EBPC December 9, 2012!!! Who's in????

[RoxyHive]

Any other runners (or fast walkers) on this cruise?

I want to keep up my training onboard and would love to meet up with anyone else interested. I need to run (slow) at least 3 times a week and also walk or cycle on other days when possible.

I was hoping to use the track on deck 4 but not sure how crowded it may be?

 

[LindaBabe]

GOOD Morning, Happy Cruisers!

Well I did it. Switched from the 4 day Bahamas and WDW-Candle Light Processional to the Panama Canal. Crossing my fingers for a room mid ship - my DH can tend to get motion sickness, and likes the mid ship rooms.

Now to decide whether to fly in to LAX on the Friday or Saturday. The Friday gives that leeway for bad weather out of Buffalo. I always figured, if worse came to worse, we could drive to Florida. That ain't happening on this trip.

I am at page 22, so I better get reading.

Looking forward to getting to know you all more before the trip.

Welcome aboard! I'm flying from Albany on Friday. I figured better safe and another night's hotel bill than really really sorry, if the weather goes sour on us. Staying at the Doubletree near the port. There appears to be a few interesting sights within a short taxi ride from there.

Any other runners (or fast walkers) on this cruise?

I want to keep up my training onboard and would love to meet up with anyone else interested. I need to run (slow) at least 3 times a week and also walk or cycle on other days when possible.

I was hoping to use the track on deck 4 but not sure how crowded it may be?

I don't think you're going to have a problem - on the sides deck 4 is fairly wide to allow easy passing if needed. Some people also 'wog' on Deck 10, early in the morning.

Happy Day, all!

 

[4everluvDisney]

Well I did it. Switched from the 4 day Bahamas and WDW-Candle Light Processional to the Panama Canal. Crossing my fingers for a room mid ship - my DH can tend to get motion sickness, and likes the mid ship rooms.

Now to decide whether to fly in to LAX on the Friday or Saturday. The Friday gives that leeway for bad weather out of Buffalo. I always figured, if worse came to worse, we could drive to Florida. That ain't happening on this trip.

I am at page 22, so I better get reading.

Looking forward to getting to know you all more before the trip.

Wanted to say Welcome to another cruiser from home. I see that you are from Waterloo...we are from Waterdown.
We are arriving at Disneyland on the Monday and spending the week there.
I see you are flying out of Buffalo. So are we. Who are you flying with? Our return flight home is on Sunday the 23rd from Fort Lauderdale on Southwest at 2:20pm. It is a nonstop flight. Hopefuly, the weather won't be too bad flying home but with Buffalo one never knows!!!

 

[Relaxin']

Any other runners (or fast walkers) on this cruise?

I want to keep up my training onboard and would love to meet up with anyone else interested. I need to run (slow) at least 3 times a week and also walk or cycle on other days when possible.

I was hoping to use the track on deck 4 but not sure how crowded it may be?

My DH and I are runners. I started focusing on my health through food and exercise in January. I have lost 35 pounds, and now run a 5K in 38 minutes. I was 48 minutes in January. My DH is an injured Iron Man, so his pace has decreased, but still runs faster than me. You will see us both on Deck 4 in the mornings on sea days. Disappointed that we will not be stopping at Castaway Cay. We love to do the 5K on the island.

 

[Relaxin']

Wanted to say Welcome to another cruiser from home. I see that you are from Waterloo...we are from Waterdown.
We are arriving at Disneyland on the Monday and spending the week there.
I see you are flying out of Buffalo. So are we. Who are you flying with? Our return flight home is on Sunday the 23rd from Fort Lauderdale on Southwest at 2:20pm. It is a nonstop flight. Hopefuly, the weather won't be too bad flying home but with Buffalo one never knows!!!

I noticed a few on the boards from Southern Ontario. My aunts who were nuns lived in the convent in Waterdown. I have not booked the flights, but we are planning to rent a are in Florida, and visit relatives. My brother is in Bradenton, and my In Laws are in Lakeland. We plan to fly back Dec. 26 out of Orlando. Looking forward to meeting you on the cruise.

 

[WVURunner]

Any other runners (or fast walkers) on this cruise?

I want to keep up my training onboard and would love to meet up with anyone else interested. I need to run (slow) at least 3 times a week and also walk or cycle on other days when possible.

I was hoping to use the track on deck 4 but not sure how crowded it may be?

My DH, sister and I plan on running on deck 4 most mornings. You are more than welcome to join us. I am part of the slow and steady group, I try and keep a 10 min/mile pace where as my sister is at an 8 min/mi and the DH is at a 6 min/mi. Deck 4 isnt to crowed early in the mornings between 7am-8am. The bow and stern get very tight and you can not really pass so we have learned it is better to go early when it is not busy. Once people start casually walking and go the wrong direction, it gets to hard to run. My DH ran into and knocked over a woman who was walking the wrong way in the bow of the ship once.

They normally offer a spin class everyday, on the Med cruise, it was offered at 8am everyday, On the Fantasy, it was at 4PM. We also all enjoy doing the spin classes and my sister is a spin instructor so she would lead us in a class if we couldn't attend one. We love staying active while on cruises.

My DH and I are runners. I started focusing on my health through food and exercise in January. I have lost 35 pounds, and now run a 5K in 38 minutes. I was 48 minutes in January. My DH is an injured Iron Man, so his pace has decreased, but still runs faster than me. You will see us both on Deck 4 in the mornings on sea days. Disappointed that we will not be stopping at Castaway Cay. We love to do the 5K on the island.

Congrats on the weight lose and on improving your 5k time by 10 minutes! I lost weight about three years ago, I started running to get rid of some stress in my life and then started losing weight because of it and then really picked it up. I have kept the weight off and feel much better about life. I understand about DH running faster, before mine hit 30 and became old and injured, he was running about a 5 min/mi and would lap me when we ran "together". He would run a race, win it, then run the coarse again to find me and then "finish" it togther. He thought it was cute, I did not!


Maybe we could get a running/walking group together.

 

[WVURunner]

So glad you mentioned how much they will learn on this cruise and I totally agree. I home school my 12 yo 7th grader and we have a whole education plan already in progress. We will be calling it "cruise schooling." We have carschooling and pool school here too. Learning is everywhere and anywhere. Just start with how the ship was built, stays afloat, engines, stability, math and measurements, speed, etc. and you already can get your teaching mind moving. Then add all the sights and history and you are really on a roll. My teaching mind is always on where I am, what I see, and what I can teach from all of it. Our Mediterranean cruise was amazing and so much was learned on that cruise because of all the history surrounding us. The chance to see, learn, and actually touch what others may never be able to in their lifetime...priceless!

My sister took my nephew out of first grade for our Med cruise and he learned so much more than he would have ever learned in a classroom for two weeks. He kept a journal of everything he learned and he was like a sponge absorbing every detail about everything. Just because it is a disney cruise does not mean you aren't learning.

Love, love, love this design and thanks so much for posting it. Isn't Cartagena spelled incorrectly? It may not matter to some but, sorry, it is just the teacher in me!!

Good catch! I was going to use this as part of my FE gift for the kids and my Mom, also a teacher, would have killed me if she saw that! Esp. since my nephew is using our FE as part of his school assignment while he is away.

 

[dthogue]

to all our new crusiers

Its great to see so many runners on board. I plan to be on deck either walking or slogging - to those with the 8-10 minute mile - please high five me as you lap me I try to do at least 2 miles a day, but unfortunately due to foot issues, I don't go very fast. I enjoy spin class and would love to take one on the cruise.

 

[Cruise]

Love, love, love this design and thanks so much for posting it. Isn't Cartagena spelled incorrectly? It may not matter to some but, sorry, it is just the teacher in me!!

Why, no... no, it's not.

I didn't even notice it. But, like I said, I found the graphic by doing a google search. I just added the date - the cities were already there. If I'm not taking the credit for the graphic, I'm not taking the blame for the misspellings either!

I would love to be able to credit the creator, but even inspecting the link on google, it didn't give me much clue as to what photosharing site it came from or what posting name the person was using.

 

[Jeff Spencer]

Hello all,

Wife Susan and I just booked this cruise. Fellow Med cruiser Travelbee gave us the heads up on the GTY rate and we jumped on it. I also see BTH from the med cruise here too. We look forward to getting involved in all the activities and would be happy to help plan/organize some as well. I'll read through the thread and catch up on who's doing what.

 

[LindaBabe]

Welcome aboard Jeff & Susan!

 

[skoi]

So glad you mentioned how much they will learn on this cruise and I totally agree. I home school my 12 yo 7th grader and we have a whole education plan already in progress. We will be calling it "cruise schooling." We have carschooling and pool school here too. Learning is everywhere and anywhere. Just start with how the ship was built, stays afloat, engines, stability, math and measurements, speed, etc. and you already can get your teaching mind moving. Then add all the sights and history and you are really on a roll. My teaching mind is always on where I am, what I see, and what I can teach from all of it. Our Mediterranean cruise was amazing and so much was learned on that cruise because of all the history surrounding us. The chance to see, learn, and actually touch what others may never be able to in their lifetime...priceless!

Wow- you're a way more motivated and inventive homeschooling parent that I am! While we do have school constantly, I never sound so put together and organized as what you wrote about the ship, etc. My former life was a history teacher (from 6th grade to university level), and that's my strength. So everything is history, anthropology, poli sci, psych, sociology.

We dd a Med cruise with the two older kids, and it was great. They both had studied Ancient-Medieval that year, and oldest son was studying Arabic (we went to Tunisia, but had also spent three weeks visiting and volunteering in Morocco as well). Great trip. Looking forward to the PC so much.

 

[skoi]

Any other runners (or fast walkers) on this cruise?

I want to keep up my training onboard and would love to meet up with anyone else interested. I need to run (slow) at least 3 times a week and also walk or cycle on other days when possible.

I was hoping to use the track on deck 4 but not sure how crowded it may be?

Oldest dd has been running for a while (to get in shape to keep her Navy ROTC scholarship), dh runs, and I've just started the "from couch potato to 5K" workout-- though I do treadclimb two miles about 4 times a week now. Hopefully by September I'll be at the 5K level. Have 30 pounds I'd like to lose.

So we know deck four, and though we've run into people (literally-- because people are clueless and see you coming at a fast pace and will not move in the narrow areas coming into the front of the ship) never had any issues running/jogging/fast walking at any time of the day.

 

[LindaBabe]

Good Morning, Happy Cruisers!

Anyone interested in a private tour of Cartegena? So far, there are 4 of us. The more we get, the less the price, as this communication shows.

"people who are coming on a cruise ship I recommend The Highpoints of the City Tour which begins with a visit to La Popa in order to take in a magnificent full circle panoramic view of the entire city and its environs. We would then do some sightseeing at the Fortress of San Felipe for a photo stop and in order to talk about its history. Then we take slow cruising tours of the neighborhoods of Manga, Getsemaní and Bocagrande before going for a nice walk in the Old City - visiting the Gold Museum, the main plazas - and winding up with some shopping (emeralds, coffee, handcrafts, antiques and leather goods among other things).


The tour lasts for four and a half hours.

For a group of four the price is 85 dollars per person, for six 73 dollars per person, for eight people 65 dollars per person, for ten or more 55 dollars per person. The price includes the cost of transportation in the air conditioned minibus or large bus I mentioned with a driver, entrance fees to La Popa, the fees I pay to the port authority in order to be able to pick you up and leave you off at the docks and, of course, the fee for my services as your private guide.


Children under ten pay 70% of the price for adults."

I was looking at a different service, but he is a guide broker who also has an "emerald" store. This lady seems to be very accomplished and I like that she will be the guide herself, rather than a contract person.

If this sounds good to you, Please PM with Cartagena in the subject line.

Neighborhood yard sale is tomorrow and Saturday, so I'll be preparing to sell. Wouldn't it be nice to raise some cruise funds?

Happy Day, all!

 

[WVURunner]

So we know deck four, and though we've run into people (literally-- because people are clueless and see you coming at a fast pace and will not move in the narrow areas coming into the front of the ship) never had any issues running/jogging/fast walking at any time of the day.

Glad to know we aren't the only ones who have literally run into people! We felt horrible about it but at the same time felt it wasn't really our fault...

 

[WVURunner]

Any divers on here? Is anyone else planning on diving? If yes, which ports?

 

[Travelbee]

Hello all,

Wife Susan and I just booked this cruise. Fellow Med cruiser Travelbee gave us the heads up on the GTY rate and we jumped on it. I also see BTH from the med cruise here too. We look forward to getting involved in all the activities and would be happy to help plan/organize some as well. I'll read through the thread and catch up on who's doing what.

Glad you are joining us!! I have to say, that took zero convincing!

Any divers on here? Is anyone else planning on diving? If yes, which ports?

DH and I are both scuba divers. I haven't for years since DD was born but DH will probably jump at the chance to buddy up with someone. The last time he dove was in Cozumel about 3 years ago and he paired up with someone on the DisMeet. If you have ideas, I'll pass those to him!

 

[Jeff Spencer]

My wife and I are both divers. It's been a few years since either of us has been but I would be interested in doing a dive. Saw earlier discussion about runners. Susan and I have done two marathons and multiple half-marathons. We'll definitely be out on deck 4 in the mornings.

 

[Relaxin']

We are flying in on Friday and staying at the Marriott at the LAX. We also got a pretty good deal thru the TA at a little over $200 for the two night stay at the Marriott. I am not sure what company was offering it, but we already have reservations. The Marriott has a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and then you take the shuttle back to the airport to catch the Disney shuttle to the port. We have already booked our shuttle thru Disney. When I talked to Castaway club, they said that someone from Disney would be at the baggage claim area to direct us. ( We were told by our travel agent that we would get the details on which terminal closer to time) Hope this helps.

We're also staying a the Marriott and taking the Disney shuttle to the ship. It seemed like the easiest way to do it!

Just to confirm, is it the Marriott or the Courtyard? I am thinking of flying in Friday, just incase of bad weather. Are there things close by to do on the Saturday?

 

[bugsgrandma]

Just to confirm, is it the Marriott or the Courtyard? I am thinking of flying in Friday, just incase of bad weather. Are there things close by to do on the Saturday?

We're staying at the Marriott on West Century Blvd. We are going on a tour of Los Angeles on Saturday. It is 7 or so hours long thru VIP Tours. The tour company picks you up at the Marriott and brings you back there when the tour is done. They pick up at other hotels, but you will need to check with them to see if yours is one they pick up from. I am not sure of what else is available to do near the hotel since we choose things that work the easiest for us since we don't know the area.

Linda