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

[misseulalie]

Ok, I'm trying to figure out how to use our cell phones on the cruise. I will get my phone unlocked and it is a GSM phone. T-Mobile told me that since I will be on a cruise ship, my rates will be different $4.99 a minute vs. $.99 a minute

I am looking at the international pre-paid sim cards, but here is my question; will they work on a cruise ship? Especially since we are also doing the transatlantic.
I am on the http://www.telestial.com/ website and see the cards for the different countires, but how do I know it will work on the ship?

Also, are the Canary Islands considered to be Spain on these websites? I can never find the Islands.

 

[AuntyBrat]

Ok, I'm trying to figure out how to use our cell phones on the cruise. I will get my phone unlocked and it is a GSM phone. T-Mobile told me that since I will be on a cruise ship, my rates will be different $4.99 a minute vs. $.99 a minute

I am looking at the international pre-paid sim cards, but here is my question; will they work on a cruise ship? Especially since we are also doing the transatlantic.
I am on the http://www.telestial.com/ website and see the cards for the different countires, but how do I know it will work on the ship?

Also, are the Canary Islands considered to be Spain on these websites? I can never find the Islands.

I did a bunch of research on this and here is what I found out:

1 - No matter what kind of cell phone sim card you have they won't work in the middle of the ocean. No cell towers = no service.

2 - If you have a satellite phone (and the prices are enough to scare the pants off of you just to rent one) you will have phone service because it is satellite based, not cell tower based.

3 - The Canary Islands are part of Spain for a couple of services I looked up.

I actually did a cost analysis (anal retentive blood sucking bean counter) and it was actually CHEAPER to do $75 worth of internet on DCL and then buy two $25 phone cards (total of $50) for a total of $125, than do JUST cell service or a satellite phone because of the cost of the cards/rates/phone rentals. And on the phone cards we did factor is a hit of 30 minutes everytime we used a payphone (highest rate charged) to call home. We figure we will call one kid and have them conference in the other kid and we can all talk at once. Of course we are all rather geeky so YMMV.

Laura

 

[milestogo]

Hey Padalyn, Jonathan got his velcro wrist bands in the mail today! thanks!!

 

[AuntyBrat]

The most amazing thing has happend for my DH and I. We have been thinking about adopting for sometime and last summer we signed up with an organization that helps couples do just that.

We just got a call two days ago that a birthmother has chosen us!
The due date looks like it will hit around May 20th. Within the next 8 days if the adoption looks like it will proceed we will have to cancel our cruise.

After a year of planning its hard to turn off the excitement for this vacation, but we are just thrilled with having a baby!
What is the youngest anyone has taken a child on a cruise? (thinking ahead to summer 08!

OMG - How totally awesome for you!!! Talk about a blessing!!! Congratulations and good luck!!

Laura

 

[cquick]

The most amazing thing has happend for my DH and I. We have been thinking about adopting for sometime and last summer we signed up with an organization that helps couples do just that.

We just got a call two days ago that a birthmother has chosen us!
The due date looks like it will hit around May 20th. Within the next 8 days if the adoption looks like it will proceed we will have to cancel our cruise.

After a year of planning its hard to turn off the excitement for this vacation, but we are just thrilled with having a baby!
What is the youngest anyone has taken a child on a cruise? (thinking ahead to summer 08!

Congratulations!!!! what wonderful news! Good luck with the new baby!

 

[Michelle2]

We are fly back from Barcelona on May 27, 2007 at 9:50am on Swiss Air the one way fare was $386.76 and we only booked this last week. If we were to leave on the 26th the fare was around $800. so instead we are going to stay overnight in Barcelona and leave early the next morning. I did my air through Expedia.

We did the same thing....We leave the next day on the 27th because it was so much cheaper, except we were through cheaptickets. Are you flying into JFK?? I can't remember what time we leave, but our connection is through Geneva. I wish I could stay a few days there!!!!

 

[milestogo]

Hey all, I just got a really cute DVD in the mail about our trip, did anyone else get this or is just for the med cruisers? It did mention again to make a copy of your passport and not to carry it with you.

OK, Eric, you talked me into it... we are getting the annual pass at WDW!

and we did finally decide to spend one day at DL Paris.

 

[KarenNY]

Elderfam
Congratulations-that is wonderful news!

 

[KarenNY]

We are fly back from Barcelona on May 27, 2007 at 9:50am on Swiss Air the one way fare was $386.76 and we only booked this last week. If we were to leave on the 26th the fare was around $800. so instead we are going to stay overnight in Barcelona and leave early the next morning. I did my air through Expedia.

I booked our air on Orbitz. We're flying out the same time-Barcelona-Zurich-Chicago. After a 3 hour layover in O'Hare, Mary heads to Detroit and I have a flight down to Norfolk. I booked last month. Mary's fare is under $500 and mine is just over $600. I couldn't find anything less than $1200 for 5/26.

 

[tig82174]

OH MY GOOD HEAVENS!!! I QUIT!!!.....................my job, that is! It is clear that I just cannot afford a full 16 hour stint away from this message board. Work is far too great a distraction. You spend a whole day doing that nonsense and you get totally bogged down and lost....and miss so much!! New cruisers? Babies getting adopted? People having to drop off the cruise list? Running low on lanyards?! I don't know WHO my darn boss thinks he is thinking WORK is more important than all that...but it's got to stop!!

Anyhow welcome and congrats all around......and you go girl (Kelly) on the annual passes!!


Erik

 

[Scott H]

OH MY GOOD HEAVENS!!! I QUIT!!!.....................my job, that is! It is clear that I just cannot afford a full 16 hour stint away from this message board. Work is far too great a distraction. You spend a whole day doing that nonsense and you get totally bogged down and lost....and miss so much!! New cruisers? Babies getting adopted? People having to drop off the cruise list? Running low on lanyards?! I don't know WHO my darn boss thinks he is thinking WORK is more important than all that...but it's got to stop!!

Anyhow welcome and congrats all around......and you go girl (Kelly) on the annual passes!!


Erik

I hear your pain....

I only wish I could, I promised a few more years than planned , on work that is, oh 4 years to go after this cruise, won't be too bad.

Have a great day you guys.

Saw the trailer to POC last night I thought it was pretty KEWL!!!!

Also on the travel Channel Cruise Do's and Don'ts, there was a DCL CM named Clayton, looked like a guy we called Hollywood that said when moves premier on land they also premier on the ships, so that is what me thinks....

Of course they also said no need to get to the port early, what to they know

 

[Hygiene99]

The most amazing thing has happend for my DH and I. We have been thinking about adopting for sometime and last summer we signed up with an organization that helps couples do just that.

We just got a call two days ago that a birthmother has chosen us!
The due date looks like it will hit around May 20th. Within the next 8 days if the adoption looks like it will proceed we will have to cancel our cruise.

After a year of planning its hard to turn off the excitement for this vacation, but we are just thrilled with having a baby!
What is the youngest anyone has taken a child on a cruise? (thinking ahead to summer 08!

Congratulations

Just wanted to let you know that the change fee is often less than the cancelation fee.
So if you change the date instead of canceling the cruise you could make out better.

 

[tig82174]

Hey so this is totally off topic...but because so many people seemed so interested and supportive of the cheerleading squad for whom I'm the tumbling coach recently winning their national championship competition, I thought I'd share this. Here is a link to a youtube video that one of my girls' father taped with his cameraphone (they wouldn't allow videocameras into the competition apparently)...it's not super great quality and the crowd is screaming so loud you can't hear my girls' music but you can at least see their routine...and in particular the entire opening gymnastics/tumbling segment for which I'm taking credit lmao: ) because I helped make up that piece in terms of what tumbling shoudl go where and I taught half those girls to even DO that tumbling!!

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkN7_oGvThk

Enjoy if your'e a cheerleading fan ...ignore if you're not!





Erik

 

[NHdisneylover]

Erik,
Thanks for sharing this. Rio and I just watched it--FUN
The tumbling was awesome Nice work No wonder the girls won!

 

[tazzmacd]

Congrates on the new adoption!! That is exciting, bummer you will have to miss the cruise but there are always cruises not to often you can adopt a new baby.

Erik, I know what you mean about not having the time to read. Was too busy at home an dwork the past few days to read anything and there were 4 pages to catch up on. Now if I could only win the lotto then I would retire and have all the time in the world to read and travel. Ah to dream.....

Winter has decided to give us one last taste today, woke up to a snow storm this morning, oh yea. But they are saying tha tit shoudl be 5C this afternoon and rain so the snow won't last, thank god.

Spent last night trying to get the new gym set up in the basement of the house, lots of pieces to put this thing together. Spent 3 hours and still nto done, did get a work out doign it though so that is a start.

Have to start working on our door sign soon, we are running out of time but that is on the very long list of things to finish before we can go.

Well back to work.

Cheers!!

Pat

 

[NHdisneylover]

Pat--No worries about this final (fingers crossed) winter storm. It blew through here already and really only lasted a few hours, and left no new snow behind by the time the rain melted what little actaully came down. It was a blowing, yucky mess while it lasted but was short lived.

 

[milestogo]

Retirement! HA - I have 30 more years before retirement... but I do love what I do and hope to work longer than that.

 

[Michelle2]

Erik, that was awesome!! Good job! I don't have a gymnastic bone in my body, but always wish that I did when I was younger.

 

[littleowensmommy]

Hey so this is totally off topic...but because so many people seemed so interested and supportive of the cheerleading squad for whom I'm the tumbling coach recently winning their national championship competition, I thought I'd share this. Here is a link to a youtube video that one of my girls' father taped with his cameraphone (they wouldn't allow videocameras into the competition apparently)...it's not super great quality and the crowd is screaming so loud you can't hear my girls' music but you can at least see their routine...and in particular the entire opening gymnastics/tumbling segment for which I'm taking credit lmao: ) because I helped make up that piece in terms of what tumbling shoudl go where and I taught half those girls to even DO that tumbling!!

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkN7_oGvThk

Enjoy if your'e a cheerleading fan ...ignore if you're not!





Erik

Fantastic Erik!!! My DD5 Amy has taken gymnastics for 2 years and still can't do a cartwheel. Can we arrange a private lesson onboard? I bet Kelly's Zoe would join in too.

Kathy

 

[milestogo]

Kathy, while you were away I already hit him up for that!!! He said yes, plus he'd throw in a show for us!