Sept 18 2010 WB TransAtlantic Pirates/Capt Jacks Re-Repositioning Repossession Cruise

[paulasillars]

I need category help... Is it really important to have a window or balcony? We can save 3500.00 by going with 2 category 11 instead of 1 11 and 1 6. This is our first Disney cruise so I am not sure if it's worth the extra cost. We are trying to keep the cost down since the airfare will be high. I am worried about not having natural light in our rooms for 2 weeks..

We always book a cat 11/12 as we figure we only use our room for sleeping. We have been incredibly lucky though, as the first two times we got upgraded to a cat 9 and on our EB repo our ceiling above the bed was leaking from the pipes after a couple of days and they moved us to a cat 4 - I have to say that was great going through the Panama Canal but we would have just gone to deck 4 or 9 and been just as happy.

We have again booked a cat 11. I have lots of other things I'd rather (or have to) spend money on - including airfare which will have to be a "round world ticket" for us.

Not to mention that the NZ$ has dropped heaps against the US in the last few weeks so its now only $NZ1/US0.55c - it was $NZ1/US0.80 when we did the repo. And the pound and euro is an even worse rate

 

[GOS]

We always book a cat 11/12 as we figure we only use our room for sleeping. We have been incredibly lucky though, as the first two times we got upgraded to a cat 9 and on our EB repo our ceiling above the bed was leaking from the pipes after a couple of days and they moved us to a cat 4 - I have to say that was great going through the Panama Canal but we would have just gone to deck 4 or 9 and been just as happy.

We have again booked a cat 11. I have lots of other things I'd rather (or have to) spend money on - including airfare which will have to be a "round world ticket" for us.

Not to mention that the NZ$ has dropped heaps against the US in the last few weeks so its now only $NZ1/US0.55c - it was $NZ1/US0.80 when we did the repo. And the pound and euro is an even worse rate

Yes, this is our feeling too, and we've only booked a cat 11

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Hi, hope I am not intruding!
I have a question ( well a couple) if yall wouldn't mind.

We haven't booked this cruise yet, but are thinking about it depending on how well we like the one in December( our very first time cruising).

If we were to book, would it make sense to wait to book it on our cruise in December. I read somewhere that is cheaper that way?

Secondly- it would probably be just me ( Mom) and my two girls who would be 4 and 6. My DH would have a difficult time getting that much time off. Any thoughts on single Mom taking the kids for just that long and is there enough for the little ones to do for 14 days?

Third- taking a first grader out of school for two weeks...opinions?

Thanks so much, I would love to take my girls to Europe, this country gal has never been out of the States!

 

[BoosGram]

First, WELCOME to all our new cruisers!

"Hi, hope I am not intruding! I have a question ( well a couple) if yall wouldn't mind." KATIESMOMMY, you are most certainly not intruding. We hope you love your Dec. cruise and decide to join us.

"If we were to book, would it make sense to wait to book it on our cruise in December. I read somewhere that is cheaper that way?" You generally save 10% when you book on board during your cruise.

"Secondly- it would probably be just me ( Mom) and my two girls who would be 4 and 6. My DH would have a difficult time getting that much time off. Any thoughts on single Mom taking the kids for just that long and is there enough for the little ones to do for 14 days?" Well, at least you'll have mom to help (that's what I did on my first cruise). And they always seem to have fun things for the kids to do.

"Third- taking a first grader out of school for two weeks...opinions?" You'd probably need to speak w/your DD's teacher about an absence of that length, since she (or he) knows the curriculum and child's abilities best.

"Thanks so much, I would love to take my girls to Europe, this country gal has never been out of the States!" Me, either! (Well, except for the Caribbean, but I still don't have a stamp in my 4 yo passport .)

 

[BoosGram]

Oooo, forgot to add, we signed up for the 4-day DVC member cruise next year, so the TA will be our 5th total.

 

[Pluto 2]

Also Diet Coke tastes exactly the same world wide, the only difference is that some places call it Coke Light. You'll be fine

i will have to disagree you can tell the difference between the coke light and diet coke. its close but not the same. i drink over 1,000 diet cokes every year.at work i drink 4 in a 8 hour shift.i do agree that you will be fine drinking coke light if you are use to diet coke. but in my opinion diet coke is a little better probaly what i am use to.

 

[MrsMork]

Hi, hope I am not intruding!
I have a question ( well a couple) if yall wouldn't mind.

We haven't booked this cruise yet, but are thinking about it depending on how well we like the one in December( our very first time cruising).

If we were to book, would it make sense to wait to book it on our cruise in December. I read somewhere that is cheaper that way?

Secondly- it would probably be just me ( Mom) and my two girls who would be 4 and 6. My DH would have a difficult time getting that much time off. Any thoughts on single Mom taking the kids for just that long and is there enough for the little ones to do for 14 days?

Third- taking a first grader out of school for two weeks...opinions?

Thanks so much, I would love to take my girls to Europe, this country gal has never been out of the States!

Booking on the ship will save you 10%, plus you get some onboard credit. Then you can transfer the ressie to an agent (we use DU) and get more onboard credit.

There will be lots for the kids to do.

Just find out what the first graders are going to be working on and spend a little time working on those things. Your school should be able to send work sheets with you. Your child will learn WAY more on this cruise than she will in the classroom for that amount of time. She will have amazing things for show and tell!

 

[CACruisin']

Hi, hope I am not intruding!
I have a question ( well a couple) if yall wouldn't mind.

We haven't booked this cruise yet, but are thinking about it depending on how well we like the one in December( our very first time cruising).

If we were to book, would it make sense to wait to book it on our cruise in December. I read somewhere that is cheaper that way?

Secondly- it would probably be just me ( Mom) and my two girls who would be 4 and 6. My DH would have a difficult time getting that much time off. Any thoughts on single Mom taking the kids for just that long and is there enough for the little ones to do for 14 days?

Third- taking a first grader out of school for two weeks...opinions?

Thanks so much, I would love to take my girls to Europe, this country gal has never been out of the States!

Welcome! I can answer some of your questions with first hand experience. I took the EB TA May 2007 with DD(not quite 4), DD(barely 13), DD(11). DH had a work conflict and could not make the trip. It was fine to travel as a single mom. I met some wonderful DIS'ers before the cruise and we linked our ressies for dinner. There was plenty for the kids to do in and out of the Club and since there were so few kids on board, they got lots of attention. It was an incredible trip.

As for pulling DD6 out of school - All of the teachers were very supportive. DD11 was in 6th grade and DD13 was in 7th grade. They both had HW to complete. They would work on it for an hour or so each day in the stateroom and they also completed a lot of HW on our flights (first from CA to FL and then Barcelona back to CA). Some teachers had the girls complete the regular assignments. Others had them complete assignments related to our trip. They did have some tests to make up after we returned, and it did make the end of the year really, really busy instead of the usual "end of year" fun stuff. Both girls ended up getting straight A's for the year though.

This time we will be taking our youngest with us on this trip so she will miss 2.5 - 3 weeks of 2nd grade. I know she will have HW to complete, but I'm not worried about it. Our older two will be Soph and Jr in HS however. Missing that much school is just not an option for them sadly, so they will be staying home with the grandparents.

Enjoy your first cruise! I'm sure you'll be hooked after your trip in December

 

[jewelmicky]

Your girls will have a blast, and have plenty of time to catch up with school work when they get back.

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Thank you all! Me and DH have been talking all afternoon about it and I really want to go providing our December cruise goes smoothly with no major sea sickness or anything like that.
I will admit to being worried about taking the girls all by myself on the plane ride from Chicago( dcl says it is a redeye) and then the cruise itself, but like DH said, he is a truck driver and I am usually alone with them anyway. I thought about taking my mil, she would so love to cruise, but she would be 77 then and is already using a cane/wheelchair at times for her knee and am afraid the cruise would be a bit much for her and I probably couldnt afford a handicap room. We are looking at just doing a Cat 11 gty.
DD Katie is in preschool now and her teacher had a bit of a fit me taking her out for the 8 school days this December for the WDW trip/ cruise so I just assumed most teachers had issues with them missing. She will be first grade if we go then.
Thank you for the information. We will keep lurking on your thread if that is ok!

 

[Buckeye Gal]

Lurk as much as you want...and feel free to chime in, too! I hope it all goes well for you in December. I absolutely love cruising!

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I'm at DF's house and I saw his KTTW and I wanted to be back on the Magic right then and there!

I can't wait for the cruise! I know it's a long way away first (grief, I'll be married almost a year when we go on the cruise) but I'm still so excited!!!!!!

Hope everybody is having a great day!

 

[got2travel]

Thank you all! Me and DH have been talking all afternoon about it and I really want to go providing our December cruise goes smoothly with no major sea sickness or anything like that.
I will admit to being worried about taking the girls all by myself on the plane ride from Chicago( dcl says it is a redeye) and then the cruise itself, but like DH said, he is a truck driver and I am usually alone with them anyway. I thought about taking my mil, she would so love to cruise, but she would be 77 then and is already using a cane/wheelchair at times for her knee and am afraid the cruise would be a bit much for her and I probably couldnt afford a handicap room. We are looking at just doing a Cat 11 gty.
DD Katie is in preschool now and her teacher had a bit of a fit me taking her out for the 8 school days this December for the WDW trip/ cruise so I just assumed most teachers had issues with them missing. She will be first grade if we go then.
Thank you for the information. We will keep lurking on your thread if that is ok!

First, to answer one of your previous questions about booking now or on board. I would suggest that you book now, then price it again once onboard. There is a possiblity that between now and then the price may go up. If it goes up, the 10% that you get from booking on board may not reduce the cruise to the rate that you'd pay if you booked now. If the price qouted onboard is lower than what you've already booked at, then just cancel the first booking and rebook with the reduced rate. Hope that made sense.

Now, just to comment on your MIL. I did this transatlantic last year with my mom who was 76 at the time. She did not have mobility issues, but she had to take it slow as she has heart conditions, diabetes, and a bad knee. She did wonderfully and even walked down the entire Rock of Gibraltar. You wouldn't necessarily need a handicap room if she could move around on her own within the room. The wheelchair can be left in the elevator lobby. I've seen many cruisers do this with wheelchairs and scooters.

 

[lbgraves]

Thank you all! Me and DH have been talking all afternoon about it and I really want to go providing our December cruise goes smoothly with no major sea sickness or anything like that.
I will admit to being worried about taking the girls all by myself on the plane ride from Chicago( dcl says it is a redeye) and then the cruise itself, but like DH said, he is a truck driver and I am usually alone with them anyway. I thought about taking my mil, she would so love to cruise, but she would be 77 then and is already using a cane/wheelchair at times for her knee and am afraid the cruise would be a bit much for her and I probably couldnt afford a handicap room. We are looking at just doing a Cat 11 gty.
DD Katie is in preschool now and her teacher had a bit of a fit me taking her out for the 8 school days this December for the WDW trip/ cruise so I just assumed most teachers had issues with them missing. She will be first grade if we go then.
Thank you for the information. We will keep lurking on your thread if that is ok!

That preschool teacher needs to chill! What did she miss out on? Finger painting? Scissor cutting practice? LOL! We have taken the kids out for 10 days every year and tell the principal when and where we will be going. I really don't care if they excuse it or not, though they have all but one year out of 6. When I told the principal in April that we would be 6 days late starting school after the EB PC repo she said that there was no way she could teach the kids as much in school as they were going to learn on the cruise and experience going through the canal. As a bonus, she told me that until they set foot on school grounds that school year they were not absent...just no shows...which is why we decided not to rush home on Labor day and saved over $400 in airfare. Sometimes school administrators need to have a little more common sense than they do IMO. Most districts do not start doing the NCLB testing nonsense until 3rd grade so until then, it really doesn't matter when they miss school. Actually, when we considered doing the WB PC repo I called the head of the end of grade testing at the school board to find out the dates for that year and she told me that if it was her family, she would go on the cruise and have her kid take the make up test after we got back because the experience would be amazing.

 

[paulasillars]

i will have to disagree you can tell the difference between the coke light and diet coke. its close but not the same. i drink over 1,000 diet cokes every year.at work i drink 4 in a 8 hour shift.i do agree that you will be fine drinking coke light if you are use to diet coke. but in my opinion diet coke is a little better probaly what i am use to.

Perhaps I should have said that in my opinion diet coke and coke light taste the same. Its my drink of choice and I can't taste any difference - however I do think it tastes better out of a can rather than a glass bottle or poured into a glass. Also be aware that if you add ice (which I don't) that the "taste" of the local water could affect the flavour - personally I prefer my soft drink cool but not cold.

I had to laugh when I heard Kevin and John complain on the podcast that when they asked for ice in Italy (I think it was Italy) that they only got a couple of cubes. I found that hilarious as we find we sometimes get very strange looks when we order our soft drinks without ice when we are in the US.

 

[kap158]

Coke vs. Pepsi

I am die hard Diet Pepsi drinker. I could not go 24 days with out a pepsi. About 8 years ago I was a straight pepsi drinker and my sister got me to convert. I don't do the caffeine free(I need my espresso coffee and Diet Pepsi(I have brought Diet Pepsi on board ship in the past).

Karen

Have a great Monday!!!

 

[DH of dolphingirl47]

Interesting news this morning, Ryanair planning to go transatlatic, bet that will stir airfares up a bit if it happens.

They are a budget low cost airline with no thrills. Wonder if it will be in time for 2010

 

[Luv2trav]

What are the chances of me being able to upgrade at port? If so how much do you think it woud cost? We are going for the category 11 rooms to save cost but hope we can upgrade at port for less. If not we will still be fine. Afterall it will be our first cruise and have nothing to compare it to anyway.

 

[Brooklyn]

What are the chances of me being able to upgrade at port? If so how much do you think it woud cost? We are going for the category 11 rooms to save cost but hope we can upgrade at port for less. If not we will still be fine. Afterall it will be our first cruise and have nothing to compare it to anyway.

For the EB TA a lot of people were hoping to upgrade bc the ship was empty. They were charging the exact difference from the published fares at the time. Those fares were still good but no discount from what you saw online before leaving.

We got an incredible military discount last time $599 for 1st/2nd and $99 3rd/4th to start and everything else was extremly discounted too. They would not offer the military discount at the port tought, just the published fares at the time.

So if rates go low, try to get what you want before you go to the port. I know at other times DCL does upgrades at the port but they were being pretty strict for the EB TA.

 

[Hoagie Pie]

Hi, hope I am not intruding!
I have a question ( well a couple) if yall wouldn't mind.

We haven't booked this cruise yet, but are thinking about it depending on how well we like the one in December( our very first time cruising).

If we were to book, would it make sense to wait to book it on our cruise in December. I read somewhere that is cheaper that way?

Secondly- it would probably be just me ( Mom) and my two girls who would be 4 and 6. My DH would have a difficult time getting that much time off. Any thoughts on single Mom taking the kids for just that long and is there enough for the little ones to do for 14 days?

Third- taking a first grader out of school for two weeks...opinions?

Thanks so much, I would love to take my girls to Europe, this country gal has never been out of the States!

You are not intruding!! I think the hardest part of the trip is the airlines on the trip over. I don't know where you live, but that would be the longest with the girls. They would LOVE the cruise and all the activities. We took Abby out of 4th grade for our last TA and the teacher told us that she will learn more in those 2 weeks then ever. She is in first grade and I don't think it is any big deal. Think of what she can learn. I don't know about the WB TA, but the EB TA had classes for the little kids too. Like what kind of culture is in the country, what they eat, the language and money, etc. It was fun and my daughter loved it. Hope that helps a little.