May 18, 2013 MAGIC EBTA - Who is with us?

[sdlong329]

Agreed - SCARED OF FLYING SAME DAY

Really? So, people changing airline tickets (referencing the comments) ... IS NOT scaring anyone ... even when they reference not wanting to miss part of the cruise?

One thing I can say for sure ... providing incorrect information (missing 11 days) is not a warning.


ADDING STRESS? Me? Uhhh ... so, warning (not MY words) someone they could miss their flight by flying the same day ISN'T stressful? CHANGING their reservation because of the warning ISN'T stressful? But, pointing out common sense ... number of segments, weather, and holding the ship for airfare booked through cruise line IS stressful.


Maybe we should all drive to the airport two days before the flight ... to avoid stress?

C'mon Steven, that's a little rough. I'm sure no one is trying to "scare" anyone and I think you're adding more than a little stress to the way people worded things. People are sharing stories and opinions. No different than so many other topics we all warn each other about. It's up to each and every one of us to take a considered review of each opinion and decide whether each warning / recommendation / observation is something we should heed.

I am accused of SCARING people ... but you say nobody is trying to scare anyone? Yes, people are sharing stories and opinions ... so what's your point. Why is one person's observation considered SCARING someone. Why would one person's observation add stress? I don't really consider me having supplied an opinion, rather, thoughts on either options. Remember, I NEVER said someone SHOULD or SHOULD NOT fly prior to, or on embarkation day (as a side note, I prefer to fly the night before embarkation). How does that scare anyone?

When someone warns someone else they could miss a flight and miss 11 nights of a 14 night cruise (an outright false statement) it's no longer an observation, story or opinion. What's the motivation of providing wrong information?

 

[kaseyC]

Oh sorry, a bit overstimulated right now as my sister just went into labor! So excited to be adding another niece.

Departing Monday June 3rd on Swiss Air out of BCN, layover in Geneva and then on our way to JFK. We will grab a rental car and drive home, which should take us about 2 hours. I don't have the exact flight info on me.

Congratulations on you new niece and the great deal on air fare! Swiss Air is a great airline and the chocolate they provide on board is delish!

 

[Kirbo]

Oh sorry, a bit overstimulated right now as my sister just went into labor! So excited to be adding another niece.

Departing Monday June 3rd on Swiss Air out of BCN, layover in Geneva and then on our way to JFK. We will grab a rental car and drive home, which should take us about 2 hours. I don't have the exact flight info on me.

Congratulations on the new addition!

And on the awesome airfare!

 

[Kirbo]

Really? So, people changing airline tickets ... commenting on the threads ... IS NOT scaring anyone ... even when they reference not wanting to miss part of the cruise? Seriously?

For me it really got me thinking about "what if." When we did the MR cruise we flew in the night before both times. We booked our own air. Getting Disney Air I didn't really think it through. But after reading the posts here I realized that I would worry too much if we were flying in the day of. It'd be stressful and not a great way to start our vacation (if everything went perfectly) and it'd be a total bummer if something went wrong and we missed a few days (or 11 days!).

Personally, I'm really glad that I read what other had to say about it. Helped me to make a more informed decision that is right for my family. That's one of the many things I like about these boards, you get other people's perspective and information to help out.

I've gotten tons of great advice from kcashner and NancyIL since joining here and now I'm getting more great stuff from folks on this thread.

So thank you, everyone! I really appreciate it.

 

[sdlong329]

Where did you find a one way car rental for $60?? I couldn't find anything that cheap. DCL transfers are $90 for the three of us, and the cheapest car I cold find was $200 with a drop charge of $100 in Galveston.

When we were told there were no transfers from HOU, we were quoted about $65 +/- for an economy car, dropped off in Galveston, via Enterprise. While I am not sure, some of the quoted "drop charges" may be as a result of contacting an office which does not want to relinquish (retrieve, resupply) vehicles. As an example, when renting a car immediately outside of WDW, they will not generally charge a drop fee for Merritt Island and / or Cocoa Beach. To the contrary, Merritt Island and / or Cocoa Beach facilities often charge a drop fee to MCO. Your mileage may vary by rental agency, where you call, time of the year, contract, and type of vehicle.

 

[binkytell]

I wrote agreed , which I did agree with goofy that you were being harsh!!

PLEASE do not misquote me. Thank you

Really? So, people changing airline tickets (referencing the comments) ... IS NOT scaring anyone ... even when they reference not wanting to miss part of the cruise?

One thing I can say for sure ... providing incorrect information (missing 11 days) is not a warning.


ADDING STRESS? Me? Uhhh ... so, warning (not MY words) someone they could miss their flight by flying the same day ISN'T stressful? CHANGING their reservation because of the warning ISN'T stressful? But, pointing out common sense ... number of segments, weather, and holding the ship for airfare booked through cruise line IS stressful.


Maybe we should all drive to the airport two days before the flight ... to avoid stress?

 

[MandyGirl]

Just found our flights from Barcelona for $500 (roundtrip ticket though) So excited.

That is awesome!!

 

[kcashner]

We are leaving on the Magic this week (9 nights) . Our FE is organized to be 9 in a group so that each day one family is assigned to deliver. Maybe if this 14 night voyage has 14 families in each FE group? Just sayin'

I'm not doing FE, so don't have a dog in this fight...but I don't like it when we are told when to deliver our stuff. Sorry, but prior to the cruise we have no idea what is happening when.

Again, whatever works for the participants.....

 

[Grandma x3]

Been busy and Wow - this thread has been active!
Welcome to all the newcomers - and sadly farewell to those who had to cancel!

1st - since I'm traveling alone I would love to be included in late linked dining - it would be wonderful to be dining along with those I've come to know. So far the only one I've actually met is kaseyC (Henrietta) from the 2007 WBTA. However, from this thread & our facebook page - I can't wait to meet so many of you - I anticipate just too much fun on this cruise!!

2nd - yes - I would like to join the walk (not run) - have walked deck 4 on every cruise I've been on - and the am walk is a great start to the work out at the gym

I'm all set except for finding a hotel for myself for 1 night in Barcelona and a hotel for 2 nights in London for my DH, DGS and me.

Good night all - I'll try to do better in keeping up !!

Chris

 

[padalyn]

whew, you folks have been VERY chatty!!

We finally have all the Christmas decorations away, are getting ready to book our Palo etc for this cruise. Our wedding planner had a busy weekend for us last weekend, and we have a busy one planned for NEXT weekend. That being said - just checking in to see what is new.

About the FE exchange - we are going to give to all, so however it is broken up is fine by us. This whole process sounds like it is getting more confusing than is necessary. I guess the organizer needs to clarify - my understanding is that it is ONE gift given (to each cabin or person - that is up to the giver) for the cruise. Not multiples. I have heard (from a participant in my last cruise) that some folks like to have a set date/day for delivery. I guess this is to spread the gifts out over the whole cruise. We were prefer that NOT be the case, since we often take mutliple days to do the whole ship. Having delivered 235 gifts on one cruise alone - I can tell you - it CAN be done! We had a blast doing it and it only took about 3 hours on the Fantasy.

I know that somewhere on the FB page someone had suggested the days for the formal and semi-formal dinners - could that be posted here as well? I don't keep up on the FB page (my hunny does that one) and while I am at work I can't access FB at all.

We are early dining, not linking. We asked to be seated at a table without children (our choice - nothing against kids - we just prefer to eat with the big kids!) DVC put that request in for us, but we will confirm it once onboard.

We got the airfare resolved - we are less stressed now. Since we are not changing planes in Chicago, we are pretty sure we won't have an issue. But we have to purchase more weight from Easy Jet now.

We are driving to Phili after I graduate that morning at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford,NJ...what a whirlwind!!

See you all in May!!!

Cayla

 

[Carys]

Just wondering how many of us are staying at the IAH Marriott the night before the cruise?

Taking DCL transportation?

We're staying at the IAH Marriott and taking the transfer from there - both booked via Disney. We'll be getting in very late though

 

[GoofyNewfie]

ADDING STRESS? Me?

but, unknowingly scaring someone into thinking they WILL miss the ship if they fly on embarkation day isn't appropriate ... NOR is it appropriate to scare people into thinking they will not be able to board the ship until the 11th day.


Steven

Yes, you. No one said anyone WILL miss the ship. You stressed what someone said to change the connotation beyond what I'm sure people meant.

We're here trying to help each other. Maybe even sometimes we'll share wrong information and we'd appreciate a positive correction. You're obviously a really smart guy and you can tie us all up in knots with your posts on this topic but I'm sure we'd all just rather benefit from the wealth of your experience.

 

[kaseyC]

We're staying at the IAH Marriott and taking the transfer from there - both booked via Disney. We'll be getting in very late though

We are getting in late too.

 

[MandyGirl]

I know that somewhere on the FB page someone had suggested the days for the formal and semi-formal dinners - could that be posted here as well? I don't keep up on the FB page (my hunny does that one) and while I am at work I can't access FB at all.

I think that was Steven (?). I had made predictions for "fun" back in July on Facebook but I believe Steven spoke to DCL a day or two ago and shared his learnings somewhere.

Maybe any time we have pertinent info, we ask ValBob to please update on first post of thread so all updates are kept there? I believe kirbo has sent a message to them.

I have proposed an idea of new thread setup once we hit 200 pages, and had also suggested that idea back in the summer, whereas all pertinent info can be kept on page one. Had a couple positive replies from a few on thread regarding that but no definitive answer. Not sure all folks like having all the important info on page one in one easy-to-find-place.

ETA: Here's the post and link of the suggestion I posted again recently:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=47187755&postcount=2169

 

[Kirbo]

I think that was Steven (?). I had made predictions for "fun" back in July on Facebook but I believe Steven spoke to DCL a day or two ago and shared his learnings somewhere.

Maybe any time we have pertinent info, we ask ValBob to please update on first post of thread so all updates are kept there? I believe kirbo has sent a message to them.

I have proposed an idea of new thread setup once we hit 200 pages, and had also suggested that idea back in the summer, whereas all pertinent info can be kept on page one. Had a couple positive replies from a few on thread regarding that but no definitive answer. Not sure all folks like having all the important info on page one in one easy-to-find-place.

I would love all the info on one page! Or at least links to that info. I'm now trying to keep up with this thread, but it's hopping! And sifting through it is not that easy. Having a FB page is nice, but I know a lot of folks don't go there, so it seems like this might be the best place to keep up to date.

 

[mboekhoff]

We were on a cruise with 100 cabins in an FE group (we dropped out--that's too much for me). On other cruises, we split the group into 20-30 cabins when there were more that wanted to participate. In my opinion, 20 cabins is just about perfect. It takes A LOT of time to walk around the ship to all those cabins! More than 30 is just too much work and expense. But...I'm not getting into this one. Whatever you guys think is what goes! Just sharing experiences..

I am with you, 20 seems just about perfect Thanks!

 

[heatherb819]

I like the idea of having important info, schedules, etc on page 1. That's how other roll call forums I've been a part of have had it in the past. Makes it easier to click on page one and look something up and reference to it. If Valbob is unable to do that or perhaps busy with something else maybe someone else would like to take on that task (not me). I'm sure she wouldn't mind and would understand.

 

[hmhaase]

We have a FB page? How do I get there? How do I sign up for the FE? Thanks!

 

[mboekhoff]

:

If any of you are interested in letting the girls get in touch, I loved having pen pals when I was younger lol, just pm me and we can swap email addresses.

My daughter Beth is 11.

My DD is 12, will be 13 by the time we cruise, she may be interested, but sometimes she doesn't like it when I interfere so let me ask her first.

We are on Late dining also. With all of us at late dining we won't need linking we will take up the whole dining rooms anyway , but count is in for linked dining as well.

 

[mboekhoff]

Even if split into cabins I will keep the numbers of people the same in each group or near enough

Thanks! Now just to figure it out