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

[birkner]

The dress I am wearing my sister and I both own and will be wearing on formal night.

Very nice!

 

[Kirbo]

We finally got our plane tix this week. Ended up getting a great fare for direct flights, and got to use the vouchers from our Tahoe trip so saved a bunch of $.

Is anyone bringing "real" formal wear? Tony will still bring a suit, Grayson and Jonah wear a tie (but no jacket), and I usually wear a floor-length gown to formal night. But I'm thinking of wearing a short dress instead (kinda bummed about it, though).

I tried buying pretty dresses for my girls and they have told me to return everything I've bought. So they won't be dressed up at all I plan on wearing nice dresses, but nothing very fancy. DH will likely stick to khakis and dress shirts with ties. I think he's leaving his suit at home (it's somewhat dated, it's from '97, he wore it to our wedding and to each wedding we've attended since plus a few funerals , we just don't have the need for a suit in our lives, so we haven't bought him a new one). He brought it the last cruise, but this cruise we've got weight limits and fewer bags. Last cruise was a week and we could each bring two bags. This cruise is three weeks and we each get one bag

Oh no, we aren't trading, we just BOTH OWN a lot of the same dresses! Guess we have similair taste and have been bridesmaids in the same weddings.

I tried shoe swapping once with my older sister and friend (they are 10s and I am an 11) on a cruise and it didn't work out as we all wanted to wear the same pair on the same night! Plus my feet were cramped the whole time. So I will be bringing my own pairs even though little sis is a 10.

It doesn't surprise me we have the same dresses as all three of us will pick out and send my Mom the same birthday/Mother's day card even though we all live hundreds of miles away from each other!

I love that! My Granny and her two sisters were the same. We'd go to family dinners and they'd all have on, for example, a white dress with blue polka dots. It was really neat.

Same here, always have weight issues on bags. Worst was the 600 Euro charge on Air Berlin in 2010.

The dress I am wearing my sister and I both own and will be wearing on formal night.

Great picture

 

[twopeasonepod]

The dress I am wearing my sister and I both own and will be wearing on formal night.

Very cute!

it's somewhat dated, it's from '97, he wore it to our wedding and to each wedding we've attended since plus a few funerals

HAHAHAHA awesome!

My only bummer is that the professional photos will look the same as last cruise since I'll be in the same dress. But oh well.

 

[EBW]

Welcome aboard. Please check the first page of the this thread to see all the activities planned. Tell us about you and your fiance. My name is Noel and my DH's name is John. We are from Woodside, California. This is our third TA trip though the first one EB.

Hey.

So my name is Erica and DH to be is mark. This is our first transatlantic but will be our 4th Disney cruise. We currently live in England. What other cruises have you done and have you been with Disney before? Xx

 

[MandyGirl]

Hey! I am new too dis boards; my fiancé usually sorts everything out when it comes to holidays. So we are going to be on the transatlantic this from Texas to Barcelona. I know the fish extender is now closed but I would love to be involved in other activities that are being organised whilst we are away. Looking forward to the holiday, 5 weeks today x

Welcome aboard!! Yes - several other activities still have availability. Just sign up with each one per the method list

I don't own "real" formal wear, and I'm not bringing a dress. The dress gets worn only on cruises with my DH, and only because he ask me to.

We don't own a tux, but I think hubby will bring his suit. I will bring dresses but not nearly as formal of dresses that I have worn before or seen onboard (not bring long, poofy, etc - going for shorter and more compact for packing). Probably just the same I wore on the Magic 7-night in November, with my blingy flip flops that are slightly elevated to count as my heels. Hopefully nobody will be looking under tables at dinner to scrutinize shoes

The dress I am wearing my sister and I both own and will be wearing on formal night.

Cute!!!

 

[kaseyC]

I will not be too formal. I always pack a few classic staples that I can play with... basic black skirt, basic black dress, a couple of colorful cotton cardigans, 1 or 2 sparkly tanks, a pair of black cropped pants, a pair of khaki cropped pants and a number of T-shirts- long and short sleeves. I then add other items if space is available.

 

[Ladyshopper]

Got loads sorted out this weekend:

ESTA completed - currently pending authorisation but not anticpating any problems!

Hotel finally booked! After searched hundreds of times/sites I have gone for the Candlewood Suites. I have used my priority points and a little cash, and by doing it this way I have been able to get 2 rooms (so I won't be disturbed by my son who is such a loud snorer its untrue!) for 15,000 points plus $40. A bargain I think!

I have also booked our train tickets - used all the free credit in my redspottedhanky account (they forever seem to be giving away codes for £5 or £10 free) and got kids tickets to Euston (I get free rail travel to London thanks to my job), then will scoot on the underground to Paddington, where I have booked us on the Heathrow Express. Normally we just take the tube to Heathrow, but that takes forever, so will be nice to go on the Express and have a 15 minute journey!

I also talked my father in law into picking us up from Heathrow when we land from Barcelona, as didn't really fancy doing the underground/train journey after a long day in Barcelona. So thats a free journey home!

So, am feeling quite pleased with myself getting all that sorted.

Also had some good news regarding my operation for my neck on 7th June. I also need a wisdom tooth out under general anaesthetic, and I went to see the consultant this week. Told him about my neck op, and he has agreed that I can have the tooth done at the same time, so only 1 op for 2 procedures. Was very pleased - its not often the NHS is run as efficiently as that, and so nice that common sense was applied and I can have it all done in one go. I'm going to make a very attractive sight with a numb mouth and a cut neck!

 

[heatherb819]

I will not be too formal. I always pack a few classic staples that I can play with... basic black skirt, basic black dress, a couple of colorful cotton cardigans, 1 or 2 sparkly tanks, a pair of black cropped pants, a pair of khaki cropped pants and a number of T-shirts- long and short sleeves. I then add other items if space is available.

We are at the perfect table!! We aren't going formal either, not enough packing room. I'm keeping it simple and playing mix n match as well!

 

[SophiaMax]

My DH will bring his Tux, because he has one. (We are members of a Mardi Gras krewe, and there is a formal ball every year.) I am bringing long dresses for formal nights, but they are very lightweight plain dresses, no bling/no ruffles! I have a stapless, knee length dress for semi formal night, simple summer dresses for casual nights.
I noticed people talking about one bag limits. Is that from the airline or DCL?
Thanks to those that replied with links to the weather in Madiera. I will definitely have to rethink packing! Much cooler in those areas than I expected!

 

[Kirbo]

My DH will bring his Tux, because he has one. (We are members of a Mardi Gras krewe, and there is a formal ball every year.) I am bringing long dresses for formal nights, but they are very lightweight plain dresses, no bling/no ruffles! I have a stapless, knee length dress for semi formal night, simple summer dresses for casual nights.
I noticed people talking about one bag limits. Is that from the airline or DCL?
Thanks to those that replied with links to the weather in Madiera. I will definitely have to rethink packing! Much cooler in those areas than I expected!

Airline limits. I don't think DCL has bag limits. But we're trying to keep ours to one bag each as we'll be paying for that and a second bag will cost even more.

 

[GoofyNewfie]

Airline limits. I don't think DCL has bag limits. But we're trying to keep ours to one bag each as we'll be paying for that and a second bag will cost even more.

I could have sworn I saw a 2 bag pp limit somewhere from DCL. I found this on their site.

Many ports feature outstanding golf courses. Should you plan to golf during your cruise, you may bring your own golf clubs with you—and your clubs do not count against your 2-piece baggage limit. Please note, you may only store your clubs in your stateroom.

I think I'll be packing my "clubs" and shoving a big of extra clothing in there. kidding, just kidding.

 

[woody73]

I could have sworn I saw a 2 bag pp limit somewhere from DCL.

When you check in online, it's in the cruise contract.

Woody

 

[ThePedersonFamily]

My daughter and I went out yesterday and had a blast shopping for our secret Mickey gifts!!! We spent the whole afternoon going from shop to shop to find the best deals and make our money stretch!! We were on the fence about doing the secret Mickey, but I'm so glad Yvette talked us into it...what fun!!!

 

[SaraCat]

My DH is bringing his Tux, glad to hear he can wear it for Palo as he isn't bringing another smart jacket. I will have one long evening dress and a couple of short ones for semi-formal. I love the chance to dress up!

 

[Viking_53]

My daughter and I went out yesterday and had a blast shopping for our secret Mickey gifts!!! We spent the whole afternoon going from shop to shop to find the best deals and make our money stretch!! We were on the fence about doing the secret Mickey, but I'm so glad Yvette talked us into it...what fun!!!

We did the same thing yesterday morning, and had a great time as well!

 

[EjeG]

Hey! I am new too dis boards; my fiancé usually sorts everything out when it comes to holidays. So we are going to be on the transatlantic this from Texas to Barcelona. I know the fish extender is now closed but I would love to be involved in other activities that are being organised whilst we are away. Looking forward to the holiday, 5 weeks today x

Welcome.. Check out the first page on this thread. You can still sign up for the private Mixology class and if we get 5 more people to signup for the Private Chocolate tasting we will end up with a second tasting. Right now there are 5 on waiting list but 5 more and we can arrange a second tasting (it's chocolate and alcohol).

There are some other things that are still open as well and a few things like the Photowalks and the Pub crawl that are open to anyone with no "cut off" date.

I will be bringing one long dress and one cocktail dress for the two formal nights and oddly enough, my sister will be wearing the same dresses for those nights as well. Short dresses for the rest of the nights

DH will be packing his Tux but not a suit. After thinking about the last 14 day cruise, he wore the tux 3 nights (2 formal and Palo) and only wore the suit once on semiformal night. So he will only be bringing his tux and blazer.

Due to our travels after the cruises I'm not bringing my tux, just my suit to use for semi formal, formal and as well Palo. Really like "dressing up" since rarely ever get the chance here in the rural midwest but have to look at amount of cloths etc, with 4 people we need conserve room, hard to get a lot of big suitcases in rental cars in Europe

 

[EjeG]

We each bring our own and we always have weight issues but I bring a dress for each night so I am sure that doesn't help matters.

We are totally hamming up the dresses, might as well run with it! Since my sister's DH isn't tagging along, I am going to want a pic of each of us on my husband's arm in matching dresses. I think we are bringing like 4 or 5 of the same dresses!

Need help with those photos, let me know. I'll get you some really nice once.

Same here, always have weight issues on bags. Worst was the 600 Euro charge on Air Berlin in 2010.

At least with the air lines you can normally pay extra... Try rental car. Last time we were in Sweden, we had to change the car we were initially given because there was no way we could fit all our bags, we barely manage to fit it into the next car we got. If one of the medium size bags been a large bag we would been SOL. We have to be very careful with size and amount of bags since we will spend 3 weeks in Europe with rental car after the cruise.

 

[NancyIL]

I'm flying to Orlando tomorrow for 8 days at WDW. I am taking a carry-on roller bag and a backpack, as t-shirts and shorts don't take up much space. I think I can get by with the same suitcase for this cruise - with the addition of a pair of dress pants and a few dressier tops. It will also make going through customs at JFK a whole lot faster if my suitcase is a carry-on rather than checked baggage, as I have just under 2 hours between flights.

As I dragged a large checked bag around train stations in Germany last June, I swore I wouldn't travel in Europe with such a large suitcase again. I'll also be camping in NZ next Feb. after 2 weeks on a cruise, so I'll be packing light for that, too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm flying to Orlando tomorrow for 8 days at WDW. I am taking a carry-on roller bag and a backpack, as t-shirts and shorts don't take up much space. I think I can get by with the same suitcase for this cruise - with the addition of a pair of dress pants and a few dressier tops. It will also make going through customs at JFK a whole lot faster if my suitcase is a carry-on rather than checked baggage, as I have just under 2 hours between flights.

As I dragged a large checked bag around train stations in Germany last June, I swore I wouldn't travel in Europe with such a large suitcase again. I'll also be camping in NZ next Feb. after 2 weeks on a cruise, so I'll be packing light for that, too.

I leave on the 20th for 9 nights at WDW. First resort is BWV with 3 friends for 5 nights. We're going to Flower Power Concert on the 21st...Village People. How about you?

 

[p17blo]

I have done so many cruises now, too many to count on RCCL and the EBTA will be my 5th with DCL, I no longer really bother with the formal stuff. It's great if you want to dress up, but I've never really had any problems not being overly formal on formal nights and I worn everything from my Black Tie to a Suit, to Trousers and a Blazer, to Trousers and Shirt, to Jeans and a T-Shirt. Only thing I won't go to on formal night is Shorts. But either way I think there should be no pressure - We've all spent a lot of money to be there so we should have the choice (within reason) of what we wear.

And don't get me started with Airline baggage polcies. I have 3 flights to contend with this trip.
BA from LHR to DFW - Club (Business) so 3 x 23kg with 'free' upgrade to 32kgs per
UA from DFW to IAH - Business/First so 2 x 50lbs
Then BA from BCN to LHR - Economy (and this is the stinger) 1 x 23kgs. I've already paid 40 euros per bag for another bag each, but that still only makes 2 x 23kgs.

These conflicted baggage policies are difficult to handle, either I have to go with the lowest common denominator (2 x 23kg) or lose some baggage along the way - We all know it usually goes the other way.

BA's excess weight baggage policy is quite costly (but not as much as the 600 euros quoted above).

European flights used to include everything but every year they seem to find something else they can charge you for. I suppose you've heard that at one point Ryan Air considered charging to use the toilets on board...

Paul