Med Cruisers...Let's Discuss Planning!(Updated Tour Info, Links & BCN Info on Page 1)

[tajz90]

We had pizza in the shadow of The Leaning Tower. We liked the pizza. Sure, it's not American style pizza, but yummy nonetheless . What a memory.

 

[Tired mom of 3 boys]

If you are doing a pre or post cruise stay in Barcelona and you are Soccer fans or players, make time to tour Camp Nou the home of the FC Barcelona team.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club

My DH as well as my 3 DDs all love and play soccer and it was one of the highlights of our pre-cruise stay in Barcelona. The Camp Nou Experience is very interactive, interesting and fun. The official store carried some cool and very unique items.

We'll be there the day before we cruise in July!

 

[lilpooh108]

We had pizza in the shadow of The Leaning Tower. We liked the pizza. Sure, it's not American style pizza, but yummy nonetheless . What a memory.

Which restaurant was this? We're planning on grabbing lunch near the Leaning Tower.

To contribute to the pizza discussion...I've never really liked pizza until I tried the Pizza Margherita in Rome. It was amazing. I've also never had buffalo mozzarella until I went to Rome. Now its a favorite...proscuitto and buffalo mozzarella with arugula. YUM.

 

[tajz90]

Which restaurant was this? We're planning on grabbing lunch near the Leaning Tower.

To contribute to the pizza discussion...I've never really liked pizza until I tried the Pizza Margherita in Rome. It was amazing. I've also never had buffalo mozzarella until I went to Rome. Now its a favorite...proscuitto and buffalo mozzarella with arugula. YUM.

Oh, man, no idea. It was a pizza shop very near. We ordered it to go and had a picnic at the tower.

 

[kikids]

For the 7 nighters in the Med, my TA reports that these are the dining rotations.

Rotation 1 is Lumiere, Lumiere, Animator's Palate, Parrot Cay, Lumiere, Animator's and Parrot Cay.

Rotation 2 is Animator's, Animator's, Parrot Cay, Lumiere, Animator's, Parrot Cay and Lumiere

Rotation 3 is Parrot Cay, Parrrot Cay, Lumiere, Animator's, Parrot Cay, Lumiere and Animator's

I don't know which nights are the formal, semi, pirate, etc. Anyone else know?

 

[lilpooh108]

For the 7 nighters in the Med, my TA reports that these are the dining rotations.

Rotation 1 is Lumiere, Lumiere, Animator's Palate, Parrot Cay, Lumiere, Animator's and Parrot Cay.

Rotation 2 is Animator's, Animator's, Parrot Cay, Lumiere, Animator's, Parrot Cay and Lumiere

Rotation 3 is Parrot Cay, Parrrot Cay, Lumiere, Animator's, Parrot Cay, Lumiere and Animator's

I don't know which nights are the formal, semi, pirate, etc. Anyone else know?

I don't know the theme nights but this info is wonderful. Thanks for posting it.

Parrot Cay is my least favorite restaurant (it's so dark in there and it always looks like a sad Sizzler to me) and so I hope we end up with rotation 1 or 2.

 

[Four Swampers]

Which restaurant was this? We're planning on grabbing lunch near the Leaning Tower.

To contribute to the pizza discussion...I've never really liked pizza until I tried the Pizza Margherita in Rome. It was amazing. I've also never had buffalo mozzarella until I went to Rome. Now its a favorite...proscuitto and buffalo mozzarella with arugula. YUM.

We ate a restaurant very close to the tower. This might have been it. If not, I suspect it is just as good. It is really hard to find a bad restaurant in Italy. Anyhow, go to https://maps.google.com/ In the search box, enter: "34 via cardinale maffi pietro, pisa, italy" It should take you to a map of Pisa with a tag that says "A." Hover over that to bring up street view, click on street view, then zoom in on the pizza the lady is eating at the sidewalk cafe.

Right outside one of the entrances to the Piazza dei Miracoli. Buy your tickets to the tower FIRST, then walk back here and eat lunch. Tower tickets are timed entry, like a FastPass ticket at WDW. Get your Leaning Tower FastPass, then go eat while you wait for your time to arrive.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We ate a restaurant very close to the tower. This might have been it. If not, I suspect it is just as good. It is really hard to find a bad restaurant in Italy. Anyhow, go to https://maps.google.com/ In the search box, enter: "34 via cardinale maffi pietro, pisa, italy" It should take you to a map of Pisa with a tag that says "A." Hover over that to bring up street view, click on street view, then zoom in on the pizza the lady is eating at the sidewalk cafe.

Right outside one of the entrances to the Piazza dei Miracoli. Buy your tickets to the tower FIRST, then walk back here and eat lunch. Tower tickets are timed entry, like a FastPass ticket at WDW. Get your Leaning Tower FastPass, then go eat while you wait for your time to arrive.

Or if you have a good idea of when you'll arrive, you can buy tickets here:
http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Turisti/

This was recommended by www.RomeInLimo.com our tour company.

 

[Four Swampers]

or if you have a good idea of when you'll arrive, you can buy tickets here:
http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/turisti/

nice!

 

[lilpooh108]

Or if you have a good idea of when you'll arrive, you can buy tickets here:
http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Turisti/

This was recommended by www.RomeInLimo.com our tour company.

Thanks!

We ate a restaurant very close to the tower. This might have been it. If not, I suspect it is just as good. It is really hard to find a bad restaurant in Italy. Anyhow, go to https://maps.google.com/ In the search box, enter: "34 via cardinale maffi pietro, pisa, italy" It should take you to a map of Pisa with a tag that says "A." Hover over that to bring up street view, click on street view, then zoom in on the pizza the lady is eating at the sidewalk cafe.

Right outside one of the entrances to the Piazza dei Miracoli. Buy your tickets to the tower FIRST, then walk back here and eat lunch. Tower tickets are timed entry, like a FastPass ticket at WDW. Get your Leaning Tower FastPass, then go eat while you wait for your time to arrive.

Thanks so much.

 

[mehaul]

We plan to do Pisa and Lucca on our own. From what I've read,the train is very easy to use out of the La Spezia port and I'm sure there will be many DIS cruisers on it heading to Pisa.

The Lucca stop is on the way, but I plan to go to Pisa first and look around, take the obligatory photo with the tower and get back on the train heading back the direction of the ship, but get off at Lucca and rent bikes for the day.

I have 11 and 13 yr olds so the bikes sound much more fun for them than Disney's 2 hr walking tour. Lucca's Guinigi Tower is said to have a great view and is less of a hassle to climb than Pisa so we will do that in Lucca and hopefully find some little pizza places, gelato, and take some photos of stray cats. I think my 11 yr old is more interested in the stray animals than the any of the architecture or history so I hope we actually spot one.

Then it's back on the train to the ship. Fingers crossed it goes as smoothly as I am envisioning it in my head!

I would suggest to do Lucca first. When we did the Lucca-Pisa combo in 2011, the train times are much shorter going la spezia-Lucca -Pisa - la spezia. Than
La Spezia-Pisa -Lucca-La Spezia.

I would also recommend to buy your timed Tkts to climb the tower ahead of time. You can purchase them online and pick them up at will call.

 

[poohmomof5]

Hi! I only got through page 2, but before I fall asleep, I wanted to let you know one problem we had in Europe...lack of elevators! We were traveling around Europe before our Baltic cruise a few summers ago and taking the underground trains is the best way to get around most towns, but there were no elevators to be found! With a family of 7 people and all our suitcases etc, it was...well...challenging. So, I vote no strollers, just a baby backpack and let the 4 year old walk. We actually found ourselves helping mothers with their strollers down the stairs many times! It did seem common, the moms just waited for someone to come along, grab the bottom of the stroller and off they went.

I'll be back to read more tomorrow.

 

[debsters41]

I don't know the theme nights but this info is wonderful. Thanks for posting it.

Parrot Cay is my least favorite restaurant (it's so dark in there and it always looks like a sad Sizzler to me) and so I hope we end up with rotation 1 or 2.

Hello! I was browsing around my castaway club page or 'see my reservation' page (but I unfortunately cannot remember where) and I noted in my notebook that formal night was the second night and the 6th night (Naples) was pirate night. It helps to explain the incredibly early all aboard time for the Naples port. I hope that helps!

 

[MrsScooby]

I know what you mean. I once had pizza in Naples and thought it was awful. The sauce was very thin, like tomato soup, which made the crust all wet & mushy. There was very little cheese on it too. What a disappointment.
Maybe pizza was created in Naples, but we perfected it for sure!

thanks, I'm trying to prepare myself for the differences

Hi Laurie!!!!
I can tell you that Italian pizza is nothing like New York pizza . . . it is virtually never cut into slices, you eat it with a fork and knife. The crust is very, very thin, and the sauce is runny. There is less cheese on it than a New York slice. That all being said, I like it - it's just different. If you have ever been to Eataly in Chelsea in NYC, they have very authentic Italian pizza there, as does another place in Hell's Kitchen, Don Antonio (the only other one of those is in Naples).

Hi Julie
I am not in NY for a while but I'll keep these pizzaria names for the next time...but the pizza we had at John's is my favorite by far and the closest I have found to what I grew up with.
I don't mind different types of pizza (pizza bagels were big when I was in college), but there are some kinds that don't appeal to me. Something about the sauce, I don't know

I agree with this! If you must have pizza a certain way, then you may not like pizza in Italy. If you approach it from a standpoint of trying new flavors and textures, you may well like it. I liked it, but I like pretty much any pizza.

No I like pizza enough that I'll eat different kinds if I have to...
I liked the pizza in Palo, but not what they served up by the pool on DCL
And we'll order Domino's especially when the weather is bad and we want to order in (too lazy to make our own or go out and get the good stuff)

We had pizza in the shadow of The Leaning Tower. We liked the pizza. Sure, it's not American style pizza, but yummy nonetheless . What a memory.

Now the view would just make it good regardless

Which restaurant was this? We're planning on grabbing lunch near the Leaning Tower.

To contribute to the pizza discussion...I've never really liked pizza until I tried the Pizza Margherita in Rome. It was amazing. I've also never had buffalo mozzarella until I went to Rome. Now its a favorite...proscuitto and buffalo mozzarella with arugula. YUM.

That was what I was talking about. The fresh mozzarella has a higher water content which is why the crust is not crispy. That I could live with as long as they provided a fork and knife

We ate a restaurant very close to the tower. This might have been it. If not, I suspect it is just as good. It is really hard to find a bad restaurant in Italy. Anyhow, go to https://maps.google.com/ In the search box, enter: "34 via cardinale maffi pietro, pisa, italy" It should take you to a map of Pisa with a tag that says "A." Hover over that to bring up street view, click on street view, then zoom in on the pizza the lady is eating at the sidewalk cafe.

Right outside one of the entrances to the Piazza dei Miracoli. Buy your tickets to the tower FIRST, then walk back here and eat lunch. Tower tickets are timed entry, like a FastPass ticket at WDW. Get your Leaning Tower FastPass, then go eat while you wait for your time to arrive.

Cool Thanks
The woman wearing a striped purplish shirt is eating a pizza slice with her hands which means the crust is firm enough to hold and that's closer to the type of pizza I really like.
But...I have heard good things about the pasta in Rome too
I am thinking I'll have to share an order of pizza AND pasta with my family in Rome...just to be on the safe side

 

[bellelinus]

Hi Julie
I am not in NY for a while but I'll keep these pizzaria names for the next time...but the pizza we had at John's is my favorite by far and the closest I have found to what I grew up with.
I don't mind different types of pizza (pizza bagels were big when I was in college), but there are some kinds that don't appeal to me. Something about the sauce, I don't know

Yes, John's is a classic New York pie, so are Lombardi's and Totonno's, but the places I mentioned do the different, more authentically Italian, pizzas. I know you aren't in NYC that much anymore, but when you do, you will have plenty of options! Maybe ordering pizza and pasta is a good idea in Italy until you are sure you like the pizza there. I think we are getting on the Magic as you get off, BTW - we are doing the 12 day including Greece. If you have any questions about Venice, feel free to ask me since I've been there three times and in fact will be there a few days before going to Barcelona for the cruise this summer. Venice is not Italian, IMO - it was its own republic for a long time and neither the food nor the people seem Italian like those in say, Tuscany or Rome do. It's a very, very unique place. Hopefully you will be able to get away from the super-crowded touristy areas and explore some of my favorite places, like shopping along the Strada Nova or eating in Cannareggio.

 

[MrsScooby]

Yes, John's is a classic New York pie, so are Lombardi's and Totonno's, but the places I mentioned do the different, more authentically Italian, pizzas. I know you aren't in NYC that much anymore, but when you do, you will have plenty of options! Maybe ordering pizza and pasta is a good idea in Italy until you are sure you like the pizza there. I think we are getting on the Magic as you get off, BTW - we are doing the 12 day including Greece. If you have any questions about Venice, feel free to ask me since I've been there three times and in fact will be there a few days before going to Barcelona for the cruise this summer. Venice is not Italian, IMO - it was its own republic for a long time and neither the food nor the people seem Italian like those in say, Tuscany or Rome do. It's a very, very unique place. Hopefully you will be able to get away from the super-crowded touristy areas and explore some of my favorite places, like shopping along the Strada Nova or eating in Cannareggio.

The stop in Venice was the reason we jumped on this cruise
Since it is our first time there we will be visiting the usual touristy spots, but we planned on getting to the really popular spots early in the morning on our second day in Venice (hoping to avoid some crowds that way).
So definitely looking to avoid the crowds the first day if we can and having dinner in Venice on the first night.
Do you remember where you ate in Cannareggio ?
And what was your favorite souvenir when shopping???

Bummer that we will be in Barcelona on the same day but not able to meet

 

[lilpooh108]

The stop in Venice was the reason we jumped on this cruise
Since it is our first time there we will be visiting the usual touristy spots, but we planned on getting to the really popular spots early in the morning on our second day in Venice (hoping to avoid some crowds that way).
So definitely looking to avoid the crowds the first day if we can and having dinner in Venice on the first night.
Do you remember where you ate in Cannareggio ?
And what was your favorite souvenir when shopping???

Bummer that we will be in Barcelona on the same day but not able to meet

We visited Venice on a different trip about 3 years ago. Our favorite restaurant was off the beaten path---it was no all meat no seafood. The restaurant is called Osteria La Bitta and is well known with the locals.

There is a delicious gelateria about 3 stores down from La Bitta, on the same stop.

You can get to it by getting on the vaparetto and getting off at Ca Rezzonico.

La Bitta is about 7 tables total, cash only, must make reservations. Venetians dine early so they close at 11pm. The "rush" was at around 7 to 8pm. We ate there twice on our 4 day trip.

I believe there are reviews on Tripadvisor, etc.

 

[MrsScooby]

We visited Venice on a different trip about 3 years ago. Our favorite restaurant was off the beaten path---it was no all meat no seafood. The restaurant is called Osteria La Bitta and is well known with the locals.

There is a delicious gelateria about 3 stores down from La Bitta, on the same stop.

You can get to it by getting on the vaparetto and getting off at Ca Rezzonico.

La Bitta is about 7 tables total, cash only, must make reservations. Venetians dine early so they close at 11pm. The "rush" was at around 7 to 8pm. We ate there twice on our 4 day trip.

I believe there are reviews on Tripadvisor, etc.

Thanks
I looked it up and the reviews sound great http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1088122-Reviews-Ristorante_La_Bitta-Venice_Veneto.html
How far out do you make reservations?

 

[lilpooh108]

Thanks
I looked it up and the reviews sound great http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1088122-Reviews-Ristorante_La_Bitta-Venice_Veneto.html
How far out do you make reservations?

I really don't remember, but you can call at any time. They speak english. We were there for NYE weekend one year and had called a few months out. They were always turning away people since it's so small. Great wine selection, but cash only. So bring plenty of cash

Best dish we had was some kind of stewed pork. YUM....that thing was super tender and you can tell it took all day to cook.

My DH especially loved it since he's not a huge seafood lover (I am), so we compromised and ate here twice and ate at other seafood restaurants the rest of the time. Best food we had in Venice that trip, though.

 

[lilpooh108]

We also liked this restaurant for their fried mixed seafood (fritto misto). They're known for fried seafood, but the best thing I ate here was the squid ink pasta (which was great).

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...5-r47449329-Vecio_Fritolin-Venice_Veneto.html

It was tasty, above average, and good if you stumble on it but I wouldn't go out of my way (like I would to eat at Osteria La Bitta).