7/14/2014 - 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise (with Greece) Venice to Barcelona

[OzRalphs]

Hi guys,

While I'm all over Facebook, this thread business is fairly new to me, so I apologise for the double posts lol.
My family and I had our first every cruise last year out of Florida on the dream and fell in love with Disney, so we will be doing another long haul flight from Perth Australia to experience the luxury again, this time to get a better feel as the four days just weren't long enough!
my family consist of me - Tanya,
Hubby - Andrew
Ds - Alex (13 by then)
And Dd - Elysse (11 by then)
Looking forward to sharing the exciting lead up with you.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Welcome to our thread! I visited Australia and New Zealand for the first this past December and had a blast!

 

[SailingSeas]

Is it just me, or does this cruise have the best itinerary that disney has ever offered?

I keep staring at that itinerary and dreaming. I'm all planning on getting white flowy sundresses and a giant flower for my hair and getting greek sandals as soon as I step off the ship. I'll eat feta and fresh bread and dolmathes and drink wine and dance in the streets and buy little trinkets from shops.

It's overshadowing my Eastern cruise in April so bad. I think I've lost total touch with reality.

 

[keenercam]

After a sad weekend of saying final farewells to a dear friend and spending time with our dear friend who must now learn to live without the light of her life, it is a welcome thing to daydream about this cruise. Just like when we were planning our 2011 10 night Med cruise, my plan is to do SOMETHING for this cruise every day between now and when we fly to Venice. My packing list is already starting to take shape, especially since I have a jumpstart from our 10-night and the lessons we learned then.

I have added everyone to the facebook page who has requested it. I think we are up to 9 members in the Group. Looking forward to seeing more people post there. When I have time, I'll try to post some pix from our time in Barcelona. We loved it there!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I keep staring at that itinerary and dreaming. I'm all planning on getting white flowy sundresses and a giant flower for my hair and getting greek sandals as soon as I step off the ship. I'll eat feta and fresh bread and dolmathes and drink wine and dance in the streets and buy little trinkets from shops.

It's overshadowing my Eastern cruise in April so bad. I think I've lost total touch with reality.

Not a bad way to lose touch with reality.

 

[keenercam]

Today's project was to read some TripAdvisor reviews on restaurants and hotels in Venice for pre-cruise.

 

[denise]

Been looking at Marriott's in the area. We have points for them too. What I have found so far is all point rooms hold 2 people only. We are 3 so we would need two rooms! But if we pay for the room it can hold 3! Wonder if they are different rooms????

 

[denise]

does anyone know what hotels Disney is using in Venice?

 

[SailingSeas]

Tammy, thanks for the support!

Denise, most hotels over Europe sleep 2, maybe 3, so yes, for families, you will most likely need 2 rooms. Most also do not connect. The hotels Disney contracts with has priority on the connecting/adjoining rooms for families, if that helps.

For 2014, the hotels for Venice who have partnered with Disney are pending. A waitlist request can be added from 1 to 3 nights right now. The hotels have yet to be announced.

 

[OzRalphs]

We aren't telling many people about our travel plans yet so I feel I'm sitting on a wonderful secret! I did dream about it the other night though

 

[dizneeat]

Hi!
Time to say hello again.
We just got back from our trip to the US and cruise to the Bahamas, where we booked this cruise.
Tom and I live here in Austria and for once will not have to deal with long distance flights.
We travel in Europe on a regular basis and when we were last on a weekend trip to Venice I saw a cruise ship in port and mentioned that I'd LOVE to see a Disney ship there. And voila we are even booked on one.

Glad to get to know everyone. I have a strong feeling this is going to be a great cruise for everyone.

 

[keenercam]

Does anyone know how the Disney hotels compare, price-wise, to booking the same hotel on your own? We booked on our own for Barcelona before our 2011 cruise and got really reasonable rates, but since it wasn't the same hotel that any other DCL cruisers were staying at, I don't know how it compared. It seems that if DCL is getting a block of rooms, the rates should be less than if I booked it myself, right?

Also, does anyone know if the DCL rate would apply for however many nights you might want to stay pre-cruise? Is there any advantage to booking with DCL for post-cruise hotel nights in Barcelona?

 

[keenercam]

Hi, Karin!!! Glad you wished for a Disney ship in Venice! It worked! I still can't believe that we are going to 3 of our dream/bucket list destinations on this cruise. Howard and I are looking forward to it so much!

 

[dizneeat]

Hi, Karin!!! Glad you wished for a Disney ship in Venice! It worked! I still can't believe that we are going to 3 of our dream/bucket list destinations on this cruise. Howard and I are looking forward to it so much!

We are definitely in awe with the itinerary. It is so picture perfect for us.

Hm, your mention of the hotels Disney offers made me think. Maybe I should consider those too. We are going to Venice mid May again and i will have a good look at some of the hotels on my list.

 

[SailingSeas]

Does anyone know how the Disney hotels compare, price-wise, to booking the same hotel on your own? We booked on our own for Barcelona before our 2011 cruise and got really reasonable rates, but since it wasn't the same hotel that any other DCL cruisers were staying at, I don't know how it compared. It seems that if DCL is getting a block of rooms, the rates should be less than if I booked it myself, right?

Also, does anyone know if the DCL rate would apply for however many nights you might want to stay pre-cruise? Is there any advantage to booking with DCL for post-cruise hotel nights in Barcelona?

Keener; generally they are pretty comparable to what you can get on your own, and come with the assurance that the DCL guests get priority on the "better cared for" rooms. If you need multiple rooms due to family size, the pricing tends to be better than booking direct.

For Venice, I think you can book up to 2 or 3 nights prestay, and 1 or 2 nights post stay. I know for Barcelona, with the Diagonal, i've seen the pricing less expensive with the Disney block, than direct, for two rooms. Once that block sells out, though, Disney renegotiates a new contract and the hotel can set a new rate on the new rooms.

You can also add on the additional nights, and still keep shopping. As long as you remove them by final payment, you're fine.

 

[SailingSeas]

I have a bunch of informational links I'd like to share. I'll keep updating this post so I can find them all in the same place later on.

Keenercam, a member here at the Disboards has been moderating a private, invite only Facebook only group for interested members. Send her a private message if you want in.

She's also organizing the Fish Extenders for the group, as well as dinner in Venice the night before the sailing.

Venice:
Venice (VCE)
Guide on Getting to Cruise Terminal from VCE
More information on arriving in Venice and getting around
Map of Venice cruise port
Venice Cruise Terminal - information on how to get there, how to navigate the island for day trips, and information on parking, flying in, and trains, along with the vaporettos (water taxies)
Gondola rides - information and fares

Italy Heaven - city guide on lodging, dining, and touring Italy, from a local


Barcelona:
Barcelona (BCN)
Guide on Getting from the cruise terminal to BCN (just use the instructions in reverse)
Private airport transfers from cruise terminal to airport or hotel

Current Barcelona hotels working with DCL:
Hilton Diagonal Mar - about 450 yards from beach; next to a shopping center, and about 25 minutes from airport.
Rennaissance Barcelona Hotel (Marriott) - this one is located further into the city, in the Eixample area.

Current Venice hotels working with DCL:
Westin Europa & Regina, Venice
Hotel Danieli

Itinerary and port information (click on individual links for additional information):

Day 1 - Mon 14 July: Venice (not an overnight) Sail Away Party 4:15P
Day 2 - Tue 15 July: Sea Day Formal night
Day 3 - Wed 16 July: Sea Day
Day 4 - Thu 17 July: Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Day 5 - Fri 18 July: Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
Day 6 - Sat 19 July: Rhodes, Greece
Day 7 - Sun 20 July: Heraklion (Crete), Greece
Day 8 - Mon 21 July: Mykonos, Greece
Day 9 - Tue 22 July: Santorini, Greece Pirate Deck Party 9:45P (fireworks)
Day 10 - Wed 23 July: Sea Day Semi-Formal night
Day 11 - Thu 24 July: Valletta, Malta
Day 12 - Fri 25 July: Sea Day
Day 13 - Sat 26 July: Buy me a Drink it's my Birthday Day (kidding, it's back in Barcelona we go)

 

[denise]

Check out this site for a great candy store in Barcelona...I can't get the picture to show up....
http://holeinthedonut.com/2013/02/25/photo-candy-store-la-boqueria-market-barcelona-spain/

 

[denise]

thank you

I have a bunch of informational links I'd like to share. I'll keep updating this post so I can find them all in the same place later on.

Airports:
Venice (VCE)
Guide on Getting to Cruise Terminal from VCE
Map of Venice cruise port
Venice Cruise Terminal - information on how to get there, how to navigate the island for day trips, and information on parking, flying in, and trains, along with the vaporettos (water taxies)

Barcelona (BCN)
Guide on Getting from the cruise terminal to BCN (just use the instructions in reverse)
Private airport transfers from cruise terminal to airport or hotel

 

[keenercam]

Thank you, SailingSeas!

Denise - We went to the Boqueria on Las Ramblas. The market is only open certain days and times but it was a bustling, energetic fun place. There are lots of vendors there including meat and fish and candy, etc. Las Ramblas was an experience in and of itself. There is just so much energy in Barcelona. We fell in love with it and are looking forward to spending a day there post-cruise.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Hi!
Time to say hello again.
We just got back from our trip to the US and cruise to the Bahamas, where we booked this cruise.
Tom and I live here in Austria and for once will not have to deal with long distance flights.
We travel in Europe on a regular basis and when we were last on a weekend trip to Venice I saw a cruise ship in port and mentioned that I'd LOVE to see a Disney ship there. And voila we are even booked on one.

Glad to get to know everyone. I have a strong feeling this is going to be a great cruise for everyone.

So great! I did a semester in Bregenz back in the stone ages when I was in college. I love Austria!!