Magic Christmas Cruise 2010 (Dec 18th - 29th) - PART II

[DVC4US]

Lori & Rick - thanks so much for the pictures! They are awesome and she looks great. Can't wait to be on her in December!

 

[mickeyteachers]

Lori and Rick thank you for the pictures. She looks wonderful. I can hardly wait till I get to board her and sail away with Mickey and Minnie and of course all of you.

 

[Fyrmedic654]

Try eBay for toddler and baby formal wear. You can get cute outfits there for not too much.

Check out the first page of this thread. There are lots of activities going on for this cruise - we are an active bunch. The deadline for the FE exchange is tomorrow, so if that's something you'd like to do, let TinkMischief know before tomorrow. (There's an explanation of what Fish Extenders (FE) are on this thread too, if you are unfamiliar with that.)

You'll have a blast!

Welcome Aboard! It's so exciting to see all the first time cruisers. We have such a great group here and this cruise is going to be awesome!

Thanks for the warm welcomes and tips. So...the search function seems to be disabled tonight and I can't search for what the FE is exactly and google is playing around in the vagueness category. I don't want to sign up for anything not knowing what it is, nor do I not want to sign up for something we may be interested in. oh, and did I mention I cannot pm anyone until I get my post count up ........ (Blah blah, been a tiring day, enough complaining) so if someone could let me know what it entails and let tinkmischief know I be interested. I guess I can be contacted easier at firedawg654 at yahoo dot com or search facebook with that email as well. Thanks again

 

[itutorfortravel]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and tips. So...the search function seems to be disabled tonight and I can't search for what the FE is exactly and google is playing around in the vagueness category. I don't want to sign up for anything not knowing what it is, nor do I not want to sign up for something we may be interested in. oh, and did I mention I cannot pm anyone until I get my post count up ........ (Blah blah, been a tiring day, enough complaining) so if someone could let me know what it entails and let tinkmischief know I be interested. I guess I can be contacted easier at firedawg654 at yahoo dot com or search facebook with that email as well. Thanks again

Hey there! Here is a link to a DCL FAQ page. The topics are alphabetical and in bold and if you scroll down to Fish Extender you will see a few links with more information. This FAQ page has lots of great info that you might find helpful. I hope you will join the FE exchange! Our family did it for the first time last Christmas and it was one of the major highlights of our trip

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2068966

 

[itutorfortravel]

Hi, does anyone know if there are pay phones at the Martinique cruise terminal? We'd like to call our families from there to wish them a Merry Christmas. I need to look into using our cell phones, but I was just thinking I'd check into the option of there being pay phones as well.

Also, does anyone know what the price for a ship-to-shore phone call is?

And has anyone ever used Skype on a Disney cruise?

Thanks!

 

[BBQMommy]

Telephone:
There are both payphones and card phones on the island. Télécartes (phonecards) are sold at post offices, newsagents and kiosks. There are only card phones at the airport.

From: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/martinique/keeping-in-touch#ixzz142PrD3G9

and

To make a call to the U.S. from Martinique travelers will have to dial 001, the area code, and the number. However, there are several other options for travelers making long distance calls.

Calling AT&T, local access number 0-800-99-00-11; MCI, access number 0-800-99-00-19; or Sprint, 0-800-99-00-87 can allow travelers to make long distance calls.

Travelers may also be interested in buying a Télécarte. This can be less expensive than making a long distance phone call via other systems at only 1.75? per minute to the U.S. - just over $2(USD) at the current exchange rate, but be sure to check this before traveling - but must be used at special books marked Télécom. However, such booths are widely available, with at least 90 booths in the city of Fort-de-France alone.

It's easy to make calls to and from Martinique once you know a little bit about their phone system.

from: http://martinique-guide.info/travel.basics/telephones/


Caryn

 

[itutorfortravel]

Telephone:
There are both payphones and card phones on the island. Télécartes (phonecards) are sold at post offices, newsagents and kiosks. There are only card phones at the airport.

From: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/martinique/keeping-in-touch#ixzz142PrD3G9

and

To make a call to the U.S. from Martinique travelers will have to dial 001, the area code, and the number. However, there are several other options for travelers making long distance calls.

Calling AT&T, local access number 0-800-99-00-11; MCI, access number 0-800-99-00-19; or Sprint, 0-800-99-00-87 can allow travelers to make long distance calls.

Travelers may also be interested in buying a Télécarte. This can be less expensive than making a long distance phone call via other systems at only 1.75? per minute to the U.S. - just over $2(USD) at the current exchange rate, but be sure to check this before traveling - but must be used at special books marked Télécom. However, such booths are widely available, with at least 90 booths in the city of Fort-de-France alone.

It's easy to make calls to and from Martinique once you know a little bit about their phone system.

from: http://martinique-guide.info/travel.basics/telephones/


Caryn

Thank you Caryn!

-Kimberly

 

[HFC1969]

Back from WDW...

First time with 2 kids.... WOW... did we learn alot.. Completely different then with just 1 child.. With a 10yo & 4yo it takes a little finesse to get it down right. As they say practice makes perfect... So with that being said we are now proud AP holders...

Our DD at first was way overwhelmed by the "fuzzy" characters.. Loved the princessess.. All in all it was a great sneak at whats to come in Dec...

46 Days til Vaca.​

 

[DVC4US]

I can't find the info, I would like to participate in the exchange, but wanted to know the details, like $ and quantity...
Thanks!!!!

Here's a link to a post about FE 101.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33184281&postcount=2

The basic information is it is like a secret mickey(although some people do put their names on the gifts). The gifts can be home made or store bought and the cost is up to you. It is not about how much it cost but is all about the fun. Most people give out one gift per cabin but some do give out multiple gifts for each cabin(sometimes different things for the kids). Again, it is what you want to do and not a requirement. You can pick one day to hand out all your gifts or split them up through out the cruise(like one deck one day then another a different day) The quantity depends on how many cabins are signed up to do the FE. Right now I think we have around 60 cabins so I think we are going to take a vote to determine if we should split it into 2 groups.

The biggest thing to remember about FE exchanges is it is all about the fun!

Hope this helps.

 

[DVC4US]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and tips. So...the search function seems to be disabled tonight and I can't search for what the FE is exactly and google is playing around in the vagueness category. I don't want to sign up for anything not knowing what it is, nor do I not want to sign up for something we may be interested in. oh, and did I mention I cannot pm anyone until I get my post count up ........ (Blah blah, been a tiring day, enough complaining) so if someone could let me know what it entails and let tinkmischief know I be interested. I guess I can be contacted easier at firedawg654 at yahoo dot com or search facebook with that email as well. Thanks again

See the post right before this one for some additional information.

Hope it helps!

 

[DVC4US]

Hi, does anyone know if there are pay phones at the Martinique cruise terminal? We'd like to call our families from there to wish them a Merry Christmas. I need to look into using our cell phones, but I was just thinking I'd check into the option of there being pay phones as well.

Also, does anyone know what the price for a ship-to-shore phone call is?

And has anyone ever used Skype on a Disney cruise?

Thanks!

I believe ship-to-shore phone calls are $6.95 per minute.

Some cell phones companies have service on the ship too. We have AT&T and they work on the ship. I think Verision works also. Not sure of anyone else. Don't remember the charges at the moment but it is another option.

Can't answer the Skype question.

 

[DVC4US]

Back from WDW...

First time with 2 kids.... WOW... did we learn alot.. Completely different then with just 1 child.. With a 10yo & 4yo it takes a little finesse to get it down right. As they say practice makes perfect... So with that being said we are now proud AP holders...

Our DD at first was way overwhelmed by the "fuzzy" characters.. Loved the princessess.. All in all it was a great sneak at whats to come in Dec...

46 Days til Vaca.​

Welcome back Mike, and welcome to the AP holders club. We love ours! You might find you go more often now - you gotta get the most out of that AP! That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

 

[TheBeadPirate]

Not sure about Skype either, however- we used the internet package for the first time our last cruise and it was SUPER slow. Like start a download of 1MB and come back and check a half hour later kind of slow.(Thank goodness it was work and they'll reimburse for that)

I'm not sure about Skype, but I'm thinking you'd probably need a connection that moves a little faster than that.

 

[itutorfortravel]

Thanks everyone for the info on making phone calls. I've never used my cell phone on the ship but just wondered if you do that, do you pay your cell fees plus a fee to DCL? I'm not sure how all that works so forgive my ignorance...

I have Verizon, so if that's an option and is cheaper than calling directly from a ship phone, that is what we will do.

Eww, that is slow on the internet connection! DH told work he'd check his personal email a couple times while we are gone in case of an emergency...I'm not too happy about that in general, but I guess if that's what he's gotta do...

 

[itutorfortravel]

I saw this on the FAQ page regarding internet and email access:

There is an additional charge of $3.95 USD to send an e-mail from your onboard ship e-mail account. There is no charge to receive an e-mail from your onboard e-mail account.

Anyone know what this is? How and where do you access this "onboard account" email, and how do you know what the email address is prior to sailing?

This might be a better option for DH's work if they can send him an email to let him know there is a crisis at work. Then we don't have to buy and pay for an internet package if he doesn't need it.

 

[DVC4US]

Thanks everyone for the info on making phone calls. I've never used my cell phone on the ship but just wondered if you do that, do you pay your cell fees plus a fee to DCL? I'm not sure how all that works so forgive my ignorance...

I have Verizon, so if that's an option and is cheaper than calling directly from a ship phone, that is what we will do.

Eww, that is slow on the internet connection! DH told work he'd check his personal email a couple times while we are gone in case of an emergency...I'm not too happy about that in general, but I guess if that's what he's gotta do...

Here's link to a thread about cell phone charges.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2586197&highlight=cell+phone+use+on+ship

You still pay a roaming charge, but it is cheaper than the ship-to-shore call. I also believe you have to have international coverage on your phone. I know with ATT the international plan we have is $5 per month and calls are
.99 per minute. Text messages are .50 per message.

 

[Liz Arjay]

Not sure about Skype either, however- we used the internet package for the first time our last cruise and it was SUPER slow. Like start a download of 1MB and come back and check a half hour later kind of slow.(Thank goodness it was work and they'll reimburse for that)

I'm not sure about Skype, but I'm thinking you'd probably need a connection that moves a little faster than that.

Does anyone know if the internet on the ship is quicker at certain times of the day vs. others? I do need to monitor work emails, and want to spend as little time as possible on the computer - will be frustrated if I am waiting for emails to download instead of lounging in the hot tub....

 

[momssurprise]

Checked our cruise just now, they are selling 11's, 9's and 4's. This is different from earlier this morning. I am fascinated by the apparent randomness of it!

Because I travel internationally a few times a year with my company, it's fairly easy to just add international service to my iPhone for a month - and be able to check email on the fly. However, our cell phone people said it works differently on cruise ships and to just get the internet package, it was a much better way to go...so if they are not correct I'd like the option of just using my cell phone to monitor email. Is it that I'd pay AT&T international charges PLUS the internet fee on board? I was going to bring a lap top and just buy the $100 package (& let work pay for it); but sounds like that might be not enough if it's so slow. And since I seem to believe that pounding on computers speeds them up...I might destroy the laptop? But my understanding is the ship's computers don't have Word, Excel, etc. so I'd need my lap top to open attachments.

 

[3princessMommy]

On the Baltic cruise this summer, when we were in port or close enough to land to get cell reception, I was sometimes able to check my Blackberry. I was supposed to be able to access it in Germany, Russia and Finland. But for some reason, it didn't work in Russia and Finland. So on the way back along the German coast, I perched myself up on Deck 9 with the Blackberry so that I could check work e-mails!

Hey! If I've got to be checking the e-mail, I'd much rather be doing it on Deck 9 with my drink of the day in hand than sitting at my desk!

 

[MommyLissa]

Working on a packing list, but a little confused....


1. Can we bring coolers? I've seen a few posts about collapsible coolers, and even one about a rolling one, but I thought I saw in the DCL FAQs that you couldn't have coolers or bring food/drink onto the ship?

2. This is silly, but are plastic swords allowed for pirate night?? They are listed on the "prohibited toys" page, but REALLY??!!??

3. So, just to clarify, each passenger can check 2 pieces of luggage that will "magically" (pun intended) show up in our stateroom....and we can carry on pretty much whatever we can responsibly manage? (with the understanding that we will have to lug the carry ons throughout the day until the staterooms are ready)


Thanks!!
-Melissa