September/October 2013 check in

[australiankaren]

So have cruises boooked, all the rest will wait til march april.......ooohhhhh exciting times......

[Jade+3]

Karen, what happens on your B2B, do you have to disembark, and take your bags between cruises? Not that I am likely to ever do a B2B as DH does not like to cruise, but I am curious.

[5ofus]

Anybody booked their flights yet?

[Caroline NZ]

Originally Posted by 5ofus

Anybody booked their flights yet?

We are flying staff standby so can't book until 6 weeks out, and still don't know if we are on until the doors are closing more or less But that's okay, because the financial saving at the moment more than offsets the uncertainty. However if we have a bad experience I will reassess our options for future trips.

[alicia1506]

I like to wait to book flights until around the 5 months to go mark.. I find that is when some of the promo fares come out etc. We have flight credit with vaustralia that i dont want to lose so as long as we book before may we are all good

[australiankaren]

Originally Posted by Jade+3

Karen, what happens on your B2B, do you have to disembark, and take your bags between cruises? Not that I am likely to ever do a B2B as DH does not like to cruise, but I am curious.

the awesome thing is we keep our cabin for both, so they get all the B2B's togeather, walk us off...beep our card, scan our passports..issue us new seapasses..then straight back on the boat to the bar where lunch is served while they clean etc the boat. We have to get off so they can say the boat is empty for customs.....all very organised and easy.....so i dont have to pack and move which is a bonus, and they also i think will give us a free bag for washing as there are no self serve laundries on board....so we are in cabin 9350 for the 14 days, junior suite....and go from one level of FF to the next after our first cruise..so more freebies for us!

[WanderlustNZ]

Originally Posted by 5ofus

Anybody booked their flights yet?

I've booked the return flights to LAX from NZ. I'm traveling school holidays so don't hold out too much hope for any really big specials closer to the time. I just need to avoid the temptation to look over the next ten months and risk disappointment.

I still have the LAX to Orlando left to book. I want to wait until airlines such as Southwest have released their fares so I can make a real comparison between domestic providers.

It's actually quite relieving to have the international airfares booked and paid for. I'm so indecisive and can drive myself crazy weighing up different holiday destinations. I'm committed now to 3 weeks in the US and can start getting excited about the finer details.

[Jade+3]

Originally Posted by australiankaren

the awesome thing is we keep our cabin for both, so they get all the B2B's togeather, walk us off...beep our card, scan our passports..issue us new seapasses..then straight back on the boat to the bar where lunch is served while they clean etc the boat. We have to get off so they can say the boat is empty for customs.....all very organised and easy.....so i dont have to pack and move which is a bonus, and they also i think will give us a free bag for washing as there are no self serve laundries on board....so we are in cabin 9350 for the 14 days, junior suite....and go from one level of FF to the next after our first cruise..so more freebies for us!

That is good organisation. We nearly booked 9200, but ended up going with a family promenade as it was quite a bit cheaper. The no laundry is a bummer, especially with my grotty kids. Doubt they will be too happy if I ban ice cream. There is always one who will spill the ice cream.

[becpee]

We're still in the planning and saving like mad

At this stage though 5 days DL, 7 days Palm Springs, Vegas, Legoland and maybe San Francisco.
Driving trip though, I love a good road trip

[alicia1506]

Originally Posted by becpee

We're still in the planning and saving like mad

At this stage though 5 days DL, 7 days Palm Springs, Vegas, Legoland and maybe San Francisco.
Driving trip though, I love a good road trip

awesome. i love the idea of a driving trip but i don't think we're up to it ourselves... i will be eagerly subbing into your ptr though

[becpee]

Originally Posted by alicia1506

awesome. i love the idea of a driving trip but i don't think we're up to it ourselves... i will be eagerly subbing into your ptr though

I still have my TR to write, just so depressing to face right now

[australiankaren]

Originally Posted by Jade+3

That is good organisation. We nearly booked 9200, but ended up going with a family promenade as it was quite a bit cheaper. The no laundry is a bummer, especially with my grotty kids. Doubt they will be too happy if I ban ice cream. There is always one who will spill the ice cream.

hey....when you get onboard ask your stateroom attendant for the $25 laundry wash bag..not the dry cleaning one..then you can shove as many clothes in as you can for a bargain price of $25...they are washed but not ironed but for little people stuff and undies / bras its awesome..just be sure to count everything and write it on the bag...

also for formal night, as soon as you get onboard send your stuff to be pressed / dry cleaned for the next night..save the rush the next day and it is cheaper than same day press/dry cleaning......the prices are cheap esp for suits and formal dresses compared to here at home...so dont worry too much about trying to get them there uncreased....

[australiankaren]

Originally Posted by becpee

I still have my TR to write, just so depressing to face right now

yes I'm still here waiting waiting

[LizfromOz]

Originally Posted by becpee

I still have my TR to write, just so depressing to face right now

I know, right? It's a bit of a let down even thinking about writing a TR. We got our photopass CD last week and whilst we were looking thru all of our DL photos my DH kept making comments along the line of "next time, we might not stay 10 nights" or "next time we go, maybe Carsland won't be so busy". This from the man who commented at LAX that "this is it for at least 5 years".

FIVE years?!?! Yeah right....I have my ways

[Jade+3]

Originally Posted by australiankaren

hey....when you get onboard ask your stateroom attendant for the $25 laundry wash bag..not the dry cleaning one..then you can shove as many clothes in as you can for a bargain price of $25...they are washed but not ironed but for little people stuff and undies / bras its awesome..just be sure to count everything and write it on the bag...

also for formal night, as soon as you get onboard send your stuff to be pressed / dry cleaned for the next night..save the rush the next day and it is cheaper than same day press/dry cleaning......the prices are cheap esp for suits and formal dresses compared to here at home...so dont worry too much about trying to get them there uncreased....

Thanks for the laundry tip. I am sure we will use a few of those bags. We don't do formal night, or formal anything. It will be the buffet for us on those nights.