November 10, 2007 - MAGIC - Eastern

[Lynnie04]

Wow
the boards have been busy this past week!

Welcome to all of our new cruisers!

I also agree with the 2nd day for the meet and greet with the tours this will give everyone a chance to get used to the routine and then we can party on .

We have a cat 6 I can offer up for the tour

Lynnie

 

[woody73]

. . . We have a cat 6 I can offer up for the tour

Lynnie

That's great! Anyone else?

Woody

 

[zack&alexmom]

I would offer up our cat 8 but if experience tells me anything, it is that we can barely walk through our room with 2 kids, 2 adults and all of our stuff. If anyone would like to take a quick look I would be happy to show them but I can't see us fitting in more than one or two people.

Linda

 

[woody73]

I would offer up our cat 8 but if experience tells me anything, it is that we can barely walk through our room with 2 kids, 2 adults and all of our stuff. If anyone would like to take a quick look I would be happy to show them but I can't see us fitting in more than one or two people.

Linda

Thanks, Linda. We'll take it!

If anyone else (with fewer people and less stuff) can offer a cat. 8, perhaps we'll use their stateroom. In the meantime, at least we now have a cat. 8.

Woody

 

[yndygo]

My (extended) family and I will be joining you on the Magic in November! I am the only one who has been on a Disney cruise (New Year's 2006) and have been the one encouraging the whole family to come. We have 5 interspersed staterooms on Deck 7 (zone of 7528 - 7542). We will have 6 adults and 7 kids and will probably be a travelling circus!! Our kids are: Girl-8, Girl - 6, Girl - 5, boy - 4, boy -3, boy - almost 2, boy - 5 months.

Anybody else on Deck 7 in our vicinity?

We also have 2 bdays on board!

We are completely obsessed with the planning and very excited!

Welcome aboard!! There are a lot of kids around the ages you mentioned coming along on this thread!
Woody has a list going on page 5... so you can look and see who all is cruising with similar ages.

We're 2 decks below you in 5640, same vicinity, different deck! But we'll see you at the meet if you come and definitely around the kids clubs!

p.s. how did you talk the family into it? we've been trying to coerce family along since March and some of them have even taken 3-4 previous Disney cruises (my bro's family) and still we're striking out! lol...

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

Hey! Gang!

Yesterday I checked on the DCL website if my categorie was sold out (12 and no still available), so I saw that the price had been droping from the price I paid back when I bokked!

So its a 200$ credit for us!!!

Now, my agent told me by email that I would receive the credit on my credit card, but I would much prefer to have it as on board credit.....

As this ever happened to one of you????

 

[Heynow]

Hey! Gang!

Yesterday I checked on the DCL website if my categorie was sold out (12 and no still available), so I saw that the price had been droping from the price I paid back when I bokked!

So its a 200$ credit for us!!!

Now, my agent told me by email that I would receive the credit on my credit card, but I would much prefer to have it as on board credit.....

As this ever happened to one of you????

We are booked in Category 12 also and noticed the price dropped. Our agent credited our CC back, I did not know that ship credit was an option.

Have you been assigned a room yet?

Heynow

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

No rooms assigned yet......

 

[yndygo]

Hey! Gang!

Yesterday I checked on the DCL website if my categorie was sold out (12 and no still available), so I saw that the price had been droping from the price I paid back when I bokked!

So its a 200$ credit for us!!!

Now, my agent told me by email that I would receive the credit on my credit card, but I would much prefer to have it as on board credit.....

As this ever happened to one of you????

A WARNING

I noticed this, called DCL and tried to get OBC earlier this week - and unfortunately, while the cruise fare had gone down, the airfare had gone UP! And since we booked air through DCL, they released the record to rebook it at the lower rate and thanks to United, it was going to cost us $450 MORE!!! Fortunately, the nice supervisor at DCL reworked our cabin fare to get it back down to what it was before - but if you have booked air thru DCL, you can't get the reduced rate

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

A WARNING

I noticed this, called DCL and tried to get OBC earlier this week - and unfortunately, while the cruise fare had gone down, the airfare had gone UP! And since we booked air through DCL, they released the record to rebook it at the lower rate and thanks to United, it was going to cost us $450 MORE!!! Fortunately, the nice supervisor at DCL reworked our cabin fare to get it back down to what it was before - but if you have booked air thru DCL, you can't get the reduced rate

Ok now you are scraring me

WE have air booked with DCL, but our cruise is paid in full since june.......

Don't think DCL would send us a bill.....

We booked thru AAA. And my agent told me DCL would refund 200$ on my credit card in the next two weeks......

Lets hope I'm right and you're wrong.....

 

[yndygo]

Ok now you are scraring me

WE have air booked with DCL, but our cruise is paid in full since june.......

Don't think DCL would send us a bill.....

We booked thru AAA. And my agent told me DCL would refund 200$ on my credit card in the next two weeks......

Lets hope I'm right and you're wrong.....

Hopefully this is the perk of going thru your travel agent!!
Also, do you fly United from Canada?
They told me to keep watching the fare tho, and that if it went down (and the airfare did too) they could do something for me.

Believe me - this was an ordeal - and I think someone at DCL reservations probably lost her job over it...
The first guy I talked to (Randall) was helpful and was going to transfer me somewhere else to get SBC... and I got disconnected and had to call back. The second woman (Teresa) was the most unpleasant, rudest, least helpful person I've ever dealt with in customer service... she outright lied to me (saying they had no inbound call ticketing system) and when I said 'you know, I find that hard to believe, I spent years working in travel, for one of the world's foremost CRS's, and years of doing call-center and tech support, I can't believe you wouldn't have any kind of call-tracking system...' she replied back snottily "well good for you - but it's not my problem."
When I asked to be transferred to a Supervisor, she pretended to put me on hold and typed madly into the 'non-existant' call tracking system.
The third call - after I hung up and called back - the nice woman (don't remember her name) transferred me immediately to a Supervisor (Bridget) who was the one who helped me out.
Yes, Teresa lied about the call ticket system. Yes, she was out of line. Yes, it was getting bumped up to the managers... as apparently it wasn't the first time.

So when she went out of her way and spent 10 minutes "fixing" my reservation and taking the additional $450 that the airlines had tacked on back off (of the 2nd passenger fee) I pretty much had to believe her.



Next time, I'll be transferring my res to D.U. when we get back from the boat.

 

[yndygo]

I was a tad worried about getting Palo brunch ressies b/c they've been greyed out ever since we got access to the site after paying off...

We had our Dinner res set for Wednesday, leaving St. Thomas, b/c I like seeing the port lights recede through the windows...

But today when I checked, they had opened up Brunch for Thursday at Sea... so I booked the 11 a.m.

Then I remembered that someone on the DIS had told me about everyone on the entire ship having to get up on Wednesday morning to go thru customs at St. John/Thomas before ANYONE could go ashore... so we were going to have to get up at the equivalent for us of 4 a.m.!! Not fun with a 4 yr old...
And then I was thinking that maybe having her in the kids club late that night wasn't the best idea, and having a day between Palo dinner and Palo brunch might be nice, so I switched our dinner to the earlier Tuesday night coming out of St. Maarten!! So St. Thomas will just be a totally relaxing day with ample time for naps or early bed depending on the kiddo.

Yay!! Now even if I don't get High Tea ressies, I'm happy.

Such a relief to have everything booked...

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

Hopefully this is the perk of going thru your travel agent!!
Also, do you fly United from Canada?
They told me to keep watching the fare tho, and that if it went down (and the airfare did too) they could do something for me.

Believe me - this was an ordeal - and I think someone at DCL reservations probably lost her job over it...
The first guy I talked to (Randall) was helpful and was going to transfer me somewhere else to get SBC... and I got disconnected and had to call back. The second woman (Teresa) was the most unpleasant, rudest, least helpful person I've ever dealt with in customer service... she outright lied to me (saying they had no inbound call ticketing system) and when I said 'you know, I find that hard to believe, I spent years working in travel, for one of the world's foremost CRS's, and years of doing call-center and tech support, I can't believe you wouldn't have any kind of call-tracking system...' she replied back snottily "well good for you - but it's not my problem."
When I asked to be transferred to a Supervisor, she pretended to put me on hold and typed madly into the 'non-existant' call tracking system.
The third call - after I hung up and called back - the nice woman (don't remember her name) transferred me immediately to a Supervisor (Bridget) who was the one who helped me out.
Yes, Teresa lied about the call ticket system. Yes, she was out of line. Yes, it was getting bumped up to the managers... as apparently it wasn't the first time.

So when she went out of her way and spent 10 minutes "fixing" my reservation and taking the additional $450 that the airlines had tacked on back off (of the 2nd passenger fee) I pretty much had to believe her.



Next time, I'll be transferring my res to D.U. when we get back from the boat.

Ok, I haven't eard anything from my AAA TA is not working today. but a really good friend of mine is a TA and he's checking all of this for me today So I'll be able to tell you more later.

As of now, I know we are flying out of Montreal Canada, but we don't know yet what airline we are flying with

But you know, I still cannot figure out in my head that Disney would send me a bill after we are all paid off.....

I'll keep you posted on this one!



BTW we're you paid in full when you called to ask for the discount on the cruise?????

 

[yndygo]

But you know, I still cannot figure out in my head that Disney would send me a bill after we are all paid off.....

I think you are confusing what I said - what I said was that I didn't get the $200 credit because while the cruise went down, the airfare went up...

Not that they were billing me more, because they reworked the res so it wouldn't cost more... they won't bill you more than the first rate they quoted...

It's like this...
Let's say you were quoted $3000 for the cruise and $1200 for the airfare - and you paid off all $4200 - then you noticed that the cruise had gone down to $2800 - and called to get the $200 credit, but the airfare had gone up to $1650... you've already paid $4200 for the cruise - but if you were to book it at the new rate AND the new airfare, it would be $4450 - so they don't charge you MORE, you will still be paid off at $4200, but they aren't going to give you a $200 credit either.


Does that make sense now?

I'm sure you won't ever have to pay more than they originally quoted you... but if the air goes up while the cruise goes down, then they don't have to give you a credit. See?

and yes, we are paid in full - you can't book Palo or excursions unless you are... lol

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

I understand what you're telling me.

But I really have a credit of 200$ and my airfare didn't go up....

So in my case I really had a 200$ credit, and we are very happy about it!!!

 

[3lilpigsnprincess]

We'll in just a day those of us who are cruising for the first time can finally book our excursions and Paolo?

Any suggestions? Since I'm Pacific time, I think I read somewhere that I can get on at 9 my time (12 eastern time). Is that true?

And if I'm trying to do a few things with friends, do you suggest we try and be together on our computers?


I'm thinking we will try parasailing in Castaway Cay and possibly the dolphin encounter in Anguilla.

Have any of you returning cruisers done those before?

 

[yndygo]

woohoo!!!!

Way cool!! Does that mean the first round is on you? lol... only kidding!! That just means that your tips are mostly taken care of! *grin*

Hey, I'm still haunting the DCL site between now and then - if it goes down? they're getting a call! lol

 

[yndygo]

We'll in just a day those of us who are cruising for the first time can finally book our excursions and Paolo?

Any suggestions? Since I'm Pacific time, I think I read somewhere that I can get on at 9 my time (12 eastern time). Is that true?

And if I'm trying to do a few things with friends, do you suggest we try and be together on our computers?


I'm thinking we will try parasailing in Castaway Cay and possibly the dolphin encounter in Anguilla.

Have any of you returning cruisers done those before?

Woot! How exciting!!

My only suggestions are:

a) book PaloDinner on a night heading out of port - it's nicer to see the lights of port receding than to just have a big black blob of nothingness out the window - especially since we're sailing near the new moon, so there won't be much moonlight

b) are you taking the kids with you on the excursions? or at least the dolphin encounter? b/c otherwise you might want to consider those bookings "tentative" until you see how they handle the kids club... Some kids love it, some hate it... Our DD loves it, but there was a couple with a 3 y.o. on our Wonder trip that had to cancel their excursion in Nassau half-way thru b/c they got paged from the ship and didn't get their money back

c) definitely be on with a friend if you want to book together... but remember too that if you don't get something right away (like Palo ressies) it's okay b/c you can probably readjust them when you get onboard.

d) yay!!!!!!! have fun!!!!!!! booking excursions the first time is so neat!

 

[3lilpigsnprincess]

Woot! How exciting!!

My only suggestions are:

a) book PaloDinner on a night heading out of port - it's nicer to see the lights of port receding than to just have a big black blob of nothingness out the window - especially since we're sailing near the new moon, so there won't be much moonlight

b) are you taking the kids with you on the excursions? or at least the dolphin encounter? b/c otherwise you might want to consider those bookings "tentative" until you see how they handle the kids club... Some kids love it, some hate it... Our DD loves it, but there was a couple with a 3 y.o. on our Wonder trip that had to cancel their excursion in Nassau half-way thru b/c they got paged from the ship and didn't get their money back

Thanks Yndygo! These are great suggestions! I never would have thought about the black blob .... good point!

For the dolphin encounter, i think I'm gonna go with my DD and then DH will stay back with the other kiddos. It is a long excursion (7hrs.) and we didn't feel right about keeping them in the club for that long. But am hoping they will LOVE the clubs...cuz we are counting on some "alone" time as well as great family time!

Was reading the boards about the "exotic rasul" spa treatment! (although it makes me blush to just type the words) I may have to book that one as a little surprise for DH!

 

[PurplePrincess4]

Who is all staying up for tonights window? Lets hope that SOMETHING is available!