May Med Magic - May 15 2010 - Meet thread - Part 2

[taras]

Thought I'd share NurseManager's (Cindy/Curt) fun day. They left Wichita, Ks. an hour late so they missed their Chicago flight. At Chicago they caught !

NurseManager is from Wichita?!? That's where I grew up (near 13th and Woodlawn). It would be really amazing if we turned out to know each other.

 

[jojo6617]

safe travels 2 you all

 

[tripodjw]

For those I'm making magnets for, I'm not cutting them out.....they will travel better as one sheet. Hopefully Guest Services will have scissors to borrow.

Jill

I will have some scissors, they're small paper scissors but would be ok for cutting magnets if GS can't help. They're in my checked baggage but can offer their use after we get our checked baggage on board if anyone needs them.

Argh! I'm really stressing about packing. My suitcase is at a bit over 45 pounds, but my carryon is 25 pounds, and I think that's too much, so I'm going to probably have to re-distribute. And I have a LARGE purse with my meds and my iPad and all my pursey-kind of stuff (reading glasses, wallet, passport, etc) and it's HUGE and heavy. I think I'm going to give up on bringing all my meds in the original bottles. Has anyone ever been bugged about that? I was thinking of just transferring them to baggies or something... I have a week's worth in my pill case, but the other 11 days' worth is in the bottles. Man, I need to go to sleep, but I'm a little freaked here. Being picked up by the taxi at 10am for a 12:30 pm flight.

Ye gods, I wish I was already in Barcelona!!!

Safe Travels!

Sayhello

I've never had problems taking meds in baggies. And i never take full blister packs in boxes - i just cut off what i need. Worth taking your written prescription with you in case there is a query (if you have a copy).

The thing i worry most about is my multivitamins and herbal things like echiniccea (sp?)- i can just imagine getting stopped one day to explain all of the "unmarked tablets" in my bags

Good luck to all those travelling today.

 

[Welsh Girl]

Am packed and ready to go Going down to London today and spending two nights there before leaving on the 6.50 flight from Gatwick sat morning Still can't believe it's here after all the planning!! Looking forward to meeting you all.....see you on board x

 

[emmalouisenicholson]

For all those people travelling to the Train Station in Civitavecchia for D-I-Y tours:-

Did we arrange a time to meet in front of Lumieres?

 

[tripodjw]

Good news on the ash cloud:

From bloomberg:

Ash Cloud Clears, Sparing Europe During Holiday Rush (Update1)
May 13, 2010, 4:22 AM EDT

By Omar Valdimarsson and Steve Rothwell

May 13 (Bloomberg) -- Volcanic ash that’s disrupted air travel in Europe for almost a month is clearing as the eruption in Iceland loses power and winds change course, keeping airports open at the start of one the region’s busiest travel periods.

Particles spewed from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano earlier this week have dispersed and fresh ash is being carried east and north, away from European airspace, according to Helga Ivarsdottir, a meteorologist at the Icelandic Met Office.

“Europe should be able to relax over the weekend, with the exception of the Faroe Islands and Scotland, which have to be on guard,” Ivarsdottir said in an interview yesterday. “Ash released in the past few days is now far south of Iceland and could have an impact on air traffic, but as time passes the cloud gets thinner and is therefore of less concern for airlines.”

Global positioning system data indicates that the eruption is also “slowing a little,” said Rikke Pedersen, manager of the Nordic Volcanological Center at the University of Iceland. Normal traffic levels are expected in Europe today, flight-path coordinator Eurocontrol said, with ash having dissipated at high altitudes and well clear of major routes at lower elevations.

Almost 30 flights were canceled in Spain yesterday, mostly in the Balearic Islands, Madrid-based air traffic controller Aena said, while EasyJet Plc also suffered disruption on flights to the Canary Islands, Madeira and North Africa.

Extra Services

Carriers are operating extra services today to help clear a backlog of passengers. Ryanair Holdings Plc, which cancelled dozens of flights this week, will add a total of 13 trips to the Canaries from London, Dublin, Brussels and Edinburgh. EasyJet is operating an additional return flight from London to Madeira.

Much of continental Europe, including Germany, France, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland, celebrates the Ascension Day holiday today, with many people also taking tomorrow off to engineer a four-day break, boosting demand for air travel. Britons and Italians will still be at work.

Volcanic dust is a threat to planes because the abrasive, silica-based material may clog engines and scar windscreens. Speed sensors, critical in flight, can also be disabled. A shutdown of European airspace last month grounded 100,000 flights and cost carriers $1.7 billion in lost sales, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Pedersen at the Nordic Volcanological Center said that while readings indicate there is now “less pressure in the volcano,” that doesn’t indicate that the major outburst that began on April 14 is finished.

Ash to Lava

“The change is minor and there are absolutely no signs of the eruption coming to an end,” he said. “The eruption seems to be interchangeable, going from ash to lava and then back again. On May 11, the plume reached heights of as much as 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). These are all aspects people should keep in mind when putting together their travel plans.”

John Hammond, a meteorologist at the U.K. Met Office, also said it’s difficult to be sure how wind patterns will develop beyond the next couple of days.

“Once you get toward the weekend you’re pushing the boundaries of prediction,” he said in a phone interview, adding that forecasts “imply at the moment that western parts of Europe are more likely to see ash coming over their skies.”

The latest map produced by Eurocontrol, based on forecasts for midday, shows the ash plume drifting southeast from the volcano as far as the Faeroes and then swirling a thousand miles due north, beyond the Arctic Circle. Trans-Atlantic flights are on schedule and should continue to do so, it said.

New Guidelines

The European Aviation Safety Agency may recommend that the region adopts guidelines used by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority in regulating flights through contaminated airspace.

“The change still has to be approved, but the idea is to significantly reduce the airspace closure,” EASA spokesman Dominique Fouda said by telephone yesterday.

Eurocontrol bases no-fly zones on models from the London Met Office’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Center that estimate dust concentrations based on weather forecasts, whereas the FAA imposes a 120 mile-buffer zone around areas of visible ash.

The proposed changes, which would have to be approved by the European Commission, was detailed on a conference call with airlines, aircraft manufacturers and national aviation authorities on May 11, Fouda said from Cologne, Germany.

“We’re leading talks with the all the experts to look at the volcanic guidance,” Helen Kearns, a transport spokeswoman at the European Commission in Brussels, said by telephone. “It’s too early to say what the outcome will be.”

Aer Lingus Group Plc Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller said this week that airspace closures have been excessive and based on inaccurate theoretical projections.

In response, Eurocontrol said the models used to locate areas of ash above engine-tolerance levels were effective and would allow it to scrap a 60-mile buffer area that had previously added to no-fly zones.

 

[peterpanstout]

That is FANTASTIC news!!!

Now I can go back to worrying about more important issues...like trying to get 20 kg of stuff on board a plane without getting charged crazy fees.

Good luck to all travellers! Make sure to pack some warmer clothes. Barcelona forecast high of 64 with pm showers. Hope those sail away drinks are hot toddies!

 

[andgon]

We along with HelenMartinez arrived in London yesterday with a pretty uneventful day of traveling. Our flight from LAX was delayed 45 minutes and we arrived about 30 minutes late. Lots of turbulence over the midwest though. I have not heard of any travel restrictions between London & Barcelona so we should be a go for Friday... We had a great evening just walking around London last night.



Our whole family is up at 4 am too - even though we didn't go to bed until 11 pm...adjusting to a new time zone is hard.



Congratulations!


Sorry to hear about that! Did you try arranging to be on the May 26?



We need to buy them a DOD when we get to the ship!



Perhaps we should wait until the flight home... don't want it to be PO at us when we still have to go around it.

Safe travels to everyone...

Good morning friends!!!! We arrived yesterday @ London and were at The London Eye at 9:00pm! It's too cold here for our caribbean bodies! Well, if everything remains as it is with the flights, see you on Saturday!!! Today we are in Oxford for a visit to the Blenheim Palace! See you soon friends!

 

[tripodjw]

BA strike news is starting to look better too.

BA have the timetable for the 1st strike up on their site and so far they look like they are intending to operate all Barcelona to London flights in the 1st strike.

They do have a list of dates on the site for when your timetable will be up so worth checking when that date is for checking timetable onboard/in port.

I haven't looked at the transtalantic schedules so hopefully they aren't too bad.

 

[Jeff Spencer]

No boyfriends but my son stayed out all night and did not get home until 4:30.

Yes, we had tornado sirens this morning while the tail end of 3 days of weather was passing through, but that is what makes the Midwest great, new weather every few hours.

Jeff, we both have the kids home from school now but I bet your's don't have their boyfriends over at 11:39 the night before an all day travel. Maybe its a good thing they will keep me up until the wee hours so I can get a head start on Med Time.

US Scare is not as bad as Trembling Wings (TWA), after my first million miles I discovered that the old Republic was the best but I have grown fond of Midwest and United.

We are on the road in 6 hours !

 

[Jeff Spencer]

We're at the airport in huntsville and we get notified of an indeterminate hold right off the bat.

 

[tripodjw]

We're at the airport in huntsville and we get notified of an indeterminate hold right off the bat.

Rooting for you Jeff.

Keep us updated if you get chance.

 

[jojo6617]

OMG 20 kg is just not enough, I'm just wondering if my stilettos that I’m having to put in my hand luggage will be seen as sharps or offensive weapon LOL

I'm sooo excited roll on Saturday

 

[jojo6617]

We're at the airport in huntsville and we get notified of an indeterminate hold right off the bat.

good luck jeff

 

[peterpanstout]

Yep, not gonna make 20 kg either.

My friend is looking for a tour in La Spezia. She has been so busy, she hasn't had time to book anything. Anyone have any room?

 

[peterpanstout]

Oh Jeff, I am sending lots of pixie dust!!!! I am on pins and needles for everyone traveling. Best of luck!!!

 

[Greg M]

Ok we are awake, ready and packed! Now just waiting for our ride to the airport (Raleigh-Durham). Our Continental flight #120 for 7:20pm out of Newark is still scheduled as on time so things are looking good so far. Good luck to all those traveling today, we will say a prayer for safe and unhindered trips. See ya on the Magic!!

 

[sarahgirl]

My flights from US Airways look like a go. I'll be leaving Buffalo at 1:25pm. Only wrinkle seems to be that Pres. Obama is visiting Buffalo today and gets into the airport while I'll be there. So I guess I'll be traveling from the most secure airport in the country today.

 

[pixiedust519]

I'm at the Orlando airport all checked in and waiting for my flight on to Miami and then to JFK and then Barcelona!!! I'm meeting the rest of my family in JFK who are flying from St. Louis then DC then JFK. My suitcase was 44.5 pounds - not bad! My carryon that is on my back is 30 so I'm a little hunched over today!!

Safe travels everyone!

 

[Jeff Spencer]

Anyone flying out of or through Chicago is screwed today. Seeing how bad the weather was I was able to get to the gate agent and explain to them we needed to get to NYC for our 6:25 pm flight to Barcelona for a cruise. They took pity on me and moved me over to Delta, so we're now going to Wash-Reagan and from there directly to JFK (avoids the LGA to JFK shuttle bus). We were all very hush hush so as not to cause a mad rush to the desk when other people realized they too were screwed.

Soooo...our bags are being offloaded from the AA flight and retagged as I type. HOPEFULLY that works out, but as long as we get to Barcelona we can get more clothes.