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

[Pinky166]

I forgot to say - Lynne i'm loving the Martini glass design. Very clever.

 

[granmaz]

For those new to DCL cruising and don't like to be left out of the loop, here are some thoughts about Special Clothing:


Formal x 2 nights - Finally, a chance to wear your tiara and gloves!

Semi-formal night - think cocktail dress

Villains night - wear purple and black (DIS tradition, not DCL)

Pirate night - well, they do own the POC franchise and rights to the POC name since they built the ride at DL

Mickey Mouse Club night - wear your Mouse ears, t-shirts can be ordered from Zazzle (this is a DIS event)

PJ Breakfast - (DIS event)

Pub Crawl - shirts available for order

Champagne Girls - PINK + boa + tiara

We'll be wearing lanyards (free - don't forget to order yours from Birkner) - you'll even have a personalized name tag. It really is fun when the crew knows who you are - and you are wondering "how?" until you look down and it hits you.

There will be DISers with personalized t-shirts on - utilizing many of the designs found on this forum. You can also design your own. Also, a great chance to wear all your Disney attire without having your co-workers (and non-Disney family members) roll their eyes.


Night 2 - Formal Night (Sea Day)
Night 6 - Theme Night TBC (Sea Day) (perhaps this is Villain's Night?)
Night 7 - Formal Night (Sea Day)
Night 11 - Pirate Night (St Maarten)
Night 13 - Semi-Formal (Sea Day)

Very helpful stuff Lynne, thanks.

 

[granmaz]

Sarah, sorry you are having problems with the dolphin tour company. I really can't understand how some people run their businesses, but I guess we only cruise on in once so they don't have to make much of an effort.

Don't feel like you are letting people down. You have been working very hard on this and it isn't your fault.

 

[Pinky166]

Hi Noel

I've checked my info on the Welcome Wagon post. Not quite sure what's happened with the Champagne girls info as it seems to have merged with the Lanyard pins. Maybe you could separate them?

Also I noticed a few of the links either don't open or open a different post. I didn't check the whole lot just the Champagne girls & Scrapbook exchange one's.

All my other info is correct, thanks.

 

[squitty]

Attention All People Interested in the Dolphin Tour in GIbraltar

I am afraid I am having great difficulty with communication with this company. I have been sending them emails daily stating that I need to know what they are doing about the time, whether we can go back to the 10:15 time slot as originally arranged and basically just wanting to know what is going on. Apart from one email about 2 weeks ago which said they were trying to accomodate us on the 10:15 trip, but they had been approached by a cruise ship which was why they wanted us to move in the first place. They said they would get back to me the following day and I have heard absolutely nothing, despite me sending almost daily emails and it is becoming a bit stressful to be honest.

It appears to me that they have had a better offer from a cruise ship and they are not really interested in honouring our original agreement.

I have decided that I will give them one more week to respond, and if I still hear nothing then I am going to suggest we pull out of this trip as a group booking.

Obviously people can still go ahead and try and book this as individual smaller groups and maybe they will ahve better luck. I am so disappointed and frustrated as they seemed really keen to accomodate us when I first enquired, and I really feel that I am somehow letting everyone down.

Sarah, I think you have been more than fair & patient.

You are not letting anybody down...so please don't feel that way.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

How frustrating Sarah. It will be such a shame if we have to cancel. Have you threatened to pull out in the email? Maybe that will get there attention?

Do they have a phone number? I don't mind giving them a call for you if you want, I know you are busy getting ready for Florida.

I have sent an email which is blunt and to the point ....basically if I don't hear from them by end of next week then I will be pulling out. Can't get any plainer than that. After all the hassle and stuff I am reluctant to give them my money anyway, they are clearly unreliable and as you don't have to pay up front we could all turn up on the day and they could let us down. I am just so disappointed with the whole thing and am ready to pull the plug on doing this trip.

 

[MandyGirl]

Noel -

PJ Breakfast is still great!

Maybe rephrase Tortola differently to include "group rate" (versus private) and "standby list" (since full) to something similar as you feel:


12. Mandy (MandyGirl) is organizing a Tortola Excursion of a group-rate day sail on two catamarans to Jost VanDyke with Tortola Charters. Please PM Mandy with the number in your party if you are interested in being added to the standby list should there be cancellations for this excursion, and view further details on the front page of the thread.

Attention All People Interested in the Dolphin Tour in GIbraltar

I am afraid I am having great difficulty with communication with this company.

How frustrating Sarah. It will be such a shame if we have to cancel. Have you threatened to pull out in the email? Maybe that will get there attention?

Sarah, sorry you are having problems with the dolphin tour company. I really can't understand how some people run their businesses, but I guess we only cruise on in once so they don't have to make much of an effort.

Don't feel like you are letting people down. You have been working very hard on this and it isn't your fault.

Ditto, Sarah!! I've seen things like this happen before, and they care more about their business $$ than customer satisfaction. I'd say wash your hands of it. Also, with the EBTA reports of there not being many dolphins seen at all, that more dolphins were seen from the ship coming to/from port, it may be worth just having everyone do their own, especially with them on the timeframe. I know we'd prefer earlier, and if they are not budging.....

 

[Pinky166]

I have sent an email which is blunt and to the point ....basically if I don't hear from them by end of next week then I will be pulling out. Can't get any plainer than that. After all the hassle and stuff I am reluctant to give them my money anyway, they are clearly unreliable and as you don't have to pay up front we could all turn up on the day and they could let us down. I am just so disappointed with the whole thing and am ready to pull the plug on doing this trip.

That's fair enough hun, you've been more than patient with them.

They obviously prioritise the bookings directly from the ships as they are regular customers as opposed to a private group but it's no excuse for not replying to you!

I am sure you are sick to the back teeth of it, I know I am with trying to book the Ladies High Tea.

 

[Tubbsteruk]

Attention All People Interested in the Dolphin Tour in GIbraltar

I am afraid I am having great difficulty with communication with this company. I have been sending them emails daily stating that I need to know what they are doing about the time, whether we can go back to the 10:15 time slot as originally arranged and basically just wanting to know what is going on. Apart from one email about 2 weeks ago which said they were trying to accomodate us on the 10:15 trip, but they had been approached by a cruise ship which was why they wanted us to move in the first place. They said they would get back to me the following day and I have heard absolutely nothing, despite me sending almost daily emails and it is becoming a bit stressful to be honest.

It appears to me that they have had a better offer from a cruise ship and they are not really interested in honouring our original agreement.

I have decided that I will give them one more week to respond, and if I still
hear nothing then I am going to suggest we pull out of this trip as a group booking.

Obviously people can still go ahead and try and book this as individual smaller groups and maybe they will ahve better luck. I am so disappointed and
frustrated as they seemed really keen to accomodate us when I first enquired, and I really feel that I am somehow letting everyone down.

Sarah,

I can fully appreciate your frustration with this company. If it makes you feel any better they are not much better when dealing with customers face to face when there isnt a cruise ship in dock.

We've looked at doing this before and could not believe it when they wanted to charge for a 12 month old!! I queried this and was basically told everyone pays

We looked again last year and were told by the booking agent that the chances of actually seeing dolphins that day was minimal.

For anyone still wanting to do the dolphins and a tour of the top of the rock they do a tie in with the cable car company at www.gibraltarinfo.gi where the price for a combined package seems quite good (only 50p more than the dolphin cruise for both) I'm sure if you're buying a package then they would have to honour all the trips on it - it may be that you would need to do the cable car 1st and then the dolphins. They even state that they take group bookings for 20 or more people

Don't feel bad, it's appreciated by everyone the work that goes into trying to organise these things.

Hope this helps

Paul

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Thanks Paul. When I first contacted them they were really keen to take a group booking from us, but they actually said in an email that they had another cruise ship coming in and they would have to deal with them first. That's when they wanted to move us to the later time. When I complained they said they would try and accomodate us back at the earlier time and since then I have heard nothing.

 

[Chris&Jeremy]

So what are folks thinking for Gibraltar then if the Dolphin tour falls through? Just explore on your own?

I was looking at the Gibraltar excursions this AM and none of them really stands out at me - most seem to be things that we could just handle on our own (going to the top of the rock, etc).

Are the Rock & cable cars within walking distance of the port?

We would also like to hit Morrissons and the Swarovski store while in port. Jeremy collects Swarovski's Disney series and we are hoping we may find some deals. When in Paris a couple years ago we got some pieces way cheaper than they would have been here in the States.

 

[Rikersmom]

Maybe there will be enough of us to just meet and share cabs to see the sights. I am beginning to think that might be the best plan since I am not getting good vibes about trying to pre-book with anyone there.

Karen

 

[Fontabel]

Needed to do a little art today. Here's one idea.

This is great Lynne! Can you send me the art? Chris/Jeremy, can you make one at the site you are using or should we just make our own if we want liquor versus beer?

Thanks!

Amanda

 

[MandyGirl]

So what are folks thinking for Gibraltar then if the Dolphin tour falls through? Just explore on your own?

I was looking at the Gibraltar excursions this AM and none of them really stands out at me - most seem to be things that we could just handle on our own (going to the top of the rock, etc).

Are the Rock & cable cars within walking distance of the port?

We would also like to hit Morrissons and the Swarovski store while in port. Jeremy collects Swarovski's Disney series and we are hoping we may find some deals. When in Paris a couple years ago we got some pieces way cheaper than they would have been here in the States.

We're not fond of the cable car (Curt hates heights, and we read the one in Madeira is better). We do want to see the apes. Like you, none of the DCL tours jump out at me. So far, we are thinking of winging it at the dock and getting a taxi there.

 

[Chris&Jeremy]

This is great Lynne! Can you send me the art? Chris/Jeremy, can you make one at the site you are using or should we just make our own if we want liquor versus beer?

The site I was using is CustomInk.com and they do have some items that don't require a minimum order:

http://www.customink.com/categories/t-shirts/97/styles

We could upload the art that Lynne did and order a single shirt, but it looks like they are kind of expensive (around $22 each). You may want to look at Vistaprint or Zazzle to see if it is cheaper?

Chris

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Excursions/Dining Availabilities as of 2:35 am EDT

Brunch for 1-2 NO availabilityTea for 1-2 NO availability
Dinner
Available:
Day 1, 2, 3 - all seatings
Day 4 - 6pm
Day 5 - all
Day 6 - 6pm 6:30 7p 8:30
Day 7 - 8:30
Day 9 - 6p 7:30 8p
Day 10 - 6:30 7p 7:30 8p
Day 11 - all
Day 12 - all but 7:30
Day 13 - 6p 6:30 7p 8:30
Day 14 - all

Seatings are 6p - 8:30 on the half hour, inclusive

Actually I checked this morning and there was brunch available for 1-2 people for one day/time only - 9/16, Day 7, 11:30 am

somebody probably cancelled so that's why it is now available.

 

[fly4free2]

[

QUOTE=Chris&Jeremy;41607849]So what are folks thinking for Gibraltar then if the Dolphin tour falls through? Just explore on your own?

I was looking at the Gibraltar excursions this AM and none of them really stands out at me - most seem to be things that we could just handle on our own (going to the top of the rock, etc).

Are the Rock & cable cars within walking distance of the port?

We would also like to hit Morrissons and the Swarovski store while in port. Jeremy collects Swarovski's Disney series and we are hoping we may find some deals. When in Paris a couple years ago we got some pieces way cheaper than they would have been here in the States.

[/QUOTE]

I'm in on visiting the Swarovski store. I'm a Swaroski "junkie", jewerly mostly. I have gone to lots of their stores all over Europe and in my experience they seem to be a "fair trade" item so the prices are about the same in every county according to local currency. That does not include the US which is high anyway. I have found items available in Europe that are not offered in the US. Not sure about Disney items. On other cruise ships there have always been Swaroski items for sale in the gift shops. I have not been on a Disney ship, so someone else could answer that for you. You might want to look at the Swaroski website get some prices and compare once you go to the stores. I think not having to pay "duty" can make a big difference too. Is this what you found to be true in Paris? I'm for Morrissons too pick up some supplies

 

[Chris&Jeremy]

I'm in on visiting the Swarovski store. I'm a Swaroski "junkie", jewerly mostly. I have gone to lots of their stores all over Europe and in my experience they seem to be a "fair trade" item so the prices are about the same in every county according to local currency. That does not include the US which is high anyway. I have found items available in Europe that are not offered in the US. Not sure about Disney items. On other cruise ships there have always been Swaroski items for sale in the gift shops. I have not been on a Disney ship, so someone else could answer that for you. You might want to look at the Swaroski website get some prices and compare once you go to the stores. I think not having to pay "duty" can make a big difference too. Is this what you found to be true in Paris? I'm for Morrissons too pick up some supplies

Yes, it was getting the VAT back on the purchase that made it doable. Granted, these weren't bought at a proper Swarovski store, but it was a shop that sold crystal and other art pieces that we found while walking around Versailles.

This is the piece that started it all for him - since then we've found Minnie, Pinnochio, Sorcerer Mickey and the Winnie the Pooh series (Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger).

I'm expecting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to show up one day but that series is (obviously) eight pieces and has the price tag to match!

 

[lovingthemouse]

Jeremy and Chris - you should never have mentioned Swarovski - that means more money to save up!!

I have stayed away from the chocolate discussion = that could be a never ending topic for me!!

Now that retirement is official on the 30th, this cruise is in full gear preparation! Caroline

 

[PFlamingo]

Attention All People Interested in the Dolphin Tour in GIbraltar

I am afraid I am having great difficulty with communication with this company.



Obviously people can still go ahead and try and book this as individual smaller groups and maybe they will ahve better luck. I am so disappointed and frustrated as they seemed really keen to accomodate us when I first enquired, and I really feel that I am somehow letting everyone down.

I have sent an email which is blunt and to the point ....basically if I don't hear from them by end of next week then I will be pulling out. Can't get any plainer than that.

I am just so disappointed with the whole thing and am ready to pull the plug on doing this trip.

Please don't feel like you're letting us down, Sarah! I think you've done everything you can to get them to work with you. Maybe it's time to just let it go. You don't need the stress, and it sounds like we'd see just as many dolphins from the ship as from their excursion.

I've been thinking of what to do if this doesn't work out, and I know I'd like to do the same things everyone else has mentioned. We can live without the dolphin watching if it isn't going to happen, and not be terribly disappointed at all.

I was reading a bit about Gibraltar on TripAdvisor, and I found something that hasn't been mentioned much here. I'm wondering if anyone has any info about it. I know about the Siege Tunnels, but I'd rather see the WWII tunnels (not the same thing, apparently). I love learning about that period - one of my all-time favorite places to visit was the Cabinet War Rooms in London. Fascinating! So I think we'd like to go there, and also see the apes (a must do), and maybe go to Europa Point. And, of course, Morrison's and maybe the Swarovski store, now that you've mentioned it. Any ideas on the best way to do this? I guess taxis would work, but could we do all this with a bus pass, too? I usually prefer using public transportation to taxis. We have no problems with the cable cars to the top of the Rock if that's how we have to do it - it's an adventure!