If anything is missing - I lost about half of this in a bad keystroke.
Weekly Recap June 16 - 22
page 81 - 123 (42 pages)
Creating a Google spreadsheet: "I need a 10-year-old to sort this out for me."
Alternate Logo
I had found that one from AmyMickey (she has a website that you can order iron-on transfers - amymickey.com) Here is the original file where I pulled it from:
http://www.4shared.com/photo/X1D7jfao/WB_Transatlantic_blank.html
Looking For
pkicinski@yahoo.com
Am interested in linked dining with DVC members. We are two "young" 60s and would love to sit with other DVC couples. Cannot give info you request until we've posted 10 times
I am looking for a roomate if anyone knows of someone who wants to share. I have a balcony room with a great Travel Industry Rate. If you know of anyone, let me know
Thanks Much
New Cruisers
carolsherman - on EBTA '11
dylan'smom -
Bev - EBTA '11
hazelandannie - "We are
Hazel and
Annie and have spent the past 10 years or so taking our holidays in WDW. We were due to take our holiday in California this year but that fell through, and after spending an entire week sulking and trawling the internet for different holidays i came across the WBTA!
We have never been on any kind of cruise before so this is all completely new to us, so we thought what better way to start than the Disney way!!
We are not going with kids but are just big versions of kids ourselves" -
from Kent, UK
jsassy - "Hello everyone. ... I am
Jerry and my wife is
Jan and we were on the April 2010 back to back EBT and Mediterranean. If anyone else was on there you may remember we brought our own Preacher. They can't make it this year though." -
from Hawkinsville, GA
KrisannB - "Ok it is official! We are booked! I am so excited - this means we did both the WBTA and EBTA last year AND this year!!! Looking forward to seeing some of my past DIS friends and also meeting new people!
We are still GTY for a 5c but that is ok - I know we will have a room at some point! We are on early dining and requesting our favorite server - we have had him for 62 nights so far on the Magic (this will add another 14) I am so excited!
It will be me (
Krisann), DH (
Ashley), DD-16 and DS - 14" -
from Tennessee
Happy Birthday
Pinky166 -
Claire -
from Herts, England - married to Lee
Congratulations
Namsupak -
Lauren - "I had my thesis defense today and PASSED!" (Thursday)
Airport Transport - Barcelona - Sep 10th
As of Sat, June 18:
karentan - "for those arriving on the 10th and wanting to share the bus:...
we now have 18 people arriving somewhere between 9.25am and 11am. thinking of a pick up time of about 12pm to allow everyone to get through customs and immigration. journey should take about 25-30 minutes according to google maps, so we should be at the terminal by approx 12.30pm
Sign Up for Activities
Okay, folks, I hate to be difficult about this, but
You MUST have sent me a PM with your information (as described on Page 1 and in Noel's Welcome Wagon message) in order to be included in the FE!!!!
I have received several messages and requests from people who believe they signed up because they mentioned it in the thread or on Facebook, but those posts are too easy to miss, which is why I have asked everyone who wishes to participate to PLEASE send me a PM (or a Visitor message if you have fewer than 10 posts).
Thank you for your understanding about this.
FE Groups are Ready
PFlamingo - Finally. I've checked and rechecked and I think I've got it right. If you are participating in the FE, please click on the link below to request an invitation to join the group. You will need to create a Google account first, if you don't already have one. I'll confirm your request, and "share" the FE lists document with you (once I figure out how to do that). There is a question you will need to answer (it's an easy one) to help confirm that you are who you claim to be.
WBTA FE 2011
Once you have access to the document PLEASE READ the page at the beginning of the document. It has some info you need to know. -
Pat
Candy swappers, attention!!!!
goofieslonglostsis - "I'm still getting PM's off people signing up, great! This slowly does bring up the question about groupsize. That's why I want to know the opinion of participants about max. group size. Which numbers are you still comfortable participating in? At the moment we've got 14 staterooms signed up for a total of 37 participants in varying ages. If there are enough participants that want to keep the groups smallish, I can devide up into 2 groups, add a 3rd if needed etc. Like with the FE you can then decide if you wish to participate in one or more groups.
As usual; signing up only counts after sending me a PM to do so and receiving a confirmation reply from me." -
Jacqueline
PIN ORDER CUT-OFF IS JUNE 30
birkner - "I have added Pin Payment info the the fist page post on Lanyard Pins. Details are below or you can click on the link.
Here is how to pay.
Please mark the payment as a gift to me on PayPal at
birkner@needinfo.com so the only fees you may have to pay is convert to Euros if this is not your principal currency.
Be sure you put your DIS name in the notes so I know where the payment came from and can properly credit you.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to PM me. -
Noel
Kids Thread
melonz - My son Ethan 10 , has made a post in kids thread He'd really like to "meet" some kids before we go. So if your kids like hotdogs and burgers, Ethan is the one to talk to.
BTW Ethan is posting under my name as it's a pain in the neck to register him as he's under 13. I WILL check his posts though."
Transport from Port Canaveral to DTD
"I checked to see how much it would cost to rent a car from the Port to the Airport (with a detour to Downtown Disney or Harry Potter) and it was about $80. Then I checked a rental directly from the airport and it was about $20."
Check-in Airline Luggage Onboard
"Appreciate the information, but I was more asking about the option
DCL has for checking your luggage with Delta straight to airport. I know that normally you would pick it up on the pier after disembarking--go through customs etc--but I have never had the option to pre-check luggage on ship before getting to airport--which according to what I am reading on DCL you have that option. My question was more--has anyone done that? What is the process? Do you do it AFTER you claim the luggage in the port/customs etc, or does it go from the ship to the airport (meaning you leave it outside and do not see it until you land in your destination)? "
Electrical converters
Disney Magic is US voltage/plugs - check your pre-cruise hotel to see if you need a converter/adapter - especially those with CPAP machines
Is anyone else stopping at the same hotel as us? Well I do know of another family actually, but it would be great to have a few more. They do a 10% discount on the cruise rate. Close to Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya and it has a pool!!! We stayed fairly close to this area last year and it is a great spot.
http://www.hotel-atriumpalacebarcelona.com/en
Hypnotist
"Interesting story - The hypnotist that was on our cruise last summer lives near us in a neighboring subdivision. My daughter attended the overnight Lock-In held after her high school Graduation and commented on the Hynotist that performed that night. As she was telling some of the things he had done, my husband made a comment about that sounding a lot like what had happened with the Hypnotist on the cruise. So, we looked him up, and it was the same guy!
He's very good and puts on a very entertaining show. He had people believing they had "lost" their belly buttons, and that they were watching a (porn) flick that they later realized starred their parents."
In a related story, her husband "wasn't" hynotised:
Here's one photo of my hubby, aka Barry White, in Rockin' Bar D!
He is virtually un-embarrassable!!!
Alcohol Sales at Barcelona Port Terminal
Fontabel - Having just come from Barcelona, I can say that Terminal A where our ship was docked had a nice set of stores inside the terminal, including a duty free liquor store and a small store of sundries and I think snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. There was also a store of drug-store like items.
Unfortunately because NCL charged a whopping $15 per bottle brought on board, we did not use the shops. I cannot say if they are in all 3 of the Barcelona terminals (but I would think so)." -
Amanda
We had friends go out of Barcelona on the Magic last year and they stocked up at the terminal.
EXCURSIONS
ATTENTION SCUBA DIVERS
If you are interested in DIVING in Tortola. Please PM me.
DCL no longer offers the diving excursion on Tortola. I have contacted a dive shop directly and they are willing to work with us. I need to know if any one else is interested. We have 4 people so far and need at least two more.
The quote I have is for a two tank two site boat dive, it is $115.00pp with 10.00pp gear rental. However, if you are only interested in a one tank dive let me know and I can go back and let them know our interest and get a quote for that. A one tank dive would most likely be a beach dive. We would have a local guide with either option. You must be a certified diver to do this excursion.
Please PM me and let me know if you are interested in a 1 or 2 tank dive, how many are in your party or with any questions. -
Nickole -
nick262
Tortola/JVD Catamaran
MandyGirl - I received a reply from the charter company for our DIS excursion, and he said it is just a few feet from the beach and swimming not required - suitable for non-swimmers and infants. I have his reply quoted below with some embedded pics from the website. If you need to cancel or utilize a dinghy to go to shore, please PM me ASAP as I need to keep a separate list due to capacity purposes. Thanks!
Updated on front page:
There is a dock to board the catamaran in Tortola, but...
NOTE: There is NO DOCK at White Bay Beach... you use the steps/ladder at the back of the catamaran to go ashore via water... hence the name SOGGY DOLLAR BAR. For pics, please see the linked websites mentioned above or this pic to see the short distance from boat to beach. Here is a picture of the ladder to go back into catamaran since no dock.
From my contact at Tortola Charters:
"We have non-swimmers and guests with somewhat limited mobility on this
trip all of the time and it is never a problem". Because this excursion will have two boats, one will have a dinghy IF needed. If you have mobility concerns going up/down the ladder, please PM me to put your party on the catamaran that "has a power dinghy that can take them right to the shoreline if they prefer that instead of swimming in the few yards."
Please note in their description of this excursion on their website, "(This tour is suitable for all ages including infants and non-swimmers – snorkeling is done from the beach and is optional)" which is different from the description of the Virgin Gorda Baths excursion (more strenuous).
Please PM me if you need to be on the
catamaran with a dinghy due to this. We have specific numbers of capacity on each catamaran, so it is limited and I have to keep a list of who is on it. First come, first listed. (And honestly, coming from someone who got into a dinghy in a wedding dress after my beach wedding on St John... I would say it is easier to wade in the water and climb the ladder if you can. A dinghy is not the most stable stepping in/out of)
A few people have recently asked for advice on excursions in gibraltar.
Myself and Helen have visited quite a bit in the past 5 years (even getting married there) and this is what I have found.
We have looked to do the dolphin excursion but when speaking with a booking agent on 2 occasions we have been advised that the chances of seeing dolphins on that day. Was not too good, it may be just our bad luck, but did not fancy paying for just a basic boat trip. One other point is that they charge for infants regardless of age, Grace was only 12 months at the time and from experience this is the only company I have found charging for children so young.
In regards to the different options at the top of the rock there is obviously the cable car which charges £7.50 for a single journey and £9 for a return journey (it is a long walk back down, not sure why anyone would buy a single!!) this only entitles you to see the monkey enclosure and nothing else.
Other attractions at the top are St Michaels cave, the Great siege tunnels and the moorish castle which in my opinion are well worth doing. The cost of this with the cable car company is £19 for adults and £12 for children. This option involves quite a walk between the sites of around 3 miles for the round trip and it can be quite tiring as it is very hilly.
An alternative option is a minibus tour, there are numerous drivers touting for business at the border with gib/Spain, on the main street and also at the base of Europa point as you go up towards the cable cars (trying to take business from the cable cars). From memory the trip includes entry to the top of the rock and all the attractions mentioned above and costs around £15. The benefit with this is that you are taken to all the sites and there is minimal walking, the tour takes about 3 hours but if a group of 8 book the whole bus I'm sure the driver will negotiate. I'm sure there will be drivers on the dock trying to overcharge so it may be better to book at one of the other sites.
We did the trip in our own car and for entry for 2 adults and a car it came to about £20 for entry to all the attractions (£10 for the car and £5 per adult) So the minibus tour is quite reasonable.
A helpful website is
http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-tickets.aspx which is for the cable car company but gives a good description of the different attractions
Hope this is of help.
If you have any queries please feel free to PM me
Paul
KrisannB - "my few cents in here too - we did the Disney excursion on the 2010 EBTA and it was nice, we saw lots of dolphins BUT this year on teh EBTA some of the Diser's went and they saw NOTHING - BUT before dinner that night on Deck 4 we were all out on watching as we were sailing from Gilbraltor - we first saw 3 whales and then about 10 minutes later so many dolphins! I have pictures my husband took of them - it was awesome - we stayed there watching them for over an hour!"
After reading Paul's excellent post about Gibraltar, I would be very interested in sharing a minibus tour. Have I missed anywhere where someone is trying to organize one of these? I have a funky knee that sometimes lets me walk for miles, and sometimes makes it a pain to walk at all--getting old sucks.
Kevin & I would be happy to share a bus, and if anyone knows the best site to arrange for one beforehand, please let me know.
Thanks,
Karen (6 of 6--I didn't want to claim any particular number, but I think I'm the sixth one to join the bunch)
Horseback Riding on St Maarten
karentan & binkytell are signed up for 9am; pickup at port @ 8:20
"We booked with st Maarten cruise excursions, if you google it you should be able to find them. It's through a stables called lucky stables and you do get to take the horses into the sea
http://www.stmaartencruiseexcursions.com/
finally,
ON the EBTA when we were in Barcelona, we found ourselves in the middle of a shoot out between police and protesters... gun shots going off all around us... over 100 people hurt. NO I did not feel safe and cancelled my hotel reservations to stay there for a few days.... I wanted out of there asap. I hope the protest are calming down there but heard they are still protesting.
DS loves Cadbury's Buttons and my Mum usually brings a huge quantity over with her each time she visits this side of the pond. However, Cadbury's Buttons have recently appeared on the shelves in Canada and the packages state they are an imported product. DS though insists they don't taste the same as the ones bought in the UK, whereas DH and I think they do. So next time my Mum is over, we are going to do a Cadbury Buttons test taste challenge with one packet bought from the UK and one bought here, and, without telling my son which is which, we'll see if he can detect any difference in taste between the 2!
I will be pretending I'm married to someone else. I may take something sort of pirate-y if I have room in my luggage, otherwise I'll improvise.
We've had chocolate in several European countries, for sampling purposes of course 
, and we haven't had a bad bit yet! Always looking for the next yummy bit. 
guess I can blame my British roots for that aversion 
You need to try some UK choccie asap! 
Boy it is expensive stuff but sooooo good. I have to wonder why people buy children's items from there as I guess children like chocolate whatever kind and Cadbury's would do just fine.
