7/9/11 - Summer Magic in the Med

[lauritagoddess]

I know it's almost 2 years away, but I'm so excited about this cruise. I had dummy booking that I made onboard last year when we were on the EB PC Repo and yesterday my TA moved it to the med cruise. It's just my son and I, who'll be 9 when this cruise rolls around.

Who else will be joining us? :goodvibes

[tinkerbell_29]

You beat me to it I was just getting ready to start a thread for this. I'm traveling with my mom Nancy and my brother Matt. All adults. This will be our second med cruise we sailed with Disney the first time they were over and loved it. We had a Baltic cruise booked but due to some medical issues had to change to this cruise. I'm looking forward to it because they are going to the ports we loved and added some new ones.

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

I'm sorry you're missing out on the Baltic, but how cool that you'll be getting to go to the Med for a second time, especially since you'll get to experience some different ports. I'm looking forward to hearing about your prior cruise. I wonder how many people on the cruise will be former Med cruisers.

[tinkerbell_29]

We really enjoyed the first med cruise. It was actually our first cruise ever so we made a few mistakes but are definitely going to be doing things differently this time. Last time we did not go over to Barcelona early enough. There is a lot to see there and you need time to get over the jet lag. We also went straight home after the cruise. We were so tired that the flight home was miserable. This time we are doing 3 nights before to sight see and get over jet lag and one night after. Barcelona has a great hop on hop off tourist bus that goes to almost all the major sights and has narratives of what you are seeing in English. The airport was a nightmare. They do not believe in lines at all and getting through customs was really confusing. Last time we booked our hotel on our own and needed to get a taxi. You have to wait your turn for one and the driver spoke no English. I had a picture of our hotel and the address in Spanish to show him. This time we booked through Disney so we would not have to worry about that.

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

I'll have to keep that in mind about maybe booking an extra day in Barcelona at the end of the cruise. I had figured we'd go straight from the cruise to the airport. We'll be coming from London before Barcelona. This will be my son's first trip to Europe, so I was planning on spending a week in London before the cruise and then maybe a couple of days in Barcelona. I just have to see how much time I can get off from work and how much this will all cost me.

[tinkerbell_29]

Jet lag won't be a problem for y'all since you will already be over there. We booked the day after because last time we were at the airport by 9 am and our flight did not leave until four. We could not even check into our flight when we got to the airport because it was so early. That and we were so tired from the cruise which is not a relaxing one that it would have been nice to catch our breath before dealing with customs both in Barcelona and back in the US.

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

Did you do the DCL transfers last time? Do you know if you can use the transfers going back to the airport if you don't go directly from the cruise to the airport?

[tinkerbell_29]

Last time we went straight to the airport. We also did. Not book anything but the cruise through dcl. This time we booked everything through dcl and were able to book transfer from the hotel to the airport after the cruise.
Melissa

[miksilver]

I will be joining you guys on this cruise. YEAH!!! I'm so excited, even though it's pretty far away. I've never booked a cruise so far in advance, but I wanted to cruise Disney in the Med. and this one works for us.

It's myself, Kim my DH, Chris and DD, Chelsea who will be 6 when we cruise. I just have the cruise booked, nothing else.

I don't know how long we will be staying before or if we will do a stop-over in England before or after our stay since my DH's family (my in-law's) are over there. I haven't cruised the Med. before but am an avid cruiser and traveler with 7 cruises under my belt and one coming up soon.

I look forward to chatting with everyone!

Kim

[lauritagoddess]

Kim, welcome!! :) I've never booked anything so far out either, but this worked well for us too. I find it kind of strange though, I'd like to research flights and try to figure out our pre-cruise stay in London, but it's just too far out. I do figure though it gives me plenty of time to get my son interested in the ports and to learn about them.

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome Kim! We have booked this far out before especially for the bigger cruises. It gives you time to pay for the cruise and to plan. We went to the med with Disney the first time they went and loved it. It is not a relaxing cruise but it is a lot of fun and a interesting way to see some of these ports of call and see where you might like to go back to some day. For excursions we will do almost all DCL excursions due to the fact that a lot of things are a long way from the port. The only place I know we will do on our own is Villefrance the train is easy to use and quick.

Melissa

[miksilver]

Thanks for the welcome.

Since the cruise is so far out I haven't even begun any cruise research yet. I am a crazy vacation researcher and will probably know tons about each port we are going to and what options there are. I'm looking forward to a travel vacation -- lots of culture, fun and adventure.

I have a short DCL cruise coming up for Thanksgiving and am focusing on that one right now. There are a lot of logistics involved with that cruise since we are travelling with my Mom who has a lot of health issues including trouble walking and is on portable dialysis and my brother is mulitply handicapped as well. There are travel wheelchairs to buy before we leave, scooters to rent, handicapped rooms to ensure we have, private transportation to book (to avoid buses which are uncomfortable for my Mom), park tickets to get... The list seems to be getting larger and larger, not smaller :upsidedow I also have to finish arranging my other brother and sister-in-law meeting us for the cruise part of the trip. They already had a trip to Amsterdam planned before this trip came up and they arrive back from Amsterdam the day before the DCL cruise! But, since Mom is paying for the cruise and trip (can't beat that :thumbsup2) what Mom wants, Mom will get on this cruise. I think after this one, planning this Med. cruise will be a peice of cake!

Kim

[lauritagoddess]

WTG for your mom on paying for your Thanksgiving trip, but the logistics sound crazy.

I love doing the trip research and planning, it's almost as much fun as the actual trip itself. And my Disney nut of a son loves it too. He was making up a list for Santa yesterday and he asked Santa for annual passes to WDW and to DL. :rotfl:

[tinkerbell_29]

Never done a Thanksgiving cruise before. We were on the magic last Christmas and loved it but the seas were rough. Even though we are adults our mom still pays for the biggest portion of trips like this because she wants us to still travel as a family. My dad passed away 5 years ago so we are all she has left. I agree with you though since mom pays mom gets the trip the way she wants.

I am an obsessive planner especially when it comes to anything Disney. To me it just builds the excitement about the trip.

Melissa

[miksilver]

WTG for your mom on paying for your Thanksgiving trip, but the logistics sound crazy.

I love doing the trip research and planning, it's almost as much fun as the actual trip itself. And my Disney nut of a son loves it too. He was making up a list for Santa yesterday and he asked Santa for annual passes to WDW and to DL. :rotfl:

Logisitics are crazy, but doable. It's mostly that I'll worry about her the majority of the trip and not be able to enjoy WDW as much as I normally do. I have to make sure she doesn't stress herself too much and I watch her like crazy to make sure she's fine. She's the type of Mom who doesn't want to say that she's feeling bad because she doesn't want to "spoil" or ruin the fun for everyone else. What she needs to understand is that we've all been the WDW before, will go to WDW again and it's no big deal if we miss anything.

Oh, and my DD has already begun her xmas list as well. If she sees something that she wants in a commercial she will take out an imaginary list, pretend to mark down what she wants and finishes it all off with a big "Check!" that she says really loud.

Never done a Thanksgiving cruise before. We were on the magic last Christmas and loved it but the seas were rough. Even though we are adults our mom still pays for the biggest portion of trips like this because she wants us to still travel as a family. My dad passed away 5 years ago so we are all she has left. I agree with you though since mom pays mom gets the trip the way she wants.

I am an obsessive planner especially when it comes to anything Disney. To me it just builds the excitement about the trip.

Melissa

My Dad passed away about 5 years ago as well :hug:. I know what it's like when your all your Mom has left. I also work with my Mom in our family business so things can get a little more stressed sometimes. Oh, and my DH works with us too.

So I guess it sounds like all 3 of us are obsessive planners, and especially obsessive Disney planners. It's normal to me :rolleyes1. Most of my other friends can't understand why I am on a message board talking to other people a year and a half before the cruise even begins. They just don't "get it".

Kim

[lauritagoddess]

Logisitics are crazy, but doable. It's mostly that I'll worry about her the majority of the trip and not be able to enjoy WDW as much as I normally do. I have to make sure she doesn't stress herself too much and I watch her like crazy to make sure she's fine. She's the type of Mom who doesn't want to say that she's feeling bad because she doesn't want to "spoil" or ruin the fun for everyone else. What she needs to understand is that we've all been the WDW before, will go to WDW again and it's no big deal if we miss anything.

Oh, and my DD has already begun her xmas list as well. If she sees something that she wants in a commercial she will take out an imaginary list, pretend to mark down what she wants and finishes it all off with a big "Check!" that she says really loud.



My Dad passed away about 5 years ago as well :hug:. I know what it's like when your all your Mom has left. I also work with my Mom in our family business so things can get a little more stressed sometimes. Oh, and my DH works with us too.

So I guess it sounds like all 3 of us are obsessive planners, and especially obsessive Disney planners. It's normal to me :rolleyes1. Most of my other friends can't understand why I am on a message board talking to other people a year and a half before the cruise even begins. They just don't "get it".

Kim

Hopefully you can slow the pace down for her so she doesn't try to push herself too hard. It's great though that your mom wants to do this with you. My dad is disabled and pretty much house bound now and my mom won't go far from him, but even then I can't imagine her trooping all over WDW.

It's so true about other people not getting it with the Disney planning. I have one friend who's as much of a Disney nut as I am, but she's the only one. And the longer until the trip, the more time to obsess over everything. :)

[IrishCowboy]

I have added a link to your thread on the main index page. Have a great cruise!:thumbsup2

[tinkerbell_29]

Got a call from IC yesterday we were able to upgrade to a cat 3 midship right off from the elevators. I am so excited we have been on the wait list for one of these for almost every single cruise and it has not come through. It will be nice not to be stuck in a small cabin with three adults.

None of my friends understand why I'm planning a trip so early or why I'm talking to people on line about a trip that is so far off. I've tried to explain but they just don't get it.

Melissa

[miksilver]

Melissa -- That's great!

I'm still excited because I got one of secret veranda rooms for my family. Cat 7 price for a Cat 6 room.

[lauritagoddess]

A Cat 3 upgrade, that's wonderful! And the secret veranda room too. We're in a Cat 9A, which is the old Cat 8. I was going back and forth over whether to get the veranda or not, but decided to save the $$ since we're going to have our time in London before the trip.

[tinkerbell_29]

We decided that since we had to give up our cruise in 2010 that we would splurge on this one. We usually book on points and stay in a cat 10 so it will be nice to have the veranda and the two bathrooms. We are only doing 3 nights in Barcelona before and one night after so that really didn't add to much more to the cost. I would've loved to gone to Paris after but my brother can not get that much time off of work.

Melissa

[miksilver]

Wow. You guys even know how long you are going to stay before and after. I just know that I am going on this cruise. I have a lot of points saved up via work that we are going to use for our airline tickets. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but nothing concrete.

I think it will all depend if my in-laws actually come and visit us next summer like they told my DH they wanted to. But, if they don't come then I will probably feel too guilty not to make a stop over in England so my DH and DD can see them. But since the in-laws don't really talk to me (only DH) it can be very difficult and frustrating making plans. Oh -- and we all do speak English and I do understand their accents and slang, they just don't really address me too often :confused3. It's very weird. The 2 week trip I planned last year can attest to that :scared1:.

So....if there is no England in the mix (I do love the country though) then we will probably do a few days before in Barcelona to get over the jet lag and maybe one day after.

No matter what I better get saving now for the before and after part. That Euro is a killer! Ahhh, the days when the $ was actually more than the Euro...I miss those months!

Kim

[lauritagoddess]

Wow. You guys even know how long you are going to stay before and after. I just know that I am going on this cruise. I have a lot of points saved up via work that we are going to use for our airline tickets. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but nothing concrete.

I think it will all depend if my in-laws actually come and visit us next summer like they told my DH they wanted to. But, if they don't come then I will probably feel too guilty not to make a stop over in England so my DH and DD can see them. But since the in-laws don't really talk to me (only DH) it can be very difficult and frustrating making plans. Oh -- and we all do speak English and I do understand their accents and slang, they just don't really address me too often :confused3. It's very weird. The 2 week trip I planned last year can attest to that :scared1:.

So....if there is no England in the mix (I do love the country though) then we will probably do a few days before in Barcelona to get over the jet lag and maybe one day after.

No matter what I better get saving now for the before and after part. That Euro is a killer! Ahhh, the days when the $ was actually more than the Euro...I miss those months!

Kim

Ouch on the in-laws issue. Maybe you could make a brief visit before the cruise if they don't come to you next year.

I had been tentatively making plans to take my DS on his first trip to Europe in 2011 and then actually almost decided to do one of the Alaska cruises instead. I had our TA price the Alaska and Med cruises when she was doing booking for her gold and platinum members. I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of the Med cruise and less so at the cost of the Alaska. Originally I had planned to go for a week to London, then to Paris and maybe to Rome. Instead now we'll go to London and then probably straight onto Barcelona. We'll do more of a land trip another time.

[tinkerbell_29]

When they announced this cruise and we knew we were going to be going on it we know from the past med cruise that there was so much we wanted to see in Barcelona that we would need 3 days before to see all of it and recover from jet lag before the cruise. The day after is to get a little sleep before flying home and then driving the four hours from Atlanta back to Asheville. The advantage of teaching is I have the month of july off so I do not have to worry about whether or not I can get the time off from work for a long trip.

Melissa

[tinkerbell_29]

Just wanted to say hi. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Found out Friday that I've got to have my gallbladder taken out. Can't schedule surgery till the second week of November due to work so that should make for a fun Thanksgiving.

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

Sorry to hear about the gall bladder surgery and having it so close to Thanksgiving. I had mine out 9 years ago and it was a relief to have it done to stop having the attacks. FWIW, I had it done laparascopically and was up and around and back to work in about a week.

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is so close already. Halloween in the big thing in our house now. This week in school my son has a craft party where they paint pumpkins, a costume parade on Friday during the day and a Halloween magic show on Friday night. And of course there's the big day itself. They're predicting shows next Saturday, but I hope that changes before then. Then the day after is my uncles 60th birthday and we're having a big surprise party for him. My son thinks we should bring him some trick or treat candy as a present, lol. :)

[miksilver]

Just wanted to say hi. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Found out Friday that I've got to have my gallbladder taken out. Can't schedule surgery till the second week of November due to work so that should make for a fun Thanksgiving.

Melissa

Sorry about the sugery. That doesn't sound like fun at all :sad2:

Halloween is my favorite holiday as well. I've been known to throw some big Halloween parties and I go all out for them. My entire house gets decorated and our front lawn gets a spooky makeover. But this year we decided not to do that party and to take it easy.

This week it's also my birthday. I have no idea what my DH and friends have planned for me. They asked me what I wanted to do and I didn't have any suggestions. I am great at planning events for other people, but not myself. I just find it too weird. My friend told me that she was going to take over my plans so now I have no idea what's up her sleeve this week.

Kim

[tinkerbell_29]

I'm not really looking forward to the surgery but I've been dealing with this sick April and I'm just tired of being sick so I'll be glad when it is over.

We don't really do Halloween. Our big holidays are Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love to decorate and bake.

Melissa

[miksilver]

In my family business I am really busy in December (so is my DH), but we still manage to have a big Christmas each year. We don't go all out as some do, but we manage to set up a tree and do some decorating inside. We don't do much decorating outside with lights since with work we get SLAMMED in Jan. -- especially the beginning. Our Xmas decorations have been known to stay up a bit longer than I'd like sometimes and our homeowner's association doesn't like that...:rolleyes:

I will do the "Elf-on-a-shelf" thing though with my DD leading up to Christmas. I don't know if you are familiar with it or not but we use a reindeer named Gumdrop who visits our house to keep an eye on my DD and to report to Santa. He'll come to our house after Thansgiving and return to Santa when he picks him up on Xmas Eve. Gumdrop has been known to get into some slight trouble at night. Last year he made "snow angels" in the flour on the counter, made a complete mess when he made hot chocolate for himself, "decorated" the tree with her clean underwear and he even had a bowl of candy corn for breakfast! My DD loved it last year and while I can I want to keep it up for a few more years. I'll need to think of some new ideas for this year...

Kim

[lauritagoddess]

They do Elf on a shelf in my son's school. He comes and visits each of the classrooms.

I just love this time of year, once you get into fall and then leading into the holiday season. I've havingThanksgiving for the last few years, although this year we need to have Thanksgiving at my parents since my dad isn't really mobile now. I'm still going to do all the cooking which should make it interesting, I'm going to try and get what I can done in advance. And I love the xmas season, and especially while my DS still believes in Santa, I want to make the most of it.

[tinkerbell_29]

Met with the surgeon today. Surgery is scheduled for the 6th and if all goes well i will go home that day. I'm looking forward to getting this done and over so that I can enjoy the holidays. Hope everyone is having a good week.

Melissa

[tinkerbell_29]

While recovering from surgery I looked through all of the stuff we brought back from the last med cruise. In 2011 we will be in the ports of call a little later than we were the last time. For places like Rome this will be great because the port is quite a distance from Rome. A lot of nights dining times were pushed back so that people on excursions could dine in the dining rooms. Again this was helpful when in Naples and Rome. All ports that are repeats are doable on their own but if it is like last time Disney really offered some amazing excursions. The only place we will most likely do on our own is Villefrance the train is extremely easy to use our favorite place was the midevil village called Eze. It was beautiful and had a lot to explore. In Barcelona the bus turistic is the easiest way to see everything you can buy one ticket to cover all three bus lines which are designated by a color. The three lines cover all the major tourist sites and even if you speak no Spanish which we don't they were very easy to use. There is also a chocolate factory in Barcelona not to be missed. Disney offered an excursion on sailing day but we went on our own. Tickets for the bus can be bought before hand or as you board the bus. I know it is early still but if y'all are like me it is never to early to start thinking and planning.

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

Thanks for the info! Interesting to know that Disney pushed back the dining times to accomodate people. Are there any excursions in particular that you really liked?

How are you feeling? I hope your recovery from your surgery is going well. :)

[tinkerbell_29]

I'm feeling a lot better. Glad the surgery is done and over.

It was really good that Disney pushed back dining the days we were at Naples and Rome it was nice to be able to go back to the room and clean up before heading to diner.

Our favorite excursions were in Naples and in Villefrance. In Naples we went to Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri. There were 2 versions of the excursions one regular and one designed for families we did the one for families because in Capri you took a boat tour through the fragolina rocks which was really neat. If they offer those choices again we will do the other because it did something different in Capri. Both had lunch in Sorrento in a restaurant under 100 year old lemon trees. In Villefrance we did Monaco, Monte Carlo and Eze. Toured the palace and saw the changing of the guard in Monaco. In Monte Carlo we had lunch at the Cafe de Paris and then could go to the casino or shop. Eze is a midevil town on top of a mountin that was just amazing we had a short amount of time to explore and shop before the bus ride back to the port. The times in port while seem long really are not long enough to really see the place but they do give you a sense of what they are like especially if you get a good local guide.

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

Did you see on the main board that they mentioned that DCL is starting put up info about the shore excursions for some of the Med ports now? I don't know if it only applies to the 2010 cruises or 2011, but I checked Barcelona and it does list the chocolate museum you mentioned. I can't wait for them to put up all the excursions, and then plan obsessivley for the next year and a half, lol. There's also another big drama since DCL apparently has either suspended or cancelled the Med cruises from 7/30/11 onward and it's unknown why. I'm really surprised that they'd make changes at this point, but who knows.

[IrishCowboy]

Subscribing

[tinkerbell_29]

I saw where they had done that to those later cruises. It will be interesting to see what they will end up doing. I figure most of the excursions for our cruise will be the same as the ones for this upcoming summer. The only thing that may change is if an excursion does not sale well or if there is not positive feed back it will be dropped.

Welcome IrishCowboy. Will you be sailing with us in 2011?

In case I don't get back on before happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone too!!

I have to say I'm very curious about what's going on with the later cruises. I'm very excited about our Med cruise, but if they moved the TA back earlier into the summer it would be very tempting.

[tinkerbell_29]

We would love to do a TA but it would have to be in July as that is the only time i can get off. If they offered a July cruise going to Venice we would probable switch since except for the three new ports we have already done this cruise before.

Melissa

[tinkerbell_29]

Excursions are up on DCl's website. A few are the same as the previous med cruise which is good because we actually wanted to do the Pompeii Sorrento and Capri excursion again. There are some really interesting ones one in Naples that includes a special lunch sounds like a lot of fun. Just have to wait and see what works and what doesn't and what they will change before our cruise. We do have the advantage of trip reports being done before we book excursions.

Melissa

[tinkerbell_29]

Merry Christmas everyone :santa:!

Melissa

[lauritagoddess]

Merry Christmas!! I hope everyone had a nice holiday and has a wonderful New Year! :goodvibes

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Hi everyone!

We are on this cruise!!:cool1: We were originally booked on the August one, but have had to change it as we want longer than 7 nights! This will be our second Disney cruise . . . we travelled on the Magic around the Western Caribbean last May . . . Can't wait!!!!!!

[miksilver]

Hi everyone!

We are on this cruise!!:cool1: We were originally booked on the August one, but have had to change it as we want longer than 7 nights! This will be our second Disney cruise . . . we travelled on the Magic around the Western Caribbean last May . . . Can't wait!!!!!!

Is that a former Key Lime Pie-Rate I see there?! Hope you are doing well.

Sorry fellow cruisers, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, just life got in the way of everything. I'm hoping that I won't have to cancel this cruise. It's far enough away though that for now I will just wait and see what happens with life "stuff" for now.

Kim

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Hi Kim, I thought that was you!! Will be great to see you again!

[lauritagoddess]

Is that a former Key Lime Pie-Rate I see there?! Hope you are doing well.

Sorry fellow cruisers, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, just life got in the way of everything. I'm hoping that I won't have to cancel this cruise. It's far enough away though that for now I will just wait and see what happens with life "stuff" for now.

Kim

I hope nothing too bad is going on. I've actually been wavering on whether to keep the cruise too. Financially it might not make the best sense. I'm not going to make a decision until a lot closer, but I'm feeling less committed to the cruise than I was before.

[tinkerbell_29]

Hey everyone! I hope y'all don't have to cancel this cruise. I hated canceling our Baltic cruise but sometimes life does get in the way of vacation plans.

Welcome Pooh's-Honey-Pot! I'm Melissa this will be our 4th cruise with DCL our first was when they went to the Med the first time so we've done some of this cruise before but are still really looking forward to it. I'm traveling with my mom and my brother all adults. Looking forward to getting to know you.

Melissa

[ohMom]

i just put a deposit down this morning!! sooo excited!!

i have to do some reading, etc to satisfy my innter trip-planner. Then I will put aside for the summer, most likely. I will drive myself crazy if I obsessively trip plan for 14 months!

My daughter is leaving for Spain on Saturday, with her HS Spanish class. So she can scope out Barcelona for us!

We are family of 4; myself, DH and two DD who will be 18 and 14 on the cruise. This will be our 4th DCL, and my oldest will be able to go to Palo for the first time.

I'm a foodie :teeth: been wondering about menus, dining rotations for an 11-day but haven't been succesful in finding much online. I'm considering pre-ordering the next edition of the Passporter which will include Med. Any of you have a recent edition that includes the Med?

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome OhMom!!! It is early to be planning but somehow I just can not help myself. Thankfully I've got 2 WDW trips between now and then other wise I would be obsession about this and driving everyone in my family crazy. This will be our 2nd med cruise with Disney. We did it the first tiem they were over there and loved it.

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. It is finally nice and sunny here after four months of snow I'm glad for the warmer temps and the sunshine. Received our first bit of info from DCL about this cruise over the weekend. Can't believe our PIF date is less than a year away.

Melissa

[Minniespec]

Hi all! We've just booked this cruise so I thought I'd stop by and say hi :goodvibes. We just got back from our first disney cruise, a 5 night Bahamas on the Wonder and we booked this one on board. Originally we had planned on doing a 7 night to Alaska, but with the 20 percent discount they were offering this one actually turned out to be cheaper, so we thought 'why not?'.

Anyway, I should introduce myself. I'll be almost 15 at the time of the cruise and I'll be traveling with my parents who are... er... let's just say 25. I'm an obsessive trip planner, so it's like a dream come true that I have a year to plan (we booked our first cruise only a few months out, so I didn't have a whole bunch of time, but I did the best I could :goodvibes) We really enjoyed our first cruise, but we felt like it was a little short, so this should be great. The board for that cruise wasn't very busy, so I'm optimistic that there already seems to be quite a few people here. Hopefully we'll be able to get fish extenders set up, too.

Well, that's about it, I think. Less than a year!

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome Minniespec! Hopefully as we get closer to this cruise it will pick up @ here a little bit. This will be our 4th cruise and the second time we went to the Med with Disney. Loved the first med cruise and we are looking forward to some of the new ports of call with this one.

Melissa

[drewmisha]

Did you get 20% onboard discount instead of the usual 10% onboard discount for the July 9th, 2001 med cruise? When was your wonder cruise? Did they advertise the discount for this cruise on the booking station? What category are you booked in? Thanks and sorry for the multiple questions!


Hi all! We've just booked this cruise so I thought I'd stop by and say hi :goodvibes. We just got back from our first disney cruise, a 5 night Bahamas on the Wonder and we booked this one on board. Originally we had planned on doing a 7 night to Alaska, but with the 20 percent discount they were offering this one actually turned out to be cheaper, so we thought 'why not?'.

Anyway, I should introduce myself. I'll be almost 15 at the time of the cruise and I'll be traveling with my parents who are... er... let's just say 25. I'm an obsessive trip planner, so it's like a dream come true that I have a year to plan (we booked our first cruise only a few months out, so I didn't have a whole bunch of time, but I did the best I could :goodvibes) We really enjoyed our first cruise, but we felt like it was a little short, so this should be great. The board for that cruise wasn't very busy, so I'm optimistic that there already seems to be quite a few people here. Hopefully we'll be able to get fish extenders set up, too.

Well, that's about it, I think. Less than a year!

[Minniespec]

Did you get 20% onboard discount instead of the usual 10% onboard discount for the July 9th, 2001 med cruise? When was your wonder cruise? Did they advertise the discount for this cruise on the booking station? What category are you booked in? Thanks and sorry for the multiple questions!

Don't worry about the questions :). Yes, we did get the 20% instead of the 10% :woohoo:. Our Wonder cruise was from July 20th to July 25th, stopping at Key West, Nassau, and, of course, Castaway Cay. I don't recall them advertising the discount, I believe we were just told about it when we inquired about this cruise. To be honest, I don't know what catagory it is (but I know it's a nice room, because it's the same room we just stayed in :rotfl:)

[Monstro]

Hi - my name is Jeff and I am a planoholic. :)

[tinkerbell_29]

Hi Jeff! How was the Baltic cruise. We hated to have to cancel but this one is now paid in full so short of a natural disaster we are going.

Even though we can not book them i am now agonizing over excursion decisions. Hey our Christmas trip is planned and I figured I needed something to stress over.

Melissa

[Monstro]

The Baltic Cruise was amazing - probably my favorite so far. We focused our excursions on castles, palaces, and cathedrals. Saint Petersburg was my favorite port. The event at Catherine's Palace was great and the Peterhof was unbelievable.

Now it's time to focus on this one - right?

We just moved a dummy reservation we had to this cruise. We're excited because we have family coming with us. There are 9 of us total - maybe 10. My 23 year old is trying to talk a friend into joining us.

This will be our second pass in the Med. Our favorite port was Villefranche.

[Monstro]

I'm building a website for this cruise. Let's get some ideas flowing here..... What is everyone most excited to see... to do?

[ohMom]

awesome Montro! :thanks: These will be our family's first trip overseas on vacation, with the exception of my oldest DD school trip to Spain. My DH has traveled over the pond for business several times, and did a Eurpoean road trip type vacation almost 30 years ago! wow, that makes him sound old :teeth:

My youngest daughter is very into France. I'm just giddy to go see all those icons of other countries I've seen pictures of. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pompeii, the gorgeous beaches of Canne. I really haven't done much researching yet. I'm very glad that there are some repeat Med cruisers to help me with excursions.

i must SHOP!

I'm also curious on dining rotations/menus for an 11-day...

[Monstro]

Our party will be me, my DW, and our 3 DD's ages 23, 18, and 16. We will be travelling with my DW's sister, her husband and their 2 DS's ages 19 and 16.

[ohMom]

anyone who has cruised an 11-day .....do you know how much the Shutters photo CD costs?

[tinkerbell_29]

From what I read the CD is $399. Well worth it in my opinion because they take tons of pictures at each port of call and last time we spent way more than that on photos.

I wish the airlines would open all of July so I could book these tickets. Booked everything else through Disney but their airfare quote was ridiculous and I can't use my points with them.

Made almost all of our decisions about excursions except for Ville France. Can't decide if we want to do it on our own or with DCL. Our must do there is to go back to Eze.

According to my count down we have 333 days until the cruise less than that until we leave. Hopefully it will fly by.

Melissa

[Monstro]

$399 for the photo CD is correct. We loved Eze too.

[Toocoolmom]

awesome Montro! :thanks: These will be our family's first trip overseas on vacation, with the exception of my oldest DD school trip to Spain. My DH has traveled over the pond for business several times, and did a Eurpoean road trip type vacation almost 30 years ago! wow, that makes him sound old :teeth:

My youngest daughter is very into France. I'm just giddy to go see all those icons of other countries I've seen pictures of. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pompeii, the gorgeous beaches of Canne. I really haven't done much researching yet. I'm very glad that there are some repeat Med cruisers to help me with excursions.

i must SHOP!

I'm also curious on dining rotations/menus for an 11-day...
You will still rotate every night to a different place. We just got back from the Baltic and did the rotation 4 times. The only difference is they have added different themes so they only run the traditional shows once during the cruise.

By the way my name is Sarah and there will be a total of 12 of us joining you all on the Med. We just booked it on the Baltic and we are so excited. You just can't beat the 20% off!!!

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome Sarah! I can not imagine traveling with 12 people. There are only 3 of us and it is difficult enough to get everyone organized to go over seas. Look forward to getting to know you.

Melissa

[Minniespec]

Tinkerbell,
I would love to know what excursions you chose. Just looking at all the possibilities makes my head spin!
--
Sorry I've been MIA, I haven't checking the thread because I thought I was getting an email every time there was a new post, but I suppose not. :rotfl:

As for what I'm excited for, I agree with ohMom. I know this will probably end up being a very intense vacation, but I'm so excited to all of the places you see in the pictures. The fact that this cruise is so much longer than our first cruise is also exciting. It means we might actually have a chance to relax on our vacation (imagine that!).

[Monstro]

I've started a website for this cruise. We can use it to organize our cruise meets, fish extender game, and anything else we want to use it for. I'm including itinerary and port information with tips from previous med cruisers and other threads. It will also include Castaways (Dis-meet group) info and events, weather, and travel info as well as a watch list for airfare, hotel and shuttle information. As a start, it would be great if everyone could give me the following information. You can get it to me via a PM or just by posting it here.

------------------------------------------------------
Cabin number
Dinning: (Main or second seating)
From: State and country
DCL Cruise Number: 4
Yes or no to Fish Extender

People in your party
----------------------------------------------------------
For an example, here is my info and what it will look like on the site (plus a family picture)

**Monstro's Party**
Cabins: 2079 & 2081
Dinning: Second
From: Utah, USA
DCL Cruise Number: 12
Fish extender: Yes

Jeff, DW -Ann, DD Steph(23), DD Nikki(18), DD Caroline(16)

Pictures of your cruise party would also be great and makes it easy to put names to faces once we are all on-board.

Thanks
Jeff

[Minniespec]

Cabin number: Currently 6094, the same room we had on our first cruise, but we're hoping to transfer to a double steamer trunk room :goodvibes
Dinning: (Main or second seating): Second Seating
From: Arizona, USA!
DCL Cruise Number: 2 :woohoo:
Yes or no to Fish Extender: Yes! We didn't get to do one on our first cruise, so I'm hoping it works out for this one.

People in your party : 3
Disney Dad, Disney Mom, and me; who'll be a month from turning 15 at the time of the cruise :)


Great idea! Can't wait to see it :) If I can get a nice picture uploaded, I'll let you know, but I make no promises. XD

[ohMom]

:thanks: for the photo CD information...I had told DH $500 so now it will seem like a bargain :teeth: and also glad to know they take photos at the ports, i didn't expect that. i definately am making that purchase!

[Monstro]

:thanks: for the photo CD information...I had told DH $500 so now it will seem like a bargain :teeth: and also glad to know they take photos at the ports, i didn't expect that. i definately am making that purchase!

The ships photographers travel with excursions now. The easiest way to get family photos taken at the various ports is to book shore excursions with Disney. Otherwise, if you are on your own or have a private tour, you need to keep an eye for the Disney excursions and find the photographer with that group.

We were successful at doing this in Naples and Rome, but missed them everywhere else. In fact, we didn't even realize they were doing that until we saw them at Pompeii.

Good tip Tinkerbell_29. I'll add it to the website.

Jeff

[Monstro]

Great idea! Can't wait to see it :) If I can get a nice picture uploaded, I'll let you know, but I make no promises. XD

Thanks for the info. I've got it added. You probably already thought of this, but please make sure your parents are OK with posting a picture before you send it to me - OK?

Thanks
Jeff

[Minniespec]

Thanks for the info. I've got it added. You probably already thought of this, but please make sure your parents are OK with posting a picture before you send it to me - OK?

Thanks
Jeff

Absolutely. I'm a stickler for the rules- the guilt eats me alive if I'm not. :rolleyes:. They're not as into trip planning as I am so I usually take the reins, but yes I'll double check with them.

Granted, that means I'll have to find time between school and homework and learn to work our scanner :laughing:.

[tinkerbell_29]

Info for Website:
Cabin # 8532 1st time in concierge we are excited about this
Dining: Main seating
From: Asheville, North Carolina
DCL Cruise #: 4
Yes or No to Fish Extender: Yes
People in our group: 3 all adults My mom: Nancy, my brother: Matthew and me Melissa


As for excursions our first cruise was the med cruise and we had no idea what we were doing we picked some good excursions just by luck. This time I wanted to make sure we were able to see and do the things we missed last time. We are looking at some long days but we can sleep no the plane ride home.
Naples: We are doing Pompeii Sorrento and Capri the adult only departure. Did this one before but did the one for families and loved it only problem was on that one they went to Pompeii last and we were exhausted and it was unbearable hot by then.
Rome: We are doing the Best of Rome. Last time did jumping back into Eternal Rome. We like it but missed seeing the Sistine Chapel and wanted a closer look at the collisem.
Tunis: Medina and Carthage. Carthage was a must for my brother and mom and I wanted a chance to shop in the Medina
Malta: Mdina, Mosta and Shopping. Seemed like a good overview and some free time. Short day is also good
La Spezia: Florence and Michelangelo. Last time we went to Pisa. There is so much to see in both places I'm not sure I would try and see both unless you think this is the only chance you will get to see them.
VilleFrance: Monaco, Monte Carlo and Eze. Did this last time and loved it. we may do this port of call on our own but if we do the excursion we will be skipping the guided tour of the palace in Monaco and of Eze to give us more time to shop.
Ajacco: Probable do this port on our own as none of the excursions appeal to us.

Sorry i wrote a novel just wanted to clarify why we chose these excursions.
Melissa

[Monstro]

Info for Website:
Cabin # 8532 1st time in concierge we are excited about this
Dining: Main seating
From: Asheville, North Carolina
DCL Cruise #: 4
Yes or No to Fish Extender: Yes
People in our group: 3 all adults My mom: Nancy, my brother: Matthew and me Melissa


Thanks Melissa - I'll get this info added.

Jeff

[ohMom]

melissa -- i appreciate your novel! i am just starting to research the ports, being clueless, and really want to hear folks opinions on the different excursions. I'm leaning towards booking with Disney now for the benefit of their photographer being along.

[Karenj2]

We haven't quite made the decision to go yet, but if I had my way we would do it! ;) We're 99% sure we'll be going to Sweden next year to get a Volvo (through their overseas delivery program) and visit friends, and Volvo pays for airfare to & from wherever we want, so the only airfare we'd have to pay would be between Sweden & Spain.

If we do this it'd be with DH's family: MIL & FIL, and his brother, wife & their two kids (plus our DD who will be a bit over 1 at the time).

Hopefully I'll be able to post MY stateroom info sometime soon!

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome Karen i hope you get to go also this cruise is so much fun.

OhMom that is one of the reasons all of our excursions are through Disney I love being able to have a picture of all three of us taking together in each port some of them more than one. In Rome we had four pictures taken at each of the major attractions. Besides the pictures it is nice to not worry about having to get back to the ship on time. Some of these places are a long way away from the port. I like knowing if the excursion is running behind the ship is not leaving me.

Melissa

[Monstro]

Hi everyone. Additional castaway pictures have been added to the website. Hoping for more (both pictures and information).

Jeff

[Monstro]

WOW - webmaster shut us down. We're a dead thread! :)

[tinkerbell_29]

That's not nice we aren't dead just a very sloooow thread.
Melissa

[MaryJaneP]

New to this board and new to foreign travel. We are considering this as our inaugural Disney Cruise. How is the money handled? All euros, all dollars, some of each? Do you recommend exchanging before or in europe? Does Disney have exchange available onboard? Is this issue addressed well elsewhere and I'm just wasting your time reading this, sorry!?

Thanks

[Monstro]

MaryJaneP. I hope you decide to join us. Everything you buy through Disney on the ship including shore excursions is in dollars. Everything you buy while on shore is going to be in euro's. I'd estimate the number of euro's you'll spend and get from a bank here before your trip.

[tinkerbell_29]

Everywhere off the ship is Euros except for Tunis I forget what they use. We just guessed at how much we needed the first time and then when we got back in Atlanta we exchanged the Euro's back for dollars.
MaryJaneP I hope you join us on this cruise. Our first cruise was on the Magic the first time they went to the Med and it was a wonderful experience and the reason that we fell in love with DCL.

Melissa

[MaryJaneP]

Thanks for replies. $ is obviously a concern. Our travel agent also said some of the excursions are physically taxing (Rome = 11 1/2 hours) as well as expensive. If you had to rate excursions 1st, 2nd, etc, how would they fall and are there any particular reasons (cost, exhaustion)?

[tinkerbell_29]

Airfare is finally up for the length of time we needed. More days for us this time do to pre and post stays but airfare is less than half what it was in 07. I am thinking about shipping our luggage over this time. Avoid any chance of it getting lost and extra fees if we go over the one checked bag per a person which I know we will. At least with Fed Ex I got confirmation that it is delivered.

Excursions are exhausting and expensive. We know in Rome alone we are looking at a 13hr day. Our favorite saying is we can sleep when we are dead right now we are too busy living. We nicknamed the last med cruise the butt crack of dawn cruise because we were up before the sun. To keep things inexpensive we are only doing 4 whole day excursions Best of Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri, Florence and Michelangelo and, Monaco, Eze and Monte carol. for the other ports we will be on our own or will do a half day trip which are a lot cheaper. You could do all the ports on your own or arrange excursions with a company other than Disney and this would also make them less expensive.

Melissa

[ohMom]

oh wow I didn't realize it could be THAT long...it will be hard for me to keep our trip relaxing, which is why we love cruising, and see all that I want to see! My oldest DD, Taylor and I could be on the go all day, my DH and youngest DD, Preston and Paige, tend to like a slower pace and are content watching movies and eating room service :teeth: i say 'divide and conquer!'

on airfare -- I would really appreciate advice...when to book? expected costs? expected flight durations? we will be flying out of columbus, ohio

Jeff -- how do you prefer to get family photos? email? should i post like on photobucket?

[Monstro]

oh wow I didn't realize it could be THAT long...it will be hard for me to keep our trip relaxing, which is why we love cruising, and see all that I want to see! My oldest DD, Taylor and I could be on the go all day, my DH and youngest DD, Preston and Paige, tend to like a slower pace and are content watching movies and eating room service :teeth: i say 'divide and conquer!'

on airfare -- I would really appreciate advice...when to book? expected costs? expected flight durations? we will be flying out of columbus, ohio

Jeff -- how do you prefer to get family photos? email? should i post like on photobucket?

I've been told on airfare to wait till after Christmas because people are buying tickets for Christmas gifts. That has been true with our trips to Europe. Prices seem to get better after the holidays. I'd be glad to add it to our airfare watch page on the website if you'd like. What airport are you flying from?

On the photos - just send them to me in an instant message.

Thanks
Jeff

[tinkerbell_29]

On airfare we will be waiting till at least February the prices seem to go down then. Last time we booked right before the cruise because we booked the cruise last minute and even though we paid a lot for our tickets compared to others we still got them cheaper.

Melissa

[Monstro]

oh wow I didn't realize it could be THAT long...it will be hard for me to keep our trip relaxing, which is why we love cruising, and see all that I want to see! My oldest DD, Taylor and I could be on the go all day, my DH and youngest DD, Preston and Paige, tend to like a slower pace and are content watching movies and eating room service :teeth: i say 'divide and conquer!'

on airfare -- I would really appreciate advice...when to book? expected costs? expected flight durations? we will be flying out of columbus, ohio

Jeff -- how do you prefer to get family photos? email? should i post like on photobucket?

OhMom, our daughters were 15 and 13 when we went to the med in 07 and they both absolutely loved it. My wife and I were worried about them getting too tired, but they both did great. We choose this trip for the sea day in between Rome and Spezia. It is a nice catch up day. We're excited to introduce our 18 year old to Palo's as well. We should find a way to get them talking. My daughter is a 4th year Spanish student and would have loved that trip to Spain.

Jeff

[poizenivey]

Hello all! Just booked this cruise tonight!
:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Sooooo exicted...will write more later! Can't wait to get to know you all!!!

[Monstro]

Hello all! Just booked this cruise tonight!
:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Sooooo exicted...will write more later! Can't wait to get to know you all!!!

Welcome! lookg forward to getting to know you as well.

Jeff

[Pixiedustdawn]

O.k. we are booked. Looking at airfare, it is going to be a pricey cruise.

I am Dawn and my daughter is 13. We are excited about traveling in Europe on Disney. I just booked this cruise while sailing on the Wonder.

I need to go back and read all the older posts.

[Monstro]

It's exciting to have more disboard memebers.

Dawn - What current incentives were offered to book on-board?

Thanks
Jeff

[ohMom]

:welcome: newcomers!

we will be flying out of Columbus, OH -- CMH --:thanks:

will get some pics soon...i'm on wrong compputer now :teeth:

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome everyone new!:wave2:

We are planning on flying out of Atlanta. It is a 4 hour drive from here but has the cheapest airfare so far and is the closest place for us to get a direct flight. I would really like for my luggage to actually make it to Barcelona and fear connecting flights.
1o more months to go!

Melissa

[Pixiedustdawn]

It's exciting to have more disboard memebers.

Dawn - What current incentives were offered to book on-board?

Thanks
Jeff

They offered 20% off Platinum discount and onboard credit. No where does it state the amount I was told. I am trusting the guy that booked it onboard for me. We are doing a back to back on this cruise.

Can't wait to start looking at airfares and hotels pre cruise. So far, everything seems quite expensive.

[Monstro]

Thanks for the info. You're doing back to back med cruises? That would be awesome.

[Pixiedustdawn]

I am pretty excited about it. I can't wait to start checking out and researching the ports we are stopping in.

[MaryJaneP]

I'm hearing that traveling over on the same day as embarkation is not the best because of jet lag. Suggestions vary from arriving one (1) up to even three (3) days ahead to reset the body clock.

Your thoughts on this?

Also, where have people stayed and do you recommend?

Thanks

[tinkerbell_29]

I think it depends whether or not you are used to traveling long distances or not. Last time we went over one day ahead and it was not early enough. Not enough time to see what we wanted to see and not enough time to get over the jet lag. I would not wait until the day to get there for ne it is cutting it to close and too many things can go wrong. Last time we stayed at the Grand Marina which was very nice this time we are staying at the Hilton becasue all 3 of us can stay in one room.

Melissa

[Monstro]

ohmom.... I got your pictures and will get them added to the website soon.

Thanks
Jeff

[tinkerbell_29]

Been watching airfare very closely especially the direct flight out of Atlanta on Delta just waiting for the price to drop. Found a really good deal on expedia $600 a person one catch though you change planes and airlines seven times. It's a world tour just to get there and if you fly with your luggage it's not going to make it. At that price though I'm tempted to ship the luggage and pray we make every connection.

Melissa

[Monstro]

That would make for a long flight. How many hours travelling?

[Monstro]

I'm hearing that traveling over on the same day as embarkation is not the best because of jet lag. Suggestions vary from arriving one (1) up to even three (3) days ahead to reset the body clock.

Your thoughts on this?

Also, where have people stayed and do you recommend?

Thanks

We stayed at the Rennaisance near the Airport. It was nice. We took their shuttle back to the airport and the Disney shuttle to the cruise the day of. Jetlag is an issue - especially for kids. I'd try and go at least two days ahead of the cruise. I think we're going to do three this time. Barcelona has a great Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour.

Jeff

[Monstro]

New pictures of castaways and new content have been added to the thread website. Ping me if you don't have the address.

ohmom - Love the picture with the Mad Hatter.

[tinkerbell_29]

That would make for a long flight. How many hours travelling?

It had you leaving early on the 5th and arriving late afternoon on the 6th I think a total of 26 hours of travel. That is what makes it not worth it it would take the 3 days in Barcelona just to recover from the flight.

We loved the hop on hop off bus last time it was so easy to figure out and you can buy tickets for it before you go.

Love the editions to the website.

Melissa

[radioclash2]

Glad to see some activity on this thread. I was hoping we weren't going to be traveling alone.

I'm traveling with my two sons, who will be 14 and 11 when we sail next summer, and my brother. We're also meeting up with a family that we met on the 2008 EB Panama Canal Cruise, and their friends.

Looking forward to planning & getting to know everyone.

[Monstro]

Radioclash2 - Welcome Aboard! I sent you a PM.

Jeff

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome Radioclash2! The thread was slow for awhile but we are finally getting more and more members to talk to. 10 months to go!

Melissa

[radioclash2]

Radioclash2 - Welcome Aboard! I sent you a PM.

Jeff

Got your PM Thanks !!

[radioclash2]

Welcome Radioclash2! The thread was slow for awhile but we are finally getting more and more members to talk to. 10 months to go!

Melissa

Thanks for the welcome. I love a good meet thread.

[Minnie328]

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to check in and say that my grandpa is taking my whole family on this cruise and I could not be more excited!:cool1: This is my family's second DCL Med cruise, but the rest of the gang hasn't been to the Med. before.
Here's who's traveling/ages at time of sail:

Kiddos: boy cousin (age 14), my sister (age 14), boy cousin (age 17), girl cousin (age 19), and me (girl age 19).
Then my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my grandparents!

I hope to see you all around the Magic!

[dennismcneely]

Hi everyone!! Is there any room left for 3 more? :) If so, we would love to join the party :woohoo: I just booked this cruise and as you can imagine we are Super-excited :dance3: This one will make our 3rd Disney Cruise. I will be sailing with DW and DD who will be 9 at the time of sail. I really look forward to meeting you all. BTW we are US citizens but living in Spain since many, many years ago so, if there is any way we can help you guys plan your Pre or Post cruise stay or logistics, please feel free to ask.

Best,

Dennis

[Minnie328]

Awesome!
290 more days, folks!!:cheer2:

[Monstro]

Welcome to both of you! The bigger the group, the better the memories! This is going to be a gret time!

Jeff

[dennismcneely]

Thanks so much for the welcome. Jeff, I just read your post about the website, so I thought I'd post our info.

McNeely's Party

Cabin #5512 (We always book the same one)
Dining: 2nd
From: Monroe, NC (Living in Madrid, Spain)
DCL Cruise Number: 3rd
Fish Extender: DEFINITELY YES :thumbsup2 (It was one of the highlights of our last cruise)

Dennis, DW Monica and DD Madison (9)

Here is a picture of us, taken on formal night during our Western Caribbean cruise (Sept 2009)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/3803/cimg0395j.jpg

Thanks Jeff for organizing this, if there is any way I can help, please let me know. Is the website you have started available yet? If so, could you please send me or post a link?

Can't wait to get to know you all.

[tinkerbell_29]

Yeah more new people! Welcome everyone!

Melissa

[Monstro]

Thanks so much for the welcome. Jeff, I just read your post about the website, so I thought I'd post our info.

McNeely's Party

Cabin #5512 (We always book the same one)
Dining: 2nd
From: Monroe, NC (Living in Madrid, Spain)
DCL Cruise Number: 3rd
Fish Extender: DEFINITELY YES :thumbsup2 (It was one of the highlights of our last cruise)

Dennis, DW Monica and DD Madison (9)

Here is a picture of us, taken on formal night during our Western Caribbean cruise (Sept 2009)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/3803/cimg0395j.jpg

Thanks Jeff for organizing this, if there is any way I can help, please let me know. Is the website you have started available yet? If so, could you please send me or post a link?

Can't wait to get to know you all.


Looking sharp! I'll get you guys added to the website and send you the link.

[Monstro]

All,

I've added the new members (dennismcneely, radioclash2) to the website. We're starting to get quite the list. Thanks - to those of you who have sent pictures. It helps me to recognize you when we're sailing together.

I'm going to start building the fish extender and special occasion's list. My oldest will be turning 24 on the 15th? Anyone else celebrating anything on the cruise?

Thanks
Jeff

[dennismcneely]

All,

I've added the new members (dennismcneely, radioclash2) to the website. We're starting to get quite the list. Thanks - to those of you who have sent pictures. It helps me to recognize you when we're sailing together.

I'm going to start building the fish extender and special occasion's list. My oldest will be turning 24 on the 15th? Anyone else celebrating anything on the cruise?

Thanks
Jeff

Thanks Melissa for the welcome :). Jeff sent you a PM.

Dennis

[radioclash2]

Happy Saturday to everyone.
It's great to see more people on the thread. :welcome:

[dennismcneely]

Happy weekend everyone! And thank you for the welcome.

Dennis

[sk8ingmom]

Glad to see some activity on this thread. I was hoping we weren't going to be traveling alone.

I'm traveling with my two sons, who will be 14 and 11 when we sail next summer, and my brother. We're also meeting up with a family that we met on the 2008 EB Panama Canal Cruise, and their friends.

Looking forward to planning & getting to know everyone.

Other family reporting in! Me, DH, and 2 boys who will be 11 and almost-13 when we sail.

M.

[dennismcneely]

Welcome aboard sk8ingmom :welcome: It will be great to sail with you and your family. :)

Dennis

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome sk8ingmom!

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. It seems summer has finally decided to leave the mountains about time I'm tired of hot icky days.

Melissa

[radioclash2]

Other family reporting in! Me, DH, and 2 boys who will be 11 and almost-13 when we sail.

M.

yay pirate:

[dennismcneely]

Welcome sk8ingmom!

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. It seems summer has finally decided to leave the mountains about time I'm tired of hot icky days.

Melissa

Don't you love this time of the year? The past year I drove from Blue Ridge, VA (my sister lived there) to The Linville Falls and then to Kingsport, TN on the Blue Ridge Parkway and was able to enjoy the breathtaking colors of the fall on the mountains. I really keep good memories of that road trip :)

Dennis

[tinkerbell_29]

I do love this time of year fall and spring are my favorite seasons. We were just on the parkway Saturday and at the higher elevations the leaves are beginning to change. I'm hoping the rain will be gone tomorrow so i can get outside with my students tomorrow. Because of the heat and the ozone levels here we have been stuck most of the summer.

Melissa

[ohMom]

Kiddos: boy cousin (age 14), my sister (age 14), boy cousin (age 17), girl cousin (age 19), and me (girl age 19).

minnie -- my DD will be just shy of 19 and 14 1/2 at sailing -- they aren't on the DIS really, but at last cruise were on closer to sailing to meet some other teens

:welcome: to all the newbies!!

[Minnie328]

minnie -- my DD will be just shy of 19 and 14 1/2 at sailing -- they aren't on the DIS really, but at last cruise were on closer to sailing to meet some other teens

:welcome: to all the newbies!!

haha. My sister will be 14 1/2 at time of sailing too! whoot whoot!:cool1:

[emma2]

We are joining you all - just booked our flights ( 3 with mileage!). WE are 5: myslef, DH, kids at time of sailing will be DD15, DD14, DS 12(bday on ship).

WE plan to stay 3nts in Barcelona pre cruise - so need to find a place. Plan to do private tours in Rome, Naples,Florence. Have not booked anything.

Lots to do.......

This is our 1st european cruise so very excited. Kids will find out at Christmas.

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome Emma! We are also staying 3 nights before but ended up booking our hotel through Disney. Last time we booked on our own and ended up wishing we had just went with Disney options so that when we got there transportation would not be something we would have to figure out on our own.

Melissa

[Pixiedustdawn]

Welcome Emma! We are also staying 3 nights before but ended up booking our hotel through Disney. Last time we booked on our own and ended up wishing we had just went with Disney options so that when we got there transportation would not be something we would have to figure out on our own.

Melissa

Can you book just the hotel and not the airfare through Disney?

[tinkerbell_29]

We have and since we booked our hotel with them we were able to add transportation. I don't mind them booking the hotel but I want to book the flight and they were fine with that. We added all transportation because cost wise it was comparable to what we paid last time. The only one we may not use is the hotel to ship portion. I hated waiting until almost one o'clock before leaving for the ship.

Melissa

[Monstro]

Welcome to all the new cruisers. We're excited to have you here.

[emma2]

I signed up on the cruise critic Disney roll call for this cruise - only two of us so far. Where do most people sign up - here or cruise critic?

[tinkerbell_29]

I would think here. I didn't even know cruise critic had one for Disney cruises.

For those of you not taking a direct flight have you considered shipping your luggage to your hotel? We are going to have to wait until June to but plane tickets which means probable no direct flight will be available from Atlanta or Charlotte. Because of that I am considering shipping our luggage to the hotel. Priced fed ex and they are actually cheaper then the baggage fees. Just wondering if anyone has ever done that before?

Melissa

[ohMom]

now that's an interesting thought....

[emma2]

I read some references being made by a Jeff above about a webiste being set up for those going on this cruise. Is it only for FE's? I'd be interested in seeing the website - I am hoping to do some private tours in Italy and will probably be asking for others to join us - unless with join up with someone else. Would love to hear what others are planning as to the various excursions.

[tinkerbell_29]

Right now as far as excursions we are planning on doing ones through Disney. Yes I know they are more expensive but some of the places like Rome are a long way from the port and I would hate to have something happen and the ship end up leaving us behind. The only place we are not doing an excursion is Ajaccio nothing interested us and I have read the port is very walkable so we will explore on our own.


I am so tired of rain we have had 3 straight days of it. I'm going to need a boat to get to work soon.

Melissa

[Pixiedustdawn]

Happy Halloween everyone!!

We are heading to a costume wedding today. My daughter is Minnie Mouse. I wish I knew how to post pics on here. :(

Hope everyone stays safe and doesn't get a belly ache today.

Enjoy!!

[tinkerbell_29]

Hope everyone had a good weekend. We had our first snow here on Friday and Saturday. Didn't stick but enough to make me dread the winter that is coming. Makes me glad we are going to WDW for Christmas hopefully it will be warm there.

We are 8 months away from the cruise!

Melissa

[VACruiser]

Have room for 3 more?

We have been looking forward to 11 nights in the Med for a year.

[tinkerbell_29]

Welcome Vacruiser!

Melissa

[VACruiser]

Thanks for the welcome!

Only 235 days left, but who's counting.

[tinkerbell_29]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope everyone had a great day.

Melissa

[lcsmom]

Hi everyone!
Looks like we will do this cruise! :woohoo:
We had booked the Aug. 8, 2010 Med and had to move it when DD had some health issues. There are three of us, DH- Lee, DD-Lauren-17, and me- mom/Susannah. Really excited to see all the older teenagers. We're squeezing this cruise in between a competition and a camp DD usually does, so I'm not sure when we'll leave/return to Houston. Just participated in our first FE on the pre Thanksgiving Wonder cruise. DH had a blast, so sign us up!

[tinkerbell_29]

Hi everyone! Have some sad but also happy news. We are having to pull out of this cruise. While we are upset about that the reason is good. I just found out I'm expecting a baby due at the end of June. This was a complete surprise but something we are excited about. Hope everyone has a great time and am hoping DCL will offer this cruise again in a couple of years.

Melissa

[ohMom]

:welcome: Susannah and family!

congratulations Melissa! i'm sorry we won't get to meet your family but what a blessing!

[tinkerbell_29]

Thanks! I hate for my mom and brother that we are missing the cruise but at least now I know why i have been sick every morning. We moved our reservation to Christmas 2011 and will be taking our new little one on a cruise for their very first Christmas.

Melissa

[VACruiser]

Congratulations Melissa!

[VACruiser]

So does anyone else have a "no matter what else we do, we must see"?
DD10 say's we must see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

[Minnie328]

So does anyone else have a "no matter what else we do, we must see"?
DD10 say's we must see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Okay, I hate to be a party pooper, but for me, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a let down. You just see the tower, take a picture, and you're done. My family decided to visit both Florence and Pisa in the same day on our July 2007 Med cruise and I wish I would have had more time in Florence. With that being said, the Leaning Tower of Pisa IS "Italy" when you look at photos so to speak, and your daughter will probably remember it! :)

Now onto the must-dos:
--I believe it's called Giolitti-it's a gelato shop near the Panthenon. OMG. SO. GOOD. I've been craving it since 2007.:rotfl: =D
--My absolute favorite city in the entire world is Villefrance. My family kind of used it as a CC day. It's the last port, and while we visited Monte Carlo, we also went to the beach. It's kind of a funny beach (pebbles rather than sand), but I absolutely loved it.

Any more questions, let me know :)

[VACruiser]

Okay, I hate to be a party pooper, but for me, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a let down. You just see the tower, take a picture, and you're done. My family decided to visit both Florence and Pisa in the same day on our July 2007 Med cruise and I wish I would have had more time in Florence. With that being said, the Leaning Tower of Pisa IS "Italy" when you look at photos so to speak, and your daughter will probably remember it! :)
Doesn't everyone need a picture holding up the Tower. :)

Gelato... mmmm....Now we are talking must do's.....

[ohMom]

my oldest DD is super excited about eating "real" Italian food -- any recommendations?

my youngest DD is super excited about the beach in France so i'm glad to read it's one of your return visit must-do's.

i'm excited to see Pompeii, and admitedly the Tower of Pisa too. I always think of the Bewitched episode where her clumsy aunt takes the credit for the Tower leaning as she had ordered a sandwich and said "one tower and make it lean" and the Tower shifted. remember that?

[Minnie328]

my oldest DD is super excited about eating "real" Italian food -- any recommendations?


Well, my family's rather cheap, so we usually ate on the ship. They did have a couple of special menus that were more Mediterranean fare....?

But I did have real Italian pizza in Sorrento!! mmmm. I had margarita pizza--so good!

The best is the gelato though. I tried it in Sicily (not any good), then Rome (to DIE for--not kidding), then Florence (not too good).

I do want to try some real Italian pasta this time though. :) yummy!

OH. One last thing-- So when we went to Pisa, we were kinda hungry and stopped at McDonalds. They had mini-calzones (and if I remember correctly, they were quite tasty)! How funny is that?!

[VACruiser]

i'm excited to see Pompeii, and admittedly the Tower of Pisa too. I always think of the Bewitched episode where her clumsy aunt takes the credit for the Tower leaning as she had ordered a sandwich and said "one tower and make it lean" and the Tower shifted. remember that?

I too am looking forward to Pompeii. I loved watching Bewitched re-runs on TBS.



OH. One last thing-- So when we went to Pisa, we were kinda hungry and stopped at McDonalds. They had mini-calzones (and if I remember correctly, they were quite tasty)! How funny is that?!

I've done something similar. I went to Paris with a few friends (I was stationed in Germany), we got off the metro by the Arc de Triomphe and went to McDonalds.

[VACruiser]

I hope everyone had a nice holiday.

Only 6 months from today!!!

[ohMom]

Christmas was wonderful for us, thank you ;) same for everyone I hope!

ok -- time to start watching airfare -- any tips?

[VACruiser]

ok -- time to start watching airfare -- any tips?

Well I already bought our tickets, but... when I was comparing prices I tried DCL. It was actually fairly close to all the prices I was getting everywhere else.

[ohMom]

let's get excited people! let's get chatty!! our cruise is less than 6 months away!!

i've been reading posts on the Dream...looks like quite the awesome ship!

i feel like i need to bite the bullet and book our airfare, i was not prepared to spend almost 5k on airfare for the 4 of us! yooowwwch!

can we do another roll call and intro -- it's been awhile and my memory is awful! cruising in my family is DH, Preston and myself, Molli. our two DD..Taylor will be just shy of 19 and Paige will be 14 1/2...currently in 8th grade. we are looking forward to sampling Europe and super-excited and still overwhelmed with the excursion options. plans are to arrive in Europe on friday morning July 8 and then stay over in Barcelona a couple days leaving July 23.

who is repeat Med cruisers?

[lcsmom]

:wave2:
Hi, back! We are DH - Lee, me - Susannah, and DD - Lauren, 17. I've been concentrating on the college visit stuff lately and really need to get excited about the Med. :goodvibes
Need to get our airfare, too! It seems there is no easy way to get to Barcelona, particularly from Houston. If we had any real experience in European travel, I might try something adventurous. Maybe fly to Paris or Madrid, then take the train. But this Texan doesn't even use US trains. I can see us trying to make connections using my Spanglish or DD school French. :laughing:

[corbett744]

Hello, we are also joining this cruise. We're very excited.

[MaryJaneP]

Still hoping to go w/DH & 3 DD. Is there any word on Tunis being out with all the upheaval there?

[corbett744]

I am new to this chat stuff. What is the fish extender game? I have read several entries about a website for this cruise referenced by Jeff/Monstro. How would one find this website? Thanks

[ohMom]

:welcome: Corbett! i have never participated in a FE...but my understanding is each family brings a "Fish extender" to hang outside their cabin door on the fish that is mounted on the wall. this FE is like a fabric hanging with pockets for each family member. throughout the cruise, DISboard families leave gifts in the pockets and trade items such as cruise-useful things like highlighters, notepads or items from their hometown... if you search Fish extender on the main cruise board i think you'll find more explainations --

i wanted to share this website http://www.contexttravel.com/home

[Minniespec]

Hello Again!

I've been MIA for quite some time, but I thought I'd re-introduce myself and my family. Our party will be me (a month shy of 15 and heading into 10th grade at the time of the cruise) and my parents (Warren and Wendy, whose ages will remain a secret so I survive until the cruise :rotfl:)

At this point we're not actually sure if we'll be going on the cruise-- we're having a really rough time working out the logistics of airfare/getting time off/getting the dogs into kennels/and a million other things. We've got our fingers crossed, but it's up in the air. :confused3

We went on a five night cruise on the Wonder to the Bahamas this past July and loved it. We booked this cruise partially because 11 nights sounded like heaven and partially because I go to a school that stresses everything classical, so seeing the historical aspect of Rome and the like is a dream come true for me.

I hope that we're able to get this board a little busier and hopefully get a fish extender set up. There's not long now until the cruise! :woohoo:

[drleblanc]

Hey All, just to let you know, we were looking at the DCL site and it appears that they have dropped Tunisia (not surprised) and added Palermo, Italy (boo, another Italy stop) in Sicily. I have a co-worker from there so I hear it is a nice place. Was hoping they would add Greece or something like that to really make it a comparable stop (ruins, etc.), but at least it is not another day at sea.

Looking forward to the trip, we are up for Fish Extenders, postcards, etc. This is just our second cruise (did the Baltic last year) and are looking forward to it. I work in Switzerland and am in Rome 2-3 times a month so let me know if you have any questions about the city.

Dan Leblanc

[Monstro]

Hey All, just to let you know, we were looking at the DCL site and it appears that they have dropped Tunisia (not surprised) and added Palermo, Italy (boo, another Italy stop) in Sicily. I have a co-worker from there so I hear it is a nice place. Was hoping they would add Greece or something like that to really make it a comparable stop (ruins, etc.), but at least it is not another day at sea.

Looking forward to the trip, we are up for Fish Extenders, postcards, etc. This is just our second cruise (did the Baltic last year) and are looking forward to it. I work in Switzerland and am in Rome 2-3 times a month so let me know if you have any questions about the city.

Dan Leblanc

Welcome Dan! We're still on this cruise and very excited for it. I'm disapointed about Tunis being dropped. We did however enjoy Sicily on our last cruise. We booked a private tour and went to the Monreale, out to see the temple ruins at Segesta and ended with a quick tour of the Catacombs... . which my kids absolutly loved.

I'm working on our tours and airfare right now....

Jeff

[VACruiser]

Things are starting to pick up in here.
Welcome and Welcome back....



I'm working on our tours and airfare right now....
Jeff
If your not too busy.... Can you go ahead and take care of ours too?:lmao:

[Monstro]

Things are starting to pick up in here.
Welcome and Welcome back....



If your not too busy.... Can you go ahead and take care of ours too?:lmao:

Sure, but I must warn you that I charge pretty hefty fees.

[VACruiser]

Sure, but I must warn you that I charge pretty hefty fees.

Yeah... That would probably break my budget.

Oh well, I tried!!!

[Monstro]

Yeah... That would probably break my budget.

Oh well, I tried!!!

I'll give you an "A" for effort... :)

[Monstro]

I am new to this chat stuff. What is the fish extender game? I have read several entries about a website for this cruise referenced by Jeff/Monstro. How would one find this website? Thanks

Yep. That would be me. I was putting together a cruise website on a wiki platform, but then I viewed it without signing in and realized that they (the hosting company) were splashing ads all over it. I can't say i blame them. they have to make money somehow. The site is still out there and I'll reactivate it if there is interest. Here is the link to what i had... It needs to be cleaned up and adjusted to everything that has changed. I'd like to see what the interest level is.

http://magic2011.wikidot.com/

Jeff

[Dazed]

Hi all. :wave2:
Just wanted to add two Scots on board. Myself and DS 15. First cruise for us both so very,very excited. Been good to read a bit about our fellow passengers here. Very much looking forward to a disney fix without crossing the Atlantic. :)

Ann

[Monstro]

Hi all. :wave2:
Just wanted to add two Scots on board. Myself and DS 15. First cruise for us both so very,very excited. Been good to read a bit about our fellow passengers here. Very much looking forward to a disney fix without crossing the Atlantic. :)

Ann

Welcome! Welcome! Good to have more onboard. Crossing the Atlantic is proving to be more costly than I originally budgeted. :headache:

[Pixiedustdawn]

I am having a problem finding airfare and hotel. This one vacation is just about costing close to, or more than $20,000 already. I hope i don't have to pull out. :(


I will keep checking the airfare.

[Monstro]

I hear you.... Are you going over early or staying for an extended period of time?

[ohMom]

i got some travel alert emails today....airfare seems to have taken a small dip ...

[emma2]

Hello, we haven't posted in a while - dealing with the sticker shock as we are adding up the $ we will need. We are five(myself,DH, DS will turn 12 on cruise, DD will just have turned 14 and, DD15). The kids do not know about this trip yet. I have booked flights ( 3 with mileage and pd for 2 from NYC). We plan to arrive 7/6 morning and have reservations for 3 nts at Casp74 Apartments.
Since this is my family's first time in these places I plan to do many private tours (Rome, Naples, Pisa and Lucca, and now Palermo - may do Malta as well). (I don't want them to get so tired that they won't want to do this again!) I have booked with ROMEINLIMO for 5 people, but may end up doing a small van to lower the price and get another family of 2 or 3 with us. I think we will skip Florence - the ride is too long - it is better done on a relaxed trip when we can spend a few days.
It seems that we would need to budget another $8000 for everything to be on the safe side -hotels, food, tours, shopping,etc. It's crazy!!! But I think it is a great introduction for the kids and my DH.

[corbett744]

I really like your website. I am always impressed that people know how to do this. I hope you keep it going as the information is interesting, and I think useful.

[Monstro]

I really like your website. I am always impressed that people know how to do this. I hope you keep it going as the information is interesting, and I think useful.

Thank you. I'll see what I can do. We could use it to organize our cruise meet and fish extender and any other activities we may want.

[emma2]

Great new thread was started for Med on Your Own - check it out if you haven't already.

[Minniespec]

Just thought I'd check in and see if anyone is interested in getting a fish extender set up-- we didn't get to do that last time and it looks like a lot of fun :)

Also, does anybody have experience with letting Disney do the flights? We're having a really rough time getting those in place and are leaning towards just letting Disney handle it. We're concerned about not being able to sit together or getting stuck on a flight with a thousand and one stops, though... any input?

[ohMom]

minniespec -- i just replied to your thread before i recognized your name, sorry

where are you flying from? personally, i feel less in control booking air through Disney, i'm not sure about sitting together, but it's my understanding you have no say in flight duration, times, stops, etc. I also thought I read that if you choose to add-on days either prior or post-cruise, if you book your air through Disney they require you book the hotel for those days with them as well.

i have to chuckle everytime I check on kayak...the first flight, cheapest that pops up is Finnair and is a 42 hour duration on the return flight...WOW! realistic flight times for us is 16-18 hrs....lol

[Monstro]

minniespec -- i just replied to your thread before i recognized your name, sorry

where are you flying from? personally, i feel less in control booking air through Disney, i'm not sure about sitting together, but it's my understanding you have no say in flight duration, times, stops, etc. I also thought I read that if you choose to add-on days either prior or post-cruise, if you book your air through Disney they require you book the hotel for those days with them as well.

i have to chuckle everytime I check on kayak...the first flight, cheapest that pops up is Finnair and is a 42 hour duration on the return flight...WOW! realistic flight times for us is 16-18 hrs....lol

Flights are a challenge right now. I've been looking and researching every day. I think flying with Disney will Cost you more.... especially now with fuel being so high.

[Minniespec]

We ultimately decided to use Disney. No matter how we did the flights through other airlines, Disney turned out cheaper :confused3

[corbett744]

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. We are looking forward to meeting some of you. We will be in Cabin 7020. We are interested in the fish extender "game"? IL have the idea of what the fish estender itself is, is the game bringing treats etc to share in the extenders? How do you find out how many people/families are involved? Do you bring something for every day, or is it hit or miss, or are there specific times that you target?
Cindi

[Monstro]

I guess we're a for sure thing now. We just booked air. We'll be paid in full status next Week.

[VACruiser]

Wow, we are at the paid in full date...
I wonder if they'll start all the specials on the 12th...

[Monstro]

Specials will start after the cancellation cut off passes... 90 Days.

[lcsmom]

:woohoo:
The Disney card can now explode! Sent off the balance for the cruise. And, a few weeks ago, found really good airfare to Barcelona out of various Southwest Airlines cities. Used award tickets to get us from Houston to Dulles. Overnighting at an airport hotel on points. Then off to Barcelona.We'll have about 6 hours to get through customs at Dulles and check in w/SW on the return trip, but it should be OK. Sort of convulted, but major $$$ saving.
Starting to believe we're really going. Need to do begin thinking about the actual cruise.

[Monstro]

:woohoo:
The Disney card can now explode! Sent off the balance for the cruise. And, a few weeks ago, found really good airfare to Barcelona out of various Southwest Airlines cities. Used award tickets to get us from Houston to Dulles. Overnighting at an airport hotel on points. Then off to Barcelona.We'll have about 6 hours to get through customs at Dulles and check in w/SW on the return trip, but it should be OK. Sort of convulted, but major $$$ saving.
Starting to believe we're really going. Need to do begin thinking about the actual cruise.

We're doing similar through Chicago. PIF next week.... currently working on excursions.

[lcsmom]

I seriously have NO idea about excursions. We've never been to the Med/Italy/Spain. It helps a bit that I majored in history in college. But I've not had time to research the ports or possibilities. Any suggestions for our family of Mom, Dad, and DD, 17?

[Monstro]

For a party of 3 the Disney excursions are fairly priced. We are a party of 9 so the Disney excursions can add up fast for us. We'll probably do a lot of private tours this trip. One thing with the Disney excursions, the larger the group the slower the pace and the less you'll see. Keep that in mind as you decide - especially about Rome. I guess there is a thread called Med on your own that I'm going to take a look at.

In Barcelona, there is a hop-on hop-off buss that hits all the interesting spots.

[VACruiser]

Pretty sad that about a quarter of our budget is on excursions.

Since it's only 3 of us we will probably be sticking with Disney. Any suggestions on what we should book?

[drewmisha]

the title says it all.

[Monstro]

the title says it all.

I can take that a number of ways.

[VACruiser]

the title says it all.

Thanks for the heads up!!!:thumbsup2

[Monstro]

Pif.

[Monstro]

Pif.

Who is PIF and on this cruise with us?

Monstro's Party: Jeff, Ann, Steph(23), Nikki(18), Caroline(16)
Cabins: 2079 & 2081
Dining: Main
From: Utah, USA
DCL Cruise Number: 13

[corbett744]

Does anyone know if you can research shore excursion information before the date you sign up for them?

[Monstro]

Does anyone know if you can research shore excursion information before the date you sign up for them?


Yes. On disneycruise.com go to cruises and destinations select European ports of call and port adventures or you can select locations and port adventures.

[Love to Cruise DCL]

I am new to Fish Extenders..Going to have one made for our family's 6th cruise but need some help to find out more about anyone else participating on this July 9th Med cruise

[corbett744]

Monstro...Thank you very much. I have looked and looked and hadn't figured it out. Again. Thankyou.

[lcsmom]

Checking back in. The new computer should arrive in a few days and I'll be able to spend more time on line - without fear of a permanent blue screen.
Monstro, looks like my DD is around the same age as yours.
To add to your list of definitely going, PIF:
Lcsmom's group - Susannah, Lee, Lauren(17)
Perhaps we could get someone to sticky a list on the front page?

[Monstro]

Monstro...Thank you very much. I have looked and looked and hadn't figured it out. Again. Thankyou.

so did you find them?

[Monstro]

Monstro, looks like my DD is around the same age as yours.
To add to your list of definitely going, PIF:
Lcsmom's group - Susannah, Lee, Lauren(17)
Perhaps we could get someone to sticky a list on the front page?

Or we could use this site I started last year. Things are starting to slow down for me now so I could get it updated and keep it going. You'll notice it has a place for the fish extender, special occasions etc...

http://magic2011.wikidot.com/castaways

Jeff

[lcsmom]

Really looked at your website. Would definitely be a great place to put all the latest plans. Loved flipping through your ports pages. I am inspired to arrange all our excursions by mid-April. I had forgotten Pompeii was an option. I need to find my book on Latin graffiti to bring along.
We are interested in the fish extender, but i am a little worried about the 11 days of goodies fitting in the suitcases.

[JannasMamma]

Hello All!

We are the Scott family from Creemore, Ontario, Canada. We are booking this trip and are first time cruisers.

Any tips for us??? DD is so excited! She just turned 4 and is a princess addict!!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Carri-Ann

[Love to Cruise DCL]

Monstro Love the web site just signed up..very new to websites like this...want to get involved with FE for July 9th
How do you post on castaway so people will know to FE and we can meet some other fun people on the crusie

[Monstro]

OK. Great - let's get the website updated with everyone who is still on the cruise. If you'll send me a PM or post here with this info (in quotes), I'll transfer it to the website I have going and it will be easy to transfer it into a fish extender list. Include yes - fish extender if you want to participate. Leave blank if you don't.


Jeff, Ann, Steph(23), Nikki(18), Caroline(16)
Cabins: 2079 & 2081
Dining: Main
From: Utah, USA
DCL Cruise Number: 13
Yes fish extender

Jeff

[Monstro]

Hello All!

We are the Scott family from Creemore, Ontario, Canada. We are booking this trip and are first time cruisers.

Any tips for us??? DD is so excited! She just turned 4 and is a princess addict!!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Carri-Ann

Welcome Scott Family! The disboards are a great source for tips etc. You guys are going to have a great time. I'll try to inlcude tiips as they come to mind. It's a bit different beings that it is a Med cruise.

I'd try to get early dining if you have young kids.

[Monstro]

OK. I've added some castaways to the website. I've also started building the Palermo page.

At this point (109 days until we cruise), I've booked our flights, reserved a pedicure for my wife a massage for me, a few shore excursions through Disney as well as some private ones. I'm working on getting an apartment for Barcelona and figuring out Palermo, Rome, and Villefranche.

How's everyone else doing?

Here's the website again. http://magic2011.wikidot.com/castaways

Jeff

[emma2]

Hi - We are on the 7/9 med cruise and we have booked two private tours with Romeinlimo and hope some others would join us. We are from NYC and are a family of 5(myself, DH, DD15, DD14, DS12). Presently have a small van ordered that sits 6 and would like to upgrade to one that sits 8 to save money. Here are some details and will provide more if your are interested:

Rome - Basic tour with a private guide for the Vatican. Asked for a reasonable place for lunch for no more than 45 minutes as we hope to stop at the Ferrari store(DH, DS love foreign cars!)and maybe the catacombs. This is around Via del Corso/Tomacelli - a stop of about 20 -30 minutes ( you can join us or walk around the area to sightsee or shop).

Naple/Pompeii/Amalfi- their basic tour with a private guide for Pompeii. Hope to have lunch at a reasonable place with a view. Thought of stopping at a beach on the way back so kids can check it out BUY honestly have not done research on this so don't know feasibility.

I am a little nervous about this but others seem to do private tours this way. It is definitely a money saver.

[emma2]

This Is our info for Monstro ( did I spell this right). We were in Park City this past summer, loved it.

Cabins:5024 and 5022
DCL number :2
From : NYC
Family:Frank, Anna, Julia(15), Krisztina(14 birthday-turns 14 on 7/3), Alexander(12- his birthday is on the cruise on 7/16).
Barcelona info -staying at Casp74 Apartments, arriving 7/6.

Palermo - DCL tour
Malta - looking into a taxi service
Rome - Romeinlimo
Naples - Romeinlimo
La spezia - plan to do Cinque Terre on our own
Corsica - on our own
Villefranche-on our own , porbably Monaco and don't know what else

[Dazed]

Hi All. Here are our details for Monstro to add to the list. Well done on your great work on the website!

Ann (DM) and Craig(DS) 15
Cabin 6636
Second Dining
from Fife, Scotland
no to fish extender -sorry
first cruise ever!

Just booked our flights :scared1: cost far more than I'd planned -almost as much as our last flights to Florida 2 years ago!

We've been lucky enough to have holidayed in Rome and Sorrento a few years ago so hope to do our own thing there. My favourite things I want to see again in Rome are -St. Peters, Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona and maybe Pantheon. I'd love to see it all again -it's a fantastic city -but want to stroll and enjoy the gelato! :) Planning to take the hyrofoil over to Capri from Naples. I'd recommend a trip to Pompei and Vesuveus though.

May do a disney excursion at Palermo but not sure yet -more research needed!

[lcsmom]

Complete info for lcsmom's party

Susannah, Lee, Lauren (17)
cabin: 7058
DCL cruise #4
second dining
from The Woodlands, TX (yes,the "The" is actually part of the name):rolleyes:
yes to fish extender

Off to explore hotels in Barcelona. Any suggestions on transfers - airport to hotel & hotel to port? Really excited that new computer doesn't stall on DIS like old one.

[Monstro]

Thanks emma2, dazed and lcsmom. I've updated all your info on the site.

Emma2 - last time we were on this cruise, we went to Monaco and Eze. We absolutely loved Eze and are probably going back.

lcsmom.... I'm currently researching hotels or apartments for Barcelona as well. Let me know if you find any good deals and I'll do the same.

Thanks
Jeff

[Monstro]

This Is our info for Monstro ( did I spell this right). We were in Park City this past summer, loved it.



Small world isn't it. I love Park City. I'm there at least once a week for work.

[Monstro]

The Woodlands, TX (yes,the "The" is actually part of the name):rolleyes:
yes to fish extender


The Woodlands Texas.... Been there - Loved it! A girl of a family there guest played on my daughter's soccer team when we we're in Houston for a college showcase. We spent Sunday at their house. What a beautiful area. I asked my daughter to look up names in her journal.

Jeff

[emma2]

Monstro - some of my missed info:

Dining: Main
FE extender :No

BArcelona - we are booked at Casp 74 Apartments for 3 nights for 550 euro with full kitchen/laundry. This was less expensive than Hispanos. We are 5 and got the smallest apt that allows 5.

I saw that you booked a Malta excursion - was cost extra for a guide vs just a taxi- cost reasonable? Your times seem tight - do you think all that will be doable?

Is Eze easy to combine with Monaco on our own?

Palermo - I really don't want to do this port on our own - looking at Mysterious Palermo tour with DCL.

I posted earlier hoping to get others to join us on tow of our private tours - hope it works.

[lcsmom]

Thanks, Jeff. I got distracted yesterday with Mom stuff. Back to hotel searching today. I'll let you know what I find. As we are only 3 and not arriving until Friday morning, I'm more interested in proximity to the one or two things we'll want to do before jet lag catches up with us.
Really regreting not having more time in Barcelona. What time do people usually embark/get to the cruise terminal?
Glad you enjoyed your brief time in "The Woods". Soccer, lacrossse, triatholons, and hockey are very important here. We've lived here 6 years. We're all native Texans, though.

[Monstro]

I saw that you booked a Malta excursion - was cost extra for a guide vs just a taxi- cost reasonable? Your times seem tight - do you think all that will be doable? There are 9 of us and we feel that trying to find taxis at each stop would be a pain for that size group. The tour we booked with the car is $680 plus tips. It includes transportation, driver and tour guide. The blue Grotto is just a picture stop.



Is Eze easy to combine with Monaco on our own?
Last time we did Monaco with DCL and came back to EZE afterwards. This time we're going to try and do both on our own. Maybe ride train to Monaco in the morning and take the bus back to Villefranche stopping in EZE.


Palermo - I really don't want to do this port on our own - looking at Mysterious Palermo tour with DCL.

I posted earlier hoping to get others to join us on tow of our private tours - hope it works.

I saw that. I hope more people join our thread so you get some takers. We're a large group already. I heard tour vans can't have more than 9 people in Rome - driver and tour guide included.

Jeff

[Monstro]

What time do people usually embark/get to the cruise terminal?


It's really up to you as long as you're on the ship by 4:00 PM. When we went on the Baltic, we didn't board the ship until 3:00 because we wanted to tour the Dover Castle. I'm glad we took that time in Dover. Who knows if we'll ever get back.

[corbett744]

Monstro.. Sorry to have been absent. Yes we found the shore excursion information. Thanks for your instructions. I just need a bit more practice with websites apparently. We have been distracted, we have an adult child being deployed in the next 10 days. Had to put cruised on hold. Will send information on our party as soon as I can look it all up. The discusions have been interesting and infomative. I'm anxious to meet all of you.

[ohMom]

Thanks,Back to hotel searching today. I'll let you know what I find. ..more interested in proximity to the one or two things we'll want to do before jet lag catches up with us. . What time do people usually embark/get to the cruise terminal?

we arrive early afternoon friday and I have the same objectives and am determined to get something booked here today! will post.

what is the earliest embarktion would start? i thought I read noon-ish somewhere?

i bit the bullet yesterday and booked our flights...jeesh.....i am really regeretting NOT booking back in feb when the prices took a slight nosedive but i can't dwell now. WE ARE BOOKED!!!! woot woot!!

[lcsmom]

Really thinking about an early morning tour of something on Saturday before we embark. DD has never left the USA, so want her to see as much as possible. But don't want her to remember just being tired, either. Will look at excursions/tours once I book the Barcelona hotel.
Questions:
1) Any idea if one of the buffets would still be open if we don't board until 2?
2) Will we be able to bring on various beverages as we can in Cape Canaveral?
3) Anyone have an excursion they might want to share with a party of 3 - Mom-talks too much, Dad-Football lineman, but only 6', DD-wisecracking teenager w/very dry sense of humor?

Off to tripadvisor to check reviews on a few hotels. Taking a large helping of salt with me.

[emma2]

ICSMOM:
We are looking for up to 3 to join us on two tours - see earlier posting on this thread. But it sounds like you are looking to join a Barcelona tour, if I am reading your post right. Try looking on Cruise Critic for Barcelona recommended tour guides to get some ideas. A half day tour would work for you.
-I am also the talker in the family. DH is the strong silent type! My kids go with the flow - the more we travel the more open they have become.

[ohMom]

omg i must've spend 2 hours this morning searching Barcelona hotels. i did not want to spend too much on our one pre-cruise night and i must be picky. finally a landed on a site that seemed to help me narrow them down easier and here is the one I picked if anyone is interested for their own shopping around http://search.europe-cities.com/en/1083/spain/barcelona/198683_next_to/?startDate=2011-07-08&days=1&guests=4&rooms=1&currencyID=1&affid=61#photos i haven't shown my family yet..but for all the time i spent i will most likely pitch a fit if they don't like it :laughing:

[Monstro]

omg i must've spend 2 hours this morning searching Barcelona hotels. i did not want to spend too much on our one pre-cruise night and i must be picky. finally a landed on a site that seemed to help me narrow them down easier and here is the one I picked if anyone is interested for their own shopping around http://search.europe-cities.com/en/1083/spain/barcelona/198683_next_to/?startDate=2011-07-08&days=1&guests=4&rooms=1&currencyID=1&affid=61#photos i haven't shown my family yet..but for all the time i spent i will most likely pitch a fit if they don't like it :laughing:

ohMom.... That is a helpful site. Thanks

[beautifulsmiles]

Hi all ~

We are new to this posting thing, but are so excited about this cruise! We are traveling with a 12 year old boy and 10 year old girl, who have never been to Europe, and we just heard about fish extenders - any of you doing that on this cruise?

[corbett744]

Hey all you experienced Spa goers. When we tried to book a masage, we noticed that they are blocked off before 4:30 everyday. Does this indicates they are all booked, or that they just don't do massages earlier in the day. Anybody have any experience with this?

[emma2]

This is my first time really participating in a thread so much and ours seems so slow- much less activity than the other med dates. I wonder how full our date is? Where is everyone?

Getting really concerned the way the euro is going up. I thought of buying some euro a couple of months ago but passed. The cost of everything we reserved is now that much more. I really thought it would go down.

I really hope others decide to join us on our two private tours I mentioned earlier - need up to three more ( Rome and Naples/Pompeii/Sorento).

[JannasMamma]

Hi all!

Who will be joining us on the 3-day pre-cruise adventure in Barcelona? I'd love to arrange a trip to the aquarium on some of the free time with our DD (age 4).

Does anyone have experience with a 4-year-old on shore excursions? Do I NEED a stroller? She no longer uses one at home, but meltdowns and tantrums are not something I look forward to if the excursions are too intense.

Thanks!

Carri-Ann

[Monstro]

Hi all ~

We are new to this posting thing, but are so excited about this cruise! We are traveling with a 12 year old boy and 10 year old girl, who have never been to Europe, and we just heard about fish extenders - any of you doing that on this cruise?

Welcome Aboard! This is going to be a great trip. Three families have signed up for the fish extender. You would be four. you can find the list here.... http://magic2011.wikidot.com/fish-extender

We need an organizer for it. Anyone interested?

[Monstro]

Hey all you experienced Spa goers. When we tried to book a masage, we noticed that they are blocked off before 4:30 everyday. Does this indicates they are all booked, or that they just don't do massages earlier in the day. Anybody have any experience with this?

Hi guys. I just checked - it seems there are quite a few hot stones appointments still available. Sea days do tend to fill up fast. I recommend booking as soon as you are able.

[Monstro]

There does seem to be a lot of cabins available on the ship for our date. And this does seem to be a slower thread. I hope it picks up as well - it is fun getting to know new people and share experiences when you bump into each other on the ship.

As far as shore excursions with youngens... Someone in our group had a 3 year old. They brought along a folding stroller. it didn't seem to be in the way. We were on a private excursion.

I'd also jump on the requests for private tours. In my experience - as long as you have the right size group they are more affordable than the DCL excursions and you'll see more because your not in a group of 50 or in a big tour bus. I'd jump on emma2's request, but we are already of group of 9.

Our site: http://magic2011.wikidot.com/

[Monstro]

Las Ramblas - Barcelona.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_wZVht9HTAAA/SmpWqT3IWuI/AAAAAAAAG-8/9n3zKNewY_8/s540/Barcelona%20Las%20Ramblas.JPG

[emma2]

When I booked this date-I honestly just picked it because it made sense with the kids' school schedule. I didn't think that there would be a price differential with the various summer dates. Is the price difference so big to make our date so much less popular? This date to me would have been the most popular - shows you how much I have to learn!

If there are so many cabins still available - does the price come down? Is there such a thing as a refund to the rest of us who have already paid in full? We already had one price reduction and I thought we were getting a pretty good deal in light of DCL prices. I doubt we can be upgraded since we have 2 connecting rooms - would be easier if we only had one room.

I was so happy to use frequent flier miles for 3 of our 5 tickets - I thought my planning was pretty good. Now I wish the euro would just go down. My kids don't even know about the cruise yet.

[Monstro]

When I booked this date-I honestly just picked it because it made sense with the kids' school schedule. I didn't think that there would be a price differential with the various summer dates. Is the price difference so big to make our date so much less popular? This date to me would have been the most popular - shows you how much I have to learn!


I don't think there are so many cabins available that the price will come down anymore. We, all of us got a very good price for this cruise. I think the economy and airfare drove a lot of people away. The June 11 day cruise has more cabins available than ours. The only difference between June and July is July will be a little warmer. In addition, I wouldn't trade a large disboard group for a 10 day cruise. The extra sea day between Rome and Spezia is a much needed and welcome break.

By the way, I just found navigators from our 11 day med cruise in 2007. I'll see if I can post them to the website.

[beautifulsmiles]

Hi all! Very excited about the cruise- just read through the blog, and now wish we had signed up earlier! Here is our info for the blog and the website that Jeff has going - what a great job!

Jon, April, Christopher (12), Lauren (10)
Cabin: 6118
Dining: Main
From: Washington, USA
DCL Cruise Number: 2
Yes fish extenders

[JannasMamma]

Hi Jeff.

I tried to send you a pm, but I'm too new on the board. :(

Here's the info for your website.

Jannasmamma's Party
Cabin: TBD (VGY)
Dining:Main
From:Creemore, Ontario, Canada
DCL Cruise Number: 1!

Fish Extenders = YES

Carri-Ann, Jim & DD Janna (4)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Monstro]

The website has been updated with two more siling parties info. We now have 11 parties listed of which 5 are participating in the fishextender....

Anyone want to add pictures? Let me know.

Thanks
Jeff

[Monstro]

I've added some navigators to the website.

I hope they are a help or at least interesting. :)

http://magic2011.wikidot.com/

[JannasMamma]

Thanks for posting the Navigators! Just today we were wondering where to go to find out about theme nights and formal/semi-formal events. This is so helpful!

Carri-Ann

[ohMom]

:thanks: for adding the navigators!

[Monstro]

:Thanks for posting the Navigators!

:thanks: for adding the navigators!

You're welcome. I've added a few more.... Enjoy!

[lcsmom]

Thanks for the navigators!
I hope our thread is slow because so many of us have teenagers.:rolleyes: I don't think she's taken up this much of my time since she was in preschool. Between DD's extracurriculars and her searches for colleges, I don't feel I have time for myself. Should get better in 10 days. Hope I can still find good excursions. Still don't have the hotel in Barcelona. Will check the link posted up thread.

[Monstro]

I know my teenage daughters consume a lot of mine time... and money. Which navigators to do next. Any one have any requests?

[nemo123]

Hi All! New family joining the boards! We are PIF and excited to set sail!

Cabin: GTY
Dining: Main
From: IL
DCL Cruise Number: 1!

DD Kari(23), DS Kirby(16), DW Ann, DH Don

Jeff, I will PM you a picture when I find one! Thanks for putting together that awesome website.

We will be staying at the Renaissance pre-sailing and the Hotel Arts Barcelona post-cruise! Unless we flip flop those, still up for debate.