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

[JessicasMom]

We booked a Deluxe Oceanview (9B) on the Fantasy for Dec 2012 to Eastern Carib (7 nights), but for an additional $400 we can do the PC cruise (14 nights) instead if we book IGT. Help me decide which cruise to take.

We sailed to Mexican Riveria on the Wonder in Dec 2011 so the PC cruise would be a bit of a repeat as we'd be on the same ship going to a few of the same ports (Cabo & PV) BUT the price is fantastic and 14 nights sounds heavenly! We had a superb time on the MR cruise, but booked the Fantasy to try out a different ship with different shows/activities as our family LOVED the dinner shows each evening.

Are there additional activities/shows on a 14 night cruise?

On the Wonder, we loved our Deluxe Oceanview room (2550)on deck 2, so I'm not sure what to expect with an IGT inside cabin. Are IGT cabins located on a particular deck?

We like to fly on Southwest, but since Dec rates don't come out until May 21 do you think the IGT rate will still be available? We're from Nevada so airfare will be spendy.

I apologize for my rambling thoughts/questions, but I got quite excited when I discovered the PC cruise at such a reasonable rate. Now I'm not sure which cruise to take! Thanks for any help you can give.

14 Days IS heavenly! They add special events (shows, speakers, presentations, et al) which aren't available on the shorter trips. Which cruise to take is totally up to you, since only you know what works best for your family. I love the longer cruises and the classic ships , but I'd do a 7-day on the newer ships anytime (nothing shorter, though). Any GT cabin is going to be wherever they assign; no choice of decks or part of ship. Also no idea how long they'll be offered, but my experience with the previous TA's has been that they are listed for quite a long time. The TAs are a tougher sell, though. This seems very early for a GT to be offered...appears this trip is not selling as well as they would like. I'm waiting for an OGT or VGT to be offered....which may never happen ....I'm taking my chances. Many of us are dealing with the airfare issue and waiting for SW .

 

[Moby]

Also no idea how long they'll be offered, but my experience with the previous TA's has been that they are listed for quite a long time. The TAs are a tougher sell, though.

Thanks JessicasMom! What does TA stand for? I wonder if they'll offer an OGT as we like the Deluxe oceanview rooms over an inside cabin.

Glad to hear that they offer additional shows/entertainment.

The big glitch is what airfare will cost and wondering if we hold off until May 21 for SWA fares if the IGT rate will still be available.

 

[dthogue]

We booked a Deluxe Oceanview (9B) on the Fantasy for Dec 2012 to Eastern Carib (7 nights), but for an additional $400 we can do the PC cruise (14 nights) instead if we book IGT. Help me decide which cruise to take.

We sailed to Mexican Riveria on the Wonder in Dec 2011 so the PC cruise would be a bit of a repeat as we'd be on the same ship going to a few of the same ports (Cabo & PV) BUT the price is fantastic and 14 nights sounds heavenly! We had a superb time on the MR cruise, but booked the Fantasy to try out a different ship with different shows/activities as our family LOVED the dinner shows each evening.

Are there additional activities/shows on a 14 night cruise?

On the Wonder, we loved our Deluxe Oceanview room (2550)on deck 2, so I'm not sure what to expect with an IGT inside cabin. Are IGT cabins located on a particular deck?

We like to fly on Southwest, but since Dec rates don't come out until May 21 do you think the IGT rate will still be available? We're from Nevada so airfare will be spendy.

I apologize for my rambling thoughts/questions, but I got quite excited when I discovered the PC cruise at such a reasonable rate. Now I'm not sure which cruise to take! Thanks for any help you can give.

We were in the same boat - had booked a Fantasy cruise for November, then found the great rates for the PC - for us we switched from a verandah on the Fantasy to an inside cabin on the PC for about $300.00 more. It wasn't a tough decision for us to switch, the PC has always been a dream of ours and the Fantasy isn't going any where, we will book another cruise for next year while we are onboard. The PC cruises aren't offerred very often, so went went ahead and made the switch to the PC. For us all the logistics worked out and believe it or not, our airfare from PA to CA is cheaper than PA to FL

Good luck with your decision!

 

[dthogue]

I see we're going to be in PV on Guadalupe Day; it looks like quite a more festive day than normal. But it's only a short day in port, so I don't know how much we'll be able to see/do. Anyone planning anything specific yet?

This is another thing I am waiting patiently (not) for - Disney to release the excursions for our trip. We want to do either a zip line or horseback riding, but we'll have to wait and see what is offered. I'm hoping the extend our time in port - 5 hours is way too short

 

[BethC1952]

We hadn't planned on cruising in December, but the canal has been a dream for us for decades. Right now we're bookd in an inside room but would move to oceanview or even veranda if the pice is right. We were lucky with our flight same flight as dthogue so there's still a bit of money left in this vacation budget.

We like the canal cruise over the seven night choices or the extra shipboard nights and for what should be an amazing eperience!

Beth

 

[skoi]

This is another thing I am waiting patiently (not) for - Disney to release the excursions for our trip. We want to do either a zip line or horseback riding, but we'll have to wait and see what is offered. I'm hoping the extend our time in port - 5 hours is way too short

Us too. I looked at the excursions for the regular MR cruises, but some of them are longer than the time the ship's in port.

14 nights is amazing. We've only done one (EBTA just oldest dd and I), but it was so much fun. There were a ton of activities, of all sorts, special menus, extra shows.

That said- my in-laws just came back from a 30-something night cruise on Princess San Diego to San Diego going to Hawaii, Bora Bora, etc. Obviously not on Disney, but still, I was so jealous.

 

[Moby]

... This seems very early for a GT to be offered...appears this trip is not selling as well as they would like. I'm waiting for an OGT or VGT to be offered....which may never happen

I called DCL to ask questions about booking the IGT room and the gal I spoke with was shocked to discover they were offering this rate so early for the PC cruise. She didn't even know there was a restricted rate until I asked about it. I asked if she thinks they'll offer an OGT or VGT and she said that normally restricted rates are posted at the same time so she doubts they'll offer it. Not sure if her info is accurate, but I thought I'd pass it on.

 

[Moby]

We want to do either a zip line or horseback riding, but we'll have to wait and see what is offered. I'm hoping the extend our time in port - 5 hours is way too short

I agree with the short port time. We were in PV in Dec when we sailed on the Wonder, and we were in port from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

We booked our own zipline excursion with Los Veranos instead of thru DCL. One thing to note if you book your own excursion is the time change in PV. The ship stayed on MST (ship time) while PV was on CST. I was thankful that I asked questions at Guest Services the night before we arrived in PV or we would've missed our excursion. Some folks on the boat did miss it because of confusion over the time change.

 

[Moby]

We were in the same boat - had booked a Fantasy cruise for November, then found the great rates for the PC - for us we switched from a verandah on the Fantasy to an inside cabin on the PC for about $300.00 more. It wasn't a tough decision for us to switch, the PC has always been a dream of ours and the Fantasy isn't going any where, we will book another cruise for next year while we are onboard. The PC cruises aren't offerred very often, so went went ahead and made the switch to the PC....

Thanks for sharing! Did you book IGT or another category?

You have a valid point in saying that PC cruises aren't offered very often while cruises on the Fantasy will be available year round. I had never even considered a PC cruise, but must admit that both dh and I are excited about the possibility.

I wonder if we'll be disappointed not having an oceanview cabin. The few times we cruised, many years ago, we had inside cabins, but now that we've experienced that big Oceanview window on the Wonder, it's hard to thinking of cruising without it. But on the plus side, the savings from the inside cabin will probably cover the cost of our airline tickets.

 

[JessicasMom]

Thanks JessicasMom! What does TA stand for? I wonder if they'll offer an OGT as we like the Deluxe oceanview rooms over an inside cabin.

Glad to hear that they offer additional shows/entertainment.

The big glitch is what airfare will cost and wondering if we hold off until May 21 for SWA fares if the IGT rate will still be available.

TA stands for Trans-Atlantic....a wonderful cruise!

For anyone who might be wondering (I haven't read the whole thread yet, so I apologize if someone has already mentioned it), but DH had noticed that the Disney website showed two days in the canal (both EB and WB), which didn't make sense. I emailed DCL and rec'd the following response:

4/15/12

Dear Pat,

Thank you for your interest in a Disney Cruise Line vacation!

I would be happy to assist you.

The Panama Canal crossing is a 14-Night cruise from Los Angeles,
California, to Miami, Florida, on Monday (12/9/12) and sails from Los
Angeles, California to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Panama Canal,
Cartagena, Costa Maya, with 6 days at sea to enjoy the fun and
activities onboard.

The Disney Wonder will go through the Panama Canal in one day. The
information on our website will be corrected in the near future.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further
assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to sailing with you!

Have a Magical Day!

Kaye
Reservations Department
Disney Cruise Line

Just thought I'd share!

 

[socababy]

We just got off the Wonder this morning! Had great weather in PV and Cabo. Didn't get off in PV but the kids did Dolphin Kids through DCL in Cabo. They all had fun but dd, who is 4, was really nervous! I knew I was taking a chance with her but didn't want to exclude her. The workers tried their best to get her to participate in everything but all I saw was a bunch of head shaking! LOL She did end up getting next to the dolphin for a pic and then feeding the dolphin fish twice. My boys really liked it except for the fact that the water was cold. The smile on ds7 as he rode around holding onto the dolphin's fins was priceless. That memory will have to remain forever burned in my brain since they didn't allow us to use our own camera. It would have cost me almost $200 for a cd with all their pics as well as a video. I think the pic cd along was around $170. Pics on their own were $25 a piece. There weren't enough good pics to jusitify paying for the cd and there wasn't one pic with all 3 that was good. So then I was going to have to by 3 pics to get a good one of each of them. So in the end I passed.

I may end up doing the other dolphin swim with ds7 that adults can do too. Ds9 enjoyed it but probably wouldn't care if he did it again, same with dd. So maybe ds7 and I will do it again just he and I. That is if I decide I want to get in the cold water!!

 

[JessicasMom]

I called DCL to ask questions about booking the IGT room and the gal I spoke with was shocked to discover they were offering this rate so early for the PC cruise. She didn't even know there was a restricted rate until I asked about it. I asked if she thinks they'll offer an OGT or VGT and she said that normally restricted rates are posted at the same time so she doubts they'll offer it. Not sure if her info is accurate, but I thought I'd pass it on.

The fact that she didn't know about the IGT rate means she's not a very reliable source! The only thing I have to compare is last year's WBTA, when they introduced the restricted rates (didn't exist on our EBTA the year prior). The GT rates came and went for different categories several times before the cruise. It's still really early, so I'm comfortable waiting a bit.

I agree with the short port time. We were in PV in Dec when we sailed on the Wonder, and we were in port from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

We booked our own zipline excursion with Los Veranos instead of thru DCL. One thing to note if you book your own excursion is the time change in PV. The ship stayed on MST (ship time) while PV was on CST. I was thankful that I asked questions at Guest Services the night before we arrived in PV or we would've missed our excursion. Some folks on the boat did miss it because of confusion over the time change.

I'm very interested in the zipline excursion for DH and DD. Last year they went zipping in Roatan and they loved it!!! Were they double lines or single?

 

[dthogue]

Thanks for sharing! Did you book IGT or another category?

You have a valid point in saying that PC cruises aren't offered very often while cruises on the Fantasy will be available year round. I had never even considered a PC cruise, but must admit that both dh and I are excited about the possibility.

I wonder if we'll be disappointed not having an oceanview cabin. The few times we cruised, many years ago, we had inside cabins, but now that we've experienced that big Oceanview window on the Wonder, it's hard to thinking of cruising without it. But on the plus side, the savings from the inside cabin will probably cover the cost of our airline tickets.

We booked an 11b - the 11c wasn't available at the time we changed our reservation. I really wanted a verandah for this cruise, but I couldn't justify the cost - we have 2 older DD's in college and that money needs to go towards tuition, so we'll have to be happy with our inside cabin and keep our fingers crossed for an upgrade - if not we are on deck 6 aft and its only one flight of steps up to the secret deck on deck 7.

TA stands for Trans-Atlantic....a wonderful cruise!

For anyone who might be wondering (I haven't read the whole thread yet, so I apologize if someone has already mentioned it), but DH had noticed that the Disney website showed two days in the canal (both EB and WB), which didn't make sense. I emailed DCL and rec'd the following response:

4/15/12

Dear Pat,

Thank you for your interest in a Disney Cruise Line vacation!

I would be happy to assist you.

The Panama Canal crossing is a 14-Night cruise from Los Angeles,
California, to Miami, Florida, on Monday (12/9/12) and sails from Los
Angeles, California to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Panama Canal,
Cartagena, Costa Maya, with 6 days at sea to enjoy the fun and
activities onboard.

The Disney Wonder will go through the Panama Canal in one day. The
information on our website will be corrected in the near future.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further
assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to sailing with you!

Have a Magical Day!

Kaye
Reservations Department
Disney Cruise Line

Just thought I'd share!

I read somewhere that a ship has to wait 24 hours before going through the Panama Canal, although for the life of me I can't remember where I read that - that's why I thought DCL was showing 2 days - will be interesting to see how that plays out.

We just got off the Wonder this morning! Had great weather in PV and Cabo. Didn't get off in PV but the kids did Dolphin Kids through DCL in Cabo. They all had fun but dd, who is 4, was really nervous! I knew I was taking a chance with her but didn't want to exclude her. The workers tried their best to get her to participate in everything but all I saw was a bunch of head shaking! LOL She did end up getting next to the dolphin for a pic and then feeding the dolphin fish twice. My boys really liked it except for the fact that the water was cold. The smile on ds7 as he rode around holding onto the dolphin's fins was priceless. That memory will have to remain forever burned in my brain since they didn't allow us to use our own camera. It would have cost me almost $200 for a cd with all their pics as well as a video. I think the pic cd along was around $170. Pics on their own were $25 a piece. There weren't enough good pics to jusitify paying for the cd and there wasn't one pic with all 3 that was good. So then I was going to have to by 3 pics to get a good one of each of them. So in the end I passed.

I may end up doing the other dolphin swim with ds7 that adults can do too. Ds9 enjoyed it but probably wouldn't care if he did it again, same with dd. So maybe ds7 and I will do it again just he and I. That is if I decide I want to get in the cold water!!

Welcome back, the dolphin swim sounds like fun - hope you had a good trip - would love to hear all about your cruise - will you be doing a trip report? I am surviving the wait for our cruise by reading the MR trip reports.

 

[socababy]

Welcome back, the dolphin swim sounds like fun - hope you had a good trip - would love to hear all about your cruise - will you be doing a trip report? I am surviving the wait for our cruise by reading the MR trip reports.

Yes I will be doing a trip report and hope to start tonight. I'll be leaving on the Hawaii trip in 2 weeks and would like to get this last trip report written before I leave!

 

[JessicasMom]

OK, now that I've finally read the whole thread....

I was just curious what everyone's dining plans are - early or late seating? We have late, it worked well for us on the last cruises, but I'm a little concerned about the time change, but I guess we'll adjust.

We were talking about whether we wanted to ask for a table by ourselves or take a chance on sitting with others. 14 nights of having bad tablemates would be terrible, but 14 nights with a fun group would be awesome - decisions, decisions! Any thoughts??

We've always had early seating, but we're considering a change to late seating this time, mainly so we don't feel rushed on Canal day. My DM also has some GI issues which made it difficult for her to enjoy the shows following dinner last cruise; I'm thinking she may be more comfortable if she sees the show first. Late seating will also give us the opportunity to enjoy a mid-day meal (chicken strips, yum!), which we avoid most of the time on a cruise, since dinner is soooo early. Given all that, I'm still not sure I want to finish dinner so late. Hmmmmmm. So many decisions.

As for seating, on our first TA, we requested a table alone (just DH and me). We loved it! (I shared your concern about 14 days with people we may not have liked). On the second, with five of us sailing, I also requested a private table; however, we were seated with another family of 5 from Holland, who were just fabulous. Would we have been more comfortable alone?....yes, possibly, but the experience turned out to be both educational and very enjoyable. I don't plan any special requests this time; we'll take what we are given .

I just wanted to let everyone know that the quantities listed next to your names in Post 79 are only being used as a guide...specifically to help us gage if we are going to clear 50 certificates (which is the first level at which the price will decrease).

As we get closer I will confirm all quantities before placing the order.

This sounds great! Mark us down for two.

Has anyone else noticied though that our times in port seem to be very short compared to the MR cruises - I hope that changes and we have more time in port, the one excursion I looked into is longer than our port time

Is anyone intertested in doing a FE exchange? It hasn't been mentioned, so I thought I would throw it out there to see if there is any interest.

I'm assuming the shorter port stops are due to overall safety concerns and not as many passengers getting off the ship there, but I could be totally off base. Any theories?

And YES, the FE exchange is one of the highlights of a DCL cruise for us! Definitely want to do one.

We just got off the Wonder this morning! Had great weather in PV and Cabo. Didn't get off in PV but the kids did Dolphin Kids through DCL in Cabo. They all had fun but dd, who is 4, was really nervous! I knew I was taking a chance with her but didn't want to exclude her. The workers tried their best to get her to participate in everything but all I saw was a bunch of head shaking! LOL She did end up getting next to the dolphin for a pic and then feeding the dolphin fish twice. My boys really liked it except for the fact that the water was cold. The smile on ds7 as he rode around holding onto the dolphin's fins was priceless. That memory will have to remain forever burned in my brain since they didn't allow us to use our own camera. It would have cost me almost $200 for a cd with all their pics as well as a video. I think the pic cd along was around $170. Pics on their own were $25 a piece. There weren't enough good pics to jusitify paying for the cd and there wasn't one pic with all 3 that was good. So then I was going to have to by 3 pics to get a good one of each of them. So in the end I passed.

I may end up doing the other dolphin swim with ds7 that adults can do too. Ds9 enjoyed it but probably wouldn't care if he did it again, same with dd. So maybe ds7 and I will do it again just he and I. That is if I decide I want to get in the cold water!!

Sounds fun! How far in advance did you tell the kids about the trip? (I read that you were surprising them). Just curious...why didn't you get off in PV? Been there, done that?

 

[socababy]

OK, now that I've finally read the whole thread....


Sounds fun! How far in advance did you tell the kids about the trip? (I read that you were surprising them). Just curious...why didn't you get off in PV? Been there, done that?

To be honest, I just haven't felt comfortable getting off there with just me and the kids. I've always been somewhat of a worry wart but ever since my Dh passed away, I am probably worse. Christiaan the CD passed us that morning and asked what we would be doing that day and we said we will be enjoying the ship. He said it will be like having your own private yacht and he was right! The pool was empty for quite some time and the kids had a blast going down the mickey slide without having any lines!

I did not tell the kids anything until the morning of! They were stoked!

ETA: Here's the link to the start of my trip report!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2910883

 

[JessicasMom]

To be honest, I just haven't felt comfortable getting off there with just me and the kids. I've always been somewhat of a worry wart but ever since my Dh passed away, I am probably worse. Christiaan the CD passed us that morning and asked what we would be doing that day and we said we will be enjoying the ship. He said it will be like having your own private yacht and he was right! The pool was empty for quite some time and the kids had a blast going down the mickey slide without having any lines!

I did not tell the kids anything until the morning of! They were stoked!

ETA: Here's the link to the start of my trip report!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2910883

Totally understandable! What a great surprise for them...and their "own private yacht"? Can't wait to read the trip report.

 

[bugsgrandma]

To be honest, I just haven't felt comfortable getting off there with just me and the kids. I've always been somewhat of a worry wart but ever since my Dh passed away, I am probably worse. Christiaan the CD passed us that morning and asked what we would be doing that day and we said we will be enjoying the ship. He said it will be like having your own private yacht and he was right! The pool was empty for quite some time and the kids had a blast going down the mickey slide without having any lines!

I did not tell the kids anything until the morning of! They were stoked!



Sounds like you had a great trip. I know that the kids were really excited and for something such great fun. It is really a highlight of having kids and seeing them having fun and enjoying the good things life has to offer. Can't wait to read the trip report.

 

[Moby]

TA stands for Trans-Atlantic....a wonderful cruise!

Thanks!

The Disney Wonder will go through the Panama Canal in one day. The information on our website will be corrected in the near future.

When I called DCL yesterday, I was told that Panama Canal is on Day 9 and Day 8 is a sea day.

 

[Moby]

The fact that she didn't know about the IGT rate means she's not a very reliable source! The only thing I have to compare is last year's WBTA, when they introduced the restricted rates (didn't exist on our EBTA the year prior). The GT rates came and went for different categories several times before the cruise. It's still really early, so I'm comfortable waiting a bit.?

That's good to know! I'm going to keep checking. I'm waiting to hear back from my TA, but I think I might book a GTY (11C) instead of the IGT because then I can still make changes to the reservation over the summer if a better cabin choice comes along.

I'm very interested in the zipline excursion for DH and DD. Last year they went zipping in Roatan and they loved it!!! Were they double lines or single.

Only the last line was a double.