May 12, 2007 -- Taking the Magic to the Mediterranean -- 14 day Repo Cruise! Part 2

[DizzneyDAnn]

Computer check-in complete.
Tickets to miami (114/person) reserved--to coincide with business
Barcelona to US done (500/person) and received
Hotel in Barcelona reserved with points
rental car thanks to business, will reserve closer to time of travel
just need Florida hotel, using more points


This is happening so fast and getting so real!

 

[gismo1554]

It seems like the closer we get to the cruise the harder it is to keep up with all the new posts!

I called DCL to see if I could get my palo, excursion and spa reservations back but they said no. I wasnt surprised but thought it was worth asking.
I did ask her how full the ship was and after a long pause (don't know if she was thinking about not telling me or looking it up) she said 50%.

Am I correct in thinking thats REALLY empty?

Scott, my husband had a blast with the google directions!

I take my knitting with me when I fly and no one bats an eye...even when I have my long metal needles!

Yep this is empty! YEAH

 

[gismo1554]

The longer this goes on the more I feel that DCL are never going to give me a room! I'm still down as GTY and I'm starting to get a little fed up of checking the DCL site all the time!

Anyway that's my rant over with

Miles to go - you can book 2 rooms on the airline rate but they wouldn't let us book 3! As the boat is 50% full you would have thought they would give a little bit of lee-way but instead I've ended up in GTY 12 as thats all I could afford (Dad (John) works for an airline hence we get cheap rate on hotels etc).

 

[hksilverfox]

Evening everyone! Had a balmy 78 degrees here today (Hong Kong) - just wish I could have enjoyed it being inside all day. Feel bad for all of you in the snow drifts but I will be back to it soon!
Does anyone know if they offer Yoga on board?

 

[elderfam]

Evening everyone! Had a balmy 78 degrees here today (Hong Kong) - just wish I could have enjoyed it being inside all day. Feel bad for all of you in the snow drifts but I will be back to it soon!
Does anyone know if they offer Yoga on board?

Yes they offer yoga! The last cruise we went on you had to go to the work out area and sign up as space was limited. The only downside was that the classes are really early 7 -7:30 am. I found them a great way to start my day and I dont generally like to get up that early!

 

[gydell]

I missed it. what did I miss?

I should have been clearer, its the new DCL show on the Travel channel at 5 est today. And starting at 3 are other Disney shows. I know a few people missed it a couple of weeks ago and wanted to see it.

 

[eller]

The longer this goes on the more I feel that DCL are never going to give me a room! I'm still down as GTY and I'm starting to get a little fed up of checking the DCL site all the time!

Anyway that's my rant over with

Miles to go - you can book 2 rooms on the airline rate but they wouldn't let us book 3! As the boat is 50% full you would have thought they would give a little bit of lee-way but instead I've ended up in GTY 12 as thats all I could afford (Dad (John) works for an airline hence we get cheap rate on hotels etc).

What is the airline rate?

Lori

 

[cquick]

Yes they offer yoga! The last cruise we went on you had to go to the work out area and sign up as space was limited. The only downside was that the classes are really early 7 -7:30 am. I found them a great way to start my day and I dont generally like to get up that early!

Oh, my, 7am! I don't think we'll be moving at 7am! We like to stay up late on the cruise! So much going on! Dancing, shows, etc.

 

[misseulalie]

Good morning everyone. Just one request...


can you please stop posting while I catch up!!!

Do we have a "Price Reduction Spotter"?
Someone who is keeping tabs on the cat. 12 price to see if it has gone lower?

My TA's website no longer lists Cat 12's so there is no way to tell...


We are thinking about cancelling most of our excursions on both cruises. (Maybe keep the horse show, Rome on your own, and making your own perfume; I really want to do that!), but we are adding up the costs of the excursions for all of us and it is costing more than the cruise!! (almost!)

It doesn't help that the real estate market is tanking so we need to cut down on frills....

We talked about it and since we travel a lot anyway, and DH can speak French and Spanish ( which then can get you by in Italian) we should be ok without the excursions.

I checked with DCL and they told me we can cancel the excursions without penalty 2 days prior to sailing. Is this right?

 

[milestogo]

Goodmorning all,

Lori, the airline employees get discounts to certain events, cruises and amusement parks (and they get to fly for free.) The only problem is that they have to fly standby (although they are on a wait list) My DSIL is having a problem with the waitlist from BCN right now. The discounts are big - almost the same as military. They are so flexible and all over the world, so its a target market for the cruise lines.

Jennifer, we had the same issue about the expense of the excursions. and I know you were concerned about your little one. We have decided to do Tenerife, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Rome, La Spezia on our own. We've done a ton of research and feel comfortable doing these cities. Plus there are groups of us in each city, so please do feel free to do that with us. For many of the cities we are going in a group to learn how to do it then going on our own and returning. We are bringing our barely 4 year old on all of them. So, if you want me to share notes, I'm happy to email them to you as I get a little more organized. It cut our budget down by about $2000. from where we originally calculated.

 

[AuntyBrat]

Do we have a "Price Reduction Spotter"?
Someone who is keeping tabs on the cat. 12 price to see if it has gone lower?

My TA's website no longer lists Cat 12's so there is no way to tell...

Yes, I am checking twice a day. Nothing this morning. I really thought they would drop them today (they were dropping prices every 10 days) but maybe tomorrow (29 days from cruise date). But I keep checking because I want to make sure I get the cheapest rate possible!

And yes you can cancel 2 days before the cruise without penalty.

 

[BarbWhite]

Denver fliers--Are any of you flying out of DIA on the 7:15 am Southwest flight on the 11th? That is when my in-laws are comming in.
:

We will be flying to Orlando May 11 on Frontier, getting to Orlando around 4:30. Spending the night at the Hyatt right in the airport so we don't have to mess with a car, etc. We'll be visiting with my daughters best friend who is a Wedding Coordinator at Disney, and celebrating Maggie's (my granddaughter) 3rd birthday that night, then catch the Disney bus first thing in the morning.

 

[mom_rules]

We will be flying to Orlando May 11 on Frontier, getting to Orlando around 4:30. Spending the night at the Hyatt right in the airport so we don't have to mess with a car, etc. We'll be visiting with my daughters best friend who is a Wedding Coordinator at Disney, and celebrating Maggie's (my granddaughter) 3rd birthday that night, then catch the Disney bus first thing in the morning.

We'll be at the Hyatt and on that bus too!

 

[gydell]

We will be flying to Orlando May 11 on Frontier, getting to Orlando around 4:30. Spending the night at the Hyatt right in the airport so we don't have to mess with a car, etc. We'll be visiting with my daughters best friend who is a Wedding Coordinator at Disney, and celebrating Maggie's (my granddaughter) 3rd birthday that night, then catch the Disney bus first thing in the morning.

Sounds like a fun way to spend the day before the cruise!

 

[tazzmacd]

I'm like Milestogo, we ahd a few booked but then started to look at the price of them. So I think we are going to do all the ports on our own. With a 6 year old in tow we are not sure how much he will want to do so we are going to play it by ear. One place on Tenerife that does sound interesting is the Monkey Zoo, just need to figure out how far of a drive it will be from the port.

Cheers!!

Pat

 

[juliekatie]

Hi Beth5D! We lived in Barrington, IL. We moved in 2003 when our son was born, but we really loved it there. We lived on Hager (right by the High School) and went to St. Anne Church. I know it is a big town, but it will be fun to see if we know mutual people. I look forward to meeting you and everyone else.

By the way, I can't believe I am the first one to say this, but we are finally in the one month count down!!!

Oh, and Elderfam, I am so sorry to hear about the adoption. It must be heartbreaking. I watched the journey that my brother and his wife went through to become parents and it was really difficult. I can say now, though, they are the most amazing parents to a perfect little boy!

 

[KarenNY]

I'm finally getting into planning mode
Any ideas on the best places to exchange dollars for euros?

 

[gydell]

27days for us!

 

[kpros]

I'm finally getting into planning mode
Any ideas on the best places to exchange dollars for euros?

We just used Bank of Amercia's online order system. Wells Fargo also has an online system. Is this the best place - probably not. Was it easy, yes.

Ken

 

[seaulater]

I should have been clearer, its the new DCL show on the Travel channel at 5 est today. And starting at 3 are other Disney shows. I know a few people missed it a couple of weeks ago and wanted to see it.

Thanks! Tivo'd it a couple of weeks ago and watched it all! It was great!