*Sept 10th 2011 WB Transatlantic* From Spain to Space Mountain-Taking the Magic Home

[MandyGirl]

No way! Um yeah... isn't there a Buffet phrase about living in a trailer. Been there done that too during the undergrad years. So did the grilling turn out okay though?

 

[Chirpee]

Claire, just finished reading your trip report about MV of the Dream. Wow, fantastic photos ; thanks for sharing them

I now know who to ask for cocktail recommendations

 

[PFlamingo]

No way! Um yeah... isn't there a Buffet phrase about living in a trailer. Been there done that too during the undergrad years. So did the grilling turn out okay though?

Several phrases, I think.

Yep, we had some Korean style beef ribs that we got on sale at the commissary last week. I mixed up some marinade and let them soak for a couple of hours, then cooked them for about 8 minutes on the grill. They were medium-rarish, nice and tender. Delish!

I've grilled out in snow, freezing temps, rain - nothing stops me if I want to grill! It just tastes so good!

(And everyone please note, this is grilling, not barbequeing. They are not the same! )

 

[auntlynne]

DH & I have tried on every cruise to see dolphins and whales and we have never seen one. Does anyone know when the best time to see them? I hope we will be able to see some on the tour.

There is always the Dolphin tour in Gibraltar, being organized by TotallyAngelic (Sarah)

Mel

I forgot to mention the other day when you were talking about your DDs birthday. If you go to guest services (main reception desk) on her birthday or beforehand, they will make up a Happy Birthday badge with her name on it and she will be delighted when wearing it as everyone will wish her a happy birthday and again will make a fuss

If you order the Birthday decorations from DCL pre-cruise, I've heard they put them up before you arrive in your stateroom - not on the actual birthday.

 

[auntlynne]

No way! Um yeah... isn't there a Buffet phrase about living in a trailer. Been there done that too during the undergrad years. So did the grilling turn out okay though?

Mobile home in the middle of a cow pasture at one point during undergrad at our state's "Cow College."

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. My husband has a bad back and I've been spending far too much of my time fighting with "so-called" medical professionals of late. Unfortunately, it looks more and more like he is headed to surgery, but we are waiting to get into the same neurosurgeon that did his original back surgery nearly 11 years ago. So, in the meantime, it is pain management, doctor management, work-expectation management, and household management for me. Thank goodness I work as a consultant or else I believe the family would be up a creek without a paddle. I think I've spent more time behind the wheel of my minivan than I have behind my desk of late!

Sorry, but I haven't had a chance at all to pursue the tshirts. I will be working on them this upcoming week and will post more details. I do know that the price will go up, however, as the original $7 was based on a tshirt design that was much less intricate that we used on our past 2 Thanksgiving cruises.

More soon (I'm just glad I have an iphone now as I can read all of the chatter, but posting is impossible!).

Karen

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Oops, someone asked a question about DVC. Steve (my DH) and I just joined last year after thinking about it for about 5 years. We did buy resale as I just couldn't justify spending $100+ per point (we bought at SSR for the Treehouses and paid $61 per point).

Our experience is that using your points at WDW or DL (or any of the other DVC properties) is a good value....using them to trade out to RCI or into the Disney Collection or the Cruise is NOT a good value. We hope to add on another contract later this year (yes, under the new rules). I doubt that we will ever buy direct as we plan to use our points at DVC resorts.

Just my $.02.

Karen

 

[auntlynne]

so is everyone heading to maho beach on st maarten? we havent decided what to do but i really fancy going to one of the stables where they do the beach horseback riding and you get to go into the sea with the horses. think that'd be pretty awesome

So far, I'm interested in the Twelve Metre Regatta sail followed by Maho Beach plane watching.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Oops, someone asked a question about DVC. Steve (my DH) and I just joined last year after thinking about it for about 5 years. We did buy resale as I just couldn't justify spending $100+ per point (we bought at SSR for the Treehouses and paid $61 per point).

Our experience is that using your points at WDW or DL (or any of the other DVC properties) is a good value....using them to trade out to RCI or into the Disney Collection or the Cruise is NOT a good value. We hope to add on another contract later this year (yes, under the new rules). I doubt that we will ever buy direct as we plan to use our points at DVC resorts.

Just my $.02.

Karen

Last year on the cruise we went to all the DVC presentations and we were almost tempted, but didn't sign on the dotted line. When we came back to the UK we researched it a bit more and I discovered how much cheaper resale points were, even considering the incentives they offer on the cruise.
We still haven't decided if we will go ahead but if we do we will definitely take the resale route. At the moment we are planning some building work on the house, so that has sort of tied up our finances for a while.

So far, I'm interested in the Twelve Metre Regatta sail followed by Maho Beach plane watching.

We did this last year .. it was really good fun. They get you involved with different sailing activites on board, and it was really hard work. If you want to opt out you can be the bartender

 

[3canadianslovedisney]

Point rental is basically "renting points" from a DVC-owner. Can be done through this boards, amongst others, called "dvc rent and trade". You hook up with an owner that wants to rent, and inform them what you'ld like (and 2nd and 3rd option). You agree together about the details of the rental. Prices tends to be around $10,- per point needed for the ressie, although can sometimes be a bit lower or higher depending on timing, demand etc. The "renter" wil own the reservation but make it in your name. You thus vacation on their points and pay them a rental price for that. It does take some trust, but when doing your research on this board it can be very worthwhile. When renting, you get the same roomservice as belongs to a DVC-stay, so not daily but on day 4 trash and towel, 8th full service etc. None of the DVC-member perks though, which is just logic IMHO. It's great enough to be able to stay so cheaply using somebodies points but it's not as if you're an actual member as a rentee.

There are some great tools on the homepage (www.wdwinfo.com) to calculate how much points are needed for stays at all of the WDW resort, which gives you a good idea of the cost. Be aware though that DVC doesn't really know a season like the normal resorts do, many will book up. If having your hart set on a specific resort, it is smart nto to wait until "last minute" to find a renter.


As far as I know you can use points to stay at some of the hotels at DLRP, but no real DVC-resorts there. All of the non traditional DVC-resorts are a lot more expensive pointwise, as far as I've understood it. Either way, if I were you I'ld read up on the info on the DVC-board on here, the DVC website, do some looking into what your future vacation wishes could be, do the math on what they'ld cost and do the math on what buying into DVC would cost you. Next, fire off all of the questions you've got on the DVC-board and don't stop searching until you find the answer. Do the same thing with the DVC-rep if you do decide to attent a meeting aboard, let them work for there money. It's a huge investment so making sure it fits your family is very much worth while.

Thanks for the info. This is definitely something we would look into for now.

Leanne

Don't know if you had realised that StephenKay is my DH he doesn't say much on here cause he can't get a word in with all my chatter

We have been DVC members for a long time and there seems to be a few DISers on here who are DVC veterans as well. Have a chat with any of us during the cruise and, if it ticks all the boxes for you, take of one the US DISers with you and sign up and say they recommended you. Unfortunately any UK resident is not allowed any DVC perks for recommendations, our government sees the monetary gifts as taxable and we are not allowed to benefit hence why we always get magic fastpasses etc at WDW for all the friends and family we have recommended - would rather have the $$$$



Again, we British aren't allowed to get any monetary benefits, we get hats instead

Mind you, we usually go along to the talks on the cruise purely to get entered into the draw. Our BFFs won the $300 OBC one year

Definitely keep that in mind if we do sign up. Although DH says we'll just be looking into it this time. Bummer about the monetary benefits, I'm not sure what it would be for us Canadians either. Something to look into.

No DVC resort at Disneyland Paris

The majority are at WDW. There's also one at Disneyland California and 3 non-park associated DVC resorts - Hilton Head (SC), Vero Beach (FL) and the newest one in Hawaii. Here's the link to the DVC web site with details on all the resorts: http://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/destinations/resorts/
There are links from this page that show other ways that points can be used, such as for Disneyland Paris and DCL.

When you buy into DVC, you purchase points at one of the DVC resorts. This is your home resort and you can book accommodation there 11 months out. You can use your points at other DVC resorts 7 months out. It can be difficult to get the type of accommodation you require at some of the resorts at popular times of the year, such as NYE, at the 7 month booking window. That's why it is important to purchase points at the resort that is your favourite and where you want to stay at the most often.

DVC is a long term commitment and as previous posters have said isn't the best fit for all families.

Check out the DVC section of the Disboards for lots more information on DVC (both purchasing and renting points).


Hope this helps.

Too bad there are no DVC resorts in Paris. We'll definitely check out the Disboards on it.

We've been to a couple of DVC presentations over the years. We'd love to buy in, but when we do, we'll either have enough to pay cash or finance no more than half. We also would use alternative financing. Our equity lines (I still own my house from before we were married) have much better interest rates than Disney offers. And we'll probably go thru resale as we know we want points at VWL and BCV. We're not that concerned about the new restrictions on the resale buyers, as we really don't see ourselves using the points for anything other than WDW visits. With the maintenance fees, DVC doesn't really work out that much better for us than just booking with pin codes or military discounts. But we do like the idea of having the kitchen in the one-bedroom when we're there at times other than F&WF. And, admittedly, we like the idea of being part of "the club!"

That's exactly how I'm feeling. However right now, alot of our extra cash flow goes toward retirement and education funds.

3canadianslovedisney- Another DVC member here. We bought in 2006 when we were planning our WDW wedding. Now that we have the DD it's perfect because we always get a 1 bedroom so we can put her to bed and go watch tv in the living room. Definitely go to the presentation on board. You get entered for different prizes but also it's the best discount they ever give. And believe me DH has checked. The deals they give on the cruise are better than on land. Any questions feel free to PM us, catch us on the ship, or ask any of the other DVC members. I think you'll find that DVC members love to talk about it...the same way people that have been on DCL love to talk about DCL

For sure! The best place for info is always from those who are involved and love the perks!

Oops, someone asked a question about DVC. Steve (my DH) and I just joined last year after thinking about it for about 5 years. We did buy resale as I just couldn't justify spending $100+ per point (we bought at SSR for the Treehouses and paid $61 per point).

Our experience is that using your points at WDW or DL (or any of the other DVC properties) is a good value....using them to trade out to RCI or into the Disney Collection or the Cruise is NOT a good value. We hope to add on another contract later this year (yes, under the new rules). I doubt that we will ever buy direct as we plan to use our points at DVC resorts.

Just my $.02.

Karen

Didn't think about that option, but that sound like something we'd definitely be interested in.

Last year on the cruise we went to all the DVC presentations and we were almost tempted, but didn't sign on the dotted line. When we came back to the UK we researched it a bit more and I discovered how much cheaper resale points were, even considering the incentives they offer on the cruise.
We still haven't decided if we will go ahead but if we do we will definitely take the resale route. At the moment we are planning some building work on the house, so that has sort of tied up our finances for a while.

Know what you mean.

Thanks everyone for all the great feedback. You guys are great!

 

[squitty]

We used our $ to help pay for presents for people back home.

That would have been great, instead we had to make do with the fastpasses which do come in handy when all the regular FP's have gone, especially for Toy Story Mania

Mind you, we usually go along to the talks on the cruise purely to get entered into the draw. Our BFFs won the $300 OBC one year

Same here Would love to win the $ one year

Was just reading someone's February 2011 blog about Castaway Cay. They said that they have an unannounced Happy Hour on Castaway Cay that is ALL alcoholic beverages are Buy One Get One Free! You need to ask the Bar when the happy hour is that day, since they change it for each cruise.
This just keeps getting better!

Oooh sounds good

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. My husband has a bad back and I've been spending far too much of my time fighting with "so-called" medical professionals of late. Unfortunately, it looks more and more like he is headed to surgery, but we are waiting to get into the same neurosurgeon that did his original back surgery nearly 11 years ago. So, in the meantime, it is pain management, doctor management, work-expectation management, and household management for me. Thank goodness I work as a consultant or else I believe the family would be up a creek without a paddle. I think I've spent more time behind the wheel of my minivan than I have behind my desk of late!

Sorry, but I haven't had a chance at all to pursue the tshirts. I will be working on them this upcoming week and will post more details. I do know that the price will go up, however, as the original $7 was based on a tshirt design that was much less intricate that we used on our past 2 Thanksgiving cruises.

More soon (I'm just glad I have an iphone now as I can read all of the chatter, but posting is impossible!).

Karen

Hope all goes well with your DH's op.


DVC - buying resale - the rules have changed now:
Disney Vacation Club® has announced a new policy that limits access to certain Member Getaways exchanges for Ownership Interests purchased on the secondary market (also known as the re-sale market).
Under the new policy, Members who purchase from anyone other than Disney Vacation Development, Inc., on or after March 21, 2011, will not be eligible to use those Vacation Points to make reservations within the Concierge Collection, the Disney Collection or the Adventurer Collection. Those Vacation Points will instead be valid only for reservations at Disney Vacation Club resorts, as well as for RCI® exchanges, Club Cordial and Club Intrawest.
The affected collections are special Member benefits programs offered by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., and are not part of Members' Ownership Interests. That said, Members who purchased on the secondary market prior to March 21, 2011, may use those Vacation Points for all Member Getaways.
Note that the policy doesn't impact banking, borrowing or transferring Vacation Points. All Members will continue to have the ability make such transactions, regardless of where they purchased their Ownership Interests. Complete rules about these transactions are available in the Home Resort Rules and Regulations section of this website.

So you will just be able to use the points at DVC resorts only.

 

[Pinky166]

OMG!!! I found this while I was perusing one of the horseback riding sites. Now I'm seriously tempted!! Harley in Paradise


Of course, I haven't ridden in years (my "bike" - Yamaha, not a Harley - was laid up with mechanical problems, then was stolen last year ), but I've always wanted to try a Harley. Not sure about Dennis, though. I have visions of him sitting behind me going the entire time.


Well, it's supposed to rain most of the day here, and I should use the time to clean up the house. But I think I'll sit back with a cup of coffee and read Claire's TR.

The Harley looks like great fun....if only I could ride a motorbike.

OK, decided to see what opinions are on here. As mentioned months ago or so I stumbled upon several perfect FE gifts, I dare say. I got them in an arrangements of color. Not going to spill the beans here, so it's a bit funny to try and explain why I'm caught in between 2 options. Anyway, I realize the color of the gifts can have a big influence. Everybody has favorite colors, some colors suit some folks better than others. I could just drop off the FE-gifts but find it kind off a shame to think some might not get the color they would've preffered eventhough that could've been possible.

Well I think you should do what's best for you. If it's easier for you to find out peoples favorite colour then go for it, I am sure everyone will be more than happy to give you any information needed.

BTW the clue for mine is in my user name.

I'm totally amazed by the amount of planning this cruise needs I went into this totally blind

Once I booked i thought that was it.

After reading all the info on here I've had a for 2 days AND I've been dreaming about the cruise every night.

Off to check my lottery ticket.........

Don't get stressed out by is Mel. You really can just shop up at the Port and have an amazing cruise, we are just Disney cruise junkies that enjoy the planning and extra activities that can be organised.

Just remember it is your holiday & you should only do as much or as little as you want, it will still be amazing as you will be cruising for two weeks with your children.

DH & I have tried on every cruise to see dolphins and whales and we have never seen one. Does anyone know when the best time to see them? I hope we will be able to see some on the tour.

I'm not sure there is really a best time, as in morning or afternoon etc just the right place at the right time so to speak. I don't think there are any opportunities for Whale Watching tours on our cruise, but that's not to say you won't get lucky and see some.

The Dolphin Safari that Sarah (totallyangelic) is organising in Gibraltar will be you best option to see Dolphins.

 

[Pinky166]

OMG Claire !!!!

You have got me sooooo mega excited

Your trip report on the Dream is amazing I can't wait until August until we do our 5 night double dipper

There are 8 of us travelling on the Dream cruise, just one quick question - are the booths in Enchanted Garden big enough to seat 8?

Pink looks brilliant, as you know, I like the odd glass (or bottle) of champagne, so looking forward to some of that Pink Tattinger

Cannot wait to ride the aquaduck

I thought as it was a 5 night we are doing that it would be one semi-formal night and the rest cruise casual. Did your cruise have a formal simply because it was the inaugural or is it the normal to have a formal on the short cruise on the Dream?

Oh I could have a million questions for you.

Thanks Mary, i'm glad you enjoyed it. Fire away with any questions, i'm more than happy to help if I can.

I'm not sure about the booths in Enchanted Garden, personally I think 8 would be too crowded as they are quite small...sorry.

Pink is just amazing! I could have spent all day & night in there.

I'm not sure about the 5 night but usually on the 4 nights they do have a "formal night" listed on the Navigator but not many people dress up. We decided that as it was a special cruise (and we like to) that we would dress up for Formal, a lot of people did but there were still quite a few that didn't.

My advice is if you enjoy formal night then go for it, I always think it makes the evening a litlle bit more special.

Any more questions? I love talking about the Dream.

Was just reading someone's February 2011 blog about Castaway Cay. They said that they have an unannounced Happy Hour on Castaway Cay that is ALL alcoholic beverages are Buy One Get One Free! You need to ask the Bar when the happy hour is that day, since they change it for each cruise.
This just keeps getting better!

See you at the bar!

Claire, just finished reading your trip report about MV of the Dream. Wow, fantastic photos ; thanks for sharing them

I now know who to ask for cocktail recommendations

Thanks for reading. Believe it or not I don't drink much at home, I just make up for it when i'm on holiday.

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. My husband has a bad back and I've been spending far too much of my time fighting with "so-called" medical professionals of late. Unfortunately, it looks more and more like he is headed to surgery, but we are waiting to get into the same neurosurgeon that did his original back surgery nearly 11 years ago. So, in the meantime, it is pain management, doctor management, work-expectation management, and household management for me. Thank goodness I work as a consultant or else I believe the family would be up a creek without a paddle. I think I've spent more time behind the wheel of my minivan than I have behind my desk of late!

Sorry, but I haven't had a chance at all to pursue the tshirts. I will be working on them this upcoming week and will post more details. I do know that the price will go up, however, as the original $7 was based on a tshirt design that was much less intricate that we used on our past 2 Thanksgiving cruises.

More soon (I'm just glad I have an iphone now as I can read all of the chatter, but posting is impossible!).

Karen

I hope your Dh is feeling better soon Karen. Don't worry about the T shirts at the moment we have plenty of time before the cruise, they can wait. It sounds like you have more than enough do deal with at the moment.

 

[Pinky166]

I thought it maybe worth mentioning on here for any of the newcomers about the ESTA's that are required for those of us that are not American Residents.

Here is the official website you need to complete an ESTA for each member of your family travelling to the USA. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ I believe the cost is $14 per person and they are valid for two years. (I did mine about a year ago so those figures are from memory and maybe be incorrect.)

I am lead to believe that we need to take an actual print out of the ESTA to give to DCL when checking in for this cruise. (Whereas when you fly direct to the US you don't need a hard copy of it).

I hope this helps or reminds anyone that may have not known about it or forgotten.

 

[karentan]

thanks claire, that info is on the front page too, but its always worth repeating as there will always be someone who falls foul of this

 

[karentan]

the new thread is ready - do we want to wait here for the next 8 pages or hop over there?

 

[Pinky166]

thanks claire, that info is on the front page too, but its always worth repeating as there will always be someone who falls foul of this

I didn't realise it was on the front page. I just remembered that I needed to print mine out so thought i'd mention it for the new peeps.


I think we may aswell carry on here until the mods close the thread.

 

[steamboat will]

Thanks, we are interested, but not sure if it is right for us, so we'll have lots of questions.

Hi there

From time to time I've looking into buying Disney Vacation Club, however I haven't committed yet. I would certainly recommend you look into the option of resale as well as buying the points directly from Disney, As there are significant savings to be made.

If you plan to use your points to stay at Walt Disney World in a DVC resort, buying resell certainly seems worth considering in my opinion.

With the new restrictions Disney is placing on DVC points bought from a second party vendor, some folks believe that buying points this way may become even cheaper than they currently are. Whilst Disney charges over $100 a point, some contracts through resale can be found for as little as $50 to $60 a point.

As has already been mentioned, there are new restrictions on what these points can be used for. However if your holiday habits Generally focus on staying in Walt Disney World at least every other year this is definitely worth considering.

"The Timeshare Store" is an official sponsor of the DIS boards and is a wealth of information about buying into DVC so their website is definitely worth checking out.

"We now return you to your scheduled WBTA vacation planning"

Thanks for all the info. What do you mean rent points?



Do you know if they have point to buy in DLP?



That would definitely be great!

I rented points last year and was able to stay in a DVC at Animal Kingdom Lodge for roughly the price of a moderate resort, it's defiantly worth trying to get a taste of DVC without the commitment.

Using points to stay at DLP does not translate to good value!!!! So i would certainly not recommend anyone to do this!!!

SW

 

[squitty]

Hi there

From time to time I've looking into buying Disney Vacation Club, however I haven't committed yet. I would certainly recommend you look into the option of resale as well as buying the points directly from Disney, As there are significant savings to be made.

If you plan to use your points to stay at Walt Disney World in a DVC resort, buying resell certainly seems worth considering in my opinion.

With the new restrictions Disney is placing on DVC points bought from a second party vendor, some folks believe that buying points this way may become even cheaper than they currently are. Whilst Disney charges over $100 a point, some contracts through resale can be found for as little as $50 to $60 a point.

As has already been mentioned, there are new restrictions on what these points can be used for. However if your holiday habits Generally focus on staying in Walt Disney World at least every other year this is definitely worth considering.

"The Timeshare Store" is an official sponsor of the DIS boards and is a wealth of information about buying into DVC so their website is definitely worth checking out.

"We now return you to your scheduled WBTA vacation planning"




I rented points last year and was able to stay in a DVC at Animal Kingdom Lodge for roughly the price of a moderate resort, it's defiantly worth trying to get a taste of DVC without the commitment.

Using points to stay at DLP does not translate to good value!!!! So i would certainly not recommend anyone to do this!!!

SW

SW did you see my post regarding the rules having changed now for buying resale?
If you do you do not get the same perks as if you were buying direct from Disney. You will only be able to use the points for staying at WDW. It's only a couple of posts back.

Might be worth considering.

 

[3canadianslovedisney]

Hi there

From time to time I've looking into buying Disney Vacation Club, however I haven't committed yet. I would certainly recommend you look into the option of resale as well as buying the points directly from Disney, As there are significant savings to be made.

If you plan to use your points to stay at Walt Disney World in a DVC resort, buying resell certainly seems worth considering in my opinion.

With the new restrictions Disney is placing on DVC points bought from a second party vendor, some folks believe that buying points this way may become even cheaper than they currently are. Whilst Disney charges over $100 a point, some contracts through resale can be found for as little as $50 to $60 a point.

As has already been mentioned, there are new restrictions on what these points can be used for. However if your holiday habits Generally focus on staying in Walt Disney World at least every other year this is definitely worth considering.

"The Timeshare Store" is an official sponsor of the DIS boards and is a wealth of information about buying into DVC so their website is definitely worth checking out.

"We now return you to your scheduled WBTA vacation planning"




I rented points last year and was able to stay in a DVC at Animal Kingdom Lodge for roughly the price of a moderate resort, it's defiantly worth trying to get a taste of DVC without the commitment.

Using points to stay at DLP does not translate to good value!!!! So i would certainly not recommend anyone to do this!!!

SW

Thanks, we're definitely going to look into it. We actually at this point go to DLP more than we go to WDW, so we may not buy in at this point.

Sorry if I shouldn't have asked these questions on this thread. I must admit to being new to forums and I just didn't know.