July 6, 2010 - 7/6/2010 ~ Pounds to Rubles ~ Mickey invades the Baltic Sea

[nzdisneymom]

It's so nice to see familiar DIS names and new-to-me DIS names, too. Good luck to everyone getting what they want for this one. We're looking at a Cat. 6 and hoping to get "our" cabin which is 6116 -- we had it on the Med, then on the Wonder in April, and have it again on the Magic for this Christmas (which is a surprise for the boys). We loved the location so much on the Med that we decided that's where we would always try for.

I know that 2010 is a long way off and things can change drastically for so many of us with jobs and the economy, etc. But we decided to go ahead and book this one knowing that if we had to cancel, well, we'd deal with it later -- but our boys are committed along with us to making it happen. It's nice that they are old enough and beginning to understand that money doesn't grow on trees. We have a saying around our house that we would rather "go and do" than "have." The boys realize that they are truly fortunate to have traveled as much as they have been able to, and we are glad to have the opportunity to travel ourselves as well. My grandfather (who was married to my Finnish grandmother) told us a few years before he died that we shouldn't wait to travel like he and my grandmother did -- they waited and then weren't able to travel much at all because of health issues. Gary took that to heart so that's what we're doing. Pinch our pennies and set sail

 

[CarolAnnC]

Love your philosophy! I also live for today...within reason, LOL! Now if those darn point charts would only get released by DVC...sigh...

 

[justhat]

Cindy, we're very much the same way. Well me anyway, my husband is more practical. My dad died when I was 17yo and I think that causes my attitude. I figure it's better to have great memories to last, than some extra change floating around.

And we're that way with cabin 8088. We only stayed in it once, so far, but are booked in it for an Eastern next year and will shoot for that if we can't get the Cat 3. We want a 3 cause my mom is coming with us so the extra space would be nice, but if we get a 4, we know which room we want!

 

[DisneyRN1]

Hello

Tonight my husband and I had talking so we had make the decision that we ARE IN.

We send away to our TA (Dreams Unlimited) for this Cruise.

Start saving up, sell ebay, car boot.

Oh we are so exciting now

Scottishwee35

Hi Debbie...This is Vicki. Remember Greg and I from the Panama cruise? I was the "lucky" one who broke her arm? We are planning to do this cruise also. It will be good to see you all. Does Olivia still have the Mickey ears made from glass that Greg gave her?

we're in as well.

HI BETH!!!!!! I don't know if you remember us, but Greg and I were you tablemates on the Panama cruise. We are looking forward to cruising with you, Stacey, and Jack!! It is just too far away. We will be counting on you for some good research!



Hi everyone,
My name is Vicki. My DH (Greg) and I will be on this trip also (barring anymore bad news on the stock market We do not have any children. We have done a 4 night Disney cruise,and the WB Panama cruise We will be doing a B2B cruise in Sept. 2009. DW2DH&DS were our tablemates, and good friends by the end of the Panama cruise, so when Beth said "cruise to the Baltic", we said OK! We are really looking forward to this trip. We have done land tours in most of these places except for Russia and Finland, so this is a different perspective. I guess that's all for now....Vicki

 

[OurDogCisco]

I edited the title of the thread to incorporate the creativity of DW2DH&DS (Beth and her DH).

Here's the link to the Park Plaza hotel.

Renaissance Chancery

and the Grosvenor

I'm excited the both the Renaissance and Park Plaza will accommodate 4 in a room; when we did the Med, we had to get two rooms in Barcelona... maybe because we added the hotel portion later on than at the beginning, so I don't know if the other hotels that DCL had would take four or not.

Anyway, just thought I'd pass these links along.

Too funny... I was just looking at hotel options and since I have Marriott points I was looking at the Grovensor... I think, I can get airfare for 2 people and 5 nights at the Grovensor. This will help with the cost hopefully...

On the Mediterranean we sailed in a Category 3. I would love to again but I don't think I'm on the "list" so, I doubt I'll get a room.

I'm undecided if I should have Dreams Handle it or If I should???

 

[scottishwee35]

Hi Debbie...This is Vicki. Remember Greg and I from the Panama cruise? I was the "lucky" one who broke her arm? We are planning to do this cruise also. It will be good to see you all. Does Olivia still have the Mickey ears made from glass that Greg gave her?




HI BETH!!!!!! I don't know if you remember us, but Greg and I were you tablemates on the Panama cruise. We are looking forward to cruising with you, Stacey, and Jack!! It is just too far away. We will be counting on you for some good research!



Hi everyone,
My name is Vicki. My DH (Greg) and I will be on this trip also (barring anymore bad news on the stock market We do not have any children. We have done a 4 night Disney cruise,and the WB Panama cruise We will be doing a B2B cruise in Sept. 2009. DW2DH&DS were our tablemates, and good friends by the end of the Panama cruise, so when Beth said "cruise to the Baltic", we said OK! We are really looking forward to this trip. We have done land tours in most of these places except for Russia and Finland, so this is a different perspective. I guess that's all for now....Vicki

Hello Vicky and Grey

Oh yes I remember you both and it was lovely to meet you.

How is your arm? I hope it is getting better?

Oh yes, Olivia still have your Mickey necklaces and she keep it in her bedroom.

My husband excited about this Baltic as he never see Finland, Denmark and Russia.

Scottishwee35

 

[nzdisneymom]

Too funny... I was just looking at hotel options and since I have Marriott points I was looking at the Grovensor... I think, I can get airfare for 2 people and 5 nights at the Grovensor. This will help with the cost hopefully...

On the Mediterranean we sailed in a Category 3. I would love to again but I don't think I'm on the "list" so, I doubt I'll get a room.

I'm undecided if I should have Dreams Handle it or If I should???

We're letting our TA handle the arrangements - they have done our other three cruises (and our upcoming 4th) for DCL, including the Med, and we have not had any issues. Plus I don't have to be tied up on the phone, etc., or take the day off work to do the booking. We just emailed our TA about what we wanted -- Date, Category (and Cabin), Dining time (main), what to include like Air, Hotel, Ground Transportation, etc.

I just realized I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Cindy D., wife to Gary, mom to Nathan and Zachary (the n and z that make me a DisneyMom). We live in north Florida and love all things Disney. The boys will be (just turned) 14 and (still) 12 (and saving me $100 by not having a birthday til after this cruise).

 

[nzdisneymom]

So I was looking at the itinerary and trying to "translate" it to calendar days. Here it is:

July 6th: Depart from Dover, England
July 7th: At Sea
July 8th: Oslo, Norway
July 9th: Copenhagen, Denmark
July 10th: Warnemunde, Germany (Berlin)
July 11th: At Sea
July 12th: St. Petersburg, Russia (arrive 11:30 a.m.)
July 13th: still in St. Petersburg, Russia (depart 10:30 p.m.)
July 14th: Helsinki, Finland
July 15th: Stockholm, Sweden
July 16th: At Sea
July 17th: At Sea
July 18th: Return to Dover, England

Here's what is appealing about this itinerary... a sea day to begin -- we hope to arrive in London a few days before so we can get through jet-lag before boarding the ship, but if we don't, at least we'll have a day to help. Then three port days, but a sea day after the stop for Berlin (which will likely be a full and exhausting day, especially as there will be much travel to get there). Then an overnight stay in St. Petersburg so there is possibility to do something in the afternoon on the first day and the morning/afternoon on the second day. And then two sea days at the end.

We did the 10-night Med and it was exhausting, especially for the children. I think with this itinerary, there are some built-in down-times for rest before heading to the next port.

 

[justhat]

So I was looking at the itinerary and trying to "translate" it to calendar days. Here it is:

July 6th: Depart from Dover, England
July 7th: At Sea
July 8th: Oslo, Norway
July 9th: Copenhagen, Denmark
July 10th: Warnemunde, Germany (Berlin)
July 11th: At Sea
July 12th: St. Petersburg, Russia (arrive 11:30 a.m.)
July 13th: still in St. Petersburg, Russia (depart 10:30 p.m.)
July 14th: Helsinki, Finland
July 15th: Stockholm, Sweden
July 16th: At Sea
July 17th: At Sea
July 18th: Return to Dover, England

Here's what is appealing about this itinerary... a sea day to begin -- we hope to arrive in London a few days before so we can get through jet-lag before boarding the ship, but if we don't, at least we'll have a day to help. Then three port days, but a sea day after the stop for Berlin (which will likely be a full and exhausting day, especially as there will be much travel to get there). Then an overnight stay in St. Petersburg so there is possibility to do something in the afternoon on the first day and the morning/afternoon on the second day. And then two sea days at the end.

We did the 10-night Med and it was exhausting, especially for the children. I think with this itinerary, there are some built-in down-times for rest before heading to the next port.

I couldn't agree more and was so excited about this cruise for that reason. A few days into the 7/18 Med cruise, we regretted not choosing an 11 night. We would have loved that day to rest in between Rome and Florence (I think that's when it was). That cruise was exhausting!

 

[nzdisneymom]

I couldn't agree more and was so excited about this cruise for that reason. A few days into the 7/18 Med cruise, we regretted not choosing an 11 night. We would have loved that day to rest in between Rome and Florence (I think that's when it was). That cruise was exhausting!

That was our feeling, too -- we did an afternoon excursion to Pisa and my boys were THRILLED to not have to wake up at 7 a.m. for yet another excursion. Our Pisa day was our most fun (of course getting to climb to the top of the tower had a lot to do with that, but getting to sleep in a bit was also a bonus for the boys). Our trip to Rome was so wonderful but utterly exhausting and exhilirating at the same time. A funny thing on the train to Rome was that Nathan (our older son) was sleeping contently on the train when Peter Pan came in crowing loudly like a rooster. It was hilarious but it woke Nathan up with too much of a startle and he didn't get his sleep done -- if he'd had about another 30 minutes to sleep, he would've been ok, but he still talks about how he doesn't like Peter Pan any more ever since he crowed so loudly that morning.

Another thing that is great about the 2010 itinerary is, as others have said, the ability to link some of the Disney stories to their origins (like the Little Mermaid). We've been looking at various Adventures by Disney trips, as well, and hope that the excursions that are planned for this cruise will incorporate some of the things that Disney has learned about what their guests enjoy for international travel.

 

[wintergreen]

We have a saying around our house that we would rather "go and do" than "have."

I love this!!! We have the same view of the world!

 

[wintergreen]

On the Mediterranean we sailed in a Category 3. I would love to again but I don't think I'm on the "list" so, I doubt I'll get a room.

How does one get on the "list"?

 

[DW2DH&DS]

I guess I should introduce myself as well. My name is Beth, DH is Stacey, and DS is Jack (currently age 6). We live in southern California. WB Panama Canal was our first Disney cruise and are now thoroughly spoiled. How do you top the Canal...The Baltic Sea.

Vicki, OMG how have you been? I only talk to you on the phone for 1-2 hours almost every week!!! 635 more days!!

We, too, are looking to stay in London for a few days pre cruise. Also, loving the 2 straight sea days to decompress before getting off the ship.

 

[Thistle]

We'll be joining you! *crosses fingers* We're starting out in Scotland to celebrate our 10th anniversary and then taking the train down to Dover. Kids are sad we aren't going to stop in London for a few days, but I'm sure they'll get over it!

DH also wants to take the Magic back home, but we're leaving the kids at home for that one.

Okies, back to bed for me, I'm recovering from food poisoning, just wanted to get a word in for the new cruise!

 

[OurDogCisco]

How does one get on the "list"?

YOu had to fax your request to inventory control prior to August 2008. We did not do that so, we aren't on the list.

 

[OurDogCisco]

We're letting our TA handle the arrangements - they have done our other three cruises (and our upcoming 4th) for DCL, including the Med, and we have not had any issues. Plus I don't have to be tied up on the phone, etc., or take the day off work to do the booking. We just emailed our TA about what we wanted -- Date, Category (and Cabin), Dining time (main), what to include like Air, Hotel, Ground Transportation, etc.

I just realized I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Cindy D., wife to Gary, mom to Nathan and Zachary (the n and z that make me a DisneyMom). We live in north Florida and love all things Disney. The boys will be (just turned) 14 and (still) 12 (and saving me $100 by not having a birthday til after this cruise).

Oh... and here I thought the nz meant New Zealand. LOL...

I'm Tina, wife to John and Mom to Courtney & Katlyn. Courtney will be 12 and Katlyn will be 8 years old (at the time of the cruise) So, I take it once they turn 13 it costs an additional $100.

I live in Northern California... so, for me to call I don't have to miss any work because it will be 5 am here.

Tina

 

[OurDogCisco]

That was our feeling, too -- we did an afternoon excursion to Pisa and my boys were THRILLED to not have to wake up at 7 a.m. for yet another excursion. Our Pisa day was our most fun (of course getting to climb to the top of the tower had a lot to do with that, but getting to sleep in a bit was also a bonus for the boys). Our trip to Rome was so wonderful but utterly exhausting and exhilirating at the same time. A funny thing on the train to Rome was that Nathan (our older son) was sleeping contently on the train when Peter Pan came in crowing loudly like a rooster. It was hilarious but it woke Nathan up with too much of a startle and he didn't get his sleep done -- if he'd had about another 30 minutes to sleep, he would've been ok, but he still talks about how he doesn't like Peter Pan any more ever since he crowed so loudly that morning.

Another thing that is great about the 2010 itinerary is, as others have said, the ability to link some of the Disney stories to their origins (like the Little Mermaid). We've been looking at various Adventures by Disney trips, as well, and hope that the excursions that are planned for this cruise will incorporate some of the things that Disney has learned about what their guests enjoy for international travel.

We did the 11 day the cruise before yours for the Mediterranean. It was nice to have 3 sea days. 4 sea days will be even better... The only thing we are going to do different this time is hopefully fly out the last day instead of staying over one more night. We stayed in Barcelona one more night and my kids fell asleep during the double decker tour. It was pretty funny to watch their heads bobbing all over the place. We are gonna try and arrive 5 days early to explore London. However, with Dover being two hours away I hope we'll be able to catch a plane on the last day. That might be a tight schedule.

I'm so excited!!! I can't wait until the 14th..

 

[scottishwee35]

Hello Everybody

Myself - Deborah
Husband - Ian
Son - Keith (will be 13) on 2010
daughter - Olivia (will be 10half)

We are from Scotland in UK.

We are deaf family apart from hearing son.

We had been on Disney Magic to Med. same as nzdisneymum last year. It was awesome.

We went to Panama Canal Last May with Disney Magic with our two friends. We had a fantastic times.

We enjoyed with Disney Cruise so our childrens loved it.

We decide to go to Batlic and we are looking forward to and looking forward to meet you all.

Scottishwee35

 

[scottishwee35]

We'll be joining you! *crosses fingers* We're starting out in Scotland to celebrate our 10th anniversary and then taking the train down to Dover. Kids are sad we aren't going to stop in London for a few days, but I'm sure they'll get over it!

DH also wants to take the Magic back home, but we're leaving the kids at home for that one.

Okies, back to bed for me, I'm recovering from food poisoning, just wanted to get a word in for the new cruise!

Hello Thistle

I remember you and I had been talking you about the dog.

Wow, come to Scotland to celebrate your 10th Anniversary.

Oh no, about food poisoning, hope you are keeping well.

Scottishwee35

 

[scottishwee35]

I guess I should introduce myself as well. My name is Beth, DH is Stacey, and DS is Jack (currently age 6). We live in southern California. WB Panama Canal was our first Disney cruise and are now thoroughly spoiled. How do you top the Canal...The Baltic Sea.

Vicki, OMG how have you been? I only talk to you on the phone for 1-2 hours almost every week!!! 635 more days!!

We, too, are looking to stay in London for a few days pre cruise. Also, loving the 2 straight sea days to decompress before getting off the ship.

Hello Beth & Stacey, Jack

I try to think if I have met you on Panama Canal but I remember your DW2DH&DS.

And

I did met Vicky and Greig as they are lovely couple.

That good you all are coming back on Cruise to Batlic.

Scottishwee35