alaska_planner

wow!!! what a fantastic review!!!! thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed and very interesting report!!!!  We go in two weeks on the 4 night.  Looking forward to it!!

just in case anyone checks this thread, we had to get from Dover port to Ashford international for our eurostar train to france.

We used Britannia Coaches from the port (from the disney magic) to ashford international station.

They were fantastic and i highly recommend their service.

The driver was on time, courteous and an excellent driver.

In addition, they have an app that lets you know exactly where the driver is from about 2 hours before your pick up, so there's no doubt that he's on his way.

Definitely the company to go with if you want a driver to pick you up at the port and take you to ashford international.

We were a group of 9 people, so i booked their 16 person luxury coach.  

Again, highly recommended.  I would most definitely use their services again!  

36 minutes ago, pno4te said:

Barcelona Day Tours

thanks!

On 1/19/2019 at 10:03 PM, pno4te said:

We are flying into BCN early in the morning four days before our cruise.  We have reservations at Hotel 1898 for our time in the city.  My husband travels with a mobility scooter and we will have 2 large suitcases as well as another suitcase with medically essential items and 2 backpacks/carry-ons.  Although public transportation sounds easy to use I think it will not be the right choice for us the morning of arrival.

 

We have been given a quote of 175 euros per person for the transfer which also includes a 4 hour private driving tour of the highlights of the city.  Is this a reasonable amount that we should expect to pay for something like this?  Is there a less expensive alternative that would not require me to deal with all that luggage on my own?

 

Thanks for any thoughts you all might have!

what car service company did you get this quote from? 

we're going to need a large van for our group of 9..

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as the title says, has anyone used barcelona airport transfers?  

we'll have a group of 9, including 3 young toddlers, so i want to be sure i have transportation when we arrive in barcelona (in the event of a taxi strike or whatever).

barcelona airport transfers has sufficiently large vans for our group, but i was wondering if anyone in CC has used them and what their experience was.

Thanks!!

thanks for the heads up!

why does he need a split bath if he's traveling alone?

a split bath just means two tiny bathrooms instead of one larger bathroom...

it's convenient when there's more than one person in the room, since you have the toilet separate from the shower..

but if you're traveling alone, it's nice to have one big bathroom....

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we sometimes stay on the ship, sometimes get off....

depends on the length of the cruise..

actually now that i think about it, on DCL i stay on the ship in nassau, on royal i get off the ship in nassua (to go to the blue lagoon dolphin swim)..

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They don't check in the floats or mats at all' date=' They basically ask you to "stack it over there."[/quote']

 

 

that's what they did with the bikes...

put them over there...

my husband made a point of walking over to the check in area and they looked at him like he was from planet mars..

he was afraid we'd be charged for more, so i made a point of checking our bill...nope...just the charge for one hour..

 

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yes, it's very expensive..

when i took my mom and sister on a cruise on the dream, we played the last session...

they had really wanted to play, but the timing had never worked out, so we only made it that one time..

i remember paying for a machine and cards....whatever it was, it was expensive, but we had a lot of fun playing.

we didn't win a thing, but we enjoyed it...so it was definitely worth it..

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but there's no need to bring a soda from the beverage station to dinner.

they serve soda (pop :cool:) at dinner in the MDRs for free.

both times we ate at palo, we were able to make the reservations on board the ship.

both were for brunch, one time was on the wonder, the other time on the dream.

as for the tastings - i think those tend to open up since i'm pretty sure they cost money.

People will book things and then cancel - so you should keep checking online to see if things open up.

and when you get onboard the ship, you can try to make the reservations then if you don't find anything on line.

i don't recall ever not getting something we wanted. Although, in truth, there isn't very much that we want that requires reservations.

We cruise both royal and DCL and enjoy them both, but still enjoy DCL more.

I know others disagree, but we think the food is great and we've always experienced outstanding service.

Plus we enjoy all the stupid games and activites they have for adults on board (what i call summer camp for adults). you don't need to reserve anything to participate in those. Just look in your daily navigator to see when and where they are.

i really hope you end up enjoying your cruise and don't let any preconceived notions spoil it for you.

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by the way, we got both of our palo brunch reservations after we boarded the ship (one time on the wonder, the other time on the dream).

we did brunches both times as we really enjoy the MDRs for dinner, so would rather not give them up.

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You can rent them on the island or in advance. You pick them up and then store them by your chair during the day. If it disappears' date=' take your receipt to the rental place and they will give you another.

 

Technically, you are supposed to turn it in at the end of the day, but there are a lot of people who just leave them on the beach for the CMs to clean up.[/quote']

 

 

that's interesting about people just leaving them and not turning them in..

 

we rent bicycles for a ride around the bike path and over to lunch at serenity bay...

supposedly the rental is for an hour, but no one checks you when you bring them back and the guy made it clear that he didn't care how long we had them for..

we probably only had them for about an hour and a half - since we kept them while we were eating and then rode them back....

but no one seemed to care and they certainly didn't check the bikes in when we brought them back..

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Hotel Monte Cenci

http://www.montecenci.com/

 

DD and DSIL just stayed there and said it was fantastic!! If memory serves they paid 140 euro for it.

The room, the breakfast (which included fresh made hot food), and especially the staff.

DD couldn't get over how friendly and helpful the staff is.

 

They really enjoyed staying there and wish they'd had more time, but what can you do, they had to board the ship :)

 

but now i just looked at june next year and i see it's over 200 euro - so that doesn't help you either.

 

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correction - DD paid $125/night for her room at the hotel monte cenci..

she loved every second she was there..

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i've never rented anything, but i would think you can rent them and then leave them by your chair when you go to eat...

but since i've never rented anything, clearly i have no clue..

here's some info on CC, including rentals ("castaway cay rentals")

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-cruise-line/ports/castaway-cay.cfm

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Told our slot open and all the sea days are sold out for brunch. Any chance something opening up when we get on the ship. We went on line the minute our time slot opened. Is it worth the extra $30 is there crab legs on the buffet

 

 

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you should keep checking, as people might cancel..

and when you get on the ship, you can right away go to check if there's availability....

hopefully someone will post where you go to check that as i don't know (maybe palo?)...

i'm not a big palo fan, so i wouldn't really mind if i were shut out..

but i get it, this is your first time so you want to experience it...you may well enjoy it...i'm the only person i know who didn't like it....so you're much more likely to like it than not....

i'm sure someone will post telling you exactly what to do when you board to check on a palo reservation...

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We are doing our first Disney cruise and we really don’t want to bring our 2 year old’s car seat' date=' but, how do we get from the airport to Port Canaveral without it? It will be our 2 year olds first flight, so we figure he can sit in the middle seat, his car seat might not bee to comfortable for a flight from California or Orlando. Are there transportation options where we don’t need a car seat?

 

Thank you all for your help!![/quote']

 

 

we flew on a 13 hour flight with two toddlers -both used the CARES harness.

i don't know if your 2 year old is big enough....

our 22 month old granddaughter and 3.5 year old grandson were both big enough and were happy using it.

And my son was happy he only had to shlep along two CARES harnesses and not two car seats...

 

 

http://kidsflysafe.com/

 

we used it on the transatlantic flight to new york (the 13 hour flight)

and then again on the flight down from new york to orlando..

and of course, the same two flights in reverse on the way home..

they worked well, and were easy to install and remove...

 

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My brother will not go on DCL stating “ sorry, too many rug rats, I just won’t go”. So, we went on his preferred cruise line and we felt like we were in a senior living center (partially due to time of year). On that cruise, some of these older adults were quite rude - just insert “older adult” for “children” in some of the issues noted in in prior comments.

 

So, we have mostly continued to sail DCL. Yes, there are children, but I really don’t see that much “bad” behavior. And the adult venues are generally respected as such. The only annoying behavior that sort of gets to us is rowdy, loud, hanging out in the hallways, and especially the stairwells. (And not on all cruises). We bring a sound machine to counter the hallway noise.

 

 

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"senior living center"....LOL!!!!!!!!!

We called the cruise line and was told if it’s a vip Cruise it’s the classic characters if not then it’s Disney JR how do you know if your cruise is a VIP one

 

 

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based on Shmoo's post, it would seem your cruise falls into the category of cruises that depart from a US domestic port (as in port canaveral).

so that seems to mean disney junior.

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it seems you're sailing the first week of december....i would think that wouldn't have a super high ratio of kids, but i could be wrong (as i often have been before)..

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The characters vary, depending on what itinerary, and how long the cruise is.

 

From the DCL website:

• A Character Breakfast is featured on one morning of select 7-plus night cruises with a minimum of 2 days at sea.
  
• The Disney Junior Character Breakfast is presented on 7-plus night cruises departing from U.S. domestic ports with a minimum of 2 days at sea. While appearances may vary per cruise, Jake, Sophia and Doc McStuffins are typically the featured Characters.
  
• VIP Characters appear on 7-plus night cruises departing from non-domestic ports (including our Alaskan itineraries) with a minimum of 2 days at sea. Though appearances may vary per cruise, most sailings will include Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto.
  
• Character Breakfasts with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto are featured on 14-night transatlantic and Panama Canal cruises.
  
• Character Breakfasts are not currently offered on any 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-night cruises.
  

i wasn't sure if they still do the classic characters on the magic during european cruises, but i see that they do...

although they call them "VIP"........

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We have 3 sea days what are our chances of being able to get a time slot. We can’t book until 75 days out. Sorry I don’t like Disney policy can’t do any planing on first cruise more than 75 days out. Other cruise lines could book excursions sooner. But you can dress like a slip at dinner

 

 

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it's just a disney junior character breakfast, so a lot of people aren't interested..

or rather, the adults only groups tend to be less interested...

i know my grandkids will enjoy meeting doc mcstuffins, though i doubt their parents even know who she is......they don't have cable - their tv isn't hooked up to any service...the kids get their minds corrupted when they're at our house and at the other grandparents...LOL..

No' date=' only the cabin where the baby is booked can book nursery hours. Sorry!

 

And just so you are not surprised....nursery costs $9 per hour billed in half hour increments. You get a "break" in that children under 3 pay half of the cruise fare portion of the ticket that a 3-12 year old pays, but the 3-12s have the programming at no increased cost.[/quote']

 

 

thanks! yes, i knew that was a charge associated with babysitting....$9 isn't a big deal...if the maximum number of hours is 18, you're talking less than $200...a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the cruise... :)

and worth it if it allows you to enjoy the cruise more!!

 

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W have found the nursery personnel to be quite flexible in dealing with parents.

You can reserve nursery time on line at the same window you can make reservations. You are limited to 18 hours on a 7 night cruise' date=' 10 hours on 3-4 night cruises, and 35 hours on 14 night cruises. I'm sure there are max numbers for other lengths. On the second day of 7 night cruises, you are usually able to add more nursery time if desired (after everyone has had a chance to get their first day reservations).

 

Typically the staff is very flexible in allowing you to change hours while on board with no penalty provided they are given adequate notice. They realize that life on board may not be what you envisioned. Some people want to drop off the child during dinner hours; other families find that the child will sleep in a stroller during dinner and disturb no one. You are charged for "no show" reservations.

 

Yes, there are hours--basically 9am till midnight or 1am.

The program is excellent--the nursery has a quiet room for naps and a play area for awake children.The cribs in the nap area are changed after each use and the cribs are disinfected. Parents can supply whatever food is appropriate for the child. The staff has limited food available for toddlers--they will get instructions from parents before drop off regarding those issues. Most people love the way the nursery operates, but as with anything, there are always complainers.

 

They will page a parent for an inconsolable child, but will work with the child first. Please let them know if you'll be at Palo or the spa--they'll make an extra effort to not disturb you. They will also follow instructions in this area; for instance, some parents ask to be paged if/when the child wakes up from a nap.

 

I don't know what sort of cabin you have in mind, but IMHO a balcony works wonders with a napping child. The child can be put to sleep in a still quiet cabin and the responsible adult can enjoy herself on the balcony with a glass of ice tea and a book...without disturbing the child.[/quote']

 

thanks for all the information!!! that is very helpful!!

i just sent your answer off to my son and daughter in law...

he was unaware that there is anything like this for babies (when he was last on DCL, he was 17 years old in the teen club - back in 2004)

 

we'll have 3 staterooms....can we book nursery hours for each stateroom even if there's a baby in only one of them?

 

as for verandahs - i barely can afford the 3 oceanview rooms i booked (the single porthole rooms on deck 2 of the magic)..

it's a 7 night european cruise and it's breaking the bank as it is....($21,000 for 3 deck 2 staterooms....so insane i can't believe it - and that was with booking on opening day with a prior cruise 10% discount!)..

 

so even though the the baby will be in only one of the staterooms, can the other two rooms also book hours?

 

i figure they'll want to use babysitting during the theater show...and maybe during dinner as well, though maybe not..

she's a really easy going baby (she's 4 months old now).....the easiest of their 3 kids so far, so maybe she'll be willing to sit through everything...

 

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