Who's in for GREECE and TURKEY, June 15 2003????

[nzdisneymom]

Monsters University premears on Friday, June 21st! I think that's the same day we are in Athens.

 

[mindelmouse]

Monsters University premears on Friday, June 21st! I think that's the same day we are in Athens.

Yes it is. So it will premear the night before

 

[tajz90]

Yes it is. So it will premear the night before

At midnight.

 

[mindelmouse]

At midnight.

Yup

 

[CJCPixieDust]

Has anyone made their reservations on an iPad? I might not have access to a computer when my booking window opens and I'm feeling stressed about the iPad not working for reservations. Any advice or experience with this? Thanks!

 

[NanNan]

My husband and I are booked this excursion too since the museums in Florence are going to be closed. We love to cook so we are really looking forward to it. We did a cooking class excursion in Mexico and really enjoyed it so hopefully this one is even better!

I hope there will be room when we get to book for this cooking excursion! One thing my DH really wants to do! We also did the cooking class excursion in Mexico last year and it was so much fun.

 

[NanNan]

I am from Sarnia, Ontario (though born outside of Edmonton - go Oilers!) and went to university in Waterloo. Lots of us SW Ontarians in this group!

I am planning to book a private family tour of the Louvre and possibly a walking tour as well with Paris Muse. They have great ratings for keeping kids entertained while learning about art history! Oldest DS just finished a unit on Medieval Times and I think he will love the city and the rich history. Not that there won't be lots of history on our cruise, but I think Paris will be a little more "real" for him as opposed to the more abstract ruins. And what kid (or adult) doesn't want to go up the Eiffel Tower?

Sooo would love to take DH to Paris! Such great things to see and do. Getting so excited!

 

[ImprovGal]

I hope there will be room when we get to book for this cooking excursion! One thing my DH really wants to do! We also did the cooking class excursion in Mexico last year and it was so much fun.

Which Mexican cooking excursion did you do? I've done the Mexican Cooking experience in Puerto Vallerta twice (different locations both times) and the Salsa and Salsa one in Cabo and most recently Cozumel. I've enjoyed them all and am so happy to hear that I shouldn't be in danger of having this Florence one cancelled due to lack of enrollment.

 

[DL1957]

Has anyone made their reservations on an iPad? I might not have access to a computer when my booking window opens and I'm feeling stressed about the iPad not working for reservations. Any advice or experience with this? Thanks!

I have used my Ipad for reservations and it works ok. I needed to increase the page area where the check-off boxes are out. Depending on the service I have found my ipad to run a little slower than my pc. I would go into your reservation off your ipad before your reservation date.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I posted this on the Med Cruise planning thread but thought it appropriate to post here as more of us will be booking our excursions starting on Friday.

I also wanted to see if a Platinum DISer might look up the departure time for the Monaco, Monte Carlo and Eze excursion for us - not the adults only one but the regular one.


We originally thought we would take a DCL tour to visit Monte Carlo on our first stop in Villefranche, and then make our way to Eze on our own during our second visit. But DCL has an excursion that incorporates both locations, so we will leave our second day in Villefranche open for a restful, relaxing day as the following day will be a full day in Florence.

These are the highlights from the description of the excursion:

• Take an approximate 45-minute drive along the Lower Corniche to Monaco.
• Ride an escalator or elevator up the cliff and enjoy a 45-minute guided walking tour including an external visit of the Oceanographic Museum and inside visits of the Monaco Cathedral and Prince's Palace, where you will also be able to observe the changing of the guard.
• Enjoy approximately 90 minutes of leisure time where you can enjoy lunch at one of the many cafes or browse the shops.
• Re-board your coach for a 15-minute drive along part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.
• Arrive at the coach parking area in Monte Carlo and walk approximately 15 minutes up to Casino square, surrounded by immaculate gardens.
• Then enjoy approximately 60 minutes of free time to shop, explore the Grand Casino or browse the impressive range of top cars outside in Casino Square, before walking back to your coach.
• Leaving Monaco, drive approximately 30 minutes along the Middle Corniche to the spectacular medieval village of Eze, perched on a craggy peak above the Mediterranean.
• Enjoy a 30-minute guided walking tour through the steep cobblestone streets followed by approximately 60 minutes of free time for exploring or shopping.

One thing we especially wanted was to have some free time to explore and shop on our own in both Monte Carlo and Eze. We also had looked into how to get from the port to Eze and back using public transportation, and while it is doable, it looked a bit more complicated than we wanted to figure out with the time constraints we will have. So for us, the DCL excursion is the way to go.


I'm also wondering if we'll be able to get a stamp in our passport for Monaco.
EDITED to ADD: It looks like it might be possible - reports are that the Tourist Information Office at the end of the gardens by the Casino can do it. Monaco is the second smallest country in the world; Vatican City is the smallest.

 

[Monstro]

I posted this on the Med Cruise planning thread but thought it appropriate to post here as more of us will be booking our excursions starting on Friday.

I also wanted to see if a Platinum DISer might look up the departure time for the Monaco, Monte Carlo and Eze excursion for us - not the adults only one but the regular one.

8:30 am

 

[nzdisneymom]

8:30 am

Thanks ... Not too early so family will be happy.

 

[MinnieDiva]

I have been trying to find out if the hiking trails in Cinque Terre (La Spezia) are open yet, info seems to say they are planning a Spring 2013 opening. Has anyone been able to find out more info on whether or not these trails will be open? Thanks for any input.

Rick Steves said at some point in some form (email?? FB??) that he was going to be going to Cinque Terre this year to look at and tell about the improvements. He usually starts traveling around...April?? I think....

 

[890537]

Rick Steves said at some point in some form (email?? FB??) that he was going to be going to Cinque Terre this year to look at and tell about the improvements. He usually starts traveling around...April?? I think....

Another source would be Rick Steves' travel help line - http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/

I've posted questions there for other trips and have received lots of good info.

 

[abayaflowers]

I found all this information on Rick Steves' website. We found it helpful.

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/98302/italian-banks-and-atm39s.html

BofA does indeed have a partner bank in Italy, in fact it is owned by the same partner bank in France. It was in effect this past December!

How to find a Bank of America ATM in Italy
With your internet connection go to BNL.IT. Then click on "BNL PRIORITY". On the next page click on "PRENDI UN APPUNTAMENTO". This will bring you to a series of three drop-down boxes where you enter your location by Regione, Provincia and Comune. Once you enter that info click on the "CERCA" button. There you will see all their branch locations in that locality. Simply click on the "BANCOMAT" tab at the top of the page to see all the ATM locations along with a map!

Any Italian bank atm will work. No fee from them. But your American bank will likely slap you with a flat fee for each withdrawal + 3% foreign transaction fee. So minimize your withdrawals to few large ones (Italian banks will allow at least 250 euros at the time). Use credit cards as much as you can for purchases, so that you don't have to withdraw too often. Most (if not all) credit cards will charge you a 3% foreign transaction fee, but their exchange rate is better than exchanging dollars in the various exchange bureaus.

Also memorize your PIN in numbers since Italian key pads at ATM have no letters.

Not too many EMV cards issued by US banks yet. Mostly for business international travelers.

Latest on EMV cards issued by US banks:
http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/top-credit-cards/nerdwallets-best-emv-chip-credit-cards/

Get as much money as you can at each transaction to minimize fees. If you are denied, just try a different amount. For example, I tried to get 500 euros at an ATM on my last trip (November 2012). This was well within my daily withdrawal amount for my bank and the transaction was denied. I put in a lower amount and eventually got 300 euros. most of the ATMs that I used limited you to 250 per withdrawal. You can do multiple transactions if you want more money than the 250 euros. My bank charges a flat fee per transaction rather than a percentage basis,so the daily withdrawal amount didn't matter.

 

[MoonDaughter23]

I'm also wondering if we'll be able to get a stamp in our passport for Monaco.
EDITED to ADD: It looks like it might be possible - reports are that the Tourist Information Office at the end of the gardens by the Casino can do it. Monaco is the second smallest country in the world; Vatican City is the smallest.

What a great idea! Thank you for this!

 

[Lynn G]

Rick Steves said at some point in some form (email?? FB??) that he was going to be going to Cinque Terre this year to look at and tell about the improvements. He usually starts traveling around...April?? I think....

Another source would be Rick Steves' travel help line - http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/

I've posted questions there for other trips and have received lots of good info.

Thanks to both of you for the info!

 

[TDC Nala]

Has anyone made their reservations on an iPad? I might not have access to a computer when my booking window opens and I'm feeling stressed about the iPad not working for reservations. Any advice or experience with this? Thanks!

I made all my reservations on an iPad. Got them all within 10 minutes. I don't think it's any different than using a regular computer.

 

[ImprovGal]

I found all this information on Rick Steves' website. We found it helpful.

BofA does indeed have a partner bank in Italy, in fact it is owned by the same partner bank in France. It was in effect this past December!

How to find a Bank of America ATM in Italy
With your internet connection go to BNL.IT. Then click on "BNL PRIORITY". On the next page click on "PRENDI UN APPUNTAMENTO". This will bring you to a series of three drop-down boxes where you enter your location by Regione, Provincia and Comune. Once you enter that info click on the "CERCA" button. There you will see all their branch locations in that locality. Simply click on the "BANCOMAT" tab at the top of the page to see all the ATM locations along with a map!

Bank of America has a link off their website where you can find locations of partner banks in any country. I've made fee-free withdrawals using my BoA ATM card in Australia, France, Canada, England, and at least one other country that I can't seem to think of offhand.

 

[NanNan]

Which Mexican cooking excursion did you do? I've done the Mexican Cooking experience in Puerto Vallerta twice (different locations both times) and the Salsa and Salsa one in Cabo and most recently Cozumel. I've enjoyed them all and am so happy to hear that I shouldn't be in danger of having this Florence one cancelled due to lack of enrollment.

We did the Mexican Cooking in PV, nice little ranch in the hills. Enjoyed it, and had the girl from the excursion desk join us on the tour. Have to find those recipes and cook up some good salsa! I am keeping my fingers crossed for sure for the Tuscan cooking, DH keeps asking LOL!