7/13/13 ~~ Eastern Mediterranean Mouseketeers!

[WDW Princess 71]

I think we should definitely have a sidebar on this when we get closer...since I think a bunch of us are doing this. Maybe at the meet we can figure it out. Pretty sure the boat from La Spezia is an option and is included in the boat/train pass. But we need to confirm.

Can you share where you got info on the boat/train pass? I thought the pass only covered the train and hiking trails, and the boat was separate.

 

[drlaurafsu]

Honestly...I have no idea at this point. I could be making it up. But I thought I read it somewhere. I'll have to go back through my stuff and see what I can find.

 

[happy_momma]

I think we should definitely have a sidebar on this when we get closer...since I think a bunch of us are doing this. Maybe at the meet we can figure it out. Pretty sure the boat from La Spezia is an option and is included in the boat/train pass. But we need to confirm.

Great idea!!

Looks like the ferry does run from LaSpezia, and it goes at 9:15 (schedule as far June 30th).

http://cms.cnpstudio.it/USER_CONTENT/49/pdf/tratte_pdf_eng_7.pdf?cache=887767,970561981


Oops...should have included the link to the website too...

http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/orario.asp?lang=eng

 

[LovesToRun]

I just opened up the Rick Steve's Cinque Terre book I have (opened it up for the first time. LOL!!)


And, he says the same about the train schedule (that there is an early morning train -- although he says from La Spezia, it is 7:12 AM , 8:12 AM, and then not until 10:07 AM. (Could be they changed their times by a little bit since he wrote this book).

But, one thing he writes is to not rely on the time tables you find online, but the really only reliable train time table is what the monitors say in the train station. He says this is because the Cinque Terre trains often run late, so it's not that the time tables online are wrong, it's just that if the trains are running late, then the monitors in the train station reflect the accurate train schedule for that day (ie, how many more minutes until the train arrives, etc, and if the train is running late, the time the train may arrive may be different than what the time table says online.)

He does say that between June & September, they add more trains to handle all the summer travel guests (but he doesn't say anything about adding more frequent train departures from La Spezia when adding more trains, so my guess is "more trains" means the same train schedule, but just able to handle more people per departure).

He also talks about the boats and there are boats going between La Spezia and Cinque Terre, and the first one leaves at 9:15 AM (so that is a good option!) BUT, he said the boats ONLY run if the water is calm. If the water is at all rough, they stop all boat travel. SO, that option only works if it's a calm day (in terms of the sea).

He also says boats are not covered by the Cinque Terre Park Card, but they are separate from that.

So, that is what Rick Steve's says.

It sounds like it's a day where you have to kind of "play things by ear"... the train may be late, the boats may or may not run depending on the roughness of the water that day...

Our family has been planning all along to just totally play this day by ear (before I even found out about this train schedule). So, if we have to wait until 10 AM to get on the train, we'll be fine with that, but if we can get to Cinque Terre before the first train leaves (by boat, maybe), then we might do that...

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Thanks for sharing the link to the ferry service! Although, if I'm reading the timetable right (and I'm not sure that I am), it appears that the 9:15 departure from La Spezia doesn't arrive in Riomaggiore (the closest Cinque Terre town) until 10:35? So in that case it would be even longer than the train? Am I reading it incorrectly?

Kathy, I have the same Rick Steves Cinque Terre book and I think you are right, that the times are slightly different but interestingly enough it does list that same 2 hour gap between roughly 8am-10am, which is odd. I think your advice is good, to just play it by ear. Maybe we'll get lucky and the train will be late at 7:55! Although, I read that its about a 20-25 min walk from the tender area to the station, so it would definitely be pushing it. I am going to try to research a possible taxi option or see if that's an option when we get there, but it would have to be under 20 euros for me to do it, since we're already going to be paying 10 euros/pp for the train passes, I don't want to add that much more to our transportation expense for this day. We'll see. I was originally planning to hit all 5 towns but now I think I may have to pick top 3 or even just 2 to enjoy it and just save the others for another visit.

 

[happy_momma]

Thanks for sharing the link to the ferry service! Although, if I'm reading the timetable right (and I'm not sure that I am), it appears that the 9:15 departure from La Spezia doesn't arrive in Riomaggiore (the closest Cinque Terre town) until 10:35? So in that case it would be even longer than the train? Am I reading it incorrectly?

Kathy, I have the same Rick Steves Cinque Terre book and I think you are right, that the times are slightly different but interestingly enough it does list that same 2 hour gap between roughly 8am-10am, which is odd. I think your advice is good, to just play it by ear. Maybe we'll get lucky and the train will be late at 7:55! Although, I read that its about a 20-25 min walk from the tender area to the station, so it would definitely be pushing it. I am going to try to research a possible taxi option or see if that's an option when we get there, but it would have to be under 20 euros for me to do it, since we're already going to be paying 10 euros/pp for the train passes, I don't want to add that much more to our transportation expense for this day. We'll see. I was originally planning to hit all 5 towns but now I think I may have to pick top 3 or even just 2 to enjoy it and just save the others for another visit.

I agree too, about playing it by ear...we are planning for a laid back day for Cinque Terre, just exploring, eating, and of course, drinking wine. While it would be nice to see all 5 villages, I would rather see 2 or 3 at a leisurely pace than rush through 5. I need to do some homework to figure out our top 3. If anyone finds anything out about which are the 'best' to see, please share.

I had also hoped to do the Lovers' Walk, but that appears to still be closed. I did read over on Cruise Critic about walking partway from Vernazza to Monterosso, so we will likely do that. Here is what the poster had to say: "If you only do the first maybe 10-15 minutes up from Vernazza, you get to that picture-postcard view of Vernazza. That alone is worth that little walk. But, please don't go in flip flops or sandals. You don't need hiking boots, but you need some decent closed toe shoes for it."

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Has anyone seen this site's timetable here: http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/images/stories/cinque-terre-timetable-2013.pdf

This one has slightly different times than the www.lefrecce.it official Italian train site. What's weird is the morning departures are slightly off but after 12:00 PM the times match on both sites. I guess I'll wait until a few days before we leave to check both sites' schedules again and see what's up, and then of course on the day of, play it by ear and watch the live schedules at the stations for the most accurate times.

I also read that the Lovers Walk path is closed, such a bummer because that was the shortest/easiest trail. I do want to say I walked a little bit of CT, so I may do what the PP suggested and try at least the first 15 mins up from Vernazza for some good views/pics. I don't think I want to spend an hour or 2 hiking only because our day is already so short.

I'm also trying desperately to rank the top 2 or 3 villages based on what others have done. I'm pretty much accepting that it'll be impossible to do all 5, so if I have to cut a few, I want to cut the least favorable ones. Decisions, decisions!

 

[LovesToRun]

I agree too, about playing it by ear...we are planning for a laid back day for Cinque Terre, just exploring, eating, and of course, drinking wine. While it would be nice to see all 5 villages, I would rather see 2 or 3 at a leisurely pace than rush through 5. I need to do some homework to figure out our top 3. If anyone finds anything out about which are the 'best' to see, please share.

I had also hoped to do the Lovers' Walk, but that appears to still be closed. I did read over on Cruise Critic about walking partway from Vernazza to Monterosso, so we will likely do that. Here is what the poster had to say: "If you only do the first maybe 10-15 minutes up from Vernazza, you get to that picture-postcard view of Vernazza. That alone is worth that little walk. But, please don't go in flip flops or sandals. You don't need hiking boots, but you need some decent closed toe shoes for it."

We haven't planned out either which villages we'll be going to (I doubt we'll make all 5 either), but I do want to go to Corniglia mostly because I think it'd be fun to climb ALL the stairs that you have to climb to get to the village. But, I'll have to get agreement from my family on that one. Apparently, with this village, if you get off the train at this stop, there is nothing at all what-so-ever where the train drops you off, and you have to climb the stairs to see anything (or apparently, there is a shuttle bus (for a small fee) to get to the village, so if you don't want to do either to get to the village, then skip this stop.)

But, I'd love to climb the stairs to get to that village! It just sounds unique and fun (well, fun if you like stairs). The stairs zig-zag and aren't steep stairs (from the pictures I've seen), and there are lots of little places to stop and rest or just look on the stair case, so it looks very doable (for the able-bodied person).

 

[LovesToRun]

For anyone who is bringing their own water bottles, I love these:

http://www.amazon.com/Vapur-Element...1371656997&sr=8-3&keywords=vapur+water+bottle

They are SO great for traveling because they take up no space in the suitcase, are super light weight, and they collapse as you drink the water (ie, so if you have a day pack, the bottle starts full, but as you drink the water, the bottle collapses, and when it's empty, you have more room in your day pack, and don't have to carry around a large plastic water bottle that takes up the same amount of space in your bag whether it's empty or full.)

(I know some are using camelbaks, but for those who don't plan to use camelbaks, but just want regular water bottles, these really are great for traveling and trying to save space). It is also dishwasher safe (which I know you won't have on the ship, but at home, you can easily throw it in the dishwasher).

I am bringing one for each of us in our family on our trip.

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2012/11/woman-detained-for-too-much-carry-on/

Note to self for carry on limit in Spain.

 

[LovesToRun]

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2012/11/woman-detained-for-too-much-carry-on/

Note to self for carry on limit in Spain.

Ditto!!!!

Are you flying Ryanair at all?

We are flying Ryanair from Venice to Barcelona, BUT I've read literally from beginning to end ALL of their "rules" they have (and they have lots of rules that are rigid, and we plan to follow every one of their rules, so we don't pay high penalties), so we should be fine, but yes, from all that I've read about Ryanair, you are limited to ONE carry-on (and it has to be a specific size and weight), and literally if you are carrying a book or a wallet in your hand along with your carry-on, they consider that two carry-ons! Very rigid from all my research on this airline. But, it is what it is.... they own their own company, so they make their own rules, and if we want to fly them, we have to follow their rules, plain and simple, and if you follow the rules, your experience should be fine.

So, I have it all figured out and planned out already in terms of all our luggage, carry-ons, etc. as to getting on our flight without getting detained, put in jail, yelled at or having to pay hundreds of extra Euros. LOL!!

But, it sounds like this woman (in this article) pretty much did everything wrong... "extra" carry-ons, didn't show boarding pass, pushed her way through the gate, yelled at authorities... and it was a multitude of things that got her detained.

We are on British Airways for all our other flights (and our flight out of Barcelona after the cruise), so no worries about carry-ons there for us. But, yes, Ryanair, and those 'no frills' airlines are sticklers!

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

http://www.cruiseoutlook.com/report/6885-disney-magic-2013-07-13

Weather forecast for our cruise. Our dates are not on their yet but it will be valuable for the first few days of our cruise by the time we leave.

 

[Disney_fans]

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2012/11/woman-detained-for-too-much-carry-on/

Note to self for carry on limit in Spain.

We use Ryan Air for quick weekend trips, but for anything longer than 3 days, we use British Air. We have a family of 4, so by the time we pay for any luggage, BA is about the same price. Ryan Air is VERY strict. Most American carry-ons are too big, so we have purchased smaller, lighter bags just for Ryan Air. When we were in Spain for Thanksgiving, there was a guy in line with his carry-on and a laptop. Rather than pay the extra 100 GBP, he stuffed the laptop in his suitcase and walked up the line trying to giving away his laptop case for free. There were no takers since no one else wanted the extra cost.

 

[slg]

I have used Ryan Air once and it was the scariest flight ever. We were flying from Faro, Portugal to Dublin, Ireland and it was a beautiful, sunny day but there was the worst turbulance ever. People were screaming and crying and praying. I travel a lot and I was worried for my life. And not one word came from the pilot to reassure the passengers. I think that was what was so scary. The kids were terrified and whenever I mention Ryan Air they freak out. We are flying with Easy Jet this summer for the first time. I hope they are better. So far I'm very impressed with all the correspondance I've received from them reminding me of the rules and telling me what the costs are for extra luggage. They only allow one carry-on but there is no weight restriction and at the moment it feels like they aren't so draconian.

They were slightly more expensive, but not much, but I'd really rather not do Ryan Air again unless there is a huge price difference.

 

[LovesToRun]

We use Ryan Air for quick weekend trips, but for anything longer than 3 days, we use British Air. We have a family of 4, so by the time we pay for any luggage, BA is about the same price. Ryan Air is VERY strict. Most American carry-ons are too big, so we have purchased smaller, lighter bags just for Ryan Air. When we were in Spain for Thanksgiving, there was a guy in line with his carry-on and a laptop. Rather than pay the extra 100 GBP, he stuffed the laptop in his suitcase and walked up the line trying to giving away his laptop case for free. There were no takers since no one else wanted the extra cost.

I agree! Well, I looked into all the other options out of Venice and only the "no frills" airlines with super strict rules were the ones that 1) had direct flights from Venice to Barcelona and 2) were way cheaper, even with all the extra bag fees, etc. So, I just decided to book with Ryan air knowing what I was getting myself into.

I have already pre-paid for our checked bags (because it's WAAAAY cheaper to pre-pay for checked bags than wait until you get to the counter to check your bags... it's like 4-X's the cost if you pay to have your bags checked at the counter). So, I just paid to have our roller carry-on bags checked, too, because 1) I had read exactly what you wrote... that a lot of roller carry-on bags are too big for Ryan Air requirements, and if you have to check your carry-on bag at the gate, it's like 100 Euros to check it (and you don't have a choice because they won't let you get on the plane if your carry-on doesn't fit their size requirement), and 2) I'm going to have a small shoulder bag (like a purse, basically), and my husband will have his laptop bag, and both our boys will have backpacks, so we can't take our roller carry-on bags anyway, because that would be considered a 2nd carry-on, and they ONLY allow you to have one.

But, we're still WAY under the cost, (even with our checked bag fees, and we paid extra to be able to choose our seats, so we can guarantee we are all sitting together), of what it would have been to take "mainstream" international airline.... And, I have it on my calendar to check into our Ryan Air flight before we leave the states, because (as crazy as this sounds), if we check in for our flight AT the airport, they are going to charge us something like 50 Euros!! So, to avoid that extra charge, we have to check in before we get to the airport, but I can't guarantee I will be able to print out boarding passes for our flight while we are in Venice at the hotel we're staying at, so luckily, Ryan Air lets you check in something like 2 weeks before your flight, so I'm checking into our flight and printing our boarding passes here at home before we leave.

So, all that said, you are smart to take BA for any flight when you have to check bags or have a larger carry-on. I WISH we could have taken BA from Venice to Barcelona, but that wasn't an option. We are flying BA for all our other flights on this trip... just had to use Ryan Air for the Venice -> Barcelona route. I'm looking forward to BA, though... I love that airline!

Well, we'll just look at our Ryan Air experience as another part of our European adventure!

(By the way, our luggage is actually a UK made brand (Antler), so my guess is if we DID carry-on our roller bags, they would fit, since they are European... to me, our roller carry-on bags do seem smaller than most American roller carry-on bags).

 

[Disney_fans]

I have used Ryan Air once and it was the scariest flight ever. We were flying from Faro, Portugal to Dublin, Ireland and it was a beautiful, sunny day but there was the worst turbulance ever. People were screaming and crying and praying. I travel a lot and I was worried for my life. And not one word came from the pilot to reassure the passengers. I think that was what was so scary. The kids were terrified and whenever I mention Ryan Air they freak out. We are flying with Easy Jet this summer for the first time. I hope they are better. So far I'm very impressed with all the correspondance I've received from them reminding me of the rules and telling me what the costs are for extra luggage. They only allow one carry-on but there is no weight restriction and at the moment it feels like they aren't so draconian.

They were slightly more expensive, but not much, but I'd really rather not do Ryan Air again unless there is a huge price difference.

In our opinion, Easy Jet is much better than Ryan Air. The size of your carry on can be a little bit bigger than the size for Ryan Air, and as you mention, there is no weight restriction for your carry on. In addition, the weight restriction for your check-in bags can be distributed among the bags. With Ryan Air, you are also inundated with sales pitches. It's odd to see flight attendants selling lottery tickets in the middle of the flight. We flew Easy Jet from London Stansted to Barcelona in 2011 and had a very pleasant flight.

 

[slg]

Hi lovestorun. My dh is looking forward to meeting another avid runner! I don't run, but he loves it a lot. Where are you planning on running on your trip?

 

[slg]

Glad to hear the endorsement for Easy Jet...thanks Michelle! We are flying Paris to Barcelona and another plus for Easy Jet is that it uses the major airports

Finally heard from ABD that I am getting my backpacks and luggage tags by Friday. Apparently all the pieces in the package come from different places so they had to assemble it especially. They emailed the itinerary today!

Yay! Now I can cancel my just in case rooms in Barcelona.

It's starting to feel close. I still have to finish the packing list and go shopping for new clothes, and then the hard part of packing. ugh.

 

[ky71]

Does anyone have any experience with Vueling airline? We are flying with them from Paris to Barcelona and have prepaid for an extra suitcase due to their strict cabin baggage allowance. Any tips gratefully received.

 

[happy_momma]

Finally heard from ABD that I am getting my backpacks and luggage tags by Friday. Apparently all the pieces in the package come from different places so they had to assemble it especially. They emailed the itinerary today!

Yay! Now I can cancel my just in case rooms in Barcelona.

Glad this all worked out for you - sounds like it will be amazing!!