OK, well here is an interesting thing. I was just on RSSC agent booking site, and guess what folks, the TA portion of the Grand Crossing, or just the TA crossing is now totally on a waitlist - so obviously doing a crossing is much more popular and its a good thing that everyone booked when they did.

Looks like we are a full ship out of Funchal.

Wow - that is amazing JoAnn, yet doesn't really surprise me!!! When I booked our trip a few weeks ago I only found availability in 3 categories. I think the price can't be beat for 8 nights of fun and relaxing!! :app:

Agreed!!

A great deal on a great cruise! Glad we booked as far out as we did.

Joanna, how wonderful it would be to be on the go with Tony while you chill with Alan!

Interesting...On TAP, the crossing was not full, but from Funchal to Barcelona it was full...just the reverse.

Does anyone know when we can start bookinig some tours on line? I'm asking because we are away (without a computer) from mid-July until Sept. 20 and I don't want to wait until we get home to start taking care of it.

According to RSSC website under "my cruises" I think excursions open on July 6.

Us TA Cross'ers can sit back and relax and not stress over what excursion to choose! :D :p

Our only worries/stress will be reading the daily events on the ship and how we will fit them all in while we are napping and spa'ing and wining and dining. :woh:

Good - July 6th will give me time before we leave Florida for the summer.

Thanks, Nini

Good date for me too since I will be just back from the Oceania cruise. That ought to give me something to do while I suffer from Jet Lag, unpacking chores and post cruise letdown.

Sue, I'm with you there! The only thing we have to decide on is whether to do Le Cordon Bleu or not. We are still debating on that. I love to cook, but just don't think this will be geared to my new low carb lifestyle!

Kathy and Frank, I think you have been too busy this year and too stressed out with all the trips. You know, packing, planning, worrying about jet lag, etc. Diana and I would like to help out. We are willing to pick up the slack and go on your Oceania cruise for you instead. We are even willing to pay for it. So, how much was that raffle ticket??? LOL

Maybe we could stowaway. I take up less room than I used to and since Oceania is all casual, there should be plenty of extra luggage room! :D

Yeah, sure Don. Since my next paid cruise was supposed to be Greece, I am not taking you up on the offer. And Frank bought the entire allotment his Rotary Club asked each member to sell since sales just isn't his forte, so it was more than most tickets. And now that the docs are in, well, I am not sure that just using white-out would work. Yes, travel is stressful, but, it's the good kind of stress.

OK. Just trying to help. Afterall, what are friends for! :D

And Don for your consideration, I will be happy to buy you and Diana drinks on CROSS to make up for not sharing this one with you!

LOL Kathy! On your balcony or ours? I wonder how many we can get on a Voyager balcony. That was sure fun in Nassau.

Yes, it was. And even if the balcony is the same size (I think it's close)it sure will seem bigger since there will be less of us!

Let me be the first to point out that, for those doing the first leg of CROSS, we embark the Voyager FIVE MONTHS FROM TODAY! :banana:

Which made me realize that the CROSSers and LAMBies will both be gone at the same time, who is going to mind the store!! :)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

:woh:

Uh, I feel like the last man standing so I'll volunteer.

So doesn't that give you comfy, feely, touchy sense of security!

Cheers! Ray

Thanks, Ray. LCT will be in your fine and capable hands!

I could be wrong, but I thought CROSS was November and LAMB was December. But then, what do I know, I'm not lucky enough to be on either one.

Cross is 11/3-11/19
Lamb is 12/3-12/21

I don't think anyone on the boards is doing Both - wouldn't that be terrific!

Oh goodness, I had the wrong month! I thought I was leaving during November!!

Talk about being eager, Karen! :)

You could get there early and welcome everyone!

Karen, maybe your flight leaves in November. It takes two days to get there, you know.

I haven't purchased our air yet from FLL to ATL on November 19 when we disembark...do you think a 12:30 p.m. flight is too early? The next one on DL isn't until 2:05 p.m. and we like to fly DL. What time do the rest of you depart FLL to back home?

Hi Sue,

We have a 12:30PM flight out of FLL on AA. I felt that this flight was the earliest to book without feeling too much pressure to get to the airport.

Don,

Were you able to switch your flight to the one Priscilla/John, Alan/me are on? The party needs to continue on from FLL to DFW!

We're on AA too but we have a non-stop back to LAX. Since we're flying First we can use the 1st lounge in FLL if we have to wait. Love those miles! I think our flight is at 2. I have to keep my mind straight with our O Cruise - can't "cross" my facts! On SAND we weren't off the ship as early as other cruises - immigration and customs in FLL is not as speedy as elsewhere.

Ok, thanks all!

I think we will go for the 12;30 p.m. and hope we make it! If we have to take the next flight at 2:05 because we missed the 12;30 I hope they have a DL Crown Room.

Sue, the Crown room is FLL is very nice.

We finally got our JetBlue flights booked and leave at 2:00 back to DC.

Let me just tell everyone again,and I think I have before, but I don't want to sound repetitive and/or "know it all", but when I was booking my clients who ended up cancelling, they were using RSSC air, and I was working with the Air Concierge Desk, they would not book them a flight before 1:00pm. I asked them specifically why, and they said that when the ship comes TransAtlantic, it always takes much longer to clear customs and immigration for the ship, before they even start disembarking and that their instructions were not to book flights before 1:00. Personally I think those on the 12:30 flight will be ok, but just passing along what RSSC told me.

JetBlue originally had a 1:00pm flight, but now its 2:00 since we changed to Daylight savings time - however, since we go off daylight savings while we are cruising (if I have it right) there could be a lot of schedule changes the first of November - so everyone might want to be aware of that as well and check your flights right after the US goes back to standard time, which if I remember is the first weekend of Nov this year.

Denise, I checked online again as I do every couple of weeks and it still wasn't available. Now it was time to resort to begging. So, I picked up the phone and explained to the agent that we had four friends that we were travelling with and they are all on flight 507 at 12:30 pm and couldn't they please change us to that flight so that we could all be together. She sent over the request with the note attached and she came back and said that our request had been approved and we are all set for the 12:30 flight! Yippee!!!! Let the party continue!!!! We are in seats 16A and 16B.

Hey, Don,

I'm all in favor of begging if it gets the job done. And, a fine job of begging you did! We are 11 A & B. We'll pass the bottle of Dom back to you!

Now, let's hope we make that 12:30 flight. Otherwise, Dom in the terminal!

No matter where we are...the party will continue!!

Kathy - There isn't an AA lounge in FLL, unfortunately - as we also could use it if there was, since Frank is a member. :( :(

Well, JoAnn, if the Regent Air desk is correct, we're in big trouble because we're on the 11:00 flight. I did that because when we've come into FLL on other cruise lines we're always off the ship by around 8:00-8:30 am and in the airport by 8:30 or 9:00. That's been on cruises from the Caribbean or South America, but I'm not sure why a T/A cruise would be different from a customs and immigration perspective. Do you know?

Does anyone have an idea as to cost of taxi transport from the dock to the airport? I received a quote of $68 for a van that would accommodate 6 people. The company would not take reservations. They advised to call them after our luggage was collected.

Anyone have transport suggestions?

A taxi will run around $15 (more or less depending on how bad the traffic is).

Peggy - I agree with you, normally we are off the ship and twiddling our thumbs for quite awhile at the airport. The dock in FLL is less than 10 minutes cab ride away if even that, and we have always been there super early. I don't know the answer, I did ask and I said that sounded a little overboard, since obviously their goal is to get everyone off the ship by 10-10:30 and thus even the last passengers disembarking would be at the airport probably before 11:30, after going thru customs, getting a cab, etc. I just know that they refused to book my clients on anything before 1:00, even 12:45. It does seem strange, I agree. Maybe you should give RSSC a call and see what they tell you, I did not talk to a res agent, I was talking with the air desk. Maybe they have revised that now.

Denise - the FLL airport is literally across a very large main road from the dock area, you will be able to see it from the ship most likely. A cab should cost $10-12 plus tip, and it takes about 5-10 minutes, only because you have to exit the dock, go out on the road and go down a ways, then U turn and come back. We take cabs all the time from the pier and its a piece of cake. Now, I don't think there are any that would take 6, but you could get two/three cabs and still pay less than the van company quoted. I would just take cabs - as we will, and I have always told my clients to do. If you get a porter in the luggage claim area, they will walk you out to the cabs and they are readily available.