Magical EBTA 2017

[bobbiwoz]

Candy Exchange interest (no need to send info at this time)
Deb T
scottrob
bobbiwoz
tmullem93

We use FEs to pass out goodies that come from our area. We've gotten bags of flavored popcorn, and cheese straws so it is not always candy, but it is fun to get back to your cabin and get a surprise treat! We usually print out something from the Internet explaining something of the history of the treat. I will keep the number of cabins in each group under 12. On one cruise there were only 3 participants, and last year's DVC Member Cruise we had 32 participants, 4 groups of 8!

Bobbi

 

[DebSmi]

Itinerary

View attachment 161941 View attachment 161942

Fish Extender Groups

*** More information about signing up for FE groups will become available in Fall 2016


Candy Exchange Groups

*** More information about signing up for CE groups will become available early Spring 2017. bobbiwoz has volunteered to organize. ***

Pin Trading Gathering

*** Currently looking for someone interested in organizing a pin trading gathering. ***

 

[minnie4ever]

So I decided that since I have done Adventures by Disney, (Italy was AWESOME!) it is time to try a cruise. Transatlantics were highly recommended by my ABD pals so I am going all in. This is my first Disney cruise though I have done 4 other cruises before on various other lines. I am going to try to leave Copenhagen for
Scotland for a few days after the cruise as that is another bucket list item.....any advice for a newbie???

 

[bobbiwoz]

So I decided that since I have done Adventures by Disney, (Italy was AWESOME!) it is time to try a cruise. Transatlantics were highly recommended by my ABD pals so I am going all in. This is my first Disney cruise though I have done 4 other cruises before on various other lines. I am going to try to leave Copenhagen for
Scotland for a few days after the cruise as that is another bucket list item.....any advice for a newbie???

DCL is different in one respect, we have Fish Extenders, and people leave each other surprises in them if you sign up to be in a group. I'm organizing a Local Candy/Snack exchange, and the first one I ever participated in was on our first TA cruise in 2013. We enjoyed it so much that I have organized one on every DCL cruise I've been on since. Once there were only 3 cabins participating, the most was on last year's DVC Member cruise, we had 32 cabins participating, and I divided us into 4 groups of 8, so no one had a sugar overload.

There are mixology groups, sometimes Secret Mickeys, meetings for meals (There's going to be a breakfast meet for my upcoming Dream Sept 5th cruise) and scrapbooking and more. Someone is organizing a Trick or Treat Halloween event for next year's EBPC cruise. Read this, and join whatever appeals to you, and if there's something you don't see, but want to try mention it.

I hope we have a smooth crossing, the one in 2013, our first was great!

Bobbi

 

[Poookie]

Hi! We were on DCL's 2013's EBTA to Barcelona, and we're booked on this!

I've organized Candy Exchanges on many cruises. We use Fish Extenders to pass out treats of local origin. We print out info from the Internet giving some history. Examples given out in past are Cheese Straws from Mississippi, chocolate from Hershey as well as many small local chocolate companies, salt water taffy from Jersey shore or Salt Lake City, Life Savers from Cleveland and citrus treats from FL.

I keep groups between 7-11 rooms. If anyone thinks they are interested, just mention it here. I'll be asking for cabins and allergic concerns in 2017!

Looking forward to meeting fellow cruisers and participating in meets or pin trading events!

Bobbi

Definitely interested! oh and you can ignore my question in the other forum.... I found the meet board.

 

[Poookie]

How many kids are usually aboard?

DH is concerned that on a longer cruise they may run out of Mickey bars.

OMG. Running out of Mickey Bars would be a travesty!!! I hadn't even thought of that possibility.... I wonder if there's a mid-atlantic re-bar station... so they can reload the Mickey bars in an emergency.

As for the kids question... it depends what age range you include.... at forty errr... <cough> years old, I'm still a kid... it's just that I'm better at it because I have several years of experience.

 

[Poookie]

Yes, the items should be prepackaged, like Halloween candy.

Always there are fewer than 12 cabin in a group. If participants want smaller groups, I could do that.



Yeah! I will start a list of interested people! 2 months out I will ask for cabin numbers, any allergies and how mane people in your cabin. The group(s) will be assigned 1 month out!

Candy Exchange interest
scottrob
bobbiwoz


We are 1 year away from sailing!

add me to the list please!

 

[Poookie]

Well, now that I've read all of the posts in this thread (and responded to several of them), I should probably introduce myself!

Hi all! My name is Heather, I'm new to the forums and still figuring my way around. My wife and I booked the EBTA cruise today!!! We are so excited. lol, I think this is our 5th Disney Cruise if I'm counting right... we did the Panama Canal last May and it was amazing (we've also done a 3 day, the southern Caribbean, western Caribbean, and a few other non-Disney cruises)... so excited to have another cruise to look forward to! AND - we're headed to Aluani at the end of next month!

My wife does genealogy and some of her ancestors were from Karlshamn, Sweden, so we're planning on staying in Copenhagen for a night or two and then taking a train to Karlshamn. Is anyone familiar with the area? Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, and I would love to participate in candy exchanges, fish extender exchanges, and any other group activities... I'm also a coloring and crafting junky and would love to get together with other colorers and crafters - maybe we could arrange some fun projects to do. The crafting workshops on the ship are fun, but they're usually geared towards really basic skill levels. I'd be happy to host a small craft or coloring meet!

Oh, I'm also an avid collector of Disney Animator Dolls and my absolute favorite Disney character is Stitch... although Lilo comes in as a very close second.

Can't wait to meet all of you!!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Well, now that I've read all of the posts in this thread (and responded to several of them), I should probably introduce myself!

Hi all! My name is Heather, I'm new to the forums and still figuring my way around. My wife and I booked the EBTA cruise today!!! We are so excited. lol, I think this is our 5th Disney Cruise if I'm counting right... we did the Panama Canal last May and it was amazing (we've also done a 3 day, the southern Caribbean, western Caribbean, and a few other non-Disney cruises)... so excited to have another cruise to look forward to! AND - we're headed to Aluani at the end of next month!

My wife does genealogy and some of her ancestors were from Karlshamn, Sweden, so we're planning on staying in Copenhagen for a night or two and then taking a train to Karlshamn. Is anyone familiar with the area? Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, and I would love to participate in candy exchanges, fish extender exchanges, and any other group activities... I'm also a coloring and crafting junky and would love to get together with other colorers and crafters - maybe we could arrange some fun projects to do. The crafting workshops on the ship are fun, but they're usually geared towards really basic skill levels. I'd be happy to host a small craft or coloring meet!

Oh, I'm also an avid collector of Disney Animator Dolls and my absolute favorite Disney character is Stitch... although Lilo comes in as a very close second.

Can't wait to meet all of you!!!

Candy Exchange interest (no need to send info at this time)
Poookie
Deb T
scottrob
bobbiwoz
tmullem93

We use FEs to pass out goodies that come from our area. We've gotten bags of flavored popcorn, and cheese straws so it is not always candy, but it is fun to get back to your cabin and get a surprise treat! We usually print out something from the Internet explaining something of the history of the treat. I will keep the number of cabins in each group under 12. On one cruise there were only 3 participants, and last year's DVC Member Cruise we had 32 participants, 4 groups of 8!

Bobbi

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Hi. My wife and I love DCL but never have we done the TA. Inam disabled so cruising works well for us. I was wondering does anyone know if you wanted to do this cruise but disembark early in Dover instead of Denmark would this be allowed? We are from the UK.

 

[Rudisdey]

Hi. My wife and I love DCL but never have we done the TA. Inam disabled so cruising works well for us. I was wondering does anyone know if you wanted to do this cruise but disembark early in Dover instead of Denmark would this be allowed? We are from the UK.

I think you must contact DCL about earlier disembark. You will miss a few days of the cruise with great cities.
We live 15 min. drive from Amsterdam and do not disembark. We will fly back home from Copenhagen to Amsterdam.

 

[ImNarek]

My husband and I are so excited to be on this cruise! We'll be celebrating his 50th birthday and booked this cruise the first day it came available. I think it will be our 12th Disney Cruise, and know it will be our third TA, though our first EBTA. I'm a little nervous about losing an hour a night for five nights in a row, but hey, I'm on a cruise - I can always nap during the day!

For those of you interested in watching airfares who have a smart phone, you might want to check out the Hopper ap - it does a really good job with airfare cost predictions and figuring out when's the best time to buy. I've used them to help me decide when to purchase airfare for a number of trips, including a round-trip to China.

I'd love to participate in the FE exchange, and maybe the candy exchange. And if no one else wants to organize it, but people are interested, I'd be willing to organize a pin exchange. I'm definitely a pin collector and love my DISboard souvenir pin from my last WBTA cruise.

 

[bobbiwoz]

My husband and I are so excited to be on this cruise! We'll be celebrating his 50th birthday and booked this cruise the first day it came available. I think it will be our 12th Disney Cruise, and know it will be our third TA, though our first EBTA. I'm a little nervous about losing an hour a night for five nights in a row, but hey, I'm on a cruise - I can always nap during the day!

For those of you interested in watching airfares who have a smart phone, you might want to check out the Hopper ap - it does a really good job with airfare cost predictions and figuring out when's the best time to buy. I've used them to help me decide when to purchase airfare for a number of trips, including a round-trip to China.

I'd love to participate in the FE exchange, and maybe the candy exchange. And if no one else wants to organize it, but people are interested, I'd be willing to organize a pin exchange. I'm definitely a pin collector and love my DISboard souvenir pin from my last WBTA cruise.

I would like to participate in a pin exchange! Please explain how you do it, in person?...or given out like other FEs?

 

[cali cruiser]

Hi Everyone.....My husband and I just got off the British Isle Cruise (In June) and booked the 6 Night Repo from San Juan to Port Canaveral and THIS CRUISE.....we are so excited!! It will just be him and I (John and Michelle). We are leaving the kids home this trip as our son is in college and daughter will be a Freshman in high school.
This will be our 10th and 11th cruise (all but 1 on the Disney Magic). We did the 2010 Westbound transatlantic and LOVED it!!
We would like to participate in any groups/exchanges and look forward to meeting you all

 

[bobbiwoz]

Candy Exchange interest (no need to send info at this time)
Poookie
Deb T
scottrob
bobbiwoz
tmullem93
cali cruiser

 

[Deb T.]

Hi Everyone!

I finally have some free time to catch up with all the posts! We're so excited about this cruise!!

I can answer all your questions about Amsterdam. On this forum or next year during the cruise.

This will be our first visit to Amsterdam. What do you recommend as the top things to do/see? Are many attractions within walking distance of the port? One of DH's very favorite things to do is eat a pastry in every port - is there a good pastry/bakery shop nearby?

DH is concerned that on a longer cruise they may run out of Mickey bars.

We should be fine... They will load up the freezers with Mickey Bars in Port Canaveral for us! It's the later cruises that end up with the alternate chocolate covered ice cream bars.

I'll organize a "local" candy or snacks exchange.

Thanks for signing us up!

Is anyone planning on staying onboard for the 7 night Northern capitals cruise?

We had wanted to do a B2B with this TA cruise, but we've done two Northern Capitals cruises already. I can tell you from experience that you will have a fabulous time!

We are booked right now. Our future got a little uncertain as we are dealing with some sudden medical issues, but remain hopeful we can still do these cruises.

I haven't seen any updates... how is everyone doing? You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Any idea how early they set the schedule for dining/dress codes, shows and all of that? And can you call Guest Services to find out about it?

We've done three of the longer Magic cruises and it seems that we usually have to wait until DCL's travel documents arrive (which is usually about 4-6 weeks from sail date) to learn about dining dress codes. You can call DCL's reservation line (or your TA if you booked through one) to request a specific dining rotation, but nothing is guaranteed. I'm pretty sure the dining rotations will be:
ACLACLACLACLACL
CLACLACLACLACLA
LACLACLACLACLAC
And, here are my best guesses (so far) on the dining/show schedule:
Day 1, May 13: cruise casual, Let the Magic Begin Menu, Show: All Aboard! Let the Magic Begin
Day 2, May 14: formal night, Show: The Dream Goes On
Days 3-8: cruise casual
Day 9, May 21: semi-formal
Days 10-13: cruise casual
Day 14, May 26: formal night
Day 15, May 27: cruise casual, Show: Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic

Well, we have made travel plans! We bought Icelandic Comfort Class tix home, and will spend 2 nights in Iceland. We booked a tour for the full day. Bobbi

Iceland is on my bucket list! We haven't booked air yet, but this is definitely an option on my radar!!!

I was wondering does anyone know if you wanted to do this cruise but disembark early in Dover instead of Denmark would this be allowed? We are from the UK.

I'm absolutely positive this is allowed, but as someone else posted, you will definitely need to let DCL know (both ahead of time and again once you're onboard). We've noticed people debarking/embarking at all the different ports. Some are the entertainers that Disney brings onboard, and some have been people who needed to seek medical care or have had an emergency at home - which is what happened to two of our tablemates on our last Baltic cruise who had to debark in St. Petersburg.

I'd be willing to organize a pin exchange. I'm definitely a pin collector and love my DISboard souvenir pin from my last WBTA cruise.

Yes! Please sign us up!!

I'll be glad to start the FE Exchange. I'll post more about it very soon!

 

[Flounder89]

Thank you for your feedback on dining schedules! That is very helpful!

 

[scottrob]

I haven't seen any updates... how is everyone doing? You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Thank you. Penny's cancer is headed into remission, but we do not know when/if it will come back. We are hoping for the best and making plans like we will live forever. We leave early next month for the last Med and then are taking the Magic back from Barcelona to New York. Very excited.

 

[Chris931]

We booked our return flight from Copenhagen today! Norwegian Air has a direct flight to JFK which works perfectly for us.

 

[Deb T.]

Thank you for your feedback on dining schedules! That is very helpful!

You're welcome! Please keep in mind they are just educated guesses based on recent cruises. As always, Disney reserves the right to change everything and anything.

Thank you. Penny's cancer is headed into remission, but we do not know when/if it will come back. We are hoping for the best and making plans like we will live forever. We leave early next month for the last Med and then are taking the Magic back from Barcelona to New York. Very excited.

So glad to hear Penny's doing better! Have fun on your next two cruises!! Can't wait to hear all about the WBTA!