.. I have just under a year so fingers crossed..may just mean I can't do the extra bits like port adventures.
Beg steal or borrow....hehehe

 

[granmaz]

The $15000 is for 4 people..cruise for the 4 of us is $6900 and flights are going to be about $7000 that's without any stops at Disney..:-/. I will just work my butt off to get all the money.. I have just under a year so fingers crossed..may just mean I can't do the extra bits like port adventures.
Beg steal or borrow....hehehe

Well the nice thing about Cabo is that you can just walk around the town or go to the beach. Puerto Vallarta you could just get a taxi to the beach or to town and walk around there. Cartagena is the only place where I would suggest maybe taking a tour if you can manage it. Maybe someone will arrange a private one that you can join for cheaper than DCL's prices. It is a lovely place to have a look round and if it might be the only time you could get there then this is the place to save for a tour.

We went with Dora(the Explorer). We had a mini bus for up to 18 passengers I think. http://cartagenatour.com/testimonials.html They meet you at the ship side and get away quickly. We had finished at the Monastery before the big tour buses arrived. We wouldn't go around on our own though. Vendors can be a big pain but you just have to smile and pass and be firm. You get taken to shops(of course, as always on tours) )

 

[mimmi]

Ha ha, that is funny! Did you like Amsterdam?

I absolutely love it, luckily it's only 1,5 flight hrs to get there.

 

[luvdamouse91]

Hi,

We are jumping onboard and will be celebrating DH's 50th birthday during the cruise. Looking forward to this trip. Please add us to the roll call.

Melisa & Mike