May 18, 2013 Magic EBTA Part Two - From Tejas to España

[NancyIL]

I think it will be a magical cruise no matter what and a vacation is what you make of it. We picked this cruise because I was hoping it wouldn't be full. I like having an empty ship as I don't do well with crowds. On the EBPC in December, they did not have to use every dining rotation. The ship felt perfect, no lines and plenty of chairs!
I've been quiet lately as I was training for a half marathon and putting in some long runs and lots of miles, I have also been studying for the CDT test which I have to take in April. The half is tomorrow so hopefully I will have more free time soon.

Good luck with the half marathon tomorrow!

I'm sort of half paying attention to this thread and Facebook. Did you already say something about PayPal for the deposit (or full payment) for the Gibraltar tour?

 

[Tod&Copper]

I know for me one of the reasons I quit posting so much is that there was so much dissension.

Also, this is our first TA ever. I personally got tired of hearing that if it was not exactly as it had been on the last one, or the one two years ago, that it wasn't going to be as good.............

Sorry, flame me if you want, but that's just the way I feel.............

Can you please tell me what Stevie said that could be accused of dissension?

He was just stating a few general facts or personal suppositions about the cruise.

You obviously seem to be nursing old wounds from previous posts and have taken exception to what he said for some reason. Maybe I have got the ethos of the disboards wrong? I thought it was a place for previous cruisers to impart their knowledge or experiences on previous trips they have had for new cruisers and fellow cruisers?

At no point did he say it would not be a good cruise, it was actually positive what he said, hoping for upgrades/pixie dust for people.

Yes, you do deserve to be flamed for accusing someone who only just joined this cruise of causing conflict and dissent ..... shocking and not very Disney-like

 

[twopeasonepod]

I think it will be a magical cruise no matter what and a vacation is what you make of it. We picked this cruise because I was hoping it wouldn't be full. I like having an empty ship as I don't do well with crowds. On the EBPC in December, they did not have to use every dining rotation. The ship felt perfect, no lines and plenty of chairs!
I've been quiet lately as I was training for a half marathon and putting in some long runs and lots of miles, I have also been studying for the CDT test which I have to take in April. The half is tomorrow so hopefully I will have more free time soon.

Good luck tomorrow! And what is CDT?

As for the emptiness onboard, I absolutely look forward to it. We have been to WDW, DLR, and DCL eight times in the last three years and EVERY time I carefully plan to go when there are less people. I know it's always magical, but I don't have the patience to stand in line for two hours or be shoulder to shoulder at every parade or event. I, too, am not a fan of crowds. I live in Hawaii for pete's sake haha. I like shopping online and I definitely love a not so full ship.

 

[WVURunner]

Good luck with the half marathon tomorrow!

I'm sort of half paying attention to this thread and Facebook. Did you already say something about PayPal for the deposit (or full payment) for the Gibraltar tour?

Thanks! The thought is that we will set up a PayPal account and have everyone pay us and then we will turn around and use that account to pay the tour company. Nothing has been setup yet. I'll keep you posted.

 

[WVURunner]

Good luck tomorrow! And what is CDT?

As for the emptiness onboard, I absolutely look forward to it. We have been to WDW, DLR, and DCL eight times in the last three years and EVERY time I carefully plan to go when there are less people. I know it's always magical, but I don't have the patience to stand in line for two hours or be shoulder to shoulder at every parade or event. I, too, am not a fan of crowds. I live in Hawaii for pete's sake haha. I like shopping online and I definitely love a not so full ship.

Thanks and CDT stands for construction document technologist, just some more letters after my name having to do with construction specs and plans. I agree, love online shopping social interactions freak me out!

 

[NancyIL]

Thanks! The thought is that we will set up a PayPal account and have everyone pay us and then we will turn around and use that account to pay the tour company. Nothing has been setup yet. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks!

 

[NancyIL]

Can you please tell me what Stevie said that could be accused of dissension?

He was just stating a few general facts or personal suppositions about the cruise.

You obviously seem to be nursing old wounds from previous posts and have taken exception to what he said for some reason. Maybe I have got the ethos of the disboards wrong? I thought it was a place for previous cruisers to impart their knowledge or experiences on previous trips they have had for new cruisers and fellow cruisers?

At no point did he say it would not be a good cruise, it was actually positive what he said, hoping for upgrades/pixie dust for people.

Yes, you do deserve to be flamed for accusing someone who only just joined this cruise of causing conflict and dissent ..... shocking and not very Disney-like

I think you misunderstood DisneyMouseHouse's post. I think she was referring to previous dissension on the DIS and Facebook as one reason this thread isn't as active as threads from previous TA cruises. She wasn't accusing StephenKay of anything.

 

[twopeasonepod]

Thanks and CDT stands for construction document technologist, just some more letters after my name having to do with construction specs and plans. I agree, love online shopping social interactions freak me out!

Oooh, sounds fancy! Does that mean you write them or review them?

I don't mind being social, but not with 85 million people trying to push their way in front of my kids. We are going to brave WDW this Christmas, as we have to use our points. I'm a little scared, but I know we will love it at that time of year!

 

[WVURunner]

Can you please tell me what Stevie said that could be accused of dissension?

:

I don't think Bev was saying Stevie was causing dissension, she was just answering his question about lack of chatter/posting on here by stating she was posting less often because of prior dissension in the group. I tend to agree, that disagreement brought down the morale of the group and changed the overall mood.

 

[WVURunner]

I think you misunderstood DisneyMouseHouse's post. I think she was referring to previous dissension on the DIS and Facebook as one reason this thread isn't as active as threads from previous TA cruises. She wasn't accusing StephenKay of anything.

You beat me to posting, my thoughts also.

 

[WVURunner]

Oooh, sounds fancy! Does that mean you write them or review them?

I don't mind being social, but not with 85 million people trying to push their way in front of my kids. We are going to brave WDW this Christmas, as we have to use our points. I'm a little scared, but I know we will love it at that time of year!

It means I can officially do that ( I was working on specs today) but my name can go on them. All plans etc still need a PE to sign them. I'll be studying for that next year. My social skills have gotten better since college but I get nervous. I have personal space issues so I hate being around people for parades and lines. We time our WDW around low periods also. We went to DLR in December before we boarded the Wonder and it was packed and the kids couldn't believe the waits were longer than 20 minutes. They have been so spoiled.

 

[binkytell]

Also, this is our first TA ever. I personally got tired of hearing that if it was not exactly as it had been on the last one, or the one two years ago, that it wasn't going to be as good.............

...

I thought I'd kept up with this thread too, I don't ever remember anyone saying that this crusie wasn't going to be as good as
previous!



I do recall others offering insight into what to expect on the ebta, myself included.





As a 1st time cruiser in 2011, I had no idea what to expect, if it hadn't
been for the advice and help from
the other dis'ers on the 2011 thread I am sure our cruise wouldn't have been as magical as it was, the reason for which we are doing the atlantic cruise again. People here were just trying to do
the same for others here

I think you misunderstood DisneyMouseHouse's post. I think she was referring to previous


dissension on the DIS and Facebook as one reason this thread isn't as active as threads from previous TA cruises. She wasn't accusing StephenKay of
anything.

I don't think Bev was saying Stevie was causing dissension, she was mjust answering his question about
lack of chatter/posting on here by
stating she was posting less often because of prior dissension in the group. I tend to agree, that disagreement brought down the morale of the group and changed the overall mood.

The group morale definitely changed, I for one left the facebook group after being flamed for deleting a post, which had been
requested to be deleted by Beverly (disneymousehouse), a post I had not even taking part in. That for me made very wary of people here, that and the childish behaviour that was going on. People seemed to forget that in a couple of months they wouldn't be hiding behind a computer screen and would actually be face to face.

 

[Tod&Copper]

I think you misunderstood DisneyMouseHouse's post. I think she was referring to previous dissension on the DIS and Facebook as one reason this thread isn't as active as threads from previous TA cruises. She wasn't accusing StephenKay of anything.

I don't think Bev was saying Stevie was causing dissension, she was just answering his question about lack of chatter/posting on here by stating she was posting less often because of prior dissension in the group. I tend to agree, that disagreement brought down the morale of the group and changed the overall mood.

Stevie has just joined the cruise and is obviously unaware of what has gone before, it's unfortunate that previous disagreements have caused a lack of morale - still stick by my opinion that I don't think that was a very nice response to his post

 

[binkytell]

Evening Everyone,

I can't help thinking that this EBTA cruise will be the quietest TA crossing DCL have ever done, certainly the WBTA's are more popular, however the lack of chat on the boards and the fact that the cruise does not depart from Port Canaveral and of course the time of year for school kids. It could good for those hoping for upgrades and easy to get spa appointments and such, however it is noticeable when you get on board.

Is anyone else thinking the same thing?

Apparently quiet has changed it's meaning to crap!!

Yeah I agree, the lack of ports, the time difference, time of year, leaving from galveston, definitely makes this cruise less of a pull, all the better for us though!! which is what I got from what you were saying

 

[MandyGirl]

I personally got tired of hearing that if it was not exactly as it had been on the last one, or the one two years ago, that it wasn't going to be as good.............

Oh, no, Beverly! So sorry you felt that way. I apologize if I ever came across that way. Funny thing is - I got flamed when getting back from our WBTA by replying to a thread on the main DIS forum the shortcomings of the cruise in comparison to other cruiselines we have been on (same observations others shared as well who were on that cruise) - but what made the transatlantic good IMHO was the sea days, fewer people, DIS members, kids club and character interactions. I really don't think anyone here was ever implying if this wasn't exactly like the last one that it would not be as good.

BTW - There are only so many screwed up orders at dinner one can handle (our table had a messed up order every single night of the 14 nights), only so many trips to guest services with various issues one can handle (I set a record - more than all previous cruises combined - and all were for legitimate issues), and having your child's overnight bag mistakenly taken from the character campout by someone else that contained their only two pairs of shoes that one can take (which then prohibited us to go to any restaurants since her only two pairs of shoes had been taken). If this cruise is exactly like our last one, it will drive me nuts. Hubby didn't even let us book a future dummy cruise while on the WBTA because of our experiences compared to other cruise lines we had cruised on. We learned how DCL (or at least some servers and stateroom hosts) can be different from our other cruises on Celebrity, Holland America, and Norwegian - and even different from others onboard - that we will be prepared this time! The folks we met on DIS, kids club and character interactions made the cruise good overall for us thankfully. I can only pray that this one won't be exactly the same as our WBTA -- that it will be better. Thankfully my experience on the Magic this past November was a 180-degree difference with respect to the areas we had concerns with on the WBTA.

 

[MandyGirl]

I think it will be a magical cruise no matter what and a vacation is what you make of it. We picked this cruise because I was hoping it wouldn't be full. I like having an empty ship as I don't do well with crowds. On the EBPC in December, they did not have to use every dining rotation. The ship felt perfect, no lines and plenty of chairs!

Absolutely - a vacation is what you make out of it. We had things on our first DCL cruise that ranked it low for us in comparison to our other cruises, but what we made out of it despite those things made it one of our favorite cruises ever. Kinda like going camping - can't guarantee perfect weather, so if it is storming and you are hoping you don't blow away in your 8x8 tent, you can still make a great vacation out of it. Or at least we have.

I've been quiet lately as I was training for a half marathon and putting in some long runs and lots of miles, I have also been studying for the CDT test which I have to take in April. The half is tomorrow so hopefully I will have more free time soon.

Good luck!!!

 

[MandyGirl]

Yes!! I'm so looking forward to meeting everyone and the total relaxation of the large number of sea days. If you don't see me at some activity, you will find me in the cove area with a cold drink, my iPod and my Kindle... reading and napping the day away.

I foresee hubby's mom spending lots and lots of time at the Cove. I'm hoping the girls both do Kids Club more and hubby and I get to try out the Cove this time! 21 days onboard the Magic and I have yet to have time there.... go figure

I LOVE packing cubes. It makes packing and unpacking SO easy. The girls each have their own cubes. Since they are all the same color, I use duct tape with a different pattern for each girl on the handles.

Sierra Trading post carries discontinued colors at times. I've been lucky to get most of mine using discount coupons from Backcountry.com.

Love that store too! And REI Outlet. We bought hubby's mom some for Christmas that were a discontinued color. Sad thing is I really liked that color and seriously thought of just getting her something else after they had arrived Soooo love packing with them no matter what type of trip it is. Heck, I leave for Costa Rica early Tuesday morning and know those things will be used again!

 

[MandyGirl]

Thanks! The thought is that we will set up a PayPal account and have everyone pay us and then we will turn around and use that account to pay the tour company. Nothing has been setup yet. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks!!

 

[Kirbo]

I don't think it's a bad thing at all. We already have had one blow-up a couple of months back, and those on Facebook and DISboards seem such a great group now. I hope the cruise is not quite full and that everyone has space to stretch out! THis is our first TA and now I'm really looking forward to meeting all of you!

I can't wait to meet all of you

I think you misunderstood DisneyMouseHouse's post. I think she was referring to previous dissension on the DIS and Facebook as one reason this thread isn't as active as threads from previous TA cruises. She wasn't accusing StephenKay of anything.

Agree

I don't think Bev was saying Stevie was causing dissension, she was just answering his question about lack of chatter/posting on here by stating she was posting less often because of prior dissension in the group. I tend to agree, that disagreement brought down the morale of the group and changed the overall mood.

Agree

The group morale definitely changed, I for one left the facebook group after being flamed for deleting a post, which had been requested to be deleted, a post I had not even taking part in. That for me made very wary of people here, that and the childish behaviour that was going on. People seemed to forget that in a couple of months they wouldn't be hiding behind a computer screen and would actually be face to face.

We need a group hug smilie.

 

[1stDC2013]

Hi there,

For those who are continuing on to visit Barcelona or other parts of Europe and have a modern "mobile" such as an Iphone, you may want to download for free the Rick Steve's Audio Europe app. This app gives you the oppurtunity to get the most out of visiting Europe's historical cities and sites. I am off visit Venice in a few weeks and this app gives you a lot of easy to take in audio tours and at no cost, which can easily cost 15 euros in Pompei or the Coloseum. Just thought you may wish to check this app out.

Thanks, very helpful!