May 14, 2011 - Eastbound TransAtlantic

[twokings]

I can't imagine there would be a problem with it. You may want to call and cancel the last leg just so they have the tickets freed up.

We ended up getting an American Airlines credit card and with the initial free points and the points we've earned since then we are using those to book two of our three tickets and only paying for one.

We also found coming back from London was a lot cheaper than coming back from Barcelona so...road trip to London Of course we keep adding days to our trip and making it more expensive so it was probably cheaper to fly back from Barcelona after all

still surprised this thread is so slow. Where is everyone?? Must be the holidays. Or there is just no one going on this cruise so it will be empty

Jim

I did the same thing. I didn't realize I was only short 12,000 miles to get two tickets. For roughly $400 I manage to get my daughter's and my flight home. We used our Southwest points for the flight down.

Trip plans changed due to not being able to use miles to fly out of Italy. We are flying out of Madrid on June 5. Trip plans still need to be determine.

 

[yorkshire disney fan]

We are looking forward to celebrating our Silver Wedding Anniversary on board the Disney Magic

 

[kcashner]

Unless something totally Magical comes up next week, I'd doing Disney air (groan). I wish they'd let me book just one way, but they won't (I checked). I can get myself to Orlando cheaper and better than they will. Hate that 6 am flight they always use. However, the one way or multi-city tickets have been more than double what the DCL air is costing.

 

[Winstanik]

Merry Christmas everyone ! My daughter had us up at 5:25 to see if Santa had been by yet. He had been by ! I got a Sony reader !! Woo Hoo ! I am all ready for the cruise now, but it seems so far away...

 

[platinumcruzer]

Merry Christmas to everyone...Hope it is a magical day full of surprise and delight!

 

[twokings]

Now that Christmas is over, I plan to really start focusing on this cruise. It is just a little over 5 months away!

 

[owensjro]

Now that Christmas is over, I plan to really start focusing on this cruise. It is just a little over 5 months away!

That makes it sound too far away. The next milestone we should use if the online check-in date!

Jim

 

[heatherb819]

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Now time to ring in the New Year and then we can officially say we are going on a cruise "this" year instead of next year! Doesn't that sound wonderful!

We are also using Disney Air, we have yet to find anything cheaper

Happy and safe New Year to everyone!

 

[twokings]

That makes it sound too far away. The next milestone we should use if the online check-in date!

Jim

Not when ya need to plan 7 days in Spain. I really need to decide where I am going.

 

[platinumcruzer]

It's time for me to check in and introduce myself. Hi, I'm Kathryn, and I'm a DCL addict. This will be 20+ sailings on the Magic for me starting with the maiden voyage. I've only been on the Wonder for 7 nights total on a B2B sailing. I don't like short cruises!

I did both crossings in 2010, but my darling daughter was in college. In 2011 the dates fit with her schedule, so we will be sailing together and doing a B2B with the first Med sailing. I've noticed a few people I recognize from 2010 crossings are posting here--nice to see you again!

A couple of you have AMAZING air fares. We're on Disney air (much as I hate it), and I haven't been able to find anything even close in fare for us. Oh well.....

One activity I didn't see on the list that we did on both TAs in 2010 was a book exchange. We did it 2 different ways--one was to meet in the Promenade Lounge on sea days...if you had a book you were finished with you put it on the table, if you saw one you wanted you took it. On the way home, one Dis-er had a canvas bag outside her cabin; same deal--drop in a book and take whatever you wanted. It was probably easier to do the canvas bag method; that way we could swap books any time we wished. In each case at the end of the cruise we donated the books to the crew library. I was there when we gave them to a high ranking CM on the April sailing so I know those did get to the crew.

The ship has a bookshelf in the Cove Cafe where you can check out books; it does tend to be busy on the longer sailings also.

Others have posted info from the 2010 crossings...I'm happy to answer any questions I can.

Kathryn,
Just realized we will be cruising on the inaugural as well as this cruise...looking forward to meeting you in 4 weeks.
Cindy

 

[twokings]

I wish this group had more activity!. Anybody else out there spending a week in Spain? I would love to know what towns/cities your plan to visit and the mode of transportation you have chosen.

 

[owensjro]

I wish this group had more activity!. Anybody else out there spending a week in Spain? I would love to know what towns/cities your plan to visit and the mode of transportation you have chosen.

It is one of the quieter threads I've seen for the cruises we've been on. Not sure what happened!

We're spending the following week in England so can't help you there.

My parents have decided to come on the cruise as well. My dad just retired and wants to spend his last bonus on the trip. My mom has never really been out of the country (Canada doesn't count since we grew up a few minutes from the border) beyond the one Eastern Caribbean trip we took them on last year. It should be interesting!

Has anyone started checking out excursions?

We sat down with my folks yesterday and went through everything currently offered. Didn't find much in Madeira or Cadiz that we felt we could do on our own. We're hoping to do the dolphin cruise and the walking tour in Gibraltar. And we have no idea what to do in Barcelona.

Jim

 

[twokings]

It is one of the quieter threads I've seen for the cruises we've been on. Not sure what happened!

We're spending the following week in England so can't help you there.

My parents have decided to come on the cruise as well. My dad just retired and wants to spend his last bonus on the trip. My mom has never really been out of the country (Canada doesn't count since we grew up a few minutes from the border) beyond the one Eastern Caribbean trip we took them on last year. It should be interesting!

Has anyone started checking out excursions?

We sat down with my folks yesterday and went through everything currently offered. Didn't find much in Madeira or Cadiz that we felt we could do on our own. We're hoping to do the dolphin cruise and the walking tour in Gibraltar. And we have no idea what to do in Barcelona.

Jim

Cadiz, I plan to do the Seville on our own bus trip. Everywhere else we plan to go on our own. In Barcelona, we will be there at least 2 days. , I plan to do the following:

Picasso Museum
Rambalas - This is like the Champ Elysees of Barcelona.
Sagrada Familia Cathedral - Antoni Gaudi Catherdral.
Casa Milo - Also Antoni Gaudi
and possibly the Daili Museum in Figueres, Spain which is about a 2 hour train ride each way. I probably will do this on May 27 since I can just get off the ship and head straight to the train station. While on Saturday I will need to worry about getting off the ship and then getting settled into a hotel room.

 

[heatherb819]

I agree, quite board, the quitest I've been on! We were looking at the excursions as well this weekend, not quite sure yet on what to do. Having never been there before we are a little lost and feel the need to stick with Disney. I've been lurking on the WBTA board and was noticing they had set up a few private tours for their DISers that sounded interesting. A few of our past Dis cruisers were on that cruise so I've contacted them to find out how they enjoyed those excursions.

 

[Happy Wanderers]

Hello all

We hope that everyone enjoyed the holidays and wish you all a happy new year.

We have been quiet on this thread because we are now recovering from our torrid time subsequent to our return from our recent vacation on The Brilliance of The Seas. Prior to joining the cruise we were to learn on arriving at LHR from GLA that our onward flight to Barcelona had been cancelled; much later and after a wait in a loooooong line we learned that there would be no flights out of LHR that day and would we like to be re scheduled on a flight for the next day? We were from that time to arrival back home a captive audience for one "adventure" after the other.

If you would like to know the whole "nine yards" of our yarn then holler but suffice to say we have learned something of our ability to:

Be resilient - example threat of no change of clothes for a 12 day cruise and additional to our intended stays in Barcelona of four days, three days etc.

Be resourceful - see above

Be brave - according to reports we experienced a serious incident at sea

Learn to cope with the aftermath - the physical stress and strain on an old worn out torso etc. (well somewhat worn out anyhow LOL), and emotional stresses that anyone might encounter during such events.

We are both hoping that our forthcoming adventure on this cruise will not be as testing. We are both looking forward to some lively chat from you all pre cruise.

Best wishes David and Adele

 

[kcashner]

Kathryn,
Just realized we will be cruising on the inaugural as well as this cruise...looking forward to meeting you in 4 weeks.
Cindy

Cindy, I was on the MV of the Magic, not sailing on the Dream. In fact, we have not booked the Dream at all as we like longer cruises;we are booked on the Fantasy.

OK....today was the day that I had to have final payment for this cruise to my TA (they ask for it early so there's no last minute problem). 10 days till we can start making reservations!

I'm not spending any time in Spain on this trip as we did that last year...and this time we are doing B2B with the first Med cruise. 25 days of bliss!

On the one hand, it is coming closer; on the other, DD has a whole semester of classes before we sail. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

 

[twokings]

Cindy, I was on the MV of the Magic, not sailing on the Dream. In fact, we have not booked the Dream at all as we like longer cruises;we are booked on the Fantasy.

OK....today was the day that I had to have final payment for this cruise to my TA (they ask for it early so there's no last minute problem). 10 days till we can start making reservations!

I'm not spending any time in Spain on this trip as we did that last year...and this time we are doing B2B with the first Med cruise. 25 days of bliss!

On the one hand, it is coming closer; on the other, DD has a whole semester of classes before we sail. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

What did you do in Spain during your last visit. More interested in town/cities and method of transportation you chose.

 

[heatherb819]

Madeira seems to be the toughest to find a tour, especially with a kid. Alot of the tours are for older kids. I don't want to go whale watching as we will have been on a boat for the past six days, any suggestions? The Culture & History tour sounds wonderful, but $155 per adult is a little steep Has anyone tried to experience Madeira on their own, is it safe?

 

[platinumcruzer]

Cindy, I was on the MV of the Magic, not sailing on the Dream. In fact, we have not booked the Dream at all as we like longer cruises;we are booked on the Fantasy.

OK....today was the day that I had to have final payment for this cruise to my TA (they ask for it early so there's no last minute problem). 10 days till we can start making reservations!

I'm not spending any time in Spain on this trip as we did that last year...and this time we are doing B2B with the first Med cruise. 25 days of bliss!

On the one hand, it is coming closer; on the other, DD has a whole semester of classes before we sail. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

Kathryn,
Sorry, I must have been reading another post and got confused. My daughter and I normally do the longer cruises as well and have been planning on doing a TA for the past two years but unfortunately life happens, however,this one is written in stone. We have not decided whether we are flying straight home or not.

Only 10 days before the activity window opens up....were there any excursions that you'd recommend or did you venture on your own?

Cindy

 

[platinumcruzer]

I wish this group had more activity!. Anybody else out there spending a week in Spain? I would love to know what towns/cities your plan to visit and the mode of transportation you have chosen.

I wish I was able to extend the vacation out for another week, but 17 days in a row off of work was the maximum.