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

[denise]

We are home finally! Got home late last night, what a long day.
Our cat is so happy to see us!
House is in one piece, always nice when you are gone that long. Stack of mail/bills to go through now.
We have unpacked only one suitcase so far and our bed is full of stuff. We went with 2 empties and used them both. Jimmy had the rest of the week off and I am sure it will take that long to unpack.
London was too fast. Hung out with Jud, Ray and Deb for a few hours the first day. The next day we did the HOHO tour and then went to see Wicked! The play was great.
We will not recommend our driver either. They were 40 minutes late at the cruise terminal. I had to call them....can't wait to see that phone bill...he was at the wrong terminal even though they knew we were coming in on the Disney Magic.
Yesterday they were to pick us up at 1030am at the Chancery and again were almost 40 minutes late. Three phone calls then to see where they were. Then when we paid him the agreed price he said it was more because there were 3 of us and luggage! I couldn't find the email in all the panic of being late so we just paid him and rushed into the airport. Plus he drove through the town to get us there and we got stuck with the changing of the guard parade. I will be sending them an email today to complain about the fare and the lateness.
It was great meeting new people and seeing old friends on this cruise! We had a wonderful time and was so sad to leave the ship.
Loved St. Petersburg so much. Really disappointed with the short stay in Sweden.
Really wished it hadn't been so hot while we were there. (no control over that though)
The FE exchange was fun but my FE got blackberries mushed inside and magnets stolen off the door. I think some gifts were also taken. I finally took everything down and gave up. Don't know why my door was the target because 3 doors away there door was never touched!
This cruise we had the best room attendant and best servers then all our cruises!
Can't wait to cruise again....
Welcome home everyone.
denise

 

[APinCA]

Was there a character breakfast? We had early dining with PLA rotation and never heard of a character breakfast.

 

[tfc3rid]

Overall experience was incredible...

Ports in Order of Interest:
Copenhagen
Stockholm
Berlin
St. Petersburg
Oslo
Helsinki

Helsinki didn't really do it for us, nor did Oslo (maybe because of the weather that day)...

We did all our excursions through Disney and most were good but there were some people on some of them who detracted from it... For sure, we think that some of the more history-oriented excursions should have had an age limit around 12... We felt bad for folks with small kids who had to go through Berlin on a tour of WWII sites when their kids kept asking when they could go back to the pool... Similar to St. Petersburg... Lots there and when kids start asking when we just get to the Hermitage when they can go to the clubs, you know it's a tough spot...

Some of the prices for the tours were a bit exorbitant... The funniest thing is that two of our favorites were the excursion to the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen and the Old Town and Ice Bar in Stockholm...

Coming back, we all agree we'd love to visit and spend more time in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Berlin.

 

[scottishwee35]

Cisco -

I'm working on posting my photos...

since you were next door to me, I'm pretty sure you had the same room steward we did, and really - we were not happy. The first night, the room was not cleaned by 8:30pm, and he said "I didn't know what rotation you had".

Uh, come again?


And I'm hoping that nobody stole your magnets - the Canada ones kept drifting....

I think it's great that you enjoyed Russia - I really wanted to. My favorites in order were

Germany (Berlin), Finland (Parvoo), Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, St. Petersberg.

Between the Ball and the canal tour (our boat actually hit the deck so hard everything fell over), I am really wishing I was on your tours!

Photo look so beautiful....

Scottishwee35

 

[fabumouse]

Was there a character breakfast? We had early dining with PLA rotation and never heard of a character breakfast.

At the bottom of your dining ticket, there should have been a note about Mickey's Island Jam (or whatever it was called) and a date. The kids slept until noon that day, so we didn't even mention it to them.

 

[nzdisneymom]

We have certainly taken our time getting home and it seems like our experiences going and coming were relatively charmed compared to others. Back to work on Thursday and hopefully some time to post here our quick cruise review. Highlights were meeting so many of you and becoming better acquainted with those we knew from before.

For those with both poor and good services from drivers etc be sure to leave reviews at tripadvisor about them. That will hopefully help others in selecting which service they will use in the London area.

 

[denise]

Cindy,
I wrote the company and explained what happened and got a response almost immediately! They are refunding me the amount charged for the trip from the Chancery to the airport! They guy wouldn't give us our luggage until we paid 43 pounds even though our quote was 35!!! Since he was so late we didn't have time to argue and just paid it.
No threats on my part to post to the internet but I think so many companies these days know how powerful it can be....
I will let you all know if the check ever comes...
It was nice talking to you and the family too!
keep in touch....

Deb and Jeff....so sorry to hear of the accident. Oh my, how horrible for you both...glad you are not hurt too bad...all the way to Russia and nothing and you have this happen blocks from home.....stay safe now..more cruises need to be done!

I'm ready for dinner and no one to serve me! Guess I have to make it myself...just not the same at all.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Denise, do keep us posted on the outcome.

We have yet to have a meal at home; my problem has been the need to pay the bill for the food we have gotten rather than just getting up from the table.

And sleeping. I am wide awake at 3AM but only been asleep since 10:45.

 

[fabumouse]

And sleeping. I am wide awake at 3AM but only been asleep since 10:45.

Oh, I hear ya! My kids are bouncing up at 6am (if you knew my kids, you'd realize that they generally sleep until noon when given the chance, and this is extremely odd behavior for them) and I slept in this morning until 5am! Maybe tomorrow I'll make it to 6.

 

[scottishwee35]

Denise, do keep us posted on the outcome.

We have yet to have a meal at home; my problem has been the need to pay the bill for the food we have gotten rather than just getting up from the table.

And sleeping. I am wide awake at 3AM but only been asleep since 10:45.

Hi Cindy

I enjoyed to read your blog and see your two sons grown up since I last saw them... Keith is about same size as me now...

Scottishwee35

 

[Scoobydoo76]

I just wanted to say to everyone who participated on this board. We had great time on our cruise! All the information that was shared during our planning phase was wonderful, it helped so much. It was nice to finally meet many of you.

Since we did all excursions on our own, we really cannot comment about the DCL excursions. Luckily, we only almost missed the boat once in Copenhagen! It was a close call, but we made it.

Our favorite ports in decreasing order were St. Petersburg, Berlin , Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo and then Helsinki. We rented a car to drive to Berlin and my husband absolutely loves driving on the Autobahn. The SPB Tour Company in Russia did a fantastic job. Luba, our guide, was wonderful.

A special goes out to the person who gave the Pounds to Rubles magnets. What a nice surprise! Also we love the blue bracelets! THANK YOU!!!!

Is anyone sailing on the July 5, 2011 Alaskan Cruise?

Kim

 

[denise]

awake again at 330 then toss and turn and then up at 630am!
back yard is a mess will take weeks to clean up...
vacations are fun but the work when you come back really sucks....

 

[goingsouth]

What an amazing trip...it's hard to believe that something I planned for and dreamed about for so long could actually live up to all the expectations. This trip did. I would not have changed anything. Well, maybe it might have been nicer not to have 107 degrees in Berlin, but still...

Our highlights:
FE gifts- wow. our fridge looks fantastic now--thanks to all of you.
our table mates- Beth, Stacey & Jack- dinner is not the same without you.
our excursion friends: Russia was beautiful and amazing..made all the more so because of you. Too bad none of you took any pictures
our upgrade- we paid to upgrade to a fantastic midship cat 5 and it was magnificent- the views sailing up and down the fjords- unforgettable- completely worth the cost
Stockholm- all the ports were wonderful, but Sweden was perfect. I want to move there
The staff- we had great experiences all around.
Fireworks- what a surprise in Germany! We could see them sitting on our balcony

If I had to come up with any negatives- I would say..I was too tired to catch many shows and our one Disney excursion in Porvoo was just ok- the weather contributed-I would have enjoyed it more if it were cooler.

We rented a car to get to Dover- worked out well. We had a terrific experience on the last day with First Choice. They were on time and very flexible. I would definitely recommend them.

It paid for the most part to do excursions on our own. We really enjoyed the sculpture park in Oslo despite the rain. The tram was easy and affordable.
We had a private walking guide in Copenhagen. She was a lovely lady and allowed us to go at our own pace and still get in the canal ride. The cost $146.00 for the 4 of us! We ended up in Tivoli and the kids liked the rides.
In Berlin- Original Berlin walks was a life saver. The air conditioned van was incredibly helpful with the heat. We still saw all the sights and were comfortable.
In Russia- Denrus was great. Our guide was Nadia and driver was Igor. They kept their cool and us cool as best as they could. We saw so much. I don't think I'll ever forget it. The 16 PAX van was key. We had plenty of room.
Stockholm- the best- seriously. go there.

Came home and caught a cold. . better now than on the trip. It was lovely meeting all of you.

joanne

 

[denise]

Joanne....a BIG thank you for organizing the FE exchange!!! First time for me and it was fun...of course not the part where someone put blackberries in my FE and squished them....all the gifts I received where so different from each other. Some crafty people on the list for sure.

Loved the ice bar with your family too in Stockholm....much too fast but so much fun...only wish Stockholm was longer...

Loved St. Petersburg the most. So clean and everyone was so nice. The Orthodox churches were wonderful and we had a great tour with SPB. Catherine was our guide and she knew her stuff. She wasn't Orthodox but really knew her church history. She explained things so well. So much knowledge!

Still need to look at my pics but still unpacking and had to get groceries today to.

London was just as dirty as I remember from my last trip. They have a lot to do for the 2012 Olympics for sure. Seems that Paris, Berlin and London have litter problems big time. Garbage everywhere but the garbage cans.

can't wait to cruise again.....so much planning for this one and it's over.......
time to pay this one off and plan the next!!!!

 

[nzdisneymom]

I think we may be the only ones in our group that did everything through Disney - air, hotel, transfers, all excursions. And I have to say that everything was great. Our air travel both to and from London went without a hitch. Our hotel was lovely and included breakfast (although on the post-cruise stay at check-out, the woman tried to make me pay for DS14s breakfasts but I had confirmed when we checked in that breakfast was for all four of us just as it had been on our pre-cruise stay, so she wasn't happy about it but waived the charges she tried to include). Our transfers from the airport to the hotel and back were fine - again, we only had a slight issue and that's when the driver picked us up to go home, he only had two passengers listed rather than four. I had our letter from DCL that clearly had all four of us listed; thankfully he had a vehicle the right size for the four of us and our luggage and didn't have other passengers to pick up AND he was 10 minutes early so there was time to sort it out -- he said that sometimes happens with their office - a mix up. Anyway, the head doorman at the hotel came over to make sure that we were taken care of properly; I appreciated that and felt like the hotel would've helped us sort things out if the driver had given us any trouble with it. After all, DCL and Adventures by Disney do business with the hotel. And he had seen us coming in and out quite a bit.

The transfer from the hotel to the port was easy on the bus and coming back was fine, too - although our hotel was the third stop, but that was fine because at first I thought we were all going to the same hotel and that would mean our chances of getting a room ready when we arrived would be slim. Thankfully we were able to get into our room both times without delay. We saw Fivepin checking in having just arrived before us on Sunday, so they made pretty good time getting from Dover over as well.

Excursions - we were happy with all of our excursions (except the not fully cooked chicken at the lunch in Russia, although the rest of the meal was good). And some of our tour companions on our Stockholm excursion were rude and testy and that took a bit of the fun of that excursion away for me, although DH liked Stockholm the best. I chalked some of it up to being the fourth port-day in a row, the last port-day, two days past what most people are used to cruising and therefore being in such close quarters with their family, and then some just plain ole rudeness. Ugh. However, we immensely enjoyed sharing this excursion with CarolAnnC and Crissup and DISTeach and Jenn... I can't tell you all how much my DH and children (and me, too) enjoyed having lunch with you all that day (and hanging out with you all from time to time throughout the cruise). I think DH wishes he had come down to our meet at the Renaissance on Saturday.

We talked with others who did the same excursions we did but were just on a different bus and heard how their excursions differed from ours based on the tour guide. We felt like all the guides we had were excellent; their English was good, their knowledge vast, their interest in showing us their country and city was obvious. The logistics were fine, too, and the venues were adequate. The only "complaint" we might have is the shopping excursion in St. Petersburg where there were several tours in the same souvenir shop at the same time. We were able to get in and out in half an hour and walked over to the Church of the Spilled Blood and then up to Nevsky Prospeckt - thanks to me having read a guide book last winter And we sat out in St. Isaac's Square for a while. The highlight of the shopping excursion was riding the bus with Deb T. and her DH!

Our cabin steward was wonderful (Roland). He hooked me up with plenty of shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. Our room was always clean when we needed it done and we had everything we needed.

Our serving team were Richard (asst. server) and Leo (server) and Yolande (head server). We had Richard as our asst. server when we sailed the first time in 2005, so that was fun to see him again. He hasn't changed a bit The boys really liked Richard then and the same this time, and Leo did a great job of keeping them laughing and also taking good care of us (I had three slices of creme brulee cheesecake in two days...).

We loved all the goodies in the FEs - thanks joanne for coordinating it. And thanks to LisaTex for the Meet and the Palo Brunch.

Everyone in my house is now asleep except me (it's 10:15 p.m.) after our first day back to work. The boys were both up before 7 a.m. Guess I should zzzz too.

 

[Crissup]

we immensely enjoyed sharing this excursion with CarolAnnC and Crissup and DISTeach and Jenn... I can't tell you all how much my DH and children (and me, too) enjoyed having lunch with you all that day (and hanging out with you all from time to time throughout the cruise). I think DH wishes he had come down to our meet at the Renaissance on Saturday.

We had a great time also. Always fun to share time on the excursions with good friends. Hope we can all get together again soon.

 

[Stimpy]

We did everything through DCL too. We did have problems with the airline...ugh Virgin Atlantic ...and on our bus from Heathrow to Dover the a/c was broke. (Both weren't really DCL's fault though) People were cranky, especially when we stopped in Canterbury on the way. We enjoyed the stop...and breeze outside for the hour

Our excursions were all great. The Oslo one was a little longer than we expected on the bus but we took naps

We actually loved the Santa excursion! I was really worried after reading some bad reviews here. It turned out to be one of our favorites! The elves were adorable, Santa was great and being outdoors in nature was so nice after all the city trips.

I'm also glad we changed the full day Tivoli excursion to the shorter one. We did most of the rides in that hour we had so the whole day would have been too much time there.

We had the best server & asst server we have ever had!! We loved them They felt like part of the family and we miss them! Wish we could keep in touch with both of them.

Our stateroom attendant was ok. We couldn't figure out half her towel animals, it became a little joke between DH & I every night. We only got one bottle/bar of everything which kind of surprised me since we've always had extras. This time we were scrimping on the shampoo to make sure we had enough! She was really sweet though.

Of course we rebooked on board again and can't wait for the 2012 itineraries to come out

 

[denise]

anyone know a number for lost and found on the cruise?
I am missing a ring and hope someone found it on the cruise ship.
going to go thru everything again but it's not where it should have been.

 

[long_time_cruiser]

Denise, according to disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2068966

407-566-3734 or DCL.Lost.and.Found @disney.com

Sorry for the weird formatting (there shouldn't be a space between found and @), since I only have 9 posts I can't post links or email addresses yet.

anyone know a number for lost and found on the cruise?
I am missing a ring and hope someone found it on the cruise ship.
going to go thru everything again but it's not where it should have been.

 

[CarolAnnC]

We had a great time also. Always fun to share time on the excursions with good friends. Hope we can all get together again soon.

I feel the same way! Cindy's family is a pleasure to spend time with! I only wish we were going on the same Alaskan cruise next year.

Hectic week back to work, next time will try to take at least the day after off to recuperate. Tomorrow the plan is to start unpacking, put souvenirs in order and have my mom, sister and BIL over for a barbeque to share trip details with them.

A week ago today was our second to last sea day. Just can't believe it is over..