From WDW to DL With Love - January 06, 2011 part 5

[firstcruise]

did someone post a site where people are posting their pictures of the PC cruise? If so, can someone post a link?

Thanks!

 

[goofprincess]

We did not have our dining rotation on our card either. When I went down to guest services for a printout of it ,I was there over 20 minutes and they could not get it to print. After asking about 3 others how to do it they printed one out for me but when I looked at it the information was all wrong. I just took it and left. This is one example of poor communication. In spite of everything I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat. The Disboard people helped make the cruise great.

 

[LindaBabe]

did someone post a site where people are posting their pictures of the PC cruise? If so, can someone post a link?

Thanks!

Valbob has hers on flickr or some such thing.

Many of us have joined the smugmug group for a photo share. Check the first page for instructions.

 

[TxMermaid1]

Jill - so sorry to hear about your step-mother. Hope your dad is doing ok and your travels are safe.

Val

Thanks Val.. We did make it safe. Dad is having a hard time dealing with it but I'm sure he will be better with time...

DH is putting the pins in the mail tomorrow.

 

[tlungstrum]

Well, isn't it obvious? Mickey did just what Robin suggested...he came to visit everyone personally and shoved it in your mailboxes!

hahaha don't tell my DS or he'll never let the mailbox out of his sight!

We took 11,000 photos!!!! I am not sure of the video count, LOL We are half way done tagging (the photos) them. Look out Smugmug, we may just crash you site! Just kidding.... we we are going through and only putting up the best. But it will take a few more days! I miss our trip. My Son videoed the Show off the TV in the room of Christiaan & Clayton in Bath robes! When he went to play it and the song (Well, I had the time of my life) started, I got all teary eyed..... Must be hormones We had a great time with you all. Thanks for being such a great group.

11,000 wow! I would've never thought to video the show from the tv in the room.

 

[WDW Princess 71]

We took 11,000 photos!!!! I am not sure of the video count, LOL We are half way done tagging (the photos) them. Look out Smugmug, we may just crash you site! Just kidding.... we we are going through and only putting up the best. But it will take a few more days! I miss our trip. My Son videoed the Show off the TV in the room of Christiaan & Clayton in Bath robes! When he went to play it and the song (Well, I had the time of my life) started, I got all teary eyed..... Must be hormones We had a great time with you all. Thanks for being such a great group.

I was hoping someone had video of that! Can you post it on youtube or the smug mug site? I would love to show my friends and family and of course relive it again for myself, it was hysterical!

 

[aan1701]

Has anyone else noticed the other threads about the decline of service on DCL? I was hoping it was just a isolated thing with our cruise. Well maybe it is good, hopefully DCL will stand up and listen and make the changes that need to be made.

 

[glindamood]

Has anyone else noticed the other threads about the decline of service on DCL? I was hoping it was just a isolated thing with our cruise. Well maybe it is good, hopefully DCL will stand up and listen and make the changes that need to be made.

I really think it is due to the huge numbers of new employees all the way around. As far as the Dream goes - there will always be kinks with new ships but I am positive that everything will work out, it will just take time.

 

[granmaz]

It will be happening again of course when they crew the Fantasy and take more good people from the other 3 ships. No way round it I guess. In a few years everything should be fine I hope.

 

[LindaBabe]

I sent a letter to DCL - our cruise was mostly wonderful, but there were some small things that really annoyed me.

 

[granmaz]

Well done Linda. I think we should have done something actually. Our friend who was sharing table had a word with the Captain and the Tom guy from DCL at the CC reception, but felt they sort of weren't interested, so she made an appointment with someone. He turned out to be head of Something or other, ? guest Services. Anyway he listened intently, took notes and offered encouraging noises. After that we all felt some of the things improved somewhat. He said they were training all these new CM's so she jumped on that and said something about it being a training cruise!!!!! Our friend is not a moaner by any means and wanted to do the right thing by going and talking about it. With our friend addressing the same issues that we had we didn't feel it necessary to say anything. However, I think we should have.

 

[aan1701]

I sent a letter to DCL - our cruise was mostly wonderful, but there were some small things that really annoyed me.

Good for you. Mind sharing what the issues were? If not totally understandable.

 

[sak0526]

I sent a letter to DCL - our cruise was mostly wonderful, but there were some small things that really annoyed me.

Good for you. Mind sharing what the issues were? If not totally understandable.

I took a piece of notebook paper and wrote a whole page of comments to them. Some were definitely compliments but some not. So while i'm not the one you are asking, i would say i thought pin situation seemed crazy, loved our server, room was so cricety noisy, thought the DISNEY shows were fabulous, dont invite the Gauchos whomever back, nor the circus people - we were on a taxi with them and it was a van full of cruisers, they picked us up at ship and they *****ed and complained and gave away secrets while talking to each other LOUDLEY, but i thought they'd be fine as PART of a variety show. i said dont bake the lobster tail any more (on the canal day were they baked or broiled - we were at Palos and they "couldnt" get us any - i said something about that too.) Anyway, more in both good and bad, but i wondered if my comments were like others. As i said, i filed out the whole form and added a whole notebook page of other stuff...

 

[Tracyvp]

Obviously I'll copy the President of the company, but does anyone have the specific name of an individual to whom I should address my letter?

 

[3mmm]

The boys are finishing up their power point on the canal crossing and wanted to include the cost. I know Captain Puckett mentioned it at the post canal follow-up, but we missed it. We heard it was in the $450,000 range - a mind-boggling amount I might add!

Does anyone know more specifically?

Thanks

 

[sak0526]

The boys are finishing up their power point on the canal crossing and wanted to include the cost. I know Captain Puckett mentioned it at the post canal follow-up, but we missed it. We heard it was in the $450,000 range - a mind-boggling amount I might add!

Does anyone know more specifically?

Thanks

I ran into cap'n henry one day and in chatting i asked if it was public info. He told me over $400,000. He said it's based on tonnage.

I thought about it and that's like $200 a person on this trip, not too bad for all that was involved.

hope this helps

 

[PBader]

The record is held by own of the NCL I think they said it was 415K. The Wonder's was less than the Magic paid in 2008, but it has slipped my mind. One of those things I should have written down

 

[LindaBabe]

I just sent my letter to customer service - not to any person - and copied my travel agent, because I know she has connections.

My comments were first the positive, then the negative, then the lessons learned.

Positive
Captain, serving staff, beauty & upkeep of the ship, praise for the food I DID eat

Negatives
navigator, program scheduling, lack of food choices on the dinner menus that I WOULD eat, excursions, Pin fiasco, apparent "cheeseparing" attitude - I said I don't mind economizing to GO on a cruise but I resent it when I pay full price and DISNEY economizes -

Lessons learned - lower my expectations, take plenty to entertain myself, don't sign up for any more Disney sponsored excursions.

Frankly, I would much rather have received a small boxed set of pins than either one of their heavy, (and one large) commemorative gifts.

I loved the circus show - my gang thought they were very talented and entertaining.

 

[valbob89]

The boys are finishing up their power point on the canal crossing and wanted to include the cost. I know Captain Puckett mentioned it at the post canal follow-up, but we missed it. We heard it was in the $450,000 range - a mind-boggling amount I might add!

Does anyone know more specifically?

Thanks

Have them check the wikipedia.org entry for PANAMA CANAL. I found this, but you should probably require them to find it independently (says I as a former teacher).

Tolls

RORO carriers, such as this one at Miraflores locks, are among the largest ships to use the canalTolls for the canal are decided by the Panama Canal Authority and are based on vessel type, size, and the type of cargo carried.[28]

For container ships, the toll is assessed per the ship's capacity expressed in twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs. One TEU is the size of a container measuring 20 feet (6.1 m) by 8 feet (2.44 m) by 8.5 feet (2.6 m). Effective May 1, 2009, this toll is US$72.00 per TEU. A Panamax container ship may carry up to 4,400 TEU. The toll is calculated differently for passenger ships and for container ships carrying no cargo (“in ballast”). As of May 1, 2009 the ballast rate is US$57.60 per TEU.

Passenger vessels in excess of 30,000 tons (PC/UMS), known popularly as cruise ships, pay a rate based on the number of berths, that is, the number of passengers that can be accommodated in permanent beds. The per-berth charge is currently $92 for unoccupied berths and $115 for occupied berths. Started in 2007, this charge has greatly increased tolls for such vessels.[29] Passenger vessels of less than 30,000 tons or with less than 33 tons per passenger are charged on the same "per-ton" schedule as freighters.[30]

Most other types of vessel pay a toll per PC/UMS net ton, in which one "ton" is actually a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). (The calculation of tonnage for commercial vessels is quite complex.) As of fiscal year 2008, this toll is US$3.90 per ton for the first 10,000 tons, US$3.19 per ton for the next 10,000 tons, and US$3.82 per ton for the next 10,000 tons, and US$3.76 per ton thereafter. As with container ships, a reduced toll is charged for freight ships "in ballast".

Small vessels up to 583 PC/UMS net tons when carrying passengers or cargo, or up to 735 PC/UMS net tons when in ballast, or up to 1,048 fully loaded displacement tons, are assessed minimum tolls based upon their length overall, according to the following table[citation needed]:

Length of vessel Toll
Up to 15.240 meters (50 ft) US$1,300
More than 15.240 meters (50 ft) up to 24.384 meters (80 ft) US$1,400
More than 24.384 meters (80 ft) up to 30.480 meters (100 ft) US$1,500
More than 30.480 meters (100 ft) US$2,400

The most expensive regular toll for canal passage to date was charged on May 16, 2008 to the Disney Magic, which paid US$331,200.[31][32] The least expensive toll was 36 cents to American adventurer Richard Halliburton, who swam the canal in 1928.[33] The average toll is around US$54,000. The highest fee for priority passage charged through the Transit Slot Auction System was US$220,300, paid on August 24, 2006 by the Panamax tanker Erikoussa,[34] bypassing a 90-ship queue waiting for the end of maintenance works on the Gatun locks, thus avoiding a seven-day delay. The normal fee would have been just US$13,430.[35]

The colored passages I marked for your convenience.

Under PANAMAX, I found that the largest ship allowed to enter the canal is
965 feet for a passenger or container ship. If you look on the DCL pages you can find the Wonder's passenger capacity, and we may have received something listing passengers on board. From that they can probably determine a minimum fee. Whether the Wonder paid a "slot" premium to guarantee passage I don't recall, but my wife, Valerie, says they did. That's the wild card unless DCL will tell callers how much it was. Or maybe e-mail one of the ship's officers and ask for info for a school project.

I found it a fascinating subject.

Bob

 

[RRBB]

The boys are finishing up their power point on the canal crossing and wanted to include the cost. I know Captain Puckett mentioned it at the post canal follow-up, but we missed it. We heard it was in the $450,000 range - a mind-boggling amount I might add!

Does anyone know more specifically?

Thanks

From Captain Puckett's presentation the day before PC crossing:
Highest Toll Paid: M/V Disney Magic - May 2005 - $400,000
Lowest Toll Paid: Richard Halliburton - 1928 - 36 cents to swim through the canal

Something else Captain Puckett said at one of the presentations we attended is that cruise ships pay a rate based on the number of berths, both occupied and unoccupied - $92 for unoccupied berths and $115 for occupied berths - along with other fees to determine the exact toll. He didn't know exactly how much it cost the Wonder to cross though.