June 27, 2013 - Magic in the Med (Venice)

[nzdisneymom]

Welcome to the June 27, 2013 Meet Thread for the Magic's Mediterranean Cruise (with Venice).

I'll reserve this first post to make a list of who's cruising and place other important announcements along the way.


FISH EXTENDER SIGN UP DEADLINE HAS PASSED. Check your PM for informations if you signed up.


Disney Cruiseline: 800-951-3532

Barcelona Hotels - DIS Thread

DCL Port Adventures

Itinerary with port times:
Thursday, June 27 Barcelona, Spain - 4:00 p.m.
Friday, June 28 Villefranche, France 8:45 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 29 La Spezia, Italy 7:45 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 30 Civitavecchia, Italy 7:15 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Monday, July 1 Naples, Italy 7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 2 At Sea - -
Wednesday, July 3 Venice, Italy 1:00 p.m. -
Thursday, July 4 Venice, Italy - 5:00 p.m.
Friday, July 5 Dubrovnik, Croatia 1:15 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 6 At Sea - -
Sunday, July 7 Valetta, Malta 7:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday, July 8 At Sea - -
Tuesday, July 9 Barcelona, Spain 7:00 a.m. -

Facebook Group - send a PM to jel0511 if you want to join so they can add you. Be sure to include your real name in the PM or you won't get added. If you don't have 10 posts yet to PM, feel free to just post post post to get your post count up so you can be added.


Add yourself to the Who's Sailing spreadsheet here: Roll Call Form. You can also sign up for the Fish Extender through the same form. You should be able to see your entry (and make modifications later on if you need to) here.


Cruise Events June 27th https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ao20EHYjoVtbdEhIYWlUVERiZEgzdElSdWRIV1Fpemc&usp=sharing -- pre- and post-cruise meets, onboard events, birthdays and celebrations and whatever other events you want to include

Excursions June 27th - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ao20EHYjoVtbdG5uOFlWNHdFZWpFUEZ6U00zVk5iOEE&usp=sharing See who else is on the same excursion as you, and add your own plans to the list.

Bus Turistic website - one of the HOHO bus companies in Barcelona http://www.barcelonabusturistic.cat/web/guest - order tickets online for 10% savings.


DISers ON BOARD:
* means not signed up on Roll Call Spreadsheet (which is optional)

1stDisneyCruiseForUs (Steph), Brian, DS (10), DS (7), DS (7)
amyreneemt
bananaheim
Barb
BeachgirlNJ (Julie), DH (Brian), DS (12), DD (9)
Bellecruiser (Meg), DH (Bruce), DS (22), DD (19)
BellesMommy
Bill3540
*bitocas (Gabriela), DH (Vitor), DD (6)
*booger73, DW, DS (12), DS (9)
*Bullseyebaby (Janie), DH (Dave), DS (20), DD (16)
*Carpenta, DW, DD (11)
Cliffside (Susan), DH (Rick), DD (13)
*collectoraholic, DH, DD (17), DD (11) + Parents and InLaws
*coraljoy (Coral), DH, DS (11), DS (9)
CptJackandcrew (Janice), DH (Hal), DD 18 and DD 15
*DenverVal (Val), DH (Joe), DD (Rachel - 20), DD (18)
*Disney_fool (Vera), BFF (Socheata)
*Disnylvr77 (Stephanie), DH, DD (16), DD (10)
disprincess4ever, DH, DD (16), DS (10)
DorothyN, Mom
elm95376 (Janet), Michele911 (Michele), Kim, GD (15), GD (10), friend Karen
friedrich2010 (Bonnie), DH (Carl)
gekette
Golden lover
Gydell (Gydell), DGS (11)
*Hawaiian_Mickey (Henry) and Hawaiian_Minnie (Brenda)
JayCeeDoubleU and family
*jedipup, DW, DS (6)
jel0511 (Lori), DH (Darren), DD (15), DS (12)
jkind
JLSE50 (Jan), DH (Tom)
just_drea (Andrea), Mike (DH)
kelvinwyng, DW
klar, DH, DS (10)
Kouris_Family (Kay), DH (Mark), DS 14, DD 10
krennhack (Kathy), DH (Michael), DD (8)
kventventx
*Legalsmurph, DH
lgajohnson
*Lionessa (Nancy), DD (9)
lisah0711, DH, DS
Lmcarr
Love2cruise
mattandlindsay (Lindsay), Matt
meb51 (Marie), DH (Steve), DSD (Dora), DD (Katie - 21) and DS (18)
*miffymouse (Fiona), DD (7), DD (3), DS (3), Mom, Dad
*mjhoward (Maxine), DH, DS (18), DD (12)
MrsScooby (Laurie) DH (Darren)
n8tivecaligirl, DH
*nicis, DH, DD (7), DS (15), and Papa
NZDisneymom (Cindy D.), DH (Gary), DS (17), DS (15)
*pacurn, DH, DD (21)
PoohMomof5, Children - 21, 19, 18, 15 and 8
RedCoral3
*RMOTHERHUBBARD, DD (16)
rotary_2808 (Emily), Mom, Dad
sandiedvc (Kathy), DH
*SavannahBananaful
Seaulater (Linda), DD (Jamie, 21)
Spongebob2013
StuChang
tashaschindel, DH, DD (11), DD (9)
Team Renshaw
Teerama, DH, DD (10), DS (8)
thumpery, DH, (20), (16)
tinkerbell0611 (Nancy), DH (Bruce), DGD (11)
Triff411
Vagabond
*WDWPrincess486 (Jessica), DH (Frankie)
*WhosGoofy
*Winnyis (Ginny), DH, DD (18), DS (15)
wrabitdad (Bob), Dale
Yensidfan (Faith and Pete)

 

[winnyis]

We booked this cruise this AM.

It will be me, DH, DD (18) and DS (15). This cruise will be to celebrate my DD's H.S. graduation. She will be so happy that after all these years she can finally go to Palo.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Hi Ginny.

The site has been slammed today so it's slow and I'm just now getting back to post my introduction.

I'm Cindy D., traveling with DH, DS (17) and DS (15). This will be our 7th DCL cruise, our second time in the Med, and our family's 9th cruise (my 10th).

When our older son was in 5th grade, we promised him that if we had not taken him to Venice before he graduated high school, we would do that for his graduation trip. He will be between junior and senior year, so it's perfect. And he's very excited that he'll still be able to participate in the youth activities because if we waited until 2014, he'd be too old. So this will be like a " last hurrah " trip for him as a Disney kid! Our younger son (Z) will be between 9th and 10th grade at that time, too. (They are the N and the Z that make me a DisneyMom - thus my username.)

While five of the ports are the same as when we did this trip in 2007, there are so many things to do in each area that it's worth a repeat for us. When we sailed before, we arrived in Barcelona the day before sailing and were so exhausted from the trip that we literally were nodding off on the HOHO bus we took around the city for a few hours. We got a quick overview but wanted to see more of Barcelona, so this time we'll be going over two days prior and stay one day later (also makes our return flight options better when we can possibly have a morning flight back whereas returning on the same day as you disembark sometimes means a later flight).

For Villefranche, we went to Nice, but this time would like to explore the other areas in the French Riviera. We to this day have declared Villefranche to be the most beautiful of all the ports we've been to - it's so picturesque!

For La Spezia, last time we went to Pisa, so this time we'll go to Florence.

For Civitavecchia, well, we didn't toss our coins in the Trevi Fountain for nothing! And obviously you can't see Rome in a day, so we're excited to get to go back, but this time at not quite the same intensity - we saw the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Vatican City already...

For Naples, last time we went to Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii. This time I'd like to see Naples area and try some Neopolitan Pizza!

And I'm so excited about the longer stay in port in Venice - we were fortunate to do the Baltic in summer 2010 and had our first overnight port there in St. Petersburg - it was so nice to have the extra time to see, and since Venice was high on our list of places to go, having the longer time there fits our wants nicely!

DH's boss says his favorite place he's ever visited is Dubrovnik, Croatia, and he's got the pictures to prove it - we can't wait to see it for ourselves.

I don't know a thing about Malta, but you bet I'll be reading up in the next 518 days

Looking forward to getting acquainted with everyone - I noticed a lot of folks booking today posting in the Price STICKY - hope they'll join us over here on the meet thread.

 

[seaulater]

Myself (Linda) and my DD Jamie will be joining you. She will be 21 when we cruise. This will be my 40th Disney Cruise and for my daughter it will be about #25 or so.

We have been to the Med before on Disney. We took a private car tour last time in Florence so we got to see Florence and Pisa and climb to the top of the leaning tower all in one day.

We will be on the June 15th cruise before this one as we are doing a B2B, so we will be on for 24 nights. We felt so rushed last time when in all the ports, so we figure this time we can take our time since we will be seeing many twice in the 24 days.

We have four Disney Cruises this year, the first one on March 31st for the maiden voyage of the Fantasy, then April 29 for the Wonder to Hawaii, then June 10 for the Magic to Canada, then November 8 for the Dream. There is a group of us doing all four ships in 2012.

After those four cruises, I should then be able to focus on these two cruises. I've been to Venice before, but Jamie hasn't, so we are excited for the overnight there.

I will check in occasionally, but more often once the cruise gets closer!

 

[gydell]

We're in!

 

[nzdisneymom]

Hi Linda, and hi Gydell. Welcome!

Linda - we sailed together on the July 18, 2007 in the Med... and we're also doing B2B for these two for the same reasons - well, that and Gary really wanted to go to Greece, too, so we booked that this afternoon through DVC. Whew- busy day today! We are looking forward to not having to be as rushed in the ports - especially Florence and Rome - we'll do Florence on one and Rome on the other since they are back-to-back days. And we loved Villefrance area so I'm excited about having an extra day to do something!

We'll have to work out air and hotel etc as it gets closer as we usually do it thru the cruiseline but may do it differently since we booked DVC for one and through DCL for this one. I'll be reading online and asking questions as time goes on.

But for now, i'll update the first post with who's traveling with us! Looking forward to getting to know you all over the next 518 days!

 

[MrsScooby]

well, I think we're in

We have a cabin and our deposit is in, but not 100% sure we'll be able to keep the reservation. I hope so because I have wanted to see Rome, Venice and Florence for ages
This trip will be myself (Laurie) and my DH Darren.

Gydell, it's good to see you here Are you still on for the Fantasy this summer? Really, I'm NOT stalking you


Helpful Links



Venice
http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/pianifica-la-tua-visita/secretitineraries/

 

[Yensidfan]

We are in. B2B with the 6/15 Greece Cruise.

Great to see some familiar faces.

Faith & Pete

 

[gydell]

Gydell, it's good to see you here Are you still on for the Fantasy this summer? Really, I'm NOT stalking you

We're still doing the Fantasy and we also have Hawaii. Stalk all you want!

 

[ame]

Hi all,

Just moved our booking to this cruise! We are myself, DH, DS1 who turns 15 on the last day of the cruise, DS2 who will be 13, DS3 who turns 11 on the last day of the cruise and DD who will be 9.

We booked the Christmas 2012 Mexican cruise in April last year while on the Wonder. That was our first cruise and we fell in love with cruising! My kids (and me too ) were devestated when the cruise was cancelled but excited when we heard that Europe was on the cards. We are from Australia and travel a lot. We have all travelled extensively throughout Australia, South Pacific, Asia and North America, but none of us have been to Europe. So... we are very excited to have our cabins booked and let the planning begin...

Our Christmas 2012 plans have been scaled back to accomodate nearly 4 weeks in Europe. We're also planning to go to Paris and London. My husband and DS1 are interested in history, DD & I just like pretty scenery

 

[ame]

Hi NZ Disneymom. I have a DS Z who will be in year 9 as well. He'll b e halfway through as we do schooling from Jan to Dec and turns 15 on the last day of the cruise.

So jealous of all you doing B2B. It was a hard decision for us between the two cruises. We have winter school holidays in the first two weeks in July. So we'll take the kids out of school for a little bit before the cruise (the plan is Paris) and then have w week after the cruise (plan is London) before flying home for them to start school again in mid July.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Welcome MrsScooby, Yensidfan and Ame! Glad to have you all with us!

We've looked at TAs and PCs but they are always during the school year, so we're excited about having another great opportunity to "see the world" in the summer. What I'm really excited about is that both boys have had World History, one has had Euro History and will be taking Art History next year, so Florence is going to be AMAZING for them. I'm so glad we did Pisa in 2007 - they wanted to climb the leaning tower, so we did! (Gosh, that sounds so cool - like we're the best parents ever to grant their wish!)

What we're sacrificing for doing these cruises is not going to WDW for two years - we are season passholders and always use our DVC points to stay. Instead we've used points for the Greece itinerary and our season tix money towards the trip.

We usually do air/hotel/transfers through the cruise line but this time we may do it on our own. We do plan to arrive in Barcelona two nights before sailng to give us time to acclimate - the jet lag gets us and we'd like to see Barcelona without being asleep the whole time!

 

[jel0511]

WE booked yesterday!!! WE are myself (Lori) DH (Darren) DD 15(Julianna) and DS 12 (Brandon). I'm so excited to sail into Venice with Mickey!!!! It has always been my dream to sail to Venice and now I get to do it with my favorite cruise line!! Linda, we're on the Maiden Fantasy also!!!! Our friends also traveling with us to Venice are also on the maiden! There is also another person from the Maiden going to Venice with us. We should arrange a mini-meet on board the Fantasy!!!!

 

[nzdisneymom]

Jel - welcome to the thread! We had started looking at other cruise lines for possibilities for this itinerary - we were looking at RCCL and Carnival which both have good itineraries and comparable prices, but since this is for our older DS's "BIG TRIP" and he's (ok, we!) are such Disney fans, it seems perfect for this to be a "last hurrah" for his youth! And that doesn't mean we won't do any more Disney cruises because I know we will - we were thinking that once the boys have aged out of the youth activities, we'd be more open (and not stuck on their school schedules) to other lines. We have sailed with both RCCL and Carnival in the last couple of years (just off Carnival Dream for Christmas) and while we liked them both as cruiselines, the boys say Disney is HANDS DOWN the best when it comes to youth activities! Definitely get what you pay for!

 

[gotomu212]

Hi everyone. We're coming aboard too! It's myself, husband, son (will be 5 when we sail), and my mother.

We are SO excited for Venice. I went when I was 17 years old and boy those are some wonderful memories. I'm sure this trip will be completely different (given that I'm a married lady now it better be a lot different!) hehe.

We've sailed a few time before, but are fairly new to the disboards, and I can't wait to experience FEs and everything else; I know plenty of time to plan!

 

[Goofy559]

We are sailing as well!
Myself - Lisa, DD Sage (14 when we sail) and my mom, Liz, who will be 85 (don't tell her I told you!)

We are stalking Lori from the Fantasy MV....plus we sailed the Med in 2010 together!

Can't wait!

 

[hawaiian mickey]

aloha,
My wife Brenda (hawaiian minnie) and myself Henry (hawaiian mickey) are also on the cruise.

aloha,
hawaiian mickey

 

[nzdisneymom]

Aloha Hawaiian_Mickey and Hawaiian_Minnie! Love your DIS names.
And hello to gotomu212 and Goofy559! Looking forward to getting to know you all.

Ah yes, Fish Extenders - these are so much fun! We love participating - it's so cool to come back to your cabin and find a little treat in your bag!

 

[Cliffside]

We booked yesterday...

Very excited...It is me Susan ,DH (Rick) and DD 13 (Shari)

We also sailed the med in 2010 and I am excited to revisit some of the ports and have some sea days to relax that we didn't have on the 10 night.

I have been dying to go to Venice for the longest time so an overnight there on a Disney Cruise is awesome. We will be the first sailing going there maybe they will do something special to greet us.

Before this cruise we will be on the maiden of the Fantasy and on the Magic this summer on a 5 night to Canada.

 

[SerbianPrincess]

Serbian Princess aka Angel checking in-me and my in 2013 my DS will be 10, will be cruising with each of you, very exciting!!! Maybe additional family but it is hard for them to plan a year out, crazy people!

But this year we are cruising to Hawaii, and Alaska and last year we did a three day on the Dream.

Looking forward to Europe and meeting each of you!!