WBRepo-Ship of Thieves-Remember the Magic Pt 18

[HollyTyler]

YEAHHHHH.....on the LA you'll be right down the hall from me and Lisa and Darrell. I'm in 5122 and Lisa and Darrell are two doors down in 5126 I believe. We'll all be neighbors.

 

[granmaz]

So if we do it exactly like we did it last time on the Tortola and just leave out the Sommelier then we should be good to go. I know that DCL likes to keep changing rooms, dates and times on us....right up to the last minute. But since I pay them, I try to get them to lock something in. I'll have John wear pink and come back to pour for us. He can tell us a little bit about the name and the place of the champagne that we're drinking without going long winded.

Thanks Marilyn. I think you have really helped make it clear for me. Now I know exactly what we will do. But I'm so sorry that you won't be with us to do it. The next one after the Alaska is going to be on the November Dream B2B cruise. Mandy and I will both attend for the first time. Are you sure you don't want to book that one and be a part of it. Hopefully we can do it in PINK and it will be spectacular.

We just booked our return flight home after our TA in September, and that is for Nov 1st!!! We will be away for 8 weeks! So no chance I'm afraid. It does sound like you are all going to have a lot of fun though.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

We just booked our return flight home after our TA in September, and that is for Nov 1st!!! We will be away for 8 weeks! So no chance I'm afraid. It does sound like you are all going to have a lot of fun though.

You will be greatly missed. Do you have any plans for bookings in 2012? I think we're all going to Hawaii. Would you consider doing that cruise?

 

[granmaz]

You will be greatly missed. Do you have any plans for bookings in 2012? I think we're all going to Hawaii. Would you consider doing that cruise?

We have a dummy booking in place so you never know. However the airfares to the US West coast are becoming very expensive. We might do the Magic WBTA again if it is offered in 2012 as we so enjoy that cruise, and it looks like there might be others from last Sept TA going again too. Also there is rumour of the Eastern Med, though Egypt must be on hold at the moment.

What a problem for the travel industry with Egypt, Tunisa and of course Mexico being dodgy.

 

[granmaz]

Aaaaargh, this website is sooooo slow right now. So annoying.

 

[Tink rules]

YEAHHHHH.....on the LA you'll be right down the hall from me and Lisa and Darrell. I'm in 5122 and Lisa and Darrell are two doors down in 5126 I believe. We'll all be neighbors.

At first I ready that you'd behave (i read it fast... ) Behave??? Us????

For some reason I thought we were at 250 and needed to start a new thread. Guess I'm snowed in and have no idea. hahaha.

Holly....so glad you're PIF. Isn't it a great feeling!!!!

Deb, another 100 pages to go yet!!!!!

I've got ya Deb... unless I'm out wandering... then I'll bribe someone to start the next one... (Jackie knows how... )

I'm having a huge dilemma and need some input from my Champagne Girls. We are having another one on the LA/Alaska. We were going to do it on the LA but now with people cancelling and changing plans, I think it's best to do it on the Alaska. At this point I have been getting a lot of feedback and now I would like to know, How would you like to see us do the next Champagne Girls? I have been told that we don't need another Sommelier. Should we just taste different champagnes and not talk about them or learn about them? I agree that we need more time for us all to talk together. I really would like everyone's input. Please let me know what you would like to do. Thanks.

I say have it casual... even if it's just us and who ever else has signed in... John in pink would be nice... won't Sassy Bubbles be with us?????

Deb, I have only been to your Champagne Girls. I won't go to any others!! Just not right in my opinion!!!

This last cruise it was hard for those organising events to get any info from the Wonder. I think it was almost at sail date before the date and time etc was set. It was annoying as other things had been arranged. If only for that reason I would go with doing it yourself. However if you still have to book a venue then you will probably have the same problem. I think you could just enjoy tasting the Champagne now and not bother with the Somellier. I also think it was more expensive than the one we did.

I had a friend who went to the one on the WBTransatlantic which was everyone take a bottle and was held in one of the Dis'ers suite. She didn't stay long as she said it was a lot of high pitched female screeching which she doesn't enjoy even though she quite often gets tipsy herself and does enjoy a good time. However that shouldn't stop you planning a group like that

Planky apologizes... but you know how he gets when you make him drink bubbly!!!

 

[Tink rules]

We have a dummy booking in place so you never know. However the airfares to the US West coast are becoming very expensive. We might do the Magic WBTA again if it is offered in 2012 as we so enjoy that cruise, and it looks like there might be others from last Sept TA going again too. Also there is rumour of the Eastern Med, though Egypt must be on hold at the moment.

What a problem for the travel industry with Egypt, Tunisa and of course Mexico being dodgy.

You fly into NY... (cheaper that way...) and then you come and hang out with us... and fly to and from wherever from here... We'll even feed you!!!

 

[granmaz]

Sounds good Michelle. They keep adding more and more taxes onto our flight prices.

 

[Tink rules]

Upstate NY is very nice in the spring... and after... perhaps you can come back and travel around this area and see a little more of the US... (there's more to the US than FL???)

 

[katypop]

Your homeland security make us fill in an online form to be accepted for entry before we leave our home country. Electronic System for Travel Authorisation(ESTA) At the end on the acceptance page you get a massively long number. It says take a note of your number but you DON'T need to print anything out.

Well DCL demanded print outs last September as we were actually entering the US this way. Very few folk had them printed out for the reasons above. So much time and annoyance at Barcelona terminal as folk either input their numbers and then had to print their acceptance out. One friend just couldn't get accepted. Took 2 hours. She was told on no uncertain terms that if she didn't get a print out of her form she would be offloaded mat Madeira, the last European port, and make her own way home! Fortunately then for some reason I had printed mine off, and we did receive notification from DCL prior to the cruise that we would need them. Most folk didn't think they did though.

Fast forward to this cruise. We were already in the US, accepted by Immigration, so I had decided to leave my form at home. No letter from DCL. Bad idea! We were checking in at the terminal and the guy said 'where are the rest of your forms?' 'They are all there' I said. 'Your Esta form' he said. 'We don't need them' we said!!! OK! We had to go off to the furthest desk and input our numbers. That desk wasn't manned all the time, the person went walkabouts, and the printer was behind the screen! What a flipping pain it was. My anxiety levels were rising by the minute. Nobody said sorry or anything. One supervisor did come over and said that DCL had sent letters out to us. Mmmmmmmmm. When we eventually got back up to check in(and wait again) the lady there said they had only found out that morning that LA Immigration would want to see them!! For goodness sake, we were going from the US to the US, having already been given clearance. Grrrrrr!

You did ask.

What a headache Marilyn!

 

[katypop]

Here are a few pics

Ropebridges

Animals

Viewing Area

Food

These are great pics! Thanks for sharing

 

[katypop]

I'm doing the PIF dance! Just made final payment on the LA to Vancouver portion, so both cruises are paid in full! Woohoo!

Now, to work on airfare. Piece by piece, I'm getting there!

Yippee I'm so excited you will be joining us

 

[katypop]

I already told Michelle that it's ok for her to post my pics over here for Kathe. If I posted them on FB then there's no reason why I wouldn't post them here. Michelle is just helping me out so I don't have to do it while still away.

Looking forward to seeing some new pics soon

How was the cruise Deb? I'm eager to hear all about it!

I agree with Marilyn's thoughts on the Champagne Girls

 

[katypop]

Hi Michelle

Okay, gotta run and get dinner ready while I'm watching Oprah.

 

[Tink rules]

Hi Kathe!

I'm watching Oprah too!!!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

We have a dummy booking in place so you never know. However the airfares to the US West coast are becoming very expensive. We might do the Magic WBTA again if it is offered in 2012 as we so enjoy that cruise, and it looks like there might be others from last Sept TA going again too. Also there is rumour of the Eastern Med, though Egypt must be on hold at the moment.

What a problem for the travel industry with Egypt, Tunisa and of course Mexico being dodgy.

We have to do a TransAtlantic at some point. If we do Hawaii in 2012 then we'll have to wait until 2013 to do a TA. Of course, that's the year that we're moving down to FL so it will be easier to do with discounts.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

At first I ready that you'd behave (i read it fast... ) Behave??? Us????





I've got ya Deb... unless I'm out wandering... then I'll bribe someone to start the next one... (Jackie knows how... )



I say have it casual... even if it's just us and who ever else has signed in... John in pink would be nice... won't Sassy Bubbles be with us?????

YES Sassy will be doing both of the next two Champagne Girls.....Alaska and Dream in Nov. Monica says to incorporate both the first and second ones and do it somewhere in the middle. That can be done.

 

[scottishwee35]

Your homeland security make us fill in an online form to be accepted for entry before we leave our home country. Electronic System for Travel Authorisation(ESTA) At the end on the acceptance page you get a massively long number. It says take a note of your number but you DON'T need to print anything out.

Well DCL demanded print outs last September as we were actually entering the US this way. Very few folk had them printed out for the reasons above. So much time and annoyance at Barcelona terminal as folk either input their numbers and then had to print their acceptance out. One friend just couldn't get accepted. Took 2 hours. She was told on no uncertain terms that if she didn't get a print out of her form she would be offloaded mat Madeira, the last European port, and make her own way home! Fortunately then for some reason I had printed mine off, and we did receive notification from DCL prior to the cruise that we would need them. Most folk didn't think they did though.

Fast forward to this cruise. We were already in the US, accepted by Immigration, so I had decided to leave my form at home. No letter from DCL. Bad idea! We were checking in at the terminal and the guy said 'where are the rest of your forms?' 'They are all there' I said. 'Your Esta form' he said. 'We don't need them' we said!!! OK! We had to go off to the furthest desk and input our numbers. That desk wasn't manned all the time, the person went walkabouts, and the printer was behind the screen! What a flipping pain it was. My anxiety levels were rising by the minute. Nobody said sorry or anything. One supervisor did come over and said that DCL had sent letters out to us. Mmmmmmmmm. When we eventually got back up to check in(and wait again) the lady there said they had only found out that morning that LA Immigration would want to see them!! For goodness sake, we were going from the US to the US, having already been given clearance. Grrrrrr!

You did ask.

Oh dear I do remember that we had terrible times at LA after leaving Disney Cruise as the port seem confused with us...

I am waiting for my new passport then fill out ESTA all together same times then print it out maybe take it with us in case...

Scottishwee35

 

[scottishwee35]

YES Sassy will be doing both of the next two Champagne Girls.....Alaska and Dream in Nov. Monica says to incorporate both the first and second ones and do it somewhere in the middle. That can be done.

Oh I love to do that... I missed it out as it was so fun last times at Panama Canal...

Scottishwee35

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Looking forward to seeing some new pics soon

How was the cruise Deb? I'm eager to hear all about it!

I agree with Marilyn's thoughts on the Champagne Girls

Pictures will be coming shortly. Thanks for your input on the Champagne Girls. I think the next one will be the best one.

I have SO MUCH to tell you about the Dream cruise. First of all, it was BIG and BEAUTIFUL. Second, there was a lot of people and competition. There was many long lines to be waited in.....getting onboard out in the rain for 1 1/2 hrs., in the terminal for another hour, onboard to change dining arrangements...and then they did it wrong anyway, each time you went to guest services, each time you went for a meal at a restaurant, getting Ducky to sign our lithos, forget about getting into the stores for maiden voyage merchandise....I just bought a bag on ebay because everyone horded them and I wasn't going to stand in line from 1:30pm until the stores opened at 6:30pm. Then everything didn't work well. The phone in my room, the table arrangements for dinner, ordering at dinner and getting it all wrong or not coming at all.....many bugs to be worked out.

Now that I have prefaced with the negatives.....the positives far outweighed. The boat is techno chic and gorgeous. It sparkles everywhere you look. There are many improvements, for example Shutters. We were assigned a binder, like in a library, we were Mickey Red 30 and all of our pictures were inside there. The wave phones are awesome. Every stateroom gets phones to use while roaming around the boat and they fit in our wristlet bags. There are also little sitting alcoves everywhere.....there are bars and restaurants that are incredible. The pools are beautiful. The spa is beautiful. Our verandah was HUGE!!!! We had a party out there on the last night and everyone was comfortable, not crowded. The whole thing was awesome. They need to work the bugs out and they are listening to us and making improvements. After six months, it should be perfect since there is a learning curve for many new crew members.

Just bring comfey walking shoes because you will lose weight even with all your meals.....lots of walking every day. It's a BIG BOAT!!!

I loved it and can't wait to do it in November.