Sept 18 2010 WB TransAtlantic Pirates/Capt Jacks Re-Repoing Repossession Cruise Pt.5

[gismo1554]

Bob and Dawn came down to Harrogate for the weekend and we had a great time!!! We know them from another board, and have met them in Orlando before. You will love them. We had a lot of laughs.

Unfortunately Bob had a bad cold and so they didn't do all they wanted to do locally, but we got to see them for 2 meals out and 2 coffee meets!!! One of the coffee meets also included another couple who came all the way over from Lancashire(how brave of them!!!) to join us. John and I hadn't met them before, but isn't it great how having a common love of Disney brings us all together.

Glad you had fun!

 

[gismo1554]

Just wanted to write a quick note to say I am so glad I found all of you! Being part of this Dis group of crazy planners and beautiful friendly people makes the lead up to our first cruise so much more special and exciting.
Thank-you to everyone!

I second all of this! I'm a complete obsessive planner and need somewhere to vent it all! This board has given me that and I love chatting to all of you!

 

[The Diswolds]

DH is happy for me to pack as much as I like on the way over, as long as I get rid of it all to make room for shopping in the USA!!!

Half of our luggage won't be coming home - I love Macy's at Florida Mall!

 

[The Diswolds]

As Sarah (TotallyAngelic) is off at Mousemeets UK today I thought I would step into the breech and just say......

In 20 Weeks time at this time (itll be 2:40pm in Barcelona) we should all be on the MAGIC!!!

When things get a bit hectic I think of the Magic sailing away from Barcelona, DH and I with a cocktail in hand, kids having the time of their life- ah, thats better!

Paula

 

[tink&cinderella]

Thanks Denise that is very informative.

My boys will love the Character breakfast and the sleepover.

My DH and I have been discussing whether to book a Disney tour in Gibraltar or do it ourselves and you have helped us decide. One question though if you don't mind? Can you get to the World War 2 tunnels whilst up on the rock yourself or do you need to get another taxi to them?

When we were in Nassau we went to Atlantis ourselves and had the Disney tour following behind us the whole way! We saved a lot of money that day and I liked being able to enjoy the day at our leisure.

Good Morning,

We have been told that it is possible to walk, although the tunnels are quiete aways from the monkey reserve, and if you get a cab as I had mentioned they include all those destinations and admission tickets in your drive....also be aware that the cable car is 25 Euro for 2 and only gets you to one place - it does seem very cool however, if it is money you are concerned with, taking the private shuttle/taxi is your best bet. The private vehicle then drops you off in the the middle of the shopping area.

Hope this helps

Denise

 

[tink&cinderella]

For those of you not aware, Cove Cafe has a library book exchange as well...and guests leave their read books for others to enjoy..

Denise

 

[granmaz]

Good Morning,

We have been told that it is possible to walk, although the tunnels are quiete aways from the monkey reserve, and if you get a cab as I had mentioned they include all those destinations and admission tickets in your drive....also be aware that the cable car is 25 Euro for 2 and only gets you to one place - it does seem very cool however, if it is money you are concerned with, taking the private shuttle/taxi is your best bet. The private vehicle then drops you off in the the middle of the shopping area.

Hope this helps

Denise

How many people do the cabs/vans take?

 

[tink&cinderella]

The vans take up to 6 people if I remember correctly... in some cases up to 7

Denise

 

[Steffy]

Hi everyone.... I apologize for not getting back on the board in a couple of days but I thought I would pass on some information to you....Thank you for returning!

Gold and Platinum members (5 completed cruises and over) receive $25 back from every $100 that you spend at Treasure Ketch... the catch... it has to be bought at any one time...so add up before in order to get the credit.

I travelled with a friend and we each received the gifts...ie two gifts per stateroom. From your mouth to DCL's ear. We are going to email them and ask. This is a trip of a lifetime for us. Both of our birthdays.We each want the gifts.

A case of water is $40.00 for 24 bottles

IMHO - we did the Barcelona spanish village, tapas and Flamenco dancers in 2007..... this trip Disney had a fabulous family of 19 people come on board that were amazing...far better than what we saw on the tour.

In Gibralter, avoid booking the rock, caves and tunnel through Disney as it is so much more expensive... as you get off the ship before you leave the port there are small vans that costs 25 Euro per person that drive you right up to the caves, monkey etc and it included admission to the sites... also if you have anyone with walking problems, I would recommend this tour over Disney as the Disney buses are too large to go right up on the top where the tunnels are and one has to walk up hill a bit. I'm all for driving up. No cable car for me!

Barcelona has Hop on Hop off buses and they have 2 separate tours that are both covered by one ticket.

In Madeira, we also rented a private taxi and were very pleased with the experience.... also much much cheaper then through Disney... Make sure you get out and 'smell' as they grow Eucalyptus trees there. Madeira was truly beautiful.

We also did the Catamaran tour through Disney (69 Dollars) and it was 4 hours long... we did see tons of spotted dolphins, however whales are a rarity although this is one of the things that they say you can see,, no guarantees, ... it took almost 2.5 hours to see any dolphins and the water was very rough... 4 people were sick while on the catamaran, so take some meds with you.... I also noticed that the catamaran took non disney people for about 12 Euros.

We did have a Pirate in the Carribbean Night

For those of you travelling with children... they had an overnight stay for the kids at the club, a princess tea, and of course the character breakfast. (My kids were not with me in April - so I did not pay too much attention, however if you want I can always check the navigators.

On the way over we will gain an hour almost every night which is much better then what we had to do on the way over.

On a personal note..... Don't have 3 Peach Martini's in a row at the Promenade Lounge without eating lunch first ......

Don Ducky Williams will be on board again for the upcoming cruise and they premiered the new Villans show while on board so the Eastbound Trans had a lithograph of the Villans and I have no clue what they will give out on the Westbound...

For fellow Canadians, if you are travelling out of Toronto on AC.... they are picky about the one bag rule or you pay 30 dollars for the second checked bag, however on the way home.... no one seemed to care at all... even though my friend had 100 lbs to bring home... I think she found a treasure somewhere along the way

I hope this is helpful for some of you...

Denise

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your wealth of knowledge. I can barely wait for the twenty weeks to be gone and to be on this cruise.

Right, if you are on the list then you now HAVE to go, no turning back now!


We have used our Wii Fit board to weigh ours. But we bought a luggage scale so now we are set!

Great idea!

Just wanted to write a quick note to say I am so glad I found all of you! Being part of this Dis group of crazy planners and beautiful friendly people makes the lead up to our first cruise so much more special and exciting.
Thank-you to everyone!

Aww, that's so sweet. I wish I had found a group like this my first cruise. I'm going to say having a group like this the past two has enriched our experience tenfold.

 

[granmaz]

The vans take up to 6 people if I remember correctly... in some cases up to 7

Denise

Thanks.

 

[pilk]

As Sarah (TotallyAngelic) is off at Mousemeets UK today I thought I would step into the breech and just say......

In 20 Weeks time at this time (itll be 2:40pm in Barcelona) we should all be on the MAGIC!!!

So that means in 18 weeks we'll have landed in Netherlands to begin the journey

Last year we got our anniversary button when we boarded and wore it until it was replaces at AK.

When we went in 2008 we got our anniversary buttons at WDW the week before the cruise and wore them for the cruise as well. Wait a minute that 2 years ago at this time, which means today is our anniversary.

Happy Anniversary Candida

Hi everyone.... I apologize for not getting back on the board in a couple of days but I thought I would pass on some information to you....

Gold and Platinum members (5 completed cruises and over) receive $25 back from every $100 that you spend at Treasure Ketch... the catch... it has to be bought at any one time...so add up before in order to get the credit.

I travelled with a friend and we each received the gifts...ie two gifts per stateroom.

A case of water is $40.00 for 24 bottles

IMHO - we did the Barcelona spanish village, tapas and Flamenco dancers in 2007..... this trip Disney had a fabulous family of 19 people come on board that were amazing...far better than what we saw on the tour.

In Gibralter, avoid booking the rock, caves and tunnel through Disney as it is so much more expensive... as you get off the ship before you leave the port there are small vans that costs 25 Euro per person that drive you right up to the caves, monkey etc and it included admission to the sites... also if you have anyone with walking problems, I would recommend this tour over Disney as the Disney buses are too large to go right up on the top where the tunnels are and one has to walk up hill a bit.

Barcelona has Hop on Hop off buses and they have 2 separate tours that are both covered by one ticket.

In Madeira, we also rented a private taxi and were very pleased with the experience.... also much much cheaper then through Disney... Make sure you get out and 'smell' as they grow Eucalyptus trees there. Madeira was truly beautiful.

We also did the Catamaran tour through Disney (69 Dollars) and it was 4 hours long... we did see tons of spotted dolphins, however whales are a rarity although this is one of the things that they say you can see,, no guarantees, ... it took almost 2.5 hours to see any dolphins and the water was very rough... 4 people were sick while on the catamaran, so take some meds with you.... I also noticed that the catamaran took non disney people for about 12 Euros.

We did have a Pirate in the Carribbean Night

For those of you travelling with children... they had an overnight stay for the kids at the club, a princess tea, and of course the character breakfast. (My kids were not with me in April - so I did not pay too much attention, however if you want I can always check the navigators.

On the way over we will gain an hour almost every night which is much better then what we had to do on the way over.

On a personal note..... Don't have 3 Peach Martini's in a row at the Promenade Lounge without eating lunch first ......

Don Ducky Williams will be on board again for the upcoming cruise and they premiered the new Villans show while on board so the Eastbound Trans had a lithograph of the Villans and I have no clue what they will give out on the Westbound...

For fellow Canadians, if you are travelling out of Toronto on AC.... they are picky about the one bag rule or you pay 30 dollars for the second checked bag, however on the way home.... no one seemed to care at all... even though my friend had 100 lbs to bring home... I think she found a treasure somewhere along the way

I hope this is helpful for some of you...

Denise

Thanks for the info.

I can't wait. I hope i'm all healed to then. I went for a physical therapy on Friday. There i had had a console on the damage. my right arm and hand i have most of my range on motion but only 40 to 50 percent of my normal strength. My left arm and hand i have about 30 percent of motion and 5 to 10% of normal strength. I'm still having a good amount so swelling in my hands so i have to wear compression gloves. They said minimally a month to get back to normal, but she said it could take months. I can't lift more then 15 lb, do repetitive motion, do anything with major vibration and keep typing and driving to a minimum. I'm bored out of my mind it work, because i fix copiers and do IT work so right know I have very little to do. At least the cruise is coming up fast.

Hope you heal soon.

Jon

 

[MrsMork]

Morning Angie!

Morning!

Just wanted to write a quick note to say I am so glad I found all of you! Being part of this Dis group of crazy planners and beautiful friendly people makes the lead up to our first cruise so much more special and exciting.
Thank-you to everyone!

We feel the same!

The vans take up to 6 people if I remember correctly... in some cases up to 7

Denise

I understood your post that is per person charge. Would going with a small group save us any money?

When we went in 2008 we got our anniversary buttons at WDW the week before the cruise and wore them for the cruise as well. Wait a minute that 2 years ago at this time, which means today is our anniversary.

Happy Anniversary Candida
Jon

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

 

[birkner]

Lol sorry I didn't think about that when I wrote it! Last time in our general one we did end up with a collection of Mills&Boone books too!



Glad the teabag thing is universal to us brits! It never really goes away!

Since I don't drink coffee, I take loose tea and my glass strainer (takes 2 minutes) even on the plane!! That weight is part of the mandatory carry on!!

Just my thoughts....:

 

[GOS]

We've joined the Paid In Full Club

Today we also paid for our MNSSHP on Sunday 3rd October, never been in Florida at this time of year before so really looking forward to it, hope it not too Shame it wasn't the 4th as thats my birthday!

Had a trial run with our cases yesterday and we should just about do it, who comes up with these stupid weight restrictions don't they know crusiers need outfits (20kgs)

It's getting closer and we can't wait

Happy May bank holiday everybody

Excellent news...we're getting quite a few members now.

 

[GOS]

We use our home scale. I checked it against my physician's scale and our is one pound more than theirs. I am going to try to be 5 pounds under the max weight so there are no questions.

What about using (if you have one) the wii fit and setting it to weigh your pet?

 

[GOS]

In Gibralter, avoid booking the rock, caves and tunnel through Disney as it is so much more expensive... as you get off the ship before you leave the port there are small vans that costs 25 Euro per person that drive you right up to the caves, monkey etc and it included admission to the sites... also if you have anyone with walking problems, I would recommend this tour over Disney as the Disney buses are too large to go right up on the top where the tunnels are and one has to walk up hill a bit.

Thanks for this info Denise.

 

[GOS]

Bob and Dawn came down to Harrogate for the weekend and we had a great time!!! We know them from another board, and have met them in Orlando before. You will love them. We had a lot of laughs.

Unfortunately Bob had a bad cold and so they didn't do all they wanted to do locally, but we got to see them for 2 meals out and 2 coffee meets!!! One of the coffee meets also included another couple who came all the way over from Lancashire(how brave of them!!!) to join us. John and I hadn't met them before, but isn't it great how having a common love of Disney brings us all together.

Glad you had a good time.

 

[birkner]

What about using (if you have one) the wii fit and setting it to weigh your pet?

I think that is a great idea!! DH like the portable scales and is researching them this morning.

Just my thoughts....

 

[Feebs]

Just to say I bought some very cheap ($3) luggage scales and they are accurate! Previous to that I used to stand on the luggage scales - once without the case and once with. DH used to read the weights as I couldn`t see the scale!
Bell services at WDW have been good as well and have weighed our cases for us. Such is the fear of excess baggage charges

I`m going to pack some decent (tetley) teabags, I must have a morning cuppa. Another thing I`m packing is my WDW insulated mug and my lanyards - though DD thinks we may have thrown these out.

Any reports back from the mouse meet? - hope everyone had a great time.

 

[kcashner]

This is a little spotty as I've edited to answer some questions as I've come to them in my reading of previous posts.

The only thing I would change in Denise's post is that there are 2 different Hop on, hop off companies in Barcelona. We did the Bus Touristic, which had 3 different routes available on the same ticket (red, blue, and green). A one day ticket is 22 Euros, a 2 day is 29 Euros.

I didn't have kids along on the EBTA, but maybe someone can confirm...was there really an overnight in the Club/Lab? Normally what is called a Pajama Party is not an overnight, but a time that the kids are encouraged to wear PJs and play till 1 am.

On previous cruises we've found the book shelf in the cove cafe to be open. On this cruise, they had put locked doors on the book case and had specified hours when it would be open. However...if they weren't busy, sometimes the CM in the Cove Cafe would allow you to return books at other hours and rarely even to browse and borrow. That started one day when the CM didn't show up at the specified time and there were 5 of us waiting for him/her.

The Platinum letter said $25 off on $100 at Treasure Ketch. In reality, it was applied at both Mickey's Mates and Treasure Ketch, and they allowed us to combine merchandise from both locations into one "purchase" as in literally carrying stuff from Treasure Ketch over to Mickey's Mates so it would all be rung on one ticket.

They obviously had plenty of shampoo and conditioner on board on the EBTA, and my stateroom host wasn't as stingy as some have been in the recent past. When my bottle was like 3/4 empty, he left it but also left a new full one.