The 2010 Baltic Thread--Cruise Tips and Planning

[CarolAnnC]

If you are flying only United, then you just follow the United rules. I guess I don't understand the confusion????

My DH flies United all over the world and we follow those rules aformentioned and never have a problem.

It has been recent policy for those flying from Heathrow back to the U.S. to only be allowed one carry on - no purse, handbag, nor personal item with it. Just one piece.

This started after the Christmas Day incident with the fool who set himself on fire on the plane headed to Detroit..

We shall see what John finds out - he is off in the sky as I speak on his way there.

 

[Deb T.]

It has been recent policy for those flying from Heathrow back to the U.S. to only be allowed one carry on - no purse, handbag, nor personal item with it. Just one piece.

This started after the Christmas Day incident with the fool who set himself on fire on the plane headed to Detroit..

We shall see what John finds out - he is off in the sky as I speak on his way there.

Thank you, Carol. This is exactly what I had heard, so all I'm seeking is the experience from recent travelers. I am looking forward to John's report. Again, thank you!

 

[TDC Nala]

It has been recent policy for those flying from Heathrow back to the U.S. to only be allowed one carry on - no purse, handbag, nor personal item with it. Just one piece.

This started after the Christmas Day incident with the fool who set himself on fire on the plane headed to Detroit..

We shall see what John finds out - he is off in the sky as I speak on his way there.

Gotta say I don't see the logic, since the dude had explosives stashed in his underwear and not luggage. I did hear that there were some airlines that for awhile were banning blankets, jackets or any other type of item in the seat that would block the passenger's lap, since the guy hid under a jacket or blanket and tried to light his pants on fire. Of course they can't ban underwear on board.

 

[slg]

Are the rules for Gatwick the same as Heathrow?

We're flying Air Transat/Thomas Cook.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Gotta say I don't see the logic, since the dude had explosives stashed in his underwear and not luggage. I did hear that there were some airlines that for awhile were banning blankets, jackets or any other type of item in the seat that would block the passenger's lap, since the guy hid under a jacket or blanket and tried to light his pants on fire. Of course they can't ban underwear on board.

The dog and pony show of searching carry ons, individuals, etc. is designed to reassure passengers; and obviously does not guarantee safety during flight.

Short of allowing absolutely no luggage, no baggage, no carryons and having everyone fly naked after body cavity searches, there is always the possibility of contraband and compromised safety of the flight, crew and passengers.

Just gotta go with the flow and live by the current rules and regulations. File this Baltic tip under "fly at your own risk.."

 

[CarolAnnC]

Are the rules for Gatwick the same as Heathrow?

We're flying Air Transat/Thomas Cook.

Yes they are the same. Here is the Fodor's Alert from December 26, 2009 speaking of the one carry on decision.

 

[dylan'smom]

We just flew back last week on Virgin Atlantic. They allowed ONE carry-on, total, so we had to squish the laptop in one & my purse in the other. We were in economy though, & a guy in the first class line had 2 carry-ons, so at least for that carrier, that was the rule of thumb.

It is completely different for different airlines, and different classes w/in the carrier. It should be spelled out online for all of them. But then, I also noticed that some people walked on board with 2 and no one stopped them, then......... I saw one person have to wear their heavy coat onboard because they were already carrying a bag!!!

 

[dylan'smom]

Oh, forgot!! As for the main seating time, we did the TA last month and our dinner time was 6 pm.

We did a bit of traveling before returning & now getting ready for the Baltics is making me a little wacko...but it's a good wacko.

bev

 

[aurorafan65]

Oh, forgot!! As for the main seating time, we did the TA last month and our dinner time was 6 pm.

We did a bit of traveling before returning & now getting ready for the Baltics is making me a little wacko...but it's a good wacko.

bev

I think all the planning is making us all wacko

 

[aurorafan65]

On a totally different topic then airplanes (my biggest fear of the whole trip) - food off the ship

We were talking about lunch for St.P's specifically we are taking a private tour & there's not a lunch stop on day 2 - our tourmate had said they were ordering room service & getting something to bring with them. On another board I read about another cruiseline who supplied a boxed lunch (they had talked to their dinner waiter about it) Has anyone ever gotten a boxed lunch from their server & taken it on-shore?

 

[gydell]

I know this has been answered already but PLEASE one more time. Do the cabs at LHR take US dollars or credit cards or do I need to get pounds before we leave(next week)?

 

[MrsScooby]

Oh, forgot!! As for the main seating time, we did the TA last month and our dinner time was 6 pm.

We did a bit of traveling before returning & now getting ready for the Baltics is making me a little wacko...but it's a good wacko.

bev

I think all the planning is making us all wacko

Another wacko here

On a totally different topic then airplanes (my biggest fear of the whole trip) - food off the ship

We were talking about lunch for St.P's specifically we are taking a private tour & there's not a lunch stop on day 2 - our tourmate had said they were ordering room service & getting something to bring with them. On another board I read about another cruiseline who supplied a boxed lunch (they had talked to their dinner waiter about it) Has anyone ever gotten a boxed lunch from their server & taken it on-shore?

Good question-looking to see what the other cruises have had

I know this has been answered already but PLEASE one more time. Do the cabs at LHR take US dollars or credit cards or do I need to get pounds before we leave(next week)?

We're bringing pounds
Just seems easier.
Your bank may need some time to get them for you so if you want pounds you would need to order them real soon-like now

 

[debs96]

Has anyone had experience in getting an extra cabin gift? That is if we get one at all. I'm traveling with a friend and I'm sure we would both want any cabin gifts that Disney may give us. I was wondering if I should contact DCL before sailing or get in touch with our travel agency or perhaps just mention it to our Stateroom Host(ess).

Debbie

 

[CarolAnnC]

I know this has been answered already but PLEASE one more time. Do the cabs at LHR take US dollars or credit cards or do I need to get pounds before we leave(next week)?

Not sure about the London cabs, but DH usually just hits an ATM at the airport to pickup some pounds.

 

[dietcokefan]

With all the questions being discussed and opinions on the carry on baggage allowances I decided to go straight to the source. I "googled" London Heathrow baggage allowance and found the website http://www.heathrow-airport-guide.co.uk/security.html and looked up "security". Under that search the following is what I found.

"Passengers are now permitted to carry more than one item of hand luggage through security. You will, however, need to check with your airline before arrival at the airport. Some airlines will only allow you to carry one item of hand baggage, and the weight and size allowances differ between airlines."

Hope that helps...as always and as it states, individual airlines may have other guidelines but at least for the airport itself it appears they allow more than one carry on.

 

[Rogillio]

I think all the planning is making us all wacko

You got that right! I think the best advice now is just chill out and expect some things not to go as planned.

Vacations are planned with great anticipation, experienced with some discomfort and remembered with great fondness.

The other day I was looking at the thousands of photos from previous adventures and every single picture is loaded with memories. Even the things that did not 'go as planned' were fun (looking back at them).

Here is an example: Naples, Italy. We'd taken the DCL excursion to Vesuvious and Pompei. Evidently we did not read the weather report on Vesuvious. We got off the bus in shorts and tee-shirts...and it as like 45 degrees! We nearly froze. We found gift shop and spent about $200 buying sweatshirts and jackets. But even with jackets (and shorts) it was brrr-cold! After we left the volcano we went to a pizza place in Naples for for "authentic pizza". It was disgusting! It was stone-oven baked and it was charred black in places, very little cheese or sauce....ugh. Of course we choked it down. Now that has become a favorite family laugh. Everytime we order pizza and someone complains about something, someone will say, "Hey, at least it's not as bad as that pizza we had in Italy!" and we all laugh.

~Mike

 

[sbell111]

I know this has been answered already but PLEASE one more time. Do the cabs at LHR take US dollars or credit cards or do I need to get pounds before we leave(next week)?

Many London cabs do take debit or credit cards, but they tack on an extra charge for doing so. Therefore, we just hit an ATM in the airport and pay with cash.

 

[TDC Nala]

Has anyone had experience in getting an extra cabin gift? That is if we get one at all. I'm traveling with a friend and I'm sure we would both want any cabin gifts that Disney may give us. I was wondering if I should contact DCL before sailing or get in touch with our travel agency or perhaps just mention it to our Stateroom Host(ess).

Debbie

Got extra ones on PC cruise in 2005. Was denied on a Caribbean cruise last May. Didn't even try on the Med cruise 2007 because the gift was a passport holder which my friend kept and I ended up winning a passport holder at the DVC presentation.

The official rule is one per stateroom. If they take a hard line it won't matter if the people sharing the stateroom are not related. Another thing they might do is ask you to fill out a form and they say if they have extras they will notify you. Go to Guest Services on the ship and ask.

 

[MrsScooby]

Trying to figure out the process for the Oyster photo card for my kids.

Anyone know if there is a substantial advantage to getting this online versus in person
Since it is not mailed to our home and we have to pick it up anyway-just wondering if we should wait until we get to London

Also, what have people used as the photo if they did it online-I was thinking of scanning in the kid's passports and using the passport picture-but our passports are two years old and the kids look way different now-so then wondered if I could just crop a picture I had taken at home to the proper size. How strict are they about the picture??

 

[MrsScooby]

You got that right! I think the best advice now is just chill out and expect some things not to go as planned.

Vacations are planned with great anticipation, experienced with some discomfort and remembered with great fondness.

The other day I was looking at the thousands of photos from previous adventures and every single picture is loaded with memories. Even the things that did not 'go as planned' were fun (looking back at them).

Here is an example: Naples, Italy. We'd taken the DCL excursion to Vesuvious and Pompei. Evidently we did not read the weather report on Vesuvious. We got off the bus in shorts and tee-shirts...and it as like 45 degrees! We nearly froze. We found gift shop and spent about $200 buying sweatshirts and jackets. But even with jackets (and shorts) it was brrr-cold! After we left the volcano we went to a pizza place in Naples for for "authentic pizza". It was disgusting! It was stone-oven baked and it was charred black in places, very little cheese or sauce....ugh. Of course we choked it down. Now that has become a favorite family laugh. Everytime we order pizza and someone complains about something, someone will say, "Hey, at least it's not as bad as that pizza we had in Italy!" and we all laugh.

~Mike

Too funny about the Naples trip
At least no sun burn

My son was there last summer and he was mostly griping about the heat though
Do you remember the name of the place where you got the pizza? I did hear that their pizza is different from what we are used to here in the States. For the most part my DS loved the food-but he is pretty easy to please in that department-typical teen boy will eat almost anything