Nobody EXPECTS the Spanish Reposition!!! Taking the Magic Back to the Med 4/10/10

[woody73]

Does anyone know how good the library is on the Disney Magic?

It's pretty bad. BYOB[ooks].

Woody

 

[Brooklyn]

Stephanie, I heard someone got hurt pretty badly by the apes on a Disney excursion. Was this on your cruise?

Woody

I did not hear about anybody on our cruise getting hurt. They are def aggressive when it comes food. We were eating a snack at a little cafe thing and one of the apes came into the cafe, took one of the bags of chips off our table, ran out and eat them right outside the door.

It is the same as the monkeys in Bali. If you try to take food away from them they get very aggressive. Our driver made us keep everything in the car and hide any kind of jewlery. If an ape trys to grab something from you, let them have it. Nothing is worth their aggression.

 

[woody73]

It is the same as the monkeys in Bali. If you try to take food away from them they get very aggressive. Our driver made us keep everything in the car and hide any kind of jewlery. If an ape trys to grab something from you, let them have it. Nothing is worth their aggression.

Yes, our tour guide in Bali warned us that the monkeys especially love baseball caps and sunglasses.

Woody

 

[JLSE50]

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WOW!! THANKS!!
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(I am 10 days behind in reading so just found this. Thanks!)
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[Mrs. Gumdrop]

This has been suggested before, and is a good idea. Does anyone have suggestions as to how it could be handled? I am not a bookworm, but I figured it MIGHT make sense if we set up a preset time (morning?) to meet in a public room lounge during sea days. I would suggest a GIVE-N-TAKE. Put a book on the table for someone else to borrow, and take one from the pile (please submit a book, if you wish to borrow a book). PERHAPS, this could serve as an informal daily meet-n-greet ... for possible amendements to the Mini-Navigator? What does everyone think?

I think this sounds like a good way to run it. Thinking this through, would some one need to take possession of any excess books? A la, you put down 2 books but only pick up one?

 

[bound2travel]

What are the favorite places to stay near the port the night before the cruise?

I'm having a friend come with me so that she can drop me off at the terminal. That way, no worries about a car or shuttle.

Kristi

 

[belle1627]

-I hope that wasn't during an Albert & Seymour show! That would have been dangerous. Caution to all - if Albert & Seymour are performing during our cruise ... MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT ARRIVE LATE FOR THE SHOW, and do not leave early. You have been warned!

I was just saying to my dh that I hope they are on the ship, they were hilarious. We even caught their act at the comedy show when the kidlets were in the clubs. Very entertaining, but you are right, do not stand up for any reason!!! lol

 

[kcashner]

I'd definitely be interested in sharing a taxi for a tour in Gibralter....let me know if you have room for one. I'm good at walking, and don't like paying DCL excursion prices!

The library on the Magic varies from cruise to cruise. Many of us have adopted the approach of bringing books and "donating" them either to the stash in the Cove Cafe or giving them to the stateroom host for the crew library. My home library sells used books for $1 as a fundraiser, so I typically pick up a few before a cruise, read them, and leave them.

There used to be a more extensive library on deck 2 where Ocean Quest is now located. However...DCL discovered that they could make this into a conference room and book groups who would have meetings there, and that was the end of the library.

Bottom line, best to bring your own--you never know whether you'll find anything worth reading in their one book case.

From the reading I've done, Barcelona is a very "walkable" city with an excellent public transportation system. That's per a couple of guide books...no personal experience. You can buy an "all day" pass to the transportation system. That might be an alternative to a cab for touring.

 

[spyles]

Wow! Lots of posts...

Taxi/Bus Alternative for Barcelona:
The Hop-On/Off Tourist Bus isn't bad at all. It's fairly inexpensive, and there's several routes you can do, and the stops are all near the tourist spots. I did the red and blue route a few years ago to see some of the sites, and just enjoy the ride around Barcelona. They also overlap in spots, which is good for moving between the two. Near the Maritime Museum and Columbus Statue, the line can be a little crazy. If you pick it up elsewhere, it's not as bad. I hopped on near Placa Catalunya with no real queue.

http://www.barcelonabusturistic.cat

Norwegian Pearl:
Great ship! Awesome sauna/spa! That's one thing that is a negative for Disney for me...sauna/spa is kinda meh compared to other ship lines. And I'm talking both free and paid areas, although the Norwegian Pearl offers much more for free. No flame suit either..

Port Before Cruising:
We're actually planning to drive from Tampa, renting a car one way to Port Canaveral. Derek's sister actually lives in Melbourne, but we don't know her plans, so we're not imposing. Although we may end up in Melbourne the night before.

I actually like the Residence Inn at Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach. They've been nothing but friendly in the past, and if we were doing a park-n-fly, that'd be my suggestion. If you want something a little on the "different" side, the Inn at Cocoa Beach was quaint and a nice pre-cruise stay in the past. The Inn at Cocoa Beach has a nice breakfast and a wine/cheese social hour in the afternoon.

Weather:

We're doing a 3 nighter on Thursday on the Wonder. It is absolutely miserable here weather wise, and I'm sure CC and Nassau is no better. Ugh. I need warm wishes..and soon!

-Steve

 

[Brooklyn]

From the reading I've done, Barcelona is a very "walkable" city with an excellent public transportation system. That's per a couple of guide books...no personal experience. You can buy an "all day" pass to the transportation system. That might be an alternative to a cab for touring.

I am not sure what we did wrong but we could NOT get a taxi at all!!! We took the bus from dock over to the edge of the city and then ventured into the city. Well we had a friend with us who was a CM on board. She had to be back on board and we could NOT find a taxi at all! It was horrible. We had to resort to running, hiring some guys on bikes to take us part way, running some more and us begging and pleading for the bus to leave to take us back to the port. It was a terrible experience. Overall we did not Barcelona at all. I never felt safe. I kept an eye on DD like a hawk. We did not find the people to be friendly. No one should really be in the position we were in having to be back at the ship at a specific time but it was NOT easy!

 

[Mrs. Gumdrop]

I am not sure what we did wrong but we could NOT get a taxi at all!!! We took the bus from dock over to the edge of the city and then ventured into the city. Well we had a friend with us who was a CM on board. She had to be back on board and we could NOT find a taxi at all! It was horrible. We had to resort to running, hiring some guys on bikes to take us part way, running some more and us begging and pleading for the bus to leave to take us back to the port. It was a terrible experience. Overall we did not Barcelona at all. I never felt safe. I kept an eye on DD like a hawk. We did not find the people to be friendly. No one should really be in the position we were in having to be back at the ship at a specific time but it was NOT easy!

Wow! I am sorry to hear that you had such an awful experience. We will have an extra day in Barcelona after the cruise and your report isn't encouraging. I will look into the hop on, hop off bus service. Thanks, spyles!

 

[twokings]

I have the May 2011 TA booked with the onboard deal. Currently it is the 10% discount, however, as of 2011 the amount of onboard credit you get depends on your Castaway Club status as well as the length of the cruise. In addition, I have the ressie transferred to my TA, so I'll get their OBC as well.

What TA? Any idea what they might be offering cataway club members who have taken 3 cruises for the 14 night transatlantic? How do you get both OBC?

 

[kcashner]

What TA? Any idea what they might be offering cataway club members who have taken 3 cruises for the 14 night transatlantic? How do you get both OBC?

At 3 cruises, you are a silver Castaway Club member. The benefit for onboard rebooking for a cruise of 7 nights or longer is $200 at that level + 10% off the cruise fare portion of the ticket (taxes and fees are not discounted). Not sure what you mean by how do you get both. You can get ONE OBC from Disney and as many as you can nail down from anyone else (usually one from a TA). You'll need to name the TA at the time of the onboard rebooking. I sent you a private communication.

As to where to stay near the port...it sort of depends on what you want. Quality Suites--breakfast is pretty basic. Sister hotel to the Radisson, free parking/free shuttle for cruise.

There are areas of the ship that are usually available on sea days, at least briefly. The Promenade Lounge is a good one--typically it is used sporadically for scrapbooking, crafts, pictionary, etc. but the participants are usually clustered in one area. If we wanted to pick a time every day for book exchange, it would work. Another possibility would be to just place the books we didn't want in the book case in the Cove Cafe. Perhaps tape a not card into the front saying that this book was donated by a Disboard member, please return to the bookcase when you have finished with it so fellow cruisers can enjoy it. My logic is that no matter what time we choose, there will be other things scheduled and someone will be unhappy with the time selection.

I made my Palo ressies and did on line check in tonight. WOW, April seems so far away when it is FREEZING here...but doing the on line work makes it seem so much closer.

Best Western Inn and Suites--right on Cocoa Beach pier, across street from Publix supermarket. Much better breakfast. Was only place I could get a suite for 6 of us in May. Free internet (teenagers!) Clean, safe. Boys felt fold out couch was not too nice. Girls didn't like only one bathroom for 6 of us. Next person who whines can go home!

Radisson--free shuttle, free parking. Our package did not include breakfast, others have reported free breakfast

Residence Inn--new, nice, good breakfast...usually more expensive, but you never know..check for the dates you need.

 

[JLSE50]

This is odd...

I have been trying to figure out our air and there aren't a lot of late flights back to Seattle from JFK so not sure if that is a good option so I thought I'd call DCL and see what their air package was. It's $1k/pp which in the end is probably what it's going to cost even if I book it myself. I asked her when I had to pay or cancel this package and she said it would have to be done at the 90 day mark.

She called back 2 minutes later and said that because we are in a suite we would have to pay *today* in order to hold the air package. :
I asked her why a suite reservation has to pay now and a regular reservation has until the 90 day mark? We're obviously paid in full, so it's not like we're backing out. She didn't have an answer and apologized for the misinformation she provided???!!!!

Ugh. They don't tell you your flt carrier or itinerary until 45 days out. I would hate to pay that kind of money to then not be pleased with the flight schedule they offer us.

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We booked air with DCL and got our itinerary before Christmas.
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[dee47]

I like the book-exchange-in-the-morning idea! I wouldn't mind taking excess books to the stateroom with me and bringing them back each day. That would give me a chance to read several books at once!

I also like the 1PM @ Diversions game time.

The mini-nav is going to be really full!

Speaking of mini-navs, are there any people in this group who need larger fonts or special visual accommodations to the nav? No, I don't plan on doing the whole thing in a Disney font, so no worries there!

 

[FirstTimeCruiser]

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We booked air with DCL and got our itinerary before Christmas.
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Wow, you're lucky! I've been waiting to hear my DCL air arrangements and when I called, they told me to call back 60 days prior (on Feb 11) to get my info. It's getting frustrating because I'm the only one who DCL hasn't contacted!

How did you get your itinerary? Was it mailed to you?

 

[kcashner]

On the air stuff...guess we got lucky, but our air thru DCL was right about the 1K mark too. That's why I was eager to find/book something on my own. I was able to book on my own for $474 for the BCN home leg, $82 for the home to MCO leg, and $65 for the DCL transfers. So, that's $621 vs. $slightly over 1K. Think I did OK~

Because this is a longer cruise, our PIF date was way more than 90 days out; I just went back to our original invoice--it was 120 days. That included the air. I don't think the fact that you were told you have to pay now to hold the air had anything to do with the suite (I know that's what she said!), I suspect it had to do with the 120 days. In fact, DCL was bugging my TA at the 330 day point because I had booked with myself and "to be determined," and they wanted to know whether I had determined my other guest. Seems they were working on air even that early!

Ah well... the usual rule. If you don't like what you hear from one CM, call back. You'll likely get a different story from the next one.

 

[auntlynne]

I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that we all need to renew our passports. The kids actually need new ones as it has been 5 years. I made an appointment for Thursday and was told it will be 4-6 weeks. ...

~Ingrid

Glad to hear you didn't say you were worried - I've always had good success getting mine quickly (and have never been in a rush - I think it's usually 2 weeks, including the initial one).

MAKE SURE YOUR PASSPORT IS GOOD THROUGH OCTOBER 2010

You need six months beyond your cruise.

First, let me put on my flame suit.

We really like the Norwegian Pearl. It's a newer ship (2006), so it has many of the newer amenities: 2-story wii in the atrium, bowling alley, rock climbing wall. An open and spacious buffet. There weren't many kids on our cruise, so they opened up the 720 degree water slide for adults.

We liked it so much we booked two future cruises on NCL.

Woody

I didn't think Disney had enough cruises to meet your sailing needs.

Did you say bowling alley? Hmmm...

...I am 10 days behind in reading...

Don't try that again - you'll be reading for quite a while.

I think this sounds like a good way to run it. Thinking this through, would some one need to take possession of any excess books? A la, you put down 2 books but only pick up one?

...The library on the Magic varies from cruise to cruise. Many of us have adopted the approach of bringing books and "donating" them either to the stash in the Cove Cafe or giving them to the stateroom host for the crew library. ...

Ok, Resident Bookie, What is the book stash situation in the Cove Cafe? Are there typically a good number of books available? Is it necessary to limit our collection to just us.

...I know it can be a good excuse to get together, though.

...We're doing a 3 nighter on Thursday on the Wonder. It is absolutely miserable here weather wise, and I'm sure CC and Nassau is no better. Ugh. I need warm wishes..and soon! -Steve

(you may need to warm it in the microwave)

...I made my Palo ressies and did on line check in tonight. ...

...Was only place I could get a suite for 6 of us in May. ...

Does this mean there might be a chance for us Silver members to pre-book Palo?

I have you listed as a solo on the website; is there any more info you'd like to share?

 

[woody73]

So, that's $621 vs. $slightly over 1K. Think I did OK~

I think you did great!

Woody

 

[woody73]

I like the book-exchange-in-the-morning idea! I wouldn't mind taking excess books to the stateroom with me and bringing them back each day. That would give me a chance to read several books at once!

Dee, thanks for volunteering.

We did something similar on our South America cruise. But with so many consecutive sea days, the person who handled the exchange had many days where no one showed up.

Our cruise has eight sea days: Days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 13.

I suggest having five book exchanges on Days 3, 6, 8, 10 and 13.

The other suggestion I have is at the end of the cruise, we donate the extra books and magazines to the crew instead of to Cove Cafe. We did this on prior cruises. We could print some extra lanyard tags, paste them as bookplates inside the front cover, and, where the name usually goes, write something like, "To the best crew ever. Thank you for a Magical Transatlantic cruise."

Woody