July 6, 2010 - 7/6/2010 ~ Pounds to Rubles ~ Mickey invades the Baltic Sea

[BTKTropea]

Tara, do u mean Monday before or Monday after the cruise? We are doing Leeds and Canterbury on Monday after.

I mean the Monday before the cruise starts!

 

[BTKTropea]

Interetsting note on one of the current cruiser's blogs... The train that DCL has chartered from Warnemunde to Berlin is not air conditioned and gets quite warm and stuffy...

We live here in Germany and almost all trains have no AC! Stores, malls, restaurants, most places just don't have it including homes. It will be warm and stuffy and I forgot that most people are not accustomed to it the way we are now...It's not horrible, but after a long day outside, it might not be what you were thinking when you thought of your return trip back. Hopefully this helps some.

Tara

 

[Deb T.]

We live here in Germany and almost all trains have no AC! Stores, malls, restaurants, most places just don't have it including homes. It will be warm and stuffy and I forgot that most people are not accustomed to it the way we are now...It's not horrible, but after a long day outside, it might not be what you were thinking when you thought of your return trip back. Hopefully this helps some.

Tara

Can we open the windows if we feel we need some fresh air or are they sealed shut?

 

[BTKTropea]

Can we open the windows if we feel we need some fresh air or are they sealed shut?

I haven't been on a train here that has windows that open...sorry!

I'm not saying it isn't possible as we are always on the same one pretty much, so I'll remain hopeful for everyone!

 

[slg]

how many copies of your passport did everyone make for Russia? colour, not colour? heard conflicting advice about this.

 

[caniac27]

AUGGHHHH I just spent an hour on the phone with Disney Rewards. Trying to redeem our Disney Dollars for our DD for spending money on the ship. I have been battling with them for three weeks now. Sent in the redemption requests in March and May. Finally got one delivered today after much hassle, but the other one never even got sent out - no call no nothing. They've been terrible about followup. So we have like $230 reward dollars floating in never-never land that they can't get to me. Only saving grace is I have a YEAR until the next cruise to try and get it sorted out!!!

 

[mom_rules]

AUGGHHHH I just spent an hour on the phone with Disney Rewards. Trying to redeem our Disney Dollars for our DD for spending money on the ship. I have been battling with them for three weeks now. Sent in the redemption requests in March and May. Finally got one delivered today after much hassle, but the other one never even got sent out - no call no nothing. They've been terrible about followup. So we have like $230 reward dollars floating in never-never land that they can't get to me. Only saving grace is I have a YEAR until the next cruise to try and get it sorted out!!!

Can they not just put it in your onboard credit account if you give them your reservation number? Just a thought...

 

[mom_rules]

Can we open the windows if we feel we need some fresh air or are they sealed shut?

Grab a couple of those little battery operated hand held fans you can get at the theme parks-I think I got mine at my local Dollar Store.

 

[mom_rules]

Grab a couple of those little battery operated hand held fans you can get at the theme parks-I think I got mine at my local Dollar Store.

Great idea for FE gift.....lol

 

[aurorafan65]

Can they not just put it in your onboard credit account if you give them your reservation number? Just a thought...

I think I asked them this last time & they can't - they have to send you the little cards. I think it has something to do with the fact they're really 2 entities, Chase & Disney, if it was all one company I think they could (totally guessing on that)

Last year when I called late & there was a chance I wouldn't get the card in time for our trip, the rep told me they have a desk at PC & you could go to it & give them your confirmation # from Disney visa & they could give you the card there at port. I'm not sure if Disney Visa will have a desk in Dover.

 

[caniac27]

I think I asked them this last time & they can't - they have to send you the little cards. I think it has something to do with the fact they're really 2 entities, Chase & Disney, if it was all one company I think they could (totally guessing on that)

Last year when I called late & there was a chance I wouldn't get the card in time for our trip, the rep told me they have a desk at PC & you could go to it & give them your confirmation # from Disney visa & they could give you the card there at port. I'm not sure if Disney Visa will have a desk in Dover.

Believe me I tried every angle - asked about directly to ship, they looked into getting it in Dover - but only PC - can't even do it at Euro Disney! PITA oh well, what can you do...

 

[nzdisneymom]

We're doing Canterbury after too.

Totally agree with the DCL excursions, I was looking at the dropping our Rostock Regional highlights since the train station is right across from the dock & we could do it ourselves, but Tim said exactly what you said - doing the DCL excursions makes it soooooooooooo much easier someone else plans it & takes care of everything all we have to do is show up & go. (Plus he has this HUGE fear of something happening, like the train breaking down & with one of their excursions you are guaranteed not to miss the ship)

Oh yay - we'll probably be on the same tour, then??

We started with DCL excursions from our very first cruise because Nathan was worried about us missing the ship. So we did all cruiseline excursions then because his peace of mind meant my peace of mind. We did one non-DCL excursion in Cozumel once but it was with a lot of DISers and worked out fine. But for ports that we don't know, we prefer the ease of plans this way.

I've got everything out for packing and have put a few things back. Now to get it into the suitcase. Gary is mowing the lawn. I'm giving myself 1/2 hour to get it all done because I want to watch America's Got Talent...

 

[el_bandito]

first...we love disney

second... we love DCL more

but.. third...

are we the only family on this cruise with older kids (13 and 15) that are eager to experience the culture? Being in Europe? Different countries?

I'm happy Disney has the Santa tour, and don't get me wrong. When our kids were younger the shows were the best part of the trip. But do all the DIS'er's have young kids?

Please, please, please... i love DIS. best site to learn and you're all so helpful. But are there older kids out there

 

[slg]

Don't panic!
I have a 14 almost 15 year old, and 11 almost 12 year old and an almost 9 year old. (all boys) Although we have chosen all DCL excursions,we are going for the cultural experience. We love museums and galleries. In fact I was going to give Berlin a miss and my oldest son who is a history buff insisted we go. We are also spending 12 days in London after the cruise enjoying museums and shows and culture.

We are having a fun break in Copenhagen with a day at Tivoli but all our other tours aren't necessarily kid oriented.

How old are your kids? This will be my kids third trip to Europe.

 

[Deb T.]

first...we love disney

second... we love DCL more

but.. third...

are we the only family on this cruise with older kids (13 and 15) that are eager to experience the culture? Being in Europe? Different countries?

I'm happy Disney has the Santa tour, and don't get me wrong. When our kids were younger the shows were the best part of the trip. But do all the DIS'er's have young kids?

Please, please, please... i love DIS. best site to learn and you're all so helpful. But are there older kids out there

I'm not sure why it would matter. The Magic is a big ship, and there will be lots of families onboard with children of all ages. Plenty of adults traveling without children, as well. I can't imagine that anyone is paying the high price of this cruise just to have their children hanging out in the kids clubs and going to the shows. No matter what the age, everyone (adults and children) will experience these amazing ports, and each will come away with a completely different perspective.

But, to answer your question, I've kept track of DISers who've posted on our meets thread, and I just counted 32 families with teenagers.

 

[buzzdad100]

first...we love disney

second... we love DCL more

but.. third...

are we the only family on this cruise with older kids (13 and 15) that are eager to experience the culture? Being in Europe? Different countries?

I'm happy Disney has the Santa tour, and don't get me wrong. When our kids were younger the shows were the best part of the trip. But do all the DIS'er's have young kids?

Please, please, please... i love DIS. best site to learn and you're all so helpful. But are there older kids out there

We are traveling with a 12.5 yr old and a 16 year old. We decided to go private tours in St. Pete and Germany, and "on our own" for the other ports. Kids are as excited as we are, maybe more so!!

 

[nzdisneymom]

Our boys are interested. Nathan said he is interested in traveling the world. Zachary is interested in souvenir shopping. And being on the ship. They both appreciate the opportunity and privilege of seeing the world albeit in luxury.

Packing was a wee bit too easy which is making me nervous. I have a short list of things we still need to add and we have to get the boys backpacks done but we can't do those til tomorrow.

See you all soon.

 

[bhayes]

We have a 9 year old and an 11 year old .... We LOVE DCL and would probably never cruise anything else! (Even after our kids are grown up and moved out) We thought this would be a GREAT way for our kids to experience the culture of these amazing cities without overwhelming them with castles and museums. We felt it offered a GREAT balance! We our doing each of the ports on our own ... so that we can go at a pace that suits our family and our needs.

Packing was easy on this end, too!! Makes me worried that I forgot something! Suitcases don't even seem to be overflowing full.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Well our DD's are age 27 and 24, but remember I gave birth when I was 12!! hehehehehe.

DCL has something for all ages, and I don't believe our group is focused on families with young children. I think it has a nice mix of ages!

I packed a little more tonite. Trying to be very organized and not overpack. Then, I just read the Baltic Tips thread on the main Cruise Board and saw a cruiser currently on board state he wished they had brought more warm weather clothing since it has been so nice and warm!! Have to rethink my strategy tomorrow after work now, lol.

We are out of here Friday at noon! Soooo excited!! Happy travels to all...

 

[fabumouse]

first...we love disney

second... we love DCL more

but.. third...

are we the only family on this cruise with older kids (13 and 15) that are eager to experience the culture?

Mine is 9, (going on 18), and she is thrilled to see these other countries that I've been pointing out on the globe, and she's been researching, for 14 months.

So, I guess she's not "older" but close enough that she'd say she is looking forward to the adventure.

From what I've seen in discussions, there are going to be plenty of older kids to keep your kids company.