Back to the Med in 2013! Ship sails today 6/15/13!!!

[MinnieDiva]

A pre-trip report for The Med already? Yup. I figure that if I dont start one, Ill drive my family nuts for the next 499 days. So, where to begin?

Hi! Im MinnieDiva and I have a bit of a Disney obsession. I refuse to believe that I need a 12-step group, but I do think I need an outlet for my OCD-tendencies. Besides the coffee pot (which was cured by buying a Keurig) and the garage door obsessions (always think I drive away leaving it open), Disney, specifically my next trip involving something Disney-related, constantly percolates in my brain. After referencing many other peoples trip reports, Ive decided to funnel some of my energy here! I havent done this before, so hopefully some of you all will actually read this and find it interesting&

My family is booked on the June 15, 2013 Mediterranean Cruise (Greece itinerary). Our party consists of myself, my DH, my DD (who will be 10 when we go), and my dad. The 3 of us went on the August 18, 2010 10-day Med cruise; we booked that one 22 months out on the 1st day they were released. That was our first cruise, DCL or otherwise (my dad has done a Celebrity cruise about 13 years ago). Last year, we went on one of the Alaska cruises. See a pattern here?

My goal with this trip report, other than to channel some of my energy, is to hopefully get some of you out there as excited as I was while planning our last Med cruise. My husband so did not get the boards, other than the fact that I quoted them almost daily. And, he totally did not understand the fact that the people on the cruise meet thread were becoming friends! He gets it now&..

So heres how this trip got booked:

Early January: With DCL rumors in full swing, I call my dad and ask if hes interested in going to the Med with us. I explain that I have NO idea what the itineraries are going to be, but that we were hoping for some new ports to change up the itinerary that DCL has (IMO) done to death. I launch into an explanation about booking, cabins, rates, and how I was going to book the 1st day I could and that he needed to commit one way or another. I told him he had about 2 weeks to think it over. I think hes used to me by now, but I do sound like a nutcase, dont I?

January 22-ish: Informed dad that current rumors had itineraries being announced 1/24/12.

January 24th: (my husbands b-day, by the way&happy b-day honey, Im about to spend a sh*#-load of money). Itineraries announced. Boy, talk about a bit disappointed that I had to choose between Venice/Dubrovnik and Greece/Turkey. DCL couldnt do it all in one? Sigh, ok, press on. It is what it is. Discussions with the family, discussions with dad, all agree that Greece wins. So what date? Having done the Med in August, I wanted to go as early as possible. Take DD out of school the last week of 4th grade? Sure. Not like they learn anything the last week anyway! Far more educational to go on this trip than to stay to help clean the classroom or do talent day or&.who knows what. My window for being able to do this is rapidly shrinking, so Im going to take advantage of it while I can. Besides&we live in northern WA State. Were closer to Canada than Seattle. We rarely hit 80 degrees in the summer. A shock to go from here to the Med in August? Absolutely! But more on that later. So, June 15th it would be.

January 26th: Shock and despair hearing reports of how much a cabin was going to cost us (silver CC member&couldnt book until the 27th). Two cabins, actually, since my dad is coming with us. We briefly entertained the thought of a suite&..but 1. They sold out, and 2. No WAY I was going to spend $20k or higher. So, rush to look at what other lines would cost us and look at other itineraries, yada yada&.oh, and I feel the need to mention here that it wasnt just our family on this emotional roller coaster, it was our good friends Mindelmouse and Bigbootee. We met them on the last Med cruise&but more on that later, too. By looking at other lines, I felt like I was cheating on my best friend! It was horrible!

January 27th: Ive used Dreams Unlimited for all 3 cruises and several DL/WDW trips. LOVE them! Anyway, our TA (Merrie&highly recommend), know what we were looking for, and I had a quote ready for me by 9am PST. To my surprise, my quote for a 9B (same cabin type I had the last MED cruise) was LESS than what I paid for 2010! Ok, yes, I did transfer a dummy date over, but still, it would have been dead even, including 2 additional days!!! Hallelujah!! And the quote for the 2nd room (no OBB transferred) for my dad wasnt awful either! Connecting rooms&.were on our way!! Then, to convince our friends that they needed to come with us! Didnt end up being all that hard to do&.

Ok, now what? Deposit paid, excitement level way up! Popped in on already-started meet thread, new itinerary with port times and map printed and taped to the wall by my computer&.Is it time to go yet?????

Thanks to Tinkerbelltwins, here is a list of links to various trip reports and informational threads that are far more current than the 2007 sticky on the trip reports section:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2870617 [Thread: Barcelona Hotels Precruise]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2868221 [Thread: If you have done the Med Cruise before with Disney]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2868499 [Thread: Questions for past Med cruisers]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2663068 [Thread: Med planning in 2011]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2288346 [Thread: lots of great planning links]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2653459 [Thread: Villefranche on your own]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2653459 [Thread: Cinque Terre on your own]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2663068 [Thread: Med Ports on your own]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2485312 [Trip Report: DisneyFalcon's First Med Cruise - Our Excellent Adventure]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2435876 [Trip Report: Magic in the Med: Dicecatt and Dicedawg's April 24th Voyage]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2487593 [Trip Report: Sayhello's ABD Trip Report for the Med 2011]
http://thewhitehouseblog.weebly.com/index.html [Trip Blog: Anal Annie's trip report/blog of Med cruise and trip beforehand to Paris]
http://thefairygodblogger.blogspot.com/ [Trip Blog: Bibbidibobbidibecky's DCL blog which has her Med cruise in it]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread....&highlight=med [Video Trip Report: Phil, Emma and Ben's Med Cruise]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2746104 [Trip Report: Janey2000's Magical Med Cuise June 2011]
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2761025 [Trip Report: Lornak's Med Cruise 2011]
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-cruise...iterranean.htm [Magic in the Med: Disunplugged in the Med 2010]

And a blog with navigators from 2011 as posted on our meets thread by mehaul:

http://www.worldofmouse.com/2011-med-excursions.html

And this TR off cruise critic...this isn't Disney, but has many of the same ports and does several excursions with RomeinLimo:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...ighlight=magic

Found another interesting site:
http://www.culturaltravelguide.com/

And a compilation of the planning sites/companies I used (though you'll find then in the body of the report as well):
Barcelona Day Tours: http://www.barcelonadaytours.com
Rome in Limo (for La Spezia and Rome): http://www.romeinlimo.com
Magical Steps Tours (Ephesus): http://www.magical-steps.com/ephesus-tours
Hellenic Private Tours: http://www.hellenicprivatetours.com/

Ticket sites:
Vatican: http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...sita=26&step=2
***FYI, dates are released for booking at midnight Rome time. For me, that was 3pm PST, so when my date was released I could book at a decent time of day! Sundays will cause a skipped released booking day***
Coliseum/Forum/palatine Hill: http://www.ticketclic.it/database/B2...DefID=170&LN=1
Pisa: http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Turisti/
**Tickets for Pisa are released as above for Rome...but you can only book between 20-12 days prior to your desired visit date.**
La Sagrada Familia: http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/?lang=0

Google Map I created: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid...60256,0.822601

[MinnieDiva]

****We are now at the point where I am filling in trip details. Please skip forward to read about my OCD planning over the course of the last year and a half**** (6/13/13)

hold for travel day to Barcelona: June 12-14, 2013

The plan: Fly from home to CA, stay overnight with dad and head up early the next morning to SFO to fly to Barcelona!!

June 12th: Ecstatic to start our vacation! I woke up at 6am to a cat pounding on a door. So, I got up and enjoyed a leisurely morning before DD got up and Dh got home from work. We had some packing to finish, DH had to mow the yard, and had errands to run. To add to this, Mindy pointed out that we needed International Driver's permits in order to rent the Go-Cars that was our plan for our day in Barcelona. 8 people in little yellow cars toodling around the city? Yeah, you know that's gonna be a great picture!! What surprises me is that I forgot about this. Not a detail I would usually miss. So in the midst of last-minute preparations and Mindy constantly messaging me because she was at work and didn't want to be there, I figured out that we could stop by a AAA office on the way to the airport. They do same-day permits and do have the ability to take pictures there. A form is available on line and I had all that pre-filled out so that the process would be quicker. Some fabulous friends offered to take us to the airport...this is no small drive, either!! It's a solid 2-hour drive to SeaTac. It was very nice of them, and I'm trying to figure out what to bring home for them!!!

We get to SEA and get thru security, take the tram to the gate...............and find out the flight is delayed. By 2 hours. Grr. So we wandered back to the main terminal and had a lovely dinner at Anthony's.(yummy seafood place local to this area). Finally got on a plane (the issue was we had to get a new one due to mechanical issues) and arrived in San Jose about 9:30 pm. Long day. We had a nap...had to get up at 2:50 to make a 3:45 Super Shuttle (which was 15 min early!!!) and zipped up to San Francisco. Security was light, as was the ticket counter (did I mention we're 1st/business??) and had to wait until 5am to get into the lounge. Where I am now. . We board in about 30 minutes for our flight to JFK. Based on the weather report, I'm thinking we'll be delayed there for a while...Mindy is in NJ and is flying out of Philly today and tells me it's pouring . Many on our board/FB page have had issues. Saturday looms lie the pot at the end of the rainbow!!! More later...

We got onto the plane at JFK and.....got texts (after we were seated) that our plane was delayed. What? A text? Yeah. And the flight crew and captain of the plane were asked about this and they didn't have any knowledge of this yet. Amazingly...the texts were correct and we sat there waiting to take off. I think it was about 7pm that we finally made it to the top of the queue and headed out. Turbulence was pretty light the entire flight, IMO. We were tired, but hngry and all of us eagerly awaitied dinner (and a bit of wine) so we could sack out a bit. I want to say that I maybe got a 3-hour catnap, which is an improvement over most of the times I travel. I guess that whold sleep deprivation thing from the previous night kinda paid off . They started doing a breakfast service about an hour and a half before landing, but I wasn't hungry and just drank a bunch of coffee and water. I have some lovely pictures from the plane that I will insert at a later date!

Seing as how we were an hour and an half delayed on our start, we only landed about 45 minutes late. Customs was a breeze and we headed down to baggage claim to get our luggage. In the meantime I went to call the apartment. This was interesting. First of all, I've never dialed an overseas number, so I had to ask an employee which series of numbers to call. I'm sure they thought I was an idiot, but there it is, right? And the phones are strange. Nowhere could I see how much a call was. I had 2E coins, and they really give you a limited amount of time, as I got hung up upon. More on this experience in a bit.

Taxi experience? Easy-peasy! Walked out, no line at all and people directing customers to taxis. We went in a little van...so 4 people, 4 large pieces of luggage, 3 carry-ons, and 2 camera bags. Showed the address of the apartment and off we went. Total cost $30E (rounded up from 29E). Included in this was the time we spent waiting in traffic

[MinnieDiva]

hold for pre-cruise Barcelona tourism: June 14th, 2013

The plan: We're scheduled to arrive early am, 7:30-ish. We have an apartment reserved, originally for 2 nights, but was able to change it to 1 night as our original flight plans changed with an incredible American Airlines deal. Was thinking of keeping both nights so that we could check in and have someplace to store the luggage and shower if needed, but the company was willing to work with us to have an early check in and just do that one night. Our plan is to rent Go-Cars: http://www.gocartours.es. We figure that will keep us awake and engaged thru the day.

Tickets have been booked for entry to La Sagrada Familia here: http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/?lang=0
You are asked to reserve a time slot. We chose 12-1, to ensure there would be no issues with flight delays.


Reality:

The only issue we had with the apartment was that there was no one to answer the phone number provided. I called the other number and someone said that there would be someone available after 9am. Really? So the moral of the story is be clear about early check-in arrangements. However, all worked out ok as we got to the apartment...just before 9...and they had an office there!! Yea! So a potential issue became a non-issue!!

The room was very nice (reminds me that I need to take pics before we leave...) and wi-fi was included and fast! There was a complimentary bottle of wine, a bottle of water (big one) and a Nespresso machine. We ended up using the washer and dryer (in response to the board post that the dryers on 6&7 are broken) and while functional, they are noisy and slow. But....clean clothes for all.

After a shower, we met Mindy and family at La Sagrada Familia and wandered around there for an hour or so. I mentioned this somewhere, but Mindy and I ran into each other last time at this location, so funnily enough, we ran into another family we've gotten to know on here and FB....in fact it was the family that is going on the Rome and Athens excursions with us!! I'm so used to her real name from FB that I'm not sure of her name here...I think it's wvflu? Any way...hi Lisa!!!

So off to hydrate and caffinate at Starbucks, to Mindy's hotel so they could get rid of stuff and take their luggage to the room, then we were going to take a taxi to the go-car location.....until we walked right by an alternate office right by the hotel/Sagrada area!!! They were able to rent us the cars from there, saving us time and effort. Or so we thought.

So.....here's my thoughts on the cars. DON'T RENT THESE. Mindy will lambast them in her own post, but my 2 cents are the following: they suck. Ok, let me elaborate. The GPS is inadequate. I was routed to a plaza (that I knew from the 2010 bike tour). No cars are there except taxis in a very limited area. A tolerant policeman tweeting his whistle and pointed my the correct direction. Rolling his eyes, I'm sure. We all got separated, so dad and I went back to the place we rented them and waited, calling Mindy's phone to let her, at least, know where we were. DH and Mindy's son came back to wait on everyone, so Dad and I went back out to at least recoup some of the cost of the tour. Horrible. Routed down 1-way streets, completely lost....traffic. Ugh. There will be a you-tube video of me getting stuck in an intersection yelling back obscenities at rude drivers. While we eventually did get a tour around town, I expressed my displeasure (after Mindy going ape.... on them) and got half my money back. Wait till you hear her version. It tops mine.

So we ended up back near our apartment for dinner. The kids (and adults) were soooooo tired. We had Spanish food (paella and other stuff) and Sangria (YUM!). Then: bed. That needed to happen in the worst way. All but me slept thru the night. I woke up about 1 am, but went back to sleep. Dad slept until we routed him out of bed at 0830 after we got back from Starbucks. Last load of laundry in the dryer now...need to go get water and wine to stash in the carry ons. The plan is a 10 am taxi to the port.

[MinnieDiva]

hold for day 2 Barcelona and embarkation: June 15, 2013! The day I've waited 499 days for! Embarkation day shirts for 8 people made and ready to go! What a picture that will be...

The plan: Nothing specific, and as we're on our own to get to the port, we'll play it by ear. Taxi!

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:


Dressed and ready to go to the port in my shirt! We saw another couple at Starbucks who were dressed in matching DCL shirts!!!

[MinnieDiva]

hold for Villefranche: June 16, 2013

The plan: Originally thought we'd do it on our own. DCL's Value Package: Nice & Monaco excursion mirrors what we wanted to do. It spoon-feeds us, but takes the hiking up hills equation out of the picture for my dad.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

hold for La Spezia: June 17, 2013

The Plan: Private tour for 8 arranged thru Rome in Limo for Pisa and Lucca. As this is the day the Patron Saint of Pisa is celebrated, we opted to change our climb in Pisa to the afternoon. In case you're interested, the Patron Saint is Ranierius. Likely, what will end up being closed is the baptistry and cathedral during a celebratory mass (as per Rome in Limo). Link to tickets to climb the tower: http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Turisti/.

Tickets purchased using above link at the 20-day mark. FYI, the website loads the next day at midnight Pisa time...so for me, the day before at 3pm PST. We booked for 2pm to climb the tower. The price was $18E pp with the Cathedral included. You can also "add-on" other buildings if you like, with all the rest of the sites being another $9E, I believe. I booked a Cathedral-only pass for my dad for $5E, as he doesn't intend to climb the tower.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

hold for Civitavecchia: June 18, 2013

The Plan: Private tour arranged with Rome in Limo for 12; private guide to accompany all day. We have pre-purchased tickets for the Forum/Coliseum/Palatine hill here: http://www.ticketclic.it/database/B2...DefID=170&LN=1
If you choose to buy these ahead of time, be aware that you need to print them immediately. The email that is sent to you confirming the purchase doesn't have the tickets attached to it, but does have a link if something goes wrong with your attempt to print (run out of ink, printer dies, power failure...you know).
Link to Vatican tickets: http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...sita=26&step=2.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:

We have Palo dinner reservations this day.

[MinnieDiva]

hold for Sea Day 1: June 19, 2013

Our crazy FB group has several meets today. We ordered some group t-shirts and will do a picture in the Atrium, then break away gels vs guys for various social activities.

Suggested dinner attire: Formal Night
Menu: Can we assume Golden Mickeys??

[MinnieDiva]

hold for Sea Day 2:June 20, 2013

Early am photo shoot with Pixelbarrel arranged for this day. I've admired her pics for a while and cannot wait to meet her in person !

Spa appointments and an alcohol tasting today as well (wine??).

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

Hold for Athens: June 21, 2013

We opted to reserve a private tour after seeing how fast the "rent-a-van" option thru DCL went. After contacting a few different companies and doing research on all the applicable websites, we decided to go with Hellenic Private Tours: http://www.hellenicprivatetours.com. A party of 12 for Athens and Cape Sounion AND a guide all day is $580E. Entrance fees and lunch is not included with this price.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

Hold for Kusadasi: June 22, 2013

This was another port we'd intended to go thru DCL, but with all the private tours once again gone after Platinum/Concierge booking, we did the obligatory research and opted to go thru Magical Steps Travel: http://www.magical-steps.com/ephesus-tours . Their fee was slightly higher, $470 USD (dollars!!!!) for a party of 8 but included lunch, a guide, and all the admissions except the Terrace Houses (which seems to be standard amongst all the tour companies). We actually ended up adding another family to this tour and are now a party of 14. It reduced the costs from $60/adult and $30/child to $50/adult and $25/child.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

hold for Mykonos: June 23, 2013

Currently, 7 of the 8 of us are booked on the Delos excursion. My dad has still yet to book...he's a newbie to DCL and has to wait until that stinking 75-day mark . There initially seemed to be some issues with availability, so we'll see what pans out. Worst case scenario is that we do this on our own. He could also do an adult-only excursion. We shall see...I've read that it's fairly easy to get to Delos once you get off the ship, but my fear is that I'd get nudged out of making a ferry and not making it back to the ship on time. UPDATE: 8/8 booked on 10:45 excursion!!

Suggested dinner attire: Pirate Night.....which then brings up the question....to bring Pirate attire or not? I'd have to make something new for DD. Easily enough accomplished, I guess...Update: Pirate attire packed and ready to go for all! I also made my dad a pirate shirt so he could join in the festivities!

Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

hold for sea day 3: June 24, 2013

Suggested dinner attire: Semi-Formal
Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

Hold for Malta: June 25, 2013

Private tour scheduled thru Touring Malta: http://www.touringmalta.com. We are going to see Valletta (including the Co-Cathedral), Blue Grotto (conditions permitting), the Hagar Qim Temples, and Mdina. We opted to forgo the fishing village, as all adults involved thought the Temples would be interesting to see. Cost for 8 is $445E, required a $50E deposit. Does include a guide, but not the entrance fees or lunch. I read about the company here: http://www.thepreismans.com/med_silhouette.htm. Interesting TR and good pics!!

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu:

[MinnieDiva]

hold for sea day 4: June 26, 2013

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual
Menu: