*Sept 10th 2011 WB Transatlantic* - From Spain to Space Mountain - Part 5

[Sorcerer-Mickey]

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

 

[granmaz]

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

Hi and welcome to you(?name???) and Erik.

 

[auntlynne]

...upgrades at the port - if we try for a port upgrade, we pay the price from the original category booked to the desired category dont we? ie: in theory if we booked an 11, but got a 9, if we wanted to pay to upgrade to a 7, we'd pay the 11 to 7 price, not the 9 to 11 price, right?

You've got it; and they charge it to your room account.


WELCOME Sorcerer-Mickey! Let's hope the seas are easy for Erik (and the rest of us).

 

[auntlynne]

GROUP PALO BRUNCH #2

No - Haven't gotten the official word yet, but I emailed them since goofieslonglostsis won't be joining us. They did ask which day we wanted out of 6 choices - I take that as a good sign. We should know at the 30 day mark, which is just 8 days.

 

[birkner]

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

Welcome aboard!! We are Noel and John and this will be our 5th cruise on DCL. Our last cruise was the 2010 WBTA so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask or PM me.

Please tell us a little more about your family. My nephew Erik is a graduate of Colorado State which I believe is right there when you live.

My DH John and I have created a website for you view other cruisers and sign in with your information. WBTA Website
If you want to add your picture to the website, you can send it to us at nbirkner@yahoo.com
Please check this first page of the thread to orient yourself about the cruise, DIS members on the cruise and all the activities planned.
To help you with all the activities that are planned, here is some information to help you decide if you want to participate:

01. If you are interested in participating in the Fish Extender Exchange (FE), please PM Pat (PFlamingo) with the following details:
Send her your stateroom number, Disboard name, first name of each person in the stateroom, realtionship to you (DH, DW, DD, DS, etc) ages and gender of children. You can cut and paste the format below.
Stateroom #:
Disname:
First name:
Age:
Disname:
First name:
Age:
Cutoff date for joining the FE is August 1, 2011.

02. If people are interested in being in the same area as other DIS'ers to send Dan (Cliffy97) a PM with Lead Passenger name, your booking number and if you are Early or Late seating. Dan was told by Disney today that this is all they need to put folks together. . Linked Dining

03. If you are interested in the Candy Swap, please PM Christina(Just love Eeyore ).

04. If you are interested in Secret Mickey Exchange, please PM Karen (karentan).

05. If you are interest in getting a WBTA lanyard, please PM Noel (birkner). See this lanyard link for example of the previous 2010 WBTA lanyard. Hopefully, a group of DISers will volunteer to underwrite the lanyards as they did last year so they will be free to the rest of the DISers. We already have several people offering to be part of the lanyard underwriting group. If you wish to join, please send Noel (Birkner) a PM. If we get enough members, the cost should be $10 or less per member.

06. If you are interested in a WBTA lanyard pin,please PM Noel (birkner). See the lanyard link above for example of the previous 2010 WBTA pin. Cost will be 5 Euros per pin. Payment is to be made by June 30, 2011 to birkner@needinfo.com on PayPal. Contact Noel (birkner) if you have more questions about pins. * Just a quick note on Lanyard pins. I have ordered a couple extra pins so if you want a pin, pls PM me, first come, first served until the pins are all sold.

07. If you are interested in participating in a Mickey Mouse Club night, please check out this Mickey Mouse club post. Plans are to do this event on Monday September 19 at both early and late seating dinners. We will all wear our Mickey Mouse shirts and ears!!

08. I am organizing two tours in Madeira. West we did last year and also one for East Madeira. Here is the a PDF file that gives more information about the 2010 tour. If you are interested, please send Noel (birkner) a PM.

09. We are also going to do a Champagne Girls meet. The Champagne Girls event originated on the WBPC cruise in 2008. Women get together dressed in pink to drink champagne or non alcoholic bubbly and chat. Pictures of the first meet are in this post and pictures from the last WBTA are in this post. Please PM (Clare)Pinky166 to add you name to the list.

10. If you would like to join in the Scrapbooking Exchange, please PM Clare (Pinky166) with your name and room number. The idea is to give your fellow exchangers some scrapbooking embellishments for use in your scrapbooks after you return home! For more info check this post.

11 Join us for a Pajama breakfast on September 18 at 10:00 AM at Lumiere's. We will meet outside Lumiere's at 9:50 AM to take group pictures. If you are interested, please PM Mandy (MandyGirl) with the number in your party.
Here is the picture from the PJ breakfast on last years WBTA.

12. Mandy (MandyGirl) is organizing a Tortola Excursion of a group rate day sail on a power catamaran 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 of this full excursion.

13. Squitty (Michelle) is organizing private Mixology and Mojito tastings. If you are interested, send her a PM for details.

14. Karen (Pixie Dust For Me!)is organizing stateroom tours, but we can't do it without you! PM me with your stateroom assignment and room number and we will tour as many staterooms as possible. It would be great to get one in every category!
When: Definitely on a sea day....stay tuned for which day!
Time: TBD
Where: You will be given a list of participating stateroom numbers and categories the day after we embark (to account for all those upgrades, don't you know )
Refreshments: Optional per discretion of stateroom participant.

15. If you want a designed DIS tee shirt for this cruise, follow the instruction in this post. DIS Tee shirt

16. Cliffy 97 (Dan and Bruce) are organizing a typical English pub crawl on Friday, September 16 from 1:00PM until 5:00PM. We can then restart after dinner.
Those who were interested will in one of the bars for ( Traditionally a half pint pounded, I would suggest a drink of your choice) and then visit (Crawl) every other bar on the ship at least once.
As we do not have to worry about anything closing or how we are getting home, I would imagine we can spend 20-30 min at each location versus the 5-10 min you have on the monopoly pub crawl in London.

Tee Shirt Order Site
More details on the pub crawl here: Pub Crawl

If you are located outside of the USA and want a t-shirt, please PM Chris&Jeremy and he will send you the artwork so you can have your own shirt printed locally.

17. If anyone wants to organize a postcard exchange, please feel free to start one. What we did las year is bring a postcard from where we lived and left in each other's FE. It is best to limit the number of participants no more than 25 as cost and weight to bring become an issue.

18. If you are interested in joining us for a farewell lunch, contact Claire (Pinky166) to be added to the list.
Come & join us for a farewell DIS lunch on the last sea day. Thursday 22nd Sept at 12.15pm, we are not sure which of the three rotational restaurants will be open on that day, should there be more than one open I have put them in order of preference - 1st Lumiere's, 2nd Parrot Cay or 3rd Animator's Palate.
Please make sure you check your Navigator that morning to see which restaurant is open for lunch as I won't be able to tell you in advance.
Please PM me if you'd like to join us and I will add you to the list, then once onboard notify the restaurant so they can seat us together at some large tables.

19. Hard Rock Cafe Meet. Some of us are hoping to meet up for drinks/a meal the evening of Friday 9th September at 6:30 PM at the Hard Rock Cafe on Placa Catalunya and is being organized by Sarah (Totally Angelic). Please send her a PM if you want to join in the fun!

20. Jane (We'reAliens) is organizing a Book Exchange. The idea is that a large bag will be hung on handrail outside stateroom 7120 available for anyone to borrow and, of course, donate books.

21. Jill (TxMermaid1) is organizing a dive in Tortola. Here is the info on the dive trip for Tortola Group leader lead by Jill Bouska, PADI Master Scuba Diver Instructor. Tortola Dive
(http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41602319&postcount=2002)

22. Nancy (Lionessa) wants to know if anyone interested or know about The Dolphin Royal Swim on Tortola? She is looking at booking it directly and would be very happy to share a taxi (minivan) with others who are interested. If you book ahead of time directly with the company you receive a discount. The Dolphin Royal Swim is for adults & children age 8+. ($149.00 adult) ($129.00 child) For the two, the total would be 278.00- discount= 208.00 US There are 4 shows as possibilities: 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm. Since the ship leaves at 3:45, she doesn't think the last 2 are good possibilities. Please PM her for details and more information.

23. Nancy (Lionessa) is organizing a HealthErcise group which will begin now (you can join anytime) precruise each day until we sail off. Then after we sail off, it doesn't stop there! On-board each day,we meet at a pre-arranged time to exercise together either on Deck 4 or the gym. During this time we support each other day after day until the end of the cruise with our goal of staying healthy with exercise while enjoying our meals and snacks.

You can exercise any amount of days you wish when we are cruising---one day, four days, or all the days. We will discuss what times and where (indoor or outdoor) are best to meet for exercise once we sail. Please PM her if you need more details and to join.

 

[auntlynne]

...Lynne, I was looking at your future cruises and didn't see dates for the Hawaiian cruise ... did you drop out?

Yes, I did drop out (of the Hawaiian cruise) - I do have a college degree

Odd thing is I am not that fond of long cruises with a bunch of Sea Days; I was bored on last year's EBTA but then loved the 11-night Med with all the ports. But I'm giving the TA another shot and am planning on maximizing the DCL activities, hoping others will do the same and have company at the Trivia contests, Adult Cabaret in Rockin' Bar D... There were a lot of blocks of time last year with nothing offered. Also, goofprincess and her husband are onboard and I know we'll have fun winning Disney trivia - just try and beat us.

Ultimately, I realized that one day at each of the main islands, and having to be back onboard at 7:30pm just wasn't enough for me. I have lived in Honolulu for 4 months and been back over the last few years for multi-week vacations and decided if I go to the islands I'll just to do my timeshares.

Now, if I had never been to Hawaii, this could be a fun taste sampler. And I think it could be really fun to do it with DCL. Lots of opportunity for fun theming (and costumes for the characters).

Also feeling a little guilty that I spend so much time away from Dad while on vacation. (Would so love to do the 42-night RCCI B2B2B from New Orleans-Barcelona-Dubai-Singapore for $2000 pp in April - but I am cruising the MV of the Fantasy on March 31).

Lynne, how long does it take you to do one of those recaps? You are very good at it!!

More than I would care to admit, I am sure. But it makes me feel like I've used my brain and accomplished something. Right now, my computer screen "stickie" is empty, meaning I haven't got anything selected for this week (which ends tomorrow). Only one new cruiser, though, if I remember correctly. Since I've read all the posts to date, I'll just do a quick run-through.

And remember, I don't work. Just hang out with my 82 yo dad and my sister's Cocker Spaniel, swim in the pool....

 

[m_kasch]

For the HOHO busses in Barcelona, is there a particular company that you are supposed to book through? Or are they all the same? It's more confusing to me than the ones in London. Thanks!!

 

[Just love Eeyore]

candy swap - if we decide to join in, you give one piece per person in the room, right?

You can do whatever you like - Just like the FE

 

[squitty]

trying to figure a few things out:

candy swap - if we decide to join in, you give one piece per person in the room, right?

I asked the same question Karen...lol's you can give what ever you want

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

Welcome aboard

 

[heatherLOVESmickey]

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

WELCOME!!!
I'm sort of a newbie to the boards too. I have only been here two weeks or so. Everyone is so nice and helpful don't be bashful with any questions you might have.
I am traveling with my DH, Erik. He is TheViking on the boards. It will be our 3rd cruise but our first time on DCL and we went for broke and went 14 days! We are leaving behind three children 15, 13, and 10. So as excited as I am, I'm also nervous about leaving our 3 kids behind. I know they will be fine but 2.5 weeks away is a long time!!!
Looking forward to getting to know you better.

 

[squitty]

Today I got my creating head on. I have been trying to finish off my FE for the candy swap. I have cut out individual Mickey Heads, individual Pirate bandanas and made a bow. I am nowhere near finished it and my back is killing me!!! It's taking ages.

I have to do the masks yet - I was hoping some little pixie would come along at night and finish them all for me while I slept

I take my hat off to people that do this kind of thing for a living.

 

[auntlynne]

For the HOHO busses in Barcelona, is there a particular company that you are supposed to book through? Or are they all the same? It's more confusing to me than the ones in London. Thanks!!

There were 2 major ones last year - one had a turquoise bus, the other red. I went with the red since they accepted credit cards. You can begin your trip at any of their stops; the Pl. Catalunya at the top of the La Rambla was a major entry point, as was the port area near the Aquarium.

 

[TxMermaid1]

upgrades at the port - if we try for a port upgrade, we pay the price from the original category booked to the desired category dont we? ie: in theory if we booked an 11, but got a 9, if we wanted to pay to upgrade to a 7, we'd pay the 11 to 7 price, not the 9 to 11 price, right?

Upgrades at the port are usually cheaper than online or by phone. If they have any upgrades available

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

Welcome to the group. There is a device (watch like) called a Relief Band. It is the best thing for someone who tends to get sea sick. Google it and check it out. They are a little pricey but well worth the $$ to save your cruise.

 

[Chris&Jeremy]

We are on the same flight w/you. So looking forward to it!

Can't wait!!

 

[LindaBabe]

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

Welcome aboard! I have one word for EriK - BONINE! Take one before he boards the ship, and every morning thereafter.

I love these cups! I prefer to drink from a straw and I love ICE COLD drinks so these work out perfect for me! I have two different ones and I carry them with me everywhere. Old Navy sometimes has them for $5. I think that's the cheapest I have found them without buying in bulk.

If you have a Marshall's near you, you may find them there. Mine had short ones, tall ones, and two packs. ~4 $ for a single ~6 something for the two.

We wanted to see Montesserat this time, but don't think it is going to work out. Our plane arrives around 10:30 am on Friday before the cruise and by the time we get checked into our hotel, don't think we will have much time to see Montesserat. We're right off Las Ramblas, so we are just going to take it easy and walk around (and of course, we'll be checking out El Corte Ingles!). One thing your 5 yr old might enjoy is the Magic Fountain Show (I think that is what is called). They have it on Friday night from 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm. We talked with a young married couple last year who thoroughly enjoyed it, so we decided we would do it this time. Suppose to be a beautiful lighted water fountain display.

Hope this helps!!!

That fountain show is at the Placa de Espana end of Montjuic. http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/albums-en/magic-fountains-montjuic/

 

[birkner]

Lanyard List Update

I have had a few questions about the lanyard list for both regular and team members so here goes.

I will be posting an update toward the end of the week once I get caught up on some Madeira planning.

Each DIS member will get a PM from me confirming their info before I order the lanyards on August 15.

Any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to PM me.

For anyone who has not ordered a lanyard, here are the details:

Let the sign-ups for lanyards Continue!!!

If you would like a FREE custom lanyard and name badge for this cruise (a great way to meet new people, identify other DIS friends, and put faces and names with screen-names), then I need you to EMAIL ME YOUR INFORMATION!!

Here is the information that I need:
DISBoards screenname: I need the DISBoard name(s) spelled and capitalized the way you want it on your name badge. For many/most groups, there will probably be only one DIS name for a group of people---that is totally fine. If there ARE multiple different DIS names/users in a group, let me know all of them but ALSO be sure to link the correct DIS name with the correct person.
First Name: Please give us the first name of EVERYONE in your party who would like a lanyard the way you want it to appear on the name badge. (Please remember that spelling counts!! The name you give here is what your name badge will say....so make sure it's correct!) Also---and this is important---make sure that the FIRST name you send is the primary DIS user under the screenname you send!
Stateroom #: Why do I need your room #? To get your lanyard to you! I will try to give out all the lanyards in the port or at a meet onboard during embarkation...but if I miss you, I need your room # so that I can deliver them to you later. If you are GTY, that's fine, just say so. There will be plenty of time later to fill in room #'s or to make changes if people switch rooms.

So please put all the above information into an email and send it to this address: dcl.wbta.2011@gmail.com

(Please note, I will not necessarily be replying individually to every person confirming receipt of their request for lanyards....HOWEVER, once I get requests rolling in I will be putting them into a spreadsheet on our website that I will link through google docs and people can view (but NOT edit) so you can look for yourself there to make sure you are listed and that all your information is correct...and then email me with any changes obviously).

 

[Pinky166]

trying to figure a few things out:

candy swap - if we decide to join in, you give one piece per person in the room, right?

I'm planning on giving more than one, i'm making up little bags with lots of different things in.

I am so excited to join all of you on this amazing trip. In the past, I traveled on the Maiden Eastern Transatlantic. Now, I'm looking forward to bringing the Magic home. I will be traveling with my long term boyfriend/partner Erik. He has only traveled once on DCL and it didn't go well. He was very sea sick. I'm so nervous for him. Since we are going to be spending so much time of the ship we are looking forward to meeting you and participating in all the fun planned activities. Thank you to all the members that have worked so hard to put it together. I am trying to catch up some on this thread but I don't think we will be able to read everything. A little about ourselves. We are from Fort Collins, CO USA and will not be traveling with our son this time. He can not miss three weeks of school. We are flying out of Houston, TX on 09/07/11 on British Airways to London and then onto Barcelona, Spain. Is there anyone else living in our area or flying out the same date?

Looking forward to getting to know you!!

Welcome aboard, we are Claire & Lee (DH) from the UK.

Today I got my creating head on. I have been trying to finish off my FE for the candy swap. I have cut out individual Mickey Heads, individual Pirate bandanas and made a bow. I am nowhere near finished it and my back is killing me!!! It's taking ages.

I have to do the masks yet - I was hoping some little pixie would come along at night and finish them all for me while I slept

I take my hat off to people that do this kind of thing for a living.

Well done you, I wish i'd had a go at making my FE now but I just didn't even think about I just ordered one on ebay.....oh well there is always next time.

 

[seamour]

Is anyone on the same flight as us out of JFK?

We're on American Airlines flight 152 on Thursday night the 8th.

we are going thru JFK as well

DL751/8Sep MSP-JFK 10:14am-1:14pm
DL94/8Sep JFK-BCN 6pm-7:55am

Bit of a layover in JFK, but the other option only gave us like 40 minutes and that made me nervous.

Maybe we should have a meet up at JFK, sounds like alot of us are going thru there!

 

[Sorcerer-Mickey]

Sorry... my name is Natasha

 

[Pinky166]

Natasha - I notice you were on the Dream MV, so were we!!!