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

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Bank of America doesn't let me buy ANYTHING. Literally. I've had to ask airlines to hold airfare a few times in order to complete ticket purchases (and mind you, these are like crazy cheap sales where the fare disappears in minutes, like LAX to HNL for $280).

When buying my Disneyland APs, I first called for approval, did the transaction, got denied, got denied, got denied and finally had to keep the fraud agent on the phone during the entire transaction.

They also freeze my CC account whenever I do more than 5 internet purchases a day. So annoying.

There's a solution... new bank. They have NONE of my accounts anymore and I have the manager an earful when I closed them (he made the error or asking "why" so I told him LOL!)

 

[nzdisneymom]

1. I don't see the need to buy $1,000 from Wells Fargo or anyone else. I travel to Europe at least once a year and can't imagine why I would need that much cash in advance. Rule one should be NEVER carry more cash then you can comfortably lose. I would be very upset to be out $1,000 LOL! If you want to arrive with some cash there are change services in every major US airport you will connect out of. Then just use an ATM and withdraw from your bank account. The ATMs there don't charge fees. Any fees are up to your bank and some banks have an arrangement with others that gets you a 'no fee' withdrawal (or you could have a bank that doesn't charge for ATM withdrawals like mine)

For us, we're thinking that we want to have enough cash for the first few days in Barcelona and will get some cash at the ATM. We know once we are onboard, we can exchange US cash, so we are figuring out if we want to take US Cash (or traveler's checks, etc.) or just use the ATM onboard and then exchange with DCL. Here's something good to know - if you find yourself running low on cash, DCL will cash a personal check up to $100 US - we've done that before instead of having to get cash from an ATM.

We don't want to arrive without at least some US cash and some Euro - here's why - we went with NO Canadian money when we went to Vancouver - just planned to get some cash from the ATM - and we took limited US Cash as we knew we could always get some at the various ports in Alaska. Well it turned out that our bank's debit card would not work in Canada - not at an ATM even with the MasterCard logo nor when processed as a credit card. Thankfully we had a credit card with us that we could use, and there were several places that accepted US cash but gave change back in Canadian - so we were able to manage but ended up boarding the Wonder without the cash we had wanted for things like room service tips, etc. We did call our bank while in Vancouver and found out that it's some weird thing with Canada, but considering we had called to notify them of our plans and specifically asked about using our debit card out of the country (and stated it was in Canada), it seems they should've told us it wouldn't work. A few weeks after we got home (and after my discussion with a supervisor about my disappointment and inconvenience), I noticed that they put up signs at the teller windows that if you're traveling out of the country, please ask if your debit card will work!

For Barcelona I see the "onboard" is 5 PM but reading on here it sounds like they actually expect you earlier. I think we would rather spend time touring Barcelona then "on board" (we have done the ship before and hopefully I can book our Palo brunch at the 90 day window I think this trip actually moves me up a level on the DCL heirarchy I was thinking of DCL transport (we are at the Rennisance) but if the 5 PM on board really means that then I may see if I can just get them to take the luggage and go tour for several hours. (I expect they want to bus you there early as most folks seem more eagar to get on the boat)

We've done DCL transportation on overseas cruises and found that they don't get you to the port in the first wave - but a little bit later in the boarding process. So pretty much they have it so you can get right on board when you get to the port, or very soon afterwards. If you have paid for DCL transfers, I don't see why you can't have them take your bags and you go site-seeing and get yourself to the port in time - but remember to leave yourself plenty of time to get there! It seems that when we've done DCL transfers, when we do our check-in at the hotel, we get to sign up for the transportation time over to the port - first come, first signed up - but never really early. I know we've had leisurely mornings at the hotel before heading over to the ship.

We will have 1 1/2 days in BCN before boarding day, and another day when we return. Plus we've been there once before so we've done some of our site-seeing already. We learned the first time that if you don't plan properly, you miss seeing the departure port - and that's a shame. If you come in too late, you're too jet-lagged and then get right onboard the ship and totally miss an amazing city.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I asked this in a new thread, but in case anyone is subscribed to this thread here is my question:

Did DCL allow all passengers to wait in line to disembark at the listed "Onshore" time (assuming the ship was cleared to disembark passengers), or were DCL excursion people given priority and private tour people somehow "held back."

SPECIFICALLY--FOR ROME---I have an early morning tour scheduled at 9:40 a.m. @ the Colosseum, and our Onshore time is 7:30 a.m. at Civitavecchia. Can I expect to get off the ship by 7:45 a.m.? Need to schedule our van pick-up. I already bought the nonrefundable tix so I can't change my tour time now.

I remember cruising Alaska and at Victoria, DCL excursion people were held in Studio Sea waiting to disembark as a group (frustrating, btw) while others disembarked.

I didn't know if Disney did Med cruises differently, allowing certain passengers to disembark first. I read in another thread that DCL excursion passengers get priority tendering--but what about just regular disembarking (ie walking off the ship at the port).

Thanks!

DCL does this in any tendered port. Those on an early DCL sponsored excursion always get 1st priority for the tenders. Also all DCL sponsored excursions (docked or tendered) meet/gather somewhere on the ship and everyone walks off together. This is actually much more comfortable than some other cruise lines that meet at the dock. There's always some stragglers and everyone is standing in the hot sun waiting well, not in AK! I'll take a comfy seat in Diversions any day.
Only LaSpezia & Villefranche will be tendered ports. So for all the others, you simply walk onto the dock once the ship is cleared.




Btw, if anyone is interested, Barcelona Day Tours offers tours & transfers or a combination of both. For example, if you request airport to hotel transfers but know you need to kill some time, you can schedule a tour also and they'll end the tour at your hotel. They'll do the same thing with picking up at your hotel, tour, then drop off at the port. I would have done that but we'll have a full 2 nights in BCN pre cruise & need something to do Friday.
hth!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

For us, we're thinking that we want to have enough cash for the first few days in Barcelona and will get some cash at the ATM. We know once we are onboard, we can exchange US cash, so we are figuring out if we want to take US Cash (or traveler's checks, etc.) or just use the ATM onboard and then exchange with DCL. Here's something good to know - if you find yourself running low on cash, DCL will cash a personal check up to $100 US - we've done that before instead of having to get cash from an ATM.

We don't want to arrive without at least some US cash and some Euro - here's why - we went with NO Canadian money when we went to Vancouver - just planned to get some cash from the ATM - and we took limited US Cash as we knew we could always get some at the various ports in Alaska. Well it turned out that our bank's debit card would not work in Canada - not at an ATM even with the MasterCard logo nor when processed as a credit card. Thankfully we had a credit card with us that we could use, and there were several places that accepted US cash but gave change back in Canadian - so we were able to manage but ended up boarding the Wonder without the cash we had wanted for things like room service tips, etc. We did call our bank while in Vancouver and found out that it's some weird thing with Canada, but considering we had called to notify them of our plans and specifically asked about using our debit card out of the country (and stated it was in Canada), it seems they should've told us it wouldn't work. A few weeks after we got home (and after my discussion with a supervisor about my disappointment and inconvenience), I noticed that they put up signs at the teller windows that if you're traveling out of the country, please ask if your debit card will work!



We've done DCL transportation on overseas cruises and found that they don't get you to the port in the first wave - but a little bit later in the boarding process. So pretty much they have it so you can get right on board when you get to the port, or very soon afterwards. If you have paid for DCL transfers, I don't see why you can't have them take your bags and you go site-seeing and get yourself to the port in time - but remember to leave yourself plenty of time to get there! It seems that when we've done DCL transfers, when we do our check-in at the hotel, we get to sign up for the transportation time over to the port - first come, first signed up - but never really early. I know we've had leisurely mornings at the hotel before heading over to the ship.

We will have 1 1/2 days in BCN before boarding day, and another day when we return. Plus we've been there once before so we've done some of our site-seeing already. We learned the first time that if you don't plan properly, you miss seeing the departure port - and that's a shame. If you come in too late, you're too jet-lagged and then get right onboard the ship and totally miss an amazing city.

To me there's a big difference between some money and $1,000. I always remember the woman on a travel board who posted about getting robbed at the arrival airport. Plus I did a Europe tour with a Girl Scout group and between the airport and the city one chaperone lost $10,000 in traveler's checks... (Thank goodness they were checks, but it was a PIA!) IMHO your risk of "theft" or "loss" is AMAZINGLY high in that first few hours, your tired, your lost and you probably are hauling all your worldy possessions around making you an easy mark.

I probably won't change money on the boat. I expect that it's just like a hotel and the exchange rate is in Disney's favor (it's not like them to pass up an opportunity to make money off of us ) Your best exchange rate is going to be a bank owned ATM always. However, if you do go the Traveler's Check route you will probably have to exchange them on the boat. They are getting much less common and lots of places in Europe won't cash them (and don't assume a bank in Europe has cash, they often don't. You go in and ask for cash and they tell you to use the ATM) As I posted earlier I left one bank that had "Difficulty' with allowing me to use an ATM outside of the US.... So if I had been you when I got home I would have changed banks and explained that thier failure to (A) tell me when I called about thier Canada issue and their (B) we have a stupid rule that your card won't work in Canada is a deal breaker!

We actually arrive in Europe on May 26. Spending several days in the south of France before arriving in Barcelona and then we have a few days after the cruise in Barcelona, but... I still don't see a big need to get on the ship until the last minute. (I have seen the ship )

 

[gydell]

Booking excursions tonight but need help. 11yo boy soon to be 12, catacombs or Vatican museums and Sistene Chapel? Can only do 1.

 

[tajz90]

Booking excursions tonight but need help. 11yo boy soon to be 12, catacombs or Vatican museums and Sistene Chapel? Can only do 1.

Which catacombs? We visited some in Rome that weren't very good. If he's like our kids, he will want to see bones. The ones we went to had none.

Edited.
If its the Disney tour of catacombs, colosseum and Vatican to include the Popes tomb, take that one.
The Colosseum is great and the Popes tomb is well worth it. The Sistine Chapel is amazing but it could be very crowded and terribly warm.

 

[lilpooh108]

Booking excursions tonight but need help. 11yo boy soon to be 12, catacombs or Vatican museums and Sistene Chapel? Can only do 1.

I bet an 11 YO boy would like to climb St. Peter's dome.... maybe pick an excursion that will allow him to do that.

 

[tufbuf]

Which catacombs? We visited some in Rome that weren't very good. If he's like our kids, he will want to see bones. The ones we went to had none.

Edited.
If its the Disney tour of catacombs, colosseum and Vatican to include the Popes tomb, take that one.
The Colosseum is great and the Popes tomb is well worth it. The Sistine Chapel is amazing but it could be very crowded and terribly warm.

Any idea if this tour will go underneath the Colosseum too?

 

[tajz90]

Any idea if this tour will go underneath the Colosseum too?

No idea. We booked a dungeon tour separately.

 

[tufbuf]

No idea. We booked a dungeon tour separately.

So you booked a DCL reservation and a separate one? Or you just booked the excursion yourself?

 

[tajz90]

So you booked a DCL reservation and a separate one? Or you just booked the excursion yourself?

No. We booked outside of DCL. We were looking for unusual things this time. We've been a couple of times before and did the standard tours.

If you go with Disney, I don't think you'd be disappointed in that one tour or any for that matter.

 

[tufbuf]

No. We booked outside of DCL. We were looking for unusual things this time. We've been a couple of times before and did the standard tours.

If you go with Disney, I don't think you'd be disappointed in that one tour or any for that matter.

Ok, thanks. I am hoping they will go underneath the Colisseum since it recently opened and the theme on that excursion seems to be what's underground.

 

[gydell]

Which catacombs? We visited some in Rome that weren't very good. If he's like our kids, he will want to see bones. The ones we went to had none.

Edited.
If its the Disney tour of catacombs, colosseum and Vatican to include the Popes tomb, take that one.
The Colosseum is great and the Popes tomb is well worth it. The Sistine Chapel is amazing but it could be very crowded and terribly warm.

Thanks! It is the Disney one. I have done both and I can't decide..... We are there on a Sunday so things are limited. I fell like we are seeing graves and bones at almost every port. To be 11 again!!!

 

[gydell]

I bet an 11 YO boy would like to climb St. Peter's dome.... maybe pick an excursion that will allow him to do that.

Thanks! Not sure if the Disney one does this. If not maybe in our free time.

 

[tajz90]

Thanks! It is the Disney one. I have done both and I can't decide..... We are there on a Sunday so things are limited. I fell like we are seeing graves and bones at almost every port. To be 11 again!!!

It's still one of our fav things and my kids are 20 & 14, so it never ends!

 

[gydell]

It's still one of our fav things and my kids are 20 & 14, so it never ends!

Good to know.

 

[gydell]

For those of you doing the earlier June cruises, do you still have to pick your arrival time at the Barcelona terminal?

 

[DisneyOHFan]

For those of you doing the earlier June cruises, do you still have to pick your arrival time at the Barcelona terminal?

Yes, we had to pick an arrival time.

 

[gydell]

Yes, we had to pick an arrival time.

Thanks!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Ok, thanks. I am hoping they will go underneath the Colisseum since it recently opened and the theme on that excursion seems to be what's underground.

Unless it is a very small group I would not think you are doing the underground



Don't be upset if you miss it. We did it on our last trip, it was cool, but......they are so proud of it that it takes longer then it should IMHO (and we love ruins and history). For a first time visit, you will be fine without it. The place is pretty overwhelming.

I would not do the Vatican museum with an 11 year old. Actually for most of you, realize that there is no crowd control there. Even with a tour it will be beyond packed...think MK on Christmas day and add some people.