PodCast 4.0 Chit Chat

[Silverfox97]

Hi Gang

Long time no talk - In November I was given notice I was to be laid off January 2. It happened. And tomorrow - I believe my odyssey will come to an end and get a job offer!

So - while Disney would have been a nice diversion - my job was to find a job and I had no interest thinking of this cruise if it was not to occur. But with the new job, all should be back to planning mode. I guess we are still far enough out, no real news has occurred and we are all good still!

Glad to be back among the living and dreaming...

Good luck Scott and I hope you will get the job offer tomorrow!

 

[mdvlprof]

Hi Gang

Long time no talk - In November I was given notice I was to be laid off January 2. It happened. And tomorrow - I believe my odyssey will come to an end and get a job offer!

So - while Disney would have been a nice diversion - my job was to find a job and I had no interest thinking of this cruise if it was not to occur. But with the new job, all should be back to planning mode. I guess we are still far enough out, no real news has occurred and we are all good still!

Glad to be back among the living and dreaming...

Good luck. Hope you get the job.

 

[NancyIL]

Hi Gang

Long time no talk - In November I was given notice I was to be laid off January 2. It happened. And tomorrow - I believe my odyssey will come to an end and get a job offer!

So - while Disney would have been a nice diversion - my job was to find a job and I had no interest thinking of this cruise if it was not to occur. But with the new job, all should be back to planning mode. I guess we are still far enough out, no real news has occurred and we are all good still!

Glad to be back among the living and dreaming...

Welcome back!

 

[Cherinva]

Hi Gang

Long time no talk - In November I was given notice I was to be laid off January 2. It happened. And tomorrow - I believe my odyssey will come to an end and get a job offer!

So - while Disney would have been a nice diversion - my job was to find a job and I had no interest thinking of this cruise if it was not to occur. But with the new job, all should be back to planning mode. I guess we are still far enough out, no real news has occurred and we are all good still!

Glad to be back among the living and dreaming...

Best wishes on the job offer...and glad to have you back to chatting with us.

 

[sdlong329]

I got wind of the 2013 DCL itineraries on Tuesday via e-mails from several travel agents. There is nothing in the current crop that interests me, but I'm holding out for a September 2013 Vancouver to Honolulu one-way cruise that hasn't been announced yet. The Panama Canal itineraries are pretty boring, and the eastbound Transatlantic has THE worst itinerary of any DCL has ever had. What's up with this "dumbing down" business?! Obviously DCL wants people to stay onboard with lots of sea days so they spend more money.

Personally, I was surprised DCL did not sail into the Southern Caribbean, from Miami.

Are you saying there is a rumor of DCL sailing ONE WAY from Vancouver to Hawaii? Sounds odd to me. I know there are rumors / plans to visit Hawaii again, but seems odd for a one way cruise, which would suggest DCL would begin cruising out of a Hawaiian port? I thought it odd DCL did not post Pacific REPO cruise, but figured it might have to do with existing contracts at San Pedro (LA), versus San Diego.

We LOVE the PC cruise ... especially when we called on Columbia and Aruba!

Dumbing Down? The Magic is sailing from Galveston, not Port Canaveral ... hence ... further distance in the same amount of time. DCL omitted Cadiz and one extra day in Barcelona (two days) ... which is about the time it would take to get from Galveston to Port Canaveral. That aside, a lot of other cruise lines do not have many ports of call on a T/A cruise. We were very happy with our 2010 EB TA cruise ... but would prefer the extra ports of call.

Steven

 

[NancyIL]

Personally, I was surprised DCL did not sail into the Southern Caribbean, from Miami.

Are you saying there is a rumor of DCL sailing ONE WAY from Vancouver to Hawaii? Sounds odd to me. I know there are rumors / plans to visit Hawaii again, but seems odd for a one way cruise, which would suggest DCL would begin cruising out of a Hawaiian port? I thought it odd DCL did not post Pacific REPO cruise, but figured it might have to do with existing contracts at San Pedro (LA), versus San Diego.

We LOVE the PC cruise ... especially when we called on Columbia and Aruba!

Dumbing Down? The Magic is sailing from Galveston, not Port Canaveral ... hence ... further distance in the same amount of time. DCL omitted Cadiz and one extra day in Barcelona (two days) ... which is about the time it would take to get from Galveston to Port Canaveral. That aside, a lot of other cruise lines do not have many ports of call on a T/A cruise. We were very happy with our 2010 EB TA cruise ... but would prefer the extra ports of call.

Steven

It isn't odd at all for there to be one-way cruises between Vancouver and Hawaii at the beginning and/or end of the Alaska cruise season. Based on the Wonder showing up on the port calendar in Maui on Sept. 17-18 and 20-21, and Honolulu on Sept. 19 - I think the ship will do two 10-day one-ways from Vancouver to Honolulu (Sept. 9-19) and Honolulu to Vancouver (Sept. 19-29) - before repositioning to LA. A 10-day Hawaii cruise was also one of the survey options. The ship has to do something after the Alaska cruises end Sept. 9, and the one-ways will give people a chance to stay at Aulani before and after the cruise. Here is a link to one thread about Hawaii. I posted what I think is a possible itinerary in post # 19: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2857959

As far as "dumbing down" - I realize that to keep the EBTA at 14 nights and leave from Galveston - some ports had to be dropped. However, TA cruises don't have to be limited to 14 nights, and DCL could've changed it up a bit by stopping in the Canary Islands instead of Madeira...again. Other cruise lines appear to be limiting the number of ports visited, so it isn't just DCL. The 2013 Panama Canal cruises also seem to visit fewer ports than in previous years.

 

[Fastpaks]

Hi Gang

Long time no talk - In November I was given notice I was to be laid off January 2. It happened. And tomorrow - I believe my odyssey will come to an end and get a job offer!

So - while Disney would have been a nice diversion - my job was to find a job and I had no interest thinking of this cruise if it was not to occur. But with the new job, all should be back to planning mode. I guess we are still far enough out, no real news has occurred and we are all good still!

Glad to be back among the living and dreaming...

Glad things turned out all for the better.

I was notified about 4 days ago that my hours were going to be reduced from 44 to 35. While I'm tempted to just cancel our cruise, I'm hoping that everything will work out for the better! We actually won't have anything to save for the trip so I'm going to have to hope that there is some possibility that someone calls in sick, and a couple bosses call me in on occasion.

I have looked into air flights and from Stl to MCO for 2 of us I can find flights at about $370 with a stop in Houston. (I would ship our luggage so I'm not worried about that.) We have thought about booking the flights now.. but its still 10+ months away and with the uncertainty about the job .. And then there is the hotel the night before.. really unsure about what to do?

 

[Euphscott]

That is a predicament I can see! The good news is you have until August to make a call unless you need your deposit money back.

We've saved money by learning to fly with only or mostly carry on luggage. With only two of us on our last two cruises (one of which was a a 10 day cruise) we took three bags (two carry on bags for our individual needs and then a shared garment bag checked).
I have to imagine $50 in bag fees round trip would be cheaper than shipping (not to mention less hassle all around) round trip. We learn to take toiletries small enough that we use and toss and even take old underwear or socks that are about to go to the grave and we end up coming home lighter than we arrived!

Good luck in your decision making - I hope your story ends up as I suspect mine is.

I did get the new position and will begin working 2/27, so I get a month of honey do's it would appear..

 

[Cherinva]

Well.....it doesn't look good for us to remain on this cruise. I've trimmed all the expenses that I can, and I even got quotes on cheaper cabins...it helps, but not sure it will be enough....I'm really bummed out right now...we still have to talk a little this weekend, but I think the outcome will be that we have to cancel this cruise and move the money to a dummy cruise next year....hopefully another PCC cruise.......

 

[Aburns8]

Well.....it doesn't look good for us to remain on this cruise. I've trimmed all the expenses that I can, and I even got quotes on cheaper cabins...it helps, but not sure it will be enough....I'm really bummed out right now...we still have to talk a little this weekend, but I think the outcome will be that we have to cancel this cruise and move the money to a dummy cruise next year....hopefully another PCC cruise.......

Oh Cheri that is so sad! I was really looking forward to hanging out with you on the cruise. I am still hoping that everything works out for us this year that we can go as well. Everyone thinks that taking a baby on a cruise is crazy. But I am looking forward to the challenge.

 

[NancyIL]

Well.....it doesn't look good for us to remain on this cruise. I've trimmed all the expenses that I can, and I even got quotes on cheaper cabins...it helps, but not sure it will be enough....I'm really bummed out right now...we still have to talk a little this weekend, but I think the outcome will be that we have to cancel this cruise and move the money to a dummy cruise next year....hopefully another PCC cruise.......

The cruise is more than 10 months away, and the final payment isn't due (for Silver and above) until early September. Surely something will turn around for you between now and then, so I wouldn't give up this early. Have a garage sale, sell stuff on Craigslist, cut back on household expenses, etc.

 

[mdvlprof]

Well.....it doesn't look good for us to remain on this cruise. I've trimmed all the expenses that I can, and I even got quotes on cheaper cabins...it helps, but not sure it will be enough....I'm really bummed out right now...we still have to talk a little this weekend, but I think the outcome will be that we have to cancel this cruise and move the money to a dummy cruise next year....hopefully another PCC cruise.......

Ooo, Cheri. Hope it all turns out. Was looking forward to you guys being able to come on PCC.

 

[Fastpaks]

That is a predicament I can see! The good news is you have until August to make a call unless you need your deposit money back.

We've saved money by learning to fly with only or mostly carry on luggage. With only two of us on our last two cruises (one of which was a a 10 day cruise) we took three bags (two carry on bags for our individual needs and then a shared garment bag checked).
I have to imagine $50 in bag fees round trip would be cheaper than shipping (not to mention less hassle all around) round trip. We learn to take toiletries small enough that we use and toss and even take old underwear or socks that are about to go to the grave and we end up coming home lighter than we arrived!

Good luck in your decision making - I hope your story ends up as I suspect mine is.

I did get the new position and will begin working 2/27, so I get a month of honey do's it would appear..

We did have that much time and shipping wouldn't be an issue since I work for a shipping company. That said, we are not going to go on PCC trip. It kills me inside not too, because this is one of those things I want to (bucket list thing LOL). We decided that we would use the money to put on a future cruise we have and begin to pay that down. For the last 2 years, we have tried to do vacations that may have been stretching our dollars too thin. I was already losing sleep over the trip in December. I would rather not stress about it now. Especially since I'm working on a promotion and as things get closer to Christmas time, work picks up and I don't want it to hurt my chances at moving up.

I wish you all well and hope you all have a great time!

Jonathan

 

[NancyIL]

We did have that much time and shipping wouldn't be an issue since I work for a shipping company. That said, we are not going to go on PCC trip. It kills me inside not too, because this is one of those things I want to (bucket list thing LOL). We decided that we would use the money to put on a future cruise we have and begin to pay that down. For the last 2 years, we have tried to do vacations that may have been stretching our dollars too thin. I was already losing sleep over the trip in December. I would rather not stress about it now. Especially since I'm working on a promotion and as things get closer to Christmas time, work picks up and I don't want it to hurt my chances at moving up.

I wish you all well and hope you all have a great time!

Jonathan

I'm sorry you won't be on this cruise, but I think you made the right decision.

 

[Cherinva]

Well.....it doesn't look good for us to remain on this cruise. I've trimmed all the expenses that I can, and I even got quotes on cheaper cabins...it helps, but not sure it will be enough....I'm really bummed out right now...we still have to talk a little this weekend, but I think the outcome will be that we have to cancel this cruise and move the money to a dummy cruise next year....hopefully another PCC cruise.......

UPDATE!!!! I came up with another plan and I just might be able to work this out...my DD and her boyfriend definately can't make it on this cruise...but I asked my DD if I could take my DGD and she said yes...so I emailed Tracey to change the reservation from 4 to 2, and asked for quotes on downgrading the cabin. I should know something later this week....keep your fingers crossed for me and send some Pixie Dust my way...Please...I really want to go with you all.....

 

[NancyIL]

UPDATE!!!! I came up with another plan and I just might be able to work this out...my DD and her boyfriend definately can't make it on this cruise...but I asked my DD if I could take my DGD and she said yes...so I emailed Tracey to change the reservation from 4 to 2, and asked for quotes on downgrading the cabin. I should know something later this week....keep your fingers crossed for me and send some Pixie Dust my way...Please...I really want to go with you all.....

Thanks for the update! However, I'm confused. I though your daughter was paying for 3 people when she was going to go and you were paying just for yourself. Now you would be paying for 2 people. It would be less expensive for you to go as a single or look for a roommate. In any case - I am glad you haven't ruled out the cruise!

 

[Cherinva]

Thanks for the update! However, I'm confused. I though your daughter was paying for 3 people when she was going to go and you were paying just for yourself. Now you would be paying for 2 people. It would be less expensive for you to go as a single or look for a roommate. In any case - I am glad you haven't ruled out the cruise!

I haven't heard back from Tracey yet, but from what I can see on DCL website it's do-able. The money that my daughter has already paid on the cruise is about half of Rachael's fare, and that will remain.....so if I pay the full remainder it's the amount if I went alone. My DD has agreed to help me with the airfare, transfers...ext for Rachael. Besides, I just don't want to go alone....it's much more fun to have someone to share it with....at this point I still have hope...and I'm hanging onto it.

 

[NancyIL]

I haven't heard back from Tracey yet, but from what I can see on DCL website it's do-able. The money that my daughter has already paid on the cruise is about half of Rachael's fare, and that will remain.....so if I pay the full remainder it's the amount if I went alone. My DD has agreed to help me with the airfare, transfers...ext for Rachael. Besides, I just don't want to go alone....it's much more fun to have someone to share it with....at this point I still have hope...and I'm hanging onto it.

I can understand not wanting to go alone, and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with your granddaughter! Hope is good...we'll all hope with you!

 

[Cherinva]

Ok, folks...I'm in !!!! Just sent Tracey an email to make the changes...as soon as I hear back from her, I will update our cabin number....had to move from Deck 7 to Deck 2, but I'm ok with that.

 

[mdvlprof]

Ok, folks...I'm in !!!! Just sent Tracey an email to make the changes...as soon as I hear back from her, I will update our cabin number....had to move from Deck 7 to Deck 2, but I'm ok with that.

Cool. Soo glad you were able to get things worked out.

BTW - will there be a meet in VA this year?