7/13/13 ~~ Eastern Mediterranean Mouseketeers!

[buddwaur]

Hola!! (I'm practicing my Spanish!)

Dropping by to say hello and introduce myself. My boys are very excited about the Med cruise. I will be excited after all the planning for shore excursions are done!!

Our party consists of 7: Buddwaur - (Sophia), DH (Robert), DS (Nikos, age 16), DS (Zack, age 14), DS (Mikey, age 12). Also traveling with us will be my twin sister (Tia) and my mom (Eleni). We are from the Raleigh area. Two staterooms on deck 2 and Second seating.

Will be reading up on this thread to see all the wonderful information that is available. A big thank you to everyone who has done research and shared all their findings!

This will be our 4th Disney cruise: we have done the 7 night Eastern and 7 night Western Caribbean on the Magic and we have done a 5 night Bahama cruise which had a double dip to CC on the Dream.

Everyone is excited to be going to the Mediterranean onboard the Magic!! The Dream is a beautiful ship but we found it too crowded and at times loud!

At this time, we are PIF, our plane tickets booked, our pre-cruise hotel booked at the Hilton Diagnol and transfers from the hotel to the port.

My to do list includes: finding transfers from the airport to the hotel; we are thinking about doing a half day Barcelona tour on the day we disembark and just being dropped off at the airport at the end of the tour. The biggie on my list is planning the shore excursions...I typically don't like to be on a "schedule" while on vacation but in the case of arranging shore excursions we will need to be up and ready to go early!

Hubby doesn't want to have long days touring at every port as he is worried that the boys will become burned out touring ruins. My mother traveling with us is in her 70s so too many long days walking around will be too much for her. So, at this point I feel overwhelmed trying to plan out shore excursions that accommodate everyone's needs!!

Well, it's getting late and I must get some zzzz's! Kalinuxta everyone!! (Greek for Good night! My Greek I won't have to practice as I’m fluent and have spent many summers on the islands!)

 

[buddwaur]

LovesToRun,

Really like the metallic sandals you've picked out! They look comfortable...will have to check them out next time I'm at the mall.

I have always been given the recommendations for Keens from my podiatrist but have never had any luck with them. Never felt like I got the proper arch support.

At times I suffer from plantar fascitis which can make walking very painful. During my last episode, it was summer time and I really wanted a flip flop...my podiatrist was not very happy with me!

I had stopped in at REI and tried on the Chaco Hipthong Two Ecotreads. For a flip flop they are pricey ($80) but they have the BEST support for my arch! Another plus is that the straps that wrap around your foot are adjustable...you can make them as tight or loose during the day as you like. If my feet are a bit swollen it's very easy to loosen them a bit. These are what I'm planning to wear during the day (even on the long excursion days!)

I wasn't able to post the link for the flip flops because my post count is less than 10. But if you're interested in taking a peak, zappos.com carries them. Just go to their website and you can search for: Chaco Hipthong Two Ecotread

Hope that helps!

 

[LovesToRun]

SOOOOOOOOO cute! And they look VERY comfy. I approve.
Penny

Thanks, Penny! I'm glad I have your approval... I will FOR SURE be keeping the sandals now! They are very comfy, and will last a long time, so I'll get my money's worth, too!

Hola!! (I'm practicing my Spanish!)

Dropping by to say hello and introduce myself. My boys are very excited about the Med cruise. I will be excited after all the planning for shore excursions are done!!

Our party consists of 7: Buddwaur - (Sophia), DH (Robert), DS (Nikos, age 16), DS (Zack, age 14), DS (Mikey, age 12). Also traveling with us will be my twin sister (Tia) and my mom (Eleni). We are from the Raleigh area. Two staterooms on deck 2 and Second seating.

Will be reading up on this thread to see all the wonderful information that is available. A big thank you to everyone who has done research and shared all their findings!

This will be our 4th Disney cruise: we have done the 7 night Eastern and 7 night Western Caribbean on the Magic and we have done a 5 night Bahama cruise which had a double dip to CC on the Dream.

Everyone is excited to be going to the Mediterranean onboard the Magic!! The Dream is a beautiful ship but we found it too crowded and at times loud!

At this time, we are PIF, our plane tickets booked, our pre-cruise hotel booked at the Hilton Diagnol and transfers from the hotel to the port.

My to do list includes: finding transfers from the airport to the hotel; we are thinking about doing a half day Barcelona tour on the day we disembark and just being dropped off at the airport at the end of the tour. The biggie on my list is planning the shore excursions...I typically don't like to be on a "schedule" while on vacation but in the case of arranging shore excursions we will need to be up and ready to go early!

Hubby doesn't want to have long days touring at every port as he is worried that the boys will become burned out touring ruins. My mother traveling with us is in her 70s so too many long days walking around will be too much for her. So, at this point I feel overwhelmed trying to plan out shore excursions that accommodate everyone's needs!!

Well, it's getting late and I must get some zzzz's! Kalinuxta everyone!! (Greek for Good night! My Greek I won't have to practice as I’m fluent and have spent many summers on the islands!)

Welcome!!

If it's any consolation, I am in a very similar situation as you... in our group, it is my family (husband, and 2 boys, ages 10 & 12), and then my parents (mom will turn 70 in June and dad will be 72 in May). My parents are in good health, BUT they aren't very excited about the heat and walking lots in the heat at their age (I grew up in Alaska, and though I've grown accustomed to hot parts of the world, my parents still do not really like high heat). If it had been up to my parents, they would have done a Med cruise in the winter or spring, BUT we all wanted to do it together, and since we have kids in school, our only option was summer, so my parents were super good sports and agreed to go in probably the hottest month of the year! one reason we chose the 12-day... so we can all rest with some extra sea days.

We also are taking in consideration our two boys and the potential long days and the heat, and so we are compromising.

Our compromise is: we are just doing two LONG days out of all the ports, and that is Epehsus and Rome. We are doing non-Disney tours in both places (a private car/driver in Epehsus and a small group walking tour in Rome).

So, what our thinking in all of this is: There are 2 sea days after Rome, so we are just telling our boys it's going to be a LONG day in Rome, and so the 2 sea days after Rome, they can just hang out in the kids clubs and relax and recuperate! Our boys already think this is a good idea. And, we told our parents that they can just rest and be out of the sun those two sea days, and they really liked that idea, too.

Then, after Ephesus, is Mykonos. So, we decided to make this just a lazy beach day (doing the Disney beach excursion), because Ephesus is going to be a LONG hot day. So, our boys are already excited about this, too, and have said having a fun beach day where they can just play in the water and relax after a long day sounds good to them (and sounds good to my husband and me, too!). My parents aren't really "beach" people, so not sure what they will do on the Mykonos day... probably just walk around the town and then get back on the ship to relax.

Since Athens is the day before Ephesus, we want our kids (and my parents) to not go into Ephesus worn out by a LONG day in Athens, so we decided to just do the 4 hour Disney tour that only goes to the Acropolis and does some sightseeing from the bus (I forget the name of the tour... I think its' called Acropolis & sightseeing??).

We have realized with such a broad range of ages in our group (ages 10 - 72) we just can't do it all! So, we are making Athens an "easier" day so our boys and my parents have enough energy for the long all day private tour in Ephesus. So, I think making our goal in Athens to just see the Acropolis is a smart choice.

Then, the other ports....

Le Spezia, my parents are undecided what they will do here... my husband and I have been to Florence (years ago), so we are going to Chinque Terre with our boys rather than Florence. Not sure if my parents will come with us or go to Florence with a Disney tour, since they have never been to Florence. But, Chinque Terre can be an easy day or a long day... it will depend on how we feel. We can just take the train to one or two towns and go back to the ship, or we can try to go see all 5 towns... this will be a "play it by ear" day. That said, we don't plan to make Le Spezia a LONG day, but rather a relaxing "eating lots of Gelato" day.

Malta: our family (husband, boys and me) are going to do the treasure hunt (or scavenger hunt...I can't remember what it's called) that is a Disney excursion. It is not a long day, and it will keep the boys interested while we can learn some about Malta. My parents plan to just walk around on their own and get back on the ship at their leisure.

Villefranche: My parents, and my family... we are all just going to do this on our own... probably just go to Nice and look around and get some good French food.... again, an easy day.

(I know the ports are all out of order in this post).

But, if it were JUST my husband and me, we'd be doing LOTS more at each port, but the 6 of us all together decided to just make two ports the LONG days, and then make the rest of the ports not so long, or easier/relaxing days, and then use the sea days to rest and recuperate!

SO, maybe you guys can do something like that... pick just a couple ports where you make it a longer day, and then make the rest of them easier days.

The two sea days after Rome is what made both our boys and my parents totally fine doing an all day walking tour in Rome...

I'm sure you'll figure out a good plan for your family!!! Out of all the cruises we've been on, this one BY FAR has taken the longest to plan out/figure out each port. I think a lot of it is the same as you... we normally do not like to plan out each day while we're on a cruise, but rather just play things by ear, or figure it out as we go, but the Med is so different. You really do have to plan it all out, otherwise, you'll just use up all your time trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. I told my husband I feel like planning this trip has been a full-time job!

 

[Newfoundland Sailor]

Please no repeat of 2010!!!!

http://www.newsoficeland.com/home/e...celand-shows-unusual-activity-warnings-issued


Exerpt from an article on Yahoo News.

Is another Icelandic volcano getting ready to erupt?

"The Icelandic volcano, Hekla, is causing a bit of worry lately, and News of Iceland is reporting that, as of Tuesday, authorities there have declared a 'Civil Protection State of Uncertainty'.

Hekla is a nearly 1,500 m-tall 'stratovolcano' in southern Iceland, that has apparently been called the 'Gateway to Hell' by Europeans since the Middle Ages."

The website earthquake-report.com is saying that the warning was issued due to several small tremors  measuring less than 1 on the Richter scale  that have been felt around the volcano over the past two weeks.

While 'micro-earthquakes' like these aren't anything unusual, as millions of them are felt around the world every year, Martin Hensch, an earthquake expert with the Icelandic Met Office told News of Iceland that this "is quite unusual activity in the volcano".

"We are not very worried that an eruption is going to take place, but predicting an eruption in Hekla volcano is nearly impossible. The last time the volcano erupted we only knew it one hour in advance." he added.

The last time Hekla erupted was on February 26th, 2000, which reportedly lasted for 12 days and produced a 15 km-long ash cloud.

The last big eruption from an Icelandic volcano was on April 14th, 2010, when Eyjafjallajökull spewed forth ash and smoke that shut down air traffic over Europe for over a week, and continued to cause delays and cancellations well into May.

 

[MrsG]

Hi All,

Off for Easter break and getting ready to book our Disney Excursions this Fri. eve at midnight.

I have a questions about tee shirts.

I want to get our round logo and scroll logo put on the shirts. Are the graphics on our home page a good resolution to use? I remember tee shirts came up last year but can't find where it was mentioned and thought it easier to ask.

Anyone get their tees done already?

Thanks.

 

[LovesToRun]

Please no repeat of 2010!!!!

http://www.newsoficeland.com/home/e...celand-shows-unusual-activity-warnings-issued


Exerpt from an article on Yahoo News.

Is another Icelandic volcano getting ready to erupt?

"The Icelandic volcano, Hekla, is causing a bit of worry lately, and News of Iceland is reporting that, as of Tuesday, authorities there have declared a 'Civil Protection State of Uncertainty'.

Hekla is a nearly 1,500 m-tall 'stratovolcano' in southern Iceland, that has apparently been called the 'Gateway to Hell' by Europeans since the Middle Ages."

The website earthquake-report.com is saying that the warning was issued due to several small tremors  measuring less than 1 on the Richter scale  that have been felt around the volcano over the past two weeks.

While 'micro-earthquakes' like these aren't anything unusual, as millions of them are felt around the world every year, Martin Hensch, an earthquake expert with the Icelandic Met Office told News of Iceland that this "is quite unusual activity in the volcano".

"We are not very worried that an eruption is going to take place, but predicting an eruption in Hekla volcano is nearly impossible. The last time the volcano erupted we only knew it one hour in advance." he added.

The last time Hekla erupted was on February 26th, 2000, which reportedly lasted for 12 days and produced a 15 km-long ash cloud.

The last big eruption from an Icelandic volcano was on April 14th, 2010, when Eyjafjallajökull spewed forth ash and smoke that shut down air traffic over Europe for over a week, and continued to cause delays and cancellations well into May.

Nooooooooo!!!!! That was a nightmare in 2010! I had a friend who was booked on a Disney Med cruise during the time this volcano had erupted, and luckily, they DID make it to Barcelona, but it was literally down to the wire when they had confirmation that their plane WAS going to fly.... it was very stressful to them.

Well, this won't happen to any of us.... (power of positive thinking!)

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Please no repeat of 2010!!!!

http://www.newsoficeland.com/home/e...celand-shows-unusual-activity-warnings-issued


Exerpt from an article on Yahoo News.

Is another Icelandic volcano getting ready to erupt?

"The Icelandic volcano, Hekla, is causing a bit of worry lately, and News of Iceland is reporting that, as of Tuesday, authorities there have declared a 'Civil Protection State of Uncertainty'.

Hekla is a nearly 1,500 m-tall 'stratovolcano' in southern Iceland, that has apparently been called the 'Gateway to Hell' by Europeans since the Middle Ages."

The website earthquake-report.com is saying that the warning was issued due to several small tremors  measuring less than 1 on the Richter scale  that have been felt around the volcano over the past two weeks.

While 'micro-earthquakes' like these aren't anything unusual, as millions of them are felt around the world every year, Martin Hensch, an earthquake expert with the Icelandic Met Office told News of Iceland that this "is quite unusual activity in the volcano".

"We are not very worried that an eruption is going to take place, but predicting an eruption in Hekla volcano is nearly impossible. The last time the volcano erupted we only knew it one hour in advance." he added.

The last time Hekla erupted was on February 26th, 2000, which reportedly lasted for 12 days and produced a 15 km-long ash cloud.

The last big eruption from an Icelandic volcano was on April 14th, 2010, when Eyjafjallajökull spewed forth ash and smoke that shut down air traffic over Europe for over a week, and continued to cause delays and cancellations well into May.

This is very disconcerting! I can't imagine what I would do if this happened for us. I hate feeling powerless- for my Caribbean cruises on DCL out of Florida, I never worry about anything crazy weather related because I know worst case scenario, I can always drive down from NJ to Florida if a storm was impending that would affect my air travel plans. But there is really no other way to get to Barcelona quickly other than air, so our hands are tied!

Hi All,

Off for Easter break and getting ready to book our Disney Excursions this Fri. eve at midnight.

I have a questions about tee shirts.

I want to get our round logo and scroll logo put on the shirts. Are the graphics on our home page a good resolution to use? I remember tee shirts came up last year but can't find where it was mentioned and thought it easier to ask.

Anyone get their tees done already?

Thanks.

I did my tees already on Vista Print and I've shared my files with some others on here who requested them. I used the graphics on the first page, however, I had a friend at work modify the scroll one to include our dates and also make it more "square" so it worked better for Vista Print's specifications. If you want me to send you my PDF logo's to use for shirts, PM me your email address and I can send them to you.

 

[tajz90]

It's scary but what can we do about nature? We were terribly worried in 2010 because we were sailing the DCL Baltic cruise. We had insurance, but thank goodness the volcano stopped and allowed air travel to resume.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and knock on wood that it won't be an issue this year.

 

[tajz90]

Again, I'm starting to wonder if we should hire a driver for Athens. I was convinced to do it on our own, but now I'm questioning it. Thoughts?

 

[MrsG]

Considering the bomb right by the Acropolis today, I'd hire a driver or take a tour. There are still no guarantees, but they would certainly know the sentiment of the day and which areas to avoid and what to look out for. One of the reasons why we do DCL excursions. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your decision.

 

[LovesToRun]

Considering the bomb right by the Acropolis today, I'd hire a driver or take a tour. There are still no guarantees, but they would certainly know the sentiment of the day and which areas to avoid and what to look out for. One of the reasons why we do DCL excursions. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your decision.

Bomb by the Acropolis? I've been too busy today to watch/read any news. What is the story?

We're booking w/ Disney for Athens, so that is good. .

 

[tajz90]

There was a bomb set off today very close, the closet one yet to the Acropolis according to the news.

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi All,

After doing a lot of thinking and research for Mykonos, our family (just DH and kids and I, not my parents) were originally planning to do the Elia Beach excursion with Disney, as we really want to have a relaxing beach day at some point on the cruise, so this will be the perfect stop for that.

But, I discovered recently that we can book a day pass on our own at the Saint John Mykonos resort for 30 Euros per person (comes out to about $38 USD), this price does not include lunch/food, but includes full access to pool, beach, chairs, towels, gym and showers. Seems like a great deal (cheaper than the Disney excursion) and probably less crowded than Elia beach, I'm guessing. Also better variety since we'd have both the pool and the ocean/beach, plus a hotel lobby to go into if we get hot, or just need a break from the sun. . The kids will enjoy playing in the pool and the beach (the beach looks really small, but that is OK).

I emailed the hotel, and they sent me a form to book the day pass, and children are for sure welcome at this resort.

http://www.saintjohn.gr/

Is anyone else doing this? Just curious. They will pick you up at the port and drop you back off (at the time you request, which is also nice). The transfer to and from the resort is also included in the 30 Euros per person price.

So, this is our new plan for Mykonos. I'm excited!!

 

[bellelinus]

Hi everyone! I'm Gold, so I'm pretty sure I can book things at 12:01 AM on March 30. Anyone else staying up late tonight????

I'm about to start thinking about our FE gifts . . .

 

[bellelinus]

Hi All,

After doing a lot of thinking and research for Mykonos, our family (just DH and kids and I, not my parents) were originally planning to do the Elia Beach excursion with Disney, as we really want to have a relaxing beach day at some point on the cruise, so this will be the perfect stop for that.

But, I discovered recently that we can book a day pass on our own at the Saint John Mykonos resort for 30 Euros per person (comes out to about $38 USD), this price does not include lunch/food, but includes full access to pool, beach, chairs, towels, gym and showers. Seems like a great deal (cheaper than the Disney excursion) and probably less crowded than Elia beach, I'm guessing. Also better variety since we'd have both the pool and the ocean/beach, plus a hotel lobby to go into if we get hot, or just need a break from the sun. . The kids will enjoy playing in the pool and the beach (the beach looks really small, but that is OK).

I emailed the hotel, and they sent me a form to book the day pass, and children are for sure welcome at this resort.

http://www.saintjohn.gr/

Is anyone else doing this? Just curious. They will pick you up at the port and drop you back off (at the time you request, which is also nice). The transfer to and from the resort is also included in the 30 Euros per person price.

So, this is our new plan for Mykonos. I'm excited!!

I think we are doing this, too

 

[smores]

is anyone going to try to catch a glimpse of the tour de france while we are in villefranche? i am trying to find a private driver to take us there...i know it will be a short glimpse....it appears to be about a 3.5 hour drive from the port to the end point in mont ventoux....so just hope we can see some of the scenery and a few cyclists....then turn around and come back....anybody know any private drivers in villefranche????

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi everyone! I'm Gold, so I'm pretty sure I can book things at 12:01 AM on March 30. Anyone else staying up late tonight????

I'm about to start thinking about our FE gifts . . .

We are gold!! We are booking tonight! But, since we are on the West Coast, we are booking at 9:000PM (that is 12:00AM East Coast time). So, we don't have to stay up as late. I'm just hoping that the excursions we are planning to book that my parents also want to book are still open when Silvers can book because my parents are silver. Fingers Crossed!

I think we are doing this, too

Oh fun! It sounds like a great alternative to the beach (and more options for restaurants/food, too).

 

[Newfoundland Sailor]

....anybody know any private drivers in villefranche????

Smores: Last time we were stopped in Villefranche we used Riviera Premium Tours. They were fabulous. http://www.rivierapremiumtour.com/ They were really easy to deal with, added extra time without charge when one of our pre-scheduled bookings ran late, and mailed back to Canada (without charge) my son's glasses after he left them in the van when we met back up with the Magic.

Gold bookers: Good luck to everyone getting everything they want. Let us know if any of the excursions or Palo days sell out....

 

[bellelinus]

We are gold!! We are booking tonight! But, since we are on the West Coast, we are booking at 9:000PM (that is 12:00AM East Coast time). So, we don't have to stay up as late. I'm just hoping that the excursions we are planning to book that my parents also want to book are still open when Silvers can book because my parents are silver. Fingers Crossed!



Oh fun! It sounds like a great alternative to the beach (and more options for restaurants/food, too).

Lucky West Coasters! I was up at 5 AM this morning to take my youngest daughter for a tonsillectomy this morning (!) and now I am debating going to bed early and setting an alarm for 11:50 PM or just staying up . . .

 

[bellelinus]

Smores: Last time we were stopped in Villefranche we used Riviera Premium Tours. They were fabulous. http://www.rivierapremiumtour.com/ They were really easy to deal with, added extra time without charge when one of our pre-scheduled bookings ran late, and mailed back to Canada (without charge) my son's glasses after he left them in the van when we met back up with the Magic.

Gold bookers: Good luck to everyone getting everything they want. Let us know if any of the excursions or Palo days sell out....

I'm only booking Palo tonight but I will report on what is still open . . .