July 22, 2015 * 12-night Northern European Cruise!

[Celestine]

Hi all! I thought the coach was full and there was a waiting list. I PMd with Paul about it a couple of months ago. Celestine, are you doing a second one? If so, can you please add TiggerPU88, DisneyConvert and DS Elian (13)? Thanks!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using DISBoards

You were on the 'unconfirmed' list. I've moved you to the 'don't forget to pick me up' list. We are now onto a second Baltic Buccaneer bus!

Celestine

 

[Celestine]

I'm starting to try to figure out a hotel for the night before the cruise in London! We've stayed in London twice before - once at a Best Western a couple of blocks from Hyde Park in Kensington (which I can no longer find on Best Western's site), and last time for 5 nights at the Rubens at the Palace, right across the street from the Royal Mews. I really liked the location of the Rubens, but am hoping for something more reasonably priced this time!

I like the price for the Premier Inn, but am unfamiliar with the chain. If we're on the coach, is there any locations that would be best for pickup? I think we're looking at doing a few nights in Paris (DLP) before-hand, so I don't know we'll have much time for sight-seeing in London if we get in the day before the cruise.

Thanks!

Based on the last Baltic cruise, the most popular location was the Park plaza Westminster/Park Plaza County Hall/Premier Inn County Hall location. I believe DCL used the Park Plaza as one of their package hotels. I have spent many nights in Premier Inns. They are clean but are 'no frills', i.e. no mini bar, fridge etc, but tea & coffee facilities are available in room. They also offer a good night guarantee, so you get your money back if you don't sleep well (not tested that though)

Celestine

 

[AmericanExPat]

Based on the last Baltic cruise, the most popular location was the Park plaza Westminster/Park Plaza County Hall/Premier Inn County Hall location. I believe DCL used the Park Plaza as one of their package hotels. I have spent many nights in Premier Inns. They are clean but are 'no frills', i.e. no mini bar, fridge etc, but tea & coffee facilities are available in room. They also offer a good night guarantee, so you get your money back if you don't sleep well (not tested that though) Celestine

I have! We stayed 2 nights in one (Warwick) and the bed had some pointy springs. We asked for a duvet to lay on, they forgot to bring it, so we asked for the guarantee. Got one night out of two refunded.

 

[TiggerPU88]

Thanks so much, Celestine! How great that we are now into our second bus!

 

[DisneyConvert]

Hi all. We are beginning our more detailed budget for our travel-vacation-cruise and would like some of your thoughts re. onboard DCL expenses.
.
We don't drink alcohol, although buying a smoothie or a special coffee is an occasional treat. Not planning on many DCL excursions as we found going on our own with Rick Steve's and TripAdvisor is usually a better approach as well.

We are planning on getting the CD (PhotoPass) from "Shutters" and we buy various shirts and souvenirs. One or two trips to Paolo and we tip at or above the suggested levels. Maybe one spa trip for my wife and one of the internet packages.

We're guessing $1,500-$1,750 . . . What are we forgetting? Thanks!

 

[owensjro]

So, being the obsessive trip planners we are I am trying to figure out what dinners we may have on this cruise. It's hard to say given they haven't done one in awhile but I am guessing we can at least expect:

Standard 3 dining room:
Animator's Palate
Carioca's
Lumiere's

Captain's Gala
Villains
Prince and Princess
Till We Meet Again
Pirate's in the not-so-Caribbean

Any guesses on the other 4? Also any guesses on the rotations?

We're definitely doing at least one Palo dinner for our anniversary which happens to fall on a Sea day on the cruise (July 26). I'm hoping that night ends up being one of the menus I don't care much for!

Jim

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

So, being the obsessive trip planners we are I am trying to figure out what dinners we may have on this cruise. It's hard to say given they haven't done one in awhile but I am guessing we can at least expect:

Standard 3 dining room:
Animator's Palate
Carioca's
Lumiere's

Captain's Gala
Villains
Prince and Princess
Till We Meet Again
Pirate's in the not-so-Caribbean

Any guesses on the other 4? Also any guesses on the rotations?

We're definitely doing at least one Palo dinner for our anniversary which happens to fall on a Sea day on the cruise (July 26). I'm hoping that night ends up being one of the menus I don't care much for!

Jim

Well I am on a 12 night in two weeks and we have some surprises coming up.

They have changed our rotations around I think due to where they can fire our fireworks off, in the Baltic I am not sure we will have a firework night.

I will post what actually occurs during my cruise but it looks like this.


Med meals.


What we know.

Rotation #3 is as follows: CLACLACLAACL. Animator’s Palate; has two dinner shows that displays during dinner, these will happen on your first two nights at Animator’s Palate on this rotation. Pirate Night is on Monday August 4th. (Sea day post Mykonos) Formal Night is on Wednesday July 30th (1st sea day post Rome) and Semi-Formal Night is on Tuesday August 5th. (Malta) We will provide you the other two dinner rotations here.



Rotation #1: LACLACLACCLA

Rotation #2: ACLACLACLLAC

Rest is a mixture if what we know and based on former trip reports for 12 nights in the Med
Barcelona.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu: "Let the Magic Begin"

Villefranche:

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu: Rotational Dinner (Lumiere's) (Animator's)(Carioca's.)
Villians Tonight!

La Spetzia.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:rotational Show Dinner (Animator's)(Lumiere's)(Carioca's.)

Civitavecchia

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu: rotational Island Dinner (Carioca's.)(Animator's)(Lumiere's)

Sea day 1

Suggested dinner attire: Formal Night
Menu: Prince/princess Menu
Show: Twice Charmed

Sea day 2

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu: Bella Italia

Athens

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu: Greek Menu
Show: The Dream Goes On


Kusadasi:

Menu: Mediterranean
Show: Mysteries of Anatolia
Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Mykonos

Menu:
Show: Scott Pepper (magician)


Sea day 3

Suggested dinner attire: Pirate
Menu: Pirate Menu.
Show: Once Upon a Song

Malta

Suggested dinner attire: Semi-Formal
Menu: Captain's Gala
Show: Alfred and Seymour!!!


Sea day 4

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:Till we Meet Again
Show: Dreams

 

[Celestine]

So, being the obsessive trip planners we are I am trying to figure out what dinners we may have on this cruise. It's hard to say given they haven't done one in awhile but I am guessing we can at least expect:

Standard 3 dining room:
Animator's Palate
Carioca's
Lumiere's

Captain's Gala
Villains
Prince and Princess
Till We Meet Again
Pirate's in the not-so-Caribbean

Any guesses on the other 4? Also any guesses on the rotations?

We're definitely doing at least one Palo dinner for our anniversary which happens to fall on a Sea day on the cruise (July 26). I'm hoping that night ends up being one of the menus I don't care much for!

Jim

So, I went and dug out the menus that some how fell in my bag on the Baltic cruise last time. Other menus were:
Flavours of Scandinavia
Dinner of the Czars

Possibly around the world or master chef as well as the 'expected' menus.

Flavours of scandinavia included: Jarlsberg cheese & carrot soufflé, Vastkust shrimp salad, juniper-spiced elk tenderloin and lingonberry and vanilla cream.

Dinner of the czars included: potato-cheese russian ravioli, borscht, chicken kiev and crepes roman off

Anyone hungry yet

 

[bceagle76]

I have! We stayed 2 nights in one (Warwick) and the bed had some pointy springs. We asked for a duvet to lay on, they forgot to bring it, so we asked for the guarantee. Got one night out of two refunded.

you have me on the list correct 2 people

 

[bceagle76]

You're added

you have me on the list correct
2
people

 

[traceyjayne]

I'm reposting my original introduction here so we can use the first post as a gathering place for important information about our cruise!

This is our 2nd Disney Northern European cruise! We did the Northern Baltics Capitals cruise in July, 2010. It was amazing, so we've been eager to book a similar cruise as soon as one became available. The main differences between our 2010 cruise and this new cruise are: we won't be going to Warnemunde (Berlin), we won't be going to Oslo, Norway, and we will get to spend two days in Copenhagen.

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

We have just booked this cruise whilst on board the magic out from Venice and around Greek Isles just back yesterday and now planning next cruise!
We are from uk and have a son who will be 14 by the next cruise.This will be our 4th DCL cruise but we did try a couple of others! Disney is best
Tracey, Eric and Luke

 

[traceyjayne]

Does the Premier Inn at Dover do a car park deal or is there cheap parking we are less than 3 hours away at a guess so could drive on day but last trip there was an awful holdup near Stansted so we were very glad to be doing an overnight at GATWICK for flight to the Venice cruise, just back yesterday and now booked again!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Does the Premier Inn at Dover do a car park deal or is there cheap parking we are less than 3 hours away at a guess so could drive on day but last trip there was an awful holdup near Stansted so we were very glad to be doing an overnight at GATWICK for flight to the Venice cruise, just back yesterday and now booked again!

Dover port cruise terminal has cruise parking that is very very cheap book direct.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

We have just booked this cruise whilst on board the magic out from Venice and around Greek Isles just back yesterday and now planning next cruise!
We are from uk and have a son who will be 14 by the next cruise.This will be our 4th DCL cruise but we did try a couple of others! Disney is best
Tracey, Eric and Luke

Welcome

 

[Celestine]

you have me on the list correct
2
people

You are now

Celestine

 

[bceagle76]

I know we are a little over a year away
I will be at least one maybe two cruises before that

But when will and how will you send out how and where to meet the bus

my email is xaverianfan@yahoo.com

 

[traceyjayne]

I went in 2010 and some musts. St Petersburg. Really look into booking one or two days with a local tour operator such as Anastasia travel, you will see so so much more and have your own guide and it can work out cheaper for a family than DCL, if you do this they will organize a cruise visa and you can get offs showing your tickets from them as your border control forms. At St Petes you cant just walk off its either a DCL tour or a private approved tour not DIY. Copenhagen ,Stockholm, and Tallin the city is close to the port. These are easy to go DIY and not get lost. You can get car parking at Dover it is cheap, the rail station is a taxi away at Dover Priory. I am on the Magic in three weeks in the Med if you have questions just ask.

My hubby is suggesting that we must use Disney for the port trips out of St Petersburg as they sort the Visa issue ? Any thoughts anyone as I really prefer private as usually much better and cheaper to share with a smaller group

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[owensjro]

My hubby is suggesting that we must use Disney for the port trips out of St Petersburg as they sort the Visa issue ? Any thoughts anyone as I really prefer private as usually much better and cheaper to share with a smaller group

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This is from Anastasia Travel which is the tour group we are using. Other major tour companies say the same thing:

Visa-free shore tours is our major since 2003. Anastasia Travel had enough time to work out the tours, that guarantee the best solution of the St. Petersburg highlights, timing, transportation logistic and price for our guests’ shore excursions.
Our guests are guaranteed to get the following:
Easy and smooth visa-free disembarking in St.Petersburg
Assistance while passing the passport control

IMPORTANT! NO VISA REQUIRED to join our Shore Excursions!
AnastasiaTravel is an officially registered tour operator in Russia, fully bonded and insured by International Standards. Under the law, every cruise visitor is allowed to enter the country for a period less than 72 hrs provided he/she is taking a tour with a licenced tour operator, which is included in the Federal Registry of Tour Operators of Russia, and is assigned a valid MBT Number (AnastasiaTravel Group MBT# 007766)
If your cruise line is trying to persuade you that you MUST have a visa, please contact us for details or visit or FAQ section. This is a fraud and there's NO VISA REQUIRED for cruise tours.

Hope this helps ease fears!
Jim

 

[traceyjayne]

Hi Tracey.

I got your PM with a request to add you to the facebook group. Would you please PM me with your email address. I can't respond directly to your PM because you've set your options not to receive private messages.

Thanks!

OK Do you have it now as I don't think this allows emails on the page?
Tracey

 

[SleepyV]

Does the Premier Inn at Dover do a car park deal or is there cheap parking we are less than 3 hours away at a guess so could drive on day but last trip there was an awful holdup near Stansted so we were very glad to be doing an overnight at GATWICK for flight to the Venice cruise, just back yesterday and now booked again!

Welcome

The Premier Inn didn't do a car park deal. Their car par is only small. As DISNEY FANTASY said parking is reasonable at the port .

SleepyV