May 26, 2010--5/26/2010 10 Night Mediterranean

[TammyAlphabet]

I thought I would start a thread for this cruise since I have been looking for it all week. I have never cruised the Med. It will be me, DS(18) and DD(12). We have booked a cat 11 on deck 5, sideways cabin, my favorite. Hope to see others join us!

We have a website started: http://muchomagico.weebly.com/

[TammyAlphabet]

:banana: Just bumping.

[aleiana]

This will be my first cruise. DD (age 5) and my mom will be with us. Excited to be visiting Europe for the first time!

Also just read your sig, Tammy. We lost DH earlier this year and glad we got to take our family trip to WDW last February all together.

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello!

I am sorry it took me so long to reply.. I didn't get a response on this thread for so long that I guess I quit looking. LOL.

I am sorry for your loss. I understand the pain you feel.

I did go to Europe when I was 23, and now I am 44, so it has been a while. I didn't visit many of the places that this cruise is going, so there will be many firsts for me.

[bill3540]

We hope to be on board to celebrate our 25th anniversary!

Can't wait to meet new disfriends! :banana:

Liz and Bill

[TammyAlphabet]

We hope to be on board to celebrate our 25th anniversary!

Can't wait to meet new disfriends! :banana:

Liz and Bill

Welcome to our dis group!

[TammyAlphabet]

Bump!

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello,We are almost to the one year mark!!:cool1:

[Tahitian Traveler]

My family of 4 will be sailing on this cruise. We are so excited. This is our first trip to Europe. I would like to coordinate hotels and tours with others if anyone is interested. We have a balcony cabin- category 6. My children will be 8 and 4 when we sail. I am also interested in starting something that I saw some other folks do on the Mexican Riviera cruise in June 08. It appeared that they were a group of people like us that chatted before going adn mutually agreed to leave treats and goodies on each others doors everyday. Their doors were decorated with their names, disney characters and a shoe bag or divided compartment for putting the treats in. Everyday I saw this and the kids seemed to love it. If anyone has done this or knows what I am talking about please fill me in.

[TammyAlphabet]

Welcome:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

[DEADEA]

We are with you! We have me, DH, DS (13), DS (10), and DD (6) - all ages as of time we sail.

We would be happy to do the "fish extenders" if there is interest - (little treats hanging from the doors at night.) I've seen this in previous cruises and it does look like fun for the kids!

Hard to believe it is only a year away...

[Tahitian Traveler]

Great, Now lets get this party started! The more little fishies to feed the better. ha ha. This is going to be so much fun. I cant wait to meet you and your family. I would love to post a photo or something but I dont know how. We will be arriving on May 24. Can anyone tell me what a good price is for a hotel in Barcelona. I know disney hiked up the prices?

[TammyAlphabet]

Welcome!!!

I am leaning towards staying at the Hotel Jazz. It is close to Las Ramblas and is reasonably priced. I think the prices fluctuate widely. I saw a post about both the Hotel Jazz and Hotel 1898.

I was reading this thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1988958

I think we will be arriving on the 23 or 24. I am a little worried about luggage getting there since I will most likely be changing planes in London. I could route through Chicago or Philadelphia. I will just have to see how the prices come out in the next month or so.

I am totally down with the fish extenders. They are great fun.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Good morning, how is everyone feeling today. I discovered a company called travelbound that has discounted hotel, tranfers, excursions either before, after or during your cruise. Thats right I said during your cruise. No more searching for a reputable company in a foreign land. I have never used travelbound before but they were recommeded to me by my AAA travel agent that has used them a million times. I will keep you posted as I get additional information.
Hello Tammy, I really enjoyed talking with you the other day. You sound like a really fun, easy going gal. Thank you for all your advice.

[TammyAlphabet]

Good morning, how is everyone feeling today. I discovered a company called travelbound that has discounted hotel, tranfers, excursions either before, after or during your cruise. Thats right I said during your cruise. No more searching for a reputable company in a foreign land. I have never used travelbound before but they were recommeded to me by my AAA travel agent that has used them a million times. I will keep you posted as I get additional information.
Hello Tammy, I really enjoyed talking with you the other day. You sound like a really fun, easy going gal. Thank you for all your advice.

Same to you! The information would be nice, I am always looking for a bargain!

[AnnMarie3]

Hi Everyone, I am so excited about this cruise! We are a party of ten- 3 cat. 4 cabins .
Myself , DH, DS 14, DD 6 (ages at sail time)
DB, DSIL, DN 9 , DN 6
My Parents- trip is in honor of their 80th b-days.

We did the fish extenders on a previous cruise and would be happy to do it again. It was great fun.:)

[TammyAlphabet]

Welcome Ann Marie! We are definitely going to have to get a fish extender group together. We have a small group so far, but hopefully it will liven up later.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Good Morning Everyone and a cheery welcome to you Ann Marie. I am so glad you are coming. We will be traveling with 2 children ages 4 and 8.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Good Morning Fellow Cruisers:dance3:::cheer2:

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello!
I am very busy getting ready for vacation. I will be gone for a few weeks starting Monday. Maybe I will be able to get some wi-fi to check in with all you guys.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Have a pleasant trip and a safe return. :dance3:

[TammyAlphabet]

I am back and the Magic was magical!!! Can't wait for the next one.

[poohkinandpiglet]

Hi--

We will be on this cruise as well. Me, DH, DS (10) and DD (8). We are excited as it will be our first Med. cruise.

Sharon

[TammyAlphabet]

Hi--

We will be on this cruise as well. Me, DH, DS (10) and DD (8). We are excited as it will be our first Med. cruise.

Sharon

This is exciting! Welcome!! I am really looking forward to my first Med cruise too.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Hello everyone, I have been missing in action lately. So good to see that other people have joined the chat line. I am excited as well because this is our first time in Europe. Cant wait!!! Looking forward to the fish extenders. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to put in them other than candy?

[poohkinandpiglet]

Google "fish extenders" and it will give you a long list of links to DVC threads with ideas for gifts. :fish::fish::fish:

[TammyAlphabet]

There are all kinds of stuff that people put in them. We got a wind up rat with a note that they thought we had wanted to cruise with a mouse. LOL. Very creative stuff.

[poohkinandpiglet]

Which hotel in Barcelona are you staying pre-cruise?

[TammyAlphabet]

I am planning on staying in one of the hotels where disney is putting people who book through them. I am booking on my own as it is much cheaper. I will probably stay at the AC Barcelona or AC Diplomatic. They are a little less expensive than the others.

[poohkinandpiglet]

I'm booking our Barcelona hotel separately as well. We haven't decided how many days early we're going to arrive.

Tammy, I noticed you are on Deck 5 Forward. That's my favorite spot. We changed another ressies to book this cruise so I didn't get my usual spot on Deck 5 Forward. Typically, we're in the Cat 10 SPH room or in the Cat 11 sideways rooms. I'm hoping something opens up on 5 after the 90 day window.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Hello everyone,

We will be arriving on May 24th and staying at either the Le Meridien or the AC Diplomatic. I have reservations for both and keeping my fingers crossed for some kind of promotion.

Hi Tammy, We will be flying on British Airways at this point because they have the most economical airfare from San Francisco with 1 layover. I would love to have a sleeper bed but they quoted me $22,000 for a party of 5.... not today and tomorrow doesn't look good either !:scared1:

Well I better get going, we are remodeling the house and i have a ton of things to do before I have to start planning for the big Halloween party that we have. Not to mention my eager anticipation of the shore excursions that I am dying to see. :cheer2:

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello everyone,

We will be arriving on May 24th and staying at either the Le Meridien or the AC Diplomatic. I have reservations for both and keeping my fingers crossed for some kind of promotion.

Hi Tammy, We will be flying on British Airways at this point because they have the most economical airfare from San Francisco with 1 layover. I would love to have a sleeper bed but they quoted me $22,000 for a party of 5.... not today and tomorrow doesn't look good either !:scared1:

Well I better get going, we are remodeling the house and i have a ton of things to do before I have to start planning for the big Halloween party that we have. Not to mention my eager anticipation of the shore excursions that I am dying to see. :cheer2:

I am also doing British Airways and bought my tickets today. I am looking at both the AC Diplomatic and AC Barcelona. Party sounds fun.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Congrats on getting your flights. I have searched high and low and finally narrowed it down to 3 prospective carriers. So I should know something by the end of the month when the return flight opens up for booking. Meanwhile, The AC Diplomatic offered me a rate of 155 euros which I was happy to get.

[TammyAlphabet]

Here is what the BA representative told me today. If you book a RT from USA to London, and then separately book a one way from London to Barcelona, you can tell the gate agent to send your luggage all the way through to Barcelona.

This is important because when I priced premium economy RT on BA Atlanta to London, for three, it was 3500 dollars. When I priced premium economy from Atlanta to Barcelona and then London to Atlanta, it was 5700 dollars. A one way ticket for three from London to Barcelona on BA is around 400 for all three!! So, the multi-city itinerary is significantly more. So I am booking both legs separately. I will be glad to not have to pick up luggage in London and recheck it. I was prepared to do it though if it meant saving 1800 dollars!!

[Tahitian Traveler]

Thanks, good information. And ya know, I priced BA separetly as well and got a price of $886 rt per person from San Francisco to London. Keep in mind that is without all those extra fees. I thought that was pretty good. My agent keeps telling me to wait and I am trying to be paitient but I really want to get this over with so that I know how to budget my money. Premium economy sounds very nice and roomy. First class sounds divine but I would need a sugar daddy for that one.

[TammyAlphabet]

Thanks, good information. And ya know, I priced BA separetly as well and got a price of $886 rt per person from San Francisco to London. Keep in mind that is without all those extra fees. I thought that was pretty good. My agent keeps telling me to wait and I am trying to be paitient but I really want to get this over with so that I know how to budget my money. Premium economy sounds very nice and roomy. First class sounds divine but I would need a sugar daddy for that one.


First Class is very pricey. I only paid 192 per ticket for the premium economy over just economy. It is worth it I think.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Everyone that I talk to says the same thing, "spring for premium economy". I plan to since the flight over is so long. I have found the perfect flight but the ticket is non refundable and BA told me that they would not adjust the price if it went on sale. The ship is not filling up which is good and bad for so many reasons. Bad for fish extenders and great for everything else. Maybe they will offer incentives to upgrade cabins. Wishful thinking. Have a nice evening everyone.

[TammyAlphabet]

Everyone that I talk to says the same thing, "spring for premium economy". I plan to since the flight over is so long. I have found the perfect flight but the ticket is non refundable and BA told me that they would not adjust the price if it went on sale. The ship is not filling up which is good and bad for so many reasons. Bad for fish extenders and great for everything else. Maybe they will offer incentives to upgrade cabins. Wishful thinking. Have a nice evening everyone.

Yes, I have been told the same thing and it is true, it is a drawback of booking air early. But, if you are going to fly premium, there are only five rows on the entire plane, so they might sell out pretty fast. That is why I went ahead with the purchase.

[lbgraves]

Just thought someone would like to know that there is a SPH 5022 available on this cruise. I just checked it out with the new kids cruise free offer with code KFO and found it. HTH! :)

[poohkinandpiglet]

Thanks for the heads up about the kids free offer. My travel agent cancelled and rebooked saving me $1322 today. That's an amazing savings considering my old ressie number already had a nice discount since I booked on my last cruise. I lost my $200 stateroom credit but who cares about that. :cool1:

I'm working on my airfare portion of the trip now. Trying to decide the best way to use frequent flyer miles and AMEX points for two roundtrip tickets.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Thank you as well, I also rebooked and saved a couple of grand. The additional savings is allowing a few of my friends to seriously consider taking this voyage with us as well. :dance3:

[bongju]

We are also on this cruise. I am traveling with DW, DS (13), DD (10). It will be our first vacation in Europe as a family, and our second Disney cruise.

I tried to use HHONORS points to book one of the Hiltons pre-cruise, but they only have rooms for 2 people, so I would have to book 2 rooms per night. Any suggestions for maximizing usage of hotel points?

Any airfare pointers? We would like to depart on Sat., May 22 and stay 3 nights pre-cruise. We are flying out of Huntsville, AL, but could drive to Atlanta or Nashville.

Looking forward to the fish extenders; it will be our first time.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Welcome!:hippie: It is so nice to have a new addition to the chat line. I am looking forward to the fish extenders as well. This cruise is going to be so exciting... I can hardly wait. I started making a few of my fish extender gifts a few days ago.

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello TahTrav, I got your message. Thanks for letting me know.

Bonjour Bongju!

[Tahitian Traveler]

You are welcome. How are you? popcorn::

[TammyAlphabet]

You are welcome. How are you? popcorn::

I have been extremely busy but it should slow down a bit for a couple of weeks. My kids are starting school this week and I am finishing summer school so it is really busy. Still looking forward to the cruise but I really need to start more detailed planning.

[poohkinandpiglet]

Any airfare pointers? We would like to depart on Sat., May 22 and stay 3 nights pre-cruise. We are flying out of Huntsville, AL, but could drive to Atlanta or Nashville.

We are also departing on May 22. We're flying into Paris. We'll have a chance to get out and do some exploring since our connecting flight to Barcelona is later in the evening.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Ah, The city of lights ! We are going to paris after the med cruise for a few nights but mainly to take the kids to Disneyland. I still have not decided which hotel I am going to stay in. My TA told me that Disney would not provide transfers from the airport to the hotel if I did not book my hotel with them. But they would accomodate the other legs of the trip ( hotel to port and port to airport).

[TammyAlphabet]

I booked the Casa Camper for two nights prior to the cruise. It is pricey but l think having the drinks and snacks 24/7 will make very homey and comfortable. It is like having two rooms there so my 18 year old can sleep in the living area and my DD and I have two twins. And two tv's! Now I have to start.booking transfers. I am spending around 1400 on five nights of accomodations for three people!

[Tahitian Traveler]

That sounds really nice. The JW Marriott in London that I booked will come with drinks and snacks too. Where is the Casa Camper in proximity to Las Ramblas? I started making my fish extender gifts last week. I went to Michaels craft store and got so excited and saw all these things I could do... blah blah blah. Airfare still has not gone done. I did find one for around 500 each way including tax in the economy section though. I would like travel with two different carriers because one gets me to Barcelona at 9am and the other gives me a direct flight back home. Ah, decisions decisions:yay:

[TammyAlphabet]

That sounds really nice. The JW Marriott in London that I booked will come with drinks and snacks too. Where is the Casa Camper in proximity to Las Ramblas? I started making my fish extender gifts last week. I went to Michaels craft store and got so excited and saw all these things I could do... blah blah blah. Airfare still has not gone done. I did find one for around 500 each way including tax in the economy section though. I would like travel with two different carriers because one gets me to Barcelona at 9am and the other gives me a direct flight back home. Ah, decisions decisions:yay:

The casa camper is a boutique hotel about half a block off Las Ramblas. It has been recommended by several people here on the boards and is #2 in trip advisor with many reviews. It will allow all three of us to stay in the same room. That way I can keep an eye on my teenager.;)

It is 400 a night with the exchange rate. That includes a buffet breakfast for us, and then access to drinks and snacks all day, including beer and wine! Hopefully the exchange rate will get better.

[Tahitian Traveler]

Wow, that sounds really nice. I really like the access to the food and beverages. Wanna hear something funny:woohoo:.....I have not completely gotten over the sticker shock of how expensive the rooms are yet. Its just that sometimes when the room includes certain perks like the ones you are getting it makes it easier to justify the price since that is one less thing that we have to pay for. Just funny that a $300 room is a bargain !:rotfl2:

[walloon]

Hello!
We are cruising this date as well! Just booked the kids sail free.
It is the 4 of us, Me, DH and DS 10 and DS 7. It will be my first time in Europe as well as the boys. DH went in High School.
We haven't booked airfare or hotels for pre sailing yet. DH wants to try and meet up with friends who live in Spain before we sail. He needs to work that detail out:)
Looking forward to meeting everyone!

[TammyAlphabet]

Welcome Walloon! Join us Med planners!

[Tahitian Traveler]

Hi Walloon cant wait to meet you:hippie:

[Tahitian Traveler]

Is anybody out there?:rolleyes1

[walloon]

Is anybody out there?:rolleyes1

I am just back to school, so not as much time to daydream and obsess about May.

[MKJEcruisers]

Hi All,

This will be my family's first ever cruise. I have been to Europe twice and my wife has been once. Neither of us have been in 10 years and neither of us have ever been to the ports for this cruise (been to Germany, Paris, Switzerland, Austria). Our daughters will be 10 and 7 at cruise time and neither have been outside the US.

For Barcelona, we decided to go 'budget' on the hotel as we will be spending most of our time there touring Barcelona. We will be at the Holiday Inn Express (Barcelona City-22) the night before and the night after the cruise at around 100 Euros a night with breakfast included. Not bad for a family of 4 in Barcelona! And it's just a short metro ride away from all the main stuff downtown.

We're also looking at things to do in each port and are heading to Munich, Germany after the cruise...

We'll see you on the cruise! :yay:

P.S. - And if any of you have kids close to my kids' ages let us know. It sounds like one will have to go to Oceaneer Club and one to Oceaneer Lab so it would be good for them to know a name or two before they go...

[TammyAlphabet]

Welcome MJKE cruisers!!! My youngest will be 12 and in the Ocean Quest, but I am sure that Tahitian Traveler has kids close to yours in age? Maybe?

[Tahitian Traveler]

Hi there ! My two boys are 4 and 7 years old. I am so glad that more children between the ages of 5 and 10 are going now. :hippie:

[TammyAlphabet]

Wow, that sounds really nice. I really like the access to the food and beverages. Wanna hear something funny:woohoo:.....I have not completely gotten over the sticker shock of how expensive the rooms are yet. Its just that sometimes when the room includes certain perks like the ones you are getting it makes it easier to justify the price since that is one less thing that we have to pay for. Just funny that a $300 room is a bargain !:rotfl2:

I totally agree. I would probably never think that 300 is a bargain in the states. LOL. But I am holding two reservations, one for the casa camper and one for the hotel jazz. Since Disney will not offer rides to the hotel unless you book through them, I might as well stay wherever I like. Now I am stressing about transfers. LOL>

[MKJEcruisers]

Count us in on the fish extender exchange as well. it sounds so fun!

[Tahitian Traveler]

Ya know, I said the same thing but I need assistance with the luggage. It is a shame that I have to "pay extra" for that but for me (with young kids) it will be worth not having to hassle with it. I have been told that if I stay at a disney host hotel and give them my luggage I will not see it again until I get to my stateroom. My husband freaks out about luggage and it getting from point a to b. So for my sanity,the extra expense is worth it. I will check my notes but I think I got the diplomatic for around $ 175 - 200 a nite.

[poohkinandpiglet]

P.S. - And if any of you have kids close to my kids' ages let us know. It sounds like one will have to go to Oceaneer Club and one to Oceaneer Lab so it would be good for them to know a name or two before they go...


Welcome! My son will be 10 and my daughter 8 (almost 9) at the time of the cruise. We are also staying at the Holiday Inn Express (Barcelona City-22) before we cruise. We plan to spend an extra 10 days in Italy afterwards. Look forward to meeting you.

Sharon

[MKJEcruisers]

Welcome! My son will be 10 and my daughter 8 (almost 9) at the time of the cruise. We are also staying at the Holiday Inn Express (Barcelona City-22) before we cruise. We plan to spend an extra 10 days in Italy afterwards. Look forward to meeting you.

Sharon

Cool, we should get your kids chatting with my oldest daughter who will be 10 at cruise time.

FYI everybody. I found a great solution to the "phone" problem in Europe especially if you have an iPhone or Blackberry. I actually have an iPhone AND a Blackberry. I use my iPhone for work and no longer use my Blackberry. I don't want to mess with my iPhone since I use it for work but I have decided to unlock my Blackberry (done) and look for an international sim card that I can use on my blackberry (VERY HARD TO FIND!) for our Europe trip.

I finally found this one which is the one I'm going to use at mobilitypass.com. It's a pre-paid sim card that works for an unlocked Blackberry or iPhone (or other phone). It works everywhere we are going except Tunisia.
I will also get Telenav Europe (telenav.eu) so that we will have a GPS in case of emergency (data rates aren't good enough to use the GPS too often...).

[poohkinandpiglet]

Cool, we should get your kids chatting with my oldest daughter who will be 10 at cruise time.

It's a great idea. My daughter made a new friend and chatted before our last cruise and they had a great time together on the ship and still keep in touch.

Great info about the phones.

[poohkinandpiglet]

Anyone know the earliest time we'll be able to disembark if we skip the sit down breakfast on the last day?

[sinnika]

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to introduce ourselves. We're the Po Family - me, DH, DD 14 and DS 12 (turning 13 on the cruise). We were booked on the Northern Batics for July 6th but when the kids sail free offer came out, was too good to resist, so I booked this as a new cruise and moved my Baltic cruise to WB TA (a girl can dream, can't she? ;))
TammyAlphabet, we sailed on the June 13th western together - I sat next to you at the private Palo brunch. DH was not with us on that cruise - he's not much into beaches but looking forward to seeing Italy again (we were there 13 years ago when DD was 6 mo; DH was in Naples 19 years ago working at Navy clinic for 4 weeks so did alot of nearby sighteeing).
Anyway, I have to figure how I am going to get the kids to miss 9 days of public school. Plan to talk to principals when school begins Monday. Any suggestions from those who have done this?
Tahitian Traveler, I have been reading your posts on the DLRP threads. We also are planning a quick trip to Paris and a visit to DLPR for the day if we can work it all out. Since we just moved the ressie, am just starting some planning. Looking forward to chatting about the upcoming cruise with fellow addicts!:laughing: I mean cruisers! :goodvibes

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to introduce ourselves. We're the Po Family - me, DH, DD 14 and DS 12 (turning 13 on the cruise). We were booked on the Northern Batics for July 6th but when the kids sail free offer came out, was too good to resist, so I booked this as a new cruise and moved my Baltic cruise to WB TA (a girl can dream, can't she? ;))
TammyAlphabet, we sailed on the June 13th western together - I sat next to you at the private Palo brunch. DH was not with us on that cruise - he's not much into beaches but looking forward to seeing Italy again (we were there 13 years ago when DD was 6 mo; DH was in Naples 19 years ago working at Navy clinic for 4 weeks so did alot of nearby sighteeing).
Anyway, I have to figure how I am going to get the kids to miss 9 days of public school. Plan to talk to principals when school begins Monday. Any suggestions from those who have done this?
Tahitian Traveler, I have been reading your posts on the DLRP threads. We also are planning a quick trip to Paris and a visit to DLPR for the day if we can work it all out. Since we just moved the ressie, am just starting some planning. Looking forward to chatting about the upcoming cruise with fellow addicts!:laughing: I mean cruisers! :goodvibes

I remember you!!! You sister is the one that emailed me about the RA! I am so glad that you are cruising with us!!

Missing nine days of school will be rough, however, if they are good students, it shouldn't be a problem. It will be a really be an outstanding educational opportunity for them. That should be worth something.

I am assuming you will come in a day or two early? When you decide where you are staying you will have to let us know. So exciting to see another familiar face on here.

[MKJEcruisers]

sinnika,

We are having the same issue with our two girls towards the end of the year. They are going to miss the last week and a half to two weeks of school. The school's policy is that they can be counted present if they are in school, doing a school related activity or are being schooled at home for some reason. What we were planning on doing, if necessary, is putting together some kind of folder with all of the ports and what they can learn from each (like a living history lesson). We were also going to incorporate the Oceaneers Club and Lab activities in the "this trip is educational and this is why" presentation. Hopefully they will see it as such and we will have no problem with the absences.

[sinnika]

I remember you!!! You sister is the one that emailed me about the RA! I am so glad that you are cruising with us!!

Missing nine days of school will be rough, however, if they are good students, it shouldn't be a problem. It will be a really be an outstanding educational opportunity for them. That should be worth something.

I am assuming you will come in a day or two early? When you decide where you are staying you will have to let us know. So exciting to see another familiar face on here.

I'm looking for suggestions that will sleep the 4 of us in one room if possible in Barcelona. We are only doing one night post-cruise in Barcelona, and possibly one night pre-cruise. We'll be traveling from Paris before the cruise. Even considering an overnight train with sleepercar for 4 that gets us into Barcelona at 8:30am the morning of the cruise. Or flying the night before and staying in Barcelona. I like the idea of the train though.:goodvibes
Both kids are really good students. Just worried since DD starts high school this year. We'll go to summer school if we need to though to make up hours.
Just need to find out the school policy here in TX. I am getting very excited now about this cruise! Have been on the DIS boards for days reading TR's and Med excursions! Its nice to have some info to go by! And we have visited some of the cities before (Naples, Florence, Pisa) so it makes planning a little easier!

[mehaul]

I'm looking for suggestions that will sleep the 4 of us in one room if possible in Barcelona. We are only doing one night post-cruise in Barcelona, and possibly one night pre-cruise. We'll be traveling from Paris before the cruise. Even considering an overnight train with sleepercar for 4 that gets us into Barcelona at 8:30am the morning of the cruise. Or flying the night before and staying in Barcelona. I like the idea of the train though.:goodvibes
Both kids are really good students. Just worried since DD starts high school this year. We'll go to summer school if we need to though to make up hours.
Just need to find out the school policy here in TX. I am getting very excited now about this cruise! Have been on the DIS boards for days reading TR's and Med excursions! Its nice to have some info to go by! And we have visited some of the cities before (Naples, Florence, Pisa) so it makes planning a little easier!

The Ritz in Barcelona will sleep 4 - includes breakfast
The price is pretty reasonable - especially when you factor in you only need 1 room. I am booked on an earlier cruise.
We did the Disney Med Cruise in 2007
I created a blog to help with my planning
I have uploaded the entire list of excursions Disney offered on that cruise (including the price)

www.worldofmouse.com

[sinnika]

The Ritz in Barcelona will sleep 4 - includes breakfast
The price is pretty reasonable - especially when you factor in you only need 1 room. I am booked on an earlier cruise.
We did the Disney Med Cruise in 2007
I created a blog to help with my planning
I have uploaded the entire list of excursions Disney offered on that cruise (including the price)

www.worldofmouse.com

Thanks for the suggestion! And thanks for that great website!!! :worship: Just what I was looking for, and so helpful to anyone cruising Europe!

[Tahitian Traveler]

Welcome Sinnika ! I am still trying to find discounted tickets to DLP. This trip is taking up so much of my time planning. Whew....but I am just as excited as everyone else and cannot wait either. My 7 year old son is going to miss a week and a half of school. Luckily he is only in the 2nd grade so they probably wont say much but then again I have not told his teacher/ administration about our trip either. I agree with the previous post, it is educational and they should know the significance of what will be presented to the children. The truth of the matter is that it all boils down to money for the school districts. We'll talk more later. I have to get to bed for my daily 430am wake up. Good night all.... Have a pleasant day tomorrow. :hippie:

[poohkinandpiglet]

We did the Disney Med Cruise in 2007
I created a blog to help with my planning
I have uploaded the entire list of excursions Disney offered on that cruise (including the price)

www.worldofmouse.com

Thank you for posting this. Great information!

Sharon

[cra33f]

Hi everyone: I just joined the group!
I am also doing the Disney Med Cruise in May 26, 2010. It will be me, my husband, daughter 8y , son 6y . It will be our first Disney Cruise. We will be on deck 5, inside cabin , one of the sideway ones.
I am not to sure how to use this site yet so be patient with me.

[poohkinandpiglet]

Hi everyone: I just joined the group!
I am also doing the Disney Med Cruise in May 26, 2010. It will be me, my husband, daughter 8y , son 6y . It will be our first Disney Cruise. We will be on deck 5, inside cabin , one of the sideway ones.
I am not to sure how to use this site yet so be patient with me.

Welcome! My daughter is 8 as well. We will be on Deck 5 forward in 5022.

[cra33f]

Welcome! My daughter is 8 as well. We will be on Deck 5 forward in 5022.

That is great! Nice to meet you! I am sooo glad my post worked. :rotfl:
I wanted to know if all the Disney excursions are large group of people traveling by bus. I really want something more low key. I heard some people hire a chaufer. The problem I see is trusting a company overseas. Any ideas?

Thanks,

[TammyAlphabet]

That is great! Nice to meet you! I am sooo glad my post worked. :rotfl:
I wanted to know if all the Disney excursions are large group of people traveling by bus. I really want something more low key. I heard some people hire a chaufer. The problem I see is trusting a company overseas. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Welcome! I have been doing research on this using cruisecritic.com and tripadvisor.com. There are some companies that are rated well on both. I am looking at some. These can cost as much as 1K per day for four people so pretty pricey. Maybe share with another family? That is what I am hoping to do! I am going to book one for eight and try to get another family to split it with me. But I haven't booked one yet.

[shushh]

Anyone know the earliest time we'll be able to disembark if we skip the sit down breakfast on the last day?

Let me know if you find out the answer to this! We are on the 24 April sailing but I am desperately trying to get the information as we have a 1050 flight to catch...

Belinda

[poohkinandpiglet]

Let me know if you find out the answer to this! We are on the 24 April sailing but I am desperately trying to get the information as we have a 1050 flight to catch...

Belinda


The official word from Disney "they don't recommend booking a flight before 12:30pm". Honestly, they're covering themselves so people don't miss flights. I'm looking at booking something around 11:40 and I've heard others that have made 10:30am flights without much problem.

Are you using Disney transfers or taking a taxi?

[cra33f]

Welcome! I have been doing research on this using cruisecritic.com and tripadvisor.com. There are some companies that are rated well on both. I am looking at some. These can cost as much as 1K per day for four people so pretty pricey. Maybe share with another family? That is what I am hoping to do! I am going to book one for eight and try to get another family to split it with me. But I haven't booked one yet.

I have been searching too. So far I am finding something around 500 euros. I would like to share with another family too. Let me know what you find?
How does the debarkation works? who gets off the ship first? Do they do it by last names? Is it pretty chaotic everyone trying to get off? Thanks.

[shushh]

At the moment, we have Disney transfers but we are willing to go taxis if it is faster (seems like it could be).

Cra335f, I tried to get more info re debarkation direct from Disney asking similar questions to yours. Its frustrating because they just keep repeating "book flights after 1230" without letting me know the details!!!

Knowing that people have made 1030 flights is reassuring.

[sinnika]

From reading lots of Med trip reports this week, it sounds like there are long taxi lines when debarking (makes sense - lots of people prob trying to catch same day flights). I read in a trip report where the taxi line was an hour. The other option is the public bus but not sure about travel time even though the airport is fairly close. How about arranging a private service to pick you and your family up? There has to be some out there. To me, would be worth the cost to avoid all the hassle. Also, plan for long lines at the airport too. I'm looking for flights leaving the next day just to avoid all that if possible. Plus it will give us the day to tour Barcelona. :goodvibes

[cra33f]

Welcome! I have been doing research on this using cruisecritic.com and tripadvisor.com. There are some companies that are rated well on both. I am looking at some. These can cost as much as 1K per day for four people so pretty pricey. Maybe share with another family? That is what I am hoping to do! I am going to book one for eight and try to get another family to split it with me. But I haven't booked one yet.

After a lot of research, in Italy ,I think we are going to take the train from the ports of call to the cities we want to visit and then public transportation within that city to get around to the main attractions. The train is very inexpensive and you don't have to deal with traffic. They leave every half hour.:thumbsup2

[TammyAlphabet]

After a lot of research, in Italy ,I think we are going to take the train from the ports of call to the cities we want to visit and then public transportation within that city to get around to the main attractions. The train is very inexpensive and you don't have to deal with traffic. They leave every half hour.:thumbsup2

I have been looking at the hop on hop on bus too. It is really inexpensive.

[sinnika]

Spent a good part of today looking for hotels for both Paris (for a quick pre-cruise trip) and Barcelona for one night post cruise. Booked the Hotel Continental on Las Ramblas and booked the Hotel Residence Henri IV in the Latin Quarter in Paris. The trip is coming together now. We arrive Sunday AM in Paris and plan to do a one day trip to Disneyland Paris on Monday. :goodvibes

[Tahitian Traveler]

We are doing DLP too, but after the cruise. I have been having the hardest time finding a decent hotel in Paris without losing my shirt. I will take a look at your hotel this evening. Have a nice day everyone.

[sinnika]

We are doing DLP too, but after the cruise. I have been having the hardest time finding a decent hotel in Paris without losing my shirt. I will take a look at your hotel this evening. Have a nice day everyone.

I know what you mean! Paris is very expensive if you want a centrally located hotel. This one will accomodate the 4 of us and is within walking distance to Notre Dame and the Pantheon, and also fairly near the Austerlitz train station where we depart for Barcelona. It does have a mini kitchen so that will help save on food cost. I booked it thru Expedia. Had to search several times as it kept showing no availabilty since it is a small hotel.

[colmom]

Hi Everyone,
We are on the May 26 med cruise too. We have never cruised before, but DH and I have been to Europe several times and both lived in Europe over 20 years ago. We will be bringing our two DDs, ages 11 and 9, with us. I am focusing on finding a hotel/apartment in Barcelona that will fit the 4 of us. Any suggestions are welcome!
BTW, I have never posted on any site and am new to all of this so please be patient :)

[TammyAlphabet]

Hi Everyone,
We are on the May 26 med cruise too. We have never cruised before, but DH and I have been to Europe several times and both lived in Europe over 20 years ago. We will be bringing our two DDs, ages 11 and 9, with us. I am focusing on finding a hotel/apartment in Barcelona that will fit the 4 of us. Any suggestions are welcome!
BTW, I have never posted on any site and am new to all of this so please be patient :)

Welcome!! Check out the Hispana Suiza Siete? Check it out here: http://www.epoquehotels.com/h.php/barcelona-hotels/boutique-hotel/h/hispanos7suiza/l/en

[sinnika]

Hi Everyone,
We are on the May 26 med cruise too. We have never cruised before, but DH and I have been to Europe several times and both lived in Europe over 20 years ago. We will be bringing our two DDs, ages 11 and 9, with us. I am focusing on finding a hotel/apartment in Barcelona that will fit the 4 of us. Any suggestions are welcome!
BTW, I have never posted on any site and am new to all of this so please be patient :)

Welcome to our cruise meet, and Welcome to the Dis boards too! We booked the Hotel Continental which has mixed reviews, but we are only doing one night post cruise there and only using the room to sleep and for the location. I am still going to search for other rooms as we get closer to the cruise date but at least we have something reserved that can hold the 4 of us.

[colmom]

Thanks! At the Hotel Continental, did you book the double with twin then add an extra bed? It is not clear how you get four in a room! I am also looking into the Hispanos7Suiza Apartments.
Thanks for your help.

[colmom]

Thanks! At the Hotel Continental, did you book the double with twin then add an extra bed? It is not clear how you get four in a room! I am also looking into the Hispanos7Suiza Apartments.
Thanks for your help.

[sinnika]

Thanks! At the Hotel Continental, did you book the double with twin then add an extra bed? It is not clear how you get four in a room! I am also looking into the Hispanos7Suiza Apartments.
Thanks for your help.

I booked directly from their website: www.hotelcontinental.com. I think I just typed in a request for 2 adults and 2 children. They emailed me back my reservation info: "Balcony room overlooking Las Ramblas. Double-bedded exterior room with balcony with two extra beds (70 cm wide). Room rate was $177 euros (about $250). Not sure if that includes the extra bed cost (20 euros per child - I'll need to email them about that. Their email address is barcelona@hotelcontinental.com Hope this helps! :goodvibes

[hadleyzoo]

We just booked this cruise today. Got an email from our travel agent about the kids cruising free and couldn't pass up on the offer. My passport goes in the mail on Monday for a new, updated one. DH and the kids will get their documents done at the Post Office next week.

DD will be 17 (Junior in HS--will be heading to her Senior year), DS will be 9 (heading to 4th grade), me and DH on the cruise. This is our 2nd Disney cruise and although we have traveled the world (military), Europe is one continent I haven't been (DH was stationed in Italy as a kid).

I too am in Texas (San Antonio) and wondering what effect this will have on the kids' school since they will be taken out about 8 days early. We'll figure that out soon, but in the meantime decided to go ahead and book...if worst comes to worst, we'll just cancel. We'll be disappointed, sure; but right now we just couldn't pass up the offer.

Everyone has made some excellent suggestions and given some great ideas. Our thoughts are to fly in on Monday and spend 2 nights in Barcelona prior to cruise. Haven't decided about post-cruise yet and am waiting just a little bit to book flights and hotels (I want in writing from the schools what effect this will have on my kids before I book flights).

Keeping my fingers crossed...and hopefully can continue in this discussion and planning!

[TammyAlphabet]

Welcome!!!!

[sinnika]

We just booked this cruise today. Got an email from our travel agent about the kids cruising free and couldn't pass up on the offer. My passport goes in the mail on Monday for a new, updated one. DH and the kids will get their documents done at the Post Office next week.

DD will be 17 (Junior in HS--will be heading to her Senior year), DS will be 9 (heading to 4th grade), me and DH on the cruise. This is our 2nd Disney cruise and although we have traveled the world (military), Europe is one continent I haven't been (DH was stationed in Italy as a kid).

I too am in Texas (San Antonio) and wondering what effect this will have on the kids' school since they will be taken out about 8 days early. We'll figure that out soon, but in the meantime decided to go ahead and book...if worst comes to worst, we'll just cancel. We'll be disappointed, sure; but right now we just couldn't pass up the offer.

Everyone has made some excellent suggestions and given some great ideas. Our thoughts are to fly in on Monday and spend 2 nights in Barcelona prior to cruise. Haven't decided about post-cruise yet and am waiting just a little bit to book flights and hotels (I want in writing from the schools what effect this will have on my kids before I book flights).

Keeping my fingers crossed...and hopefully can continue in this discussion and planning!

Welcome!pixiedust: We're near Houston. DH retired from the military last year (6 active and 14 reserve). We did tons of Space A flights overseas and in conus (I was a reservist too) when he was active so paying for overseas airline tickets for this cruise is a bit of a shock. Hope prices come down! You may want to consider reserving a refundable room for a hotel as the ones that hold 4 to a room are scarce in Barcleona. Many that I tried to book were already unavailable. Even 3 of the 5 DCL hotels are already booked according to DCL for the date I wanted. (Although their rate was outrageous for the ones they had left - over $800!!).

I really hope we will be able to go too, but school takes priority, esp now that we have a high schooler. Good thing we have till Jan for final payment. Gives us time to sort this all out! :goodvibes

[KLS Georgia]

Just found out we are all Barcelona bound next May to join my husband's parents in celebrating their 50th Anniversary. The whole trip sounds incredible....we can't wait to show our kids (10,9,6) what lies beyond our borders. The count down begins! Anyone have any suggestions for traveling with kids? I am sure we are not going to do all the ports, but any recommended must do's. or tips?

[sinnika]

Just found out we are all Barcelona bound next May to join my husband's parents in celebrating their 50th Anniversary. The whole trip sounds incredible....we can't wait to show our kids (10,9,6) what lies beyond our borders. The count down begins! Anyone have any suggestions for traveling with kids? I am sure we are not going to do all the ports, but any recommended must do's. or tips?

Welcome!!! This will also be our first across the Atlantic trip with kids (12 and 14). We are getting them involved in the planning and what they would like to see and do as well. This site has a list of the 2007 Med excursions that DCL did so its a great starting place. http://www.worldofmouse.com/disney-med-2007-excursions.html I think the key to happy travel with kids is keeping them from getting bored, tired or hungry. We've done lots of travel in the US and always have snacks and water on hand, try not to fit too much in one day, and even change plans midway if we need to. We are also planning to do our own excursions so we can be flexible for that very reason. DH is brushing up on his rudimentary Italian, and we all speak some basic Spanish (for Barcelona). The planning is half of the fun! :goodvibes

[KLS Georgia]

Hi. You say you are doing private excursions. Do you have any advice on reputable companies in our ports? We are in a group of 11 (6 adults and 5 kids - 14,11,10,9, and 6 - the youngest is our princess and I am not sure when we will be including her in the excursions or leaving her in the wonderful kid club on ship). We were hoping to book our own excursions so to keep the tours flexible and small. We are a fun, active group and would love to find guides/tours that were the same.

Also, I have been reading about these fish extenders and thought it would be fun for the kids....anyone know how we join up?

[sinnika]

We are planning to do our own excursions, without the cost of private excursions. We are a group of 4, so taking public transportation would be easier than a larger group like yours. I found this thread very helpful: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1481572 The cruise reports were also helpful for lots of tips. Here's the thread that lists many of them:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1977518

We did FE gift exchange on our last cruise in June and it was fun. We are going to pass this time as our kids are older, and we don't want to carry anything extra this time.

[sinnika]

Good Morning Everyone!
Great news from DD's high school. We got the go ahead for the trip! DD will be taking her finals in the summer when we return! Now if she has additional missed days in the semester, she'll also have to make up school time in the summer as well. We are still going to hold off on purchasing airfare till final payment is due just to make sure the school year is going well (she's been an A student in the past but HS is tough!).

[DEADEA]

I sent you a PM. Please check your inbox. We are from Atlanta also. Kids near same age!!

[MKJEcruisers]

I sent you a PM. Please check your inbox. We are from Atlanta also. Kids near same age!!

We're in Greenville, SC about 2 1/2 hours away from Atlanta. Daughters are 9 and 6 (10 and 7 and cruise time).

[KLS Georgia]

I received your pm but because I just joined and only have 2 posts (need 10 to pm) it rejected my PM back to you and my lengthy message dissapeared so I couldn't even post it here.

We are traveling with my in-laws and sister-in-laws' family - we are 2 boys (at time of cruise 9,10.5) and our princess (almost 7). My sister in law's family will have her girl 14 and boy 11. We haven't booked our flight but we booked hotel - Petit Palace Garden (cheapest with the best location and has rooms for 4/5) We have a short list of hotels we are going to monitor to see if the price comes down, but we will see.

Wish I could PM...7 more posts to go.

I sent you a PM. Please check your inbox. We are from Atlanta also. Kids near same age!!

[walloon]

We are in Raleigh, NC, my sons will be 10 and 7 at cruise time.

[DEADEA]

Lots of kids near our ages!! At cruise time, we have DS(13), DS(10) and DD (6). Let me know if anyone is flying out of Atlanta on May 22nd. We are on a direct flight to Barcelona that arrives morning of 23rd.:cool1:

[walloon]

We haven't booked flights yet, hoping and praying costs come down.

[TammyAlphabet]

Lots of kids near our ages!! At cruise time, we have DS(13), DS(10) and DD (6). Let me know if anyone is flying out of Atlanta on May 22nd. We are on a direct flight to Barcelona that arrives morning of 23rd.:cool1:

I will be flying out of Atlanta on the 23rd, routed through LHR. I am flying back from LHR, so that was the best way to go for us. Have you chosen a hotel. I have two reservations, one for the Hotel Jazz and one for the Casa Camper. Not sure which one I will keep. I will decide in the next few weeks.

[poohkinandpiglet]

Welcome!pixiedust: We're near Houston.


We're in the Houston area too.

[AnnaCruisin']

CAN'T WAIT for May 26th! Just found this thread and am so excited about it!:banana:

[sinnika]

CAN'T WAIT for May 26th! Just found this thread and am so excited about it!:banana:

Welcome to our cruise meet and welcome to the Dis boards!pixiedust:

[walloon]

Hi All,

This will be my family's first ever cruise. I have been to Europe twice and my wife has been once. Neither of us have been in 10 years and neither of us have ever been to the ports for this cruise (been to Germany, Paris, Switzerland, Austria). Our daughters will be 10 and 7 at cruise time and neither have been outside the US.

For Barcelona, we decided to go 'budget' on the hotel as we will be spending most of our time there touring Barcelona. We will be at the Holiday Inn Express (Barcelona City-22) the night before and the night after the cruise at around 100 Euros a night with breakfast included. Not bad for a family of 4 in Barcelona! And it's just a short metro ride away from all the main stuff downtown.

We're also looking at things to do in each port and are heading to Munich, Germany after the cruise...

We'll see you on the cruise! :yay:

P.S. - And if any of you have kids close to my kids' ages let us know. It sounds like one will have to go to Oceaneer Club and one to Oceaneer Lab so it would be good for them to know a name or two before they go...

We just booked the Holiday Inn Express as well, DH has a free room there so we jumped on it. We have ds 10 and 7. Look forward to meeting you!

[bill3540]

We originally posted before many people had joined, so we are thrilled to
meet all our new dis-friends!

We've never been to Europe and were wondering if it's too silly to let
Disney do our air. Does anyone use local travel agents any longer?

We hope to get to Barcelona a few days early...where would you go?

We're both seniors and won't have kids with us.

Thanks tons! Liz & Bill

[sinnika]

We originally posted before many people had joined, so we are thrilled to
meet all our new dis-friends!

We've never been to Europe and were wondering if it's too silly to let
Disney do our air. Does anyone use local travel agents any longer?

We hope to get to Barcelona a few days early...where would you go?

We're both seniors and won't have kids with us.

Thanks tons! Liz & Bill

Unless Disney is getting you a better price, I'm not sure why you would not book your own air. Since you are coming in a few days early, even if your flight is delayed, you will still make the ship. If you check expedia you should be able to pull up all the airlines that fly into Barcelona from your city.

I picked up a great travel book: Frommer's Barcelona day by day. 19 smart ways to see the city. It even has touring plans for one, two and three days.
And a nice foldable map that my older eyes can read! :goodvibes

We are AARP members and have kids. DS turning 13 on the cruise and DD 14.
We just got a late start with those kids! :rotfl:

[MKJEcruisers]

I would definitely do flights on your own. The Disney prices seem to be a little steep.

[bill3540]

Thanks for the suggestions...

And for all of you who are flying from Texas, like us...do you have a
preferred airline...Delta looked good.

We are so excited about this cruise, but the Alaska ones look good too!

[sinnika]

Thanks for the suggestions...

And for all of you who are flying from Texas, like us...do you have a
preferred airline...Delta looked good.

We are so excited about this cruise, but the Alaska ones look good too!

We hope to fly Continental from Houston to Paris nonstop, then back from Barcelona to Houston via New York. We'll be taking an overnight train from Paris to Barcelona arriving the morning of the cruise. Multi destination air on Continental is running about $1070. :scared1: Although R/T to Barcelona is running about the same. Fares change daily it seems. AirFrance and Delta also have nonstops to Paris from Houston. If we find any great deals on R/T to Paris, we'll do that and just buy air returns from Barcelona to Paris.

I would love to do a Mexican Riviera cruise. Alaska sounds fun too!:cool1:

[poohkinandpiglet]

Thanks for the suggestions...

And for all of you who are flying from Texas, like us...do you have a
preferred airline...Delta looked good.


We booked a Continental non-stop flight from Houston to Paris then will take a connecting flight to Barcelona.

[wrennies]

So I am totally new to all of this. My family will be on this cruise also. That is myself, my husband, and three sons - 15, 13, and 12. I need help translating into the forum language.
I also need help with hotels in barcelona. I can not find one that can hold 5 people...everything is single beds, what is up with that!!!
Also what about ground transportation. Since we are staying the night before in Barcelona should I skip the ground transportation?
I would appreciate anyones help. This will be my first cruise in 15 years and everyone else's first cruise ever. None of us have ever been out of the US.

[wrennies]

I was also wondering if anyone that has been on "this cruise" before could help me know what to prepare for with the excursions. With such great places I do not know where to start and the disney website says it will be March before you can book them. I just know that my kids are going to want some beach time. Like I said before I am new to this so any help would be great.
One last thing....the kids for the formal dinners....Sunday best okay (dress pants and nice shirt) or should thry have a jacket and tie???

[sinnika]

So I am totally new to all of this. My family will be on this cruise also. That is myself, my husband, and three sons - 15, 13, and 12. I need help translating into the forum language.
I also need help with hotels in barcelona. I can not find one that can hold 5 people...everything is single beds, what is up with that!!!
Also what about ground transportation. Since we are staying the night before in Barcelona should I skip the ground transportation?
I would appreciate anyones help. This will be my first cruise in 15 years and everyone else's first cruise ever. None of us have ever been out of the US.

Welcome!pixiedust: There is a Dis DCL FAQ site to get you up to speed with all those abbreviations, new terminology, and lots of other questions answered: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2068966

As far as Barcelona hotels, you may want to consider getting 2 rooms. There are also many apartment rental companies but they may require a 2 night min stay. Just google "rooms for 5 in Barcelona".

For ground transportation, unless you are staying at one of the DCL hotels, you are not eligible for transfers from the airport to your hotel to the port. You can do DCL transportation if you are flying out after the cruise.

Enjoy the planning! Its half the fun! :goodvibes

[sinnika]

I was also wondering if anyone that has been on "this cruise" before could help me know what to prepare for with the excursions. With such great places I do not know where to start and the disney website says it will be March before you can book them. I just know that my kids are going to want some beach time. Like I said before I am new to this so any help would be great.
One last thing....the kids for the formal dinners....Sunday best okay (dress pants and nice shirt) or should thry have a jacket and tie???

This is our first Med cruise but another poster set up a bog/website that listed all the Navigators and port excursions from Med 2007:
www.worldofmouse.com Thank you mehaul! :worship: Of course we have a few new ports in 2010 and new excursions will be added.
Cruise Critic has lots of port reviews too. And they also have a chat board too!
Sunday best is fine for formal night. Less things you will have to pack. :thumbsup2 DS is bringing a suit like last time and DD will be bringing dressy dresses, maninly for photos. We got some great photos by the ship's photographers of DD and DS this past June when we sailed.

[wrennies]

I have been reading a lot of trip reports and do not see anything about taking a little time to just lay on the beach. I do see expensive excursions to the beach. Are the excursions the only way to get a littlle beach time.

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello everybody!! I am moving this Med cruise to 2011 tomorrow. My best friend and I have decided to book the Brilliance of the Seas for May 2010. So I am moving the mini repo and the med to 2011. I will still be on the Disney Baltic on June 12th, but not the med or the mini repo I had planned. The Brilliance is going to Athens in addition to Civitavecchia, Florence and Naples. We were able to get two rooms, one balcony, and one inside, for 12 nights on the Brilliance for about what I was paying with the kids free for a Cat 9 for all four in the same room on the Magic. Then we are going to fly to London and I will catch the Disney Magic in Dover for the Baltic. I will keep checking here for good ideas!

[sinnika]

Hello everybody!! I am moving this Med cruise to 2011 tomorrow. My best friend and I have decided to book the Brilliance of the Seas for May 2010. So I am moving the mini repo and the med to 2011. I will still be on the Disney Baltic on June 12th, but not the med or the mini repo I had planned. The Brilliance is going to Athens in addition to Civitavecchia, Florence and Naples. We were able to get two rooms, one balcony, and one inside, for 12 nights on the Brilliance for about what I was paying with the kids free for a Cat 9 for all four in the same room on the Magic. Then we are going to fly to London and I will catch the Disney Magic in Dover for the Baltic. I will keep checking here for good ideas!

So sorry to see you leave this cruise, Tammy!:sad1: But what a great deal for you to still be sailing the Med, and for longer and more space! Does that cruise also leave out of Barcelona too? Which cruise are you thinking of for 2011? I'm moving my WBTA from Sept 2010 to a Mexican Riviera in March 2011. My TA can't book till Sept 28th though since I'm a lowly silver CC member!:rotfl:

[sinnika]

I have been reading a lot of trip reports and do not see anything about taking a little time to just lay on the beach. I do see expensive excursions to the beach. Are the excursions the only way to get a littlle beach time.

You can make your way to the beaches on your own (taxis or some are even within walking distance). Google "best beaches in..." just type in the port you want to go to the beach. Also cruise critic does a good job with listing beaches near ports. Here is a link for Corisa's port: http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=244
Do your research though. Some beaches in Europe go topless. :scared1:

[TammyAlphabet]

So sorry to see you leave this cruise, Tammy!:sad1: But what a great deal for you to still be sailing the Med, and for longer and more space! Does that cruise also leave out of Barcelona too? Which cruise are you thinking of for 2011? I'm moving my WBTA from Sept 2010 to a Mexican Riviera in March 2011. My TA can't book till Sept 28th though since I'm a lowly silver CC member!:rotfl:

Yes, the cruise leaves on May 27th and returns to Barcelona on June 8th. Then we are flying to spend a few days in London before we leave on the 6/12 Baltic from Dover. I am planning on booking the TA in May and the first Med in 2011. However, I am not sure if I am going to want to do it after next summer, but I will have it booked if I do.

I am barely a gold, just made it!

[CONNIEOSCI]

Just booked the may 26, 2010 cruise. It will be my self with my dad, my daughter and her husband and my 4 grandsons (13,11,7,5)
we are on deck 6 on the inside cabins. I did the first med in 2007.
One tip if you are travel by air in europe remember the weight for bags is less. Like if you go from paris to barcelona. Check some people on the first med went to paris before going home and had to paid extra for bags. Getting off the ship in barcelona was easy. We had a flight out a 11:00am got to the airport by 8:30am.
We used disney tranfers to airport.

Connie Williams from TN

[sinnika]

Just booked the may 26, 2010 cruise. It will be my self with my dad, my daughter and her husband and my 4 grandsons (13,11,7,5)
we are on deck 6 on the inside cabins. I did the first med in 2007.
One tip if you are travel by air in europe remember the weight for bags is less. Like if you go from paris to barcelona. Check some people on the first med went to paris before going home and had to paid extra for bags. Getting off the ship in barcelona was easy. We had a flight out a 11:00am got to the airport by 8:30am.
We used disney tranfers to airport.

Connie Williams from TN

Welcome! pixiedust: Glad to have an experienced DCL Med cruiser on our meet! And thanks for the tip about the luggage. That confirms my plans for going by train from Paris to Barcelona! Looking forward to hearing what excursions you did and if you booked them on your own or did DCL excursions.:goodvibes

[AnnMarie3]

So sorry to report that we have had to cancel our med cruise. This trip was to celebrate my parent's 80th birthdays. My mom decided that she did not want to travel that far. So, we are doing the April 3 Western Caribbean instead, with plans to book Alaska for 2011. Hope everyone has a wonderful trip. Sorry that I won't be meeting all of you.

Ann Marie:sad1:

[TammyAlphabet]

Hello everybody!! I am moving this Med cruise to 2011 tomorrow. My best friend and I have decided to book the Brilliance of the Seas for May 2010. So I am moving the mini repo and the med to 2011. I will still be on the Disney Baltic on June 12th, but not the med or the mini repo I had planned. The Brilliance is going to Athens in addition to Civitavecchia, Florence and Naples. We were able to get two rooms, one balcony, and one inside, for 12 nights on the Brilliance for about what I was paying with the kids free for a Cat 9 for all four in the same room on the Magic. Then we are going to fly to London and I will catch the Disney Magic in Dover for the Baltic. I will keep checking here for good ideas!

Okay. I was suffering from temporary insanity!! I switched back after I sleep on it. What is wrong with me?

[sinnika]

Okay. I was suffering from temporary insanity!! I switched back after I sleep on it. What is wrong with me?

Yea!!!:banana::banana::banana: I know, those other cruise lines are out to tempt us! I've only sailed one other cruise line years ago. Can't even remember which one it was. It was a deal, but it was also a rust bucket and the food was just so, so. And I don't even remember any worthwhile entertainment. I think I have totally blocked it out!:rotfl2:

Did you book a 2011 cruise? I'm wait-listed for the Mexican Riviera over Spring break. Also thinking of the LA to Vancouver repo. That would be so cool. I've got 2 dummy cruises to move. Think I need to email my TA...
I am letting them do my bookings. Don't want to go thru the fiasco like on Sept 21st. Besides, I'll be in WDW then! We leave tomorrow evening for a birthday trip. DD turns 14 on Sept 25th. We are staying at Ft Wilderness cabins, a first for us. This will be her 15th visit to WDW so needless to say, we are going to relax and do our favorites! :banana:

[TammyAlphabet]

Yea!!!:banana::banana::banana: I know, those other cruise lines are out to tempt us! I've only sailed one other cruise line years ago. Can't even remember which one it was. It was a deal, but it was also a rust bucket and the food was just so, so. And I don't even remember any worthwhile entertainment. I think I have totally blocked it out!:rotfl2:

Did you book a 2011 cruise? I'm wait-listed for the Mexican Riviera over Spring break. Also thinking of the LA to Vancouver repo. That would be so cool. I've got 2 dummy cruises to move. Think I need to email my TA...
I am letting them do my bookings. Don't want to go thru the fiasco like on Sept 21st. Besides, I'll be in WDW then! We leave tomorrow evening for a birthday trip. DD turns 14 on Sept 25th. We are staying at Ft Wilderness cabins, a first for us. This will be her 15th visit to WDW so needless to say, we are going to relax and do our favorites! :banana:

I did book an alaskan cruise but I doubt that I am going to keep it. Too expensive after all the money I am spending on this cruise extravaganza for 2010. Maybe I will sail alaska at some point but it needs to be a bit less expensive.

[wrennies]

Just booked the may 26, 2010 cruise. It will be my self with my dad, my daughter and her husband and my 4 grandsons (13,11,7,5)
we are on deck 6 on the inside cabins. I did the first med in 2007.
One tip if you are travel by air in europe remember the weight for bags is less. Like if you go from paris to barcelona. Check some people on the first med went to paris before going home and had to paid extra for bags. Getting off the ship in barcelona was easy. We had a flight out a 11:00am got to the airport by 8:30am.
We used disney tranfers to airport.

Connie Williams from TN

My boys are about the same age as your grandchildren - 15, 13, 12. We are from Knoxville TN (with my oldest-stepson-going to school in Murfreesboro, TN).
I was wondering if you were close by. I would love to know if you have your flights, etc...arranged yet also. Maybe we can share info.

[TammyAlphabet]

My boys are about the same age as your grandchildren - 15, 13, 12. We are from Knoxville TN (with my oldest-stepson-going to school in Murfreesboro, TN).
I was wondering if you were close by. I would love to know if you have your flights, etc...arranged yet also. Maybe we can share info.

I am a professor at MTSU. What a small world!

[wrennies]

I am a professor at MTSU. What a small world!

I believe my step-son's step-father is also a professor there. My step-son goes to Oakland HS.

[TammyAlphabet]

I believe my step-son's step-father is also a professor there. My step-son goes to Oakland HS.

My son goes to Siegel High School. Really small world!

[wrennies]

So for all of you that have done this cruise thing before, what is the earliest that I could book a flight out of BCN on saturday morning. The best prices are 8:20 am...I know that is too early, but I see that delta has one at 10:45. Would that work?

[poohkinandpiglet]

So for all of you that have done this cruise thing before, what is the earliest that I could book a flight out of BCN on saturday morning. The best prices are 8:20 am...I know that is too early, but I see that delta has one at 10:45. Would that work?


The official word from Disney is not before 12:30pm but many people have booked earlier flights and made it fine. I'm booking an 11:40am to Venice and hoping for the best.

Sharon

[CONNIEOSCI]

The last time we had disney book our airline tickets we left on the 10:30 am flight. Got to the airport with alot of time before the flight.
We are thinking about leaving from atlanta on delta. Because it is one of the only nonstop flight. We will drive to atlanta.
My grandsons live in kansas. I live in monterey tn.

[marlower]

Hi Everyone,

So excited about this 10 day Med. cruise. It will be me, my hubs, DD 15 and DD 13. We are in the Houston area too, flying out on the 24th through Newark on Continental-we are using frequent flier miles-woohoo! We actually are going to cut the cruise short and disembark at Villefrance to head to Paris for a few days.

Someone was asking about school and the girls missing 8 days. I talked to the asst. principal at my DD15 high school and it will be no problem, but she will have to take her finals in the summer (week of June 6)--she's not too happy about it but I keep telling her it will be worth it!

I would love to be part of the fish extender gifts. Where can I get a fish extender to hang on the wall?

I still need to work on a hotel in Barcelona for the 25th and shore excursions.

Looking forward to cruising with all of you!
Have a magical day:)

[sinnika]

Hi Everyone,

So excited about this 10 day Med. cruise. It will be me, my hubs, DD 15 and DD 13. We are in the Houston area too, flying out on the 24th through Newark on Continental-we are using frequent flier miles-woohoo! We actually are going to cut the cruise short and disembark at Villefrance to head to Paris for a few days.

Someone was asking about school and the girls missing 8 days. I talked to the asst. principal at my DD15 high school and it will be no problem, but she will have to take her finals in the summer (week of June 6)--she's not too happy about it but I keep telling her it will be worth it!

I would love to be part of the fish extender gifts. Where can I get a fish extender to hang on the wall?

I still need to work on a hotel in Barcelona for the 25th and shore excursions.

Looking forward to cruising with all of you!
Have a magical day:)

Welcome!pixiedust: We're in the Houston area and have DD 14 and DS turning 13 on the cruise (9th grader and 7th grader). DD will also be taking her finals when she returns too! Got the same response from asst principal. I'm hoping she can take a few finals before we leave though too. We are also going to Paris - plan to fly out Sat May 22nd via Continental arriving Sun AM. Planning a one day trip to DL Paris on Mon, then sightsee on Tues, leaving to go by train Tues evening arriving in Barcelona Wed am. We are going to stay one extra day in Barcelona flying back on Sun June 6th. I see you've been to DLP. Would love to speak with you more about that! I'll PM you my contact info!
We cruised in June and did FE's for the first time. I bought small canvas bags from Hobby Lobby and DD did our names and designs with craft paint. I had a seamstress sew them together with ribbon. I also have instructions on how you can make them out of fabric. You can also purchase them on ebay.

[poohkinandpiglet]

Hi Everyone,

So excited about this 10 day Med. cruise. It will be me, my hubs, DD 15 and DD 13. We are in the Houston area too, flying out on the 24th through Newark on Continental-we are using frequent flier miles-woohoo! We actually are going to cut the cruise short and disembark at Villefrance to head to Paris for a few days.

Someone was asking about school and the girls missing 8 days. I talked to the asst. principal at my DD15 high school and it will be no problem, but she will have to take her finals in the summer (week of June 6)--she's not too happy about it but I keep telling her it will be worth it!

I would love to be part of the fish extender gifts. Where can I get a fish extender to hang on the wall?

I still need to work on a hotel in Barcelona for the 25th and shore excursions.

Looking forward to cruising with all of you!
Have a magical day:)

:welcome:

We are flying out of Houston on Continental to Paris (with FF miles as well) and plan to stay over in Paris for a couple of days before we continue on to Barcelona. I'm hoping to spend one day at Disneyland Paris.

[bewitched00]

We are all excited about this trip! DH-- I am going to drive him CRAZY with planning-- DD 10 and DS 8. We are interested in taking part in the door goodies! We have been on 2 other disney cruises and spent 8 weeks in France-DH work. We know that this is the ONLY way we would do Europe again with kids. I have been doing extensive research on how to do each of the ports on our own-- we are a little crazy--. I have found Rick Steves Italy book helpful and also his web site. Good Luck with all your planning and looking foward to getting to plan with all of you.:thumbsup2

[sinnika]

:welcome:

We are flying out of Houston on Continental to Paris (with FF miles as well) and plan to stay over in Paris for a couple of days before we continue on to Barcelona. I'm hoping to spend one day at Disneyland Paris.

Sounds like we have similar pre-cruise plans to Paris! When are you flying out of Houston? I would love to use FF miles but we only have 100,000 miles and that only gets us one ticket, so it looks like we'll dish out the cash and use the miles for first class upgrades, at least for the going part.:thumbsup2

[sinnika]

We are all excited about this trip! DH-- I am going to drive him CRAZY with planning-- DD 10 and DS 8. We are interested in taking part in the door goodies! We have been on 2 other disney cruises and spent 8 weeks in France-DH work. We know that this is the ONLY way we would do Europe again with kids. I have been doing extensive research on how to do each of the ports on our own-- we are a little crazy--. I have found Rick Steves Italy book helpful and also his web site. Good Luck with all your planning and looking foward to getting to plan with all of you.:thumbsup2

Welcome! :cheer2: DH just lets me do the planning, and shows up! Rick Steve's 2010 Italy was just released from Amazon, and I just ordered another book called Archeological Rome: Transparent overlays of Archeological sites. It comes with a CD and/or DVD? Anyway, thought it would be a great educational tool to review with the kids before we go.

We've got a large group going! Anyone know how to design a website for our cruise? One of our cruisers did it for our last cruise. Was very helpful to know who was going, what age kids, who was participating in FE"s, etc, early vs late dining, excursions, etc. Anyone??? :goodvibes

[bewitched00]

Welcome! :cheer2: DH just lets me do the planning, and shows up! Rick Steve's 2010 Italy was just released from Amazon, and I just ordered another book called Archeological Rome: Transparent overlays of Archeological sites. It comes with a CD and/or DVD? Anyway, thought it would be a great educational tool to review with the kids before we go.

We've got a large group going! Anyone know how to design a website for our cruise? One of our cruisers did it for our last cruise. Was very helpful to know who was going, what age kids, who was participating in FE"s, etc, early vs late dining, excursions, etc. Anyone??? :goodvibes

Thanks for the info. on the Archeological Rome book- sounds like a good one.

[NicsMom1500]

Hi.
My family is also sailing on the May 26 2010 Med cruise. I am so excited! :yay:

We have one son. He'll be 10 at the time of the cruise.

We now live in Collierville TN after recently moving here from Pennsylvania.

Hopefully flying out May 24.

[sinnika]

Hi.
My family is also sailing on the May 26 2010 Med cruise. I am so excited! :yay:

We have one son. He'll be 10 at the time of the cruise.

We now live in Collierville TN after recently moving here from Pennsylvania.

Hopefully flying out May 24.

Welcome! :dance3: So exciting to have a growing group here for this cruise!
Have you cruised with DCL before? What an honor for you to be on the Mom's panel for WDW! You'll have to share what that was like! :goodvibes

[poohkinandpiglet]

Hi.
My family is also sailing on the May 26 2010 Med cruise. I am so excited! :yay:

We have one son. He'll be 10 at the time of the cruise.

We now live in Collierville TN after recently moving here from Pennsylvania.

Hopefully flying out May 24.

:welcome: My DS will be 10 at the time of the cruise as well.

[marlower]

Hi.
My family is also sailing on the May 26 2010 Med cruise. I am so excited! :yay:

We have one son. He'll be 10 at the time of the cruise.

We now live in Collierville TN after recently moving here from Pennsylvania.

Hopefully flying out May 24.


Welcome!! Anyone counting down the days yet?

[sinnika]

7 months and 3 weeks according to poohkinandpiglets's ticker! It will be here before we know it! I'm checking airfare daily to see if it goes down. It only seems to be creeping up. :eek: Hoping for some after Christmas airfare sales...:rolleyes1

[marlower]

I need to get a ticker counter now! I think I need to get past Christmas and then focus on DCL!

[Alex's Mom]

Hello, We would like to join your group. I am Alex's Mom (Carol), my fiance is Jiminy Cricket (Craig). We just got back today from my 10th Disney Cruise. We were on the 7 night Western, with my son Alex (7) and his son Mitchell (14). While on board we booked the the Med Cruise. We are so excited. We live in Huntsville, Alabama. We went ahead an booked the flights and hotels in Barcelona with Disney, but they said we could cancel the flights and hotels up to 120 days before if we find something better.

We would love to join the Fish Extender group as well. We did it on the cruise we just went on and it was so much fun for all of us.

I am going to go back and read all of your post. Looking forward to getting to know you all.

Carol

[Tahitian Traveler]

Welcome Carol:yay: So nice to have you join us.

[marlower]

Hello Carol! Glad you will be joining us! Looking forward to the fish extenders too!

[sinnika]

Welcome Carol! :wave: And congratulations on making it to platinum CC status! :woohoo: Looking forward to planning with you and everyone else on our cruise meet! :goodvibes

[NicsMom1500]

Would love to introduce our son to yours! As an only child, he's always looking for a "buddy"!! He turns 10 in January and is in 4th grade.

[wrennies]

Okay, so I can't think about much other than this cruise. What about ya'll!!!!

So, now that I have the rest of my family totally in the "cruise" mode, I have been trying to find out as much info as possible. We have looked at a lot of pics on line, but I am struggling to find pics of a cat. 4 stateroom. My boys do not get how the sleeping arrangement is going to work. Does anyone know of a website with pics of this.

Also, does anyone know when the 2010 Passporters guide come out. The book is wonderful, but it does not have the info on our cruise.

[wrennies]

This is a pretty general question for all of you world travelers.

How long should we expect to spend in customs at the BCN airport when we arrive? What is this like? I have been through airports in the US since 9-11 and know what to expect in the US.

Thanks to all of you for all your help so far!!!

[MKJEcruisers]

Okay, so I can't think about much other than this cruise. What about ya'll!!!!

So, now that I have the rest of my family totally in the "cruise" mode, I have been trying to find out as much info as possible. We have looked at a lot of pics on line, but I am struggling to find pics of a cat. 4 stateroom. My boys do not get how the sleeping arrangement is going to work. Does anyone know of a website with pics of this.

Also, does anyone know when the 2010 Passporters guide come out. The book is wonderful, but it does not have the info on our cruise.
I know what you mean about not being able to think about anything but the cruise. I've been cruise obsessed since we made our reservation. I've been driving myself crazy.

[sinnika]

Okay, so I can't think about much other than this cruise. What about ya'll!!!!

So, now that I have the rest of my family totally in the "cruise" mode, I have been trying to find out as much info as possible. We have looked at a lot of pics on line, but I am struggling to find pics of a cat. 4 stateroom. My boys do not get how the sleeping arrangement is going to work. Does anyone know of a website with pics of this.

Also, does anyone know when the 2010 Passporters guide come out. The book is wonderful, but it does not have the info on our cruise.

I believe the new passporters come out in April. I ordered the 2008 one for our June 2009 cruise since I didn't want to wait till the last minute to get ideas for our 7 nt western. There are pics in the passporter of the different staterooms including the cat 4. It is very similar to the layout of the other veranda categories, it just has a few extra feet beyond the couch where the murphy bed comes down. Access to the veranda is limited when the twin murphy bed is pulled down. The couch converts to a twin, and there is another twin that gets pulled down from the ceiling right above the couch. There's a privacy curtain between the couch and the queen bed if you choose. If you are trying to find out all you can about the ship itself, get the current passporter. Rick Steve's Italy 2010 is already out and is excellent!
I'm already dreaming about the trip! That's pretty bad when we still have 7 months to go! :rotfl:

[sinnika]

Good Morning,
Just found this link on another thread: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruis...-repo-med.html
Its a good starting base to figure out what kind of excursions we could possibly expect from DCL for the 2010 Med since we'll be visiting several of the same ports.

[sinnika]

OK, lets try that again:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-repo-med.html

[wrennies]

Has anyone ever been through customs at BCN? Or I guess anywhere in Europe. I am trying to decide about flights and whether it will be best to go straight in to BCN or if we should fly through another airport.

[KLS Georgia]

:welcome: My DS will be 10 at the time of the cruise as well.
My oldest son will be 10 for the cruise as well (Birthday is next month; 4th grade) Maybe they all can email each other before the trip so they know someone once we are on our way.

[poohkinandpiglet]

My oldest son will be 10 for the cruise as well (Birthday is next month; 4th grade) Maybe they all can email each other before the trip so they know someone once we are on our way.

My daughter emailed with another girl before our last cruise and they were fast friends by the time we cruised. In fact, we still keep in touch with the family.

[wrennies]

Has anyone heard the date the excursions will be released. I know we can not sign up for a while, but I believe the first. med. cruise is in April. I had heard sometime ago that they would possibly be released in Mid-November. I am an OCD type planner and really want to get on with this!!!

[MKJEcruisers]

I know what you mean. I check the site a couple of times a week to see if they posted the excursions yet. It sure would help with planning.

[NicsMom1500]

Last time that I checked, they were due to be released in December or January.

My work (http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?sort=&page=&where=search&qid=62286&pid=156&cid=157) with www.disneyworldmoms.com this year has been with DCL.

I'm anxious to see the excursions as well!!

[Eeyore77]

Hi all well my husband and I got a big surprise this past week from a family member and now we will be joining you on this cruise as well. I have never been overseas so I am really excited. So I need to catch up on everything on here but are there any onboard plans yet? Any Meets or FE's? Fill me in I would love to take part.

[threebritts]

It looks like we will be switching to this cruise too. We are now booked on a RCL Baltic for July but with the kids being free i'd rather do Disney :cool1:
We are waiting on my adopted nieces teacher to say its ok to miss last 2 weeks of school but weve got as cat 3 secure until tomorrow. I love the ports for this cruise and the fact that yes, its DCL :)

Wea re threebritts, tom, heather and bethany with haley and joyce coming too!

Any FE groups or logos made?

Were also on the Wonder repo for 1-2011, saw some same names from here for there.

I work nights so will try to get on as much as possible for any planning I can help with.

[peterpanstout]

Hello all, I am new to the boards and just booked the Med cruise! My husband and I have a 7 year old and are so excited about this cruise!

[peterpanstout]

Is anyone doing fish extenders? Also does anyone make them?

We have never done them before but I think my son, 7, would really get into it.

[MKJEcruisers]

We want to do fish extenders too but have never done them before.

[Eeyore77]

FE's are a lot of fun... Do you think it would be hard to carry all that stuff overseas?

[speakupjc]

We will be joining you and would love to do the fish extenders as well. Please let me know where to order whatever you need to put on your door. It will be myself, my daughter age 6 and a first grader at Crosswinds Elementary in Collierville, TN, and my husband. I noticed that there is another mom on here from Collierville. What part of Collierville do you live in and would you like to meet for lunch one day? Also how many other children are in this age group? We are huge Disney fans and cruise every 6 months thru DVC but have never been to Europe. We are staying in a cat 3 and are very excited as we are usually in a cat 10. We figured that this is a cruise of a lifetime so we needed to go for it. We are flying British Airways. Our flights plans are: May 21 fly out of Memphis, May 22 arrive in London and stay for 3 nights, May 25 leave for Barcelona and stay at the Le Meridian (We will arrive in time for dinner), May 26 board the ship (What time can we board? It will be my daughter's 7th Birthday), June 5 tour Barcelona before departing at 6:30 for London and then June 6 leave for home:( We got the airline tickets for $994. Was this good? They are economy. We look forwarde to our trip and the opportunity to meet all of you!

[Eeyore77]

Is anyone having any luck with affordable flights? I am flying from Miami or Ft Lauderdale (I live near West Palm) ans nothing is coming up for less than 1000 a person.

[MKJEcruisers]

We used Kayak.com and were able to find tickets from a really small airport here where we live in Greenville to Barcelona and then from Barcelona to Munich-where we are going after the cruise for a while-and from Munich to Greenville for 957 pp. What an awesome find! Greenville is known for having the most expensive flights in the southeast so I was amazed to find this.

[wrennies]

Ya'll are all doing much better than me. To find a flight that leaves after 12 noon on Staurday (June 5), the best I can do right now $1258. And if we wait and leave on Sunday it is not much better (not enough to cover the hotel room) $1191. I wish I could find some of these deals!!!!

[threebritts]

well, its official, were on this cruise too! We switched from RCL back to Disney because were just Disney people!! We were at Hollywood studios last night for the Osborne lights and that just got me "Mickeyed Up" as my hubby says!

Plus LOL I love the fish extenders! RCL does nothing fun and they are so much fun. I know people are worried about traveling overseas but there are so many little dollar store things you can get that are great to get in your FE. On our last cruise people put postcards or keychains from where they were from,as a group we did dry erase boards with our logo on it.

Now for the logo, does anyone have any ideas for this? We can make one and then have it for everyone so they can use for door magnets and tshirts! Hubby was looking for some graphics to make a flag banner and or logo . I was thinking "Mickeys Mediterranean Pirates" or something like that but I know some people get sick of pirate themes. Any ideas?


As you can see im all into planning and we can do FE groups or people can do them on their own too but having logo shirts would be fun so we stand out. Also, we could plan for scavenger hunt and have group photo taken on boards.
Were having a hard time with airfares too, we'd be leaving from Tampa to Barcelona .

Well cant wait to hear from everyone. Im an RN that works 12 hour nights so sometimes im gone for a few days but still checking in .

[MKJEcruisers]

I love the idea of FE groups if the number of people wanting to participate gets to be too many. It sure would cut down on the luggage factor that will be an issue anyway with international travel.

[bewitched00]

Hang in there on finding a deal on the flights. :goodvibes
I keep thinking that after Christmas something good is going to come along-it seems that date wise we are right in the cutoff for low season. Here is hoping for cheaper flights! If you form groups for the fish extenders we would love to be in one- DD10 and DS8
:thumbsup2

[threebritts]

I would be willing to organize the fish extenders if wanted. I can make a spreadsheet but we need to decide if we want to do teams or individually.
The best thing to do is make sure that all 10 days are covered though.
Just eamil me your info with room numbers and we'll see how many we get and what to do.
I can make a map for everyone with participating cabins wether in groups or individuals.

[bewitched00]

Hi Heather!
I can not send e-mail or post my e-mail because I have not posted enough on the board. Thanks for being willing to organize the fish extenders:thumbsup2 We would love to participate and if you need any help let me know.
Our info. is Room # 6081 and kids DD Presley 10 and DS Parker 8. I am hoping to post enough to e-mail soon.
Thanks.
Tabitha Stephens

[speakupjc]

Bump. No one responded to our post so I wanted to post it again.

We will be joining you and would love to do the fish extenders as well. Please let me know where to order whatever you need to put on your door. It will be myself, my daughter age 6 and a first grader at Crosswinds Elementary in Collierville, TN, and my husband. I noticed that there is another mom on here from Collierville. What part of Collierville do you live in and would you like to meet for lunch one day? Also how many other children are in this age group? We are huge Disney fans and cruise every 6 months thru DVC but have never been to Europe. We are staying in a cat 3 and are very excited as we are usually in a cat 10. We figured that this is a cruise of a lifetime so we needed to go for it. We are flying British Airways. Our flights plans are: May 21 fly out of Memphis, May 22 arrive in London and stay for 3 nights, May 25 leave for Barcelona and stay at the Le Meridian (We will arrive in time for dinner), May 26 board the ship (What time can we board? It will be my daughter's 7th Birthday), June 5 tour Barcelona before departing at 6:30 for London and then June 6 leave for home We got the airline tickets for $994. Was this good? They are economy. We look forward to our trip and the opportunity to meet all of you!

[wrennies]

Speakupjc, we are from Knoxville. "My Three Sons" and my DH will also be on this cruise. Your tickets from Memphis are a great price it looks like. BA has a "sale" that goes through May 23. We weren't planning on leaving until the 24th, but are considering this offer. My only concern is going through Heathrow. I have heard alot of baggage issues there.

[Tahitian Traveler]

I am so excited ! :yay::yay: Disney finally posted some of the shore excursions for Barcelona. I am on pins and needles waiting for the others to be released. :cheer2:

[speakupjc]

Thanks for responding wrennies. What have you heard about Heathrow?

[MKJEcruisers]

Hi Heather!
I can not send e-mail or post my e-mail because I have not posted enough on the board. Thanks for being willing to organize the fish extenders:thumbsup2 We would love to participate and if you need any help let me know.
Our info. is Room # 6081 and kids DD Presley 10 and DS Parker 8. I am hoping to post enough to e-mail soon.
Thanks.
Tabitha Stephens

We have a daughter that will be 10 at the time of the cruise. It looks like we are just down the hall from you (room 6110) :woohoo:

[wrennies]

Restrictions about carry-on is very tight. One carry-on and that means your purse, or even a fanny tight. I have also heard about other baggage issues. I have never been there. Just read and heard these things in my "research".

[bewitched00]

MJKEcruisers-
That is Great! Presley is in 4th grade and will turn 10 in December. She will look forward to meeting your daughter!

[bewitched00]

Bump. No one responded to our post so I wanted to post it again.

We will be joining you and would love to do the fish extenders as well. Please let me know where to order whatever you need to put on your door. It will be myself, my daughter age 6 and a first grader at Crosswinds Elementary in Collierville, TN, and my husband. I noticed that there is another mom on here from Collierville. What part of Collierville do you live in and would you like to meet for lunch one day? Also how many other children are in this age group? We are huge Disney fans and cruise every 6 months thru DVC but have never been to Europe. We are staying in a cat 3 and are very excited as we are usually in a cat 10. We figured that this is a cruise of a lifetime so we needed to go for it. We are flying British Airways. Our flights plans are: May 21 fly out of Memphis, May 22 arrive in London and stay for 3 nights, May 25 leave for Barcelona and stay at the Le Meridian (We will arrive in time for dinner), May 26 board the ship (What time can we board? It will be my daughter's 7th Birthday), June 5 tour Barcelona before departing at 6:30 for London and then June 6 leave for home We got the airline tickets for $994. Was this good? They are economy. We look forward to our trip and the opportunity to meet all of you!

You will really enjoy London. We stayed for a week and did not get to see everything- so much to do. The museums are fantastic-. It is very expensive because of the exchange rate- but worth it. Make sure to get some Thorton's toffee- the chocolate covered is amazing. I am not sure about the airport because we took the train from Paris over and back- we stayed in France for an extended period of time for DH work. Lots of luck planning it sounds like a fun!

[MKJEcruisers]

Has anyone seen America's Funniest Videos where the 10 day med cruise is the grand prize in a 'family dream vacation of a lifetime' sweepstakes? That was really cool to see that. :cool1:

[wrennies]

My children and I saw it on Sunday night. It was really cool. I believe it was for the May 5th cruise.

[threebritts]

Off work for 3 days now Wohooooooo can do some planning!


We were talking about going to London but now were talking about driving from Barcelona to Paris and staying there a few days then back to fly home so not sure if we;ll make it there :(

Ive only had one person respond on the FE group,hoping we can get more than that, at least 10 families would be nice for every day to be covered. It doesnt have to be anything big ! Its alot fo fun to watch the kids running back to the cabin to see if anyone has made a visit to their FE.

Got some cute material so im going to work on making some FEs today and might go to WDW to see the Osborne lights tonight!

[MKJEcruisers]

Off work for 3 days now Wohooooooo can do some planning!


We were talking about going to London but now were talking about driving from Barcelona to Paris and staying there a few days then back to fly home so not sure if we;ll make it there :(

Ive only had one person respond on the FE group,hoping we can get more than that, at least 10 families would be nice for every day to be covered. It doesnt have to be anything big ! Its alot fo fun to watch the kids running back to the cabin to see if anyone has made a visit to their FE.

Got some cute material so im going to work on making some FEs today and might go to WDW to see the Osborne lights tonight!


That's too bad that no one else has signed up to do FEs. Hopefully more will the closer we get to the sailing date.

[Eeyore77]

That's too bad that no one else has signed up to do FEs. Hopefully more will the closer we get to the sailing date.

I would love to do the FE's. I have done it on two other cruises and it is a lot of fun to find a small gift outside your door.

[threebritts]

http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae73/tombritt64/cruise-1.png

[MKJEcruisers]

http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae73/tombritt64/cruise-1.png

That looks great!

[threebritts]

I would love to do the FE's. I have done it on two other cruises and it is a lot of fun to find a small gift outside your door.

OK I will take that as offically wanting to be added :lmao:

Hubby is trying to work with photobucket and or cafe press to get our logo on for tshirts to be made. If anyone wants to make door magnets or anything your welcome to pirate it. If anyone else has any logo ideas please post them, the more ideas the merrier!

The lights last night were awesome! The castle was even better :)

[Eeyore77]

Thanks for adding my to the list... LOL... I love the Logo it is really cute!!!

OK I will take that as offically wanting to be added :lmao:

Hubby is trying to work with photobucket and or cafe press to get our logo on for tshirts to be made. If anyone wants to make door magnets or anything your welcome to pirate it. If anyone else has any logo ideas please post them, the more ideas the merrier!

The lights last night were awesome! The castle was even better :)

[threebritts]

I tweaked it a little by changing the font
http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae73/tombritt64/cruise1.png

[bewitched00]

Hey I wanted to let everyone know that I am on hold with my travel agent -she is telling me that they have now opened the Cat. 12 for the kids sail free promo. She is changing us from Cat. 11 to the 12 and saving us a couple grand!
We are not picky and know we could end up where they put us- but we are good with that. I just thought I would pass it along in case anyone else is interested. Have a great day! and Happy Thanksgiving!!:cool1:

[wrennies]

They are up!!! On the disney webpage, but the name has been changed to "Port Adventures". Let the Planning begin!!!!

[speakupjc]

Love the logo! We want to do the fe if you don't already have us on the list. How can I get a fe? I don't sew so I can't make one.

[IrishCowboy]

subscribing

[threebritts]

Love the logo! We want to do the fe if you don't already have us on the list. How can I get a fe? I don't sew so I can't make one.

I'll add you to the list, just need to know cabin and how many!


There are people that sell them on ebay and there is a place that gives instructions. I have made a few and would be willing to make one for you but I dont know what material you would want. Black felt works best for the background and then whatever material you want for the pockets and I also put the names on the pockets.

[threebritts]

They are up!!! On the disney webpage, but the name has been changed to "Port Adventures". Let the Planning begin!!!!

YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll have to print them out and see what they have!

[threebritts]

Im working the next 3 days so will be sleeping when everyones eating turkey but wanted to wish everyone here a


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!:love:

[bewitched00]

Im working the next 3 days so will be sleeping when everyones eating turkey but wanted to wish everyone here a


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!:love:

Thanks for all your hard work with the FE and the logo is awesome!!
:thumbsup2

[Tahitian Traveler]

Hello everyone, I was so excited when I saw the shore excursions this morning that I posted the announcement on the Baltic chat sight. :confused3
Well, I have not posted in awhile AND it was 5 in the morning ! Count me in for the FE. We are a family of 9. I will send you my information tomorrow. The excursions look great. :dance3:

[Eeyore77]

Hello everyone, I was so excited when I saw the shore excursions this morning that I posted the announcement on the Baltic chat sight. :confused3
Well, I have not posted in awhile AND it was 5 in the morning ! Count me in for the FE. We are a family of 9. I will send you my information tomorrow. The excursions look great. :dance3:


The excursions look awesome, but OUCH look at those prices. I will have to find a way to make it work but still... I was hoping there would be a few that weren't so pricey. Oh well there are some can't miss oppurtunities on there so I guess I better keep saving....

[Tahitian Traveler]

Thank you Bewitched00 for the cat 12 tip. I saved a few thousand myself by switching. I am so grateful that they opened up the cat 12 because I have been checking on them for the last year and they were never available. Disney was kind enough to put a party of 4 in a cat 11 at the cat 12 price. Thank you Disney. The savings alone will pay for a big chunk of our airfare.
So tho you Bewitched I am eternally grateful. Thank you again.:worship:

[threebritts]

this is Heathers DH Tom I set up a link to order shirts with the logo:teeth:

http://www.cafepress.com/medcruise
just click on link and it shoul take you there

[TammyAlphabet]

Hi!!!! Guess what? The cheap Category 12 cabins have lured me back to Disney from Royal Caribbean! I booked tonight just after I saw those cheap cheap rates. Tahitian, Sinnika, threeBrits, and all you Repo'ers and former cruisemates, I will see you onboard!!:cool1:

[TammyAlphabet]

http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae73/tombritt64/cruise-1.png

I love this Heather!!

Hey I wanted to let everyone know that I am on hold with my travel agent -she is telling me that they have now opened the Cat. 12 for the kids sail free promo. She is changing us from Cat. 11 to the 12 and saving us a couple grand!
We are not picky and know we could end up where they put us- but we are good with that. I just thought I would pass it along in case anyone else is interested. Have a great day! and Happy Thanksgiving!!:cool1:

You are the best! Thanks for the heads up!

[sinnika]

Hi!!!! Guess what? The cheap Category 12 cabins have lured me back to Disney from Royal Caribbean! I booked tonight just after I saw those cheap cheap rates. Tahitian, Sinnika, threeBrits, and all you Repo'ers and former cruisemates, I will see you onboard!!:cool1:

Tammy, Glad you're back! I changed to a cat 12 too! DH was less than thrilled at first, but after I told him what we are saving will pay for our airfare, he was OK with it. Told DD I changed our category, and she got very excited and said "did you get us a cat 3????" The look on her face when I told her I went the other direction was priceless!!!:rotfl: But I am beyond thrilled!!!:yay: :dance3: :cheer2:

We're at the 6 month mark today till we cruise!!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

[Eeyore77]

Tammy, Glad you're back! I changed to a cat 12 too! DH was less than thrilled at first, but after I told him what we are saving will pay for our airfare, he was OK with it. Told DD I changed our category, and she got very excited and said "did you get us a cat 3????" The look on her face when I told her I went the other direction was priceless!!!:rotfl: But I am beyond thrilled!!!:yay: :dance3: :cheer2:

We're at the 6 month mark today till we cruise!!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Did you get a room # or are you a GTY room?

[sinnika]

Did you get a room # or are you a GTY room?

We'll be a GTY since there are 4 of us. None of the 12's hold 4 people but they let you book four in a cat 12. When we cruised in June and booked a cat 12 (there were 3 of us), we did not get our room assignment till about 45 days out. We did not get upgraded but the 12 was fine for us. On that cruise, there were about 30 families on our cruise meet who booked cat 12's so most got moved up since I think there are only 13 of them. I guess its a smart way to fill the ship by occasionally opening up some cat 12's at a great price.

[Eeyore77]

We'll be a GTY since there are 4 of us. None of the 12's hold 4 people but they let you book four in a cat 12. When we cruised in June and booked a cat 12 (there were 3 of us), we did not get our room assignment till about 45 days out. We did not get upgraded but the 12 was fine for us. On that cruise, there were about 30 families on our cruise meet who booked cat 12's so most got moved up since I think there are only 13 of them. I guess its a smart way to fill the ship by occasionally opening up some cat 12's at a great price.

Sounds good to me I am going to try to call tomorrow when they open to see if these are still available. I would love to save some money... LOL Then again who wouldn't.

[TammyAlphabet]

Sounds good to me I am going to try to call tomorrow when they open to see if these are still available. I would love to save some money... LOL Then again who wouldn't.

I think the cat 12 at this price is a no brainer for me and I think there are still cabins left at this price. They are really trying to fill the ship, I just wish that the week after from Barcelona to Dover was as cheap.

[Eeyore77]

Well I just called DCL and there are no more Cat. 12 rooms available for this sailing. Oh well!!! I guess the fact that our trip has a holiday weekend in it makes it more popular. I tried! I guess we will have to stick with using our DVC points for half of this one.

[bewitched00]

Well I just called DCL and there are no more Cat. 12 rooms available for this sailing. Oh well!!! I guess the fact that our trip has a holiday weekend in it makes it more popular. I tried! I guess we will have to stick with using our DVC points for half of this one.

I was going to let you know my sister's experience from a previous cruise-- she was wait listed for a Cat. 12 after they sold out-- she ended up getting the Cat. 12 but had to wait until 30 days out to find out- they ended up opening the Cat. up again. She was already booked in a Cat. 11- so it wasn't a big deal if it didn't happen. Just thought I would let you know.

[bewitched00]

Thank you Bewitched00 for the cat 12 tip. I saved a few thousand myself by switching. I am so grateful that they opened up the cat 12 because I have been checking on them for the last year and they were never available. Disney was kind enough to put a party of 4 in a cat 11 at the cat 12 price. Thank you Disney. The savings alone will pay for a big chunk of our airfare.
So tho you Bewitched I am eternally grateful. Thank you again.:worship:

You are so welcome!! I am glad that you could save some money as well.
I considered it a Thanksgiving blessing! :)

[sinnika]

Well I just called DCL and there are no more Cat. 12 rooms available for this sailing. Oh well!!! I guess the fact that our trip has a holiday weekend in it makes it more popular. I tried! I guess we will have to stick with using our DVC points for half of this one.

This was my experience with the cat 12's for the June western car. cruise: they were available, then they weren't, then Disney would release a few more. I spent 2 days solid trying to book two rooms. I booked in Jan. I was able to email my TA as soon as I spotted them and she snagged them for me. Or if you are not using a TA, grab them yourself as soon as you see them. So don't give up. They could randomly pop up again. It was worth 2 days of my time on the computer considering what I saved last time. And this deal is even better! I saved over $5500 by going from a cat 6 to a cat 12!! Thank you Bewitched00! :worship:

[threebritts]

Hi!!!! Guess what? The cheap Category 12 cabins have lured me back to Disney from Royal Caribbean! I booked tonight just after I saw those cheap cheap rates. Tahitian, Sinnika, threeBrits, and all you Repo'ers and former cruisemates, I will see you onboard!!:cool1:

YAY!!!!!!!! I was glad to see you came back! Will be nice to see you and the kids again!We were lured back to Disney from RCL too, they are a great cruise line but its just not "Disney" and with my friends daughter coming I wanted her to experience that!

Im glad you like the logo, were getting some shirts for xmas ( oops I hope tom doesnt read this LOL)!

Going to Vegas in am with my mom for 4 days ( hoping to win some cruise money). The excursions looked nice but yes OUCH to the prices!Was cute when we were at Epcot and went to Italy last weekend , bethany saw a alabaster four leaf clover little charm and it has "Fortuna" on it and Bethany said I have to have it so I have it packed and hope it works! If I win millions were all getting the upgrade fairy :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend and recovers from turkey coma!


Heather

[TammyAlphabet]

YAY!!!!!!!! I was glad to see you came back! Will be nice to see you and the kids again!We were lured back to Disney from RCL too, they are a great cruise line but its just not "Disney" and with my friends daughter coming I wanted her to experience that!

Im glad you like the logo, were getting some shirts for xmas ( oops I hope tom doesnt read this LOL)!

Going to Vegas in am with my mom for 4 days ( hoping to win some cruise money). The excursions looked nice but yes OUCH to the prices!Was cute when we were at Epcot and went to Italy last weekend , bethany saw a alabaster four leaf clover little charm and it has "Fortuna" on it and Bethany said I have to have it so I have it packed and hope it works! If I win millions were all getting the upgrade fairy :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend and recovers from turkey coma!


Heather

I am looking forward to seeing you guys too. Anyway you can talk Holly into coming and bringing Tyler?

[Nyanchan]

Hello! We booked while aboard the Magic this past week... Cat 12 room, never stayed in anything but a balcony room, but for the $$ savings we'll deal with it! It's the 3 of us, DH, DD-5 & me.

All the planning is up to me, so I'm freaking out a little bit. DH is not very adventuresome, so he's wanting to do the Disney tours... but $$ is OUCH! I'm also a little hesitant to bring DD on all the tours, but don't want to leave her in the Oceaneers Club that long either. What a quandry!

Thinking of flying in a few days early....

D~

[HappyGrumpy]

Hey All, jumping on this thread to seek some info!

Now that the May 15th Med cat 12 is $2600 for both me and the hubby we can consider going on this cruise however I cannot book it until the end of Dec so I am crossing my fingers we can still get on!

Does anyone know if that cruise is sold out for cat 12's? for that cruise?

AND..are most of you all doing a med cruise using DCL Port Adventures or going along with other members of the boards on private excursions?

Just curious to see if the cost of the PA seem reasonable or high to others!

Thanks!

[HappyGrumpy]

Sorry Ya'll I will post on the May 15th Med Thread!:::thumbsup2

[Pluto,]

just booked this cruise with the great cat 12 price.the cat 12 have been coming and going on this cruise.it was on there thanksgiving went to book it on friday and it was gone so i booked the may 5. yesterday the cat 12 was on there for this cruise so i called to switch from may 5 to this cruise and the lady told me the cat 12 are not on here for this cruise i said yes it is i just looked at it, looked at it again myself and yes it was gone that fast.planning on staying at barcelona 2 nights before the cruise and one night after the cruise.

[Pluto,]

Well I just called DCL and there are no more Cat. 12 rooms available for this sailing. Oh well!!! I guess the fact that our trip has a holiday weekend in it makes it more popular. I tried! I guess we will have to stick with using our DVC points for half of this one.

keep checking just booked the cat 12 on this cruise. about a half an hour ago.

[sinnika]

keep checking just booked the cat 12 on this cruise. about a half an hour ago.

That's how it was for our June cruise. Lots of cat 12's booked. One minute they would be there, then they would be gone. So if you really want one, spend the time on the DCL site - just keep on refreshing the page. And as soon as you see one, snag it! I think we are going to see this cruise grow in numbers quickly! Most of us on our June 13th meet thread had booked cat 12's! I think we had 30 or 35 families booked in cat 12's. So of course, majority was upgraded since there are only 13 cat 12 staterooms. I actually liked the inside cabin. Made it great for sleeping! :goodvibes

[TammyAlphabet]

That's how it was for our June cruise. Lots of cat 12's booked. One minute they would be there, then they would be gone. So if you really want one, spend the time on the DCL site - just keep on refreshing the page. And as soon as you see one, snag it! I think we are going to see this cruise grow in numbers quickly! Most of us on our June 13th meet thread had booked cat 12's! I think we had 30 or 35 families booked in cat 12's. So of course, majority was upgraded since there are only 13 cat 12 staterooms. I actually liked the inside cabin. Made it great for sleeping! :goodvibes

That is so true! I am hoping to catch some super super low fares on the 7 night repo now. I will have to check everyday.

[Pluto,]

well i just called dcl to add some hotel stays before and after the cruise.
i wanted 2 nights before the cruise all they had left was le meridian at 599 a night so i just got 1 night because of cost. i went to the hotel website to see how much it will cost they wanted 395 euro. still expensive. than the one night after the cruise is at the hilton. i might change the before night to a differnt hotel on my own than maybe for two nights. the lady at dcl said to keep checking back to see availability of the other hotels. people dropping out of ther cruise or changing their mind about the hotel. or maybe dcl will buy some more rooms

[Eeyore77]

well i just called dcl to add some hotel stays before and after the cruise.
i wanted 2 nights before the cruise all they had left was le meridian at 599 a night so i just got 1 night because of cost. i went to the hotel website to see how much it will cost they wanted 395 euro. still expensive. than the one night after the cruise is at the hilton. i might change the before night to a differnt hotel on my own than maybe for two nights. the lady at dcl said to keep checking back to see availability of the other hotels. people dropping out of ther cruise or changing their mind about the hotel. or maybe dcl will buy some more rooms

I was shocked by the hotel prices. We have decided to book the night after the cruise with our hilton honors points. It will save us a pile and my husband gets a ton of them since he is on the road all the time.

[TammyAlphabet]

I am staying at the Hotel Jazz for a couple nights before the cruise. Not very family friendly but pretty highly rated hotel.

[Pluto,]

I am staying at the Hotel Jazz for a couple nights before the cruise. Not very family friendly but pretty highly rated hotel.

just looked at the hotel jazz looks pretty good. thanks i have to think about it

[Eeyore77]

This was my experience with the cat 12's for the June western car. cruise: they were available, then they weren't, then Disney would release a few more. I spent 2 days solid trying to book two rooms. I booked in Jan. I was able to email my TA as soon as I spotted them and she snagged them for me. Or if you are not using a TA, grab them yourself as soon as you see them. So don't give up. They could randomly pop up again. It was worth 2 days of my time on the computer considering what I saved last time. And this deal is even better! I saved over $5500 by going from a cat 6 to a cat 12!! Thank you Bewitched00! :worship:


I finally got one!!!!!! I got a Cat 12 GTY!!! Yeah I am so frickin excited that I don't know what to do... All day long I just kept hitting the refresh button over and over again and all the sudden at 3:15 they showed back up... Yeah!!!! They are still showing on the website right now so if anyone is interested call now...:cool1::cheer2:

[sinnika]

I finally got one!!!!!! I got a Cat 12 GTY!!! Yeah I am so frickin excited that I don't know what to do... All day long I just kept hitting the refresh button over and over again and all the sudden at 3:15 they showed back up... Yeah!!!! They are still showing on the website right now so if anyone is interested call now...:cool1::cheer2:

SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! Wasn't it worth spending a day on the computer? Its like you made a couple grand! Not bad for a day's work hitting the refresh button! :yay::cool1::woohoo:

[Eeyore77]

SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! Wasn't it worth spending a day on the computer? Its like you made a couple grand! Not bad for a day's work hitting the refresh button! :yay::cool1::woohoo:

I completely agree with you on that one. I cannot believe that there is a 3050 difference between the cat. 11 and 12. That is absolutely crazy. So now how will this whole GTY thingy work. This is a first for me. I have always had a stateroom assigned before?!?!?!

[Nyanchan]

Anyone ever fly Air Europa?? They have $678. flights into Barcelona... but the reviews are not so hot. Personally, I'd chance it, but not with a nervous nelly husband and 5 year old!

D~

[sinnika]

I completely agree with you on that one. I cannot believe that there is a 3050 difference between the cat. 11 and 12. That is absolutely crazy. So now how will this whole GTY thingy work. This is a first for me. I have always had a stateroom assigned before?!?!?!

They let us know about 45 days out when we cruised in June. Now I've read that DCL has been calling people to see if they want to pay for an upgrade as opposed to just giving free upgrades. For the deal we got, I'm thrilled staying in a cat 12, although since we are a party of 4, we'll get at least a cat 11. :goodvibes

[threebritts]

Home from Vegas and won some cruise money ! Wohooo!

Glad to see new people on the boards and that people are saving some money! I was looking at the excursions, some of them are sure pricey for family of 5

Ive been making the sheet as people add for the FE! Tom made it so people can order shirts and other stuff at Cafe press, trying to find somewhere to make lanyards with the logo too and where we could have our dinames on there so we stand out to each other, anyone have any ideas?

Well off to work 3 12s, will check on when I can :) if not everyone have a great weekend!


Heather

[threebritts]

I am looking forward to seeing you guys too. Anyway you can talk Holly into coming and bringing Tyler?

She booked for the Wonder PC repo so cant afford this one too. I wish she could ,would love to have them on this one!

[bewitched00]

I finally got one!!!!!! I got a Cat 12 GTY!!! Yeah I am so frickin excited that I don't know what to do... All day long I just kept hitting the refresh button over and over again and all the sudden at 3:15 they showed back up... Yeah!!!! They are still showing on the website right now so if anyone is interested call now...:cool1::cheer2:

YEAH!!! That is Awesome. So Happy that you got one.:cool1:

[Eeyore77]

YEAH!!! That is Awesome. So Happy that you got one.:cool1:

Thanks I am sooooooo excited about this trip. Sadly it seems to be all I think about.. LOL... I guess the fact that I only found out I was going to be going a few weeks ago makes it seem so close.

So how many people are there signed up for the FE? Is there a list some where or are we going to wait until later to put one out. Is there a sign up dead line? Oh yeah I did say I wanted to do it right? LOL... I think I did. :)

I still have no plane tickets yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed that after the holidays some serious airfare competition will start and I will be able to get a good deal out of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, or West Palm. :worship: I am sending good vibes to the airfare gods......