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

[Seraphine]

We should set up a FB page, I can relate names to faces better that way and find it easier to chat. Anyone up for that?

Already done...

http://www.facebook.com/DisneyMagic2013EbtaGalvestonToBarcelona

(Binkytell was really on the ball this year!)

 

[binkytell]

Already done...

http://www.facebook.com/DisneyMagic2013EbtaGalvestonToBarcelona

(Binkytell was really on the ball this year!)

Oops thanks dawn I forgot to post the link

Let's get chatty

 

[binkytell]

Hi there,

I have always wondered whether it would be different travellng in a different direction having done the WBTA's. The reason I was thinking of doing this cruise, is that I have retired aged 46 and my wife is busy working and cannot get the time off work as we shall be doing other cruises later in the summer and then the WBTA, when it's finally annouced.

My big problem is that? Is it strange to do such a family cruise solo? I know some ladies get together and share cabins, although I haven't heard of men doing similar.

You never know I might just do it for the experience, although my wife won't be happy!!

have you told Mary about this Stevie, I'm sure you wouldn't get away it she would be

I'm sure the guys would love the excuse of having to keep you company bcause your on your own , anything to get away from the kids

 

[binkytell]

Hi there,

Myself, my wife Helen & our daughter Grace will hopefully be joining you on board. Just trying to get leave ok'd at work.

This would be our 2nd cruise, our previous cruise was the Disney WBTA in 2011 (hi Mandygirl, Binkytell & Seraphine, will be good to see you guys again)

Just a couple of questions if anyone could help.

1. When booking from the UK where is the best place to book to receive The best on board credit?

2. I've read about GTY status cabins, when do Disney release these? Can these be booked through a travel agent? Can you combine GTY rooms with OBC?

I would appreciate any advice

Paul, Helen & Grace

Come on Paul get it booked, how dare they keep you waiting !

Maybe we could arrange a mini meet up in Manchester some time with dawn and Steve too??? Mandy can you make it

 

[kaseyC]

I'm cruising tomorrow (May 18) from Venice, and if I keep this cruise - I'll head back to Europe a year from tomorrow.

Have fun Nancy!! We will be boarding in Civitavecchia and ending in Venice in a few weeks. Looking forward to your thoughts on Celebrity and the Silhouette.

A big welcome to all of new folks. I've been reading along but not posting a whole lot because I'm focused on our upcoming Eastern Med and Greek Island cruise. I will get back to planning this trip when we get back at the end of June.

I do know that July 18th is when I can start checking for award air tickets using my DH's miles. So I've done a bit of planning for 2013.

 

[MandyGirl]

Come on Paul get it booked, how dare they keep you waiting !

Maybe we could arrange a mini meet up in Manchester some time with dawn and Steve too??? Mandy can you make it

LOL - if it were in the US I would!

 

[binkytell]

Yes I was at the champagne girls... I was slightly squiffy,,,, lol.
We were in the secret mickey group, and the fish extender..
I also did the cocktail tasting, and sat behind a ton of the Dissers as they won a disney quiz one night.

I think sometimes if your on a different rotation/sitting than others your paths dont cross very often !!

Looking forward to meeting you this time for sure

bren

Hi Bren

We're friends on Facebook already im Sarah Hanley.
I'm sure you would probably remember faces, but we definately did not meet on the wbta, I think my dh was chatting with your dh on the pub crawl though

 

[binkytell]

I'm cruising tomorrow (May 18) from Venice, and if I keep this cruise - I'll head back to Europe a year from tomorrow.

I hope you have a fabulous cruise nancy, I would love to go to Venice but my dh hasn't taken me yet even though I have hinted enough

 

[binkytell]

LOL - if it were in the US I would!

Is that a definite no then

This time next year I will be an adopted texan yeehaaaa

Will have to start a countdown now for sure, less than a year to go an I will be in Texas

 

[CINGULARONE@YAHOO.CO]

Hi there,

I have always wondered whether it would be different travellng in a different direction having done the WBTA's. The reason I was thinking of doing this cruise, is that I have retired aged 46 and my wife is busy working and cannot get the time off work as we shall be doing other cruises later in the summer and then the WBTA, when it's finally annouced.

My big problem is that? Is it strange to do such a family cruise solo? I know some ladies get together and share cabins, although I haven't heard of men doing similar.

You never know I might just do it for the experience, although my wife won't be happy!!

Stephen-

I am not sure about cruising solo, I have always had a significant other to travel with me (girlfriend, wife.....), the solo cruising is new to me too. Like most things in life, I just dive right in. In the next 18 months, I have 7 weeks aboard various cruise ships, at this point I will be alone. Who knows what the future holds. Perhaps the real Miss Right will show up. I do know that when I travel by myself, there are some perks. I get to be selfish, do what I want when I want......

Hope all is well-

 

[nicis]

Hellllooooo all from your Ottawa Canada connection

5 of us along for the ride on the EBTA (still holding out from the WBTA) and looking for advice on traveling to TX, first time for me

 

[nicis]

Looking for some different viewpoints. We have this and the first med cruise booked. I would love 21 nights in a row cruising, but I am thinking of doing something different instead of the med cruise. I have been to Europe when I was a teen, but my wife never has been and who knows, we may never get back. The med ports look great, but is one day in Rome worth it? It wasn't built in a day For the cost of the med cruise we could take the train to Paris, then London and fly home from there. I realize it's all personal preference, but looking for thoughts from those of you more traveled than myself. It will be my wife,DS5, and myself.

Hi there! We did the 12 day DCL Med cruise in 2010 and we refer to it now as the Med Sampler, it gave you a wonderful taste of each place and made you start planning your longer stays for years to come. Specifically Rome...We did Roman Rome in the day, but those on board who tried to do the Vatican and the Roman pieces all told us it was too much. Luckily our 4 year old DD exempted us from many museums but the Trevi Fountain and the Steps and so many other things are completely doable and enjoyable in a day...albeit a long day.

 

[MandyGirl]

Is that a definite no then

This time next year I will be an adopted texan yeehaaaa

Will have to start a countdown now for sure, less than a year to go an I will be in Texas

I'd have to clear a trip to Manchester with the hubby! And probably bring along two kids. I do wonder what standby passes would cost for us... hmmm....

 

[binkytell]

Hellllooooo all from your Ottawa Canada connection

5 of us along for the ride on the EBTA (still holding out from the WBTA) and looking for advice on traveling to TX, first time for me

Welcome aboard

Will you be switching to the wbta if it becomes available or doing both??

I am contemplating doing the wbta with just my youngest dd but sshhhh don't tell my dh or older dd

 

[DisneyMouseHouse]

Hi there! We did the 12 day DCL Med cruise in 2010 and we refer to it now as the Med Sampler, it gave you a wonderful taste of each place and made you start planning your longer stays for years to come. Specifically Rome...We did Roman Rome in the day, but those on board who tried to do the Vatican and the Roman pieces all told us it was too much. Luckily our 4 year old DD exempted us from many museums but the Trevi Fountain and the Steps and so many other things are completely doable and enjoyable in a day...albeit a long day.

I agree - I don't know exactly what the adventure was called, but we saw St. Peters, the Sistine Chapel, The Colosseum, and the Trevi fountain all in one day. To make it worse, the streets were blocked off due to something going on in town and we ended up stuck in traffic on the bus for more than an hour!

It was WAY too much and we ended up almost running on some of the "walking" and because of some rotations we actually didn't stop for lunch anywhere until 3 PM - by the time we got back to the ship we were EXHAUSTED although I think my 8 yo and 11 yo held up better than I did..... We only got to spend about 15 mins in St Peters and about 10 minutes actually IN the Sistine Chapel. It was the worst adventure we ever took with Disney!

 

[kris3kid]

Hey 365 Days till we cruise, We can all start our countdown

 

[valbob89]

We just got back from our Wonder Hawaii cruise. It was a good trip.

Our captain was Captain Fabian. He has recently been promoted from staff captain to overall captain. Before coming to the Wonder he was on the Magic for a short time and prior to that in Germany overseeing the building of the Fantasy. He apparently talked with a number of people about future plans. One DISboard member posted the following:

" ..."Juicy" Rumors:

Okay, as with all rumors, we tend to take these with a grain of salt. The information came from multiple and from independent sources, so they struck a cord of genuineness with us. Suffice it to say that these were not communicated by the equivalent of a WDW "bus driver" :

1. The Magic and the Wonder are going in for extensive (six or more weeks) dry docks in 2013 and 2014 respectively. All of the restaurants and lounges on each ship will be gutted and rethemed. All public areas are being replaced. Although it will be impossible to duplicate all of what exists on the Dream and Fantasy, there will be a theme of consistency among all of the ships. Animator's Palate on both the Magic and Wonder will be reworked into the new version of the Dream and Fantasy.

2. Engineers are working very hard to add the Outlook Bar to the Magic, but because of the way it was built (apparently structurally different than the Wonder) it has so far been impossible to design and implement. If it can be done (a big if), it will be added in the next dry dock.

3. A new, permanent female manager is being hired for Palo on the Wonder. A new hire from another cruise line, she will replace the temporary, rotational manager system currently being used. (As an aside, Roy was our Palo manager and, even though he was temporary, he did a great job. Very professional.)

4. DCL has already signed the options to build two new ships with the same German shipyard, even though there are denials to the contrary. DCL liked the efficiency and timeliness of the building of the Dream and the Fantasy. No public announcement will be made for some time, but the new ships will be smaller than the Dream and Fantasy, closer to the Wonder and Magic-sized ships (in the 90,000 to 95,000 ton range).

Captain Fabian, during his talk, mentioned that the life of the Magic and Wonder will likely be between 30 and 35 years, which is actually about ten years longer than most ships. He attributes this longevity to the amount of constant maintenance that is ongoing. Although we experienced some hiccups, let's hope it was the exception and not the rule."


I received a PM from P17blo offering to assume responsibility for a website for our cruise. P17blo stated he/she is webmaster so I am sure what P17blo does for our group will be much better then anything I could come up with. I will maintain the first posting and post the link to the new website and any other info we would like easy access to.

 

[Kirbo]

One year from today, people!

Already done...

http://www.facebook.com/DisneyMagic2013EbtaGalvestonToBarcelona

(Binkytell was really on the ball this year!)

I just "liked" that. Is there some way to make it so that I can post on it other than just making comments on stuff that has been posted?

 

[MandyGirl]

Hey 365 Days till we cruise, We can all start our countdown

One year from today, people!


I just "liked" that. Is there some way to make it so that I can post on it other than just making comments on stuff that has been posted?

YAY! I can't believe we are at the One Year mark! Hubby just left for an overtime shift... got to get a few of those before final payment LOL!

On the FB page -- I just clicked a couple items that I think should make it work for you (hope that's okay Sarah). Will you try it out and see if it works?

Here's what I clicked:
Everyone can post to Disney Magic 2013 EBTA Galveston to Barcelona's timeline
Everyone can add photos and videos to Disney Magic 2013 EBTA Galveston to Barcelona's timeline

We just got back from our Wonder Hawaii cruise. It was a good trip.

YAY for a great Hawaii cruise!! I loved those shirts! And thanks for the juicy news! All of us who had been waiting for the WBTA were wondering about drydock, matching up port schedules, etc for anticipated dates of the WBTA. I wonder how many folks would choose to wait for the WBTA just because of the "freshen up"

 

[Kirbo]

On the FB page -- I just clicked a couple items that I think should make it work for you (hope that's okay Sarah). Will you try it out and see if it works?

It worked