June 5,2010 Relocation Cruise

[YenSid1222]

No actual ash here, but it is really weird seeing no planes in the sky (we are near Liverpool and Manchester Airports, so usually have four or five very high up) and no vapour trails.

However, otherhalf is on overdrive and worked most of last night (we are in the travel industry), everywhere is chaotic and it is actually very serious for the airlines, particularly financially - planes sat around, crews still needing to be paid, finance still going out. When it all gets going again, it will be a logistical nightmare with planes in wrong places and a backlog of passengers.

Latest news is that no flights until tomorrow now, but then they have been giving times and extending them since it started.

By the time it is sorted, we will be ready for a holiday! Pity the people trying to get away now.

Kate

I hear you! TransAtlantic flights are some of our most profitable, and as long as they are just sitting on the ground we are losing money. I just looked at some bookings and there are people who cannot get confirmed on a flight until the end of next week...so even if LHR opens up tomorrow, they may be stuck here for quite a bit of time. At least this is happening now and not a month from now when I am trying to get to the ship!!

 

[K8T]

Good Evening - or Good Afternoon, depending where you are!!!

Well its all going mad here with the Volcano.

There have been some flights out of Scotland and Ireland today, but only a few and now the airports are closed again.

Latest is that the situation will be reviewed at 1pm tomorrow, although it is looking like that time will be knocked on. Ryan Air - which is a budget airline, is staying closed until Monday.

The Volcano, well that is still throwing out Ash and now the cloud has moved into Northern Europe, so Paris Airport has been closed too, along with some others.

Other half came in and gone out again, actually driving to Scotland, to sort some problems out up there!!

Looks like I am on my own this weekend, maybe I will get chance to make my FE!!!

Anyone had any news on their cabins yet?

Kate

 

[qashqaiqueen]

there are a number of good deals about at the moment, We saw the iglu offer on teletext and then contacted Virgin and they price beat it to £630.. gty cat 12 with flights and transfers from manchester with monarch

Wow that was a good price. I saw the original quote on Iglu which was £679 for cruise only. However, I had never heard of Iglu before and couldn't see their Abta and Atol numbers anywhere on the site. So I booked with Virgin. They charged around £710 for each of us including the Easy jet flight. So you definitely got a good deal

Regarding the upgrades on cabin, I read somewhere that they will post upgrades on our reservations 45 days before the cruise. Please don't quote me on that, it's just one of those weird facts I have floating around my head.

Shore excursions:
I've booked on the Gibraltar:- Explore the Rock on Your Own in the morning and in Cadiz :- A Taste of Càdiz & Jerez.

Barcelona and Lisbon I have been to several times. So Barcelona, we'll do our own thing and Lisbon will probably go to the Aquarium in the morning and then wonder around.

 

[jgura]

Hello, We were planning on going to the Aquarium in Lisbon as well. The Disney tour that gets you there does not interest us with the kids. Have you figured out how you will get to the aquarium? Based on other things I have read, the taxi's are not recommended. Train looks o.k. What are your thoughts?

Beaches..any advice out there on good beach areas in Cadiz or Lisbon? We are going to miss our day at Castaway Cay.

Thanks, Jill

 

[YenSid1222]

Beaches..any advice out there on good beach areas in Cadiz or Lisbon? We are going to miss our day at Castaway Cay.

Thanks, Jill

I was just thinking about how strange it will be to be on the Magic without visiting Castaway Cay. Then I started wondering if they change the welcome aboard show lyrics...since it says "there's all this and more on Castaway Cay..."

 

[K8T]

The aquarium at Lisbon is fantastic. We got the bus which was just down the road on the right from the ship. But a taxi wouldn't be too much. However it took best part of a day looking around.

Lisbon is a lovely city with beautiful buildings and very easy to negotiate shuttle buses take you to the main square and you can walk most of it or get the hop on off bus.

In Cadiz there are some long huge sandy beaches with play areas for children and showers. Reminded me of Miami!! There was also a smaller beach in a harbour that was good too and a little nearer the ship.

We did the hop on bus which is near the ship then got off part way to go to the cathedral. Don't miss the vaults underneath the acoustics are amazing. We then walked past the Market where they sell live snails among other things and to the beach for a couple of hours. You will see the different beaches from the bus good shopping in cadiz too particularly shoes!

 

[K8T]

Why wouldn't a taxi be recommended?

We use them all the time in Europe. In Spain and Portugal they are usually mercedes. As long as It is taxi plated and not just someone touting for business I can't see a problem

Kate

 

[bode]

We are booked to do the panoramic Gibraltar and afternoon tea, the Jerez de la Fontera horse show in Cadiz and the Sintra Cascais in Lisbon. Since most of these are just half days we will use the other for self exploration in the ports. As a single parent I really like the options that a Disney excursion offers so I know that everything is taken care of.

Less than 50 days! We just ordered our FE and will start doing some shopping for them.

 

[K8T]

Thought you may like to see this. Our daughter looking at the live snails they were selling in the market in Cadiz.

They were live and crawling.......

 

[adrianna_sarah]

Oh, my! I suppose they are for eating?

Happy Saturday all. Nothing new here, just checking in. It's grey and muggy right now in my little corner of Texas, a good time for a study break. 13 days until the end of the semester then I'll let myself DCL daydream more often.

 

[jgura]

Amazing picture! We will definitely want to check out the market.

I have been researching for this trip way too much (have now stopped) and read in many places that the drivers in Lisbon were not the most honest. 10 years ago when I was there on a cruise we walked everywhere. So nothing is based on experience.

One way or another we will certainly visit the aquarium, it looks great!

Jill

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Cruisers!

We will probably be doing the ports on our own, we have been to all but Lisbon on the transatlantic cruise a few years ago. The hop-on-hop-off busses sound like the way to go.

Have a great week all!

 

[smilingmouse]

Hi, everyone!

No room number for me yet Hopefully, it will show up soon!

 

[YenSid1222]

Hi, everyone!

No room number for me yet Hopefully, it will show up soon!

I will cross my fingers for an upgrade for you!

 

[qashqaiqueen]

Morning all. Just checked my booking and it's still showing Cat 12 gty stateroom. But hey only 47 days to go

 

[YenSid1222]

I really wish that the unpronouncable/untypeable volcano would stop so that I don't have to start worrying about non-revving to Europe!!

 

[KT27]

I really wish that the unpronouncable/untypeable volcano would stop so that I don't have to start worrying about non-revving to Europe!!

AMEN to that!

I booked our flights today from Frankfurt to Barcelona & London to Frankfurt for fear of them getting more expensive with all of this chaos. My daughter is flying from Fairbanks, Alaska on May 27th to spend the summer with us and I hope her flight is not affected. I feel for those stranded passengers.

I guess we need to start praying to the Volcano Gods!

 

[YenSid1222]

So, I don't remember if this was posted or not and I couldn't find details on the DCL site...but, here is some cruise info:

Night 2 - Formal Night
Night 5 - Pirate Night
Night 6 - Semi-Formal Night

Also, there are no fireworks on the Northern European cruises. The phone rep seemed to think since we were "going to Northern Europe" that we would also not have fireworks. But night 5 should put us still in the Atlantic just outside of Lisbon...so, who knows?

On a separate thought, what do the call the Pirate party in Europe? It is "Pirates IN the Caribbean" normally...but obviously we will not be "IN" the Caribbean.

 

[milliesmum]

So, I don't remember if this was posted or not and I couldn't find details on the DCL site...but, here is some cruise info:

Night 2 - Formal Night
Night 5 - Pirate Night
Night 6 - Semi-Formal Night

Also, there are no fireworks on the Northern European cruises. The phone rep seemed to think since we were "going to Northern Europe" that we would also not have fireworks. But night 5 should put us still in the Atlantic just outside of Lisbon...so, who knows?

On a separate thought, what do the call the Pirate party in Europe? It is "Pirates IN the Caribbean" normally...but obviously we will not be "IN" the Caribbean.

Thanks for the info, I thought for a moment my reservation at Palo's clashed with Pirate night but I've checked and we're booked for Palo's on night 6 - great as we will be dressed up anyway!
We were on the 6/27/2007 med cruise and Pirate night was still called Pirates in the Caribbean ( arrrrr.....those were the days when DCL gave out bandanas - before times got hard)

Still no cabin number - I have a nervous look each day on DCL website .....still whats the worst it could be? cat 12? at least I will be on the boat

 

[YenSid1222]

Thanks for the info, I thought for a moment my reservation at Palo's clashed with Pirate night but I've checked and we're booked for Palo's on night 6 - great as we will be dressed up anyway!
We were on the 6/27/2007 med cruise and Pirate night was still called Pirates in the Caribbean ( arrrrr.....those were the days when DCL gave out bandanas - before times got hard)

Still no cabin number - I have a nervous look each day on DCL website .....still whats the worst it could be? cat 12? at least I will be on the boat

We got bandanas again last year in May when I did an Eastern. They were not the big ones like before, they were triangle cut instead of square and were MUCH smaller...I could not tie it around my head at all. (Please refrain from the fat head comments...that means you, disneymom7851....Thank You.)