Live from the Second Baltic

[cindy18]

Hello from Dover! We are about 30 minutes away from the evacuation drill and we just finished our DIS meet in the Promenade Lounge, so I came over to the Internet Cafe to try to start this thread. Guest services confirmed that the internet service is not good and on their advice I bought the smallest package. So we'll see how it goes.

A few observations/thoughts for how it has gone so far on embarkation day:

We flew in this morning and arrived at Heathrow at about 7:15. Customs was insane but we were on our way (in a hired car) by about 8:30. There were several DCL representatives waiting outside baggage claim and they were easy to spot, so for anyone flying in and using Disney transportation, no worries. The drive to Dover was shorter than we expected, and we were here at about 10:30.

The cruise terminal is much smaller than in Port Canaveral and got really crowded. Boarding started earlier than we were expecting (at around 12, maybe 12:15) but it seemed kind of chaotic. I wouldn't feel the urge to get to port early, the way we always did in Port Canaveral.

Weather is beautiful today -- sunny and warm. I think the sail away party will be really fun. We're feeling the jet lag pretty bad (no sleep whatsoever on the plane) but we're going to try to push through. We have second seating and the DDs are hoping to go to make it to their clubs (Stack and Ocean Quest) for the initial meet and greet. DH and I really want to go to Match Your Mate tonight at 10:30

If the internet permits, I will try to check in at least once a day. Hopefully other DIS members on our crusie will chime in too. We're all SO EXCITED. The crew is reporting very enthusiastically about the first Baltic and we're thrilled to be here.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Yay!!! I'll be looking forward to your reports. Have a great trip!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Bon Voyage!

 

[carmie3377]

Have a great time! Really wish Disney was doing this cruie again next year as we might be able to make it then. Oh well, hopefully they will in the near future

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Hello from Dover! We are about 30 minutes away from the evacuation drill and we just finished our DIS meet in the Promenade Lounge, so I came over to the Internet Cafe to try to start this thread. Guest services confirmed that the internet service is not good and on their advice I bought the smallest package. So we'll see how it goes.

A few observations/thoughts for how it has gone so far on embarkation day:

We flew in this morning and arrived at Heathrow at about 7:15. Customs was insane but we were on our way (in a hired car) by about 8:30. There were several DCL representatives waiting outside baggage claim and they were easy to spot, so for anyone flying in and using Disney transportation, no worries. The drive to Dover was shorter than we expected, and we were here at about 10:30.

The cruise terminal is much smaller than in Port Canaveral and got really crowded. Boarding started earlier than we were expecting (at around 12, maybe 12:15) but it seemed kind of chaotic. I wouldn't feel the urge to get to port early, the way we always did in Port Canaveral.

Weather is beautiful today -- sunny and warm. I think the sail away party will be really fun. We're feeling the jet lag pretty bad (no sleep whatsoever on the plane) but we're going to try to push through. We have second seating and the DDs are hoping to go to make it to their clubs (Stack and Ocean Quest) for the initial meet and greet. DH and I really want to go to Match Your Mate tonight at 10:30

If the internet permits, I will try to check in at least once a day. Hopefully other DIS members on our crusie will chime in too. We're all SO EXCITED. The crew is reporting very enthusiastically about the first Baltic and we're thrilled to be here.

Have a great time and keep us posted as our 15 yo Daughter is on this cruise with her BFF and her family. Look for a girl with a Texas tech sweat shirt

 

[MagicMe]

Have a great time!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Glad you made it, thanks for the report, have a great cruise.

 

[floridahippy]

Random question for you - do they have Weetabix in the cereal choice for breakfast? We are on the 30th july sailing and dd wants to know in preparation for her 7 month old son as thats what he has at present!

 

[DMMarla07860]

have a great cruise

 

[AquaDuck1]

Have a great time!!!!Good luck with the internet.

 

[MrsScooby]

Yay
Thanks so much for starting this
Maybe you will have better luck with the internet connection

Hope verything goes smoothly for you.
Can't wait to hear about your tour in Berlin

Match Your Mate is a blast-we have fun every time we've seen it

 

[bevgray]

Have a terrific voyage. Wish I could have sailed with you'all as planned but the new house is well worth the sacrifice.

 

[Tink rules]

Have a blast!!!

If you see Catherine... TDCnala... Tell her the Friendies say hello!!!

 

[cindy18]

Have a blast!!!

If you see Catherine... TDCnala... Tell her the Friendies say hello!!!

TDC Nala was the woman who started our meet thread, and I saw her at our meet in the Promenade Lounge this afternoon. She seemed happy but her toe is green. If I see her again, I will definitely pass on your greetings!

Will look for a 15-year old from Texas on vacation with her bff. Hopefully my DD 14 will find her in The Stack.

The sail away party was excellent -- very high energy. Hard to say how full the ship is, but deck 9 was pretty full for the party as was deck 10. I actually teared up when the horn blew at the end of the countdown. That was the moment that this vacation that we've been planning for 18 months finally felt real.

We just finished dinner. Our rotation is LAP, which is good for us. The Let the Magic Begin menu was delicious. I had smoked salmon carpaccio and seafood risotto, and a mint chocolate caramel banana parfait. Yum. Everyone enjoyed their food and we had a table by a window at Lumiere's. Our servers are Raphael and Chantal, and they seem really excellent.

The North Sea is almost like glass tonight, which we think is a miracle. The sunset was spectacular (the light in our room while we were getting ready for dinner was unreal). There are a lot of boats out there in the water. We're seeing them constantly, very different from the Carribbean.

The Welcome Aboard show was sweet, as usual. 2 acts, a terrific magician (Jason somebody) who was very impressive and an off the wall English comedian (Andy somebody). Looking forward to more from both of them. The DDs are in their clubs and we are getting ready for match your mate.

It took awhile to get online this evening, but it did work, so I'll keep at it. We're just so glad to be here!

 

[eeyorefanuk]

I love live reports - thank you for posting

 

[MrsScooby]

TDC Nala was the woman who started our meet thread, and I saw her at our meet in the Promenade Lounge this afternoon. She seemed happy but her toe is green. If I see her again, I will definitely pass on your greetings!

Green as in bruised, not green as in gangrene, right

Sounds wonderful otherwise

Hope TDC Nala's toe is better soon.

 

[DisneyDoc1895]

TDC Nala was the woman who started our meet thread, and I saw her at our meet in the Promenade Lounge this afternoon. She seemed happy but her toe is green. If I see her again, I will definitely pass on your greetings!

Will look for a 15-year old from Texas on vacation with her bff. Hopefully my DD 14 will find her in The Stack.

The sail away party was excellent -- very high energy. Hard to say how full the ship is, but deck 9 was pretty full for the party as was deck 10. I actually teared up when the horn blew at the end of the countdown. That was the moment that this vacation that we've been planning for 18 months finally felt real.

We just finished dinner. Our rotation is LAP, which is good for us. The Let the Magic Begin menu was delicious. I had smoked salmon carpaccio and seafood risotto, and a mint chocolate caramel banana parfait. Yum. Everyone enjoyed their food and we had a table by a window at Lumiere's. Our servers are Raphael and Chantal, and they seem really excellent.

The North Sea is almost like glass tonight, which we think is a miracle. The sunset was spectacular (the light in our room while we were getting ready for dinner was unreal). There are a lot of boats out there in the water. We're seeing them constantly, very different from the Carribbean.

The Welcome Aboard show was sweet, as usual. 2 acts, a terrific magician (Jason somebody) who was very impressive and an off the wall English comedian (Andy somebody). Looking forward to more from both of them. The DDs are in their clubs and we are getting ready for match your mate.

It took awhile to get online this evening, but it did work, so I'll keep at it. We're just so glad to be here!

Thanks, we are reading!

Can you advise on the movie selection? I found that TS3 was on the last one. How is the weather?

Ken

 

[kcashner]

Ok, this may sound like the dumbest question you've ever heard, but....

Can you confirm whether or not there is Splenda on board? NOT Nutra Sweet Yellow, but real Splenda? It seemed to be in short supply on the EBTA; need to know whether to bring my own.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Thanks so much for posting the "live" thread Cindy! So many of us truly appreciate your efforts and we are eating up hearing about the Baltic from the current cruisers.

Hope the seas stay quiet and smooth for your sailing!

 

[cindy18]

Hi All:

Slept amazingly well (given the lack of sleep on the plane, no big surprise), and we lost an hour as we head towards Oslo, so I woke up to Brent's voice from outside our room announcing all the day's activities and realized it was 10:30. Everyone else was still asleep, so I got my first of what will be MANY large lattes at Cove Cafe and came down to see how the internet was doing. It's much better (for now) than yesterday so I can get in a proper post (it used up 24 minutes to get that last post in).

Trying to answer some questions: Yes, Toy Story 3 is onboard, and I know Prince of Persia is too. I'll try to bring the whole movie list the next time I come here so I can list them all. TDC Nala's toe is green as in bruised, sorry I didn't clarify! They DEFINITELY have Splenda. It's in my latte now and in the decaf I had last night at dinner. I haven't had a chance to check on whether there is Wheetabix at breakfast, but I will.

Weather continues to be terrific. North Sea is not quite as calm as it was last night but it's still very smooth and the sky is clear. I was outside on Deck 9 for a bit with my coffee, and it's definitely chilly, even in the sun, but there are people in the pools and I'm planning to head up to the adult pool with a book (there are, amazingly, lots of seats for a change!) when I'm done here.

Match Your Mate did not disappoint last night. I think the couple married 40 years got only 1 question right, and maybe not even that. There were several couples vying for the crazy, middle spot, and one woman just charged the stage and sat down, cutting off all further competition (much to her husband's dismay). Some really hysterical stuff, especially to the "what is the first thing your husband touches in the morning, after the alarm clock" and my personal favorite who would you kick off the deserted island if you were on it with your wife and her family. DH and I danced a bit, then went back and delivered our FE gifts and waited for the DDs to return from their clubs. And then wonderful sleep.

Kickoff Bingo is starting right behind me....

More later, internet permitting.