June 27, 2013 - Magic in the Med (Venice)

[Goofy559]

Laurie - our whole trip was last minute. We booked an inside after the pif date. I planned the whole trip in under 3 months! I think the hotel was one of the last things I did.

[Deb T.]

Originally Posted by MrsScooby

Anyone buy their trip insurance yet???

We have to get ours early because of all the "pre-existing conditions" that DH and I have. We've dodged alot of bullets

Also trying to decide on whether to do one night before and one after after the cruise in Barcelona...or do 2 nights before and leave for the airport when we debark

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Hello all! It's nice to see so many familiar DIS names! We're booked on this cruise, too!

We've done the DCL Med cruise, DCL Baltic cruise, and traveled on our own to Austria and France. We've found it's better to arrive at least a day early (two days early is better) in order to start acclimating to the new time zone. Neither of us can sleep on the red-eye flights, so we always arrive completely exhausted. We try to stay up as long as possible on the day of arrival, but are usually worthless by 3pm and zonked out by 5pm. By the next morning, we're ready and raring to go!

We've always headed home on debarkation day - no particular reason, just personal preference... and no clean clothes

[jel0511]

Originally Posted by MrsScooby

Also trying to decide on whether to do one night before and one after after the cruise in Barcelona...or do 2 nights before and leave for the airport when we debark

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

I'm actually hoping for 3 nights pre cruise in Barcelona. It will all depend on DH's ability to get time off.... As for flying home. On our Med cruise is 2010, we had to stay an extra day due to flight times. We were afraid we wouldn't make our flight home upon getting off and didn't want to rush right off and then sit on a plane for 8 hours!!!!! We and our traveling party all stayed that day and enjoyed Barcelona for the day. This time, it will depend again on flight times, and since we'll probably be on the same 11AM flight again, we'll probably be staying an extra night..........

[nzdisneymom]

Originally Posted by MrsScooby

Anyone buy their trip insurance yet???

Also trying to decide on whether to do one night before and one after after the cruise in Barcelona...or do 2 nights before and leave for the airport when we debark

We always get our TI through the cruiseline and we have for this one, too. For the Greece one, we've booked it through DVC so we need to buy the DVC insurance for our points and will probably go with insuremytrip for the cash portion of that one.

We also talked yesterday about strategy for pre- and post-cruise in Barcelona. We sail out on June 15th so we want to arrive no later than June 13th, so we'll fly out of ATL on June 12th, so we'll have two nights and 1 1/2 days in Barcelona. When we went before, we arrived the day before and our flight was later getting in so we lost several hours we had thought we'd have for sightseeing, plus we were still exhausted. When we did the Baltic, we flew into London three days early and stayed two days after - but I really really really wanted to be in London for as long as possible. For Barcelona, I think the two nights before will be enough.

However, a lot of whether we stay another night post-cruise will depend on flight times -- if there's just one non-stop flight from BCN to ATL each day and the time seems to be doable (last time it was at 1 p.m.) , then we'll book that one and go directly from port to airport. But if there are multiple flight choices and we can get out earlier in the day by staying over a night (and thus getting into ATL not so late). We leave our car with my brother in ATL and don't want him to have to pick us up in the middle of the night like we had to have before. He will appreciate that too

[nzdisneymom]

Welcome to JLSE50 (Jan), shoes99 (Michele), miffymouse (Fiona), and Deb T. Glad you all are joining us!

[Bellecruiser]

Hi There!

We're booked too! There is me, Meg, DH, Bruce and DS - 22 at cruise time and DD who will be 19. We have never done a Med cruise with Disney, and I am looking forward to it. Booking now will give DH time to recover from and pay for the cost of the cruise. (I hope). Looking forward to planning and playing with you.

Meg

[MrsScooby]

Originally Posted by Goofy559

Laurie - our whole trip was last minute. We booked an inside after the pif date. I planned the whole trip in under 3 months! I think the hotel was one of the last things I did.

Three months!!
That's like planning a wedding in 3 months
I drive everyone nuts in my family with my long, drawn out, detail-specific planning

Originally Posted by Deb T.

Hello all! It's nice to see so many familiar DIS names! We're booked on this cruise, too!

We've done the DCL Med cruise, DCL Baltic cruise, and traveled on our own to Austria and France. We've found it's better to arrive at least a day early (two days early is better) in order to start acclimating to the new time zone. Neither of us can sleep on the red-eye flights, so we always arrive completely exhausted. We try to stay up as long as possible on the day of arrival, but are usually worthless by 3pm and zonked out by 5pm. By the next morning, we're ready and raring to go!

We've always headed home on debarkation day - no particular reason, just personal preference... and no clean clothes

Hey Deb
I know I read one of your blogs years ago

Yeah, I'd rather not spend my last night doing laundry on the cruise and my DH iinsists he wants to fly home on debarktion day. That's what we did with our Baltic cruise as well.

Originally Posted by jel0511

I'm actually hoping for 3 nights pre cruise in Barcelona. It will all depend on DH's ability to get time off.... As for flying home. On our Med cruise is 2010, we had to stay an extra day due to flight times. We were afraid we wouldn't make our flight home upon getting off and didn't want to rush right off and then sit on a plane for 8 hours!!!!! We and our traveling party all stayed that day and enjoyed Barcelona for the day. This time, it will depend again on flight times, and since we'll probably be on the same 11AM flight again, we'll probably be staying an extra night..........

I am afraid to look at flights

Originally Posted by nzdisneymom

We always get our TI through the cruiseline and we have for this one, too. For the Greece one, we've booked it through DVC so we need to buy the DVC insurance for our points and will probably go with insuremytrip for the cash portion of that one.

We also talked yesterday about strategy for pre- and post-cruise in Barcelona. We sail out on June 15th so we want to arrive no later than June 13th, so we'll fly out of ATL on June 12th, so we'll have two nights and 1 1/2 days in Barcelona. When we went before, we arrived the day before and our flight was later getting in so we lost several hours we had thought we'd have for sightseeing, plus we were still exhausted. When we did the Baltic, we flew into London three days early and stayed two days after - but I really really really wanted to be in London for as long as possible. For Barcelona, I think the two nights before will be enough.

However, a lot of whether we stay another night post-cruise will depend on flight times -- if there's just one non-stop flight from BCN to ATL each day and the time seems to be doable (last time it was at 1 p.m.) , then we'll book that one and go directly from port to airport. But if there are multiple flight choices and we can get out earlier in the day by staying over a night (and thus getting into ATL not so late). We leave our car with my brother in ATL and don't want him to have to pick us up in the middle of the night like we had to have before. He will appreciate that too

Oh yeah, I'm definitely returning to London for a land vacation one of these days I could easily stay there a week and not get to everything I want to do.

We'll probably go with a cab home after our flight as we live pretty close to Dulles airport. No one likes to drive to the airport here

[MrsScooby]

Originally Posted by Bellecruiser

Hi There!

We're booked too! There is me, Meg, DH, Bruce and DS - 22 at cruise time and DD who will be 19. We have never done a Med cruise with Disney, and I am looking forward to it. Booking now will give DH time to recover from and pay for the cost of the cruise. (I hope). Looking forward to planning and playing with you.

Meg

Hey Meg
Welcome aboard

[hawaiian mickey]

[QUOTE=MrsScooby;43858482]Hey Henry and Brenda
DH and I remember you from the Baltic cruise

Yes we sure do. Glad to see some familiar faces.

Henry and Brenda

[nzdisneymom]

Welcome Bellecruiser (Meg)! Glad to have you with us!

I checked airfare / flight times today from ATL to BCN - there is one non-stop daily and it's on Delta / Air France. It returns from BCN at 11 a.m. so if that continues to be the case, then we'll book next-day for returning so we don't have to hustle to get to the airport. I remember we had time last time, but the line to check in our bags was horrendously long - and then we had Euros to exchange and our VAT form to turn in and that took some time, too. Of course I foolishly turned in most of our Euros and then didn't have any to buy drinks at the gate before getting on the plane. But at least I had bowls of fruit loops for the kids to eat! Nathan has already asked if I will please please please pack him some peanut butter crackers so he'll have SOMETHING to eat in Barcelona We ate at a McD's near our hotel the first day we got there and it was weird. Poor kids were starving by the time we got on the ship - and then things they normally count on like pizza were different because the suppliers are different. And they ran out of Mickey bars before we sailed. At least the boys are more adventurous eaters than they were 5 years ago.

[Cliffside]

Originally Posted by carpenta

We had a gondola ride a couple years ago and it cost us 120.00 Euros. Pretty pricey but the gondolier did sing us some songs and had a great voice. He was the third generation to operate his gondola and has plans to pass it on to his oldest son (who was twelve at the time) in the future. But it is one of those things you just have to do when in Venice.

That sounds really cool..I wonder if they all sing some songs..Were you on a cruise or was it a land tour...if it was a cruise did you do it as part of an excursion?

[Cliffside]

Originally Posted by jel0511

We were on the same cruise as Susan and are BFF's now. This will be our 5 th cruise together and we just met on that med cruise!! The shopping in Florence was nice. We were on a different tour from Susan, so I'm sure we saw different things. Lots of leather goods for sale.........

Lori...
Can't believe this will be our 5th cruise together...

Wow 5 cruises in 3 years how did we convince Rick and Darren to go along with that..

[carpenta]

Originally Posted by Cliffside

That sounds really cool..I wonder if they all sing some songs..Were you on a cruise or was it a land tour...if it was a cruise did you do it as part of an excursion?

It was at the end of a Royal Caribbean cruise on which we arrived in Venice on St. Marks Day. The biggest celebration in Venice. It was great. We overnighted and just srolled up to one of the many gondolas and asked how much? He was very nice and it was a memorable cruise through the canals. Some friends we were with had another driver and he did not sing. Guess we got lucky.He even took our picture together on his boat. Really nice guy. Venice is very easy to navigate and you can spend couple days just exploring the various alleyways and bridges. Since going to Venice once, it is on our list to revisit over and over again.

[Disney Fool]

We need to get the link to this thread on the "find your cruise meet for 2013 on Magic" on page one. Its' getting too hard to find.

[nzdisneymom]

Originally Posted by Disney Fool

We need to get the link to this thread on the "find your cruise meet for 2013 on Magic" on page one. Its' getting too hard to find.

I'll ask Irish_Cowboy to link us up - I thought the mods go through and automatically do it, but since it hasn't happened yet, I'll check on it.

I just subscribed so I can always find it through my User CP.