*Sept 10th 2011 WB Transatlantic* From Spain to Space Mountain - Part 4

[auntlynne]

Things to remember to pack (or buy in Barcelona) for those for whom this applies:

CORKSCREW

Yesterday, I called Chase about the credit card. They sent me over to special services who said yes, they had had some reports of cards not being accepted at certain places (including some automatic ticket machines) in Europe.

Apparently attempting to use credit cards at train stations sends up a red flag and gets your card frozen. I tried to buy RENFE (Spanish train) tickets online from my home computer last year and got 3 different cards frozen. And Chase has an industry reputation for locking out cards faster than any other company.

Yes it is disappointing that justice will not be served here on earth, but I firmly believe that if she is guilty she will pay for her crimes in the hereafter. "the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him."


Have you tried Gorganzola Dolce? I saw it in the market the other day & the thought of a milder creamy blue cheese is appealing to me. I like to pair blues w/ honey or fruit conserve so a really salty one doesn't work for that. Also love Walnut Gourmandaise for pairing w/ conserve! So when is the cheese tasting onboard? (I wish!!)
....

One of my wishes: people who commit crimes would just own up to it by confessing. But it's not going to happen if there's a chance of getting off like in this case. I wish the evidence had been more compelling so they could have found her guilty - yeah, all her behavior certainly points to that.

...Do we need to make cheese runs in Barcelona and Gibraltar, too? Perhaps some conserves or chutneys? They won't have a Sur La Table, but in a city that size, something must be available. Maybe Morrison's.

...Palo Brunch does have a pretty good cheese table. Champagne and champagne+nectar (peach or blackberry) are included with brunch.

 

[dylan'smom]

I assume that this means that any hope for pixie dust upgrades will be slim to none?

I would think it would mean more chance!!

.....but as I told people last year that were mad because they weren't upgraded "book what you want and if you are upgraded great but if you aren't you will still be happy."

I just hope they are finished with the bathroom drains & such by then!!

On the ebta in May, there were lots & lots of empty rooms (many verandas), but due to construction in bathrooms (chiseling out the tile to get to pipes, replacing pipes & drains, etc.), there were just a few upgrades in the last month, that we were aware of, and NO upgrades at the port whatsoever. Then there was a lot of complaining at GS due to the noise & stuff, and a few people were moved around a bit then...some of them half way through the cruise.

Here's hoping for lots of upgrades & no construction zones......and yes, book what you can be happy with for 2 weeks.

.

 

[MandyGirl]

Thanks Ladies, I'm going to go ahead and book it

I am too. Keep that door open, not so hot, ask forgiveness later. After all, I can still blame our last exotic rasul on a different cruiseline, and Disney DOES do it better, right?

Last year on the EBTA it was like Christmas. A lot of people got surprised and some people didn't. I know that we booked a NAV Verandah and got upgraded to a partial Verandah (meaning that the railing was metal not the normal verandah) We were happy. Some people got upgraded from inside staterooms to Nav Verandahs or regular Verandahs and some people were left exactly where they booked. It will depend on a lot of factors as to whether or not you will be upgraded but as I told people last year that were mad because they weren't upgraded "book what you want and if you are upgraded great but if you aren't you will still be happy."

Oh, yeah, upgrade time is not a happy time around here on the DISboards. The overall understanding is that upgrades are random - no one has been able to discover the determining factor(s) for who gets an upgrade. For example, repeat cruisers don't seem to get any preference over 1st or 2nd timers.

And yet so many of us get excited when upgrades and assignments come in and we hope we will be pixie-dusted and then end up in the same room or just get what we paid for. It's hard not to hope for more, but remember, it's not the under the cruisers' control that they were lucky. This is my heads' up warning - now if I can just remember that when I get a cabin with 2 portholes on Deck 2 for my Restricted Guaranty Oceanview non-changeable ticket.

We changed back to Inside gty because I knew I would spend those $$$$ saved. Curt prefers inside (sleeps much better) and I prefer verandah (love it, but he hates heights). So upgrade or no, ONE of us will be happy!

I just hope they are finished with the bathroom drains & such by then!!

On the ebta in May, there were lots & lots of empty rooms (many verandas), but due to construction in bathrooms (chiseling out the tile to get to pipes, replacing pipes & drains, etc.), there were just a few upgrades in the last month, that we were aware of, and NO upgrades at the port whatsoever. Then there was a lot of complaining at GS due to the noise & stuff, and a few people were moved around a bit then...some of them half way through the cruise.

Here's hoping for lots of upgrades & no construction zones......and yes, book what you can be happy with for 2 weeks.

.

Maybe with the lower bookings of the Med cruises, they got all the construction zones taken care of over the summer.

 

[Tod&Copper]

... We had so many of those over time...they became a cruise staple! But, ours also always had a slice of blue cheese. Either my computer can't see it or it's been eaten...or....say it isn't so.... that you didn't get one? We are big blue cheese fans. Favorite in our neck of the woods is Pt Reyes Blue - pricey, but worth it. :good vibes
.

Don't panic apparently DH had pinched the blue cheese off the plate before I took the photo. He only confessed today when I queried that there was no blue cheese on the platter anymore

 

[Donaldcp98]

Did people find out about these at the port or was this at the time of GTY assignments?

It will be when we get our GTY assignments and sometimes after.

 

[poohluv2u]

Oh, yeah, upgrade time is not a happy time around here on the DISboards. The overall understanding is that upgrades are random - no one has been able to discover the determining factor(s) for who gets an upgrade. For example, repeat cruisers don't seem to get any preference over 1st or 2nd timers.

And yet so many of us get excited when upgrades and assignments come in and we hope we will be pixie-dusted and then end up in the same room or just get what we paid for. It's hard not to hope for more, but remember, it's not the under the cruisers' control that they were lucky. This is my heads' up warning - now if I can just remember that when I get a cabin with 2 portholes on Deck 2 for my Restricted Guaranty Oceanview non-changeable ticket.

We requested the room that we're in, so does that mean we won't be upgraded??

 

[karentan]

We requested the room that we're in, so does that mean we won't be upgraded??

It's not impossible that you won't, but if you're happy where you are and don't want to be moved, you can call them and ask them to put "do not move" on your reservation

 

[Pinky166]

Oh, yeah, upgrade time is not a happy time around here on the DISboards. The overall understanding is that upgrades are random - no one has been able to discover the determining factor(s) for who gets an upgrade. For example, repeat cruisers don't seem to get any preference over 1st or 2nd timers.

And yet so many of us get excited when upgrades and assignments come in and we hope we will be pixie-dusted and then end up in the same room or just get what we paid for. It's hard not to hope for more, but remember, it's not the under the cruisers' control that they were lucky. This is my heads' up warning - now if I can just remember that when I get a cabin with 2 portholes on Deck 2 for my Restricted Guaranty Oceanview non-changeable ticket.

I never thought i'd say this but i'll be disappointed if I do get upgraded.....I want to stay in my side ways cabin with my DIS party pals on Deck 6!

Don't panic apparently DH had pinched the blue cheese off the plate before I took the photo. He only confessed today when I queried that there was no blue cheese on the platter anymore

Lol, cheeky Stevie.

We requested the room that we're in, so does that mean we won't be upgraded??

I'm wondering that too?

 

[karentan]

now if I can just remember that when I get a cabin with 2 portholes on Deck 2 for my Restricted Guaranty Oceanview non-changeable ticket.

Don't worry Lynne, I'll probably be down there too with my cat 9d GTY cast room.....

 

[fly4free2]

[

QUOTE=hazelandannie;41733775]Morning everyone
I have a huge favour to ask of any of the US disers. I use alot of these http://www.gas-x.com/products-strips.shtml as I struggle with heartburn when drinking alcohol and eating yummy food [/

I struggle as well, so I know what you mean. I will be happy to get some for both of us. How many boxes would you like to have?

 

[TxMermaid1]

I assume that this means that any hope for pixie dust upgrades will be slim to none?

That means your chances of getting upgraded are much better.

Did people find out about these at the port or was this at the time of GTY assignments?

As Bev said, we got them before the cruise when our cabins where assigned. A few got them later. At port you could not even buy an upgrade.
We did have lots of construction and painting going on... hope they have it all done now.

I just hope they are finished with the bathroom drains & such by then!!

On the ebta in May, there were lots & lots of empty rooms (many verandas), but due to construction in bathrooms (chiseling out the tile to get to pipes, replacing pipes & drains, etc.), there were just a few upgrades in the last month, that we were aware of, and NO upgrades at the port whatsoever. Then there was a lot of complaining at GS due to the noise & stuff, and a few people were moved around a bit then...some of them half way through the cruise.

Here's hoping for lots of upgrades & no construction zones......and yes, book what you can be happy with for 2 weeks.

.

I second that! Lot's of cookies and no construction

We requested the room that we're in, so does that mean we won't be upgraded??

It seems many that requested certain rooms did not get upgraded. I know a few that did.


Poohluv2u..... Glad you took the leap.. I don't think you will regret it. Now I wish DH was going too I'm gonna miss the Razul!

 

[GatorMomInNC]

But WHEN WHEN WHEN will we find out which cabin we get if we have a GTY?

I know that the GTY's are non-changeable, but I tried to split my ressie into 2 rooms and they wouldn't let me. I was surprised since I would think they would rather sell 2 rooms on a cruise that is almost sold out, vs 1 room.

 

[auntlynne]

This nonrefundable, pay-now and you-can't change Restricted GTY category is new to DCL. I imagine they are trying it out to see if it flies or not. We'll see if situations like yours arise too often for them to keep offering it or not. I was very surprised that it was available so far in advance; I thought they were going to offer them starting about 75 days out.

 

[liesbeth1012]

Things to remember to pack (or buy in Barcelona) for those for whom this applies:

CORKSCREW


...Do we need to make cheese runs in Barcelona and Gibraltar, too? Perhaps some conserves or chutneys? They won't have a Sur La Table, but in a city that size, something must be available. Maybe Morrison's.

...Palo Brunch does have a pretty good cheese table. Champagne and champagne+nectar (peach or blackberry) are included with brunch.

I put it on my packing list, but I can buy a corkscrew in Barcelona, with the rest of what I forget.

This nonrefundable, pay-now and you-can't change Restricted GTY category is new to DCL. I imagine they are trying it out to see if it flies or not. We'll see if situations like yours arise too often for them to keep offering it or not. I was very surprised that it was available so far in advance; I thought they were going to offer them starting about 75 days out.

We started with a oceanview with a large porthole on deck 2 when we booked nov. last year. And then the restricted GTY came in jan and we booked over to a verrandah for less than the oceanview. So we are pleased with wathever cabin we get because we get a verrandah anyway. I cannot imagine what upgrade we can get yet.

 

[we're aliens]

Hello Dear,

I would like to sign up for the WBTA Candyswap!

Thanks!

Tiago [dreamscomealive]

Follow the info:
Participants:
1. Tiago Bernal; 31
2. Helena Takahara; 30
Room: TBD
DIS: dreamscomealive
country/state/village: Brazil / São Paulo-SP

Welcome aboard Tiago and Helina

We are Jane and Dave from north west England. This is our second transatlantic cruise with Disney.

We hope you will find all the information you need here.

Have you cruised before?


See you on board in September.
Jane and Dave

 

[Chris&Jeremy]

It's not impossible that you won't, but if you're happy where you are and don't want to be moved, you can call them and ask them to put "do not move" on your reservation

Hmm, I'm wondering if we should do this. Not that we have the greatest room (6A), but we specifically chose the one we did within this category because it has one of the larger verandahs on the back of the ship (#7134). The only thing that would make it better was if it had plexiglass instead of the solid wall...

 

[MandyGirl]

I think this was posted previously, but it's not coming up when I search "VAT". Did someone say VAT is charged on EVERYTHING onboard the ship until after we leave Gibraltar? Nursery, spa, etc? And we can get that back, right?

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Thank you so much Liz!!!! I didn't know about that and I will definitely be visiting it!!!! I just hope we may be able to squeeze it in the 3 nights after the cruise, if not it will be top of the list for our next trip.

I'm happy to help! There are nice beaches in the area, so maybe a combination day at the Chihuly Collection and a beach near St. Pete would be a nice day. Also, there's a gelato place near the Collection called Paciugo. It is yummy & worth a visit if you have the time.

O, I love blue cheese on a cracker with home made pearschutney.
And also the italian peccorino cheese with a sweet figsconfiture.
I shall order room service for certain as I see these photo's

So Liesbeth, do you make your own chutney? If so, I would be interested in the recipe - I've been doing some canning lately as a new hobby.

garys a fan of strong cheese. me i hate the stuff.
then again, it backfires on him if he eats it too late at night because he ends up having nightmares of aliens chasing him

LOL Karen, when you said it backfires on him, the first thing I thought of was NOT bad dreams.....

DH and I love cheese too. I am not a big fan of Blue but my husband loves Blue the stronger the better. For those that are cheese fans and have not been to brunch there is a pretty good selection of cheeses there. If I knew how to post pictures I would show you some.

About posting pictures, you need to upload the pictures to a web album, like Snapfish or Picasa (free, by Google) then you copy the url address of the photo and click on the icon w/ the mountain in your dis post and enter the url there. Sounds complicated but its not. I'm sure there is a thread discussing it on these boards.

...Do we need to make cheese runs in Barcelona and Gibraltar, too? Perhaps some conserves or chutneys? They won't have a Sur La Table, but in a city that size, something must be available. Maybe Morrison's.

...Palo Brunch does have a pretty good cheese table. Champagne and champagne+nectar (peach or blackberry) are included with brunch.

Yay! Well, I'll have to save some room for cheese at Palo this time. I don't think I paid much attention to them last time.

Spain is known for their Manchengo cheese but I'm sure they have lots of others. It would be nice to snag some while on the trip. SO excited that this time we won't have to fly home so we can bring back as much as we want, liquids and all!!!

I didn't know about the nectar for champagnes so that is great! Thanks Lynne.

Don't panic apparently DH had pinched the blue cheese off the plate before I took the photo. He only confessed today when I queried that there was no blue cheese on the platter anymore

Funny! It sounds like something my husband would do.

But WHEN WHEN WHEN will we find out which cabin we get if we have a GTY?

I know that the GTY's are non-changeable, but I tried to split my ressie into 2 rooms and they wouldn't let me. I was surprised since I would think they would rather sell 2 rooms on a cruise that is almost sold out, vs 1 room.

This nonrefundable, pay-now and you-can't change Restricted GTY category is new to DCL. I imagine they are trying it out to see if it flies or not. We'll see if situations like yours arise too often for them to keep offering it or not. I was very surprised that it was available so far in advance; I thought they were going to offer them starting about 75 days out.

Yeah, we tried to upgrade our cabin to an oceanview recently and DCL said no, we offered to pay the difference between the current cruise price, they won't upgrade us at that price - it has to be the price that was available when our cabin was booked - very strange operating policies, you'd think they'd rather have our money for the upgrade, but what can you do?

We are happy w/ our inside. I've said before how I LOVE the darkness of the cabin! But if we get an upgrade that will be nice too of course. We figure that there are so many DCL cruisers with more cruises under their belts than us that we are pretty low on the upgrade list so its not something we think is too realistic.

 

[Chirpee]

Disney does not care how much liquor you bring on board. We had a suitcase packed with nothing but liquor and it weighed 50lbs You would think we were alcoholics...lol Many of the EBTAers brought lots of liquor and we meet at Promenade lounge every night around 10:30 and shared drinks and socialized til around 1 or 2 AM! We would take our glass of wine to dinner and there was no problems with that. However as mentioned before, if you take the bottle to dinner, you will be charged a $18 uncorking fee...

I've seen a number of posts now mentioning taking glasses of wine into dinner. Where do you get the glasses from? Is this something else that we need to add to our packing lists?

 

[Chris&Jeremy]

As I had mentioned before, we were thinking of getting a rental car at the Orlando airport for the day and hitting Downtown Disney when we get back to FL and before our flight.

What time could we expect to make it to the Orlando airport? I wasn't sure what time we would likely be off the ship and how easy/hard it is to get the DCL shuttle. (Do they give you a set time for your bus like they do when you are returning to the airport from your WDW resort)?