A Trip of Firsts ~ WBTA 2018 Trip Planning - 7/24/18 Update

[Amunet]

Update​

• We took care of reserving our tickets to the Harry Potter Universal Tour. We will be using a train to get there. Keep in mind that you DO need to book early to ensure your ticket/tour time.
• We decided on ordering the Visitor Oyster Card for our transportation within London. The cost to mail the cards (we ordered 2) was about 5GBP, they do send them to you prior to to arrival into the country.
• Also, we took care of our Early Bird Check-in on Southwest. We were only going to purchase the option for the return flights (since we will be on a ship 24 hours prior to the flight) but with my anxiety, I figured it would help with the flight to New York would be less stressful.
• We have not booked afternoon tea at the Ritz yet, just trying to establish a few things. You can reserve without paying for it. The bill will be presented to you at the end of the meal.

With that, the only things we need to pay for now is Gratuities and the Romance for 2 package. July will be a busy month because that is when the train schedules are posted for purchase.
So the next real big step is just check in next month (Rich's birthday!)


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[Amunet]

Update​

While not a cruise specific update, it definitely impacts it: We will be moving July 21st! A day before my birthday.

We moved in with Rich's parents so we can save for this vacation. The lay off last month helped him find a new job that paid more so we can move out. It's been tough but this planning has really help me keep some of my sanity.

Of course financial is a big part on how moving corresponds with this trip BUT it also means that we have to semi-pack for the cruise 6 weeks early lol Not quite sure how I feel about that yet.

 

[Girl of the South]

Hi! I just booked this cruise today. Where you don't know your cabin until you get there? It was $1000 cheaper and I am just by myself so don't really care. YOU are so very organized, I give you a lot of credit! A big part of any trip is the planning - and if you do it right then everything goes really smoothly when you are actually ON the trip!

A couple of comments:

1. The Food Hall at Selfridges is really pretty impressive and probably a bit cheaper than Harrods.

2. The Diana and Dodi statues were removed this Easter after 13 years.

3. Honestly, you can just use your ATM card and get Pounds in England (or Euros in Ireland) pretty easily as long as you call your bank and let them know you are traveling. I found the exchange rate for ordering foreign currency through a US bank to be not very friendly.

4. I took Norwegian Air (Premium Class) at the end of April from Boston to Gatwick and back and it was nice! Not great but good. PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THEM! They have cancelled a bunch of routes in the last month and cancelled the Boston to Gatwick flights for the last two nights. If that happens you are supposed to get money back - like 600 Euros? BUT it would be awful to have them cancel and leave you stranded. I am keeping an eye on the situation with them and will let you know if I hear anything concrete.

5. Aer Lingus is fine as is Icelandair. I haven't read or heard anything troubling about them. Wow is very cheap but you have to pay for bags and the leg room is pretty pathetic.

Here is a forum for keeping track of European based airlines:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other-european-airlines-469/

A couple of airlines had trouble when some of the Dreamliners with Rolls Royce engines needed maintenance and had to be pulled from the fleet. Air New Zealand and also Norwegian Air. Maybe it's just growing pains at the moment. They expanded pretty quickly. Just worth keeping an eye on things. i downloaded their app and in the days leading up to my flight, just kept checking.

The Dreamliner is a nice plane! I hope all goes well and maybe I'll see you on the Magic!

Best wishes!

 

[minnie4ever]

I am by myself too so I can do what I want when I want.
So far I am flying into JFK on 09/05 on Jetblue then taking Aer Lingus to Shannon, then onto Heathrow. Heathrow express to my hotel the St Ermins (I hope)
I booked Tea at my hotel as they have a very nice one at 4:00 pm. that afternoon as I will be dead tired for sure. In between I hope to at least get to Harrods or Selfridges.

On Friday I have booked a tour at Buckingham Palace and the Queens Gallery, which should take up most of the day. Saturday no plans as yet.
Not sure about the Port Adventures yet. Should I go back to Stonehenge?? I like the Blarney castle excursion but only because I would like to go to the Woolen shop (no kissing the stone tho....eeewww)
Also not sure about the Oyster Card. How do you order it and how much do you put on it??

Not sure about Canada yet...Cabot trail? Peggys Cove? I may just do some excursions because I do live so close to Canada I can just take the car Ferry to Halifax and cruise around myself.

 

[minnie4ever]

Update​

While not a cruise specific update, it definitely impacts it: We will be moving July 21st! A day before my birthday.

We moved in with Rich's parents so we can save for this vacation. The lay off last month helped him find a new job that paid more so we can move out. It's been tough but this planning has really help me keep some of my sanity.

Of course financial is a big part on how moving corresponds with this trip BUT it also means that we have to semi-pack for the cruise 6 weeks early lol Not quite sure how I feel about that yet.

Good luck with the move

 

[Girl of the South]

I have been trying to get my nieces to go with me on a Disney Cruise (we went when they were little kids) but because of work and school, it just hasn't worked out. I am quite happy to be going alone and plan to do a lot of reading and watching the world go by! This seemed like a good cruise to do that on - almost wish there were more AT SEA days. None of the shore excursions have so far grabbed my attention. I do plan on getting off the ship in Portland - there is a shuttle into the little town from the docks - to have some fish and chips!

I fly into Newark for a night to catch a day flight to London. Then 3 nights at a hotel near Heathrow because I am CHEAP!!! St. Ermins looks STUNNING!

The Oyster Card is not valid on the Heathrow Express which will cost £22 to £25 one way depending on the time of day. The Oyster card is valid on the Underground which you could also take for just £6 into Central London (Piccadilly Line). Depends on how much luggage you have, how much time you have, and how energetic you are! I'd be tempted to take the Underground to South Kensington, catch the District or Circle Line to Victoria Station and then take a taxi. Paddington to St. James would be a pretty hefty taxi ride.

You can buy the Oyster card at any Underground station, even the ones at Heathrow. Or at a Tourist Information Bureau at the airport. It's £5 for the card (refundable - but I have kept my card for 3 years now and just bring it over on my next trip). You can use cash in a machine or a credit card to buy one. If you are just going to travel around central London, like inside the circle, it's £6.80 MAX for a day. So unlimited travel for that amount. If you are there 3 days you could put an additional £21 on it? It's easier to deal with than it sounds. Then you just tap on, tap off!

Kensington Palace has a nice exhibit of Diana dresses . . . be sure to get a ticket online before you leave if you want to see it . . .
https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/explore/diana-her-fashion-story/#gs.hb2ZpNU

Harrods is good for looking - Selfridges better for shopping.

I'm sure we will ALL have a great cruise! And maybe try to meet up for coffee or Goofy pizza!

 

[Amunet]

Hi! I just booked this cruise today. Where you don't know your cabin until you get there? It was $1000 cheaper and I am just by myself so don't really care. YOU are so very organized, I give you a lot of credit! A big part of any trip is the planning - and if you do it right then everything goes really smoothly when you are actually ON the trip!

Hello I've done the *GT rates before, they are a good deal. They can take up to at the port to be assigned but usually it's 1-4 months out. Truly a great deal if you aren't concerned about where you are put!
Thank you very much I do enjoy organizing for trips. Sometimes it seems kind of obsessive lol but it's not, just lots of experience traveling and knowing the things that can go wrong.
I agree with you. Basically, get as many of your ducks in a row as possible so, if everyone else does their job correctly and no weather incidents, you can keep up with any changes that may come your way. My memory is not the best so having these lists really help me too

1. The Food Hall at Selfridges is really pretty impressive and probably a bit cheaper than Harrods.
Thank you for this, it's good to know However, I have a sentimental reason to visit Harrod's, so I'll still be visiting there.

2. The Diana and Dodi statues were removed this Easter after 13 years.
Well, that's a bit sad

3. Honestly, you can just use your ATM card
Indeed, we will be doing this for England and Canada. I just found my stash of GBP currency so that will be good to keep us until we get to an ATM. We chose our hotel partially due to being in close proximity to an ATM.

4. I took Norwegian Air. I am keeping an eye on the situation with them and will let you know if I hear anything concrete.
Thank you for keeping me in mind

5. The Dreamliner is a nice plane! I hope all goes well and maybe I'll see you on the Magic!
It is a nice plane, it was a big deal when it came out, especially in the airline industry. I hate the tinting windows though, they really don't block out the sun well.
Well, for everyone's sake, I hope it works out well.

I booked Tea at my hotel as they have a very nice one at 4:00 pm. that afternoon

Okay, can I just gush about afternoon tea? I LOVE that you have a tea booking too, that truly makes me excited for you
I adore tea in general and it makes me so happy to be visiting one of the countries that find true value in drinking tea. High Tea and Afternoon Teas are my favorite though!
I hope we can see each other so you can tell me about your tea experience I'm hosting a tea exchange for a group on this cruise too

Not sure about the Port Adventures yet. Should I go back to Stonehenge?? I like the Blarney castle excursion but only because I would like to go to the Woolen shop (no kissing the stone tho....eeewww)

Hmm, well, how important is Stonehenge for you? Is it worth the extra expense? I would adore to do the Afternoon Tea at the Lord's Manor, offered by DCL but we can't swing that financially, since we decided on that pre-cruise Stonehenge tour.
The castle does look fun! But we are kind of making our ports based upon the history on the Titanic. So we will be staying around Cobh for that
Think about if you don't do these excursions, how does it make you feel if you didn't go on them?

Also not sure about the Oyster Card. How do you order it and how much do you put on it??

Girl from the South explained some info pretty well
The first update at the top of this page has a link to the Oyster Travel Card site. I highly suggest visiting there so you can figure out how much to put on your card [/quote]

Not sure about Canada yet...Cabot trail? Peggys Cove? I may just do some excursions because I do live so close to Canada I can just take the car Ferry to Halifax and cruise around myself.

Yeah, Canada is a bit leisure for us too. Again, Titanic stuff in Halifax for us The other ports are just us walking around.
No shame in claiming a personal sea day when the ship is docked at a port you're not interested in exploring

Good luck with the move

Awe, thank you I'll definitely keep some updates here ... maybe even some photos! If anyone would enjoy seeing my new studio apartment lol

I'm sure we will ALL have a great cruise! And maybe try to meet up for coffee or Goofy pizza!

Do you know how to use the quote function? Lol it took me a bit to figure out you were replying to Minnie.
Did you know there is a group thread for our cruise? It's here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/september-9-2018-wbta-dover-to-new-york.3604556/ Lots of people to meet there too.
Ohhh or for some ice cream! Or, if serving, mickey pretzels!

 

[Girl of the South]

Oh Oh Oh! I love those little crunchy salty Mickey pretzels! Do you know if they still sell them on the ship??? Thanks for the link. SO sorry for 'hijacking' your wonderful planning thread but I guess I didn't know exactly how to find one about the Sept cruise? You can tell I am a newbie? Not to Disney but to the DisBoard.

When I was about 6, my parents took the family on a cross country TRAIN TRIP from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. I think it took 4 days/3 nights . . just so we could go to DISNEYLAND! A friend of my Dad's ran the Sunkist shop on Main Street. This was the early 1960's SO I started young.

I went on some Disney Cruises in the early 2000's with my Mom and my sister's family and it was pretty kid centric. This will be my first time as a carefree adult and I'm very good at entertaining myself so I'm sure I'll be fine.

The fish and chips stop I wrote about - forgot the put the name of the town, it's Weymouth. I also found a 23 minute train that goes from Coab to Cork so I might do that. Not sure about the Canada stops. I used to live in Connecticut so know all about lobsters and maple syrup.

I'll head on over to the group thread for OUR cruise! Thanks so much for the link. Honestly, I did try! And thanks for the great reading on your planning thread - really, you should be a travel agent! Sadly they really don't exist anymore but you're very good with your online searches. Not everyone is a Google Queen!

Best wishes!

 

[Amunet]

UPDATE​

We had online check in! Oh gosh, it's chaos though. I'm updating this 16 minutes after check-in opened up.

• People had a lot of issues with not seeing the 'Check-in' link to be able to fill out the info and obtain a Port Arrival Time. This was solved by refreshing and/or changing browsers. I, and at least 1 other person, were able to check-in and see/book activities on Safari. I tried Chrome first and that did not work.
• For some reason, Palo is being stingy with the amounts of reservations available. We have 5 At Sea days and NONE of them are available to book for Brunch for a party of 3 or less. We believe it may have to do with them only releasing a certain amount of 1-3 party tables.
• ALL drink tastings were sold out. Every. Single. Day. We have a crapload of Platinum cruisers on this cruise. Kind of sucks for the rest of us. Gold members were even running into this issue with the drink tastings.
• Some excursions were sold out already as well. Most particularly, Adult Only departures.

So, what to take from this? Expect not to book much on this itinerary if you are anything below Platinum or in non-concierge cabins. Mentally prepare yourself that you won't be able to get much and have plans to go to go to Guest Services/Palo/wherever you go to double check if any openings happen once onboard.

Now then, I bet you're wondering what I was able to snag in all of this, right? Well. I am Silver, so, no Brunch for me. I was able to get the following:

• 11:30am Port Arrival Time (PAT)
• 11:45am Frozen Meet, Wed. 9/12 - Day 4. (This is Frozen night as well! )
• 9:30am VIP Character Breakfast, Thurs. 9/13 - Day 5
• 8:30pm Palo Dinner, Fri. 9/14 - Day 6 (Pirate Night)

We also booked an excursion: Maple Sugar Shack & Brunch. We would like to go on this but there is a high likelihood of us cancelling it.

I was able to get most of what we wanted. I am happy with our PAT, ecstatic that I got the Frozen meet on Frozen Day/Night and got the Character Breakfast for the day we wanted. However, I did not get Palo Dinner when I wanted and so I settled (more like nabbed) for the last available dinner time on Pirate Night.
My preferences, if everything worked out the way I wanted would be:

1. Palo Brunch on Friday, Day 6
2. Palo Dinner on Saturday, Day 7

For some reason, Palo Dinner and Brunch is completely sold out on Saturday. Like, can't even try to look at availability. It's quite bizarre.

So, ultimately, it was stressful, disappointing but 85% okay with what I was able to get

Other, less dramatic updates ...

1. We paid our gratuities yesterday, yay! Now we really just have trasportation and the Ritz to book
2. Today, June 11th 2018 is Richard's 30th birthday!!!

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[Amunet]

Oh Oh Oh! I love those little crunchy salty Mickey pretzels! Do you know if they still sell them on the ship??? Thanks for the link.

No no, the soft pretzels that have filling in them I'm not sure if they are only on the long cruises or not.

SO sorry for 'hijacking' your wonderful planning thread but I guess I didn't know exactly how to find one about the Sept cruise? You can tell I am a newbie? Not to Disney but to the DisBoard.

Lol it's okay. Yes, I can tell and it's totally okay. That group is the official DISBoards group There may or may not be an unofficial one on a site that we cannot mention here but there are LOTS of faces on it.

When I was about 6, my parents took the family on a cross country TRAIN TRIP from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. I think it took 4 days/3 nights . . just so we could go to DISNEYLAND! A friend of my Dad's ran the Sunkist shop on Main Street. This was the early 1960's SO I started young.

Don't you love trains? I love having a roomette for the long haul ones That sounds like an amazing trip though. Did they have sleeping cabin/rooms when you went?
I've taken Amtrak from Seattle to Salt Lake City (SLC) with a train transfer in California, Round trip Chicago-SLC and Portland, OR to Chicago. Only with the little roomettes though. I can't do those long ones without my own little bed.
That sounds really cool about your dad's friend!
How young were you? I'm not sure how old you are to figure out when. My first time going to Disneyland was when I was 7. It was a big deal because my mom was a single parent We were able to go again 10 years later when my sister was 7.

I went on some Disney Cruises in the early 2000's with my Mom and my sister's family and it was pretty kid centric. This will be my first time as a carefree adult and I'm very good at entertaining myself so I'm sure I'll be fine.

As you can see, you have definitely been on more Disney Cruises. That sounds amazing though! Yes, there is plenty to do on these long cruises. I've only ever cruised without children, so completely adult cruising for me. I'm sure you can catch up on some sleep at the very least

The fish and chips stop I wrote about - forgot the put the name of the town, it's Weymouth. I also found a 23 minute train that goes from Coab to Cork so I might do that. Not sure about the Canada stops. I used to live in Connecticut so know all about lobsters and maple syrup.

Yup, the port has a shuttle that goes from the cruise terminal area up to Weymouth We will be staying in Cobh because I want to see the Titanic stuff I've been interested in the Titanic since I was quite young.

I'll head on over to the group thread for OUR cruise! Thanks so much for the link. Honestly, I did try! And thanks for the great reading on your planning thread - really, you should be a travel agent! Sadly they really don't exist anymore but you're very good with your online searches. Not everyone is a Google Queen!

Lol it's okay, see you there. It's not as active as the Face website though.
Haha and thank you, I was when I booked this cruise, so I will still get a commission. Sadly, I'm not a TA now, but I hope to change that by 2020
I really appreciate you saying that, not many people notice my 'Search-fu' I hope this pre-trip report helps you If you need help organizing anything, I'm happy to help!

 

[Girl of the South]

Will write more later BUT I had to call DCL today to book my transfers as I couldn't do online check in until I did. I mentioned people being upset about Palo reservations and she said "You'd be amazed how much you can do while actually ON the ship." Meaning you might be able to book your desired activities and meals onboard. I'm sure they hold some back if not a more than we think.

I made the decision a long time ago not to join the MugShot 'social' media website and it's been years and I can honestly say I don't miss it . . . .

I was able to choose PAT of 11:30 as well but I have no idea when the transfer from Heathrow will get there.

OH! I bought some cool stuff at Target today! They have a summer Disney Line with cool drinkwear and paper plates and napkins that I will use for in-cabin dining - to give it a festive flair!

 

[minnie4ever]

I got all of my excursions and a Frozen meet and greet! I decided not to do a character breakfast but may change my mind. No Palo and no mixology/tastings either I did not get a port time because I am taking
the Disney Transfer from the Doubletree that morning, so I guess we get on board when we get there. I like sitting down to dinner service every night
as the dining rooms are so cool and I can't wait to see Flynn and Rapunzel's new dining room!

 

[gometros]

I got all of my excursions and a Frozen meet and greet! I decided not to do a character breakfast but may change my mind. No Palo and no mixology/tastings either I did not get a port time because I am taking
the Disney Transfer from the Doubletree that morning, so I guess we get on board when we get there. I like sitting down to dinner service every night
as the dining rooms are so cool and I can't wait to see Flynn and Rapunzel's new dining room!

Don't wait too long on the character breakfast. I hear those times were going fast.

 

[Girl of the South]

Again, Amunet, just wanted to say I am very VERY impressed with all your pre-planning. You really thought it all out! Well done. Am sure you'll have an amazing time. I am not that planned but everything is in place for me to have a place to sleep each night, and a way to get where I need to be. That's travel at it's most basic! It DOES add up though - the gratuities, the transfers, and then I ordered some bottled water. Gotta keep hydrated! At least I get a free landyard . . . . .

Don't know anything about the stuffed pretzels. Are there different flavors? Are they sweet or salty??? Look yummy!

I DO love trains! Are you familiar with the website seat61.com? All about trains. I had a roomette, just to myself. Be a bit tight for two - well, when I was younger I could have climbed up there but . . . spent 2 nights, had steak both nights, did NOT attempt a shower. The friends I was staying with in Seattle said it was OK if I arrived stinky. (they are GOOD friends). I'd love to take one across Canada but it's very expensive compared to Amtrak. I was about 6 the first time I went to Disneyland and it really was magical. I got my first set of ears embroidered with my name in rainbow thread. My sister got a Donald Duck hat where his 'bill' was the brim and if you squeezed it, it would squeak.

The Titanic! Certainly mythic, iconic . . . did you see the story about one guy's theory it was a fire in one of the coal sections that weakened that side of the ship? And they there were aware of the smoldering fire before they even left port but decided to go ahead anyway? There is a museum in Belfast I thought about trying to get to when I was in Ireland the year before last but it would have been a very long day as we were based in Dublin for the week.

Still can't get an avatar to load . . . Oh well . . . maybe eventually!

Oh, do you know if the magic has 'normal' hair dryers as opposed to the ones attached to the wall with a hose like a vacuum cleaner? Still no cabin yet . . it's OK. I saved $1000 and all that obsessing over possibly picking the wrong one. If it's not a good cabin, I can blame it on Captain Mickey!

I have already started packing. Well, it's just a pile of stuff on the spare bed at the moment . . . ..

 

[Girl of the South]

MY AVATAR MADE It THROUGH CYBERSPACE! YIPPEEE!

 

[Amunet]

UPDATE​

Just a quick update (I will respond to posts a bit later)

• We FINALLY made our reservations for tea at The Ritz!
• Changed when we plan to reserve the Romance for 2 package. We want to make sure we have all of our finances for the essentials of the cruise by the time we move.
• On that note, we have about $150 until we meet our planned budget for the trip This includes the remaining transportation costs, food and souvenirs I am quite excited for this because we are by no means well off. At all. It's taken us quite a bit to get to this point.
• On Friday, I won 3rd Place at a local festival for my Strawberry Turkey Chili entry! I won an awesome medal and a $25 Visa gift card. Not only am I excited for placing but that $25 is going to be used to buy our food at JFK while waiting to check in

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[Girl of the South]

I really admire your trip planning skills AND your finance skills! Well done! Tea at the Ritz! I looked up the menu. Looks so elegant and yummy. Beyond my means but good for you for making an amazing memory. I am trying to not spend a lot of money this summer. Hardest part is Amazon Prime which makes it TOO easy to buy little things I think I'll need for the trip! Going to see if I can sell some stuff on eBay for spending money.

I was watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and he went to a fish & chip place in Weymouth! So that's where I will go when we dock in Portland.

Congrats on the chili win! Good for you! Too freakin' hot and muggy here for chili but $25 is $25!

Have you started packing (for the cruise) yet?

 

[Amunet]

Will write more later BUT I had to call DCL today to book my transfers as I couldn't do online check in until I did. I mentioned people being upset about Palo reservations and she said "You'd be amazed how much you can do while actually ON the ship." Meaning you might be able to book your desired activities and meals onboard. I'm sure they hold some back if not a more than we think.

I made the decision a long time ago not to join the MugShot 'social' media website and it's been years and I can honestly say I don't miss it . . . .

I was able to choose PAT of 11:30 as well but I have no idea when the transfer from Heathrow will get there.

OH! I bought some cool stuff at Target today! They have a summer Disney Line with cool drinkwear and paper plates and napkins that I will use for in-cabin dining - to give it a festive flair!

Hmmm that's a bit rude to comment, that DCL person. They could have easily said that we can take care of it on the ship. Eugh. Yes, you are right, we can arrange that onboard. For me, I like getting it all taken care of ahead of time so I can just relax as soon as I board.
Yay for PAT and cute merchandise! Lol my boyfriend saw the summer stuff at Target and insisted we get the cute mickey head corn skewers. It was really cute to see him get so excited. That sounds like a good idea if you plan on bringing your own stuff for in room. If you are planning on bringing wine for in your room, I suggest stopping by the dollar store and see if they have travel wine cups

I got all of my excursions and a Frozen meet and greet! I decided not to do a character breakfast but may change my mind. No Palo and no mixology/tastings either I did not get a port time because I am taking
the Disney Transfer from the Doubletree that morning, so I guess we get on board when we get there. I like sitting down to dinner service every night
as the dining rooms are so cool and I can't wait to see Flynn and Rapunzel's new dining room!

Yes! Congrats on getting those May I ask what excursions you're going on?
Yeah, I'm bummed about Palo too. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the tastings and Palo open up (either onboard or prior).
Me too! I'm so excited to see that dining room too! I hear it's one of the best on the cruises. We only want to eat Dinner at Palo on the Transatlantic dinner menu night because we aren't too impressed by it.

MY AVATAR MADE It THROUGH CYBERSPACE! YIPPEEE!

 

[Amunet]

Again, Amunet, just wanted to say I am very VERY impressed with all your pre-planning. You really thought it all out! Well done. Am sure you'll have an amazing time. I am not that planned but everything is in place for me to have a place to sleep each night, and a way to get where I need to be. That's travel at it's most basic! It DOES add up though - the gratuities, the transfers, and then I ordered some bottled water. Gotta keep hydrated! At least I get a free landyard . . . . .

Thank you That's okay, you don't have to be anything but what is best for your travel style The water onboard is just fine to drink if you're worried about that. In fact, maybe you could get a Disney tumbler for reuse while onboard?
Lol Rich posted that he didn't get a lanyard on his first Disney cruise, so he is actually really excited for that 'free' lanyard this time

Don't know anything about the stuffed pretzels. Are there different flavors? Are they sweet or salty??? Look yummy!

I know that one was cream cheese filled and it was sweet. I think there was a savory one also. I'm not sure if these are still onboard because we were last on 2 years ago.

I DO love trains! Are you familiar with the website seat61.com? All about trains. I had a roomette, just to myself. Be a bit tight for two - well, when I was younger I could have climbed up there but . . . spent 2 nights, had steak both nights, did NOT attempt a shower. The friends I was staying with in Seattle said it was OK if I arrived stinky. (they are GOOD friends). I'd love to take one across Canada but it's very expensive compared to Amtrak. I was about 6 the first time I went to Disneyland and it really was magical. I got my first set of ears embroidered with my name in rainbow thread. My sister got a Donald Duck hat where his 'bill' was the brim and if you squeezed it, it would squeak.

I am not, I'll go check out that website! Yeah, I could see how getting on the top bunk can be problematic for some. lol I only showered once on the train, it wasn't too bad, like a mini adventure in an adventure.
Awe that sounds like a wonderful memory.

The Titanic! Certainly mythic, iconic . . . did you see the story about one guy's theory it was a fire in one of the coal sections that weakened that side of the ship? And they there were aware of the smoldering fire before they even left port but decided to go ahead anyway? There is a museum in Belfast I thought about trying to get to when I was in Ireland the year before last but it would have been a very long day as we were based in Dublin for the week.

Huh, I have not heard that theory. I do know the one with the bolts not being made with the high quality tensile strength that was originally planned.

Oh, do you know if the magic has 'normal' hair dryers as opposed to the ones attached to the wall with a hose like a vacuum cleaner? Still no cabin yet . . it's OK. I saved $1000 and all that obsessing over possibly picking the wrong one. If it's not a good cabin, I can blame it on Captain Mickey!

Hmm I'm not sure. I don't really blow dry my hair. I think asking in the group board may be a good way to find the answer for that.
Saving $1000 is a great reason to get a *GT rate! When I booked that rate, I didn't get my assignment until about a month before sailing. I heard other people have been getting assigned, so maybe yours will be coming soon?

I really admire your trip planning skills AND your finance skills! Well done! Tea at the Ritz! I looked up the menu. Looks so elegant and yummy. Beyond my means but good for you for making an amazing memory. I am trying to not spend a lot of money this summer. Hardest part is Amazon Prime which makes it TOO easy to buy little things I think I'll need for the trip! Going to see if I can sell some stuff on eBay for spending money.

Thank you very much It comes from my bad anxiety and not having lots of money. We need to budget down to smaller details so we know not to go over with money we don't have. None has been on a credit card.
Yes! It is pricy but something we definitely wanted so we cut back on excursions and make ALL meals at home.
Well, if you want to try to not spend on Amazon, think of all the onboard goodies you can get instead!
Good idea with selling online. I sold some stuff online as well to help out

I was watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and he went to a fish & chip place in Weymouth! So that's where I will go when we dock in Portland.

Oh that sounds like a good idea! I definitely need to look into that, thanks for the info!

Have you started packing (for the cruise) yet?

Slightly, yes. We are using one of our carry-ons where we keep stuff we must bring with us. Though, we are doing that because we will be moving in 5 weeks and we want to make sure we don't pack the stuff where we can't find it.
You mentioned you have started, may I ask what you've started packing?

 

[Amunet]

UPDATE​

Transportation in England has opened up sooner then anticipated, so we have booked our train tickets early!
We will be taking ThamesLink from Gatwick Airport to London St. Pancras station on arrival and then we will be taking Southeastern Railway from London St. Pancras to Dover Priory station on the 9th.
Prices: £21.40 for 2 on ThamesLink & £65.60 for 2 on Southeastern

Happy Midsummer!

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