Wonder - January 21, 2011 The Cruise To Nowhere In Particular..

[pppiglet]

I'm in Phoenix and wondering the same thing. Would you be driving there? Where do you park your car for the 2 nights you're on the ship?
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At the port....it's around $12 a night.

 

[tink1963]

Any good hotels near the port that we can hang out at the night before?

We would come from Tucson on Thursday and stay the night close to the port. Then our 2 night becomes a 3 night trip for just the cost of hotel night.

Ya, it's too bad they can't extend the debarking until noon or so. That would help get in a little extra.

I'm in Phoenix and wondering the same thing. Would you be driving there? Where do you park your car for the 2 nights you're on the ship?

I'm a cruise virgin, but my mom mentioned wanting to take a big family Disney Cruise one day (she shouldn't have said that in front of me, because I'm holding her to it, LOL!) I'm thinking of booking just her and me for this cruise as a mother's day gift and then booking a 2012 cruise for the whole family on while on board.

I have heard that the Crown Plaza in San Pedro has a pre-cruise package. I have never stayed there, but my understanding is that if you stay you can leave your car there and they shuttle you to and from the port. Parking at the port is $12.00 per day. Price line or hot wire may also be a way to go to get a reasonable price for a hotel.

 

[elkesails]

Never underestimate the potential for LA traffic to wreck havoc with your plans... a few tips from a local

Study the FWY maps and look for routes with carpool lanes. These have the best chance for success since most drivers are one to a car.

Log on to www.sigalert.com before you hit the road to check for incidents and congestion

If you are not traveling with a traffic enabled GPS think about having a contact who can look up traffic online and reroute you if you end up in a "Sig Alert"

Travel with a map and familiarize yourself with alternate routes in advance.

RUSH HOURS are roughly 6-10 AM and 3-8 PM but it varies by the route.

Try to avoid the 405 FWY between LAX and the 10 FWY.
Try to avoid the 101 FWY
Try to avoid the 5 FWY in Los Angeles County

Plan to average 20-30 MPH for your trip

Allow more time than you think you need so you can relax when you come to a dead stop for no apparent reason.

 

[B9erSteve]

Ok, i just called...no worries, it didn't show because i only put the deposit but once i paid in full then it'll show. So $75 OBC not bad at all..it'll cover our tips.

I just got off the phone with them too. Visa OBC applied--no problem!

 

[B9erSteve]

I also hope they do the Character breakfast, though in my experience from my past 2 disney cruises it's always been at Parrot Cay...do they always do it there?

If they do it at all, it'll have to be limited seating. My guess is that they won't. But if they do. Watch for it when making onboard reservations (like instead of excursions. They'll be a breakfast to sign up for.). Again just a guess.

 

[B9erSteve]

Thanks, I'm cutting and pasting that one into my cruise plans.

Actually, I'm kinda a spaz when it comes to cruises. I'm always worried sick we're going to be standing on the pier waving goodby to our cruise. That's why I usually have travel to the ship arranged for me. (DCL or pvt company)

 

[pppiglet]

I'd like to take my sister. Since this goes to nowhere, I am assuming she needs no passport and just a Birth Certificate right?

 

[B9erSteve]

Absolutely correct. You'll not need passports for this one. Just valid ID.

 

[kkmcan]

Do any of the travel companies offer on board credit incentives for this cruise?

ALso, what about if I put it on my Disney Visa? Will I get the $50 onboard credit?

Trying to squeeze every last discount/credit out of this that I can.

 

[B9erSteve]

I've not heard of any TA's offers on this one. Dreams Unlimited would be the one who'd know. I doubt It'd be very much. You should get your Disney Visa $50. I called to verify because I could find no place to enter my "DCC" code while booking online. The CM was glad to help.

 

[True Romance]

Thanks everyone for the heads up on this cruise. I booked a sideways 11B for a weekend getaway for my husband and I. It is cheaper then going anywhere else really for the weekend.

I don't feel too bad for not taking the kids, because we will be on the 10 night MR in April, of course taking the 3 kids then.

Really a good deal for a weekend fun trip. We have a little longer drive from the Sacramento area 6-7 hours, but should be a piece of cake with no kids in the car.

 

[B9erSteve]

I thought about doing it sans kids. In the end, I decided it would be too much hassle to explain to the why I didn't take them. So, I'm taking my In-Laws and with any luck it'll be just like not taking them at all!

 

[True Romance]

Hi guys,

I just joined your cruise. It will be me and my husband for a little weekend getaway, coming from the Sacramento area. I was on the Magic for a Western cruise in Oct. 09 with my 6 & 4 year olds and my mother. So this will be my husbands first time on DCL. We are leaving the kids at home because we are all also booked on the 10 night MR on 4/17/11.

I thought this would get my husband acquainted with ship and for the price could not find any other weekend trip we would want to do. Going to Tahoe, San Francisco, or Napa would all cost the same or more. We figure on this trip we can just relax and enjoy the ship and see some movies. We will most likely skip the shows and do those with the kids 3 months later in April. We also took advantage of the $50 Disney Visa credit and the $25 OBC, so $75 to spend for 2 nights is a great deal.

Super excited for this fun little trip. Also was able to grab a sideways 11B on deck 6. For our April MR cruise I snagged 2 connecting SPH rooms. Gotta love the DIS Boards.

 

[B9erSteve]

Welcome to the thread! We'll be practically neighbors. You're probably on the other side of the ship from me though. I've got three of the sideways 11's booked on the 5000 side.

 

[lvstitch]

joining in from the other thread. so many questions, how will the restaurants work, what will the entertainment be?

My thinking was this will be a bare bones cruise, maybe just one production show and maybe just being in the same dining room both nights...just a guess. I would love the get into Palo but brunch and dinner especially with $75 OBC.

 

[lvstitch]

Any good hotels near the port that we can hang out at the night before?

We would come from Tucson on Thursday and stay the night close to the port. Then our 2 night becomes a 3 night trip for just the cost of hotel night.

Ya, it's too bad they can't extend the debarking until noon or so. That would help get in a little extra.

We stayed at the Hyatt Long Beach. Great location (about 10 min away from the port), across the street from Shoreline Village, safe area, and really nice hotel.

 

[B9erSteve]

My guess is that with so few Palo appts avail, it'll be luck of the draw for that one. I may attempt a brunch but I'll not do dinner. Funny thing, with no excursions and a tight Palo I'll be had pressed to spend that $75. Maybe it'll be on one of the D&B purses for the wife. I ought to get some mileage out of that one.

 

[mrsheppo]

What is this about a $50 credit if you use your Disney Visa? I have been toying with booking this cruise and an extra $50 would be great.

 

[Zoom]

What is this about a $50 credit if you use your Disney Visa? I have been toying with booking this cruise and an extra $50 would be great.

Yes, you will get a $50 OBC if you use your Disney Visa Card plus the $25 OBC if you book online.

 

[classicdisney]

What is this about a $50 credit if you use your Disney Visa? I have been toying with booking this cruise and an extra $50 would be great.

I booked my cruise with my Disney Visa card. I called disney and they stated that my reservation has a $50 room credit plus the $25 credit from disney.