From WDW to DL With Love - January 06, 2011 part 2

[danfromca]

Good Morning everyone! I have a question for you experienced LA port cruisers. Will I be able to make a flight the day we arrive at 1:30?? I found flights on American for LAX to Grand Rapids for 120.00 and would like to snag them up before they are gone. Thoughts??

Gail,

We have cruised on RCCL out of LA three times and though not nearly as smooth as Port Canaveral, it's not too bad. I believe that you could make a 1:30 flight out of LAX. We are not sure what the best way for you to get there would be. We have always had our own vehicle parked in the parking lot so haven't needed to look for transportation options.

Good question.

There are three issues to consider:
1. When is disembarkation. This is, after all, the arrival of the Wonder - first Disney disembarkation at the port in a couple of years. There is the possibility of delays.
2. Traffic. Late Friday morning. Not technically "Rush Hour", but then again - this is L.A., where rush hour is almost 24x7.
3. Airport crowds. Friday is a busy day - but late morning should not be as bad as later that day.

Personally, I'd probably chance it, but make sure to have trip insurance just in case of a miss. Budget a taxi from the terminal or use DCL transfers so you aren't waiting on a shuttle would be my thought.

You might also see if anyone remembers the recommended flight times from last time Magic was on the West Coast - those would be conservative numbers.

Dan

 

[LindaBabe]

Good Morning, Everyone! Just keeping us bumped up on the list!

 

[glindamood]

Gail,

We have cruised on RCCL out of LA three times and though not nearly as smooth as Port Canaveral, it's not too bad. I believe that you could make a 1:30 flight out of LAX. We are not sure what the best way for you to get there would be. We have always had our own vehicle parked in the parking lot so haven't needed to look for transportation options.

Good question.

There are three issues to consider:
1. When is disembarkation. This is, after all, the arrival of the Wonder - first Disney disembarkation at the port in a couple of years. There is the possibility of delays.
2. Traffic. Late Friday morning. Not technically "Rush Hour", but then again - this is L.A., where rush hour is almost 24x7.
3. Airport crowds. Friday is a busy day - but late morning should not be as bad as later that day.

Personally, I'd probably chance it, but make sure to have trip insurance just in case of a miss. Budget a taxi from the terminal or use DCL transfers so you aren't waiting on a shuttle would be my thought.

You might also see if anyone remembers the recommended flight times from last time Magic was on the West Coast - those would be conservative numbers.

Dan

Randy and Dan - THANKS for your responses. Based on what you have said, I am a little concerned that it may be too early. I have tried calling DCL and asking and, while I had a very friendly rep - she was pretty clueless - I had to tell her what time the itinerary said we were going to dock, she didn't even know. So, guess I will try again, actually, stopped typing and just did, she told me after 12:30 which, to me, sounds like the pat answer for PC. Frontier has a flight that leaves at 3:11 which would give us extra time but Frontier - I know nothing about them. There is also one that leaves at the same time on Midwest but the frist flight is the same flight number. Guess I will go check them out.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Just wanted to relay some info that you may already know.

If you are a DVC member that participates in the Photopass and are going to WDW, you can call Member Services for a code that will give you $50 off your Photopass costs. You can call up to 45 days from the time you're scheduled to leave and a code will be emailed to you.

Also, using this info to bring us back to the top of the page.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

Hi Guys, back from Tenerife, brown and spot free for a few weeks! had a great time, went sailing and whale watching, they were actually itching on the keel, then I got to score something of mmy bucket list, I jumped into the atlantic from a vessel.....HAPPY DAYS!

Picture from balcony, bloomin macdonalds!!!!!!!!

No Tequila for me, unless someone wants to clean up after me.

Me neither!

Wow. I am in the minority here. I acctuly like McDonalds, and the coffee that we serve on our planes better than Starbucks.

Caffeine is caffeine...

It was our friend who bought wine glasses that held half a bottle of wine or more!!! I saw her with them a few times.

Trouble with that is, with white its warm by the time you get to bottom!

OH MY GOSH! We went away for 2 weeks to Europe in November, then when we got back, life was just too busy to check in here. I come back 4 months later and you're on the 2nd thread! Wow, life just moves too fast!

Anyway, I'm back, although I'll probably be a pretty inconsistent participant until the fall. DH gets kind of crabby when I start to invest more time in online friends than family (gee, I can't imagine why???)

I'm very excited that DS has finally decided on a college, AND that the college is OFF for Winter Break during the cruise so he will be able to join us! Woo Hoo! It will be really weird, though, traveling with one adult child and one teen. Don't know how that's going to work out but we'll figure it out!

Anyway, just wanted to check in and say "HI" and that we are still here! I'll go back and try to catch up a bit. If there's any news I need to know, can someone point me in the right direction? Last cruise there was a "sticky" post at the beginning of each thread that had lots of great info to help people who were joining late to get up to speed. Anything like that here, or just the website? (which is great, btw! I just went over there and checked it!!)

How was your trip?

I have a update, and it is a good one. So DW gives a call this morning, and first let me say that she is now conviced that the WDW CMs were trained on all this and the DLR people were not. The person on the other side, Mike, said we were not on the list. She gave the info, and Mike told her to go back to DL before my pass expires and go get our PP. According to Mike a lot of people were left of the master list that he was able to access. The problem is they close at 4:30 EDT so we need to get there early tomorrow, shoudn't be to hard as DW is off at 11 tomorrow so we should be there by noon. So the good news is tomorrow I should be the proud owner of a PP, the bad news is I am sure the CM will not know what to do (basied on what has happened so far) and will probably not want to call FL. Still here is hoping I get some true Disney service. The thing is, why were we not issued our passes last Friday, DW asked Mike this, and his answer is that they should have.

You could write a book on this Alan!

Well the battle continues. We could not get our PP because when they try to issue it, it says they owe us a little over 300 bucks. We are supposedly getting contacted by someone named Ronnie who will tell us how to finaly get the passes that are due to us. The AP center said that we would be getting them. I hope so, we really should not have to go through this.

...................

Let me know if they don't make it right and I'll do what I can the next time your in the big park

Work is almost calm. I now have to get through 3 dozen pages of thread

Thats a scary thing to say!!!!!

I don't drink coffee. So I sit out the coffee wars.

I have this marvelous unbreakable wine glass (not big enough for a bottle full though) that I will need to bring.

Caffeine is caffeine..............

 

[glindamood]

We were half way down page two!

Happy Monday everyone. I gotta make an airline decision and can't decide - just not a fun thing to have to figure out, I must say. Guess we could always spend a day and fly home Saturday morning.

 

[mandymouse]

Happy Monday guys, I hope you're all having a good day

Lynne, welcome home, I hope you had a great time in Tenerife, and it's good to hear that you've picked up a tan (lucky you)

Love the photo, I did have a giggle at the McDonalds sign Will you post some more piccies ?

 

[orlandothebeagle]

Happy Monday guys, I hope you're all having a good day

Lynne, welcome home, I hope you had a great time in Tenerife, and it's good to hear that you've picked up a tan (lucky you)

Love the photo, I did have a giggle at the McDonalds sign Will you post some more piccies ?

No cause I forgot my cameraThat was one I sent lenny from phone.
Mum took a few on the boat, hopefully I can download them when she gets back, it was good but sleeping on a sofa was not so good at my age!!!

 

[poohs4me]

Hi Everyone. One more day until we find out the new southwest release date!! Well I think its one more day.

 

[CruznLexi]

I am hoping to book Oct flights for our Oct cruise.

 

[ChipperMerlin]

Hi Everyone. One more day until we find out the new southwest release date!! Well I think its one more day.

Sure hope it's tomorrow. We need to book trips to DL and WDW. Am thinking about just going from DL to WDW and making it a San Jose/Anaheim or LA/Orlando/San Jose trip. Would save having to fly back to San Jose and then to Orlando the next day. Depends on if we can get an extra day at Kidani Village. I am NOT above doing laundry mid-trip. (We originally were to leave here for DL on the 3rd, fly home on the 6th, leave for WDW on the 7th and come home on the 16th.)

Alan, I know it's heresy, but we might even take the red-eye from LAX on United. It would give us an extra full day at WDW. We're meeting GoofPrincess there - celebrating their wedding anniversary and Goof's birthday.

Lynne, welcome back. Loved the McDonald's pic. The beach looks wonderful. I would love some warm weather about now.

Hope everyone else's day is starting off well.

 

[Shoshie]

So bummed.

Just called the CM reservation line to book our pre-cruise hotel (since right now the dates only go to December 2010) and was told: we have no idea when those will open, you'll just have to keep checking.

Gee, thanks for being so unhelpful.

ETA: Calling non CM line to see if they are nicer.

ETA2: Yup... Operator told me the dates would be up in August. See was that so hard?

 

[trekygirl26]

Hey Alan ~ How does SW determine who gets A, B, C etc boarding? Is it done by who buys the tickets first, or by who checks in first? Or is it something else alltogether? We always fly SW and i've been curious about that for sometime.

Can't wait for SW to open up bookings for the PC cruise. Besides onboard activities, that the last thing i have to do to get ready to go!!

 

[CruznLexi]

We are contemplating give up 1 night at Kidani to stay 3 nights at VWL. Plan as of now is Sunday Jan 2 fly on the 730pm flight to Orlando or get up at 430 for the 730am flight the next day and stay at VWL.

 

[disfaninca]

I am hoping to book Oct flights for our Oct cruise.

We are hoping to do the same thing!

 

[aan1701]

Hey Alan ~ How does SW determine who gets A, B, C etc boarding? Is it done by who buys the tickets first, or by who checks in first? Or is it something else alltogether? We always fly SW and i've been curious about that for sometime.

Can't wait for SW to open up bookings for the PC cruise. Besides onboard activities, that the last thing i have to do to get ready to go!!

I will try to make this as simple as I can. The first 15 A is reserved for the Bisness select fare. Then at 36 hours before flight time the computer system first checks for our A-list members who are onthat flight and have their Rapid Rewards number in their reservation, then the computer checks in the people who bought the early bird check in, then it goes ny order of you checking in 24 before the flight. I know tomorrow people are hoping for some great news from me, please be very pacient with me. I promise I will put it up at some point. We got some really bad news yesterday and now trying to figure out how to make sure we can take this cruise. Thanks U.S. Government for basicly taking away DW job in a few months. This means Lynne it really is looking like I won't be meeting you till this cruise. The TA is all but dead for us at this point as that sail date is just about when she anticipates losing her job in the student loan industry. Don't worry about us, we will be fine, just have to jiggle a few things, we will be on this cruise. By the time it is time to go, we will need it, and we promised our friends, and we never break a promise. Aging please don't worry about us, we already did the finacials and will be just fine.

 

[trekygirl26]

I will try to make this as simple as I can. The first 15 A is reserved for the Bisness select fare. Then at 36 hours before flight time the computer system first checks for our A-list members who are onthat flight and have their Rapid Rewards number in their reservation, then the computer checks in the people who bought the early bird check in, then it goes ny order of you checking in 24 before the flight. I know tomorrow people are hoping for some great news from me, please be very pacient with me. I promise I will put it up at some point. We got some really bad news yesterday and now trying to figure out how to make sure we can take this cruise. Thanks U.S. Government for basicly taking away DW job in a few months. This means Lynne it really is looking like I won't be meeting you till this cruise. The TA is all but dead for us at this point as that sail date is just about when she anticipates losing her job in the student loan industry. Don't worry about us, we will be fine, just have to jiggle a few things, we will be on this cruise. By the time it is time to go, we will need it, and we promised our friends, and we never break a promise. Aging please don't worry about us, we already did the finacials and will be just fine.

I am so sorry about your wife's job! I am glad you will still be able to go on this cruise, but it stinks about the TA. I know your wife was looking forward to that one. I hope it all works out for you guys!

Thanks for the info on the boarding letters. It makes perfect sense to me. It might be worth buying the early bird checkin in if it means we get a better seat...

 

[orlandothebeagle]

I will try to make this as simple as I can. The first 15 A is reserved for the Bisness select fare. Then at 36 hours before flight time the computer system first checks for our A-list members who are onthat flight and have their Rapid Rewards number in their reservation, then the computer checks in the people who bought the early bird check in, then it goes ny order of you checking in 24 before the flight. I know tomorrow people are hoping for some great news from me, please be very pacient with me. I promise I will put it up at some point. We got some really bad news yesterday and now trying to figure out how to make sure we can take this cruise. Thanks U.S. Government for basicly taking away DW job in a few months. This means Lynne it really is looking like I won't be meeting you till this cruise. The TA is all but dead for us at this point as that sail date is just about when she anticipates losing her job in the student loan industry. Don't worry about us, we will be fine, just have to jiggle a few things, we will be on this cruise. By the time it is time to go, we will need it, and we promised our friends, and we never break a promise. Aging please don't worry about us, we already did the finacials and will be just fine.

As long as you are both ok, we will meet soon enough!

 

[aan1701]

I am so sorry about your wife's job! I am glad you will still be able to go on this cruise, but it stinks about the TA. I know your wife was looking forward to that one. I hope it all works out for you guys!

Thanks for the info on the boarding letters. It makes perfect sense to me. It might be worth buying the early bird checkin in if it means we get a better seat...

No problem. Glad I can help. Honestly, DW job is not all gloom and doom. This bill has to pass the senate, and it looks like maybe they are going to rewrite the bill to take out the Student loan industry. So we will see what happens, but yes Lynne, I am all but sure, we will not be meeting on the TA. I have three weeks off for that cruise, so I think I might do a trip to the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY. followed by a trip to WDW. We will see.

 

[ACDSNY]

No problem. Glad I can help. Honestly, DW job is not all gloom and doom. This bill has to pass the senate, and it looks like maybe they are going to rewrite the bill to take out the Student loan industry. So we will see what happens, but yes Lynne, I am all but sure, we will not be meeting on the TA. I have three weeks off for that cruise, so I think I might do a trip to the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY. followed by a trip to WDW. We will see.

I hope all works out with your DW job and the Baseball Hall of Fame/WDW trip sounds like a fun consilation trip.

I was going to try sneaking in a quick DL trip next month to see the Electric Parade before my AP expires, but alas my car decided otherwise. Three of my power window motors went out, power door locks and door ajar switch...just love those high repair bills.