*Sept 10th 2011 WB Transatlantic* From Spain to Space Mountain - Part 4

[auntlynne]

...DD Sarah (13) who is coming with does Irish dancing. ...

She needs to bring her dancing shoes: there will probably be a Guest Talent Show onboard near the end of the cruise.

 

[Fontabel]

I was in the cabin just across the hall from the laundry room on deck 7 it really did not stay all that busy... I had no problems getting a washer or dryer. Of course I had the advantage of seeing how busy it was every time I went to my room

Just a reminder and to those new to DCL... DCL does not allow you to bring your own irons... not even travel irons. They will take them from you. It is a safety hazard. They do have 2 irons and board in each laundry room for your use. Also the price to have a shirt pressed is less than $2. I do not remember the exact amount. I think around $1.50. I sent all of DH's and dad's dress shirts out when we first boarded to be pressed only. Worked great.

What do you mean, they take them from you? Meaning if they see it in your bag they take it or if they see you using it? We have taken travel irons on many cruises that claim to "not allow" them and have always just been extra careful and put them away in a cabinet and have never had them "taken."

Just curious if DCL will confiscate if they see it in your luggage.

Amanda

 

[Pinky166]

We are the only ship docked in Tortola that day (only one other ship that month). The Allure of the Seas (I think that is a big RCL ship) will be docked in St Thomas.

The DCL excursion is a ferry + taxi tour of Virgin Gorda and a visit to the Baths.

Thanks for the info Lynne.

I had no idea but this is now on my MUST DO list :-D THANK YOU!!!!

You are very welcome, i'm glad I could be of help. You'll have to let me know how it was when were onboard, my DH loves Doctor Who.

There was someone from the tourist board handing out some information right when you get off the ship. The ferry dock is about 4-5 blocks. You can buy a ticket plus taxi when you get there. I think we paid about $32 per person round trip for both.

Thanks for the info, that is half the price of DCL - I think the only benefit of dcl is they loan you the snorkel gear.

 

[squitty]

And I've got 12 days in Europe before we even get on the boat; I'll probably have to do laundry one night in France while visiting Disneyland Paris. Not particularly looking forward to using their machines, though; they take much longer than even the ones on the boat. We are definitely spoiled with our American washers and dryers.

I don't know what washer/dryers DLP use, but everytime I've used a washer in WDW they are so slow. Are these not the same as the 'normal' washers?

 

[Seraphine]

What do you mean, they take them from you? Meaning if they see it in your bag they take it or if they see you using it? We have taken travel irons on many cruises that claim to "not allow" them and have always just been extra careful and put them away in a cabinet and have never had them "taken."

Just curious if DCL will confiscate if they see it in your luggage.

Amanda

Hi Amanda!

All the cruiselines x-ray luggage to look for such things. Yes, sometimes they miss them, but they do look.

If they find one during the luggage search, they will keep it until the end of the cruise. I'm not sure how Disney deal with it, but on other lines you usually get a note saying you need to report to a room to retrieve your bag, and they tell you what they've removed and when you can retrieve it. I've heard this referred to as "getting sent to the naughty room" (usually for booze smuggling, but also for electrical items like irons).

I'm really sorry if I sound preachy on this one, but this worries me. Travel irons are not safe - they are a fire hazard, no matter how careful you are. There's no automatic shutoff, and I've heard of lots of incidents of minor fires and damage to bedspreads, carpets, desktops, etc on the ships. There are very good reasons why they don't want people to bring them.

Fire on a ship is something I don't want to chance... we'll be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! (yes, I'm a worrier!) Remember the Carnival Spendour fire last year? That fire wasn't caused by an iron, but can you imagine how it would have turned out if they hadn't been so close to a port?

Unlike Royal Caribbean (who should rethink this!), Disney DOES have irons and ironing boards available for use - so why take a chance? Pack some wrinkle-release spray (if you can't buy some, make some out of fabric softener and water in a spray bottle) for the first day, then go press your clothes in the laundry room.

You can join the laundry room party!

I apologise if I sound like a nag, but this is one rule I'm happy to agree with Disney on.

 

[squitty]

Dawn, I don't think you sound like a nag...you raise an excellent point and one I totally agree with too.

I'll be in the laundry room, along with many more no doubt, patiently waiting to do either laundry or ironing...see you there

 

[kentgirl]

Maybe all the noise from the washers and dryers will drown us out........Nah...probably not! lol Maybe we could offer them a taste of our FAB drinks for their troubles!!

We were only a few days away from the laundry room on our 14 night B2B caribbean cruise. It was so easy to quickly check when it was empty and we were never disturbed by riverdancing

 

[Seraphine]

Dawn, I don't think you sound like a nag...you raise an excellent point and one I totally agree with too.

I'll be in the laundry room, along with many more no doubt, patiently waiting to do either laundry or ironing...see you there

Definately!!

I've always had the best chats with people in the laundry room - usually waiting for the iron on formal night! That's okay - it's nice to have some downtime

This is one thing I really HATED about Royal Caribbean. We went on a 12 night with them last year, and the packing was tricky for 4 people and no laundry room/iron. And because we had an inside cabin, even rinsing out swimsuits seemed to take forever to get them to dry. Steve ran out of socks, so I washed them in the cabin but they wouldn't dry, so I tried to find a sunlounger in a less conspicuous spot and had my little rack of socks drying in the sun (tacky, I know... I was getting desperate!) I could have sent laundry out, but it's really expensive for four people.

So this sounds like the height of civility to me... a laundry room! No more socks hanging in my cabin!

(sad, I know...)

 

[squitty]

Definately!!

I've always had the best chats with people in the laundry room - usually waiting for the iron on formal night! That's okay - it's nice to have some downtime

This is one thing I really HATED about Royal Caribbean. We went on a 12 night with them last year, and the packing was tricky for 4 people and no laundry room/iron. And because we had an inside cabin, even rinsing out swimsuits seemed to take forever to get them to dry. Steve ran out of socks, so I washed them in the cabin but they wouldn't dry, so I tried to find a sunlounger in a less conspicuous spot and had my little rack of socks drying in the sun (tacky, I know... I was getting desperate!) I could have sent laundry out, but it's really expensive for four people.

So this sounds like the height of civility to me... a laundry room! No more socks hanging in my cabin!

(sad, I know...)

Me too - you get to meet some lovely people in laundry rooms

I have never cruised with any other line apart from DCL - hearing things like you've said regarding laundry rooms etc, just makes me not want to cruise with anyone else.

Not sad at all...

 

[granmaz]

Hi Amanda!

All the cruiselines x-ray luggage to look for such things. Yes, sometimes they miss them, but they do look.

If they find one during the luggage search, they will keep it until the end of the cruise. I'm not sure how Disney deal with it, but on other lines you usually get a note saying you need to report to a room to retrieve your bag, and they tell you what they've removed and when you can retrieve it. I've heard this referred to as "getting sent to the naughty room" (usually for booze smuggling, but also for electrical items like irons).

I'm really sorry if I sound preachy on this one, but this worries me. Travel irons are not safe - they are a fire hazard, no matter how careful you are. There's no automatic shutoff, and I've heard of lots of incidents of minor fires and damage to bedspreads, carpets, desktops, etc on the ships. There are very good reasons why they don't want people to bring them.

Fire on a ship is something I don't want to chance... we'll be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! (yes, I'm a worrier!) Remember the Carnival Spendour fire last year? That fire wasn't caused by an iron, but can you imagine how it would have turned out if they hadn't been so close to a port?

Unlike Royal Caribbean (who should rethink this!), Disney DOES have irons and ironing boards available for use - so why take a chance? Pack some wrinkle-release spray (if you can't buy some, make some out of fabric softener and water in a spray bottle) for the first day, then go press your clothes in the laundry room.

You can join the laundry room party!

I apologise if I sound like a nag, but this is one rule I'm happy to agree with Disney on.

You are not a nag. I don't want to be onboard a ship on fire and people are chancing it here with taking and using irons and kettles. I have no doubt whatsoever that people take them, but really please think of the consequences. No matter how much we think we won't leave them switched on, it is very easily done.

 

[Donaldcp98]

Netflix has all of the newer seasons from Eccleston to the present. Tennant and Billie Piper were my favorites... but I love Tate in her comedy bits (Catherine Tate show is laugh out loud funny). She and Tennant are playing the west end in a shakespeare play which is closing 5 days before i fly into london Can't complain though... DCL!!!


Love Love Love this! I have a history degree from university of rhode island (along with teaching) so Dr Who's stories of the past are really enjoyable to me, apart from the imaginative story lines that us Disney peeps love.



I had no idea but this is now on my MUST DO list :-D THANK YOU!!!!

There was a special on Amazon about a year ago that all the Dr. Who DVD Seasons were half price. We bought them all since it is sooo expensive to buy them otherwise. So DH has had me watch them all. We are probably going to bring a few DVD's with us (as well as portable DVD player) so we can have our fix on the cruise. If you need to see a doctor let us know.

And if you visit the Dr. Who experience you had better bring pictures. My DH and I will have to live vicariously through you!

 

[Donaldcp98]

Speaking of all this iron business....my iron at home shuts off way too quickly. Doesn't it know that I need the time it takes to heat up to catch up on my Disboard threads. I mean, I have to have priorities here!!!

 

[Dgentrysim]

I'm having this sudden allergic reaction to all this ironing/washing clothes talk , so I'll just head off to work! lol Have a wonderful Wednesday! Big hug for everyone!

 

[PFlamingo]

Dawn, I don't think you sound like a nag...you raise an excellent point and one I totally agree with too.

I'll be in the laundry room, along with many more no doubt, patiently waiting to do either laundry or ironing...see you there

Totally agree! It's just too easy for an accident to happen. I don't even let Dennis leave our home iron plugged in when he isn't using it, even with the auto-shut off. Besides, even though DCL staterooms are larger than average, where the heck is there room to iron?

As busy as the laundry rooms seem to be, we (meaning Dennis) have never had a problem with having to wait to use an iron. Lots more room there, too.

 

[melonz]

Not yet. This is part of the research I mentioned (on FB) that I would need to do.

Speedy Ferry is $20 one-way/$30 return for adults.

Official BVI Taxi rate for Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda (effective Nov 2010):
1 passenger pays $6
2 passengers each pays $5
3 or more passengers each pay $4



And I've got 12 days in Europe before we even get on the boat; I'll probably have to do laundry one night in France while visiting Disneyland Paris. Not particularly looking forward to using their machines, though; they take much longer than even the ones on the boat. We are definitely spoiled with our American washers and dryers.

My "quick" wash at home takes an hour and a half and drying is about the same for a heavy load. I LOVE using the washer/dryer in the USA. I think the wash is 12 mins and dry about the same or a bit more

 

[RubyBlue]

I've actually been in 2 hotel fires, not false alarms but actual fires. One started in the laundry room of the hotel! The thought of a fire in the middle of the Atlantic seems very real to me. I'm not a worrywart, but I do believe in safety precautions, so the no travel iron is no problemo.

 

[MandyGirl]

That's reassuring. The Baths cruise is on some other form of motorboat.

He's been great to work with.

Sorry, must have missed the question the first time around. My last name is Smittenaar (pronounced just as it is spelled ). Years ago I worked as a bank teller and our head teller used to amuse himself during slow times coming up with comical variations of the name. Smootenloopers was one of his creations and it kind of stuck while I was there. I frequently use it on services like this where you have to select a login and have never found it to be used by someone else already!

Cute! I had also wondered. My screen name also comes from a nickname my first boss at a former job gave me. It's a nickname that stuck, and I later went to work for his wife at a different company, which she continued to use. Then... when we got married on a cruise... the two of them joined us for the week, and I still always smile when watching the wedding video that the videographer did without me know. I was referred to as MandyGirl there. Just a great person to coin that nickname. Love them! And they are probably the reason we are doing a TA cruise now (but still bummed they could not join us).

What do you mean, they take them from you? Meaning if they see it in your bag they take it or if they see you using it? We have taken travel irons on many cruises that claim to "not allow" them and have always just been extra careful and put them away in a cabinet and have never had them "taken."

Just curious if DCL will confiscate if they see it in your luggage.

Amanda

I think it has something to do with the fire hazard. Not much to do in the middle of the Atlantic if there is a fire. Kinda like don't bring a candle to spicen things up on the romantic side, even if it's a travel candle with a lid. I will use the Downy wrinkle release, or even put the clothes in the shower with me while showering so the steam works its magic.

I could have sent laundry out, but it's really expensive for four people.

I had planned on doing laundry, but I keep finding these CUTE things for the girls to wear. It may turn out to be just laundry for Curt and I. And it will be our favorite tshirts I'm sure... the ones we seem to always pack.

Do you remember when this special was? Earlier or later in the cruise? That would definitely be more than worth it to us

For $30, and I know I can roll things like in packing cubes, I would love to make that work!

 

[MandyGirl]

I've actually been in 2 hotel fires, not false alarms but actual fires. One started in the laundry room of the hotel! The thought of a fire in the middle of the Atlantic seems very real to me. I'm not a worrywart, but I do believe in safety precautions, so the no travel iron is no problemo.

I had a friend actually die from a hotel fire in the New Orleans area several years ago, which was started in the laundry room. I'm now one of those who request a room near the fire escape... lower floor... especially now that I have two little ones to protect.

 

[OKW93]

You are not a nag. I don't want to be onboard a ship on fire and people are chancing it here with taking and using irons and kettles. I have no doubt whatsoever that people take them, but really please think of the consequences. No matter how much we think we won't leave them switched on, it is very easily done.

I do understand what everyone is saying but the same could be said about curling irons, hot rollers and hair dryers and people still bring them. I got a naughty note one time about leaving the curling iron plugged in (even though it was off) and I don't do that anymore, but I've never had anything confiscated. Last year we did the BTB Med and WBTA and our friends brought a travel iron/steamer and it was a God send...although you're right...you make some great friends in the laundry room--and I'm still looking forward to learning that River Dance!!!

 

[MandyGirl]

I do understand what everyone is saying but the same could be said about curling irons, hot rollers and hair dryers and people still bring them. I got a naughty note one time about leaving the curling iron plugged in (even though it was off) and I don't do that anymore, but I've never had anything confiscated. Last year we did the BTB Med and WBTA and our friends brought a travel iron/steamer and it was a God send...although you're right...you make some great friends in the laundry room--and I'm still looking forward to learning that River Dance!!!

Good thing I don't bring those either! And if I could get away with it, I'd leave the makeup at home as well. I will at least wear it to dinner.